So that’s why she’d been so bold when they first met, he thought. If he hadn’t pushed her away then, she would have gotten exactly what she wanted. “No.” Su Li finally snapped out of it. “What are you talking about? I’m not pregnant.” Mo Xingyuan leaned against the wall. “So, why do you want to have my child?” “I said I *wanted* to,” Su Li explained hurriedly. “It was just a thought, not some definite plan. If you don’t agree, then we just won’t. Simple as that.” “I don’t agree.” Su Li wasn’t surprised, but she still felt the need to clarify. “I’m not pregnant. He Shuming and I… we never went that far.” “That has nothing to do with me.” Mo Xingyuan had no intention of wasting any more words on her. “If you want a child, you can tell me. I won’t stop you from having one with someone else. But if you have another man’s child while you’re still my wife, I will kill you.” His tone was deceptively light, but it sent a shiver through Su Li, reminding her of the way he’d said “take care of it” over the phone that day. Her body trembled involuntarily. “How could that happen?” Su Li took a deep breath. “It won’t.” Mo Xingyuan straightened up, his dark eyes a bottomless, dangerous abyss. His gaze locked onto Su Li, feeling like tentacles reaching from the depths, ready to drag her under at any moment. “You’re the one who wanted this marriage, and you’re the one who won’t leave it. So unless I die, you’re just stuck here.” . Su Li had never liked drinking; it was bad for her health. But sometimes, alcohol did have a way of steadying the nerves. “Are you for real, or was that just talk?” Lu Jing had just gotten back from a business trip and had come straight to the bar to find her, still in her work clothes. This was different from when Su Li had discovered He Shuming cheating. Now, there was a strange melancholy about her. Su Li brushed a long strand of hair from her chest and looked at Lu Jing. “Actually, I’ve met Mo Xingyuan before.” Lu Jing was surprised. “When?” “A long time ago.” Su Li stared into her glass. “The year my mom found out my dad was having an affair, she couldn’t handle it. She drove to a bridge to kill herself. I couldn’t stop her, but Mo Xingyuan happened to be passing by and helped me pull her back.” “Too bad my mom threw that chance away.” A faint smile touched Su Li’s lips, but her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Lu Jing moved closer and gently put an arm around her. “I’m fine.” Su Li forced a smile and took a sip of her drink, pressing her lips together. “Mo Xingyuan saved my mother. He probably doesn’t remember, but when you said his name that day, it all came back to me.” “Just before he left, I heard a woman in his car call out to him. That’s how I learned his name.” Lu Jing had never heard this part of the story. “So, that’s why you married him.” “Yeah.” Su Li clutched her glass. “I really hope it was a misdiagnosis. If he weren’t sick, the woman he loves probably wouldn’t have left him, right?” At this point, Lu Jing didn’t know what to say about Mo Xingyuan. The two of them drank in silence, the bar’s vibrant energy failing to penetrate their somber mood. “So you really want to have his child?” Su Li let out a small laugh. “He doesn’t need one.” “But what if he does?” “Then I’ll have it.” Lu Jing watched her, frowning. Su Li poured herself more alcohol. “Jingjing, it just feels wrong when I hear him talk about dying. I don’t want him to die.” Lu Jing understood. No matter how you looked at it, Su Li owed Mo Xingyuan a life. “Everyone has their own fate,” Lu Jing sighed. “Some things are beyond our control. There’s nothing we can do to change them.” Su Li knew that, of course. She slumped onto the table, her spirits low. “That’s the thing. I want to do something for him, but there’s nothing I *can* do.” Marrying him had been her own wishful thinking, a belief that he shouldn’t be alone during his final days. In reality, Mo Xingyuan didn’t need anyone at all. Lu Jing understood the situation was a dead end. She poured Su Li another drink and patted her on the back. “Just focus on being yourself.” “Okay.” Su Li was just overwhelmed with sadness. Mo Xingyuan was so young, yet his days were numbered. One drink led to another, and soon Su Li’s head was spinning. Lu Jing, a much better drinker, supported her as they left the bar. She took her to Mo Xingyuan’s apartment and rang the doorbell. She had to press it twice before the door opened. Lu Jing paused for a second when she saw the man who answered. He was just as handsome as Su Li had said—the kind of man women would easily fall for. “Here’s your wife.” Lu Jing shoved Su Li toward Mo Xingyuan. His body reacted faster than his mind, catching her instinctively. He had a sharp sense of smell and had caught the scent of alcohol the moment he opened the door; it was even stronger now. The woman leaned against him, seemingly oblivious to everything. “I’m off,” Lu Jing said, adding a final warning. “Don’t take anything she says or does seriously. She’s just drunk.” Mo Xingyuan’s brow furrowed instantly. Lu Jing gave a wave and left. He looked down at the woman in his arms, limp against him. The faint smell of alcohol mingled with a subtle, almost imperceptible fragrance that entered his lungs with every breath. He wrapped one arm around her waist, shut the door, and guided her inside. She wasn’t sleeping soundly. Her eyelashes fluttered, and the corners of her eyes were moist, as if she had been crying. Women usually cried over men or the misfortunes of life. Her life wasn’t bad, so it had to be a man. It made sense she’d be upset after her boyfriend of two years cheated on her right in front of her. “Mo Xingyuan…” the woman mumbled. He thought she was waking up and glanced down, but her eyes were still closed. *She’s faking it again,* he thought. *Trying to use being drunk as an excuse to make a scene.* “I don’t want you to die.” Mo Xingyuan’s hand froze. A single tear escaped the corner of her eye, tracing a path down her cheek before disappearing into the fabric of his shirt. . Su Li’s head was throbbing. She struggled in bed for a while before her eyes finally fluttered open. Her mind was a blank for a few minutes before she remembered something. She threw back the covers, saw the pajamas she was wearing, and immediately called Lu Jing. “Did you change my clothes?” “Are you kidding? I handed you off to Mo Xingyuan and left.” “…” “He changed you?” Lu Jing’s voice instantly brightened. “Did you two sleep together?” Su Li ruffled her own hair in frustration. “Of course not.” “You didn’t take the chance to play the drunk girl and make a move on him?” Su Li was speechless at her friend’s teasing. She figured Mo Xingyuan probably thought the same thing when he took her in. She must not have done anything too outrageous, or she wouldn’t have woken up in bed. Getting up, she walked out of the bedroom. The weather was beautiful today, the sun shining brightly. Warm, gentle sunlight streamed through the window, casting a thin, golden glow on Mo Xingyuan. He seemed ethereal in the light, so insubstantial that it felt as if he might vanish in the blink of an eye. She stood there watching him, holding her breath, afraid to shatter the beautiful scene. Mo Xingyuan’s gaze lifted from his computer, locking onto her with precision. Their eyes met. Su Li licked her lips and offered him a smile. “Thanks for last night.” “I don’t want there to be a next time,” Mo Xingyuan said before turning his attention back to the screen. Su Li was speechless. He was such a killjoy. “You… you didn’t do anything to me, did you?” Su Li poured a glass of water and walked toward him, admiring the way his long, elegant fingers danced across the keyboard. The rhythm was pleasant, his hands beautiful. Mo Xingyuan’s fingers paused mid-type, curling slightly before resuming their work. Without looking up, he said, “I have no interest in you.”