After Bai Qing finished speaking, she got into the car.
She curled up in the back seat, huddled in a ball.
This wasn't what she had intended.
She wanted to part with him gracefully and then finalize their divorce.
But Mo Xiao had provoked her.
He entered the car, sat beside her, and ordered the driver to start the engine.
He didn't glance at Bai Qing once, though his eyes betrayed a fleeting complexity.
They arrived at the apartment complex.
Bai Qing stepped out.
Mo Xiao followed.
"Why are you coming up? Shouldn't you hurry back to the hospital to be with Yun Qiqi?" Bai Qing asked coldly.
Mo Xiao frowned, "Bai Qing, this is my home too."
Bai Qing pressed her lips together and walked away.
She knew this was Mo Xiao's home.
But had he ever truly treated it as such?
Had he ever genuinely cared about this place?
Mo Xiao noticed that Bai Qing was limping.
He strode over and grasped her wrist, pulling her into his arms, lifting her off her feet.
At that moment, Bai Qing's delicate chin quivered, and tears brimmed in her eyes.
She wasn't particularly strong; after losing her parents, she had often felt the urge to cry.
But she always held it back, not wanting anyone to see.
Yet, with Mo Xiao, she could never stop the tears.
She clung to his neck as the tears fell in heartbreaking streams.
Seeing her cry so pitifully, Mo Xiao softened, "You delicate little thing."
Bai Qing bit her lip.
Mo Xiao carried her into the elevator.
She was still crying.
"Stop crying," Mo Xiao said irritably.
Her tears always made him uneasy.
Yet Bai Qing's tears were beyond her control.
Mo Xiao furrowed his brow and bent down, capturing her lips with his.
Bai Qing was startled.
She thought Mo Xiao was just trying to frighten her, but it was real.
And just like that, Bai Qing stopped crying.
She was in shock.
Mo Xiao, satisfied, carried her out of the elevator.
At the door of the apartment, he input her birthday and opened the door.
They returned to the familiar space.
Bai Qing asked him to put her down.
But Mo Xiao placed her on the bed.
Then he found some ointment in the drawer.
He knew the house always had some medicine on hand.
Bai Qing was often unwell, and she was clumsy, always getting bruised while walking.
Her skin was so delicate that even the lightest bump would leave a mark.
Sometimes, after his rough handling in bed, her tender skin would be left in a pitiful state.
Such a fragile creature—would her future husband be able to take good care of her?
As he thought about this, Yu Jun's face appeared in Mo Xiao's mind.
Yu Jun was a police officer, a respectable profession, and he was decently handsome, though not as good-looking as Mo Xiao himself. But he could easily charm a naive girl like Bai Qing, who hadn't yet seen the world.
A shadow passed over Mo Xiao's gaze.
The thought of this tender peach falling into someone else's hands irritated him.
Mo Xiao applied the ointment to Bai Qing's sprained ankle.
She tried to pull away, but his slender, jade-like hands held her foot firmly in place, preventing her from escaping.
Only after he finished did he release her.
Bai Qing retreated to the head of the bed.
Mo Xiao's face darkened, "What are you hiding from?"
She always knew how to challenge his temper.
Bai Qing pulled the blanket over herself, "I don't need you here. Go take care of Yun Qiqi."
She was so tired.
She wanted to rest.
Too much had happened today, and she needed to think about how to finally end this marriage with Mo Xiao.
Her earlier words about divorcing him and then telling the old madam were not just in a fit of anger.
She could love a man for ten years, but she could also give up in an instant.
Though it would tear her apart inside.
But she didn't want to keep hurting herself.
The pain in her heart was unbearable.
She still had the baby.
She could live on, strong.
"I'll leave after you fall asleep," Mo Xiao said icily.
Bai Qing looked at him with desolation, "Mo Xiao, do you know how cruel you are? I'd rather you not stay at all, just leave cleanly."
He was both good and bad to her.
"Bai Qing, why do you talk so much nonsense?" Mo Xiao's face darkened, "Go to sleep!"
Her dark circles were already showing.
"I would've slept without you telling me," Bai Qing said faintly.
Staying up all night was terrible for the baby.
She wrapped herself in the blanket and lay down, her voice hoarse, "Mo Xiao, meet me at the Civil Affairs Bureau at noon."
Then she closed her eyes.
Soon, she was asleep.
Mo Xiao stared at her pale yet delicate face, his eyes flashing with a sharp, icy coldness.
She was really in such a hurry to get a divorce.
Was it because of Yu Jun?
Was that man really so good?
Good enough for her to disregard the old madam's affection and act so decisively?
Bai Qing slept fitfully.
She dreamed of her parents.
They were covered in blood, their bodies mangled, limbs dismembered.
She wanted to vomit.
But nothing came out.
Yu Qi held her as he sobbed uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, she stared at her deceased parents, her face ashen, her body cold.
"Dad, Mom…" Bai Qing called out, "Don't leave me, don't!"
"Bai Qing, Bai Qing!" Mo Xiao was just about to leave.
But Bai Qing was trapped in a nightmare.
Mo Xiao sat by the bed, shaking her shoulders, "Bai Qing, wake up!"
"Dad, Mom, don't go, don't leave me behind, please take me with you," Bai Qing was still lost in her dream.
Mo Xiao frowned, realizing he couldn't wake her.
With no other choice, he gathered Bai Qing, blanket and all, into his arms, gently patting her back, his deep voice soothing, "Don't cry, Qingqing, I won't leave you. Don't cry."
Gradually, Bai Qing calmed down.
Mo Xiao held her for a long time, fearing that if he let go, she would start crying again.
At that moment, Yun Qiqi sent a message: "Mo Xiao, haven't you come back yet?"
Mo Xiao replied tersely, "No."
Yun Qiqi: "Did you find Bai Qing?"
Mo Xiao hesitated, "No."
Yun Qiqi frowned, still no sign of her?
Could Bai Qing be hiding on purpose?
Yun Qiqi: "If you really can't find her, maybe you should call the police?"
Mo Xiao: "What's the use of that? It's not their wife who's missing."
Yun Qiqi froze.
The word "wife" in Mo Xiao's message struck her deeply.
Did Mo Xiao just admit Bai Qing was his wife??
How could that be possible?
Could Bai Qing have sent that message?
That little wretch must've resorted to all sorts of tricks to win Mo Xiao over.
Yun Qiqi: "Mo Xiao, is that really you?"
Mo Xiao frowned: "What do you mean by that?"
Yun Qiqi: "You used the word 'wife.' How could you acknowledge Bai Qing as your wife?"
Mo Xiao scrolled through the conversation, his expression indifferent, "It was just a figure of speech. If something happens to Bai Qing, my grandmother will be the first to make me pay. Her health hasn't recovered yet. The divorce will have to wait."
Yun Qiqi's eyes flashed with deep anger.
What did he say?
The divorce would have to wait?
Did he know how long she had waited for this moment?
That Bai Qing really had some skill to make Mo Xiao change his mind in just one day.
Yun Qiqi's heart seethed with resentment.
Yun Qiqi feigned sweetness, "Mo Xiao, I know you're worried about your grandmother, and honestly, so am I. It's fine, I can wait. I just don't know if I'll live long enough to see a bone marrow donor come through for me... Will I miss my own wedding day?"