I Wish To Never Leave Your Side - Chapter 26

Mo Lishen had a meeting in the afternoon, and the venue was right next to Qingshui Bay.

By the time the meeting ended, the sky had turned completely dark. It was only a five-minute drive from there to Qingshui Bay, and Mo Lishen was leaning back in her seat with her eyes closed, resting.

“Stop the car,” Mo Lishen suddenly sat up, as if remembering something.

The sound of screeching brakes filled the air, and Bai Hua quickly turned around. “What’s wrong, President Mo?”

“I forgot to buy her a small cake,” Mo Lishen said, crossing her arms and leaning back into her seat again.

“Then let’s go…” Bai Hua lowered her head and searched for nearby cake shops on her phone.

“Turn around and go to the one from yesterday.”

The cake shop from yesterday was near the company, and the round trip would take an hour.

Bai Hua stifled a laugh but quickly composed herself, glancing at Mo Lishen through the rearview mirror.

Mo Lishen didn’t notice, turning her head to look out the window.

After Bai Hua gave the driver the address, she lowered her head and continued organizing Mo Lishen’s schedule.

“Send me her information again.”

Mo Lishen rubbed her temples. She had seen Qiu Yan’s information before but couldn’t recall much from that time.

“Alright, sending it to you right away.”

Bai Hua used her tablet to send Qiu Yan’s information to Mo Lishen.

Mo Lishen opened her laptop and spent the entire ride reading through the single A4-sized document, not stopping until the car came to a halt.

Mo Lishen closed her laptop, got out of the car, and walked toward the cake shop.

…

Qiu Yan went grocery shopping today, thinking she might as well check if any film crews were hiring along the way.

As she passed the spot where she had been abducted the day before, Qiu Yan felt a lingering unease and quickened her pace.

Just then, two women emerged from the building, likely crew members, walking together as they finished their shift.

“Hey, do you know who that woman was who beat someone up yesterday?”

“Who?” asked the woman in the white down jacket.

“Mo Lishen from the Mo Corporation,” the taller woman said, lowering her voice when mentioning Mo Lishen’s name.

Qiu Yan’s ears perked up. Hearing Mo Lishen’s name, she froze for a moment before pretending to be a passerby on her way home from work, trailing behind them.

“I know her,” the woman in the white down jacket exclaimed softly. “I heard she has a lot of influence.”

“Yesterday, she almost cut off the assistant director’s ear, and today the police took him away. Meanwhile, Mo Lishen is acting like nothing happened. How could she not have influence?”

“I heard she’s cut off quite a few people’s ears before.”

“More than just ears,” the taller woman glanced around. “I heard she’s even killed someone.”

Qiu Yan’s steps faltered, and she nearly dropped the groceries in her hand.

“She has a special basement where she hides the bodies. A few days ago, a former employee of the Mo Corporation, someone named Zhao Qiulin, went missing. I heard he had crossed Mo Lishen before. Who knows, maybe he’s already been…”

“Really? Where did you hear that?”

“My uncle works at the Mo Corporation. He said Mo Lishen always wears a ring with a hidden blade inside. That’s what she pressed against the assistant director’s ear yesterday.”

“They say that Qiu Yan, the one she came looking for yesterday, is one of her lovers. But she has so many lovers she could replace them at any time. I don’t believe she came here just for a lover. I think the assistant director must have offended her somehow, and she set him up on purpose.”

“Oh my god, I’m so glad we didn’t get involved yesterday. Just thinking about it gives me chills.” The woman in the white down jacket zipped her jacket up higher, suddenly overcome with fear.

“It’s better to be an ordinary person. The gods watch from above, and she will face retribution sooner or later.”

“…”

The biting cold wind swept through, and Qiu Yan didn’t follow any further.

She tightened the collar of her down jacket, burying half her face in it, and slowly turned to walk back.

Had Mo Lishen killed someone?

Most of what those two women said was true, the severed ear, the ring, the many lovers, none of it was wrong.

But one thing Qiu Yan was certain of: Mo Lishen had barged into the film set last night to save her.

So Qiu Yan didn’t want to speculate about Mo Lishen with malice, but if she really had killed someone…

Carrying the groceries in her hand, Qiu Yan walked aimlessly forward. Suddenly, she looked up and caught sight of the bright red, plump strawberries in the fruit shop.

Strawberries were already expensive this season, and with the price hike before the New Year, they were practically exorbitant.

Over thirty yuan per pound, just a handful would cost dozens.

Normally, Qiu Yan wouldn’t dare to buy them, but at that moment, she suddenly wanted to buy some for Mo Lishen.

She steeled herself and picked out a few, packing them into two separate bags, one with a slightly larger portion.

In total, it cost over a hundred yuan. No matter how delicious the strawberries were, seeing the price made Qiu Yan lose all interest. If it were just for herself, she would never have bought them.

On her way, Qiu Yan passed by Yuanyuan’s place and gave her one bag. After spending a little time with Yuanyuan, she took the larger bag of strawberries back to Qingshui Bay.

Back at the apartment, Qiu Yan first soaked the strawberries in water and flour, then put the rest of the groceries in the refrigerator.

Mo Lishen particularly liked oilseed rape, so Qiu Yan had bought two large bags this time. She set aside a portion for dinner and stored the rest in the fridge.

After washing the strawberries and placing them in a fruit bowl, she put on an apron and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Perhaps preoccupied with her thoughts or because the range hood was too loud, Qiu Yan once again didn’t hear Mo Lishen return.

It wasn’t until a strawberry was brought to her lips that Qiu Yan snapped out of her thoughts. She looked down and saw a hand wearing a ring holding a strawberry.

“You’re back?” Qiu Yan glanced at the ring but didn’t take the strawberry, turning instead to face Mo Lishen.

“Mm.” Mo Lishen brought the strawberry to her lips again. “I tried one earlier, it’s very sweet.”

Only then did Qiu Yan open her mouth to eat it. With a gentle bite, the sweet, cool juice burst in her mouth, it was indeed deliciously sweet.

“I bought them on the way, thinking you might like them.” Qiu Yan felt a little embarrassed, but hearing Mo Lishen say they were tasty made her heart as sweet as the strawberries.

“Thank you, I really like them.” Mo Lishen smiled, her hand gently cupping Qiu Yan’s cheek.

Then, Mo Lishen leaned in and pressed a strawberry-flavored kiss to Qiu Yan’s lips.

The taste of strawberries, along with the softness, slowly spread through her entire mouth, seeming even sweeter than the actual fruit.

Qiu Yan could hear nothing but the frantic beating of her own heart. Mo Lishen’s kiss was much gentler than the night before, yet it felt even more suffocating.

When their lips parted, Qiu Yan’s face was truly as red as a strawberry, her eyes shimmering like water as she gazed at Mo Lishen.

Mo Lishen gently wiped the corner of her mouth with her thumb. “The pot is about to burn dry.”

Qiu Yan gasped and immediately turned to add water to the pot.

Mo Lishen chuckled and went back to the dining room to wait for her.

When Qiu Yan brought the dishes to the dining room, she suddenly noticed a large bag full of small cakes on the table, all kinds, in various flavors.

Qiu Yan set down the plate and looked at Mo Lishen in disbelief.

Mo Lishen lifted her gaze from her tablet. “They’re all for you.”

“But this is too much, I can’t finish it…” Qiu Yan said softly.

“Just try a little of everything. If you can’t finish it, throw it away, and we’ll buy something else from another shop.” Mo Lishen continued looking at the files on her tablet, her tone not at all joking.

Was it just because she had snatched a melted cake from Bai Hua this morning?

Qiu Yan bit her lower lip and returned to the kitchen.

As she stir-fried the vegetables in the pan, her inner conviction finally triumphed over hearsay. She was willing to believe in Mo Lishen, she wouldn’t kill anyone.

Once the dishes were served, the two ate quietly, and Mo Lishen still occasionally placed food into Qiu Yan’s bowl.

After the meal, they sat together on the sofa. Mo Lishen was reviewing documents, while Qiu Yan browsed for film crew opportunities nearby.

From time to time, Qiu Yan would pick up a strawberry and bring it to Mo Lishen’s lips. Watching her eat it filled Qiu Yan with immense satisfaction.

Just then, Mo Lishen’s phone chimed with a message from Bai Hua.

[President Mo, Zhao Qiulin has gone missing.]

Mo Lishen frowned slightly and locked her phone screen.

“What are you doing?” Mo Lishen glanced at Qiu Yan’s phone screen, but the text was too small for her to read clearly.

“Just looking something up.” Qiu Yan didn’t mention she was searching for film crews, she didn’t want to talk about something that wasn’t yet settled.

“Hmm.” Mo Lishen didn’t press further. Instead, she picked up a strawberry and brought it to Qiu Yan’s lips.

Qiu Yan swallowed the strawberry and looked at Mo Lishen, suddenly asking, “Are you unhappy?”

Mo Lishen was visibly taken aback and turned to face her.

“I feel like you suddenly became unhappy.” Qiu Yan reached out and held Mo Lishen’s arm, speaking honestly based on her intuition.

A faint, ambiguous smile curled at the corner of Mo Lishen’s lips as she leaned in slowly.

“Are you probing my emotions?” Her voice was slightly hoarse, making it hard for Qiu Yan to discern her tone.

Qiu Yan pressed herself tightly against the back of the sofa, her fingers gripping the cushion, still somewhat wary.

“No… not probing,” Qiu Yan said, turning her face away nervously.

“Then what is it?” Mo Lishen’s gaze grew increasingly clouded. She braced her arm against the sofa, encircling Qiu Yan in her embrace, looking down at her from above.

“Not probing… I’m just worried.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Mo Lishen froze, momentarily caught off guard in a rare display of uncertainty.

After saying this, Qiu Yan’s cheeks flushed red first. She avoided Mo Lishen’s gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.

A moment later, a cool sensation touched her lips.

Mo Lishen had fed her a strawberry.

Just as Qiu Yan was about to bite into it, Mo Lishen’s lips pressed against hers.

Slowly, she took the strawberry from Qiu Yan’s mouth, her lips gently brushing against Qiu Yan’s Cupid’s bow, sending a shiver through Qiu Yan’s body.

With a gentle bite, the strawberry’s juice trickled onto Qiu Yan’s lips. Mo Lishen tenderly kissed it away, as if pouring all the gentleness she possessed into that moment.

Her eyes closed, Mo Lishen tried hard to conceal the flicker of guilt she felt, her movements on Qiu Yan’s lips growing even softer.

After what felt like an eternity, a faint stinging sensation began to spread on Qiu Yan’s lips, and only then did Mo Lishen release her.

When she opened her eyes, her gaze remained hazy and unfocused. Mo Lishen turned her face away, avoiding Qiu Yan’s eyes, and stood up to pack her computer.

“Are you still afraid at night?” Mo Lishen asked as she placed the computer into her bag.

Qiu Yan hesitated for a moment. “I’m not afraid.”

Mo Lishen glanced at her, set the computer bag aside, and walked toward the bedroom first, tossing back a command: “Go take a shower.”

Qiu Yan hurried after her, her heart fluttering like a startled deer.

At night, when Qiu Yan nestled in Mo Lishen’s embrace, she would still tremble unconsciously.

“Next time you’re scared, tell me directly,” Mo Lishen said, holding Qiu Yan tighter and gently patting her back.