Exhausted, Ye Mo didn't notice that Yun Bing had already woken up once. He casually pulled a bedsheet over her and said, "Consider yourself lucky today. With the way you treated me, I didn't want to save you, but my mood's good."
After that, Ye Mo closed the door, picked up Zheng Wenqiao and the middle-aged man outside again, and left the room confidently.
He stripped the two men naked, beat them up thoroughly, and kicked them hard below the belt. Then he threw them into the back seat of the car, stacked one on top of the other, and drove the BMW away. He drove all the way to Century Plaza and parked the car in a prominent spot, making sure to roll down all the windows before leaving.
Ye Mo was gone for the entire day. Ning Qingxue, staying in the courtyard, grew worried. She had originally planned to go get the marriage certificate today, but Ye Mo still hadn't returned. It seemed like he had forgotten the promise he made to her.
In the morning, when Xu Wei met Ning Qingxue, it was a bit awkward. Ning Qingxue was such a beautiful girl—Xu Wei wondered how Ye Mo had met her and what she was thinking. She actually lived with Ye Mo, a poor man, before marriage. You really can't judge a book by its cover. Although Xu Wei thought Ye Mo was a decent person, Ning Qingxue seemed exceptionally outstanding.
Ning Qingxue's thoughts were similar to Xu Wei's. She wondered why Xu Wei stayed with Ye Mo, especially since Ye Mo seemed to have some hidden ailment. Of course, she didn't dare ask this out loud; both women believed their own suspicions were correct.
After Xu Wei left for work, Ning Qingxue felt uneasy alone in the unfamiliar courtyard. She waited a long time, and seeing that Ye Mo hadn't returned, she noticed some flowers and plants growing in the courtyard. She had thought Xu Wei had done it, but the planting area was clearly on Ye Mo's side.
Ning Qingxue went over to look at the flowers and noticed a plant with a silver leaf in the center that seemed especially cared for—no other plants around it, occupying a large patch by itself.
After wandering around the courtyard, Ning Qingxue returned to Ye Mo's simple room. Besides a bed, there was only a desk. The only puzzling items were a small box and a jar that looked like it was used for brewing medicine. Ning Qingxue didn't open the box—she wasn't interested in other people's private things. She also didn't pay much attention to the strange jar.
Suddenly, Ning Qingxue felt that Ye Mo was somewhat different from how Mu Mei described him, yet somehow similar to Li Mu Mei's description. This strange feeling unsettled her.
She didn't know how Ye Mo knew Su Jingwen, but Su Jingwen seemed to think well of him. Ning Qingxue thought back to the first time she saw Ye Mo, noticing how well he danced with Su Jingwen and how he had given her gifts. A knot formed in her heart, making her laugh quietly to herself.
Now that she had seen Ye Mo living with the girl next door, her feelings were indifferent. Considering how Ye Mo didn't hesitate to accept her 500,000-yuan card, Ning Qingxue's remaining guilt toward him vanished without a trace, just like Li Mu Mei had said.
All she could do now was wait—wait for Ye Mo to come back, go get the marriage certificate together, and then have Li Mu Mei send out copies of their marriage certificate and private photos. If that still couldn't free her from the Song family's entanglement, she wouldn't know what to do.
When Ye Mo returned to the courtyard, Xu Wei and Ning Qingxue were already asleep. Seeing both rooms' lights off, Ye Mo didn't enter but went back to the big tree in the backyard to continue his cultivation.
Ning Qingxue heard the door open and knew Ye Mo was back. She wondered if he would be this late every night. After a while, she also heard noises from Xu Wei's room next door.
Time passed quickly during cultivation. The next morning, Ye Mo got up, practiced a set of martial arts moves, washed up, and then Xu Wei got up. She greeted Ye Mo with a somewhat strange expression but quickly returned to normal, hurriedly getting ready and leaving for work.
Ning Qingxue, who had woken earlier, heard their voices but stayed inside until Xu Wei left before stepping out herself.
Seeing Ye Mo tending the flowers, Ning Qingxue thought to herself, "So he really is the one growing these plants. A big guy liking flowers and plants—maybe he's sensitive or maybe he has some issues."
"Oh, you're awake," Ye Mo glanced back at Ning Qingxue and said something before stopping. After a moment, he continued, "Why do you look so bad? Didn't you eat yesterday?"
Ye Mo had tried to break the awkward silence between them by talking, but Ning Qingxue just shook her head. "I'm not hungry. I didn't eat yesterday."
Ye Mo was speechless. If he hadn't eaten, it wouldn't be a problem, but Ning Qingxue wasn't a cultivator—no wonder her complexion looked so bad.
"Go freshen up. We'll eat soon," Ye Mo said, returning to his precious Silverheart Grass.
After Ning Qingxue finished, Ye Mo took her to a nearby snack shop where they had some porridge and steamed buns.
Watching Ye Mo eat two bowls of porridge and five buns—despite not eating all day yesterday—Ning Qingxue could barely finish half a bun and half a bowl of porridge.
"Why do you insist on marrying me? You know..." Ye Mo's unfinished question was interrupted by Ning Qingxue.
"Don't ask so much. Just know this is a transaction between us," Ning Qingxue said. Since Ye Mo had unhesitatingly accepted the card and she knew about his cohabitation with Xu Wei, her mood worsened. She suspected the calm and casual Ye Mo she saw at Su Jingwen's birthday party was just an act.
If Ye Mo had asked that question when they first met, maybe she would have told him she just wanted to escape the Song family. But now, she had no desire to say more. She paid; Ye Mo performed the task. That was a simple transaction. When done, they were each on their own.
Perceiving Ning Qingxue's tone change, Ye Mo smiled faintly, unconcerned. He wouldn't fuss over a woman, and marriage meant nothing to him.
Getting a marriage certificate was simple—just need IDs and a photo together. Ye Mo sighed thinking about how complicated marriage was in his previous life, but now it was surprisingly simple. Divorce seemed even simpler, so simple that you didn't even need to be present.
Ye Mo had no time to muse. Just as he and Ning Qingxue finished getting the certificate, Li Mu Mei came over.
She was here to help take some photos of Ye Mo and Ning Qingxue's daily life.