Outside the villa.
Shen Ji'an waited in the car, holding breakfast.
His phone buzzed, and as he picked it up, his brows furrowed beneath his long bangs.
He had been worried about his sister all last night.
Only after his second brother returned did he finally manage to fall asleep.
By then, it was almost four in the morning.
This morning, he had to force himself out of bed with sheer willpower.
For the sake of the goal he had set for himself, he didn’t want to take a day off.
But his sister’s grades were excellent—she had nothing to worry about.
He typed a reply: "Got it, sis. Make sure to eat something when you wake up."
Then he remembered how his second brother had sneezed repeatedly after returning last night.
The lake water must have been freezing—he wondered if his sister had caught a chill.
Thinking this, he sent another message:
"Sis, if you’re feeling unwell, let me know. I’ll have the housekeeper make some ginger tea and bring it over for you."
"Ding!"
His phone buzzed again in his hand.
At the same time, Xie Guanyan’s heart skipped a beat.
Once the question left his lips, his pulse quickened uncontrollably.
What kind of answer would he hear?
Maybe "I just don’t like you—no reason needed."
Or perhaps "He’s not my type."
He didn’t check the message Shen Ji'an had sent back.
His gaze remained fixed on the girl lying in bed.
Hearing the question, the girl on the bed looked puzzled.
"Xie Guanyan? Mom, you know about him?"
Xie Guanyan answered bitterly, "Yes. Does he have any flaws?"
He could change them.
Lin Mo’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. "No, Xie Guanyan doesn’t have any flaws. He has plenty of good qualities—he’s a really good person."
The response was both expected and unexpected.
She often praised him as a good man.
"Then why? Why don’t you like him?"
Now that he had asked, Xie Guanyan wasn’t going to back down halfway.
"Ding!"
His phone buzzed again.
Only then did Xie Guanyan realize his palm was damp with sweat, sticking slightly to the back of his phone.
"I don’t dislike him, Mom. I’m just afraid he’ll kick me out."
Her voice was soft and low, tinged with resignation, her eyes drooping slightly.
The answer caught Xie Guanyan completely off guard. "He would never kick you out. That’s impossible!"
Lin Mo’s eyelids grew heavier, her voice fading. "He would. Anyone who likes him, he tells them to get lost."
"Gotta go, Mom. I’m so sleepy..."
With that, the girl on the bed seemed to power down like a toy with its batteries removed.
Not a single movement—only the faint, steady sound of her breathing.
Xie Guanyan gripped his phone, his deep eyes clouded with confusion.
For a moment, he couldn’t figure out how Lin Mo had reached such a conclusion.
His mind rewound to that night.
She had first called him "hubby" while playing a game with Zhao Ziling, which had annoyed him.
Then she apologized and went upstairs with Zhao Ziling.
He didn’t know what they discussed, but Zhao Ziling eventually left.
After that, Lin Mo told him plainly: "Xie Guanyan, I don’t like you."
So, Zhao Ziling must have said something to her.
Zhao Ziling was the wife of Huo Tingshen from the Huo family—maybe she’d heard some gossip about him and passed it on to Lin Mo.
Had he ever told someone to "get lost"? He couldn’t recall.
But it didn’t matter.
What mattered was that Shan Shan didn’t dislike him—she didn’t even dislike his good qualities.
She just lacked a sense of security.
Realizing this, the melancholy in the handsome man’s eyes eased slightly.
It was his fault—he had made Shan Shan feel unsafe living here.
Back then, he had no choice. He wanted to establish a connection with her.
He didn’t want to just pass through her life like a stranger again.
Now, at least, they were friends.
He needed to find a way to put her name on the deed for this villa.
That way, she’d feel secure.
Pushing his glasses up with a single finger, the strikingly handsome man studied the sleeping girl.
Since Shan Shan didn’t dislike him, he could come back now.
Europe was only a ten-hour flight away.
By tonight, he could reappear openly.
Lin Mo slept through the morning, her fever subsiding by noon.
Earlier, the housekeeper from Shen Yihan’s family had delivered ginger tea to the villa, but the butler had taken it inside.
By then, it was clearly too late, so it wasn’t brought upstairs.
At noon, Xie Guanyan prepared spinach congee and had a maid bring it to her room.
The aroma woke Lin Mo instantly.
Before she even opened her eyes, drool escaped from the corner of her mouth.
But her body was still weak—even sitting up required effort.
The maid offered, "Miss Lin, let me feed you."
Lin Mo didn’t refuse. "Okay, thank you."
The warm, flavorful porridge slid smoothly down her throat.
Her muddled thoughts drifted to the dream she’d had.
She dreamed of her mother—she even hugged her.
And Xie Guanyan was there too.
Why did she dream of him again?
Last time, it was that kind of dream. This one was tame by comparison—nothing happened.
What a shame.
Wait—why was she feeling regret?
"Lin Mo, get a grip!"
Was today’s dream because she missed him?
"Stupid brain, you can’t miss him! Do you want to get kicked out?"
And even if she did miss him, what was the point? He was all the way in Europe—he wouldn’t be back for at least half a year.
Maybe when you’re weak, emotions amplify.
She felt incredibly unhappy.
Half a year was so long.
She’d grown used to seeing him every day—coming back to the villa, looking forward to mornings.
Because returning meant seeing a breathtakingly handsome man, and mornings meant delicious breakfast!
Now, all those little joys were gone.
Not that she was complaining, but the housekeeper from the "Buddha of the Capital’s" place couldn’t cook as well as Xie Guanyan.
Not even as good as Chef Li.
Not the housekeeper’s fault—she was just picky.
After finishing the bowl, she slid back under the covers like a fish, too lazy to move.
Thinking of the Buddha of the Capital, she remembered he’d been with her on the lake last night.
She wondered how he was doing.
Grabbing her phone, she sent him a message:
"You didn’t catch a cold, did you?"
There were several unread messages on WeChat.
Some from her fourth brother, all sent in the morning.
Opening them, she saw she had even replied to one.
No memory of it at all.
The ginger tea must have been taken by the butler.
She typed back: "I’m totally fine."
There was also a message from Zhao Zixin:
"Goddess, heard you took the day off. Rest well!"
And two from Zhao Ziling:
"Mo Mo, awake yet? No fever?"
"Reply when you’re up."
Lin Mo responded: "Awake. I’m fine—just wanted extra rest. Haven’t swum in ages—wore me out."
She didn’t want Zhao Ziling to know about the fever, or she’d blame herself.
There was also one from Gu Jingzhou: "Why aren’t you in class?"
Lin Mo ignored it and exited the chat.
No reply yet from the Buddha of the Capital.
A little worried, she messaged Jiang Tang:
"Jiang Tang, did the Buddha of the Capital go to work today?"
Jiang Tang was at work when she received a message from Lin Mo. She replied, "I called him this morning, and he said he wasn’t coming in today."
Lin Mo frowned slightly and typed back, "Jiang Tang, you should check on him at home. I bet he’s burning up with fever!"
