Chapter 7

Chapter 7

*

Jin Mo noticed he was lying there motionless, only lifting a hand to pat his own shoulder. It took her a few seconds to realize—what he wanted as payment was a massage from her.

This was nothing new to Jin Mo, since she'd massaged Yin Jihong more times than she could count.

Back when her grandparents were still alive, she'd specifically learned massage techniques to care for the elderly. She was meticulous by nature, quick to learn and quick to master it, and soon got good enough to give her grandparents thoroughly comfortable massages.

Later, her services naturally extended to Grandpa Yin and Grandma Yin next door, who couldn't stop praising her massage skills. Eventually, even Jin Ping, Jiang Ting, and their generation had all gotten to enjoy her handiwork.

How could Yin Jihong ever let such a chance slip by? Even if it meant Grandpa Yin chasing him with a whip, he'd still come home from school and hover around Jin Mo whining—one minute claiming he was sore from playing ball, the next complaining his back hurt from homework—insisting she give him a rub too.

"Mo Mo's golden hands—are they for a rascal like you to use as you please?" Grandpa Yin would raise his whip again in mock threat. "Want me to make your whole body ache?"

But Jin Mo had a good temper, and she couldn't resist Yin Jihong's persistent coaxing, so behind everyone's backs, she'd still secretly give him massages.

Who would've thought—that one massage would lead all the way to now.

Jin Mo sat down beside him, neatly rolling up her sweater sleeves, and let her fingertips fall gently on his shoulder and neck.

At that moment, she suddenly remembered him as a teenager. Back then, he was already quite tall, though skinnier than he was now. When she pressed her fingers down, she could sometimes feel distinct bones under the skin.

But now, under her fingertips was the broad back of a grown man—firm lines, well-proportioned muscles. Jin Mo knew very little about men's bodies; the only ones she'd ever touched were the elders of their two families.

And Yin Jihong was her only complete understanding and imagination of a young adult man.

Noticing her hands were lingering mostly on his neck and shoulders, Yin Jihong said lazily: "My neck—is it beyond saving at this point?"

Jin Mo said softly: "It's still pretty tense, but it's already way better than when it was at its worst."

The soreness he'd complained about as a teenager was mostly an act to get her sympathy.

But when he officially took over Yin Corporation's business, all that fake pretense became real. Endless meetings, social events, and business trips had turned his neck, shoulders, and lower back into disaster zones.

Yin Jihong: "Looks like the physical therapist is actually doing some good."

S City had no shortage of top-tier physical therapists, and the ones Yin Jihong could bring in were naturally the most elite. There was a period when his neck hurt so bad he couldn't even move it, and Jin Mo went with him to therapy and acupuncture every week. They kept at it for a long time before things improved.

He then added slowly: "But I still think no one massages as good as you do."

Jin Mo laughed softly: "Thanks for the emotional support."

"I'm not flattering you." Yin Jihong turned his head then, revealing one eye from the crook of his arm, staring at her without blinking. "There isn't a pair of hands in this world like our Mo Mo's."

The moment those words landed, they struck Jin Mo's heart and sent ripples through her in fine, delicate waves.

Yin Jihong's mouth could be as sharp as it could be sweet—a real double-edged sword.

When the Young Master was in a bad mood, his tongue was venomous enough to take on the whole world. But when he was in a good mood, charming someone was as easy as breathing for him.

His success in the world of fame and fortune was largely built on that silver tongue of his that could bring the dead back to life. She'd been charmed by him since childhood—she should've been immune by now—yet every single time, she still found her heart racing just like this.

In fact, there had been many times she'd wanted to say—he already had such excellent physical therapists, she shouldn't be playing amateur on him anymore. Therapeutic massage, after all, involved the most intimate parts of the body.

They were no longer naive kids; this was somewhat crossing a line.

But every time, seeing how at ease and relaxed he looked under her hands, and then being praised by him with such devout sweetness, the words that had reached her lips would get swallowed back down.

The moment her gaze met those beautiful eyes of his, she instinctively looked away and said softly: "There are plenty of girls who know how to massage. As long as you ask, what girl would refuse to help you?"

Yin Jihong answered immediately: "I'd never ask another girl."

Maybe it was because he answered without a moment's hesitation, or maybe the alcohol from dinner was finally fermenting in her blood.

Or maybe it was the unrestrained words of the sisters that afternoon that had lit a lamp in her heart she'd thought would never shine.

Her fingers moved to the edge of his narrow waist, drawing in slightly, her tone carrying a hint of probing she hadn't even noticed herself: "Then you'd surely ask your girlfriend, wouldn't you?"

At some point, Yin Jihong had turned down the volume on the TV.

In the silence of the room, he lifted his entire face from the crook of his arm, his dark eyes fixed directly on her, his tone unreadable: "Whether I have a girlfriend or not—don't you know?"

Jin Mo kept her eyes lowered: "How would I know? You never mention it."

He was silent for two seconds, then simply turned over and sat up from the sofa.

She slowly withdrew her hands and watched as he picked up the strawberry bear pillow she'd been holding earlier.

He squeezed the bear's ear, his tone light and airy: "If I had a girlfriend, would this thing still be lying here so peacefully every day?"

This strawberry bear pillow was one of the many "conquests" Yin Jihong had won for her at the arcade when they were in middle school. It had accompanied her all the way to the present—first sitting on her bedside, then brought by her to Yin Jihong's place.

If he really had a girlfriend, she would have found a girl's belongings in his home—even if they were from a childhood friend, she wouldn't have tolerated it. The strawberry bear would have been kicked out long ago.

His apartment was all clean, hard masculine lines. Though luxuriously decorated, it lacked any flashy or artistic flair.

The only traces of femininity were things she'd left behind during her visits.

The strawberry bear pillow, a small blanket, her plush winter coat, hand cream... even their placement had never been moved.

But no women coming and going from his home didn't mean he had no dealings with women outside.

"So no matter what I say or do in front of you, it can never compete with a few jokes from those sisters."

Yin Jihong read the thoughts in her silence, and as he toyed with the strawberry bear, his tone sounded almost offended: "Even you think I'm some player who sleeps around?"

"...That's not what I meant." Jin Mo was afraid he'd actually get angry, but she also wanted to make herself clear, so her voice came out soft and gentle: "I just think that whether it's dating or playing around, that's your freedom. No one can interfere with that, and it's not something that's forbidden."

He was a grown man after all—with looks and brains at the top of the game, a favored son of heaven who could have anything he wanted at his fingertips. Even if he did play the field a bit, it wasn't some unforgivable crime. To put it bluntly, he had more capital than most to do so.

Besides, he was already in his mid-twenties. Wouldn't it be stranger if he didn't date at all and never touched a hint of romance?

"I never bring these things up with you because I thought you weren't interested in my private life."

Yin Jihong looked at her meaningfully, speaking slowly, word by word: "But today, it seems you're not entirely uninterested?"

Jin Mo's heart gave a violent lurch.

The next second, his voice landed clearly in her ears.

"Then let me tell you now. Listen carefully."

"I've never had a girlfriend."

"And I won't sleep with someone I don't love."

Jin Mo opened her mouth.

She instinctively looked into his eyes, searching for that casual, playful expression he wore when joking around.

But no matter how she turned it over in her mind, all she saw was sincerity.

Those two short sentences packed so much information that her mind went blank.

Jin Mo, whose brain was usually pretty sharp, suddenly found it hard to process. She mulled the two sentences over a couple of times before finally blurting out in a daze, "...No way?"

Yin Jihong let out a laugh of pure exasperation. "I'm the one who said it, and I'm not even embarrassed. Why do you look more shook than I do?"

Jin Mo watched his handsome profile in the light and couldn't help saying, "But back in school, there were so many girls confessing to you every single day..."

Growing up, wherever he went, other guys just automatically faded into the background. Every girl's eyes were glued to him—upperclassmen, underclassmen, classmates, girls from other classes—you could practically find a few popping out of the bushes to hand him snacks and drinks.

Back then, she was on the class committee and had to stay after school to help the teacher. Every day when she left class, she'd see Yin Jihong surrounded in the hallway, barely holding back his annoyance as he dealt with the girls swarming him while gaming on his phone.

The second he saw her come out, his eyes lit up like he'd just spotted a lifeline. He'd push through the crowd, jog over to her, snatch her schoolbag, and drag her down the stairs.

The image of his school jacket flapping in the wind and his bright smile still made her heart feel warm whenever she thought about it.

Yin Jihong crossed his arms and looked at her. "That's true, but did you ever see me say yes to any of them?"

Jin Mo was taken aback.

He was easygoing, never embarrassed girls on the spot, and got along with everyone, so even the ones he rejected never held it against him. But when she really thought about it, it seemed like no one had ever actually gotten close to him.

She asked quietly, "So... how did you reject them?"

The irritation that had been simmering in Yin Jihong's face suddenly melted away.

He laughed a couple of times, covering his mouth with his fist, then tilted his head at her. "What do you think?"

Seeing him barely holding back a laugh, Jin Mo suddenly caught on. "Don't tell me you..."

"I told them you wouldn't let me date because dating too young would mess with my studies," he said with a completely serious face. "I told them you threatened me daily—if I ever dared to date anyone, you'd go to my parents and grandparents and have them break my legs."

Jin Mo was completely floored.

No wonder back in school, even though she was gentle by nature, her classmates always treated her with a certain wariness. The girls were cautious, and the boys even more so—they'd practically cross the street to avoid her.

So it was all because this jerk had used her as a shield and turned her into some kind of she-devil in everyone's eyes!

"Don't knock it—that excuse worked like a charm. Killed three birds with one stone." Yin Jihong seemed to recall something, and his smile deepened.

Jin Mo hadn't expected that digging for gossip would end up digging her own grave. She glared at Yin Jihong for a few seconds, only to find it had zero effect—in fact, it just made him laugh even harder.

"What's so funny?" She was pushed to her limit, embarrassed and annoyed, her voice rising higher than usual. "Using me as your shield all the time—what's in it for you if you can't even date?"

"What do you mean, no good?" He pushed the strawberry bear pillow, still warm from his body heat, back into her hands. "I never wanted to date someone I didn't actually like anyway."

At that moment, Jin Mo almost blurted out—

All these years, you've met so many different kinds of girls—pretty ones, amazing ones, everywhere—wasn't there a single one who made your heart race, who you could actually fall for?

But the words died in her throat as alarm bells blared in her head.

Ask too much, and she might cross the line she'd set, or worse, unsettle her own heart.

All these years, she had held firm to one principle—she didn't want any possibility to threaten the most solid and stable relationship they had.

So she chose to hug the strawberry bear and turn away, pretending to focus on the TV.

At that moment, Yin Jihong stretched his long legs, and his slipper—whether intentionally or not—brushed lightly against her ankle.

A second later, a seemingly casual question came chasing after her.

"What about you? All these years, haven't you ever met someone you liked?"

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Author's note:

Red envelopes continue to drop randomly for 66 people! Keep hitting me with your collections, comments, and nutrient solutions—love you all! And don't forget to check out my column!

Ahhhh my god!!! These two!! They're already testing each other like this!! Can't they just confess on the spot, pour out their hearts, and let CEO Yin fulfill his dream of twin daughters so we can end the whole story right here!? (No, seriously)

Sang: Momo, you still haven't gotten it? He's saying he's a virgin.

Momo: ...

Yin Puppy: ??????

The more CEO Yin loves like this, the more I'm going to make him suffer in the competitive arena later—who told you not to just pin her down and end the story? (This Sang is really mean)