Willing to Be for Her - Chapter 26

As Luo Xuan finished speaking, Luo Wei sneered, “You and your ‘beloved’ for life? Luo Xuan, stop joking. Do you really think I’d believe that?”

“Believe it or not, I don’t care,” Luo Xuan replied with a faint smile, her face both beautiful and shadowed.

The woman standing by the door accidentally brushed against the handle, making a small but distinct click that startled the two facing off.

“Yi Qing, what are you doing here?” Luo Wei suddenly panicked, her hands and feet fumbling. *Could Ning Yiqing have heard everything?*

He had heard her provoking Luo Xuan, and Luo Xuan telling her and He Qiuyue to pursue Ning Yiqing freely.

The maid standing nearby was beside herself with anxiety. She had warned Eldest Miss Luo Wei repeatedly, but Luo Wei remained completely oblivious, lost in her… what was it? One-sided bickering with Luo Xuan.

The Luo Family’s opulent and elegant living room fell into complete silence. Ning Yiqing’s eyes swirled with a dark, stormy intensity, his gaze sweeping lightly over Luo Xuan.

*Let Luo Wei and He Qiuyue pursue me freely, while Xiao Xuan will be with the person she loves.*

Who did Luo Xuan love? Xia Zhiwan? Or someone new?

A dull ache pressed against her chest, like a heavy brick suffocating her. The woman struggled to shake off the oppressive emotion, forcing herself to regain her composure.

“Chairman Ning, please come in and have a seat. I’ll make you some tea,” the maid said urgently, eager to escape the strange atmosphere.

“Thank you for your trouble,” Ning Yiqing replied.

Though his features were gentle and refined, his long tenure in a position of power radiated an innate authority that made people instinctively nervous.

“Yi Qing, what brings you here today?” Luo Wei called out, her hand gripping the stair railing as she hurried down to greet him. “Come sit with me on the terrace. I just bought some new potted plants and wanted to ask you for advice on how to care for them.”

Luo Xuan lazily zipped her hoodie all the way up, pulled the hood over her head, and sauntered toward the door, her eyes half-closed. Her slender neck, like fine mutton-fat jade, radiated a clear, ethereal aura.

As Luo Xuan approached, Ning Yiqing’s breath caught in his throat. The girl’s bangs had grown longer, silver strands casually draping over her thin eyelids, translucent and refreshing like dewy glass.

At that moment, the way she looked at Luo Xuan, like the woman herself, was restrained and detached.

“Xiao Xuan,” Ning Yiqing called out in a deep voice as they passed each other. She could smell her scent—the familiar yet fleetingly sweet cherry.

In that brief moment of proximity, the cherry pheromone flooded Ning Yiqing’s senses, like a profound compensation.

A compensation for something fading deep within her body.

“Is there something you need, President Ning?”

“Xiao Xuan, my car is waiting outside. Could you go ahead and wait for me?”

Luo Xuan’s expression was polite but utterly cold, her tone flat and devoid of emotion. “President Ning, I’m sorry, I’m very busy.”

She smiled languidly. “I can’t wait for you.”

With that, Luo Xuan strode out the door without hesitation. The sunlight was bright, and a cool breeze stirred her snow-white hair, carrying the cloying cherry scent tinged with the crispness of ice and snow.

In truth, Luo Xuan didn’t leave quickly. The light around her was utterly ordinary, yet there was an inexplicable, blade-like sharpness to her presence.

A sharpness that seemed… capable of severing the past.

Severing every connection between her and this woman.

Ning Yiqing frowned silently, a hint of displeasure lingering between her refined brows. She suddenly regained her composure, reminding herself that Xiao Xuan was still young and stubbornly independent. Perhaps she would soften with time.

She called out softly again, “Xiao Xuan,” but only received Luo Xuan’s retreating figure in response.

Everyone in the room stood frozen, even the wind seemed to hold its breath. The maid tiptoed past Ning Yiqing, stealing furtive glances at the distinguished guest.

The woman’s austere black attire and pale complexion, shadowed by fatigue beneath her eyes, seemed to have momentarily diminished her usual imposing aura.

*Even someone like her has moments of helplessness.*

“Yi Qing, come and rest. You’ve looked so worn out lately. I’ll make you some nourishing soup later…” Luo Wei’s deliberately solicitous words were cut short by Ning Yiqing.

“There’s no need. I came to apologize. The broken engagement was my fault alone, and has nothing to do with anyone else. I hope you won’t take your anger out on innocent people,” Ning Yiqing said, her tone calm yet carrying an overwhelming weight. “Le Ran will deliver a few gifts later. I’ll take my leave now.”

Understanding Ning Yiqing’s warning against targeting Luo Xuan, Luo Wei bit her lip, her heart seething with resentment.

*What right does that sickly girl have? What does she even have to offer? Is it just her slightly pretty face?*

To put it bluntly, Luo Xuan had nothing to give Ning Yiqing—no wealth, connections, resources, or status—except for the wood carvings Luo Xuan took pride in, which Luo Wei scoffed at.

*So what if the carvings are beautiful and artistically valuable? They’re still just commodities priced in money,* Luo Wei thought bitterly.

“Yi Qing, why… I heard Old Master Ning is already looking for a new marriage partner for you. We grew up together, childhood sweethearts. Don’t you have even a shred of affection for me?”

Ning Yiqing, who had been about to turn away, paused, glanced back at Luo Wei with a hint of surprise, and sighed.

“You should know my temperament by now.”

“Besides, that marriage was originally meant for me. It only went to Luo Xuan by some twist of fate. Shouldn’t she return what rightfully belongs to me?”

Ning Yiqing lowered her brows and chuckled softly, her voice turning icy. “Perhaps I’ve simply grown tired of treating myself and marriage as business transactions.”

“Why?”

The woman had already taken several steps away. Her slender, graceful figure paused, but she didn’t turn back.

Perhaps even she hadn’t fully understood the reasons herself.

The Luo family’s old house was built halfway up the mountainside, a place rarely visited by taxis. Luo Xuan walked directly along the vine-covered, lush green path.

She couldn’t walk too quickly; her feverish body had already broken out in a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.

For days, she had been unable to sleep through the night, wandering the streets alone like a ghost. Her mind churned like a boiling spring, bubbling with wild, absurd, and bizarre ideas.

As a result, her physical stamina had deteriorated significantly.

A silver-roofed sedan pulled up beside her, and a woman gracefully stepped out. Bathed in the warm sunlight, surrounded by the chirping of birds and the drone of cicadas, it felt as if only the two of them existed in that moment.

That clean, fragrant scent enveloped Luo Xuan once more. She smiled inwardly, recognizing the scent of someone she could never mark again.

This thought naturally brought out her lazy, rebellious expression. Luo Xuan lowered her head, rolled up her pant legs to reveal her slender, pale ankles, and quickened her pace, veering further and further away from the asphalt road.

The soft earth of the forest path provided stable footing for her sneakers. She intended to shake off Ning Yiqing completely, but fate had other plans.

The woman behind her wore black high heels, walking with a slight struggle on the grass, yet her elegant and noble demeanor remained undiminished.

Anxiety and restlessness seized Luo Xuan once more. Her forehead was damp, beads of sweat sliding down her high-bridged nose. Her numb emotions suddenly stirred, threatening to revive.

Like ants swarming across her mind, the minute, relentless thoughts gnawed at her remaining rationality.

“Xiao Xuan, wait,” Ning Yiqing called out helplessly from three steps away.

Unexpectedly, the hooded girl stopped. Silver hair obscured her heterochromatic eyes, and she stood motionless, refusing to turn around, her posture stiff and numb.

“Xiao Xuan,” Ning Yiqing murmured, her damp red lips parting slightly, her breath coming in ragged gasps like the whimpering of a small animal.

“I told you I’m busy,” Luo Xuan said, frowning, unsure what Ning Yiqing wanted.

“Dr. Si asked me to take you to the hospital for a follow-up appointment.”

Turning to face Ning Yiqing, Luo Xuan caught a whiff of her clean, detached scent. She said coldly, “I’m not three years old. I can go to the hospital myself. I don’t need President Ning’s concern. Besides, President Ning abandoning her fiancée to come find me—is this some kind of public affair with your ex-wife?”

She couldn’t help but speak with a barbed tone, though she had originally hoped for a clean break.

But why?

Why did Ning Yiqing insist on tormenting her, when she was already more heartbroken than dead?

To Luo Xuan, this was nothing but annoyance and frustration.

“Xiao Xuan, why would you think that?” Ning Yiqing paused, then approached Luo Xuan with deliberate slowness.

“Think what? Sleeping with your unmarkable ex-wife without worrying about pregnancy, knowing her body is clean and familiar? If I were you, I’d seek that kind of pleasure too.”

“Xiao Xuan, don’t be childish,” Ning Yiqing said, her gentle tone carrying an air of condescending pity. “I’ve already called off the engagement.”

“So what?”

Luo Xuan nearly laughed. Looking at the woman before her, so precious and privileged, she couldn’t help but think that either Ning Yiqing or herself must be dreaming or going mad.

“Come back home to live. The rooms are cleaned daily.”

“I see,” Luo Xuan said after a long silence, her smile faint as she met Ning Yiqing’s tender, watery gaze. “I’ll move back to the villa, and in a few days, I’ll hear you say again, ‘I love you, but I’m going to marry her.'”

*Why is Ning Yiqing so… so nonchalant, so calm and composed, so casually asking her to come back?*

*What kind of absurd, ridiculous joke is this?*

*Does she think I’m her pet dog? To be kicked aside when she doesn’t need me, then summoned back with a snap of her fingers, expecting me to come running without hesitation?*

*Does Ning Yiqing think I’m just naturally pathetic? That I enjoy repeating the same mistakes? Does she believe I can’t live without her?*

“No, Xiao Xuan, I wouldn’t do that,” Ning Yiqing said softly, her eyes dark and serious. “Come home, and we can be together again.”

Luo Xuan tilted her chin slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. The sharp, pale line of her jaw gave her an air of stubborn pride.

“President Ning, are you suggesting we remarry?”

The wind whipped through Ning Yiqing’s long hair, obscuring her expression. The delicate balance of light and shadow made her face resemble the moon reflected in ink-washed waters.

“Yes.”

As she spoke those words, Ning Yiqing felt a pang of foolishness and absurdity. She should have ended things cleanly, as she had originally intended.

For people like them, love was the most trivial of things. She had always believed she didn’t need it.

But Luo Xuan’s patience was running out. She was acting impulsively, driven by raw emotion rather than rational thought.

Sometimes, she felt an overwhelming urge to shatter order and principles, to abandon correctness, propriety, and conformity.

Luo Xuan stepped back, tilting her head and smiling, her eyes warm with unshed tears. “President Ning, you’re quite amusing. After such a brief encounter, you’ve come all this way just to tell me a joke.”

“Xiao Xuan, I’m not joking.”

“President Ning, don’t you find this absurd?” The wind whipped Luo Xuan’s breath into ragged gasps. Her smile vanished abruptly, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. “Even if marriage is just a tool, a game, a triviality you can change on a whim, it’s not that to me.”

Her union with Ning Yiqing was nothing more than a gilded vessel, outwardly magnificent but rotten to the core, utterly defiled.

Their shared nights were nothing more than sleeping together while dreaming apart, their intertwined fingers a mere facade concealing their estrangement.

“It’s not a game.”

“Oh, so you love me,” Luo Xuan nodded. “You love me? But I don’t love you anymore.”

Ning Yiqing’s breath hitched. She scrutinized Luo Xuan, searching for any sign of deception in the girl’s expression.

In just over twenty days, the girl Ning Yiqing had thought was merely stubborn and childish had learned to silently conceal her emotions.

Ning Yiqing realized she no longer understood Luo Xuan.

The girl walked away quickly. As Ning Yiqing moved to follow, Lan Leren, standing two meters away, reminded her that she had a meeting with the branch office in an hour.

Ning Yiqing stood motionless on the emerald lawn for a long time, finally sighing and saying she would return to the office for the meeting.

Lan Leren breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, *This is the real Ning Yiqing—the one who never prioritizes personal matters over work, the one who wouldn’t let anything interfere with her professional duties.*

*And certainly not someone who would divorce his ex-wife, break off an engagement with someone else, and then come crawling back to his ex-wife for reconciliation.*

*What kind of irrational, borderline-insane behavior is this?* Lan Leren felt utterly disillusioned.

After the meeting, Ning Yiqing had just settled into her office when Qin Shiyi knocked and burst in, loudly proclaiming she was about to collapse from exhaustion after working non-stop for a month without a single day off.

“I honestly don’t understand how you survive, working almost every day of the year without a break. Is life even worth living for you?”

Ning Yiqing glanced at Qin Shiyi, who immediately noticed her foul mood.

“What’s wrong? Is the Old Master pressuring you to go on blind dates again? Or is Luo Wei still clinging to you? I can see she’s determined. You made this mess yourself, so be careful.”

“It’s not about any of that,” Ning Yiqing said irritably, leaning back in his leather chair with his eyes half-closed, a slight furrow between his brows, his expression silent and impatient.

“Then what’s wrong?” Qin Shiyi asked lazily, reclining on the sofa. Suddenly, a faint possibility occurred to her, and she probed, “You didn’t go looking for Luo Xuan, did you? Is that why you’re acting so crazy? I told you you’d regret it. I’m such a little prophet.”

She remembered Ning Yiqing’s confident declaration that breaking up with Luo Xuan would be for the best. Even though the woman had called off their engagement, there were still plenty of wealthy heiresses and elite individuals waiting for him to choose from.

*It probably has nothing to do with Luo Xuan,* Qin Shiyi thought. *Ning Yiqing isn’t the type to let his heart rule his head. I’m probably wrong this time.*

“I proposed remarriage to Luo Xuan.”

Qin Shiyi, who was eating pineapple, nearly choked to death. She rushed to Ning Yiqing’s desk, disbelief etched on her face. “Say that again?”

Ning Yiqing raised his white jade teacup to his lips, glancing impatiently at Qin Shiyi, his voice losing its usual warmth. “I proposed remarriage. Xiao Xuan refused.”

“Uh, no offense, but Yi Qing, are you out of your mind? Luo Xuan is so desperate to get rid of her mark that she’s willing to undergo surgery despite her poor health. You think she’d agree to remarry you now? You must be hallucinating. Do you *really* regret it now?”

Qin Shiyi’s tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.

*Regret?* Ning Yiqing felt a pang of confusion. She didn’t know what regret truly felt like; perhaps it was merely habit.

She was accustomed to having Luo Xuan in her life. This sudden separation had thrown her off balance, leaving her restless and sleepless.

“I just don’t like change,” Ning Yiqing said. “Xiao Xuan was so obedient when she was with me. She seems… to have changed so much, grown up in an instant.”

“Oh my, didn’t you say you could cut ties with Luo Xuan anytime? You, the master of Supreme Emotionless Cultivation, finally crashed and burned?” Qin Shiyi laughed so hard she nearly doubled over, unable to stop her mirth.

Ning Yiqing clutched her snow-green prayer beads, staring at her phone, her thoughts unreadable.

A knock sounded at the office door. Lan Leren entered, carrying a cardboard box. After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “President Ning, there’s something here from the flower shop.”

Seeing Ning Yiqing’s unsettled state, Lan Leren wasted no time. She and Qin Shiyi immediately found scissors and began opening the box.

Inside the oak box was a potted arrangement of dandelions and baby’s breath. The fluffy seed heads bloomed freely, their emerald leaves crisp and clean. The delicate white puffs seemed so light they might float away at any moment.

“Why dandelions and baby’s breath?” Qin Shiyi’s sharp eyes spotted a misty blue card beside the potted plants, its handwriting neat and crisp.

Thank you for taking me to see the sea. I wanted to send you the stars of spring and a sense of freedom.

— Your Luo Xuan

“Still calling you ‘Sister,’ tsk tsk. ‘Sending the stars of spring’? How romantic! Thanking you for a trip to the sea? There must have been plans for summer, autumn, and winter too,” Qin Shiyi said with a smile, glancing at the card’s date—before Ning Yiqing and Luo Xuan’s divorce. “Oh, looks like those plans fell through.”

“And it’s signed ‘Your Luo Xuan’—not yours anymore,” she added.

In other words, these were two potted plants Luo Xuan had ordered from the florist over a month ago. Now that they were in full bloom, the florist had delivered them according to the scheduled date.

She probably just forgot to cancel the order.

Qin Shiyi watched Ning Yiqing with a knowing smile, noticing the woman’s eyes narrow slightly as she deliberately focused on the lush, vibrant plants.

She’d never seen Ning Yiqing so evasive before. It was quite a novelty.

From childhood, Ning Yiqing had excelled in everything—academics, skills, nearly perfect scores in every subject. She’d sailed through life effortlessly, a perfectionist in all her endeavors.

Finally, something had gone wrong for Ning Yiqing.

“President Ning, should I put the potted plants in your office?” Lan Leren carefully observed Ning Yiqing’s expression. Though his face showed no obvious change, she sensed something beneath the calm surface, something on the verge of shattering.

“One for my home, one for here.”

In Capital City, Ning Yiqing maintained three residences. Lan Leren couldn’t immediately discern which one he meant, so she braved the oppressive atmosphere and asked, “Which home?”

“The garden villa. Place it in my bedroom,” Ning Yiqing instructed, his fingertip brushing the dandelion’s fluffy seed head. Though she should have felt joy at receiving a gift, she only felt a profound sense of loss.

The dandelion must have been prepared by Luo Xuan before their trip to the sea, a gift of springtime stars and… freedom.

*How could someone be so determined to give me freedom?* she wondered. *No one has ever thought I wasn’t free.*

Wealth, power—for the wealthy to claim they lack freedom seemed absurd, inviting ridicule.

As Ning Yiqing gazed at Luo Xuan’s elegant, carefree handwriting on the card, her smile faded, but a tender warmth bloomed in her heart.

In her mind, she heard Luo Xuan’s innocent, romantic voice:

*—Watching the stars in the far north must be lonely, but it must also be beautiful. It’s amazing that you have such a dream.*

It was the first time anyone had ever told her that her dream was remarkable.

Before that, who had ever cared whether she had a dream, or even what a dream was?

People like her, who wielded power, were supposed to be devoid of desires, not indulging in frivolous talk about dreams.

Yet, on that occasion, she hadn’t even been able to take Xiao Xuan to see the sea. So close, yet forever out of reach.

Regret? She didn’t know. All she felt was a tightness in her chest, her breathing heavy and labored, her heart sinking like a stone.

Gazing at the vibrant, thriving potted plant, Ning Yiqing suddenly realized she had truly lost something precious, gaining only emptiness in return.

And so, she felt a sharp, piercing pain.

“In the bedroom? But you’ve always disliked having extra things in your room…” Lan Leren exclaimed in surprise, noticing the CEO tuck the card into his pocket as if it were a priceless treasure.

“I’ll take care of it myself when I get home tonight,” Ning Yiqing said, trying to conceal the anguish in his eyes. But the pain coursed through his entire being, betraying unmistakable signs of regret. “Has Xiao Xuan’s room been cleaned?”

Startled by Ning Yiqing’s question, Lan Leren quickly replied:

“Yes, yes, it’s been cleaned. They keep it spotless, not a speck of dust.”

“That’s good,” Ning Yiqing murmured, nodding with a dazed look in her eyes.

Lan Leren left with only the wooden box, leaving Star and Freedom on Ning Yiqing’s meticulously organized desk.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Qin Shiyi clicked her tongue, her sarcasm as sharp as ever. “Luo Xuan was so good to you back then. Too bad it’s all in the past. You two have nothing to do with each other now.”

Suddenly, she noticed Ning Yiqing smile almost imperceptibly, the expression vanishing as quickly as it appeared.

Something felt different. The Ning Yiqing she knew was gentle and composed, serious and diligent, decisive and efficient in her work, and always polite, tolerant, and easy to get along with.

Yet few had ever seen Ning Yiqing smile.

In everyone’s memory, Ning Yiqing was someone who suppressed her emotions to the point of seeming emotionless—cold and aloof.

But perhaps that wasn’t the whole truth.

In that fleeting moment, the woman seemed to become vulnerable, no longer the aloof, unassailable figure she usually presented.

Perhaps everyone is inherently sensitive and fragile; she simply chose not to show it.

Seeing Ning Yiqing pick up her phone, Qin Shiyi asked, “Are you going to call Luo Xuan? If you are, hurry up. I want to watch.”

Ning Yiqing immediately hesitated, her jade-like fingers sliding back and forth across the screen. As if remembering something, she opened WeChat.

Luo Xuan’s friend request had expired two months ago, a fact she had completely forgotten.

Ning Yiqing closed her eyes briefly, the lingering shock and pain still palpable.

Xiao Xuan, thank you for giving me the Star and freedom. I really like them.

Friend request sent.

Qin Shiyi leaned against the desk, frowning. “Tsk, you don’t even have Luo Xuan on WeChat? I do.”

At this, Ning Yiqing’s eyes darkened, and she asked coldly, “How did you get her WeChat?”

“We exchanged contacts when we met. A white-haired, heterochromatic-eyed girl? Who could resist taking a second look?” Qin Shiyi yawned. “My Omega sisters saw Luo Xuan’s photo on my phone one day and started howling, begging me to introduce them.”

“You introduced them?” Ning Yiqing asked, his eyelids lifting slightly, his gaze as cold as freshly fallen snow as he looked at Qin Shiyi.

“Cough, cough, of course not!” Qin Shiyi nervously twisted her fingers. “I’m not that kind of person. You’re overthinking things. How could I? Don’t worry.”

To avoid Ning Yiqing noticing her unease, Qin Shiyi quickly opened Luo Xuan’s WeChat Moments. She saw the girl had just posted two tickets to the Firefly Exhibition Hall, dated for the day after tomorrow.

“Firefly Exhibition Hall? Luo Xuan has quite the artistic flair. I’ve seen her wood carvings—they’re so creative. It’s rare to meet someone with genuine artistic talent.”

*Xiao Xuan’s wood carvings?* Ning Yiqing’s porcelain-white fingers swirled his phone. He had only seen two: a star-shaped nightlight and a White Sandalwood box.

A WeChat notification popped up: Luo Xuan had rejected his friend request.

Ning Yiqing froze, while Qin Shiyi chuckled softly, a hint of malice in her voice.

“This is the most interesting thing I’ve seen after all my hard work.”

The woman’s brow furrowed involuntarily as she quickly dialed a number.

“We’re sorry, the number you’ve dialed is currently out of service. Please try again later.”

After three attempts, the same cold, mechanical female voice echoed through the phone each time. Qin Shiyi slapped her forehead and declared solemnly, “You’ve been blocked. Luo Xuan’s WeChat location shows she’s in her university dorm, so she’s definitely in service range.”

An indescribable, subtle agitation swept through Ning Yiqing’s mind. He removed the prayer beads from his wrist, the blue veins winding beneath his porcelain-white skin.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you want to wear them anymore?” Qin Shiyi asked. She remembered these beads were a gift from Old Master Ning, meant to constantly remind Yi Qing to maintain a pure mind and righteous heart. They were precious and never left his side.

The beads’ icy texture helped Ning Yiqing regain some clarity. He twirled them between his fingers as he poured himself a glass of brandy and drained it in one gulp.

The strong liquor flushed Ning Yiqing’s cheeks with a delicate pink. His gentle eyes now held a dark, swirling light. Stunned, Qin Shiyi poured herself a glass as well.

This was the first time she had ever seen Ning Yiqing drink. The man had always lived a life of asceticism, abstaining from alcohol, desire, and worldly pleasures. For a decade, he had maintained this discipline, living almost like a wandering ascetic devoted to meditation and enlightenment.

It seemed he had truly suffered a profound shock.

“Should we go to the Firefly Exhibition Hall to find Luo Xuan? But there’s a financial summit the day after tomorrow, so you probably won’t have time. Maybe we should forget about it?”

The office fell silent. A spring breeze drifted in, stirring the dandelions on the desk. Their white, fluffy seeds danced in the air, bright and soft, making everything else seem lifeless by comparison.

Qin Shiyi caught another glimpse of the woman’s weary, pained expression and suddenly understood why a pot of dandelions symbolized freedom.

To dance freely on the breeze, wherever it might lead, was far more liberating than sitting high and mighty in the gilded cage of power that Ning Yiqing occupied.

“I’ll send Ziqi in my place,” Ning Yiqing said, withdrawing her gaze with practiced ease. She made an internal call, instructing Lan Leren to notify her cousin, Ning Ziqi.

“Ziqi has been managing Ninghuan Entertainment quite well. I heard he’s planning to take Yixin deep into the mountains to film a movie soon?”

Brandy moistened the woman’s pale, soft lips. The fiery liquor slid down her throat before Ning Yiqing murmured a low “Hmm.”

Her expression softened when speaking of her cousin and sister. “Yixin loves making movies.”

“So you’re the only one in your family who studied art management and art history? Your siblings are all artistically inclined, while you’re a thoroughbred capitalist.”

Ning Yiqing’s eyes closed naturally. She found Qin Shiyi’s words irrefutable.

She was, indeed, a heartless capitalist through and through.

The Firefly Exhibition Hall had a history spanning several decades, during which it had showcased countless priceless works of art. Director Xia, personally responsible for unearthing many promising new talents, was renowned as a discerning patron of the arts.

This exhibition primarily featured sculptures and carvings, showcasing masterpieces from both ancient and modern masters, spanning cultures worldwide.

Luo Xuan wore a thin fleece hoodie beneath a thick wool coat. Despite feeling overheated, the slightest breeze sent a chill deep into her bones.

*My health must be deteriorating,* she thought. *But this has always been the case during the transition from spring to summer.*

The exhibition hall was sparsely populated, with visitors strolling through the long corridors in small groups or alone.

Some gazed at the exhibits with rapturous fascination, while others seemed bored and indifferent, merely going through the motions.

After all, these were just lifeless objects carved from stone and wood. It was perfectly understandable that most people found them dull and uninspiring.

“Xuanxuan, over here!” Xia Zhiwan called out, having just finished giving instructions to a staff member. She spotted Luo Xuan entering, wrapped in a scarf. “Have some hot water.”

She handed Luo Xuan a cup of lemon black tea.

“Thank you, Sister Zhiwan…” Luo Xuan accepted the tea and was about to express her gratitude when she noticed Xia Zhiwan raise an eyebrow.

“We agreed you wouldn’t call me so formally,” Xia Zhiwan said, tugging on Luo Xuan’s sleeve. “Come with me. Your wood carving is in Exhibition Hall Three.”

“Alright, Wanwan,” Luo Xuan replied with a helpless smile, immediately followed by a wave of dizziness. Xia Zhiwan pulled her away.

The last visitors had just left Exhibition Hall Three. Luo Xuan’s artwork was displayed on the left side of the hall. Qin Shiyi stood beside Ning Yiqing, stroking her chin as she offered a grudging critique:

“I don’t know much about art—I never paid attention in class—but your ex-wife’s work seems… interesting. It’s not one of those pretentious, highbrow pieces. I never thought Luo Xuan, who looks so aloof, could actually be so endearing.”

Hearing the words “ex-wife,” Ning Yiqing’s brow furrowed visibly, and she looked away.

That unfamiliar restlessness stirred within her again, making it impossible to focus. She removed her long black coat, revealing a matching high-necked cashmere sweater that accentuated her hourglass figure and long legs.

“Luo Xuan, are you alright?” Xia Zhiwan asked, awkwardly cradling the woman who had collapsed to one knee. She frantically signaled a staff member to call for medical assistance.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Luo Xuan said, wiping bl00d from her lips and reassuring the terrified Xia Zhiwan with unfocused eyes. “It’s just an old condition. I’ll be better after a rest.”

When Ning Yiqing turned around, this was the scene that greeted her.

The silver-haired girl was being held in someone’s arms, her face pale as death, a crimson smear on her lips lending her a vampire-like, tragic beauty—a life hanging by a thread, consumed by illness.

The luxurious long coat slipped lightly to the floor, and Ning Yiqing nearly lost her ability to think.

The tip of her nose brushed against the clean, pure scent of White Sandalwood, a fragrance as gentle as morning mist over mountain peaks, perfectly neutralizing the metallic tang of bl00d in her mouth.

Luo Xuan, feverish and in pain, looked up and saw the woman’s delicate, refined features—perfectly balanced, like a layer of luminous jade, elegant as frost, and naturally regal.

“Miss Xia, you can leave Xiao Xuan to me,” Ning Yiqing said, her jade-white fingers clenching as she fixed her gaze on Xia Zhiwan’s arm around Luo Xuan.

Having ruthlessly divorced Luo Xuan, Xia Zhiwan couldn’t understand why Ning Yiqing was now showing concern. Her tone was sharp and confrontational:

“Chairman Ning, under what pretense are you now showing concern for our Luo Xuan? As the heartless, ungrateful ex-wife who severed all ties?”

Ning Yiqing produced an embroidered handkerchief, intending to wipe the thin layer of sweat from Luo Xuan’s forehead, but the girl bit her lip and evaded the gesture.

The woman’s expression remained cold as she slowly withdrew her slightly trembling fingers. “This seems to have nothing to do with Miss Xia.”

“How can it not?” Xia Zhiwan retorted, her voice gaining confidence as she noticed Luo Xuan’s attempt to avoid Ning Yiqing. “Xuanxuan doesn’t want to see you, does she?”

The atmosphere between the two Omegas froze to absolute zero. Ning Yiqing’s imposing aura stifled Qin Shiyi, who wanted to ease the tension but found herself too intimidated to speak.

“Besides, my family owns a hospital. We can definitely take good care of Xuanxuan,” Xia Zhiwan said, supporting Luo Xuan as she prepared to leave. “President Ning, please show some grace and step aside.”

“I will take good care of Xiao Xuan.”

Qin Shiyi stared in disbelief as Ning Yiqing engaged in this blatant display of jealousy and possessiveness, her jaw nearly dropping. *This is a classic scene of two Omegas fighting over an Alpha!*

And Ning Yiqing was losing ground.

The clean, white sandalwood scent grew increasingly intense. Luo Xuan, her teeth clenched, weakly looked at Ning Yiqing, her pale lips parting to whisper, “Please… stay away from me. I don’t want to… see you.”

“Wanwan, take me away.”