The Master Descends the Mountain: My Destined CEO

Lin Chuxing gave a bitter laugh. "I'm willing to annul our engagement. I'll step aside for you and Lin Chuyue."

"Tell me, what do I need to do?"

'Since Xiao Ye has already made things so clear, why should I keep insisting? It's just pointless self-torment.'

'It would be better to just let him be with Lin Chuyue.'

'At any rate, I've already tried. I gave it my shot.'

'Even if I've failed, I have no regrets!'

'Making it out of that lab alive was already a stroke of luck. Why should I get caught up in all this romance stuff now?'

'Besides, my parents are so good to me. It's like living in paradise.'

Xiao Ye was silent for a moment. He had originally planned to wait until Lin Chuxing had recovered, or until the matter with the Angel Association was resolved, before doing this.

But since she had brought it up herself, there was no need for him to drag it out any longer.

"Alright. I'll need your blood."

Lin Chuxing held out her arm, her smile bitter. "Go ahead, take it. It's all yours. To be honest, I've been in this sanatorium for so long, you could have taken my blood long ago, couldn't you?"

"In that case, you really are an honorable man."

'She'd long since realized that Xiao Ye was not the type to resort to insidious methods.'

'He would always stand on the side of the light.'

"No. It also has to be of your own free will."

"To annul the engagement, the other party must be completely willing. Only then will it take effect."

Lin Chuxing hadn't expected that there was such a condition.

"Fine. I am willing. I'm truly willing to annul our engagement and step aside for you and Chuyue. I saw it long ago—no one can come between you two."

"And to think I once believed we could actually give it a try... even if you only liked me a tiny little bit."

'Of course, Lin Chuxing knew how vast the difference was between her and Lin Chuyue.'

'But since she had never lived in the outside world, she wasn't like someone tainted by society, who would inevitably feel jealousy and resentment.'

'The most she felt was just a little uncomfortable.'

Xiao Ye could see that she was truly willing, so he took out the marriage contract he always kept with him.

For all these years, he had always kept the marriage contract close.

The writing was still visible on the yellowed paper.

Xiao Ye took out a silver needle. "This might hurt a little."

"Can I do it myself?" Lin Chuxing asked, looking at him.

After a moment's thought, Xiao Ye handed her the silver needle.

Lin Chuxing pricked her index finger, squeezed out a drop of blood, and let it fall onto the marriage contract.

A strange thing happened. Below, the signature of Lin Aoshan began to slowly fade away.

This meant that from this moment on, the marriage contract the Lin Family had previously signed with Xiao Ye was null and void.

Lin Chuxing watched the fading signature as if she were watching her own love vanish.

Suddenly, she spoke up. "Xiao Ye, I've already helped you annul our engagement, but I need you to promise me one thing."

"I've already given you the blood, so I can't really say anything whether you agree or not, but I still want to make this request."

"I didn't want to do this before giving you my blood; that would have been no different from a threat."

Xiao Ye nodded. "Go ahead."

Since Lin Chuxing had put it that way, he would agree to anything that wasn't an excessive request.

"Alright, then I'll say it. I don't want you to tell Lin Chuyue that our engagement has been nullified."

"At least... at least for three years, you can't tell her!"

"If you promise, I guarantee I will never bother you again. In fact, I'll even persuade Lin Chuyue to be with you and stop letting her imagination run wild."

"But if you don't agree, I'm sure that if I say or do even the slightest thing, a gentle girl like Chuyue will feel so guilty that she might just run away."

This wasn't a threat from Lin Chuxing, because even she couldn't guarantee what she might do.

She might not feel jealous or resentful, but she would be upset.

'If Xiao Ye were to walk out this door today, tell Lin Chuyue the engagement was off, and then they could be happy together...'

'She wouldn't be able to get over it.'

'These three years weren't just for Lin Chuyue's sake; they were also for her to find the time to move on.'

"Xiao Ye, this three-year period is just what I'm asking for now."

"Maybe in a month, it won't hurt me to see you and Chuyue together as a couple. If that happens, I'll let you know, and you won't have to hide it anymore. Do you agree?"

Xiao Ye considered it for a moment and agreed.

'After all, if Lin Chuxing remained unwilling, the engagement could never be annulled. That would be a huge problem.'

'Even if he forcibly annulled it later, the karmic backlash would damage his cultivation.'

"Alright, I promise you. I won't say anything for three years. If you change your mind before then, you can just tell me."

"But three years is the absolute maximum."

Lin Chuxing smiled. "Of course. I'm sorry... You must think I'm very selfish, don't you?"

"Just because it hurts me to see you two together, I'm... using this method to prevent you from marrying for three years."

"But people have feelings and desires, and I'm no different. I've already conceded this much. My only selfish hope is that these three years will be enough for me to move on."

Xiao Ye nodded. "I understand."

'After all, what Lin Chuxing was giving up wasn't just three years, but the rest of her life.'

'Even Lin Chuyue would surely agree if she were here.'

"Alright, you should go. I'm afraid if I look at you any longer, I'll start having the selfish hope that you'll stay and keep me company."

Watching Xiao Ye's back as he turned to leave, Lin Chuxing felt a pang of sadness.

'He really left without a trace of reluctance... just walked away as soon as I said so.'

'But that was for the best. If he were the type to drag things out, I wouldn't have fallen for him in the first place.'

Xiao Ye had just stepped out of the hospital room, intending to visit Lin Aoshan in another building, when his phone rang.

He answered.

Zhu Chen's voice came through the receiver. "It's me. That Red Calamity Star our two families have been investigating? We have a lead."

"We found someone. She's a very strong match for the Red Calamity Star, fits the profile almost perfectly. Want to go check it out yourself? The plane is ready. We can leave at a moment's notice."

Xiao Ye immediately changed direction and headed for the sanatorium's exit. "Let's go!"

'If the Calamity Star wasn't stopped in time, the Dragon Country would surely suffer immense losses.'

He drove to the airport, and just as expected, Zhu Chen was already waiting for him.

The two of them boarded the Zhu family's private jet.

The Zhu family had always been one of the more low-key of the four great Hidden Clans. Even their jet wasn't as extravagant as the one belonging to the Xiao Family.

"Have you heard about the Fifth Clan?"

The Ouyang Clan's true master was now Xiao Ye, so they were kept firmly under his control.

The Fifth Clan, however, was a different story.

They were a family of martial artists, known for being rather carefree and straightforward—not insidious like the Ouyang Family. Plus, they had never committed any major atrocities.

Therefore, as long as the Fifth Clan didn't come looking for trouble, Xiao Ye had no intention of making a move against them.

"What about them?"