Chapter 676: Give me some time

After dinner, Mo Xiuchen insisted on taking a walk with Wen Ran.

The suburbs were relatively quiet. Both sides of the asphalt road outside the villa were lined with flowering trees. It was the blooming season, and with the gentle wind, pink petals fell one after another. The fragrance of the flowers reached their noses, making one feel carefree and content.

Mo Xiuchen raised his hand and gently brushed the petals off Wen Ran’s hair. His slender lips curled slightly into a soft smile as he asked, “Ranran, has work been busy at the pharmaceutical factory lately?”

Looking up with a small face, reflection of his handsome face seen in her clear eyes, Wen Ran softly replied, her voice quickly dispersed by the breeze, “Not too busy, when do you plan to go to A City?”

“Tomorrow, I guess. I want to find Fu Jingyi as soon as possible.”

Mo Xiuchen gently explained, his large palm slightly turning from interlocking fingers to enclosing her small hand. He couldn’t stay at home with her for too long.

The longer the time passed, the easier it would be for her to witness his own torment.

He was most reluctant for her to see that.

Every time he thought about having her accompany him, his thoughts would be crushed by sweeping pain and all such thoughts would be dispelled.

Wen Ran nodded, her voice soft as she asked, “Do you have enough evidence in your hands?”

Mo Xiuchen took Wen Ran’s hand and sat down on the marble bench by the road. It was just the beginning of summer, a sunny day. The setting sun cast both their silhouettes, overlapping on the turf.

Leaning against each other, cuddling, the scene looked picturesque.

He calmly explained, “I’ve collected ample evidence against Liao Dongxing and Qin Sen. They are not foolish enough to risk their future for Fu Jingyi. Ranran, once I’m done with Fu Jingyi, I will never leave you again.”

A slight sourness arose in Wen Ran’s heart, but her face displayed a bright smile, “Alright, remember this is your promise.”

“But, you really need to be extra careful these days, better safe than sorry…”

“If you are so worried, why don’t I come with you to A City?”

Wen Ran was not sure what came over her to say such a thing, yet she said it, even interrupting Mo Xiuchen. She looked at him with her clear eyes fixed on his handsome face glowing faintly in the ambient light.

Mo Xiuchen’s eyes sparkled slightly, his gaze shifted from her face to the blood-red setting sun in the distance. His voice, deeply calm with a touch of indulgence, “Ranran, despite having ample evidence against Liao Dongxing, anything can still happen. I don’t want you to get hurt. Staying in G City, being protected by Qing Feng and Qing Yang, and others like Wen Jin, Ah Kai, is the safest.”

Wen Ran wanted to say something, but Mo Xiuchen didn’t give her the chance to speak. He turned his head to look at her, “Only when you’re safe and secure can I wholeheartedly focus on exposing Fu Jingyi. Ranran, give me some time, and after that, I’ll take you wherever I go.”

Wen Ran’s heart sank slightly, and she no longer dwelled on this issue, “Alright, I’ll wait for you at home, but don’t make me wait too long.”

Later, Wen Ran often thought that if she had been a bit more willful or assertive, insisting on staying by his side, maybe the outcome would have been different.

But there were no what-ifs, so she couldn’t change the reality.

Around the corner ahead, a white sports car was approaching. A hint of a smile rose in Mo Xiuchen’s eyes as he softly asked, “Ranran, how’s the progress between Ah Feng and Bai Xiaoxiao?”

Wen Ran shook her head blankly, “I don’t know.”

She had been in D country to visit him the past few days and hadn’t had a chance to contact Bai Xiaoxiao since she returned. It seemed that Bai Xiaoxiao was also busy and hadn’t reached out to her either.

Mo Xiuchen flashed an understanding smile, “I forgot, you were on a business trip the other day and just came back. It’s normal that you don’t know about the situation with Bai Xiaoxiao and Ah Feng. You can ask him in a bit.”

Wen Ran gave a concealed laugh as she was pulled up by him. Luo Haofeng’s car had already stopped by the road. He jumped out of the car and strode forward, his tall figure stood before them. His peach blossom-like eyes fixed on Mo Xiuchen, the expression on his handsome face rapidly changing, “Xiuchen, why didn’t you let me know when you returned? If Ah Mu didn’t call me earlier, I wouldn’t have known that you were back.”

Luo Haofeng had been a bit busy these past few days, so he wasn’t aware of the news that Qin Mu and Mo Xiuchen had returned to the country. A few days earlier, Qin Mu had gone to D country and asked him to pick up Ms. Chen and bring her to G city.

After he had brought Ms. Chen to G City, he received a call from his home, so he went back for a bit. He had just returned to G City from home today when half an hour ago, he had received a call from Qin Mu and immediately rushed to Mo Xiuchen’s house.

Looking at his best friend, having lost weight, Luo Haofeng felt a wave of sadness swelling in his heart. But with Wen Ran around, he didn’t dare to ask more and could only silently feel grieved.

Mo Xiuchen held Wen Ran’s hand, and said lightly, “I didn’t want to interrupt your dating. Why are you alone? Isn’t Bai Xiaoxiao with you?”

“Xiaoxiao? I didn’t come with her.”

Mentioning Bai Xiaoxiao, a hint of unusual emotion flashed across Luo Haofeng’s eyes, but it quickly returned to a smile. He switched the topic and said cheerfully, “Xiuchen, Wen Ran, let me tell you some good news. Cheng Jia was beaten up. I heard, if it weren’t for Mo Zixuan accidentally passing by, Cheng Jia would have been done for.”

“Ah? Why would Cheng Jia get beaten up? When did this happen?”

Wen Ran’s doubts blurted out, her eyes tightly fixed on Luo Haofeng. However, her heart was instantly filled with speculations, the most probable one being Jiang Liu.

It wasn’t that she felt sympathetic towards Cheng Jia, only it felt that if this matter truly involved Jiang Liu, then there was a chance that Shen Yuting would get implicated. With this thought, her brows knitted together.

Mo Xiuchen was slightly puzzled when Wen Ran anxiously asked the question. At this moment, he noticed the subtle changes in her facial expression. His narrow eyes narrowed further, and he looked at Luo Haofeng, indicating him not to beat around the bush.

Luo Haofeng’s face cracked into a grim smile and he said slowly, “It seems to have happened three days ago. Cheng Jia was attacked by some thugs on her way home in the evening. She was slapped several times when she resisted. Those thugs were too stupid, they ended up letting her escape, and she even ran into Mo Zixuan who saved her.”

“Well, did she report it? How did you find out about this?”

“That night, by coincidence, I happened to be visiting an elder at the hospital when I saw Mo Zixuan and Cheng Jia leaving the hospital together. Her face was swollen like a pig’s head. I overheard their conversation. Cheng Jia didn’t dare reporting such a shameful incident.”

Having heard Luo Haofeng’s narration, a sarcastic expression flashed across Mo Xiuchen’s face. He pressed his thin lips together, looked at Wen Ran and said, “Ranran, whatever happens to Cheng Jia is her own doing. You shouldn’t feel pity or sympathy for her.”

Wen Ran gave a wry smile and confessed, “I don’t feel sorry for her.”