Chapter 689 - 689: Are you waiting for my call?
Chapter 689: Are you waiting for my call?
Half a month, Mo Xiuchen silently repeated to himself in his heart.
Ranran, wait for me for half a month, and after half a month, I will come to find you, and we will never be apart again.
He took out his cellphone, the screensaver was a picture of Wen Ran, her smile as beautiful as a blossom, her eyes twinkling like stars, gazing at him, as if saying, “Xiuchen, I am waiting for you.”
He was reminded of those nights full of loving affection when he would tease her, holding her in his arms, pressing her beneath him. Whenever this happened, she would laugh and beg for mercy, tenderly crying out, ‘Xiuchen, stop,’ or ‘Xiuchen, I am really tired.’
“Xiuchen, take a rest for a while. There is traffic at this time, and we probably won’t reach the airport for about twenty minutes.”
Gu Kai, seated next to Mo Xiuchen and watching him stare intently at his phone screen, felt a pang in his heart and gently spoke aloud.
“I’ll call Liao Dongxing, let him know that I have to return to G City earlier. Ah Mu and Ah Feng will go to trade with him tomorrow night, so he won’t pull any tricks.”
As Mo Xiuchen was about to make the call, Gu Kai intervened: “Xiuchen, don’t call.”
“Why?”
Mo Xiuchen furrowed his brows, looking at Gu Kai, puzzled. He wanted Liao Dongxing to know that if he dared to pull any tricks, he could ruin him instantly.
Gu Kai gave a light smile before calmly stating: “Liao Dongxing has always been in contact with Fu Jingyi; he definitely knows about your health condition. If you were to tell him now that you’ve left A City, he would know that you’ve been admitted to the hospital because you couldn’t hold on any longer.”
“If I leave now, he will find out by tomorrow night.”
Mo Xiuchen’s voice grew a bit colder.
“There is still a difference between him finding out tomorrow night and finding out now. I’ve heard that Jiang Liu happens to be in A City for a business trip as well. Ah Mu said he looks quite similar to you and has even deliberately mimicked you, copying your temperament and speech style.”
“Ah Kai, are you also in favor of letting Jiang Liu stand in for me to meet Liao Dongxing and Fu Jingyi?”
Mo Xiuchen looked disapprovingly at Gu Kai. Liao Dongxing was not stupid; how could he not recognize that Jiang Liu was not him.
“If they were to meet face-to-face, Liao Dongxing and Fu Jingyi would definitely recognize him. But if only a silhouette is seen, or if there is some distance and lack of light, they may not be able to tell it isn’t you. There’s a purpose for letting Jiang Liu stand in your place. You don’t have to feel like you owe Jiang Liu anything; he volunteered for this, with the purpose of atonement.”
Mo Xiuchen’s expression shifted slightly, a trace of confusion emerging in his eyes.
Gu Kai’s mouth curved into a chilly smile, his voice somewhat cold: “I found out last night that a while ago, Jiang Liu had used Yuting to inquire about you and Ranran, and had told Cheng Jia. Yuting happened to overhear his call with Cheng Jia, and she wanted to break up with him, which is why he sought out Ah Mu and Ah Feng last night and confessed all of this.”
Mo Xiuchen furrowed his brows slightly, squinting his eyes with an ominous glint in them.
Jiang Liu was still in contact with Cheng Jia?
He recalled that Luo Haofeng had mentioned that Cheng Jia was almost harassed and beaten up by a group of people, leaving her battered and bruised. If Mo Zixuan hadn’t happened to pass by and save her, she would have been ruined.
He had found it strange at the time why Wen Ran would care about Cheng Jia’s affairs.
Thinking about it now, Ranran probably knew about Shen Yuting and Jiang Liu’s situation a long time ago. The things that Cheng Jia had gone through were likely connected to Jiang Liu.
“Regarding this matter, Jiang Liu can’t be involved.”
Mo Xiuchen’s gaze swept past a hidden light, his voice icy.
“Xiuchen, do you think Jiang Liu is unreliable?”
“It’s not a question of reliability. He did something that wronged Yuting. Trying to make amends here isn’t fair to Yuting. If he truly loves Yuting, he should seek her forgiveness, not get involved in matters unrelated to him. Besides, he can’t really be of any help anyway.”
Mo Xiuchen knew that Ah Mu and Ah Feng wanted Jiang Liu to stand in for him because of his poor health and his insistence on meeting Fu Jingyi themselves.
Now that he had left the city and Gu Yan was coming back, there was no need for Jiang Liu to stand in for him anymore.
“Alright, I’ll send a message to Ah Mu, just to let him know.”
Gu Kai pondered for a while before agreeing to Mo Xiuchen’s decision.
**
G City
The afternoon sun shone brightly, but the heat was less intense thanks to the shelter of the trees, making it just warm enough. A slight breeze brought with it the sweet scent of cherries.
In the yard, Wen Ran, Shen Yuting, and Bai Xiaoxiao sat around a marble table, a bowl of freshly washed cherries sat on the table. The cherries, still wet, looked fresh and enticing.
“Ranran, what’s the matter? Can’t stop thinking about your beloved Mo Xiuchen?”
Bai Xiaoxiao tossed a cherry into her mouth and waved her hand in front of Wen Ran, who was spacing out, teasing her.
Shen Yuting, who was checking her messages at the side, also looked up at Wen Ran when she heard Bai Xiaoxiao’s words.
“I’m just wondering when Xiuchen will be back. We can’t keep these cherries for him anymore. Hopefully, he’ll still get to eat the loquats when he comes back.”
Wen Ran glanced at Bai Xiaoxiao, her eyes filling with gentle anticipation and worry. Bai Xiaoxiao laughed and chided, “Don’t get lovesick over him. What does it matter if Mo Xiuchen misses out on the fruit? As long as he can come back to eat you, he certainly won’t care about the fruit. Isn’t that right, Yuting?”
Suppressing a laugh, Shen Yuting agreed, “Yes, even if we finish all the fruits, Xiuchen won’t mind, as long as we don’t eat Ranran.”
“I certainly wouldn’t dare eat her.”
Bai Xiaoxiao laughed heartily, Wen Ran glared at her but said nothing more.
“I have an idea, why don’t we go over to Auntie Zhang’s house and pick some loquats, then pick some peaches as well. We have nothing better to do anyway.”
Bai Xiaoxiao suggested, and Shen Yuting, not wanting Wen Ran to always be thinking about Mo Xiuchen when she had free time, immediately agreed, laughing, “Yes, Ranran, let’s go and pick some loquats.”
Wen Ran was pulled from the villa by the two of them, and Qing Feng and Qing Yang quickly followed. By the time they returned in the evening, Qing Feng was carrying loquats and Qing Yang had peaches.
At night, just as Wen Ran was about to sleep, her phone suddenly vibrated. Then, a familiar, longed-for voice sounded: “Ranran, Happy Birthday.”
This ringtone was set a few days ago. Last year on her birthday, Mo Xiuchen had specially made this ringtone for her. She had kept it, but had not used it until now.
Now that Mo Xiuchen wasn’t by her side, she missed his voice, so she set the special ringtone again. Even though ‘Happy Birthday’ didn’t feel applicable, all she wanted to listen to was his voice.
Her heartbeat missed a beat due to that deep magnetic voice, then it began to beat joyously. She picked up her phone, pressed the answer key quickly, and her voice, full of longing, flowed out: “Hello, Xiuchen!”
“Ranran, were you waiting for my call?”
Mo Xiuchen’s voice, warm and magnetic, made Wen Ran feel as though he were right beside her. His voice was like soft whispers in her ear, as it always was.