Chapter 75 Mother

◎1+2 Update◎

Mother

Suddenly, I noticed very soft breathing.

Just a door away.

Jiang Mingzhuo was on the other side of the door, my nominal "boyfriend".

I realized what was happening and looked up at Xie Yong.

On the man's pale neck, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly in a sexy way, and he smiled with a slight upturn of his thin lips.

The chest beneath the long trench coat was strong and powerful; I could even hear the sound of a man's heart beating.

Contrary to his handsome and arrogant appearance, Xie Yong's personality was excessively wicked.

He seemed to already know that Jiang Mingzhuo was quietly listening to our conversation at the door. He still lowered his voice and whispered to me in a voice only he and I could hear, "I'll wait for you to come to me, Xiao Fu. Don't let anyone know."

Did he know... that Jiang Mingzhuo was there?

I bit my lip nervously.

"Goodbye." Xie Yong was unusually confident, as if certain I couldn't refuse him. He gently released my hand, a calm smile on his face, and casually patted the puppy's head. "Bruce, let's go home."

My chest heaved noticeably. Although we had only met twice, our relationship was far more complex than I had imagined.

In my dream, he was the person I had been having an affair with for many years.

In real life, we had only met once, but he already knew that I was two years younger than him, knew my favorite hot cocoa flavor, and even his pet dog would always coincidentally appear next to me.

Is all of this just a coincidence?

"Xiao Fu".

Jiang Mingzhuo's voice rang out.

I shuddered when I heard the sound.

Jiang Mingzhuo appeared from the other side of the door. His handsome face, once devoid of the embellishment of a smile, exuded a strong sense of indifference, even carrying a subtle aggressiveness.

I quickly gripped the lipstick in my hand and, before Jiang Mingzhuo noticed, slipped it into the pocket of my skirt.

"What did you talk about with him for so long?" He slowly lowered his eyes, his tone casual yet imposing.

Those always dark eyes looked me over from head to toe.

Even though nothing happened between Xie Yong and me, I still felt guilty for "cheating".

"No, he just returned my things and took his dog back with him." I said, looking up cautiously at Jiang Mingzhuo.

A faint smile appeared on his lips. "Xiao Fu, we promised each other we would be loyal to one another."

"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do." My heart was pounding, but I made up an excuse and shifted the blame to Jiang Mingzhuo.

Even though I could feel my eyelids burning, I still chose to blame him, saying, "If I wanted to be with other people... I would have accepted their confessions long ago."

A shadow fell over Jiang Mingzhuo's eyes. Seeing this, I moved closer to him. "Mingzhuo, Xie Yong isn't my type..."

My voice was drowned out by a sudden embrace. The man in front of me held me tightly in his arms, then closed the apartment door, pressed me against the wall, and kissed me.

I was completely unprepared. Jiang Mingzhuo's emotions came over me in a fierce and overwhelming way. I wasn't paying much attention to my response. He was pulling my tongue around, sucking and licking it. He forced me back to my senses.

“It’s okay, Xiao Fu,” Jiang Mingzhuo’s long fingers clamped down on my chin, half-forcing me to lift it, “Xiao Fu, I’m not afraid of him. At most, he can only be a mistress, right?”

“Mingzhuo…” I was startled. Could it be that Jiang Mingzhuo had overheard our conversation?

Jiang Mingzhuo's cold, slender fingers, like slippery snakes, slowly moved downwards, wrapping around my neck. "I once saw you jump off a building. You were badly hurt. You're usually most afraid of pain, and you'll cry if you're in pain. I wouldn't dare let you be in so much pain even when I'm in bed... But you chose to jump off a building to commit suicide because you hated me and didn't want to be with me."

A sense of dread washed over me. Jiang Mingzhuo spoke with deep emotion, “Before you died, you kept looking at me. I wanted to know what you wanted to say… But when I got close to you, you said that you never wanted to see me again.”

Cold fingers were on my neck; the slightest movement could break me.

But he stroked me with extraordinary tenderness, saying, "Xiao Fu, don't leave me..."

A hint of panic flickered in my eyes. I didn't know how much anxiety and uncertainty Jiang Mingzhuo must have felt to have such a terrifying dream, or to have such a paranoid personality.

“Mingzhuo,” I reached out and hugged him tightly, “I’m here with you.”

He said softly, "I can accept everything about you, Xiao Fu. If you want to be with Xie Yong, I can't make him leave you, but I will find a way to make him disappear... You want freedom, you want independence, you can do whatever you want... But you are mine, and this time we will definitely get married and have our child."

I quickly raised my hand to cover his lips, telling him to stop talking.

My face was burning. How could I possibly choose another man while I was in a relationship with one?

In my upbringing, dating, confirming a relationship, falling in love, getting married, having children... everything was done in a very proper and conventional way. Is it crazy for a woman to be with two men?

No, that's impossible. I desperately suppressed the truth that I so desperately wanted to know.

I may have just inadvertently become the object of Xie Yong's and other rich kids' bets. As long as I persist and ignore him, they will soon get tired of me.

Just like any man who has ever pursued me before...

They were simply tired of wasting time on someone as wooden as me, rather than disappearing from my life out of thin air, without being threatened or warned by anyone.

A chill suddenly ran down my spine.

I looked at Jiang Mingzhuo, who was sitting on the sofa communicating with someone on the other end of the phone, arrogantly and coldly instructing the other party, "We'll talk about it after it hits the daily limit down."

"President Jiang, aren't you planning to go easy on me?" I could vaguely hear the other person's teasing voice.

"Go easy? That won't achieve my acquisition goal. Keep a close eye on it, and notify me immediately after it hits the daily limit down." Jiang Mingzhuo's lips curled into a smug and malicious smile.

Perhaps it was his posture that created such a strong sense of oppression around him.

I could hardly believe that this casual, relaxed tone, as if discussing the life or death of someone else's company as if talking about the weather, came from the gentle Jiang Mingzhuo.

I stood there motionless until Jiang Mingzhuo put down his phone. He turned to look at me, still as charming, handsome, and elegant as ever.

“…Mingzhuo, if you’re busy, you should go to the company earlier.”

"I want to stay with you, Xiao Fu."

"I'm thinking of going to see Qixi later. She wasn't feeling well yesterday, and she hasn't replied to my messages. I'm worried about her."

I went over and hugged his shoulders tightly. I gradually realized that acting cute was very effective on him, or rather, as long as I smiled slightly, Jiang Mingzhuo would give in to me unconditionally.

No, it wasn't so much a compromise as it was more like he was afraid. It was as if he was afraid that if he rejected me, I would do something drastic.

Jiang Mingzhuo silently took my hand. The moment our fingertips touched, I took the initiative and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek: "Mingzhuo, is that okay?"

He smiled, hummed in agreement, and stared at me with burning eyes. "Of course, I promise Xiao Fu."

I breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Back in my bedroom, I opened the closet and was surprised to find that in just one night, all my old clothes had been replaced with low-saturation, innocent colors like white, light pink, and sky blue, from Chanel, Dior, and Miu Miu to other brands—everything imaginable.

Besides clothes, bags, jewelry, and shoes, everything else was changed to the common style of rich heiresses. I turned around, and Jiang Mingzhuo came up behind me. He picked up one of the turtleneck off-shoulder sweaters, off-white in color, and handed it to me.

"When was it done?" I asked him.

“While you were asleep,” Jiang Mingzhuo said, as an arm suddenly wrapped around his waist, and the familiar, light, silvery mountain spring fragrance wafted in from all directions.

I already knew a little about his ever-present tendency to turn green. I turned slightly to the side and saw a light pink lace bra hanging in the wardrobe.

The openwork design creates a visible star effect, but because the lace is so cute, it lacks extreme allure, instead possessing a pure and innocent charm.

Just as I was wondering, Jiang Mingzhuo cupped my face in his hands and said, "Tonight is Christmas."

“…Yes, happy holidays.” I met his deep eyes and could only speak softly.

"I want to be the first man to sleep with you on Christmas Eve." Jiang Mingzhuo placed a kiss on my forehead.

I was startled and looked up at him.

Having convinced Jiang Mingzhuo, I drove myself to Lu Qixi's apartment. Because it had been snowing for the past few days, the car was moving exceptionally slowly. I was getting a little bored while waiting, and casually glanced up, when I suddenly saw a black Mercedes parked three cars behind me.

I became suspicious. It seemed like that car had been following me from the apartment entrance for a long time.

Beep! The car behind me honked impatiently. I quickly released the handbrake, but kept my eyes on the car. I had deliberately taken a detour, but the car seemed to have radar on, always keeping a close distance from me until I drove into the parking lot near Lu Qixi's apartment.

I stopped the car, feeling a bit nauseous from motion sickness, but I didn't care and quickly got out. I was cautious and didn't leave completely, but instead hid behind a nearby SUV, quietly observing the Mercedes that drove in afterward.

Two women in black suits got out of the car.

In the distance, the sound of light, slow footsteps suddenly came.

They glanced around, and one of them said, "She should have gone to her apartment."

The other person breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That makes things easier, isn't that..."

The speaker's voice suddenly stopped.

"Say less, walls have ears," another person warned her warily. "If we're discovered, he won't let us off the hook."

My brow twitched, and my body, leaning against the car, felt cold and trembled.

I didn't dare to appear until the footsteps had completely disappeared. I was trembling with fear and pressed the elevator button as if I were fleeing.

As the elevator continued to ascend, my heart pounded until it stopped in front of Lu Qixi's door.

"Qixi Festival, Qixi Festival!" I pounded on her door like a madman, but there was no response.

Had something happened to her? My pupils contracted slightly, and I involuntarily gasped.

"Hmm, who is it?" Fortunately, after a while, I heard Lu Qixi's lazy voice at the door. She opened the door slowly, still rubbing her eyes. I quickly went into the apartment and hugged her tightly.

"Qixi Festival, I think... I think I'm being targeted." I stammered, my eyes filled with panic, and tears slowly streamed down my face.

Lu Qixi was startled and quickly reached out her hand, sensing my fear and grievance.

She pulled me into the living room and made me sit on the sofa. I touched my cheek with my hand, and a chill ran down my spine, reminding me just how scared I was.

"What's wrong?" Lu Qixi brought over some warm lemon water. "Did your teacher not like your final exam work? You seem to be under a lot of pressure."

I held the cup in my hands, my head was spinning, and my eyelashes were trembling.

It took me a while to tell her what had just happened. Unlike me, who was trembling with fear, Lu Qixi was very calm in this situation.

After hearing what I said, she couldn't help but laugh. "Xiao Fu, are you really not hallucinating because of too much stress?"

"I didn't!" I shook my head, then thought for a moment and brought up Xie Yong's inexplicable promise to be my mistress. In my opinion, this was more than just a rich young master's prank.

Lu Qixi calmed down and once again showed the same expression I had seen at the club that night.

The smile on her face was gone, and her expression was so serious and unfamiliar that it made me feel afraid.

A sense of déjà vu washed over me, and I suddenly regretted my impulsiveness; I shouldn't have told her everything in such detail. For a fleeting moment, this thought unexpectedly surfaced.

"Xiao Fu, let's go call the police," Lu Qixi suddenly said.

I was taken aback and looked at her.

Lu Qixi sighed, "If Xie Yong really sends people to follow you like this, it's a very scary thing. If we call the police, they can definitely help you resolve this. I'll get dressed now and we'll go to the police station."

After saying that, she immediately stood up, moving very quickly, and her phone fell onto the table.

I remembered last night. I could clearly feel my heart tighten slightly. I quietly reached out and took Lu Qixi's phone. The lock screen password was her birthday.

I opened the photo album and glanced at it casually. She was a social and fun-loving person. In just one night, she took a lot of photos with other people. Occasionally, a few photos showed me sitting at the bar, but I wasn't very noticeable.

It felt like a heavy stone had been lifted from my heart.

I casually opened her social media accounts, and as I expected, she posted most of the group photos on Instagram. Judging from the comments, her serious demeanor last night was just from replying to messages and following people she met at the party.

"..." Why would I suspect my closest friend for no reason? I was extremely annoyed, and my phone started to get hot in my hand. I even felt ashamed of my act of theft.

I was just about to quietly put it down when I saw a message flash across her chat app.

"How is it now?"

The other person said this.

But I was so nervous that I didn't dare to look any longer.

Lu Qixi changed into a casual, loose-fitting coat and tied her hair into a ponytail. She barely ate anything before accompanying me to the Imperial State Police Station.

During the holiday season, theft and robbery cases were rampant, and the entire police station was packed with people. Officers patiently registered the cases and calmed agitated individuals.

I described what happened to me in great detail, but the police officer on the other end reacted exactly like Lu Qixi.

“Miss, you are under too much mental stress. I think you should go to the hospital instead of staying here.”

“I’m telling the truth,” I told him. “You can check the CCTV footage on Queen’s Road; they have indeed been following me for a long time.”

The other person's impatience was obvious. "As you can see, we've had too many cases lately, and we don't have the extra energy to spare for you. Have you suffered any actual losses? Besides, do you even know who Xie Yong is? Don't think that just because you're pretty, even the son of a congressman will fawn over you."

The officer's words were quite displeased, and his gaze towards me was filled with anger. I understood how busy the police station was at that moment, and my distress was insignificant compared to those who had actually been harmed.

Lu Qixi was furious and wanted to argue with the police officer, but I stopped her.

I walked out of the police station in silence. In the square, Lu Qixi was still indignant. "Even if he's the son of a councilor, he can't be this lawless, can he?"

"Let's not talk about Qixi Festival anymore." I felt a little disappointed.

“But you’ve been harassed by Xie Yong to the point of being so scared…” Lu Qixi’s voice trembled slightly, which suddenly gave me a strange feeling.

It really is...

Did Xie Yong do it?

That kind of confident and arrogant man, with a sense of class ingrained in his bones, clearly had countless ways to force me to bow down. Why did he have to resort to this sneaky method of stalking me?

My nerves suddenly started pounding. I silently comforted Lu Qixi, who was crying incessantly. She was even more nervous and worried about me than I was.

After a while, once she calmed down, I took her to a nearby Mexican restaurant for a meal and then dropped her off at home again.

I drove in silence, not paying any attention to the Christmas scenery on both sides of the road. Unfortunately, my car had a flat tire a few kilometers away from my apartment, and I couldn't continue driving. There was nothing I could do about it.

By the time the car problem was resolved, it was almost dark. Sometime later, the snow, which had stopped for most of the day, started falling again.

I was dressed very lightly today, and I felt like I was freezing. I walked home with difficulty.

As I walked through the park and was about to reach the apartment building, someone suddenly appeared on the street and forcefully pulled me towards them.

"Ah!" I couldn't help but exclaim, but when I saw who it was, I suddenly froze.

Before me stood a slender woman wearing a light camel-colored coat.

The woman is no longer young, but it's clear she takes excellent care of herself.

Her hair was piled high, and her face was charming and elegant, bearing some signs of plastic surgery, yet she was still beautiful.

She resembles me by about six or seven points; I can even see my future self reflected in her face.

However, she had probably been through too much, and deep dark circles hung under her beautiful eyes, making her look increasingly haggard and vulnerable.

“Xiao Fu…it’s Mom…” The woman’s lips trembled as she spoke softly to me, “The bank seized the house I lived in, even the clinic was shut down, and my husband was arrested and interrogated. I had nowhere else to go, so I came to you…”

I'm not good at refusing other people's requests; I'm always gentle and soft-hearted, and everyone can easily manipulate me.

I feel a deep-seated disgust for this woman.

In my hazy memory, she abandoned me when I was still a minor, leaving me alone in the apartment, and ran away to marry another man and have children.

Over the years, she has not only failed to fulfill any of her duties as a mother, but has never even visited me...

Why is she coming to me again now? Is it just because she has nowhere else to go?

I forcefully pried the woman's hands away and was about to walk forward when she grabbed me again.

“Xiao Fu, please forgive your mother… I know I’ve neglected you for too long, but I have no choice! I want to take you away, but they won’t agree…” The woman shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “That night I told my husband I wanted to take you away from the Jiang family, but the young master refused! He said if I didn’t leave, he would send me to prison. I don’t have a medical license, let alone a psychologist’s license. Xiao Fu, I really have no choice…”

The woman cried uncontrollably.

She pleaded with me, but every word sounded strangely unfamiliar, and my disgust for her turned into fear and anxiety.

"Who is the young master? And what's the deal with the Jiang family?" I grabbed the woman's arm.

The woman's expression suddenly changed.

She fell completely silent, looking at me cautiously, and even offended me by pulling down the scarf around my neck.

In an instant, the neck, collarbone, and even the fair skin that could be vaguely seen spreading from the shoulders to the back were covered with reddish-purple tattoo marks.

The woman hesitated, so I quickly grabbed the scarf and tied it on.

"Xiao Fu, are you still with Young Master Jiang? Or Jiang Mingzhuo...? That doesn't matter, Xiao Fu!" The woman bit her lip again, gripping my arm tightly, her sharp nails seeming to dig into my flesh. "Xiao Fu, go and beg the young master you're with, Young Master Jiang or any other man, as long as he gives me fifty million, I promise I'll never come looking for you again! I won't come looking for you... I just want to save my husband, my house! I'm your mother, you won't watch your mother end up on the streets, right?"

"Let me go, you're crazy!" I couldn't take it anymore, and tears welled up in my eyes again, which had already been crying.

I never imagined that a mother could act like this, treating me like a cash cow, shamelessly and continuously demanding things from me.

She never thought she was wrong.

I shoved the woman away, lowered my head, and bit my lip. "There's no young master who gave you money. Don't come looking for me again!"

As I walked through the street, a black Cullinan was parked downstairs in front of the apartment building, its roof even covered with a thin layer of snow.

I hurried upstairs.

My brain, limbs, and even my cheeks were frozen numb. I sluggishly pushed open the door. In the small, dimly lit bedroom in front of me, smoke blurred the handsome features of a man. I frowned. Was it Jiang Mingzhuo?

"You're back..." I felt vulnerable and helpless at that moment. Even though the man exuded an undeniable aura, I couldn't care less.

I habitually want to find someone to comfort me, someone I can rely on.

The man extinguished the cigarette between his fingers with his long, slender fingers.

He rose with an elegant and dignified air, and before he even reached me, I instinctively hugged him tightly, my voice trembling with tears: "Mingzhuo, don't leave me, I'm so scared, I really don't know what to do..."

Jiang Mingzhuo seemed a little stiff. He was still holding me, and my head was spinning from crying, and my eyes were burning and a little sore. Suddenly, Jiang Mingzhuo bent down and picked me up horizontally. I dazedly hugged his neck and asked him in a low voice, "Aren't you going to turn on the light?"

He answered me in a low voice, "No need."

The voice was colder than usual, but I had been outside in the cold for too long, and my mind seemed to have gone numb.

Jiang Mingzhuo pulled me onto the bed, his kisses showering me. I remembered the lace dress in the closet, and my throat tightened slightly. I was the one clinging to him, relying on him. At this moment, all I wanted was to release all the suppressed emotions in my heart... I got up and opened the closet.

The bedroom was terribly dark. "Jiang Mingzhuo" placed his large hand on my waist, while his other hand slowly and deliberately held the strawberry under the lace. Then, he suddenly started eating the strawberry, taking big bites. I even felt that he was simply impatient.

I sat on his pushcart, and "Jiang Mingzhuo" held my hand, trying to get me to greet the monster in a friendly manner. I refused, so he threatened me, saying that if I didn't use my hands, he would let me greet the monster with my mouth.

We kissed for a long time, so long that he gritted his teeth and asked me if I was doing it on purpose, kissing so tightly. My face flushed, and I hugged his neck tightly. As we kissed passionately, I felt something creamy inside me, like crumbly cheese, and my body went limp in his arms.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked me.

I nodded; actually, I felt even better than last night. But I figured it was probably something that would get better after starting a new relationship. I hugged him and told him, "I met my mom today..."

Jiang Mingzhuo hugged me and kissed me almost addictedly. He stopped when he heard my words. "She still dares to show up."

I looked up and was startled by the dark emotions in his voice; a strong sense of oppression washed over me.

"Don't worry about her, I'll handle it."

Jiang Mingzhuo said to me, and the chilling feeling in his words made me shrink my neck and my heart race.

I fell asleep in his arms.

In the middle of the night, I slowly opened my eyes as usual. I wanted to drink water, but my body was still covered in cheese, and I felt even more uncomfortable and wanted to take a shower. As I walked out of the bedroom wearing a "Jiang Mingzhuo" shirt, I picked up a cup and looked up.

Jiang Mingzhuo was actually sitting on the sofa.

He noticed my gaze, a cold and arrogant smile on his face, a terrifying way he curled his lips.

I froze, then realized that Jiang Mingzhuo should be in bed, shouldn't he?

"Xiao Fu," he called my name.

In that one second of eye contact, my legs went weak. I leaned against the wall and snuggled back into the man's arms on the bedroom bed. Feeling his warm breath, I felt much more at ease. I closed my eyes, but the bedroom door was pushed open again, and someone walked steadily to our side.

[Author's Note]

Who beat us to Christmas? You can probably tell by looking at their cars.