“Lin Mo, let’s get divorced.”
Su Qianqian sat in her wheelchair, her thin lips parting slightly as she spoke with complete seriousness.
Hearing this, Lin Mo’s hands, which had been massaging and loosening her muscles, paused. He lifted his head and looked at her.
Her skin was fair, her eyes cool and distant. Even though Su Qianqian had been in a wheelchair for three years, time had not left a single mark on her. Instead, it accentuated a mature kind of beauty.
Lowering his gaze, Lin Mo gave a faint, helpless smile, as if he had long expected this ending.
“Alright.”
“You…”
Seeing how calm Lin Mo looked, Su Qianqian suddenly felt a hollow emptiness in her chest. She seemed to want to say something, yet when the words reached her lips, she simply could not voice them. In the end, they turned into a soft sigh.
“Lin Mo, thank you for taking care of me these past three years. If it weren’t for you, I probably would never have been able to stand up again in this lifetime.”
“You’re a good person. It’s just… Xiao Jibo is coming back. You know how I feel about him. You also know I’ve been waiting for him these three years. So…”
“It’s alright, Qianqian. Actually, I should be thanking you. These past three years, if you hadn’t helped me pay off the remaining debts, I would probably still be singing at a bar.”
“So… the one who should say thank you is me.”
Lin Mo spoke with complete sincerity. After finishing, he lowered his head and continued massaging her legs.
Three years ago, Lin Mo’s family went bankrupt. His parents, driven into a corner with no way out, ultimately chose to jump from a building.
The remaining debts all fell onto Lin Mo.
At that time, Lin Mo had not a single cent. To repay the debts, he had no choice but to drop out of university. He became a resident singer at a bar, using that income to slowly pay off what he owed.
Coincidentally, at that time Su Qianqian was going through a breakup with her first love, Xiao Jibo.
She was dispirited all day long and often went to the bar to drown her sorrows in alcohol. Over time, the two of them gradually became familiar with each other.
Because Lin Mo had studied music in university, and with his clear, gentle voice, Su Qianqian always liked going to the bar to listen to him sing. She would frequently tip him a generous amount of money.
Until one day, Su Qianqian once again came to the bar heartbroken and drunk. On her way back, she drove under the influence and collided with a large cargo truck.
Both of her legs suffered severe injuries, and she might never stand up again in her lifetime.
After Xiao Jibo learned of the news, he resolutely chose to abandon Su Qianqian and go abroad alone.
From then on, Su Qianqian fell into total despair. She refused to eat or drink, constantly talking about ending her life.
Later, Su Qianqian’s father realized this could not continue.
So he decided to find someone for Su Qianqian to marry. At the very least, there would be someone to take care of her. Moreover, the Su family had only this one daughter, and they could not let the family line end.
However, when Su Qianqian found out, she stubbornly refused to agree.
Just as she was about to threaten them with her own life, Xiao Jibo, who was overseas, called her.
He told Su Qianqian that he had only gone abroad to start a business. Because her father had always looked down on the Xiao family for being too ordinary and unworthy of Su Qianqian, Xiao Jibo decided to go abroad to prove himself. He also made a three-year promise to Su Qianqian.
Once three years had passed, he would return to the country and marry her.
When Su Qianqian heard this, she seemed to come back to life in an instant and immediately agreed to her father’s request.
But on one condition: she would choose the marriage partner herself.
At the time, her father agreed without hesitation. It was already not easy to make Su Qianqian agree. Besides, she was in her current condition. If she could find someone she liked to stay by her side, perhaps the rest of her life would be happy.
Thus, Su Qianqian found Lin Mo, who was working as a resident singer at the bar.
She promised to help him repay all his debts.
The condition was that Lin Mo would act as her contractual husband for three years, help her withstand all kinds of gossip, and take care of her daily life.
After three years, when Xiao Jibo returned, the two of them would divorce.
At that time, Lin Mo had no way out, so he could only agree.
During these three years, Lin Mo took meticulous care of Su Qianqian. He sought out various folk remedies and learned different massage techniques.
In the end, after nearly three years of his careful care, Su Qianqian had gradually recovered a great deal.
The doctor said that within less than two months, Su Qianqian’s legs would fully recover.
And Su Qianqian had not broken her promise. She had long since helped Lin Mo repay all his debts.
So from the bottom of his heart, Lin Mo was truly grateful to her.
Earlier this morning, when Lin Mo was helping Su Qianqian comb her hair, he accidentally saw a message on her phone.
It read: “Qianqian, I’m returning to the country in three days. This time, we can finally get married openly and honorably…”
From that moment on, Su Qianqian’s attitude toward Lin Mo returned to its former coldness.
He knew that message was from her first love, Xiao Jibo.
He also knew that it was time for him to leave. Otherwise, he would not be this calm.
“Lin Mo, do you… truly think that way?”
Seeing how sincere Lin Mo sounded, Su Qianqian could not help but ask cautiously.
Lin Mo looked up at Su Qianqian, his eyes incredibly clear, and nodded.
Seeing this, Su Qianqian felt relieved, yet at the same time, an inexplicable sense of disappointment crept into her heart.
She had thought Lin Mo might struggle, perhaps even try to persuade her to stay. After all, they had lived together day and night for three years. It was impossible for him to feel nothing for her.
Moreover, she was beautiful, and her legs were about to heal completely, making her a flawless woman again.
It would be normal if Lin Mo had fallen in love with her and did not want to leave.
Yet his reaction was astonishingly calm.
There was not the slightest sign of sadness over the impending divorce.
That stirred a strange feeling within Su Qianqian.
“How about this, I’ll give you an additional 10 million yuan as compensation for taking care of me these past three years.”
Su Qianqian returned to her usual cool demeanor, casually offering tens of millions as compensation.
By now, Lin Mo had finished massaging her legs. He stood up, gently covering her legs with the blanket.
With a soft laugh, he said seriously, “There’s no need. You’ve already helped me more than enough. I can’t take any more of your money.”
“I’ll go pack my things now and move out. From now on… take good care of yourself.”
After speaking, Lin Mo turned and went back to his room.
Watching his slightly lonely figure from behind, Su Qianqian felt an indescribable sensation in her heart.
Just then, her phone chimed again.
After glancing at it, she quickly began typing on the screen, a rare smile appearing on her face.
Like a flower blooming on ice, unfamiliar yet impossible to ignore in its beauty.
After returning to his room, Lin Mo simply packed his belongings.
Over the years, Su Qianqian had not treated him poorly. She had given him many expensive pieces of jewelry and gifts.
Yet Lin Mo did not take a single one. He only packed his personal clothes. Everything else he left in the bedroom cabinet.
After finishing, he sat on the bed and carefully looked around his room.
After a long time, a bitter smile appeared on his face.
In truth, he felt some reluctance in his heart.
Just as Su Qianqian had thought, after living together day and night for three years, how could there be no feelings at all?
But in the end, they were only a contractual couple.
Xiao Jibo was returning. Naturally, he had to make room for the rightful person.
Moreover, he did not want to be the obstacle between them.
Over the years, he understood better than anyone how Su Qianqian felt about Xiao Jibo.
When Xiao Jibo once mentioned over the phone that he liked the piano, she bought the best “Steinway” piano in the world the very next day.
When Xiao Jibo was in a bad mood, she would stay on the phone with him all night.
In her heart, no one could take Xiao Jibo’s place.
Besides, Lin Mo understood his own feelings for Su Qianqian.
Perhaps there was a trace of affection. After all, people are not made of stone. But more than anything, what he felt for her was gratitude.
So he sincerely hoped that Su Qianqian and Xiao Jibo would be happy together in the future.
Thinking this, Lin Mo let out a soft laugh, a hint of envy in his eyes.
He then picked up the small teddy bear keychain hanging from the side of his backpack.
A trace of remembrance flickered in his eyes as he murmured softly, “Sister Youchu, you haven’t truly forgotten me, have you…?”