Chapter 47: The Brothers' Anguish and Regret

Lin Hen's fists were clenched so tightly that the veins stood out, and his temples throbbed violently.

"Impossible, absolutely, absolutely impossible!" His eyes were filled with fierce resistance, and his voice was terrifyingly low.

The sunlight outside remained bright.

Yet, Lin Mo was gone.

Lin Mo, whom he had once loathed so deeply.

"This time I saw it clearly, it was her..."

Lin Hen hadn't mistaken her for someone else this time.

He wanted to tell Lin Mo that this time he hadn't mistaken her for someone else...

There was not a trace of color left on his face.

He had thought that if he managed to escape alive, he would definitely make it up to Lin Mo.

She had saved him time and time again.

He was not a man of stone.

Yet...

The nurse said, "You shouldn't get too excited. The search and rescue is currently underway, and there should be results today."

"Undersearch?" Lin Hen felt his vision darken, and he glared fiercely at the nurse. "What are you talking about?"

"Momo saved me. If something happened to her, there's no way I'd still be in one piece."

"We were together at the time."

By the end, his voice was trembling.

What could they possibly be retrieving?

They could only be retrieving a corpse.

The nurse hesitated. "The search and rescue team suspects that she saved all seven of you by herself."

"After all, she's just a young girl, so she might have simply exhausted her strength in the end."

"There are plenty of news reports like this every summer..."

"Shut up, get out!" Lin Hen gnashed his teeth, bending over deeply as a buzzing sound filled his ears.

A faint taste of rust rose in his throat, and his heart felt as though it were being pierced by knives.

The nurse shook her head, understanding his reaction.

After they left.

Lin Qinglang also sat blankly outside, gazing in the direction of the reservoir.

Over at the reservoir, numerous search and rescue team members were busy at work, the roar of the water pumps echoing loudly.

It sounded grating to the ears.

"Fifth Brother, please don't be too sad. Momo definitely wouldn't want to see you like this." Lin Wan's expression was also far from pleasant as she squatted down in front of Lin Qinglang. "Last night was just an accident; nobody wanted to see something like this happen."

"Enough." Suppressing his emotions, Lin Qinglang remorsefully buried his head in his hands.

Sitting on the bench, his emotional state completely crumbled.

"Yesterday, after I fell into the water, I thought I was dead for sure."

His hoarse voice carried a choked sob.

"I don't know how she managed to save all of us..."

What was even more crucial was that Lin Mo was Lin.

Right up until her death, Lin Qinglang had never once given her a pleasant look.

He was consumed by deep remorse.

Last night... why hadn't she believed her last night!

"Maybe it wasn't even her who saved us. How could a single person save so many of us?" Lin Wan frowned. "What if... what if the current simply washed us ashore?"

"The water was so turbulent at the time, and the rain was so heavy. She's not a deity."

"Wanwan, I'm begging you, stop talking." Lin Qinglang raised his eyes, bloodshot and frantic.

Lin Wan's heart skipped a beat.

Lin Mo, Lin Mo had finally died.

So why was her death suddenly making the members of her family act so strangely?

She stood up, frowning as she looked at her pained fifth brother. Fifth Brother had always been the most unkind to Lin Mo.

Why was Fifth Brother wearing such a heartbroken expression?

Did he actually have feelings for Lin Mo?

Seized by a sudden panic, Lin Wan went to looking for Mu Bai.

Mu Bai was lying in his hospital bed. The moment Lin Wan appeared, a trace of pain flashed through the depths of his eyes.

In a daze, he actually mistook Lin Wan for Lin Mo. "Momo..."

Lin Wan stiffened all over, her expression turning hideously ugly.

"L-Look closely... I'm not Momo..."

"I'm Wanwan?"

Lin Wan reached out to pull Mu Bai.

Only to have her hand pushed away by him.

"Has the memory card from the camera been restored? Is there... is there video footage recording what happened last night?"

Lin Wan felt a pang of heartache. "Brother Mu Bai, I wasn't the one who killed Momo. Why are you suddenly treating me so coldly?"

"I'm not treating you coldly," Mu Bai lowered his gaze. "I'm just afraid Momo would be unhappy if she saw this."

"She... she might still be here."

Lin Wan shivered involuntarily, suddenly terrified.

"It hasn't been confirmed that Momo is dead yet. I'm very sad too, and I believe she has her own blessed nature and will survive."

Mu Bai let out a heavy sigh. "Why..."

He muttered to himself, as if questioning his own actions.

"Why did we have to go play at the reservoir last night?"

"If we hadn't gone, none of this would have happened."

"They said it was Momo who saved us."

Lin Wan desperately wanted to fly into a rage. Momo, Momo—when she was alive, everyone loathed her.

Now that she was dead, they were still bringing up Lin Mo here, disgusting her!

"It was all my fault, it was all because I wanted to go to the reservoir."

After coldly uttering these words, she rushed out of the room, her emotions spinning out of control.

Standing outside, she clutched her head, feeling utterly miserable.

Lin Mo had died just as she wished, so why had everything only gotten worse?

Why were they reminiscing about a dead person?

Why did they feel guilty toward Lin Mo?

...

Until the afternoon, Lin Mo still had not been found.

Before leaving, the search and rescue team handed a memory card over to Lin Hen.

They boarded the vehicles.

Only, while eight people had come, only seven were returning.

The car drove straight to the Mu family residence.

Normally, this time was reserved for the cancellation banquet of the engagement between the Mu and Lin families, and they were indeed supposed to be present.

The guests had already arrived.

Inside the banquet hall.

Many people were whispering among themselves.

"It's already five o'clock in the afternoon. Why haven't Mu Bai and the Lin family appeared yet?"

"Who knows? Maybe the bride's side changed their minds and refused to break off the engagement? After all, once the engagement is broken, the woman's reputation will be ruined."

"Oh, I heard that the woman has terrible character, so the cancellation is definitely set in stone!"

"The Lin family has two daughters. The biological one doesn't even compare to a fraction of the adopted daughter."

Everyone muttered back and forth.

Unaware of the tragedy that had transpired the previous night.

Suddenly, someone gasped, "They're here."

"Huh, that Lin Mo doesn't seem to be with them?"

"Their moods look really weird. Did the bride run away? Haha..."

Mu Bai's mother stepped forward to greet them, her tone filled with dissatisfaction.

"Mrs. Lin, what is the meaning of this? We agreed on breaking the engagement, and you can't go back on your word and stall for time now!"

"Just what kind of garbage is that daughter of yours? How dare she drag down our son's reputation."

Xiao Ru spoke with a mocking tone, "Hurry up and finish the process so they can go their separate ways and marry into different families. Stop dawdling!"

Qin Lian opened her mouth, completely at a loss for words.

Lin Hen sneered coldly, "My sister dragged down your son?"

"Look at what your son was up to last night! He was the one who arranged the trip to play in the water at the reservoir. If it weren't for my sister, he'd be a corpse right now!"

He roared, "Go ask Mu Bai! He's fickle-minded, what did he ever consider my sister to be!"

Lin Hen's rebellious eyes burned with a fury so intense it seemed ready to burst into flames.

Xiao Ru frowned, momentarily stunned, before letting out a scoff. "Spare me, save it. Nothing you say can change today's outcome!"

In front of his mother, Mu Bai acted like a spineless coward, not daring to talk back.

The guests were all watching the spectacle with amusement.

"The Lin family was just trying to punch above their weight anyway. A humble little family managing to get engaged to the Mu family—they probably don't want to call it off now."

"Of course, who would want to let go once they've latched onto a powerful supporter?"

"That Lin Mo isn't worthy of Mu Bai from head to toe!"

Hearing the sarcastic remarks of the crowd, Lin Hen felt his heart ache fiercely.

He rushed straight onto the stage, shoving aside anyone who tried to stop him.

Like an enraged beast, he snatched the microphone away from the host.

A wave of uproar and commotion swept through the hall.

Glaring at the hundreds of people present, Lin Hen raised the memory card in his hand. "My sister isn't worthy of Mu Bai? Open your dog eyes and take a good look! Just who isn't worthy of whom!"