Forced to Love (GL) - Chapter 10

“I can do it. Trust me.”

Lingxi’s voice, though not loud, suddenly broke the silence between them.

“You should know that this isn’t something that can be solved just because I believe in you,” Shen Sui looked at her, his tone calm.

“I know.”

Lingxi wanted to say more, to explain.

But Shen Sui did not dwell on whether she knew or not. Instead, he changed the topic.

“Besides, I’m just helping you with your studies. You don’t have to do this.”

Lingxi looked straight into Shen Sui’s eyes. Though they were only a step apart, for a moment, Lingxi felt as if they were worlds away.

Far.

That word, she didn’t know when, had turned into a thorn, piercing deep into her heart.

From the end of the great battle to now, searching for the Divine One’s soul in the second world, it had only been a fleeting moment for her. Yet, it felt like she had experienced countless distances.

The distance of failing to protect her master. The distance of searching for the soul. The distance of being away from her master’s side.

Each one was an obsession, but also her faith.

A flute has no spirit, but when talent meets its master, it gains a soul, is engraved with words, and a contract is formed.

“But I want to do this.” Lingxi paused. “I want to help you.”

Shen Sui pressed his lips together without responding. The two stood in silent confrontation.

At that moment, several men walked past them quickly.

“…I remember that guy named Shen lives in the house up ahead, right?”

“Seems like it!”

“Let’s go check! It’s late, so he must be home!”

As soon as they finished speaking, Shen Sui’s expression changed abruptly, his eyes turning cold as he frowned.

“You should leave.”

He hurriedly threw down these words without looking back and ran off.

Shen Sui’s home was in the back row of the residential complex. From the main gate to the last row of buildings, two turns were needed. As he ran, he kept an eye on the men’s positions, swiftly weaving through the trees in the alley.

Taking a shortcut would save a few minutes. Even just a few minutes were enough for him.

*Bang bang—bang!*

Shen Sui ran upstairs, holding his breath. His originally pale cheeks were now flushed, and a thin layer of sweat had formed on his forehead. He knocked on the door urgently. After a few seconds, the door finally opened, revealing a woman in wrinkled clothes, her tone filled with impatience.

“What is it? Knocking so loud.”

Shen Sui pushed her inside, locking the door in one swift motion.

The dim yellow light above swayed with the wind coming through the window, making the shadows on the wall flicker.

For a moment, Shen Sui couldn’t tell whether it was him or the light that was shaking.

“You’ve been drinking again?”

He saw the empty bottles scattered on the table behind her.

“Not yet. Just about to have a few.”

Shen Sui’s dark eyes grew colder. “They’re here.”

“Who?”

The woman didn’t seem to care. She grabbed a bottle opener and sat down.

The next second, before Shen Sui could respond, a loud series of knocks rattled the door, accompanied by rough male voices.

“Shen Huanlian! Open the door!”

“Open up! I know you’re in there!”

The woman immediately jumped from her chair, ran to the light switch, and turned off the lamp.

“Suisui, why didn’t you tell me sooner!” she whispered anxiously.

Shen Sui stood by the door in the darkness, looking at her coldly. “Tell you what? Weren’t you about to drink?”

“You child… If you’d told me they were coming—” Her voice grew quieter, and she mumbled in frustration, “—then I wouldn’t have drunk at all.”

Shen Sui didn’t answer. The pounding at the door filled the room, along with the woman’s soft sobs. Shen Sui tried closing his eyes. The darkness had been there too long—perhaps it was better not to see.

This wasn’t the first time.

From as far back as he could remember, his entire life had been surrounded by moments like this.

As a child, he would crouch in the corner, hugging himself, burying his head in his arms to block out the noise. But as he grew older, he realized running away was useless. Life was like rowing against the current—if you didn’t move forward, you’d be pushed back. So he worked multiple jobs, studied hard, grasping any opportunity that could give him more power to face it all.

But Shen Huanlian’s long-time drinking was always a burden dragging him down.

If only…

That thought surfaced in his mind, vague and incomplete.

Then, in the darkness behind his closed eyes, a blurry figure appeared, walking toward him step by step. He couldn’t see clearly.

“What are you doing!”

“Hey! Why are there so many people here!”

An unfamiliar male voice suddenly sounded, coming through the door.

“They’re disturbing the peace! Knocking on the door in the middle of the night!”

A female voice joined in, quieter than the men’s shouting but full of dissatisfaction.

The knocking stopped. Shen Sui’s eyes snapped open.

“No, officer, it’s not like that. We’re here to collect a debt. This family owes us a lot of money.” The men’s voices lost their earlier aggressiveness.

“Collecting debt?”

“Look, here’s the IOU.”

“It’s late at night. Even if you want to collect a debt, you can’t disturb the neighbors like this!”

“This is a lawful society…”

More voices followed. After a while, Shen Sui vaguely heard the police asking them to leave. The men hesitated but had no choice but to go. A few minutes later, the police knocked on the door.

Shen Huanlian finally snapped out of her daze and hurried to open it.

As the door opened, Shen Sui noticed that the woman’s voice from earlier was no longer there.

While Shen Huanlian thanked the officers, Shen Sui stepped away and walked to the balcony.

The warm night breeze brushed against his face, but it didn’t cool the heat inside him.

Lingxi had followed the men downstairs, watching them leave angrily before she returned to stand under a tree, looking up at Shen Sui’s window.

The light flickered on. Seconds later, a figure appeared on the balcony, looking around.

With the faint light behind her, Lingxi recognized Shen Sui.

People have a sixth sense. They can always feel when someone is watching them—Shen Sui was no exception.

Lingxi wanted to retreat into the darkness, but before she could move, Shen Sui had already seen her. They locked eyes across the distance.

Lingxi hesitated to speak but feared rejection—or worse, displeasing the Divine One. After thinking, she took out her jade flute.

The cool touch of the flute seeped into her palm. She placed it against her lips and played.

The melody was slow and soothing, mingling with the sounds of summer cicadas, creating a strange harmony.

Shen Sui gripped the balcony railing tightly, his brows furrowing as he listened.

For a long time, he said nothing, only watching the girl below.

Then, before he could speak, his neighbors interrupted with shouts of complaint.

Lingxi met Shen Sui’s gaze steadily. The flute’s notes grew louder, defiant against the noise.

Shouting, cicadas, flute music—all blended into chaos.

And in the midst of it all, the figure standing in the shadows seemed, for a moment, like a lighthouse in the night.