Why Suffer for This Distress (GL) - Chapter 17

This single sentence warmed a heart. He Jingmo leaned against Su Xiyan’s embrace, crying quietly and full of grievances. If Su Xiyan had truly left and not returned, He Jingmo wouldn’t have been this upset. But really leaning into Su Xiyan’s arms, the long-suppressed sense of grievance completely erupted. She clutched Su Xiyan’s clothes, buried her head, and sobbed silently, her body trembling violently. Su Xiyan was heartbroken, comforting her endlessly, “There, there. Where are all these tears coming from?” She was so glad she hadn’t just left. Su Xiyan gently wiped the tears from He Jingmo’s face, but her own eyes gradually became moist.

“Why are you crying?” He Jingmo questioned Su Xiyan through her sobs. Su Xiyan looked at her, her eyes full of distress, “It’s all because your crying infected me.” Seeing He Jingmo cry made her cry too. This had happened since college; it wasn’t the first time she would inexplicably shed tears. Previously, Su Xiyan would secretly wipe them away, but this time, she let the tears stream down her face, wanting to release and vent something. Not only was He Jingmo tired, but this suppressed emotion had also strained her to the extreme. Sometimes, tears don’t just represent sadness; they can also represent a suppressed heart.

He Jingmo grabbed her hand, stopping her movement. She turned around, staring unblinkingly at her, “Why did you come back?”

Her lightly blinking eyelashes were still wet with pitiful tears, and her eyes were full of resentment. He Jingmo looked at Su Xiyan, feelings of hurt and grievance surging within her. Su Xiyan looked at her with heartache. Ignoring her struggle, she reached out and pulled her into her embrace, “There, there. Why are you still like this? You’re a grown-up, stop crying.”

“I don’t need you to care. Didn’t you say you were going to leave? Why did you come back!” He Jingmo was still struggling. The more she thought about Su Xiyan’s words, the angrier she became. In all their arguments, they had never used such hurtful words as, “Who am I to you?” But today, Su Xiyan had said it so easily. In that moment, He Jingmo felt that all her efforts had been in vain. If Su Xiyan hadn’t come back, if she hadn’t come back…

Su Xiyan held her tightly in her embrace, rubbing her chin gently against her cheek, “It was my fault. It was my fault, okay? I was angry. Angry that you were dancing with those disreputable people, angry that you were showing your legs. I was truly… very, very angry.”

Su Xiyan finally confessed the truth. Accompanied by this honesty, the force of He Jingmo’s struggle lessened. But she was still hurt by Su Xiyan’s cruel words. She pouted, refusing to soften her stance, “Who are you to me to control me?”

Unexpectedly, instead of her usual avoidance, Su Xiyan held He Jingmo’s body, preventing her from struggling. She looked into her eyes and said clearly, word by word, “You are the most important person to me in this life, in this lifetime.”

The most important person… Although it wasn’t the expected answer, just those significant words, coupled with Su Xiyan’s serious expression, made He Jingmo feel much better. She gradually calmed down and stopped crying. After a moment of quiet embrace, Su Xiyan seized the atmosphere to tease He Jingmo. “Look at this red nose and red eyes. You look like a clown, so cute.” Su Xiyan pinched He Jingmo’s nose to tease her. He Jingmo glared at her and grabbed her mischievous hand, “Isn’t it because of you?”

“Yes, yes, it’s all my fault.” Because of guilt and heartache, Su Xiyan’s attitude was exceptionally sincere. He Jingmo raised an eyebrow at her, “Just saying it is enough?”

“Then what do you want?” Su Xiyan looked at He Jingmo innocently. Seeing the redness and swelling around her eyes, she felt pained, and tightened the arm holding her.

He Jingmo felt the pressure. While the corners of her mouth slightly lifted, she relaxed and leaned further into Su Xiyan’s arms.

“I want to punish you.”

“Punish what?” Su Xiyan frowned, feeling He Jingmo’s slightly cool body. She wrapped her entire body in her embrace and held her tightly. He Jingmo’s mood was like a roller coaster, with drastic ups and downs. She smiled slightly and thought for a moment before saying, “I want you to give me a piggyback ride.”

“Hey, what’s so difficult about that?” Su Xiyan looked at He Jingmo with full confidence. What’s the big deal? It’s not the first time she’s carried her. She thought He Jingmo would make some demanding condition. He Jingmo looked at her cunningly and smiled, “You have to follow my verbal commands.”

“No problem, come on!” Su Xiyan agreed readily. At this moment, even if He Jingmo asked her to die, she would agree immediately. She had finally coaxed this difficult lady. If she got upset again, she would truly lose everything.

The two stood up together. He Jingmo, in a great mood, looked at Su Xiyan bending down, ready to be a big horse, and then looked at her high heels. Her lips curled slightly, and she climbed onto Su Xiyan without hesitation.

“Ouch!”

The sudden momentum made Su Xiyan stumble a few steps forward, and her face turned half-red. He Jingmo hugged her neck. After making sure she was stable and wouldn’t fall, she immediately began giving commands, “Student Su!”

“Present!” Su Xiyan immediately responded. Although He Jingmo’s weight bent her back, the sweet feeling almost completely engulfed her. The sense of past happiness surged up again, dispersing her anxious mood from the night.

“Follow my command, walk in step!” He Jingmo waved a hand. Su Xiyan, in her high heels, took large steps forward according to the command, her expression uplifted and full of fighting spirit, with a sense of solemnity reminiscent of marching in college.

“One-two-one! One-two-one, one—two—three—four—” He Jingmo was truly a teacher; her commands were loud and clear. Su Xiyan looked at the surrounding people’s surprised and chuckling eyes with a dark face, hesitating whether to shout the count, but felt a sharp pain on her butt, kicked by He Jingmo’s knee.

“One-two—three-four—”

Su Xiyan stretched her neck and shouted along. Her entire face turned red afterward. He Jingmo pinched her ear and laughed happily, “What’s wrong? Didn’t you say business people need to have thick skin? And you call yourself thick-skinned? You can’t even handle a single command?”

“Who said I can’t handle it!” Su Xiyan defended herself with a red face, “Give me another one!”

He Jingmo nodded, “Alright. Now, Student Su, please move your steps according to my command.”

“Student Su, twist your left buttock, wave your left hand, maintain a bright expression, a tall posture, and step towards tomorrow with an uplifted fighting spirit!”

“Stepping towards tomorrow? Wouldn’t that be time travel?”

Su Xiyan didn’t dare to breathe heavily, mumbling while following He Jingmo’s requested movements. After just a few steps, she felt something was wrong and asked curiously, “Jingmo, isn’t this cross-stepping?”

“That’s right. This is the latest method for exercising the left brain.” He Jingmo was having fun and casually made up an excuse without thinking. Su Xiyan knew she was playing with her. She shook her head, hugged her legs with both hands, bounced her once, and amidst He Jingmo’s startled cry, quickened her pace and ran toward the seaside. The two laughed together, all their unhappiness dissipating with the wind. Their long hair intertwined. He Jingmo pressed her ear against Su Xiyan’s back, her face full of contented smiles. At this moment, there were no worries or pressures, and they felt as if they had momentarily returned to their college days.

Not far away, Xiao Moyan, holding binoculars and watching the two, had a mischievous smile on her face. Beside her, Xia Lingying was also watching, her face filled with deep affection.

“How adorably childish.” Xiao Moyan sighed. Xia Lingying turned and glanced at her, smiling: “They are very happy.”

Xiao Moyan smacked her lips, still unsatisfied, and said, “It wasn’t as intense as I imagined.”

“What were you imagining?” Xia Lingying frowned. This person definitely wasn’t thinking of anything good. Xiao Moyan looked at her triumphantly, her eyes gleaming, “This girl is still not as good as me back then. If that were me, I would have rushed over and settled it right there on the spot!”

“Oh? How would you settle it?” Xia Lingying raised an eyebrow and looked at her. Xiao Moyan grinned, demonstrating as she spoke. She took a step forward, hugged Xia Lingying, turned, pressed her against the wall, and pouted for a kiss, “I would kiss her like this.” After saying this, she raised her hand and lifted Xia Lingying’s skirt, “And then touch her like this.”

“Xiao!” Xia Lingying slapped away Xiao Moyan’s hand, her face flushed as she glared at her angrily. Xiao Moyan laughed nonchalantly, “What’s wrong? We’re an old couple, and you’re still shy? Do you want to learn from those two kids?”

Xia Lingying rolled her eyes at her, “You shouldn’t look down on them. Their relationship is no less deep than ours. The most important thing is that they care for each other. Not like you, who only knew how to mess around back then.”

Xiao Moyan laughed and pulled the slightly nauseous Xia Lingying into her arms, kissing her ear, “It’s a good thing my dear wife decided to be the bigger person and didn’t give up on me.”

Xia Lingying leaned in her arms, looking at the two people still running and playing wildly in the distance, her eyes full of tenderness.

“Xiao.”

“Mmm?”

Xiao Moyan looked at her gently. Xia Lingying smiled at her, “You say, which of the two loves deeper?”

“What do you think?” Xiao Moyan countered the question instead of answering. Xia Lingying thought for a moment and said, “He Jingmo. Her silent waiting makes my heart ache just watching it.”

Xiao Moyan smiled and kissed Xia Lingying’s ear. Xia Lingying frowned, looking at her with displeasure, “What? Did I say something wrong? Compared to He, Su Xiyan is too careless and crude.”

Xiao Moyan looked at Xia Lingying, smiling as she pinched her nose, “You, my wife. Who told you that deep affection must be openly displayed? Don’t underestimate Su Xiyan. A person like her will not easily make any commitment until she is fully determined. Once she sets her mind to it, her affection, heh heh.”

Xiao Moyan left the sentence unfinished. Xia Lingying looked at her in surprise, “Are you saying she—”

“Shh—” Xiao Moyan gently covered her mouth with one hand, looking into Xia Lingying’s eyes, “Right now, there is no one else, only you and me.” She didn’t want this rare romantic time with her wife to be interrupted by these two kids. To Xiao Moyan’s surprise, Xia Lingying did not act shy as usual. Instead, she raised both hands and wrapped them around her neck. Under Xiao Moyan’s surprised gaze, she looked at her with a half-smile, “That’s right, Xiao. No one else is here. What do you want to do?”