Han Mo firmly held her wrist and said, "I won't let go."
He had thought about letting go, but he couldn't control his desire to be with her.
Now that she asked him to let go, it wasn't because she disliked him, but clearly, she had misunderstood his intentions.
In the past, he would have let go at her slightest word.
But... what Shen Mingxun had just said had enlightened him: "It's always easier to see through others' hearts than one's own."
This meant that Shen Mingxun believed her heart held feelings for him. Therefore, he wanted to be selfish and willful for once, to fight for himself as much as possible.
He wanted to... always be by her side.
Although Bai Xi had only ascended to the position of God of War six months ago, even before she became the God of War, no one in the entire Dark Department would have dared to defy her words, let alone grasp her wrist.
A hint of resentment surfaced in her heart because he mentioned repaying a favor.
Who cared about his repayment of favors!
With this thought, her eyes sharpened, and she directly tried to break free from Han Mo's grasp.
Unfortunately... she couldn't.
How was this possible?
Even Xuan Feng, who was stronger than her, or Liu Yue, who was skilled in grappling, she could easily break free from. In fact, she could confidently say that no one in the entire Dark Department could hold her. But Han Mo... a flash of shock crossed her eyes as she thought of this.
She had only thought he was skilled, but was his skill even above hers?
Amidst her astonishment, Han Mo pulled her tightly into his embrace, his strong arms encircling Bai Xi. The height difference naturally allowed Bai Xi to lean against his chest, hearing his booming heartbeat like a drum: "Xi'er, I won't let go. I love you, I truly love you, there is no such thing as repaying a favor between us."
The favor she had shown him, he had already repaid.
He had once felt guilt, believing that the deaths of the Bai family were due to his departure, and he only wanted to protect her silently. But as he grew closer to her, he couldn't control his desire to be even nearer...
Now, he no longer wanted to ponder those matters.
All he knew was that he loved her and wanted to stay by her side.
Bai Xi was held in Han Mo's arms, feeling his warmth.
Undoubtedly, his embrace was tight, yet it brought her a sense of calm.
He said he loved her, but... the scenes in her memory made her feel a pang of sadness and grievance: "So, you only started liking me after Bai Yue Guang died?"
He had said his favor was repaid.
So, did that mean his purpose for saving her six years ago was to repay a favor? And later, realizing he couldn't forget her, he came to pursue her?
She was merely a deceased ex-girlfriend, yet thinking of the lonely figure of the woman in red in the rain still made her chest ache.
Now, she also remembered.
Why had the jade pendant seemed familiar when she first saw it at the auction? That jade pendant was the one the young woman in red had held in her hand in that illusion.
Back then, she had held it so tightly that she had chipped a corner of the jade pendant, her fingers stained with blood, yet she had been unaware.
Therefore, if the person she liked back then was Han Mo, then the woman he was embracing was indeed Han Mo. And the jade pendant she had given him again was actually the token of love she had intended to give him in her past life.
Although the memories of her past life were gone, she still felt a sourness in her heart, with a tinge of bitterness in her mouth and eyes.
"Bai Yue Guang?" Han Mo frowned slightly. "What Bai Yue Guang?"
Bai Xi froze for a moment, then directly broke free from Han Mo's embrace, her brow slightly raised: "You just promised me you would never lie to me. If you deny it, can I also suspect that your declaration of love for me is also a lie?"
Han Mo's brow furrowed slightly, and he looked earnestly into Bai Xi's eyes: "Xi'er, when I say I love you, it is with all sincerity, without a single false word. But who is this Bai Yue Guang you speak of? If you insist there is one, then I can only say that you, who died in my arms in your past life, are my Bai Yue Guang whom I loved but could not attain. Other than that, I truly cannot acknowledge anyone else."
Bai Xi blinked in disbelief, looking at Han Mo: "Are you saying... the person you liked in your past life was me?"
Han Mo nodded. "Yes."
He had no past life; his memories were only of one lifetime, a period of waiting for several hundred years.
However, he knew clearly that his love for Xi'er was unwavering and unchanging.
Bai Xi felt a surge of happiness upon hearing Han Mo say he had loved her in his past life.
However, she still had some questions about those memories, which were still quite clear.
She frowned slightly: "But I clearly saw a scene in fragmented memories. I was standing in the rain, and from a distance, I saw you embracing another woman. At that time, I was holding the jade pendant I had previously given you. I wanted to give it to you then, but seeing that your heart was already taken, I gave up."
Han Mo was taken aback, and deep shock flickered in his light-colored pupils: "You gave up because my heart was taken? So, the person in your heart in the past life was me?"
Bai Xi had intended to discuss that somewhat strange memory with him, but she hadn't expected his focus to be here: "Isn't your focus misplaced? Or perhaps you were a scumbag back then, with two women in your heart, trying to play both sides?"
Han Mo lowered his head and kissed Bai Xi's hair: "No, I assure you, my heart has always been solely with you. Whether it's the Han Mo from three hundred years ago or the Han Mo of today, only Xi'er has entered my heart, ingrained into my very bones."
The gentle and sweet words escaped his thin lips, brushing past her ear, causing a slight tickle.
Bai Xi's face flushed, and her heart began to stir for him, but there was a more pressing issue: "So, you mean that man wasn't you? Or, you and that woman weren't in the kind of relationship I'm imagining."
Han Mo had been so overjoyed by Bai Xi's confession of love that he had forgotten this most crucial matter. Hearing Bai Xi's words, his gaze turned slightly cold: "What did that woman look like?"
Bai Xi shook her head: "I couldn't see his features clearly in the memory fragments, but I remember she was wearing a yellow and orange long dress, while you were in a black robe. It was in a forest full of flowers, with a light drizzle falling, romantic and intimate."
Han Mo frowned slightly upon hearing Bai Xi's description: "Was that forest full of apricot blossoms?"
Bai Xi said lightly: "Yes, all yellow apricot blossoms. Did you finally remember?"
Han Mo shook his head: "I know the place you're describing, but I've never been there, nor have I ever embraced anyone there. As for the woman you mentioned, I'm sorry... I truly can't recall who it could be."
In his past life, he had been aloof and had never gotten close to any woman other than Bai Xi, so how could such a thing have happened? As for the forest full of apricot blossoms, he had planted them himself outside the cave where they had briefly sheltered.
She had said she wanted to eat apricot kernel pastry.
He had intended to wait until the apricots ripened and have someone make it.
Unfortunately, just as the apricot trees began to bear fruit, he heard that the Bai family had accepted Han Luo's proposal, and their wedding would be soon.
After that day, he left the apricot forest and the capital. He only returned after hearing of Bai Xi's death.
And ever since Xi'er's passing, that apricot forest had never borne fruit again.
Something he had never done, yet Bai Xi had witnessed it firsthand... there must be a hidden reason behind this!