The reason why Mo Xiu Chen repeatedly asks Wen Ran to actively face the women who adore him is, in fact, because he feels an inherent lack of security within himself.
Having lost his mother at a young age and with his father remarrying, he went from being a joyful child to an unloved orphan, repeatedly hurt by the world. Now that he has developed feelings for Wen Ran, it is only natural for him to wish for her to reciprocate his affections with the same intensity.
The lingering frustration in Mo Xiu Chen's heart dissipates completely at the sound of Wen Ran's gentle "Okay" and the tender warmth in her gaze. His eyes, once cold and distant, soften with a hint of warmth, and even the sharp lines of his face appear less severe.
Through the car window, he spots Cheng Jia approaching in the distance. Wen Ran purses her lips, then instinctively reaches out to hold Mo Xiu Chen's broad hand.
The warmth of his touch causes Mo Xiu Chen to quickly retract his gaze from the window, meeting her eyes. His heart warms, and he flips his hand, enveloping her delicate fingers in his.
The air in the car becomes infused with warmth as their hands clasp, and for a brief moment, Wen Ran wonders if Mo Xiu Chen's earlier anger was merely a figment of her imagination.
Gazing at his calming features, she suddenly finds his previous irritation amusing. Unable to hold back, she laughs softly.
"Ran Ran, what are you laughing at?"
Mo Xiu Chen watches her smile, inhaling the subtle fragrance that lingers around her, his heart stirring. Since becoming her husband, the formerly indifferent man has developed a particular fondness for matters of love and intimacy.
"Nothing."
Wen Ran instinctively lowers her head, caught off guard by the depth of his gaze, and glances out of the corner of her eye at Cheng Jia, whispering, "She's here."
Mo Xiu Chen doesn't respond, merely turning on the car's interior lights and gazing deeply at her.
Cheng Jia halts outside the car and calls out, "Mo Shao."
The back door of the car opens, and Wen Ran's voice comes from within, "Get in!"
Cheng Jia is momentarily taken aback, surprised to find Wen Ran in the car. She had thought Mo Xiu Chen would be alone, and her heartbeat quickens uncontrollably.
As she enters the car and sees both Mo Xiu Chen and Wen Ran in the front seats, Cheng Jia takes a few seconds to compose herself, aiming to appear both sincere and pitiful.
"Mo Shao!"
Seeing that Mo Xiu Chen doesn't even glance at her, Cheng Jia bites her lip and calls out softly.
In the driver's seat, Mo Xiu Chen slightly turns his body, his eyes softening as he gazes at Wen Ran. His large hand, defined by sharp knuckles, holds her small hand firmly, and he doesn't spare Cheng Jia a single glance.
Even when Cheng Jia calls to him, he doesn't turn his head, his voice indifferent as he asks, "What is it? Speak."
His tone carries no emotion, yet the tenderness in his eyes when looking at Wen Ran is unmistakable.
A mere separation of the front and back seats, yet his coldness to Cheng Jia creates an atmosphere of winter, while his warmth toward Wen Ran brings the feeling of spring.
Cheng Jia's eyes flash with hurt, and she subconsciously clenches her hands into fists at her sides, her heart filled with resentment toward Wen Ran.
She still believes that it was Wen Ran who enticed Mo Xiu Chen. Without her, Mo Xiu Chen wouldn't have suspected her, let alone investigate her, and she wouldn't have needed to use drastic measures to make him trust her.
"Miss Wen, could you step aside? I'd like to speak with Mo Shao alone."
Cheng Jia's tone is cold as she stares directly at Wen Ran.
Mo Xiu Chen's eyes instantly grow cold. Without waiting for Wen Ran to respond, he coldly says, "If you have something you can't say in front of Wen Ran, then don't bother saying it to me."
Cheng Jia's face pales. Fearing that if she insists, Mo Xiu Chen will ask her to leave, she suppresses her resentment toward Wen Ran, inhales deeply, and says in a low voice, "Fine. Since Mo Shao is willing to let Miss Wen hear, I will speak."
"Hmm."
Mo Xiu Chen responds indifferently, his gaze still fixed on Wen Ran, while Wen Ran continues to focus on him, not looking at Cheng Jia.
In the warm, intimate atmosphere of the front seat, Cheng Jia remains silent for a few moments before speaking with guilt in her voice, "Mo Shao, I'm sorry, I lied to you."
Mo Xiu Chen's expression darkens slightly, his thin lips pressing into a firm line. He says nothing in reply.
Wen Ran furrows her brow and turns to look at Cheng Jia, asking coolly, "What did you lie to Xiu Chen about?"
Despite Cheng Jia's reluctance to reveal anything to Wen Ran, Mo Xiu Chen insisted she stay, so she had no choice but to answer. Though she resents Wen Ran, she complies, "I am not the little girl who saved Mo Shao."
Mo Xiu Chen had already learned this days ago, so he is not surprised by Cheng Jia's confession. Wen Ran's face flashes with surprise, and she looks toward Mo Xiu Chen.
Cheng Jia meets Mo Xiu Chen's indifferent gaze, and seeing no change in his expression, she is secretly alarmed. She feels that her decision to come clean was the right one, as Mo Xiu Chen would have discovered the truth eventually.
"So, you're saying you were pretending? How did you know those details?"
Wen Ran asks, her other hand gently resting over Mo Xiu Chen's, transferring warmth through the contact.
She takes over the questioning, not wanting Cheng Jia to waste time with irrelevant details. She goes straight to the point for a quicker resolution.
"It was Xiao Wenqing. She found me when I was twelve," Cheng Jia admits.
Cheng Jia no longer holds anything back. She pauses, her gaze softening as she looks at Mo Xiu Chen, before continuing, "She came to me and first asked if I had ever saved a boy about eleven or twelve years old. After confirming that I hadn't, she told me to pretend to be that girl."
Mo Xiu Chen's expression remains impassive, but inside, he is shaken. Cheng Jia, not yet twenty-three, means Xiao Wenqing had begun plotting to find someone to impersonate his savior ten years ago.
"She told me the details she knew, but she didn't know the truth about the little girl and Mo Shao's past. In the end, she had me pretend to have amnesia."
"Since Xiao Wenqing found you ten years ago, why didn't you appear until now?"
Wen Ran presses, suppressing her anger. Xiao Wenqing is truly a woman of deep scheming, even calculating this much.
It is clear now how difficult it must have been for Mo Xiu Chen to survive his childhood.
Her thoughts tighten with sympathy for him, anger toward Xiao Wenqing growing stronger.
"Xiao Wenqing said Mo Shao is too astute. If I had appeared in front of him, he would have suspected me. Since he has been searching, she decided to let him find me on his own."
Wen Ran's expression shifts. Xiao Wenqing's plans seem more meticulous than she imagined. Not only did she fear that Cheng Jia's sudden appearance might arouse Mo Xiu Chen's suspicions, but she likely thought that the longer Mo Xiu Chen searched, the more he would cherish the girl he found.
Mo Xiu Chen snorts coldly, "Does she not fear that I might find the real girl who saved me?"
Cheng Jia hesitates before answering, "Xiao Wenqing said the girl who saved you... is dead."
At the words, Mo Xiu Chen's face pales, and his eyes sharpen, shooting daggers at Cheng Jia. Wen Ran, too, is stunned, her gaze fixed on Cheng Jia.
"How does she know that for sure?" Wen Ran asks, noticing the slight stiffening of Mo Xiu Chen's hand.
"I don't know," Cheng Jia admits, "but Xiao Wenqing seemed very certain. She wouldn't have kept me waiting for ten years if she was lying."
There is a brief flash of confusion in Cheng Jia's eyes. She didn't lie, but Xiao Wenqing has kept many things from her.
In Xiao Wenqing's eyes, Cheng Jia is merely a pawn, used to mislead Mo Xiu Chen.
Cheng Jia fits the description of the girl Mo Xiu Chen sought, with a mole on her chin, and her appearance is strikingly beautiful, her figure enviable. Thanks to Xiao Wenqing's influence, she received a prestigious education and attended elite socialite classes.
She even knows how to entice men.
However, Xiao Wenqing didn't foresee Mo Xiu Chen's sudden and complete devotion to Wen Ran, and their unexpected marriage.
Mo Xiu Chen's emotions are complex. He knows that since Cheng Jia has chosen to confess, she will no longer conceal important matters from him. He can tell whether her words are true or false.
If Xiao Wenqing is so sure that the girl who saved him is dead, does that mean the girl was killed by the ruthless Xiao Wenqing?
Wen Ran feels the cold energy emanating from Mo Xiu Chen and tightens her grip on his hand, silently showing concern for him with her gaze.
Cheng Jia also feels the temperature drop, a flicker of panic in her eyes as she falls silent.
The car is filled with a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.
After a long silence, Mo Xiu Chen finally speaks, his voice cold, "Besides this, what else do you know?"
Cheng Jia had mentioned something about his mother, so it's clear she knows more than she's revealed.
She doesn't immediately answer but hesitates before whispering, "Mo Shao, I didn't mean to deceive you. Really, I wanted to tell you from the start, but I never found the right opportunity. Could you forgive me?"
Mo Xiu Chen shoots her a cold glance, and Cheng Jia, trembling, quickly adds, "I overheard Xiao Wenqing talking about your mother. She and a man named Wu Tianyi... they were the ones who caused her death."
Wu Tianyi!
The man Mo Xiu Chen recently uncovered.
Xiao Wenqing couldn't have orchestrated everything on her own. Over the years, Wu Tianyi must have been involved.
"Your mother... she took a drug that caused confusion. I believe the man named Wu provided it. I've been trying to gather more evidence, but Xiao Wenqing is too cautious. Don't worry, I'll keep trying," Cheng Jia insists eagerly, as if hoping to prove her worth.
The air thickens again as Mo Xiu Chen remains silent.
Wen Ran watches him, her heart aching for him. She can't find the words to comfort him.
He must be remembering the scene of his mother's death, but his face remains stoic. His grip on her hand grows rigid, and his entire body is tense.
The painful memories are ones he both refuses to recall and yet cannot forget.
After a long while, Wen Ran turns to Cheng Jia in the back seat, her voice cold and clear, "You can go now."
Cheng Jia glances at Mo Xiu Chen, then surprisingly follows Wen Ran's instructions, nodding before saying softly, "Mo Shao, I'll leave now."
Without waiting for Mo Xiu Chen's reply, Cheng Jia exits the car, her figure disappearing in the parking lot after two minutes.
Inside the car, Wen Ran gazes at Mo Xiu Chen with concern, softly calling his name, "Xiu Chen!"
"I'm fine," he responds quietly, taking a deep breath as the chill in his eyes gradually fades. He doesn't want Wen Ran to worry. After all, even as a child, he managed to survive the traumatic memory of his mother's suicide. He can endure this now too.
The more he says he's fine, the deeper Wen Ran's concern grows. She bites her lip and softly speaks, "No matter what happens, I will always be by your side."
It is her promise to him.
Perhaps it lacks the directness of saying she loves him, but it moves Mo Xiu Chen more than any sweet words. Her gentle voice feels like a warm current flowing through his heart, washing away his sorrow. A fiery intensity flickers in his gaze as he looks at her.
He tightens his grip on her hand, and before she can react, he pulls her toward him, kissing her soft lips with intense passion.
For a moment, her body stiffens, overwhelmed by the heat and masculinity of his presence. Her mind goes blank for a fleeting instant.
His lips press urgently against hers, as if trying to quell the storm inside him. Her heart races, and without thinking, she parts her lips, responding to his kiss.
Outside the car, the wind howls, its chill contrasting the warmth inside.
The atmosphere in the car becomes charged with tension and desire. The temperature rises steadily until Mo Xiu Chen forces himself to pull back, his voice hoarse as he murmurs, "Ran Ran, let's go home."
Wen Ran's heartbeat echoes in her ears, and for a moment, she feared he wouldn't stop.
She gently adjusts her clothes, sitting upright and fastening her seatbelt.
The drive home is swift, with Mo Xiu Chen driving skillfully, maintaining a steady pace despite the high speed. Wen Ran sits silently in the passenger seat, the atmosphere inside warm and tranquil.
Once they arrive at the house, Mo Xiu Chen takes Wen Ran's hand and leads her upstairs. As soon as they enter the master bedroom, he pulls her into his embrace, lowering his head to kiss her deeply...
An hour later,
Wen Ran lies exhausted against the bed, her neck marked with faint traces of their intimacy, the lingering scent of passion in the air.
"Ran Ran, are you hungry? I'll make you something to eat."