Chapter 44: Once Again Hooked by His Wife

You mess with me, it’s like messing with cotton.

Xia Yuan, in order to stay alive, seduced Qin Mohuai and, along with the system, disrupted the destined relationship between the male and female leads. So even though the female lead subtly insulted her, she could let it slide this time.

But if you’re going to throw shade at me, then you better not try to take Qin Mohuai from me.

Xia Yuan held onto the back of Qin Mohuai’s hand. Since she couldn’t grip it fully, she gently rubbed the untouched skin and the raised veins with the soft pads of her fingers.

Qin Mohuai, sitting straight and steady, didn’t look at her, merely raising an eyebrow.

He knew that talking to Ouyang Jing would make little Xia Yuan jealous.

Jealousy was good—let her indulge in it.

Seeing that Qin Mohuai wasn’t responding, Xia Yuan shifted closer, almost sliding onto his lap. Her straight, white legs peeked out from the delicate pink satin of her dress, like a mermaid newly transformed, her tender skin appearing untouched by sunlight.

Her calf subtly brushed against his cold, black slacks, and her cat-like, flirtatious eyes stole a glance at him. It was like a young girl sneaking a look at the man she adored. Qin Mohuai, who was very susceptible to this kind of behavior, almost got hooked by his wife again.

Pei Jingchen was right—Xia Yuan was like a little fox, a fox he kept in his embrace. Even if he had to feed her with his blood and flesh, he’d willingly do it.

Secretary Cao broke the moment. “President Qin, Mr. Ouyang has invited you to dinner to discuss the KG Hotel. Would you be available in the next couple of days?”

He shouldn’t have brought this up in front of outsiders, but the old master had instructed him to assist Ouyang Jing, leaving him in a difficult position.

Qin Mohuai responded calmly, “If the Ouyang Group wants to be the general contractor for the KG Hotel, they should go through the regular bidding process. As for dinner, I’ll pass—I’m quite busy these days.”

Ouyang Jing, who had been holding her head high, now looked like a drenched chicken, her face momentarily pale.

She hadn’t even asked Qin Mohuai for help, so how did he know the Ouyang family was aiming to become the general contractor for the KG Hotel?

Maybe her thoughts were written all over her face, or perhaps Qin Mohuai was just that perceptive.

Either way, it was deeply humiliating for her.

Before leaving the CEO’s office, Ouyang Jing cast a glance at Xia Yuan, who seemed both delicate and superficial. If Xia Yuan were to ask Qin Mohuai for a favor, would he still remain impartial?

Though she didn’t want to compete with Xia Yuan, she truly believed Xia Yuan wasn’t a good match for Qin Mohuai.

Xia Yuan’s beauty could easily conquer anyone, without needing any depth to back it up. She was like a precious antique from a golden age, requiring exquisite lighting, careful protection, and the most luxurious carriages for travel. Though not inherently extravagant, she was the type who could easily stir up corruption, decadence, and indulgence.

Xia Yuan would ruin Qin Mohuai.

Instead of going home, Ouyang Jing headed to the Qin family estate.

When she was a child, she had fallen from a tree, and if Qin Mohuai hadn’t caught her, she would have been crippled by now.

Qin Mohuai may have forgotten this incident, but she had never let it slip from her mind.

She couldn’t allow Xia Yuan to destroy Qin Mohuai.

She would repay her debt from all those years ago.

Qin Mohuai cleared a desk for Xia Yuan to use. She printed out the lyrics she had written, reviewed them multiple times, made a few tweaks, and then sent them to Zhou Mao for selection.

Zhou Mao voice was perfect for singing love songs, and Xia Yuan had seen many online reviews where people admitted to crying while listening to Rainy Day. The top comment on NetEase Cloud Music, with tens of thousands of likes, read: “Back then, I had to part ways with my first love due to life’s pressures. Now that my circumstances have improved, I have no idea where she is or how she’s doing.”

There were also numerous Douyin videos using Rainy Day as their background music. The song had truly become a hit.

Xia Yuan was overjoyed, feeling as though fireworks were going off in her heart. She hadn’t expected that the lyrics she wrote in this novel world would become so popular.

With this success, she decided to write a few more songs. Since she was here, she might as well leave something behind.

Besides, she was afraid that being taken care of by Qin Mohuai would make her lazy. She couldn’t take the wealth from this world back with her, and when she returned to her original world, she’d still need to write lyrics to make a living. She couldn’t afford to lose her skills.

Qin Mohuai closed his pen, stretched his wrist and neck, and in his deep, magnetic voice called out, “Baby, come here.”

Xia Yuan had something to discuss with him too, so she obediently walked over to his side.

The luxurious custom-made leather office chair was only big enough for one person, so naturally, Xia Yuan sat on his lap. To get comfortable, she adjusted her position without caring about Qin Mohuai’s reaction. Her soft, plush curves pressed against the firm muscles of his thigh through his suit pants, creating a sensation as tender as torture.

“Are you tired from work? Want me to massage your temples?” Xia Yuan asked sweetly.

Qin Mohuai narrowed his eyes. “You’re acting unusually attentive. What did you do this time to make me angry?”

“What do you mean by that? It’s like you’re saying I only cause trouble. Have I ever done anything wrong? Nope! It’s all in your head.”

Her delicate skin, as soft as flower petals, made it hard to believe she could utter such shameless words.

Qin Mohuai let out a light snort, his chest, covered in a crisp white shirt, rising and falling slightly, but he didn’t refute her.

Xia Yuan added, “My professor is treating us to dinner tonight, so I can’t have dinner with you. In fact, I need to leave in an hour to meet them.”

Afraid that Qin Mohuai wouldn’t let her go, she shifted in his arms, striking a pose that was far from innocent. Her two soft mounds pressed up against his chest, barely covered, and her cheeks flushed with a coy blush. Her mix of innocence and seduction made Qin Mohuai’s heart itch—he was particularly weak to this kind of teasing.

“You’re dreaming if you think you can go on a date with some old man.”

Qin Mohuai’s eyes darkened as he stared at her, his half-lidded eyes clouded with a gloomy intensity. “Trying to seduce me won’t work. I promised you I wouldn’t touch you for a week. If I break that promise, what will you call me this time? A selfish dog with no self-control, or a perverted lunatic? I don’t like hearing you say those things, so I can hold back.”

Every time Xia Yuan tried to seduce him, he would fall for it, acting dumber than a puppy.

“Oh, so you can hold back?” Xia Yuan teased.

“…” Qin Mohuai was caught off guard by her tactic, leaving him momentarily speechless. After a pause, he explained, “Normally, I can’t hold back, but when I’m angry with you, I’ll control myself. My mom used to soften my dad’s heart by sulking after they argued, but I’m not as soft as my dad.”

Qin Mohuai rarely talked about his parents in front of her, so Xia Yuan still didn’t know the full story behind their fatal car accident.

If it had been a natural disaster, then there was no helping it. But from the way Qin Mohuai lost control every year on the anniversary, it seemed there was more to the accident than the Qin family let on. Publicly, they had stuck to the story that it was just a tragic accident.

After work, they rode home in the Cullinan, but instead of heading to Shenghai Mansion, the car was going in a different direction. Xia Yuan asked, “Where are we going?”

“I’m taking you to your dinner.”

Since Qin Mohuai was willing to compromise, Xia Yuan played along, coaxing him, “I originally wanted to take you with me, but since this is our first dinner as a group and no one knows each other well, it wouldn’t be appropriate to bring a partner. When I graduate next year and we have a farewell party, I’ll introduce you to them.”

Though… by next year, she wouldn’t be here anymore.