158: Mo Linglin's Despair

Mo Yuhan's hand paused mid-air, his brow slightly raised, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.

He wasted no more words, directly leaning down and grabbing Mo Linglin's slender wrist, forcefully pulling her up from the stone stool. His movements were far from gentle, even somewhat rough.

"Ah!"

Mo Linglin cried out in pain, her wrist feeling as if it was about to snap, and she was involuntarily dragged away.

She stumbled, her fiery red palace dress trailing behind her, like a withered flower ravaged by wind and rain.

Tears finally broke free, gushing down, leaving two messy streaks on her pale face.

Humiliation! Despair! She had never imagined she would fall to such a state, dragged like an object, all strength to resist completely stripped away.

Stepping out of the scorching alchemy room, fresh air filled her lungs.

Mo Yuhan dragged the disheveled, silently weeping Mo Linglin towards his secluded small courtyard deep within the Inner Courtyard.

Just as they passed through a lush purple bamboo grove, a clear, melodious call, filled with boundless surprise, came from ahead.

"Yu Han—!!!"

A tall, agile figure rushed over like a fiery red whirlwind; it was Xiao Yu!

She was still in her characteristic tight uniform, perfectly outlining her tall and athletic figure, her tanned skin gleaming with a healthy glow in the sunlight.

Her face was beaming with undisguised ecstasy, her voice arriving before she did, carrying a spirited and bold demeanor.

"You brat! You finally decided to come back!"

Xiao Yu rushed forward in a few steps, completely ignoring the "obstacle" Mo Yuhan was dragging. She opened her arms, like a long-lost sister, and naturally hooked her arms around Mo Yuhan's neck, pulling him tightly into her embrace.

The force was so great that Mo Yuhan almost couldn't breathe.

The youthful aura of sunshine and sweat from her body instantly enveloped Mo Yuhan.

"Xiao Yu Senior Sister..." Mo Yuhan struggled helplessly, his voice muffled.

"Let me see! Have you lost weight? Are you injured?"

Xiao Yu loosened her grip slightly, but her arm remained possessively around his neck. With her other hand, she unceremoniously ruffled the fringe of hair on his forehead, her fiery gaze sweeping over him, full of concern and an undeniable, intimate possessiveness.

Her full bosom rose and fell slightly with excitement, almost pressing against Mo Yuhan's chest.

Mo Linglin, squeezed aside by Xiao Yu's sudden enthusiastic embrace, stumbled and nearly fell.

She watched Xiao Yu's unreservedly intimate actions, and Mo Yuhan, who, despite being "abused," showed little resistance. Comparing this to her own situation, dragged like trash, the immense disparity and sense of humiliation almost suffocated her. Tears flowed even more fiercely, and she bowed her head tightly.

"Little Han Han!"

Immediately after, another voice, filled with surprise and excitement, rang out.

Lin Fei, like a joyful skylark, wore her favorite goose-yellow dress, its hem fluttering. Her small face was flushed from running, and her bright eyes were full of the joy of reunion.

She completely ignored the complex atmosphere on the scene, and like a young swallow returning to its nest, she plunged into Mo Yuhan's embrace, hugging his waist tightly, causing Mo Yuhan's small head to rub against her chest.

"Wuwu, Little Han Han! You're finally back! I missed you so much! I thought you were captured by the snake people in the desert to be their bandit chief's husband!"

Lin Fei's voice had a sweet, childish sob, and her arms were wrapped tightly, as if afraid he would run away again.

The soft touch of her small body and her undisguised dependence made Mo Yuhan feel both amused and helpless.

"Lin Fei Senior Sister, I'm fine..."

Mo Yuhan tried to comfort this excited little skylark.

Xue Mei's figure appeared quietly a few steps away.

She was still in a cool, moon-white dress, her demeanor like a pristine lotus on a snowy mountain.

The moment her icy blue eyes met Mo Yuhan's figure, the ice and snow melted, transforming into a pool of gentle spring water.

She didn't rush forward like Xiao Yu and Lin Fei, but simply gazed at him quietly and deeply, a faint yet incredibly captivating smile blooming on her lips.

She slowly stepped forward, walked to Mo Yuhan's side, and extended her cool, delicate jade hand to gently brush away the slight dust on his shoulder, brought out from the alchemy room.

Her movements were gentle, carrying a silent concern and comfort.

"It's good that you're back." Xue Mei's voice was clear and melodious, like ice springs hitting stone, yet it held the most sincere warmth.

What moved Mo Yuhan even more was the faint green figure standing quietly at the end of the bamboo path.

Xiao Xuner.

Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled light and shadow on her.

She was still as elegant and peerless, her aura ethereal, not like someone from the mortal World.

However, at this moment, her ancient well-like, unrippled eyes clearly showed a ripple the moment they met Mo Yuhan's figure. That was no longer the detachment of looking down on the mortal World, but a kind of... heartfelt fluctuation, tinged with faint joy.

The corners of her lips even unconsciously curved upwards into an extremely subtle, yet World-overturning arc.

When her gaze swept over Mo Linglin, who was being casually dragged by Mo Yuhan, disheveled, and tear-stained, there was no pity or curiosity in those deep, pond-like eyes, only a calm indifference, as if she was just seeing an insignificant speck of dust.

Immediately, her gaze returned to Mo Yuhan, that focus even surpassing her attention to the "Xiao Yan Brother" who had been out of contact for a long time.

The entrance to the small courtyard instantly became incredibly "crowded."

Mo Yuhan had Xiao Yu's arm hooked around his neck, Lin Fei hugging his waist, Xue Mei gently standing by his side to tidy his appearance, and Xiao Xuner watching him from a distance with a faint smile.

Qing Lin had also run over at some point, timidly hiding behind Mo Yuhan, her small hand gently tugging at his clothes.

Ah Yin and Ruo Lin stood a little further back, looking at the young man surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women, both revealing gentle and gratified smiles.

Mo Linglin, completely forgotten, or rather, deliberately ignored in the corner, finally couldn't hold on.

She looked at the extremely dazzling scene before her—the demon who had kidnapped her, humiliated her, and trampled her into the mud, was now surrounded, cared for, and even vied for by so many outstanding and powerful women.

Each of those women was no less beautiful and graceful than her, some even surpassing her, and their eyes, when they looked at Mo Yuhan, were filled with sincere, undisguised affection and admiration.

And what about herself?

What was she? An eyesore of trash? A backdrop to highlight his brilliance?

A colossal, unspeakable humiliation and despair, like a cold tide, completely engulfed her.

She could no longer stand, her legs weakened, as if all her bones had been removed, and she silently, heavily, fell onto the cold ground.

Her fiery red palace dress spread out, like a flower utterly crushed. She desperately covered her face, her shoulders convulsing violently, and repressed, extreme sobs, like the wails of a dying beast, intermittently escaped through her fingers.

Tears gushed, washing away her carefully applied makeup, leaving streaks of mess on her dust-stained face.

The World was a blur of gray.

She finally completely understood that in this place called Canaan Academy, in Mo Yuhan's World, her identity as the Second Young Lady of the Mo family, everything she had once been proud of, was utterly worthless.

She was just a pathetic, forgotten... captive in the corner.