I Wish To Never Leave Your Side - Chapter 3

Mo Residence.

Old Master Mo Boren was celebrating his ninety-second birthday today, and the entire Mo family had returned to congratulate him.

Mo Lishen, carrying a birthday gift for the old master, had just entered the Mo residence when he ran into Mo Yihuai.

With downcast eyes, Mo Lishen called out, “Father.”

“Why are you only returning now?” Mo Yihuai, dressed in a dark blue Zhongshan suit, stood upright with his hands clasped behind his back and glanced at Mo Lishen.

“I was delayed at the company. I’m going to wish Grandfather a happy birthday.” With that, Mo Lishen walked past Mo Yihuai and headed toward the main house.

Before even stepping inside, Mo Lishen heard someone loudly reciting well-wishes: “May your days be as radiant as the sun and moon, shining in unison. May you enjoy the longevity of pines and cranes, boundless blessings in the years to come. May you, Grandfather, live in wealth and health, forever youthful.”

The one shouting at the top of his lungs was Mo Licheng, the seventh son of the Mo family. His father, Mo Yiting, had been the youngest among his siblings and originally Mo Boren’s most beloved son. However, he had passed away due to illness, leaving behind only one son before his death. As a result, Mo Licheng was also the most doted upon by Mo Boren.

Mo Boren had five sons in total, with Mo Lishen’s father ranking third. Among these sons, the eldest had three sons, the second had one son and one daughter, and the fourth also had two sons. Aside from Mo Yiting, who died young, Mo Yihuai was the only one who had just one daughter.

As soon as Mo Lishen stepped into the room, her eldest brother’s wife shot her a disdainful glance and moved far away from her, holding Mo Zhiyuan, the Mo family’s great-grandson.

Mo Lishen placed the gift to the side, knelt on the ground, and bowed to Mo Boren. “May you enjoy longevity and abundant harvests, with the crane adding to your years and the star of longevity shining brightly. May you be praised with the nine blessings, with pines and cypresses ever green. I wish you, Grandfather, happiness as vast as the Eastern Sea.” Mo Lishen paused almost imperceptibly before adding, “And longevity matching the Southern Mountains.”

“Xiao Jiu, come quickly, sit by Grandfather’s side.” Mo Boren stroked his beard and smiled as he beckoned Mo Lishen over.

Mo Lishen stood up and sat beside Mo Boren.

“How has the company been lately? Are you overworked?” Mo Boren grasped Mo Lishen’s hand and asked with concern.

“The company is doing well. This year’s profits have increased by three percentage points compared to last year.” Mo Lishen did not answer the second question.

“Don’t push yourself too hard. Young people still need to take care of their health…” Before Mo Boren could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a childish voice.

“Great-grandpa!”

The little girl shouting and skipping over was Mo Zhici, the daughter of Mo Lihan, Mo Lishen’s sixth sister.

Mo Lihan was the daughter of Mo Boren’s second son and, aside from Mo Lishen, the only girl among the Mo family’s grandchildren. She had married at twenty-six, and due to the Mo family’s influential status, her child took the mother’s surname, Mo.

Seeing that someone had arrived, Mo Lishen stood up and stepped aside.

She took out a handkerchief, wiped the hand that the old master had held clean, and threw it into the trash can.

Mo Zhici knelt properly in front of Mo Boren and wished her great-grandfather a happy birthday in her sweet, childish voice.

Although she was a girl, she was adorable and well-behaved, with a mouth as sweet as honey. Mo Boren doted on her greatly and began teasing her with candy while holding her.

After paying their respects to Old Master Mo, everyone gathered around a large table for the meal. There was an empty seat next to Mo Yihuai, and just as he was about to speak, Mo Lishen pretended not to notice and directly sat beside Mo Lihan.

The Mo family had strict rules, no talking during meals, which now seemed to work in Mo Lishen’s favor, sparing her from unnecessary small talk.

While taking care of Mo Zhici, Mo Lihan tried to find an opportunity to serve Mo Lishen some food with the communal chopsticks, but Mo Lishen ate quickly, leaving her no chance throughout the entire meal.

After the meal, the grandchildren of the Mo family accompanied Mo Boren in a game of chess to amuse the elderly man.

Mo Lishen glanced down at the time, planning to stay a little longer before leaving.

“Mo Lishen.” Mo Licheng approached her with a glass of wine, a sly smile playing on his lips. “It was you who cut off Wang Xianhai’s ear, wasn’t it?” He swirled the crimson liquid in his glass.

Mo Lishen was wearing a gray overcoat with long cuffs. Hidden beneath the sleeve, her thumb rested on the mechanism of her ring as she stared expressionlessly at Mo Licheng. In her mind, she calculated that it would take only a second to slit his carotid artery.

“Yesterday, it was Wang Xianhai. Who knows, it might be you next,” Mo Lishen said coldly, without a hint of evasion.

Mo Licheng knew this wasn’t an empty threat, she was fully capable of carrying it out.

But if Mo Licheng didn’t have some leverage, he wouldn’t dare provoke this madwoman. Currently, he still held some influence in the Mo family, not to mention he was Mo Boren’s most favored grandson. Perhaps one day, with just a word from him, this irritating woman could be driven out of the Mo family.

Mo Licheng knew exactly what Mo Lishen’s weakness was and how to provoke her.

“Such words from my dear sister truly break my heart,” Mo Licheng retorted, stepping closer instead of backing away. He leaned in near her ear and slowly enunciated, “Then again, someone who brought about her own mother’s death can be forgiven for saying such things.”

The veins on the side of Mo Lishen’s neck bulged, and her eyes turned bloodshot. The fine blade on her ring had already sliced through her sleeve and sprung out.

Only then did Mo Licheng take two steps back. He valued his life, but this madwoman clearly did not.

“Xiao Shen.” Mo Lihan’s slightly anxious voice came from not far away.

By the time Mo Lihan reached them, Mo Lishen had retracted the blade. She shot Mo Licheng a cold glare before turning to head toward the door.

“Xiao Shen, wait.” Mo Lihan, holding Mo Zhici in her arms, hurried after her.

Mo Lishen turned back, her expression indifferent, and silently questioned with her eyes.

“Auntie.” Mo Zhici struggled free from Mo Lihan’s embrace and toddled over to hug Mo Lishen, her voice muffled.

Mo Lishen crouched down and gently patted Mo Zhici’s head with her left hand.

“Next month is Xiao Ci’s birthday. Will you come for dinner?” Mo Lihan asked softly, gazing at Mo Lishen.

Mo Lishen looked up at her. “No, you go ahead.”

Then, she pinched Xiao Ci’s cheek and softened her tone. “What gift would you like, Auntie will buy it for you.”

Mo Zhici shook her little head. “Xiao Ci doesn’t want anything. Xiao Ci wants Auntie to stay.”

Mo Lishen lowered her gaze and said nothing.

“Xiao Ci, come here. Don’t bother Auntie, she’s very busy.” Mo Lihan took Mo Zhici’s hand and said to Mo Lishen, “If you’re too busy, you don’t have to come. You’ve lost weight, and you ate so little tonight.”

Mo Lishen stood up but still said nothing and didn’t look at Mo Lihan.

“Call me ‘sister’,” Mo Lihan said playfully, poking Mo Lishen’s cheek with her finger.

Caught off guard, Mo Lishen only reacted after Mo Lihan had already succeeded, laughing heartily.

Mo Lishen gave her a resigned look. “I’m going back.”

Just as she was about to turn and leave, Mo Zhici tugged at the hem of her coat again.

Mo Lishen lowered her head to look and saw the little one placing all the candies from their pocket into her palm. The child looked up at Mo Lishen, their clear black-and-white eyes filled with fervent, innocent affection.

“Auntie, goodbye.”

Mo Lishen raised the corners of her lips slightly in response. “Goodbye.”

She nodded at Mo Lihan and walked toward the door.

Mo Lihan, holding Xiao Ci, watched Mo Lishen’s retreating figure and murmured, “We were so close when we were young. How did we grow more distant as we got older?”

Just as Mo Lishen reached the entrance of the Mo residence, she ran into Mo Lijing and Ji Songyu, who had just returned from shopping. They were, nominally, her fourth elder brother and his wife.

Ji Songyu and Mo Lijing had not been married long, and this was her first formal meeting with Mo Lishen. Within the Mo household, Ji Songyu got along well with the eldest sister-in-law, Tang Huanyao.

Although it was their first encounter, Tang Huanyao had often spoken of Mo Lishen in private. Seeing that no one in the Mo family held Mo Lishen in high regard, Ji Songyu thought she would take the opportunity to step on her as well.

“Such a joyous occasion, and an unlucky person has to come back and spoil the mood,” Ji Songyu said, oblivious to the tension, deliberately provoking Mo Lishen.

Mo Lishen, with her hands in her coat pockets, lifted her gaze and fixed her eyes on Ji Songyu.

Ji Songyu met Mo Lishen’s stare and felt a chill rising from within. She swore she had never seen such a look in her life, it felt as if the person before her could kill her in the next second.

Her legs grew weak, and if Mo Lijing hadn’t supported her from behind, she might have collapsed to her knees.

“Enough,” Mo Lijing snapped.

Mo Lishen glanced at Mo Lijing, then walked past them and got into her car.

Bai Hua was waiting in the car. Mo Lishen held the candies Xiao Ci had given her, glanced at the wastepaper box in the vehicle, thought for a moment, and tossed the candies to Bai Hua.

“These are for you.”

Bai Hua caught the candies and placed them in her bag. “Thank you, President Mo.”

“Shall we go to Qingshui Bay?” Bai Hua asked, looking at the rearview mirror.

Mo Lishen twisted the ring on her right hand, pondering briefly. “No, take me back to my place.”

…

In the unlit room, Mo Lishen sat at the desk and pulled open the bottom drawer. Inside lay a wooden box, undisturbed.

She stared at the box, the words Mo Licheng had spoken earlier echoing in her ears: “Right, someone who brought about their own mother’s death can be forgiven for saying such things.”

Leaning back in her chair, Mo Lishen gazed at the photo frame on the desk as memories from her childhood slowly overlapped:

“Your mother was just a worthless actress, unworthy of marrying into the Mo family.”

“You’re the jinx who caused your mother’s death, bringing nothing but bad luck.”

“Do you even know who killed your mother?”

“…”

Mocking laughter and curses from twenty years ago reverberated into the present.

Mo Lishen gently turned the photo frame face down, her fingertips pressing so hard they turned white. Her bloodshot eyes fixed intently on one spot.

Every one of these Mo family members must die.

In the end, she didn’t open the wooden box and closed the drawer again. Clutching the photo frame to her chest, she let out a heavy, turbid sigh.

Outside the window, the autumn wind howled fiercely. Withered leaves on the same tree rustled against one another, and with each gust, a few dry, blackened leaves fell, only to be crushed underfoot by passersby, emitting one last brittle crunch.

For over twenty years, it had been the same every year.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when the horizon began to lighten with the first hints of dawn. Her mind hazy, Mo Lishen gently wiped the glass of the photo frame with her sleeve and placed it back on the desk.

Mo Lishen took a shower in the bathroom and returned to handle company documents by the natural light from outside.

When she looked up again, the photo frame on the desk was dazzling in the crimson glow of dawn.

The woman in the photo smiled brightly, the mole beneath her eye adding a touch of gentleness to her expression.

A mole in the same spot, and also an actress.

The image of another woman flashed through Mo Lishen’s mind.