Suddenly, a soft and fragrant body fell into his arms, and Xie Guanguan's mind went blank.
He felt like he'd been electrocuted, completely losing the ability to move.
He watched as the girl's face, pressed against his chest, started to slide down.
Just as he was about to reach out, the girl was pulled away from his arms.
Shen Yihan held Lin Mo up, frowning. "Sis! What's wrong with you?"
After being pulled upright, Lin Mo's consciousness gradually came back. She shook her head. "It's nothing. I stayed up all day and night—I'm just too tired!"
Shen Yihan felt relieved and said to Xie Guanguan, "Sorry, Mr. Xie. My sister has a serious sleep disorder. She didn't sleep last night and accidentally bumped into you just now."
People who didn't know might think his sister was pulling a scam.
But Xie Guanguan really lived up to his reputation as a refined and elegant gentleman.
Even when such a beautiful woman fell into his arms, he showed no reaction at all!
Over the years, there'd been no rumors of women around Xie Guanguan. The business circle in Beijing even gossiped that Xie Guanguan liked men.
Shen Yihan hadn't believed it before, but now he was starting to.
Plus, his sister had been very popular back in Beijing No.1 High School.
To be such a bitter rival with her, he probably really had no interest in women.
It took Lin Mo a while to realize how embarrassing she'd been!
Her face turned as red as a monkey's bottom.
"Hold on, body!"
She looked up and smiled awkwardly. "Yes, I came to see you about this today too."
Her body still felt electrified. Xie Guanguan turned around to hide the emotion in his eyes. "Let's sit down and talk."
In the living room, there was a set of pure green leather sofas.
Lin Mo's eyes lit up. "Xie Guanguan, you still haven't thrown out this sofa!"
Xie Guanguan sat down on the sofa, crossing his long legs and pulling down his clothes a bit.
"Looks like it's still usable," he said lazily. "What's up?"
Lin Mo sat down on the familiar sofa, touching it. "It's well - maintained. I had this sofa custom - made from France at a huge cost."
Who would've thought that this bitter rival, despite being worth tens of billions, still kept the good habit of being thrifty!
She remembered that his family didn't seem well - off in high school—his school uniform was always washed until it turned pale.
Now, the distance between them was less than a meter.
Xie Guanguan controlled his gaze and breathing, speaking calmly. "Was this villa yours before?"
Lin Mo nodded. "Yes. I came to see you today to buy this villa back."
"You can see my dark circles are bad enough to play a panda in the zoo. You don't want to see an old classmate drop dead, do you?"
The girl pointed to the faint dark circles under her eyes with her slender, fair fingers. Her eyes were clear but tired.
She didn't want to morally coerce him, but she really had no choice.
Back in high school, she'd tried boarding to save time and hadn't slept for three whole days.
She fainted in class and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance.
Xie Guanguan had already noticed the faint bluish tint under her eyes. He looked at her but quickly shifted his gaze to the glass coffee table.
"Sorry, I don't want to sell this villa for now."
Shen Yihan also sat down nearby.
With his sister and a real tycoon present, he instinctively felt a bit reserved. He sat upright, hands on his knees, with the black prayer beads on his wrist hanging down.
He spoke up, "Mr. Xie, the price is negotiable. If we had any other way, we wouldn't bother you. This villa's location isn't great, and few people live here now—it's quite lifeless."
"Oh, right, let me introduce myself. I'm Shen Yihan, CEO of Xingshan Group. We've developed a high - end villa community. You must have heard of it. I can reserve a penthouse for you. It's bigger than this villa, in a Suzhou garden style, covering ten acres. What do you think?"
Lin Mo looked at her second brother and mentally gave him a thumbs - up.
When it mattered, her second brother was really useful.
Whether he wanted money or a house, there was bound to be something Xie Guanguan would be satisfied with.
The butler standing aside was stunned.
This villa was worth at most 200 million yuan on the market now.
He'd heard that Xingshan's newly developed high - end villas cost at least a billion yuan.
Whoever didn't agree was a fool!
"Sorry, I don't want to sell." Xie Guanguan smiled gently, refusing politely.
Butler: "..."
"Reason?" Lin Mo leaned in to ask.
The girl's small face, with skin as smooth as cream, came close. Her bright, dewy eyes were beautiful.
Xie Guanguan's throat felt dry. He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. His Adam's apple moved sexily as he smiled and said, "Reason?"
The handsome man's eyes were deep, like glass. The lenses hid the emotions in his eyes.
Lin Mo was stunned for a moment, then understood.
This bitter rival was asking for her reason to have to buy it?
Well, he didn't need money!
To him now, money was just a number and no longer affected his quality of life.
He was still the same as back then.
He seemed gentle and refined but was actually hard to approach, and deep down, he was very indifferent to people.
She didn't know about others, but he'd always been like that to her.
Every time they met at school, he'd look away as soon as their eyes met, as if he hated her.
It was understandable—there could only be one top student in the grade!
Seeing the girl's somewhat dazed expression, Xie Guanguan looked at her lovingly for a few more seconds. Then he adjusted his glasses with one hand and lowered his eyes. "I'm used to living here. I don't want to move."
Shen Yihan instinctively fiddled with the prayer beads on his right wrist with his left hand, frowning.
This was going to be difficult.
Problems that money couldn't solve were really hard to solve!
He looked at his sister.
Lin Mo was also at a loss.
Xie Guanguan could have refused without giving a reason, but he condescended to explain.
And the reason was quite convincing.
If she'd lived there long and gotten used to it, she wouldn't want to sell either.
Lin Mo was proud by nature. Facing this successful bitter rival, she felt no sense of inferiority.
She'd approached buying the house with a normal attitude, after all, she was willing to pay more.
But now she realized it wasn't going to work!
She was asking for a favor, so she had to humble herself.
Lin Mo's eyes twinkled as she moved closer to her bitter rival. "Xie Guanguan, I suspect you don't even remember who I am. I had a car accident back then and suddenly came back to life. Are you curious how that happened?"
After all, they hadn't seen each other for eleven years. They really should catch up before talking business.
She'd been too hasty.
The rich fragrance from the girl filled Xie Guanguan's nostrils. His heart raced, his ears burned, and his breath grew hot.
This was the closest they'd ever been in their lives.
His gaze uncontrollably fell on the girl's face, watching her thin, rosy lips move, with her pink tongue faintly visible.
He couldn't hear a word she was saying. There was only one thought in his mind:
I really want to kiss her...
A dark thought arose. Xie Guanguan clenched his palm, the pain from his fingertip digging into the wound in his palm sobering him up. He looked away and replied, "Hmm."
A conversation required give - and - take from both sides.
Lin Mo asked a question, and the man replied with a completely indifferent "Hmm."
It was like saying, "Oh, not that curious."
Lin Mo awkwardly touched her nose and continued, "For the sake of being old classmates, I won't lie to you. I came here from eleven years ago. Do you believe me?"
Shen Yihan's eyes widened in shock. He never thought his sister would just blurt out about time travel so candidly!
He hadn't even told Jiang Tang.
The butler standing aside frowned, thinking this girl was talking nonsense.
Believing she time - traveled was worse than believing he was Qin Shi Huang!
Whoever believed that was a fool!
"I believe you," Xie Guanguan said with a gentle smile.
Butler: "......"Chapter 010 There's Nothing Strange in the Vast World
Lin Mo thought that properly sharing some of her secrets could bring her closer to others.
Moreover, such a fantastical thing would surely not be believed by ordinary people.
She could then prove it, like saying her appearance hadn't changed at all and that she still remembered many things from high school.
Helping Xie Guanguan recall the old days might make him soften his heart.
She didn't expect him to go against the norm and just say he believed her.
Now she suspected her arch - rival was deliberately opposing her!
Lin Mo smiled and continued, "So I have deep feelings for this villa. After all, I was still living here the day before yesterday. Can you sell it to me for the sake of our old classmate friendship?"
The handsome man turned to look at her, still with that gentle and refined appearance. "No."
This guy was completely unmoved.
Indeed, the so - called classmate friendship was just nonsense. What friendship could there be between arch - rivals!
Lin Mo really had no other way. She resorted to her last trick, clasping her hands together like a fly rubbing them, and said, "Please, handsome Xie! Mr. Xie! Big shot!"
Arch - rivals were all very proud. She never thought she would bow to Xie Guanguan before.
But now she was under his roof.
The bright and beautiful girl's pair of watery peach eyes were full of pleading. Her cute and endearing actions would make anyone soften their heart.
Xie Guanguan's heart throbbed. The palm he casually placed on the sofa sank into the fabric. He forcibly controlled the urge to nod and still shook his head.
If he agreed to sell, he would no longer have a legitimate excuse to see her.
Lin Mo fell straight back onto the sofa, punched the air a few times, and said, "I can't take it anymore~"
Xie Guanguan: "..."
Shen Yihan: "..."
Shen Yihan felt like laughing, but it wasn't the right occasion.
He shouldn't laugh either, because his sister's problem hadn't been solved.
He fiddled with the prayer beads on his right wrist with his left hand, coughed, and said, "Sis!"
This wasn't their own home; they still needed to pay attention to their image.
Lin Mo sat up from the sofa, adjusted her hairstyle, took a deep breath, and said, "How about this, Xie Guanguan? Can you rent me a room? Let me rent the bedroom I used to live in."
She would make do with this for now and then go to the hospital to check her sleep disorder later.
Eleven years had passed, and medicine should have developed better.
The handsome man's eyebrows twitched. He adjusted his glasses with one finger, hiding the excitement in his eyes, and said, "Rent you a room?"
Shen Yihan's dark eyes lit up. He thought this method was feasible.
If his sister rented with another man, he wouldn't feel at ease.
But Xie Guanguan was 90% likely to like men, which was a good thing.
Really, he had never seen his sister beg someone like this in his life.
If his sister begged him like this, he would give her his life.
But Xie Guanguan still remained unmoved and resolute. What a fake man.
"Mr. Xie, I will communicate with the people in the neighboring villa. I'll buy the neighboring villa. That way, my sister can stay at home during the day. Before I buy it, I'll come and pick her up every day and she'll only come here to sleep at night. I promise she won't disturb you."
Seeing that Xie Guanguan didn't immediately refuse, Lin Mo quickly agreed with her second brother, "Yes, yes, yes! I won't disturb your normal life. Don't worry! If you want to bring your girlfriend home, you can say I'm your maid."
Disturb his normal life?
He would be overjoyed.
Xie Guanguan raised his eyes, hiding the darkness in his eyes. His tone showed no emotion as he said, "Okay."
This time, the butler was truly shocked for five hundred years.
He didn't agree to sell the house but agreed to rent it?
Didn't the sir have a serious cleanliness fetish?
They didn't even let the servants live in this villa; they all rented houses themselves.
Seeing that Xie Guanguan agreed to rent the house, Lin Mo jumped up happily, revealing a section of her fair waist.
"Okay, that's settled. My brother and I will discuss the rent. I'm going upstairs to sleep first!"
Lin Mo's head was now muddled. She felt that if she didn't sleep soon, she would collapse at any moment.
Before Xie Guanguan and Shen Yihan could speak,
the girl's long legs strode upstairs, her long hair swinging in a beautiful arc.
A faint fragrance of her hair wafted in the air.
Xie Guanguan took a deep breath quietly.
The butler hurriedly said, "Sir, do you want me to go upstairs and show her to the guest room?"
Xie Guanguan waved his hand. "You go down and busy yourself. She's more familiar with this place than you are."
Shanshan had lived in this villa for eighteen years.
Only Shen Yihan and Xie Guanguan were left in the huge living room.
Shen Yihan swallowed, picked up the water the butler had poured earlier and took a sip, then said, "Mr. Xie, thank you for being willing to rent the house to us. How about 100,000 yuan a month? Do you think that's okay?"
Xie Guanguan looked gentle, adjusted his glasses with one finger, and smiled. "Are you Shen Yihan? You don't need to pay that much. Just a token amount will do. You running your company well is more valuable to me than 100,000 yuan."
Shen Yihan was stunned. Then he touched his nose with his hand wearing the black prayer beads and said, "Mr. Xie, you're right."
Smart people understood each other instantly.
This sentence was clearly a veiled rebuke to him!
It seemed that the rumors about his romantic escapades had spread widely recently, and even Mr. Xie knew about them!
Investors must always pay attention to the trends of the companies they invest in; otherwise, how would they know whether to increase or decrease investment in the next quarter.
Shen Yihan felt as embarrassed as if he had been caught slipping out of class by the teacher, and his head almost drooped.
The air was a bit silent.
Xie Guanguan's voice was gentle as he said, "If you have nothing else to do, you can go back first."
Shen Yihan looked up and met Xie Guanguan's gaze bravely. "Mr. Xie, thank you for having my sister here. You might have just said you believed her casually, but she really... came here from the past."
Shen Yihan found it hard to say such fantastical words looking at Xie Guanguan's gentle yet lofty face. His sister's heart was really strong.
Xie Guanguan's fingers, as slender as jade, picked up the teacup. His eyes moved slightly.
He truly believed.
Because there was nothing else besides time travel that could explain why Lin Mo's appearance hadn't changed at all, not even the split ends of her hair.
"There's nothing strange in the vast world," Xie Guanguan chuckled softly.
Sure enough, a tycoon's ability to accept things was strong. Shen Yihan smiled and thought of another thing. He said, "There's one more thing I want to ask you to pay attention to."
Xie Guanguan looked at him. "What is it?"
Shen Yihan said carefully, "Before my sister traveled through time, she was in a relationship with Gu Jingchuan, the currently popular actor. She traveled here for no reason, and she must still like Gu Jingchuan in her heart. If you watch TV, please avoid Gu Jingchuan's dramas."
He knew that tycoons probably didn't watch TV often, but Shen Yihan was willing to say one more thing to take preventive measures and avoid the risk of him being sad because of this.
Xie Guanguan's eyes darkened almost instantly. The knuckles of his hand holding the teacup turned white, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.
He lowered his eyes, and when he raised them again, he had returned to his gentle and refined self.
"Okay, I know."...