Chapter 2113 - 491: Qin Mu Is Sick (3)
"You were in Class 2 in primary school, and at first you were placed in regular Class 7 in junior high, but in the end you got into Experimental Class 12 through your own hard work. Although you didn’t do as well as you’d hoped on the college entrance exam, you still got into your dream high school. The reason you wanted to go to that high school was because of Qin Mu."
Mu Wan: "..."
"In university you continued to follow in his footsteps... You could’ve gone to a better college in another city, but you wanted more to be his schoolmate."
Mu Wan: "..."
The man recited all her personal information without a single mistake; Mu Wan felt a bit dazed.
"So, you really do know me."
"Yeah."
Looking at the man’s certain expression in front of her, Mu Wan forced a slight smile at the corners of her lips.
"Go wait outside. Once I’m done I’ll bring it out for you, but you’ll have to wait a bit."
"Let me help you cook."
With that, Qin Mu stepped forward directly and awkwardly chopped the chicken and ribs with the knife.
These things didn’t need much knife work, so it was still passable.
They were put in the pot to boil, and Mu Wan personally took charge of the braising.
Looking at the man’s serious profile as he worked, Mu Wan felt something indescribable in her heart.
Everything felt hazy, her whole person in a daze.
...
The dinner the two of them made together wasn’t set on the table until an hour later.
It was already close to midnight...
In a faint voice, Mu Wan said, "Eat."
"Okay, I want you to eat with me."
"Mm."
Mu Wan served rice for the two of them and quietly ate from her bowl.
This was the first time she had quietly shared a late-night meal with a stranger like this...
The two ate in silence, with very little conversation. In the end it was Qin Mu who broke the ice.
"You ended up marrying him, right?"
"Mm."
Mu Wan answered faintly.
That was something all of Quanyun City knew. Back then the old master, for the sake of his own reputation, had made sure her marriage into the Qin Family was high-profile enough.
Judging from how the man had seen the painting in her studio yesterday, he probably hadn’t been surprised; he’d recognized Qin Mu.
Taking small bites of rice, Mu Wan said softly, "Next, you’re going to ask me why I’m not living with the Qin Family, why I’m out here alone, why Qin Mu isn’t by my side, aren’t you?"
"Mm, there’s not much to say... He and I are divorced."
Mu Wan spoke lightly, as if it were nothing at all, but only she knew how her heart was pounding like thunder.
Especially letting the word "divorce" come out of her own mouth—it had taken too much out of her.
Qin Mu: "..."
Divorced.
Qin Mu tightened his grip around his chopsticks, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"I didn’t hear anything about that on the news."
"Mm, we divorced in private. It was a peaceful breakup, no messy drama."
She had already signed the divorce agreement, so that was that; all that was left was to go through the legal procedures.
Looking at the way the woman kept her eyes lowered, Qin Mu spoke up: "Didn’t you love him very much? Why could you bear to leave him?"
Mu Wan’s hand paused mid-bite. Yes, everyone knew she loved him very, very much.
Only she knew just how deeply she loved him.
Mu Wan tightened her fingers around the chopsticks, the corners of her lips curving up.
"Who says loving him means you have to be with him? Sometimes letting go is also love. Actually, it’s fine to just be fireworks once in a while—flash through his life in an instant, it’s enough just to have been brilliant once."
"And it’s not like we’ll never have any contact ever again. At least I can still watch his updates on the news—that’s not bad either."
She didn’t want to become the imperfect piece in his life...
So she had dug the way out for Qin Mu herself.
Even if it hurt... it would only hurt for a while.
After the hurt passed, Qin Mu would become more perfect.
Qin Mu looked at the way Mu Wan kept her eyes down, his heart aching, and his thin lips parted slightly.
"I think he’ll be in even more pain losing you. A man would never willingly let the woman he loves leave his side, not even an inch."
Mu Wan: "..."
Mu Wan’s beautiful eyes dimmed. Hearing Qin Mu’s words, her small hand clenched.
In the end, Mu Wan took a deep breath, the corners of her lips lifting a little.
"Hurry up and eat, it’s almost twelve. Once we’re done you should head back and rest early."
"Mm."
Qin Mu nodded and ate the ribs Mu Wan had made. They were delicious; he couldn’t get enough.
Mu Wan’s appetite was clearly not great. After a few bites she put down her chopsticks...
When she saw the man put his chopsticks down as well, she took out 1,300 from her wallet and placed it on the table.
"Thank you for helping me buy those things today, and this is for the meal."
"Okay."
Mu Wan didn’t have much cash on her; it was what she had withdrawn earlier.
She’d been paying for everything in cash these days. After thinking for a moment, Mu Wan figured she’d have to get some cash from Jian Ran to have on hand.
Using her card still made her worry that Qin Mu would track her down.
Seeing that the woman had no intention of asking him to stay, Qin Mu pressed his thin lips together.
"Rest early."
"Mm. If you can, try not to show up in front of me so much. Since you’re someone from the past, every time I see you I think of him, and it really puts me in a bad mood."
Qin Mu’s expression shifted slightly, tangled emotions churning in his chest. After a long moment, his voice came out hoarse: "Okay."
The two of them said goodbye quietly, like strangers.
After the man left, Mu Wan was still very surprised. Just who exactly was this Aimu person?
She really had little impression of him from her school days.
Thinking about it, Mu Wan let it go.
Back in school, she’d been taciturn, not fond of talking.
Her gaze had only ever followed Qin Mu...
Maybe there really had been such a senior, and she just hadn’t registered him.
With that thought, Mu Wan took the dishes and chopsticks from the table and put them in the sink, then took a quick shower and flopped down on the bed.
She was tired from being out sketching all day...
She didn’t know why, but lately she’d been getting tired especially easily, and this month her period still hadn’t come.
Maybe her hormones were out of whack, maybe she was just too mentally strung up.
As for getting pregnant, Mu Wan had completely given up hope now.
...
Maybe it was because her words had gotten to him.
For two days straight, Mu Wan didn’t see any sign of Aimu. Instead, Qin Mu’s name often popped up in the news—even though she hadn’t seen any news about him for quite a few days.
Mm... he was still as handsome as ever, that same careless, wicked charm.
Except he’d gotten thinner.
And his handsome face looked a bit pale, like he wasn’t feeling well. That made Mu Wan feel a pang of distress...
Suddenly, her mind flashed back to what she’d said to Aimu the other day.
That as long as she could see Qin Mu on TV, she’d be at ease...
...
From time to time, Mu Wan would call Jian Ran to ask about the health of the old Master Qin and Father Qin and Mother Qin. Hearing that the old master was doing fairly well, she felt relieved.
In truth, the old master was anxious about not knowing where Mu Wan was, but with Jian Ran vouching that his granddaughter-in-law wouldn’t suffer outside, he forced himself to endure it.
...
The days passed in neither heat nor cold, until one day, while Mu Wan was playing around with Tang Bao and Cubao, Jian Ran casually mentioned, as if in passing: "That third Qin grandson has a fever, you know. It’s been a week now..."
Mu Wan: "..."