If Shen Mo hadn’t realized that Mo Yang was actually Mei Xin and hadn’t been keeping watch outside, he didn’t dare imagine what might have happened. He couldn’t understand where Jiang Xiaosi got the courage to think she could capture Mei Xin on her own. Even if Little Ghost hadn’t intervened, Mei Xin would likely have had other ways to escape.
Jiang Xiaosi had no personal grudge against Mei Xin. Her meticulous plan had been solely for Shen Mo’s sake. They weren’t in a romantic relationship, just a normal teacher-student one. Her actions didn’t make sense to him, even when their relationship had been on good terms. Now that they had recently had a falling out, and Shen Mo had thought he had finally made Jiang Xiaosi give up on him, she still took on such a dangerous task, lying about drinking the Forgetting Love Potion. Why would she go to such lengths for someone who had rejected her, someone who was selfish and unfeeling? What was she thinking?
Shen Mo stood up and, for the first time, carried Jiang Xiaosi in his arms. Her face was buried in his chest, her tears soaking through his shirt, and it felt as though his heart was being soaked too—cold, yet filled with pity and lingering fear.
Just as he was about to lift her shirt to check the wound on her shoulder, a shadow flew through the shattered window like a shooting star and landed before him.
“Xiaosi!” Jiang Liu rushed forward, his expression clearly frantic.
Jiang Xiaosi, her eyes red and swollen, looked up and broke free from Shen Mo’s arms, throwing herself into Jiang Liu’s embrace, sobbing softly, “Little Ghost is dead.”
Jiang Liu scanned the mess around them and frowned deeply.
“Mo Yang was Mei Xin.” Shen Mo explained.
From that, Jiang Liu could already guess most of what had happened. He had rushed over after the bead sensed danger from Jiang Xiaosi being injured. He had thought she was trying to get over her heartbreak and move on from Shen Mo, and he had been glad that she was finally growing up. But now he realized he had been completely fooled by this little girl.
Jiang Liu didn’t say anything, nor did he show any dissatisfaction toward Shen Mo. He simply carried Jiang Xiaosi downstairs.
Shen Mo stopped him, saying, “Let me heal her injuries first.”
“No need, thank you.” Jiang Liu replied, knowing full well that he couldn’t entrust Jiang Xiaosi to Shen Mo. Otherwise, her zombie identity would be exposed, which was the last thing Jiang Xiaosi would want to happen.
Shen Mo didn’t insist. Although Mei Xin’s strike had been powerful, it had been greatly weakened by several layers of protection. It wasn’t life-threatening.
Jiang Liu carried Jiang Xiaosi across the rooftops, quickly returning to Tuo Gu Xiang. Jiang Xiaosi drank some blood and soon fell into a feverish sleep. By the time Jiang Liu had finished tending to her wounds, it was nearly morning, and the rain had long since stopped.
He washed his face and opened the shop door, only to find a familiar tall figure leaning against the railing beneath a willow tree on the opposite side of the street—it was Shen Mo.
Hearing the door open, Shen Mo turned around. The morning mist over the river slightly obscured his figure, softening his outline. He seemed less cold than usual, more lost and unsure.
Jiang Liu suddenly thought of Zhao Bing, the man who was usually so cold and arrogant, seeming to hold the world in disdain. But when Liu Zhi died, his shoulders had looked just as fragile and thin.
For a brief moment, Jiang Liu felt both dejected and relieved. Because in that instant, he was certain that deep down, Shen Mo truly loved Xiaosi.
But love alone doesn’t decide two people’s fate; only choices do.
Shen Mo slowly walked across the street. “Is she doing any better?” he asked.
The simple words, filled with uncontrollable worry and emotion, finally made Jiang Liu give up resisting. He let down his guard, resigning himself to the situation. It was the same as when he had accepted Zhao Bing back then. Once he fully accepted someone, he would do everything in his power to protect the person he believed could bring happiness to Liu Zhi, even if it meant being their subordinate, following their orders, or even giving up his life. From this moment on, he would also try his best to help Shen Mo and defend his and Xiaosi’s happiness.
However, Jiang Liu had heard from Shen Koudan that Shen Mo had once, in a fit of rage, accidentally killed the demon Yutong, leading to his falling out with Mei Xin. Mei Xin, devastated by the loss of his beloved, had used the purple sigil to massacre Shen Mo’s entire family. Only Shen Koudan had survived, while Shen Mo, who was far away at the time, could only listen to the slaughter and screams over the phone, powerless to do anything. For a long time, he couldn’t even answer phone calls. Hearing a ringtone would wake him up in a nightmare. Later, Shen Mo killed Mei Xin to avenge his family, but it still didn’t ease his pain, leading to a massacre of ghosts and monsters in Tao Yuan City. Before, he used to distinguish between good and evil among non-humans, which was why he had once trusted Yutong completely. But in the end, he was betrayed by a friend and lost his entire family.
Shen Mo had developed a deep prejudice against non-humans. Even if he truly loved Xiaosi, if he ever found out that she wasn’t entirely human, how could he accept it? Would he feel deceived and betrayed as well? Jiang Liu was deeply worried.
“She’s still unconscious. You can go up and see her.” Jiang Liu said, gesturing upstairs.
Shen Mo sensed the sudden shift in Jiang Liu’s attitude toward him but simply nodded and walked into Tuo Gu Xiang.
Jiang Xiaosi was lying quietly in bed, her face flushed, an ice pack on her forehead. Shen Mo touched her face, then her shoulder, and checked her pulse to make sure she was really okay. Only then did he let out a soft sigh of relief.
He sat by the bed, watching her, and memories of their time together over the years filled his mind, causing the corners of his mouth to curve upward. He slipped his hand under the blanket and held her hot little hand in his.
Jiang Xiaosi woke up from her thirst. When she opened her eyes, she saw Shen Mo asleep in the chair.
“Water…” she croaked, and Shen Mo immediately woke up, picked up the cup on the table, and helped her drink.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked.
Jiang Xiaosi knew she couldn’t blame Shen Mo for Little Ghost’s death, but she was still angry at him. She closed her eyes and said nothing.
Shen Mo remained silent as well, simply gazing at her quietly. Jiang Xiaosi could feel his eyes lingering on her face, so she opened her eyes and glared at him.
“I’m fine now. You can go.” she said.
“This time you were lucky. What about next time? How could you do something so dangerous on your own?” Shen Mo wanted to express his concern, but he couldn’t help scolding her.
“What dangerous thing? I was just dating.” Jiang Xiaosi retorted stubbornly.
“Are you really going to pretend you didn’t know he was Mei Xin? You were very well prepared with all those props.” Shen Mo sneered.
Jiang Xiaosi knew she was in the wrong, so her voice grew quieter. “It’s none of your business.”
“Say that again.” Shen Mo demanded, his gaze sharp.
Jiang Xiaosi’s eyes immediately welled up with tears. She pulled the blanket over her head and turned her back on him. “Just go get married already! I don’t need you to care about me.” She hadn’t wanted him to know. She really had given up on him. She just wanted to do something to help him after all the trouble she had caused him over the years.
Shen Mo shook his head. He had thought she had finally grown up, that her acting and planning were impressive. But now he realized she was still just a child at heart.
He reached out and pulled her, blanket and all, into his arms, whispering, “I’m sorry. It was all a misunderstanding with Shui Xin.”
Jiang Xiaosi’s muffled voice came from under the blanket. “Aren’t you two getting married?”
“Who told you that? She’s my sister-in-law.”
“Hmph. Whatever happens between you two is none of my business. My relationship failed, my plan failed, and now you’ve seen me make a fool of myself. Anyway, thanks for saving me. Since you killed Little Ghost, I won’t seek revenge on you. You can go now. Marry whoever you want. From now on, we owe each other nothing!”
Shen Mo remained silent for a long time. Just when Jiang Xiaosi thought he had fallen asleep, she heard a low voice, barely audible.
“We’re already married. How could we owe each other nothing? How could I marry someone else?”
Jiang Xiaosi finally poked her head out from under the blanket, staring wide-eyed at Shen Mo. “What did you say?”
“If you didn’t hear it, never mind.” Shen Mo muttered, turning his head away. Jiang Xiaosi couldn’t believe what she had just heard. She touched her forehead, worried that her fever had made her hallucinate. After a long pause, she suddenly sat up and cheered, then threw her arms around Shen Mo.
She had been sitting on Shen Mo’s lap, so when she jumped up, the chair tipped over, and they both ended up on the floor, buried under the blanket.
Shen Mo was speechless. He tried to push the blanket away and get up, but Jiang Xiaosi was sitting on top of him, pinning him down. She cupped his face in her hands, and he could feel her hot breath close to his skin.
“Shen Mo…” she called softly, then gently kissed his cheek with her warm lips.
“Do you like me?” she asked, kissing him again.
Shen Mo felt as if he had been electrocuted. His face grew as hot as hers.
“I don’t know.” Shen Mo admitted. What was love, really? Was it thinking of her constantly, being both annoyed and fond of her? Was it feeling happy when she smiled and wanting to destroy everything that made her sad, even himself? Maybe, his feelings for her were more than just love.
“I don’t know, but I promise I won’t avoid it anymore.”
Jiang Xiaosi’s eyes lit up with joy. “So you’re saying you’re willing to accept me?”
Shen Mo finally nodded softly. That was the most he could bring himself to do.
Although she had been prepared, Jiang Xiaosi was still surprised when Shen Mo kissed her. She gasped. It had been two years since they had been this close. The kiss she had long avoided thinking about was happening again. Luckily, the blanket was covering them, so Jiang Xiaosi couldn’t see how red his face had become. He couldn’t understand why he was always the one ending up on the bottom.
He raised his hands and pulled Jiang Xiaosi’s head closer. She was still feverish, her whole body hot, and every spot she kissed, nipped, or sucked felt like it was melting. He opened his mouth and deepened the kiss, no longer holding back. He took her lips and tongue with passion, unlike before.
“Mm…” Jiang Xiaosi whimpered softly, not quite believing Shen Mo could be so passionate. Clearly, he was more experienced than her, and she quickly lost control, her mind turning into a fog as she saw stars.
It was such an out-of-this-world feeling. When two people in love kissed, it could make time stop, make the world disappear in an instant. She couldn’t help rubbing herself against Shen Mo, but he held her firmly in place.
Just when she thought she might suffocate, Shen Mo finally let her go. She gasped for air, her forehead pressed against his, her nose brushing his.
“Shen Mo…” she rasped. “Kissing you is still the best…”
“Damn it!” Shen Mo instantly thought of how she had foolishly tried to seduce Mei Xin. Mei Xin didn’t care whether she was beautiful or not; he just wanted to steal what belonged to Shen Mo.
“From now on, you’re not allowed to kiss anyone first!”
“Not even Dad?”
“No one!”
“What about you?”
“No need, because I’ll kiss you!”
With that, his lips captured hers again, tender and intense, making up for all the hurt and tears of the past. Jiang Xiaosi felt like she was about to die. She had never known that Shen Mo could be so domineering and passionate. In the small space under the blanket, she melted like ice cream.
When they finally broke apart, a thin string of saliva connected their lips, looking quite suggestive. At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and Jiang Liu’s voice called out curiously, “Xiaosi?”
Jiang Xiaosi quickly threw off the blanket, her face flushed as she took deep breaths and jumped off Shen Mo. Shen Mo couldn’t understand why he was always caught in compromising situations. He slowly stood up, picked up the chair, and busied himself with folding the blanket.
Jiang Liu took one look at them and easily guessed what had just happened. He rubbed his nose awkwardly. Glancing back at Miao Yan, who was standing behind him, and then at Jiang Xiaosi, he said, “Xiaosi, Miao Yan’s here to see you.”
Jiang Xiaosi was still a bit dazed. “Oh, Miao Yan, I’m sorry. One of the things you lent me got damaged.”
Miao Yan frowned slightly as she looked at Jiang Xiaosi and Shen Mo. “It’s fine, as long as you’re okay. Did it work?”
“No, he escaped.” Jiang Xiaosi replied, though she didn’t seem upset at all. In fact, she was secretly delighted. Thanks to this ordeal, Shen Mo had finally accepted her.
“I’ll repair the barrier string and return it to you.” Shen Mo said. He had already returned to his usual cold and serious demeanor.
“Let’s talk downstairs.” Jiang Liu suggested. “Xiaosi, how are you feeling? You’re still feverish. Do you need more rest?”
“I’m fine now.” Jiang Xiaosi replied.
The four of them went downstairs together, and Shen Mo asked Jiang Xiaosi how she had figured out that Mo Yang was Mei Xin.
“I kept feeling like someone was following me, so I asked some friends in Bai Li Street to investigate. That’s when I found out it was a Shikigami under someone’s control. This happened not long after we came out of the tower tomb, so I suspected it might be Mei Xin, but I couldn’t be sure. Then Mo Yang showed up just when I was heartbroken, which was a bit too coincidental. And it was also too convenient that he fell for me. I don’t consider myself a great beauty who can easily make someone fall in love at first sight. He didn’t seem at all surprised by Little Ghost’s presence either. When I found out that the Shikigami that had been following me was under his control, I knew for sure that it was him. So, I decided to go along with it…”
Jiang Xiaosi’s voice trailed off as she noticed Shen Mo’s increasingly dark expression. She hadn’t mentioned that one of the key reasons she had suspected Mo Yang was his RH blood type. That blood type wasn’t common, yet it had appeared. On top of that, he had fallen for her. There was no way that was just a coincidence. She figured that Mei Xin must have discovered her zombie identity while recovering over the past two years and had deliberately tried to lure her in. But he didn’t know that her love for Shen Mo was as steadfast as the sun and moon. She wasn’t someone who could easily fall for someone else.
Shen Mo was angry. Mei Xin had been lurking around them all this time, and Jiang Xiaosi had figured it out but hadn’t told him. Instead, she had acted on her own.
Jiang Liu patted Jiang Xiaosi’s head. “Why didn’t you tell Dad?”
“If you had known, you wouldn’t have let me get close to him. I finally identified him. If I waited for another chance, I might not be able to find him again.” Jiang Xiaosi explained. In truth, she had wanted to prove to Jiang Liu that she had grown up, that she could not only protect herself but also deal with the bad guys. Although her plan hadn’t gone perfectly, she had at least retrieved the purple sigil and severely injured Mei Xin. Now, she wanted to see what tricks he had left.
Shen Mo left first, and Jiang Xiaosi went upstairs to rest.
Miao Yan spoke seriously to Jiang Liu. “Jiang Liu, I need to talk to you.”
Jiang Liu seemed to have expected this. To avoid Jiang Xiaosi overhearing, he gestured for them to go outside, and they walked along the riverbank.
“Are you really going to let Xiaosi be with Shen Mo?” Miao Yan asked.
Jiang Liu nodded.
Miao Yan seemed furious. “First, you let Liu Zhi go to Zhao Bing, and now you’re letting Xiaosi go to Shen Mo. Jiang Liu, are you going to be a coward in love for your entire life?”
Jiang Liu’s face darkened, and he shook his head. “They love each other. They should be together…”
Miao Yan interrupted him sharply. “Don’t think you’re being noble by always stepping aside! You grew up with Liu Zhi. Are you so sure that you were the only one who developed feelings over time? You clearly like Xiaosi too. You know she depended on you and liked you when she was younger. You’ve had a thousand years. Why didn’t you take advantage of that time and try to be with her? Instead, you deliberately killed any thoughts of romance and only stayed in a father-daughter relationship. When Liu Zhi fell for Zhao Bing and Xiaosi fell for Shen Mo, you quietly mourned in secret. Jiang Liu, don’t you think you’re being foolish? Love isn’t something you achieve by backing down; it’s something you fight for!
Jiang Liu looked like he had been struck, shaking his head in agony but unable to find the words to respond.
“You talk about them loving each other, but you never even fought for your own feelings! How do you know that they’re the ones who love each other and not you? How do you know you wouldn’t have succeeded? You’re so cowardly that you didn’t even try. Do you really not want it, or are you just afraid to lose?”
Jiang Liu’s face turned pale as a sheet. Miao Yan’s words hit him right in the gut. He clenched his fists tightly and whispered, “They deserve better than me…”
“Jiang Liu, you don’t have the right to say that for them. Who they love and who they want to be with is their choice, not yours. You didn’t step aside for their sake. You pushed them into someone else’s arms!”
Jiang Liu closed his eyes and gripped the railing. Miao Yan’s words were forcing him to face the truth he had avoided for so many years. He had never dared to think about it too deeply—whether it was because of low self-esteem, a lack of confidence that he could make them happy, or simply because he didn’t believe in love. That was why, when Liu Zhi confessed her feelings for him, he hadn’t dared to accept them, and in the end, he watched her fall for someone else. It was also why, when Xiaosi had started to develop feelings for him years ago, he had immediately squashed them.
He had preferred to remain the one who silently loved and protected them from the shadows, too afraid to even touch the concept of love. Was it because he was scared?
He looked down at his hands and suddenly felt a bit of admiration for Shen Mo. Shen Mo had also been confused and hesitant when it came to Xiaosi, but once he made up his mind, he committed himself fully and never looked back. Zhao Bing had been the same—no matter what happened, he never left Liu Zhi’s side.
People only saw his unwavering devotion, his thousand-year wait, but they didn’t know that deep down, he had been indecisive and cowardly when it came to love. Everything had been his own doing.
Miao Yan realized that she had been too harsh and sighed softly. “I often ask myself if it was worth it—waiting and chasing after that person for so many years. I don’t know. But at least I have no regrets. I have no guilt toward myself. What about you, Jiang Liu? Don’t you regret it?”
Jiang Liu turned his back to her.
He did regret it. But it was already too late…
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