The passenger door was pulled open by a hand with distinct, elegant knuckles.
Lin Mo climbed in.
This was Xie Guanyan’s everyday car, carrying a crisp scent of cedarwood.
The driver’s door opened.
A strikingly handsome man slid into the seat.
The cool fragrance clinging to him quickly overpowered the car’s air freshener, filling Lin Mo’s senses.
Everyone had left, and even at midnight, Jingbei was quiet.
So quiet that Lin Mo could hear her own heartbeat clearly.
How strange.
Why was her heart racing for no reason?
Xie Guanyan was fully dressed, after all!
The car started smoothly, pulling onto the road.
Streetlights flickered across the man’s breathtaking face, illuminating the faint tea-colored mole on the bridge of his nose—unusually alluring.
Lin Mo tried to steady her pulse and asked, "When did you get back?"
Xie Guanyan rested one hand on the steering wheel, eyes ahead. "I arrived this morning."
Lin Mo blinked. "Uncle the butler said your business trip would take at least a year."
His voice was smooth and refined. "The project does require that long, but I didn’t need to stay the entire time."
Recalling tonight’s events, Lin Mo found it all rather thrilling.
But the foundation of it all was undeniably Xie Guanyan’s arrival with his entourage.
Without them, it was hard to imagine the bloody stalemate that might’ve unfolded between the seven armed men and the Huo Residence’s bodyguards.
The thought inevitably led to Zhao Ziling waving that ridiculous rainbow-colored fake dildo around.
Even the bodyguards must’ve been stunned.
Minimal damage, maximum humiliation!
Speaking of dildos—
Lin Mo mentally slapped herself to stop that train of thought and said, "Thank you for coming tonight. I’m sorry for the trouble."
It didn’t take a genius to guess that the so-called "Buddha of Jingbei" had contacted Xie Guanyan.
If Gu Jingchuan could bother Xie Guanyan over her petty romantic entanglements, of course he’d call for something as serious as this.
A red light ahead.
Xie Guanyan tapped the brakes lightly and turned to the radiant young woman beside him. "No need to thank me."
Lin Mo spotted two oranges in the car’s console and picked one up to peel. "And about the lawyer—are you really able to help?"
At the end of the day, Zhao Ziling was her best friend, not his.
She knew how formidable the Huo family was. Xie Guanyan stood to lose from this.
Xie Guanyan smiled. "Really. I’ve disliked Huo Tingshen for a long time."
So that was why he’d agreed without hesitation.
Lin Mo lit up, unable to contain her rare urge to gossip. "Right?! You think he’s a piece of trash too, don’t you?"
Xie Guanyan nodded. "Mn. Absolute trash."
Having someone to rant with about a shared enemy was so satisfying.
The entire ride, Lin Mo tore into Huo Tingshen without mercy.
The illustrious billionaire, revered as a paragon of virtue, responded to every jab—sometimes even offering fresh angles to criticize him.
The tart-sweet scent of oranges filled the car.
Lin Mo thought to herself: Our values align so well. Being with him is just… effortless.
Back at the villa.
They stepped into the living room together.
A small white kitten, fluffy as a snowball, came darting toward them.
Lin Mo crouched with a grin, arms outstretched. "Little Tyrant!"
Yet Little Tyrant bypassed her entirely, clinging to Xie Guanyan’s pant leg instead, nuzzling affectionately.
Lin Mo: "…"
She mercilessly scooped the kitten into her arms and shot Xie Guanyan a look. "You fed him a bunch of treats during the day, didn’t you?"
Otherwise, there was no way Little Tyrant—who’d known her first—would prefer Xie Guanyan.
Cats were innocent. This was clearly his doing!
Little Tyrant blinked his jade-green eyes between them and let out a soft, "Meow~"
Xie Guanyan watched her pouting with amusement, gaze lingering on her face. "I gave him some dried fish earlier."
Lin Mo narrowed her eyes. "I knew it!"
She booped the kitten’s nose. "You’re my cat. Next time, you greet me first, got it?"
Then she flashed Xie Guanyan an apologetic smile. "I’m possessive about my things. Don’t take it personally—it’s not about you."
Behind his glasses, Xie Guanyan’s eyes flickered with something akin to delight.
So Shanshan was the same as him.
"Don’t worry," he said lightly. "I’m the same way."
Lin Mo grinned. "When my possessiveness peaks, I start thinking everyone’s money should be mine!"
Xie Guanyan chuckled. "That’s perfectly normal."
Morning arrived swiftly.
Lin Mo woke to find Chef Li back at work.
Chef Li announced, "Miss Lin, I’ve switched to morning shifts now that I need to take care of my kid at night. From now on, breakfast is on me—no need to hold back!"
This was excellent news.
The breakfast at the "Buddha of Jingbei’s" place had never quite suited her tastes.
After savoring a bowl of delicious wontons in chicken broth,
Lin Mo headed to school in the car.
When Shen Ji’an offered his usual breakfast, she waved it off. "No need anymore. I’m eating at home now."
Shen Ji’an pouted. "Fine."
Who can compete with Master Xie when it comes to serving her?
Saturday classes ending meant one thing: freedom.
Finally, a day to relax.
Lin Mo and her three friends regrouped at the school gates.
"Uncle Fang, come with us for skewers!"
Uncle Fang scratched his bald head. "You kids go ahead. I’d just be a third wheel. I’ll pass."
Lin Mo grinned. "You won’t be the only adult! I invited Xie Guanyan—even the ‘Buddha of Jingbei’ is coming!"
At that, Uncle Fang whipped off his cap, revealing his shiny scalp. "Say no more! Let me change first."
Jiang Tang had picked the skewer spot—a beloved old shop near their high school.
Lin Mo gasped when they arrived. "This place is still around?!"
She used to eat here all the time back then.
Jiang Tang nodded. "Business has always been good. They almost shut down once, but somehow pulled through."
Inside the private room.
The group ordered stacks of skewers and a few beers.
Lin Mo, missing Auntie Zhen after days apart, had Shen Yihan bring her along.
She was in high spirits, laughing nonstop.
Zhao Ziling filled her glass to the brim, then urged everyone (except the underage) to do the same. "A toast to my freedom! Bottoms up!"
"Clink!"
Ten glasses met with a crisp, cheerful sound.
The atmosphere was infectious.
Xie Guanyan, not one to dampen moods, downed his drink too.
Zhao Ziling kept refilling, making rounds to toast everyone.
Lin Mo, worried she’d be too drunk to rein Zhao Ziling in, discreetly poured her beer out—
Until a low, amused voice murmured by her ear, "You’re spilling it on my shoes."
Lin Mo: "…"
She turned, lips twitching. "Oops, sorry! Hey… are you drunk?"
His obsidian eyes glistened faintly, like wet stones.
Xie Guanyan shook his head. "Not at all."
Skewers devoured,
Zhao Ziling swayed to her feet and declared, "Next stop—KTV! My treat!"
With no classes tomorrow, why not?
Lin Mo cracked her knuckles. "You’re in for a treat tonight. The Songbird has arrived!"
Then she glanced at Xie Guanyan. "You can head back if you want."
The billionaire had already humored them enough by joining for skewers.
The noisy KTV probably wasn’t somewhere she wanted to go.
Yet Xie Guanyan’s deep, dark eyes fixed on her, his voice magnetic yet soft as he asked, "Lin Mo, don’t you want to take me there?"
