Mo Yichen couldn't digest the fact that a chit of a girl, that brat of a woman, had the audacity to shut him up.
She said she didn't want to marry him...as if he was the one begging? And then she dared to claim he was a coward, that he didn't have the guts to speak for himself?
He scoffed bitterly. Scheming little thing. Sure, she was beautiful, the rare beauty that made men pause, but she was also full of herself. He couldn't allow such a wild card into his life.
A simpleton who hasn't even seen the world. What was Grandfather thinking? To even suggest such a ridiculous match? No. Something was off. He needed to dig into her records, everything.
In his world, they can't just accept people at face value. They even check the dog's breed before letting it in the house. Humans are far more complex and dangerous.
He could humor Grandfather's whims for now, but he would never lower his guard.
Outside, the Xia couple helped Old Master Mo to the main entrance. Mo Yichen stepped forward to take over. His eyes subtly scanned the house. She didn't come to see them off. That brat has no manners and grace.
"I apologize on my daughter's behalf," Madam Xia said politely, with a faint smile hiding exhaustion.
"She's… going through something. These days, she speaks without filters. I hope you'll forgive her bluntness."
Mo Yichen forced a smile. He didn't forgive. He never did. But he replied anyway, "I understand."
His grandfather raised a greyish brow, lips twitching in amusement. This kid... pretending to be the bigger person? He knew his grandson far too well. Mo Yichen was likely already plotting his next move. Still, as long as the Xia couple can keep their faces.
As the car drove off, Mo Yichen caught a glimpse in the rearview mirror. Mr. Xia held his wife gently, her head on his shoulder. Their expressions weren't relieved, they were… sad.
Why sad? What pain were they hiding behind their composed faces?
Inside the Xia Residence
Xia Ruyan was back in her garden, hands deep in the cool, fragrant mud. She was planting a new hybrid, a rare strain she'd cultivated herself. Her fingers worked in silence, steady and precise.
Her parents paused in the doorway.
This was always how she coped. When words weren't enough… she sought peace in her plants.
When memories burned too hot… she turned to the earth. The rage in her, the grief, it was too big for her slender body. But the mud, the scent of petrichor… they grounded her.
"Sweetheart," her father called gently.
She didn't look up, but her hands paused for a breath. Her mother stood beside him. Her eyes were soft, worried.
"I wish… that you could give Mo Yichen a chance," Mr. Xia said finally, no sugarcoating. They never played games in their family. There was no need for manipulations. Just the truth, always truth. It often confused outsiders. In a society where most decisions were unilateral, especially in collectivist families, theirs was built on trust and voice.
"I don't want that," she replied curtly, her voice flat, final.
Her father sighed. "He's responsible and respected. His family is decent. You saw his grandfather, doesn't he remind you of your own? You'll never be alone with a man like him, and most of all... Mo Yichen is someone who takes care of what he holds dear."
Still, she said nothing. The name Mo Yichen might as well have been a passing breeze. It stirred nothing in her.
"He will keep you safe," her father added quietly.
This time… her hands froze. A flicker of heat rose behind her eyes, not from the sun, but from a distant scream that only she could still hear. A memory buried deep surged like a wave. Her heart clenched. But then, she pushed it away. Her hands moved again calmly.
"I don't need safety," she said, voice firmer now.
Her mother's eyes glistened. "But we want you safe. Don't you understand, A-Yan? How cruel fate has already been with us? You're all we have left now. Our heart, our entire world. If we can give you even a little security… we will."
Tears spilled down Madam Xia's cheeks. Her voice cracked. Ruyan slowly stood, her amber eyes blazing. The golden flecks in them seemed to melt into molten lava.
"I'm not marrying anyone," she said. "I will live with the two of you, always. This time… I will protect you."
She dusted her hands and walked away, leaving her stunned parents behind. They watched her go, the fire in her steps, the storm in her eyes. And they wondered… what was truly going on inside her heart?
Meanwhile, in the Mo Residence
Old Master Mo sat in his grand study, the heavy silence broken only by the slow, deliberate ticking of the antique grandfather clock in the corner. The setting sun spilled gold through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long shadows over the chessboard between them.
Mo Yichen moved a pawn forward, the glint of his diamond cufflink catching the light, but his expression remained unreadable.
"What do you think of young Xia?" his grandfather asked casually, though his tone carried weight.
"Vain. Ill-mannered," Yichen replied flatly, eyes still on the board. Old Master Mo chuckled, dry and low.
"And here I thought I raised the sharpest mind in this generation. You disappoint me."
Yichen looked up, brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Some people are like oceans, still on the surface, violent in the depths. You saw a ripple and assumed you understood."
Yichen scoffed, making another move. "Or maybe she's not deep but shallow."
His grandfather didn't reply immediately. Instead, he leaned forward and moved his piece. Checkmate.
"I'm done playing games with you, Yichen."
The younger Mo's jaw clenched.
"You will marry Xia Ruyan. Within a week."
"What? She isn't….."
"She won't agree. I know. And I don't care how you do it." The old man's voice turned cold and commanding. "If you want the Mo Corporation to be yours, she must become the Young Madam of Mo Corporation."
Yichen stared at the board. For the first time, he felt something crawl beneath his skin.
"Why her?" he asked.
The old man stood up, his back to the dying sun.
"Because some debts and promises made in the past still bind the present."
Before Yichen could ask more, the grandfather walked away, leaving him with the chessboard, the silence, and a name that had begun to haunt him.
Xia Ruyan