Chef Li's culinary skills were exceptional.
The bird's nest and white fungus soup was silky smooth and delicate.
The amount of sugar was just right—refreshingly sweet with a clean aftertaste.
The sugary, soft, and sticky flavor spread across Lin Mo's tongue.
It was so delicious that her peach-blossom eyes couldn't help but curve upward in delight.
However, Xie Guanyan's words reached her ears, and the upward curve of her eyes froze.
No more smiling.
Of course, anyone who saw Gu Jingchuan's ridiculous behavior today would suspect she had terrible taste!
Seeing the girl's smile vanish, Xie Guanyan's breath hitched for a second.
Regret flooded his mind.
What was he doing?
Badmouthing Gu Jingchuan behind his back?
Shanshan would surely see right through his rotten nature now!
Everyone had their own perspective.
In his eyes, no one was worse than Gu Jingchuan.
But in Shanshan's eyes...
That boy had once openly declared his affection for her to the world.
He would bring her the foods she loved.
He had even prepared a grand fireworks display, a million-dollar confession.
When you liked someone, you naturally wanted to defend them—would she scold him now?
The air fell silent for two seconds.
Xie Guanyan frowned slightly, the cherry he had been about to eat crushed in his grip. Red juice seeped between his fingers, almost resembling blood.
"Sorry, I—"
"Who said I like Gu Jingchuan?"
Lin Mo blinked at him awkwardly.
Who said she liked Gu Jingchuan?
Who said...
Realizing the meaning behind Lin Mo's words,
Xie Guanyan's eyes burned with fierce excitement, his body trembling uncontrollably.
He clenched his left hand tightly, forcing his voice to remain calm as he asked, "You don't like him?"
Lin Mo covered her face and took another big sip of the bird's nest soup.
As the saying went, prejudice was a mountain in one's heart.
If she could choose again, she would have spent her summer indulging in steamy novels to unwind.
Instead of accepting Gu Jingchuan's confession!
She had known Xie Guanyan assumed she liked Gu Jingchuan.
But that day in the elevator, she had already said Gu Jingchuan had a new girlfriend and that she didn’t care about him.
It wasn’t like she could solemnly explain to Xie Guanyan that she truly didn’t like Gu Jingchuan anymore.
At most, they were just acquaintances now.
He wasn’t her little brother—he didn’t care that much about her affairs.
This big shot hadn’t even remembered her when they first met.
If she hadn’t mentioned that she was the top scorer in the college entrance exams while he came in second, he probably would’ve racked his brain trying to recall that she was his high school rival.
It was normal that he didn’t remember her.
Honestly, if she had lived normally until twenty-nine and met Xie Guanyan again, she might not have remembered him either.
Eleven years was far too long.
She would have lived a full life, met countless people, and seen a much bigger world.
Old memories would inevitably be buried under new ones, fading away.
So Xie Guanyan probably didn’t care at all about her feelings for Gu Jingchuan—nor did he have the time to.
A billionaire had way too much on his plate!
But today, after seeing Gu Jingchuan’s disgraceful behavior and casually bringing it up,
she could finally set the record straight.
Lin Mo looked at Xie Guanyan and said slowly, word by word, "No, I don’t. I used to have some feelings for him, but after coming back, there’s nothing left."
Not wanting to paint herself as fickle, she softened her phrasing.
The beautiful man’s heartbeat quickened at her words.
Shanshan didn’t like Gu Jingchuan!
Perfect!!
His excitement was barely containable, his breathing uneven.
To hide it, he lowered his gaze and popped the crushed cherry into his mouth.
An overwhelmingly sweet flavor burst on his tongue.
This was the sweetest cherry Xie Guanyan had ever tasted.
After Lin Mo finished speaking, she received no response from Xie Guanyan.
Her long, curled lashes lowered, disappointment flickering in her eyes.
See? He had just asked casually—he didn’t actually care.
Xie Guanyan masked the emotions in his eyes and steadied his trembling fingers before lifting his gaze, his eyes fixed on the girl’s flawless face. "That’s good."
The three emotionless words made Lin Mo purse her lips slightly.
She lifted her lashes to look at him—
only to notice the red cherry juice staining his glossy lips.
The restaurant light shone down on him.
The bright red juice on his lips, paired with the tea-colored mole on the bridge of his nose, was inexplicably alluring.
Lin Mo stared, momentarily entranced.
She wanted to lick that red juice off…
The moment she realized what she was thinking, her eyes widened, her heart pounding wildly.
You shameless girl, stop this right now!
She immediately lowered her head and grabbed a tissue, thrusting it toward him. "Wipe your mouth!"
Xie Guanyan blinked in surprise before accepting the tissue and dabbing at his lips.
The tissue turned red.
He frowned slightly.
How had the cherry juice gotten on his lips? How sloppy!
Devouring the rest of her bird’s nest soup in record time, Lin Mo bolted upstairs without a backward glance.
She ran as if chased by ghosts.
Xie Guanyan: "..."
Watching her retreating figure, confusion filled his gaze.
Had he disgusted Lin Mo?
His excitement faded, his eyes dimming.
Not liking Gu Jingchuan didn’t mean she would like him!
He would just have to try harder to earn her affection.
He needed to maintain his image and keep in shape.
At the very least, she was definitely interested in his body—that much was certain!
As for Gu Jingchuan… since Shanshan didn’t like him, he should just disappear.
Once the girl was out of sight, Xie Guanyan stood and carried the bowls to the kitchen.
Alone, with only the sound of rain outside,
he brought her spoon to his lips, his tongue lightly tracing the lingering sweetness.
Back in her room, Lin Mo slapped herself.
Xie Guanyan had zero interest in her.
And yet, here she was—first ogling his chest and abs, now fantasizing about his lips.
This was unacceptable!
He was the untouchable, noble flower on the high peak!
And her landlord, no less.
If he ever caught wind of her indecent thoughts and kicked her out, she’d be doomed!
Splashing cold water on her face in the bathroom, she exhaled heavily.
She wasn’t planning to sleep yet—she needed to finish a couple more exam papers.
The radiant girl in her pajamas sat at her desk,
spreading out the test sheets.
Within seconds, she was fully immersed in studying.
Her clear peach-blossom eyes sparkled with pure thirst for knowledge.
Picking up her pen, she began solving problems,
quickly entering a state of flow.
Her phone buzzed twice on the desk—but she didn’t hear a thing.
