CHAPTER 107: QING LOU PAVILION 1

Lin Xu opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times before raising a hand to her forehead. Her head hurt a little, and for a moment she couldn’t remember where she was.

Sitting up, she looked around in confusion. The room was small and simple, with a dim lantern hanging on the wall. It wasn’t her room from the Lin compound, and it didn’t look like the Mo residence either.

"Where am I...?" she muttered softly. Then, her eyes widened as everything came rushing back.

"Mo Ying!" she gasped and jumped to her feet.

Before she could move any further, a faint light appeared beside her. It grew brighter and brighter until a girl stepped out of it. Lin Xu froze, staring in shock.

"W-who are you?" Lin Xu stepped back, forming her hands into a fist punch.

Laughing, Susu smiled from ear to ear. "Don’t be scared, Host! It’s Susu."

"Susu...?" she said, her eyes wide. "How... how are you in human form?"

The girl smiled brightly, her blue hanfu flowing lightly as she twirled. "Surprised, Host? I went through an amazing upgrade while you were asleep. No more floating around like a little ball!"

Lin Xu blinked, still trying to take it in. "An upgrade? You mean this is permanent?"

Susu nodded proudly. "Well, not technically permanent. If the occasion arrives where I need to be in my ball form, then I would, but now I can be in a human form as well. I told you I’d become more helpful, didn’t I? Now I can actually talk to you face-to-face."

Before Lin Xu could respond, the door suddenly opened.

"Xu’er!" Yan Mei’s voice came from the doorway. She rushed inside and pulled Lin Xu into a hug. "You’re awake! Thank goodness!"

"Yan Mei..." Lin Xu said softly, still dazed. "What happened? After Mo Ying... after I fainted?"

Yan Mei sighed and helped her sit back down. "After you passed out, he carried you away. He didn’t listen to anyone. I followed because I couldn’t let you go alone. On our way, a heavy storm hit, so we had to stop at this inn. The children are in the next room, sleeping."

Lin Xu lowered her head, her hands tightening. "He really took us all away..."

Yan Mei nodded quietly. "Yes. But you’re safe now, at least."

"We have to leave and head back to Wu village immediately," Lin Xu said, wanting to stand up and leave, but Yan Mei held her down.

"Lin Xu, calm down. I know you don’t want to follow Mo Ying or be his wife, but do not forget that it was a royal decree."

Her words made Lin Xu pause for a moment. Yan Mei had a point she hadn’t even sat down to think about yet.

She wasn’t a big fan of historical palace dramas, but she had watched a few. Back in the olden days, the emperor’s command or decree was sacred. Even if you were at the bridge of death, you still had to follow it.

"If you refuse to marry Mo Ying, what if something happens to you? I know you’ll say that you don’t care, but think about the kids. Do you want them to live without their mother? I know how life for them will be if they step into the Mo residence without a mother. It would be like a survival of the fittest."

Yan Mei’s words made absolute sense. Harem life was always chaotic and terrible. Drama up and down, schemes and trouble. It’s like sleeping with one eye closed and the other open.

"That’s the exact reason I don’t want to go there. I just want to live a normal life with my children."

Just then, the door opened again.

Both women turned.

Mo Ying stood at the entrance, his robe still damp from the rain. His eyes went straight to Lin Xu.

"You’re awake," he said in a low voice as he stepped inside.

Lin Xu’s face turned cold. "You’ve seen me awake. Now leave!"

But Mo Ying didn’t move. He closed the door behind him and said calmly, "I’m not leaving."

He stared at her, refusing to remove his gaze, and Lin Xu stared at him too, angrily.

Seeing how this was getting annoying, Yan Mei immediately withdrew herself.

"Umm... I’ll get to sleep now. See you guys tomorrow, haha." She stood up and quickly left, closing the door behind her.

With her gone, Mo Ying then walked closer towards Lin Xu as he threw a fur coat over at her.

Taking hold of it, Lin Xu was confused. "What’s the meaning of this?"

With a straight face, Mo Ying said, "I know you won’t want to leave with me without a fight. So let’s make a deal."

"What stupid deal?"

"If I can prove to you that the man you were marrying was a much bigger scumbag than I was, then you will leave with me without hesitating."

Lin Xu blinked at him, completely taken aback by his words. "What?" she asked, her voice sharp. "What are you even talking about?"

Mo Ying’s expression didn’t waver. "You heard me," he said firmly, his dark eyes unwavering. "If I can prove that the man you were planning to marry, Su Feng, is not who you think he is, you’ll stop fighting me and come back to the Mo residence willingly."

Her hands clenched around the fur coat. "And what if you can’t?"

"Then I’ll let you go," he said simply.

Lin Xu froze. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You expect me to believe that? You? The same man who barged into the Yan compound and kidnapped me in front of everyone?"

Mo Ying’s lips twitched slightly. "Call it redemption... or desperation. Either way, I mean what I said."

Susu, who had been silently watching from the corner, tilted her head curiously. "Host... this is getting interesting," she whispered under her breath. She couldn’t be seen by others except if she wanted to.

Ignoring Susu’s comment, Lin Xu glared at Mo Ying. "And what makes you think Wu Fengshan is such a terrible person? He’s been nothing but kind to me and my children."

A faint, humorless chuckle escaped Mo Ying’s lips. "Kind?" he repeated. "Is that what you think?"

Her jaw tightened. "I don’t have to stand here and listen to you insult someone who—"

"Follow me to find out!" With that, he turned around and left. Hesitating, Lin Xu then wore the fur clothes, standing up and following him.

"Idiot!"