Her slender white fingers froze slightly as they held the sticky note.
The young girl's pretty face tensed with worry.
What on earth was up with that brat?
No wonder he’d sent Huang Mao away earlier!
His reaction when he saw her clearly showed he still had feelings for her, so why wouldn’t he come home with her?
Could it be because of Shen Yihan?
Had some irreconcilable conflict arisen between them after her death?
But Shen Yihan hadn’t mentioned anything about it!
Once this suspicion formed, Lin Mo immediately sent Shen Yihan a WeChat message.
[It’s bad—Fourth Brother really ran away!]
Some things were better discussed in person.
Half an hour later, Shen Yihan appeared at the entrance of the "Meeting Time" milk tea shop.
His long legs carried him inside with purposeful strides.
Having graduated from No. 1 High School, Shen Yihan was somewhat familiar with the place.
"What would you like to drink?" the cheerful female cashier asked.
The man in the sleek black suit exuded an air of aloofness.
"One jasmine milk green tea, iced, 30% sugar."
The cashier couldn’t help but sneak a few more glances at Shen Yihan, her eyes lighting up when she noticed the black Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist.
Oh my god, it’s really him—the legendary "Buddha of the Capital’s Elite" in the flesh!
Today was her lucky day—she’d already caught a glimpse of the rumored billionaire Mr. Xie earlier.
He’d also ordered a jasmine milk green tea, iced with 30% sugar!
Since it wasn’t peak hours, Shen Yihan got his drink quickly.
The icy chill spreading through his palm soothed some of his restless impatience.
He spotted his sister sitting in the farthest corner of the shop.
Walking over, he took a seat across from her. "Sis, what’s going on?"
Having already finished her own drink, Lin Mo casually took Shen Yihan’s and took a sip. "Go buy yourself another one."
Shen Yihan undid the buttons of his suit jacket with his long, well-defined fingers. "This was for you anyway. So, how did Fourth Brother run off?"
Now that they’d found him, knew he was studying at No. 3 High School, and even had his name, Lin Mo wasn’t as frantic as before.
"No idea. Everything was fine, but the moment I mentioned having dinner with you tonight, he bolted. Did you treat him badly?"
She didn’t want to suspect her second brother, but she couldn’t think of any other reason for Fourth Brother’s behavior.
Shen Yihan immediately shook his head like a rattle drum. "No, I swear I treated Third Brother and Fourth Brother well. I took care of them the same way you took care of us..."
At this point, his brows furrowed slightly, guilt flashing in his eyes.
"Does he still resent me for losing him back then?"
If only he hadn’t gone to buy drinks that day, or if he hadn’t taken them to the park in the first place—Fourth Brother would never have gone missing!
Lin Mo’s heart sank a little.
She’d forgotten—that incident might be the biggest rift between them.
"But it wasn’t intentional. I don’t think Fourth Brother is the type to blame others unfairly. Besides, you never stopped looking for him afterward. He’s been in Jingbei this whole time—if he wanted to come home, he easily could have."
There had to be another reason.
Shen Yihan absentmindedly twisted the prayer beads on his right wrist, exhaling painfully. "So he’s been in Jingbei all along, just unwilling to come home... How is he? Is he doing okay?"
The thought of that chubby, adorable little boy made his chest ache.
Fourth Brother had been the youngest, but he’d always been mature for his age.
Back when their housekeeper left, he’d taken over cooking duties, and chubby little Fourth Brother would always help, even though he was only three or four at the time.
Once, he’d mistaken an onion for an apple, taken a big bite, and ended up crying rivers of tears. Yet through his sobs, he’d said, "Second Brother, this apple isn’t good. Don’t buy it again—Sis won’t like it."
Seeing Shen Yihan’s distress, Lin Mo took another sip of milk tea. "He’s at No. 3 High now. I didn’t get a chance to ask for details. Let’s go there and find out more about his situation."
It’d be better to figure out why he refused to come home before confronting him.
The black Bentley glided smoothly into traffic, heading toward No. 3 High.
Neither Lin Mo nor Shen Yihan had ever been there, so the school was completely unfamiliar.
The car drove straight through the gates without being stopped.
Unlike No. 1 High in the city center, this school was located in the suburbs.
The campus was sizable, but the buildings were old and rundown, with litter scattered across the ground.
The overall atmosphere definitely left room for improvement.
At this hour, the school was nearly empty.
After parking, Lin Mo spotted a green-haired boy and approached him. "Hey, can you tell me where the teachers’ offices are?"
The boy swept his bangs aside, grinning when he saw Lin Mo was pretty. "Beautiful, it’s Sunday—no teachers are here today."
Lin Mo frowned. "Don’t you have evening self-study on Sundays?"
At No. 1 High, they always had Sunday night study sessions.
The green-haired boy laughed like she’d told a joke. "Hardly anyone shows up for regular evening self-study, let alone on a Sunday!"
Lin Mo blinked. "Alright then. Do you know Ji'an from your school?"
The boy nodded. "Who doesn’t know the top dog of our school?"
The sun was blazing, making it hard to keep their eyes open.
Lin Mo’s smile brightened. "Handsome, let’s chat under that tree over there, yeah?"
The boy practically melted at being called "handsome." "Sure thing!"
Under the tree, the green-haired teen instinctively pulled out a cigarette and moved to light it.
Shen Yihan, who had been keeping a low profile behind Lin Mo, suddenly spoke up. "Don’t smoke."
His sister hated the smell of smoke.
Startled by Shen Yihan’s sudden authoritative tone, the boy hastily put the cigarette away.
Lin Mo just chuckled. "It’s fine, go ahead."
She knew high school boys sometimes sneaked cigarettes, but this was her first time seeing someone so brazen about it on school grounds.
No. 3 High really was something else.
She turned to Shen Yihan. "Go buy some drinks. We’ll wait here."
With Shen Yihan around, the green-haired boy was visibly tense.
Obedient as always, Shen Yihan left without another word.
He understood—they were the ones asking for information about Fourth Brother. They couldn’t expect others to accommodate them.
His sister was sacrificing so much for him!
Watching Shen Yihan walk off so compliantly, the boy assumed he was Lin Mo’s bodyguard.
A bodyguard calling his employer "Sis" made perfect sense.
Once Shen Yihan was out of sight, the boy lit his cigarette despite his lingering hesitation.
Smoke curled between them, the acrid smell making Lin Mo wrinkle her nose, but she didn’t comment. Instead, she asked, "What class is Ji'an in?"
"Class Six. Why are you asking about him?" the boy replied, curious.
Lin Mo made up an excuse on the spot. "He won in a basketball game against No. 1 High today. I’m interested in him. Oh, and I heard he once knocked out two of your principal’s teeth—what was that about?"
