Chapter 394
Chapter 394 Choosing Love or Choosing Dignity
According to the Summer Family’s past treatment of Ling Mo, Xia Xinyan originally thought that this time her parents had left Ling Mo alone again to make things difficult for him. Even if it wasn’t to make things difficult, it probably wouldn’t be a pleasant topic, and they must have sent her away to avoid an awkward situation—after all, she was currently on Ling Mo’s side.
But… why did she feel like Ling Mo was chatting quite happily with her parents now?
Did she misinterpret things?
—In fact, Ling Mo thought the same at first.
He believed that the recent invasion disaster had made Xia Xinyan’s parents worried about their daughter. After all, it had all happened so suddenly—had it not been for the Chicks, they might never have seen her again.
Such crises easily evoke familial feelings. For example, his own family called him multiple times afterward to check if he was alright, only feeling relieved after he had met them in person and they confirmed he was fine.
Though it was a bit helpless, it also carried warmth.
That’s family for you.
So he thought that Xia Xinyan’s parents were likely feeling similarly, and the mundane conversations they had before were really them worrying about how Xia Xinyan was doing. But no matter how much he said Xia Xinyan was living well in the Chicks, they probably wouldn’t feel at ease as long as their daughter wasn’t by their side.
Thus, by sending Xia Xinyan away this time, they likely wanted to have a chat with him about letting Xia Xinyan move back to the Summer Family.
—At least that was his initial thought.
Until Xia Xinyan’s mother suddenly mentioned something about age and marriage.
After that, the conversation shifted to something that made him feel… a bit surreal, and even after leaving the Summer Family, he still felt somewhat unreal.
Xia Xinyan’s parents… agreed.
They agreed to him being with Xia Xinyan.
They even proactively brought up marriage, asking if he had any plans to tie the knot. The world might get increasingly chaotic in the future, and if they wanted to have a wedding, they should cherish these last peaceful days.
While this made him very happy, they suddenly changing their stance surprised him quite a bit.
Could it be because of what happened during the invasion? But in the end, it wasn’t him who saved the Summer Family… He had originally planned to perform well during that incident.
—And he really did shine.
The live broadcast on television allowed the older generation of the Summer Family, who hadn’t delved deep into the world of abilities, to witness Ling Mo’s power… or rather, it shouldn’t just be described as power; it should be described as… divine.
The elevated platform rising from the ground, attracting demons from all over the city, the insane explosions, and the enormous magical puppet—Ling Mo’s tactics were almost those you wouldn’t see even in movies. This was the first time they realized how much they had underestimated his presence.
Even Xia Xinyan’s adoptive father had to admit that he indeed felt Ling Mo wasn’t worthy of his daughter before, but now, Ling Mo had strength—stronger even than Summer Jincang; and he had influence—his Chicks and Eagles Alliance were the great contributors to saving the city, which made most factions regard the Eagles Alliance as a top-tier power, on par with the likes of New Dawn.
This was also why Summer Jincang talked about equal cooperation with Xia Xinyan; it wasn’t just about saving face but because they truly couldn’t rely on strength to suppress the Chicks anymore.
Taking all these factors into account, Ling Mo had indeed earned his place beside Xia Xinyan.
He might even have eclipsed her.
Since he still liked Xia Xinyan so much, as her parents, they naturally had no reason to keep pushing Ling Mo away—parents wish for their children to have reliable support, and if that support happens to be someone their child loves, then that’s the best outcome.
So they agreed.
And they even hoped they would marry soon; only once everything was settled would they feel at ease.
Of course, Ling Mo didn’t know any of this.
But it didn’t matter.
All he knew was that his father-in-law and mother-in-law agreed to let Xia Xinyan marry him, and that was enough.
His cage was almost complete.
At this point, Xia Xinyan would finally become his everything.
Seeing him grinning like an idiot all the way, Xia Xinyan couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly did my parents say to you?”
Ling Mo smiled slightly, not hiding the truth: “They agreed to us being together and even asked me… if I had considered when to get married.”
Xia Xinyan: “Huh??? Did I hear you wrong?”
She doubted her ears: “What did you just say?”
Ling Mo turned to face her, his smile unchanged: “Xia Xinyan, my father-in-law and mother-in-law agreed to let you marry me.”
After a pause, he asked, “Aren’t you happy to hear this news…?”
Xia Xinyan: “…”
She just wanted to run away, okay?
Her parents really agreed to let her marry Ling Mo???
Why did it feel like Ling Mo was just bluffing her?
Originally, this restriction was her way to keep Ling Mo from messing around. In her eyes, it would take him quite a bit of time to convince her family, and maybe even after saving the world, he still wouldn’t make much progress, giving her more time to prepare.
But… why did her parents suddenly agree?!
She… well, she did admit she liked Ling Mo… but… that didn’t mean she wanted to be confined! She had told Ling Mo before that she’d give him her most precious things after their wedding! How did it suddenly come to this?!
Xia Xinyan was panicking.
But seeing Ling Mo’s smile fade, she squeezed out a response: “I… of course I’m happy! It’s just a bit surprising… I thought my parents wouldn’t agree to you so easily.”
Ling Mo maintained eye contact with her for a moment, softly laughing, “I used to think that too.”
This might be life, filled with infinite possibilities.
However, while Ling Mo was happy, Xia Xinyan couldn’t find even a bit of joy.
She completely threw the expeditionary army matter to the back of her mind, and for the time after, all she could think about was how to develop her relationship with Ling Mo going forward.
She felt they had already established a romantic relationship—Ling Mo liked her, and she admitted that she liked Ling Mo.
But she couldn’t accept the idea of applauding for love.
She didn’t want to be pressed down.
That had been the only dignity left to her from her past life.
At this moment, she finally realized—
The feelings she’d been tangled up about towards Ling Mo might just be the resistance to being pressed down, a resonance of emotions.
That feeling was like if she only realized why she was alive when she was about to walk up to the guillotine, leaving only a little time for her final thoughts.
Choosing love or choosing dignity, this was a dilemma.
