Chapter Thirty-Seven: Mu Cenlin, you bastard!

Before he could finish speaking, and before Li Bao'er even had a chance to react, Mu Cenlin's dark figure flashed like a ghost. He lightly touched the thick branches with his toes and actually leaped up without hesitation. In a few leaps, he completely disappeared into the thick night, leaving her all alone on this tall and dizzying ancient tree!

Li Bao'er stared in disbelief at the direction he had disappeared, utterly unable to believe he had just left! Leaving her alone up in such a tall tree?!

She stood there stunned for several seconds before a surge of immense grievance welled up inside her, replacing the pain she had felt from his words.

"Mu Cenlin! You bastard! You son of a bitch! You lunatic!" She couldn't hold back any longer. Clinging to the tree trunk, she angrily cursed in the direction he had disappeared, her voice trembling with tears, "How dare you really leave me here! Come back! Come back to me!"

"Damn it! I'm about to turn evil! I'm not finished with you guys!"

However, the only response she received was the rustling of leaves in the night wind and the faint chirping of insects in the distance.

Bao'er cautiously glanced down and immediately felt dizzy. Terrified, she quickly clung tightly to the tree trunk. The tree was too tall, and the branches were slippery; there was no way she could get down by herself!

The night was deep and the dew was heavy; in the desolate wilderness, what a disastrous start!

[Host! Calm down! Calm down! Cursing won't solve the problem!] 001 was pacing anxiously. [The most urgent thing is to call for help!]

Li Bao'er suddenly came to her senses.

Yes! Help!

She disregarded her image and shame, took a deep breath, and shouted with all her might in the general direction of Qingfeng Manor:

"Help! Is anyone there?!"

"Help! I'm here! In the tree! Help!"

"Li Yu! Ye Yun! Zhang Chi! Did you hear me?! Help!"

However, no one responded. On the other side, when Mu Cenlin suddenly left with Li Bao'er in his arms, everyone in the manor looked at each other, thinking that the two would not return. In addition, it was already late at night, so the gathering naturally ended and everyone left.

Therefore, when Li Bao'er's cries for help pierced through the silent night, the front yard was already deserted.

Ling Jin, who was sitting alone on the distant veranda staring blankly at the ashes of the grill because he had something on his mind, vaguely heard shouts coming from the direction of the back mountain. That voice... sounded somewhat like the young lady!

His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately got up and ran quickly toward the source of the sound.

The closer they got to the back of the mountain, the clearer the voice became, filled with obvious panic and helplessness—it was Li Bao'er!

Ling Jin was greatly alarmed. He used his lightness skill to increase his speed and rushed to the tree in a few leaps.

Under the moonlight, Li Bao'er stood trembling on the thick branch of the towering ancient tree, her eyes closed, as if she was about to make a desperate leap!

The height was enough to terrify Ling Jin! How could the young lady, with her delicate frame, possibly survive a jump like that?!

"Miss, no!" he exclaimed. Before he could think, his body acted before his mind could react. He rushed forward, opened his arms, and at the critical moment, caught Li Bao'er as she jumped down in his arms!

The enormous impact caused him to stagger several steps before regaining his balance. Li Bao'er, who was in his arms, was terrified, her face pale, her hands gripping his shirt tightly, her body still trembling slightly.

"Ling...Ling Jin?" Li Bao'er was still in shock. When she saw who had caught her, she almost burst into tears. "How could it be you..."

Ling Jin held her tightly, feeling the slight trembling of the person in his arms and the fear of surviving a close call. His heart slowly returned to normal, followed by a surge of lingering fear and anger: "Miss! How could you jump from such a height! What if I hadn't made it in time...!" He simply couldn't imagine the consequences.

Li Bao'er was extremely aggrieved, her voice choked with sobs, "It was that bastard Mu Cenlin! He left me up there and ran away! I called for ages but no one came, I thought... I thought you were all gone..."

She left the rest of her sentence unsaid: "If I jump, Mu Cenlin will definitely die from the pain, and I won't let him get away with it!"

Listening to her tearful accusations, Ling Jin frowned, his dissatisfaction with the Prince Jing's behavior growing stronger.

He could only soften his voice and reassure her, "I haven't left. It's alright, Miss, you're safe now."

He carefully put Li Bao'er down, and only after she was steady did he let go of her, take a half step back, and respectfully lower his head. However, his tightly clenched fists betrayed his unsettled emotions.

With her feet firmly on the ground, Li Bao'er finally felt relieved, but what followed was anger towards Mu Cenlin.

[Host, calm down, calm down! Character design! Image!] 001 weakly reminded.

Li Bao'er took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to curse, straightened her slightly disheveled clothes and hair, and tried her best to remain calm, but her slightly reddened eyes and tightly pursed lips still betrayed her emotions.

"Regarding tonight's events," she paused, her voice still a little hoarse, "thank you, Ling Jin. Go back now, and don't tell anyone."

"Yes, Miss."

Ling Jin stood protectively beside Li Bao'er, walking silently for a short distance. Moonlight shone on her slightly pale face.

The image of her hanging helplessly and panicked on the tree just now, and her current pretense of strength, kept intertwining in his mind.

Ling Jin suddenly stopped and stood in front of Li Bao'er.

Li Bao'er was taken aback and looked up at him in surprise: "Ling Jin?"

Ling Jin's chest heaved violently a few times. A hidden pang of heartache stirred in his usually calm and obedient eyes. His voice was low, and for the first time, he overstepped the boundaries of master and servant, asking the question buried deep in his heart:

“Miss! You are so good... intelligent, kind, and generous to your servants... why do you insist on wasting all your attention on those two princes?”

"Mu Yuan...when has he ever truly cherished your feelings? He's just taking advantage of your infatuation! And His Highness Prince Jing...his temperament is so unpredictable, his methods so ruthless, he even abandoned you alone in danger just now! They, they are not worthy of you at all!"

His gaze was intense, filled with a pure and unquestionable protectiveness: "There are so many fine young men in the capital, why do you insist on revolving around these two? Why do you agonize over them, even... even repeatedly put yourself in danger? Is it worth it?"

Li Bao'er was completely stunned. Looking at the usually taciturn boy who only expressed his loyalty through actions, she was now so excited and out of control for her sake.

She opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know how to answer.

[Host! This is a message from a loyal little wolf! It's a bit over the line, but it's so touching!] 001 whispered in her mind at the right moment.

A night breeze blew by, bringing a touch of coolness. Li Bao'er looked at Ling Jin's tense profile and clenched fists, and in the end, she could only let out a very soft sigh.

“Ling Jin, look at these dazzling stars, it seems like you could pluck them at will.” Li Bao’er’s gaze also turned to the distance, her tone calm but carrying an indescribable sense of destiny. “But everyone has their own path, and many times… you can’t avoid it just because you want to.”

She withdrew her gaze, looked at Ling Jin, and smiled with a hint of self-mockery: "Some roads, once embarked upon, cannot be turned back. It's not about whether they're worth it, but... we have no choice but to do them."

"But Miss," Ling Jin wanted to say something more.

Bao'er interrupted him: "I know you've always treated me like family, so I hope this world can continue to exist well. Don't worry about me, your young lady is fine!"