Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 123 tramples on each other's dignity and tears away the veil of shame!

"Thank you for your hospitality."

As Akizuki Makoto stood up, he continued, "If there's nothing else, let's leave it at that. I'll head back now."

"...Do you really have absolutely no feelings for me?"

As Akizuki Makoto turned around to leave, he suddenly heard Ji Yexue's question behind him, filled with extreme resentment.

"You really are so high and mighty. Do I need you to give me any face?"

"What do you take me for, some clown? I've treated you like this, and you don't even have a shred of resentment?"

"Should I say you're gentle, or... that you never cared about me from beginning to end, that I was just someone you could do without, which is why you can be so calm?"

While Ji Yexue found it hard to accept and face the fact that her invisibility had been exposed, Qiu Yuecheng's nonchalant attitude only made her more angry and sad.

She had deceived him so much, yet he could still remain calm, adopt a superior attitude, and show her pity.

This isn't just a blatant statement—from beginning to end, he never took her seriously, so even though he was deceived, he felt nothing.

Is that all I have to say?

Despite Ji Yexue's repeated questioning, Qiuyue Cheng remained calm, showing no sign of anger or sadness.

He wasn't without anger or sadness, but that happened a couple of days ago.

He had long understood that Ji Yexue and Shiina Maki would eventually use their abilities against him again, because they couldn't control their desires.

"…Cheng, sit down, let's talk this over properly, okay?"

Ji Yexue suddenly calmed down, no longer angry as before—she was afraid that if Qiuyue Cheng really left, their relationship would be beyond repair.

She couldn't sit still any longer. She got up, walked to Qiu Yuecheng's side, grabbed his wrist, and whispered, "I will make it up to you. Please let me explain."

"explain?"

Qiu Yuecheng couldn't help but chuckle, looking at Ji Yexue with a mocking smile, and said indifferently, "Not long ago, you swore that you had never done anything to wrong me, but now you want to explain yourself to me?"

"This……"

Ji Yexue was speechless, her face full of embarrassment and frustration, wondering why she had been so stubborn in the first place.

"meeting……"

Just as Akizuki Makoto opened his mouth, he suddenly remembered something and said jokingly, "Hehe, speaking of which, should I call you President Himeya or Miss Ghost now?"

"..."

Upon hearing the words "Miss Ghost," Ji Yexue's expression changed drastically.

At this moment, her expression and her heart were filled with embarrassment, which could no longer be described as mere awkwardness or distress.

Seeing this, Akizuki Makoto also became interested. He took Ji Yexue's hand and led her back to the dining table to sit down, mocking, "Miss Ghost, what do you want to explain to me? Are you trying to explain what you did to me?"

"Sincerity..."

Ji Yexue stared blankly at Qiu Yuecheng, pursed her lips, and stammered, "I... I just... how should I put it... I just... wanted to get closer to you."

"You just want to get close to me?"

As if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, Akizuki Makoto couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Ji Yexue's words sounded utterly ridiculous to him.

Even now, she is still stubbornly lying, trying to leave herself with one last fig leaf.

But she seems to have forgotten what she actually did when she used stealth to attack him in the first place.

"Miss Ghost, let me help you recall what you meant by approaching me. What exactly did you mean by that?"

"You forced me to steal, made me your accomplice, and publicly toyed with me, trying to kill me in public. You repeatedly attacked and mocked me. This is how you approached me."

"..."

Ji Yexue's breath hitched.

When her crimes were brought to light and she was put on trial, her body began to tremble uncontrollably, her heart filled with fear and unease.

Only now was she forced to realize that she had done something terrible to Akizuki Makoto, something unforgivable.

She had previously been unwilling to face the issue, thinking that as long as she remained undetected, everything would be fine.

But now, she could no longer escape. She could only stare wide-eyed, her body trembling, and wait in fear for Akizuki Makoto to deliver his judgment.

"Speak up, is this how you want to get close to me?"

Akizuki Makoto sneered and said, word by word, "President, you've done such a terrible thing to me, yet you still say you like me? Are you playing me?"

No...no...

Ji Yexue shook her head vigorously. She tried desperately to explain her actions, but it was as if she had lost the ability to speak, and she couldn't say anything.

The once arrogant, haughty, and tough girl is now like a completely different person, just a little girl afraid of being abandoned.

"How do you expect me to see you? I've given you a shred of dignity, and you don't want it. You only want me to interrogate you like this and torture you before you're satisfied, is that it?"

At this point, Akizuki Makoto could no longer suppress his emotions. He suddenly stood up, approached Ji Yexue, and looked down at her with a ferocious expression.

"Isn't this what you wanted? Why are you looking so pitiful now? Doesn't this make me feel like it's my fault?"

"No...that's not it...I really...I really know I was wrong..."

Ji Yexue shook her head repeatedly, as if grasping at a last straw, and grabbed Qiu Yuecheng's hand, pleading, "Forgive me, just forgive me, I'll do anything..."

"enough!"

Qiu Yuecheng interrupted him with a loud roar, furiously saying, "You don't deserve to say that you'll do anything, and you can't do it either!"

He had really had enough, and when apologizing to someone, he said, "I'll do anything."

Once you say that, it means that nothing can be done.

Whether it was Shiina Maki, Himeya Yuki, or him, they all said this, but what was the result?

Despite harboring such determination, Shiina Maki dared not confess her actions.
Ji Yexue was the same; he had wanted to leave each other with a last shred of dignity, but Ji Yexue insisted on trampling on his feelings.

The results of it?
If you really explain things clearly, and do what she wants—question her, get angry with her—she won't be happy anymore.

"I really...can do anything!"

Ji Yexue held Qiu Yuecheng's hand tightly and pleaded, "I will apologize to you until you forgive me, but please don't sever ties with me."

"Why?"

Qiu Yuecheng laughed in anger and coldly questioned, "Didn't you think about the consequences of doing such a terrible thing to me?"

"Back then... I didn't have any romantic feelings for Makoto."

If her identity had been exposed when she was forcing Akizuki Makoto to steal, and when she was still hating and jealous of him, she certainly wouldn't be begging him like she is now. Instead, out of fear of being exposed, she would have killed him.

"So? Is that your explanation?"

"...Cheng, I can agree to anything you ask of me, except for severing ties with me, as long as you can forgive me."

"Forget it." Qiu Yuecheng shook his head and said in a low voice, "Every time I think about what you did to me, I can't forgive you. You are too hypocritical."

"He says he likes me, but he's doing things that hurt me."

"This isn't love, it's treating me like a toy to be played with at will."

"I can't believe you like it, and I can't understand it. You'd better think twice about it."

After saying that, Akizuki Makoto forcefully shook off Ji Yexue's hand, turned around and left the restaurant.

Ji Yexue did not try to stop Qiu Yuecheng, but just stared blankly at his back as it disappeared from sight, remaining silent for a long time.

"...Why was it exposed?"

After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly muttered in frustration and clenched her hands.

The worst-case scenario eventually happened, and she felt immense regret.

If time could be reversed, she would never have used her ability to launch a surprise attack on Akizuki Makoto on Thursday.

At this moment, the shop manager, who had been trembling all along, mustered up her courage and stepped forward, tentatively asking, "Miss, what's wrong?"

"...Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

After coldly uttering a sentence, Ji Yexue got up and left the restaurant, getting into the car waiting outside.

"go home."

After giving the driver these instructions, she closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.

Today was truly the worst day. Not only did the date we had worked so hard to create end badly, but it also exposed another side of her that we had hidden.

That dark and ugly side of her was so terrifying that even she herself found it horrifying and was unwilling to admit it, let alone be discovered by Akizuki Makoto.

As she pondered what to do next with frustration, the driver had already driven the car back to the vast Ji Ye mansion.

"Miss, please get out of the car."

The driver walked around to Ji Yexue's seat, opened the door for her, and welcomed her out of the car.

Ji Yexue silently got out of the car, and with a heavy heart, walked into the house amidst the greeting of the servants, heading straight for the Japanese-style room where her mother was.

It was nearly one o'clock in the afternoon, and Mrs. Himeya had just finished lunch and was enjoying tea in the Japanese-style room.

Hearing the screen in the Japanese-style room being pushed open, she looked up and, upon seeing Ji Yexue, exclaimed in surprise, "Xiaoxue, why are you back so soon? Weren't you on a date with Cheng-kun?"

Ji Yexue had put in a lot of effort for today's date, starting her meticulous preparations the day before.

Makeup and clothing coordination are secondary; the main thing is body care.

Ji Yexue did everything she could the day before to ensure she was in top condition.

"...something unexpected happened."

With a complicated expression, Ji Yexue walked into the Japanese-style room, came to her mother, and knelt down.

"What's wrong? Did you have a disagreement?"

Mrs. Hime asked softly, unaware of the seriousness of the matter.

In her opinion, Ji Yexue was probably too impatient and stubborn, which led to a disagreement with Qiuyue Cheng, resulting in an argument and an unpleasant ending.

"This... I don't know how to say it."

Ji Yexue pursed her lips and said in a low voice, "In short, I did something to betray him and he found out... Didn't I say a couple of days ago that his attitude suddenly became very strange? Actually, he noticed it from then on."

Originally, she didn't want to confide in her mother about these things and wanted to deal with them on her own, since she couldn't tell her mother about the wrong things she had done.

But her mother has always supported her, listened to her complaints, and given her advice. In addition, she is currently in a state of confusion and does not know what to do, so she came to seek her mother's help.

"Was it wrong...?"

Mrs. Ji Ye touched her face with one hand, her brows furrowed slightly, and asked curiously, "Xiao Xue, what kind of mistake did you make?"

"..."

Ji Yexue fell into a silent slumber, biting her lip, finding it difficult to confess her crimes.

Seeing this, Mrs. Ji sighed and said softly, "Xiaoxue, I have always supported you. You can trust your mother a little more. No matter what wrong things you do, even if it's murder or arson, your mother will stand by your side because you are my daughter."

"Of course, I will reprimand you, but I will not punish you, because you have already received the punishment you deserve."

“I have always taught you to treat your feelings with sincerity. Only in this way can Chengjun feel your affection and be moved by you.”

After listening to her mother's words, Ji Yexue remained silent for a long time. Finally, she sighed and, as if giving up, recounted the whole story.

Since she wants Akizuki Makoto's forgiveness, she should face up to the mistakes she has made.

If you can't even face it, how can you expect to be forgiven?
"..."

After listening to Ji Yexue's account, Mrs. Ji Yexue fell silent.

Her eyes and mouth widened in disbelief; after all, it was so outrageous that it completely overturned her worldview.

"It's hard for your mother to believe, isn't it? Well, I'll prove it to you."

Ji Yexue chuckled self-deprecatingly and activated her invisibility ability.

And so, Mrs. Ji Ye watched helplessly as Ji Yexue's body became transparent at a speed visible to the naked eye, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Mother, can you believe me now?"

Ji Yexue's voice came from directly in front.

Immediately afterwards, Mrs. Himeya felt something touch her arm.

"This is truly...unbelievable."

Mrs. Ji Ye blinked in astonishment, covered her mouth with her hand, and was deeply shocked.

Shocked, she was also filled with mixed feelings, because Ji Yexue had gained this ability because she had suffered greatly and even had thoughts of suicide.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoxue."

Based on her senses, Mrs. Ji Ye opened her arms and embraced Ji Yexue through the air.

At the same time, Ji Yexue also deactivated her invisibility. She rested her head on her mother's shoulder and whispered, "Now that things have come to this, let's not talk about these things anymore."

"Um... I'm sorry."

Only at this moment did Mrs. Himeya truly enter her daughter's heart and understand her long-standing pain, sorrow, and grievances.

"Mother, what should I do?"

Ji Yexue asked softly, her eyes filled with confusion, sadness, and regret at not being able to lose what she had.

"Now that things have come to this, all you can do is keep apologizing to Chengjun until he is willing to forgive you."

“I think Chengjun isn’t really unable to forgive you. He must have also been in pain and confused, not knowing how to face you, which is why he didn’t directly confront you.”

"So, from now on you must treat Chengjun sincerely, hide nothing from him, and stop lying to him or doing anything he will hate."

(End of this chapter)