Chapter 1359: 1358 leaving
Chapter 1359: 1358 leaving
Due to weather conditions, Mo Xiuchen didn’t rush back to G City and instead booked a flight two days later.
On the afternoon before returning, Mo Xiuchen and Gu Kai sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, drinking red wine and chatting.
Mo Xiuchen’s phone suddenly rang. Seeing the caller ID, the corners of his lips curved into a smile. With his slender index finger, he pressed the answer button, “Hello, Ranran.”
“Xiuchen, Yiyi is missing.”
Wen Ran’s urgent voice came through, and Mo Xiuchen’s expression changed, although his tone remained calm and gentle: “Ranran, don’t worry. What happened?”
He stood up, stepped away from his seat, and walked a few paces to the side.
Gu Kai glanced at him, his brows frowning slightly.
“Early this morning, Yiyi dropped Tongtong off at our house. I thought, just like yesterday, she was going to work and left Tongtong to play with Ziyi and the others. But just now, my brother called to say Yiyi resigned.”
“Resigned?”
Mo Xiuchen squinted slightly, his handsome brow furrowing gently as he repeated Wen Ran’s words.
“Yes, she resigned. I tried calling her, but her phone was off. Until two minutes ago, I received a message from her saying she had left G City. I called her again immediately, and she told me she won’t come back and asked my brother to raise Tongtong.”
“Why would she leave so suddenly?” Mo Xiuchen asked, puzzled.
On the sofa behind him, Gu Kai’s expression changed. Although Mo Xiuchen hadn’t mentioned names, and he couldn’t hear what Ranran was saying on the other end, that sentence — ‘Why would she leave so suddenly’ — inexplicably tugged at Gu Kai’s heart.
A hard-to-describe emotion instantly spread throughout his chest.
“Aunt Bai came back last night. This morning, Yiyi brought Tongtong over to our house. I didn’t know she’d returned until just now when Aunt Bai also received a text message from Yiyi and came over.”
“Ranran, I understand. Let’s leave it at that for now.” Mo Xiuchen turned his head to glance at Gu Kai, who was sitting on the sofa watching him. Their gazes met, and Gu Kai instinctively pursed his lips.
Mo Xiuchen hung up the phone and returned to sit down on the sofa.
“What did Ranran say?”
Gu Kai asked. Mo Xiuchen thought for a moment before answering, “Bai Yiyi has left G City and said she won’t come back.”
“What?” Gu Kai’s handsome face showed a look of shock upon hearing this.
Mo Xiuchen’s eyebrows remained calm as he looked into Gu Kai’s gaze, which was profoundly deep, “Ranran said Yiyi’s mother has returned. Yiyi’s departure might have something to do with her mother and with what Li En said to you.”
Gu Kai’s hand resting on his leg tightened, his fingers suddenly curling. The lines of his features took on a chilling sharpness, “So that means what Li En told me was true.”
“What did Li En tell you?” Mo Xiuchen had spent the past two days with Gu Kai, only briefly questioning him the first night. Since then, he hadn’t brought it up.
Nor had Gu Kai spoken about it.
Now, with Mo Xiuchen bringing it up again, Gu Kai lowered his gaze, his voice emerging from between pressed lips, tinged with restraint and coldness, “Li En said that both Bai Yuqin and Bai Yiyi were involved in what happened back then.”
“Ah Kai, Li En saying that Bai Yuqin was involved is understandable, but how could Bai Yiyi be? She’s the same age as Ranran. Ranran was only six months old when Fu Jingyi took her. At that time, Bai Yiyi would have been just a few months old, right?”
Mo Xiuchen’s narrow eyes glinted sharply as he looked at Gu Kai with deep scrutiny.
Gu Kai’s lips curled into a cold smile, “Bai Yuqin helped Fu Jingyi evade police investigations. At that time, Bai Yiyi was indeed too young to be involved. But Li En told me that on Bai Yiyi’s sixth birthday, Bai Yuqin took her to meet Fu Jingyi.”
“Her sixth birthday?” Mo Xiuchen looked at Gu Kai, puzzled.
Gu Kai didn’t reply and just pressed his lips tightly together.
Mo Xiuchen sighed lightly, his tone gentle and even, “Ah Kai, you must not have fully believed Li En’s words at the time, which is why you came here alone to clear your thoughts.”
“Yes.”
Gu Kai’s reply was curt.
Mo Xiuchen leaned back into the sofa, crossing his legs, a faint smile on his lips, “I remember you once said this villa was built by our dad for our mom. You often vacationed here. Choosing this place was your way of punishing yourself.”
“I’m not punishing myself; I just wanted to think things through. I do like Bai Yiyi. After hesitating for so long, I decided to let go of the past and be with her.” Gu Kai’s voice carried a hint of melancholy amidst its heaviness.
“But my condition for letting go of the past is that what happened back then has nothing to do with her or her mother. If, on her sixth birthday, she did go with her mother to meet Fu Jingyi, then she must remember it but deliberately hid it from me. Xiuchen, I cannot accept being deceived like this, let alone accept that she could be so cruel at such a young age.”
Six years old — old enough to remember.
“Did Li En tell you that Bai Yiyi went to see her father on her sixth birthday?” Mo Xiuchen’s brows knitted slightly, “Could it be that she’s lying to you?”
“If Li En’s words were all lies, do you think Bai Yiyi would have returned Tongtong to me and left G City on her own?” Gu Kai’s lips curled into a sharp, cold line.
Mo Xiuchen was momentarily rendered speechless by his question.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room turned stifling.
Gu Kai lowered his head, lost in thought about something.
Mo Xiuchen waited a minute but still didn’t hear Gu Kai speak again. He broke the silence, “I only spoke a few words with Ranran earlier before hanging up. She’s probably still worried about both you and Bai Yiyi. Ah Kai, when do you plan to go back?”
“Tomorrow. There’s no rush right now.”
Gu Kai had been stunned earlier when he first heard about Bai Yiyi leaving G City.
But in just those few minutes, he had already calmed down.
Mo Xiuchen nodded. Since Gu Kai wasn’t in a hurry, neither was he. After all, Bai Yiyi was already gone, so there was no point in rushing back now.
If Gu Kai didn’t want to give up, he could find Bai Yiyi even if she went to the ends of the earth.
“I’ll call Ranran back and tell her not to meddle in your and Bai Yiyi’s matters anymore.” Mo Xiuchen felt for his wife. She had been worrying about Gu Kai these past days, which was why he had come here to find him.
“Alright. I’m going upstairs to take a nap. Let Ranran know to help take care of Tongtong for now. We’ll head back tomorrow.”
After saying this, Gu Kai stood up and went straight upstairs.
Mo Xiuchen watched his figure disappear at the staircase and sighed lightly. Taking out his phone, he dialed Wen Ran’s number.
Wen Ran had been waiting for his callback. The phone had barely rung once when she answered, “Xiuchen.”
“Ranran, I just talked to Ah Kai. He didn’t have much of a reaction. Maybe he truly wants to end things with Bai Yiyi.”
Mo Xiuchen spoke to Wen Ran in a tone more tender than with anyone else. The deep, soothing warmth in his voice carried a unique affection for her.
“When are you coming back?” Wen Ran’s voice held regret over their separation.