Proofread by Claire.KK
Time was tight, so Qiao Mu chose to take a taxi to the bar where she met Xi Muqiao last time instead of taking the bus. For the first time in her life, she did not care about money.
In the daytime, varicoloured neon lamps of the bar had not been turned on. Last time, when she came here, the tall revolving door kept rotating because people came to and left the bar continually. But at present, the door stood still, enabling the bar to be very quiet.
However, the quietness made her so fl.u.s.tered. Her heart beat hard and it seemed that it would burst out of her chest. She looked much paler than before since she knew once she walked into the door, anything could happen at this time.
Qiao Mu grasped her schoolbag"s strap on her shoulder with one hand while the other hand was hanging by her side, slightly quivering. Bluish white suffused the joints of her small pale hands. She could feel her fingers growing numb at their tips.
Her round nose tip turned red due to cold wind which made her hair fluttered in the air, covering her eyes. Qiao Mu brushed her hair aside, revealing her red-rimmed eyes. With her red lips pressed into a line, she was determined now.
The same room on the second floor.
Standing by the French windows was Xi Muqiao with his hands in pockets. He now lowered his head looking at Qiao Mu who was trembling in the chilly wind while his heart ached for her.
Almost ten minutes later, Qiao Mu finally walked into the bar dragging her numb legs. Meanwhile, Xi Muqiao raised his head and looked at the twig swaying with the wind outside of the window, lifting the corners of his mouth slowly.
The layout of the bar was the same as it was when she came the last time, but her mood was different. Her fifty-dollar black lace bra was not on the pure white statue by the door now and the whole bar was empty and quiet. There were only a few guests there, who was looking at her.
Qiao Mu stuttered when she nerved herself to describe how Xi Muqiao looked like to the waiter. After she got the reply, she walked upstairs with her head lowered. But she could hardly walk up the stairs since her legs seemed to stiffen at this moment.
It was the third time Qiao Mu came to this room. At the first time, she ran out of the room without properly wearing her clothes. And at the second time, she was caught and brought to this room when she came to grab her schoolbag. But now, Qiao Mu stared at the door standing outside while her hand clenched and loosened again and again. She was hesitating now.
Her palms were completely sweaty now. And she knew that if she knocked at the door, she could not regret it.
But did it matter? Compared to her mother"s life, there was nothing to regret. Rat-tat! Qiao Mu knocked on the door. In the backdrop of the dark door, her hand became paler and more eye-catching.
"Come on in." Xi Muqiao"s low and magnetic voice came through the thick door. Trembling, Qiao Mu gripped the doork.n.o.b and opened the door. It was pretty warm inside the room, but Qiao Mu could not help quivering when she saw him.
Xi Muqiao stood by the French windows, with his back facing her. His tall figure partially blocked the sunlight, leaving a long shadow on the carpet that extended to Qiao Mu"s feet.
All of a sudden, Qiao Mu felt so fl.u.s.tered. Her lips slightly moved for a moment before she opened her mouth, murmuring," Mi…mister."
Xi Muqiao slowly turned around without any expressions on his face. Different to the gentleness he treated to Qiao Mu the last time, now he seemed unapproachable.
Qiao Mu clenched her sweaty hand and then lightly rubbed it against her overcoat to wipe the sweat on the palm. Then she reached into the inside pocket of her coat to take out the hanky that neatly folded, stepped forward and pa.s.sed it to Xi Muqiao with fear.
"This is your handkerchief. I have cleaned it."
Xi Muqiao reached out to take the hanky and stuffed it in the pocket of his suit pants without even looking at it. However, what Qiao Mu did not know was that his hand gripped the hanky tightly in his pocket which seemed that he wanted to touch the warmth on the hanky left by Qian Mu and tried to keep it forever.
Qiao Mu raised her head to look at Xi Muqiao. He was so tall that her head could only reach his chest.
Qiao Mu was considering how to start the topic, but she hesitated when she looked at his poker face.
"You have something to tell me?" Xi Muqiao asked in a cold voice. Qiao Mu did not understand why his att.i.tude had greatly changed. She stammered out the words that she had practised many times in her mind.
"I, I want to ask you to do me a favor."
Xi Muqiao"s eyes finally fell on Qiao Mu, then he blinked his dark eyes, asking Qiao Mu to continue.
Qiao Mu took a deep breath, "I know you are well-connected, so I hope you can help me to find a place to sell my organs like the kidney, liver or cornea."
After saying that without any stop, Qiao Mu was exhausted and breathless as if she used up all her strength. At the same time, her eyes were full of worry, with her bushy eyelashes shaking quickly.
Xi Muqiao furrowed his eyebrows immediately with a grim expression on his face. Gritting his teeth, he asked in a cold and angry tone," Whose organs?"
Qiao Mu lowered her head fearfully, trying to avoid his scary glare. Her hands were interlocking and her palms were extremely sweaty," Mine!"
Xi Muqiao became furious. Veins stood out in his clenched fists immediately. Like a wrathful beast, he gave Qiao Mu a frosty stare, "Yours?"
Xi Muqiao"s behaviour frightened Qiao Mu all of a sudden. She could not help taking one step back, with her hands quivered faster.
She did not understand why he was so angry and glared at her like that. However, under his glaring that wanted to see her through, she was too scared to raise her head.
Xi Muqiao"s eyes swept over the lower hem of Qiao Mu"s overcoat that was rubbed by her hands ceaselessly. His heart ached when he saw the chilblains on her fair hand.
"Then…" His hands clenched so tightly that they became very pale. He raised his eyebrows, stepped forward and glared at Qiao Mu"s eyes furiously, saying word by word," Tell me your reason!"
Feeling how angry Xi Muqiao was, Qiao Mu slightly quivered and lowered her head spontaneously. However, at this stage, she couldn"t regret it. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down and screwed up her courage, answering with a tone that obviously showed her panic.
"My…my mother needs to have an operation. Otherwise, she would die. And the operation fee is more than 20,0000 dollars…" While she was finishing her words, her eyes were filled with tears slowly.
The veins on Xi Muqiao"s neck stood out. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and interrupted Qiao Mu in a high-pitched voice, "So, your solution is to sell your organs?"
His voice made Qiao Mu a quiver in fear. She suddenly raised her head to look at him. At this time, she felt both anxious and aggrieved, so she roared to Xi Muqiao loudly as if to yell all the suffers from injustice out, "Hey, Old b.a.s.t.a.r.d, are you a control freak? It"s none of your business whether I sell my organs or not. Now, just tell me that are you going to help me or not? Tell me! If you"re not going to help me, I will ask others for help. Plus, there are so many underground places trading organs. I am sure I can find one easily!"