Chapter 378: Xiao Wu’s Attitude, Private Time Between Mother and Daughter
Chapter 378: Xiao Wu’s Attitude, Private Time Between Mother and Daughter
Ning Rongrong shrank her neck, startled by her Aura, but the fire of gossip in her eyes was still burning fiercely.
Dugu Yan was not afraid in the least; on the contrary, she smiled even more happily.
"That’s it, Teacher Erlong."
She spread her hands, making a "See, isn’t it clear now?" expression.
"You said it yourself: you couldn’t possibly kiss Flender out of excitement, and even less so Yu Xiaogang."
"Then why is it specifically A-Qing?"
Dugu Yan’s words were like a precise scalpel, slicing directly through the thin fig leaf covering Liu Erlong’s heart.
"Kissing others is ’impossible,’ while kissing A-Qing is ’uncontrollable.’"
"What does that mean?"
She drawled slowly, like an experienced old cat batting at a mouse that had completely given up struggling.
"It means your kissing Lin Qingmo was not out of gratitude. Or rather, not entirely out of gratitude."
"I..." Liu Erlong opened her mouth. Not a single word could come out.
She wanted to refute it; she had to refute it.
If she didn’t refute it, her teaching career would be over. No, it wasn’t just a question of her teaching career; her entire reputation would be completely blown to pieces!
If this got out, Liu Erlong’s reputation in the Spirit Master’s world would likely be even worse than that of an Evil Spirit Master.
What would this make her? Morally corrupt and crossing generations to boot?
But, what could she use to refute it?
Dugu Yan was too right. Every word was correct, every sentence accurately struck a nerve.
Does something like gratitude pick and choose based on looks?
Although Lin Qingmo is indeed very handsome—no, that’s not the point.
The point is, does she, perhaps, probably, possibly, seem to, have feelings for this kid...
No, no, no, impossible!
Liu Erlong’s brain was racing frantically, as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button.
She was desperately trying to scrape together a reasonable, decent answer from the corners of her memory that could explain everything.
The inner drama played out more and more intensely, and Liu Erlong despairingly discovered that the more excuses she found, the more she sounded like a scumbag trying to whitewash herself.
Because all the answers pointed in the same direction.
And that direction was something she had always wanted to avoid, something she had never dared to face.
"So." Zhuqing’s voice rang out again, as cold and clear as a scalpel just taken from an ice cellar, devoid of any emotion, yet sharp enough to slice through any disguise.
"Teacher Erlong, do you like A-Qing?"
The question was too direct. "!!!"
So direct that the air in the entire room seemed to have been instantly sucked out.
Even the cicadas on the crooked tree outside the window knew enough to shut up.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for Liu Erlong’s answer.
Those few seconds of silence were so quiet that one could hear everyone’s heartbeat.
Liu Erlong’s heart was beating as fast as if it were playing the drums.
"..." Xiao Wu had been silent the whole time. From the moment she entered until now, she hadn’t said a single word.
She just sat there quietly, looking at Liu Erlong, then looking at Lin Qingmo.
Her eyes, which always shone with a lively light, were now as deep as two bottomless pools of water.
Finally, she spoke, "Mother Erlong."
She called her "Mother Erlong." Not "Teacher Erlong," not "Teacher Liu," and certainly not a cold "Dean."
This title drifted lightly from her lips, without added emphasis or deliberate pause, yet these four words struck like a needle right into the center of Liu Erlong’s heart.
Liu Erlong’s shoulders shuddered violently.
"So, have you really fallen for A-Qing?"
Xiao Wu’s gaze fell peacefully on her face, neither pressing nor forcing, neither flashing nor dodging.
Looking into those eyes, Liu Erlong suddenly felt that all her excuses, all her little thoughts, and all her self-deception had become pale and powerless in this moment.
The girl in front of her who called her "Mother Erlong" had not come to interrogate her. She had come to hear her speak a single truth.
She could be stubborn toward the whole World, but she could not be stubborn toward this "Mother Erlong."
Liu Erlong took a deep breath, feeling something violently surging in her chest. She gripped the fabric on her knees tightly.
Forget it. Social death once is death, social death twice is death, social death three times... anyway, she was already dead inside, so she might as well die with clarity.
She raised her eyes, her lips slightly parted. "I—"
"Wait." Xiao Wu suddenly stood up. Her movement wasn’t heavy, yet it cut off the words already on the tip of Liu Erlong’s tongue.
Everyone’s gaze turned to Xiao Wu in unison. Her expression remained calm, but there was a hint of unfathomable light in those deep eyes.
"Mother Erlong, I want to talk to you alone."
Liu Erlong was stunned. Talk alone? Subconsciously, she looked into Xiao Wu’s eyes, trying to find some hint within them.
Was it the calm before the storm, or was there really something she didn’t want to say in front of everyone? But Xiao Wu’s expression was too calm; she couldn’t read anything.
Liu Erlong was silent for two seconds, then finally nodded. "...Okay."
She stood up and followed Xiao Wu outside. Their figures disappeared at the door. The door was gently closed.
Only four people remained in the courtyard. Lin Qingmo sat in his original seat, his expression accurately summarized by four words: Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?
He had been left on the sidelines from beginning to end, even though he was the physical center of the entire incident. He was the one who had been kissed.
Yet, no one asked him a single word about his feelings the whole time, as if he were just a plot prop that couldn’t speak. Wasn’t this too lacking in presence?
What happened to the promised male lead treatment? What happened to the promised prestige of being at the center of the Shura field? Was he just a background prop after all?
Lin Qingmo complained frantically in his heart, but the expression on his face was trying hard to maintain composure. At least it looked composed.
"Ahem." Dugu Yan broke the silence first. She turned, looked at Lin Qingmo openly, a smile hanging on the corner of her mouth that suggested she loved watching the chaos.
"A-Qing, since Teacher Erlong and Xiao Wu aren’t here, I’ll speak directly."
Lin Qingmo’s heart skipped a beat. Why did this opening sound so much like she was about to turn up the pressure on him?
"You’ve seen it too; Teacher Erlong’s attitude toward you can by no means be explained by some ’teacher-student bond’ or ’gratitude to a benefactor.’"
"The question Zhuqing asked her just now—she almost admitted it."
Dugu Yan crossed her legs and folded her arms, her expression three parts teasing and seven parts serious.
"So I want to ask you, how do you intend to treat Teacher Erlong?" "And how do you intend to treat Xiao Wu?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Ning Rongrong immediately blinked her large eyes, locking her gaze on Lin Qingmo’s face, her ears almost perked up like a rabbit’s.
The fire of gossip burned fiercely in her beautiful eyes. But deep within the flames, there seemed to be a hint of indescribable, vague nervousness.
Zhuqing didn’t speak, just quietly turned her head, aiming those eyes as deep as the night at Lin Qingmo.
Three pairs of eyes, three directions, all locked onto the same target. Lin Qingmo felt as if his face was about to be poked with three holes by these three gazes.
After a few seconds of silence, he shrugged. The movement was slight, his expression calm.
"You ask me what I intend to do—isn’t that question backwards?"
Dugu Yan raised an eyebrow: "How so?"
Lin Qingmo leaned back into the chair, spreading his hands, his expression innocent.
"From beginning to end, the decision-making power in this matter isn’t in my hands."
"You’ve got the point wrong. It’s not ’how I choose,’ but how Xiao Wu and Teacher Erlong choose."
He paused, his tone still relaxed, but every word carried real weight.
"Xiao Wu is my lover; if she and Teacher Erlong can accept it, I don’t mind. If Xiao Wu can’t accept it, then I’ll listen to her."
"It’s true that I like beautiful women; I’m not pretending about that, and there’s nothing to pretend about."
The way he admitted it so generously actually made Dugu Yan pause.
This kind of shameless frankness would be called a scumbag statement coming from anyone else. Coming from Lin Qingmo, however, it inexplicably felt justified.
After all, he had never tried to establish any pure persona. From beginning to end, he was always in this "I’m just like this" mode.
His answer was no different from "I don’t turn anyone away."
"But there’s one condition." Lin Qingmo held up a finger, his expression changing from casual to serious.
"I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings because of this kind of thing."
When he said this, he didn’t emphasize his tone, didn’t slam the table, and didn’t put on a deep, affectionate pose. He just said it plainly, as if stating a matter of course.
He, Lin Qingmo, could not make Xiao Wu sad.
Dugu Yan was stunned. She had expected Lin Qingmo to hedge, to be vague, to say a bunch of nonsense like "well," "let me think," or "the situation is complicated."
Instead, this guy just kicked the ball right to Xiao Wu’s feet. No, to be precise, he had decided from the beginning that there was no ball at his feet at all.
The decision-making power wasn’t with him; it was with Xiao Wu. He wasn’t avoiding a choice. He had already chosen long ago.
If Xiao Wu allowed him to have a harem, then he wouldn’t turn anyone away. If she didn’t allow it, then he wouldn’t.
"..." Dugu Yan was silent, her fingers unconsciously stroking her chin, her gaze flickering, thoughtful.
Ning Rongrong blinked her eyes, then blinked again; something in those eyes was quietly changing.
Just now, when she heard Lin Qingmo say "It’s true that I like beautiful women," she had almost wanted to grab the teacup on the table and throw it at him. Although she didn’t know why she was angry.
But when she heard that last sentence, "I cannot make Xiao Wu sad," her hand quietly shrank back from the teacup. Her heartbeat inexplicably skipped a beat.
Strange. I’m not Xiao Wu, so why should my heartbeat skip a beat for her? Ning Rongrong mentally spat at herself fiercely.
Zhuqing remained silent, just slightly lowering her eyelashes. At an angle no one noticed, the corners of her mouth moved ever so slightly.
It was a very subtle, very fleeting arc, one that even she might not have noticed. Lin Qingmo’s answer seemed to satisfy her very much?
(End of Chapter)
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