Chapter 186 Declaring Sovereignty

Seeing that Su Youling remained silent, Su Hong sighed softly, walked over and patted her shoulder. "Mom won't stop you. Just be clear about what you're doing. Saying goodbye properly is fine. But Mom wants to remind you that when the day comes to part ways, don't be indecisive."

Su Youling hugged her back and replied in a muffled voice, "Mom, I know."

But in reality, she had no confidence at all.

It had been quite a while since she moved out of the hotel, and when Su Youling stepped into this place again, she felt a sense of unfamiliarity, as if she had been transported to another world.

That's understandable, since she's always lived here as a stand-in, ready to leave at any time, so how could she possibly feel a sense of belonging?

Su Youling made her way to the third floor without any hindrance. As soon as she looked up, Shen Xiyue's face, which was almost identical to hers, suddenly came into view.

Her pupils contracted sharply, and almost instinctively she quickly hid herself in the corridor, as if the cold air seeping from somewhere had penetrated her limbs and bones.

When did Shen Xiyue return?

No wonder, no wonder Li Tingxi changed his attitude so quickly and was so eager to send her away, even failing to appear when she was discharged from the hospital.

The reason why Li's mother wanted to see him was clearly because his beloved "white moonlight" had returned to the country.

Li Tingxi had just proposed to her not long ago, professing his love for her. What does this mean now? He brazenly lets Shen Xiyue stay in a hotel?

As Su Youling was lost in thought, Li Tingxi's voice came from the other end of the corridor, "Didn't you say you didn't get enough rest? Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

The blood in her body seemed to freeze in that instant.

But Su Youling was unwilling to give up and secretly peeked halfway into the corridor.

Shen Xiyue stood at the door of Li Tingxi's room, and in a soft, husky voice that sounded like she had just woken up, she said to Li Tingxi, "I woke up and didn't see you, so I was a little scared."

As she spoke, Li Tingxi's tall figure had already walked up to her.

From Su Youling's angle, his figure completely enveloped the petite Shen Xiyue, who seemed to be leaning against him, before letting out a gasp.

Li Tingxi not only didn't push the person away, but also slowly raised his arm, as if he were embracing the person.

Shen Xiyue struggled for a moment, then said in a tone that was both helpless and coaxing, "Don't rush, it'll be over soon."

Su Youling stared wide-eyed, almost self-harmingly etching this scene into her mind.

What are they doing? Kissing? Or something more intimate? They can't wait to even go into the room?

No, or maybe these two just got out of bed. After all, Shen Xiyue looks like she just woke up. She probably just got out of Li Tingxi's bed. She was in a hurry to find him as soon as she woke up. How inseparable are these two?

Su Youling gave a bitter smile, a look that was both crying and laughing. When she looked down, she noticed that her palms were covered with red marks from being pinched by her fingernails, and some of them were even bleeding.

She suddenly felt incredibly ridiculous. What was Li Tingxi's previous proposal? Was it just a trick to manipulate her? She almost believed it.

He merely feigned a little bit of emotion, and she was completely fooled. How incredibly stupid of her.

She thought Li Tingxi was unhappy about her leaving and was still trying to explain to him, but it turned out he already had a beautiful woman by his side.

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They probably just think she's an eyesore and doesn't know how to behave.

If Li Tingxi knew how stupid she was, he would probably laugh at her and despise her in his heart.

Su Youling felt as if her soul had been ripped out; she didn't even know how she got out of the hotel.

Just after Su Youling left, Li Tingxi finally untangled Shen Xiyue's hair that was wrapped around his collar and subtly distanced himself from her.

Shen Xiyue's face was still flushed, and her newly formed romantic feelings cooled down after seeing his actions to distance himself from her.

She suppressed the resentment in her eyes, forced a smile, and looked at Li Tingxi with a slightly hurt and pitiful gaze. "I'm sorry, Tingxi, all your buttons are broken. How about I buy you a new shirt? What style do you like?"

"No need, it's just a piece of clothing," Li Tingxi refused calmly, showing no intention of pressing the matter further. "What are your plans after you return to China?"

Shen Xiyue gave a bitter smile, her thin face looking pitiful. "What other plans do I have? You should know best that I have nowhere to turn now."

Li Tingxi instinctively frowned, feeling a surge of irritation.

In the past, he would have felt some pity for Shen Xiyue out of consideration for their past relationship, but for some reason, what came to mind now was Su Youling's stubborn and defiant little face.

Mingming had always thought of Shen Xiyue as a gentle and pure person, but now he inexplicably felt that she was a bit affected.

Unbeknownst to him, Su Youling's influence on him had reached this point; had she bewitched him in some way?

Thinking of Su Youling's repeated attempts to divorce him, Li Tingxi became increasingly irritable, and his tone unconsciously became somewhat harsh: "Since you have no plans, how about I give you a suggestion? You must have considered divorce, right?"

Before Shen Xiyue could answer, he continued in an unyielding tone, "Our engagement was originally just a stopgap measure to maintain the interests of both families. You ran away from the engagement without considering the consequences, and it was Su Youling who fulfilled the engagement for you and stabilized the reputation of both families. Now that the Shen family is in this situation, I have done my best for you, and this marriage should come to an end."

"As for Su Youling..." He paused, making no attempt to hide his selfish motives, "From beginning to end, she was just an innocent victim caught in the crossfire of the interests of the Shen and Li families. Our divorce could be due to the breakdown of our relationship, or it could be because you don't want to involve the Li family because of the Shen family's affairs, but Su Youling must be completely clean in the end."

At this point, Li Tingxi looked at Shen Xiyue with a calm, even somewhat aloof, expression, "Do you understand what I mean?"

Shen Xiyue never expected him to be so ruthless, tearing off the mask of civility right away.

In particular, his words and actions made no attempt to conceal his protection of Su Youling, openly including her in his sphere of influence, which was tantamount to asserting his sovereignty.

Shen Xiyue's face turned pale instantly, and her hands, hanging by her sides, turned white from being clenched so tightly.

She never expected that Su Youling would have such great abilities. She was just a substitute, but now she was forced to give up her position. Wouldn't her self-assured victory have become a joke?

Shen Xiyue used almost all her self-control to suppress her maddening desires, then looked at Li Tingxi with a pained, regretful, and pleading gaze. After a long while, she managed a forced and fragile smile and said, "I can divorce you."