44: You'll still marry me, right?

Gu Lingshuang nodded, her gaze suddenly shifting to Lin Dong, who was walking back from the ruins.

Her eyes were complex, with a hint of imperceptible expectation hidden deep within.

Upon meeting Gu Lingshuang's gaze, Lin Dong instinctively looked away.

This scene made Gu Lingshuang's heart turn cold in an instant.

She could clearly see disdain in Lin Dong's eyes.

Biting her lip, she clung to a final shred of hope and asked in a trembling voice, "Lin Dong, you will still marry me, right?"

Silence is the Cambridge of tonight!

I am on this side!

You are on that side!

Gu Chuyan, seeing this, immediately stood up for Gu Lingshuang: "Lin Dong, are you even a man?"

Lin Dong opened his mouth, but swallowed his words before they could be spoken.

Gu Chuyan continued, "Back then, Ling Shuang told me how wonderful you were, that you were responsible, independent, and persistent. Now it seems, that was all bullshit."

"It's one thing that you aren't coming to comfort Ling Shuang, but you even looked at her with disdain."

"A man like you is even worse than Gu Yun."

Lin Dong was instantly enraged: "Don't mention that beast to me. If it weren't for him, how could Ling Shuang have ended up like this?"

At this moment, Cao Bu stepped forward.

"When it comes down to it, you never loved Ling Shuang at all."

"What's ridiculous is that back on the plaza, someone was still speaking righteously about how much they loved Ling Shuang."

"But how much time has passed since then? Those vows are now like bullshit—worthless and foul-smelling."

Lin Dong looked at Cao Bu, a flash of disdain in his eyes: "What kind of thing are you? Is it your place to comment on matters between me and Ling Shuang?"

Cao Bu said firmly, "I am Ling Shuang's older brother; do you think I have the right? A person like you is not fit to enter the gates of my Gu Clan."

"Exactly, my big brother is right!" Gu Yingying stood up with her hands on her hips, glaring angrily at Lin Dong.

Lin Dong was so angry that he pointed at Cao Bu: "You, you..."

Cao Bu interrupted, "You what?"

"I remember when the Second Adoptive Mother asked you what you would do if Ling Shuang lost her purity, how did you answer?"

"If anyone dares to harm a single hair on Ling Shuang's head, I will make him wish for death!"

"It is Ling Shuang herself that I love. Even if the heavens fall and the earth splits, I will live and die with her."

"This sentiment is witnessed by heaven and earth, and verified by the sun and moon."

"Thinking back on it now, it's truly laughable."

Seeing this, the onlookers began to point and whisper at Lin Dong.

"Damn it, I despise people with no sense of responsibility the most. Back then, my sweetheart had three kids with another man, and I didn't care at all. I even brought all four of them over to take care of them. Why can't Lin Dong learn from me? He has no sense of responsibility at all."

"Exactly. My beloved was abandoned by her husband and came to my door with her mother-in-law seeking shelter. I didn't say a word and just took them into my house. A year later, each of them gave me a son and a daughter. Now, our life is as happy as can be."

"Me too. I even brought over her whole family of relatives. There were only a dozen or so people at first, but now it has developed into a small city of a hundred thousand, and they all share my surname."

Gu Lingshuang stared fixedly at Lin Dong, tears streaming from her eyes.

Lin Dong's resounding declaration from not long ago was still vivid in her mind; she never expected that in such a short time, this man would reveal his true colors.

Lin Rou, who was watching from the side, was also incredibly disappointed in Lin Dong.

She had been able to forgive Gu Yun once just a moment ago, so why couldn't her older brother forgive Gu Lingshuang?

Are all men the same?

The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached.

Lin Dong retreated a few steps, on the verge of a breakdown. The uncomprehending gaze of his own sister, the pointing and whispering of the people around him—each one made him feel like he was about to crumble.

"Stop talking!"

Lin Dong roared, pointing at Cao Bu's nose: "Cao Bu, if you don't understand love, then don't wag your tongue here."

Cao Bu said coldly, "I may not understand love, but I do know..."

He paused, walked over to Gu Lingshuang, and patted her shoulder to comfort her: "But I know... someone who cares about your purity doesn't necessarily love you, but someone who doesn't care about your purity definitely loves you."

Cao Bu stared into Gu Lingshuang's eyes and said word by word: "Ling Shuang, remember these words from your big brother: Lin Dong loves your body, not your heart."

"Now that you have lost your purity, he wants to leave you. This is Lin Dong's view on love."

Gu Lingshuang was stunned upon hearing this, repeating Cao Bu's words in her mouth.

"Someone who cares about your purity doesn't necessarily love you, but someone who doesn't care about your purity definitely loves you..."

Liu Ruyan, standing to the side, also recited these words, her gaze toward Cao Bu filled with a bit more appreciation.

Such an upright person is rarely seen these days.

"Big brother..."

Cao Bu's words struck Gu Lingshuang's weak spot. She threw herself into Cao Bu's arms and began to wail.

Cao Bu patted her back and said softly, "Forget him. A man like that is not worth your love."

Hearing this, Gu Lingshuang cried even harder.

Seeing this, Gu Chuyan tugged on Gu Lingshuang's sleeve and whispered, "Ling Shuang, you can throw yourself into my arms to cry."

Gu Lingshuang buried her head in Cao Bu's chest, her sobbing drowning out Gu Chuyan's words.

Gu Chuyan stamped her foot in anger and glanced at Gu Lingshuang calmly, a flash of dissatisfaction in her eyes.

Watching this scene, Lin Dong laughed in anger: "Cao Bu, since you say that, if you were in my position, what would you do?"

Cao Bu stated firmly, "If I were you, I would find a way to become stronger, kill Gu Yun, marry Ling Shuang, and give her an answer."

"What about you? Besides running away, what else can you do for Ling Shuang?"