Chapter 19: The Price of Obsession

The next day. The hospital.

Ji Xiao parked his car in a temporary spot across from the hospital.

He watched Qu Qian, who had just emerged with Mo Lin, glance around. A faint smile touched his lips as he exited the car and walked towards the hospital entrance.

Upon seeing him, Mo Lin’s already melancholic expression deepened.

Ji Xiao offered a slight smile. “Let’s go. I’m here to pick you up from the hospital.”

Qu Qian visibly relaxed. “Then I’ll head back first. My sister is still waiting for me.”

After Qu Qian left, Mo Lin subtly turned his head, avoiding Ji Xiao’s gaze. “I’ll take a taxi back myself.”

Ji Xiao, one hand casually tucked into his pocket, remarked, “Your brother-in-law works at Jinle Technology?”

Mo Lin’s head snapped up to look at him. “What do you want?”

“Come with me.”

Having spoken, Ji Xiao turned and headed for his car.

Mo Lin’s heart churned with a myriad of emotions, yet he ultimately followed, his face taut with tension.

He did not know if Sheng Xiao would truly harm his brother-in-law if he refused to comply.

But he dared not gamble.

In his eyes, Sheng Xiao was nothing short of a madman.

He had lost his mind the very night they graduated from high school.

Sitting in the backseat of Ji Xiao’s car, Mo Lin’s eyes grew dim. “After all these years, you still won’t let me go?”

Ji Xiao kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead, driving steadily. “I acted impulsively that night. I want to apologize to you.”

“The best apology would be for you to stay away from me.”

“Until you forgive me, you must remain by my side.”

“…”

Mo Lin’s eyes clouded with gloom.

If only he hadn’t gone out of his way to befriend the neighbor’s child back then.

If only he hadn’t treated him with such tenderness, allowing him to cling to him.

If only…

Sheng Xiao’s once frantic and obsessive gaze and words seemed to resurface.

‘I was in the abyss, and you pulled me out, becoming my light. You showed me endless tenderness and tolerance; you cannot abandon me halfway.’

‘You can only be with me! Completely and utterly, belonging to me.’

Ji Xiao’s eyes were clear, yet his heart seethed with irritation.

A scoundrel like Sheng Xiao didn’t deserve to have wishes!

However, Black Cat was a system.

Even without him, it would find another host.

And ultimately…

Ji Xiao’s gaze chilled a few degrees, and the hand gripping the steering wheel tightened slightly.

Who would choose death when they could live?

Even in this manner, he wished to preserve his consciousness, to ‘live’ on.

Death meant truly losing everything, perceiving nothing more.

When he told Zhou Jinzhu he wasn’t a good person, he was serious.

The car pulled into the apartment’s underground parking garage.

Mo Lin offered no further resistance, following him silently into the elevator.

They entered his apartment.

Ji Xiao led him to the master bedroom. All his personal belongings that were still useful had been moved to Zhou Jinzhu’s place; the unimportant items he had simply discarded.

Now, the room was furnished almost entirely with new things.

“The password to the main door is your birthday. From now on, you’ll live here.”

Mo Lin kept his head down, remaining silent.

Ji Xiao looked at him. “I won’t do anything to you. Just treat this as your own home and live as you normally would.”

“Normally?” Mo Lin’s voice was soft, tinged with self-mockery.

“I won’t interfere with your work, your daily life, or your relationships. There’s only one condition: you must live here,”

Ji Xiao began to walk out.

“Don’t even think about resisting, unless your brother-in-law’s entire family agrees to move away with you all.”

Mo Lin: “…”

Leaving the room, Ji Xiao pulled out a cigarette and placed it between his lips, turning his head to light it before walking towards the opposite apartment without a backward glance.

Zhou Jinzhu had already returned. Seeing him, he frowned slightly. “Smoke less.”

Ji Xiao hummed in acknowledgment twice, then sat on the sofa, showing no intention of extinguishing the cigarette.

Zhou Jinzhu put down his phone. “Is Mo Lin at your place?”

Ji Xiao: “Yes.”

“Did the discussion not go well?”

Zhou Jinzhu sat down beside him.

With Zhou Jinzhu so close, Ji Xiao put out his cigarette. “I forced him to stay.”

Zhou Jinzhu’s eyes curved in a smile. “As expected of a wealthy magnate with a conglomerate. You’re quite adept at coercion and seizing what you want.”

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