CHAPTER 174: FOR LOVE

Yuan Ni was stunned when he heard Su Mo’s words. He was so focused on the soup and his impending death that he didn’t even notice Su Mo, and it was only when the mer spoke up that he sensed his presence.

"Su Mo, what are you doing here?" Yuan Ni asked, his voice filled with surprise.

Su Mo’s brows raised slightly as he looked at Yuan Ni. He knew his friend way too long to understand that there was something wrong with him. His brows furrowed a little, and he said to Yuan Ni, "What’s the matter with you? Are you up to something crooked again?"

"No!" Yuan Ni replied quickly. A bit too quickly, which caused Su Mo to raise one of his brows in question. Seeing this, Yuan Ni knew that he might have made Su Mo even more suspicious. He licked his lips and then said to Su Mo, "It’s nothing. I am just cooking some soup for Shao Xia; you know that I am with her. My grandmother doesn’t agree with my decision, so she has been upset with me. I was just thinking about how to make my grandmother agree."

After he finished thinking, he raised the large wooden stick and squashed the poisonous mushrooms that were floating on the surface of the soup. Even though he knew that Su Mo didn’t know that these mushrooms were poisonous, his guilty conscience made it difficult for him, and he couldn’t help but act sneaky.

When Su Mo heard his response, he couldn’t help but frown. He said to Yuan Ni, "Since your grandmother doesn’t like her, why do you insist on staying with her? There must have been a reason, or else your grandmother would have never refused to accept Shao Xia. So, why don’t you listen to her?"

Su Mo could never understand why Yuan Ni was this eager to latch onto Shao Xia. Though the woman was good-looking and strong, she was cold and vicious. She was also greedy and manipulative. Even though she was the one who broke the promise that she made to Xie Daiyu, she somehow managed to turn the mers of the tribe against Xie Daiyu and made him look like he was the unreasonable one.

Su Mo also used to chase after Shao Xia, but after realising what kind of person she was, he stopped bothering her. She didn’t even stand by the side of the mer who helped her in her hardest time and even helped her in training. If a woman like her couldn’t be moved by the hard work that Xie Daiyu had done for her and even abandoned him in front of the tribe like that, all to save her own face, then was she even worth it?

Su Mo didn’t believe that she was. Thus, he could not understand why his good friend was still hung up on that woman when he could have chosen just about anyone. There were all kinds of women who were waiting for Yuan Ni to turn and pay attention to them, but he was still chasing after Shao Xia. Why? This was something that Su Mo might never be able to understand.

"What do you know?" Yuan Ni was annoyed. It was bad enough that his grandmother kept telling him that he was making a mistake. He didn’t want his best friend to keep him the same. He liked Shao Xia, so why did these people have so much to say about it? Even if his life were ruined, it wouldn’t harm anyone. Right? So why did these people have so much to say about the decision of his life?

After he finished speaking, Yuan Ni turned, scooped a large bowl of soup, and then dumped the rest on the ground, as he was worried that Su Mo would take it away.

Su Mo watched Yuan Ni walk away and shook his head. He couldn’t understand why his friend, despite being so smart, was acting so foolishly. Did he think that if he continued licking up to Shao Xia, the woman would care for him? He turned and looked at Shao Xia, who was standing in the centre of the mers who were admiring her, and a sudden rush of anger washed over him. He couldn’t understand why Shao Xia was behaving like this. She was insufferable in the past as well, but at least she had some decency; now she was simply insufferable without a hint of respect for the mers around her. She looked at them like she was looking at something that could be used and discarded.

Like she was the beast queen!

Something that she clearly wasn’t.

What Su Mo could see, Yuan Ni could see too. However, he was not angry. In fact, he was relieved, as he thought that he wouldn’t have to worry about Shao Xia; even if he died, Shao Xia would certainly be taken care of. As long as she was safe and happy, his grandmother would be fine as well. There was nothing that he needed to worry about.

I am sorry, grandmother. I know I shouldn’t leave you alone, but I love Shao Xia so much that I just cannot go against her. I hope that you will take care of yourself and don’t blame Shao Xia too much, and as for Ruan Chanchan... Yuan Ni’s heart started to hurt just thinking about the poor woman who was going to be dragged down with him. I will apologise to her in my next life. As long as I have another chance, I will apologise to her and take good care of her.

He then raised the soup and drank it all in one gulp.

Even though the taste of the soup was bitter, he still held on and swallowed it all. The result was instantaneous; Yuan Ni’s face turned pale, and he started to sweat heavily. He turned to look at Shao Xia, who noticed his helpless gaze, but instead of feeling sorry for what she had made the poor mer do, her eyes lit up with glee as she realised that her plan was finally close to success.