The girl was dressed casually, wearing a simple black T-shirt and wide-leg pants.
Her long hair, unbound today, cascaded over her shoulders like seaweed.
Though she wore no makeup, her skin was flawless, her nose elegantly sculpted, and her profile breathtakingly beautiful.
The honey-glazed bun in her slender, pale fingers somehow looked far more luxurious than its humble price tag.
Li Huanyu stood there, glaring haughtily at the head nurse.
"Transferring hospitals is fine—just don’t let Lin Mo have it easy!"
"A transfer… that’s out of the question. Our hospital has no precedent of forcing patients out," Gu Jingchuan suddenly pivoted, his tone shifting abruptly.
The head nurse, who had been hanging her head, looked up in surprise. "Huh?"
Li Huanyu’s eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
The confrontation had erupted without warning, leaving Gu Jingchuan unprepared.
On one side was his resurrected first love, and on the other, his delicate, injured girlfriend.
For a moment, he was torn.
But he couldn’t let Lin Mo leave.
The hospital was his best chance to stay close to her.
Hearing the commotion at the door, Lin Mo glanced outside.
Gu Jingchuan took a guilty step back, avoiding direct eye contact, and quickly pulled Li Huanyu into the neighboring room.
"Huanyu, hospitals are like restaurants—you don’t turn customers away," he reasoned. "And as public figures, if this gets posted online, you know how damaging the backlash could be."
Li Huanyu’s brows furrowed.
Seeing Lin Mo had made her impulsive, but now that she thought about it, he had a point.
That woman was no pushover—last time, she’d even recorded their conversation.
If she pulled the same stunt again, Li Huanyu would be at a disadvantage.
Her expression softened, lips pouting unhappily. "But I—"
Gu Jingchuan pulled her into an embrace, patting her back. "Be good, sweetheart. I’ll buy you that bag you love, okay?"
Li Huanyu’s voice turned sweet. "Fine… I’ll listen to you, Jingchuan."
Gu Jingchuan’s mind raced.
Lin Mo was still angry and keeping him at arm’s length.
Apologizing clearly wasn’t working—he needed another approach. Maybe provocation.
Back when Li Huanyu had fought with him, he’d initially ignored her too.
But when he saw the rumors about her and Shen Yihan, jealousy drove him straight to her.
"This room looks perfect. Why don’t you stay here?" he suggested.
Li Huanyu glanced around—it was spacious, with a large balcony.
"Alright. My hand hurts… I don’t want to move anymore."
Gu Jingchuan called the head nurse to finalize the paperwork.
She was still baffled, wondering what had suddenly straightened out the young master’s thinking.
"Where’s your assistant, Little Fang?" Gu Jingchuan asked.
Li Huanyu sniffled. "She went back to pack my things. The accident was so sudden… it was terrifying."
Tears welled up as she buried her face in his chest.
For some reason, Gu Jingchuan’s thoughts drifted to Lin Mo’s accident years ago—her car plunging from the overpass into the river.
She must have been terrified too.
Lin Mo hadn’t expected Li Huanyu’s sudden outburst—or her equally sudden disappearance.
But she couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it.
From the nurse’s reaction, it seemed the hospital had principles and wouldn’t indulge Li Huanyu’s tantrums.
Auntie Zhen only needed a few days of rest—it wasn’t serious.
Shen Yihan arrived at the hospital straight from the airport.
As he neared the room, his steps slowed, his heart pounding. His left hand fidgeted with the Buddhist beads on his right wrist.
Would Fourth Brother resent him?
Would he refuse to speak to him?
Jiang Tang, carrying his belongings, chuckled. "Relax, President Shen."
Shen Yihan’s dark eyes flicked to her. "I’m not nervous. Not at all."
Jiang Tang nodded. "Very impressive."
Shen Yihan: "…"
Was she teasing him like a child?
At the door, he hesitated—it was already ajar.
The imposing man in his sharp black suit suddenly felt awkward, his throat dry.
"Shen Yihan! You’re here—come in!" Lin Mo spotted him first, pulling him inside by the arm. "Let me introduce you. This is Auntie Zhen. And this one… well, no introduction needed."
Shen Yihan greeted the middle-aged woman politely. "Hello, Auntie Zhen."
But his gaze faltered when it landed on the young man beside her.
He dreaded seeing hatred in Fourth Brother’s eyes.
Then, a pair of slender but strong arms wrapped around him.
"Second Brother, I missed you so much!"
The faint scent of antiseptic clung to the young man. Shen Yihan froze.
Fourth Brother had missed him.
Fourth Brother didn’t hate him.
Slowly, stiffly, he returned the embrace. A decade-late apology spilled out. "Ji’an… I’m sorry."
The thin young man shook his head. "No, Second Brother, it’s my fault. If I’d come back sooner, you wouldn’t have suffered all these years."
Tears glistened in both men’s eyes, the room thick with emotion—until Lin Mo interjected:
"Wait, Shen Yihan, if you call Shen Ji’an ‘Little Four,’ what do you call Third Brother, Shen Sizhan? ‘Little Three’?"
They burst into laughter, the tension dissolving.
Ten years apart had left them estranged. Shen Yihan had struggled with how to address him—he’d always used his full name before. Today, that felt too distant.
With the mood lighter, Shen Yihan reached out, ruffling Shen Ji’an’s hair. "You’ve grown so tall!"
Shen Ji’an eyed the beads on his wrist. "Second Brother, do you meditate and chant sutras?"
Shen Yihan: "…"
Jiang Tang handed out gifts—a silk scarf for Auntie Zhen, and presents for Shen Ji’an and Lin Mo.
Hers was the only one brought from Jingnan; the others were last-minute airport purchases.
Lin Mo helped Auntie Zhen drape the scarf around her neck.
The older woman’s eyes sparkled as she admired it.
"You look beautiful, Auntie Zhen," Lin Mo said softly.
Auntie Zhen stared at her, then suddenly removed the scarf, offering it to Shen Ji’an. "Ji’an, you wear it."
The instinctive gesture—giving the best to Shen Ji’an—made Lin Mo’s heart ache.
No wonder he couldn’t leave her. In their shared darkness, Auntie Zhen had truly treated him as her own.
Shen Ji’an smiled, shaking his head. "Auntie Zhen, this is for girls. You keep it."
Hearing "girls," Auntie Zhen turned to Lin Mo. "Then you take it. You’re a girl."
Lin Mo laughed, retying the scarf around Auntie Zhen’s neck. "Auntie Zhen is a girl too—a very pretty one."
The older woman froze, as if the words had stunned her.
Jiang Tang ordered a lavish meal to be delivered to the room.
During dinner, Lin Mo said to Shen Ji'an, "You'll continue attending No. 3 High School for now. Your second brother and I will arrange your transfer to No. 1 High School as soon as possible."
Shen Ji'an looked up, "Huh? I—"
At 17, this was the age for studying, and Lin Mo wasn’t about to let Shen Ji'an slack off.
"I’ll also be attending No. 1 High School," Lin Mo continued.
"Okay!" Shen Ji'an replied.
Going to the same school as his sister? This was amazing!
He could carry her backpack every day, bring her breakfast, and buy her snacks!
"But I’m not sure if No. 1 High School will accept me based on my grades," Shen Ji'an said, a little worried. He stood up and poured a glass of warm water for Lin Mo.
Shen Yihan, who had also been holding a glass of warm water ready to hand to his sister: "..."
Well, this was bound to happen.
He wasn’t his sister’s only devoted helper anymore!
Lin Mo took the water from Shen Ji'an and took a sip. "How many points do you usually score in total?"
Shen Ji'an blinked. "Less than six hundred."
Lin Mo was surprised. "That’s not bad. There’s still over half a year until the college entrance exams—you can definitely push it past six hundred. What’s the exact number?"
Shen Ji'an: "Sixty."
Lin Mo: "..."
She raised her hand to smack someone but ended up hitting Shen Yihan’s head instead.
Calm down, calm down. Given the environment their fourth brother grew up in, scoring sixty was actually decent!
Shen Yihan took the hit without complaint, feeling like he deserved it.
This was still his fault!
"He’ll improve. Shen Ji'an is smart," Shen Yihan reassured his sister.
In the neighboring hospital room.
Li Huanyu’s admission procedures were all settled, and she lay on the bed.
Gu Jingchuan had gone out to check on the situation in Lin Mo’s ward. When he returned, he took Li Huanyu’s hand and said, "You shouldn’t stay in bed all the time, even if you’re hospitalized. Let’s take a walk in the hallway."
Li Huanyu was delighted that Gu Jingchuan cared about her well-being and immediately got up.
Hand in hand, the two stepped out of the room.
At the door of Lin Mo’s ward, Gu Jingchuan deliberately paused.
