The night air was cold, quiet, and filled with a painful distance between them.
Mo Ying stood directly in front of her, waiting... but Lin Xu didn’t lift her head. She didn’t even try to look at him. She just stood there, stiff and silent.
He clenched his jaw.
"Lin Xu," he said again, trying to keep his voice steady, "why are you suddenly upset with ?"
She didn’t speak.
The silence made sothing tight coil inside him.
"Lin Xu... say sothing. Don’t just stand there and ignore ." His voice shook a little. "Do you know how it feels, seeing you angry at ? Seeing you walk away from like I’m nothing?"
Still nothing.
Lin Xu only pressed her lips together, fighting back emotions she didn’t want to show.
Mo Ying took a step closer. "Please, just tell . What happened?"
This ti, she finally breathed in slowly... but the words she gave him were nothing he expected.
"I’m calling off the deal," she said. Her voice was calm, too calm. "I don’t care what happens to those slave kids anymore."
Mo Ying’s eyes widened. "What?"
"And I won’t marry a disgusting man like you," she added coldly.
The words hit him so hard he actually froze.
She turned to walk away, but Mo Ying reacted instantly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back toward him. His grip tightened around her waist before she could escape.
"No." His voice was low, rough. "I’m not letting you go until you tell what’s wrong. Why are you acting like this? What did I do? Tell , Lin—"
"Let go of !" Lin Xu struggled, pushing at his chest, but he was too strong.
He held her tighter.
"Not until you tell the truth."
Her anger snapped.
In one sharp movent, Lin Xu raised her hand—
SLAP!
The sound echoed loudly in the quiet courtyard.
Mo Ying’s head turned from the force, his cheek instantly turning red where her palm had struck him. For a mont, everything went still. Even the night wind seed to stop.
Lin Xu stood there, chest rising and falling, tears spilling from her eyes like she had been holding them back for too long.
"You want to know what’s wrong?" she shouted, her voice cracking. "You really don’t know?!"
Mo Ying slowly turned back to her, shock and pain in his eyes, but he stayed silent.
Lin Xu’s tears kept falling.
"Why do you always play with my heart like this?" Her voice broke as she hit his chest with her fists. "You co in and out of my life whenever you want. You leave when you want. You return when you want. You try to give the world one minute, then you hurt the next!"
Mo Ying’s breath trembled, but he didn’t stop her.
"I hate it!" she cried. "I hate that I react to everything you do! I hate the way you touch , the way you protect ... I hate that you are the only one who can make my heart beat like this!"
Her fists hit him again, weaker this ti.
"I hate that I feel anything for you at all..."
Her knees shook, and her voice softened, filled with more pain than anger now.
"What do you want from , Mo Ying? What exactly do you want? Why do you torture like this? Why...?"
she looked up at him through tears, finally eting his eyes.
"If you want San Na so much, then why did you co for ? Why did you pull into your life... only to hurt all over again?"
Her voice broke at the last words, and she swallowed hard.
"Just tell ... why?"
The courtyard fell silent again, her trembling shoulders the only movent.
And Mo Ying... stood there staring at her, stunned, and hurting in a way he never expected.
Mo Ying stood there frozen.
Lin Xu’s words hit him harder than that slap. Harder than any wound he had ever taken. His throat tightened, his fingers still gripping her waist without even realizing it.
For a long mont, he didn’t speak.
Then slowly... very slowly... he loosened his grip.
"Lin Xu..." His voice was low, almost hoarse. "You really think I want San Na?"
Lin Xu looked away, wiping her tears angrily with the back of her sleeve. "I saw it. I saw everything. You don’t have to explain."
Mo Ying stared at her, stunned.
She saw?
She saw that woman forcing a kiss on him?
His chest tightened painfully.
"You think I wanted that?" he asked, his voice trembling with anger, anger not at her, but at the situation. "You think I would stand there and let anyone touch when all I wanted was to co see you?"
Lin Xu didn’t answer. Her silence only made the hurt inside her heavier.
Mo Ying took a step closer. When she stepped back, his heart dropped, but he didn’t stop.
"I pushed her away," he said slowly. "The mont she touched ... I pushed her away."
Lin Xu’s shoulders shook lightly, but she still refused to look at him.
Mo Ying exhaled sharply through his nose and dragged a hand through his hair, frustrated and helpless.
"Why won’t you look at ?" he asked quietly.
"Because it hurts," Lin Xu whispered. "Everything hurts."
Mo Ying froze.
Lin Xu’s tears began falling again as she spoke.
"You don’t understand how hard it is for ," she cried. "You co into my life and mix everything up. One mont you’re cold. The next you’re warm. One mont you push away. The next you pull close."
Her fists clenched tightly at her sides.
"You confuse . You scare . You make feel things I don’t want to feel. And I hate myself for it!"
Mo Ying felt sothing fracture inside him.
He took another step closer this ti gently, slowly, like approaching sothing fragile.
"Lin Xu," he said softly, "I never ant to confuse you. I never ant to hurt you."
"Then why does it hurt?" she shot back.
Mo Ying swallowed hard.
"Because I’m stupid," he said finally. "Because I’m scared too."
Lin Xu blinked, surprised.
Mo Ying continued, eyes dropping to the ground for a mont as if admitting sothing shaful.
"I don’t know how to love soone," he said. "I don’t know how to treat soone I care about. I’ve never had anyone stay long enough for to learn."
He lifted his head, eyes slightly red.
"But I’m trying, Lin Xu. I’m trying with you. Even when I don’t show it right."
His voice shook.
"I don’t want San Na. I don’t want anyone else. I only want you."
Lin Xu’s breath hitched.
Mo Ying stepped closer, slowly raising his hand to touch her cheek but he stopped inches away, afraid she would slap him again, afraid she would move away.
"Can I?" he whispered.
Lin Xu stared at him through watery eyes.
For the first ti since she saw that kiss, she hesitated.
She didn’t nod.
She didn’t shake her head.
She just stood there, trembling.
Mo Ying’s hand hovered in the air.
"If you don’t want to touch you, I won’t," he whispered. "Just say it."
Lin Xu’s lips trembled... but no words ca out.
And that silent hesitation was enough to break sothing open inside him.
Very slowly, gently, he reached forward, his fingertips brushing her cheek, wiping away one of her tears.
Lin Xu’s breath shuddered.
Mo Ying whispered, almost painfully soft:
"I’m not letting you walk away from ... not like this. Not while your heart is hurting."
He stepped closer.
"Tell what to do... and I’ll do it."
Lin Xu’s eyes finally lifted to et his.
For the first ti that night, she looked straight at him.
"Fuck !"
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