Chapter 134: Ch 134: I Love You Too

PD Xu Cui stared at the empty surroundings, every sense stretched taut. Soft midday light pressed into the narrow alcove between the buildings, casting short, sharp shadows against the rough walls. The quiet sounds of the village felt farther away than they should have.

"Show yourself," he commanded, voice stripped of warmth. His eyes swept the narrow space. Fists clenched at his sides, he pushed away from the wall and walked slowly toward one particular corner, bracing for whoever might step out. The soft scrape of his shoes against the packed earth was the only sound for a moment.

Soft rustling of fabric answered him. And a moment later, the hidden figure finally emerged.

PD Xu Cui’s steps halted. He blinked rapidly, the cold tension on his face fracturing into pure confusion.

"Sir?"

The man who had been concealed behind the wall was the same indifferent man he had been looking at earlier. His expression remained as cold and unreadable as ever—no trace of guilt at having been caught eavesdropping. The quiet weight of his presence filled the narrow space without effort.

PD Xu Cui forced an awkward laugh. "What are you doing here, sir?" The icy edge vanished as though it had never existed, replaced by his usual light, playful lilt. The change was seamless, the practiced recovery of a man who had spent years moving between masks.

The man simply regarded him for a long moment, then spoke. His voice was quiet and smooth, yet the softness did nothing to dull its chill.

"Jingxue."

PD Xu Cui blinked, head tilting slightly of its own accord. Jingxue? The word meant nothing to him. The soft midday heat pressed against the alcove walls as the unfamiliar word settled into the air.

As if reading the question, the man clarified. "My name. Jingxue."

"Ohh." PD Xu Cui nodded, still thoroughly confused. That doesn’t answer my question at all, he thought, but kept the complaint locked behind his teeth.

After all, standing this close, the resemblance to Mo Xingxue was impossible to ignore—the same cool detachment, the same striking, slightly distant beauty, the same sense that the person existed a fraction apart from the ordinary flow of the day. And one absolute truth about PD Xu Cui was that.. he was utterly terrified of Mo Xingxue.

Jingxue continued to stare. The weight of that calm gaze made PD Xu Cui look away, suddenly certain the man could see straight through him. The soft shade of the alcove offered no real shelter from the assessment.

"I was just passing by," Jingxue said at last, the lie delivered with perfect smoothness.

Unaware of the falsehood, PD Xu Cui accepted it with a nod. After a brief, awkward silence he cleared his throat. The soft sound felt louder than it should have in the narrow space.

"So.. did you hear what I said earlier?" The question came out sheepish; he half-expected the man to decide he was some sort of criminal. The earlier cold orders to Rang still sat fresh in the air between them.

"I did," Jingxue answered without hesitation.

PD Xu Cui’s smile turned even more awkward. "Knew it." He gave a short, self-conscious laugh and glanced down. The packed earth under his feet suddenly seemed very interesting.

Jingxue only shrugged. "I don’t particularly care about what you’re planning." He stepped closer. The soft midday light shifted across his face as the distance between them narrowed. "What I’m interested in is the girl’s state."

At that, PD Xu Cui’s eyes looked up and locked with the man’s. "The girl?" PD Xu Cui asked, tilting his head slightly. The unconscious gesture was small and almost endearing.

Jingxue watched the head-tilt and the corner of his mouth twitched, almost against his will. He shook the reaction off. The soft shade of the alcove caught the brief, unplanned break in his composure before it vanished again.

"Yes. The girl. I believe her name is Mo Xingxue?"

The moment the name left his lips, PD Xu Cui’s entire posture sharpened. Suspicion flooded back into his voice before he could stop it. The playful mask cracked under the sudden protective instinct.

"What—" He caught himself, cleared his throat, and attempted another smile. The expression twitched at the edges. "What do you mean by that?"

Jingxue smiled then—a small, unexpected softening that melted the perpetual frost. The change multiplied the striking quality of his features. For a second PD Xu Cui could only stare, briefly dazed. The soft midday light caught the rare break in the man’s cold expression, and the resemblance to Mo Xingxue deepened in a way that felt almost unsettling.

Unaware of the effect, Jingxue continued. "I’m aware of what happened to the arrogant boy. And I assume the reason you want dirt on him is because of the girl. Correct?"

He watched PD Xu Cui’s eyes widen. The soft alcove walls held the quiet confirmation without comment.

"Take me to her." Jingxue said, taking multiple more steps closer to PD Xu Cui. The request was direct, calm, and completely free of explanation.

The direct request snapped PD Xu Cui fully out of his daze. He took an instinctive step backward, putting space between them. The soft packed earth accepted the retreat without sound. "Why do you want to meet her?" Suspicion was no longer hidden. The protective edge in his voice had returned fully, sharp and unyielding.

Instead of taking offense, Jingxue’s smile returned—softer this time, almost hesitant. He lowered his gaze and rested a hand against his own flat stomach. For the briefest moment something like sadness flickered through his eyes.

However it vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and with it the smile. The soft midday light caught the brief, unguarded gesture before the cold composure sealed over it once more.

When he looked up again his expression was once more composed.

"I just want to."

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Back in the quiet of the forest, Mo Xingxue rested with her head in Su Wanyan’s lap. Soft afternoon light filtered through the dense canopy in scattered, shifting patches, shielding them from the direct glare—everything about the clearing suggested an ordinary, peaceful afternoon. Yet, the weight held between the two people beneath the trees remained heavy and intimate.

Mo Xingxue’s eyes remained closed, though small hiccups still escaped her from time to time. One hand kept a tight hold on the fabric of Su Wanyan’s pants, as if even in sleep she feared the safe place might disappear.

Tears continued to slip free, tracing slow paths down her temples and into Su Wanyan’s clothes. Her mouth quivered faintly—proof that Gu Chengze still haunted her dreams. The earlier breakdown had left her exhausted, but the fear had not fully released its hold.

Su Wanyan watched her with a sad, gentle smile. She kept smoothing Mo Xingxue’s hair with careful fingers, the motion slow and steady. With her free hand she reached down and wiped the fresh tears away, the touch light and grounding.

When the last of them had been cleared she rested her palm on the soft grass again and simply looked at the omega. The quiet rise and fall of Mo Xingxue’s breathing, the residual tremor in her hands, the way she still clung even in half-sleep—all of it settled deep into Su Wanyan’s chest.

"I’m sorry," she whispered, voice thick and nasal from earlier crying. "I’m really sorry."

She knew Mo Xingxue could not hear the words. Logically she also knew that nothing that had happened to Mo Xingxue was her fault. Yet something deeper still needed to speak the apology, for reasons she could not fully name.

She lifted her gaze to the clear sky above the canopy. Birds continued their light, unconcerned songs. The soft golden light shifted across the leaves in quiet, indifferent patterns.

Why is the world so unfair to her?

The question settled heavily in her chest. Mo Xingxue had been born into a family that looked down on her simply for being an omega. The elders of her clan had schemed against her, driven wedges between her and her younger sister, and left her isolated. And then there had been the scum of an alpha who took what was never his to take.

At that last thought Su Wanyan’s hands clenched against the grass. Fresh tears threatened again. The soft earth under her fingers accepted the quiet pressure without comment.

All of those misfortunes had fallen on one person, and instead of lightening the load, Su Wanyan only felt she had made everything harder. She looked back down at the face resting in her lap. The tears she had been holding finally slipped free. The soft dappled light caught the wet tracks on her own cheeks as she continued to watch the omega.

"You’re so strong, Xuexue," she said, voice cracking under the weight of heartache. "You’re so strong."

She wiped her own eyes with the back of her left hand and continued to sob quietly. The soft fabric of her sleeve dampened under the motion. The quiet forest around them continued its indifferent rhythm, while the private storm of regret continued to unfold in her chest.

Why wasn’t I there?

The old question returned, sharper than before. She remembered every time she had almost called, only to set the phone down again and bury herself in work with the convenient excuse that Mo Xingxue must be busy. The soft weight of those unfinished intentions still sat heavy behind her ribs.

So many "whys" crowded her mind that she felt overwhelmed by them. But one question cut deeper than the rest.

Why did I leave her?

She had known Mo Xingxue was suffering. She had known how difficult everything was. She had known she was the only real comfort the other woman had—and still she had left. The words spoken at the amusement park had hurt, yes, but even then Su Wanyan had understood they were meant to protect her from the toxicity of the Mo clan.

Even so.... She had broken the engagement herself and hidden away for ten full years. The soft forest light continued to shift across them as the old decision rose cold and clear in her memory.

And.. because of that choice she had not been there when Mo Xingxue needed her most.

Just as the spiral of regret threatened to pull her under, Mo Xingxue groaned softly. Her body began to tremble. Her breathing turned labored, and a deep frown creased her brow. The soft grass under Su Wanyan’s legs shifted slightly as the omega’s grip on her pants tightened once more.

Su Wanyan’s tears and quiet sobs stopped at once. She cleared her throat and quickly wiped her face. The soft fabric of her sleeve absorbed the remaining moisture as she forced the private storm aside.

"What’s wrong, Xuexue?" she asked, voice still unsteady from the effort of holding back further tears. The quiet concern cut through the soft forest air without urgency.

Mo Xingxue’s eyes remained closed, yet the sound of Su Wanyan’s voice seemed to reach her. The frown gradually softened. Her breathing evened out again. The residual tremor in her hands lessened under the familiar sound.

"Yanyan...." The name left her lips in a soft, almost dreamlike murmur. The single word carried the weight of everything she still could not fully face while awake.

Su Wanyan hummed in answer. "I’m here." Her right hand resumed its gentle stroking of Mo Xingxue’s hair. The soft strands slid between her fingers with the same careful rhythm as before.

"Yanyan...."

"I’m here," Su Wanyan repeated, letting the simple reassurance settle between them. The soft forest continued its quiet rhythm around the two of them—the rustle of leaves, the shifting golden light—while the quiet affirmation filled the small space they occupied.

A longer pause followed. Then, still without opening her eyes, Mo Xingxue spoke once more.

"Yanyan..... I love you."

The words fell into the soft forest air with quiet finality. Su Wanyan’s hand stilled for a heartbeat. After a moment she resumed the slow, comforting motion. The soft strands of Mo Xingxue’s hair continued to slide between her fingers as the quiet confession settled into the space between them.

She hummed quietly, voice soft and steady.

"I.. love you too, Xuexue."

She continued to look down at the omega in her lap. A small, genuine smile finally found its way onto her face. The soft dappled light caught the edges of the expression, and the earlier weight of regret loosened—just slightly—under the simple, unadorned truth of the words.

"I love you too," she repeated, the words carrying a depth of affection she herself had not yet fully recognized.

The soft forest continued its quiet rhythm around them. The leaves whispered overhead. And under the shade of the old trees, the quiet exchange of love—spoken half in sleep, answered fully awake—settled into the clearing like another kind of shelter, fragile and newly certain.

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BABAM! This took longer to write than I expected LMAO!