I'll also work hard to conquer the dungeon today.

Chapter 240, page 1.17, 17: A Night of Madness
Crystalline tears fell drop by drop onto the back of her hand, and her narrow, golden-orange eyes seemed to be shrouded in shadow. The magnificent sunset was obscured by dark clouds, becoming dim and without light.

A gray, silent film was playing all around him; though it was called a film, it was really just his silent childhood.

He didn't want to face the past, a past he called humiliating and devoid of self-respect. Whenever he recalled it, he felt incredibly inferior and couldn't even lift his head.

He was a person no one expected of, no one loved, who died the moment he was born.

There is no need to have any expectations.

useless.

Nobody would notice him...

Nobody would even glance at him.

He never needed pity or mercy.

He just wanted a word of affirmation, a word of agreement, but unfortunately, everything was gone.

Even if he may have possessed it, he ultimately lost it himself.

"There's a reason why I'm hated... I even hate my own existence... Why can't I die?" His voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of sobbing. He looked down at his hands, loathing himself.

Dejected, self-loathing, self-denying, pessimistic, and misanthropic—Ling Tong possesses almost every negative and extreme emotion imaginable.

He never takes off his mask in front of outsiders because he doesn't want people to see his ugly side, or to see a version of himself that he hates.

He had no redeeming qualities, no personality, and a face that resembled a woman's. He was utterly devoid of any outstanding qualities; he was like stinking garbage on the ground, repulsive yet no one would bother to pick him up and throw him in the trash can.

In the end, the stinking garbage remained dirty and smelly, drifting along the roadside without even a place to be put in a trash can.

His fingernails dug deep into his arm, the bright red blood staining his sleeve with a hint of darkness, dripping slowly onto the ground like burning flames, its intense heat corroding the earth until it turned black.

"Don't waste it." A soft, sweet voice faintly reached his ears, as if it were a hallucination. Ling Tong was in a daze.

Her narrow, golden-orange eyes shimmered slightly, and the touch of vermilion at the corners of her eyes made her already stunning beauty even more unforgettable.

Perhaps his personality is very low-key, but his face is extremely flamboyant, as if showing off his beauty. Like a peony among flowers, he stands proudly in the world, with extreme beauty, like a burning flame, hot and scorching, capable of burning everything to ashes.

The mask on her face had been removed by someone at some point, and her long, dark red hair was tied into a loose three-strand braid that hung down from her shoulders to her waist.

His brows furrowed with dejection and self-loathing; the darkness and gloom were like an abyss devoid of any light.

"I'm going to get angry if you keep wasting things like this." Mu Yegui frowned, then suddenly lowered his voice and said coldly.

Her cold, silver eyes were fixed on the blood that had slipped from Ling Tong's hand onto the ground. Her pink lips were slightly pursed, and she exuded a sense of anxiety and anger, as if her beloved food had been wantonly wasted, which was unforgivable.

A glimmer of light suddenly flashed in his dull, golden-orange eyes, as if he had finally regained his self-awareness. He instinctively took a step back from Mu Yegui, hiding his hands behind his back, and whispered, "I'm sorry..."

Then she suddenly realized that the mask on her face had been taken off. A look of panic and unease flashed in her eyes. She turned her head to look for the mask that had been hidden, and finally it landed firmly in Mu Yegui's hand.

He moved his lips slightly, as if he wanted to tell Mu Yegui that he wanted the mask, but in the end he didn't say anything.

It felt like I was back in my childhood, when I had no opinions of my own, anyone could bully me, and no one would listen to anything I said.

Others always take things from him, but he doesn't even have the courage to take them back.

It doesn't exist at all.

He was afraid of everyone. That mask was his last line of defense; he hid all his ugliness, and only by wearing that mask could he feel valued. Only by wearing it could he do things he never dared to imagine before.

He needed this mask; it was all the comfort he had left, his last shred of courage, allowing him to temporarily forget the past and be himself. Because with the mask on, no one would recognize him, and no one could look down on him.

Mu Yegui took a step forward while holding the face, and Ling Tong wanted to reach out but subconsciously took a step back, never raising her hand.

"Tong, don't you want this mask?" The cold silver eyes stared quietly at Ling Tong, deep and calm as still as an ancient pool, reflecting nothing.

Her voice was as calm as ever, even bordering on emotionless indifference.

Ling Tong opened her mouth slightly, but still did not make a sound.

"I'll count to three. If you don't take it back, I'll destroy it." Mu Yegui took another step forward, her long, soft, misty gray curls cascading down her back, making her delicate and pretty face appear even smaller and more exquisite. Her expression was calm, devoid of any extra emotion, as if she were simply casually inquiring about the weather.

"one."

Mu Yegui took a step forward, while Ling Tong subconsciously took a step back. Her golden-orange eyes were fixed on the mask, wanting to take it but lacking the courage.

"two."

Mu Yegui stood still, watching Ling Tong, who was pressed tightly against the wall. She watched him try to reach out, but Ling Tong pulled back with her mask to avoid his touch.

"three."

Mu Yegui tightened his grip on the mask slightly, and the next second, there was a cracking sound as the mask shattered and fell to the ground, leaving only fragments. None of the fragments were intact; there seemed to be about 19 pieces.

His golden-orange eyes gradually blurred and were covered by tears. He watched helplessly as all his hopes were shattered, and finally he couldn't hold back his tears. He was like a child who had lost his most precious treasure, and there was nothing he could do but cry.

A faint sigh came, and before he could see the face clearly, he felt a soft, petite body embrace him.

She gently patted his back, speaking in a soothing tone for a child but without any real emotion, "Good boy~"

Aside from that, there wasn't a single extra word, no comfort whatsoever; it all seemed like a perfunctory response.

Ling Tong instinctively wrapped her arms around Mu Yegui, holding her tightly as if she wanted to meld her into her body, not wanting to let go, not wanting to loosen her grip, like a lifeline encountered when life was hanging by a thread, or a sliver of air grasped when drowning.

He craved her presence...

He slowly closed his eyes and buried them in her shoulder, weeping silently.

It seems to be a form of comfort?
But it also seems like the only ray of light...

There's no way to leave anymore, even if I get eaten, I don't want to let go anymore.

I don't want to go away, I don't want to let go. If time could stop at this moment, I would stay here forever.

As Ling Tong thought this, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

As the dark clouds dispersed, a faint ray of light gradually shone in.

"His light."

Once Ling Tong takes off her mask, she will never wear it again.

The emotional journey doesn't unfold that quickly; it's impossible to accept reality immediately, so there will be a series of follow-up reactions.

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(End of this chapter)