My Taoist buddy has practiced surrogacy

Chapter 1443 Selection

Ling Xue carefully selected a dress that she thought was reasonably decent and arrived at the hotel with a nervous heart. However, the moment she stepped into the banquet hall, she felt countless strange gazes. The guests were dressed in gorgeous and expensive gowns, adorned with dazzling jewelry, while she felt like an ugly duckling among swans.

When Zhou Xing saw Ling Xue, his expression immediately turned ugly. He walked over to her and scolded her in a low voice, "Why did you come dressed like this? Do you know what occasion this is?" Ling Xue held back her tears and tried to explain, "I tried my best to pick the best clothes..." Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Xing interrupted her, "Forget it, there's no way to communicate with someone as poor and shabby as you."

At this moment, a relative walked over and teased, "Zhou Xing, is this your girlfriend? She looks like she comes from an average family." Instead of defending Ling Xue, Zhou Xing chimed in, "She's just a friend." These words were like a sharp blade, deeply wounding Ling Xue's heart.

Halfway through the banquet, someone suggested that the newlyweds perform a song. Zhou Xing volunteered to go on stage and sang a song, winning rounds of applause. However, his gaze kept drifting, intentionally or unintentionally, towards Ling Xue in the audience, his eyes filled with contempt and mockery. After the performance, he stepped off the stage and deliberately said loudly, "You'd better keep your eyes open when you're looking for a partner in the future. Don't just bring any Tom, Dick, or Harry home."

The people around her burst into laughter, the sound like needles piercing Ling Xue's body. She felt like a person stripped naked, exposed to everyone, with nowhere to hide. At that moment, she finally understood that her place in Zhou Xing's heart had vanished completely.

Shortly after the wedding, a sudden downpour began. Ling Xue walked alone on the street, letting the rain soak her hair and clothes. Her mood was as gloomy and oppressive as the terrible weather. Without realizing it, she arrived at a café. Through the glass window, she saw several familiar figures sitting inside—it was Zhou Xing and his friends.

Driven by a strange impulse, she went into the coffee shop and found a corner to sit down. Although she was far away, she could still clearly hear their conversation. One of her friends jokingly asked Zhou Xing, "Are you really planning to marry that poor girl?" Another friend chimed in, "Yeah, with your current status, what kind of girl can't you find?"

Zhou Xing chuckled lightly, saying nonchalantly, "Of course it's just for fun. I'll dump her when I'm done." Hearing this, Ling Xue felt her head buzz. So, in his eyes, she was just a toy, and all her feelings were fake.

Just then, the waiter brought over a cup of coffee and placed it on the table. Because his hands were shaking so badly, the coffee spilled, staining the tablecloth. Zhou Xing, seeing this, flew into a rage, yelling at the waiter, "What kind of useless thing are you? Do you know how much this outfit cost?" The waiter, terrified, turned pale and repeatedly apologized.

By this time, Ling Xue had fully regained her senses. She stood up and walked towards Zhou Xing, looking at him with unwavering eyes and saying, "So this is how you've always felt in my heart." Zhou Xing was taken aback when he saw her, then said angrily, "So what if you heard everything? You're not good enough for me anyway."

Ling Xue took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down: "Fine, since you put it that way, let's break up." With that, she turned and left the coffee shop, stepping into the rain. Rain mixed with tears blurred her vision, but her steps were unusually firm.

After the breakup, Ling Xue returned to her real home—a luxurious villa. When she appeared at the family gathering in a custom-made gown, everyone was stunned. People whispered among themselves, "Isn't that the poor girl who pretended to be poor? How did she suddenly become so elegant?"

It turns out that Ling Xue had been hiding her true identity all along for the sake of love. Now that she has seen through Zhou Xing's true colors, she has decided to stop compromising herself. She posted a photo of herself wearing a priceless pearl necklace on social media, with the caption: "Some brilliance should not be buried." This post quickly attracted widespread attention.

Shortly after, Zhou Xing saw the post. He couldn't believe his eyes and repeatedly refreshed the page to confirm if it was the same person. When he realized that the woman in the photo was indeed Ling Xue, he was deeply shocked. He began to doubt whether everything he had done before was right.

Filled with guilt and remorse, Zhou Xing arrived at the Ling family's gate. The security guard stopped him, telling him that he could not enter without permission. He pleaded desperately outside the gate for a long time, and finally got the chance to see Ling Xue. The moment he saw Ling Xue, he knelt down on the ground with a thud, weeping bitterly, and said, "I'm sorry, I was bewitched to treat you like that."

Ling Xue looked at him quietly, without a trace of pity in her eyes: "A belated repentance is worth less than grass." After saying this, she turned and left, leaving Zhou Xing alone kneeling on the ground and crying.

From then on, Zhou Xing was consumed by deep remorse. He had lost everything he once possessed, including love, dignity, and a future. Ling Xue, on the other hand, began a new chapter in her life, proving the importance of female independence and autonomy through her wisdom and courage.

Having weathered this emotional storm, Ling Xue became more mature and composed. She took over a project in the family business and, thanks to her outstanding business acumen and decisive decision-making ability, quickly achieved remarkable results. She received extensive media coverage, hailed as a rising star in the business world.

By chance, Ling Xue ran into her ex-boyfriend Zhou Xing at an industry forum. He was a far cry from his former self, looking haggard and worn. Seeing Ling Xue confidently walk onto the stage to give her speech, he felt a complex mix of emotions. There was nostalgia and regret for the past, as well as anger and resentment at his own incompetence.

After the forum ended, Zhou Xing mustered his courage and approached Ling Xue, wanting to say something. Before he could speak, Ling Xue said first, "Let bygones be bygones." Then she left with her assistant. Zhou Xing was left standing there, watching her retreating figure.

Years later, when someone asked Ling Xue about her failed relationship, she would smile faintly and say, "That was a thorny path that everyone has to take to grow." Today, she has become a successful entrepreneur and social activist, using her influence to help many people in need. That painful experience has become a valuable asset in her life.

Ling Xue felt a flash of white light before her eyes, followed by a dizzying spin. When she finally regained her balance, she found herself in a gloomy, dilapidated old house. Thick fog filled the air, moss covered the walls, and strange noises emanated from within, as if countless eyes were watching her from the shadows. Startled, she instinctively looked down at her wrist, where a black countdown had appeared—72 hours. Before she could figure out what was happening, a chilling aura washed over her. Looking up, she saw a pale-faced, vacant-eyed female ghost drifting towards her. The ghost extended long fingernails, about to grab her collar.

At that critical moment, a sharp sword light pierced through the thick fog, striking directly at the female ghost. With a piercing scream, the ghost vanished into thin air. Her savior was a man dressed in black, tall and imposing with a cold expression—none other than Zhou Xing, the game's main boss. He sheathed his sword, glanced at her indifferently, and turned to leave.

However, before he could take more than a few steps, the system suddenly issued a notification: "NPC Protection Mission Initiated." Zhou Xing paused, turned around helplessly, reached out to Ling Xue, and said coldly, "Follow me, don't wander off." Ling Xue was stunned for a moment, then quickly grabbed his clothes as if they were lifelines.

They walked down the corridor and soon arrived at the study. As soon as they stepped inside, a swarm of small monsters of various shapes and sizes surged out from all directions. These monsters bared their fangs and claws, emitting a nauseating stench. Ling Xue turned pale with fright and instinctively took a few steps back. Just then, Zhou Xing stepped in front of her, his sword flashing like a blur of light, preventing the monsters from getting close.

During the battle, a cunning little monster took advantage of Zhou Xing's unpreparedness and circled around to attack him from behind. Seeing this, Ling Xue rushed forward without thinking, using her body to block the attack. This action made Zhou Xing slightly startled. He looked at Ling Xue in his arms, who was terrified but trying to remain calm, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

Afterwards, they faced several more dangers, each time Zhou Xing protecting Ling Xue and bringing her to safety. As night fell, they went to a bedroom to rest. Ling Xue, frightened during the day, developed a high fever and was delirious, talking incoherently. Zhou Xing sat by her bedside all night, wanting to leave several times, but ultimately staying behind.

The next morning, when Ling Xue woke up, she found herself covered with a coat, while Zhou Xing leaned against the window, resting with his eyes closed. A blush crept onto her face, and she felt a surge of gratitude towards Zhou Xing.

Following the system's guidance, they entered the next instance—an abandoned hospital. Upon entering the hospital, a pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with the stench of decay assaulted their senses. Dim lighting flickered, and the doors along the corridors were ajar, from which pitiful cries and groans could be heard intermittently.

Ling Xue followed closely behind Zhou Xing, barely daring to breathe. Suddenly, a patient in a hospital gown, his face covered in blood, jumped out of a ward and lunged at them. Zhou Xing swiftly drew his sword to meet the attack, but strangely, this enemy seemed even more formidable than before; his attacks caused negligible damage.

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, Ling Xue unintentionally hummed a lullaby her grandmother had taught her when she was little. A miraculous thing happened: upon hearing the song, the crazed patient's movements gradually slowed, and the ferocity in his eyes slowly faded. Finally, he sat quietly on the ground, no longer attacking them.

Zhou Xing looked at Ling Xue in surprise, a hint of approval in his eyes. They continued deeper into the hospital, encountering more dangers in the morgue. Many corpses lay there, each emanating a chilling aura. As they approached a central morgue cabinet, it suddenly opened, and a zombie inside slowly rose.

At this critical moment, Ling Xue had a sudden inspiration and picked up a cinnabar brush to draw a talisman on the ground. As she finished the stroke, a golden light flashed, and the zombie was frozen in place. Zhou Xing watched her actions, a slight smile playing on his lips, and muttered, "Not bad."

After solving the hospital's puzzles, they arrived at the director's office. In a drawer, they found a diary. Opening the diary, they discovered some dark secrets about the hospital and clues to completing the level. Just as they were reading it carefully, a special achievement notification popped up: "Level with less than 1% survival rate achieved."

After leaving the abandoned hospital, they entered a misty forest. The forest was thick with poisonous miasma, making visibility extremely poor. Every step felt like walking on soft, yielding mud, as if they might sink into it at any moment.

They hadn't gone far when they encountered an illusion array. Ling Xue saw various illusory scenes before her eyes, including her childhood nightmares and her despairing imaginings of the future. She struggled within it for a long time, unable to escape. Just as she was about to give up, Zhou Xing arrived in time, grabbed her hand, and said, "Look into my eyes."

Ling Xue raised her head, gazing into Zhou Xing's deep eyes. Under his gaze, she gradually regained her senses. The two stood back to back, fending off the ever-emerging phantom attacks. During this process, Ling Xue unexpectedly discovered a lotus mark identical to hers on the back of Zhou Xing's neck. She was about to ask about it when Zhou Xing averted his gaze.

After traversing the misty forest, they arrived at a lakeside cabin. Inside, an old woman was cooking something, eerie bubbles rising from the pot. The old woman warmly invited them to stay for tea and a meal. Although they knew there might be a trap, they decided to accept her hospitality.

During the meal, the old woman smiled at them and said, "Young people have such a good relationship." She then added some food to their bowls. Ling Xue noticed the soup in her bowl looked a little strange and hesitated whether to drink it, but Zhou Xing took a sip first. After confirming it wasn't poisonous, he nodded to Ling Xue, indicating she could drink it.

In the dead of night, Ling Xue got up to use the bathroom and saw Zhou Xing standing alone in the moonlight, polishing his sword. She quietly approached and heard him mutter some indistinct words: "This time, I absolutely cannot let anything happen to you..." His voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible, but every word struck Ling Xue's heart heavily.

As their adventure deepened, they arrived at the ruins of an ancient battlefield. It was a desolate place, littered with crumbling walls and broken weapons. Before they could even find their footing, a horde of undead soldiers surged forth from the ground and surrounded them.

These undead soldiers were extremely powerful and numerous. Zhou Xing fought fiercely, sustaining several minor injuries. Just as the situation became increasingly critical, Ling Xue felt a mysterious power surging within her. She closed her eyes, concentrated, and her hands emitted a soft light.