That night, it wasn’t just Lin Mo who found it hard to sleep.
Li Huanyu was also tossing and turning in bed, unable to rest.
She had seen Shen Yihan’s trending search.
She had thought the "something important" Shen Yihan mentioned was related to company affairs.
Never had she imagined that his "something important" was accompanying another woman on a shopping trip!
No wonder she hadn’t accepted the 100,000 yuan transfer—and he hadn’t sent any more money afterward.
He had found someone new!
But how could that be? He had always been so devoted to her!
Unable to hold back any longer, she sent Shen Yihan a WeChat message:
[Yihan, were you out with someone else today?]
Shen Yihan didn’t reply to the message.
Because he was asleep.
Shen Yihan had always been a deep sleeper, drifting off as soon as his head hit the pillow.
But the ringing of his phone at four in the morning jolted him awake.
Rolling over in bed, his long arm reached for his phone on the nightstand.
The screen displayed an unfamiliar number.
Shen Yihan had a habit—he always answered calls from unknown numbers.
The missing person notices he had posted initially all carried his own contact details.
Later, when the flood of prank calls became overwhelming, he switched to using Jiang Tang’s number.
But Jiang Tang, too, received too many nuisance calls, so in recent years, they had delegated the task to a few secretaries.
Any useful leads would be verified and reported to Jiang Tang, who would then relay them to him.
But his own number had never changed.
It was possible someone had seen an old missing person notice and decided to call.
Shen Yihan sat up slightly in bed, his voice hoarse as he answered, "Hello?"
After a brief silence, a low, unreadable male voice responded, "I’m looking for Lin Mo. Is she there?"
Shen Yihan’s brow furrowed. "Who are you? What do you want with Lin Mo?"
His sister had only just returned—who would call looking for her in the dead of night?
Beep—
The line went dead before the caller could say anything else.
Shen Yihan, puzzled, immediately dialed back.
But no one picked up.
In the darkness, his expression darkened, and his drowsiness faded.
He opened WeChat to check his messages.
Only then did he see Li Huanyu’s text.
His frown deepened.
Had Huanyu seen him out with his sister?
Unlikely.
If she had, she would’ve messaged him right then, not at past midnight.
Another thought struck him, and he checked the trending searches—now he understood.
A paparazzo had snapped photos of them!
He rarely browsed social media or short videos—Jiang Tang usually summarized any relevant gossip for him.
Why hadn’t Jiang Tang mentioned this? Had she missed it too?
It was too late to ask her now.
Shen Yihan’s mind circled back to the mysterious call.
His fingers absently brushed the black prayer beads on his wrist.
Had someone recognized Lin Mo from the photos and called to confirm?
But why at four in the morning?
And why hang up when he called back?
Could it be Gu Jingchuan?
Gu Jingchuan had pursued Lin Mo for three years—he might recognize her from just a silhouette or a side profile.
That man was not only a womanizer but had also used Li Huanyu to boost his own fame through fake relationships. A real piece of work.
Lin Mo might still have feelings for him, so Shen Yihan couldn’t let Gu Jingchuan near her again.
A muscle in Shen Yihan’s temple twitched, and he promptly blocked the number that had just called.
He considered replying to Li Huanyu but figured she was probably asleep by now—no point disturbing her.
He set his phone aside and drifted back to sleep.
Lin Mo, though curious about the late-night caller, wasn’t the type to eavesdrop.
She went to the living room for a glass of water but didn’t return to her room.
Since sleep eluded her, she stepped onto the second-floor balcony, resting her chin on her hand as she gazed at the sky.
At four in the morning, Beijing was eerily silent, like a slumbering dragon.
The sky was a murky gray, visibility low.
So low, in fact, that she didn’t notice the car parked on the roadside outside the villa.
Inside, a pair of eyes, feverish with longing, were fixed on her.
The air was cool, carrying a faint metallic tang—the sting in his palm sharp and persistent.
But the beautiful man’s face was alight with exhilaration.
Veins stood out at his temples, yet they didn’t mar his striking, almost ethereal handsomeness.
Lin Mo—she was really back. This wasn’t a dream!
The moment he saw the side-profile photo, Xie Guanyan had dismissed his assistant, taken the wheel, and driven straight to Shen Yihan’s doorstep.
As one of Shen Yihan’s investors, the address wasn’t hard to obtain.
But the villa’s gates were shut tight, blocking his view inside—and stoking his frustration.
Logic and emotion warred within him.
Logic insisted he was mistaken—Lin Mo had died eleven years ago.
But his heart and instincts screamed that the woman in the photo was her.
Shen Yihan was her brother—it made perfect sense for him to accompany her.
Yet how? How could someone gone for eleven years suddenly reappear?
The torment of uncertainty was unbearable, like a slow death.
He needed proof but had no way to get it.
Barging into Shen Yihan’s home was out of the question.
He couldn’t risk frightening Lin Mo—or worse, confirming it wasn’t her and enduring yet another crushing disappointment.
Over the past eleven years, he’d mistaken countless women for Lin Mo, chasing shadows across the globe at the slightest resemblance.
Her body had never been recovered—she could still be alive, somewhere in the world.
But each false hope had left him emptier than before.
Now, after hesitating outside the villa for hours, he’d finally dialed Shen Yihan’s number.
The call had confirmed it.
Lin Mo was there.
Had she not been, Shen Yihan would’ve cursed him or coldly reminded him she was long gone.
Instead, his instinctive reaction had been to ask who was calling and why they wanted Lin Mo.
That alone sent Xie Guanyan’s heart racing.
And then, as he hung up and looked back at the villa—
There, on the second-floor balcony, stood a faint, slender silhouette.
His chest constricted, as if gripped by an invisible hand.
The face that had haunted his dreams was now just meters away.
Less than fifty meters in a straight line.
The rush of euphoria was overwhelming, threatening to drown him.
Only when he pressed the blade in his car into his palm did the pain ground him.
This was real. Not a dream.
Hidden in the shadows, the refined man with silver-framed glasses stared, his gaze ravenous yet tender, tracing every contour of the girl on the balcony.
Even after she retreated from view, his eyes remained locked on the villa.
Maybe she’d come out again. Maybe.
Then a thought struck him, and his brow furrowed slightly.
Was her insomnia acting up again?
Poor Shanshan.
A moment later, he adjusted his glasses with a single finger, his lips curving into a breathtaking smile.
"Jie, what’s with the dark circles?"
At breakfast, Shen Yihan was startled by Lin Mo’s haggard appearance.
Seated at the table, picking at the meal Jiang Tang had delivered, Lin Mo sighed. "Couldn’t sleep last night. Finally dozed off around five, only to wake up again soon after."
Shen Yihan suddenly remembered Lin Mo's sleeping troubles and sat down at the dining table. "What if we buy the exact same bed as the one back then?"
Lin Mo shook her head. "It wouldn’t help. The problem is more about the place itself. Do you know who bought our old villa? Could you reach out to the buyer and ask if they’d be willing to sell?"
Shen Yihan replied, "I’m not sure. It might have changed hands several times by now."
That villa held too many memories, and Shen Yihan had deliberately avoided keeping track of it.
Jiang Tang chimed in, "I’ll look into it today."
Lin Mo leaned affectionately against Jiang Tang’s shoulder. "Thank you, Jiang Tang!"
Jiang Tang’s cheeks flushed slightly.
At first, she had assumed that the top student and beauty queen of First High School would be the aloof, unapproachable type.
To her surprise, Lin Mo was bright, lively, and incredibly endearing.
She peeled an egg for Lin Mo before reporting Shen Yihan’s schedule for the day.
After listening, Shen Yihan asked her, "Did you hear about what happened on Weibo yesterday?"
Jiang Tang glanced at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo arched a brow, her expression cool as she looked at Shen Yihan. "I told Jiang Tang not to interfere with the Weibo situation."
