Surviving In Another World With My Three Cups!-Chapter 157 -

Mo Ying froze.

The moment Lin Xu said those words, something sharp flickered across his face. Anger and disbelief all at once.

Grandma Mo stepped back, shocked speechless, but Lin Xu did not look at her again.

Her eyes stayed on Mo Ying, calm but burning.

Mo Ying finally spoke.

"Lin Xu... do not say things you do not mean."

"I mean every word," she replied, steady and clear. "I no longer wish to marry you."

Grandma Mo let out a breath of satisfaction, but Mo Ying snapped.

"Grandmother, leave us."

The old woman opened her mouth to protest, but one look at his face made her stop.

She left slowly, glaring at Lin Xu as she passed.

The door shut.

Silence.

Mo Ying stepped forward.

"Lin Xu... why would you say that?"

She met his eyes directly.

"You heard your grandmother. You heard San Na. You did nothing to stop any of it."

Mo Ying’s jaw clenched.

"I threw something because San Na insulted you."

"And after that?" Lin Xu interrupted. "You let your grandmother speak of me as if I were filth. You let her blame me for what happened. You let everyone treat me like something you picked up off the street."

Mo Ying took a breath, his voice low.

"I did not let her. I was defending you."

"No." Lin Xu said. "You were defending the idea of me. Not me."

He looked confused.

Lin Xu continued, her tone calm but firm.

"You never trusted me. Not truly. You believed the worst first. You looked at me last night and assumed betrayal."

Mo Ying’s voice cracked with anger, whether at her or at himself she could not tell.

"What was I supposed to think? I saw you in the Crown Prince’s arms."

"And instead of asking me what happened, you chose silence," Lin Xu said. "Not a single question. You left me alone in that room. You made me walk out past all those staring eyes."

Mo Ying’s hands curled.

"I was injured. I was confused."

"You were alive," Lin Xu replied. "You had strength to judge me. Strength to plan a marriage. Strength to argue with your grandmother. But not once did you come to speak to me."

Mo Ying opened his mouth, then closed it, his breath shaking.

Lin Xu went on.

"I am tired. Tired of being insulted by your household. Tired of being treated like a burden. Tired of feeling like this."

Mo Ying stepped closer.

"That is not how I see you."

"But it is how I am treated," she said.

Silence settled again.

Then Mo Ying’s eyes hardened suddenly, something deep flashing through them.

"You cannot leave."

Lin Xu lifted her chin.

"And why is that?"

Mo Ying looked straight at her, his voice low, controlled, but intense.

"Because you fulfilled your end of the deal."

Her breath stilled.

Mo Ying continued.

"I kept my promise. I rescued the children and took revenge on Su Feng."

His voice tightened.

"And the agreement was clear. Once I fulfilled my part... you would marry me."

Lin Xu stared at him, stunned.

So that was it.

That was what held him together.

A deal.

"What deal are you holding on to so tightly, Mo Ying?" she asked. "A deal does not bind a person’s heart."

"It binds mine," Mo Ying said. "And it binds yours too, whether you admit it or not."

Lin Xu shook her head slowly.

"No. What binds me is choice. And I choose to leave."

Mo Ying’s voice rose, frustration breaking through.

"You cannot just walk out because things are difficult."

"This is not about difficulty," she answered sharply. "This is about respect. About trust. About knowing that the person beside me will not doubt me the moment something looks suspicious."

Mo Ying stepped closer again, almost desperate.

"I did not doubt you."

"Yes, you did."

He swallowed hard.

Lin Xu continued, her eyes unwavering.

"You say you trust me. Then why did you never ask, Lin Xu, what happened. Not once. Why did you not come to my room. Why did you let me sit alone while the whole estate whispered."

Mo Ying’s voice dropped to a rough whisper.

"I thought... I would lose control. I thought if I saw you, I would..."

"Would what?" Lin Xu challenged.

"Yell at me? Throw something? Judge me? Or would you finally break down and tell me the truth, that you were afraid. That you did not know how to feel."

Mo Ying flinched.

Her words hit too accurately.

Lin Xu took a slow breath.

"Mo Ying... I will not enter a marriage where love is confused with obligation."

Mo Ying stared at her, stunned speechless.

She turned toward the door.

But Mo Ying moved, blocking her path, his voice trembling with raw desperation he could not hide.

"Lin Xu... stay."

She met his eyes calmly.

"I will not marry into a home where my dignity is questioned at every turn."

Mo Ying’s breath shook.

His voice came out hoarse.

"Then tell me what I must do. Tell me what will make you stay."

Lin Xu looked at him for a long moment, her eyes deep and unreadable.

"You cannot fix this in one night," she said quietly.

"And I am not someone you can keep with rules or deals."

Mo Ying swallowed.

"So what do you want from me?"

Lin Xu stepped past him, her robe brushing lightly against his arm.

Without looking back, she answered.

"I just want to leave. I am tired, Mo Ying."

Lin Xu reached for the door, her fingers brushing the wooden frame.

But before she could push it open, Mo Ying’s voice cut through the room.

"If you walk out now..."

He swallowed, his breath tight.

"I will not let you take the children with you."

Lin Xu stopped.

Very slowly, she turned her head back toward him.

Her expression did not crack.

Her face simply hardened, calm, sharp, and cold.

"Say that again," she said quietly.

Mo Ying’s chest rose and fell fast.

He looked almost cornered, but he did not back down.

"If you leave this house," he repeated, voice rough, "you leave alone. The children stay."

For a moment, the room fell completely still.

Then Lin Xu let out a breath.

"So that is what this is?" she asked. "Not trust or respect, but a threat."

"It is not a threat," Mo Ying shot back. "It is reality. They are my children. This is their home."

Lin Xu stepped toward him, her eyes sharp as a blade.

"Those children sleep beside me when they have nightmares," she said.

"Those children run to me when they are hurt, when they are scared, when they are happy."

"I have raised those children for twelve good years. In those twelve years, where were you, Mo Ying. What right do you think you have to take them away from me. What foolish right."

"Lin Xu."

"Do not call my name. Your love for me is becoming an obsession, Mo Ying. You have to make up your mind. I do not want this marriage anymore. I already gave you a second chance by coming here. You have no right to stop me from leaving, much less use my children to control me."

She took another step.

"They come to me before anyone else. Even before you."

Mo Ying flinched at that, but she did not stop.

"And you want to tell me I cannot take them. That I should leave them behind like they mean nothing."

"They do mean something," Mo Ying snapped. "Which is why they must stay."

"Funny," Lin Xu replied. "You only remember that when it suits you."

His eyes burned with frustration.

"Lin Xu, listen."

"No," she cut in cleanly. "You listen."

She stood directly in front of him now, unafraid and unwavering.

"You tell me I cannot leave with the children, yet you fail to protect them from this household’s chaos. You tell me they must stay here, under the same roof where people insult their mother to her face."

Mo Ying’s breath hitched.

"That is not fair."

"But it is the truth."

Her voice did not rise.

It did not shake.

It was steady, every word landing like a stone.

"You want me to stay because you are afraid of losing control of your home. Not because you care about me."

"That is not true," Mo Ying said immediately, almost desperately.

"If you cared," Lin Xu said, "you would not use the children as chains."

Mo Ying’s eyes faltered.

Just for a moment.

And that single moment was enough to tell her everything.

Lin Xu turned back toward the door.

"You are right about one thing," she said, reaching for the handle again.

"This is their home. And if one day they want to return here, I will never stop them."

Her voice softened slightly.

"But they are not staying with a man who tries to keep their mother through force."

She pushed the door open.

"And if you want to see them," she added without turning back, "learn how to respect the woman who raised them."

She stepped out into the hallway.

And Mo Ying, left alone in the quiet study, looked as if the ground beneath him had finally cracked.