Chapter 119: I’m Not Terminally Ill

Qin Mohuai knew they had arrived, and in his calm, clear voice, he said, “Sit down.”

Su Yingxue placed her hands on her hips, about to question him for acting all high and mighty, but Qin Jingye gently spoke, “Little one.”

Su Yingxue huffed, “Just get to the point already. If Beibei wakes up and doesn’t see us, she’ll cry.”

Qin Mohuai said, “I know what deal Xia Yuan made with the system.”

Su Yingxue’s fingers unconsciously tightened. “Hurry and tell me!”

She had only been able to come back because of Xia Yuan’s sacrifice, and she didn’t want anything bad to happen to her.

Qin Jingye observed Qin Mohuai and frowned slightly. It couldn’t be good news.

The butler, standing off to the side, widened his eyes slightly as if he had overheard a shocking secret. He decided to leave the living room.

As he walked away slowly, he still managed to hear Qin Mohuai’s steady voice.

“Part of Xia Yuan’s lifespan was taken by the system. She can only live until fifty, maybe not even that long.”

Su Yingxue was left speechless upon hearing this.

The price for coming back was her lifespan!

No wonder Xia Yuan hadn’t told anyone.

A tear fell onto the back of Su Yingxue’s hand as her eyes filled with sorrow. Her fingers clutched her clothes, unable to accept the truth.

Qin Jingye wrapped his arm around her shoulders, gently comforting her. “Take a deep breath, little one. Breathe.”

On the verge of fainting, Su Yingxue followed his instructions, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Tears the size of beans streamed down her face.

“You don’t understand… you don’t understand,” Su Yingxue choked out, her bright face filled with heartache. “Xia Yuan had such a hard life growing up.”

Qin Mohuai raised his hand, his vein-popping fist pressing the towel tightly against his face, hiding his current disarray.

Su Yingxue sniffled. “My family supported me coming back, but they didn’t trust Xia Yuan. My second brother secretly investigated her life.”

“Xia Yuan grew up with her grandmother, living in a cramped, cheap apartment. I only just found out that the house even leaked when it rained. She had to endure illnesses without money to get treated, and only during New Year’s could she buy a tub of her favorite ice cream.”

“Boohoo… Yuan has only lived a few good days, so why take away half of her life? That trash system ruins lives!”

Qin Jingye gently patted her back, feeling that Xia Yuan’s life was truly pitiful too.

She had struggled her entire life in that world, only to lose her only family member in the end.

Now, returning to this world to enjoy life, her lifespan had been cut by more than half.

Qin Mohuai’s throat bobbed painfully as he quickly pulled the towel off his face and rushed to the bathroom, covering his mouth.

He vomited a handful of blood.

His throat, scratched by the thick blood clots, was blocked and ached. It felt as though countless tiny needles were piercing his flesh, the raw meat sticking to the sharp pins, unable to be swallowed or spit out. After the extreme pain passed, Qin Mohuai felt nothing at all.

Qin Jingye, who had followed him, looked at him with concern. “Don’t worry, we’ll find a way to get Xia Yuan’s lifespan back.”

“How?” Qin Mohuai asked.

Qin Mohuai rinsed his mouth, his dark eyes filled with an intense desire as if he wanted someone dead. His white shirt radiated a coldness under the night sky.

Qin Jingye could tell that Qin Mohuai’s thoughts were in disarray, so he knew he had to keep the situation under control, especially to stabilize Qin Mohuai’s heart, which was on the verge of breaking down.

“Although Professor Zhang hasn’t invented a time machine yet, if the system returns to our world, he’ll be able to communicate with it.”

“As long as we can talk to the system, how we get Xia Yuan’s lifespan back will depend on our abilities.”

“Mohuai, I trust your negotiation skills. Get ready for a tough battle.”

Even though there was only a slim chance of success, Qin Jingye spoke with complete confidence. His negotiation skills weren’t as sharp as Qin Mohuai’s, but as a natural politician, he excelled at stirring people’s emotions.

Qin Mohuai managed a strained “Okay,” his sharp, icy gaze resembling a silver blade, showing no trace of hope.

Back in the bedroom, he held the sleeping Xia Yuan in his arms, gently kissing her cheek, as if applying any more pressure would shatter her.

“Xia Yuan, I’ve already planned how we’ll celebrate our golden anniversary. You need to be there with me.”

It was a sleepless night, filled with heartache.

—

The next morning.

Xia Yuan noticed Qin Mohuai’s red, swollen eyes and stared in confusion for a full minute. It had been a long time since she’d seen him cry.

Qin Mohuai, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, covered his eyes with his hand. Xia Yuan leaned closer, prying his hand away to look.

His red, proud eyes hit all of Xia Yuan’s weak spots.

She forgot to ask why he was crying and also forgot about the argument they had yesterday. Overcome by her feelings, she held his face and kissed him for a long time, resting her head on his chest, breathing heavily.

Qin Mohuai glanced down at her. This was all she was capable of—give her all the courage in the world, and she still wouldn’t do anything earth-shattering.

“Time to get up.”

Hearing his hoarse voice, Xia Yuan sat on his waist, locking him in place with her legs (though it was really because Qin Mohuai was letting her).

“Brother Mohuai, don’t cry behind my back. If you do, I won’t be able to comfort you, and when you cry, it really gets me… oh no, it breaks my heart!”

Qin Mohuai had endured the whole night, and now being teased by his precious wife first thing in the morning left him feeling torn. He couldn’t process it all at once.

He closed his eyes to calm down, but Xia Yuan took advantage and bit his chest, the firm muscles instantly tensing up.

“Yummy, love it, I’ll have more next time,” Xia Yuan declared.

“…” Qin Mohuai finally lost his patience and gave her a light smack on her behind.

Xia Yuan didn’t feel any pain and wanted to tease him more, but there was no time—today they had to take Zhenbao to kindergarten.

There were perks to getting older. Compared to when they first met, Qin Mohuai was now much more composed.

If this had been in the past, daring to tease Qin Mohuai like this would’ve guaranteed he’d leave nothing of her but bones.

—

Xia Yuan knocked on the door, “Zhenbao, mommy’s coming in.”

Zhenbao, unusually reluctant to get out of bed, had his chubby face buried in the soft blankets. With a sleepy yawn, he murmured in a soft, nasal voice, “Mommy, I dreamed you didn’t want me anymore.”

Xia Yuan’s heart melted. “You had a nightmare, sweetie. Mommy will always want you.”

After helping Zhenbao get dressed, the two held hands and went downstairs.

Qin Mohuai had gone to the greenhouse and returned with a bunch of vibrant blue roses. Zhenbao’s young, innocent eyes widened as he took small steps toward him.

“Daddy, I woke up late today. Can I borrow a rose to give to mommy?”

Qin Mohuai handed him one rose from the large bouquet. He had picked many today.

Zhenbao quickly turned and gave the rose to Xia Yuan, even faster than his father.

Xia Yuan accepted it happily, kissing Zhenbao on the forehead. “Such a good boy.”

Even after they dropped Zhenbao off at kindergarten, and Zhenbao had already apologized to his petty father, Qin Mohuai still wore a gloomy expression, unresolved.

In the Maybach, Xia Yuan softly coaxed him, “What will it take for you to stop being upset? Take care of yourself.”

Qin Mohuai grasped her hand and, in a calm voice, said, “I’m not terminally ill.”

Xia Yuan’s smile froze on her face. She didn’t immediately understand.

“What do you mean?”