Chapter 12 Fragrance

“Just let him go,” suggested Mrs. Leng after she had looked at her son’s pitiful expression. Leng Junsheng had not been able to concentrate on anything else and lost several kilograms these past few days. “That’s right. I have a business of my own to take care of today. Let us talk again next time!” Ling Yichen suddenly exclaimed. With nothing further to say, Mr. Leng escorted Ling Yichen to the elevator. He then let his son go but not before cursing lowly at him, “Pathetic.” Mrs. Wu helped Xia Mo descend one flight of stairs. The two of them walked out of the emergency stairwell and waited by the elevator. Not long after, it arrived on their floor. It was already occupied. Emotionally turbulent, Xia Mo raised her head and saw the man derisively looking at her from inside the elevator. The woman who hung on his arm also wore a faint smile. Xia Mo's tiny mouth was agape, and she froze in her tracks, just one step shy of entering. “Are you entering or not?” The man icily asked. Xia Mo was then gently pushed inside by Mrs. Wu. The four of them had ridden the elevator in silence until it reached the first floor. The man then said to the woman beside him, “Go back, draft a report, and hand it to Secretary Liao. The woman released his arm, nodded, and elegantly walked past Xiao Mo and out of the elevator. The door closed again and did not open until the second lower level. Like a fleeing rabbit, she ran headfirst out of the elevator and then took in a deep breath. Although the underground parking garage was filled with the smell of gasoline, she felt that it was much more soothing than the air in the elevator. Ling Yichen stood behind her and gazed at her elfin figure. He could almost imagine what she would look like without clothes. The few times that he had seen her, she either wore nothing or flowing nightdresses. Today was the first time that he had seen her properly dressed. Her hair was combed and tied in a bun behind her head. She appeared as if she was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old child. No part of her looked like a pregnant woman. “Sir, Madam’s car is parked in Zone A.” As if she hadn’t noticed the two people’s abnormal behaviors, Mrs. Wu merely glanced at Ling Yichen and remarked. “Okay.” Ling Yichen surveyed the area and walked in the direction of Zone A. Mrs. Wu helped the dawdling Xia Mo, and the two of them followed Ling Yichen. Ling Yichen could hear the footsteps behind him. He unconsciously slowed his pace. He knew that she could be pregnant. Lu Wanru had told him this morning that she would bring her to a checkup. Now that he thought about it, Lu Wanru must have brought her here to celebrate. Unfortunately, their meal had been interrupted after a few bites. He could already envision it. Lu Wanru must currently be very vexed. Lu Wanru was indeed unhappy, but her mind went blank when she saw Ling Yichen approaching her car. Ling Yichen opened the car’s rear door and sat next to Lu Wanru. Xia Mo stood beyond the door and watched as Ling Yichen got into the car. She felt unnecessary. In front of the couple who had hired her, she was just a baby making machine. She couldn’t even be considered a mistress. In front of them, she could not hold her head up. Even a breath from her was a waste. The window rolled down. With a frosty face, he asked, “Are you being punished to stand? Get in the car!” Mrs. Wu quickly opened the car door for her, and Xia Mo sat inside. Coincidentally, she sat right across from him. As for Mrs. Wu, she sat in the front passenger seat. The car started. Xia Mo docilely placed her hands on her lap, lowered her head, and pretended to be a log of wood. She would not move nor speak. Even better, she would try not to breathe. Xia Mo retracted her legs, being careful in not touching any corner of that man’s trousers. On the other hand, the man sat quite comfortably. His legs were splayed, appearing as if he owned the world. Even if Xia Mo did not look up, she could already imagine it. He was like Liu Ming, an odious guy from her class who always liked to act pompous and flashy. Noting their awkward interaction, Lu Wanru almost laughed out loud. Even she didn’t understand her stance sometimes. She didn’t know whether she cared for Ling Yichen or not at all. If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t be furious whenever she saw Ling Yichen with Lu Wanqiu. Anguish flooded her heart each time. But now that she saw Ling Yichen and Xia Mo sitting together, she did not feel the least bit angry. Rather, she wanted to laugh. They gave her the impression of a hungry wolf and a meek lamb. “I brought her to a checkup today. The doctor said that she’s pregnant.” Lu Wanru softly cleared her throat and spoke to Ling Yichen. “Alright.” Even though this was expected, Ling Yichen’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat. His eyes shifted towards the petite woman in front of him. She tightened her clasp. Her eyes were slightly dry. She wondered if she was just an object in their eyes. “The doctor said that everything is going well. She just needs a checkup now and then,” Lu Wanru added. “Just do whatever needs to be done.” With that said, the man concluded the meaningless conversation. Xia Mo’s whitened fingers dug deeper into her skin. The man didn’t seem to care about the child in her belly. When they arrived at Xia Mo’s residence, Ling Yichen stepped out of the car, and Xia Mo followed as well. “If you have no business to take care of, then stay here for a while. They’re currently ridding pests from the garden.” Lu Wanru did not step of the car but spoke to him through the window. “I’ll go home first to take a look. Once the extermination is finished, I’ll give you a call.” Without waiting for Ling Yichen’s response, the car drove away. Perplexed, Xia Mo watched the car disappear from view. She was always very curious about her female employer. It wasn’t just because Lu Wanru would become her child’s “mother”. It was because she could not tell how this woman viewed her and that man. “Aren’t you entering?” The man who had already entered the house turned around to question her. “Oh.” Xia Mo swiftly strode two steps and entered the house. When she turned to shut the door, she inwardly berated him. What’s with that constant poker face? Pretending to be cool? She turned around to face him again and continued to pout with dissatisfaction. However, upon seeing the man standing before her, she immediately stood still with a bow as if she was a servant. Ling Yichen merely raised a brow, and without warning, he headed to the second floor. Xia Mo, in the meantime, sat on the sofa. After he had finished taking a shower, he realized that she had not yet returned to her room. She doesn’t take afternoon naps? He looked through the books on her table. Other than prep tests and study guides for gaokao, the rest were mathematics and English. He then recalled the young Miss Leng saying that she was an honors student and put the books back in place. He sat down on her bed, picked up the guidebook about pregnancy from the nightstand, and scanned it. Eventually, he grew sleepy. Ling Yichen tucked himself into bed. The quilt was scented with her light fragrance. It was very faint, but the scent tugged at his heartstrings. He began to recollect the lust that the woman had stoked within him. Is she avoiding me? Is that why she didn’t return to her bedroom?