"Mo Yao..."

Xia Chuan murmured the name of the girl behind him, his voice low and confused. He thought he knew her well. She was a simple girl—straightforward and sincere, with no hidden emotions.

But after seeing her burst into tears, he realized he might not understand her as much as he imagined. In his memory, Mo Yao had never cried since that one time long ago.

Yet now she was crying. Crying for no clear reason. Crying so hard Xia Chuan didn’t even know why.

"What’s wrong, Mo Yao?"

Xia Chuan turned and asked.

His answer was a pleading whisper.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

Mo Yao looked up, her eyes blurred with tears, and asked softly.

"It’s nothing major..." Xia Chuan recalled the recent events. For a moment, he felt down but quickly recovered. He put on a relaxed facade and answered.

As soon as he finished, sharp pain shot through his shoulder. He realized Mo Yao was gripping it tightly. He never expected such a delicate girl to have so much strength.

"Why..."

"Why..."

"Why!"

"Why do you act like this?!"

She wanted to understand Xia Chuan. But seeing his serious injuries, she couldn’t calm down. And he was hiding the truth.

Finally, Mo Yao snapped.

Xia Chuan froze, stunned by her sudden change.

"You refuse to go to the hospital. You won’t tell me what happened. What do you want? Don’t you know this worries not just me, but Sister Wang Yin too? Can’t you think about our feelings?"

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face, dripping onto the floor.

Tears fell like rain.

"I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to drag you into this."

Seeing this, Xia Chuan didn’t know what to do. He could only say that.

"This only makes us worry more. Do you know that?"

"I..."

Xia Chuan was speechless.

"What is it that you can’t tell us?!"

"But I don’t want to trouble others anymore. Someone like me..."

Xia Chuan finally dropped his mask, revealing his broken state.

Seeing him like this, Mo Yao calmed down. She just looked at him silently.

After a long moment, she took a deep breath. Her voice was gentle:

"But we’re not others. We’re... family."

"Family?"

A trace of confusion flickered in Xia Chuan’s sad eyes.

"You once told me to rely on you all more. So, shouldn’t you rely on us too? Helping each other, trusting each other, depending on each other—isn’t that what family is?"

Mo Yao was emotional. As she spoke, tears started falling again.

Family?

In Xia Chuan’s memories, he had lost family long ago. Since his so-called father abandoned him, he had none.

Now, pondering the meaning, he felt unsure.

"Are we... family?"

But hearing those words, a strange warmth filled his heart. Like a ray of winter sun melting the snow.

So warm.

A tear slipped from Xia Chuan’s eye. Hidden emotions finally burst out.

Drop after drop.

He tried to hold back but couldn’t stop.

"Damn it. I didn’t want to cry."

Mo Yao didn’t stop him. She just watched, knowing he needed it.

Soon, Xia Chuan stopped. He was a man, after all. But after crying, he felt lighter.

He looked at Mo Yao. Words failed him.

Finally, all he said was:

"Thank you. Thank you for letting me be your family."

Xia Chuan spoke earnestly.

"Then, can you tell your family what happened?"

Mo Yao truly wanted to know his past. She didn’t want to be ignorant anymore.

Xia Chuan hesitated.

"If you don’t want to, it’s fine. I won’t force you. Just promise not to act like this again."

Seeing his reluctance, Mo Yao quickly waved her hands and whispered.

"Alright. I’ll tell you."

Seeing her understanding, Xia Chuan couldn’t hide anymore.

"Go ahead. It might feel better to talk."

Mo Yao smiled softly, assuring him she’d listen.

"Well..."

Xia Chuan told her everything, including Liu Yixia cutting ties with him.

About ten minutes later, he finished.

"So Miss Liu ended things over this?"

Mo Yao asked, puzzled.

"Yeah. So did I do something wrong?"

Xia Chuan wondered if he’d made a mistake.

Mo Yao didn’t speak immediately.

After a while, she hesitated:

"Xia Chuan, I’m not sure if I should say this."

"Say it."

"But don’t get mad, okay?"

Mo Yao double-checked.

"Alright, say it. You’re acting like an old lady, dragging your feet."

After crying, Xia Chuan felt relaxed and joked.

Mo Yao ignored the comment. She took a deep breath and got straight to the point:

"Xia Chuan, you were partly at fault. But I think Miss Liu Yixia was more to blame. She didn’t see the situation clearly and took her anger out on you. You shouldn’t blame yourself. She should reflect."

Xia Chuan didn’t respond right away.

"Maybe she was too worried about Senior Liu Ziyang."

After a long pause, he managed only that.

"But worry doesn’t give her the right to vent on you!"

Mo Yao’s voice rose unconsciously.

"I..."

Xia Chuan didn’t know how to reply.

"Xia Chuan, is Miss Liu Yixia important to you?"

Seeing him defend her, Mo Yao asked softly.

"Yeah. Very important."

Xia Chuan answered instantly.

Hearing that, Mo Yao felt a pang of sadness but hid it.

"If she’s truly important, wait a few days. When her anger fades, apologize. Girls are usually soft-hearted."

Finally, she gave her advice.

"Thanks, Mo Yao."

After hearing it, Xia Chuan’s mind cleared. He knew what to do.

"No problem."

Seeing his relief, Mo Yao felt a bit down.

"What’s wrong, Mo Yao?"

Xia Chuan sensed her low mood.

"I..."

Mo Yao wanted to say nothing, but the words stuck.

"Hey, can I ask... am I important to you too?"

After an inner struggle, she blurted it out.

As soon as she said it, she panicked. But before she could retract it, Xia Chuan answered:

"Of course you’re important to me, Mo Yao. Aren’t we family? As long as you don’t mind me."

He felt shy but answered sincerely.

Mo Yao froze completely.

When she came to her senses, her face flushed red.

Happy.

She couldn’t suppress the joy.

Seeing her flushed face, Xia Chuan was captivated.

After a moment, he realized his stare and blushed too, his heart fluttering.

"Turn around. I’ll apply more medicinal wine."

Mo Yao noticed his gaze and felt secretly pleased. Whether to apply medicine or change the subject, she chided softly.

"Oh, okay."

Xia Chuan quickly turned away. Looking at her made his heart race stronger.

Mo Yao’s face stayed red even after applying the medicine.

After finishing, she knew it was late. She signaled him to go rest.

"Go to sleep now."

Through the half-open door, only half her face showed. She pouted like a child at Xia Chuan in the hallway.

Then she gently closed the door.

Watching the closed door, Xia Chuan felt dazed. His heart still fluttered.

What’s wrong with me?

After standing there a while, he turned back to his dorm.

——————————————————————————————————

"Bang!"

When Mo Yao heard the door slam across the hall, her wildly pounding heart calmed a little.

Mo Yao, what are you doing?

Touching her still-flushed cheek, she looked blankly at the ceiling.

—————————————————————————————————————

When Xia Chuan got home, he turned off the lights and lay on the bed.

He was injured and should be tired. But...

He couldn’t sleep.

"Mo Yao, Qian Yu..."

Xia Chuan closed his eyes, silently repeating those two names.