Chapter 49: Qin Mohuai, You’re Such a Control Freak—Even My Clothes Are Your Business

“You weren’t sleeping soundly, kept holding onto me,” Qin Mohuai calmly explained, wiping away the water droplets from her face.

Without giving her a moment to think, he led her directly to the wardrobe, handing her a heavy silk printed tie. “Thanks, darling. Tie me a Windsor knot.”

Xia Yuan held the tie in her hand, puzzled. He seemed a bit different today.

A misty blue waistcoat made of top-grade cashmere, tailored for a summer linen look—breathable, lightweight. The cuffs were adorned with five diamond buttons, a symbol of utmost formality. More cufflinks signaled a more important occasion, and five meant the highest standard.

Elegant, yet with a hint of rebellion.

So Xia Yuan picked a light blue dress, making them look like a matching couple. The soft, ocean-blue fabric hugged her graceful, fair figure, so delicate that it seemed you could pinch water from it.

Qin Mohuai examined her for a few seconds and selected a pair of expensive sapphire earrings for her. Xia Yuan thought they were too old-fashioned and refused to wear them.

Qin Mohuai said, “Darling, you look too young. I’m worried that when we go to get our marriage certificate, the staff will think I’m kidnapping you.”

“Did you eat honey today?” Xia Yuan beamed, accepting the sapphires and putting them on. Surprisingly, they didn’t make her look old at all. Instead, they added a touch of regal elegance, as if she were a little goddess he worshiped on a pedestal.

Qin Mohuai’s deep, sexy voice praised her a few times before falling silent, his sharp gaze locking onto her feet. Xia Yuan had chosen a pair of black strappy sandals, her delicate white feet entirely exposed, with even the pink, tender sole of her foot partly visible.

“These sandals don’t look good. I’ll pick another pair for you,” he said.

“But I think they look great, and they’re comfortable. You were the one who bought them for me in the first place,” Xia Yuan protested.

Qin Mohuai’s eyes darkened. I bought them for you to wear at home, not for others to feast their eyes on.

“Be good. Just wear the ones I pick.”

“Qin Mohuai, you’re such a control freak. I’m not your Barbie doll! Why do you have to dictate everything I wear? Tone down your overpowering need to control, okay?”

“You are my Barbie doll, and also my flesh and blood. So I have the right to decide what you wear. Sorry, but I’m just like that. You’ll have to bear with it.”

His gaze was sharp yet warm, like a giant wolf retracting its claws, nudging the little rabbit with his nose, gradually pushing her into his den.

“You have to control everything I do. I have no freedom anymore. You’re going to make me faint with frustration.” Xia Yuan rolled her eyes, sitting obediently on the vanity stool as she watched him put sandals on her feet.

This man was dangerously sweet, even more so from this deadly angle.

“How are you so handsome?”

His wife had complimented him.

Qin Mohuai pressed his thin lips together, trying not to laugh.

One moment she hated him, the next she was praising him. It wasn’t just Xia Yuan who couldn’t figure out what Qin Mohuai was thinking—he couldn’t figure out what she was thinking either.

But one thing was clear: Qin Mohuai was completely captivated by Xia Yuan’s playful push-and-pull.

For example, after a particularly intense night, Xia Yuan had cried, saying she hated him and never wanted to see him again. Qin Mohuai helplessly went to sleep in the study. But when a thunderstorm struck later that night, the frightened Xia Yuan snuck into the study to cuddle with him.

“Aren’t you going to hug me?”

He couldn’t resist—every time, his wife would reel him in like a hooked fish.

–

They droveto retrieve Xia Yuan’s house to make a registration booklet, before heading to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get their marriage license.

Xia Yuan’s parents had been waiting at home ever since they received her call.

Liang Min was a bit anxious, pacing over to the balcony window every now and then to check if they had arrived.

“They’re here! I see Qin’s car!” she exclaimed.

Xia Yi, on the other hand, remained calm. This time, he brought out the finest tribute tea to serve Qin Mohuai, believing that the poor treatment from last time was due to that unlucky fellow, Pei Jingchen.

After all, he was usually very welcomed by Xia Yuan’s parents.

Liang Min, however, was filled with questions but only asked the simplest one, “Why the sudden decision to get married?”

Qin Mohuai replied earnestly, “I’ve been with Yuan for ten months, and we’ve gotten to know each other deeply. Since we’re certain of each other, marriage is the natural next step. Yuan is your beloved daughter, and she will also be my most precious gem. Even after we have children, she will always be my top priority.”

Liang Min sighed, “I’m not trying to stop you two. I just hope you’ve thought this through. Yuan is only 21, still so young and naive. After marriage, she will rely on you for everything. A day or two is fine, maybe even a year or two, but what about seven or eight years?”

“You can’t guarantee that you’ll treat her the same way forever. You have the luxury of making mistakes, but Yuan is just an ordinary girl. If you leave her, it’ll be like falling from the clouds into the dirt.”

“You might compensate her with money, but money isn’t everything. What if she falls into depression? Even wealthy people have been known to die from depression.”

Her words were sharp, leaving Qin Mohuai with no room for rebuttal.

“Mother, you and Father have been married for over twenty years. You should believe in the power of love.”

Good heavens.

The mighty CEO of the Qin Group—a hopeless romantic?

Believe in love? That’s like believing wild boars can climb trees!

“…I’ve never believed in the power of love,” Liang Min said, her hair carefully styled today. Her self-reliance from a young age lent her an air of quiet strength.

Xia Yi, sipping his tea serenely, glanced at his wife, suddenly flustered. “How can you say that? How could you think like that? Do you have someone else out there?!”

Liang Min shot him a withering look.

In this small room, with so few people, it was shocking to realize that there were actually two hopeless romantics present.

Qin Mohuai finally understood who Xia Yuan inherited her eye-rolling habit from.

Liang Min called, “Yuan, come with me. I want to have a word with you alone.”

Xia Yuan eagerly followed her mother.

Xia Yi, now alone, looked a bit forlorn as he sipped his tea. His lean frame, dressed in a lightweight gray shirt paired with jeans and white sneakers, gave off the clean, fresh vibe of a Japanese idol.

Liang Min had once said she loved him like this.

Does she not like him anymore?

He felt a little sad.

Like a celestial rabbit from the moon palace, suddenly aged and desolate, he felt as if the world had crumbled beneath him.

Qin Mohuai, sensing that Liang Min was too strong-willed, decided to focus on Xia Yi instead and offered some comfort. “Perhaps she’s just speaking out of frustration.”

Xia Yi looked at Qin Mohuai.

“Even if she doesn’t believe in love, she still married you and had children. That proves you hold a place in her heart more important than love itself.”

Qin Mohuai’s voice was calm, soothing, and steady, full of an undeniable conviction. He was a master strategist, effortlessly using psychological tactics to his advantage.

Xia Yi stared at him deeply, “Is this how you usually sweet-talk Yuan?”

Qin Mohuai replied, “Most of the time, she’s the one sweet-talking me.”

Xia Yi: “…”

The mother and daughter stayed in the bedroom for a long time, and the two men couldn’t help but stand and walk over. Xia Yi raised his hand to knock but was interrupted by Xia Yuan’s cheerful voice: “I’m not some lovestruck fool! I’m going to learn from Mom!”

Xia Yi looked at Qin Mohuai, eyes full of playful mischie