Chapter 126: Ch 126: Broken Voices and Furious Strikes

Gu Chengze’s fingers closed more tightly around Mo Xingxue’s hand.

The pressure triggered something immediate and devastating. Her chest constricted until each breath felt shallow and insufficient.

The sensation dragged her backward—back to that night when she had twisted and pulled with everything she had, pleading for him to let go, only for his grip to tighten further, unyielding no matter how desperately she fought.

The memory rose cold and heavy, the same helplessness settling into her bones like a weight she had never fully shaken off.

Tears welled in her eyes. The corners reddened. A dull, heavy pounding began behind her temples. Nausea rolled through her stomach in slow, sickening waves.

The dappled sunlight through the leaves suddenly seemed too bright, the quiet rustle of the canopy too loud. She sat frozen, trapped between the present and the past, her free hand curled tightly into the fabric of her clothes.

Then, from behind her, a familiar voice cut through the darkness.

"Xuexue."

Su Wanyan’s tone was gentle and bright, ordinary in the best possible way. To Mo Xingxue it felt like sudden sunlight flooding a place that had been sealed in absolute dark for far too long.

The sound alone was enough to drag her partially free of the memory. The soft forest light, the scent of earth and greenery, the solid presence of another person who was safe—all of it rushed back into uneven pieces.

She turned her head. Tears hovered on the edge of falling. Her entire body trembled as she struggled to form words.

"Ya.. yan...." The name came out broken, barely more than a croak. It carried months of carefully locked fear in a single fractured sound.

Su Wanyan’s easy smile vanished. She took in the tears, the shaking, and—when she fully turned—the way Gu Chengze sat far too close, his hand locked possessively around Mo Xingxue’s. The soft golden light through the leaves caught the edges of that grip, making it impossible to miss.

Something hot and sharp flared behind Su Wanyan’s eyes. She rose onto her knees in one fluid motion and shoved him hard.

Gu Chengze hit the grass with a startled grunt. His carefully arranged clothes crumpled. Grass clung to the fabric. His hair fell into disarray as he barely avoided striking his head on the ground. The soft earth gave under the impact; a few loose leaves scattered around him.

For a second he only stared, processing. Then fury overtook him. He pushed himself upright, eyes bloodshot, the earlier carefully constructed gentleness completely gone.

"What’s your problem?!" he barked, voice raw with anger as he fixed Su Wanyan with a murderous glare. The words cut through the quiet forest air like a blade.

However Su Wanyan did not spare him a single glance.

The moment he was clear of Mo Xingxue, Su Wanyan pulled the omega firmly into her arms. One hand settled against her back in steady, rhythmic strokes. The touch was warm, deliberate, and completely different from the oppressive hold that had come before. The soft snow-lotus scent mixed with the forest air between them as she gathered Mo Xingxue closer.

"It’ll be okay," she murmured. "It’ll be okay."

The warmth and gentleness of the touch—so completely different from everything that had just happened—finally shattered whatever restraint Mo Xingxue had left. She pressed her face against Su Wanyan’s midsection and broke into open sobs. The sound was raw and unguarded, rising into the leaves above them.

"I’m sc-scared," she managed between hitching breaths. "I’m scared, Yanyan. I’m scared."

The words spilled out as though they had been trapped inside her for months—no, for more than a year. Each syllable carried the weight of every time she had forced herself to stay silent, every time she had locked the fear away so no one would see.

Su Wanyan’s heart twisted painfully. She kept stroking Mo Xingxue’s back, slower now, more deliberate. The soft fabric of the omega’s clothes shifted under her palm with each pass.

The quiet forest around them continued its indifferent rhythm—the rustle of leaves, the shifting golden light—but inside the small circle of their embrace the world had narrowed to the sound of broken breathing and the steady pressure of one hand against another’s back.

"It’s okay," Su Wanyan whispered. "It’s going to be okay."

Her own eyes stung. Tears gathered but she refused to let them fall freely. Seeing her best friend like this hurt more than she had words for. A sharp, useless thought flashed through her mind—If only I had gotten here sooner—and she wanted to strike herself for it. However, she forced the self-blame aside.

You need to be strong right now, she reminded herself.

She wiped her eyes once with the back of her left hand, then wrapped both arms fully around Mo Xingxue. The hold was firm and protective, leaving no space for the earlier cold to remain.

"I’m here," she said, voice low and steady. "Don’t worry. I’m here."

Hearing that, Mo Xingxue only cried harder, the dam that had held for so long finally giving way completely. The grass pressed under them. The leaves whispered overhead. And under the shade of the old trees, the carefully maintained silence of months finally broke open in the only place Mo Xingxue still trusted enough to let it.

Across the live stream, the barrage fractured into confusion and concern.

[What’s happening?]

[Why is my Ice Queen Mo Xingxue crying?]

[Bruh, I’m so confused.]

[Is Mo Xingxue okay? Omg, please someone call PD Xu Cui.]

[I don’t think she is, twin.... CALL HER NOMINAL FATHER, Y’ALL!]

[It’s so heartbreaking seeing her cry like this though.]

[Fr fr, I can’t help but tear up a bit too.]

[Damn, why is the quality of the video so blurry?]

Others, colder and less kind, filled the gaps with judgment.

[My, such a drama queen.]

[Fr fr, Gu Chengze only touched her yet she started to cry hysterically.. attention seeker much?]

[I don’t think she should be called "Ice Queen" after all, she’s more fit for "Drama Queen" LMAO!]

[LOLOL, ACCURATE!]

[Guys, stopp. Can’t you see that she just wanted Su Wanyan’s attention? ...SHE’S SUCH A PICK ME, LMAO!]

[So she’s just an attention whore? Got it, got it.]

As they continued mocking her, Mo Xingxue’s fans and even passersby began speaking up in her defense, the chat splitting further as the quiet, devastating scene under the trees continued to unfold.

[I smell a strong vinegar scent from y’all.. take a bath sometimes, yeah? It’s polluting the chat. Thanks~!]

[Well, she’s crying sincerely so I don’t think she’s seeking attention. Meanwhile, y’all are over here acting like y’all are the shit but you guys can’t even compare with Mo Xingxue’s fingernail.]

[Even if she was seeking attention, what is it to you? You’re doing the same thing right now, after all.]

[As someone who’s studying Psychology, I can assure you there’s a deeper meaning behind those tears.]

[Thanks for informing us and these shitheads, Future Doctor.]

While the barrage continued its heated argument, the cameraman finally broke free of his stunned silence. Realizing the moment had become something private and raw, he hurriedly switched off the camera. The red recording light winked out and the lens lowered.

Just then, a low, furious grunt from Gu Chengze cut through the clearing.

He could no longer tolerate being ignored. The earlier shove, the way Su Wanyan had turned her back on him as if he were nothing, the sight of Mo Xingxue breaking down in someone else’s arms—all of it scraped against the pride he refused to examine.

Rising from the humiliating sprawl on the grass, he seized Su Wanyan’s shoulders with both hands and wrenched her around to face him. The soft fabric of her sleeves crumpled under his grip, as grass still clung to his own clothes from the fall.

The moment their eyes met, he drove his fist into her face.

The blow snapped her head to the side. The impact was sharp and sudden. Her arms loosened around Mo Xingxue for the first time since she had pulled the omega close. The quiet, protective circle she had formed cracked under the force of the strike.

"Are you deaf?!" Gu Chengze snarled, eyes bloodshot, voice cold and sharp. "I asked you what’s your problem!" His fingers dug harder into her shoulder, deliberately applying pressure.

Su Wanyan made no sound. She neither cried out from the punch nor reacted to the shouting. The pain registered—sharp, hot, immediate—but she locked it down with the same control she used in an operating room. Her gaze flicked past him to Han Jiho. A single, silent look was enough. The understanding between them needed no words.

Han Jiho moved at once. He crossed the short distance and carefully but firmly drew Mo Xingxue away. The omega’s protests rose immediately—quiet, broken sounds of "No," her hands reaching back toward Su Wanyan, her voice cracking as she insisted that Gu Chengze was a beast.

The words were raw and unfiltered, the fear still spilling out even as she was guided further from the center of the confrontation. Han Jiho’s hold remained steady, protective without being rough, until the space between Mo Xingxue and the two alphas was clear.

Only when Mo Xingxue was clear did Su Wanyan turn her full attention back to the man in front of her.

The same left hand that had wiped her own tears and held Mo Xingxue only moments earlier clenched into a fist. The soft grass pressed under her knees as she shifted her weight. Then.. she drove it straight into Gu Chengze’s nose.

"Gah—!"

The impact forced him to release her. Both of his hands flew up to clutch at his face. The carefully maintained composure of the Zen Corporation CEO shattered under the sudden, precise force.

Before he could recover, Su Wanyan’s fingers locked around his collar and yanked him forward. The fabric strained under the grip.

The expression on her face was no longer gentle or restrained. Pure, controlled fury burned in her eyes as she held him there, the air between them taut and dangerous.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Yoi know, I think I shouldn’t set an update schedule... I won’t even be able to follow it anyway TvT. Also, this was suggested by the peeps in the server y’all. I wanted to end it but they were like, "Nahh, more angst." and I was like, "But.. but I don’t want more angst." But as usual, they beat me and I ended up doing this... it AIN’T my fault y’all. (Also, forgive me for my redundancy... I am running out of words to use TvT).