Chapter One Hundred: What Else Could Be a Challenge

"But no matter how vast the world is, it still feels hollow without that person by your side." Amid her sorrow, Hua Mei remembered to show Xiaoxiao her phone—the main event of the day was only just beginning. Yet, the person in the photo shocked Xiaoxiao; she mentally reviewed all her contacts, but missed this one. No matter how she pondered it, she couldn't fathom that Zeng Ziyu’s affair was with Nina!

Xiaoxiao realized the unspoken meaning behind Hua Mei's words: since it was someone she knew, she had to take the lead in confronting Nina. It was also the best way to show she and Hua Mei were united. She could only nod, "Alright, I understand. Don't be too upset, especially in front of Zeng Ziyu. If you still want to live together, it's best to act as if nothing happened."

Back at her apartment, Lin Shuo was already gone. She had neither the energy nor the mind to worry about his feelings. Their vague togetherness had been fine; she didn’t know what was wrong with him, why he insisted on being so rigid. Perhaps, once he calmed down, he wouldn’t demand anything anymore.

In the hazy hours of night, she heard someone open the door and startled awake, swiftly turning on the bedside lamp. His cheeks were flushed as he leaned against the doorframe, watching her face shift from fear to calm. She glanced at the clock—it was already four in the morning. She quietly urged him, "Go wash up and sleep."

He tossed his coat carelessly onto the floor, strode to the bed, and suddenly kissed her, his tongue lingering for a long while. He finally let her go, angry and said, "You’re such a maddening woman. Is it better to sleep alone?"

"Where did you get the key?" She dodged his accusation, changing the subject. She actually knew the landlady had secretly given him a spare, though he'd never used it before.

"Marry me!" His expression was resolute. In truth, even on his way here—even in the moment he opened the door—he hadn’t thought he would propose, yet everything seemed so natural.

It was so abrupt she was genuinely startled, then immediately amused. The pain from being abandoned years ago surged forth, haunting her. She straightened the sleepwear he had rumpled and asked coldly, "So, Mr. Lin, am I your new toy now? Or rather, the toy you tossed away but now want to pick up again?"

Lin Shuo's face darkened, a hint of self-mockery in his gaze. He muttered, "Why must it be so difficult?"

She pressed on, relentless: "It’s hard to imagine someone like you, with your status today—what isn’t within your grasp? Even the poor student Lin Shuo was just a disguise. If you can change identities, what could possibly be a challenge?"

"You! I only want you!" He clung to his pitiful persistence, hoping to move her.

But, swept away by emotion, he thought it was simple—forgetting the old wounds between them. That scar lay across their hearts; every time they tried to embrace tightly, the nearest heart was pressed until it hurt. When the tearing outweighed the love, the distance to utter ruin was not far.

Suddenly, a light flashed in her mind. She remembered the words he used to reject her years ago, and now returned them verbatim: "And then? I’ll be with you, only to fight and separate again? After all we’ve been through, if it ends with us as strangers, why not accept things as they are?"

The same words, spoken in the same tone. A barely perceptible pain flickered across his face. He thought of his parents, who had given him the worst example along the road of love.