Separation

"No, it's not like that."

Xia Muzhu shook her head, lowering the hand that had been covering her mouth. Her voice trembled with suppressed sobs as she said,

"You went to such great lengths to help me, and yet I treated you that way. No matter what, I owe you an apology."

"But... but why didn’t you tell me about this?"

She lifted her head, her blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears. There was no accusation in her tone—only deep regret and self-reproach.

"At first, I didn’t want you to feel too much pressure. And I was afraid that if I told you, you might do something unnecessary and complicate things further. So I thought it’d be better to handle it quietly behind the scenes," Lin Yu explained honestly.

"Then, after everything came to light, I saw how unstable your emotions were at the time. I didn’t think you’d believe me, and I worried you might even..."

"I would have believed you!" Xia Muzhu suddenly interjected, her voice sharp with emotion.

Lin Yu was taken aback by her outburst and fell silent, unsure how to respond.

Under his surprised gaze, Xia Muzhu quickly realized she’d lost her composure. She lowered her head in embarrassment, her voice barely above a whisper as she murmured,

"I would have believed you."

"I’d believe anything you said..."

"Even if I was angry... if you’d just explained..."

"I still would have believed you..."

Hearing her soft, pleading words, Lin Yu felt his chest tighten.

This...

This sounded way too intimate.

"I’d believe anything you said."

Wasn’t that almost like a confession?

Lin Yu didn’t know how to answer her. The silence stretched between them, and Xia Muzhu seemed to realize how inappropriate her words had been. Flustered, she hurriedly added,

"Because I know you’re a good person!"

"Hah, haha."

Xia Muzhu tried to backtrack, and Lin Yu, eager to dispel the awkwardness, forced a dry laugh and said with feigned lightness,

"Well, damn."

"If I’d known you trusted me this much, I wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble. What a hassle."

"Yeah."

Xia Muzhu didn’t smile. She just nodded faintly before falling silent again, her expression tinged with sadness.

Lin Yu’s own smile stiffened, then faltered. The awkwardness threatened to swallow them whole, and he racked his brain for something—anything—to say to ease the tension. Right now, even the way his fingers rested on his palms felt unnatural!

Just then, the private dining room’s door swung open. A server wheeled in a cart laden with dishes, breaking the uncomfortable silence as they began setting the table.

By the time the server left, the round table was covered in steaming plates.

Lin Yu sat down and dug in immediately, grateful for something to occupy himself with.

They ate in relative quiet, exchanging only brief comments about the food. Eventually, Xia Muzhu couldn’t hold back any longer.

"Lin Yu," she asked hesitantly, "was what Little Shan said true?"

"Which part?" Lin Yu replied, confused.

"He said... that I’d keep facing danger if I..."

"If I didn’t stop seeing you."

"Is it true?"

As she spoke, she blinked rapidly, as if trying to stop the tears welling in her eyes from spilling over.

"Ah..."

"Yeah, that’s... that’s true."

"Big Sis Muzhu, it’d be best if you just live your life from now on. If you stay too close to me, bad things might happen."

Despite the ache in his chest, Lin Yu forced himself to say it—to sever their connection.

Xia Muzhu didn’t respond at first. She stopped blinking back her tears and just stared at him, her eyes glistening, until droplets finally rolled down her cheeks and splashed onto the table.

"You’re not lying to me this time, are you?" she whispered, her voice shaking.

"I—"

"Look me in the eyes and say it!"

For once, she sounded firm.

Lin Yu met her tear-filled blue gaze, and in that instant, the horrifying finale from that cursed manga flashed through his mind. He shook his head slightly.

"No..."

Something in Xia Muzhu’s eyes shattered. She sniffled, like a gambler who’d staked everything and lost, then bowed her head deeply. Her hands flew up to cover her face, and muffled sobs escaped through her fingers.

Lin Yu watched helplessly, wanting to comfort her but not knowing how. He could only sit there, paralyzed by guilt.

Fortunately, Xia Muzhu didn’t wallow for long. She lifted her head, roughly wiped her tears away, and reached for her purse, rummaging through it.

A moment later, she pulled out a bank card. Clutching it in one hand and swiping at her damp cheeks with the other, she walked over to Lin Yu.

"This card has 100,000 yuan in it. Take it for your studies. If it’s not enough later, you can always come to me for more."

She pressed the card insistently into his hand.

"No, Big Sis Muzhu, I really can’t accept this."

Lin Yu resisted firmly.

"Take it. You’ve done so much for me—this is just a small token of my gratitude. Don’t you dare refuse!"

Her voice cracked as fresh tears spilled over.

"I can’t. Honestly, I’m not short on money. Even though my parents are gone, I still have savings."

"Then keep it as backup! What about university? What about after graduation?"

"You’re on your own. Having more money means more security in life."

She wouldn’t take no for an answer, shoving the card at him relentlessly.

Seeing no way out, Lin Yu fell back on his earlier excuse with a strained smile.

"How about this—you hold onto it for me? I’m terrible at saving. If you give it to me, I’ll probably blow it all in no time."

"But... but will we even see each other again?"

Xia Muzhu’s breath hitched. She stopped trying to force the card into his palm and instead gripped his hand and wrist tightly, her voice thick with tears.

"I..."

"I can reach you through Xia Yueshan."

Lin Yu hesitated, then steeled himself and said it.

"Okay... okay."

Xia Muzhu’s eyes dimmed with resignation. At last, she gave up trying to make him take the card.