Chapter 99

099

By the time they left the Maple Forest Leisure Center, Mo Qian妮 was already panting from running.

Seeing that Yang Chen was still holding her hand, Mo Qian妮 pretended to cough, her face flushed, whether from shyness or exercise, it was hard to tell.

"What's wrong? Miss Mo, is your throat not feeling well?" Yang Chen asked, feigning ignorance.

Mo Qian妮 glared at him, "Let go of your pig hooves!"

Yang Chen chuckled, not blushing, but he did release her soft, white hand, though the texture was really nice. He added, "Miss Mo, your words are too crude. Pig hooves can't bend to hold your hand."

Mo Qian妮, knowing that arguing with him would be futile, didn't bother to say more and walked straight to the car.

Once they were back on the road, Yang Chen saw that no one was chasing them and finally relaxed.

Mo Qian妮 smiled playfully, "So even a thick-skinned person has fears. Were you worried that Zhou Dongcheng would catch up?"

Yang Chen was indeed worried about the effeminate man catching up, and he laughed awkwardly, "Miss Mo, you really are perceptive. You can think of such profound questions."

"Relax. Although he comes from a criminal background, he is known for his humility and politeness in this circle. He never forces anyone."

"From what you say, he seems quite kind..." Yang Chen muttered.

Mo Qian妮 pressed the volume button on the steering wheel, turning the music down to the minimum, and said, "Of course, he can't always be so kind. If he were completely harmless, no one would fear him. I just mean that if you don't provoke him or threaten his interests, Zhou Dongcheng will always treat you gently. This is unlike his father."

"Have you met Zhou Guangnian?" Yang Chen asked.

Mo Qian妮 looked at him as if he were an idiot, "Of course. Dongxing Group isn't a small company. It's not unusual to see Zhou Guangnian at public events. But to be honest, that old man doesn't seem like a businessman. Even though he's been trying to clean up his image, every time I see him, I feel like he's wrapped in darkness, making me uneasy."

Otherwise, how could he be the underground emperor of the East District? Yang Chen thought Zhou Guangnian's appearance was more normal.

At this point, Mo Qian妮 fell silent for a moment before saying, "As a reward for helping me today, I'll let you choose where we eat."

Yang Chen was relieved that he wouldn't have to follow Mo Qian妮 to some strange place. After some thought, he said, "I want to eat hotpot!"

Mo Qian妮 glanced at him, "It's not even winter yet. Why eat hotpot? You'll get a heat rash and break out in pimples."

"You said I could choose. What do you think we should eat?" Yang Chen asked, feeling a bit wronged.

"Let's eat at a street stall."

"Another street stall!? Miss, didn't you say I could choose?" Yang Chen said with a bitter smile.

Mo Qian妮 huffed, "You said I gave you a choice, not the final decision. Your choice was rejected. Now we're going to a street stall!"

Yang Chen closed his eyes in frustration. This woman was so manipulative!

.

Half an hour later, Yang Chen sat across from Mo Qian妮 at Aunt Xiang's street stall, a few spicy Sichuan dishes in front of them, the red peppers looking so hot that Yang Chen felt like they would burn him just by looking at them.

Since it was still early, there weren't many people around the street stall, making it much quieter than the last time they were there. The cool autumn breeze brought a chill.

Mo Qian妮 took a sip of white wine and, seeing Yang Chen's pained expression, said unhappily, "What's that face for? I'm treating you to a meal, and you look so miserable."

Yang Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead, caused by the spiciness, and said, "I didn't grow up eating this way. You should know that in foreign countries, they don't eat such spicy food."

"Oh, I almost forgot. So the high-achiever in front of me is also a returnee from abroad. I, a wild girl from a small village, can't compare," Mo Qian妮 said sarcastically.

Yang Chen didn't want to argue with her. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked seriously, "How do you plan to deal with your stepfather, Zhang Fugui? You seemed upset these past few days. It seems that man is giving you a headache. If you need help, just say the word. I'm pretty free, you know."

Mo Qian妮's chopsticks paused, and she looked straight at Yang Chen, "Have you been paying attention to whether I'm upset?"

"Uh..." Yang Chen laughed awkwardly. He couldn't say that he always watched her when she walked by, especially her behind. He just said, "The colleagues in the office said you seemed down, so I noticed."

Mo Qian妮's eyes showed a hint of disappointment as she said softly, "Do you remember the call I received when we were here last time?"

"I remember." Yang Chen also remembered being "forcibly hugged" that night!

"It was from my mother. She said Zhang Fugui wanted to come to Zhonghai to work and asked me to pick him up and help him settle in." Mo Qian妮 sneered, "He's not really that eager to work. He has a huge gambling debt in our hometown. If I hadn't helped him pay it off, he would have been beaten to death... But his reputation is so bad there that he had to run to Zhonghai."

"Knowing his character, why did you let him come?" Yang Chen asked curiously.

"Do you mind listening to a long story?" Mo Qian妮 countered.

"If you don't bring me here to eat again, I'll listen to you share your heart," Yang Chen tried to negotiate.

"Impossible."

"Uh..." Yang Chen smiled awkwardly, "Just tell me."

Mo Qian妮's lips curled slightly in a victorious smile before she began to narrate, "I told you before that my father died when I was thirteen, and my mother remarried Zhang Fugui. Zhang Fugui was one of the few unmarried men in the village, relatively young, and always liked my mother, so she eventually agreed. At that time, Zhang Fugui wasn't so fond of gambling. Although we were poor, we could still manage to eat and stay warm."

"…But after a few months, my mother, who worked in the fields every day, fell ill and couldn't get out of bed. I was only thirteen at the time. After finishing primary school, I stayed at home and couldn't go to junior high school. In fact, there was no junior high school in our village."

"At that time, I asked Zhang Fugui to take my mother to the nearest small town for treatment because I was afraid that after my father left, my mother would leave too. If that happened, I would really be an orphan. I was so scared that I kept begging Zhang Fugui... I had never called him 'dad' before, but that time, I kept calling him 'dad' to beg him..."

"But Zhang Fugui suddenly became unrecognizable... He didn't listen to me at all. He only went to the village chief for some herbal medicine and told me to boil it for my mother, but he did nothing else..."

"Later, a neighbor aunt told me that Zhang Fugui was too poor. He had no money. Even if he went to the town hospital, he couldn't afford the treatment or the medicine. He couldn't even pay for the bus fare to the nearest town."

At this point, Mo Qian妮's voice became a bit hoarse, her eyes slightly red. She poured herself a small cup of white wine and drank it in one gulp.

"Then, what happened to your mother..." Yang Chen didn't finish his question.

Mo Qian妮 said, "My mother eventually got better. I don't know if it was due to divine intervention or the village chief's herbal medicine, but that illness made her look years older..."

"But I was still very afraid. I thought, if my mother got sick again and we still had no money for treatment, what would happen? I didn't dare to think about it. At that time, I had only one thought: to get money for my mother's treatment..."

"So you came to Zhonghai alone?" Yang Chen realized.

Mo Qian妮 nodded and laughed self-deprecatingly, "Isn't it absurd and foolish? A girl not even fourteen, pretending to be mature, knowing nothing, and coming to Zhonghai alone to earn money for my mother's treatment."

"Not foolish, but impressive. I'm curious how you got the money for the train ticket," Yang Chen asked.

Mo Qian妮's eyes avoided his, hesitating for a moment before saying, "I stole someone's wallet at the station..." She then asked in a low voice, "Will you look down on me, think I'm shameless, and that I can say such a despicable thing so confidently?"

Stealing a wallet is nothing. I've even robbed a bank... Yang Chen thought, but he didn't say it. He just shook his head honestly, "No, everyone makes mistakes. You're much more noble than me. I've been to jail twice."

Mo Qian妮 finally smiled and continued, "After that, you might know some of what happened. I came here alone, learned on my own, and received help from Aunt Xiang and some fellow villagers, as well as from the welfare home, to attend junior high school. Later, because of Ruo Xi's grandmother, the former president of Yulei International, who came to our school to give a speech, she noticed me and cultivated me. From then on, I could truly hold my head high in Zhonghai. Without the old president, there would be no Mo Qian妮 today... Now you should understand why I was so angry when I found out you, a scoundrel, married Ruo Xi."

Yang Chen nodded in understanding.

The most precious kindness in the world is like a helping hand in the snow. Although Mo Qian妮 made it sound easy, it was clear that for a girl from a remote village, with no support and seemingly insignificant to the world, to enter a real school and enter the upper echelons of society, becoming an elite in Zhonghai's business world, the old president of Lin Ruo Xi's company had given Mo Qian妮 not just material help but also a spiritual pillar. Of course, the effort Mo Qian妮 put in was many times greater than that of ordinary people, and the hardships she endured were something only she could truly understand.

"Later, I finally earned money. I still remember when I sent my first payment to my mother. She cried on the phone for a long time, but we were both very happy... My mother knew I had grown up, and I knew I could finally take care of her..."

"But that was also the beginning of Zhang Fugui's gambling addiction. He knew I could earn a good salary every month and had settled in Zhonghai, so he started gambling more and more. From a few cents and a few dollars, to tens and twenties, and in recent years, hundreds of dollars." Mo Qian妮 sighed.

Yang Chen frowned, "Why don't you let your mother divorce him and come live with you in Zhonghai? With your income, you can easily support both of you. Why bother with that gambler?"

Mo Qian妮 smiled bitterly, "To you, he's a despicable gambler, and to me, he's a useless and despicable stepfather... But to my mother, he's the man who took her in when she was most alone, the man who has been with her for over a decade. No matter how bad Zhang Fugui is, he hasn't done anything unforgivable to my mother. He has always been by her side..."

"So, for your mother, you've been giving him money to pay off his gambling debts and even agreed to let him come to Zhonghai?" Yang Chen understood the situation and felt a sense of sorrow. Every family has its own troubles. If not for Mo Qian妮's own account, who would have known that this beautiful and successful woman had such a dark side?

Mo Qian妮 nodded, "What else can I do? I can't force my mother to divorce him. She can't refuse Zhang Fugui's pleading, and I can't refuse the only family I have."

"Do you think your mother loves Zhang Fugui?" Yang Chen asked.

Mo Qian妮 was taken aback and said, "If she didn't love him, she wouldn't stay in that poor village, even knowing that her daughter has a house, a car, and a career in a bustling city. She still quietly stays with Zhang Fugui, guarding the old house and two acres of land."

"How can you be so sure? I think perhaps your mother doesn't want to drag you down. If some people found out about your real background, it might harm your career."

"I don't care!" Mo Qian妮 was a bit agitated. She hadn't thought of this before. Yang Chen's words made her suddenly see things more clearly, "Do you really think that's possible? My mother isn't staying with Zhang Fugui because she loves him, but because she's afraid of hindering my future?"

Yang Chen thought for a moment and smiled mysteriously, "If you're willing to trust me, we can conduct an experiment. After that, everything will be clear."

"An experiment?" Mo Qian妮 looked at Yang Chen in confusion but, trusting him instinctively, nodded slightly.

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