Life is sometimes full of the unknown. For instance, Su Yanran never expected that Mo Xuan would appear in her hospital room the very next day.
After setting down the fruit basket he had brought, Mo Xuan pulled up a chair and sat beside her, quietly observing her for a moment before sighing and saying, "Auntie Su called me, so I came today. There are some things I think we should talk about openly."
Su Yanran lowered her head, remained silent for a while, and then smiled faintly. "How could the mother of your two children let you come?"
Mo Xuan shrugged. He had received the call from Su Yanran’s mother that morning while in bed with Luo Shiya, who was lying right beside him. He had initially wanted to refuse, but Luo Shiya had told him, "Since she’s in this state, it’s fine for you to go and see her."
Hearing that Luo Shiya had agreed, Su Yanran was surprised. Suddenly, the words she had wanted to say felt harder to voice. Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi seemed like shadows looming over her heart. Although it was Mo Jinpeng who had caused the incident last night, she couldn’t shake the suspicion that they were somehow involved.
But what did it matter? Not only did Mo Xuan trust them more, but her suspicions were just that—suspicions.
"Mo Xuan, have you heard about my situation?" Su Yanran already knew she might have lost her ability to have children. Mo Xuan glanced at her and nodded.
"Hah, do you think this is my karma?" Su Yanran’s smile was bitter. "I remember back in high school, when we first got together, it was me who told you, 'Su Yanran will never betray Mo Xuan.'"
The sincere confession of a young girl, but when Mo Xuan thought of it now, it felt nothing but ironic.
The vows of youth are the most beautiful, but also the most fragile.
"Mo Xuan, I never had any relationship with Mo Jinpeng," Su Yanran said, looking straight into Mo Xuan’s eyes. "When I went to the hotel that time, I had a few drinks, but I was still in control of my senses. Mo Jinpeng did make some advances, but after I refused, he didn’t push further and respected my decision."
Mo Xuan didn’t respond, his expression still calm. Seeing his reaction, Su Yanran grew flustered and quickly added, "If you don’t believe me, we can do a check right now. We’re in the hospital, after all…"
"Yanran," Mo Xuan interrupted her, his voice steady. "I’ve told you before, this matter isn’t important anymore."
"Mo Jinpeng touching you would’ve been in line with his nature; not touching you was just part of his deception. After I left the family, you probably saw his true colors."
"I’ve mentioned this to you before—your attitude was the reason we broke up."
Mo Xuan’s voice was calm, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him. And for the current Mo Xuan, it truly didn’t.
"I won’t bring up how you deceived me after I lost my memory, nor will I mention how I got hurt because of you. But just focusing on this matter, Yanran, deep down, you know I never wronged you. Not because of that false sense of gratitude for saving my life, but because I was genuinely sincere with you back then."
"I’ve always thought, the Su Family isn’t short on money, and your parents spoiled you. If you wanted something Mo Jinpeng gave you, you could’ve bought it yourself."
Pausing for a moment, Mo Xuan looked into Su Yanran’s eyes and continued, "The reason your heart leaned toward him wasn’t because of feelings, but because you thought I was no longer worthy of you, the Su Family’s young lady. Mo Jinpeng giving you gifts was just his usual tactic in pursuing women, but to you, it was a display of his value as the future heir of the Mo Family."
"You knew everything about my situation, how the Mo Family treated me, yet you still chose to stay ambiguous with Mo Jinpeng, who was against me. I don’t think you truly liked him that much, but to me, the result was the same."
"Yanran, you remember saying 'Su Yanran will never betray Mo Xuan,' but do you remember what you said when I first told you about the discrimination I faced in the Mo Family?"
"You said, 'You don’t need to care about them anymore. You have me.'"
Su Yanran’s head hung low, tears falling one by one onto her hospital gown.
"Yanran, deep down, you know the truth better than I do. And… do you think that as long as you didn’t cross the final line, it doesn’t count as betrayal?"
"You held hands with him, hugged him, and even kissed him, didn’t you?"
Mo Xuan’s tone remained calm, but the more indifferent he sounded, the more it stung Su Yanran’s ears.
"How… how do you know…"
Mo Xuan looked at her with a hint of helplessness. At a time like this, she could still ask such a question. He tapped his temple with his left index finger, and when Su Yanran saw the black ring on his finger, she instinctively looked away.
Both Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi wore the same ring, and seeing it only made Su Yanran feel like she had lost completely—or perhaps, she had never truly won.
"Use your brain. Mo Jinpeng’s goal in pursuing you was just to hurt me," Mo Xuan said slowly, lowering his hand. "Do you think he would’ve missed those opportunities? And deep down, you knew about his little moves, didn’t you? In fact, you knew very well, but you didn’t care."
"Yanran, do you know why I was able to break up with you so decisively? I’ve said it before—you pushed me step by step to cut ties, to remove the person I loved in my youth from my heart. It was painful, but I did it."
"My grandmother once said about my grandfather, 'Watching a rose bloom and then rot, yet being powerless to stop it.' I understand that feeling very well because that’s exactly how my first love withered, decayed, and finally rotted."
"You knew that besides my grandmother, you were the only person I could trust back then. Yet, in the end, you chose to stand with those who hurt me. Even when I cut ties with them and left home alone, whatever your intentions were, your actions were no different from kicking me when I was down."
"So, do you still think whether or not you crossed that line with him matters?"
"Besides, from the very beginning, our relationship was built on deception, and there was that time you hurt me."
Su Yanran’s hair covered her face, but her trembling body and stifled sobs were unmistakable.
Mo Xuan simply watched her quietly, neither moving nor saying another word.
"I remember in the past, if I cried, you would always comfort me…" Su Yanran said, her voice choked with tears. "Do you really love them that much?"
"Yes."
A single, firm word, and Su Yanran felt as though her heart had been pierced by a thousand arrows.
It was she who had chosen to deceive just to be with Mo Xuan. It was she who had confessed her love to him.
Yet, in the end, it was also she who had betrayed and abandoned him.
Su Yanran slowly raised her head and suddenly smiled gently. "Mo Xuan, you’re still so naive. But haven’t you thought that they might deceive you too?"
"Do you think it’s a coincidence that Mo Jinpeng suddenly attacked me? You should know that the evidence was provided by them. Don’t you think Mo Jinpeng might’ve been instigated by them?"
Mo Xuan frowned slightly but didn’t respond. Seeing his expression of doubt, Su Yanran continued, "I know you don’t trust me and trust them more. But just think about this—how is it such a coincidence that after I reported Mo Jinpeng, he attacked me? And don’t tell me you don’t know how ruthless Luo Shiya, the vice president of Luo Corporation, can be."
"Mo Xuan, the people around you aren’t innocent little rabbits. They’re two vipers. Do you think the Luo Family could’ve risen to where they are today without getting their hands dirty?"
Mo Xuan remained silent, his gaze fixed on Su Yanran.
"I never thought they were innocent little rabbits," Mo Xuan finally said slowly. "I just want to ask you one thing—have they ever harmed me?"
Su Yanran swallowed the words she had been about to say.
That was true. Had they ever harmed Mo Xuan? Even if she didn’t know the details, the way Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi looked at Mo Xuan, the way they cared for their children, told her that they loved him more than she had imagined.
Before coming to the hospital, Mo Xuan had already felt a sense of suspicion when Su Yanran’s mother mentioned over the phone that Mo Jinpeng had stabbed her.
It was too obvious. The fact that Su Yanran had reported Mo Jinpeng was known only by a few. If it wasn’t him or Su Yanran, then the only ones left were Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi.
But Luo Shiya was right beside him and had openly admitted it.
“Xiao Xuan, I never intended to hide it from you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let you go see Su Yanran,” Luo Shiya confessed frankly to Mo Xuan. “I hate her. I wish she were dead…”
“I can overlook her deceiving you, but I can’t overlook her hurting you, making you forget about us.”
Mo Xuan stared at Luo Shiya in silence for a long time before finally sighing and saying, “Shiya, do you realize this is illegal?”
“I know, Xiao Xuan. Sitting in this position at Luo Corporation, I’ve done many things…” Luo Shiya looked up at Mo Xuan. “Even a single decision of mine could bankrupt a company, leaving people burdened with crushing debts, driving them to suicide…”
“But Xiao Xuan, I’ve never once thought of harming you. Not even once…”
“If I had to choose, I’d rather hurt myself than hurt you…”
Mo Xuan snapped out of his thoughts, sighed, and slowly stood up. “I understand. Thank you for the reminder.”
Su Yanran stared at him in disbelief, completely shocked that Mo Xuan showed no reaction at all.
“So, you’re okay with it, then?” Su Yanran suddenly broke down. “Yes, I deserve it. I accept their revenge, but you’re just going to accept it too?”
“You can accept them, but you won’t accept me anymore?”
Mo Xuan paused at the door, then turned back to look at her. “I already asked this earlier—have they ever hurt me?”
“Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi are insane, Mo Xuan. Are you really going to stay with people like them?”
Su Yanran tried to get out of bed, crying, but the pain from her wound made her nearly collapse to the floor.
“Yanran, I have nothing left but them,” Mo Xuan said calmly. “So, whether they’re good or bad, I’ll accept them.”
After a brief pause, Mo Xuan suddenly smiled lightly. “And I believe Shiya and Muqi won’t betray me.”
“Rest well, Yanran. And… goodbye.”
Mo Xuan turned around, pushed the door open, and walked out. Hearing Su Yanran’s sobs, he hesitated for just a moment before leaving without looking back.
Goodbye, first love…