Shen Yihan's villa had a spacious living room with a large sofa.
At the moment, Lin Mo was sitting in the middle.
To her left was Shen Sizhan.
To her right was Shen Ji'an.
Next to Shen Ji'an sat Auntie Zhen.
Shen Yihan, meanwhile, was curled up in the farthest corner, working with a hint of silent resentment.
The family was practically all gathered together.
On the TV played a heartwarming comedy—Crayon Shin-chan.
The atmosphere should have been warm and cozy.
But right now, Lin Mo's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of her throat!
If she had committed a crime, she’d rather be arrested by the police than suffer this level of social embarrassment!
Earlier, Zhao Ziling had been messaging her nonstop.
She sent photos of herself training at the theater.
Then she asked Lin Mo to get her an autographed album from Shen Sizhan—she was a huge fan of his music.
And just now, Xie Guanyan had texted asking if she was coming home for dinner.
Lin Mo replied that she wasn’t.
With that, Xie Guanyan’s chat bubble rose to the top of her messages.
In her haste, she mistook his chat for Zhao Ziling’s!
Sending the wrong message wouldn’t have been so bad if she could’ve just deleted it in time.
But who could’ve predicted Xie Guanyan would reply instantly?!
The real question was—why wasn’t he even slightly confused? The message clearly wasn’t meant for him.
He didn’t even ask.
Lin Mo took a deep breath and typed: "Um… that message was actually meant for Zhao Ziling. I sent it to you by mistake. Sorry!"
His reply came just as fast: "I know. It’s fine."
Seeing those words, Lin Mo felt her heartbeat gradually steady.
Xie Guanyan was so dependable.
He gave off the kind of reassurance that made her feel like no matter what happened, everything would be okay as long as he was around.
When faced with her troubles, he never dismissed her or judged her—he just said he’d figure something out.
So far, the only people who had ever made her feel this way were her parents.
But what could he possibly do?
Move out for the night?
Or find some miracle doctor to instantly cure Shen Sizhan’s aversion to men?
"Big sis, are you okay?" Shen Sizhan noticed her odd expression and leaned in with concern, his silver hair catching the light.
Lin Mo’s heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to stay calm. "I’m fine."
If Xie Guanyan said he’d think of a solution, then he would.
She trusted him!
"Dinner’s ready!" the housekeeper called out.
At the dining table, Lin Mo felt a little guilty toward Shen Sizhan, so she made an extra effort to be nice to him.
She picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs—his favorite—and placed it in his bowl.
She had already explained in detail why she hadn’t contacted him sooner.
She hadn’t wanted to disrupt his career.
Shen Sizhan bit into the rib his sister had given him, his lips curling into a smug Nike-swoosh grin.
See? She still remembered his favorite dish!
Then he noticed his second brother and youngest brother also serving her food.
His eyes widened.
Damn it! They’d seized the perfect opportunity to act like devoted attendants!
Not to be outdone, he immediately started piling more food onto her plate.
Lin Mo, who had been texting Zhao Ziling to vent about her earlier mishap, finally looked up.
Her bowl was now a miniature mountain of food.
Lin Mo: "……"
She ate every last bite.
The housekeeper at Shen Yihan’s place knew her boundaries.
Even if Lin Mo invited her to join them at the table, she wouldn’t.
Instead, she used meal times to take care of other tasks.
Originally, Jiang Tang had left two housekeepers, but one had returned to her hometown for personal reasons.
Auntie Zhen didn’t like sitting idle, so she often helped out.
They hadn’t bothered hiring a replacement.
Just then, the housekeeper came downstairs.
"I was cleaning upstairs and found a phone that kept ringing. Is it yours, Third Young Master?"
The housekeeper, influenced by Auntie Zhen’s love for short dramas, had picked up the habit of addressing everyone in dramatic titles.
She called Auntie Zhen "Madam."
Shen Sizhan glanced at it and took the phone. "Yeah, it’s mine. Thanks."
He unlocked it and saw over a hundred missed calls—all from his company.
The moment he opened it, another call came in from his manager, Zhou Sheng.
Shen Sizhan casually swiped to answer.
A furious roar blasted through the speaker: "SHEN SIZHAN!!"
Shen Sizhan held the phone away from his ear and replied lazily, "Don’t bring such intense emotions to work."
Zhou Sheng: "……"
He nearly choked on his own rage!
That morning, Zhou Sheng had strolled into the office in high spirits—only to open his phone and see the trending topics:
#Top Star Shen Sizhan’s Relationship Exposed#
#Shen Sizhan and Girlfriend Tearfully Reunite at Airport#
#Shen Sizhan Carried Away by Girlfriend#
He saw black spots, then collapsed onto the floor.
Shen Sizhan had been secretly dating behind his back?!
They were practically attached at the hip—how had he even managed it?!
And had he forgotten the terms of his contract? He wasn’t allowed to date!
Their agency was one of the biggest in the entertainment industry, and their contracts were ironclad.
Back when he signed, Shen Sizhan had sworn up and down that he’d never get into a relationship.
The company had vetted him thoroughly.
They found him to be a workaholic machine, utterly repulsed by romance.
He wouldn’t even glance at women, and the thought of men made him nauseous.
That’s why they’d invested so heavily in him.
And now that he was famous, he just starts dating?! Unacceptable!
With no other choice, Zhou Sheng had scrambled to pull the trending topic down.
He drowned the scandal with other celebrities’ gossip.
But Shen Sizhan hadn’t answered a single call all day—Zhou Sheng was ready to explode.
After taking ten deep breaths, Zhou Sheng finally spoke again.
"Explain yourself. What the hell happened at the airport? Who gave you permission to date?!"
Shen Sizhan, having successfully won the privilege of serving his sister rice, balanced the phone between his ear and shoulder as he packed her bowl to the brim.
"That’s my sister," he said flatly.
Zhou Sheng scoffed. "You can fool your clueless fans, but you can’t fool me."
Sure, some fans in the comments and fan clubs were claiming the girl was Shen Sizhan’s sister.
But Zhou Sheng could tell just by their age difference that it wasn’t true.
And in the four years he’d managed Shen Sizhan, he’d never once heard about a sister!
Shen Sizhan pressed down on the rice to fit even more. "Don’t believe me? Fine."
Zhou Sheng’s vision went red. "Get your ass to the office. Now."
Shen Sizhan: "Sorry. Leaving my sister isn’t an option."
Zhou Sheng’s voice dropped to a deadly calm. "Shen Sizhan. You’re getting way too arrogant."
Four years together meant Shen Sizhan knew when Zhou Sheng was truly furious.
Zhou Sheng wasn’t a good person—pushing him too far would be trouble.
But it was already late. If he went now, who knew when he’d be back?
His sister had school tomorrow!
"I’ll go tomorrow. I’m busy today. Bye."
He hung up.
Zhou Sheng slammed his fist on the desk, teeth gritted, eyes dark.
"Shen Sizhan… you’ve gotten way too disobedient. Time to put you in your place."
"Who were you talking to?" Lin Mo asked.
Shen Sizhan handed her the rice. "My manager."
Lin Mo thought back to the airport incident.
It must’ve made headlines.
Even Gu Jingchuan, the so-called "Buddha of Beijing" who wasn’t even in the entertainment industry, trended constantly—let alone a top star like Shen Sizhan.
"Was it about what happened today? Did you explain properly?"
Shen Sizhan nodded. "I told him. He didn’t really believe me. I’ll talk to him again tomorrow."
Lin Mo shoveled a big bite of rice into her mouth, mind racing.
Even though she hadn’t contacted Shen Sizhan during their time apart, she hadn’t ignored him completely.
She’d joined his fan club’s most dedicated group.
Frequently, she saw complaints about how his manager treated him like a cash cow.
Zhou Sheng took any endorsement or gig as long as the pay was good.
Shen Sizhan had been hospitalized multiple times from exhaustion.
The "Buddha of Beijing's Elite Circle" mentioned this afternoon that Shen Sizhan and Gu Jingchuan had several conflicts before.
The agent must have known the two didn’t get along.
Yet they still accepted a live-streamed variety show where Shen Sizhan would appear on the same stage as Gu Jingchuan.
Clearly, the agent prioritized drama over Shen Sizhan’s feelings!
Fans collectively called for Shen Sizhan to switch agencies, but his contract was signed for twenty years.
Not to mention the penalty fees—this agency holds significant influence in the industry.
If he terminated the contract early, Shen Sizhan might as well kiss his career goodbye.
She wondered if her second brother knew about all this.
Probably not.
Shen Sizhan entered the entertainment industry around the same time Shen Yihan took over their family’s bankrupt company.
The "Buddha of Beijing's Elite Circle" was already exhausted managing the business; Shen Sizhan likely didn’t want to burden him with his troubles.
Lin Mo glanced up at Shen Sizhan.
The silver-haired crybaby’s eyes were still slightly swollen.
He probably hadn’t cried like this in a long time.
It wasn’t that he was prone to tears—just that he tended to be emotional around her.
A flicker of heartache passed through Lin Mo’s peach-blossom eyes.
Noticing his sister’s gaze, Shen Sizhan blinked. "Sis, is there something on my face?"
Lin Mo shook her head. "No, I just suddenly realized how amazing you are!"
From eighteen to twenty-two, he went from a nobody to a top-tier star.
Shen Sizhan smirked. "Just decent, really. Elaborate!"
Watching him on the verge of getting carried away,
Lin Mo didn’t hold back her praise. "You’re hardworking, resilient, fearless, kind-hearted, exceptional at singing and dancing—and oh, the rice you serve is the most rice-like!"
