Chapter 112: I Want to Be Better, to Deserve You 

—

Qin Qi drove them to Xiangzhou Private Hospital.

Xia Yuan leaned against Qin Mohuai’s chest, her beautiful eyes dull and clouded, as if she hadn’t recovered from the shock.

Every now and then, she would look up at Qin Mohuai, afraid he might disappear.

She didn’t understand how, after just being apart for a few hours, such terrible news could have happened.

Qin Mohuai once said the Qin family lived long lives and that he’d live to be eighty or ninety. How could he now be in the late stages of lung cancer?

Her vision blurred. She wiped away her tears but still couldn’t see clearly.

Qin Mohuai noticed her rubbing her eyes and, forgetting about pretending to be sick, gently grabbed her small fists, his voice low and weak: “Your hands are dirty. Let me wipe them with a tissue.”

“It’s okay,” Xia Yuan’s voice was soft and light. Right now, Mohuai health was the most important thing. Her blurred vision was nothing; it’s not like she was blind.

After the checkup at Xiangzhou Private Hospital, Xia Yuan got Qin Mohuai’s test results—it was indeed late-stage lung cancer.

She cried, tears falling nonstop.

Qin Mohuai: “Don’t cry. If you cry too much, your eyes will be swollen and hurt in the morning.”

“Mohuai, you’re so strong, and the Qin family is powerful. You’ll definitely get better, right?”

In the long hospital corridor, the fragile and beautiful girl tightly clutched the hem of Qin Mohuai’s suit, her watery eyes on the verge of breaking.

Qin Mohuai gently ruffled her head. “Baby, I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid you’d react like this. If it weren’t for Yang Yi’s big mouth, I would’ve kept it from you until the last moment.”

Yang Yi: “?”

Xia Yuan, open your eyes! He’s the worst!

That night, Qin Mohuai was admitted to the hospital.

The VIP room was as luxurious as a hotel suite. While Qin Mohuai was in the shower, Xia Yuan signaled Yang Yi to talk with her outside.

“Dr. Yang, you’re the best doctor I know. Tell me the truth—does Qin Mohuai still have a chance?”

“No hope at all.” Yang Yi screamed inwardly, His heart’s so rotten, there’s no saving him!

To give credit where it’s due, Qin Mohuai’s determination was terrifying. Despite Xia Yuan’s heartbreak, he remained completely unmoved.

This cold and ruthless scheming was on par with an emperor’s. Who knew what secrets Qin Mohuai wanted to pry from Xia Yuan?

Yang Yi adjusted his glasses and, trying to comfort her, said, “Everything has two sides. We could look on the bright side—if Qin Mohuai dies, you’ll be the youngest, richest widow.”

“…”

His completely unreliable words only made Xia Yuan more anxious.

Late at night, Xia Yuan and Qin Mohuai squeezed onto one hospital bed. The bed was large, but Qin Mohuai insisted on sharing it with her. Since he was “sick,” Xia Yuan didn’t mind and let him.

“Mohuai, focus on getting better. Believe in miracles. Let’s believe in a miracle together.”

Qin Mohuai held her hand, playing with it, while a lingering pleasure from the afternoon still tingled in his body. He shifted his lean waist slightly, hoping Xia Yuan wouldn’t notice anything unusual.

“Baby, I kept my illness from you. Aren’t you even a little angry?”

“You’re already like this, how could I be angry? Let’s focus on getting you better first,” Xia Yuan said, feeling the cold air from the AC sneaking into the empty space in the bed. She moved closer to Qin Mohuai, realizing something strange about his heated mood.

Her delicate, worried face flushed red, like a grieving young widow being teased, filled with both embarrassment and shame.

Hadn’t they just… this afternoon?

“Control yourself!” she said.

“Alright,” Qin Mohuai replied, sweating as his breath grew warm and sticky. He couldn’t control his reaction to Xia Yuan at all.

“Sorry, baby. I might not be able to hold you on the day before I die.”

“Why not?” Xia Yuan found the statement odd.

“Because I’m afraid that even if I die, I might still have a reaction. That would be really embarrassing.”

“…” Xia Yuan turned away, fuming, her back now facing him.

How can he still joke at a time like this?

A few minutes passed before Qin Mohuai spoke again, his voice hoarse but serious. “You mentioned in one of your love letters that when you came back, you’d tell me about your past. I can’t sleep. I want to hear it.”

Ignoring the strange feeling in her back, Xia Yuan started, “When I was little, my grandmother had to support the family by herself. My biggest wish back then was to grow up faster.”

“That’s a great wish,” Qin Mohuai responded. “Many people don’t want to grow up or take on responsibilities. Even Zhenbao said he wanted to grow up faster. Baby, you passed on some really good genes to him.”

Xia Yuan always summarized her childhood with difficulty and hardship, so much so that recalling it felt like drinking a bottle of expired wine—bitter and sour.

But now, her childhood didn’t seem so tough. After all, even her simple wish seemed so noble.

“When I got a little older, I started taking part-time jobs. Around that time, I tried writing lyrics for C-list celebrities. The first song I wrote went viral online!”

Qin Mohuai’s eyes were filled with pride. “Baby, you’re amazing.”

Xia Yuan felt embarrassed by his praise but also a bit giddy. She wriggled in his arms, her small waist twisting like a fish swimming in water, stirring up trouble in his heart.

“I want to be even better, so I can be worthy of you.”

Qin Mohuai pressed his forehead against hers, his deep eyes turning serious. “What do you mean ‘worthy’? Who said something to you? Xia Yuan, have I ever told you that you’re incredible? If I haven’t, let me say it now. The person who loves you will love you even if you turn into a fool—they’ll still be wrapped around your finger.”

His seriousness didn’t last more than three minutes before he added, “What’s wrong with being a bit foolish? When we first met, your way of seducing me wasn’t exactly subtle. I couldn’t explain why I didn’t kick you out then—I was already wrapped around your finger. Wife, when will you try seducing me again? Wear those black stockings. I’d be so mesmerized, I’d lose all reason.”

“Go to sleep!”

For a moment, Xia Yuan forgot all about his illness and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Qin Mohuai closed his eyes, pretending to rest. He planned to wait until he was on his ‘deathbed’ to ask Xia Yuan about the deal she made with the system. Asking now would seem too eager and suspicious, and the little fox would catch on.

Who said she was foolish? She was sharp, like a clever little fox.

—

Qin Mohuai’s terminal illness wasn’t made public; Pei Jinchen and Zhou Xuan only knew he was sick and hospitalized.

Since Xia Yuan’s death, Qin Mohuai had become a frequent visitor to the hospital, so it wasn’t surprising to anyone.

The underground parking garage at Xiangzhou Private Hospital was as luxurious as a shopping mall’s. A black Bugatti smoothly pulled into a parking space.

Pei Jinchen and Zhou Xuan looked around, making sure no one was nearby before stepping out of the car.

Dressed in a flamboyant pink suit, Pei Jinchen, with his overly pampered, aristocratic appearance, lazily drawled, “You carry it up.”

“Why should I?” Zhou Xuan protested loudly.

“Keep your voice down. Do you really want people to know about this?”

In the trunk of their sports car lay a human-shaped pillow. Nothing too strange about that, except this pillow had arms and legs and was wrapped up tightly, looking disturbingly like an inflatable doll.

They had agreed to gift Qin Mohuai a pillow printed with Xia Yuan’s photo to help ease his longing for her.

Pei Jinchen lost at rock-paper-scissors, so he put on his sunglasses, reluctantly picking up the pillow and walking toward the elevator.

“If Qin Mohuai doesn’t put this to good use, he’ll never hear the end of the looks I’m getting for this!”