Cecilia Gu let out a soft laugh. "To be friends with me? I'm the one who isn't worthy."
Max Mo lowered his eyes with a smile and said, "No, I'm the one who's not worthy."
Cecilia Gu thought about it. There was no need for her to be enemies with Max Mo.
Who knows, maybe one day she would need Max Mo's help. She shouldn't cut off her retreat too soon.
The Mo Family might not be as powerful as Yin Enterprises, but they could still keep Yin Enterprises in check.
She had no real grudge against the Mo Family, so it wasn't about being enemies or friends right now.
Since Max Mo took the initiative to show goodwill and wanted to connect, whatever his reasons, all she needed to do was keep enough room to maneuver.
Don't offend, don't get too close.
If necessary, maybe she could use her face—just like Nora Yun—to gain some sympathy and get what she wanted.
Thinking of this, Cecilia immediately replied, "Alright, since Mr. Mo said so, how could I refuse?"
"Still calling me Mr. Mo?" Max Mo's blue eyes were full of amusement.
"Max Mo." Cecilia quickly corrected herself.
When Cecilia said those three words, Max Mo's pupils shrank instantly.
He remembered clearly, when he first met Nora Yun, she had spoken his name in the same calm tone.
Nora, tell me, is Cecilia Gu actually another version of you?
Why does she carry so many traces of you?
Why are these two strangers so similar in so many ways?
If all this is just a coincidence, then isn't it too much of a coincidence?
Other than their personalities and health, they're practically... identical!
"Sorry, I should get going." Cecilia glanced at her watch—it was already noon. She'd been out all morning and it was time to head back.
A trace of reluctance flashed in Max Mo's eyes, but since Cecilia had just started to lower her guard around him, he didn't want her to pull away again.
So Max Mo nodded and said, "Let me have someone drive you home."
Cecilia shook her head. "No need, I have my own driver."
Cecilia slowly stood up, unconsciously supporting her lower back with her right hand.
"What's wrong? Not feeling well?" Max Mo immediately noticed. "Do you need me to call a doctor?"
"No, thank you. It's just that I've been feeling heavier these days, that's all." Cecilia politely refused Max Mo's offer. "Goodbye."
After saying this, Cecilia called for her assistant and driver-bodyguard, slowly disappearing from Max Mo's sight.
For a moment, Max Mo was overcome with an impulse—he wanted to take Cecilia away!
He wanted to snatch Cecilia away from Charles Yin and keep her for himself!
"Cici!" Cecilia had only walked a few steps when she heard Max Mo call out to her from behind.
Cecilia stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around.
Max Mo quickly caught up, and his assistant handed him a gift box.
Max Mo took it and handed it to Cecilia. "For you."
"Me?" Cecilia looked at Max Mo in surprise.
"Yes. Since we're friends now, it's normal for friends to exchange gifts!" Max Mo wore a gentle, humble expression, making it hard to be wary of him.
Cecilia's eyes flickered. Now that Max Mo knew her secret and she was willing to play along, accepting a gift shouldn't be a problem, right?
"Don't worry, it's nothing expensive. Every diamond VIP who shops here today gets one." Max Mo seemed to read Cecilia's mind and explained right away.
Cecilia smiled and said, "Then I won't be polite."
Cecilia took the gift and handed it to her assistant. She said to Max Mo, "I'll take my leave now, thank you!"
"No need to see you off." Max Mo nodded gracefully.
Cecilia didn't look back, so she had no idea that Max Mo was still standing there, silently watching her fade away.
Back home, Cecilia took out a whole row of porcelain dolls that her assistant Xiao Wang had given her, happily arranging them one by one on a shelf in the living room.
The gift box contained more than twenty porcelain dolls.
Each one was just so adorable.
There were boy dolls and girl dolls, each one lively and full of spirit.
Cecilia directed the maids to remove the expensive ornaments from the shelf and put up these little things worth just a few hundred yuan.
Seeing how much Cecilia liked them, Assistant Xiao Wang felt proud too.
"Young Madam really likes these?" Aunt Zhang asked as she wiped and disinfected the porcelain dolls, handing them to Cecilia to arrange.
"They're so cute," Cecilia said with a smile. "That shelf was boring with all those expensive ornaments! This is way more fun."
Charles Yin walked in and saw the scene.
He stood at the entrance, put on the slippers the butler brought over, and slowly walked toward Cecilia.
The gentle autumn sunlight shone on Cecilia's face, highlighting the smile in her eyes and at the corners of her mouth. She looked so peaceful and beautiful.
Charles Yin was a little dazed as he watched.
When was the last time she smiled so peacefully?
Aunt Zhang handed the last porcelain doll to Cecilia, who placed it carefully, adjusting their positions one by one. She gave the dolls a little speech: "You all need to behave! You're the juniors, not worth much, so don't compete with those expensive seniors! See that blue-and-white porcelain next to you? It's worth half a million, but even if you're only worth five hundred, don't let it look down on you! Dolls should have ambition!"
Pfft... The assistants and maids around her all burst out laughing.
Young Madam really is too funny!
Even Charles Yin couldn't help but smile!
Still, Charles Yin didn't mind at all that Cecilia had replaced his collectibles with these cheap little things.
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No matter how precious the collectibles, none were worth as much as her smile.
At that moment, Aunt Zhang saw Charles Yin and immediately bowed. "Young Master is home."
"Mm." Charles Yin nodded and walked toward Cecilia. "Do you like these?"
Cecilia turned around and saw Charles Yin looking down at her with a gentle smile.
Sunlight fell on Charles Yin, making him look even more strikingly handsome.
His slightly raised eyes brimmed with charm.
His gaze was soft, full of endless tenderness.
Not just Cecilia—even Aunt Zhang, who had practically raised Charles Yin as her own child, couldn't help but stare at him.
Cecilia cursed inwardly: What a devil!
"I do," Cecilia replied, a little dazed.
Cecilia's look pleased Charles Yin.
Charles Yin told the butler, "Take everything else off that shelf. Young Madam can put whatever she likes there."
The butler was stunned—those were the Young Master's favorite things!
The butler gave Cecilia a deep look, then bowed his head. "Yes, Young Master!"
A few servants quickly cleared the shelf.
Cecilia was stunned—seriously? She'd only put them there for fun.
Charles Yin had just cleared out such a big space for her...
Was he planning to let her decorate the house?
"Come on, let's eat." Charles Yin suddenly grabbed Cecilia's fingers and led her to the dining table.
Cecilia felt a jolt of electricity run from her fingers straight to her heart.
The electric jolt left Cecilia tingling all over, a strange feeling she couldn't describe.
Cecilia was passively led to the dining room, that strange feeling growing stronger inside her.
How did it end up like this?
Wasn't she supposed to just live here as Charles Yin's contract wife for a while?
So why did her heart flutter with a hint of joy?
At the dining table, someone immediately brought over disinfected towels for them to wipe their hands.
Cecilia noticed Charles Yin standing still, then remembered his right hand was injured—he couldn't manage on his own.
The butler and others stayed put while Charles Yin just looked at Cecilia.
After wiping her own hands, Cecilia realized and took a fresh towel from the maid, gently cleaning Charles Yin's hand.
Seeing Cecilia take the initiative, the curve of Charles Yin's mouth grew wider.
Looks like that injury was totally worth it...
Watching Cecilia hold his fingers, Charles Yin suddenly wished his wound wouldn't heal too fast...
As Cecilia was cleaning his fingers, her expression suddenly changed and she couldn't help but cry out, "Ouch..."
Her cry startled everyone nearby!
Charles Yin's face changed too. He grabbed Cecilia's fingers, asking urgently, "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick? Quick, call the doctor!"
Cecilia waved her hand. "No, no... The baby just kicked me!"
"What did you say?!" Charles Yin froze, then hugged Cecilia with wild joy. "You mean the baby is kicking now?"
A wave of sweetness rose in Cecilia's heart. She nodded gently. "Mm. The baby started moving yesterday!"
"Call the doctor right away," the butler ordered.
Charles Yin forgot all about eating, pulled Cecilia to sit down, then knelt on one knee and gently pressed his ear to her belly, eyes full of worry.
Just then, the little troublemaker in her belly moved again, kicking right by Charles Yin's ear.
Charles Yin clearly felt that faint, tiny heartbeat.
This was his son!
This was his child with Cecilia!
A surge of pride and happiness welled up inside him in an instant!
Cecilia looked at Charles Yin, who was leaning against her belly, her expression complicated. She was overwhelmed, not sure what to say.
Charles Yin, usually so concerned about his image, was kneeling on one knee, listening to her belly in front of everyone for the first time.
He must be overjoyed, right?