Chapter 4 / Section 2: Heart Wounds That Never Heal (Part 1)
If Jing Mo Ran had known all along that Xiong Ying Guang's departure was an attempt to escape him and avoid seeing him again, then he should have kept her from leaving in the first place. But now, all that remains in his heart is an indelible heartache.
After Xiong Yingguang left, Jing Mozhan finally shouted it out.
"Stop hiding it, isn't this the result you wanted most? Are you satisfied now!"
Mu Xinghe stopped dodging and stepped forward, feigning concern as he said to Jing Moran, "Jing Moran, the only one worthy of you is me. Her mother has caused your father so much suffering, leading to his divorce and the separation of his family. Your father is now isolated and helpless. You should stand by your father's side, not always help Xiong Yingguang. Does Xiong Yingguang deserve your help?"
"Broken family? Isolated and helpless? Miserable? Wasn't that what Jing Tongyu willingly chose?"
"Jing Moran, how could you talk about your father like that?"
"Heh... Naive and laughable. Does he deserve to be my father? From the day he found out I had painlessness, he ignored me and just tried to appease me with money every day. Do you know how many days I've had in all these years? Does someone like that deserve to be my father?" Jing Mo Ran asked with a smile.
Jing Moran turned to leave, but Mu Xinghe stopped him.
"Jing Moran, so many years have passed, are you still unable to let go?" Mu Xinghe asked.
"Let go? How can I let go? If Jing Tongyu had known this would happen, why would he have treated me like that back then?" Jing Mozhan shook off Mu Xinghe's hand.
As Mu Xinghe watched Jing Moran's departing figure, he felt there was a barrier between them, a barrier that would never allow them to connect.
Mu Xinghe thanked Jing Moran for causing her pain, making her realize that she was merely an outsider to him. She wouldn't be grateful; she would only make him regret his reckless decision when she had the power to retaliate.
“Daughter, how much hope do you still have for that boy? I’ve already told you, there’s no one good in the Jing family,” Mu Xinghai advised.
"Dad, why can't I ever win his heart? Why... why... tell me why? Even if my efforts could only get a sliver of the response I want, I would still like him. But why does he still like him, like that monster Xiong Yingguang who can't even feel pain? What's so good about Xiong Yingguang? Aren't I much better than her? She can do it, but I can't. I can learn! Why won't he give me even one chance..." Mu Xinghe said, patting her father Mu Xinghai's chest, but gradually, her strength waned.
“Mu Xinghe, there are some people you can never replace. Others are others, and you are you. You don’t need to live in someone else’s shadow forever, just be yourself…” Mu Xinghai kept trying to persuade his daughter.
"Dad, I don't understand. I've clearly shown him my feelings, so why can he ignore them? Why is he so cruel..."
"Daughter, your brother will be back soon, don't cry. We should greet him with a good expression."
As tears streamed down her face, Mu Xinghe realized that she could never replace Xiong Yingguang. And only Xiong Yingguang could understand Jing Mozhan's heartache.
"Are you Mu Xinghe? I often hear Lu Xiyao talk about you, about you..."
Mu Xinghe turned his head and saw a girl with long, flowing, brown-black hair, dressed in a Western-style dress, looking noble and elegant.
"Who are you……"
"Oh, you probably don't know me yet! I'm Lu Xiyao's older sister, Lu Xixue."
"Oh, so you're Lu Xiyao's older sister. I thought you were a stranger..."
"Um, Uncle Mu, may I go have a drink with Mu Xinghe? I have something to say to her," Lu Xixue asked politely.
"Of course, please go ahead. I won't bother you any longer. I have things to do at the company, so I'll head back now."
Mu Xinghe watched her father's departing figure, only able to let him go, much like the light that could not be grasped. Her eyes were filled with heavy tears, but for some reason, they wouldn't fall.
Lu Xixue patted Mu Xinghe on the shoulder, and Mu Xinghe cast an envious glance at her.
"Mu Xinghe, let's go. I'll treat you to milk tea at the milk tea shop."
"Sister Xixue..."
"It's been so long since anyone called me that... Mu Xinghe, do you know? Lu Xiyao and I have been orphans since we were little. We've never met our parents. The director of the orphanage told me that when our parents abandoned us, we were just babies who didn't understand anything. You're much luckier than me; you can be with your father." Lu Xixue's eyes were filled with reluctance, and tears were already streaming down her face.
"Sister Xixue, don't be sad."
“If I could go back to those days, I think I would be a few years older than Lu Xiyao, and at least I would have been able to stop my parents from divorcing, so we wouldn’t be in this situation now.”
Mu Xinghe couldn't dissuade Lu Xixue from her grief or stop her tears. Her greatest pain was simply not being able to lose Jing Moran, who was the only treasure in her world.
As Lu Xixue gradually arrived at Baiyi Shanghe City, she pointed to everything here and recounted those past events that could never be returned to, as if those deep-rooted pains had become vivid and unforgettable heartaches.
"Mu Xinghe, do you know? This used to be an old slum. I escaped here with Lu Xiyao, and that's where I met Cang Ruoxi and Xiong Yingguang. Cang Ruoxi even said she would marry my silly boy Lu Xiyao. Those were really good times."
For some reason, Mu Xinghe also began to feel sad as he listened to Lu Xixue's story.
She finally understood that the wounds she inflicted on others could never be healed. Forgetting the pain once the wound has healed is what it means to love someone forever, to be immersed in the moments of "I love you," yet unable to forget the fact that "I no longer love you."
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