"Who are you, Mo Jing'er?" He stared at her still confused face, his own desires stirring uncontrollably.
She closed her eyes, but couldn't hide the intense pain and loss in her heart.
"Why? What do I mean to you? Why did you forget me? Why?" All the doubts and bitterness she had harbored over the years erupted. "Is it fun to toy with me like this? I've tried so hard to forget you, why did you have to reappear?" By the end, she was sobbing.
"He's my son, isn't he?"
"No! You're nothing!" Mo Jing'er had descended into a state of hysteria. "Get out of here, Burke!" She pushed his chest forcefully and struck him wildly, losing her composure.
Leng Yan paid no heed to such minor pain, merely impatiently pushing her hands away. "Stop this. We need to talk properly now."
"Talk about what?"
"Is Mo Jie my son?" he pressed again.
"So what if he is?"
"I want him."
"He's my son," she snapped angrily. "It was me who got up every three hours in the middle of the night to feed him, change his diapers, and stay awake all night to take care of him when he had a high fever at two years old. Xiao Jie is mine, he has no father!"
"He's my son!" he insisted, refusing to back down.
"Is that so? Then where have you been all these years? Do you know if he likes chocolate cake or juice? Spicy food or mild? Red clothes or green?" she pressed. "If he's your son, how could you not know?"
He stared at her speechless.
He managed to piece together the general outline of the situation from Mo Jie's words.
If he had truly forgotten her because of the car accident, he could understand her vengeful behavior.
But was he at fault? He was as innocent as she was... He unconsciously touched his cheek.
"What if I told you that I was in a car accident in 1985, spent a long time in the hospital waiting to die, and lost some of my memory in the process? If I had known I had a son, I would have come looking for him."
Car accident?
"Is 'car accident' enough to explain your whereabouts? Is that supposed to make me believe you?" Once she recovered from her shock, she was still angry and bitter. "Get out! Burke, or should I call you—call you—"
"Call me Leng Yan."
"Right! Leng Yan, Mr. Leng, you didn't even tell me your real name back then. I must have been blind to have met you. I actually slept with a terrible liar."
He laughed bitterly in anger. "Funny, I also wish I could change the fact that we slept together. If it weren't for Xiao Jie, I wouldn't have been so polite to you. I wonder who deceived whom into sleeping together!"
She felt as if she had been struck by a heavy blow, and the blood drained from her face, leaving it pale.
"If he's my son, you'd better be prepared." Ignoring her reaction, he issued the warning and walked toward the door.
"What do you mean?" She stood there for a moment before chasing after him.
He turned back with an impatient expression.
"I said, once it's confirmed that he's my son..."
"He's my son!" She now felt like she was facing a stubborn bull. "It's too late for you to play the role of a good father now!"
Cold Yan narrowed his piercing blue eyes, causing her to immediately realize her mistake and clamp her mouth shut.
Strangely, however, Cold Yan was drawn to her action.
He lifted her waist, looked into her wide, dazed black eyes, and couldn't help but smile slightly, instantly softening the harsh lines of his face.
Mo Jing'er forgot what she was about to protest; she was completely captivated by Burke's smile.
She didn't notice that Leng Yan had already leaned down.
This time, the contact between their lips was quick and deep, feeling like an electric shock, leaving her body tingling and her knees weak, almost causing her to kneel on the ground.
He slowly pulled away from the kiss, while she blinked her eyelashes dazedly, her face flushed with excitement, making him very satisfied with his charm. He was certain that the woman before him had never experienced such passionate intimacy before?
"Not bad," he murmured, licking his lower lip as if savoring a fine wine, then gently pressed a kiss to her nose.
Mo Jing'er looked down in confusion, but she had no time to think about it. His fiery lips immediately seized her pearl-like earlobe and the sensitive skin below it, causing her to tremble slightly as desire slowly rose within her.
"Why did you refuse to hand over your son to me?"
His lips slowly moved toward her neck, and the heat throughout her body grew more intense. She twisted her body uneasily, trying to relieve herself, but a gentle question came from her ear.
"You're so silly. You didn't even propose to me. If—" His lips stopped moving, and she suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing what she had said, but it was already too late.
"Then let's get married," Leng Yan said with a smug smile.
"You're crazy!" She panicked and tried to break free from his arms.
"You were the one who came up with this idea," he kindly reminded her.
"Yes, but—I mean, this is wrong. You don't know me, and I don't know who you are. I don't know how Xiao Jie—no, we can't get married!"
"Of course we can." And damn it, it's perfect, a voice echoed in Leng Yan's mind, bringing an odd sense of lightness and clarity. "It's decided. Let's do it this way."
Mo Jing'er couldn't argue with him, so she shouted and pointed her finger forcefully outward.
"Get out of here!" Then she slammed the door shut, leaving Leng Yan stunned.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Hahaha! Hahaha!"
Leng Mei Yi laughed exaggeratedly until Leng Yan glared at her, forcing her to tone it down slightly.
"Um—have you seen the faxed documents?"
Upon discovering Mo Jie, Leng Yan called New York and asked William to urgently send over Mo Jing'er's hospital records and Mo Jie's birth certificate. With DNA testing, everything would be in place.
"I've seen it. What's so funny?" The scars on Leng Yan's face twitched, indicating that he was far from in the best mood. "Is it funny that I want to get married?"
She shook her head.
"Is the reason I want to get married funny?"
She shook her head again and gave him a mysterious wink.
"Leng, Mei, Yi!"
"Just say it. If I were Mo Jing'er, I wouldn't marry you, you arrogant fool."
Leng Yan raised one eyebrow.
"Listen to that patronizing tone of yours. Please, she won't starve to death if she doesn't marry you. Proposing isn't like negotiating a business deal, and you're telling her to be mentally prepared. If I were her, I'd throw you out on the spot."
"She already did." He muttered. "Before I even had a chance to ask her."
"Really? Oh, I like her." Leng Mei Yi was delighted. She knew that with Leng Yan's wealth and personal charm, women would rush to throw themselves at his feet, and she enjoyed seeing him hit a brick wall.
"Maybe I should kick you out first."
"Don't be so temperamental, old friend." She lit a cigarette with extreme elegance, smiling through the transparent smoke. "Mo Jing'er is someone who responds to kindness, not harshness. You've misdiagnosed the problem and prescribed the wrong remedy, so of course you can't cure the illness."
"Is that so? Then what type are you?"
"A wild flower and a wandering butterfly, isn't that right?" She didn't seem bothered by it at all, even adding a touch of self-deprecating humor. "Haven't you heard my nickname? Anyway, getting back to the point, how do you plan to convince her to marry you?"
"Once I prove the child is mine."
"Please, Mo Jie's legal guardian is her, and besides, there are plenty of people who marry with children nowadays. If you want to be the child's father, you'll have to put in more effort. And in my opinion, that woman doesn't care about your money or the Cold Lady's throne."
"Then what does she care about?"
"Her precious son, of course." Leng Mei Yi answered immediately. "It seems you do too?"
Of course. "What do you think I should do? Send her a damn bouquet of roses, or call Tiffany's to order some jewelry?" Women always prefer one of those two.
"Cold Yan, Cold Yan, I just said all that—didn't you hear a word? Just trust me this once, old man." Leng Meiyi stepped closer to him, kindly leaning in close to his face, her mischievous smile utterly captivating.
He stared silently at his cousin. "Are you suggesting I should try to please that woman? No way. Not settling the score with her is already good enough."
She laughed softly, her red lips gently brushing against his stern face, causing him to furrow his brows slightly.
"Cold Flame, Cold Flame, why are you Cold Flame?" Her fingertips gently traced his cheek, trying to find a hint of wavering in his expression. "Otherwise, a man as sexy as you, I would have devoured you long ago."
Cold Flame was both amused and exasperated by his cousin's teasing. Just as he was about to speak, a faint knock sounded at the door.
Cold Mei Yi went to open the door and soon returned with two large blankets.
"Eat first, then take a shower and go to sleep." Cold Mei Yi glanced at her wristwatch, which read ten o'clock. "We'll discuss it tomorrow."
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)