Do Not Approach

Chapter 32: This is the eldest miss' birthday.

Qin Yi just atched as Mu Xiaoxiao step closer to her. She saw the pain, sadness, and indignation pouring from Mu Xiaoxiao's eyes.

The rain was heavy, but the eldest miss knew-Mu Xiaoxiao was crying. It was the first time in so long that she had seen her cry.

Qin Yi watched as she went from walking to brisk strides, and finally, running towards her.

Mu Xiaoxiao was like a rainbow cutting through the gloomy rain, bringing warmth with her.

The next moment, Qin Yi was pulled into a tight, familiar embrace. The scent of lychee filled her nose, and the tension that had stiffened her body all day finally loosened. She leaned helplessly into Mu Xiaoxiao.

Mu Xiaoxiao's heart ached so deeply it almost felt like it would burst. She had no idea how long Qin Yi had been sitting on the cold, muddy ground. All she knew was that her body was as icy as a block of ice, impossible to warm no matter how hard she tried.

There were no questions asked-no "What happened?" or "Are you okay?" Mu Xiaoxiao just hugged Qin Yi tightly.

She held her with all her might, biting down on her lip, pouring all the turbulent emotions inside her into that embrace. She held on so fiercely that the eldest miss could feel a littlwe pain from being hugged tightly. If it had been before, Qin Yi would have told Mu Xiaoxiao to get lost.

But at that moment, Qin Yi closed her eyes, and the tears she had held back all day slid quietly down her cheeks.

She knew she couldn't escape anymore.

Feeling Qin Yi trembling slightly in her arms, Mu Xiaoxiao didn't dare linger. She handed Qin Yi a cake wrapped in a raincoat. "Take it."

Qin Yi took the cake and glanced at it. Is this a birthday gift?

There wasn't time to explain. Sh carried Qin Yi's soaked body and hurried inside the house. The rainwater dripped onto the ground, leaving dark splashes, like ink stains spreading across paper.

Qin Yi said nothing, clutching Mu Xiaoxiao's clothes, her gaze trailing over the water marks on the ground. It was as though those marks weren't just on the ground-they were seeping into her heart.

She had waited for Mu Xiaoxiao all day. And finally, she was here.

Xiaoxiao is back.

Mu Xiaoxiao carried her into the warm room, shutting out the wind, the rain, and the pain. She grabbed a large blanket and gently placed Qin Yi on the sofa, carefully drying her off.

Qin Yi watched her in silence. Mu Xiaoxiao's eyes were red, her brows furrowed deeply, a sign that she was angry.

Today had been a terrible day for Qin Yi. In a way, it was nothing unusual. For the past three years, she had gone through days like this repeatedly. Pain, when it becomes constant, numbs the heart, doesn't it?

Perhaps, at the very beginning, that family of three could still hurt her. But now, their impact was far from what it once was. It was like repeatedly stabbing a wound with a knife-no matter how painful it was at first, over time, it would gradually grow numb.

It wasn't that she couldn't retaliate. In the first year and a half, she made Qin Shuang and Su Lan understand how cold-hearted she could be, letting them experience the cost of their deceit. She even left Qin Hailong wavering, too afraid to oppose her. But later, when she learned of her cousin's death, the last light in her heart went out.

She had long lost any attachment to this world. If not for the lingering obsession of waiting, she would have left long ago.

She had once rejected everything, imprisoning herself in her own mental cage. But then, that person entered her heart with dazzling light, disregarding everything.