Chapter 118: Seen Clearly, Yet Unable to Let Go

A long time passed, long enough for another plane to taxi toward the runway on the tarmac. Xi Mintang’s hand, clutching the phone, had grown stiff. Finally, Lin Shuo gave his reply: "I do not look twice at things that do not belong to me, for fear that if they ever caught my eye, I would never be able to pull them out."

Xi Mintang felt there was nothing left to discuss. He hung up, looked up at the distant blue sky, and truly wished he could take it all away with him.

Setting aside all other matters, Lin Shuo decided to go to the airport in person to pick up Xiaoxiao. Just as he was leaving, he was intercepted by Zhao Jun, who had just returned from the courthouse. Zhao Jun reported the first-instance verdict with a solemn expression. Lin Shuo sat on the edge of his desk, the pencil in his hand snapping in two with a sharp click the moment Zhao Jun finished his last sentence. A splinter of wood pierced his finger; he frowned slightly, effortlessly plucked out the shard, and flicked it away, feeling a sense of relief as if he had removed a great burden from his heart.

"If he refuses to accept it and wants to appeal, let him," Lin Shuo said, his brow revealing a sense of absolute certainty. "He will have to pay for his crimes eventually."

Zhao Jun took his instructions and immediately gathered the lawyers and victims to map out their strategy, bracing for every possible contingency.

Lin Shuo arrived at the airport and searched for a long time before finding Xiaoxiao in a café. She was still sitting in the same spot, staring blankly as if she had never moved. The coffee in front of her had gone cold, while the sunlight outside the window remained as intoxicating as ever.

"Did he leave?"

She started in surprise as he sat down opposite her, in the very seat Xi Mintang had just vacated. She picked up her cup and took a sip of the coffee; the bitter taste made her squint. "Yes, he’s gone."

He shook his head helplessly, signaled the waiter to replace it with a cup of hot milk, and urged, "You haven't been eating properly lately. If your stomach is weak, you shouldn't be drinking coffee."

The land dispute, her father’s illness, the turmoil caused by the lawsuit, and Xi Mintang’s retreat—each one placed immense pressure on her sensitive nerves. Even though he had instructed the servants to rotate the menu for her, she rarely had an appetite. Watching her grow thinner by the day, he felt the sharpness of her fragile frame whenever he pulled her into his arms at night.

"The first-instance court sentenced Pan Jinshi to ten years in prison," he said, his expression blank and his tone indifferent.

"Oh, is that so?" She held her chin, her hand slowly moving up to the top of her head, her fingertips burying deep into her roots. After a soft, rustling sound, she involuntarily furrowed her brow.

"Stop picking at it." He pulled her hand away. Her fingertips were already stained with blood. He suppressed his rising temper as he wiped them clean; how could she be so reckless with herself?

Xiaoxiao had a habit of picking at her scalp until it bled. She figured that with her thick hair to cover it, it wouldn't affect her appearance. Once the blood coagulated, she would pick the scab off again, so her wounds were in a constant cycle of bleeding and scabbing. This was her little quirk—or as the film *Amélie* might say, everyone has a strange habit. Though bizarre, it at least gave her something to do at all times so that her heart wouldn't feel so empty. Hua Mei once said she was actually just escaping, much like that wound hidden deep in her hair—she felt it was perfectly concealed, but in reality, she was just an ostrich with its head in the sand, deceiving herself. As for what she was escaping from, she, of course, knew better than anyone.

In the past, she used to do this whenever she thought of Lin Shuo; now, she did it whenever she felt troubled. Over time, it had become a habit.

She couldn't quite describe how she felt. The psychological trauma Pan Jinshi had inflicted upon her didn't seem to be soothed by the verdict. Every time she thought of that hateful face, she would shudder from head to toe.