The Billionaire's Mischievous Sweetheart-Chapter 23 - 20 Bittersweet Times

"Maybe you never knew my feelings for you... that confusion... always so innocent, yet carrying a hint of innocent, yet tender beauty..." Mo Rutian murmured to himself. His elegant, handsome face seemed to glow with a soft light, and his brown eyes, even in a smile, held an innate, natural nobility.

Withdrawing his gaze, Mo Rutian gathered his thoughts and drove her to his mansion—the Caesar Bay Villa.

「...」

Inside the presidential suite, Qi Longbing waited for a long time, but no one emerged, though the sound of running water persisted.

A suspicion arose in his heart. Finally, he burst through the bathroom door, only to find no one there—just a line of stark words left conspicuously on the bathroom mirror.

Written there were: "President Qi, Qi Longbing, Qi Bastard, go die!!"

Looking at those scornful, cursed words, a shadow passed over Qi Longbing’s handsome face. His eyes, as deep and dark as the abyss, seemed to be shrouded in a black mist.

After a long moment, the icy, knotted expression between Qi Longbing’s brows finally eased. He let out a strange, chilling laugh. "Hua Xiaomo... you’ve got guts!"

His face was filled with a smile as beautiful as an angel’s, yet as wicked as Satan’s...

「...」

「The next day.」

Sunlight streamed through the exquisite, crystal-clear glass windows, projecting onto the room and scattering mottled patterns of light. The girl on the bed could no longer stay put. She rolled over, and as she blinked her eyes open, a familiar landscape painting entered her vision.

"Uh..." Hua Xiaomo was taken aback and almost leaped out of bed, quickly stepping closer to the painting. She carefully examined the oil painting. It depicted a sunset, the sea, and distant mountains. After the artist’s ingenious embellishments, the painting possessed even more vitality and soul.

"How... How can this be here?" Hua Xiaomo didn’t have time to consider the events of the previous night. Staring at this painting, her mind went numb. She could clearly see the four inked characters ’Sunset Glow’ written beneath the mounted frame—characters she herself had inscribed three years ago.

And this incomplete painting of hers, she had gifted to her senior, Long Shangxuan, to express her admiration for him at the time. But after that, she had heard nothing more. Then, miraculously, she had run into her senior at the hospital just a short while ago, and he had told her he kept the painting in his home.

Could it be... this is his home?

Suddenly, the sound of a turning lock carried over.

"Senior..." Hua Xiaomo called out, her senses on alert, but her expression faltered slightly upon seeing who it was.

"Hua Xiaomo, you’re awake?" Mo Rutian smiled. Why was she calling him ’Senior’ now? As far as he could remember, she had never addressed him that way. Watching her stand before the painting, he suddenly had the illusion that she and the artwork were a single entity, a perfect, beautiful match.

"..." Hua Xiaomo’s mind briefly went blank. She quickly tried to sort through her thoughts, recalling the events of the previous night. Yes, Qi Longbing had taken her to that room. Then she had escaped, and afterwards, she had met him... Mo Rutian.

Hua Xiaomo subconsciously scanned her clothing—her clothes were intact. Only then did she relax.

"Did you bring me here? Where...is this place?"

"Last night, you were drunk and asked me to take you home. But I didn’t know where you lived, so I had to bring you to my place," Mo Rutian said, his brown eyes holding a hint of gentleness.

Seeing her somewhat constrained demeanor, he really wanted to approach and help her relax. However, for some reason, he just stood at the doorway watching her. A touch of shy warmth appeared on his handsome face.

After listening to his explanation, Hua Xiaomo didn’t say anything. Yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Her peripheral vision caught the painting on the wall, just as she was about to ask something.

Suddenly, a voice came through, "Young Master, Mr. Long has already arrived in the hall and is waiting for you to come down," an old servant stood at the doorway.

"Alright, I’ll be right down," Mo Rutian answered, glancing at Hua Xiaomo but not yet speaking.

Hua Xiaomo strode towards him. "Thank you, I should be going now too." Then, she brushed past Mo Rutian and walked straight out of the room.

Just as she’d suspected, the Mr. Long mentioned by the servant was indeed Long Shangxuan. The moment she saw him, for reasons unknown, it was as if she heard the sound of a water bottle shattering within her heart, accompanied by a pang of pain—fleeting, yet so palpably real.

Long Shangxuan raised his head, and his eyes met Hua Xiaomo’s. There was a slight awkwardness on Long Shangxuan’s handsome face. What was she doing here so early in the morning?

All of a sudden, a male voice sounded from behind, "You know... Director Long?"

Hua Xiaomo’s palm tightened slightly. She slanted a glance at Mo Rutian, thought for a moment, and then said, "He was my senior in college, and the painting in the room earlier is mine..."

Her amber eyes held a hint of shadow, and her lips were pressed into a thin line, as if she were struggling with emotions she couldn’t resolve. Her clear voice carried a trace of suppression and coldness: "No matter the reason, why is my painting here? Today I must take it away." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

With that said, Hua Xiaomo averted her gaze and strode back into the room. She deftly removed the painting titled ’Sunset Glow’ from the wall. Now, finally, there was an explanation that made sense: Long Shangxuan had clearly gifted her painting to someone else. That’s why he had said those things to her at the hospital. A peculiar feeling permeated the depths of her heart, causing her lovely face to tighten with a troubled, pent-up frown.

Mo Rutian looked at the painting she held, a smile playing on his lips. He said nothing, but a flicker of complexity in his eyes made it clear he was deep in thought. So Long Shangxuan and she were actually college classmates?

Perhaps life’s encounters were indeed this intricately timed. And he himself was her middle school classmate. Suddenly, he felt a twinge of envy for Long Shangxuan. How wonderful it must have been to accompany her through a part of her youth.

As Hua Xiaomo descended the stairs, she deliberately looked at Mo Rutian. "I’m sorry, I must take my belongings."

Mo Rutian gave an awkward smile. "...Okay." Alright. Even though he had genuinely liked this painting when Long Shangxuan gave it to him, if it was her property, he indeed had no right to possess it without her permission.

Hua Xiaomo said nothing and swiftly headed downstairs. As she passed Long Shangxuan, Hua Xiaomo shot him a look filled with forbearance, said nothing, and quickly brushed past him.

Suddenly, her arm was pulled by him. "Xiao Mo, listen to my explanation."

"Things have come to this, Senior. What else is there to explain?" Hua Xiaomo gave a faint, self-deprecating laugh. She had actually thought he might have felt something, even a little. But it seemed she had been completely mistaken.

Hua Xiaomo said no more. She wrenched her arm free and quickly fled the villa.

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