ABFMV Chapter 38

Xu Linlang’s brows furrowed. She did like kittens, but that didn’t mean she could accept someone treating a living animal as a casual gift.

Especially when the relationship between the two wasn’t even close, such behavior was downright irresponsible.

Back in the modern world, she’d seen plenty of male classmates try to win over girlfriends by picking up a random kitten from a pet shop and handing it over like a trinket.

Never mind whether the girl had any plan to raise a cat, or whether her family would even allow it.

Neither of them had the faintest clue about the responsibility and preparation that came with keeping a cat.

Inevitably, once the relationship broke down—or if the parents disapproved—the cats were given away or abandoned.

Treating a life as a gift wasn’t just careless; it was disrespectful to life itself.

So Xu Linlang refused flatly. “First of all, you haven’t said what exactly you’re apologizing for. Second, I don’t accept cats as some sort of peace offering.”

Yao Mo blinked awkwardly, her hand frozen midair with the little box still lifted, trembling slightly under the strain of holding it up so long.

People nearby were starting to look over.

Lowering her head, Yao Mo took a deep breath, as if afraid Xu Linlang might lash out. “Last time I offended you without meaning to, so I wanted to say I’m sorry. And about Su Yilu… she sometimes speaks before thinking. I hope you won’t hold it against her.”

Her posture was pitiful, as delicate as a fragile white flower swaying in the wind.

But Xu Linlang saw through her act at a glance.

Here she was, lowering herself in front of a crowd, playing the victim, holding out clothes she thought might appeal to Linlang as proof of her “sincerity,” deliberately stopping her on a busy street just to apologize in public.

In the eyes of bystanders, Yao Mo would come across as someone who knew she was wrong and was trying to make amends. If Xu Linlang rejected the apology, she would look overly harsh and unwilling to forgive.

But so what?

She wasn’t the same person who had first transmigrated here.

Back then, she’d tiptoed around, afraid her privileged status might bring shame to the Xu family, desperate to correct the original host’s arrogant behavior, trying to play it safe like a harmless salted fish.

And what was the result? People thought she was weak and treated her like a doormat, again and again.

The original host had been well-behaved and clever as a child, admired by everyone. And in the end, she was still betrayed by Rong Chen and Rong Xi, forced to drink that bowl of deadly bone broth.

So clearly, trying to please everyone was useless. Better to make them respect you.

There would always be people dissatisfied with her. Let them stay dissatisfied.

Now, she didn’t care about anything—not even Rong Chen’s opinion. If she dared to confront him, why should she worry about anyone else’s?

Her only focus now was studying hard and protecting the Xu family.

Xu Linlang gave a small, amused smile. “I don’t accept your apology. Please step aside—you’re blocking my way.”

Tears glistened in Yao Mo’s eyes. “I really do want to apologize sincerely. Even if you don’t like me, please just give me a chance.”

She dabbed her eyes with her hand, looking frail in just a white blouse and a short skirt without her uniform jacket. She appeared so fragile that it tugged at the heartstrings.

Several students watching felt moved by the display. With such a heartfelt apology, if it were them, they would have accepted it. After all, it had only been a minor argument.

But Xu Linlang shot her an impatient look. “An apology depends on whether the other person accepts it. If they don’t, and you keep forcing it, that’s not an apology—it’s just about easing your own guilt. If you truly cared about my feelings, you wouldn’t block my way and waste my time.”

“And besides, the one you should be apologizing to isn’t me—it’s Qiye. Do you have any idea how badly your report affected him? If you feel even a shred of guilt, you should be standing in front of him, not me.”

“If you really want reconciliation, here’s how: post the truth on your Starnet homepage—confess what you did to Qiye, and reveal your actual ranking. If you’re truly sincere, you should have no problem doing that.”

Her words were clear and precise, and the onlookers began to sense something was off.

There had never been much conflict between Xu Linlang and Yao Mo. Why beg for forgiveness so desperately?

It was Qiye who had nearly been expelled because of Yao Mo. So why wasn’t she apologizing to him?

It didn’t add up.

What looked like heartfelt contrition was really just Yao Mo trying to play weak in front of Xu Linlang.

She wasn’t here to apologize sincerely.

Yao Mo’s expression faltered at Linlang’s demand. Having her classmates know was one thing, but announcing it on her public Starnet page was entirely different.

She had many civilian followers. If she admitted the truth, word would spread across the Empire. Her reputation would take a permanent hit.

Civilians admired her precisely because they thought she had topped the entrance exam as one of their own.

If they learned the real first place was Qiye, and she was only second…

No. That could never come out.

As long as she didn’t confess publicly, rumors would remain rumors, not confirmed facts.

Her face flushed with anger. She had thought Xu Linlang would follow the usual script: most people wouldn’t reject a public apology.

But not Xu Linlang. She not only rejected it, but she climbed the moral high ground and cut her down with it.

Dragged her straight into the dirt.

Yao Mo’s smile crumbled. “That’s between me and Qiye. Right now, I just want to fix things with you.”

Xu Linlang gave a short, mocking laugh. “If you won’t do what I said, then there’s nothing more to discuss.”

The crowd saw her face change and understood: she wasn’t about to make a public confession.

So much for sincerity. Buying a kitten was easy, but when it came to a real apology that could hurt her reputation, she balked.

Fake white lotus.

Disdain flickered in the eyes of many students. If she didn’t want to apologize, fine—but why put on such a performance in front of everyone?

Yes, a performance. A normal person wouldn’t act this way.

The thought that they had almost believed her pitiful act moments ago made them annoyed with themselves. They would be wary of her from now on.

Her words and her actions didn’t match at all.

Box in hand, Yao Mo left in a huff. Xu Linlang watched coldly as she stomped away, then lowered her head and sent Jin Duoduo a message.

Twenty minutes later, she received a reply in her studio.

You guessed right. I followed Yao Mo, and she dumped the box in the greenbelt woods. And it was still locked!

There’s a kitten inside! What kind of monster just leaves it like that? Locked up, it can’t escape. It’ll die in there…

Can you come quickly? I’m allergic to animal fur, so I can’t open it and carry the kitten out.

Jin Duoduo’s urgent messages showed just how furious she was.

But Xu Linlang wasn’t surprised.

To Yao Mo, the kitten was just a prop. Once her plan failed, the prop was useless, so she tossed it.

That was exactly why Linlang had told Jin Duoduo to shadow her—to see how she would handle the box.

And she had been right.

Even worse than she imagined, Yao Mo hadn’t even unlocked the box. She’d thrown it into an isolated grove where no one would notice.

The kitten was trapped, staring helplessly at the outside world. Either it would die of thirst or hunger, or panic and injure itself in a desperate struggle.

Either way, it would suffer a miserable end.

Just imagining it made Xu Linlang tremble with fury.

This woman had no shred of humanity.

When Linlang arrived, Jin Duoduo was crouched anxiously beside the box. The kitten inside no longer looked naïve and curious, but fearful and restless, as if it knew its situation was dire.

The moment she saw Xu Linlang, Jin Duoduo burst out: “How could she do this? Doesn’t she have a trace of compassion? This kitten is so sweet, and she just tossed it away. If you hadn’t been sharp, it would already be doomed.”

Linlang sighed. “If it weren’t for me, Yao Mo wouldn’t have bought the kitten in the first place. Since I rejected her apology, she couldn’t stand the sight of it. If anything happens to it, I’ll feel guilty forever.”

She crouched down to try and open the box, but the alloy lock, though simple, was too strong for her to pry open.

After a moment’s thought, she sent a message to Qiye:

Can you come find me? I’m in the grove in Zone C, near the birch trees.

His reply came quickly: Okay.

Relieved, she thought, since he’s raising Snowball, he must be a cat lover. He’s the perfect person to handle this.

Jin Duoduo sighed. “What about the kitten afterward? If I weren’t allergic, I’d take it. Linlang, will you?”

She shook her head. “I can’t. If I take it, Yao Mo will only use it against me later.”

Duoduo frowned. “Then what do we do?”

Linlang’s eyes curved with quiet certainty. “Don’t worry. I already have the perfect person in mind. With him, the kitten will be safe for sure.”