A Shattered Smile

Qiu Yue’s disbelief gradually melted into a broken smile.

“This prank really scared me.”

Her body pressed tightly against Lin Mo, their hot breaths mingling on each other’s faces.

She stared intently into Lin Mo’s eyes, trying to find a trace of teasing hidden behind his steadfast gaze.

But there was no chink in that firm resolve; it was as if “disgust” was deeply etched in his eyes.

“Oh! I get it!” Qiu Yue’s voice suddenly rose, bright and clear, trying to drown out the thunderous chaos within her.

“You little rascal, you’re playing ‘hard to get,’ aren’t you?”

Like a drowning person clinging to driftwood, Qiu Yue desperately grabbed hold, not caring if it was rotten wood or even a piece of paper.

Her voice, strained from the effort, was filled with a false joy born of regained confidence.

“Are you mad at me? I’ve always kept you locked up in the Qiu household, giving you so little time to play, right?”

“It’s a boy’s nature to play, I forgot, I neglected that. Please don’t be angry, okay?”

Qiu Yue spoke affectionately, her hands no longer restraining Lin Mo’s wrists but gently caressing his face.

“You silly boy,” she panted softly, her voice laced with indulgence. “Don’t you know how much I’ve missed you this past month? How worried I’ve been?”

“I worried about your safety, about you being kidnapped by bad people. I, I love you. I really love you. Please don’t hate me… Please…”

She lowered her head, pressing her cheek against Lin Mo’s cold neck, inhaling his scent as she used to.

At that moment, Qiu Yue was like a timid, frightened kitten, curling up against Lin Mo, with a plea and fear she couldn’t even recognize in herself.

Gone was her usual dominance, her usual composure.

The haughty Qiu Yue, the Qiu family’s heiress, was now like an abandoned kitten, trembling with fear.

It had been so long since he had seen her like this, like their first meeting.

She wasn’t this pitiful then.

‘Ah, should I hug her? Should I accept her love? Should I respond to her pitifulness?’

Lin Mo’s heart—had changed.

Lin Mo reached out his hand.

Qiu Yue was overjoyed, thinking she had gotten a response. She wanted to press her face against him, but Lin Mo’s outstretched hand was not a comforting embrace.

Instead, it was a grip.

Yes, Lin Mo grabbed Qiu Yue by the throat.

His heart—all his emotions now turned into—anger!

Covered in spiritual energy, he exploded instantly!

With a swift, powerful turn, their positions reversed in an instant!

Lin Mo’s fingers gripped Qiu Yue’s throat like iron, slamming her hard into the ground!

Qiu Yue had used this trick again.

Ten years ago, it was this pathetic act that had tricked and trapped him in the Qiu household, imprisoned for a full decade!

Ten years of humiliation!

He wanted to repay every bit of violence and humiliation he had endured, a hundredfold.

“Do you take me for a fool? Putting on this act to trick me into going back with you?” Lin Mo’s voice was as cold as ice, each word like a knife cutting through Qiu Yue’s eardrums. “Do you think I’m stupid, forgetting how you tricked me ten years ago?! You beast! You bastard! Trying to trick me again?!”

“Love you? I hate you! I despise you! I wish I could skin you alive and pull out your tendons!”

A fist came down, smashing into Qiu Yue’s face.

Thud! The force was overwhelming, filled with a fury that wouldn’t stop until it shattered Qiu Yue’s skull. The dull thud of her skull hitting the floor echoed in the room.

But this punch of anger left no real harm.

Qiu Yue’s smile remained, not even a bruise marking her face. A faint, shimmering barrier had repelled his fist.

“Aww~ I’ve been found out.” Qiu Yue said, her expression one of delight, almost ecstatic.

Look at Qiu Yue’s face now.

Being choked, slammed to the ground, and punched in the face, what did it reveal?

Joy, sheer joy.

Her rapid breaths and heaving chest showed she was enjoying it. That expression of infatuation, that look of obsession and madness.

What was reflected in Qiu Yue’s eyes at this moment?

How do you explain to a delusional madwoman that you don’t like her, don’t love her?

To her, violence is a pleasure, and insults are like love talk.

Her mind was warped, and all his anger was futile, getting no response.

“Yes, you still love me~ Such intense anger, such deep hatred.” Qiu Yue reached out, trying to caress Lin Mo’s cheek.

“Ah~ And that frightened look… It’s wonderful… It’s wonderful! You still love me! You still love me! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

Qiu Yue’s smile twisted into something manic, something crazy.

Words and violence… they couldn’t communicate with Qiu Yue.

Lin Mo suddenly understood: the more he hated, the more he raged, the more emotions he poured into her, the more excited Qiu Yue became.

There was only one way to deal with Qiu Yue.

“Qiu Yue.” Lin Mo’s voice was deep and hoarse, like an ancient zither plucking the deepest string, carrying a forced calm.

“You’re right.” Lin Mo clearly enunciated each word, his eyes like thin ice on a winter lake, cold and transparent.

“Think whatever you want.” A faint smile played on his lips, not quite a smile.

“I love you, yes… Just think that.”

Lin Mo stood up, releasing his grip on Qiu Yue’s throat.

The instant the suffocating pressure was gone, Qiu Yue’s heart seemed to shudder. With Lin Mo’s release, something vanished…?

She had gotten the answer she wanted, the response she desired, yet there was no satisfaction.

Her heart felt no emotion, no joy.

Only a sense of disorientation… as if something had broken. The connection between herself and Lin Mo.

‘Impossible! Such intense emotions couldn’t vanish so quickly!’

‘Lin Mo’s love had returned!’

‘It had…’

Qiu Yue’s fingers dug into Lin Mo’s wrist.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Mo turned, his expression calm and still, like a stagnant pool, undisturbed.

Qiu Yue didn’t give up, grabbing Lin Mo’s face with both hands and kissing him again.

But Lin Mo didn’t resist, only accepted her passively.

Qiu Yue was struck dumb, frozen in place, her face draining of color.

She pulled away, looking at the calm-faced man, and finally, Qiu Yue’s smile shattered completely, revealing the pale, broken face beneath.

Her breath came in ragged gasps, her hands on Lin Mo’s cheeks, gently caressing, then tightening, nails digging into his skin.

“No… don’t…” Her voice grew hoarse, a desperate plea.

“Lin Mo, don’t…” Each word torn from the depths of her throat, tinged with broken blood.

Lin Mo said nothing, just lightly patted Qiu Yue’s head.

And because he said nothing, Qiu Yue’s fear reached its peak.

She clung to Lin Mo’s collar, her body shaking violently with her emotions.

The pain of rejection, the anger of being denied by something precious, and deeper still, a terror of being abandoned, like icy venomous snakes, wrapped around and devoured her heart, snapping her last thread of reason.

“Look at me! Lin Mo! Look at me!” She screamed, forcing Lin Mo to meet her eyes.

“I’m looking at you, Miss Qiu Yue.” Lin Mo replied seriously, holding her gaze.

Qiu Yue looked, but there was nothing in those eyes.