Douluo: Twin Origins, Suppressing the World

Chapter 253 Can I hug you...?

"Ling Shuang!"

Upon seeing the person beside her, Ma Xiaotao suddenly exclaimed in surprise, her voice filled with complex emotions.

I felt both excited and guilty.

Cai Meier gently tugged at Yan Shaozhe's sleeve and gestured with her eyes towards the outside, her meaning quite clear.

Yan Shaozhe understood as well. He nodded slightly and silently walked out of the room with Cai Meier, leaving the two of them alone.

silence……

Ma Xiaotao was incredibly excited, her emotions running high, but she didn't know what to say and could only cover her face with the blanket.

"Sister Xiaotao," Ling Shuang spoke first, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

"Hmm..." Ma Xiaotao responded weakly.

The once fiery-tempered older sister now acts like a naive young girl.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Ling Shuang's voice carried a hint of reproach.

If Yan Shaozhe hadn't taken the initiative to contact her this time, Ma Xiaotao probably wouldn't have made it through this ordeal.

“I…” Ma Xiaotao hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

She was too ashamed to take the initiative to contact Ling Shuang to help her resolve her inner turmoil.

"I'm sorry..." Ma Xiaotao murmured softly.

"The academy did such terrible things to you, but there's nothing I can do..."

Ma Xiaotao felt that she had absolutely no courage to face Ling Shuang right now.

Ling Shuang shook her head helplessly and sighed softly: "Sister Xiao Tao, this has nothing to do with you. You have no need to take the blame for my return to the academy upon yourself."

“I will not let the conflict with the college create a rift between us; our relationship will remain the same as before.”

"The academy is the academy, and you are you; there is no necessary relationship between the two."

Ling Shuang's words did not make Ma Xiaotao feel better; her slender fingers gripped the blanket tightly.

"But I am a disciple of the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, an inner court disciple..."

If she were just an ordinary Shrek Academy student, Ma Xiaotao wouldn't have needed to do this at all.

The problem is, she has never been an ordinary member of Shrek Academy. She has countless connections with Shrek Academy, and these connections cannot be severed so easily.

“But I’ve never blamed Dean Yan.” Ling Shuang said helplessly. Why did Ma Xiaotao think that he would hold a grudge against everyone at Shrek Academy because of this?
Ling Shuang could clearly see who treated her well and who didn't.

Yan Shaozhe's previous kindness to me may have had an element of self-interest involved, but it was genuine.

Even after he began to be harassed by the Shrek elders led by Moon, Yan Shaozhe never changed his stance and simply remained silent.

Ling Shuang understood this.

The adult world is not so simple, and remaining silent is actually a rare and precious thing.

He's really not that sensitive!

"Moreover, actually, Sister Xiaotao, I don't actually have any hatred towards the academy."

"I had my own reasons for joining Shrek Academy in the first place. After I achieved my goals, the academy wanted me to leave, which actually suited my wishes better."

"So for me, the college's actions at the time didn't actually make me very angry."

Ling Shuang told the truth.

He opened Shrek Academy with a specific purpose in mind from the beginning; otherwise, he wouldn't have joined it in the first place. After all, Ling Shuang had never had a good impression of the academy.

"But if that's really the case, then why were you so ruthless towards Huo Yuhao and the others?" Ma Xiaotao thought Ling Shuang was just trying to comfort her.

He must have had some grievances at school, otherwise he wouldn't have been so ruthless towards Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei's people.

Ma Xiaotao was unaware of what had happened between Ling Shuang and Huo Yuhao, so she subconsciously assumed that he was using this opportunity to discover her anger towards the academy.

Therefore, Ma Xiaotao will continue to believe that Ling Shuang is quite dissatisfied with the academy, to the point that she worries that he will take his dissatisfaction with the academy back on her, thereby breaking the relationship between the two.

"That was just a personal grudge between Huo Yuhao and me, and it has nothing to do with Shrek Academy," Ling Shuang explained.

"As for the other students who died tragically at my hands, they refused to leave and were determined to help Huo Yuhao, so..."

Ling Shuang did not completely absolve herself of responsibility.

There's nothing wrong with admitting it.

Although his conflict was only with Huo Yuhao and the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm within Huo Yuhao, he never held back against those who dared to obstruct him.

In fact, if Huo Yuhao and Tianmeng Bingcan hadn't wanted to take action against Bingdi, he probably wouldn't have clashed with the protagonist of the original story.

Ling Shuang is not the type of person who easily holds grudges against someone.

However, since it concerns the two emperors of ice and snow, whom he cares about most, he behaves somewhat extremely.

"So, you don't blame me?" At this moment, Ma Xiaotao finally began to believe it.

Her voice was noticeably more energetic, and her scarlet eyes were filled with tension and anticipation, as if she was afraid that Ling Shuang would give her a negative answer.

“Of course.” Ling Shuang nodded without any hesitation.

He never harbored any ill will towards Ma Xiaotao. His only discomfort was that Ma Xiaotao had confessed her feelings to him, but Ling Shuang had not accepted them.

Hearing Ling Shuang's answer, Ma Xiaotao finally felt a huge weight lifted from her heart.

Fortunately, it was just a misunderstanding on her part. Ling Shuang did not create any distance between them because of Shrek Academy.

This relieved Ma Xiaotao of a lot of pressure.

What tormented her during this period was not only the result of the internal flare-up, but also her own uneasy self-doubt.

Ma Xiaotao did not take this opportunity to express her feelings.

She knew that, given their current status, it was absolutely impossible for her to fulfill that idea.

To prevent any rift from forming between them, Ma Xiaotao dared not try it lightly.

Because of her self-doubt during this period, Ma Xiaotao has come to understand many things.

She no longer possessed the intense aggression she once had. For Ma Xiaotao now, maintaining her current friendship with Ling Shuang was enough for her.

"Could you come a little closer..." Ma Xiaotao pleaded softly.

Ling Shuang hesitated, but he had no choice; he was traumatized by the various attacks he had suffered.

Sensing his hesitation, Ma Xiaotao explained softly, "I won't do anything too outrageous. I just want to hug you, is that okay..."

After hesitating for a moment, Ling Shuang leaned closer.

With some difficulty, Ma Xiaotao stretched out her hands and hugged him tightly.

There were no other actions, just a simple hug.

(End of this chapter)