Many people say that a happy childhood heals a lifetime, while an unhappy childhood takes a lifetime to heal.
Lin Mo largely agrees with this statement.
Her parents died in an accident when she was fourteen.
She spent her entire childhood under the loving protection of her affectionate parents.
They gave her an abundance of love, plenty of money, and exposed her to a world of experiences.
As their first child, they practically laid all the best things in the world at her feet.
As a result, she grew up confident and radiant, believing she deserved all the finest things life had to offer.
Her parents were also her role models—she emulated their conduct and their way of handling things.
Both were outstanding individuals, top graduates who commanded admiration wherever they went.
Under their influence, Lin Mo naturally aspired to excel and become the most dazzling presence in any crowd.
And with their unconditional support and love, she succeeded.
When her parents passed away, her second brother was eleven, and her third brother was seven.
Their childhoods were also relatively complete and happy.
Except for the fourth brother.
He was only two, still stumbling as he learned to walk, when their parents left this world.
Lin Mo did her utmost to shower him with love, wanting him to be happy and to become his role model.
But she was still young herself—just a child.
Alone, she couldn’t replace the love of two parents.
Fortunately, the fourth brother grew up strong and healthy, chubby and cheerful.
But tragedy struck again when he was six—Lin Mo died in a car accident.
This cast another shadow over his already imperfect childhood.
By then, however, the second brother was fifteen, and the third brother was eleven.
In theory, under her positive influence, they should have been able to raise the fourth brother well.
Yet fate was cruel. At seven years old, he went missing.
Lin Mo once asked Shen Yihan about the details of what happened.
Shen Yihan said it was a weekend when he took the third and fourth brothers to the park.
The weather was scorching, so he told them to wait in the shade while he went to buy them drinks.
When he returned, only the third brother remained—the fourth brother was gone.
They rushed to the park’s management office to check the surveillance cameras, but the park had very few.
Not a single camera captured him.
Shen Yihan reported it to the police, but the investigation yielded no leads, and the case eventually went cold.
Still, Shen Yihan never gave up. He printed countless missing person flyers and distributed them everywhere—to no avail.
Over the years, he kept searching. After taking over the company and gaining financial resources, he intensified his efforts, even posting notices online.
Still, nothing.
Deep down, he had begun to suspect that his fourth brother was either no longer in this world or had been trafficked to some remote, isolated mountain village—one without internet or television.
If he had access to either, he would have seen the notices.
He could have returned to Jingbei to find them—just a train ticket away.
But he never did.
Shen Yihan often received calls from people claiming to be his fourth brother, but every one turned out to be an imposter.
Now, seeing the fourth brother standing before her, Lin Mo was flooded with questions.
He was right here in Jingbei.
He couldn’t possibly not know that Shen Yihan was now the CEO of Starlight Group.
He could have gone to the company. He could have come home. Why hadn’t he?
Had he lost his memory?
And the chubby little boy from her memories—how had he become so gaunt? Why did he seem so somber now?
What had he been through?
She had practically raised the fourth brother herself.
The sight of him now made her heart ache as if pierced by countless needles.
Noticing the girl beside him growing visibly downcast, Xie Guanyan frowned.
His left hand unconsciously clenched into a fist, his fingertips pressing into the unhealed wound on his palm.
Was she upset about not having met Gu Jingchuan?
Had he been wrong to stop Gu Jingchuan from coming?
The beautiful man averted his gaze, glancing down at the golden bamboo bracelet on his wrist and the bandage she had tenderly placed on his hand.
Shanshan had been so good to him—what right did he have to keep her from seeing someone she liked?
He was despicable!
His throat tightened as he dug his fingers deeper into the wound, the pain keeping him grounded.
If she ever found out the things he had done, she would be horrified—she’d never speak to him again.
His insomnia wasn’t an excuse.
Deep down, he didn’t even want her to have sleep problems.
He wanted his Shanshan to be forever free, forever unburdened.
But at his core, he was a twisted, depraved man.
He couldn’t bring himself to let this opportunity slip away.
It had already given him so much.
Taking a deep breath, Xie Guanyan called her name.
"Lin Mo."
She turned at the sound. "Hmm?"
Keeping his voice steady and his expression as composed and gentle as ever, he said, "There’s an urgent matter at the company. I need to go handle it."
Lin Mo nodded. "Alright. Be careful on the way."
With that, she turned back to watching the game in the center of the court.
The match had already begun, both teams playing fiercely.
Xie Guanyan didn’t want to take his eyes off her for even a second, but he forced himself to stand and walk away.
Dressed in a white hoodie, his tall, lean figure drew countless gazes—even more than the game itself.
But his icy demeanor and unapproachable aura kept anyone from daring to speak to him.
"That guy looks familiar… almost like Mr. Xie!"
"No way. Mr. Xie wouldn’t come watch a random basketball game. If he showed up, the school administrators would be here to greet him."
"His outfit and vibe don’t match!"
"Definitely not him. Just watch the game!"
Hospital.
The doctor examined the test results and said to the burly man, "All his vitals are normal. The nosebleed has stopped—he’s completely fine."
The burly man insisted, "Are you sure? Doctor, take another look!"
Gu Jingchuan turned to glare at him, his brow furrowed.
Now he was certain—this guy wanted something to be wrong with him.
The doctor squinted. "Well, if I had to point something out… he does have hemorrhoids—"
"Remove them! Admit him today and schedule the surgery!" the burly man declared loudly.
The doctor: "…"
Gu Jingchuan: "…"
Finally, Gu Jingchuan snapped, "Are you out of your damn mind?"
The burly man’s eyes darkened with irritation—until his phone buzzed in his pocket.
He pulled it out and saw a message:
[Leave him alone.]
Though surprised by the sudden order, he didn’t question it.
True to his principle of never causing trouble for his boss in public, he grinned. "Hah! Just kidding! You actually believed me? Well, since he’s fine, I’m out!"
Without another word, he turned and strode off.
The doctor and Gu Jingchuan exchanged bewildered looks.
"Fcking psycho," Gu Jingchuan muttered.
A long time had passed—he had no idea if the game was still going.
Leaving the hospital, he quickly sent Gu Jingzhou a message:
[Is the basketball game over yet?]
No reply.
Gu Jingchuan hailed a car and headed straight for Jingbei No. 1 High School.
