Chapter 42: Rainy Night, Extreme Tension

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The system was screaming wildly in Xia Yuan’s mind: Don’t chase away the crazy male lead! You guys aren’t even a real couple, why are you throwing a tantrum?! Completing the mission is the most important thing!

Xia Yuan told it to shut up.

She never really intended to kick Qin Mohuai out, so she went along with the flow and agreed to his request to stay the night.

Qin Mohuai’s thin lips curled slightly as he kissed his wife’s soft, rosy cheek, then provocatively looked at Pei Jinchen.

“This has nothing to do with you now, go home and play.”

As Pei Jinchen see the two love birds he cursed and drove off in his sports car, disappearing into the distance. He regret helping Mohuai and shouldn’t have come to watch the drama today—ugh.

Xia Yi was in the kitchen washing the tea set, and Liang Min opened the door to see the two of them returning. She was slightly taken aback. “Yuan, you… him…”

Xia Yuan, feeling especially nostalgic for her grandmother on this rainy day, had a pure and pale face that lacked much energy. “Mom, I’ve decided to talk to him tonight. We’ll be quiet and won’t disturb you and Dad.”

Liang Min said, “Alright, you two talk.”

She also knew that it would be difficult to separate the two, unless Qin Mohuai was willing to break up on his own.

As for Liang Min, she understood her daughter well. If Qin Mohuai proposed a breakup, Yuan definitely wouldn’t cling to him.

Qin Mohuai entered his wife’s room. Perhaps because she had stayed there for a long time, the room was filled with her scent, all of it carrying his wife’s fragrance.

“Go take a shower first. I saw that your pant are wet… um, there aren’t any of your clothes here, so I’ll get you some of Dad’s pajamas, is that okay?”

Qin Mohuai came from a prestigious family and had a touch of OCD. Forget about wearing someone else’s clothes—he wasn’t even fond of off-the-rack designer clothes. Every piece of his wardrobe was custom-made from head to toe.

“Your father is just a bit shorter than me, so his pajamas should fit. Thanks, wifey.”

Normally, Qin Mohuai would cause trouble before showering, grabbing Xia Yuan for a long round of kisses or coaxing her to shower with him. But tonight, he behaved well and walked into the bathroom without a word—his unusually disciplined behavior was quite odd.

Xia Yuan fetched a set of her dad’s pajamas but didn’t see Qin Mohuai come out for a long time, so she left the pajamas by the bathroom door and lay down on the bed, pretending to sleep while waiting for him.

How could she negotiate with Qin Mohuai to make him show a little more restraint?

It would be best to solve the problem at its root—like finding the author of this book and making her change Qin Mohuai’s obsessive nature.

But that wasn’t realistic.

As she was drifting off to sleep, Xia Yuan felt like a puppy was licking her, and her eyelashes fluttered.

She had already showered after dinner, and her clean, fair skin was soft and fragrant. Qin Mohuai cupped her face in his hands, planting light kisses.

“I woke you up.”

“Mm.” Xia Yuan opened her eyes and ran her hand through his damp gray-blue hair. It was actually a bit long, but at this length, tying a small ponytail at the back of his head made him look really cool.

Qin Mohuai didn’t have this habit—it was Xia Yuan who would tie the ponytail for him. If he cut his hair short, that little routine would disappear.

Her soft fingertips rubbed against his scalp, making Qin Mohuai feel incredible. His deep and intense phoenix eyes narrowed, transforming him into a harmless, handsome man.

When Qin Mohuai wasn’t being crazy, he was quite sunny and charming.

His gaze fell to Xia Yuan’s right hand. What was she holding?

Normally, Qin Mohuai would have already pried it open to see, but this was the Xia family’s home, and his wife was still upset.

“Baby, blow-dry my hair for me.”

Xia Yuan sat up and grabbed the hair dryer, treating his hair like dog fur as she blew it dry.

Qin Mohuai half-closed his eyes and reached under the pillow, finding the soft clay figurine that Xia Yuan had been holding while she slept.

The figurine was very abstract, so it was hard to tell who it was.

Could it be Mu Yao?

Qin Mohuai flipped the figurine over and saw a string of blue Sanskrit characters, identical to the ones behind his own ear, only much smaller.

This clay figurine was of him.

His wife had been holding a figure of him while she slept.

His mood plummeted into a desolate abyss, only to be lifted high into the clouds again. Qin Mohuai’s lips couldn’t help but curl up.

The system: “Crazy male lead’s affection level has risen to 93!”

It had guided many hosts through missions, with each one slowly developing feelings with their target. But Xia Yuan? She took an unconventional path. Of course, the tight timeline was a factor, but it also proved she had quick wits.

The system had thought Xia Yuan was sulking, but it turned out everything was part of her plan. Very well, she truly was the woman it had chosen!

Xia Yuan turned off the hairdryer and saw Qin Mohuai playing with the clay figurine. Her voice softened with a hint of a spoiled tone, “Give it back. Qin Mohuai, why are you staring at yourself like that? Didn’t expect you to be so narcissistic.”

“Wife.”

Qin Mohuai leaned in for a kiss, but Xia Yuan dodged, nervously saying, “My body hasn’t fully recovered yet. I can’t give you anything.”

The tall and handsome man knelt on the bed like a guilty puppy, murmuring, “I’m sorry. I didn’t plan on doing anything tonight. Don’t avoid me.”

He seemed a bit remorseful, so Xia Yuan took the opportunity to make a demand. “You can’t touch me for the next week. If you can’t handle that, you should go back to your mansion tonight.”

“I’m not going back.” To him, anywhere without his wife was a cold, lifeless prison. Qin Mohuai’s eyes flickered with hesitation, but he agreed to Xia Yuan’s condition.

He tentatively asked, “But what about the goodnight kiss and hug? We can’t skip those, right?”

Xia Yuan: “…Not tonight.”

Helping him with that before bed would defeat the whole point of her condition! Frustrated, she kicked Qin Mohuai in the abs. He hissed in pain, and his phoenix eyes showed a trace of real discomfort—it didn’t seem faked, as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Xia Yuan frowned, “What’s wrong with you?”

Qin Mohuai’s voice was hoarse and weak. “I didn’t want you to know and worry, but your little foot just happened to find the right spot.”

He lifted his shirt, revealing white bandages wrapped around his abs, with a bit of blood seeping through. Xia Yuan took a closer look and asked, concerned, “Does it hurt? Did I kick your wound?”

Qin Mohuai: “Just missed it.”

Xia Yuan touched the bandage, then traced her hand along his uninjured abs up to his chest. The firm, muscular tissue beneath her touch grew taut and hard.

“How did you get injured there? Who hit you? Were they jealous of how nice your abs are? What a terrible person. Luckily your chest is fine—if there was a scar, whose fault would that be?”

Though Qin Mohuai liked that his wife appreciated his muscles, it somehow left him feeling a bit displeased.

“My ninth uncle, Qin Jingye. But he didn’t walk away unscathed. He’s worse off than me.”

Xia Yuan knew that Qin Jingye was a taboo topic in the Qin family, so she didn’t ask more. She lowered her head and gently kissed his perfect, sexy chest, a sign of her affection.

Qin Mohuai chuckled. “Why the favoritism? My abs deserve a kiss too.”

As Xia Yuan looked over, Qin Mohuai put on a pitiful face, playing the part of a wounded beauty. The battle-worn, brooding look made him all the more alluring to her. Before she knew it, Qin Mohuai had coaxed her into giving in to his requests for a goodnight kiss and hug. The mischievous man smiled wickedly, his lips curling up with satisfaction.

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Meanwhile.

Qin Jingye read the shocking news of his hospitalization in the ICU from the newspaper. His cold eyes betrayed no emotion, only the looming sense of death.

“This is the great gift from my good nephew. Go, deliver a present of our own.”

Like a shadow, the figure vanished from the study.

To provoke Ninth Master was to provoke the Grim Reaper. The Deep Sea Corporation was merely a front for Ninth Master’s power. Behind the scenes, he had been gathering physicists from around the world. No one knew what he was truly planning…