76: What exactly is Chapter 76 worried about?

Leng Qingxuan stood in the center of the room, completely naked.

Her arms hung stiffly at her sides, her fingers digging fiercely into her palms, her nails almost sinking into her flesh.

She forced herself to lift her head, forced herself to puff out her chest, and stared fixedly at Huang Mao with eyes that were misty with tears yet incredibly stubborn.

Even though she was so ashamed she wanted to scream.

Even though every cell in her body was screaming, "Cover yourself up!"

But she simply didn't move.

She was like a freshly carved statue, still warm to the touch, stubbornly displaying everything she had.

As for Huang Mao.

He remained seated, leaning back against his chair with ease, his arms crossed over his chest.

His gaze was calm and deep, as if he were admiring a rare treasure, or perhaps waiting for her next move.

He didn't speak, nor did he move.

But his calm and unhurried attitude was, in itself, a source of immense pressure.

He had quietly tossed the choice back to her once again.

The room was terrifyingly quiet.

Only the sound of their breathing was exceptionally clear at this moment.

One rapid and flustered.

The other steady and long.

This was a contest of shame versus determination.

It was also a game of... whoever blinked first lost.

Ten seconds.

Thirty seconds.

One minute.

Two minutes.

The air felt as if it had been filled with lead, so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

Leng Qingxuan felt as if she were about to burn up.

She stood there completely naked, without any covering, like a peeled egg—dazzlingly white.

And the man sitting opposite her had still not looked away.

That gaze was too calm.

It didn't look like he was watching a naked beauty; it was more like he was examining a piece of complex code, or scrutinizing a platter of sashimi that had just been served.

He was neither in a hurry to pick up his chopsticks nor planning to push the plate away.

The sense of shame brought about by this "scrutiny" was ten thousand times more intense than if he had just pounced on her.

Every inch of her skin was screaming.

Every pore was trembling.

Leng Qingxuan felt as if she were being roasted over a fire, blood rushing to her head, her eardrums throbbing violently.

This wasn't how the script was supposed to go.

According to her expectations, by now Huang Mao should have either turned around, blushing furiously, or gone with the flow and let something happen.

No matter which reaction it was, at least it would mean he was "flustered."

As long as he was flustered, the initiative would be in her hands.

But what about now?

This guy was as steady as a meditating monk, and even had the leisure to cross his legs.

What was this?

Silent mockery? Or was his level just too high, and he was watching a monkey show?

Leng Qingxuan's nails dug deep into her palms; the pain helped her clear her head slightly.

No.

She couldn't break down.

If she chickened out now and went to find clothes to wear, then the act of undressing earlier would become a complete joke.

How could she hold her head high in this house in the future? How could she compete with that scheming woman, Su Muxue?

She had to win.

Leng Qingxuan forced herself to take a deep breath, even though the rising and falling of her chest made the scene before her even more turbulent.

She frantically reviewed everything in her mind, as if she were trying to defeat a game boss that wouldn't lose any health no matter how she attacked.

Where exactly had things gone wrong?

What was the mechanic? Where was the weak point?

Her brain began to run at high speed, attempting to find a way out of this bizarre stalemate.

First, rule out the option of "insufficient charm."

That was absolutely impossible.

From childhood to adulthood, she had almost always been on the receiving end of people's gazes.

Those gazes were either of amazement, appreciation, envy, or even undisguised desire.

Besides, Huang Mao hadn't denied it just now.

Although his gaze was calm, that appreciation and amazement couldn't be hidden.

Plus, last night...

That sensation couldn't be faked.

As long as he was a physically normal man, faced with such a benefit, it was impossible not to be moved.

Then, was it because their feelings weren't deep enough?

That wasn't right either.

They had played games together, shared secrets, and were even "accomplices" in a sense.

In this unfamiliar world, he was the only person who had seen her at her most disheveled.

This kind of bond was much deeper than those suitors who only knew how to send flowers and invite her to dinner.

Then why?

Could it be because of An Ran and Su Muxue?

The faces of those two women flashed through Leng Qingxuan's mind.

One was a childhood sweetheart, the other was an all-around maid.

They were indeed difficult to deal with.

But this didn't seem like a reason for Huang Mao to hesitate.

This guy looked like a pushover, but deep down, he was actually quite solitary.

He was afraid of trouble and hated making choices.

If it were just a simple Shuraba, given his personality, he would likely just give up and let it be, rather than having this deeper, hidden concern in his eyes like he did now.

Concern...

What was he concerned about?

What could be more troublesome to him than "three women making a scene"?

Leng Qingxuan's gaze wandered over Huang Mao's face, trying to capture that fleeting emotion.

Suddenly.

A memory struck her like lightning.

It was the day she had first moved in.

She had received a call from her mother.

That voice, full of control and devoid of any warmth, came through the speaker.

Huang Mao had been right there.

She remembered very clearly that when her mother spoke in that commanding tone, the expression on Huang Mao's face changed.

It wasn't disgust, nor was it anger.

It was a kind of... creepiness.

It was like he had seen something dirty, or had a premonition of some huge, inescapable trouble.

In that instant, his eyes were filled with resistance.

It was an instinctive rejection of "trouble."

Leng Qingxuan felt a "ding" in her brain, as if the last piece of the puzzle had finally fallen into place.

She had found it.

The barrier that had always stood between them—invisible and intangible, yet indestructible.

It wasn't An Ran, nor was it Su Muxue.

It wasn't even Leng Qingxuan herself.

It was the massive, shadow-shrouded family standing behind her.

That mother who had suffocated her for twenty years.

With a personality like Huang Mao's, what he feared most was this kind of messy, convoluted family soap opera.

He was afraid of being sucked into that whirlpool.

He was afraid that once he accepted her, he would have to face that mother-in-law with off-the-charts control issues and endless trouble.

This was the real boss mechanic!

Having figured this out, Leng Qingxuan's previously flustered heartbeat miraculously calmed down a little.

Although her body was still trembling slightly from shame, her eyes had become incredibly clear.

Since she had found the source of the illness, she would use strong medicine.

She lifted her head and looked straight into Huang Mao's deep eyes.

Although her voice was still trembling a little, every word she spoke was exceptionally clear.

"You... have been silent because you are afraid, right?"

Huang Mao raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that she would ask this.

But he didn't speak; he just shifted into a more comfortable position, signaling her to continue.

Leng Qingxuan took a step forward.

Her naked feet stepped on the floor, making a soft sound.

This step felt like crossing some kind of boundary.

"It's not that you don't like me, and you aren't worried about An Ran and the others."

"You are worried about my family."

"You are afraid of... my mother, who is like a robot, right?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment.

Huang Mao's fingers, which had been toying with the mouse, stopped abruptly.

She had actually hit the nail on the head.

A precision strike.

Must say, this girl's intuition was sometimes frighteningly sharp.

Since things had been said to this point, playing dumb was no longer meaningful.

Huang Mao sighed deeply.

The mask of composure he had been maintaining finally cracked.

"You're quite good at getting to the point."

He smiled helplessly, his eyes revealing a bit more sincerity and a bit more exhaustion.

"School Beauty Leng, let's be frank."

"Your mother... to be honest, is a bit scary."

"I don't have any grand ambitions; I just want to live a peaceful life."

"If I were to be with you, not only would I have to guard against your suitors, but I'd also have to be ready at all times to deal with the 'Empress Dowager' in your home."

"The difficulty of this dungeon is too high; I'm afraid my small frame can't handle it."

This was an admission.

Hearing this answer, a complex feeling surged in Leng Qingxuan's heart.

There was the stinging pain of being rejected, but also a sense of relief that the dust had settled.

The stinging pain came because her original family was truly a burden, and even in this safe haven, she had to be rejected because of it.

The relief came because as long as it wasn't that he didn't love her, then everything could still be saved.

As long as the problem was concrete, it could be solved.

Leng Qingxuan sniffled, her eyes turning slightly red.

But she didn't cry.

Right now, she didn't need tears; she needed determination.

She took another step forward.

At this moment, she was less than half a meter away from Huang Mao.

At this distance, her completely uncovered body brought a devastating visual impact.

But she didn't care anymore.

She even puffed out her chest, like a Valkyrie about to rush into battle.

"I know."

"I know how suffocating that home is, and I know how scary she is."

"Precisely because of that... I need this place even more."

"I need you even more."

Her voice carried a hint of a sob, but her eyes were so stubborn it made one's heart ache.

"Huang Mao, listen to me."

"I am not the kind of little girl who only knows how to hide behind you and cry."

"Since I have chosen you, I have the resolve to deal with those messes."

She reached out as if to grab Huang Mao's hand, but stopped in mid-air and finally clenched it into a fist.

"I will become a wall."

"I will block all the trouble, all the control, all the shadows, outside."

"Absolutely... absolutely will not let her affect you in the slightest."

"If she wants to cause trouble, I will cut ties with her first."

"If she wants to destroy this place, I will destroy myself first."

These words were spoken with determination and tragedy.

Combined with how she looked now, there was a breathtaking beauty to it.

Huang Mao looked at the girl in front of him.

She was obviously trembling all over with shame, obviously terrified.

But to stay by his side, to dispel his concerns, she had stripped herself bare, trampling on all her dignity and paths of retreat.

She was even willing to declare war on the mother she feared the most.

This was no aloof campus belle.

This was clearly a little wild cat, baring its teeth at a tiger to protect its food.

Huang Mao felt a soft spot in his heart get hit hard.

The shell of "fear of trouble" that he had always used to protect himself shattered completely in this instant.

Faced with such resolve.

If he were to use "trouble" as an excuse to push her away again, then he really wouldn't be much of a man.

"Sigh..."

Huang Mao sighed again.

But in this sigh, there was no longer the helplessness from before; instead, there was a hint of resignation mixed with doting.