I Wish To Never Leave Your Side - Chapter 35

“I meant the kind of liking between lovers,” Mo Lihan explained.

“Stop joking,” Mo Lishen frowned slightly, focusing on driving, but her hands gripping the steering wheel were tense.

Mo Lihan chuckled softly and didn’t press further, turning her head to look out the window.

Last time, she caused such a commotion to save that girl, and twice she brought her to banquets. If that wasn’t affection, what was it?

It was perfectly normal for a stubborn child to be unwilling to admit it.

Mo Lihan secretly turned back to glance at her.

The yellow streetlights cast intermittent glows on Mo Lishen’s cheeks. Mo Lihan’s eyes grew slightly sore as she noticed the ring on Mo Lishen’s right hand.

This child had suffered too much since she was young. As her older sister, Mo Lihan had failed to protect her, and to this day, she still felt deeply guilty.

“Have you ever imagined what you’ll be like at sixty?” Mo Lihan asked her.

“No,” Mo Lishen replied without hesitation.

If that girl, Qiu Yan, stays by your side, could you then imagine what sixty would look like?

Mo Lihan gripped the edge of the seat tightly. Anyone would do, as long as Xiao Shen could have someone to love.

She truly hoped her younger sister could live peacefully into old age.

“If you don’t think about what you’ll be like at sixty, what will happen to your sister when she reaches that age?” Mo Lihan rested her elbow on the car window ledge, emotions swirling in her eyes.

“You’ll be very happy, and so will Xiao Ci.” Mo Lishen’s words sounded less like a hopeful vision and more like something she had long planned.

Mo Lihan pressed her lips together, gently biting her finger.

After a long silence, Mo Lishen spoke softly.

“That girl today is named Qiu Yan. She’s my lover, not my girlfriend, and I don’t like her either.” For Mo Lishen, this was quite a lengthy explanation, almost like adding unnecessary details.

Mo Lihan smiled with relief, deliberately teasing her: “Understood, she’s a prospective girlfriend.”

Mo Lishen gave her a helpless look, retrieved a bottle of water from the car door storage, and handed it to Mo Lihan. “Drink more water.”

Mo Lihan burst into laughter. This child was so easily flustered.

Shangfeng Hotel.

Lin Yu’an downed the glass of red wine in one go, fawned over the boss in front of him, and bowed obsequiously as he escorted him to the car.

“Take care, President Wang. Yes, yes, take care.” Lin Yu’an waved at the car’s taillights until they disappeared from sight.

Only then did he drop the smile from his face, rubbed his cheeks, straightened his suit, and walked back into the hotel.

As soon as he entered, he was kicked to the ground.

Lin Yu’an struggled to get up, supporting himself against a nearby table.

But immediately, Mo Licheng threw another punch at him.

Mo Licheng grabbed him by the collar, dragged him into the restroom, and slammed him against the wall.

“What the hell were you thinking? Attempted murder was such a perfect opportunity to bring Mo Lishen down, and this is how you handle it?”

Mo Licheng was shorter than Lin Yu’an. He stood on his tiptoes, pressing his elbow against Lin Yu’an’s throat, gritting his teeth.

“If I hadn’t sent so many gifts to the media the day before yesterday to clean up her image, you and I would already be in jail.”

Lin Yu’an’s face turned red from the pressure. Mo Licheng spat in disgust and released him.

Mo Licheng let out a breath and adjusted his suit collar.

“I’m telling you, although Grandfather doesn’t dote on Mo Lihan, he cherishes Xiao Ci deeply. If I were to inform him of the things you’ve done, forget about staying in the Mo family, you’d be lucky to leave alive.”

“Next time, use your head before acting. Don’t make me waste my effort for nothing again.”

Mo Licheng shot him a glare, straightened his impeccable attire, and strode out of the washroom.

Lin Yu’an gasped for breath, loosening his tie haphazardly before slumping to the floor.

He had genuinely loved Mo Lihan once. Back in their university days, she was the undisputed campus belle, beautiful, brilliant, and widely known to come from a powerful background, which kept most admirers at a distance.

Lin Yu’an was just a poor boy then, but his academic excellence consistently placed him at the top of his department.

He’d been aware of Mo Lihan long before they met. During an inter-faculty debate competition, he secretly took a seat beside her, yet throughout the entire event, he never mustered the courage to utter a single word to her.

Only when the debaters finished speaking, using the cover of applause to bolster his nerve, did he dare steal a glance at her.

She sat there gracefully in a plaid dress, a gentle smile perpetually gracing her lips as she watched the competition intently. The light in her eyes seemed to slowly draw one’s soul in.

From that day on, Lin Yu’an frequently engineered opportunities to see her, pursuing her relentlessly for four years.

Two years later, when Mo Lihan agreed to marry him, he was truly overjoyed and happy in that moment.

But it wasn’t until he stepped into the Mo family that he understood what marriage truly meant.

It meant he was a live-in son-in-law of the Mo family. It meant his children must carry the Mo surname. It meant he would never have a voice in the Mo household. He was only given a position in the Mo corporation out of consideration for Mo Lihan, and everyone treated him with contempt.

He was a top graduate from a prestigious 985 university. He had given up his postgraduate recommendation to enter society early and earn money, all to narrow the gap between him and Mo Lihan.

But he was naive. His annual earnings couldn’t even cover one month of the Mo family’s living expenses.

In the Mo household, he was ordered around like a dog. Despite his strong work capabilities, the labels “live-in son-in-law” and “social climber” were permanently branded onto him, humiliating him constantly.

Gradually, resentment grew, seemingly eroding his love for Mo Lihan. He began to degenerate, neglecting his work. Since everyone accused him of being a freeloader, he decided to live up to their words.

That was the first time he sought out another woman.

Watching other women serve and submit to him beneath him, he had never experienced such exhilaration. In that moment, he finally felt like a real man.

His affairs became more frequent. Unbeknownst to him, Mo Lihan eventually found out. One night, he came home drunk and tried to touch her, but she refused.

Those women outside went out of their way to please him, why did this woman act so high and mighty?

Furious, Lin Yu’an pulled off his belt and struck her…

Another time, he pushed her down the stairs, nearly causing Mo Lihan to bleed to death.

After Mo Yihuai saw the injuries on Mo Lihan that time, he became more restrained.

But then, at some point, that damned Mo Lishen returned to the country. He sometimes came to the Mo residence for meals and watched Lin Yu’an like a bloodhound at the company. Since then, Lin Yu’an never laid a hand on her again.

He wasn’t worried about what Mo Lihan might say. The Mo family had many rules, and something as disgraceful as divorce was absolutely forbidden by the old man, Mo Boren. Besides, they still had Xiao Ci to consider, and Mo Lihan would think of Xiao Ci too.

After all… after all, he had always been good to Xiao Ci.

Lin Yu’an opened his eyes, trembling as he pulled himself out of his memories. He leaned against the wall to stand up and limped out of the hotel.

Riverside Villa.

“Auntie!” Mo Zhici called out in a sweet, childish voice as she ran toward Mo Lishen.

Mo Lishen quickly slipped the ring off her finger and into her pocket, then bent down to scoop the child into her arms, spinning her around in the air several times.

“Hehehe.” The little girl giggled with delight.

Mo Lishen held Mo Zhici securely in her arms, tenderly ruffling her hair.

“Mom said you’ve come by many times, but I never got to see you,” Mo Zhici pouted, looking genuinely disappointed.

“But I really loved the gift you brought me last time. Thank you, Auntie!” Mo Zhici wrapped her arms around Mo Lishen’s neck, grinning from ear to ear.

“As long as you like it,” Mo Lishen replied with a soft laugh.

Nearby, Mo Lihan was peeling an apple for Mo Lishen but lost focus for a moment while listening to their conversation.

“Ouch.” Mo Lihan let out a soft gasp.

“What’s wrong?” Mo Lishen set Xiao Ci down and took Mo Lihan’s hand to examine it closely.

“It’s nothing, just a small cut.” Mo Lihan tried to pull her hand back.

But Mo Lishen held on firmly and turned to Xiao Ci. “Xiao Ci, be a good girl and bring Auntie the first aid kit, okay?”

Xiao Ci went straight to the first aid kit, placed it on the coffee table, and expertly pulled out the gauze, iodine, and cotton swabs.

Mo Lishen, however, paid no attention to that. Her focus was entirely on Mo Lihan’s hand.

“Really, it’s nothing. It barely bled.”

“Don’t talk.” Mo Lishen gently dabbed the cut with an iodine-soaked cotton swab. “You never know when bacteria might cause an infection. We can’t ignore even the smallest wound.”

Mo Lihan lowered her gaze and gave a bitter smile. When she looked up again, it was as if nothing had happened.

As Mo Lishen carefully wrapped the gauze around her hand, Mo Lihan couldn’t resist teasing her.

“Well, good thing you bandaged it in time. Any later and it would’ve healed on its own.”

Mo Lishen shot her a glare before gently tying off the gauze.

She didn’t let Mo Lihan touch the knife again. Instead, she finished peeling the apple herself, cut it into small pieces, arranged them on a plate for Xiao Ci, and handed her a small fork.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open.

Lin Yu’an staggered in, his blue suit jacket slung over his shoulder. Without even looking up, he yelled, “Get me a glass of water. Hurry up!”

Mo Lihan glanced at Mo Lishen with a complicated expression, opening her mouth as if to say something.

Mo Lishen said nothing, her face pale with anger. Calmly, she speared a piece of apple from the plate and brought it to Mo Lihan’s lips.

Mo Lihan opened her mouth and ate the apple, swallowing along with it the words she had meant to say.

When no one responded after a moment, Lin Yu’an was about to lose his temper. But as he turned around and saw Mo Lishen sitting on the sofa, he instantly sobered up.

“M-Mo… President Mo, you’re here too.” Lin Yu’an immediately moved to make tea for Mo Lishen but froze in place under her icy glare.

“Xiao Ci, why don’t you go to the piano room and play for a while?” Mo Lishen said softly, turning to Mo Zhici.

“Okay!” Xiao Ci replied happily, eager to play the piano for her aunt.

Mo Lishen reached for his coat and draped it over Mo Lihan once more, gently smoothing her hair.

“You can swing for a while tonight,” Mo Lishen said softly, holding her shoulders as he guided her to the door.

“Keep the coat on,” he added.

He didn’t close the door until he saw Mo Lihan settle onto the swing.

Taking the ring from his pocket, he slowly slipped it onto his finger.

Suddenly, a thin blade flashed from its sheath.

Lin Yu’an’s first cry was drowned out by the piano music drifting from upstairs.

Mo Lishen pressed the blade against Lin Yu’an’s artery, his left hand gripping his collar with a force even greater than Mo Licheng’s.

“Who were you talking to just now?” Mo Lishen’s voice was calm, yet every word betrayed his murderous intent.

“Cough… cough…” Lin Yu’an couldn’t speak, his vision already darkening.

Mo Lishen kicked him to the ground, crouched down, and aimed the blade at his eyeball.

Unable to break free, Lin Yu’an could only turn his face away and squeeze his eyes shut.

“Wife, wife… help me!”

Xiao Ci was playing “Summer” by Kikujiro, and it sounded beautiful.

Mo Lishen slapped him, stepped on his leg, pried his eye open with his left hand, and brought the blade down hard.

“Help!”

A cold wind swept by.

The blade pierced the floor beside him, leaving Lin Yu’an unscathed.

Mo Lishen’s bloodshot eyes bore into him.

“Remember who saved you. If you dare make a move, you know I’m even more ruthless than Mo Boren.”

Lin Yu’an fully believed in Mo Lishen’s methods. Gasping for breath like a lapdog, he nodded frantically.

Xiao Ci had started playing “Canon” now.

Mo Lishen withdrew his hand, stood up, and opened the door.

Mo Lihan’s swing suddenly received a gentle push. Mo Lishen stood behind her, giving her a light shove.

“I have a villa on the south shore. It’s not as big as this one, but the view is much better. I’ll have a bigger swing installed for you there.”

Mo Lihan understood his meaning and glanced at the villa before her.

“This house was my wedding gift from the Mo family. I’m used to it, and it’s close to Xiao Ci’s school.”

The unspoken reason was the Mo family and Xiao Ci.

Mo Lishen gradually eased his push, slowing the swing. Leaning down, he gazed at Mo Lihan’s shadow and whispered, “My surname is Mo, Mo Lihan’s Mo.”

It was Mo Lihan’s Mo, with no connection to anyone else. He cared only for Mo Lihan.

A tear welled up in Mo Lihan’s eye, but she stubbornly refused to turn around.

“I also have a villa abroad…”

“Xiao Shen,” Mo Lihan interrupted, her voice choked. “Can you promise me one thing?”

The swing gradually came to a stop.

“Tell me.”

“Live a safe and peaceful life. Let go of some things, okay?” Mo Lihan’s voice trembled.

Mo Lishen remained silent for a long time. He readjusted the coat that had slipped from Mo Lihan’s shoulders.

“You can stay in either of those villas anytime.”

As he turned to leave, he suddenly remembered something and looked back at Mo Lihan. “Tell Xiao Ci she played wonderfully.”

Mo Lishen left.

Mo Lihan curled up under his coat, crouching on the ground as tears streamed down her face.

The Mo family was just a facade.

She could continue to endure Lin Yu’an, partly for Xiao Ci, but mostly for Mo Lishen.