Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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Jin Yuan's love, which could never see the light of day, not only trapped her but also wore down Jin Mo and Yan Qinxuan.

During the three years Jin Yuan had been tangled up with that married man, on the one hand, she and Yan Qinxuan had to keep Jin Yuan's secret—because the man was also a prominent figure in S City. If their affair were ever exposed, it would kick up a massive storm. Jin Yuan's reputation would be destroyed, and the Jin family would do something unthinkable to her.

On the other hand, she and Yan Qinxuan also had to deal with Jin Yuan's frequent meltdowns and dramatic threats, trying their hardest to talk sense into her and comfort her, while putting up with her constant flip-flopping.

Jin Mo wasn't as blunt and fiery as Yan Qinxuan, nor as wishy-washy as Jin Yuan. She had her own kind of stubbornness and persistence, but in most things, she was pretty easygoing, and she rarely actually lost her temper.

She was the type to hold onto old friendships and bonds way too tightly—especially with her close friends. Even knowing Jin Yuan was a total mess when it came to love and was doing something morally wrong, she couldn't bring herself to say anything too harsh that might hurt her.

Jin Mo looked at the two voice messages, which couldn't have been more different in tone, and let out a soft, helpless sigh.

She first opened Yan Qinxuan's chat and sent a voice message, her tone gentle but sharp: "Xuanxuan, I get what you're saying, and I'm pissed too. But you know Yuanyuan—she gets the logic perfectly, but she's just stuck in there and can't dig herself out, closing her eyes and playing dumb. Otherwise, how could she still be stuck after three years? Don't be mad. Let's find a time in a couple of days to hang out and talk to her properly. All we can do is hope that one day she'll wake up and just figure it out on her own."

After sending the message to Yan Qinxuan, she opened Jin Yuan's chat.

She didn't scold Jin Yuan directly, but instead tried to guide her from a neutral, outside perspective: "Yuanyuan, I know you're sad. You want someone you love to keep you company during the New Year—anyone in your shoes would feel terrible. But have you ever thought that someone who really cares about you and loves you wouldn't want to see you crying like this every day, let alone leave you by yourself during a family holiday like the New Year? Xuanxuan just cares about you. She doesn't want to see you keep draining yourself like this. Don't be sad—we're all here for you."

After sending both messages, Jin Mo put her phone down, leaned back against the headboard, and sighed softly.

She knew her two best friends too well—one had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, frustrated that she couldn't knock some sense into Jin Yuan; the other was a hopeless romantic, loving so desperately that she'd stoop to the lowest level.

For the past three years, she'd been stuck between the two of them, softening Yan Qinxuan's attitude before passing it on to Jin Yuan, trying, little by little, to pull Jin Yuan out of this disastrous love affair.

But she could tell Jin Yuan was already past saving. It had gotten to the point where no matter how much effort she and Yan Qinxuan put in, no matter how much they talked, they couldn't drag her out.

Plus, there was always a faint sense of unease buried in her chest, getting stronger lately, lingering and refusing to go away.

The longer Jin Yuan stayed tangled up with that man, the more frequent and out-of-control her mood swings became. Back in college, Jin Yuan had been such a gentle, shy girl, with a soft smile always at the corners of her eyes—she rarely even raised her voice.

But now, Jin Yuan wasn't just irritable and quick-tempered—the smallest thing could send her into hysterics—she also seemed weighed down by depression. At the slightest upset, she'd hide away and cry her eyes out.

If this kept up, she was really afraid Jin Yuan might do something extreme that none of them could imagine.

Sure enough, even after she sent such a calm, gentle reply, Jin Yuan went silent again.

Yan Qinxuan's voice message came right back: "I don't want to see her right now. It's the New Year, and I don't want to bring myself down. We'll talk after the New Year. Even if she's going to make a scene about life and death, she'll definitely wait until that scumbag comes back—otherwise, she wouldn't even have an audience."

Jin Mo was both helpless and amused: "Xuanxuan, why do I feel like you're getting more sharp-tongued these days?"

Yan Qinxuan: "Am I? Then it must be Yin Bijie who's been a bad influence on me."

Yin Bijie was also an undeniable prominent figure in S City and another of Yan Qinxuan's closest confidantes. In all her life, Jin Mo had never met a girl cooler or more badass than her—she exuded a free-spirited, unrestrained charm from head to toe. Using mere words to describe her would be far too one-dimensional.

It was precisely for this reason that both she and Yan Qinxuan respectfully called Yin Bijie "Her Majesty the Queen."

Jin Mo had thought to herself more than once that if a girl could live her life like Yin Bijie, that would be truly living without regret. She was always free, never defined by worldly norms; always fearless, daring to love and hate, unafraid to let others see her truest self.

Of course, she also harbored a faint curiosity and hope deep in her heart—just how outstanding and dazzling a man would it take to match Yin Bijie's brilliance and stand shoulder to shoulder with her?

Not to mention, that man would also have to be able to defeat Yin Bijie, who was skilled in top-tier martial arts.

Yan Qinxuan's message popped up again: "So you're still going skiing for the New Year?"

Jin Mo: "Yeah."

Yan Qinxuan: "Is Yin Jihong going with you?"

Jin Mo: "Yes, that's why I asked you to cover for me."

Jin Ping and Jiang Ting still had no idea that she loved and was skilled at skiing, and they would never agree to let her go out alone with Yin Jihong. So every time they snuck off to ski, Jin Mo would use Yan Qinxuan as a shield, claiming she was going on a trip with her girlfriends.

Yan Qinxuan: "Momo, you're glued to that flashy young master wherever you go. Do you ever think you'll still find a boyfriend in this lifetime?"

Jin Mo looked at the screen and replied helplessly, "Why do you sound just like my dad?"

Yan Qinxuan: "Pfft, I don't want that dad-vibe! I'm just saying, don't you think you should try dating other men? I know Yin Jihong treats you incredibly well, but look at him—does he seem like the type to settle down and get married? Besides, if he really had feelings for you, with the two of you stuck in that 'more than friends, less than lovers' limbo, wouldn't it have been broken by now?"

Jin Mo stared at those lines on the screen, her fingertips hovering over the keyboard as she gently bit her lip.

She typed a few words, then deleted them one by one, going back and forth several times, until she finally just sent a bland, meaningless sticker.

She wanted to explain to Yan Qinxuan, as she had countless times before—that Yin Jihong wasn't actually a flirt, and he didn't fool around.

All those social engagements and interactions were just putting on a show.

But no matter how much she explained, it all sounded hollow and unconvincing. In everyone else's eyes, Yin Jihong was that wealthy heir who was perpetually on entertainment news headlines, surrounded by a swarm of beautiful women no matter where he appeared.

Who would believe that he wasn't interested in any of those beauties? And if he truly remained untouched by any of them, then why was he still single, with no steady partner by his side?

Jin Mo had been close to him for so long, yet she had never once had an in-depth discussion with him about this topic. She had always maintained that clear boundary, playing the role of his most cherished childhood friend and little sister.

Because only that way could the string in her heart, already pulled taut, avoid snapping.

After chatting a bit more with Yan Qinxuan, Jin Mo finally slipped gently into bed.

-

She was naturally afraid of the cold, and in winter, she always needed both the air conditioner and an electric blanket on to feel warm. Perhaps she was exhausted from the whole day—no sooner had she closed her eyes than she fell into a deep sleep.

That night, she had a very long dream, one of events from twenty years ago.

S City's neon lights always lit up in layers at dusk, dyeing the high-rises that stood like a rainforest on the city's soil into a flowing palette of colors.

In the most prime real estate location in the entire city naturally sat some top-tier residential developments, home to the wealthiest and most powerful. But in reality, the rarest and most sought-after properties in S City weren't those newly built luxury homes—they were the old garden villas hidden beneath the plane trees.

The plane trees on Fuyu Road were so thick that two people had to join hands to encircle them, their shadows staining the asphalt with inky coolness. At the end of the road, this old villa leaked its cream-white walls through gaps in the creeping ivy, its 1930s British-style columns covered in patches of pale green moss.

The total transaction price for this old villa was 310 million yuan, and with a property area of approximately 307 square meters, that worked out to about 1.009 million yuan per square meter.

Being able to push open that brass lion-head door knocker wasn't just a matter of being well-off—because these old villas simply had no market listing at all. Behind that door lay a formidable background deeply intertwined with the city's entire history.

And everyone in S City knew that this old villa bore the surname "Yin."

For as long as Jin Mo could remember, the Yin family's old villa had been her second home.

Before she started school, every day after waking up and brushing her teeth, she'd pad over to the Yin residence in her slippers. Sometimes she wouldn't even wash her face, her hair a mess like a bird's nest, wearing whatever loose T-shirt and shorts she grabbed.

On an autumn evening, the breeze carried a faint scent of osmanthus.

Five-year-old Jin Mo sat cross-legged on a stone bench in the courtyard of the Yin family's old villa, arms crossed, brows slightly furrowed, her big doll-like eyes fixed intently on the Chinese chess board on the stone table before her.

"Have you figured it out yet—what your next move is?"

The boy sitting across from her was only six or seven, dressed in a clean white hoodie, his features already so handsome that there wasn't a single flaw to be found.

"No." Jin Mo shook her head listlessly, let out a sigh, and continued staring at the chessboard in front of her.

Learning to play Chinese chess is really hard—how could she possibly beat the chess teacher sitting right in front of her, a young prodigy on the city's junior chess team?

Besides, she had only been learning for a few days.

Yin Jihong looked at the little girl in front of him, soft and pink like a puff of cotton candy, and couldn't help but smile, the corners of his eyes and brows catching the golden light of dusk. "When you play chess, if you only worry about your own pieces, you can't win."

"Hmm?" Jin Mo looked up, half-understanding. "Brother Ji, what do you mean?"

"Here's what your brother means."

His smile deepened, and he suddenly stood up from the stone stool across from her.

Before Jin Mo could react, he was already beside her, and then he reached out and scooped her up from the stone stool.

Jin Mo instinctively turned her head to look at his face, which was so close to hers. Her nose brushed against his clothes, catching a clean, crisp scent, and her mind went completely blank.

"Momo is still so light—how do you grow taller but never put on any weight?" He smiled, setting her down on the stone stool he'd just been sitting on, then bent down slightly, propping his hands on either side of her, gently caging her in as he pointed at the chessboard. "Look."

Jin Mo had been a bit dazed ever since he picked her up, and now she instinctively followed his finger to see the layout of his pieces on the board.

"A cannon!" After staring at the board for just a few seconds, her eyes lit up, and she turned to him. "You were hiding a cannon—how sneaky of you!"

Yin Jihong let out a low laugh, leaning in closer, his breath right by her ear. "Your brother isn't hiding it—it's been on the board the whole time, just waiting two more moves to take aim at your chariot—"

But before he could finish, the little girl, still encircled in his arms, had already cleverly slipped out from under his arm, scurried back to her own spot, grabbed a piece, and plopped it down.

"I'm moving here."

"Whoa—" Yin Jihong feigned shock, raising both hands to ruffle his hair in exaggerated distress, and whined, "Why would you move there? It's all over, it's all over!"

"Check!" Jin Mo beamed as she placed her final piece, her eyes curving into little crescent shapes. "Brother Ji, you lost!"

Yin Jihong looked down at the board, with not a trace of a loser's disappointment, but instead beaming with pride. "That's our Momo."

Even though Jin Mo was only five, she knew better than anyone that Yin Jihong had just deliberately let her win.

Come on, Yin Jihong joined the city-level chess team at four, and within a month had beaten opponents two whole age groups above him. How could he possibly lose to a newbie like her?

But she pretended she'd genuinely won, shuffling her little legs over to lean against his knee, tilting her face up to whisper, "Since I won, can I get a reward?"

Yin Jihong looked down at her, reached out to gently pinch her soft, fair cheeks, and raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Our Momo is so clever—of course you can ask your brother for a reward!"

"Then... I want to go to the amusement park!"

She blinked, her fingertips lightly brushing against his hand. "I want to go on the roller coaster."

"Alright." He agreed without hesitation, his voice unbelievably gentle. "This weekend, your brother will take you there."

She beamed with pure joy. "Great!"

From childhood to now, Yin Jihong had never once broken a promise to her.

Whatever she wanted, he gave; whatever she didn't say out loud, he quietly put in front of her.

"You really are something..." Yin Jihong said, both helpless and amused. "Other little girls love the carousel, but you—every time you go to the amusement park, you head straight for the roller coaster and the pirate ship."

Jin Mo stuck her tongue out.

"Come on, let's play another round." He reached out to ruffle her soft hair. "You just learned—practicing more will help you improve faster."

She obeyed, immediately returning to her stone stool and sitting up properly, helping him tidy up the pieces with a serious look.

"Momo." Yin Jihong propped his chin on one hand, quietly watching her. His demeanor was casual, but his tone was earnest. "Remember, from now on when you play chess, do it like just now—don't only look at yourself, but also at your opponent."

Jin Mo listened intently, etching the boy before her, the old tree behind him, and the setting sun across the sky deep into her heart.

"Life is like chess, too. When you hit difficulties or obstacles, you have to shift your position and see the whole picture from the other side. That way, you can see through your opponent's weaknesses and intentions at a glance, then turn the game around and win." He spoke with a hint of youthful determination in his brows. "That's what my dad taught me."

"In the future, I'll definitely be even better than him."

"My wish is to become an even more outstanding entrepreneur than he is."

After saying this, Yin Jihong leaned closer to Jin Mo, his gaze serious and tender. "Momo, what's your wish?"

Jin Mo tilted her head slightly.

She thought for a moment, as if something had occurred to her, and her little face suddenly flushed. She pressed her lips together and shook her head.

Yin Jihong saw it all clearly. Seeing her reaction, he reached out and tapped her little nose, smiling lightly without a care. "So it's a secret you don't want to tell your brother? Then keep it safe, and you can tell me when you're older."

He set the last piece in place for her, and in the golden dusk, he spoke each word with solemn care:

"And also, no matter what happens in the future, don't be afraid."

"Because Brother Ji will always protect Momo."

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Author's note:

Today's update is definitely a long one! Please give this Sang a big round of applause! 66 red envelopes will be randomly dropped! Keep showering me with collections, comments, and nutrient solution—love you all!

Wuwuwu~ It's so warm and sweet!! Who gets it? Childhood sweethearts are just too good!! I'm totally shipping this!! Mutual secret crushes are the ultimate trope!!

So the question is—why is this President Yin, so devoted as he is, still contentedly playing the good brother without any title or status? (President Yin: Mind your own business!!—)

This chapter calls for everyone to stand up again!! Our Majesty! Please accept my deepest respect!

Keeping you all on edge every day is so much fun (grabbing my helmet and running away).