"Can I just leave it here?"
Xie Guanyan placed the items in Lin Mo's room and looked up to ask.
Lin Mo's eyes curved into crescents. "Of course! Thank you for bringing it up for me!"
She had just remembered Xie Guanyan's hand was still injured and offered to carry it herself, but he insisted it was fine.
What a kind and gentlemanly person!
Lin Mo couldn't help but sigh sincerely in her heart.
A small gift bag dangled from the man's fingers, making his hands appear even more slender.
"Why don't you open it?" Lin Mo suggested.
Xie Guanyan's deep gaze lingered on the girl's face for a moment before his well-defined fingers retrieved a small box from the bag.
Inside was a gold bamboo-themed bracelet.
The elegant bamboo segments were adorned with a pair of delicate leaves, the matte gold exuding an understated luxury.
"So? My taste isn’t bad, right? Bamboo symbolizes continuous growth—rising higher with each step!" Lin Mo's peach-blossom eyes curved with amusement.
Though she smiled, a flicker of nervousness stirred in her chest as she watched him open the box.
After all, Xie Guanyan's casual wristwatch alone was worth millions, while this gold bracelet barely cost ten thousand.
And men usually didn’t wear gold jewelry.
Shen Yihan had earnestly suggested she buy a gold pixiu pendant at the store.
But Lin Mo found that too tacky and opted for this instead.
His earlier claim of liking it was surely just politeness. Now, she studied his eyes, searching for genuine appreciation.
To her surprise, the deep, calm pools of his gaze gradually softened into a shimmering warmth, radiant with delight.
He lifted his head, the tea-colored mole at the tip of his nose seeming to come alive with his smile.
"Thank you. I love it," he said deliberately.
Love it! Absolutely adore it!!
Lin Mo's tension melted away. "I’m glad! I didn’t know what you’d like, but I love gold, so I got you this. Look—I’m wearing one too!"
She pulled out the little gold dog pendant hanging around her neck to show him.
It was a gift from Shen Yihan.
Xie Guanyan cradled the bracelet in his palm, savoring its cool touch, his eyes flickering slightly as they fell on the golden dog against Lin Mo's skin.
How he wished he could be that little dog—then he could stay by her side forever.
Her neck was slender and delicate, the golden chain accentuating her jade-like complexion.
"It suits you beautifully," Xie Guanyan praised softly, adjusting his glasses with a single finger to veil the dark obsession lurking beneath.
Once outside Lin Mo's room, he immediately removed his wristwatch and slipped on the bracelet instead.
Holding it up to the light, he examined it again and again.
Like a child who had finally obtained his most coveted toy, his entire body trembled with unrestrained excitement.
Now that he had accepted Lin Mo's gift, he could rightfully give her something in return.
And she would accept it.
Perfect.
Jingnan Film Studios
"Cut! Great work, Gu Jingchuan!"
The director approached, hunched slightly, megaphone in hand.
Gu Jingchuan nodded and strode toward his dressing room.
It had been a night shoot, starting at dusk and dragging on until ten.
Exhausted, he finally relaxed after removing his makeup and settling into his van.
"Jingchuan-ge."
Li Huanyu's gentle voice reached his ears.
He grinned and pulled her into his arms.
"Thanks for waiting, baby."
He kissed her forehead, then trailed lower.
Thank goodness she’d finally come to her senses and gotten back with him!
With his hectic schedule lately, her visit to the set today was a welcome surprise.
Li Huanyu blushed and leaned back. "Jingchuan-ge, there are people in the car!"
Their two assistants: "…"
Exchanging a glance, they wordlessly stepped out.
Oh, now they remember we exist!
Once the door closed, the atmosphere inside grew heated.
Pressed tightly together, their passion flared—until Li Huanyu whimpered against his shoulder.
"Let’s go back to the hotel, Jingchuan-ge. There are too many people outside."
Gu Jingchuan murmured in her ear, "Isn’t that what makes it exciting? Besides, I’ve been saving myself for you—don’t you want to see for yourself?"
It had been months since they last met, and Li Huanyu was pleased by his words.
He really does love me!
After all, Gu Jingchuan was infamous for his playboy ways.
That he’d held back for her sake was truly remarkable.
Deep down, she’d always known he was superior to Shen Yihan.
Sure, Shen Yihan was a CEO, but he had no family backing, was orphaned, and worse—a spineless mama’s boy who’d crumble at the slightest pressure.
Gu Jingchuan, on the other hand, wasn’t just a wildly popular actor but also a bona fide rich heir with solid connections.
Her earlier resistance had been pure pride.
After the humiliation she’d suffered in public, she wouldn’t let it slide.
Shen Yihan—and that so-called sister of his—would pay.
Her body, however, betrayed her thoughts as she pressed closer, voice sweet. "Really? I don’t believe you."
Gu Jingchuan smirked. "You’ll believe me when you’re begging me to stop!"
Three minutes later.
Li Huanyu’s lips twitched, but she forced a smile. "The car’s not ideal. You did great, gege."
Gu Jingchuan rubbed his nose. "Just tired lately. I’ll make it up to you later."
Li Huanyu giggled coyly.
Once separated, the assistants returned, and the van headed for the hotel.
Gu Jingchuan lit a cigarette and took a long drag before checking his messages.
His younger brother, Gu Jingzhou, had sent him a text:
[Bro, check this out. Doesn’t this girl look like your high school girlfriend?]
Below it was a crystal-clear photo.
Even without zooming in, Gu Jingchuan stiffened the moment he saw it.
Those delicate features, those captivating peach-blossom eyes, that elegant nose—
Memories surged like a tidal wave, overlapping perfectly with the girl in the photo.
This was undeniably Lin Mo.
Frowning, he took another drag and typed back:
[It is her. Where’d you even find this?]
[Shouldn’t you be studying? What have you been up to lately?]
Irritation prickled at him. Why was his brother digging up photos of his first love?
Gu Jingzhou replied instantly:
[I didn’t look for it! It’s from today’s trending hashtag—paparazzi caught her shopping with some CEO.]
Gu Jingchuan’s heart pounded as if a storm had erupted over calm seas.
Impossible. Lin Mo had been dead for over a decade!
[Must be photoshopped. No way this was taken today.]
The world didn’t work that way.
Yet despite his denial, he zoomed in, scrutinizing every detail.
It was her. Not a lookalike—her.
Back in school, she’d been the top student and campus belle—aloof yet warm, always smiling, the kind of person everyone found easy to befriend.
That very demeanor had fooled him into thinking she’d be easy to pursue.
Only after trying did he realize how unattainable she truly was.
Those mesmerizing peach-blossom eyes were her trademark.
Since her death, he had never seen eyes more captivating than hers, nor a girl more beautiful.
Gu Jingchuan was busy with something and didn’t reply immediately.
Smoke filled the car, thick and suffocating in the confined space.
Li Huanyu coughed several times, frowning as she turned to Gu Jingchuan. "Jingchuan, could you open the window?"
What kind of bad habit was this—smoking in the car without even cracking a window?
Gu Jingchuan didn’t hear her at all. His fingers moved almost compulsively as he opened Weibo.
He scanned the trending list, but there wasn’t a single hashtag related to Lin Mo.
His expression darkened, a deep sense of loss welling up inside him.
If… if it really was her…
The rear window was suddenly rolled down by his assistant from the front seat, letting in a gust of wind.
Gu Jingchuan hadn’t had time to flick the ash from his cigarette.
As he raised his hand to do so, the wind blew the ash straight into his face.
Still faintly glowing, it stung slightly.
The shock snapped him out of his daze. He tossed the nearly burnt-out cigarette out the window.
"Who told you to open the window?" he barked.
The assistant flinched. "Ah… Miss Li was coughing nonstop."
Li Huanyu, too, was startled, looking at Gu Jingchuan with wide, uneasy eyes.
Gu Jingchuan shut his eyes briefly, forcing down the inexplicable surge of emotion.
He exhaled deeply, about to say something—when his phone buzzed in his hand.
He glanced at the screen.
It was a reply from Gu Jingzhou.
["I have a basketball game tomorrow. She’ll definitely come to watch. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself!"]
