Shen Yihan was born and raised in Jingbei, so of course he had heard of No. 3 High School.
The worst high school in the city, filled with students just coasting through life, and the campus was chaotic.
Only a handful of students from the school ever made it into first-tier universities in the national college entrance exams.
Though neither he nor his younger brother matched their older sister academically, they had both graduated from No. 1 High School.
He had been admitted to a top-ranked university, while his younger brother got into Jingbei Conservatory of Music through the arts program.
How had their fourth brother ended up studying at No. 3 High School?
Had he been adopted, or had he grown up in an orphanage?
Shen Yihan stepped out of the school gate and called Jiang Tang. "Look into a student named Ji'an at No. 3 High School."
Jiang Tang had connections for gathering such information—people who specialized in this kind of work, as long as you paid.
Their sister, Lin Mo, preferred to investigate things herself, wanting to rely on her own efforts.
But he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
He bought a few bottles of drinks from the convenience store near the school gate.
When he returned to the shade of the large tree, he saw Lin Mo chatting and laughing with the green-haired boy.
Lin Mo had this magical ability—she could strike up a conversation with anyone, even a stray dog on the street.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on her delicate face, while the breeze lifted the strands of hair at her forehead, making her look breathtakingly beautiful.
Thankfully, he knew what his sister was up to. If he had stumbled upon her getting so close to some green-haired kid out of the blue,
he would’ve been seriously displeased.
"Drinks!"
As he approached, Shen Yihan handed the bottles to Lin Mo first, letting her pick, then casually tossed one to the green-haired boy.
The black Buddhist beads on his wrist shimmered under the speckled sunlight.
It happened to be cola—the green-haired boy’s favorite. "Thanks, bodyguard bro!"
Shen Yihan: "..."
Lin Mo had gathered enough information by now. She twisted open her bottle of water-soluble vitamin C drink and took a sip. "Thanks for sharing so much, handsome. I’ve got things to do, so I’ll head out now. See you around."
The green-haired boy looked reluctant. "Bye, beautiful. My name’s He He'he. If you ever come back to No. 3 High, just drop my name."
Lin Mo blinked. "What good would that do?"
He He'he grinned. "It’d make me look good!"
Lin Mo burst out laughing. "Sure thing. I’ll leave your breakfast at the shop tomorrow—just pay a little to pick it up."
He He'he laughed heartily too.
Back in the Bentley, Shen Yihan rested one hand on the steering wheel. "Sis, what did you find out?"
He He'he had been more than willing to share everything he knew with Lin Mo.
She started with what they already suspected. "Our fourth brother is basically the king of this school. He became infamous after knocking out two of the principal’s teeth in one fight."
Shen Yihan lightly pressed the accelerator as they drove away from the school. "What did the principal do to deserve that?"
Their fourth brother wasn’t the type to hit someone without reason. The fact that the principal hadn’t expelled him proved the man had something to hide!
Of course, the vast majority of teachers and principals were good people, but every group had its bad apples.
Lin Mo: "He He'he didn’t know the specifics, but he did say the principal didn’t expel him because his mom came to the school and made a scene."
Hearing that their fourth brother had a mother, Shen Yihan felt a strange mix of emotions.
But mostly, he was relieved. It meant he hadn’t grown up in an orphanage—he’d had family.
"How did she make a scene?"
Lin Mo rubbed her nose. "Apparently, she took two dumps in the principal’s office and threatened to come back every day if he expelled her son."
Shen Yihan: "..."
A brief silence settled in the car.
Lin Mo had also been speechless when she first heard this.
But she quickly recovered.
"This suggests his mom might not be… entirely mentally sound. He He'he also mentioned there are rumors at school that she has psychological issues."
Shen Yihan’s fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel, his brow furrowed.
"So, the reason he doesn’t want to come back is that he’s afraid his adoptive mother would be a burden on us?"
He knew how considerate their fourth brother was.
Lin Mo had the same thought. "Probably. He’s such an idiot—our family isn’t struggling financially. Supporting his adoptive mom wouldn’t be a problem."
It seemed the woman had been good to him, which made her their family’s benefactor.
Even if she had mental health struggles, they wouldn’t look down on her.
But their fourth brother was only seventeen—still immature in his thinking. It made sense he’d worry about this.
Shen Yihan’s grip on the wheel tightened. "I already asked Jiang Tang to look into him. Once we have his address, we’ll go see for ourselves."
What a silly kid. Did he really think his sister and brother would give up on him after meeting him?
Lin Mo hadn’t eaten lunch, so when she spotted a shop selling Suzhou-style noodle soup on the way,
she parked and went in, ordering a bowl of fish noodles and a marinated egg.
After the first bite, she instinctively remarked, "This tastes pretty average—nowhere near as good as Xie Guanyan’s."
Hmm. Xie Guanyan had once made her Suzhou-style noodles with vegetarian toppings, and they’d been incredible.
Shen Yihan had already eaten lunch, but since it was evening now, he ordered the same as Lin Mo.
He took a bite and said, "It’s not bad. Pretty tasty."
Lin Mo shook her head. "That’s because you’ve never had Xie Guanyan’s cooking. His is on another level."
Shen Yihan’s lips twitched. "As if I can just waltz in and ask him to make me some?"
Could he barge into Xie Guanyan’s villa tomorrow morning and demand a bowl?
Obviously not.
Then it hit him—this was a problem.
Damn. His sister’s taste buds had been spoiled by Xie Guanyan.
Even after her insomnia improved and she moved out of his place, she’d struggle to enjoy ordinary food.
"Tell you what, sis—ask Xie Guanyan when he’s free. I’ll go learn how to cook from him. That way, you can have that flavor whenever you want."
He could spare an hour a day for lessons, though Xie Guanyan’s schedule was undoubtedly busier than his.
Lin Mo thought this was a great idea. "Deal. I’ll ask him tonight. You’re really stepping up—here, have the egg yolk as a reward."
The so-called "Buddha of Jingbei’s elite circles," known for his cold ruthlessness in public, obediently ate the egg yolk Lin Mo disliked. "Thanks, sis."
Jiang Tang called back after dark.
"Mr. Shen, Ji'an is a troublemaker at No. 3 High. The teachers find him a handful, and he has a mentally ill mother."
This matched what Lin Mo had learned.
Shen Yihan idly twisted the Buddhist beads on his wrist. "Did you get his address?"
Jiang Tang: "Yes. It’s in the worst part of Jingbei’s urban villages—basically a slum. I wouldn’t recommend going there tonight. Wait until tomorrow."
One night wouldn’t make a difference, so they took Jiang Tang’s advice.
Shen Ji'an would have to go to school tomorrow. They’d catch him there, then visit his home together.
After stopping by Shen Yihan’s company for a while, they returned to the villa around 9 p.m.
It wasn’t too late, so Lin Mo texted Xie Guanyan to open the gate.
But after two minutes, there was no reply.
She tried calling his WeChat, but no one picked up.
Lin Mo frowned. "Where is Xie Guanyan?"
