I Wish To Never Leave Your Side - Chapter 16

Qiu Yan raised her hand to touch her neck and found a thin layer of something applied to it.

She picked up the medicine box beside her. The white box bore no brand or text, and it looked rather old.

Unscrewing the lid, she took a sniff, it smelled exactly like the scent coming from her body.

Could it be that she came tonight just for this?

…

Inside the Mercedes business van, Mo Lishen twirled the ring on her finger as she gazed at the scenery speeding past outside the window.

Qiu Yan hadn’t lied.

Before Mo Lishen arrived tonight, she had prepared two paths for her.

It was for the best that she hadn’t deceived her. If Qiu Yan had lied, even just one word, Mo Lishen wouldn’t have kept such a risk by her side.

Perhaps it was because of that face of hers, when Qiu Yan told the truth, Mo Lishen felt a faint sense of relief in her heart.

“Ms. Mo, there’s still no news from Zhao Qiulin. Could he be deceiving us?” Bai Hua turned to look at Mo Lishen, a trace of concern on her face.

“Tomorrow, we’ll pay his daughter a visit.” Mo Lishen’s expression remained neutral, but her eyes gradually merged with the darkness of the night.

…

4:30 p.m., dismissal time at Central Kindergarten.

Every day at this hour, the kindergarten entrance would be crowded with a sea of parents, all craning their necks to peer inside.

Children of this age were all about the same height, dressed in identical uniforms, making it impossible to distinguish one from another from a distance.

If any child happened to trip while leaving the building, every parent’s heart would skip a beat, fearing it might be their own precious little one.

Dismissal time always caused traffic jams. Those who arrived late had no choice but to park their cars far down the street and walk over to pick up their children. As the weather grew colder, the only way to avoid braving the chilly wind on a long walk was to arrive early and snag a parking spot.

Zhao Qiulin and his wife had bickered on their way out precisely because they’d left late and couldn’t find parking. They squeezed into the crowd, standing on tiptoe to look inside.

Gradually, the crowd thinned as parents led their children home, but their own daughter still hadn’t emerged.

Zhao Qiulin took out his phone and called the child’s homeroom teacher, who informed him that the child had already been picked up.

“Picked up? Her mother and I are both right here. Who picked her up? How irresponsible is this kindergarten?” Zhao Qiulin shouted into the phone, one hand on his hip. His wife, equally panicked, stamped her feet in frustration.

“Daddy!” a young, childish voice called out.

Zhao Jiaoqing, carrying her little red backpack, came running toward them.

Mrs. Zhao immediately crouched down and hugged the child, while Zhao Qiulin glanced in the direction from which she had come. No one was there, but a black Mercedes business van was parked nearby.

A chill ran down Zhao Qiulin’s spine. He quickly snatched the child from his wife’s arms, inspecting her from head to toe, from her cheeks down to her tiny feet.

“Qingqing, how did you end up being picked up by someone else?” Zhao Qiulin crouched down, his voice restrained as he occasionally glanced at the business van.

“That sister said she used to work with you at your old company. She said you’d be a little late, so she let me wait in her car to keep warm.” Zhao Jiaoqing opened her small palm. “That sister was really nice, she even gave me candy.”

When Zhao Qiulin saw the candy in his daughter’s hand, he snatched it away and tossed it into the grass as if it were a lit firecracker, terrified it might explode at any moment.

“From now on, you are not allowed to get into anyone’s car or accept candy from anyone except your mom and dad.” Zhao Qiulin angrily yelled at his daughter.

Zhao Jiaoqing had never seen her father like this before and was immediately frightened, hiding in her mother’s arms and crying.

Zhao Qiulin was in no mood to comfort his daughter at the moment. He shoved the car keys into his wife’s hands and told them to wait in the car.

He watched as his wife and daughter got into the car before turning around and walking toward the Mercedes-Benz.

As soon as he stood still, the rear window of the car rolled down.

“Long time no see, President Zhao,” Mo Lishen said with a smirk, her dark eyes gleaming with malice as she looked at him.

“What did you do to my daughter?” Zhao Qiulin, though wary of Mo Lishen, was ready to fight her to the death if she dared lay a finger on his daughter.

“I did nothing. As you saw, your daughter was quite happy. I was just worried she might catch a chill outside and kindly let her into the car,” Mo Lishen’s smile widened.

Zhao Qiulin began to feel a sense of dread. Mo Lishen had effortlessly taken his daughter right under his nose. If she ever decided to act, it would be too late.

“Give me three days. The project proposal will definitely be delivered in three days.”

“If I don’t see the project proposal in three days, your daughter won’t be as happy as she was today,” Mo Lishen said lightly as she rolled up the window.

The black Mercedes-Benz sped off, its taillights disappearing in an instant.

Zhao Qiulin roughly ran his hands through his hair. After escaping from the basement last time, he had moved his entire family and even transferred his daughter to a new school. Obtaining the project proposal was extremely difficult, and he still wanted to keep Mo Licheng as a potential ally for the future. He had been extremely cautious in protecting his daughter, yet…

That crazy woman, Mo Lishen.

Zhao Qiulin cursed her silently in his heart.

“President Mo, Miss Yu just sent a message saying she has an unexpected matter and won’t be able to attend the banquet in three days.”

“Hmm,” Mo Lishen replied indifferently.

“Then, your companion for the banquet…” Bai Hua hesitated.

“Whose banquet is so prestigious that I can’t attend alone?” Mo Lishen glanced at the rearview mirror.

Bai Hua didn’t dare to say another word.

“Three days from now?” Mo Lishen suddenly thought of something. “Will the CEO of Jin Su be attending?”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

…

Qiu Yan applied the ointment Mo Lishen had left for her again this morning, and the pain had indeed lessened considerably.

During the day, she had arranged to view apartments with a landlord. After looking at several, she finally found one she was satisfied with.

The price was a few hundred yuan over her budget, but since she wasn’t the only one interested, there was no room for negotiation. In the end, she paid the deposit.

She could move in next week after the handover, just in time for Yuanyuan’s discharge from the hospital.

Qiu Yan regretted more and more that she had offended Mo Lishen that night. Given the current situation between them, there was no way she could ask for time off.

Ask for time off? It sounded as if she were on duty in this house every day. Qiu Yan laughed bitterly to herself.

On the bus ride back, Qiu Yan buried half her face in her collar, recalling the events of the previous night.

At first, she had thought Mo Lishen was going to… do something to her, but it turned out she was just applying ointment.

She had been to Mo Lishen’s company once before. The drive from Qingshui Bay took about forty minutes. So, had Mo Lishen made a forty-minute trip just to apply ointment on her?

Qiu Yan suddenly shook her head vigorously, feeling a pang of self-disgust deep down. It was like being slapped and then given a sweet date, a trick meant to fool children, and yet she had fallen for it.

After returning to Qingshui Bay, Qiu Yan ate a quick meal and sent a video call to Yuanyuan.

The marks on her face and neck had almost faded. It had been days since she last saw Yuanyuan, and she missed her terribly.

Children are highly sensitive to adults’ emotional shifts. Sensing that Qiu Yan had been unhappy lately, Yuanyuan deliberately acted silly to cheer her up.

Gradually, Qiu Yan’s expression softened, and she let out a laugh at Yuanyuan’s antics.

Suddenly, she heard the elevator arriving at her floor.

“Yuanyuan, Mommy has to go now. I’ll talk to you later,” Qiu Yan said hurriedly before ending the call.

The apartment had a private elevator for each unit, so the sound could only mean Mo Lishen was coming.

Qiu Yan locked her phone screen and sat on the sofa, waiting.

It felt like there had been many such moments, waiting in the room for Mo Lishen, listening as her footsteps drew nearer.

There was a mix of anticipation and unease, but above all, tension always dominated.

Sure enough, since that day, Mo Lishen no longer bothered with the doorbell. Instead, she entered directly using the passcode.

Qiu Yan rose from the sofa and greeted, “President Mo.”

Mo Lishen no longer smiled at her as she once had. Her expression was cold, casting a heavy atmosphere over the entire room.

She sat directly on the sofa, her eyes scrutinizing Qiu Yan.

“Take off your clothes,” she said, her tone detached and distant.

Qiu Yan froze, wondering if she had misheard. She glanced up tentatively at Mo Lishen.

Mo Lishen didn’t repeat herself. Her gaze was authoritative, and her assessing eyes seemed to impatiently urge her on.

Biting her lip, Qiu Yan slowly removed her clothes. With each piece shed, her body grew colder, while her ears and face burned hotter.

When only the last garment remained, she felt too ashamed and instinctively covered herself with her hands.

“Move your hands,” Mo Lishen said, her voice devoid of emotion and just loud enough for Qiu Yan to hear, as if unwilling to expend any extra effort.

Qiu Yan’s face flushed crimson, as if blood might drip from it. Slowly, she moved her hands away, fully exposing herself to the other’s scrutinizing gaze.

Mo Lishen looked her up and down a few times, then casually picked up a blanket from beside the sofa and spread it over her lap.

“Come sit here.”

Qiu Yan swallowed hard and moved hesitantly toward her.

The moment her skin touched Mo Lishen’s legs, Qiu Yan was pulled by the forearm into the curve of her arm.

Mo Lishen’s hands began to wander over her body, paying particular attention to two prominent areas, which she cupped in her palms with deliberate favor.

Qiu Yan clenched her lower lip tightly, determined not to let out any humiliating sounds.

Mo Lishen leaned in, gently taking Qiu Yan’s soft, pink earlobe between her lips. A shudder ran through Qiu Yan’s body, and she let out a faint whimper.

“Bring me the medicine box I gave you yesterday,” the woman murmured, her voice husky and breath as faint as an orchid’s fragrance, warming the shell of Qiu Yan’s ear.

After a moment’s hesitation, Qiu Yan had no choice but to rise and walk back to her room naked to retrieve the medicine.

On the short journey back, she moved unusually slowly, trying to control her gait to minimize the sway of those two sensitive areas, as if doing so could lessen her shame.

Mo Lishen took the medicine box and gestured for her to sit back on her lap.

Scooping a bit of ointment with her fingertip, she took Qiu Yan’s left hand, applied it to her wrist, and gently massaged it in.

Mo Lishen’s hands were naturally cool, and combined with the chilly ointment, it sent a shiver through Qiu Yan.

After finishing with her wrist, Mo Lishen pulled another blanket from nearby and wrapped it around her.

Qiu Yan’s right hand clutched the edge of the blanket, trying to cover herself in embarrassment.

Suddenly, her calf was lifted, and with a gasp of surprise, she instinctively wrapped her arms around Mo Lishen’s neck to steady herself.

The blanket slipped from her shoulders once again.

Mo Lishen reached out, readjusted the blanket over her, and began massaging her calf with her medicated hand.

A patch of bluish-purple bruising marred her calf, the outer edges fading to a lighter hue, still slightly swollen.

“Remember to apply a warm compress before bed. Use the medicine twice a day, and massage it in when you apply it,” Mo Lishen’s voice was calm and unhurried as she looked down, kneading her fair-skinned calf, her brow unconsciously furrowing slightly.

Qiu Yan, watching her focused expression, felt her cheeks grow even warmer…

That evening, after leaving Qingshui Bay, Mo Lishen made a call to Bai Hua.

“Choose an evening gown and have it delivered tomorrow. I’ll send you the measurements in a moment.”