Chapter 258: Handle It Yourself

Upon hearing Yang Chen's question, Mo Qianyi turned her head away, seeming reluctant to speak.

"If there's something that makes you embarrassed or something that saddens you, please tell me," Yang Chen said solemnly. "If you accept me, I don't want you to feel ashamed about anything that could embarrass you, nor do I think that something that saddens you should be borne alone."

Mo Qianyi looked desolate, as if she hadn't heard Yang Chen's words at all.

Yang Chen felt a pang of desolation in his heart and smiled bitterly. "It seems I've been too self-assured. Of course, with your strong sense of dignity, you wouldn't tell me about such a past. Everyone has their own untold wilderness in their hearts. Gray areas are things people around you don't wish to see. I've been too greedy..."

Mo Qianyi's eyes shimmered faintly, and her body trembled slightly.

"You should rest. Sleep here tonight, and I'll take you back in the morning," Yang Chen stood up, intending to leave the room. Mo Qianyi's silence unsettled him; he needed a few drinks or maybe a few cigarettes to calm his mind.

Just then, Mo Qianyi softly called out, "Yang Chen..."

Yang Chen turned back, "Yes, is it still hurting?"

Mo Qianyi shook her head, her clear eyes devoid of impurities, like the purest crystal.

"Was my leg... broken by someone?" Mo Qianyi's words sent a chill through Yang Chen's heart, a cold feeling he couldn't place. When Mo Qianyi casually mentioned her leg being broken, it felt as if she was talking about someone else's leg.

Yang Chen quickly pulled the blanket to cover Mo Qianyi's lower body. "Don't catch a cold," Yang Chen didn't know what to say. He regretted a bit pushing Mo Qianyi to make that revelation.

Mo Qianyi smiled peacefully. Exhausted, she struggled to keep her eyes open, but at that moment, she seemed eager to see Yang Chen clearly.

"Remember when I told you I ran away at thirteen, stole someone's wallet, and came to Zhonghai to work?" Mo Qianyi said. "Before I met Grandma Ruoxi, it was about three months. I was washing dishes, preparing vegetables, doing odd jobs at a small restaurant. Because I was so young, even though I looked older than my age, they found out I was underage and could have been sent back home."

Listening to Mo Qianyi's faint voice, Yang Chen felt a pang of guilt and interrupted, "Don't talk about it. It's all in the past. Why torment yourself?"

"Don't you want to share the pain with me?"

"It's not that I don't..."

"Then listen to me," Mo Qianyi smiled faintly, her eyes showing a hint of tenderness. "Back then, all I wanted was to earn some money and go to junior high. School fees weren't expensive back then. If I could work and study at the same time, even if it was hard, I could endure it.

But the boss of that small restaurant, he kept harassing me. Behind his wife's back, he'd say shameless things to me, even laid hands on me. That one time, he cornered me in a storage room, wanting to... do things to me. I fought with all my strength, bit him, and managed to escape. But the restaurant boss called other staff, accused me of stealing from the storeroom, said I only bit him when caught.

They caught me, I couldn't escape, and in the end, the boss's wife took the chance to beat me up. She'd never liked me, so with the boss unable to say anything, she grabbed a rolling pin and hit me hard, accusing me of stealing and biting people, saying that's why she broke my leg."

Mo Qianyi struggled to continue, her words stuck in her throat. Yang Chen clenched his fists tightly and asked, "Are that woman who broke your leg and her husband still in Zhonghai?"

Mo Qianyi's eyes shimmered with tears. "No, Grandma Ruoxi helped put them in prison, and they never came out again. Grandma also paid for my leg surgery, otherwise, there would have been a lot of complications."

"No wonder your grandmother, Lin Ruoxi, respects her so much. Her kindness towards you is indeed profound," Yang Chen nodded with a smile.

While for Lin Ruoxi's grandmother, helping Mo Qianyi might have been out of sympathy and nurturing a promising young girl, for Mo Qianyi herself, whether supporting her career development or dealing with those who caused her pain, it was all deeply appreciated.

"If not for that, Mo Qianyi might have long been like a crushed flower petal in the mud."

"You know, I think about you all the time, every day. Even though I know you're at the company, I never intentionally seek you out. It's not because Ruoxi and I are close as good friends, but when it comes to love, I won't retreat. Even if I'm seen as a third party, as long as you don't despise me, I don't feel ashamed. The reason I don't meet you or contact you is because I don't want to betray the CEO. If one day Ruoxi tells me to leave completely, I think I would find it hard to refuse," Mo Qianyi said thoughtfully.

Yang Chen sighed ruefully, "Perhaps it's not about asking you to leave, but asking me to leave instead. I don't think I'm as important to her as you think."

Mo Qianyi smiled gently, "I've said before, it's not that she can't accept you openly, but you're just too difficult for her to accept."

Yang Chen reached out and held one of Mo Qianyi's hands, cool and gentle.

"Next time you dream, and see the CEO, tell her Yang Chen has a message for her," he said with a smile.

"What message?" Mo Qianyi asked softly.

"Tell her, 'I'm sorry. Even though it's difficult for you, don't let Mo Qianyi leave because the one who's done wrong isn't Mo Qianyi, but the bad man who won't let go of Mo Qianyi,'" Yang Chen said.

Tears instantly soaked Mo Qianyi's pillowcase. Her emotions fluctuated, causing her hands to tremble uncontrollably.

Yang Chen quietly brushed the bangs from Mo Qianyi's forehead, his breath carrying a comforting fragrance. He didn't try to console her or tell her not to cry. In this moment, a crying woman seemed the most beautiful to Yang Chen.

"Yang Chen, my leg doesn't hurt anymore," Mo Qianyi murmured.

Yang Chen responded, "It's getting late. I've ordered food to be brought in. How about that?"

"I said my leg doesn't hurt anymore," Mo Qianyi continued.

"I know your leg doesn't hurt anymore, but you still need to eat," Yang Chen chuckled.

Mo Qianyi pouted, "You took off my pants."

"I was just checking something," Yang Chen said awkwardly.

"But you've already seen everything, from my waist down to my feet. You've seen more than half of my body," Mo Qianyi said.

Yang Chen gradually sensed the implication in her words. Suddenly, a warmth surged in his chest, a glint in his eyes. "Xiao Qianqian, as compensation, would you like me to let you see more than half of my body too?"

Mo Qianyi blushed delicately, her eyes slightly misty. "Yes."

...

The spring breeze blew through the night, and a few red plum blossoms adorned the snowy plateau. This cold night passed unexpectedly yet simply, yet so fulfilling.

"Yang Chen," after a long while, Mo Qianyi finally lifted her head, her gaze soft as she looked at Yang Chen. "I like you."

"I know," Yang Chen replied.

"I really, truly like you," Mo Qianyi insisted stubbornly.

Yang Chen indulgently pinched her chin. "I said I know. Even if you don't say it, I know you like me."

"No, it's not just liking you. It's liking you more than you know, and even more than that, much, much more."

Yang Chen didn't let her continue. Resolutely, he pulled up the blanket and pressed down on this "naive" silly woman beneath him.