The Feeling of Heartbeat

The world is vast, vast enough that some people might never meet in their lifetime.

The world is also small, small enough that sometimes, just by stepping out your door, you might run into the last person you'd ever want to see.

Mo Xuan was feeling exactly that right now. He had heard that this hotel had a special kind of steamed bun filled with hot spring water, and he wanted to buy some for Luo Shiya, Luo Muqi, and their daughters to enjoy. He also planned to take some with him tomorrow when they visited their grandmother.

Unexpectedly, he ran into Mo Yingying as soon as he stepped out.

"Mo Xuan, is that really you?" Mo Yingying's eyes filled with disdain as she saw him. "Did you just run into Yanran?"

Mo Xuan couldn't be bothered to engage with her, not even sparing her an extra glance as he walked past her.

"Stop right there!" Mo Yingying grabbed his arm. "Did I say you could leave?"

"Is there something you need?" Mo Xuan shook off her grip. "I thought we were done with each other, weren't we?"

"Mo Xuan, don't push it too far," Mo Yingying said, her tone less haughty as she remembered how her family had wronged him. "Yanran and Jinpeng are about to get engaged. You've already sunk so low as to be kept by an older woman, so why are you trying to provoke Yanran?"

"Me provoking her?" Mo Xuan laughed dryly. "Is it me provoking her, or is she the one sticking to me like a bad habit?"

"Ha, you made such a scene back then, and Yanran has long since given up on you!" Mo Yingying declared confidently. "She was fine until she ran into you. Now she's acting all weird, and we had to leave because of you!"

"You're delusional."

Mo Xuan muttered under his breath and walked away, sometimes wondering if he should get a DNA test to confirm how he could possibly be related to these people.

Mo Yingying didn't take his insult to heart. Instead, she followed him, trying to sound reasonable: "Mo Xuan, I know you're bitter, but you can't force feelings! You couldn't keep a woman, so don't blame Yanran for choosing someone better!"

At this, Mo Xuan stopped in his tracks and turned to look coldly at Mo Yingying. Seeing his icy gaze, Mo Yingying felt a pang of fear.

She remembered how this man had once taken down eight bodyguards in her family. But Mo Yingying remained defiant, even taunting: "What, you want to hit me? Isn't what I said the truth?"

"The 'better' person you're talking about is Jinpeng, who spends his nights at clubs, gets into trouble, and has his parents clean up after him, even going so far as to set up his own brother with a prostitute?" Mo Xuan said with a sneer. "A whole family helping the older brother steal his younger brother's girlfriend—is it the end of the world, and there's only one Su Yanran left in the entire universe?"

"Apart from your brainless favoritism, Jinpeng is a complete waste. Mo Yingying, I'm ignoring you now because Grandma is still alive. What you did back then, I haven't forgotten! Grandma doesn't have much time left, so you'd better pray she lives a few more days..."

"If Grandma passes away, you, the entire Mo family, will face your just desserts!"

Mo Yingying felt a chill run down her spine as she looked into Mo Xuan's vengeful eyes and instinctively looked away. Back then, when Mo Xuan had tried to rally the entire Mo family, including her, to help Grandma, no one had believed him, thinking he was just trying to scam money.

"You can't use that to threaten me!" Mo Yingying said, trying to sound braver than she felt. "It's not like you didn't bully Jinpeng..."

"Jinpeng says I bullied him, and you believe him? If he told you to die, would you do it?" Mo Xuan mocked. "Besides, even if I did bully him, does that have anything to do with you not paying for Grandma's medical bills? Mo Yingying, not only is your brain eaten by a dog, but so is your conscience. Grandma spent the most time tutoring you, didn't she?"

"Back when you were in high school, Grandma, at her age, had to go to your apartment near your school on weekends to tutor you. When she got sick, you didn't contribute a dime, and what did you say? Oh, right, you said she was unreasonable for causing a rift between me and the family!"

"When Grandma was admitted to the nursing home, did you even visit her once?"

Thinking of this, Mo Xuan felt like slapping her across the face! When he was in sixth grade, Mo Yingying was in her final year of high school. She had complained that Grandma's place was too far, so she made her grandmother, who already had trouble walking, go to her apartment to tutor her.

When Grandma was hospitalized and urgently needed medical fees, Mo Xuan had contacted her first, only to be met with her merciless ridicule.

Mo Yingying's face turned red and then pale as Mo Xuan's words hit home. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Mo Xuan didn't bother with her anymore and walked away on his own. Mo Yingying didn't try to stop him again. Despite her dissatisfaction, she could only bite her lip and turn to find Mo Tingting.

Mo Xuan bought some hot spring buns, along with some snacks and drinks.

Carrying a large plastic bag, Mo Xuan sipped on some homemade plum juice from the convenience store and was about to head back when he saw a man and a woman approaching from the opposite direction. The woman was in front, and the man was chasing after her.

"Yuno, listen to me!" The man looked panicked, his clothes slightly disheveled. "I... I was just momentarily tempted, please don't be angry!"

The woman, named Cheng Yuno, had long hair and was about 175 cm tall, her height accentuated by her 7-centimeter heels. With a model-like figure and a strikingly beautiful face, she had a pair of sharp, phoenix-like eyes.

"There's nothing left to say between us," she said coldly, glancing at the man behind her. "Xue Ming, this marriage was a business arrangement, one your family begged for. I, Cheng Yuno, am not desperate to marry, and this arrangement wasn't a must for me. I'll make it clear to my family that this engagement is off."

Mo Xuan quietly stepped aside, holding his bag and sipping his plum juice, then... watched the drama unfold. He wasn't the only one; despite it not being peak season, the store still had quite a few guests.

People around them stopped to watch the spectacle, keeping a safe distance but clearly enjoying the show.

"Yuno, I really didn't mean it!" Xue Ming noticed the onlookers and hurriedly straightened his suit. "Let's talk somewhere else, this isn't the place for this..."

"What's not suitable about it? Didn't you feel any shame when you were being shameless?" Cheng Yuno retorted coldly. "Even without feelings, I've never treated you poorly. Yet, even on a trip with me, you had to sneak off and open a room with that little star. Do you have any sense of decency?"

Cheng Yuno's voice was loud, and it was clear she was furious. Mo Xuan felt the name sounded familiar but couldn't recall where he had heard it before.

Xue Ming's face turned pale. Being caught cheating by his fiancée in front of so many people was humiliating, and some onlookers had already started recording videos.

"Yuno, you're embarrassing both our families like this..." Xue Ming whispered. "Even if you're upset, can't we talk privately instead of making a scene in public?"

"Ha, when you couldn't control yourself, did you ever think about today?" Cheng Yuno pushed him away. "The second son of the Capital's Xue family, if you don't care about your own reputation, why should I?"

This revelation made the onlookers even more excited. Mo Xuan remembered who Xue Ming was—the Xue family ran a chain of supermarkets across the country.

Xue Ming was the second son of the Xue family, and not long ago, it was announced that he was engaged to the Cheng family's daughter. The Cheng family was one of the most influential families in the Capital, second only to the Luo family.

"Wow, Cheng Yuno is really ruthless, not giving Xue Ming any face at all!"

"Yeah, sometimes in arranged marriages, people just do their own thing, but getting caught like this is just embarrassing!"

"Especially when he was caught red-handed with his mistress while on a trip with his fiancée. Cheng Yuno must feel the worst, right?"

The surrounding chatter reached Xue Ming, and he grabbed Cheng Yuno's right hand, insisting: "This isn't the place to talk. Can't you at least consider my reputation? Let's go somewhere else and stop making a scene!"

Cheng Yuno fiercely yanked her hand away, and the Chanel bag she was holding in her left hand immediately slammed into Xue Ming's face. This blow completely enraged Xue Ming, who retaliated with a slap across Cheng Yuno's face.

"You slut, did the Cheng family's manners end up in a dog's stomach?"

Xue Ming raised his hand, ready to strike again, but his wrist was firmly caught by someone.

"Xue Gongzi, are you sure you want to continue this?" Mo Xuan gripped his wrist, speaking coldly. "Both of you are people of stature, acting so unbecomingly. Aren't you afraid of bringing shame to your families as well?"

Cheng Yuno, who had been about to erupt after being slapped, froze when she saw Mo Xuan.

The young man before her, carrying a plastic bag, was tall and possessed an exceptionally handsome face. Wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses, he exuded a refined and scholarly air, yet also gave off a sense of strength.

His eyes, like the clear bottom of a lake, were deep and tranquil.

Cheng Yuno felt as if her heart had been struck, her heartbeat accelerating inexplicably. The pain on her face was suddenly replaced by a strange warmth.

"Oh my god, what, what is this?”

"Is this... the feeling of falling in love?"