Shengxiao distinctly felt a sharp pain at the wound site. As the anesthesia wore off, all sensation was returning.
"Seems like my senior isn't willing to grace us with her presence. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself—I'm Mo Yi, also a student at Wal Music Academy. Just a sophomore now..."
Mo Shengxiao completely ignored him, using her left hand to steady herself as she climbed the spiral staircase. The moment she stepped into the bedroom, the man followed her in, slamming the documents he clutched down in front of her. "You want a divorce, don't you? Sign here."
His demeanor was utterly different from last night.
Shengxiao sank into the sofa, weakened by blood loss. Her right hand hung limply over her lap as Yuezun sat down across from her. "I'll give you enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life."
He noticed her hand but still pushed the papers toward her. She skimmed them. Hmph, how generous. A sneer touched her lips, but she said aloud, "You think this pittance will get rid of me? Add at least another twenty million."
It wasn't that she found the amount insufficient. On the contrary, she hadn't expected Yue Zun to be so generous. But she knew exactly what she was to him.
Sure enough, the man frowned at her words, his disdain evident, yet he agreed readily, "Fine."
His only condition was that she move out of Imperial Heritage Impression immediately. This man, so high and mighty, still harbored resentment over her initiating the divorce.
When Mo Shengxiao left, she packed everything she could carry—jewelry, designer clothes Yue Zun had bought her, and even the "Mermaid's Tears" necklace hidden in the safe.
Her right hand was useless now, so she dragged the heavy suitcase with her left. The items felt as weighty as the turmoil in her heart.
Shengxiao descended to the ground floor, where Mo Yi and Yuezun stood on the balcony.
The man's expression was cold and emotionless. Once, he had wanted her solely for the physical, insatiable desire they shared. Now, even that could be replaced by another. What use was she to him anymore?
"Zun, you divorced her just like that?" Mo Yi pressed close to him. Everyone knew she was his new favorite, showered with endless affection.
The crimson wine shimmered with a seductive, decadent hue as it slid down the elegant curve of his lips. He bent to kiss her forehead lightly. "Wasn't it all for you?"
Today's wine seemed unusually harsh. Yue Zun's gaze fixed on the receding figure, yet he couldn't shake the feeling of something slipping through his fingers.
He had once said, "Mo Shengxiao, your hands belong on an elegant piano, not washing clothes or cooking."
She remained silent, but inside she thought, Yue Zun, don't you understand?
Of course I could sit in a room facing the sea, playing the piano, becoming the elegant woman you desire. But you'll never understand my heart. Laundry and cooking may turn a woman into a housewife, yet they are the very things only a wife would do.
Even as she walked out of Imperial Heritage, she still loved this man. Yue Zun would never understand—it was precisely because of that love that she chose to divorce him.
Mo Shengxiao walked steadily down the street until the bustling crowd thinned into indifference, and indifference faded into solitude. She planned to find a hotel to stay in first. This area was near the mountaintop; there should be one nearby. Yue Zun had brought her here before.
The suitcase was heavy. She should have hailed a cab earlier. The streetlights along this stretch weren't very bright. Mo Shengxiao pulled out her phone to call a ride, but just as her finger touched the first digit, a solid blow struck the back of her head.
Before she could cry out, she was shoved into the nearby woods. Her head throbbed excruciatingly. Reaching up, she felt half her face covered in blood.
"You..."
"It's her!" Three burly men stood behind her. One grabbed her suitcase, dumped its contents onto the ground, and flipped through the clothes until he found the check. "The other guy said there's also a mermaid's tear, worn around her neck."
Hearing this, another man stepped forward. Too weak to resist, she let him rip open her collar, snatch the diamond necklace, and tear it off. "Tsk tsk, quite the fortune..."
The mermaid's tear, lost to the outside world for over a century, was in her possession—a secret known only to Yue Zun and herself.
The men stuffed her belongings back into the suitcase. The one who'd torn her collar crouched beside her, his lecherous gaze making his eyes look even filthier in the darkness. "She's got a pretty face. Maybe we should take turns..."
"Shut up," snapped the man holding the suitcase, delivering a vicious blow to his forehead. "Don't make this worse. Take the money. There are plenty of women for you to play with. Get out of here!"
Another man approached Mo Shengxiao. "Don't blame us. We're just doing someone a favor." With that, he pulled a knife from his pocket and slashed hard at the vein on her right wrist...
The trio hurried away, leaving her with nothing—neither money nor belongings remained.
Shengxiao lay on the muddy grass beneath a faint streetlight. Its dim glow filtered through leaves, casting only scattered patches of light across her face. She tried moving her right hand, but her fingers remained as unresponsive as before.
Her head pounded fiercely, yet her mind was sharper than ever. From the moment she first met Yuezun, she should have known this man was beyond her reach. Yet, reckless and foolish, she had ultimately met this fate.
This book is published first on [Platform Name], please do not repost!
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02 Return to Humiliation (Part 1)
Looking back, our meeting was perhaps nothing but a mistake. Upon reflection, it was merely a game you played.
——
Mo Shengxiao deeply disliked this feeling. Though a bus stop existed right by the gatehouse, come Friday, the buses couldn't squeeze through at all, forcing her to wait for ages. Kicking pebbles idly at her feet, she scanned the street lined with luxury cars waiting to pick up students. Truthfully, many students at Wall Music School owned their own vehicles, so parents felt free to let them handle their own transportation. Most of these cars, however, were here to collect female students.
Mo Shengxiao stuffed her hands into her pockets and stood on tiptoe to see if the bus was coming. These wealthy businessmen loved driving their fancy cars to prestigious universities or art schools to lay claim to the nation's budding talents, as if the more alluring the women around them, the higher their own status would rise.
Pfft.
She raised an eyebrow. A bunch of relics from primitive society.
Her encounter with Yuezun happened on this unusually warm afternoon.
The car was stuck in traffic. Though the sports car could race freely on a track, it couldn't overcome the dense flow of vehicles. The man's expression was annoyed, his sword-like eyes beneath the tea-colored sunglasses hinting at impatience.
"Zun, every Friday, it's like this outside our school." " Su Aiya, seated in the passenger seat, wore delicate, subtle makeup. Her dainty, clinging-to-a-bird demeanor was a stark contrast to her usual arrogant aura.
The man said nothing. His left index finger, adorned with a blue dragon tattoo, tapped lightly on the steering wheel. The impatient curve of his lips couldn't hide the sensual, chiseled contours of his face. His short black hair was clean and sharp. as multicolored sunlight slanted across his bronze face. His nose was straight and strong, his eyebrows sharply blending into his hairline. His gaze followed the dazzling halo of light, and within that hazel world, he collided with Mo Shengxiao.
She waited expectantly. The bus had clearly arrived but was stuck behind traffic, its horn blaring loud enough for the entire campus to hear. She stomped her foot in frustration. Picking someone up right at the school gate like this—did these people think they were crazy? Glancing at her watch, she realized she was running late. Mo Shengxiao had grown accustomed to this pace—unable to change it, she simply lowered her head and waited.
Her outfit was unassuming: jeans paired with knee-high boots, topped with a beige trench coat that fell to her knees.
Even this simple outfit subtly accentuated her figure. Yu Zun removed his sunglasses. Mo Shengxiao wore no makeup—her face was clean, her skin fair. She'd merely shaped her eyebrows, not even applying the simplest mascara. Her lips were rosy, though it looked more like she'd used lip balm.
This speed was slower than walking. Taking advantage of Yue Zun's distraction, Su Aiya scrutinized her makeup in the rearview mirror. From top to bottom, it was flawless—every imperfection on her face concealed, her eyes enlarged by a full circle. Perfect!
The car moved forward, still at an infuriatingly slow pace. It skidded across several tire marks and came to a halt directly in front of Mo Shengxiao.
Her gaze flickered over, and Su Aiya clearly noticed her too.
"Hey, Mo Shengxiao, off to tutor again?" The tone was sharp and gloating.
Her hands tucked into her pockets, she tilted her head, her bright, round eyes observing the pair inside the car. The man was exceptionally handsome, and the woman wasn't bad either. Yet, wherever Yue Zun went, he carried an undeniable aura of confidence. Compared to him, Su Aiya's charm seemed to fade in comparison.
"Yep. What about you? Going out?"
Su Aiya hooked her arm through the man's with a smug grin. "Shengxiao, why bother? A top student from the Wall Music Academy busking on the streets? That's laughable."
Yue Zun's lips curved slightly. Shengxiao?
A fine name.
Mo Shengxiao kept his hands in his pockets, maintaining his previous stance. His lips curved slightly as his gaze drifted indifferently from Su Aiya to Yue Zun. "Is it that funny? I just don't sell myself as thoroughly as you do."