Rebirth, but baby, where are you?

Chapter 64

Zhan Shuoming finally managed to shake off the entanglement of his fair-weather friends and hurriedly rushed to the bar. By the time he arrived, it was already close to 3 AM. If it weren’t for self-preservation and survival, he wouldn’t want to live such an idle life, only to be branded with the infamy of being good-for-nothing.

He let out a soft sigh, put away his somewhat cold expression, unbuttoned a few buttons of his tightly fastened collar, put on a frivolous smile, and strode into the bar with its flashing lights and deafening music. With practiced ease, he caressed the alluring waist of a sultry beauty who had actively approached him.

After once again declining a beauty’s invitation, Zhan Shuoming finally pushed through the crowd toward the bar counter. Just as he was about to greet the bartender, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Mo Shanshan? What was she doing here?

Zhan Shuoming focused his attention for a moment. At that moment, a drunk man happened to notice Mo Shanshan slumped over the bar counter, his eyes gleaming with predatory light. The man had been watching Mo Shanshan for quite some time and finally couldn’t resist curling his lips into a smile as he approached tonight’s prey.

Zhan Shuoming’s brow furrowed again as he watched the man with obviously ill intentions. He calmly accepted the drink the bartender handed him. After a while, he lowered his eyelids, concealing the expression in his eyes, then moved forward and grabbed the man’s hand that was reaching toward Mo Shanshan with neither too much nor too little force.

Having his good deed suddenly interrupted, the man’s face showed obvious displeasure. He was about to resist when he looked up and saw who it was. All his anger instantly dissipated, and he said with obvious panic and surprise, “Young Master Zhan!”

Zhan Shuoming released his hand, crossed one arm over his chest while holding his wine glass, took a sip and said, “Give me some face and let this lady off. Besides… you can’t touch this woman. She’s Mo Shanshan, Master Mo’s niece.”

The man was stunned and suddenly looked down at the beautiful woman slumped over the bar counter whom he had considered his prey. Startled, he stumbled back a step, his drunkenness mostly sobered. It took him a while to calm his wildly racing heartbeat before he smiled awkwardly with lingering fear, “Thank you, Young Master Zhan.”

Zhan Shuoming smiled nonchalantly, raised his chin to signal him to leave quickly, then took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, having someone notify Qi Fengyu to come pick her up. It seemed that Miss Mo was drinking alone at a bar in the dead of night, so Mo Shaoheng’s side was probably already in an uproar.

After hanging up the phone, Zhan Shuoming leaned against the bar counter with his wine glass, his deep gaze falling on Mo Shanshan.

Beautiful women always attract everyone’s attention, especially a drunk beautiful woman who had already ignited the wild and restless hearts of many men in the bar. If it weren’t for the fact that this pretty face’s protective layer was too solid for anyone to dare touch—after all, not everyone was willing to provoke Master Mo’s wrath—how could Mo Shanshan have remained safe and sound until now?

Zhan Shuoming raised his wine glass toward the dazzling lights above the bar counter. The liquid in the glass emanated an enchanting glow as he slowly curled his lips into a smile. Looking at Mo Shanshan’s beautiful face tinged with a slight flush, he felt particularly pleased and took a sip of wine, letting the mellow liquor swirl in his mouth before slowly swallowing it.

The Mo family. If it hadn’t fallen into Mo Shaoheng’s hands, it would have lost its current glory long ago.

Zhan Shuoming’s eyes darkened. Except for Mo Shaoheng’s deceased parents, perhaps the entire Mo family couldn’t catch Mo Shaoheng’s eye. Only this Mo family’s eldest daughter, who had been personally cared for by Mo Shaoheng ten years ago, was different. Everyone in T City knew that Mo Shaoheng doted on this niece very much.

Unfortunately, it was precisely because of this that getting close to Miss Mo was very difficult. Mo Shaoheng protected her too well. Those who fantasized about climbing the big tree that was Mo Shaoheng through Mo Shanshan were blocked thousands of miles away by Mo Shaoheng’s protective barrier before they could even begin their schemes.

However, as far as he knew, there were still quite a few wealthy young men who wanted to marry Miss Mo. After all, such a beautiful woman, even if she couldn’t bring too many benefits, would be very pleasing to the eye to marry and keep at home. Moreover, Mo Shanshan was a true refined lady from a distinguished family, gentle and graceful, very dignified to take out in public.

Zhan Shuoming let out a soft breath. Just as he was about to raise his wine glass to his lips, he suddenly turned around as if sensing something, and indeed saw a familiar fiery figure charging toward him in a hurry, completely ignoring the sighs around her as she pushed through the crowd with a cold face, regardless of everything.

Zhan Shuoming suddenly felt his temples begin to throb. He had almost forgotten that beside the gentle and graceful Miss Mo, there was also Miss Su, whose personality was completely opposite. Not only was she hot-tempered, she was also willful and unreasonable. When encountering such a temperamental young lady from a wealthy family, he was completely at a loss and just wanted to turn around and leave.

“Shanshan!” Su Yang quickly supported Mo Shanshan, letting Mo Shanshan’s head rest on her shoulder. Catching a whiff of strong alcohol, she couldn’t help but frown. With obvious heartache, she smoothed Mo Shanshan’s disheveled long hair, “If you have something on your mind, can’t you discuss it with me? Why did you come to this kind of place alone? What if something had happened?”

Mo Shanshan opened her eyes in confusion. What came into view was a familiar face. She straightened up and hugged Su Yang’s neck, sobbing softly, “Su Yang, I feel so miserable… really so miserable… why do they have to treat me like this…”

Su Yang patted Mo Shanshan’s back and comforted her softly, “It’s okay now, it’s okay. We’ve come to take you home.”

Mo Shanshan held Su Yang and sobbed, mumbling drunk talk to herself.

Qin Huanxi felt relieved seeing that Mo Shanshan was safe and sound. After watching Su Yang and Mo Shanshan for a while, he shifted his gaze to Zhan Shuoming standing nearby and said with a calm expression, “Thank you!”

Zhan Shuoming seemed somewhat surprised. After a while, he smiled and said, “Young Master Qin is too polite. It was nothing.”

Seeing that Mo Shanshan was somewhat emotional, Qin Huanxi and the others didn’t stay any longer and helped Mo Shanshan leave the bar.

However, Zhan Shuoming’s actions did give Qin Huanxi a slightly different impression of this third young master of the Zhan family. Zhan Shuoming didn’t seem as worthless as imagined. After all, Zhan Shuoming had helped them today, which meant he had made Mo Shaoheng owe him a favor.

After the commotion half the night, everyone was tired. After returning to the Mo residence, they quickly showered and went to their respective rooms to rest.

Fortunately, it was the weekend. The next day, Qin Huanxi and Mo Shaoheng slept until they woke up naturally. As soon as they walked downstairs, they heard Mo Siyuan’s cheers coming from the main hall. The two looked at each other in confusion.

Qin Huanxi was the first to walk forward and was surprised to see a white expanse outside the main hall. His eyes widened in surprise, and a smile appeared on his face. He turned back to Mo Shaoheng with slight excitement, “It’s snowing!”

“Mm.” Mo Shaoheng turned to look at the smiling Qin Huanxi, his eyes becoming increasingly gentle.

Qin Huanxi pulled Mo Shaoheng out of the main hall quickly, looking up at the snowflakes falling from the sky.

Snowy days always seemed particularly quiet, with fresh air floating around. The snow must have started falling from when they returned in the early morning hours. In just a few hours, the entire courtyard was covered with a layer of white.

“Xiao Yuan, if you want to play in the snow, you should put on gloves first.” Qin Huanxi looked helplessly at Mo Siyuan who had thrown himself headfirst into the snow, quickly stepped forward to pick up the little guy, and brushed off the snowflakes stuck to Mo Siyuan’s body. The cold touch made him shiver involuntarily.

“Big Brother Huanxi…” Mo Siyuan was so excited his little face turned red. He grinned happily at Qin Huanxi, seeming completely unable to feel the cold of the snowy day, cheering continuously. He opened his little hands that had turned red from the cold snow and looked up to catch the falling snowflakes.

Mo Shanshan ran up with a pair of small, delicate cartoon gloves, grabbed Mo Siyuan’s cold little hands, and brushed off the snowflakes on them, saying, “Look at you, your hands are frozen stiff. Be good, put on the gloves first, then we can play in the snow.”

While speaking, Mo Shanshan put gloves on Mo Siyuan who was stepping on the snowflakes, and said to Qin Huanxi as if reminiscing, “This is the first time Xiao Yuan has seen such heavy snow in his life. It’s natural for him to be a bit excited. I think he could play in the snow all day today.”

Qin Huanxi turned to look at Mo Shanshan. Mo Shanshan had a faint smile on her face and was concentrating on putting gloves on Mo Siyuan and brushing off the snow from his body. Beneath her lowered eyes, there remained the fatigue of a hangover, with deep bags under her eyes and slightly furrowed brows, somewhat forcing a smile.

“It’s rare to encounter such a snowy day, so let him play to his heart’s content.” Qin Huanxi withdrew his gaze and turned to watch Mo Siyuan, who had put on gloves and was once again diving headfirst into the snow pile and running wildly. He smiled as he looked up at the sky. Even he wanted to join Mo Siyuan in playing.

Pure white snow scenes always gave people a particularly magical feeling, making one unable to help but marvel at the wonders of nature. Even in the bitter cold, one had to fully appreciate and enjoy this gift from nature, lingering reluctantly and storing it deep in memory.

“I’m sorry. Yesterday I was willful and made you all worry about me.” After a moment of silence, Mo Shanshan finally spoke.

She didn’t know what was wrong with her either. After her mother left, initially her mood was relatively calm. Although she was very sad, it wasn’t like before when she felt despair, nor did she yearn for that warmth anymore. She had sat in the observation hall for a while and then wanted to go out for a walk. At first, she just wanted to go out and clear her head.

But sometimes, when a person’s thoughts were too heavy, they pretended not to care at all.

She first went to a coffee shop and sat alone until nightfall, until the bustling street outside the coffee shop became brilliantly lit, with colorful neon lights flashing the unique radiance of the night. She seemed unable to feel the passage of time and didn’t feel hungry either.

After leaving the coffee shop, she wandered aimlessly along the street until she passed by that bar and saw all kinds of people crowding into the bar’s entrance in groups. She couldn’t remember what her mood was like at that time. Perhaps it was just an impulse that flashed through her mind. When she came to her senses, she was already sitting at the bar counter.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t drink. Having lived with Mo Shaoheng for so many years, when she had free time, she always liked to pester Mo Shaoheng to have a drink together. After Qin Huanxi came, she seemed to have found a kindred spirit and often drank with Qin Huanxi while chatting about everything under the sun.

Looking back now, this was the first time in her 20 years that she had been so willful. She couldn’t say she regretted it, much less that it was liberating.

Qin Huanxi gently patted her shoulder and comforted her with a smile, “Don’t overthink it. Everyone has times when they’re in a bad mood. It’s rare to get drunk and let loose, so just consider it giving your mood a break. But if you want to get drunk in the future, Su Yang, Mo Shaoheng, and I can all accompany you until we’re all thoroughly drunk.”

Mo Shanshan gazed at Qin Huanxi’s smiling eyes, with faint moisture glimmering in her eyes. After a long while, she smiled and nodded lightly, responding with a sigh-like sound. She turned her head and, copying Qin Huanxi’s previous action, looked up at the sky. The snow seemed to be getting heavier, and her heart was becoming increasingly calm.

Su Yang came downstairs yawning and saw only Qin Yu sitting alone at the table, fiddling with Mo Siyuan’s handicrafts spread on the table. She looked around in confusion, walked up and asked, “Where is everyone? Still not awake?”

Qin Yu smiled and raised his chin toward the direction outside the main hall, “They got up long ago. They’re playing in the snow outside.”

“Playing in the snow?” Su Yang had just sat down when she jumped up in surprise and ran to the main hall entrance to take a look. She almost exclaimed, “When did it start snowing? It didn’t seem to be snowing when we came back last night, did it? I thought everyone was still sleeping.”

Qin Yu chuckled softly, put down Mo Siyuan’s handicraft, got up and walked to Su Yang’s side, saying, “It probably started snowing in the early morning.”

Su Yang looked at Qin Huanxi and Mo Shanshan who were helping Mo Siyuan build a snowman in the snow, with even Mo Shaoheng carrying a small bucket to help pack snow. She turned to look at Qin Yu beside her, “Little Uncle, aren’t you going to play?”

Qin Yu smiled helplessly, “I’m afraid of the cold, but… they seem to be having a lot of fun.”

Su Yang chuckled and grabbed Qin Yu’s arm, dragging him down the steps, “Come on, let’s play together. You won’t be cold once you start playing.”

Qin Yu was both amused and exasperated, but he indulged Su Yang’s willfulness and coquettishness.

By afternoon, the snow had accumulated in thick layers. Qi Fengyu and He Jingyi had also arrived, and the snowman-building team had grown larger. A group of adults accompanying one child, they had quite a good time. Even Mo Shanshan set aside her melancholy and played around with Mo Siyuan without restraint.

Mo Siyuan rolled up a ball of snow and playfully threw it at Qi Fengyu, then ran away on his little legs in the snow after throwing it.

This was the first time in his life that he had seen such heavy snow. Previously, he had only read about scenes of building snowmen and having snowball fights on snowy days in his Chinese textbooks. He had always been envious, hoping that one day there would be heavy snow so he could build snowmen and have snowball fights with everyone. Today, his wish had finally come true.

Mo Siyuan happily cupped his little face that had turned red from the cold, immediately startling himself with the snowflakes remaining on his gloves. Soon he was laughing heartily again as he grabbed a handful of snow and chased Su Yang and Qi Fengyu, throwing snowballs. Even when he accidentally fell down, he didn’t feel any pain and got up to continue chasing and playing.

Qin Huanxi smiled as he watched the excited Mo Siyuan and shook his head, “The little guy has really gone crazy with play this time.”

“It’s a rare opportunity. Let him play today.” Mo Shaoheng turned to gaze at Qin Huanxi. Just then, a snowflake landed on the tip of his beloved’s nose. His lips curved into a smile, and before Qin Huanxi could reach up to wipe it away, he leaned down and kissed the tip of his nose. The snowflake melted instantly.

“You…” Qin Huanxi looked up at Mo Shaoheng with a flushed face, not knowing whether it was from the cold or shyness.

Mo Shaoheng chuckled softly, his voice particularly deep and rich. He slowly leaned down to close the distance between them.

Suddenly, a fist-sized snowball flew past their approaching lips, followed by a small gasp.

Mo Shaoheng’s face darkened as he turned to look at Mo Siyuan, who was covering his little mouth.

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” The little guy knew he had interrupted his dad’s romantic moment and quickly turned to run away. While running, he didn’t forget to turn back and make a face, but used too much force and fell headfirst into the snow.

Just as Qin Huanxi was about to go forward and pick up Mo Siyuan, the little guy quickly got up and ran away in a flash. Qin Huanxi shook his head with a smile, glanced at the stern-faced Mo Shaoheng, and secretly chuckled to himself. Although kissing his beloved in the snow would indeed be very romantic, and being interrupted by the little guy was somewhat regrettable, seeing the little guy play so happily, this bit of regret wasn’t really anything significant.