Chapter 381 is so despicable, isn't it?

The air seemed to freeze at that moment, with only the soft rustling of the leaves in the evening breeze.

Just as Cui Xiao was feeling uneasy, a warm hand gently covered her head, the movement as tender as if it were protecting a rare treasure.

She abruptly looked up and met Mo Ziqian's deep eyes. There was no surprise or disappointment in them, only deep heartache and unwavering resolve.

Mo Ziqian leaned closer, bringing his gaze to Cui Xiao's level. His voice was still gentle as a spring breeze, but now carried an undeniable seriousness. "Cui Xiao, do you think I'm such a shallow person?"

Cui Xiao frowned, her voice growing deeper, "It's not that I think you're shallow, but this kind of family structure will be very troublesome, and there will only be more trouble in the future."

She wasn't a socialite or a top student who studied abroad. Mo Ziqian probably didn't choose her because he valued a good match in terms of social status.

But that doesn't mean he'd like his partner's family to be so complicated and troublesome.

Cui Xiao took a deep breath and said calmly, "My father passed away when I was very young. Later, I lived with my grandmother, but she also passed away from illness. I had no choice but to return to Jinping's side. By then, she had remarried and had a younger sister. None of the three of them could tolerate me. Jinping gave me away once, but the person thought I was too old to be raised properly and sent me back. She even considered selling me to human traffickers, but I became suspicious and reported it to the police. Jinping got scared and never had any other wicked thoughts again."

In my memory, I always had endless housework, I was always hungry, and I never wore thick clothes in winter. When I went to high school, they wouldn't pay my tuition, but I managed to get the school to waive it for me through my own efforts. I could have gotten into a top university, but Jinping changed my ambitions without my consent. She didn't want me to succeed; she just wanted to keep me by her side to be their slave, to be their free nanny.

I had no chance to repeat a grade, so I gritted my teeth and went to that third-rate school. But I didn't want my life to be controlled like that, so I studied hard, won scholarships, and represented the school in competitions. Even the principal said that a talent like me shouldn't be in their school.

Later, I graduated. On the night of my graduation, I took the money I had saved from part-time jobs over the years and went to the port city overnight. I remember that when I arrived in the port city, I was penniless. Every night, I would go to convenience stores to pick up expired food and sleep on park benches. I was harassed by thugs and almost became a target of human traffickers. I have experienced all the hardships you can imagine.

Until I met Zhou Mubin, twenty-three-year-old Zhou Mubin, who had just started a law firm and chose me from among so many job seekers. I'm grateful to him for giving me this job, and grateful that he changed the course of my life. But he can't change my family background. Jin Ping asks me for money every few days, and I have to help her pay off her gambling debts, support her husband, and pay for her daughter's education. They are leeches clinging to me; I can never get rid of them in this lifetime.

Cui Xiao had been struggling in this quagmire for too long; she had become numb.

She thought she could ignore all of this, but Jinping's arrival today made her realize that she could never get rid of them, not even until she died.

Cui Xiao whispered, "So, we...break up..."

Mo Ziqian interrupted her before she could finish, saying, "I know what you're going to say, but listen to me first. I know you've been through a lot, but none of that is your fault, nor is it a reason for me to leave you. On the contrary, I want to stay by your side and face those difficulties with you, so that you won't have to carry everything alone anymore."

He gently held Cui Xiaobing's cold hand and continued, "Unless you tell me you want to break up, it's not just because of your family."

Mo Ziqian stared intently at Cui Xiao, and when their eyes met, Cui Xiao felt a momentary panic.

He is a judge with keen insight.

Her thoughts might not be able to hide them from him, and Cui Xiao subconsciously tightened her grip.

A breeze ruffled her hair, bringing a cool sensation. Mo Ziqian raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that I guessed right?"

Cui Xiao paused for a moment, "There are indeed some other reasons."

Mo Ziqian countered, "Because of Attorney Zhou?"

Seeing the questioning look in Mo Ziqian's eyes, Cui Xiao's guilty conscience was obvious. "Yes, that's right."

Mo Ziqian's gentle expression froze instantly, then he gave a self-deprecating laugh, "As expected."

Then he countered, "You like him that much?"

Do you like it?

The answer was already blurred in Cui Xiao's mind. She herself was probably not even sure whether she still loved Zhou Mubin.

But Cui Xiao knew that she couldn't drag Mo Ziqian down with her.

The only way to end it is in the most decisive way.

Cui Xiao lowered her head, her voice filled with suppressed emotion, "Isn't that despicable?"

She took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, and said, "I admit, after meeting you, I really wanted to be with you. Your gentlemanly manners and elegance are what attracted me."

"But I don't want to lie to you, nor do I want to lie to myself. Right now, I still have someone else in my heart. Even if I try to convince myself to be with you, that hesitation and uncertainty will hurt you. You deserve someone whose heart is pure and whose eyes are full of you, not someone like me who is still wavering between the past and the present."

Cui Xiao's fingertips were icy cold, and her voice was extremely low, "Ziqian, let's... forget it."

He remained composed, but a hint of unreadable emotion flickered in his eyes. "Are you so sure that your feelings for him aren't just obsession, but that you genuinely still like him?"

Cui Xiao shook her head. "I don't know, that's why I want to find out."

Mo Ziqian felt uneasy seeing her resolute attitude. He knew that any further attempts to persuade her to stay would be futile at this moment.

He forced a smile. "Luckily, I don't like you that much yet, otherwise, I would be so heartbroken."

Cui Xiao was taken aback. When she looked up, Mo Ziqian reassured her, "It's alright, there's no need to feel guilty. We agreed when we got together that we would both try our best. Since we can't be on the same wavelength, there's no need to force it. We're all adults, there's no need to overthink it."

Mo Ziqian's nonchalant attitude surprised Cui Xiao. She was stunned for a few seconds, then smiled and said, "You will meet a very, very good woman."

Mo Ziqian retorted, "Better than you?"

Cui Xiaofang relaxed, "I'm a terrible person, but you'll definitely be better than me."

There was no heart-wrenching breakup like other couples do, and no bitter feuds or vows of never speaking to each other again.

Their relationship was neither dramatic nor passionate, and their separation was equally ordinary.

Cui Xiao even thought that they weren't really like a couple, but more like two partners trying to achieve a certain result.