Chapter 161: Too Afraid of Losing Him
Chen Mo could assume the worst in everyone, but Su Yuqing tried her best to see the good in them.
That was why she found it so hard to imagine Li Tie’s motive for the crime.
You could say Su Yuqing was naive and inexperienced with the world, or you could say she was just kind by nature.
Chen Mo didn’t know how best to explain it to Su Yuqing.
After all, if they talked about it, the reason would trace back to her.
Most people wouldn’t think that way, but Su Yuqing was a very sensitive girl. Her mother’s constant, berating "lessons" had led her to develop a distorted self-perception.
She felt that every problem was caused by her very existence.
So whenever a problem was even remotely connected to her, she would instinctively take all the blame.
It was a deep-rooted psychological issue brought on by her mother’s long-term emotional abuse.
It wasn’t something that could be fixed in a day or two.
Chen Mo knew this, which was why he was certain Su Yuqing would blame herself the moment he told her the reason.
This made it very difficult for him to speak.
But it had to be said. Su Yuqing’s psychological issues had already improved quite a bit since she’d been with him.
He would just have to guide her through it carefully.
An affliction that had built up over ten years couldn’t be cured in a day or two.
But it could be alleviated and lessened.
After thinking it through, Chen Mo decided to tell Su Yuqing the truth.
"Let’s talk about it after we get home."
Su Yuqing glanced at Chen Mo and nodded.
But it was obvious that, not knowing the truth, she was walking absent-mindedly, her thoughts drifting somewhere far away.
At that moment, Su Yuqing’s mind was filled with memories of her time with Li Tie.
In all those memories, she still couldn’t find a single sign or possibility that Li Tie would do something so terrible.
Back home, Su Yuqing followed Chen Mo into the house in a daze, like a zombie.
After they sat down on the living room sofa, Chen Mo poured her a cup of tea before sitting beside her and beginning to explain the reason.
"First, I need you to know that this really has nothing to do with you. After you hear it, don’t let your mind run wild, okay?"
Chen Mo gave her a warning beforehand.
Hearing him start like that, Su Yuqing was still just as confused.
She found it completely unbelievable that the man she and Li Mingyu called "uncle," a man two decades her senior, could have romantic feelings for her.
After giving his warning, Chen Mo began to slowly tell Su Yuqing, in full detail, the motive for the crime that Liu Xin had gotten out of Li Tie during the interrogation.
At first, when she heard that Li Tie had been in love with her mother long ago, Su Yuqing wasn’t particularly surprised.
She had noticed it the very first time she met him. Back then, the way Li Tie looked at her mother was clearly full of adoration.
It was just that later on, she rarely saw him look at her mother with that kind of expression anymore.
But Su Yuqing never would have imagined that the reason Li Tie had given up on those feelings was that he had transferred his affections to someone else.
And the target of this new affection was actually her, his nominal niece.
In that moment, Su Yuqing’s mind went completely blank.
Her thoughts were in turmoil.
She couldn’t imagine Li Tie holding such feelings for her.
At the same time, she couldn’t help but fall into a spiral of self-blame.
It was because of her that Chen Mo had been put in such grave danger.
His life had been on the line.
Her mother had made it sound simple over the phone.
But to Su Yuqing’s ears, it wasn’t simple at all.
This was a knife attack.
And with Chen Mo being sick, she couldn’t even imagine what he must have gone through, or how he managed to escape the danger.
Suddenly, Su Yuqing noticed the security camera nearby.
She immediately looked at Chen Mo and said, "Mom said Uncle Li Tie came here and hurt you. Did the security camera record it?"
Chen Mo glanced in the direction she was pointing and nodded. "Yeah, it did."
"Can I see it?" ’I have to know just how dangerous the situation was back then.’
"Maybe you shouldn’t. I’m afraid you’ll..."
"Let me see." Su Yuqing looked at Chen Mo with a determined expression.
Seeing this, Chen Mo knew he couldn’t refuse her.
So he played the video clip he had sent to the police for Su Yuqing to see.
As the video began to play, everything seemed normal at first.
Li Tie entered the house carrying something. Up to this point, Su Yuqing didn’t notice anything unusual about him.
But it’s precisely such a sudden attack from a state of normalcy that is the most terrifying and the hardest to guard against.
"AH!"
While she was completely unprepared, Li Tie suddenly pulled a small knife from his clothes and viciously stabbed down at Chen Mo’s head.
This terrifying scene made Su Yuqing scream out instinctively.
She found it absolutely incredible that, faced with such a terrifying attack speed and suddenness, a sick Chen Mo, all alone, could emerge completely unscathed.
The next moment, she saw an astonishing scene.
It was like something out of a police thriller on TV.
Chen Mo’s gloved hand shot out and caught the descending knife. He then quickly threw a counter-punch, disarmed his attacker, and sent the knife flying.
The series of moves was so cool it stunned Su Yuqing.
This made Su Yuqing, who was already filled with shock and fear, feel even more conflicted.
On one hand, she was amazed by Chen Mo’s cool performance.
On the other, she was panicked and scared by the danger he had faced.
Soon, she saw Chen Mo cleanly and efficiently pin Li Tie against the door, while also freeing one hand to pull out his phone.
After watching the entire video, Su Yuqing looked at Chen Mo as if he were superhuman.
"What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" Chen Mo asked with a smile, seeing her dazed expression.
"You’re incredible! Where did you learn all that?" Su Yuqing asked, replaying the video in disbelief before looking at Chen Mo again.
"From TV, of course. I just like learning this kind of stuff in my spare time. I never thought I’d actually get to use it at a critical moment. Even though I was sick, I guess I didn’t do too bad."
To keep Su Yuqing from worrying, Chen Mo replied as cheerfully as he could.
"It’s a good thing you were wearing gloves. If you hadn’t been, I can’t even imagine what would have happened, no matter how good your skills are." Su Yuqing was still filled with lingering fear.
Even though Chen Mo had handled the situation perfectly, the sheer danger of that moment still exceeded her expectations.
It was truly a hair’s breadth from disaster; Chen Mo could have lost his life right there.
She couldn’t imagine what her reaction would have been if she had come home to find Chen Mo lying in a pool of blood.
The moment she imagined such a horrifying scene, she threw her arms around Chen Mo and hugged him tightly, tears streaming down her face unconsciously.
She held on so tightly that it wasn’t easy for Chen Mo to break free. It was obvious how terrified she was of losing him.