A vicious female is trapped in a beastly hell.

Chapter 652 He's just a substitute

Jin paused, his face darkening, and said, "What do you mean?"

Yue Lin's gaze towards him became even more mocking. "It seems you really don't know anything."

"He enjoys Xiao Fu's love for nothing, yet he doesn't even know who she truly loves. It's both pitiful and tragic."

Jin's temples throbbed with veins as he grabbed Jin's collar and roared, "You better explain yourself!"

Yue Lin's face also turned cold. She pushed him away, straightened her collar, and looked over with a cold and aloof expression. Her voice was icy, "Don't treat your savior like that, like an ill-mannered mad beast."

Ignoring his sarcasm, Jin clenched his fists tightly, stubbornly pressing for an explanation, "What exactly did you mean just now? Explain yourself!"

“Alright, since you want to know, I’ll tell you,” Yue Lin said meaningfully. “After all, I saved you because I wanted you to know the truth.”

He continued, "Didn't you ever think that the dignified young master of the Leopard Clan could have turned into a mad beast and fallen to this state?"

Jin's face was tense, and he said angrily, "Stop beating around the bush, get to the point!"

Yue Linqing stared at him with her deep, cold eyes, a hint of thought flashing across her face, and asked in return, "Answer me first, why did you risk going to the lab? What did you want to get?"

This was also something he wanted to figure out. Unfortunately, he couldn't break in, and he didn't know what was hidden behind that door at the deepest part of the laboratory that made Jin risk his life.

Jin hesitated for a moment, then said, "There's a crystal core there. If I get it, it can cure my madness."

Yue Lin was somewhat surprised, but upon reflection, it made sense. "So that's how it is."

He seemed to have figured something out, and a sense of gravity crossed his mind. He continued, "If that's really the case, then things are probably serious... I don't know where you heard that from, but have you ever thought about why an imported crystal core could cure your madness?"

"As far as I know, the crystal nuclei of different people are completely incompatible."

Otherwise, those powerful and influential upper-class beastmen and strong individuals would have already plundered the talents and abilities of the lower-class people in order to become stronger, and the world would have been in chaos long ago.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, the forces between different crystal nuclei cannot be fused.

Even in the rare cases of success, it only occurred between very close blood relatives, and the fusion could only retain less than 30% of the effect, making it inefficient. Even using the crystal core of Shoujin's father for fusion wouldn't cure his madness at all.

Jin's brows furrowed deeply. Although he had been sealed in the Abyss of Death at a young age, he still knew these basic facts.

He had thought about this problem before, but when he almost lost control last time, the mysterious person took out a small, incomplete piece of crystal core, which did bring him back to his senses.

Moreover, since then, he seems to have better control over the power within him, and the effects of his madness have become less and less.

Faced with the facts, he had no choice but to believe the mysterious man's words.

Jin's thin lips pressed into a straight line as he asked in a cold voice, "So, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Yue Lin looked at the black panther youth in front of her, but still did not answer directly. Instead, she turned around and walked to the window, looking out at the dark night.

The sky was gloomy tonight, and the starlight seemed to be swallowed up by invisible clouds, giving off a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.

He lowered his voice and said slowly, "The Creation Hand Laboratory has been conducting genetic research. Over the years, I have uncovered a secret that is enough to shock the world."

Jin frowned even more, but remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"The laboratory secretly stole the genes of many highly talented orcs in order to create... clones."

Yue Lin chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Even I am one of them."

Jin's pupils dilated, and a deep look of astonishment appeared on his face.

Yue Lin turned around, gave him a meaningful look, but didn't say anything more. "It's getting late, I'm going to rest now. You... think it over carefully."

After saying that, he left.

Jin stood there, stunned, staring blankly at the air in front of him, his breathing suddenly becoming rapid.

In a daze, he seemed to understand something.

His fingertips trembled slightly, and he suddenly remembered something, taking out the gift box from his spatial storage.

After a moment's hesitation, Jin's Adam's apple bobbed, and he opened the box.

Inside lay a transparent, prismatic crystal, its interior seemingly shrouded in a faint silvery-white halo—a trace of some kind of spiritual energy—with a blurry human figure faintly floating within it.

Jin gripped the crystal, and a blinding white light flashed.

At the same time, a strange memory rushed into his mind.

……

As if watching a movie, Jin saw many past events through this crystal.

These are all Xunfu's memories.

No, more accurately, it's her real name—Shen Tang's memory.

The crystal preserves the precious moments of her love and acquaintance with a black panther beastman.

The black panther orc looked exactly like Jhin.

Perhaps everyone would think they are the same person, even Jin was momentarily dazed when he looked at those images.

But deep down he knew that this unfamiliar memory did not belong to him, and he was not that black panther.

Like an intruder, Jin stood at a distance, staring blankly at the female and the black panther orc in the illusion, playing or cuddling, so happy, yet so glaring.

He was like a despicable voyeur.

My heart suddenly felt a dull, aching pain, as if it were being gripped tightly by a hand, making it almost impossible to beat, and even breathing became difficult.

Upon seeing the part where the two confirmed their relationship, Jin couldn't bear to watch any longer and immediately severed his memory.

He felt weak all over and stumbled a couple of steps, barely managing to support himself against the wall with one hand.

His eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaved violently, and his hands uncontrollably transformed into a beast-like form, his sharp claws digging deep into the wall, barely managing to keep his balance.

In that instant, he seemed to understand everything.

All the questions that I couldn't understand before are now gradually becoming clear.

In the memory crystal, the black panther beastman who looked exactly like him was Shen Tang's partner and the one she truly loved.

She loves Xiao Jin.

It's not Hunting Ashes.

No wonder Yue Lin said those things; her eyes held a mixture of mockery and pity when she looked at him.

No wonder she was like a gift from heaven, suddenly barging into his world, and treating him so well, risking her life to save him time and time again, following him without complaint, her eyes always full of love and tolerance, as if she could melt even the hardest glacier.

It turns out that she had always loved that black panther beast husband.

He only received this fleeting and false love because he looked exactly like that beastly man.

At that moment, Jin felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity wash over him, and his heart clenched painfully. He raised his hand and pressed it against his chest, his fingertips almost digging into his flesh!
So that's the truth.

Haha ...

Looking back, he only felt that he was foolish and naive.

No wonder her name is Xun Fu.

Seeking Fu...

Looking for a husband.

She was an orc from another continent, and she had gone through countless hardships to get here, all in search of her beastman husband.

Did she ever truly love him during this time? Not even the slightest bit?
I'm afraid not.

The love she gave him all stemmed from another person.

Jin's smile was bitter and self-mocking. He was her substitute.

No wonder she asked him to call her "Tangtang". No wonder she would lose control and shed tears when looking at his face when they were deeply in love. He thought she was moved by his love, but it turned out that she was looking through his eyes at another man, at the person she truly loved.

The night is desolate and cold tonight.

It was cold to the bone.

……

Shen Tang was unaware of what had happened last night. The exhaustion of the past few days had made her unable to hold on any longer, and she went to bed very early last night.

She originally wanted to spend more time with Jin, but given her current disguised identity, and the fact that Jin was nominally her brother, it wasn't appropriate for them to share a room. So Yue Lin arranged two rooms for them.

In the morning, Shen Tang quickly washed up, ate breakfast, and then went to visit Jin.

The man lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, as if he hadn't slept all night, not even reacting when she came in. He had seemed alright when he woke up last night, but now his face was pale, and he exuded a cold, gloomy aura.

Shen Tang walked over and asked worriedly, "Ah Jin, are you feeling unwell?"

The man seemed not to hear and remained motionless.

She called out again, "Ah Jin? Are you alright?"

He seemed to snap out of his daze, turned to look at her calmly, and said in a low, even voice, "You've come."

The imagined scene of a warm embrace did not materialize. Instead, the man this morning was inexplicably strange and indifferent.

The way he looked at her was so unfamiliar, as if he were looking at a complete stranger, which made Shen Tang's heart skip a beat. She frowned slightly, a bad premonition rising within her.

Her voice was even more worried, "Ah Jin? You look terrible, are you feeling unwell? Is your wound still not fully healed? If you're in pain, tell me, don't hide it from me... Or, I can take another look at you."

As she spoke, she quickly stepped forward, trying to take his hand, but the man slapped her away.

"Do not touch me."

"Ah Jin...?!" Shen Tang was stunned for a moment, her heart filled with unease. She asked anxiously and bewilderedly, "What's wrong with you?"

The man looked at her, his eyes still cold and calm, like a stagnant pool that could not be disturbed, the pain deep inside perfectly hidden.

He said coldly, "I'm fine, it's none of your business."

These deliberately distancing words stunned Shen Tang, who stared at him in disbelief. "How could it have nothing to do with me? Do you know how worried I've been about you these past few days?" She had stayed by his side, barely closing her eyes, wanting him to get better more than anyone else, and valuing his life even more than he valued himself.

Not to mention that the two already have such a close relationship that they are already the closest people in the world.

How could his safety be unrelated to her?

How could he... say such a thing?

The woman's eyes were filled with sorrow, sadness, and confusion. Her alluring eyes were veiled with a light mist as she gazed intently at him, as if waiting for an answer.

Jin's heart ached again, and his fingers clenched involuntarily. He looked away from her, closed his eyes, and said in a hoarse voice, "...I don't need you to worry."

He saw all too clearly the love welling up in her eyes, moist and red.

It was precisely because he saw things so clearly that he became even more obsessed, and also more tormented. That uncontrollable pain made him want to escape.

He kept telling himself that she didn't love him.

This love doesn't belong to him.

He shouldn't cling to that ridiculous substitute anymore.

"From now on, my affairs are none of your business."

He took a deep breath and turned to look at her again. His eyes were already red, and his cold, deep voice even carried a hint of disgust. He exuded a sense of rejection. "Don't ever appear in front of me again."

Shen Tang was truly stunned.

She had no idea what had happened or why his attitude had changed so drastically in just one night.

"What's wrong with you? Are you... angry?" she asked tentatively.

Shen Tang quickly recalled the events of the past few days. Had she done something to upset him?
I don't think so. She was fine last night, and then she went to rest and didn't do anything.

Could it be because of the approaching moon?
Is Jin jealous?

But given his personality, it shouldn't be like this. He could have just said it directly, and she could have explained it.

Jin closed his eyes again. "I'm not angry."

Shen Tang simply didn't believe it; his attitude this morning was far too unusual.

But no matter how much she pressed him, he wouldn't budge.

A waiter brought breakfast outside.

Shen Tang took it and placed it on the table, saying to him, "We'll talk about this later. You've been unconscious for so long and haven't eaten anything yet, so eat something first."

She wanted to change the subject and ease the tension.

Jin still didn't react; he didn't want to eat.

After that, no matter what Shen Tang said, he stopped responding and stopped looking at her, as if he completely ignored her and didn't want to see her.

Shen Tang stood by the bed, unsure of what to do.

The air was oppressively quiet, filled with an indescribable heaviness and awkwardness.

After a while, Jin finally spoke.
"Let's break up from now on."

"Let's never see each other again."

The system suddenly issued an unprecedented warning: [Host, things are bad! Jhin's favorability rating has plummeted, from deep love to utter disgust!]

what?
Shen Tang felt a chill run through her body and was at a loss for what to do.

This is the first time since the start of the mission that the favorability rating has dropped so quickly and so drastically, and without any warning. It's extremely unusual.

They were deeply in love last night, but just one night later, they almost became enemies.

Looking at the indifferent man in front of her, Shen Tang felt a surge of intense bitterness in her heart. She felt so sad that she wanted to cry, and she was also very angry.

“If you really want to break up, I can agree,” she said, “but at least tell me why!”

When Jin heard her first words, his clenched fingers trembled slightly, and the pain in his heart intensified, but his face remained indifferent.

His voice was low and hoarse, "Because I don't love you anymore."

—It's because she doesn't love him.

She didn't truly love him.

He shouldn't love her anymore.

"Why...why so suddenly? We were just like that last night—" Shen Tang couldn't accept it and wanted to ask more questions.

He interrupted abruptly, his hoarse voice filled with impatience, "I don't love you, isn't that reason enough? Do you want me to say I'm tired of you, that seeing you makes me want to vomit, so—"

"Get out of here and don't ever come looking for me again!"

"I don't want to see you again!"

Cold, heartless words are like knives piercing the heart, leaving no room for retreat.

The air seemed to freeze in an instant.

Shen Tang stared at him blankly, her chest heaving, never expecting him to say such things. The sadness and grief in her heart gradually turned into anger and indignation.

She didn't understand why, but she wasn't the type to fawn over someone who wouldn't listen. Since the other person had put it that way, it would be too pathetic to try and win them back.

Shen Tang bit her lip. "Fine, if you really want to break up, then let's break up."

"..."

"But I don't want to be so hasty. I hope you can think about it more carefully, instead of saying something impulsively in anger."

She was still unwilling to give up and wanted to salvage the situation.

"Need not."

The man's face seemed even paler, his eyes reddened, and his voice remained cold and hoarse, "I will leave here. My affairs are none of your business from now on, and you don't need to come looking for me again."

"Don't presumptuously intrude into my life, and stop interfering in the affairs of the Leopard Clan."

This is to completely sever ties with her.

When Yue Lin arrived, he heard the argument inside the house. He listened at the door for a while, a slight smile playing on his lips, before quickly regaining his composure.

He rescued Shoujin not only to repay Xunfu's favor, but also to tell him this secret.

From a public perspective, the two have similar experiences, and perhaps they could have one more powerful ally.

Personally...

Xunfu's heart and eyes are completely focused on this leopard, so it's unlikely she'll ever like anyone else.

As the noble young master of the Moon Clan, Yue Lin has never failed to obtain anything he has ever wanted since childhood.

The more unattainable something is, the more he wants it.

He truly loved Xunfu.

He was determined to have her.

With their relationship falling apart, he was able to take advantage of the situation.

Xiao Fu must be very sad right now.

The noise inside gradually subsided, and Yue Lin pushed open the door, breaking the deathly silence.

"Xiao Fu, don't be sad." He looked at the female who looked like she had been crying and handed her a tissue. "Go out first, you all need to calm down."

Shen Tang took the tissue, gently wiped her eyes, and tried to calm herself down, not wanting outsiders to see such an embarrassing scene.

She said, "I'm fine."

She glanced at the man on the bed, suppressed her complicated emotions, and turned to leave the room.

Yue Lin glanced back at Jin and followed him out.

When the second door closed, Jin suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the doorway, his fingers clenched so tightly they turned white and the veins bulged.

"You can't force feelings. You've already done enough. It's just that he doesn't know how to cherish it."

He heard Yue Lin's soft voice comforting the female from outside the door. His usually aloof tone seemed to carry a hint of tenderness that was easy for a female who had just been hurt in a relationship to fall for.

Jin felt a sharp pang of sadness. He actually wanted to chase after them, but in the end, he did nothing.

He knew he wasn't qualified.

He is nothing.

She called him "Ah Jin," and all the love she gave him was a longing for another male, not him.

He was an ignorant thief, a despicable burglar.

The burning love in my heart was extinguished by cold water, turning into rejection, or even a hint of disgust.

He didn't know who to hate.

I hate that I'm just a substitute.

He loathed the male who made him jealous.

Or... do I hate her?

Since it was wrong from the start, let's end it as soon as possible.

Two parts combined, 4,000 words.

good night~