The Beautiful Wife I Picked Up Is A Little Mute - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Why

The villa district was a labyrinth of winding paths. Xie Mo had been walking for nearly twenty minutes and still hadn’t reached the main road.

He leaned against his knees, gasping for air, when a sudden honk sounded from behind.

Nie Xi, driving a luxury car, rolled down the window and shouted, “Want a ride? Otherwise, it might take you all day to walk out of here.”

Startled, Xie Mo stopped and used sign language to question him: “Weren’t you also locked inside by Ji Hanyue? Why do you know the way out?”

“Well,” Nie Xi made up a random excuse, feigning a look of distress. “I came to visit a friend a few days ago, but Ji Hanyue took an interest in me and kept me here by force. Luckily I ran into you; otherwise, who knows how long I’d be trapped.”

Light dawned on Xie Mo, though he recalled the man’s tall, sturdy build—he didn’t look like an Omega at all.

Nie Xi continued his nonsense: “I’m a Beta. You know, a lot of Alphas are into Betas these days.”

…

Sitting in the classroom, Ji Hanyue’s eyelid suddenly twitched. He nudged Ren Wen, who was napping on the desk next to him.

“Why is my heart racing?”

Ren Wen glanced up at him before burying his head back in his arms. “Probably a precursor to sudden death.”

“I was a damn fool to ask you,” Ji Hanyue muttered. Seizing the moment the teacher turned to write on the blackboard, he grabbed his textbook and headed for the back door. “I’m going back for a bit. I don’t think that guy Nie Xi is reliable.”

…

Having learned his lesson from Ji Hanyue, Xie Mo didn’t dare get into Nie Xi’s car.

Nie Xi didn’t push him; he simply drove slowly behind him, pointing out the directions. After ten more minutes and three intersections, Xie Mo finally reached the main gate of the residential area.

He signed a grateful goodbye. Before he could leave, Nie Xi stopped him.

“Let’s exchange contact info. Next time I encounter a locked door I can’t open, I can message you.”

Xie Mo wanted to say he wasn’t a locksmith, but Nie Xi’s gaze was sincere. He bit his lip and signed: “My phone can only make calls. I can give you my phone number.”

Xie Mo’s handwriting was neat and delicate. Nie Xi studied the slip of paper for a few seconds before tucking it into his pocket.

Only then did he pull out his phone to call Ji Hanyue. The call was answered almost instantly.

Before Nie Xi could speak, Ji Hanyue cut straight to the point: “Don’t tell me Xie Mo left.”

“How could that be?” Nie Xi lit a cigarette, holding it between two fingers as he watched Xie Mo’s thin figure walk away. His tone was mournful. “I just suddenly thought of my brother. You know, my brother lost his hearing after a car accident…”

Ji Hanyue interrupted coldly, “So you let him go?”

Nie Xi exhaled a puff of smoke, sounding aggrieved. “You can’t blame me…”

Beep—beep—beep… The call disconnected.

…

The villa district was located in a prime, bustling area.

After exiting, Xie Mo followed the road signs for a long time before reaching a familiar street. He was heading home with his head down when, passing a hotel, Tang Yingrui stepped out.

The two of them bumped into each other right there on the street.

Tang Yingrui’s eyes were weary. He rubbed his temples, but when he spotted Xie Mo, his entire body stiffened for a moment.

Then, his voice strained, he asked, “What are you doing here?”

Xie Mo swallowed hard, lowering his head even further and gripping the hem of his shirt, looking like he was waiting for a lecture. He weighed in his mind whether he should tell him what had happened over the past few days.

Fortunately, Tang Yingrui didn’t seem inclined to pry. He patted Xie Mo’s back, his voice a bit raspy. “Let’s go. Home.”

A moment later, another figure emerged from the hotel.

Kou Xingyu held a black jacket in one hand and used the other to send Tang Yingrui a message: “You left your jacket here. Remember to come get it next time.”

The reply was extremely curt: “Throw it away.”

Kou Xingyu stared at the message and smiled. “Since you took the money, have a better attitude toward me.”

A few seconds later, another notification popped up: “Thank you, Young Master Kou. The jacket is thrown away.”

…

Walking side by side with Tang Yingrui, the atmosphere was inexplicably oppressive. As the crowds thinned, it was a sign they were nearing home.

On the way, Tang Yingrui pulled out a pack of cigarettes and smoked in silence.

His features were better than most Alphas—regular, three-dimensional, with hard, distinct lines. For convenience, he wore a buzz cut, which made him look even more sharp and cold. However, there was a light brown mole just above his right nostril; Kou Xingyu always loved to kiss it during those moments.

“Xie Mo,” Tang Yingrui suddenly called out.

Xie Mo looked up, puzzled.

“Do you think this mole on my face looks good?”

Without thinking, Xie Mo nodded.

As if lacking any energy, Tang Yingrui took another drag of his cigarette, his tone light. “I’ve heard people say a mole there is a sign of financial ruin. Do you think it’s because of this mole that I can never strike it rich?”

Xie Mo couldn’t see his expression clearly, but he could intuitively feel that Tang Yingrui was in a bad mood. He carefully raised his hands and signed: “Things will get better in the future.”

The little mute couldn’t speak, but his gestures were very earnest.

Even though Tang Yingrui had a terrible temper, being with him was many times better than being at “home.” When Tang Yingrui was in a good mood, he was somewhat kind to him.

But in that place that could barely be called a home, it was different.

Xie Mo had been unable to make a sound since birth. His family had no money to treat him, so they simply let it be. Furthermore, he had several siblings; compared to a frail little mute, his family valued the healthy children much more. Consequently, Xie Mo never received a kind look or decent treatment at home.

On the day he was sent away, Xie Mo had actually felt a momentary sense of relief.

Tang Yingrui looked down at him. “Do you know why I bought you?”

Xie Mo had never asked and wasn’t curious, but since Tang Yingrui had brought it up, he signed: “Why?”

“When I was in my teens, I was a real bastard. I got a gambling addiction with a bunch of punks and blew all the family money.”

“Because I couldn’t pay it back, someone cut my scent gland with a knife. The Omegas around me couldn’t stand it, so they left.”

“Then, to pay off my debts, my father spent every day moving bricks and doing hard labor at a construction site. There was an accident—a building collapsed. My father died. I received a large compensation settlement, and I used that money to buy you.”