Gu Jingchuan frowned as he held the heavy bag of fruit.
Was sixty yuan worth of fruit still not enough?
Shen Ji'an's attitude had been so cold—as if he owed him something!
Here he was, a top-tier movie star, rejected by Lin Mo and now even her younger brother.
Gu Jingchuan's pride was taking a hit, both inside and out.
He tried to convince himself that Shen Ji'an was just naturally brooding—it wasn’t personal.
Just as he turned to leave, he heard Shen Ji'an call out, "Mr. Xie!"
Narrowing his eyes, Gu Jingchuan glanced back.
The lanky teenager, who had seemed so sullen moments ago, was now practically sprinting toward someone, his long bangs flying as his narrow eyes lit up with excitement.
The gloomy aura was gone—replaced by the energy of a cheerful, sunlit boy.
Gu Jingchuan: "..."
His nose flushed red.
That damn Xie Guanyan was here again!
Did he really think Lin Mo loved him?
She was just using him!
Xie Guanyan watched Shen Ji'an approach, his brow lifting slightly.
Was this kid waiting for him?
Yesterday, he’d clearly been hostile.
Not that Xie Guanyan held it against him.
Overprotectiveness toward an older sister was understandable.
Shanshan was a good sister, after all.
His slender fingers reached into the passenger seat for the fruit, but before he could grab it, Shen Ji'an eagerly took the bag.
"Mr. Xie, let me carry it for you!" Shen Ji'an beamed.
Gu Jingchuan’s face darkened at the sight.
When he bought fruit, Shen Ji'an couldn’t care less. But Xie Guanyan’s? He practically snatched it away.
Had Xie Guanyan cast some kind of spell on him?
An idea struck Gu Jingchuan. Clutching his own bag of fruit, he hurried back toward the hospital.
With Shen Ji'an gone, Lin Mo would be alone in the ward.
If he delivered the fruit now, Xie Guanyan’s later offering would just be redundant.
Lin Mo would definitely find it unimpressive!
After some thought, he realized a direct confrontation with Xie Guanyan wasn’t wise.
The key was Lin Mo.
If she pushed Xie Guanyan away, no matter how much he liked her, he’d retreat—back to being that lurking, obsessive shadow.
Xie Guanyan was mildly surprised by Shen Ji'an’s enthusiasm. His voice remained gentle as he asked, "What are you doing down here?"
Shen Ji'an, now holding the fruit, tensed slightly at the question. "We ran out in the ward, so I came to buy more. But now I don’t have to—thank you."
Xie Guanyan smiled. "No need."
It’s for your sister.
He didn’t say it aloud. No point.
"Let’s go, Mr. Xie. My sister’s waiting," Shen Ji'an said, barely containing his excitement.
He never imagined he’d get this close to his idol.
Back when he dreamed of becoming wealthy, he’d vowed to be like Xie Guanyan—a philanthropist.
Instead, he’d been scrubbing dishes for thirty cents each.
But now that his sister was back, everything had changed.
He’d hold onto that dream—to become a great benefactor, just like Mr. Xie!
"Here, take this too."
Xie Guanyan leaned into the car again, retrieving a small box and handing it over.
Shen Ji'an blinked. "What is it?"
Xie Guanyan shut the car door. "A scar-removal ointment. My research team just developed it—supposedly very effective. It’s not on the market yet, but you can try it."
Shen Ji'an stared at the box, his fingers burning with guilt.
Ahhhh!
He was such a jerk!
Mr. Xie had gone out of his way to bring him cutting-edge medicine, while he’d begrudged him even the cheapest hospital-grade cream.
Instead of holding a grudge, Xie Guanyan had repaid his rudeness with kindness.
How could someone this good exist?
"Thank you!" Shen Ji'an looked up, eyes shining.
Xie Guanyan nodded. "Let’s go."
His long strides carried him toward the hospital.
Truthfully, he didn’t know where Shen Ji'an needed the ointment. He just knew Shanshan cared about her little brother.
Knock knock!
The sound pulled Lin Mo from the sofa. Her eyes curved into crescents as she rushed to open the door.
Xie Guanyan was here!
But the moment she saw Gu Jingchuan, her smile vanished.
She moved to shut the door again.
Gu Jingchuan thrust the fruit toward her. "I bought these for you."
Lin Mo refused. "No."
He pushed the bag into her hands. "If you don’t take them, I’ll throw them away. You hate wasting food, don’t you?"
Lin Mo: "..."
Same old trick.
Back when he’d pursued her, she’d rejected gifts—perfume, jewelry, even rare study materials.
Then he switched to food: chicken soup, seafood congee, Guilin noodles...
If she refused, he’d toss it.
Waste did bother her. After a few tries, she’d caved—the food was too delicious to resist.
Her inner glutton had won.
"All your favorites. Keep them." Gu Jingchuan removed his mask, letting her see his handsome face. "I’ve missed you all these years, Lin Mo. I never stopped loving you."
Lin Mo’s brow furrowed.
Relentless declarations were his trademark.
In high school, he’d professed his love at least ten times a day.
Their shared classroom’s blackboard was perpetually scrawled with his confessions.
The entire school knew.
Teachers told him to tone it down.
Gu Jingchuan would shake his head. "Impossible. My love for Lin Mo can’t be contained."
Even parental intervention failed. His family claimed they couldn’t control him.
The faculty gave up. The school wasn’t about to expel him over it.
His grand finale had been a fireworks display on Beijing’s largest beach.
Hundreds of rockets burst into the sky, spelling out: Lin Mo, I love you—Gu Jingchuan.
Half the city saw it.
Everyone knew.
Back then, Lin Mo had believed him.
Now? She didn’t care.
Her feelings were long gone.
"I love myself too," she said sweetly.
Gu Jingchuan’s heart skipped at her smile. "Then we—"
"—are rivals in love," Lin Mo finished.
Gu Jingchuan: "..."
She took the fruit inside.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
First step accepted. The rest would follow.
He moved to step in—
Lin Mo reappeared, shoving a hundred-yuan bill into his hand.
It was from the money she’d found by Jiang Tang’s feet last time.
She’d suggested splitting it three ways, but Jiang Tang said a hundred wouldn’t divide evenly.
So she’d added two more bills, giving Shen Ji'an and Zhang Nan each a hundred.
All three had been overjoyed.
"Here’s the money for the fruit. If you throw this away, tell me where—I’ll go pick it up!" Lin Mo grinned.
People tossed cakes, flowers, even diamonds.
But cash? Rarely.
Gu Jingchuan wasn’t that foolish. He scowled at the bill. "Lin Mo, I know you’re upset about my scandals, but those were all arranged by the company. My heart was never in it."
"Speak your mind—don’t shut me out!"
Lin Mo looked at him, earnest and stern. "I don’t like you anymore."
Gu Jingchuan: "I don’t believe it!"
Lin Mo: "…"
At that moment, Lin Mo felt the crushing exhaustion of an eighty-year-old left-behind elder who’d carried sixty buckets of water under the scorching sun to water vegetable sprouts at the village entrance—only to realize she’d been tending someone else’s plot all along.
"Ding!"
The elevator in the hallway chimed.
Lin Mo’s heart sank. Xie Guanyan was probably on his way up.
She really didn’t want him witnessing this mess again.
"Then we have nothing left to discuss. Leave."
Gu Jingchuan tipped his cap up slightly. "Lin Mo, I’ll make you see my heart again, see how I—"
Lin Mo cut off his impassioned declaration. "Shut up and get out!"
Gu Jingchuan shook his head, rambling on. "I won’t go. My heart will always be with you. I—"
Suddenly, a toilet plunger shot out from inside and suctioned itself over his mouth.
Lin Mo: "…"
Her eyes widened as she turned to see Auntie Zhen.
Grinning, Auntie Zhen said, "See, Lin Mo? He’s quiet now."
