I Wish To Never Leave Your Side - Chapter 22

In the car, the air seemed to freeze. Bai Hua even lightened her breathing, afraid that Mo Lishen might get angry again.

Qiu Yan sat pressed against her side of the door, Yu Xiamu’s words lingering incessantly in her mind.

She was a lover, a pet, something that could be bought and sold.

But she was also a sister, a mother, an important person in Yuanyuan’s life.

The weight of morality and responsibility made such humiliation even harder to bear.

Her head hung low, both hands clenched tightly on her lap.

Mo Lishen glanced at her. Qiu Yan was curled into a small ball on the side. She wanted to reach out and pull her closer, but her hand stopped halfway, ultimately not touching her.

By the time they arrived at Qingshui Bay, the sky had already darkened.

After opening the door, Qiu Yan stood aside to let Mo Lishen enter first. Mo Lishen moved slower than usual and actually switched on the light as she entered the living room.

Qiu Yan, as always, sat beside her.

After closing the door, Bai Hua remained standing behind Mo Lishen’s right side.

Suddenly, Mo Lishen’s hand covered Qiu Yan’s.

Her palm was still cold. Qiu Yan froze for a moment, then clasped it back, warming her.

She was just one among many little birds, but today she realized she seemed to be the one who had lasted the longest, and perhaps the one Mo Lishen treated most gently.

Qiu Yan lowered her head, holding Mo Lishen’s hand with both of hers, gently stroking the prominent veins on the back with her thumbs.

Her gaze traveled upward, Mo Lishen’s forearm was slightly red. It must have been from Yu Xiamu’s slap in the private room earlier. The redness remained, evidence of how hard Yu Xiamu had struck.

Mo Lishen let her manipulate her hand. Suddenly, a cool sensation spread across her arm.

She looked down to see Qiu Yan applying ointment to her.

Mo Lishen felt a stifling discomfort in her chest.

“She’s the daughter of one of my business partners. She’s used to being domineering.” Mo Lishen opened her mouth and uttered these words dryly.

Only after Qiu Yan finished applying the ointment and carefully screwed the cap back on did she realize Mo Lishen was explaining to her.

She was Mo Lishen’s lover, but the one who hurt her wasn’t Mo Lishen, and today, the one who helped her was still Mo Lishen.

Qiu Yan looked up, a gradual smile spreading at the corners of her lips as she met Mo Lishen’s calm eyes.

Mo Lishen’s pupils were pure black, as if they could see through everything, yet nothing could truly enter her gaze.

Their eyes met, and something seemed to flicker in the air, vanishing as quickly as it came.

“Can I hug you?” Qiu Yan still held Mo Lishen’s hand, her own growing colder from nervousness.

Mo Lishen withdrew her hand and pulled Qiu Yan into her embrace. The discomfort in her heart seemed to ease a little, yet also grow more intense.

Frowning, Mo Lishen drew her deeper into the hug.

Hugging was the most frequent interaction between them, but this particular embrace made Qiu Yan’s heart race exceptionally.

She had intended to keep some distance, not wanting to betray her pounding heart, but Mo Lishen’s arms tightened around her, as if trying to meld her into her own body.

The room was quiet, filled only with their soft breaths.

Qiu Yan felt Mo Lishen gradually relax, the arms around her loosening their grip and resting gently at her waist.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Qiu Yan spoke softly, “Today, Sister Bai Hua stood in front of me.”

Bai Hua, who was trying to minimize her presence as much as possible: “?!”

Bai Hua’s impression of Qiu Yan skyrocketed.

Mo Lishen understood her words, she hadn’t actually blamed Bai Hua in the first place. She knew Bai Hua was worried about the collaboration in Yu Xiamu’s hands and felt torn.

“Mhm,” Mo Lishen responded, still resting her chin on Qiu Yan’s shoulder, her eyes lightly closed.

After an unknown amount of time, Mo Lishen proactively let go of Qiu Yan. “It’s late, go get some sleep.”

“Goodnight,” Qiu Yan said sweetly, looking up as she escorted Mo Lishen to the door.

“Goodnight,” Mo Lishen replied softly.

On the way back, Mo Lishen suddenly spoke up, “I’m raising your salary this month.”

Bai Hua looked up at Mo Lishen’s reflection in the rearview mirror. “Thank you, President Mo.”

Sensing that Mo Lishen’s mood seemed much better, she tentatively added, “President Mo, you treat Miss Qiu Yan quite differently.”

Mo Lishen’s hand, which had been fiddling with her ring, suddenly paused. “It was just convenient. I needed to reprimand Yu Xiamu anyway, it has nothing to do with her.”

Bai Hua didn’t say anything more, keeping her eyes on the road ahead, but it seemed she understood something.

When Mo Lishen returned home, she sat on the sofa in the dark but suddenly remembered the phone call from Mo Lihan earlier that day.

After a moment of thought, she grabbed her little rabbit keychain and went out.

…

At 10 p.m., Mo Lishen drove to the entrance of Mo Lihan’s villa.

The security guard at the gate spotted Mo Lishen and hurried over. “Ninth Miss Mo.”

“Is she home?”

“Madam is at home.”

Mo Lishen suddenly thought of something else and pressed further, “What about Lin Yu’an?”

The guard hesitated. “Sir is still busy at the company.”

Mo Lishen’s expression turned cold as she strode straight through the gate.

The villa was brightly lit everywhere. Mo Lishen glanced toward the swing set and, sure enough…

She walked over and saw Mo Lihan still wearing a little dress, swinging. Her brows furrowed tightly.

“Mo Lihan,” Mo Lishen called out angrily.

Startled and unprepared, Mo Lihan lost her rhythm on the swing and nearly fell to the ground.

Mo Lishen reached out to steady the ropes, helping her land safely.

“You scared your sister to death! What are you doing here in the middle of the night?” Mo Lihan turned around, her face and ears red from the cold.

Mo Lishen took off her coat and draped it roughly over Mo Lihan like a sack, pushing her inside.

“Where’s Lin Yu’an?” Mo Lishen asked sternly.

“Keep your voice down, Xiao Ci is asleep,” Mo Lihan whispered, placing a finger to her lips as she wrapped herself in the coat.

Mo Lishen had no choice but to sit beside her and ask again in a softer tone, “Where’s Lin Yu’an?”

“He’s working overtime at the company.” Seeing Mo Lishen’s dark expression, Mo Lihan reached out to pinch her cheek. “What are you doing here so late? You come in and immediately scold your sister like this.”

Mo Lishen pulled her hand away, her brows still furrowed. “Last time I came, he wasn’t here either. How often does he come home?”

Mo Lihan avoided her gaze and went to the fridge to take out a box of pastries, placing it in front of Mo Lishen. “It’s just a coincidence. He only stays at the company occasionally.”

“These aren’t too sweet, try one.”

Just as Mo Lishen was about to say something, Mo Lihan interrupted her. “I bought a few new little dresses. Let me show you, wait here for me.”

As Mo Lihan went upstairs to change, Mo Lishen took out her phone and called Bai Hua. “Check if Lin Yu’an is at the company, and investigate his recent schedule while you’re at it.”

Before long, Mo Lihan came downstairs wearing a pale pink dress.

It had to be said that all of Mo Lihan’s clothes seemed tailor-made for her. She was three years older than Mo Lishen, making her thirty-one this year. Yet, no matter the style or color of the dress, once she wore it, it gave off a sense of perfect harmony, as if it were meant to be.

The pale pink suited her without the slightest hint of age-inappropriateness, it looked natural and vivid on her.

“You look beautiful,” Mo Lishen said with a smile, her gaze filled with the same admiration she had as a child looking up to her older sister.

“Such a sweet talker,” Mo Lihan replied, beaming with joy. “I have two more outfits. Help me pick one later, my friend is getting married the day after tomorrow.”

“Alright, no rush.” Mo Lishen watched her until she went back upstairs.

A message from Bai Hua came through: Lin Yu’an was not at the company, and his schedule was still being investigated.

Mo Lishen narrowed her eyes, her thumb resting on her ring, her expression turning sinister.

Suddenly, footsteps approached, and Mo Lishen quickly composed herself, earnestly commenting on Mo Lihan’s dress.

In the end, she helped Mo Lihan choose the pale pink one.

After changing back into her clothes, Mo Lihan leaned back on the sofa, grabbed two pastries, and casually stuffed one into Mo Lishen’s mouth.

As expected, it wasn’t sweet. Mo Lishen didn’t like sweet things, but she knew Mo Lihan did.

“Why did you decide to buy unsweetened pastries?” Mo Lishen asked between small bites.

“Only because you keep dropping by every other day and complaining that my osmanthus cakes are too sweet,” Mo Lihan retorted, feigning displeasure as she shot her a light glare.

“Not bad,” Mo Lishen chuckled and popped the rest of the pastry into her mouth.

Mo Lihan turned her head, eyeing Mo Lishen suspiciously, and began pinching her cheeks left and right.

“You seem a bit different today, so talkative. Did something good happen recently?”

Mo Lishen swatted her hand away with her left hand and muttered under her breath, “Weirdo.”

Mo Lihan loved teasing her and laughed triumphantly.

When it was time to leave, Mo Lihan tried to return her jacket, but Mo Lishen lightly dodged her.

“Keep it for when you swing on the swings in the middle of the night,” Mo Lishen said with a hint of annoyance before turning to leave.

Mo Lihan held the jacket and laughed heartily, since when did this kid learn to speak sarcastically?

Back in her car, Mo Lishen’s smile gradually faded. She glanced back at the villa’s lights, then stepped on the accelerator and drove off.

…

Early the next morning, at the Mo Corporation.

Mo Lishen, now dressed in a white suit, stood inside the elevator cabin.

Bai Hua had already uncovered Lin Yu’an’s recent schedule: he frequently visited a nightclub in the evenings and usually stayed at a nearby hotel overnight.

On the 24th floor, as the elevator doors opened, Mo Lishen headed straight for Lin Yu’an’s office.

Lin Yu’an worked under Mo Licheng. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass, Mo Licheng saw Mo Lishen approaching and stood up from his chair, watching her warily.

But Mo Lishen didn’t even glance his way, pushing open the door to Lin Yu’an’s office directly.

Lin Yu’an was on the phone with someone, legs crossed and grinning, when he suddenly turned and saw Mo Lishen. The shock on his face was no less than if he’d seen a plague.

Usually, he and Mo Lishen had little interaction, and she never targeted him, he knew it was only because of Mo Lihan.

But with Mo Lishen’s unfriendly expression now, Lin Yu’an felt a chill run down his spine.

He hastily hung up the phone, rose from his chair, and went to brew tea for Mo Lishen. “I was caught off guard by your sudden visit, President Mo.”

Mo Lishen glanced at the teacup handed to him and remarked casually, “President Lin has been working very hard lately.”

Lin Yuan’an blinked, forcing a cheerful smile as he replied, “Not at all. If we’re talking about hard work, President Mo is the one who truly bears the burden.”

“Oh? But I haven’t been working so hard that I’ve taken up residence at the company.” Mo Lishen lifted his gaze, his eyes cold and sharp as a blade pressed against Lin Yuan’an’s throat.

“I often visit my sister in the evenings,” Mo Lishen added. “She told me you’ve been working overtime at the company.”

Lin Yuan’an shuddered, desperately searching for a way to salvage the situation, his eyes repeatedly darting toward Mo Lishen’s ring.

Mo Lishen let out a cold laugh, raising her right hand to examine the ring in the sunlight streaming through the window.

“Don’t worry, President Lin. I won’t make a move against you for now,” Mo Lishen said, lowering her hand. “But you should understand, she’s my only family.”

Mo Lishen looked up at him. Though seated, she exuded an imposing aura that made it hard for Lin Yu’an to breathe.

“President Lin knows what to do, and he knows what I’m capable of.”

Mo Lishen stood up and patted Lin Yuan’an on the shoulder.

Thanks to her years of training, her strength was no less than that of an average man. Combined with Lin Yu’an’s fear, the gesture sent him stumbling back into his office chair.

Fortunately, Lin Yu’an’s office was equipped with a misting system, so his pitiful state went unnoticed by others. He sat in his chair, trying to steady his breathing.

After Mo Lishen left Lin Yuan’an’s office, the entire twenty-fourth floor fell into dead silence, not even the sound of keyboard typing could be heard.

Mo Licheng, seeing how unhinged he appeared, wisely kept his distance to avoid provoking him further.