Chapter 86: Is He Happy?
Far away in Wu village, under that same silver moon, Lin Xu sat outside of her shop.
She had made a special room where they could sleep in when they stayed late and couldn’t go home.
The day’s noise had long faded, and the streets were silent except for the soft chirping of crickets.
Yiling had already gone to bed, and Yan Mei had dozed off beside the counter after a long day of helping. But Lin Xu couldn’t sleep.
She held a cup of warm tea in her hands, though it had already gone cold. Her eyes were fixed on the moon.
Her lips curved into a faint, melancholic smile. "Why does it feel like the moon looks different tonight..." she whispered.
[Host, are you thinking about Mo Ying again?]
Susu’s soft, teasing voice echoed in her head.
Lin Xu sighed. "No, I’m not," she said stubbornly, though her voice trembled slightly. "I’m just... thinking."
[Thinking about him.]
"I said I’m not," she muttered as she used her hands to slap the flying ball, causing it to fall and hiss in pain.
[Ouch! Host, you’re wicked!]
Susu whimpered as Lin Xu just sighed and shook her head.
"He’s married now, Susu. Whatever we had, it’s gone. I’m not allowed to think about him anymore."
Susu went silent for a moment, then said gently,
[Even if you tell yourself not to, your heart still remembers. It’s okay to miss him, you know.]
Lin Xu chuckled weakly. "Miss him? For what? So I can hurt myself more?" She took a deep breath and looked up again. "Anyway, what’s there to miss about him? Yeah, he was good at helping, he took care of the kids, went fishing with the boys hahaha. He wasn’t a bad cook, though he almost burnt down the kitchen one day haha. And maybe once or twice he did protect us. Without him, I could have never found the boys back then... sigh!"
Her laughter faded, swallowed by the stillness of the night. The longer she spoke, the heavier her chest felt. Her fingers tightened around the cup, eyes glistening faintly under the moonlight.
Susu hovered closer, her soft glow dimming slightly.
[Host... you miss him more than you want to admit.]
Lin Xu didn’t respond right away. Her throat tightened as she forced a smile. "Maybe I do. But it doesn’t matter anymore. He’s not mine to miss."
[Still, your heart doesn’t understand such logic, does it?]
Lin Xu blinked, her vision blurring as she whispered, "I just wish... I could stop wondering if he’s happy."
She leaned back against the wooden post, staring at the vast, quiet sky. The moonlight traced the outline of her face, making her tears glimmer like tiny pearls.
Susu floated down beside her cup, voice softer now.
[What if he really meant what he said, what if he truly comes back for you?]
Immediately, that small smile on her lips went down.
"Enough, it’s late... Leave me now! Shoo..."
She pushed Susu away, who just sighed and disappeared, leaving her all by herself.
Standing up, she dusted her hands, ready to head back inside, but she took one last look at the moon before whispering to herself,
"I fear he truly did mean what he said."
---
Back at the Mo residence, Mo Ying went to another room to stay for the night.
Though he wasn’t feeling sleepy, he just ordered some maids to get him some wine.
Lying on a bench, he gulped down the wine aggressively, it dripping down his chest slowly.
Suddenly, Fuhan appeared. He stared at his young master, who was back to the way he was in just a blink of an eye.
He was used to Mo Ying’s drinking episodes, but after they had met Lin Xu, Mo Ying had stopped.
He just changed. He didn’t drink as much as before, he was never depressed, and was more lively.
But now... everything had fallen apart again.
Fuhan’s chest tightened as he watched Mo Ying tilt the wine jar once more, his eyes distant and heavy.
"Young Master," Fuhan said quietly, stepping closer, "it’s already past midnight. You should rest. The Princess might—"
"Don’t mention her," Mo Ying cut in coldly.
Fuhan froze. The sharp edge in his tone was enough to silence him.
Mo Ying set the jar down beside him and leaned forward, his hair falling over his face. "Rest... sleep... eat... I keep hearing that, but for what? Even if I close my eyes, it’s only to wake up in this same annoying place!"
He smashed the jar on the ground, causing a sharp sound. Taking hold of another alcohol jar, he yanked it open and started gulping it down.
Fuhan said nothing.
Mo Ying reached for the jar again, swirling what was left inside. "Fuhan... do you think she’s happy now?"
Fuhan hesitated. "Miss Lin Xu?"
A faint smile tugged at Mo Ying’s lips. "Who else?"
Fuhan looked away. "I don’t know, Young Master. But knowing her, I think she’s trying to be."
Mo Ying gave a low, hollow laugh. "Trying to be..." He repeated the words under his breath. "That sounds just like her."
The moonlight poured through the window, brushing across his face and revealing the faint glimmer of tears in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away, gripping the jar tighter.
Fuhan’s chest ached. He had followed Mo Ying through countless battles, seen him wounded, exhausted, but never this broken.
"Why are you even here? The wedding is over, you should retire for the night too... GO! Leave me, I wanna be alone." He frowned.
Stepping forward, Fuhan said, his expression straight, "Young Master, I’m here to report back to you concerning the task you had asked me to do."
"Task? What task?"
"Concerning the woman who had slept eight years ago while you were in hiding at a small village." He hesitated slightly.
"Okay? What about her? Did you find who she was? What’s her name? Did she get pregnant?"
"Well... Young Master, I did find out who she was and yes, she did get pregnant... the problem is... she left her parents’ house and married another man named ’Mo Dan’..."