"Sir... Sir?"
The Butler's eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets, but he managed to catch them in his hands just in time.
"You're back? Wait—how did you return so quickly?"
Had Xie Guanyan's tech company invented a portal door or something?
Xie Guanyan gave the Butler a calm, measured look. "Open the door."
The ticket to Europe had already been purchased.
He had even boarded the plane.
But just ten minutes before takeoff—
As he sat there with his eyes closed, the thought of being half a world away from Lin Mo struck him like a physical blow.
His head ached, his chest tightened, and his entire body trembled with pain.
It was unbearable—like he was suffocating, as if he might drop dead any second.
The girl who had lived in his heart since he was six years old had suddenly vanished when he was eighteen.
Eleven years later, she had returned like a dream.
Now, he couldn’t bear to spend a single second apart from her.
Being so far away? It was worse than death.
He was despicable, he knew. He needed to see her—even just a glimpse of her back—to feel alive.
The idea of going a single day without laying eyes on her was torture.
Lin Mo didn’t like him. She didn’t need him.
But he loved her. He needed her.
Desperately.
He had foolishly believed he could keep his distance.
But the truth was, he could barely take half a step back.
So he left the plane and moved into another villa, not far from hers.
The distance was perfect.
Close enough to watch her from afar without disturbing her.
Every day, he would wait for her to finish her classes, catch a glimpse of her retreating figure, and then leave.
He knew how it looked—like some kind of stalker.
But he couldn’t control himself. Not at all.
Today, he had seen her walking home from school.
Back at his villa, he finished his work and tried to sleep.
But sleep wouldn’t come.
Lately, he could only fall asleep after watching her for a while at night.
Lying in bed, he fought the urge to sneak into her villa and gaze at her sleeping face.
He dug his nails into his left palm, the sharp pain keeping him sane.
Watching her from a distance was one thing.
But if he went inside now, with live-in maids around, he’d be caught.
And if Lin Mo found out? She’d flee from his life forever.
That was an outcome he’d rather die than face.
So he stayed awake until 5 a.m.
Then, a message from Lin Mo lit up his phone.
His bodyguards had already reported the day’s events.
But they hadn’t mentioned the night—assuming he was asleep.
He had just called to ask.
Lin Mo had gone to the lake to find Zhao Ziling.
The water was freezing, bone-chilling.
Yet for her friend, she hadn’t hesitated.
What a kind soul she was.
The Butler quickly pieced together that Xie Guanyan hadn’t been able to leave after all.
He hurriedly unlocked the door.
"Welcome home, sir," he said, gesturing inside.
Xie Guanyan took one step forward—then stopped.
He had rushed here out of worry.
But what if his concern only made her unhappy?
He hated his own insecurity.
A confident man would just ask, "Why don’t you like me?"
But he couldn’t.
The fear of pushing her away paralyzed him.
Compared to twelve years as strangers and eleven years of longing, their current situation was already a blessing.
How could he not tread carefully?
"I won’t go in," he said. "I’ll wait in the car. When the doctor arrives, take him inside."
The Butler’s heart ached at the sight of such painfully restrained devotion.
"Let me check first. If Miss Lin is asleep… you should come in and see her. Don’t worry about the maids—I’ll handle it."
Xie Guanyan adjusted his glasses.
He couldn’t refuse.
"...Alright."
The Butler dashed through the garden and into the living room, where two maids were already awake.
Without a word to them, he sprinted upstairs.
At Lin Mo’s door, he knocked softly.
No answer.
He turned the handle and peeked inside.
Lin Mo lay fast asleep, her eyes shut tight.
The Butler only glanced before quietly closing the door and rushing back down.
The maids, now fully alert, asked, "How is Miss Lin?"
The Butler gave them quick instructions—they were trustworthy, long-time staff.
Then he hurried outside.
Xie Guanyan was already back in his car—an unmarked one, not his usual.
"Sir, Miss Lin is asleep. You should go up and see her."
Upstairs, the Butler double-checked that Lin Mo hadn’t stirred before letting Xie Guanyan stand at the half-open door.
The girl on the bed was flushed, her delicate frame curled up as if shivering.
Xie Guanyan’s heart twisted like needles were stabbing it.
He wanted nothing more than to hold her.
But he didn’t dare step inside.
His grip on the door handle turned his knuckles white, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
She could wake any moment—this wasn’t deep sleep.
"The doctor is here," a maid whispered, leading the physician upstairs.
The doctor strode in without hesitation.
Xie Guanyan instantly retreated, pressing himself against the wall outside.
The Butler sighed and ushered the maids inside.
The doctor checked Lin Mo’s temperature and frowned.
"Good heavens—41°C! You called just in time. Any later, and she’d be cooked."
The Butler’s stomach dropped. "That serious? Hurry, bring the fever down!"
Xie Guanyan couldn’t stop himself—he stepped out from behind the wall, his eyes overflowing with anguish as he stared at the fragile girl.
The doctor shook his head. "Poor thing. How did she get so sick?"
A father himself, with a daughter around Lin Mo’s age studying abroad, he knew the terror of a child falling ill with no one to care for them.
Xie Guanyan’s long lashes lowered, regret pooling in his gaze.
He never should have left.
If he’d stayed, he could’ve helped her rescue Zhao Ziling—entered the Huo residence openly.
The doctor sighed. "I’ll start an IV to reduce the fever."
As the tourniquet tightened around Lin Mo’s slender arm, Xie Guanyan’s heart clenched.
She lay there so obediently, like a wounded little rabbit.
All he wanted was to cradle her and whisper comfort into her ear.
The needle pricked her skin.
Lin Mo flinched awake.
Her blurry vision first registered the doctor’s bald spot—he’d forgotten his toupee that morning.
Then, in her periphery, a flash of white.
She turned her head—and beamed.
"Xie Guanyan!"
