SES Chapter 119 Part 1

Chapter 119

Go up there and do what? Show her some warm and fuzzy family scene? Prove that motherly love is instinct, that no mother would ever think her child is a burden?

Mu Dai didn’t want to go up.

Just as she hesitated, the baby’s crying suddenly quieted, and then the light went out.

She figured the mother must have carried the baby back to the bedroom.

Luo Ren’s expression looked like someone had just dumped a basin of dirty water over his head.

After a long pause, he had no choice but to climb back down, sulking.

Mu Dai found it funny. “Climbing up and down like that—having fun?”

Then she added, “I should’ve yelled for a thief.”

Luo Ren landed, brushed his hands off with annoyance, and asked, “And who was I doing that for?”

Mu Dai laughed. “Me, of course.”

She reached out to take his hand.

In a low voice, Luo Ren said, “Some things, you have to work through yourself. A few words from me won’t fix it. But I still want to tell you how I see it.”

“Being a burden and being loved—it’s just a thin line between the two. If someone loves you enough, no matter how much trouble you cause, you’re still their treasure. If they don’t love you enough, no matter how obedient and well-behaved you are, you’ll still feel like a burden.”

“This might hurt to hear, but Mu Dai, from everything you’ve told me—I think your mom didn’t love you.”

Mu Dai listened quietly.

She had suspected as much long ago. Deep down, she often made up excuses for why her mother abandoned her, but some part of her always knew the truth might be painfully simple.

Not every child is born into a flood of love.

Mu Dai let out a soft sigh and tugged his arm. “Let’s go.”

“One last thing,” Luo Ren said.

So serious? Mu Dai couldn’t help but look up at him.

“Don’t be afraid of burdening me. Someday, I’ll be a burden to you too.” He leaned close to her ear, his breath warm as a whisper. “Girlfriend, we only trouble the people closest to us. Let’s trouble each other as much as we want.”

Early that morning, Cao Yanhua woke up to a WeChat message from Yan Hongsha, telling him and Wan San to come to her room for breakfast.

Everyone was there. The spread was so generous it almost made you emotional—on the low table sat soy milk, fried dough sticks, scallion pancakes, buns, eggs, tofu pudding—an array so abundant it dazzled the eyes.

Wan San assumed Hongsha had bought it all and squinted at her. “Since when are you this generous?”

Last night, when she was sent out to buy food, she’d only brought back a plain flatbread—no filling.

“Luo Ren bought it,” Hongsha said.

The bathroom door opened, and Mu Dai stepped out with her face still wet from washing. Hongsha shifted over to leave her a spot and poured her a cup of soy milk. Mu Dai didn’t start eating right away but directed Cao Yanhua instead: “Grab my toiletry bag for me, the black one.”

With half an egg still in his mouth, Cao Yanhua turned to fetch the bag for her.

It all felt so natural, like a real family.

Halfway through the meal, Luo Ren got to the point. “I went to the hospital last night.”

He’d already told Mu Dai about it on the way back, so she wasn’t surprised. She kept sipping her soy milk, but the others all froze.

Wan San’s voice was tense. “How’s Ma Chao?”

Deep down, he still felt that if he hadn’t chased so recklessly, Ma Chao wouldn’t have ended up hurt.

“From what I saw, his condition seems stable enough.”

Luo Ren paused, then briefly explained what he had done—cutting himself to test his blood.

Cao Yanhua’s eyes went wide. “No way. If Wan San’s blood worked, how could yours not?!”

His worldview was built on hierarchy—since Luo Ren was stronger than Wan San, surely his blood should’ve worked better. To hear that it didn’t was something he couldn’t wrap his head around.

Could it be that the Fierce Talisman had already left Ma Chao? But that didn’t make sense. As far as they knew, the talisman only left when the host died.

Luo Ren looked around the table. “I have a theory.”

“My sense is, the Phoenix Amulet’s power isn’t dominant right now. The Fierce Talisman is still overwhelming. For just a little bit of Wan San’s blood to throw Ma Chao so badly off balance—it doesn’t quite add up.”

Hongsha was beginning to catch on. “You mean…”

Luo Ren nodded. “Just like those witnesses who swore they saw Wan San push someone, Ma Chao might only be influenced by the Fierce Talisman.”

Wan San gave a nervous laugh. “Come on. You’re saying the talisman can just order people around now?”

That wasn’t just leveling up—it was a whole rank jump.

“It’s not as bad as you think,” Luo Ren said. “Remember my uncle, Luo Wenmiao?”

Of course, they remembered, but since it was family business, Wan San and Cao Yanhua exchanged glances, unsure whether to bring it up.

Luo Ren wasn’t shy about it.

“My uncle was a scholar. He had his own thoughts, opinions, and convictions. In some ways, I’d say he had a strong will. But once the Fierce Talisman possessed him…”

He fell silent.

Mu Dai stopped sipping and set her cup down. She had been there in Xiaoshang River, seen it all—the midnight fire, the stiff puppets strung together with fishing line. The memory still sent chills down her spine.

“From what Ping Ting told me, my uncle had already become a completely different person. In other words, the talisman had taken full control and erased who he was.”

“But Ma Chao’s case—and those witnesses—are different.”

Something clicked in Cao Yanhua’s mind, and he let out a loud “ah!”