The Female Lead of the Abusive Novel Can Hear My Heart's Voice - Chapter 41

As Mid Autumn approached, the leaves in Jiangcheng had all turned yellow. The wind was bleak, and everything seemed desolate.

The couple at the villa each sat alone at the dining table. The villa didn’t have good lighting; at a glance, it looked like an empty nest of elderly people.

Usually, their two children would accompany them for meals, but with one suddenly gone for a month, they still felt their presence until they went to call them for dinner and realized they had been gone for a whole month.

Mother Xia rested her chin on her hand, while the other hand repeatedly cut into a fried egg with a knife. She sighed, completely losing her appetite.

Father Xia felt the same.

Mother Xia put down her utensils, her face full of worry. “Dear, do you think I should call them again to urge them to come back?”

The man waved his hand. “Go ahead. It’s been a month, and they still haven’t returned.”

Mrs. Xia left the dining table and went to the balcony. Looking at the yard full of yellow autumn leaves, she dialed Xia Chi’s phone.

No answer. After a long moment, the line went dead, and she called again.

She kept calling until the other side finally picked up.

Xia Chi had cried all night, her eyes ringed in red. Seeing it was her mother calling, she knew it was about urging her to come back again.

Her voice was hoarse as she answered.

The person on the other end sounded anxious, asking, “Xiao Chi, when will you come home?”

She lay on the bed, turned over, and her pillow was soaked with tears. “Tomorrow. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“Alright. Have you seen Caicai? Ask her when she’ll come back.”

Xia Chi suddenly remembered what Xia Mucai said last night. Tears welled up again, and she sniffled, voice trembling with tears, “She won’t be coming back.”

“What?” Mother Xia’s left eyelid twitched uncontrollably. “Why won’t she come back? Isn’t she out of money?”

“She has to wear a ridiculously hot mascot costume to hand out flyers every day, sells at the night market, gets bullied, and even has to get drunk entertaining at bars.”

“How could this happen…”

“I thought once she ran out of money, she would naturally come back.”

Mother Xia regretted having separated the two children. Now she wanted to take a flight to pick them up but couldn’t. Xia’s company was being pressured by the Teng family.

If the project slipped up, Xia’s family would be suppressed permanently.

She sighed, her complexion haggard. “You come back first. You know more about the company than Caicai does. If we don’t maintain a good relationship with the Teng family now, Xia’s status will never be what it was.”

“Okay.”

Xia Chi thought of what Xia Mucai had said: when she reached a position where no one could manipulate her, she would come back for her.

Wiping away tears, she sat up on the bed. “I won’t marry Teng Jingsi.”

On the other side, there was anger and shock. “Xiao Chi, what are you saying!”

She hung up, chuckled softly, her eyes resolute. She muttered to herself, “I won’t be a victim anymore.”

“Wait for me. Once I reach that position, I will find you immediately.”

Hotel staff knocked on the door, holding a delicately packaged gift box. Early in the morning, a guest had asked them to deliver it to room 801.

“Hello, a lady asked me to give you this gift.”

Xia Chi immediately thought of Xia Mucai. She hurriedly put on her shoes and opened the door, only to see a female hotel worker.

Her expression faltered slightly as her gaze fell on the exquisite gift box.

“What’s this?”

“A lady surnamed Xia sent it to you. She said she’s gone.”

Tears blurred Xia Chi’s vision. She wiped her eyes messily. “Thank you.”

Holding the gift box, her pride would not let her show weakness in front of others. She pretended nothing was wrong and watched the staff leave, then slowly walked back inside.

The moment the door closed, she leaned against it, hiding her tears behind her arm, looking heartbreakingly beautiful.

She bit her lower lip, swallowing her sobs, but her trembling shoulders betrayed everything.

Hot tears fell onto the wrapping paper, spreading into damp circles that quickly crumpled the paper.

She remembered when she was the bear mascot and saw Xia Mucai shaking a bag of clothes, saying she wanted to give them to her. She wondered how she would hand them over.

She had thought it would be in person, seeing her wear the clothes.

But it was nothing like she imagined.

She slowly sank down to the floor, resting her head on the gift box until her eyes were dry of tears, clutching the box as she closed her eyes to rest.

In the past month, Mo Qi was bored out of her mind. If not told, one would think she was unemployed, lying around at home watching TV all day.

Occasionally, she would go to a nearby gym to work out or visit a quiet bar for a drink.

Unlike Gu Bai’an, who was like a blazing sun without excitement, she would feel lifeless. Mo Qi was like a flickering star in the dark night, able to live alone even in an apocalypse without going insane.

On the last day of her holiday, she planned to stay home all day, but the power suddenly went out, forcing her to go to a bar for a drink at night.

Unfortunately, the local quiet bar was closed for the day, as the owner was off.

So she took a taxi to the nearest nightclub.

There, she saw Gu Bai’an obviously terminally ill dancing wildly on the dance floor.

Her rosy face, bright lips, and vivid makeup hardly looked like someone with only a few days to live.

Mo Qi entered the club and saw Gu Bai’an, curling her lips in a faint smile.

She pulled out her phone and started filming the wild dancing figure in the center of the dance floor her evidence.

Why bother pretending to be sick and begging for sympathy? She could be doing something productive instead.

In just a few seconds of video, under the red and blue lights, the woman was wild and seductive, twisting her sexy waist, wearing a crop top and jeans, dancing face to face with a sweetly dressed young girl.

Their eyes locked intimately. Gu Bai’an’s intense gaze seemed to devour the girl, who shyly but clearly responded.

During those few seconds, people on the dance floor noticed Mo Qi standing by the door filming.

They thought she looked familiar and wanted to check if it was her, but the girl dancing with Gu Bai’an held her hand back.

In confusion, the girl turned to look, her face flushed and charming.

It was well-known that Gu Bai’an had no resistance to beautiful women, so she immediately indulged in the gentle embrace.

“Go rest a bit.”

“Drink?” Gu Bai’an asked.

So Mo Qi was dragged by the girl to a booth to play dice and drink.

She completely forgot that someone looking very similar to her had appeared in the club.

She could guess that person was not Mo Qi.

Mo Qi wouldn’t come to such places.

The lively club, Mo Qi sat alone in a quiet corner free from disturbance.

Looking at the dazzling, seemingly only twenty-year-old Gu Bai’an on her phone, she felt an indescribable feeling.

Why did it feel like only she had aged? Work, work, and work never really trying to start a new life with the right person.

She knew Gu Bai’an’s terminal illness was a lie to gain sympathy.

She understood the reason behind Gu Bai’an’s act it was to pursue her.

They had been apart for almost ten years. Now that they had reconciled, it was already too late.

Mo Qi didn’t know whether Gu Bai’an was just bored after returning home or had failed to find the right person abroad and was keeping her as a backup.

At their age, no one even had the energy to play games anymore; they only thought about how to survive tomorrow.

“Gu Bai’an, we’re ultimately destined to be apart.”

She put away her phone, planning to sit a bit longer before checking if she had any missed calls at home.

No matter what Gu Bai’an did, it no longer concerned her.

Being in the same place but with no chance to communicate felt like two strangers.

Mo Qi drank a glass of whiskey with ice. The sound of the ice clinking against the glass was drowned by the club’s music the sound she loved most.

This place was truly not suitable for her.

She put down the glass and stared at the surface for a long time. The strong drink made her dizzy, and she steadied herself before looking away.

The next second, warm breath carrying a sweet fragrance whispered in her ear.

“Mo Qi, what are you doing here?”

Gu Bai’an suddenly appeared behind her, speaking intimately into her ear.

Mo Qi jumped in surprise and rolled her eyes at the person behind her.

Before asking why Mo Qi was here, shouldn’t she ask why someone supposedly terminally ill was here?

“You came at just the right time. Come join me, it’s lively.”

Mo Qi wanted to refuse but found her right wrist grabbed. A strong force pulled her from the dark booth.

“Wait, I…”

She hadn’t agreed, yet this guy acted like she was two cows being pulled. When it came to having fun, she was crazier than a mad dog.

The nearby booth, besides the girl who had danced with Gu Bai’an, had two more women with bold makeup and sexy slip dresses.

These were paid companions Gu Bai’an had invited, thinking it was not lively enough, so she had called two more to play.

However, she didn’t notice the girl’s increasingly awkward expression.

“Mo Qi, come sit with me.”

Even in this dim club, Gu Bai’an’s flattering smile was noticed by many.

When did Gu Bai’an, the boss, ever show such a sycophantic smile? Offering the best spot to Mo Qi like a gift.

Not exactly a simp, but definitely simping.

The girl’s face turned more and more grim, her ten fingers tightly clutching her skirt, hands trembling uncontrollably.

Mo Qi immediately saw herself pitifully toyed with by Gu Bai’an.

She slowly raised her head and took a deep breath.

Then, she pulled her right hand away and, before Gu Bai’an could react, slapped her beautiful face hard.

The crisp slap echoed loudly, as if the noisy music stopped suddenly, and the air turned very still.

That slap seemed to use all of Mo Qi’s strength, releasing anger bottled up for nearly ten years.

Her chest heaved as she gasped for breath.

After a long while, she noticed her hand was numb and felt a pang of pity.

She actually still felt some kindness for Gu Bai’an…

Mo Qi bitterly smiled at Gu Bai’an and said, “From now on, let’s not interfere in each other’s lives. Don’t bother me anymore.”

Before Gu Bai’an could respond, Mo Qi slung her bag on her back and left.

Then the girl left too.

The booth was left with only the two women Gu Bai’an had paid for company, awkwardly sitting, their toes fidgeting nervously.

They quietly asked, “Boss Gu, are we still playing?”

Gu Bai’an angrily sent both away and lost all interest.

She looked toward where Mo Qi had left, confused about how things had ended like this.

She sighed and waved off the two women, “We’re done. Let’s go.”

The two women exchanged glances, grabbed their paychecks of ten thousand yuan each, and left hastily.

Gu Bai’an sat alone in the middle of the front booth, sipping champagne with ice.

This was her first time drinking alone like this.

Her heart was empty and lonely five stars on the loneliness scale, comparable to eating hot pot by oneself.

“What’s wrong with me? Why is she angry again?”