CHAPTER 123: CHAPTER 120 WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

"Okay."

Qi Longbing’s hands clenched tightly, and he quickly stepped out of the villa, heading towards the back mountain in search.

An indeterminate amount of time passed—perhaps two hours, or even four.

A pale, beautiful figure gradually emerged from the dark night.

Qi Longbing stared for a moment, then immediately moved towards the pale, beautiful silhouette.

"Hua Xiaomo, you damn woman, where did you run off to?" Qi Longbing shouted at her, his handsome face as dark as a stormy sky, his blue eyes blazing with deep anger.

Hua Xiaomo, startled by his shouting, could only make out the shadow on his face under the moonlight; his expression wasn’t entirely clear.

Gathering her thoughts, Hua Xiaomo managed a strained smile and explained, "Sorry, I went to play on the mountain for a while and lost track of time."

But at that moment, her foot was in excruciating pain. Heaven knows she wanted to come down the mountain sooner! Unfortunately, she was wearing high heels!

It’s easy to ascend a mountain, but difficult to descend. It was pitch black everywhere, and the heel of one of her high heels had broken. She had no choice but to break off the other heel as well, just to be able to walk.

"...Play? Is that all you know? Apart from playing, what else are you good for?" Qi Longbing said angrily.

When he woke up, she wasn’t dutifully by his side where she belonged, but had instead run off to enjoy herself, forgetting everything else?

Even more infuriating was that he still remembered the scene where he encountered Mo Rutian at the Huahuo Music Hall.

Damn it, he dared tell her to leave him? That bastard! He definitely wouldn’t let that pretty boy off!

Meanwhile, when Yu Bao saw that Qi Longbing had found Hua Xiaomo, he quickly gestured to the others. They vanished instantly, leaving the area entirely to the two of them.

Hua Xiaomo’s face darkened at his scolding. She took a deep breath to compose herself.

She offered a faint smile. "President Qi, why are you so angry? I’m just a nobody who isn’t good at anything, really..." Then, she slowly walked over. "Let’s go. Don’t stand out here in the cold wind; it’s warmer inside the villa."

Alright, as long as I can get through these days peacefully, enduring a little anger is no big deal.

"..." Qi Longbing’s handsome, gloomy face flickered with several emotions as he watched her. Her delicate, tapered face possessed the most exquisite contours and curves, but her long, choppy bangs covered her eyes, preventing him from clearly seeing their expression.

Suddenly, he walked closer to her.

Hua Xiaomo stepped back, her face turning as pale as wax paper. But after a two-second pause, she forced another unnatural smile.

She suppressed it—intensely suppressed all her pain and anguish.

She repeatedly told herself to just get through it calmly. There was nothing she couldn’t endure.

"Let’s go," Hua Xiaomo said, her smile very stiff.

Qi Longbing didn’t say anything, but when he noticed her walking extremely slowly, he frowned. "What’s wrong with your foot?"

"Nothing much," Hua Xiaomo answered, smiling. "President Qi, why don’t you walk ahead? I’ll follow behind. Don’t worry, I won’t get lost."

Qi Longbing approached her, his earlier rage gradually subsiding somewhat. "Hua Xiaomo, how about I carry you..."

"No!" Hua Xiaomo refused without a second thought. Seeing the shadow on his expression, she suddenly realized her tone was too harsh and forced a smile. "I mean, I can walk by myself."

A smile bloomed on Qi Longbing’s stunning face. She’s so stubborn! Her leg clearly can’t support her, yet she still insists on walking? Does she have to be this pigheaded?

This stubborn little thing... Well, at this moment, he actually quite admired her spirit. He found her personality quite good, very impressive indeed—enough to make him look at her in a new light!

Hua Xiaomo froze, her intended step faltering...

Isn’t that the truth?

This month, as long as it’s not too excessive, he can do as he pleases.

Hua Xiaomo’s eyelids drooped slightly, her feathery lashes casting heavy shadows on her face as her heart sank bit by bit.

Qi Longbing looked at her delicate face and smiled, his gaze lingering on every detail—from her forehead to her eyes, her brows, and then to the corners of her lips.

Her demeanor was very calm, like an obedient doll; it truly gave a good impression.

A perverse sense of pleasure bloomed in Qi Longbing’s heart. "Xiao Mo, tell me... are you happy being with me?"

"Happy!" Hua Xiaomo replied with a smile.

Qi Longbing also smiled. Whether her answer was sincere or feigned, it deeply gratified him.

He quickly leaned in close to her ear, about to say something when—

"President Qi, it’s getting late. I should be going back now," Hua Xiaomo said with a smile.

However, those words sounded entirely different to Qi Longbing. His devastatingly handsome face instantly became unreadable.

Taking her arm, he whispered in her ear, a hint of conjecture in his tone, "Tell me... after a month, will you stop bothering with me?"

Hua Xiaomo was taken aback but smiled again. "How could that be? President Qi, you’re overthinking it. Let’s go, the night wind is quite strong."

At this moment, the wind at the foot of the mountain was indeed quite fierce, whipping her hair into disarray. He, too, felt the chill and thought they should return soon. He didn’t want to linger, as he also disliked the night wind; too much exposure could lead to a cold.

"You’re right, how could you possibly ignore me?" Qi Longbing mischievously grinned and lifted her up.

"You—you put me down now!" Hua Xiaomo cried out, her face paling in alarm as she found herself suddenly lifted off the ground.

No matter what, her leg was in such bad shape she couldn’t walk at all; he had to carry her. Besides, carrying her like this also made him feel quite unsettled! Fine, he was just concerned about her. He had no ulterior motives and hoped she would understand his feelings. He genuinely cared for her. He rationalized that since she was his employee, his concern was appropriate. Moreover, beyond simple concern, he felt something special for her—though he couldn’t quite articulate what that feeling was yet. But he felt a genuine need to be good to her, and he hoped she would accept his kindness. This little thing seemed so stubborn, though, didn’t she? She wouldn’t accept him easily. Well, he hoped to use this time to prove he would be very good to her, to move her. Once she was moved, she would accept him, wouldn’t she?

If the excruciating pain in her foot hadn’t made it so difficult, she would have surely dodged him.

"You woman, don’t you know what’s good for you? Don’t you realize how comfortable this is? You don’t have to struggle to walk, yet you’re still unwilling? I’ve never met such a peculiar, foolish woman!" Qi Longbing chided with a laugh, while walking down the mountain path.

The descent was truly difficult, especially while carrying someone. The path was bumpy and uneven, causing him to stumble and limp along. He nearly fell several times, but thankfully, he managed to carry her all the way back.

Soon, the two of them returned to the villa at the White House.

Still chuckling, Qi Longbing carried her directly to his bedroom on the second floor.

Hua Xiaomo’s eyes widened in alarm. "President Qi, put me down now! I still need to go home."

"Can you be quiet for a moment? Stop talking," Qi Longbing snapped again, ignoring her struggles. He kicked open his bedroom door and swiftly deposited her on the nearby sofa.