Feel My Pain

Noon, after school.

Xie Yuling always went home for lunch.

But as soon as she stepped out of the school gate, she spotted Chu Ling standing across the street.

When Chu Ling saw Xie Yuling emerge, she cautiously approached.

"Xie Yuling, please, can you help me with this? I’ll do anything you ask, anything at all."

Xie Yuling ignored her and walked straight toward her house.

With Lin Mo’s protective talisman, she wasn’t worried about danger.

As for Chu Ling, she still didn’t feel like engaging with her.

Chu Ling, however, continued to follow Xie Yuling.

Even when Xie Yuling went upstairs, she could still see Chu Ling standing outside her building.

She pulled out her phone and asked Lin Mo what to do.

"Let her stand there. If she can’t endure it, then she’s not worth helping."

Lin Mo didn’t know Chu Ling or her father, so he had no goodwill toward her.

But he wanted to preserve Xie Yuling’s innate kindness.

Originally, Xie Yuling had been warm both inside and out, but after being betrayed, she became cold on the outside while still warm within.

This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

At least now she could clearly sense malice from others.

Like in Class Seven, where many girls called her fake.

But Xie Yuling didn’t care at all and didn’t force herself to fit in just to belong.

By the time she left for school in the afternoon, Chu Ling was still standing outside her building.

Occasionally rubbing her thighs—it seemed she had been there the whole time.

Xie Yuling, on the other hand, had taken a nap and was now refreshed.

She walked toward school, with Chu Ling still trailing behind, though she no longer pleaded.

Xie Yuling didn’t look back the entire way, but she knew Chu Ling’s gaze never left her.

After school in the evening, Xie Yuling stood in the hallway, looking toward the school gate.

Though she couldn’t see the opposite side from here.

"Do you think Chu Ling will still be waiting?"

Lin Mo shrugged. "Go see for yourself. If she’s not there, just forget about it."

That’s what he said, but in truth, Lin Mo could clearly see Chu Ling still standing outside.

With a sweep of his divine sense, he assessed her condition—muscles fatigued, spirit exhausted. She had clearly been there all day, perhaps moving or sitting occasionally, but she was still there, wasn’t she?

As they stepped out of the school gate, Chu Ling spotted Lin Mo and Xie Yuling.

She hurried after them, knowing that saying too much could backfire. So far, she had only begged for forgiveness, hoping Xie Yuling would lend a hand.

But even after her plea, Xie Yuling remained silent and headed upstairs.

Lin Mo, following behind, gave Chu Ling a once-over before slowly walking past her after Xie Yuling had gone ahead.

"I’ve heard about what happened between you and Yuling."

Chu Ling looked up at him. She didn’t recognize this boy—he must not have been from their old school.

So she asked warily, "What do you want to say?"

"I can convince her to help you."

Chu Ling’s eyes flickered with hope.

"Really?!"

Then she studied him carefully, as if realizing something, and bit her lower lip. "I’ll do anything you ask, even... sleep with you, but—"

Before she could finish, Lin Mo took two or three steps back.

"Don’t say nonsense."

Chu Ling flushed with embarrassment but pressed on. "Then what’s your method?"

"Simple. Go home and rest properly. Tomorrow afternoon, kneel across from our school gate until classes end. You can use padding, but aside from bathroom breaks, you must stay kneeling the whole time. If you can do that, I’ll make sure Xie Yuling helps you."

That meant kneeling from around 2 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.—a full seven hours.

Chu Ling paled, but she lifted her chin with stubborn determination. "If I do it, will you really keep your word?"

Lin Mo nodded. "I’ll make the decision. And this is just you making up for your mistakes. You know full well that if you hadn’t done those things, the old Xie Yuling would’ve helped you."

The words stabbed deep into Chu Ling’s heart.

She could only lower her head, not daring to speak.

"Go rest. Come back tomorrow morning to apologize too. If you’re not sincere, don’t bother coming."

With that, Lin Mo headed upstairs.

Since Xie Yuling was already inclined to help, Lin Mo saw no harm in making Chu Ling suffer a little.

She deserved the punishment—at least in his eyes.

When Lin Mo reached the stairwell, he found Xie Yuling standing there.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be washing up and resting?"

"What did you say to her?" Xie Yuling was curious. After noticing Lin Mo hadn’t followed her up, she had peeked out the window to watch.

"Nothing much. Just told her to kneel outside the school gate tomorrow afternoon until evening."

Xie Yuling sucked in a sharp breath. "Isn’t that too harsh?"

Lin Mo smirked and ruffled her hair. "Isn’t this the only way to pull out the thorn in your heart? You might forget her, but you can’t forget the pain she caused. So let her feel some pain too."

As the great mechanized sage Salmon Emperor once said:

"Feel! My pain!"

Xie Yuling didn’t say whether it was right or wrong. She just felt a pang of guilt, though she still couldn’t bring herself to forgive Chu Ling.

But Lin Mo’s words did ease her heart a little.

If you repay malice with kindness, what do you repay kindness with?

On the stairs, she suddenly threw herself into Lin Mo’s arms.

"You’ll stay with me tomorrow, right?"

"If I didn’t, you’d probably get mad at me."

--System currently on business trip. The treasure system does have many artifacts, but this one’s being unruly. Needs discipline--

By afternoon dismissal, Xie Yuling saw Chu Ling kneeling at the street corner.

Even without a bowl in front of her, passersby still tossed coins her way.

But Chu Ling’s gaze remained fixed on Xie Yuling.

She didn’t dare move, afraid that if Xie Yuling or Lin Mo saw her slacking, they’d refuse to visit her home.

Staying still actually hurt less than moving.

Though she had padded her knees, the pain still gnawed at her after hours.

When Xie Yuling returned after dinner, Chu Ling was still kneeling.

Her face wasn’t deathly pale, but she didn’t look well either.

Xie Yuling’s compassion stirred, but memories of the past held her back.

Gritting her teeth, she turned and walked back to school.

Lin Mo saw it all through his divine sense.

He didn’t care whether Xie Yuling forgave Chu Ling or not.

He just wanted her to stay true to herself.

Whatever she decided, as long as she wasn’t forcing herself.

Xie Yuling climbed the stairs and found Lin Mo waiting.

Breathing heavily, tears spilled from the corners of her eyes.

"Lin Mo... I forgive her. I’m not her. I don’t want to be the one inflicting pain."

Lin Mo smiled gently and nodded.

"Alright, then I'll go down and have her prepare to leave."