Shen Yihan's heart skipped a beat when he saw Lin Mo's expression.
His sister rarely got serious, but when she did, it was really intimidating.
He fiddled with the prayer beads on his right wrist with his left hand and asked, "Sis, you know about me and Huanyu, right?"
Lin Mo rolled her eyes so hard they practically disappeared. "It's the internet age—how could I not know? Out of ten Douyin videos I scroll through, seven are about you and Li Huanyu, and the other three are about her and Gu Jingchuan."
Shen Yihan mentally marveled at his sister's ability to adapt—truly, she was his sister through and through.
Then he said, "Huanyu and Gu Jingchuan are just fake shipping. Gu Jingchuan forced the ship; it's all pretend."
Lin Mo's eyes went wide. "Did Li Huanyu actually tell you that?"
No wonder this fool of a brother was willing to be her lapdog!
Shen Yihan nodded, his voice deep. "Yeah. Gu Jingchuan's always been a playboy—no moral compass at all."
Lin Mo tilted her head. "Do you think Li Huanyu might've actually dated him for real?"
Shen Yihan shook his head firmly. "Impossible! Don't listen to those clickbait accounts."
Lin Mo knew her second brother's personality—once he set his mind on something, words alone couldn't sway him.
She smiled and said, "Okay. Wang Baochuan woke up this morning to find her ranking dropped."
Shen Yihan frowned. "What do you mean?"
Lin Mo took a sip of milk. "It's fine. But from now on, you can't go berserk like you did yesterday! Have you thought about the cash loss and reputation damage from shutting down places on a whim?"
Shen Yihan obeyed Lin Mo as naturally as drinking water—it was ingrained in him.
"I get it. Won't happen again," he said.
Lin Mo tapped her fingers on the table. "Did Li Huanyu message you on WeChat last night?"
Shen Yihan: "She did."
Li Huanyu still cared about him, clearly.
"Let me see," Lin Mo said, holding out her hand.
Without hesitation, Shen Yihan handed over his phone.
He didn't think he had any secrets his sister shouldn't know.
Lin Mo had told Jiang Tang to leave the hot search alone specifically to gauge Li Huanyu's reaction—see how she'd play her cards.
Her fair fingertips swiped through the chat history.
The most frequent term was "Yihan-gege," making Li Huanyu seem innocent and sweet.
But her tone was subtly distant, always keeping just the right distance.
Last night, Li Huanyu had sent: [Yihan-gege, were you out shopping with someone else today?]
This morning, Shen Yihan had replied: [That was my sister. Don't overthink it, Huanyu.]
No response after that.
Lin Mo still couldn't figure out why paparazzi had been at the mall yesterday.
If the paparazzi had been tailing Li Huanyu, but she never entered the mall…
How did they end up photographing her and Shen Yihan inside?
Most likely, Li Huanyu had hired the paparazzi to wait at the mall in advance.
Li Huanyu never went in, but the paparazzi saw Shen Yihan and her shopping together.
Shen Yihan had clout—paparazzi wouldn't pass up a shot.
Probably, Li Huanyu wanted to use this to get a reaction out of Gu Jingchuan.
Lin Mo's long, curled lashes cast a shadow on her cheeks as she tapped the table again.
If it failed yesterday, there'd probably be a next time.
She put down the phone. "Do you really like Li Huanyu that much?"
Shen Yihan paused for two seconds. "Yeah. Met her at a dinner party. She's pure-hearted and self-reliant—really good girl."
"Pure-hearted and self-reliant? How can you tell?" Lin Mo pressed.
Shen Yihan recalled, "At that dinner, everyone was sucking up to me, toasting me left and right. Only she didn't. Shows she doesn't play dirty."
Lin Mo nodded—classic "stand out by not sucking up" move to catch a tycoon's eye.
"After reading your chat, I think she's nice too. The hot search probably upset her, so here's what you do: book a restaurant for her tonight and apologize."
Shen Yihan's dark eyes lit up. "Really? Sis, you're not against me and Huanyu?"
Lin Mo shrugged. "As long as it doesn't interfere with making money, I don't care. You're a grown man—time to date."
A bright smile spread across Shen Yihan's face, making him look even more handsome.
"Jiang Tang, handle this," he said.
Lin Mo finished her ID errands in the morning and waited for Jiang Tang's update at home in the afternoon.
She was in awe—Jiang Tang was amazing.
Not only did she handle Shen Yihan's work, but she also managed his personal tasks.
Six-figure annual salary? She earned every penny!
Lin Mo had two favors to ask.
First: get the address of the restaurant Shen Yihan booked.
Second: find out which high school Gu Jingchuan's younger brother attends.
By around 6 PM,
Jiang Tang messaged back:
[Gu Jingchuan's brother is Gu Jingzhou, attends Beijing North No.1 High School.]
[Tonight's reservation: Honeyed Words Restaurant. The CEO and Miss Li's slot is 7:30 PM.]
[Xiaomo, you coming tonight?]
Lin Mo once again marveled at Jiang Tang's sharpness—she hit the mark every time!
"Honeyed Words Restaurant"—the name alone screamed "carefully chosen."
Lin Mo replied: [Thanks, Sister Jiang. Not coming tonight.]
Jiang Tang replied quickly: [Got it. Also, the current occupant of your family's villa is Xie Guanguan.]
Seeing "Xie Guanguan," Lin Mo's almond eyes narrowed slightly.
She'd almost forgotten this old rival from years ago.
Her family's villa was in his hands now.
Funny how fate worked—they still crossed paths.
Wondered how he was doing these days.
Probably pretty well.
Exiting WeChat, Lin Mo typed "Xie Guanguan" into her browser.
His handsome face popped up instantly.
Still wearing silver-rimmed glasses, that little mole on his nose still charming.
Gone was the immaturity from school days—now he had an elegant, refined air, like a seasoned socialite.
She clicked to view his profile.
Wow—turns out he's the CEO of SS Capital, the biggest investment firm in Asia.
SS Capital grew from a tech startup—they had a knack for spotting winners, with their fingers in nearly every profitable company.
Lin Mo wasn't too shocked.
Back in the day, Xie Guanguan often vied for the top spot in their grade.
With a brain like that, success was inevitable.
All in all: Xie Guanguan, 29, worth tens of billions.
And here she was, 18, with nothing to show for herself.
Lin Mo laughed bitterly. "If only melancholy paid bills."
After all these years, maybe he didn't hate her so much anymore?
A small villa was nothing to him—surely he'd sell it back?
Lin Mo wasn't sure, but didn't dwell on it.
One thing at a time—first, catch that paparazzi.
Later, she'd go to the villa and ask Xie Guanguan if he'd sell it.
—
7:30 PM, outside Honeyed Words Restaurant.
A paparazzi was sprawled in the greenbelt, snoring with his mouth wide open.
He'd planned to shoot from his car,
but Li Huanyu said car photos were too blurry—she wanted high-def beauty shots.
Hence, hiding in the greenbelt.
Yesterday: Shen Yihan "spotted with new lover." Today: "Shen Yihan and Li Huanyu rekindle old flame on sweet date."
Guaranteed hot search!
Traffic would be a cinch!
He saw a black Bentley pull up. Shen Yihan stepped out—black suit, polished shoes, prayer beads on his hand.
The paparazzi was about to start shooting,
when a hand tapped his shoulder. "Hey! No napping here!"