Were they sent by Xie Guanyan?
Lin Mo had considered this possibility before.
But the two black-clad figures hadn’t appeared only after her confession—she had encountered them much earlier.
Back then, she and Xie Guanyan were still just ordinary roommates.
Now that the two mysterious figures had vanished again, had she accidentally tipped them off, or was it all just a strange coincidence?
Shen Yihan was right—she had never liked being shadowed by bodyguards since childhood.
It always felt like she was being watched.
There was a time when her parents were too busy, so they hired a bodyguard to protect her.
But then every little thing—how many times she went to the bathroom, how many packs of spicy snacks she ate, even how many boys she slapped—got reported back to them.
After that, she outright refused to have any bodyguards trailing her.
Lin Mo shook her head. "It definitely wasn’t Xie Guanyan. He wouldn’t send people to follow me without my consent. He’s not that kind of person."
Shen Yihan thought his sister made a fair point. "Someone’s following you? I didn’t notice anything."
He glanced into the rearview mirror several times.
Lin Mo sighed. "Not today. Maybe I was just overthinking it."
She blamed that text message.
Who had sent it? Was it Gu Jingchuan?
After all, Gu Jingchuan had called Xie Guanyan a "freak," clearly trying to drive a wedge between them.
She opened her phone, fished Gu Jingchuan’s WeChat out of the blacklist, and sent him a message:
"You sent that text, didn’t you?"
The reply came almost instantly:
"No!"
A normal person would’ve asked, "What text?"—so his response was practically an admission.
Lin Mo rolled her eyes and typed back:
"Old Soy Sauce Guy, if you’re that bored, why don’t you go count raisins in Turpan?"
After sending it, she immediately re-blocked him.
Gu Jingchuan was waiting at the airport for his flight to Africa.
At first, he was thrilled that Lin Mo had reached out to him.
Turns out she just wanted to curse him out!
Fuming, he stormed into the restroom and lit a cigarette.
A cleaning lady spotted the smoke and barged in. "No smoking in the airport!"
Gu Jingchuan nearly jumped out of his skin. "Hey! You can’t just barge in here—this is the men’s room!"
The cleaning lady gave him a once-over. "At my age, I’ve seen it all. Well… actually, never seen a black one before!"
Gu Jingchuan: "…"
With that mystery cleared up, Lin Mo stopped dwelling on it.
Soon, they arrived at Shen Sizhan’s place.
This was her first time visiting.
Shen Yihan pressed the doorbell.
"Ding-dong!"
The moment the chime sounded, Shen Sizhan leapt up from the couch.
It had to be his sister!
He knew she cared about him!
He rushed to open the door, then—
The silver-haired young man pouted, crossed his arms, and turned away without saying a word.
He was mad! He’d decided not to call her "sister" for a full ten minutes!
Lin Mo hurried after him. "Sizhan, listen to me—"
Shen Sizhan covered his ears. "No! No! No!"
Lin Mo smacked him. "Will you listen now?"
Shen Sizhan instantly deflated. "…Yes."
She sat down on the sofa and spoke earnestly. "Sizhan, I owe you an apology. Last Sunday, I did lie to you. I’m sorry."
The moment he heard "I’m sorry," all his anger evaporated. He snatched the water Shen Yihan had poured and handed it to her. "It’s fine! Here, have some water, sis."
Shen Yihan: "…"
He then rummaged through Shen Sizhan’s fridge for snacks.
He’d asked Jiang Tang to order breakfast delivery, but it hadn’t arrived yet.
Shen Sizhan plopped onto the couch and scratched his head. "Sis, you just confessed to the maid, and now you’re with Xie Guanyan. Are you trying to start a polygamous relationship or something?"
Lin Mo's lips twitched uncontrollably. "Is there any chance that Sophia is actually Xie Guanyan?"
Shen Sizhan shook his head. "How could that be? Sophia is a woman, and Xie Guanyan is a man!"
Lin Mo felt both affection and exasperation for Shen Sizhan's smooth-brained response.
She had no choice but to explain everything that had happened during this time to him.
Shen Sizhan's CPU practically overheated from processing it all.
Only then did he fully grasp what had occurred during the show.
Xie Guanyan had gone there for his sister—that golden bracelet had been a gift from her!
The silver-haired young man's eyes reddened. "So you two were already living together?! And you confessed first?! Wuwuwu... Why did you keep it from me?"
Shen Yihan handed his sister a piece of toast. "It's because your condition can't handle stress. That's why we didn't tell you."
Shen Sizhan's eyes widened. "What? You said you wouldn't tell her! I hate you, Shen the Monk!"
Shen Yihan: "..."
Shen Yihan spun the Buddhist beads around his right wrist with his left hand. "Sister was worried about you, so of course I told her. Anyway, she did it for your sake. And Mr. Xie... Mr. Xie is a good person."
Who would have thought Mr. Xie would go to such lengths?
Lin Mo said sternly, "From now on, no one mentions this Sophia business again. Act like it never happened."
They had to save Xie Guanyan some face.
Maybe he had some... unique preferences, but overall, he had Shen Sizhan's best interests at heart.
Listening to their sister was as natural as breathing or drinking water.
Shen Sizhan and Shen Yihan both nodded obediently.
Though Shen Sizhan understood that his sister had lied to protect him because of his condition, he still felt miserable. "I missed your comeback dance performance—something so important! Wuwuwu!"
Lin Mo wiped his tears with a tissue. "I’ll be performing a lot from now on. You can come watch anytime."
Shen Sizhan envied every single person who had witnessed his sister’s first performance after her return. "Next time, I’m sitting in the best seat!"
The three of them had breakfast together.
After the meal, Shen Yihan left for work.
Jiang Tang’s transfer to a branch office had already been finalized.
She was currently handing over her duties to the new assistant.
Since the new assistant needed time to adjust, Shen Yihan would be even busier in the coming days.
Lin Mo lounged leisurely in Shen Sizhan’s seaside penthouse until the afternoon, then went shopping with him.
Shen Sizhan, wearing a cap and mask, swiped his card with effortless coolness, looking every bit the heartthrob.
During dinner, they even ran into two female fans.
"Can we take a photo? Please, can we?"
The blue earring on Shen Sizhan’s right ear glinted under the light. "Sure."
The two fans blinked. "We were asking Lin Mo."
Shen Sizhan: "..."
Unfazed, he photobombed the trio from behind, pulling a silly face.
Before they knew it, evening arrived, and the two headed home.
Shen Sizhan’s eyes sparkled as he said, "Sister, today was the happiest day I’ve had in years!"
He had spent the whole day as her devoted attendant—such a golden opportunity had never come his way before.
With his second brother at work and his youngest brother at school, now was his time to shine!
Lin Mo sprawled across Shen Sizhan’s massive sofa, gazing at the breathtaking ocean view outside, feeling content.
Yet, a faint unease lingered.
Xie Guanyan hadn’t sent her a single WeChat message all day.
Now, past 10 PM, he still hadn’t asked when she was coming home.
She hated being controlled, but being ignored didn’t sit right with her either.
They had just started dating!
A little miffed, Lin Mo played video games with Shen Sizhan until well past midnight.
Xie Guanyan’s WeChat remained silent.
Lin Mo was tired. "Take me back to sleep, Shen Sizhan."
Shen Sizhan really wanted his sister to stay at his place, but he knew her sleep issues often led her to rely on medication.
After all, even medicine carries its own risks.
"Alright."
Shen Sizhan grabbed the keys to an SUV.
Last time, he’d taken the sports car, and he remembered how her legs had gone numb from the ride.
When they arrived at the villa’s entrance,
Lin Mo, as usual, sent a message to Xie Guanyan.
Xie Guanyan emerged promptly, dressed in a pristine white suit, his silver-framed glasses accentuating his refined and dignified demeanor.
Shen Sizhan couldn’t help but recall that day with Sophia—
the long-haired maid outfit. Xie Guanyan really… had no limits.
Of course, he didn’t believe Xie Guanyan cared all that much about his illness. Xie Guanyan only cared about his sister.
Truth be told, it was hard to find fault with Xie Guanyan.
Except for the fact that he’d taken advantage of his sister’s youth!
Unlike Zhao Ziling, who had left without hesitation, Shen Sizhan’s eyes flickered with mischief. "Sis, I want to stay at your place."
Lin Mo was about to refuse,
but Shen Sizhan’s striking, rebellious eyes welled up with tears. "I lost my sister when I was eleven… All these years…"
Her heart softened. "Fine, fine, stay!"
The moment Xie Guanyan saw Shen Sizhan step out of the car, he knew he’d be staying.
At the same time, the lack of surprise on Xie Guanyan’s face at his own presence told Shen Sizhan he must have figured out the maid incident.
Not that it mattered.
Xie Guanyan didn’t care how anyone saw him—except for Lin Mo.
Then he watched as Shen Sizhan approached and asked, "Xie Guanyan, you won’t be unhappy if I stay here, will you?"
