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◎The Right to Refuse 3 (End)◎

Hearing what Mu and Qing said, Jiang Mu felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders; he knew he had done the right thing.

"Heqing, there's something I don't understand." Jiang Mu pressed his forehead against Mu Heqing's. "Your classmates are all very capable. They can get you any amount of money you want, so why do you still need to go to work?"

Mu Heqing's eyes were soft, but her words caused Jiang Mu's soul to tremble.

"I only know one thing: everything has a price. Look at those who have used their abilities, how many of them have met a good end? I don't use their abilities for my own desires. I use their abilities only to quell the chaos they bring."

"Qing, you remembered?"

"No, but I know something must have happened that I don't know about. Jiang Mu, can you tell me what you know now?"

"Wow, Qing, you've known all along?" Jiang Mu exclaimed softly.

Mu Heqing shook his head and told Jiang Mu about his encounter with Tang Ruxing and Deng Qian that day.

"I don't know, but there are too many inconsistencies that make it hard for me not to be suspicious. Especially you, suddenly showing up at my house and acting like we're very close."

She poked Jiang Mu's chest with her fingertip.

Jiang Mu grasped her fingertips, pulled Mu Heqing's hands into his arms, and smiled, "We've always been very close."

He told him everything about Uncle Gua.

"Uncle Gua said that you became like this because you drank the potion from their research institute. You will treat them as your own kind. To you, we are just unimportant creatures."

"And what about you?"

“I’m an exception, a lucky one.” Jiang Mu stroked Mu Heqing’s face.

“I’ve met this Uncle Gua before,” Mu Heqing said. “Do you know what the ingredients of that potion are?”

"Let me ask."

Jiang Mu picked up his phone and remembered that he had blocked Uncle Gua, so he could only remove him from the blacklist first.

After a while, Jiang Mu came over and said to Mu and Qing, "It's a strange plant with leaves that look like eyes. Qing, Uncle Gua also asked if you know what happened? A large number of strange creatures have flooded into Ancheng, and it's far out of control."

"What?" Mu and Qing walked to the window and looked into the distance. The whole city was shrouded in fog, and the bustling traffic and flashing lights could not be seen. Only a dreamy and hazy pink fog remained.

From within the pink mist, roars and whispers rose and fell; a single glance, a single sound, was enough to tell of the danger—extreme danger.

"Jiang Mu, you stay here and don't go anywhere. I'm going out to check." Mu Heqing knew things were going badly, so she hurriedly went out.

“But I’m worried about you.” Jiang Mu looked at Mu Heqing with concern.

Mu Heqing hugged him and whispered, "Seven years ago, I was able to leave No. 13 Middle School. Now, I can also get out of this situation. Believe me."

Jiang Mu cupped Mu Heqing's face in her hands, her voice filled with deep sorrow, and said, "I thought I had nothing left to fear, I thought I had enough, but now I realize that I am still powerless."

“No, I need you. You are indispensable to me,” Mu Heqing said earnestly. She took something from the kitchen, stuffed it into her pocket, and then smiled as she closed the door, separating the two of them.

She stepped into the dreamlike mist, the image of the strange plant Jiang Mu had described appearing in her mind, and she kept asking questions.

Why, why can't I remember?

Why, why does He only appear in dreams and never in reality?

Of course, you can refuse me; you have the right to refuse me. You can refuse me when you're unhappy.

You never told me how to refuse you, so how am I supposed to refuse you!

Mu and Qing were furious. They arbitrarily altered her feelings, pretended to be her friends, and made her forget her family and friends. Was that what they called making her refuse?

"Qing, what are you doing here?" Deng Qian asked.

Mu and Qing arrived at the barbecue restaurant first. She said coldly, "Stay here and don't go out. Go home when the fog clears. Also, tell Tang Ruxing and the others."

"Qing, your tone... you sound like a completely different person?" Deng Qian didn't understand; she was just concerned about her friend whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Do as I say."

Deng Qian only heard those words. When she looked outside the shop, she only saw pink mist and could not see Mu and Qing's figures.

…………

Fa Jiuyi held his palm deep, pink mist dancing in it. He murmured to himself, "Did they release them because they knew they were going to be rejected?"

"Principal, what exactly happened? Who is He?" Mu Heqing stood behind him.

Despite his frail appearance, Fa Jiuyi still wore a smile. "He Qing, do you know who He is? He is our origin, the source of our strength. You should remember everything by now, remember what happened that day at No. 13 Middle School."

"Ah." Mu Heqing clutched his forehead in pain, fragmented images flashing through his mind: the eerie plant, the countless eyes.

Fa Jiu asked, "He Qing, is it really unacceptable? Unacceptable to spend time with us?"

Mu Heqing's face was contorted with pain, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She cried out, "Tell me, where is He!"

"He has always been by your side, Qing."

Mu and Qing pushed aside the things around them, and the porcelain shattered all over the ground. She ran out.

They hadn't run far when they encountered Li Shi, who still had that perfect face, with Li Yu standing beside him.

Li Shi called out to her, "He Qing, where are you going?"

"I don't know." Mu Heqing shook his head and walked forward, while Li Shi's words to Li Yu could be heard through the fog.

Li Shi said, "I'm leaving."

Li Yu asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm home." Li Shi's voice was very soft as he said "home," and it quickly disappeared into the fog.

Mu and Qing continued walking forward, wandering aimlessly through the city like headless flies, but she had a premonition that the fog would soon dissipate tonight.

"He Qing!" The familiar voice came again from the mist.

Sifei appeared with Cai, her braids swinging. She waved to Mu and Qing with a big smile, but Mu and Qing gritted their teeth and pretended not to see her. She continued walking forward.

It hurts so much, it hurts so much, my left eye hurts so much, it feels like it's going to jump out of its socket.

Mu and Qing covered their eyes and continued walking forward.

"Don't go any further. Even if you're angry with me, don't go any further." This is a disappearing, lingering shadow.

Mu and Qing continued walking forward.

Archie stood by the roadside, saying helplessly, "Do they really hate my bugs that much?"

Mu and Qing ignored it and continued walking forward.

"He Qing, life is just a game, why take it so seriously?" An elegant voice rang out, and Hua Zha extended his palm to Mu He Qing.

"I'm going to take this seriously."

Mu and Qing walked to the end of the road.

Nightmare and Feathered Corpse were already there waiting for her.

"Hey Qing, it's been so long! Do you miss your brother? Give him what's in your pocket, okay?" Bao Yan squatted on the ground, grinning, while Yu Hai stood silently beside him.

Mu and Qing reached into their pockets and said, "You gave me the right to refuse, and now I'm refusing. I want to go back to my old life."

“He Qing, do you know that after you do this, you will never see your brother again? You will have to go back to a boring and mundane life. Don’t you think it’s a pity?” Bao Yan asked.

"This is the life I've been pursuing."

Mu and Qing took something out of their pocket; it was a kitchen knife.

"In the end, we still couldn't make you like us. Sigh, Yu Hai, say something too." Bao Yan sighed.

Yu Hai turned her head away and said in a very soft voice, "Let her be. If she lives a long time, we might be able to see the old lady Mu Heqing again when we come out of No. 13 Middle School."

"Then there's no need." Mu Heqing's lips twitched.

She's only in her twenties and she's already been through so much. How will she be able to handle it when she's an old lady?

"He Qing, I'll ask you one last time, do you really want to do this?" Bao Yan stood up. "We haven't killed Jiang Mu yet because human relationships are too fragile. You can split up, you can betray each other, you can hurl insults at each other. He Qing, have you seen them betray each other for profit, fight each other for power? Do you really want to return to such a world?"

Mu Heqing looked up and said, "There's nothing I can do about it. I'm just living in this world."

He hugged Mu and Qing, then quickly let go.

"Goodbye then, Qing."

Yu Hai said from the side, "Exercise your right to refuse us."

Mu Heqing raised the knife and touched her left eye.

Why are her eyes always burning and in pain? The principal said that He was always by her side, with countless eyes on His leaves, one of which was inside her eyeball.

She remembered everything.

How can I reject you?

[Poke me hard. My power will dissipate, and I will temporarily disappear.]

She widened her left eye, stabbed down hard with the knife, and with a snap, her left eye, which didn't belong to her, was pulled out.

Blood flowed from Mu Heqing's left eye, blurring her vision. Xiangyuan appeared beside her at some point and wiped away the blood.

"If we can meet again, I'll try my best to cook something delicious for you," Xiangyuan said.

Mu and Qing stared wide-eyed, trying to see everything clearly.

The pink mist has faded.

The figures surrounding her also faded away.

"This is the first time I've seen you clearly." Mu and Qing fell to the ground and were gently embraced.

She gazed into the night, she gazed into the world.

Seven years later, she finally graduated and left No. 13 Middle School for good.

This time, she will not succumb to darkness; she will face life with a smile.

Happy graduation.

…………

Another birthday has come around.

Jiang Mu was unusually nervous. He pursed his lips and asked Mu Heqing in a low voice, "Qingqing, will Mom and Dad not like me?"

After he learned that Deng Qian called Mu and Qing by the nickname "Qing," he changed his way of addressing them.

"No way, aren't you universally loved?" Mu Heqing asked.

"Don't joke around at a time like this!" Jiang Mu said anxiously, tugging at Mu Heqing's sleeve.

He was very nervous, and the two women he had been cricketing with were watching him intently from across the room.

"Mu and Qing haven't seen each other for so long, is it because they're dating?" Tang Ruxing, who was known for her foul language, raised an eyebrow, while Deng Qian, who was known for her strong fighting skills, remained silent.

"Hello, both of you. I brought you gifts." Jiang Mu said with a friendly smile.

Just then, the doorbell rang; it was Mu Heqing's aunt.

Auntie rushed over and gave Mu and Qing a hug, "Ah, Qingqing, I missed you so much! I heard you're dating someone, let me see where your boyfriend is!"

"Hello, Auntie." Jiang Mu stood up, thinking to himself, "I'm going to have to change how I address you again."

Things went even more smoothly than Jiang Mu had imagined. Mu and Qing's parents were incredibly friendly, and after they finished eating, they took a group photo.

Jiang Mu blushed as she looked at the photos on Mu Heqing's WeChat Moments, where he was now a part of the group.

"bite--"

The doorbell rang again.

Mu and Qing got up to open the door, wondering who would be knocking at this hour.

A food delivery driver was standing outside the door. He asked, "Excuse me, are you Ms. Mu?"

Mu and Qing nodded.

"This is your birthday cake, please accept it."

Who else would send her a birthday cake?

Her relatives and friends are all in this house.

She took the cake and opened the birthday card inside.

The greeting card read: Happy Birthday to our dearest Mu and Qing! From all the good friends of No. 13 Middle School.

Mu and Qing's hand trembled, and they almost dropped the cake on the ground.

A small piece of paper floated on the ground. On it was a drawing of a strange plant and a line of text that read: "How could we possibly wait until you're all old and gray before we come out! We'll meet you soon, wait for us."

Mu Heqing took a deep breath. She thought that the rest of her life would be lived in a plain and uninteresting way, just as she had imagined.

She's ridiculously naive.

(End of article)

[Author's Note]

It's finished! Thank you for reading!

This novel was originally intended to depict the strange daily lives of Mu and Qing, which is why her eccentric classmates won't disappear. This novel is simply a part of her strange daily life, hahaha! In her world, her life will continue to be bizarre!

Finally, thank you to all my friends who have always supported me, muah! Thank you so much!

Thank you everyone! *kiss*

Bye-bye, see you in the next novel!

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