After Marrying the Wrong Crazy Husband, I Ran Away with His Baby - Chapter 38

Zhao Hanshang didn’t look like Ning Jiale at all. But then it clicked ‘Xia Yuan’s’ ex-boyfriend was Mu Yao.

Cover the lower half of Ning Jiale’s face, and he really did resemble Mu Yao a little.

Still, if Qin Mohuai hadn’t pointed it out, Xia Yuan probably wouldn’t have made the connection between Ning Jiale and Mu Yao.

She glanced at Ning Jiale again—this time not at his abs, but right into his eyes.

Sharp features, bright and youthful, brimming with boyish charm.

Ning Jiale curved his lips, grinning at her. He mouthed the word: Sister.

Why did it suddenly feel like she’d been caught cheating?

Meanwhile, Qin Mohuai was already climbing ashore. The clean, powerful lines of his muscles held a lethal, unrestrained explosiveness—like a sea demon freshly emerged from a bloody battle under the waves, radiating hostility.

Xia Yuan instinctively stepped back.

The blaze in Qin Mohuai’s domineering eyes was scorching. He still remembered that day he’d sent Mu Yao abroad—when Mu Yao, full of unwillingness, had pointed at him and cursed:

“Who would ever love a control freak and lunatic like you? Yuan Yuan’s just young. She’s bewitched by your looks and your power. When she grows up, she’ll leave you!”

Dragging his suitcase, Mu Yao had taken Qin Mohuai’s ten million and gone off to study in M Country.

But his words had lingered like a curse, haunting Qin Mohuai, gnawing at his peace.

“Brother-in-law!” Xia Yuze splashed water off his face, waving excitedly. “Jiale and I are racing—do you want to join?”

Qin Mohuai had been ready to refuse. But the words that came out were:
“Sure. I’ll join.”

The bottomless night pooled in his eyes, making his expression unreadable, dangerously unfathomable.

Xia Yuan’s heart thudded uneasily.

She wanted to explain something, anything, but Qin Mohuai had already stepped into the competition. All she could do was sit at the side and watch.

【System: coax him! Don’t let the Love Meter drop!

Xia Yuan scratched her head. “How?”

【System: offer your body.

Xia Yuan: “…”

Is there a chance I’ve just overheated today? I’m weak enough as it is. There’s no way I can survive being tossed around by a madman male lead right now.

【System: then stick to him! Act clingy! Act sweet! Flirt like crazy! Just don’t let that Love Meter fall!

Xia Yuan: “……”

Xia Yuze doubled as contestant and referee, barking cheerfully like an eager pup:
“Three—two—one, go!”

Qin Mohuai lost focus, starting a few seconds late, and finished second.

Losing to Xia Yuze didn’t matter—he could humor his little brother-in-law. But Ning Jiale taking first? That was different.

Qin Mohuai narrowed his phoenix eyes. “Best two out of three. Again.”

Water shimmered against the rise and fall of his chest, his voice calm, unreadable.

Ning Jiale’s confidence surged. “Fine. Best two out of three it is.”

Xia Yuze already knew he couldn’t beat either his brother-in-law or his buddy. He’d wanted to bow out, but looking left and right… both of them were unprovokable.

Forget it. He’d just have to play along.

When Qin Mohuai’s sharp gaze swept over, Xia Yuan tightened her grip on the bath towel covering her legs, her voice light and soft:
“Honey, I hope you win.”

But Qin Mohuai had already turned away, slipping back into the water. Whether he’d heard her or not, she couldn’t tell.

A Qin Mohuai who raged was terrifying. But a Qin Mohuai who ignored her? Even more terrifying. Because that meant she had no idea what kind of punishment awaited her next.

Focused and ambitious, he dominated the next two rounds and claimed victory.

When he finally came ashore again, he walked straight over, picked up the towel draped across Xia Yuan’s knees, and used it to wipe his face as he left the poolside.

He wasn’t particularly warm toward her—but he hadn’t cast her aside either.

The carefree and clueless Xia Yuze didn’t notice anything wrong. He trailed after Qin Mohuai like a little puppy, chattering, “Brother-in-law, I’ve got a tin of coffee beans…”

Meanwhile, a dripping-wet Ning Jiale walked straight up to Xia Yuan.
“Jie, do you still have a bath towel? I’m a bit cold.”

Xia Yuan’s gaze followed Qin Mohuai’s retreating back, her mind far from Ning Jiale’s request. She answered half-heartedly, “Just stand under the sun and you’ll dry. Or ask one of the maids for a towel.”

Ning Jiale tilted his head, glanced at the moon above, and only after Xia Yuan left did he pull out his phone and dial Ouyang Jing.

“Cousin, do you know what Xia Yuan likes?”

Ouyang Jing sounded puzzled. “Why are you asking that?”

Ning Jiale lounged lazily on a recliner, speaking in a low voice. “Auntie’s worried Xia Yuan will affect your engagement with the Crown Prince, so she asked me to find a way to break Xia Yuan and Qin Mohuai apart.”

That aunt of his was none other than Madam Ouyang herself.

Ouyang Jing sighed. “Stop letting my mother drag you into her schemes. You’re playing with fire. You’ve never seen what Qin Mohuai is truly capable of—you don’t know how terrifying he can be. Don’t even think about targeting Xia Yuan. End this now.”

Ning Jiale, however, looked unconcerned. “But I’ve got you backing me up. You’re my cousin, and Qin Mohuai is my cousin-in-law. What’s he going to do—kill me?”

A wicked grin tugged at his lips, sharp little canines flashing. His boxer shorts were uncomfortably tight as images of Xia Yuan’s delicate, snow-white skin flooded his mind. Heat surged through his body, and he had to dive into the pool to cool off.

On the surface, Ning Jiale had the perfect boyish charm—handsome features, a youthful vibe, a smile that could swing from sweet to devilish. No wonder so many fans adored him as their “obedient good boy.”

But little did they know, the number of women he had played with could easily fill two soccer teams. He favored passionate, experienced women—clingy little girls only annoyed him. Xia Yuan, however, was an exception. Her porcelain skin, that innate sultriness in her bones, coupled with how thoroughly Qin Mohuai had awakened her… she was a temptation beyond compare.

“Cousin, you’re the only daughter of both the Ning and Ouyang families. Even if you don’t fight for anything yourself, none of us want to see you wronged.”

With that, Ning Jiale hung up.

Ouyang Jing, from childhood to adulthood, had never needed to fight for anything. Whatever she wanted, her parents and relatives would secure it for her. All she had to do was accept it with grace.

After sending the two boys away, Xia Yuan texted Xia Yuze, telling him not to bring Ning Jiale to Shenghai Manor again.

Xia Yuze: Is brother-in-law jealous?

Xia Yuan: You could say that.

Xia Yuze: Then I won’t bring any guys next time. But if I get a girlfriend, can I bring her over?

Xia Yuan: Of course.

She recalled Xia Yuze’s crush on Ouyang Jing. She wasn’t sure how the two had even met, but Ouyang Jing was Qin Mohuai’s fiancée now.

Even if Qin Mohuai didn’t care whether Ouyang Jing had a boyfriend, would the Qin patriarch really tolerate it?

Anyone daring to be Ouyang Jing’s boyfriend was doomed to misfortune.

Xia Yuan sent another WeChat message: You’re only nineteen. Read more books in your free time. Qin Mohuai didn’t even have a girlfriend until he was twenty-seven or twenty-eight. What’s the rush?

Xia Yuze: Because I’m the King of Impatience

Xia Yuan rolled her eyes. Qin Mohuai had been in the basement for over half an hour without coming out.

In the original novel, every time the unhinged male lead got angry at the heroine, he would lock her in the basement to “reflect.” Although Qin Mohuai had never locked Xia Yuan down there, she didn’t have a good impression of that place either.

“Uncle Wang, what’s your young master doing in the basement?”

“When the young master is upset, he’ll sit in the basement. He doesn’t really do anything—just sits. The last time he stayed there alone was when his parents died. Ah… he locked himself away for so long back then that he turned into skin and bones, and his whole aura became dark and gloomy.”

Xia Yuan’s expression grew heavier. Was tonight’s matter truly so unbearable to Qin Mohuai that it was on par with his parents’ deaths? Wasn’t that too much of an exaggeration?

“Then I’ll go down and check on him.”

“Bring these with you. The young master hasn’t taken his medicine yet tonight.” Uncle Wang handed her seven or eight bottles.

Qin Mohuai had to take countless pills every day just to keep his mind from collapsing, just to appear like a “normal” person.

Xia Yuan had never concerned herself with his treatments or medication—after all, her task was to capture Qin Mohuai’s heart, not heal him. But holding that pile of medicine bottles, she suddenly felt a strange pang in her chest.

Mental illness, so many prescriptions… it was all part of the original author’s setup for Qin Mohuai.

But he hadn’t killed that security guard. He hadn’t gone down the dark path the author had laid out for him.

Did that mean… he still had the chance to become a normal person?