Chapter 136: Ch 136: Battered and Overlapping Faces

While the two omegas continued their easy conversation with the children, their conversation flowing naturally and smoothly, PD Xu Cui walked back toward the forest, his steps and expression once more carrying the familiar easygoing air.

Behind him Jingxue followed in silence, eyes quietly scanning the trees that grew denser ahead. He said nothing, only observed the approaching forest with mild curiosity. The soft packed earth of the village path gradually gave way to the first scatter of roots and fallen leaves.

Just before they stepped beneath the forest, PD Xu Cui halted and turned on his heel to face the other man. The soft shade of the outer trees already touched the edges of the path.

"Please keep to our deal," he said, the request carrying a rare note of genuine pleading. He did not particularly mind if strangers mistook him for something less than savory, but he refused to be misunderstood by Mo Xingxue or the people who mattered to him. The soft afternoon light caught the brief, unguarded seriousness in his expression.

Jingxue stopped as well and looked up. "Fear not," he answered, voice still cold and even. "I’ll do as promised." The words carried no particular warmth, only the same quiet certainty he had shown in the alcove.

PD Xu Cui gave a heavy nod. "I certainly hope so." He turned away again and started forward. Soft leaves and packed earth accepted their footsteps as the denser shade of the forest drew closer.

They had almost entered the trees when a voice called out behind them.

"PD!"

Both men turned. Zhao Yichen and Qin Yuran were approaching, supporting a limp and thoroughly battered Gu Chengze between them. The alpha’s figure looked pathetic—clothes stained with blood and grass, face swollen, body hanging heavily on the two who carried him. Soft afternoon light caught the full extent of the damage without mercy. The usual cold arrogance was nowhere to be found; only the bruised, unconscious weight of someone who had finally been forced to pay for his words remained.

PD Xu Cui’s expression darkened for a fraction of a second as he took in the sight. A cold smirk threatened to form. The moment the pair drew close enough to notice, however, the look vanished and was replaced by a bright, concerned smile. The recovery was seamless, the practiced performance of a man who had spent years moving between masks.

"Oh. He got beat up rather badly," he remarked, carefully suppressing the satisfaction in his voice.

Jingxue glanced at PD Xu Cui, one eyebrow lifting slightly, but chose not to comment. His gaze drifted briefly over Gu Chengze and then away again. The soft dappled light through the outer leaves caught the same cold, unreadable expression he had worn since the beginning.

Zhao Yichen offered a wry smile. "Think you could call an ambulance to pick him up?" The request was practical, edged with residual reluctance rather than genuine urgency.

Before PD Xu Cui could answer, Jingxue spoke. "This village is too far from any hospital. The nearest one is over three hours away." The information was delivered with the same cool detachment as everything else he said. Soft leaves continued to shift overhead as the practical obstacle settled between them.

Zhao Yichen and Qin Yuran both sighed.

"Figures," Qin Yuran muttered. Her shoulders slumped, and for a moment her hold on Gu Chengze nearly slipped. Fortunately, she caught herself and grabbed it just in time. However, she corrected it too quickly and too forcefully; the sudden pull drew a loud groan from the injured man. Soft fabric strained under the abrupt adjustment.

Qin Yuran stared at him, then at PD Xu Cui, an embarrassed smile spreading across her face. "Oops." The soft afternoon light caught the matching expressions of mild guilt and lingering lack of concern on both alphas’ faces.

PD Xu Cui only shook his head. The soft shade of the outer trees held the quiet comedy of the moment.

He then turned back to Jingxue. "Do you have a village doctor?"

Jingxue met his eyes and gave a short shake of the head. "We don’t." His tone remained as cool and detached as ever, as though the battered man in front of them were merely asleep rather than injured. The soft forest edge continued to wait, indifferent to the practical problem.

PD Xu Cui sighed with practiced pity. "That’s unfortunate." The words carried exactly the right amount of concern and not an ounce more.

Just as the atmosphere threatened to grow awkward, he snapped his fingers. "Ah—that’s right."

The three people around him looked over curiously. Soft leaves continued to shift in the light breeze as the sudden shift in his expression drew their attention.

"There’s a first-aid kit on the bus," he said. Then he sighed again, layering on another dose of artificial concern. "But I don’t know if anyone here can bandage properly." The soft forest edge held the carefully constructed problem and its equally careful solution.

Zhao Yichen scratched the back of his head. "I’ll do it. Can’t be that hard." He adjusted his grip on Gu Chengze once more. Soft fabric shifted under his hand as the unconscious alpha’s weight settled into a more familiar balance.

PD Xu Cui’s face lit up. "Respect." He cupped one fist in the opposite palm and gave a theatrical little bow. The soft afternoon light caught the full performance of exaggerated admiration.

Zhao Yichen rolled his eyes at the performance. Qin Yuran simply laughed. PD Xu Cui straightened, still chuckling, and held up a hand for a high-five. Qin Yuran met it without hesitation. The soft sound of their palms meeting cut briefly through the quieter tension at the forest edge.

Jingxue watched the exchange, then glanced once more at the unconscious Gu Chengze. Seems he isn’t particularly well-liked, he noted privately, before dismissing the thought almost at once. The soft dappled light through the outer leaves continued to shift across the battered figure as the observation settled and was set aside.

The two groups exchanged brief goodbyes. Soft packed earth and scattered leaves accepted the small separation as PD Xu Cui turned to Jingxue again.

"Let’s go."

He started into the forest without waiting. Jingxue looked back at the three alphas one final time—the two still supporting the thoroughly battered third, the lingering lack of urgency in their posture, the quiet practical decision to handle the injuries themselves—then followed PD Xu Cui beneath the trees.

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The two of them had been walking for some time. The silence between them felt heavy and awkward. PD Xu Cui opened his mouth several times to say something—anything—to break it, yet no suitable words came. In the end he simply kept quiet and continued forward.

Jingxue, walking a few steps behind, was lost in thought. Mo Xingxue’s face rose again in his mind—the cool, distant beauty, the careful composure, the quiet weight she seemed to carry even when she said nothing. The soft dappled light through the leaves continued to shift across the path as the image settled deeper.

The more I look at her.. the more she resembles that person.

His hands clenched at his sides. The soft fabric of his sleeves tightened under the pressure.

He remembered the man who had haunted him for years—the same man who had caused him unimaginable pain and taken everything from him. A deep frown settled on Jingxue’s features. Almost without realizing it, he rested a hand against his own flat stomach.

The gesture was small and unguarded, the same quiet motion he had made in the alcove. Soft leaves continued to shift overhead as the old wound and the new suspicion pressed against each other in his chest.

If what I suspect is true, then....

The thought broke off when PD Xu Cui cleared his throat. The soft sound cut through the heavier silence.

"Although I don’t think you’ll hurt Mo Xingxue," PD Xu Cui began. His tone was carefully measured, the confidence in it clearly forced, "I still want to know why you’re so determined to meet her." He kept his back turned as he spoke.

Jingxue did not answer immediately and PD Xu Cui did not press. They simply continued walking, the only sound the soft crunch of fallen leaves beneath their feet. The quiet weight of the unanswered question settled between them like another layer of the forest shade.

After a long moment Jingxue finally replied. "I just want to know if what I suspected is true."

The words remained cold on the surface, yet they were quieter than usual. Beneath the chill PD Xu Cui could hear unmistakable curiosity and a thin thread of sadness. The soft afternoon light through the canopy caught the brief, unguarded edge in the other man’s voice before the usual composure sealed over it again.

PD Xu Cui’s eyebrows rose slightly. Sadness? Why?

However, he kept the question to himself. Whatever the reason, it felt private. Curiosity burned, but he chose not to dig further.

Silence returned. The gentle afternoon light filtered through the canopy, painting soft patterns on the path as they walked. Soft earth and scattered leaves accepted their steady progress. The denser trees gradually opened, and the familiar shape of the clearing began to take form ahead of them.

Before long they reached the clearing.

Beneath the old trees Su Wanyan sat quietly, one hand gently stroking Mo Xingxue’s hair while fresh tears continued to slip down her own cheeks. Soft dappled light shifted across the two of them. Mo Xingxue’s head rested in her lap, one hand still tightly gripping the fabric of Su Wanyan’s pants. Tear tracks marked the pale, beautiful face that had finally found a fragile peace in sleep.

The quiet rise and fall of Mo Xingxue’s breathing, the residual tremor that still lived in her fingers, the way she clung even in exhaustion—all of it sat clear and unguarded under the afternoon light.

Jingxue’s gaze settled on that face. His breath caught.

A memory from a lifetime ago rose unbidden: a baby who had cried until exhaustion finally claimed her, small hands clenched tightly around a pillow, lips pressed together even in sleep.

The soft forest light, the quiet clearing, the present weight of the woman in Su Wanyan’s lap—all of it overlapped so completely with the old image that for a moment he could not tell them apart. The soft breeze stirred the leaves overhead, but the quiet recognition in his chest remained fixed and absolute.

"Xuexue?"

The name left him softly, almost gently, as he stared at the woman sleeping in Su Wanyan’s lap. The single word carried the weight of years, of suspicion, of a wound that had never fully closed—and of a face that, under the soft afternoon light of the clearing, no longer felt like a chance resemblance at all.

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Early update BECAUSE... I have to write more Chapters and I needa focus on them~ (I am also trying to figure out how to.. write a very, VERY interesting plot... hehehehe...)

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OH AND Y’ALL! THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH FOR 700K! I KEEP TELLING Y’ALL THIS AND IT MIGHT BECOME BORING AS HELL FOR Y’ALL, BUT THANK YOU! REALLY! FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, THANK YOU!