Chapter 19: Finally Leaving

This was a habit left over from her previous life. Cautious and insecure... Even as a popular actress, her wardrobe remained pitifully sparse. She had long grown accustomed to having no home.

Lin Mo looked utterly exhausted. What bound her to the Lin family was not material wealth, but the kinship she yearned for. Yet now, she no longer needed it. She lifted her eyes to them, her gaze as calm and cold as autumn night waters—seemingly tranquil, yet if touched, chilling to the bone.

“I can leave anytime,” she said.

Qin Lian was taken aback. “Lin Mo, what do you mean? Are you planning to cut ties with us?”

Her enraged tone cut through the room. “If you have the guts to leave, then don’t ever come back! We lived perfectly fine without you for the past eighteen years—better than now!”

Lin Tiancheng hurried to intervene, “Alright, alright, don’t say that. Mo Mo and Wan Wan are both our daughters; we shouldn’t treat them unequally.”

“Mo Mo, if you disagree, then let’s just drop this matter…”

“No!” Qin Lian snapped anxiously, “If she disagrees, what about Wan Wan? What will happen to Wan Wan?”

“Wan Wan has always been outstanding. Since she was three, we’ve sent her to piano lessons…”

“I poured so much effort into Wan Wan, and Lin Mo ruined it all!”

“Mom, please don’t push Mo Mo anymore.” Lin Wan finally broke down in tears, “I’m the one who failed, I let you down…”

“I shouldn’t have let Mo Mo’s insults affect my exam mood. It was my fault…”

“Mom, I’ll repeat a year. I can get into a university next time…”

Her sobs shook her shoulders, fragile as a sprout trembling in the wind—utterly vulnerable.

Qin Lian’s heart ached—not just for Lin Wan’s tears, but for herself as a mother.

“Wan Wan, this is her debt to you.”

“If she hadn’t deliberately insulted you the day before your exam, how could you have done so badly?”

She cast a venomous glare at Lin Mo. “Wan Wan didn’t get in because of you. You can’t refuse!”

Lin Mo had no energy left to argue. Fortunately, there was little in the house. Everything she needed was already with her: ID card, bank card, phone, admission notice.

The night outside was pitch black. Without hesitation, Lin Mo stepped into the darkness behind which Qin Lian’s curses rang out—harsh, bitter words hurled like weapons.

Lin Wan continued her gentle, pleading role, playing the devoted little daughter. But everything became muffled, indistinct.

The enormous Lin family villa was brightly lit with warm orange lights—yet the atmosphere was cold, harsh, suffocating.

Outside, the sparse stars and bright moon barely pierced the darkness, obscuring the world. But for Lin Mo, the path ahead shone brightly...

Her steps grew lighter than ever, quickening as if treading on clouds. The summer breeze brushed against her skin, soothing.

She arrived at the internet café she frequented, tapping the cashier’s desk.

“Knock knock.”

Zheng Xiu looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Tsk, haven’t seen you for a while.”

“Overnight,” she said.

Zheng Xiu noticed her suitcase and already knew her background. A sly smile crept across his face. “Wow, with you like this, maybe you need a monthly pass?”

“Ran away from home,” Lin Mo replied with a faint smile. “None of your business. Don’t think I’m some naive girl you can fool—I’m smart.”

Zheng Xiu nodded without doubt. “Of course.”

Lin Mo placed her ID card on the table casually. “I’m not getting a monthly pass. I’ll be living near campus tomorrow.”

“The top university in our province, huh? Not bad,” Zheng Xiu said, surprised. Usually, this beauty was icy and distant, but today she seemed in better spirits, despite her disheveled state—her condition was excellent.

“Congratulations.”

He powered on a computer. “By the way, you’re here to earn money playing games, right? Staying up late isn’t good, and once you start school, you definitely won’t be able to keep doing that.”

Zheng Xiu pulled a business card from the drawer. “Here, a big company is hiring an assistant for odd jobs.”

“Trust me, this guy won’t screw you over. The pay’s good, and you’ll get solid experience for your resume.”

Lin Mo was about to refuse. She didn’t accept kindness without reason. But her eyes caught the company name: Chuan Guang Group.

A top-tier Fortune 500 company.

“This group only hires employees with at least a 985 graduate degree,” Zheng Xiu clicked his tongue. “But part-time jobs are different. Call them up and ask—they’ll definitely interview someone with your credentials. If not, come back and beat me up.”

Lin Mo needed a job. She couldn’t keep going to the internet café every day; the dorm had a curfew. Playing games late at night would disturb her roommates.

She slipped the card into her pocket. “Thanks.”

“You don’t seem like an ordinary internet café cashier.”

Zheng Xiu laughed. “Of course not. I own this café. Not just this one, but the whole building.”

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. “You’re quite the joker.”

After that, she went to her private streaming room. She hadn’t streamed for over half a month, so her popularity had waned, peak viewers down to fifty thousand.

The Lin family was a complete mess.

Qin Lian sat on the sofa, still fuming after taking medicine. Lin Mo was her enemy incarnate. She must have committed some grievous sin in a past life to be cursed with such a daughter.

“Ouch, my chest hurts so much.”

“If I die someday, it’ll be because Lin Mo drove me crazy.”

Lin Wan’s eyes were swollen and red. “Mom, you must be hurting a lot, right?”

Lin Tiancheng’s face was grave. On one hand, Lin Wan’s academic dreams were dashed; on the other, Lin Mo had run off somewhere unknown.

If he searched for Lin Mo now, it might only make her more unruly.

Lin Hen held car keys. “Dad, should I go look by the roadside?”

“No, no,” Lin Tiancheng waved irritably. “Let her suffer a little today, so she won’t be so willful in the future.”

“Only when she’s outside will she realize that food, clothing, and shelter all cost money.”

“This time, we’ll wait for her to come back on her own when she’s out of options.”

Lin Hen glanced at the sky but understood that Lin Mo probably wouldn’t return in disgrace. She was stubborn and resilient—not some naive girl from the countryside.

Lin Qinglang scowled. “Second brother, don’t bother with her. Even if she dies out there, she’s not worth pity.”

“That’s too harsh!” Lin Yunhe shook his head. “She’s still Lin family blood.”

Irritated, Lin Qinglang went to the kitchen for water. His phone vibrated. The house was in disarray; he was dizzy and furious, so he stayed in the kitchen.

“This Lin Mo really is a jinx!”

He checked his phone and saw that the account he followed—lin—was online.

Feeling guilty, he glanced toward the living room where the family gathered around their mother. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to log in quietly.

Lin Qinglang muted his phone and sent a thousand-yuan gift in her livestream.

Like a sycophant, his attitude did a complete about-face.

“Lin, been busy lately? Don’t work too hard. Girls need to take care of their health. Go buy some tonics.”

Before he could send a second message, he found himself kicked out of the stream.

Lin Qinglang: “What the hell???”