Sacrifice

"Engaged?" Li Yue said as she smiled at Mo Li. "Congratulations." She wondered who the lucky girl would be, the one who would rule the city with him. However, she decided not to ask anymore questions. She was only happy that Mo Li would soon find his own happiness in this cruel, cruel world. 

"Are you happy?" Mo Li asked, his eyes seemed to bore into her. 

"Oh course, I am." She uttered, wondering why this man had been weird all this night. "Would you like me to make a painting for you two as well?" 

Mo Li's face darkened. "Thank you, miss Li. But I don't need a painting."

"Oh. That's too sad." With Mo Li as her client, her exposure would increase. After all, all of Mo Li's connections were rich! What a waste. She thought.

"But… I would like you to paint something else for me." Mo Li said as he gave her a card. "My address. Tomorrow at nine sharp. I go to work at ten. Don't be late."

"Oh! Of course! Sure." She beamed but immediately stopped when she noticed the anger in Mo Li's eyes. Until now, she couldn't understand this man at all. Not at all. 

"Well that should be settled." Xia Jin said as he handed the invitation to Li Yue and one for Mo Li. "Also… here is the invitation for our wedding. I really hope you can come."

"Thank you."

The group then started talking about businesses and Xia Jin took the opportunity to talk about the Xia Group in front of Mo Li. Based on business management, the two were considered equal. However, when it came to wealth and influence, Mo Li was someone ahead of everyone else. Because of this, Xia Jin talked about his business, hoping to impress the man.

This conversation was interrupted when Li Yue's new order arrived. With this, everyone started eating. After the meal, they enjoyed the view of the city that sparkled during the night. Then Xia Jin and Li Weiwei bid their goodbyes.

The two were actually in a rush to talk to their parents about helping Li Yue. To their surprise, Li Yue actually offered to pay for everything. However, both Xia Jin and Li Weiwei ignored it and just thought it was because of Li Yue's pride. Instead, the two tried to impress Mo Li by paying for everything.

"Are you going too?" Li Yue asked as she watched Xia Jin and Li Weiwei leave. She was honestly planning to stay in this place a little longer because of the view. 

"No. Are you?" he asked.

"I plan to stay here for a few more minutes." Li Yue said, the smile on her face vanished. "This is not a coincidence, right?" she asked. "Are you mad that I came back?" Her initial conclusion was that Mo Li had come here to ask her to leave Yin City. After all, they had promised not to see each other again.

Mo Li didn't answer her. Instead, he downed the glass of wine in his hand. Resting his elbows on the table, Mo Li leaned towards Li Yue. "What took you so long to come back?" he asked.

Li Yue raised an eyebrow. The only reason why she was here was to finish her quests. Without the quests, she wouldn't be here. "This place is complicated." She was actively avoiding Mo Li, Xia Jin and Li Weiwei. Now… she needed to avoid Lu Xinyi and Lizzy Lu too. After all… this was not her story. 

This was Xia Jin and Li Weiwei's story.

'Right, robot?'

Silence.

Since she left this place, the robot had stopped speaking to her. Li Yue thought that it was because she was away from the leads. Of course, she couldn't confirm this as the robot had been silent until now.

Mo Li's lips thinned. "Do you fear me that much?"

"Why would I fear you?"

"You always feared me." He answered. "Do you think… I was a monster or something?"

Li Yue didn't respond as she looked at the city below them. Indeed. Since she started these quests, she had already made up her mind that Mo Li was a monster. As years passed by, she realized that everyone around her was capable of becoming a monster. "How are you?" she diverted the topic.

"Good." Mo Li answered almost immediately. "But you already know that, right?"

"Hmmm." She nodded. 

"And yet you didn't come back." He muttered.

Li Yue didn't answer. Honestly, she didn't see any reason to come back. She doesn't want to fail this mission and she knew that her inexperience would have been her downfall. She was too stupid and would mostly act based on her emotions. If she kept on doing that, she would attract enemies. And she would end up dying before she had finished her quests.

This was her last chance. 

She could not afford another failure.

Not this time.

Silence descended upon them.

The two maintained this silence for a few minutes. Then Li Yue decided to call it a night. To her surprise, Mo Li offered to take her back to the hotel.

"Aren't you afraid that your fiance will get angry? I mean… it's already late." Li Yue asked. Mo Li's engagement was a surprise to Li Yue. After all, she had been observing everything even if she was abroad. She actually didn't know that he was with someone. Why would Mo Li keep it a secret? Is it because his soon to be wife had a special identity?

"You should know that." Mo Li answered, his eyes were on the road. "After all… you are my fiance."

"…" She frowned. Did she have too much alcohol? "What are you talking about?"

"You and I… will get married. I can't break a promise."

"You— what promise are you talking about?" She shook her head. Perhaps this was a hallucination… maybe even a dream? Li Yue suddenly slapped her face so hard, she immediately regretted the action.

"I am not someone that would break a promise. Inside that cave, four years ago, you told me that if I found a replacement we will marry each other."

Li Yue blinked. Then… she blinked again and again. She couldn't remember it. "Really?" She rummaged through her brain for a few seconds. "Did I really say that?"

"Sun Fengmian is as good as dead, Mo Ying is dying. Mo Fang will come back tomorrow to become the new CEO of Mo Entertainment and Industries. It's not like I want to marry you. But I am a man of my words." He said with a straight face. "I would never break a promise, even if that meant I need to sacrifice myself."

....

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