Chapter 352: Chapter 352: Happiness Came Too Suddenly
Xiao Jiyan stared at him and asked in disbelief, "Ziquan, what do you mean by that?"
’Miss Xiao! Ha! He actually called me Miss Xiao. Right, he’d never so much as glanced my way before, let alone called me by name.’
’But in her pursuit of him, she had missed the most beautiful years of her youth. At twenty-two, she was already an old maid!’
’She used to think he was too busy to respond to her. Later, she thought he was refusing her because he was disabled and afraid of being a burden.’
’She had even secretly resolved that no matter how severe his injuries were, she would never leave his side. It turned out this was all just her own wishful thinking.’
’She had given so much without ever receiving the slightest acknowledgment from him, and now he was questioning her like this.’
’What she thought was a profound love story was nothing more than a one-sided fantasy.’
’Was today the day her long-held crush would finally be shattered?’
Mu Ziquan said nothing, only watching her quietly. His gaze was profound, his thoughts unreadable, and it sent a chill through her heart.
Xiao Jiyan looked at the indifferent Mu Ziquan, her eyes flickering with grief and conflict. "Ziquan, do you have any idea what you’re saying?"
"I asked you why you came to the Su family’s home. You still haven’t answered me." Mu Ziquan was insistent on a direct reply.
’He was still trying to figure out what Gu Jiaojiao had meant. Why would Su Shuochi tell a girl he didn’t know that he, Mu Ziquan, was at his house?’
"Ziquan, I heard from Comrade Su that you were here, so I came. Do you believe me?"
’I’ve been in love with you for so long. Don’t you understand that yet?’ Xiao Jiyan couldn’t bring herself to say the words.
Tears welled in her eyes, her heart filled with bitterness and helplessness. She had waited for ten years. She had given him her heart ever since she was a little girl.
Her only dream was to one day marry him, to be his bride and spend the rest of her life with him.
’But what about now? Now he was asking her why she had come here!’
’This wasn’t even his house, and yet he was this unhappy to see her!’
Hearing Xiao Jiyan’s answer, Mu Ziquan seemed completely unmoved. He simply replied with a single, indifferent word: "Oh."
’In truth, all he wanted to know was why Su Shuochi would tell a stranger like Xiao Jiyan that he was at his house.’
’With his sharp intuition, he had already guessed the answer, so he didn’t want to say anything more to Xiao Jiyan.’
Seeing how cold Mu Ziquan was, Xiao Jiyan clung to a sliver of hope. ’Could he be jealous?’
Her eyes filled with anticipation, hoping that he was unhappy because she had shown up at Comrade Su’s house unannounced.
She bit her lip, using all her strength to control the tremble in her voice. "Ziquan, are you unhappy that Comrade Su invited me here for dinner?"
"I’m not unhappy. I’m always like this."
It would have been better if Mu Ziquan hadn’t explained. His explanation made Xiao Jiyan’s heart turn completely cold.
She looked at the man she had loved deeply for ten years and suddenly felt he was a complete and utter stranger.
Xiao Jiyan’s heart shattered into a million pieces. Tears instantly streamed from her eyes. Having lost all reason, she didn’t know where she found the courage.
She squeezed her eyes shut, lunged forward, and knelt before his wheelchair, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Burying her face in his lap, she began to sob uncontrollably. "Ziquan... WAHHH..."
Mu Ziquan frowned, about to push her away, when he saw Gu Jiaojiao walk out of the kitchen with a plate of food, her smile as radiant as a flower.
Stunned, Mu Ziquan forgot to push away Xiao Jiyan, who was still crying in his arms.
"Well now, Mu Ziquan. Can’t even wait to hold your beloved in your arms here in our home!"
A clear, pleasant female voice rang out. Xiao Jiyan froze at the words, then lifted her head, her eyes still red and puffy.
The moment she saw Gu Jiaojiao, her expression became a fascinating sight to behold. ’Who is she? She’s gorgeous!’
A simple dress couldn’t hide her graceful figure. Her glossy, jet-black hair was worn straight over her shoulders, tied back with a simple hair tie, and seemed to glow with a soft luster.
Her porcelain-white skin and full, crimson lips were exquisite. She was so beautiful it was as if a spotlight was shining right on her.
Even holding a plate of food, she was breathtakingly beautiful, radiating the aura of a queen.
Behind her followed Comrade Su. Just a moment ago he had been in a wheelchair, but now he stood beside her, as straight and tall as a pine tree.
He was looking at her and Ziquan with clear displeasure, exuding an air of cold, aloof arrogance.
Though he wasn’t smiling, it couldn’t hide his dashing good looks. The two of them standing together were the very picture of a talented man and a beautiful woman—a match made in heaven.
"Han Jingyi, get over here and take this dish from her. Don’t let her get burned."
Han Jingyi strode forward in a single bound. "Oh, coming! Here, my lady, let me take that."
’The Imperial City truly is full of hidden masters. Some unknown man from the Su family can order Han Jingyi around without a second thought?’
Gu Jiaojiao’s gaze, as she looked at Xiao Jiyan, was also full of curiosity. ’This girl might look all gentle and quiet...’
’...but she’s even bolder and more direct than the girls from future generations. A forward girl like this is exactly what it takes to win over a moody guy like Mu Ziquan.’
’Even if she can’t win his heart, she can at least win his body.’ Gu Jiaojiao’s gaze toward Xiao Jiyan grew even more appreciative.
’Her fashionable dress wasn’t something you could buy at the co-op in this era.’
’It was clearly a style popular in Red Port, first introduced to the mainland in the eighties. Her family background must be extraordinary.’
’Yep, she’s more than good enough for Mu Ziquan.’ Gu Jiaojiao smiled brightly and asked, "You must be Xiao Jiyan?"
"Yes... H-How do you know my name?" Xiao Jiyan felt completely flustered under Gu Jiaojiao’s intense gaze.
Feeling an intense pressure, she let go of Mu Ziquan and lowered her head, hiding her embarrassment.
"I’m Mu Ziquan’s attending physician. He’s mentioned you to me before. You really are a very pretty girl."
Gu Jiaojiao was beaming as she casually lied. ’She couldn’t very well say she only knew her name because she’d just overheard Xiao Rui mention it on the phone, could she!’
’If she said that, the girl would probably want to dig a hole and crawl into it. Crying while hugging Mu Ziquan in someone else’s house... she must love him to the bone.’
’She was always kind to her patients. She had to help this girl out.’
"Really? Ziquan really mentioned me to you?" Xiao Jiyan asked in disbelief.
"If he hadn’t, how would I know your name is Xiao Jiyan?" Gu Jiaojiao retorted, blinking her expressive eyes.
"That’s true... I’m sorry... I really didn’t mean to doubt you, I just can’t believe..."
It wouldn’t be right to say she didn’t believe Ziquan, so Xiao Jiyan trailed off awkwardly, lowering her head to stare at her toes.
’Happiness had come too suddenly.’ Her whole body was trembling with a mixture of excitement and disbelief.
"Don’t be embarrassed, Miss Xiao," Gu Jiaojiao instructed with a smile. "Xiao Rui, take your cousin to wash her hands, then come and sit down for dinner."
"Thank you... Thank you, Mrs. Su." Xiao Jiyan was an emotional wreck, completely touched. She followed Xiao Rui to wash her hands.
Mu Ziquan, however, remained motionless in his wheelchair. His gaze was still cold, but inside, he was already at the pinnacle of collapse and despair.
’Did she misunderstand him, or was she doing this on purpose?’
’Was she that afraid of him pestering her? Was he, Mu Ziquan, that classless of a person?!’
