### Chapter 176: You Can Totally Trust Yellow-haired
However, compared to the situation on Mu Jixue’s side, Su Xiaoxiao was having an even worse time.
Her brain crashed in an instant.
Then it felt like her soul floated up to the clouds and was sucked into a black hole.
Su Xiaoxiao: Aaaaah~~~~
Her world literally shattered.
All along, there had been a steadfast pillar in Su Xiaoxiao’s heart supporting her spirit, and that was a friend she met during her childhood.
This seemed to be the only thing in her gloomy, unfortunate life that made her feel worthwhile—a sign that her life was somewhat successful.
With this belief, even when encountering major setbacks, she could self-hypnotize and tell herself that she wasn’t unwanted.
Somewhere in this world, there was still a friend who would support her.
But that pillar of support had just crumbled.
The friend she believed in didn’t even recognize her anymore and was trying to force her away with a suffocating pressure.
Though she couldn’t identify that “Sister Xue” was the same person.
That made her even more desperate, and she collapsed on the ground, twitching.
Not even she could recognize herself. No wonder Mu Jixue looked at her coldly; Su Xiaoxiao felt ready to bid farewell to this world.
“No, no! What’s happening to Su girl’s demeanor?!”
Lin Zhongyu exclaimed.
At that moment, Su Xiaoxiao was not just spazzing on the ground; her whole vibe was going haywire! It was like she was trying to derail from this world—one moment abstract, the next impressionist, then back to cel shading, thick paint style, and 3D zone…
If they didn’t calm this kid down soon, she might just disappear entirely.
She was on the brink of losing her grip on reality.
Goodbye, world! Though it was a tad bumpy, I was trying my best to live.
Su Xiaoxiao felt her soul flying away.
Just when she was about to ascend to heaven, she seemingly sensed a warm glow shining down, and in that light appeared a familiar figure… it was Mom!
Su Xiaoxiao saw her deceased mother, who gently opened her arms to embrace her. Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t wait to leap into her mother’s arms, desperate to share her troubles.
“Xiaoxiao, you’ve really been through a lot, but you can’t stay here just yet; your friends are waiting for you!”
Friends? Mom, I don’t have any friends! A person like me, who isn’t even recognized by Sister Xue, could never have friends.
Once, she longed for friends because she had some, but now that she realized she was a joke, she completely negated herself.
Yet, little did she know, her mother smiled gently: “Xiaoxiao, you just crave connection with others. Relationships between people don’t solely revolve around friendship!”
Not just friends… then what else is there?
Her mother smiled and remained silent.
This answer was something Su Xiaoxiao had to seek out for herself.
But without an explanation from Mom, Su Xiaoxiao was utterly lost.
A tiny figure like herself couldn’t even make friends, so how could she expect to develop any other kind of relationship?
Just as she was about to ask, an invisible force kicked her awareness back into her body.
“Gah…!!!”
Su Xiaoxiao suddenly gasped for air, opening her eyes to find Lin Zhongyu’s face squeezing into her view.
“Mom!!!”
In her confusion, Su Xiaoxiao dove into Lin Zhongyu’s embrace, sobbing uncontrollably.
Yun Zhonghe and Mu Jixue exchanged bewildered glances.
Even Lin Zhongyu was taken aback.
She had merely used the Golden Emperor Sacred Eyes to see Su Xiaoxiao’s meridians and injected a bit of non-attribute spiritual energy to adjust her body, and suddenly, she was acting like a mom?
Of course, everyone had somewhat gotten used to Su Xiaoxiao’s quirks. They’d only known her for a few hours, yet they understood all too well that this kid was a bit… off.
To put it bluntly, she had a serious problem.
Yun Zhonghe let out a small sigh of relief; he hadn’t expected Su Xiaoxiao to almost send herself off. How fragile was the heroine’s heart!
However, the real headache was Mu Jixue. Whether she remembered or not, Yun Zhonghe had the ability to steer her in the right direction.
Running into her and immediately remembering would create a heartwarming reunion.
Or, if she never remembered until later, it would build tension that, at the peak, would lead to a “we used to be childhood sweethearts” moment, bringing them together in a surge of passion!
But of course, Mu Jixue decided to remember at the absolute worst moment, throwing a huge wrench in the atmosphere.
Yun Zhonghe felt he had to do something, to comfort Mu Jixue a bit.
“Uh, Xiaoxiao…”
“Eek!!”
As soon as Yun Zhonghe opened his mouth, Su Xiaoxiao jolted, leaped up, did a complete 360-degree flip in the air, and knelt before Yun Zhonghe.
“I’m sorry! I had the audacity to wish to be your friend! I’m so ungrateful I deserve to d*e a thousand deaths!!!!”
Yun Zhonghe: …
What’s happening here?!
Not just Yun Zhonghe; Lin Zhongyu and Mu Jixue were equally dumbfounded by Su Xiaoxiao’s humble and completely self-deprecating attitude.
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t want this, but through Mu Jixue, her extreme inferiority complex led her to negating herself completely, even dismissing Yun Zhonghe. Someone as dazzling as him could never be friends with someone like her.
Though she couldn’t understand her reasoning, she figured it was something unworthy of her to ponder.
Out of fear of being hit, she even pulled out her purse and respectfully offered, “This… This is the friend fee from earlier! Young Master Yun, you must accept it, or else… I-I won’t be able to eat or sleep…”
She tremblingly extended her hand, tears brimming in her eyes, hoping to buy her way out of this disaster.
After all, she was so tiny, and Yun Zhonghe was so powerful; wasn’t it a piece of cake for him to just flatten her without breaking a sweat?
Yun Zhonghe was completely at a loss.
But he had finally managed to become friends with Su Xiaoxiao, and their relationship was getting better. Now, it felt like they were back to square one, and that was disheartening.
Yun Zhonghe opened his mouth, wanting to plead for a second chance, but Lin Zhongyu shook her head at him, signaling to leave this situation to her.
It seemed she could inexplicably be accepted by Su Xiaoxiao.
“Yun, didn’t that messenger say you had time to explain? You go ahead; I’ll handle this.”
All along, Lin Zhongyu had been receiving Yun Zhonghe’s kindness, benefiting from his help, and today, she could finally repay him!
“Alright, I’ll leave Xiaoxiao in your capable hands. By the way, I ordered some food at the inn. Feel free to eat first since we don’t know how long Jiu’er and Miss Qin will be busy. If you get hungry, go ahead.”
Yun Zhonghe gave some final instructions and reluctantly chose to step away, leaving Lin Zhongyu to deal with things.
Oh no, I wonder if I can restore a normal relationship with Su Xiaoxiao. Sometimes, once a bond is broken, it’s hard to mend it.
Looks like I have to really step up as a good brother to get Su Xiaoxiao to open her heart completely.
With that, Yun Zhonghe temporarily exited, handing the reins to Lin Zhongyu.
Lin Zhongyu first glanced at Mu Jixue, who wore a complicated expression. It felt like in an instant, they shared an extraordinarily long and intricate exchange through their eyes.
After years of companionship, they had a silent understanding.
Mu Jixue bit her lip, looking conflicted.
“Miss Su?” Lin Zhongyu gently patted Su Xiaoxiao on the shoulder, but Su Xiaoxiao continued to kneel, offering her purse. Finally, Lin Zhongyu leaned in closer and realized Su Xiaoxiao had fainted from sheer panic.
What’s with this hamster heart? Isn’t her heart a bit too small?
At the same time, Lin Zhongyu felt a surge of sympathy and compassion.
Back in the forest, when she saw Yun Zhonghe carrying the disheveled Su Xiaoxiao, her feelings had been complex, even feeling a twinge of jealousy.
But now, seeing her in such a pitiful state stripped away all remnants of jealousy, igniting her maternal instincts to care for this pitiable big kid.
Lin Zhongyu was the type who thrived on affection rather than tough love; she wouldn’t bow to those who tried to bully her, as her willpower was stronger.
But when encountering someone so vulnerable, she morphed into a total softie.
Moreover, in Su Xiaoxiao, Lin Zhongyu saw a reflection of her own past struggles.
She greatly empathized with the feelings of despair—being ridiculed and belittled by others, yet feeling powerless to change her fate.
Without Yun Zhonghe’s intervention, she might still be that useless young lady from the Lin family.
So, in this moment, she wanted to help someone like herself, just like Yun Zhonghe had helped her!
If sharing Yun Zhonghe’s ability to heal Su Xiaoxiao’s broken spirit came into play, she wouldn’t mind having four of them together.
Since they were already a trio, adding one more wouldn’t make a difference.
Lin Zhongyu was ready to push, fully committed to helping Su Xiaoxiao slowly open up her heart.
Her persuasive skills were impressive. After she injected some spiritual energy to wake Su Xiaoxiao from her faint, she began conversing with her, quickly calming her down.
“Can… I really have friends?”
Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes glimmered with despair as she glanced at Mu Jixue, feeling empty and lost, unsure of what was right.
Lin Zhongyu smiled, “Of course! Aren’t we friends?”
Su Xiaoxiao: ?
What is she saying? She’s clearly my mom!
“I’m so, so sorry!!!”
Just then, Mu Jixue finally spoke up.
She had waged a fierce inner battle, showing sincere sincerity in her attitude.
This action startled Su Xiaoxiao.
This powerful person is actually apologizing to her?
Oh no, is she going to silence me?
Su Xiaoxiao’s heart, which had just found some semblance of calm, started racing again.
“Xiaoxiao, the blame lies with me; I didn’t remember you in time, and I had a bad attitude on the way. I’m so sorry!!”
“Wahh, please don’t! Just lift your head.”
Su Xiaoxiao was extremely tense; a person like her, who often faced ridicule, couldn’t possibly accept such a graceful apology from a beautiful girl without feeling the weight of scrutiny coming down on her.
While she did care about the situation, she hadn’t even recognized Sister Xue back then, so it wasn’t entirely Mu Jixue’s fault.
And now that Mu Jixue was taking the initiative to apologize, she had even less of a reason to hold onto resentment.
Yet, Mu Jixue took a deep breath, continuing to express her true thoughts: “I have many flaws and shortcomings; I often don’t do well and struggle with interpersonal relationships, but… Xiaoxiao, please don’t let that reflect poorly on Yun. He’s actually a really good person. I promise you, you can be mad at me all you want, but please don’t blame Yun; he’s genuinely a good guy, and you can absolutely trust him!”
Initially, Mu Jixue spoke hesitantly, her tone heavy with guilt and regret, but as she continued, her posture straightened, as though proclaiming an undeniable truth.
Su Xiaoxiao was taken aback by the resolute look in Mu Jixue’s eyes.
Does she trust that guy so completely? That kind of conviction was so strong it made Su Xiaoxiao want to believe, too. Is this what friendship looks like between them?
Strangely enough, just moments ago, Su Xiaoxiao had felt hopeless regarding the idea of friends; with Lin Zhongyu’s guidance and Mu Jixue’s candidness, her bleak mindset found a glimmer of hope.
But, is it truly okay for someone like me?
Seeing Su Xiaoxiao’s hesitation, Mu Jixue bit her lip again, further pleading: “Xiaoxiao, can we… go back to how we used to be? Little sister Xiaoxiao.”
Little sister…
That phrase caused Su Xiaoxiao’s fragile heart to quiver.
She had fantasized about this countless times, yearning for the moment they’d reunite and hear her call her that again.
Even though this reunion wasn’t quite what she had hoped for, it still somewhat fulfilled her earlier dream.
Tears glistened in Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes, and soon, she burst into a wail.
Mu Jixue and Lin Zhongyu were left in a state of confounded chaos.
Dealing with social anxiety is really tough!
