Chapter 752: 754, Life-saving Benefactor (Part 1)

"It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember me, but surely you still remember this." Xi He took out a jade pendant from his pocket and handed it to Duanmu Zhe, a top-grade imperial green with exquisite carving, instantly recognizable as extremely valuable.

Duanmu Zhe looked at the jade pendant, narrowing his eyes slightly as long-buried memories surged from the depths of his mind. Pointing at Xi He with a hint of surprise, he said, "I remember now, you’re the little girl from the snow mountain back then, right?"

Seeing that Duanmu Zhe finally remembered, Xi He was overjoyed. "You finally remember! I still need to thank you for saving my life back then. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have survived until now."

Duanmu Zhe was indeed Xi He’s savior.

Before the age of five, Duanmu Zhe had lived in the Superpower World. During a training expedition, he had accidentally wandered onto a snow-capped mountain.

It was a mountain that never thawed, with perpetual snowfall and a frigid climate. When he encountered Xi He, her complexion had already turned purple and she was almost out of breath. It was Duanmu Zhe who transferred his spiritual power to her, saving Xi He’s life.

After bringing Xi He down the mountain, having no money on him, he gave her his only jade pendant.

That year, Duanmu Zhe was five and Xi He was four. Without this jade pendant, Duanmu Zhe might have forgotten about this incident altogether. Unexpectedly, Xi He still remembered, and moreover, had kept the jade pendant all this time.

"It’s all in the past, no need for thanks, but tell me, how have you been living?" Duanmu Zhe continued to ask.

"Pretty good," Xi He nodded, "and you? How have you been over the years? Actually, I did try to find you later, but they all said you had gone to the secular world."

The Elders were strict, so Xi He had no chance to visit the secular world.

People like the Elders had no respect for the secular world anyway.

"I’ve been doing quite well," Duanmu Zhe said with a casual smile. "By the way, let me introduce you to my fiancée, Mo Qingyi." Although they hadn’t formally held an engagement banquet, in Duanmu Zhe’s heart, Mo Qingyi was already his fiancée.

After all, having shared a bed, how could she possibly run off with someone else?

At these words, a fleeting shadow seemed to dart through Xi He’s downcast eyes, disappearing as quickly as it arrived, and she quickly regained her composure. Lifting her gaze towards Mo Qingyi, she extended her hand politely, "Miss Mo, hello, I’m Xi He."

"Hello." Mo Qingyi offered a slight smile in return.

Xi He’s gaze swept over Duanmu Zhe and Mo Qingyi, then she smiled and said, "Where are the two of you heading?"

"We’re going to have dinner. Would you like to join us, Miss Xi?" asked Mo Qingyi politely.

Mo Qingyi’s invitation was merely out of politeness; she didn’t expect Xi He to accept. After all, it was a couples’ dinner and any perceptive person would usually choose to stay away. Unexpectedly, Xi He said, "Miss Mo, you’re too kind. Then I shall respectfully accept your invitation."

Xi He knew that what she was doing wasn’t appropriate, but she couldn’t help herself.

Love can lead to downfall, and love can drive one mad.

Xi He had been searching for Duanmu Zhe for a very long time.

Duanmu Zhe was her youthful obsession and a beacon of light when she was falling into hell. If it weren’t for the belief that she would find Duanmu Zhe, Xi He wouldn’t have made it to this day. As long as Duanmu Zhe and Mo Qingyi weren’t married yet, she still had a chance.

Therefore, she must seize this opportunity and not let her future self have regrets.

Faced with Xi He’s response, Mo Qingyi was stunned; however, since she had already spoken, it wouldn’t be good to back out now, so she had no choice but to take Xi He with her to dine.

The three of them arrived at a rather nice restaurant.

Mo Qingyi and Duanmu Zhe sat side by side, while Xi He sat opposite them.

"Miss Xi, order whatever you’d like; feel free to choose. No need to be polite, Duanmu and I are treating," Mo Qingyi said as she passed a menu to Xi He.

Xi He took the menu, thanked her, and then said, "Miss Mo, there’s no need to be so formal, just call me by my name."

Not yet sure what Xi He was thinking, Mo Qingyi casually said, "Alright then, you can call me Qingyi, just like Duanmu does."

Xi He only ordered one dish; the rest were ordered by Mo Qingyi. "What would you like to eat?" Mo Qingyi looked at Duanmu Zhe.

"I love everything you’ve ordered," Duanmu Zhe said, glancing sideways with a slight smile.

"Alright, let’s go with these then," Mo Qingyi closed the menu and handed it to the waiter.

Watching the interaction between the two, Xi He felt uncomfortable. Her eyes filled with bitterness, she had waited for Duanmu Zhe for so many years, hoping for a good relationship to come, but never expected that Duanmu Zhe already had someone he liked.

A twist of fate.

Because she had been constrained since childhood, Xi He’s eating manners were very refined, consuming her food in small, pleasing bites.

In contrast, Mo Qingyi did as she pleased. Despite coming from a distinguished family, the old Madame Mo rarely restricted her, and coupled with her time spent in the military, her eating manners, while not elegant, were not unpleasant either—natural and unpretentious.

Xi He surreptitiously observed her, puzzlement flickering in her eyes.

Given Mo Qingyi’s background, she was not expected to eat so informally. Xi He, always gentle and refined, found it difficult to appreciate Mo Qingyi’s way of eating, which was fast and plentiful.

Normally, socialites eat only to seventy percent fullness when dining out—partly to maintain their figure and partly to appear dignified. A girl who eats too much in public may not present a good image; she isn’t a starving ghost reincarnated.

So, Xi He quickly finished her meal, wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin, and looked at Duanmu Zhe, "Duanmu, I’m done eating. Please enjoy your meal; I’m heading to the restroom."

"Okay," Duanmu Zhe nodded slightly.

As soon as Xi He was out of sight, Mo Qingyi looked up, huffing, and glared at Duanmu Zhe, "Tell me the truth, what is your relationship with that Xi He?"

"What kind of relationship could I possibly have with her?" Duanmu Zhe replied innocently to Mo Qingyi’s questioning, "We knew each other from childhood, just like she said. I saved her once on the snowy mountains. To be honest, if it hadn’t been for today’s chance encounter, I would have completely forgotten about her."

"Who knows if it was just a chance encounter?" Mo Qingyi rolled her eyes. Xi He was attractive and had a good temperament, and she was very gentle. But Mo Qingyi just couldn’t come to like her.

After all, in this world, who would be so foolish as to like their own rival in love?

Intuition told Mo Qingyi that Xi He was her rival in love.

"It’s really just a chance encounter, I swear," Duanmu Zhe kissed the side of her face.

Mo Qingyi continued, "Then let me ask you, after you saved her, did you make any kind of lifetime pledge or something?"

Duanmu Zhe shook his head, "No."

"Really none?" Mo Qingyi narrowed her eyes, full of suspicion.

"Really none, I swear," Duanmu Zhe raised three fingers, a serious expression on his face.

"If there’s no lifetime pledge, then where did that jade pendant she has come from? Don’t tell me that pendant wasn’t given by you. Tell me the truth, is that your token of love?" Mo Qingyi pressed on with her questions.

This scenario often occurred in TV dramas: after the male lead saved the female lead, she would pledge herself to him, and then, to avoid recognizing the wrong person in the future, he would leave a token as proof, Duanmu Zhe explained.

"I did give her the jade pendant, but it wasn’t any token of love. Back then, Xi He was only four years old and penniless. When I saw how pitiful she was, I just handed over my jade pendant so she could exchange it for some money," Duanmu Zhe had never expected Xi He to have kept that jade pendant until now.

Mo Qingyi narrowed her eyes and said, "So, that means she must have feelings for you. After all these years, she’s still smitten with you. You’re not allowed to meet her in private from now on, got it?" Mo Qingyi poked Duanmu Zhe’s head.

Duanmu Zhe quickly responded, "Heard you loud and clear. With such a beautiful fairy by my side, why would I look for someone else? Would I be crazy?"

"Good to know," Mo Qingyi’s lips curved up slightly, "Now tell me, who’s prettier, me or Xi He?"

"Of course, you’re prettier. In my heart, you’re the most beautiful. No one can replace you," Duanmu Zhe said earnestly.

Mo Qingyi was now content, smiling satisfactorily. "Last question, if Xi He and I were to fall into the water at the same time, and you could only save one of us, who would you choose?"

With her earphones on, Xi He perked up at this question, focusing her spiritual power to listen carefully. She refused to believe that Duanmu Zhe had not a single feeling for her.

Xi He had planted a listening device in her bag, so she could hear the conversation. This was her real reason for coming to the restroom.

"Silly girl," Duanmu Zhe’s voice came through the earphones with a smile, "of course I’d choose to save you. I’m not really close to that Xi He."

Mo Qingyi then said, "Are you sure you wouldn’t save her? It’s a human life, after all. Moreover, she would die if you didn’t save her."

"I’m sure," Duanmu Zhe’s voice was very determined, "If I saved her, then you’d be the one in danger, wouldn’t you? Someone who loves her will save her. It has nothing to do with me."

On this point, Duanmu Zhe was very clear.

At a life-and-death moment, between a lover and a friend, he would choose his lover without any hesitation.

In front of love, everyone is selfish.

And he was no exception.

"Alright, then I’ll trust you this time. Remember to keep your distance from Xi He," Mo Qingyi’s voice sounded quite cheerful, with a trace of excitement.

Xi He stood dumbfounded in front of the restroom mirror, and upon hearing this, she broke down in tears, crying out loud. She could no longer take in a single word of the ongoing conversation.

What she wanted was not this outcome at all.

Why?

She had only missed out for over twenty years; why had everything changed?

The white horse prince of her past was no longer hers.

While they were laughing so joyfully on the other side, why was she so heartbroken? Did anyone ever care about her?

Why did they have to build their happiness on someone else’s pain?

Xi He felt as if her heart had been torn apart, the pain overwhelming.

Someone else entered the restroom and saw Xi He like this, their curious eyes glancing sideways at her.

It took a while for Xi He to compose herself and dry her tears. She put on a smile and left the restroom.

When she returned to the dining area, there was no sign on her face that she had been crying.

Duanmu Zhe and Mo Qingyi had finished their meal. Seeing Xi He come over, Duanmu Zhe snapped his fingers, "Waiter, check, please."

The waiter trotted over and said respectfully, "Sir, your bill has already been taken care of by this lady." The waiter looked up at Xi He.

"How could we let you pay?" Mo Qingyi stood up, smiling, "We promised to treat you."

Xi He gave a light smile, "Duanmu is my life-saving benefactor; it’s only right that I pay. Don’t be polite, Qingyi."

"How could we accept that? Waiter, how much is the bill?" Mo Qingyi looked up at the waiter.

"A total of 3218 yuan."

Mo Qingyi counted out a stack of bills from her wallet and handed it to Xi He, "Please, you must accept this." Since they had agreed it was their treat, Mo Qingyi didn’t want to owe Xi He a favor.

Money can be repaid, but favors are the hardest to repay.

Xi He quickly refused, "Qingyi, I’m not going to take the money. If you really feel bad, just let Duanmu return the favor next time. I have something else to do and must leave now, you go ahead."

This was Xi He’s real intention: a debt repaid warrants a next meeting.

Xi He knew what she was doing wasn’t very ethical.

But she had no other choice; she couldn’t control herself.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read