Translator: Henyee Translations   Editor: Henyee Translations
Shao Jingmo turned to leave, but Qiao Qiao suddenly stopped him. âWait!â
She acted subconsciously. When Shao Jingmo turned around and his gaze landed on her wrist, she immediately removed her hand. âl havenât finished speaking. If I donât make it clear now, Iâm afraid 1 wonât have a chance in the future. You said it just now. After that⦠we might never meet again.â
Shao Jingmoâs gaze stopped on her face and he said faintly, âWhat else do you want to say?â
Qiao Qiaoâs lips moved slightly, and her voice was a little lonely. âIs it that when someone doesnât love another person, they wonât even be willing to give their patience to the other party?â Shao Jingmo asked her, âIs this what you wanted to say?â
Qiao Qiao shook her head. âNo.â
The atmosphere between them seemed to have returned to what it had been.
At that time, Qiao Qiao had always been very afraid of Shao Jingmo. She was afraid of his dignity. She was afraid of his strong aura, and she was afraid of his dictatorship. In addition, she had always avoided him later. Now that she thought about it, it seemed that she had never treated him seriously all these years.
Even though they had been in love for a short while, she was naturally enjoying his love and had never put in any effort. She was silent for too long until Shao Jingmo reminded her, âDid you not think of anything to say, or did you not have anything to say to begin with?â
âYes, of courseâ¦â Her voice trailed off as she struggled to find the right words.
At this moment, a servant walked over. The servant went to Shao Jingmoâs side and said, âThird Master, the food is ready.â
Shao Jingmo raised his hand and gestured for the servant to leave. The servant understood the gesture and was about to turn around and leave when Qiao Qiao stopped her. âWait a minute.â
The servant turned around and looked at Qiao Qiao. âMiss?â
Qiao Qiao glanced at Shao Jingmo, then at the servant and asked, âYou said that the food was ready. Who asked you to heat it?â
The servant replied, âThird Master saidâ¦â
Shao Jingmoâs voice was slightly cold. âThis is none of your business. Get down.â
Qiao Qiao said, âDonât go!â
The servant was a little frightened, mainly because she had worked for the Qiao family for almost a year and had never encountered such a situation.
The servant carefully measured Shao Jingmoâs expression and then Qiao Qiao!s. She made up her mind, so she said to Qiao Qiao, âMiss, before Third Master went upstairs, he instructed me to heat up tonightâs meal after he came down. I only did as Third Master instructed. I donât know anything else.â
âWhy do you want to heat up the food?â Qiao Qiao turned to look at Shao Jingmo.
Shao Jingmo said matter-of-factly, âOther than packing my luggage, 1 have to go back to the company to work overtime tonight. Iâll have supper in advance.â
Who would believe that? But since Shao Jingmo had said so, Qiao Qiao didnât pursue the matter immediately. She raised her chin slightly and spoke faster than before. âNow that you mention it, I seem to be hungry too. Letâs eat together then. Will Little Uncle mind?â
Shao Jingmo looked at her quietly. Qiao Qiao gave a fake smile. âUp to you.â Shao Jingmo retracted his gaze and walked towards the dining room.
Qiao Qiao immediately followed.
There were four dishes on the table, all leftovers from the dinner. Usually, the leftovers from every meal would be thrown. They would never leave any behind. The reason why they were not thrown tonight was because Shao Jingmo had told the kitchen in advance.
Qiao Qiao was puzzled. When exactly did he tell the kitchen? She clearly remembered that not long after dinner, Shao Jingmo pushed her grandfather upstairs. The only chance she had to look away from him was when she went to the bathroom!
Could it be when she went to the bathroom? With that thought, she couldnât help but ask him curiously, âWhen did you go to the kitchen to tell them to keep the leftovers?â
Shao Jingmo scooped a bowl of soup and took a sip. Then, he began to eat. He had no intention of answering her.
Qiao Qiao asked directly, âWas it when I went to the toilet?â
Shao Jingmo stopped picking up food and looked at her sideways. âDonât say anything inappropriate at the dining table.â
Qiao Qiao hated his lecturing attitude the most. It was as if he was really her elder. She folded her hands and placed them flat on the dining table. She pursed her lips and said, âWhen we were eating, Grandpa asked you to join us. I remember you clearly said you werenât hungry.â
Shao Jingmo took his time to answer her as he ate slowly. âI just said that I have to work overtime at the company tonight. Itâs not wrong to have more food in your stomach.â
Qiao Qiaoâs watery eyes flashed, and she lowered her voice a little. âYou keep throwing me indifferent words. Itâs as if Iâve always been easy to fool.â Shao Jingmo looked at her sideways. Qiao Qiao met his deep gaze impartially. âYou could have asked the kitchen to make you another serving. Why did you have to eat leftovers?â
His answer was watertight. âThe kitchen doesnât know when Iâll be down. The meal tonight will be edible once itâs hot. Itâll take too long to make another one. I donât have time to wait.â
Qiao Qiao choked on a laugh. âItâs really hard to get the truth from you.â
Shao Jingmo continued to eat. His every move was noble, and so was his eating. He was neither fast nor slow and was pleasing to the eye. There were also bowls and chopsticks in front of Qiao Qiao, but she didnât use them. She had only eaten dinner not long ago, so she wasnât hungry at all.
She propped her chin on her palm and leaned forward slightly, deliberately finding a topic to ask him, âIs my cooking good?â
Shao Jingmo said, âItâs alright.â
Qiao Qiao said, âJust alright? Isnât this evaluation too low?â
Shao Jingmo said, âThereâs still room for improvement.â
Qiao Qiao said for no reason, âYou could have enjoyed my cooking for the rest of your life.â
âTreat it as if Iâm not blessed,â he said mildly.
Qiao Qiao choked. She stared at him in silence, barely even blinking, until her eyes were faintly sore and red. She was quite afraid that she wouldnât be able to control her emotions and cry like this in front of him.
She took a breath, trying to steady herself. Her gaze became a little distant. She tried to force back the tears in her eyes.
However, how could she avoid Shao Jingmoâs gaze? He saw all these subtle changes, including the moment when she almost criedâ¦
He tightened his grip on the chopsticks in his hand and lowered his eyes to restrain his emotions. âDidnât you just say that you wonât see me again, that you still have something to say? Letâs say it now. Iâll be almost done eating by the time youâre done.â
Qiao Qiao pressed her lips into a straight line. After a moment, she said, âl havenât thought of anything to say yet. Iâll think about it when I do.â These four dishes were originally leftovers, but they seemed to suit Shao Jingmoâs taste. In the end, there was not much left.
Qiao Qiao waited quietly at the side until he finished eating and stood up. He said to her, âIâve already gone back to my room to pack a portion of my luggage before I came down just now. Someone will come and move it tomorrow. Iâll tell you in advance so that you wonât rush me.â
âIâm not that unreasonable. Iâve already chased you out of the Qiao residence.
How can I be so mean that I wonât give you time to move out of the house?â
Qiao Qiao stood up. â . Iâll send you out.â
Shao Jingmo glanced at her and did not refuse. âOkay.â
The car was parked outside the gate yard. Qiao Qiao followed Shao Jingmo out. He had come back alone tonight. Without a chauffeur, he would drive himself. He went down the steps and turned to her. âGo inside.â
Qiao Qiao stood on the steps. â1 donât want to go in yet. Itâs good to be in the cold.â Shao Jingmo looked at her. Qiao Qiao smiled faintly. âl forgot to tell you that I havenât told Grandpa and Mom and Dad about our divorce.â
Shao Jingmo said, âGrandpa already knows.â
The faint smile on Qiao Qiaoâs lips disappeared. âJust now?â
âYes,â Shao Jingmo said. âI went to see Grandpa. Iâve said everything I need to say. Live well from now on, Qiao Guigui.â With that, he opened the car door and got in.
Qiao Qiao took a step down the stairs. At this moment, the window rolled down. When Shao Jingmo looked over, she raised her foot back. He looked at her. âItâs cold outside. Go inside.â
Qiao Qiao shook her head. She stood there, watching him from a distance that was neither close nor far, until the window slowly rolled up and he drove away. Under the night sky, her lonely figure swayed slightly. Her tear-filled eyes stared at the back of the car in the distance, then she murmured, âThere wonât be a farewell..