Chapter 169: Defeated by My Own Arrogance

Cai Yirou, harboring the joy of victory and struggling to suppress a triumphant smile, attempted to latch onto Lin Shuo's arm once again, only to be forcefully flung even further away. She staggered a couple of steps before being steadily caught by Cheng Feng.

"Playing it too smart for your own good!" Lin Shuo let out a disgusted huff from his nostrils, refusing to spare her even the corner of his eye. He said coldly, "You plotted meticulously for so long, waiting just for today, but it seems to have blown up in your face. If you have any other tricks left, you might as well use them all!"

The aura of alienation and uncompromising resolve took even Cheng Feng aback. Moreover, Lin Shuo's words were clearly not meant for Cai Yirou alone. Yet, before Cheng Feng could verify anything or even utter a word of conciliation, Lin Shuo strode away at a run.

"Xiaoxiao!" Lin Shuo searched everywhere for that frail figure, finally spotting her by the corner of the flower bed. She was crouched on the ground with her knees hugged to her chest, the long hem of her dress tattered by tree branches. Although no sound of weeping could be heard, the trembling of her spine betrayed how heartbroken she was.

"Xiaoxiao..." He bent down, his heart aching terribly, and reached out to pull her up. She merely buried her head deeper between her arms and said in a muffled voice, "Go away... I have no face to face you..."

Kunming's night carried a distinct chill. He draped his suit jacket over her shoulders; she was so small she was almost entirely swallowed by it. He crouched down directly, intending to gather her into his arms. "Get up, I'm taking you away."

Her sobs stopped abruptly. She slowly raised her head, just a fraction of an inch away from him. Her face was covered in tears as she stared straight at him. Neither knew how much time had passed when he affectionately wiped away her tears. Suddenly, she turned her head away and said stubbornly, "I cannot let you become another Zeng Ziyu."

Completely bewildered, he found it almost amusing. "I thought you would understand, that you knew I was not cut from the same cloth as him, yet you still believed others so easily."

"But she loves you so much—loved you to the extent that even I was shaken!" She gradually stood up, slipping out of his embrace. Her heavy nasal congestion gave her words a rather profound weight.

In a single instant, Lin Shuo's heart turned cold. With a sigh-like tone, he said, "If you had firm faith in your own heart, you wouldn't have compared yourself to anyone, let alone felt inferior."

"I didn't!" she emphasized loudly. "I never thought of giving up, it's just... I just feel like I've stolen someone else's happiness!"

"Stolen? How?" He said with deep regret, "I knew long ago that she had returned, and I knew she was using that as an opportunity to get close to you. But I didn't believe you would be swayed by her sweet talk, which is why I let it be and didn't interfere. I never meant to keep anything from you. I believed you would hold your ground, just as surely as I love you." He shook his head helplessly, his throat trembling. "Yet, in the end, I still lost—lost to my own arrogance."