Wen Ran's eyes widened in astonishment, gazing at the man before her, his cold and handsome features sharp under the dim light.
For a moment, her thoughts tangled in confusion.
She couldn't understand why Mo Xiuchen was so furious. His earlier words—"He's not even…"—what did he mean by that?
Wen Jin was not only her brother, but also the only family she had left. How could she distance herself from him merely because she had married?
She gently pressed her lips together, trying to reason with him. "Mo Xiuchen…"
Suddenly, he turned away, buckled his seatbelt, and started the engine.
Her words caught in her throat, unable to form a single sound.
A delicate sorrow rose quietly within her.
That afternoon, in her office, he'd said even if he found the girl who had saved him years ago, he would never let go of her hand.
That evening at the hospital, when she nearly got taken, his guilt had overwhelmed him. She had thought that was his way of confessing—subtle, unsaid, but unmistakably sincere.
Yet now, in the blink of an eye, he had uttered the word "divorce."
The car ride home passed in silence.
Upstairs in the master bedroom, Wen Ran summoned her courage and stopped Mo Xiuchen as he headed for the bathroom. "Can we talk?"
He paused under the glittering crystal chandelier, his tall frame cast in sharp silhouette. His gaze was cold, his lips forming a tight, resolute line. He said nothing.
Wen Ran took a quiet breath and gestured toward the nearby sofa. "Let's sit down and talk."
She turned and walked toward the couch. Mo Xiuchen followed. At the sofa, he hesitated, then—seeing her pat the spot beside her—abandoned the idea of sitting opposite and sat down next to her.
Wen Ran looked at his refined features and, after a moment's hesitation, softly called his name. "Xiuchen."
He had been staring ahead, but at the sound of her voice, he turned to face her.
"Are you hiding something from me?"
Whether it was the abruptness of the question or his own guilty conscience, his eyes flickered. Instead of answering, he asked, "What are you talking about?"
Wen Ran frowned slightly, her gaze unwavering as she voiced her doubts. "That's what I want to know. You're not the kind of man who acts without reason. Before, when you mentioned how I was too concerned with Brother Gu, I told you clearly—if you minded, I would keep my distance."
A flicker of surprise crossed Mo Xiuchen's eyes—he hadn't expected her to be so perceptive.
She offered a faint, fleeting smile. "I remember you said you wouldn't interfere with my friendships. Isn't that right?"
He frowned, regret rising within him. He hadn't meant to lose control tonight. Seeing her interact so intimately with Wen Jin had sparked a jealous impulse that spilled over recklessly.
Whenever it involved her, he found it harder and harder to keep his emotions in check.
She didn't press him for an answer. Instead, she continued, "If you won't even restrict my friendships, how could you expect me to be distant from my brother? Even if you didn't know how close we were growing up, now that he's all I have left, how could you still ask me to push him away?"
His expression shifted as he replied coolly, "I don't like how he blames himself and drags you into guilt with him."
Wen Ran let out a soft laugh, tinged with self-mockery. She wasn't foolish—Mo Xiuchen, childish as he could be, wouldn't be upset over something so trivial.
"This afternoon, you said the first time we met, I gave you a very special feeling."
His eyes betrayed a flicker of astonishment—she had managed, yet again, to connect things he thought unrelated.
As she continued, her tone was calm. "You've spent years searching for that little girl who saved you. If I gave you that same feeling, of course you'd investigate me."
He didn't deny it. "I did investigate you. Although the results weren't what I hoped for, that feeling never changed. That's why—when your family fell apart—I appeared and asked you to marry me."
She spoke as if she hadn't heard him. "Last time, Zhou Lin and Mo Zixuan went to City F for their wedding photos. He came back early, leaving her there alone. Later, she asked for more time off."
He had been silent on the way back, but her mind had been anything but. What once felt like coincidences had begun to align—forming a story far more complicated than she'd thought.
"Ranran, don't overthink things."
He tried to halt the cascade of her thoughts, but his words had no power against what she already suspected.
"Let me finish."
She cut him off, recalling everything she had pieced together. "She asked for a week's extension, but Mo Zixuan went to pick her up personally. Then, she suddenly agreed to help persuade her father to retire."
"That was because of the baby—not her," he explained, clearly reluctant to delve into Mo Zixuan's affairs, though her words gave him pause. Could it be that Mo Zixuan and Zhou Lin also knew something?
He realized now how he had overlooked this thread entirely. After Wen Ran's kidnapping in City F, all his focus had been on her. When they returned and finally became husband and wife, he had buried himself in work, paying no attention to Mo Zixuan.
"I know Mo Zixuan. He's not one to give in so easily. He doesn't like Zhou Lin—never has. Even with her carrying his child and agreeing to marry him, he wouldn't soften toward her. But not only did he go pick her up himself, he even went to see my brother."
She remembered that day in front of the elevator—Mo Zixuan had said Wen Jin sent him. He also said she'd one day realize he was the one who loved her most.
Mo Xiuchen's face darkened, his brow furrowing. "Ranran, you don't seriously think Zixuan did that for you, do you? Do you really believe that even though you married me, his heart still hasn't changed?"
"Stop changing the subject—you know that's not what I meant."
Her voice was cool with displeasure—a rare tone from her. Mo Xiuchen was caught off guard by the look in her eyes and, stunned, fell silent.
Seeing him quiet down, she softened slightly. "Ever since I married you, I've paid no mind to anything Mo Zixuan did. So what's made me suspicious… isn't him. It's you."