After finishing the movie promotion, Li Huanyu had some free time.
She went out to take a set of casual photos for her Weibo update.
Li Huanyu returned to her van and opened her phone.
She had received several WeChat messages, but none of them were from Shen Yihan.
Last night, Shen Yihan had left just like that, without any explanation.
She was very angry and didn't send him a message to ask why.
She was waiting for him to message her with an apology.
But there was nothing. Shen Yihan seemed to have vanished into thin air.
What was going on?
It felt like Shen Yihan's thoughts were no longer on her.
What had he been busy with these past few days?
As the CEO of a large conglomerate, she certainly knew that Shen Yihan was busy with work.
But previously, no matter how busy he was, he would send her dozens of messages every day.
Whenever she needed anything, he would rush to her side or handle it immediately.
Li Huanyu's slender white fingers gripped her phone as she took a deep breath and opened her chat with Shen Yihan.
She typed: [Yihan, are you free tonight? I'd like to treat you to dinner]
This was the first time she had actively invited him to dinner; he would definitely agree.
Just then, a message notification popped up on her phone. Li Huanyu looked closely.
It was from Gu Jingchuan.
[Baby, shall we have dinner together tonight? I've booked your favorite restaurant]
Li Huanyu's lips curled into a smile, but she decided not to reply.
You only know what you've lost when it's gone. She wasn't ready to forgive him yet!
A familiar ringtone sounded.
Shen Yihan, who had just parked his car and gotten out, opened his phone and glanced at it.
His brows furrowed slightly.
He typed back: [Not tonight, I'm having dinner with my sister]
Li Huanyu quickly replied, [That's fine, I can invite your sister to join us for dinner too]
Shen Yihan looked up at his sister who had just gotten out of the passenger seat.
He hesitated, wondering whether to suggest that Huanyu join them for dinner.
His sister seemed to have some misunderstandings about Huanyu.
If she spent some time with Huanyu, she would surely realize what a wonderful girl she truly was.
They were in a large, upscale shopping mall, with their car parked in the underground garage.
Just as Shen Yihan was about to speak, he noticed his sister looking up at a billboard.
The man on the billboard was very handsome.
Slicked-back hair with a 7:3 part, one hand in his pocket, flashing a charming, mischievous smile.
Shen Yihan's heart skipped a beat.
Wasn't that Gu Jingchuan?
This clothing brand was endorsed by Gu Jingchuan; his promotional photos could be seen even in the parking garage.
Shen Yihan watched as his sister's brow furrowed, her expression turning somber.
His fingers unconsciously fidgeted with the Buddhist prayer beads on his right wrist.
Never mind. His sister had just gone through a breakup; wouldn't inviting Huanyu over just upset her more?
Besides, Huanyu had previously been in a fake relationship with Gu Jingchuan for publicity. Although it wasn't real, it still wasn't appropriate.
Without saying anything to Lin Mo, he lowered his head and typed on his phone, [No need, I'll treat you to dinner next time]
When Li Huanyu received the message, her face went through a rainbow of emotions.
Shen Yihan had actually rejected her invitation!
She bit her lip.
Was it really because of his sister?
What was so special about his sister that she couldn't meet her?
She really wanted to meet this sister in person right now!
"Sis, the restaurant we booked is up that elevator!"
Shen Yihan tugged at Lin Mo, preventing her from continuing to stare at the billboard.
Lin Mo shifted her gaze away from the advertisement, "Okay."
Eleven years had passed, and Gu Jingchuan had changed quite a bit. He'd become more polished, though his hairline had receded somewhat.
Good heavens, she was starting to regret agreeing to date him back then.
She hadn't enjoyed a single day of that relationship, yet it felt like a permanent mark on her record!
Sitting in the Korean BBQ restaurant, Lin Mo remained in a gloomy mood, thinking that apart from her brother, hopefully no one else remembered that incident.
Shen Yihan was focused on grilling meat for her, his expression also not particularly cheerful.
His sister clearly still had feelings for Gu Jingchuan!
To divert his sister's attention, Shen Yihan asked, "Sis, did you ask Mr. Xie about his sexual orientation?"
His sister was truly formidable.
He dared say that in all of North Beijing, the number of people brave enough to directly ask Xie Guanyan about his sexual orientation could be counted on one hand.
He certainly wouldn't dare.
Lin Mo stuffed lettuce into her mouth followed by several large pieces of pork belly. Only after chewing and swallowing did she reply, "I did ask. He said he likes women."
Shen Yihan was somewhat shocked, "Women? But countless socialites and heiresses throughout North Beijing's elite circles have pursued him, and he's never shown any interest."
Lin Mo wrapped more aromatic beef in lettuce, "He said he hasn't met the right person yet."
Shen Yihan flipped the beef tongue, nodding, "That makes sense. Someone of his stature would have very high standards for a partner. Few would be worthy of him."
"Sis, what do you think of him?"
Lin Mo frowned deeply and gave Shen Yihan a light smack on the head, "What are you implying? You want me to pursue him? Stop being ridiculous!"
Shen Yihan definitely didn't want his sister to date, but liking Gu Jingchuan was a dead end.
The best way to forget one relationship was to start a new one.
Xie Guanyan was superior to Gu Jingchuan in every way; at least he was a gentleman.
"I'm not saying you should pursue him, but maybe you could try to discover some of his good qualities!"
The main point was to shift her attention away from Gu Jingchuan.
"No time. I have too much on my plate. I'm busy trying to find our fourth brother, and I'm planning to repeat my senior year of high school to retake the college entrance exam and continue my education."
After eleven years, Qinghua University certainly wouldn't recognize her old scores.
Retaking the exam wasn't a problem; it would be a good opportunity to find her fourth brother and guide him onto the right path.
Hearing this, Shen Yihan's expression darkened.
His sister was unwilling to develop feelings for someone new and wanted to distract herself with busyness.
"Repeating senior year will be exhausting. Our family has everything we need now; is it really necessary for you to continue studying?"
Shen Yihan said this while placing perfectly grilled tender beef tongue into Lin Mo's bowl.
Lin Mo shook her head, "I need to study. I have my own life plan."
Although this world was a novel, for those who existed within it, it was a real life.
If Xie Guanyan could be so accomplished, how could she just be content living off family wealth?
Back then, she had applied to the Finance Department at Qinghua University, but now Lin Mo wanted to reconsider.
People are products of their time; as times change, so must her plans.
This wasn't urgent and could be considered slowly.
The immediate priority was to find her fourth brother and see which school he attended.
The male protagonist's brother was at First High School, but that didn't mean her fourth brother was there too.
School bullies don't just fight with students from their own school.
She would go to First High tomorrow to check.
"Which high school do you want to attend? I'll arrange it for you."
Shen Yihan didn't say much more; once his sister made up her mind, no one could change it.
Perhaps distracting herself wasn't the key; the key was that she wanted to regain control over her life.
His sister was only eighteen; she had a long life ahead of her.
"I'll let you know."
Lin Mo savored the tender beef tongue, narrowing her eyes in delight.
So delicious~
"Get some rest early tonight. I'll have Jiang Tang pick you up tomorrow morning."
Shen Yihan said as he parked the car in front of the villa.
"Got it."
Lin Mo got out of the car, carrying a large bag of snacks.
The "Buddhist Prince of Beijing" had taken her shopping for them.
"By the way, consider what I said. Try to discover some of Xie Guanyan's good qualities," Shen Yihan added.
Keeping busy while shifting focus was the safest approach.
Lin Mo rolled her eyes at him, "Buddhist Prince of Beijing, you're being annoying!"
Shen Yihan: "..."
She opened her phone and sent a WeChat message to Xie Guanyan.
[I'm back, can you open the door?]
It was already eleven o'clock, and Lin Mo wasn't sure if Xie Guanyan was asleep.
After waiting for a minute, there was no reply.
Lin Mo had no choice but to make a voice call.
The phone rang for quite a while before it was answered, and his voice came through with a hint of huskiness, "Shanshan."
The man's voice was enchantingly alluring.
But Lin Mo didn't notice that, because she was surprised.
"How do you know my nickname?"
