When Lin Mo was taken away, Xie Guanyan immediately received word from his twin bodyguards.
The two asked Xie Guanyan whether they should intervene and rescue her directly.
At the time, Xie Guanyan was working in his home study.
His long, thick lashes lowered as he considered for two seconds.
He wasn’t sure how much Huo Tingshen knew about him.
But he knew Huo Tingshen well.
For now, they weren’t exactly rivals in the business world.
But with the market pie being finite, it was only a matter of time before they clashed.
Ever the pragmatist, Xie Guanyan had long prepared for this inevitability.
A past accident had left Huo Tingshen’s father unable to have more children.
Thus, Huo Tingshen became the Huo family’s sole heir.
From birth, he was rigorously groomed for succession.
His life consisted of endless lessons and distant, unrelenting goals.
His parents micromanaged his schedule down to the minute, even accompanying him abroad for studies.
They instilled in him a strict regimen of health and discipline.
As a result, he never touched alcohol or cigarettes, maintaining impeccable habits.
On the surface, this scion of wealth seemed to have everything—yet in truth, he controlled nothing.
He was like a marionette, rigid and severe.
Or a machine built solely to serve the Huo Corporation.
Even his body was treated as an asset, with no room for personal desires.
This upbringing forged in him an obsessive need for control once he took the reins of power.
Lin Mo had slapped him twice.
As the head of a top-tier elite family, his pride couldn’t swallow such an insult.
His parents had been harsh but never laid a hand on him, wanting to preserve his authority’s sharp edge.
Still, Huo Tingshen wouldn’t truly harm a young girl.
Not out of kindness, but because his status forbade such pettiness.
So Lin Mo wasn’t in real danger.
"Follow her," Xie Guanyan instructed the bodyguards.
He couldn’t interfere too much in Lin Mo’s life—she had her own ways and convictions.
But if Huo Tingshen lost his temper? Xie Guanyan wasn’t taking chances.
The twins shadowed Lin Mo into the Huo estate.
These two were elite operatives handpicked by Xie Guanyan, usually stationed in the shadows for his protection.
Outside the study, they pressed against the wall in the dark, monitoring the situation inside.
If Huo Tingshen snapped, they’d extract Lin Mo instantly.
Meanwhile, Xie Guanyan mobilized his private security team to surround the estate.
If things escalated, reinforcements could storm in at a moment’s notice.
When Shen Yihan’s call came, Xie Guanyan was already en route to the Huo residence.
The timing was uncanny—he’d been about to call Huo Tingshen himself.
If Huo Tingshen knew Lin Mo mattered to him,
there was a 99% chance she’d be released unharmed.
Unlike SS Capital, which Xie Guanyan ruled absolutely,
the Huo Corporation’s board was a tangled web.
They even held power to oust Huo Tingshen.
If Xie Guanyan struck the Huo Group hard enough,
Huo Tingshen’s leadership could crumble.
This was why his parents had drilled perfection into him.
Mediocrity wasn’t an option—the Huo empire could easily fall to rival branches.
Shen Yihan’s call gave Xie Guanyan legitimate grounds to appear.
With Lin Mo safeguarded inside, he’d make his entrance in broad daylight!
Upon arrival, he found a crowd armed and ready to charge in.
Seeing so many rally for "Sparkle" warmed his heart.
His own team was the cream of the crop.
They subdued the Huo guards, clearing a path for Sparkle’s defenders.
Yet Xie Guanyan held back, resisting the urge to rush in.
First, he knew Sparkle was safe.
Second, he was certain she’d want her brothers leading the charge.
From the doorway, his eyes locked onto the girl staring at the ceiling.
The instant he noticed her swaying, he bolted forward.
With flawless precision, he caught her.
Many loved Sparkle—he’d be the one who always caught her when she fell.
Their gazes met, the world around them fading to silence.
"Is it really you? Xie Guanyan!"
Lin Mo’s peach-blossom eyes widened, her heart hammering.
She couldn’t believe he’d appeared out of nowhere.
Was this another dream?
Slap!
She struck his cheek. "Did that hurt?"
Xie Guanyan: "..."
Dozens of bodyguards watched their boss take the hit without protest.
Huo Tingshen, still blindfolded, recognized that familiar slap sound.
Suddenly, Lin Mo’s earlier strikes didn’t sting as much.
Even Xie Guanyan, CEO of SS Capital, got slapped by this brat—
for no reason at all!
"A little," Xie Guanyan admitted, gently lowering the frog-postured girl from his arms.
His voice was warm velvet.
The rich, soothing timbre melted Lin Mo.
She flung herself at the tall, elegant man in a bear hug.
"Xie Guanyan, I missed you so much!"
