Chapter 126: If You Had Come Back a Little Later, He Would Have Held Your Suicide Note and Died

Xia Yuan slept fitfully.

As the warm yellow light from the bedside lamp illuminated the room, she saw a note from Qin Mohuai.

He was in the kitchen.

Qin Mohuai could cook well, but since they had a chef, he rarely had the chance to.

Cooking for himself was good; it kept him busy and distracted.

Xia Yuan felt grateful that eighteen-year-old Qin Mohuai didn’t know the truth about the accident, because only the thirty-two-year-old version of him had the mental strength to handle it all.

Next to her bed were a pair of pink satin slippers, soft and fitting, making her delicate feet look even more beautiful.

These were slippers she had worn often over the past two days, likely sent over by Qin Mohuai.

It wasn’t completely dark outside, so Xia Yuan stepped into the courtyard to breathe in the fresh air. As she turned a corner, she thought she saw Shen Ruying.

When Xia Yuan hurried after her, she bumped into Grandpa Qin, who was shelling walnuts.

“Grandpa.”

“Ah.”

Grandpa Qin smiled kindly. “Dinner is almost ready. Let’s go to the dining room. Thanks to you, I’ll get to taste the dishes Mohuai made himself. I wonder if he made my favorite lobster fried rice.”

Wealthy people often avoid refined carbs, sugar, and only use Moroccan nut oil and olive oil…

After losing his wife, who was he maintaining his figure for? So he enjoyed carbs and sugar, relying on the good genes of the Qin family to eat freely and live long.

“Grandpa, why is Shen Ruying still here? Isn’t that going to upset Mohuai?”

Grandpa Qin continued to smile. “Now, besides you, who else could upset Mohuai?”

“In the past, he used to be unhappy on his parents’ memorial days, but now he seems fine.”

“The culprits are dead, and it’s his own mother… With his current stature and status, he can accept this.”

Xia Yuan’s gaze shifted as she counted on her fingers.

“What are you counting?” Grandpa Qin asked.

“I’m weak and probably won’t live past fifty. I was thinking…”

Grandpa Qin was shocked. “Why do you think you can only live to fifty?”

“Do you know? Mohuai has already planned out the path for Zhenbao’s future. For the three years you were gone, he has been preparing for his own death.”

“If you had come back even a little later, he would have held your suicide note and killed himself.”

Xia Yuan stood frozen, tears welling up in her beautiful eyes from the fright of it all.

The night air felt thick, making it hard for her to breathe.

Qin Mohuai, don’t love me so much; it only hurts yourself.

Grandpa Qin sighed as he walked away, drawn by the aroma of the food.

Left in the brightly lit courtyard, Xia Yuan wrestled with her complex emotions alone.

“Xia Yuan, perhaps I should call you sister-in-law, but you’re just too young for me to say that,” Shen Ruying said as she approached, looking Xia Yuan up and down. She wore no expensive jewelry and had a fragile, sickly look about her.

Shen Ruying took two steps back.

Xia Yuan was confused. “?”

Shen Ruying continued, “You look very weak. If you faint in front of me, it would be hard for me to leave the Qin family.”

Xia Yuan could only stare in silence.

“I really admire Qin Mohuai. When I learned he was my brother, I even fantasized about living with him. But the Shen family wouldn’t allow me to get close to him.”

Xia Yuan clasped her hands behind her back, her delicate fingers entwined, her calm gaze betraying a hint of confusion.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Shen Ruying, wearing high heels, towered over Xia Yuan, exuding an air of dominance. “Sorry, I overheard your conversation with Grandpa Qin. If you can’t be with my brother for the long haul, the best thing to do is to leave him.”

Xia Yuan: ??

Shen Ruying continued, “Once you step aside, a healthy woman will take your place, and my brother won’t have to suffer from the loss of his wife.”

What a unique perspective, with a ruthless logic that nearly ensnared Xia Yuan.

Xia Yuan replied, “You make it sound somewhat reasonable.”

Shen Ruying raised her chin slightly, her earlier humility seeming like a facade for Qin Lao and Qin Mohuai. In front of Xia Yuan, her true nature of bullying the weak came through.

Xia Yuan’s eyes sparkled with cunning. “Unfortunately, I’m weak, and only Qin Mohuai can take care of me. I can be difficult at times, but he lets me push him around. When I’m capricious, he covers for me. Even if I died and went to another world, I would still find a way to cling to Qin Mohuai—alive or dead, I won’t let him go.”

Shen Ruying, who was excessively protective of her brother, fumed. But when she saw Qin Mohuai approaching, she transformed back into a compliant lamb.

Qin Mohuai took off his coat and draped it over Xia Yuan’s shoulders, holding her slightly cold hand. His deep eyes softened a bit. “Let’s go inside. If you don’t care about my wife’s health, I do.”

Shen Ruying weakly called out, “Brother…”

“Get lost. Don’t let me see you again,” Qin Mohuai snapped.

Shen Ruying looked like she was about to cry. Xia Yuan wanted to turn around and see the commotion, but Qin Mohuai pinched her cheek and chided softly, “You’re curious about everyone else, but not about me.”

Xia Yuan’s bright eyes showed no fear of his temper. “Kiss me!”

“…”

With a cold expression, Qin Mohuai leaned down and kissed her fiercely, completely indulging her, to the point that he didn’t even care about his own expression.

—

At the villa halfway up the mountain.

Su Yingxue received the lyrics Xia Yuan had sent and hummed them repeatedly. The uplifting, vibrant lyrics were catchy and addictive.

“Truly impressive lyrics! Yuan, you’re amazing!”

She had signed with Ai Xia Records, the label that Qin Mohuai had given Xia Yuan, and everything was ready for her debut.

In recent days, Qin Jingye had been coming home late. After catching him one night, Su Yingxue seized his collar and sniffed him.

“There’s no smell of smoke or alcohol, and no perfume either. What have you been doing out there every day?”

Qin Jingye chuckled, but then his expression turned serious. “Qin Mohuai is going after the Shen family—his mother’s side—without holding back, nearly pushing them to their doom.”

From his father, he had learned the truth about his brother and sister-in-law’s accident, and he hadn’t expected the culprit to be his sister-in-law.

It was a tangled mess that could only be treated as a muddled calculation.

“The Shen family just sheltered Shen Ruying and her daughter; they didn’t participate in the conspiracy behind the accident.”

“Qin Mohuai is going too far. He can’t distinguish right from wrong, lacking any restraint—like a hotheaded fool blinded by hatred.”

“If he drives the old man to death, it won’t benefit him at all.”

The next day, Qin Jingye went to Shenghai Mansion. He couldn’t stop Qin Mohuai from doing wrong, but Xia Yuan could.

Qin Mohuai was in the kitchen preparing a hearty breakfast, wearing a cute floral apron, perfectly domestic.

“Qin Jingye is here. Want to join us for breakfast?”

Qin Jingye’s eyelids twitched. The man who stirred up storms was now acting like this at home.

Qin Mohuai smiled lightly, but a chilling glare flickered in his eyes. “Uncl, I don’t like discussing business at home. It’s best you don’t mention it. I enjoy peaceful, warm days, and anyone who dares to disrupt that will face my wrath.”

Qin Jingye: … You’ve really lost it.