Chapter 257 - 258: Handle It Yourself

Chapter 257: 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..."

"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.