Chapter 53: You Were So Close to Going Back!

While having their candlelit dinner, Xia Yuan sipped on a little wine. She wasn’t drunk, or so she claimed—if you didn’t count her giggling while hugging a blue rose.

Qin Mohuai carried the tipsy Xia Yuan upstairs, his deep voice teasing, “You had some wine too, so you can’t complain about the smell of alcohol on me tonight.”

Xia Yuan, forgetting her usual aversion to dirt and grime, pinched her nose as he reminded her. She hypocritically retorted, “You smell awful. Go take a bath before touching me.”

Qin Mohuai was speechless.

“Fine, let’s bathe together.”

Both of them had been drinking, so naturally, they agreed to share a bath.

The master bedroom’s bathroom was enormous, over sixty square meters.

The milky-white bathtub was custom-made and oversized, capable of fitting three grown men comfortably.

Xia Yuan thought to herself, He’s been abstinent for a week, which is already pretty impressive. Tonight is our wedding night, and Qin Mohuai’s allowed to be a bit indulgent. There’s no stopping him.

Reluctantly, she undressed and stepped into the tub, coyly covering her important parts with a wet towel, as if this would fool anyone. The soft lighting in the bathroom cast a creamy glow on the bathtub, but it couldn’t compare to the smoothness of her skin.

Qin Mohuai sat at the edge of the tub, showing no intention of joining her. Instead, he seemed content with helping her bathe.

The only person who had ever bathed Xia Yuan before was her grandmother when she was little. Other than that, no one had seen her body, much less touched it so intimately.

At first, when Qin Mohuai had explored every inch of her, she’d felt awkward and embarrassed, almost like his hands were still roaming over her the next day. But gradually, she grew accustomed to it.

She even started asking him to scratch her back, whether it was itchy or not—simply enjoying the attention.

Usually, after Xia Yuan had her turn, it would be Qin Mohuai’s turn to enjoy himself. But tonight, it seemed he wasn’t in the mood.

Huh?

Part of Xia Yuan felt relieved that she wouldn’t be exhausted, but another part of her worried that something was wrong.

She waved her pale, delicate arm in front of Qin Mohuai’s face like a playful kitten teasing a dog. “Are you sure you don’t want a taste?”

Qin Mohuai’s eyes narrowed slightly, his voice husky, “Wave something else in front of me, and I might take a bite.”

Xia Yuan immediately wrapped herself in a bathrobe and bolted out of the bathroom.

What a shameless man! Always dreaming of the good stuff!

Qin Mohuai stayed in the bathroom for another ten minutes before finally starting to bathe.

He had to clean up properly after drinking before he could hold her.

Originally, he hadn’t planned on letting her off tonight. After so much abstinence, he fully intended to keep her up until sunrise. But something was bothering him. He felt uneasy—how could he not have known about Xia Yuan’s depression? It was as if something had slipped from his control, and for a man like Qin Mohuai, this rare feeling of uncertainty was unsettling.

Why did he suddenly have this fear of losing her?

Xia Yuan, on the other hand, slept soundly.

Nine in the morning. When she opened her eyes, she saw Qin Mohuai sitting on the balcony, his long fingers typing away on a laptop as he handled business.

This scene felt somewhat unfamiliar.

It was unusual for Qin Mohuai to still be in the bedroom at nine. Even on weekends, when he didn’t go to work, he’d spend three hours at the gym in the morning—his discipline was almost terrifying.

Noticing she was awake, Qin Mohuai closed his laptop, walked over, and kissed her forehead. “What do you want for breakfast?”

Golden sunlight outlined him like a priceless, perfect oil painting. The clean lines of the light polished away the gloom, murkiness, and sickness that once seemed to cling to him. Today, Qin Mohuai was a handsome and radiant man, exuding a fresh allure.

Xia Yuan was almost dazzled by his charm.

“Qin Mohuai, did you take too much medicine? You’re way too dashing today. This is dangerous! I might just want to hide you away.”

“Nothing would make me happier, baby.”

“…Yup, still the same pervert I know,” she muttered, exasperated.

Qin Mohuai asked again, “So, what do you want for breakfast?”

Xia Yuan thought for a moment. “Scallop and seafood congee. I want something flavorful.”

The feeling of being well-rested and basking in the warm sunlight was almost too perfect. She even had the fleeting thought of staying here forever, living in this world without ever going back to her original one.

Suddenly, the system’s voice interrupted, “Wake up. Your grandma is still waiting for you. After all your hard work, the affection level has reached 96. You’re just one step away from returning!”

“I’ll tell you a story. Once, a host didn’t return after completing her mission. She married her target and had children, living happily for a few years. But after a while, life became mundane. She couldn’t give the male lead any more excitement, and he lost interest in her. Do you want to live that kind of life?”

Xia Yuan didn’t, but she was even more resistant to being scared by the system. She retorted, “Qin Mohuai is different.”

The system coldly replied, “That host said the exact same thing.”

Qin Mohuai came back into the bedroom to urge Xia Yuan to get up, only to find her sitting on the bed, sulking and throwing punches at the air.

“Baby,” his voice was soft, almost dripping with sweetness, “are you having an episode?”

Xia Yuan was baffled.

Qin Mohuai explained, “I’ve made an appointment with a psychologist. It’s Dr. Liu Ming, the one you met when you first came here.”

He added, “Being sick isn’t scary. What’s scary is refusing to get help. I’ll find the best doctors to cure your depression.”

Xia Yuan was speechless. What if the doctor finds out I’m not actually sick? That’ll be awkward.

She thought back to her tough childhood—she hadn’t had the luxury to get depressed. If she fell ill or died, who would take care of her grandmother?

‘Xia Yuan,’ on the other hand, had grown up in a loving family. So why had she developed depression? Was it genetic? Or had someone bullied her?

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Xia Yuan took her time finishing breakfast, but by then, the psychologist was already waiting quietly in the guest room. Qin Mohuai wanted to accompany her inside, but Liu Ming stopped him.

“Mr. Qin, even though you’re Miss Xia’s boyfriend, it’s better if you don’t sit in. With someone else present, the patient may not open up and speak truthfully.”

Qin Mohuai corrected him, “We got our marriage certificate yesterday. I’m not an outsider.”

Liu Ming was momentarily stunned before offering his congratulations.

Xia Yuan then entered the guest room to sit across from Liu Ming for their session.

Over an hour later, Liu Ming emerged. Qin Mohuai immediately asked, “How serious is it?”

Liu Ming replied, “I don’t think Mrs. Qin has depression. It seems like she might be lacking love. This is just my initial diagnosis, so it might not be entirely accurate. But from what I’ve observed, she doesn’t seem to have depression.”

Qin Mohuai’s voice remained calm, “Are you sure?”

Liu Ming pondered for a moment before answering, “It’s possible that she once had depression and has since recovered. I’m curious—who was her previous psychologist? If needed, I can reach out to them for further discussion.”

“If that’s necessary, I’ll contact you again,” Qin Mohuai responded coolly.

Liu Ming didn’t press further. After receiving his consultation fee and a red envelope from Butler Wang, he gracefully left the mansion.

From Liu Ming’s perspective, if Xia Yuan could handle being with someone like Qin Mohuai, her mental resilience was anything but fragile. In fact, she possessed an extraordinary inner strength. It was hard to imagine someone like her suffering from depression.

To put it simply, even if the world were ending, Xia Yuan wouldn’t waste time wallowing in despair. She’d immediately figure out how to survive. That wasn’t just speculation—it was the conclusion Liu Ming had drawn from their conversation.

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That afternoon, Xia Yuan was napping, while Qin Mohuai sat in his study, having finally uncovered the truth behind Xia Yuan’s supposed depression.