Contractual Love: Mistaken for True

Murong Qing came to see Xia Chen again. Xia Chen initially didn’t intend to meet her, but recently, Tianchen’s company had a collaboration with the company Murong Qing worked for, and since Murong Qing was the leading actress in the project, he, as the CEO of Tianchen, found it hard to turn her away, so he let her in.

“What do you want from me?” Xia Chen asked as he looked at her.

“Is it wrong to come see you if I have nothing else to do?” Murong Qing replied, sitting across from him.

“I’m busy and don’t have time to entertain you,” Xia Chen said, lowering his head to continue reviewing documents.

“Actually, I do have something important to discuss with you-it’s about Xu Xiaoyou,” Murong Qing said, maintaining her gaze on Xia Chen.

“Xiaoyou?” Upon hearing Xu Xiaoyou’s name, Xia Chen immediately set down the documents in his hands. “What happened to Xiaoyou?”

“Xia Chen, what’s so special about Xu Xiaoyou that you care for her like this?” Murong Qing couldn’t understand. Xia Chen wouldn’t easily fall for someone, so what was it about Xu Xiaoyou that was worthy of his love?

“You don’t know her value, and I don’t want to explain it to you. Just tell me what happened to Xiaoyou,” he replied, knowing that even if he told her, she wouldn’t understand it.

“If Xu Xiaoyou wasn’t a complete woman, would you still love her like this?” Murong Qing doubted that Xia Chen could remain indifferent.

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Xia Chen frowned, feeling that it was unnecessary for her to concern herself with Xiaoyou.

“I’m saying that Xu Xiaoyou can’t have children, so you don’t need to treat her so well,” Murong Qing pressed on.

“Who said I care for her because she can have children? Who told you that?” Xia Chen retorted.

“Isn’t that the case?” Murong Qing remained unconvinced. “Didn’t you marry her hoping she would carry on the Xia Family name? Now that you know she can’t get pregnant, shouldn’t you be preparing a divorce agreement?” Xia Chen stared at Murong Qing, wondering how she knew that Xiaoyou couldn’t have children and who had told her.

“Murong Qing, let me make this clear,” Xia Chen leaned closer, speaking each word deliberately. “Even if Xiaoyou can’t have children, I wouldn’t abandon her. I married her because I love her, and it has nothing to do with children. You should give up on whatever scheme you’re plotting. If you ever do anything to harm Xiaoyou, I will make sure you regret it.”

Murong Qing took a step back, startled by Xia Chen’s words. She hadn’t expected him to show no surprise upon hearing that Xu Xiaoyou couldn’t conceive. She couldn’t help but ask, “Did you already know Xu Xiaoyou couldn’t have children?”

Xia Chen nodded and said, “I’ve known about it for a long time.”

Murong Qing sat helplessly in the chair. “Why, Xia Chen? Tell me why. What’s so great about Xu Xiaoyou that you love her this much? When I was by your side, treating you well, you wouldn’t even give me a bit of love. Xu Xiaoyou, who is nowhere near as good as me, has somehow earned your devotion. Tell me, why is that?”

“If you want to know, then I’ll tell you,” Xia Chen replied, looking straight at Murong Qing. “Let me ask you; when you were with me, what were your intentions? I loved you so deeply, yet you used me to achieve your own goals. Did you really think I didn’t notice? I used to believe you loved me, which is why I allowed you to do as you pleased. It wasn’t until you left me that I finally understood what kind of person I truly loved. Murong Qing, how can you still ask me why?”

“No… that’s not true,” Murong Qing shook her head. “I do love you, and I never meant to use you. I was just afraid I wouldn’t be good enough for you, which is why I wanted to work hard to earn your mother’s approval someday.” Xia Chen forced a smile; his mother had brought up Murong Qing more than once after knowing about their relationship, urging him to bring her home. But every time, Murong Qing never had the time, making it impossible for him to even mention it.

“Honestly, your mother never opposed your going abroad. She understands your dreams and supports you, but you shouldn’t have given up our child just for the chance to go overseas.”

At the mention of the child, Xia Chen felt a pang in his heart. That was their flesh and blood; how could she bear to terminate the pregnancy? As soon as Murong Qing thought of the child, tears streamed down her face. The child that had only been in her womb for two months was also a part of her that she couldn’t bear to lose.

“Actually, that child was an accident,” Murong Qing said, her voice choked with emotion. “The child was lost; it wasn’t something I wanted to happen.”

At that time, she had briefly considered terminating the pregnancy, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. The child was their bond, how could she part with it? “The child really was lost; I was hit by someone while walking,” Murong Qing slowly revealed the events of that time.

“When I went to the hospital, the doctor said the baby couldn’t be saved, and that’s why the surgery was performed. I truly didn’t intend to lose the child.”

“Then why didn’t you explain?” Xia Chen asked, looking directly at her.

“I did explain, but no one believed me. I had already signed a contract with a British company by then. Your mother thought I wanted to get rid of the baby just to go abroad. No matter how much I tried to explain, she wouldn’t listen.”

At that time, Murong Qing was not only grieving the loss of her child but also misunderstood. She felt she had no choice but to leave, planning to return later and explain everything to Xia Chen. However, she was then told she couldn’t come back. It was then that she realized that the Xia Family held immense power in City S. Sighing, Xia Chen recalled that when he woke up, his mother told him that Murong Qing had chosen to terminate the pregnancy for her career. At first, he didn’t believe it, but then he remembered how Murong Qing had expressed her reluctance to keep the child when she was just pregnant. After she went abroad and experienced a surge in her career, she never returned to the country, leading him to ultimately accept their version of events.

“What you say now doesn’t matter. So much time has passed,” he said flatly.

“But Xia Chen, I still love you,” Murong Qing pleaded, grabbing his hand.

“I’m sorry.” Xia Chen pulled his hand away. “Right now, my heart only belongs to Xiaoyou. There’s no room for anyone else.”

“Does it not matter even if she can’t have children?” Murong Qing asked, holding on to her last glimmer of hope.

Xia Chen gave her a slight nod.

“Alright, very well,” Murong Qing said, and then she picked up her bag and left the office.

Once outside, she glared fiercely, “Don’t get too cocky; Xia Chen is mine, and I will win him back.”

It was quite a while before Xu Xiaoyou pushed the door open and entered. She had originally intended to discuss the house-hunting plans with Xia Chen but overheard their conversation outside. It became clear to her that their breakup wasn’t due to distance but rather a misunderstanding. This realization sparked a new determination inside her.

“Xiaoyou, what brings you here?” Xia Chen noticed she was standing at the door without entering and felt a bit confused. Normally, she would have come in and sat on the sofa right away. Did she overhear their conversation?

“Ah Xia, I came to find you to look at houses together,” Xu Xiaoyou replied as she stepped in and intertwined her arm with Xia Chen’s. “Will you accompany me to check them out?”

“Sure,” he said, affectionately ruffling her hair.

After quickly tidying up the items on the desk, Xia Chen grabbed the car keys and left the office with Xu Xiaoyou. Neither of them mentioned Murong Qing’s visit; Xia Chen felt uncertain if Xu Xiaoyou had overheard anything and didn’t dare to ask, while Xu Xiaoyou had already made up her mind to support him and Murong Qing, so she didn’t want to pry. Besides, what could she even ask?

Once they arrived at the villa, Xia Chen asked Xu Xiaoyou what they should name the place. After a moment of thought, she suggested, “How about calling it Maple Forest Villa?”

Xia Chen repeated the name, nodding in approval. “Perfect, that’s it.”

After leaving the villa, they went directly to the Xia Family’s residence and were surprised to find Chen Zihan there as well. He had just returned from America a few days ago for a follow-up check-up and hadn’t anticipated coming back so soon.

“Zihan, when did you get back? Why didn’t you let me know so I could pick you up?” Xia Chen asked.

“I just got off the plane and was picked up by Mom Xia,” Chen Zihan replied, vaguely aware of why she had summoned him.

“Mom, do you need something from Zihan?” Xia Chen turned to ask Mom Xia. If it weren’t something important, he couldn’t think of a reason for her urgency.

“Oh, it’s nothing serious,” Mom Xia said with a smile. “I just thought since Zihan is back, as his aunt, I should make sure he gets a good meal!”

“Zihan, your health should be alright now, right?” Xu Xiaoyou asked with concern.

Chen Zihan nodded. “The doctor said I’ve fully recovered.”

“That’s fantastic! Now we can go hiking together again.”

Mom Xia playfully tapped Xia Chen on the head. “You two remember to keep away from dangerous things from now on; I can’t handle any more scares!”

“Yes, yes…” they both replied in unison.

After dinner, Mom Xia indeed called Chen Zihan to her study to inquire about Xu Xiaoyou. She had heard about it from Papa Xu but couldn’t believe it would involve Madam Shen.

Chen Zihan recounted the events from that time, and as he spoke, Mom Xia felt a fire igniting within her. That Madam Shen thought she could take advantage of them without facing consequences was simply unacceptable.

Just then, Xia Chen pushed the door open and walked in, causing both Mom Xia and Chen Zihan to turn their attention to him.

“Ah Xia, why didn’t you knock before coming in?” Mom Xia asked, slightly displeased, grateful it was Xia Chen rather than Xu Xiaoyou.

“I heard everything you were saying from outside,” Xia Chen admitted openly. “Papa Xu has mentioned it to me as well.”

“Was it the day you all came back together?” Mom Xia asked.

“Yes.”

“Then Xu Xiaoyou still doesn’t know about it, does she?” Mom Xia was concerned that Xu Xiaoyou might not handle the information well if she found out.

“I haven’t told her. What do you plan to do about Madam Shen?” Xia Chen inquired.

“Let her know that Xu Xiaoyou is not someone to mess with.”

“But Xu Xiaoyou is good friends with Jingjing, who is Shen Mobai’s girlfriend. How will Xu Xiaoyou face Jingjing and Shen Mobai after you do this?” Xia Chen questioned.

“Well… I hadn’t really thought about that. I just couldn’t swallow the idea of not teaching Madam Shen a lesson,” Mom Xia admitted. She hadn’t considered the connection to Jingjing, who was now Shen Mobai’s wife. If they took action against Madam Shen, Shen Mobai might turn against them.

“I initially thought about giving Madam Shen a lesson too,” Xia Chen said. “But I realized that if Shen Mobai brings it up later, Xu Xiaoyou will definitely find out.”

Mom Xia nodded, acknowledging that Xia Chen had thought it through carefully.

“Mom, Murong Qing came to the company today,” Xia Chen revealed. “She mentioned some things regarding Xu Xiaoyou.”

“What did she say?” Mom Xia gasped, alarmed.

“I don’t know how she found out that Xu Xiaoyou can’t have children, but she also spoke about events from years ago.”

“And what about you?” Mom Xia wanted to know Xia Chen’s feelings on the matter.

“I no longer have any feelings for her.” Xia Chen stated clearly, expressing his thoughts.

“But Ah Xia, have you considered that since Murong Qing knows about this, she might have already told Xu Xiaoyou?” Chen Zihan asked.

“I never thought about that,” Xia Chen frowned. “I hope Xu Xiaoyou doesn’t know. If she did, she would definitely have told me.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Meanwhile, as they discussed Xu Xiaoyou upstairs, Papa Xu and Mom Xu had already settled on when they would return home. They had been in City S for quite a while and decided it was time to go back. They planned to come back next year for Xu Xiaoyou and Xia Chen’s wedding. Xu Xiaoyou nodded in agreement, thinking that once her parents left, it would also be time for her to leave.