Chapter 85: The Moon Tonight
Walking towards Lin Xu, Zu Shi took hold of her hands and pulled her towards them.
"Lin Xu, stop it and look at us!" She held her on the shoulder as Lin Xu gave them a confused look.
"It’s such a busy day today, why should I be looking at the two of you... can’t you guys see I’m working?"
"Working? You’re not working, you’re panicking... Just talk to us already, we know you aren’t happy at the moment."
"And why shouldn’t I be happy, I have so many customers... I’m making so much money, what exactly is causing me to be unhappy huh?"
Zu Shi and Yan Mei faced each other and sighed, she was too good at this.
"Well, we are happy that you are happy Lin Xu, but what do you think about Mo Ying getting married today?"
As soon as his name was mentioned, Lin Xu’s eyes flickered slightly and they both noticed it immediately.
Forming a smile on her face, Lin Xu shrugged.
"So what? He’s free to marry whoever he wants. It has nothing to do with me," Lin Xu said flatly, turning back to arrange.
Yan Mei folded her arms. "Nothing to do with you? You’ve been dropping the same spoon for the past ten minutes, Xu’er."
Lin Xu froze for a second before forcing a laugh. "Really? Must be because I didn’t sleep well. Now stop looking at me like that and help with these, will you?"
Zu Shi sighed softly. "Lin Xu, you don’t have to pretend with us. It’s fine if you still care about him."
"I don’t," Lin Xu replied quickly, her tone sharper than she intended. "That part of my life is over. He chose his world, and I have mine. That’s all. What we had in the beginning was fake, now everything is settled. I have fulfilled my dream of becoming successful and h-he’s fulfilling his, he is getting ma-married to a very beautiful woman and is happy. See! Happy ending for everyone."
The air went quiet for a moment. Yan Mei leaned closer, lowering her voice she called out softly, "Lin Xu... you’ll be alright."
With that, she pulled her in for a hug and soon Zu Shi joined.
At first, Lin Xu tried to hold herself together, her lips trembling as she forced out a shaky laugh.
"W-what are you two doing, hugging me all of a sudden... you’ll make me look weak in front of customers," she muttered, her voice breaking halfway.
Yan Mei tightened her hold, whispering, "It’s fine, no one’s watching."
That was all it took.
Lin Xu’s hands clutched the back of Yan Mei’s dress as the tears she’d been holding back for weeks finally spilled. Her shoulders shook, soft sobs escaping her chest.
Zu Shi gently rubbed her back, murmuring, "Let it out, Xu’er... you’ve been strong for too long."
"I-I hate him," Lin Xu whispered between tears. "I hate that he made me care... and now he’s gone, he’s just... gone."
Yan Mei’s eyes reddened as she held her tighter. "You don’t hate him, you’re just hurt. And that’s okay."
Lin Xu buried her face against her shoulder, crying harder. "I tried so hard to move on. I told myself it was nothing, that what we had didn’t mean anything, but every time I see his name, or hear someone mention him, it hurts all over again."
Zu Shi sighed deeply. "Love doesn’t disappear just because you want it to. But one day it will stop hurting, I promise."
Lin Xu’s sobs quieted, her breathing still shaky.
She wiped her tears roughly with the back of her hand, forcing a smile through the redness in her eyes. "You two are the worst," she sniffled. "Making me cry in front of my customers, now what will they think of me."
Yan Mei laughed softly, brushing a tear from Lin Xu’s cheek. "Then we’ll cry together. It’s less embarrassing that way."
The three of them stood there for a while, holding onto one another as they sobbed together.
8 hours later,
Back at the Mo residence, the wedding had successfully ended. It was dark and the guests retreated one by one.
Staying in a room with some other men who were already wasted, Mo Ying sighed... he was so tired at this point.
Suddenly one of the men said with a freaky smile, "Oh Mo Ying, now it’s already dark... I’m sure you have been waiting for tonight for so long hahahah!"
The men beside him laughed as well, "Which man won’t be excited for his wedding night..."
"Talk less of a man who’s now married to a princess." They all laughed foolishly as Mo Ying just sighed, trying his best to keep his cool.
He poured himself another cup of wine, downing it in one gulp before slamming the cup back on the table.
"Enough," he muttered, his tone low but firm.
The laughter died down almost instantly. The men exchanged glances, some awkwardly scratching their heads.
Fuhan, who had been standing quietly by the corner, stepped forward. "Young Master, it’s getting late. You should rest."
Mo Ying stood, loosening the top of his robe as he let out a tired breath. "Rest..." he said with a bitter smirk. "You make it sound so easy."
He walked out of the room, ignoring the drunken chuckles that followed. The cool night breeze hit his face as he stepped into the courtyard, the sound of crickets faint in the air.
Everything was quiet—too quiet.
His steps slowed as he glanced up at the moon. It was full, just like that night with Lin Xu. The thought made his chest tighten.
He clenched his fist, whispering under his breath, "You told me to forget you... but how?"
After a long pause, he turned toward his new chamber.
The doors were slightly open. Inside, the princess sat at the edge of the bed, still dressed in her red wedding robe. Her face was flawless, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
"You finally came," she said softly.
Mo Ying stopped a few steps away, his expression unreadable. "You should rest, Your Highness."
She tilted her head. "You don’t plan to join me?"
His silence was answer enough.
Her smile faded. "Still thinking about her, aren’t you?" she asked quietly.
Mo Ying’s eyes darkened as he walked towards her, placed his hands over her neck, tightly.
"Why did you do that? How dare you try to harm an innocent woman?"
She smirked, "So you knew I was the one who tried to kill her? Why didn’t you expose me? Why confront me after we have both been married?"
She asked as she stood up, Mo Ying’s hands still holding her neck slightly. She then said slowly, "I can answer that question very well... it’s because you need me, you and this entire empire. That’s how valuable I am, you can’t lay a single hand on me and this marriage? It’s nothing but a scam."
She pushed Mo Ying’s hands from her neck as he stumbled slightly; from his eyes, she could tell he was drunk.
"I’ll ask you again, why did you try to harm an innocent woman, ANSWER ME!"
He shouted as he used his hands to push down all the cups and food that were placed on the decorated table before them.
His action caused her to step back slightly, her hands shaking.
But she faced him with a sharp gaze, not wavering for a second. "I will not stand here and watch another woman ruin something so serious. If she was going to come between this marriage then she had to die... And anyway, what’s the difference between the two of us? She’s a woman and I’m a woman too... sex? I can give it to you whenever you want, just forget about her."
Mo Ying looked at her coldly, at this point he was too angry to even say anything.
"You..." he walked closely towards her, his breath hot.
"You... are just like them. Your eyes show brutality, ready to commit so much evil to get what you want, but Lin Xu, she’s an ambitious woman with a good heart. That’s the difference between the two of you."
His words hurt her hard as she just blinked slightly, facing him with already watering eyes.
"Hate me now but soon you’ll understand from my perspective, General, one day," she said as Mo Ying just fixed a painful smirk around his lips.
For a moment, neither spoke. The air between them was cold, heavy.
Finally, he turned around to leave. "Rest well, Princess, welcome to your new life."
Before she could say another word, he was gone, his steps fading down the long corridor, leaving her alone in the flickering candlelight.
Outside, under the same moon, Mo Ying stopped once more. His eyes lifted toward the sky, his voice a whisper only the night could hear.
"Lin Xu... are you looking at this same moon too?"