It was almost one in the morning by the time they returned to the villa.
The luggage had already been brought back by Zhang Nan.
Lin Mo habitually sent Xie Guanyan a WeChat message: [I’m back.]
Despite the late hour, the reply came instantly: [Okay.]
The tall, strikingly handsome man opened the door from inside.
Lin Mo stepped out of the car.
Her slightly gloomy mood instantly lifted the moment she saw his breathtakingly beautiful face.
Zhao Ziling didn’t want to be a third wheel and quickly drove off.
Back in the villa, Lin Mo hugged Sang Biao and smothered the little white Devon Rex with affection.
After a week apart, the cat had clearly grown a bit under the care of the butler.
Setting Sang Biao down, Lin Mo turned to see the gorgeous man sitting on the sofa, staring at her without blinking.
His gaze seemed to say, Now it’s my turn to be smothered.
Looking down at him imperiously, Lin Mo declared, “Xie Guanyan, you’re just a fledgling actor right now. I won’t touch you, but if—”
Xie Guanyan had no idea what she was rambling about. He stood, removed his glasses with one hand, and pulled her slender waist close.
Then he kissed her, cutting off the rest of her words.
Lin Mo was soon kissed senseless, her legs turning weak.
Unfortunately, her monthly quota was still in effect, so they had to keep it brief.
When they finally parted, Lin Mo waited for Xie Guanyan to ask where she’d been so late.
But he didn’t. Instead, he simply told her to shower and sleep early—it was late.
For some reason, Lin Mo felt a small pang of disappointment. “Okay.”
A week of filming had left her exhausted.
Shen Sizhan also fell asleep quickly after returning home.
The next steps involved terminating his contract with his current agency and exploring new opportunities.
Not too busy.
The next day, he slept until ten in the morning. After waking up, he ordered takeout.
Once freshened up, he sprawled on the sofa and sent his sister a WeChat message:
[Big sis, I’m coming to see you today.]
His sister was probably still asleep and didn’t reply.
He searched her name online, curious about what netizens were saying.
Any negative comments? Instant report!
But the first search result stunned him:
[The Love Triangle Mystery of Lin Mo: Who Exactly Is Sophia?]
Shen Sizhan frowned.
Sophia? Wasn’t that just the maid at his sister’s house?
What love triangle mystery?
Baffled, he scratched his silver hair and clicked the link.
The article claimed that last Sunday night, Lin Mo had made her stage comeback at the Jingbei Theater, performing Mulan’s Ballad.
Afterward, she had confessed her feelings to someone named Sophia.
Shen Sizhan’s brain short-circuited.
Wait, was this even real?
His sister confessed to the maid?
And how did he not know about her performance last Sunday?
His first instinct was that this was tabloid nonsense.
Like that time a gossip account randomly claimed he had a fungal nail infection.
But scrolling through the comments, he saw multiple people confirming the story.
He immediately called his second brother.
Shen Yihan was already at work, having finished several meetings. “Yeah?”
“Second brother, did big sis perform Mulan’s Ballad last Sunday?” Shen Sizhan asked from the sofa.
Shen Yihan, signing documents, paused. “How did you know?”
The next second, an ear-splitting screech nearly deafened him.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME?!”
Shen Yihan’s heart sank. He switched to speakerphone and set the phone on his desk. “Listen, I—”
“Do you know about the confession to Sophia?” Shen Sizhan demanded.
“Huh? Sophia?” Shen Yihan had never heard the name.
He’d tricked Shen Sizhan into going to the hospital that day to keep him from attending the performance—so he’d missed the confession scene.
Shen Sizhan caught the slip. “Second brother, you didn’t even react to the confession part. You knew about this, didn’t you?”
Shen Yihan spun the Buddhist beads on his right wrist. “I—”
Click. Shen Sizhan hung up.
With a sigh, Shen Yihan immediately called their sister.
Lin Mo was half-asleep when the ringing woke her. After listening to the Buddha of Beijing’s explanation, she shot upright.
“What? He knows everything?”
Shen Yihan asked cautiously, “Big sis… is Mr. Xie’s English name Sophia?”
Lin Mo: “Adult matters are none of your business, kid.”
Shen Yihan: “……”
Lin Mo scrambled out of bed. “Come pick me up. We’ll go see third brother together.”
Better to face him head-on.
The kid was probably sulking at home right now.
After freshening up and heading downstairs, Lin Mo spotted Xie Guanyan working at the table.
“It’s Monday. Why aren’t you at work?” she asked, puzzled.
Xie Guanyan’s deep eyes met hers, his voice low and smooth. “Waiting for my girlfriend to wake up so I can make her breakfast.”
The butler nearly teared up.
Finally, the master could openly cook for her—no more pretending the meals were for himself!
Lin Mo’s lips curved. She dashed over, hugged him, planted a kiss on his lips, and gave his abs a quick squeeze. “You’re the best boyfriend in the world!”
Then she noticed the butler and a cluster of maids staring.
Her face flushed crimson. “Uh… never mind breakfast.”
As if chased by ghosts, she bolted out of the villa—her limbs moving in comical unison.
The staff immediately apologized. “Sorry, sir! We won’t look next time!”
Stupid eyes! Who told you to stare?!
Xie Guanyan waved them off, relaxing his posture.
To ensure Lin Mo always felt firm abs, he subtly flexed whenever she got close.
“Big sis, your face is so red!” Shen Yihan remarked the moment she got in the car.
Lin Mo blinked. “It’s just good circulation. You wouldn’t understand.”
Shen Yihan spun his beads but didn’t call her out.
Mr. Xie definitely kissed her just now!
Another day of regret…
Throughout the drive, Lin Mo kept checking the rearview mirror for any sign of the Black-Cloaked Hero’s car.
Nothing.
She grew uncertain.
Come to think of it, the hero only appeared when she was in danger.
“Buddha of Beijing,” she asked Shen Yihan, “have you secretly assigned bodyguards to protect me?”
At a red light, Shen Yihan gently braked. “No. Jingbei’s security is excellent, and you’ve always hated having escorts since childhood.”
Lin Mo stroked her chin. “If not you, then who?”
Shen Yihan spun his beads. “Did you notice guards protecting you? It’s probably Mr. Xie’s doing.”
