Su Mu's words left Wēn Zhīxuě speechless. Did she expect her to admit that her jealousy was at play?
Wēn Zhīxuě avoided Su Mu's gaze, turning her head away. "I'm not biased at all. I just felt angry at you because Lín Qí and Jì Sīmiǎo had to leave because of you. If my words hurt you, I apologize."
Dīng Yáo rolled her eyes dramatically.
"As expected of a Movie Queen, her way of speaking is so high-level!" she thought. "First, she blames Su Mu for Lín Qí and Jì Sīmiǎo leaving, then she accuses Su Mu of being ungenerous and thin-skinned. She's managed to say all the bad things herself!"
"Why!!"
Su Mu is her power bank! No one can bully her!
Dīng Yáo took two steps forward, about to say something, but Su Mu grabbed her wrist and pressed it down.
As Dīng Yáo looked on in confusion, Su Mu whispered in her ear, "Sister Dīng, I can handle this."
Since Su Mu said so, Dīng Yáo naturally wouldn't interfere. She retreated to her original position, leaving the 'battlefield' to Su Mu.
"I am indeed a bit hurt," Su Mu suddenly said.
As Wēn Zhīxuě turned to look at her in surprise, Su Mu continued, "I'm hurt by Teacher Wēn's attitude. Since you say you're not biased, do you remember that the biggest victim in this situation is me? I've always been the one passively bearing the consequences. When have you ever seen me vent my anger on others?"
Wēn Zhīxuě wanted to retort, but she searched her memory in vain for evidence. Su Mu hid her emotions too well. Every time she saw her, she was sitting quietly, with a faint smile on her face.
"No," the two words made Wēn Zhīxuě feel very wronged. She felt as if she was a notch below Su Mu.
"I can understand that Teacher Wēn is taking her anger out on me for Teacher Lín and the others leaving. But I want to know, if it were me leaving, would Teacher Wēn still find someone to vent her anger on like this?"
Su Mu stared directly at Wēn Zhīxuě as she asked this, seeming to care deeply about her answer.
Wēn Zhīxuě's heart tightened. Under Su Mu's gaze, she forced a stiff smile. "Of course. You are all very important friends to me."
Su Mu smiled in relief. "Then I'm relieved. Teacher Wēn truly treats everyone equally!"
Wēn Zhīxuě felt sick to her stomach. Su Mu's words "treats everyone equally" sounded more like sarcasm, yet she had to accept it, otherwise, she would be contradicting her previous statement. It was so frustrating!
This was the first time she had felt so wronged by one person. Su Mu, just you wait! She had plenty of ways to make people disappear!!
Su Mu returned to Dīng Yáo's side, reverting to her usual reserved and quiet demeanor.
Dīng Yáo winked at her, discreetly giving her a thumbs-up, clearly impressed. "That's right! The Su Mu I value can't be too good-natured, or she'd be bullied by everyone!"
Seeing that their argument was over, Jì Sīmiǎo was the first to breathe a sigh of relief and finally interject. "Goddess, Movie Queen Wēn, you don't need to argue over Lín Qí and me leaving. We had already planned to withdraw from the show after the fifth episode, this is just an early departure."
Because they had such a plan, leaving early wasn't difficult for him. In fact, he felt relieved. What happened made him feel so guilty towards the goddess that reducing contact would make him feel better.
Jì Sīmiǎo's statement caught everyone off guard. At least, everyone present was unaware of this.
"You planned to leave the show long ago? Why?"
"Because..." Jì Sīmiǎo paused for a second when mentioning the reason, then turned to look at Lín Qí, who was still squatting on the ground. "Because Lín Qí and I are going back to get engaged."
"Engaged??"
Jì Sīmiǎo nodded. "That's right. You probably don't know, but our families have always had a good relationship, so both sides have considered marriage. Coincidentally, Lín Qí and I also have a good relationship, so we didn't object." He hadn't expected Lín Qí to suddenly fall for Bái Mò.
No matter how much he liked Lín Qí, he understood that what isn't forced is sweet. After returning, he planned to explain everything to his parents, stating that he and Lín Qí would only be childhood friends, and she could pursue her happiness without any constraints.
"Little Qí, the driver is downstairs. Let's go." Jì Sīmiǎo glanced at his phone and reached out to help the squatting Lín Qí up.
After Lín Qí processed the endearment "Little Qí," she realized she was already sitting in the car with Jì Sīmiǎo beside her. They had already left the villa.
"Let's get one thing straight, I won't marry you. I'll explain things to your parents, so you'd better be mentally prepared," Lín Qí said, lifting her chin slightly, not being polite at all.
"I know. I'll explain to my parents," Jì Sīmiǎo agreed readily.
Lín Qí should have been happy, but she felt a vague sense of unease, as if something was slipping away, and she couldn't grasp it.
"It's okay. Even if we can't be husband and wife, we can still be good friends! If anyone bullies you, tell me, and I'll teach them a lesson." As she spoke, she gestured with her fists, but her eyes were fixed on Jì Sīmiǎo's expression.
"Okay, if there is such a person, I will tell you."
Hearing his answer, Lín Qí shook her head vigorously. No! It shouldn't be like this! The answer was the same, but she felt something was off. What was it?
She looked closely at Jì Sīmiǎo's face again and again, finally concluding that Jì Sīmiǎo had changed!
If it were before, and she spoke impolitely, Jì Sīmiǎo wouldn't get angry, but he would still say a few words to her. This time, he didn't!
Before, every time she mentioned teaching a lesson to those who bullied him, he would readily accept it and smile indulgently. This time, he didn't smile!
Before, if she stared at him from such a close distance, he would quickly blush because he was always a shy person. But this time, that didn't happen either!
She thought of a possibility, but how could that be? How could Jì Sīmiǎo not like her! He only had eyes for her his entire life, it was impossible to give up so easily!
{Master, Lín Qí has realized that Jì Sīmiǎo doesn't like her anymore, and she's having trouble accepting it.} Su Mu sighed inwardly while washing vegetables. {This is the ending she chose for herself. She didn't want the love that was readily available, preferring the thrill of a moth flying into a flame. In the end, the flame didn't go out, and the love she had within her grasp is no longer hers. Now she must taste the bitter fruit.} Lín Qí's actions were eerily similar to her own ten thousand years ago. Although she was speaking about Lín Qí, it was more of a self-reflection.