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en's parents' expressions changed, and Fang Liucheng looked even more displeased. However, Ye Yutong remained calm and didn't say anything; he just gave Ruan Wen a glance. She was relieved that he had...The Substitute Ex-Wife of the President

Shiyi心疼地看著重傷的墨遙，一向冷漠的目光中充滿了憐愛。如果說這世上她最心疼誰，那非墨遙莫屬。這個兒子就是讓她操心的命，她為他幾乎操碎了心，卻又什麼都不能為他做。

Moyao tried to make himself look more lively, knowing that Shiyi would be worried. So he tried to convey the message that his injuries were not severe. However, with so many wounds together, it was hard to dismiss them as minor.

She sat silently by the bed, staring at Moyao's pale face and said, "How did you get into this state"

The tone was cold, but the concern in her eyes was real. Moyao said, "Mommy, don't worry, I'm really fine. A few days of recuperation will have me back to normal."

He felt that his statement had no persuasiveness at all, which made Shiyi very sad.

Moyao said, "Mommy, I promise, it won't happen again."

Shiyi looked at him. The clinic's light was dim and her face appeared shadowy under the light. She had a lot to say to Moyao but feared that he would evade the topic. So she asked instead, "Who is Bai Liu"

"An artist." Moyao replied, adding details about Bai Liu's background. "This time I got injured not because of Bai Liu. Yes, I admit it was for his sake that I got hurt. But I promised to bring him to Berlin and take him back, so I have to keep my promise. Mommy, isn't this what you often teach us"

"Yes, you are right. But I didn't tell you to be a foolish lover." Shiyi said in a tone that held anger. The thought of a man causing her son such injuries made her very unhappy.

Moyao pretended not to understand and looked out the clinic window where he saw Ye Wei and Mo Xiaobai. It seemed that Ye Wei was scolding Mo Xiaobai, almost poking his eyes with her finger. The image of the tyrant remained firmly in place.

Shiyi followed his gaze and couldn't help but smile.

To them, children like Ye Wei were true tyrants, more so than Mo Jue or Mo Yeh. In comparison, although Shiyi had a cold tone and rigorous training programs, she was as gentle as spring breeze.

Shiyi asked, "Why is Xiaobai here to take care of you"

"He's nearby and just dropped by when he heard that I fell into the river. Xiaobai probably came out of concern." The ups and downs of these few days inadvertently leaked a little bit to Shiyi... truly, there were all kinds of experiences.

Mohuaibai was indeed very troublesome.

Shiyi could clearly see the emotions in her son's eyes. So she asked, "Wushuang said that you and Xiaobai had a talk

Moyao was taken aback and cursed Wushuang inwardly for her loose lips. However, it was understandable that she would be broadcasting the news everywhere once she knew about it. But now that Shiyi had asked directly, Moyao felt rather embarrassed. Apart from being awkward, he also felt a hint of shyness. His ears turned slightly red, which was quite shocking to Shiyi visually. She couldn’t resist saying teasingly, “If you want to be with Xiaobai, then you must have been the one who seduced him”

Moyao’s face flushed brightly as he shook his head firmly and quickly. Shiyi rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but comment, "Why do I always feel like I’m dealing with a young woman experiencing first love"

"Mommy, only Daddy can handle your sarcasm," Moyao said. Shiyi pouted; she was telling the truth.

Looking at him blushing and being shy, wasn’t this how a young girl acted when her elders found out about her first love

Moyao felt awkward admitting to Shiyi that he loved Xiaobai. Although everyone knew it, they all pretended not to know and never brought it up. Since Moyao and Xiaobai had made their relationship public, Wushuang no longer held back with her words, nor did Mochen. Now even his mommy was being unreserved about it. His mommy! And he liked a younger brother. How awkward.

So although Moyao accepted the situation silently, he didn’t say anything.

"What does Xiaobai mean" Shiyi asked, then turned to look outside where Ye Wei was shouting into Xiaobai’s ear. Xiaobai had shrunk himself like a little person in an attempt to avoid the tyrant’s tyranny. Shiyi thought that Ye Wei must have been asking about something similar to what she wanted to know. They both understood each other without having to say anything; it was obvious from Moyao's eyes that he felt sorry for Xiaobai.

She wondered why he felt sorry, as this was how Ye Wei and Moyao interacted with each other. No matter how Ye Wei treated Xiaobai—whether she yelled at him or scolded him or kissed him or loved him—the most important thing was that she cared for Xiaobai deeply. Even when Xiaobai was beaten up, he would wag his tail to seek comfort from Ye Wei and beg for mercy like a pet seeking affection. So it was their unique way of communicating, without any malicious intent.

Shiyi shivered, thinking that she needed to talk to Ye Wei later so as not to get goosebumps all the time.

Moyao didn’t answer Shiyi’s question, but she was someone who wouldn’t let go of a mystery. If there were any doubts in her mind, she would find out no matter what; just like when she was younger and preferred getting hurt than hiding anything.

"I don’t know what he means," Moyao said.

Shiyi asked again, "Have you talked about this with him seriously"

"No!"

"Why haven’t you had a conversation"

Moyao fell silent. He hadn’t discussed it because he lacked the courage to do so, fearing rejection and disgust in Xiaobai’s eyes. Even after hearing his words, Moyao still felt afraid. Xiaobai was best at elevating someone to heaven then dropping them into hell.

For all these years of experiencing this rollercoaster ride from heaven to hell, he had grown tired of it and become fearful too.

The Eleventh moved closer to him and held his hand. At this moment, she could be described as compassionate, "Try talking openly with Xiaobai once. You can tell that he doesn't feel indifferent toward you, right"

"He just sees me as an older brother," Moyao said. "A god-like older brother who he relies on and looks up to, hoping for my approval and expectations. Mom, this is different from love; it puts a lot of pressure on me and makes me feel very heavy. Can you understand"

"No." The Eleventh replied directly, "I don't understand where all your complicated thoughts come from. When I and Ye Wei were young, we reached out for what we wanted. Even if we couldn’t get it, at least we tried to reach for it. I don't remember teaching you so many reservations."

"You won’t understand," Moyao said softly. Eleven wouldn't be able to understand this feeling; she knew he didn’t understand, but she also knew what it meant to be honest with oneself.

Back then, when she wanted Mo Yue dead, she had no qualms about killing him.

When he truly paid the price for everything, she felt like forgiving him and went to see him. That was a simple matter.

"Xiaobai only thinks I put a lot of pressure on him, but the pressure he puts on me is even greater," Moyao said. "He doesn’t love me, yet he’s unwilling to lose me; he wants me to always look forward to and cherish him. He's so self-indulgent. But this is because I’ve pampered him all along, and I can only continue to do so. If there was a chance for him to realize that his older brother isn’t a god, and if he lost hope as a result, I probably wouldn't be able to hold onto even half of his heart. In the current situation, at least I have some significance in his mind. Mom...I admit that I’m quite a failure."

In matters of love, he was utterly defeated.

The Eleventh said, "You don’t know what Xiaobai thinks without talking to him."

"When I was unconscious, he spoke to me at length. But when I woke up, he didn't say anything at all. Mom, do you know why Because some things he only tells the unconscious me, not the清醒的我。" Moyao explained clearly everything, "And yet, despite knowing this, I still allowed him to continue like this."

The Eleventh asked, "Then what are your plans Just keep waiting like this for his wedding or even a lifetime"

"I don’t know." Moyao answered.

"What about that Bai Liu, how do you plan to deal with her" The Eleventh inquired. It was evident Moyao had thought about it; during the time he was injured, there were plenty of opportunities for such thoughts. He said, "I want to continue walking down this path with him."

"What are you saying" The Eleventh was quite surprised. Moyao looked up at her and continued, "I want to try whether I can truly fall in love with someone again. Xiaobai exhausts me too much; he also brings a lot of joy."

The Eleventh felt a bit uneasy; if this were the case, then it was likely that the Mo family would experience some upheaval.

Moyao suddenly laughed and added, "Before going to the scrapyard to save him, I thought differently."

The Eleventh relaxed but couldn’t help glaring at him, “Speak your mind completely; don't leave it hanging.”

Moyao said, "Mom, don't ask me. I know my limits."

"What limits If you knew your limits, Xiaobai would have been yours a long time ago," Shiyi said. "I've never seen someone as stubborn as you. Do you know what you missed out on Xiaobai is the type who doesn't respond to softness but to firmness. The more you indulge him, the more he'll act recklessly. If you hadn't coddled him, could he have escaped your clutches You've lost his most precious years. If only you had been upfront from the beginning, Xiaobai would already be yours."

Therefore, Shiyi doesn't blame Xiaobai at all for their current situation; sometimes she feels heartbroken for Moyao, but since Moyao is responsible for the circumstances he's in, he must face the consequences himself. This is his nature, and there's no way around it.

Shiyi and Ye Wei stayed late at the clinic, each doing their respective work—Ye Wei with her nurturing side and Shiyi as a strict taskmaster. By the end of the night, both were tired, so they found a hotel nearby to stay in for a few days in Berlin. Moyao and Xiaobai's faces fell; this was the last thing they wanted to see.

But there was no way around it. Ye Wei isn't someone you can avoid seeing if you want to.

To deny her would have serious consequences.

Moyao and Xiaobai saw off Shiyi and Ye Wei before returning home, where Moyao was still awake and full of energy. His weariness had been chased away by Shiyi, leaving him in a rather energetic state. Xiaobai sat down beside him; the two were silent as Xiaobai, after being reprimanded by Ye Wei, felt increasingly guilty towards Moyao. While he was about to have an intimate conversation with Moyao, a call from Yun interrupted them. Moyao answered, "Bailiu woke up That's great! Hasn't he passed the critical phase then Yes, let them act tonight. To ensure success, I'll have my mom and aunt help out; with their presence there won't be any problems... Yes, they just arrived in Berlin; contact them shortly to discuss this matter. They know what needs to be done... Alright, give me a call before your action tomorrow."

Moyao's tone was calm as he arranged everything meticulously. Xiaobai beside him looked grim and displeased, feeling like his exclusive right had been usurped. His face was dark and unappealing.

He knew that Moyao was very excited though it didn't come through in his voice; Xiaobai could tell. This excitement made him more irritated with the stranger Bailiu, causing Xiaobai to explode, "Who does he think he is What gives him the right for us to serve him at our mom's expense I don’t allow it. If my mom gets hurt, I’ll put a bullet through his head."

Moyao said coolly, "It’s what my mom wants; she just mentioned it. You have an issue with that, go talk to her."

Xiaobai couldn’t bear Moyao's coldness towards him and felt a fire flare up inside. As soon as Bailiu woke up without danger, his brother abandoned him and treated him so coldly. Does he plan on ignoring me in the future

"Tell me honestly, are you happy that he’s awake You’re practically jumping for joy," said Xiaobai with fiery eyes. He was usually very good-tempered and always smiling; recently, however, his temper flared more frequently than ever before.

"He got seriously injured because of me. Of course I’m glad to see him awake," Moyao replied. Xiaobai’s face twisted almost uncontrollably, an expression he had never made before in public.

"You were also seriously injured on his account and nearly died too. Because of him, I even gave you a few hundred cc of blood... I nearly lost my life."

Moyao looked at Xiaobai with some anger flaring up inside; this damn任性of his needed to be disciplined. "Are you jealous because of Bailiu Or is it me that makes you angry"

Xiaobai's face twisted even more, looking almost hysterical as he stared into Moyao’s eyes and then down to his lips. The pale color of those lips reddened with anger; Xiaobai's heart suddenly raced fast, forgetting why he was upset, staring hard at those tempting lips.

Moyao’s lips usually looked very beautiful; what would they taste like... He remembered the first time he kissed Moyao underwater when he was a child; it had been so soft and tender. Xiaobai's Adam's apple moved with desire...he way until the end of the story, ending with Han Shizhong and Liang Hongyu’s deep affection for each other as they lead troops to defend Tong Pass. Han Shizhong dies, and Liang Hongyu stands alone u...