Mrs Fox Heinous Revenge: Can You Love A Villainess like Me?
Chapter 203: Mothers’ Heart

Chapter 203: Mothers’ Heart

The cold wind brushed against her cheeks yet despite the cold, AiLin’s heart felt warmer than ever. She was holding to her scarf, the same wool scarf that had been circled around her neck by Li ZiChen before they had parted.

So many things had happened the past few months since she left prison but instead of feeling empty, her heart was filled with so much happiness and relief, it was as if she had finally put an end to her old wounds, something she didn’t know she had it in herself.

YanLan popped beside her, his smile wide as he offered the coffee cup warmly to her hands, "I didn’t think that today’s production would be set outside. The weather is really cold but I suppose this is what they want."

AiLin lifted her face. The entire set had been moved to a nearby beach. As it’s was close to the winter season, the air was cold, the sky was grayish despite the fact that it was still so early in the morning. The vibe of the gray sky and the sight of the wide and empty beach was extremely lonely but standing here alone, AiLin could only feel the sense of warmth when she recalled Li ZiChen’s presence with her throughout last night.

"You seem to be in a better mood," said the man behind her, the leading actor, Xiao MuChen.

She turned at him and saw his eyes that seemed to gleam a momentarily judging gaze. It seems that there is something similar to dislike in MuChen’s eyes. She didn’t know why but she didn’t pay attention to him, instead she looked around the set and behind him toward his car, "Li Ai isn’t with you today?"

Xiao MuChen’s eyebrows twitched. He held back his words and answered her with a sigh, "She’s in her kindergarten today."

"I see," she muttered, smile appearing on her face as she remembered the adorable girl who had hugged her legs, the adorable smile, and those angelic round eyes. "She’s so adorable. You are lucky to have her."

"Lucky-" Xiao MuChen let out a groan as he ruffled his hair. "My family always taught me to respect women, Miss AiLin."

Confused at the sudden ideology uttered to her, she shrugged, "That’s good. Your family have raised you well."

"Yes but in time I have learnt that not all women can be respected."

It was hard to ignore the pointed tone that Xiao MuChen had directed toward her. Usually she wouldn’t be bothered to continue the conversation but perhaps because she was feeling quite good today, she decided to answer to his provocative tone, "When could a woman not be respected, Mister Xiao? Having your niece as your daughter now means that you are going to be a father, are you certain of the words you will be saying?"

Visibly shaken by her reminder of LiAi, Xiao MuChen’s body even shook for a moment.

He clenched his fists and turned toward the sea in front of him, "Fine. You might be right. But I could never respect a mother who abandon her own daughter so she could live a better life. I know that raising a child is difficult but to abandon such an angel for your own greed, it is unacceptable don’t you agree?"

A prickling sensation stabbed her heart. Turning her head toward Xiao MuChen she showed a smile so her head that was slightly rattled couldn’t be seen through by the man in front of her.

"Which mother would ever want to abandon their daughter?" She then narrowed her eyes, "Are you possibly talking about me?"

They both stared at each other’s eyes for quite a long time, their gazes hardened on one another while she was ready to clench her fist. But Xiao MuChen then laughed as he turned away, "Not you. I’m merely saying what was written in the script."

AiLin blinked and looked down on the book of script she had rolled and squeezed on her hand. When she pulled the book and open the page that was marked by Xiao MuChen, she realized that this was a part of the script...

This surprised her as Xiao MuChen’s deliverance earlier felt unbelievably real.

"Did you think I was talking about you, Miss AiLin? But how could that be? From what I know you are single," said Xiao MuChen and AiLin stared at him with skepticism.

Something. Something just didn’t feel right.

Something about Xiao MuChen and his words earlier, and the way he seemed to be fishing her reaction.

"I am and I am curious about your side of the question, Mister Xiao. Do you really think that there would be a time where a mother would abandon their daughter?" If he was going to poke around her and probe, she was going to do the same.

With arms crossed she had smiled back at Xiao MuChen but her smile didn’t reach the corners of her eyes, stopping at her lips.

"From the script, there is," Xiao MuChen said, his voice steady yet distant as he stared out at the horizon where the sea met the sky. The gentle sound of waves crashing against the shore underscored the weight of his words. "Don’t you think it’s tragic, Miss AiLin, to live as the main character of such a story? She’s always so desperate— desperate to live, to be accepted. Yet no matter what she does, her family despises her."

He paused, his expression unreadable, as if lost in the bleak reality he described. "Her mother abandoned her for a wealthier man, leaving her behind with an abusive father and stepmother who loathe her very existence. To abandon her own daughter like that... has it never crossed her mind? Not even once, how the child she cast aside might be faring?"

The bitterness in his tone lingered in the air, and for a moment, the world around them felt still, as if even the sea mourned the tragedy of the tale.

AiLin’s eyes flickered, recalling Mrs. Jiang, "I wouldn’t know," she answered, "If it was me, I would die for my daughter. But I know, there are many mothers out there who wouldn’t hesitate to harm their own children for their own safety or vanity."

Xiao MuChen looked at her face and how her eyes were solemn, filled with an abysmal amount of sadness that seemed to have dragged her shadow down.

"Every day, I look at LiAi," said Xiao MuChen, "Then I wondered to myself if she would..."

Hearing his voice drawling, she turned toward him, curious of the rest of his words but he didn’t continue, letting those words to be carried by the waves of the sea across them.

"It was nice to hear your insight," Xiao MuChen smiled faintly, "As I thought a woman’s feeling is better understood by a woman."

AiLin watched as Xiao MuChen bent his head slightly before leaving the scene, walking back into his car while his stylist seemed to be troubled by how his hair had been ruffled out of style.

She still knitted her eyebrows, her heart at ill rest as she thought about Xiao MuChen’s questions of abandoning their own daughter. When she closed her eyes, she recalled again that nightmarish day where she was forced to abort her child.

Seven months..

Seven months...

Her child would have been a person...

Would she also be considered as a mother who had abandoned her own daughter? She wondered it to herself, curious but also too sad to try and think about it.

The acting scene ended pretty early. AiLin hadn’t made any mistake and she was happy to hear Director Gu’s praises. The more she act, the more natural it felt to her, and with the guidance of the two kind directors, her acting became more polished and she became more comfortable with the camera that would follow her.

Xiao MuChen who had became her acting partner was as excellent as the rumors entailed. He didn’t make any mistake but his performance felt so real. It was as if he had became the character themselves, that it would be hard to differentiate if it was acting or his natural self.

Once it ended, Xiao MuChen hurried toward her. He hesitated for a moment, searching for the right words, before finally speaking. "I know I didn’t exactly make the best impression earlier, but I want to know more about you, Miss AiLin. If you’re free on your day off, would you mind meeting me?"

AiLin thought about the request. While she hummed she answered, "Only if you bring LiAi?"

Xiao MuChen’s breaths hitched, he then sighed and smiled, "Sure then. I’ll call you again next time."

She nodded, not thinking much of it while YanLan popped beside her again, "You should be careful AiLin. I heard he has a lot of woman in each city he stopped for acting. A womanizer known so well for his taste in women with long black hair like you."

AiLin scoffed, "No. I doubt it. Whenever he looks at me..." she frowned, she couldn’t put it to words but she feels it, "It seems like he’s holding back his hatred to me. He doesn’t like me."

"But he just asked to meet you outside work? Why would someone meet another coworker who they dislike outside work?" YanLan asked as he helped her open the door and for her to enter and rest her back on the soft chair.

"Because there’s something he needs to know from me," AiLin closed her eyes briefly and smiled, "But there is also things I need to know from him. After we talk, I’m quite sure we both will have answers from one another."