Chapter 28

Chapter 28

*

Yin Jihong on the sofa caught Chen Yuanshan's look, and he was about to lose it.

God above, he was more wronged than Dou E!

He sat stiffly on the sofa, staring dead at Jin Mo. No matter how wronged he felt, he still patiently replayed the moments before he blacked out in his head.

Had he said something stupid before he passed out?

Or had he talked in his sleep and hit a nerve with her?

It couldn't be that he'd actually done something perverted in his sleep, could it!?

Yin Jihong's fingers unconsciously tapped the armrest, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

In all his years, this was the first time he'd ever doubted his own sleeping habits.

Jin Mo clearly didn't want to dwell on the whole "Yin Jihong buying her a phone" thing. She paused, then turned to Chen Yuanshan: "Brother Yuanshan, can I borrow your phone to call my best friend? She can't get ahold of me, so she's probably freaking out."

Ever since the avalanche, she'd been completely off the grid. Yan Qinxuan was still tearing her hair out looking for Jin Yuan back in S City. If she couldn't reach her at a time like this, Yan Qinxuan would worry herself to death.

Chen Yuanshan was totally willing to lend it, but the guy next to him had a problem with that.

"Use mine." Yin Jihong pushed himself up off the sofa, still weak, his steps measured—weak from illness but carrying an unyielding determination. He walked up to her one step at a time, pulled out his phone, and held it out.

His hand, with its sharp knuckles, hung right in front of her. Jin Mo's heart lurched, and she instinctively bit her lip.

Normally, she'd have taken it without a second thought—she'd never have asked someone else for a phone while he was right there.

But that kiss just now was like a red-hot needle, stabbing her into a total mess. She just hadn't figured out how to face him, how to pretend nothing happened and act normal, or whether to just call him out on it.

Her obviously weird hesitation was like a little thorn in Yin Jihong's heart, and made him even more sure he'd done something unforgivably stupid.

"That doctor." His hand still hung in the air as he turned to the male doctor who'd spoken earlier. "Go get something ready."

The doctor who'd been called out froze. "...President Yin, what should I prepare?"

"Arsenic." Yin Jihong said the most shameless thing without batting an eye. "If she won't use my phone to make a call, you can just shove the arsenic straight into my mouth."

The male doctor: "..."

Jin Mo: "..."

The other doctors couldn't hold it in anymore and turned away, snickering.

Chen Yuanshan gave Yin Jihong a thumbs-up and said to Jin Mo, "Momo, then I don't dare lend you my phone. If I end up poisoning Old Master Yin's only grandson, I might as well dig my own grave."

Jin Mo, now getting teased from all sides with everyone in the room staring, felt the emotions she'd barely managed to shove down come rushing back with a vengeance.

No matter how much was churning inside her, she couldn't keep going toe-to-toe with him in front of everyone.

What was the point in reasoning with someone who had no shame?

When Jin Mo finally reached out and took his phone, a flicker of satisfaction flashed through Yin Jihong's eyes.

Jin Mo took the phone and turned to head into the bedroom. She'd barely taken a step when his voice drifted over: "Do you even know my password? And you're already running off?"

She froze mid-step.

...She really didn't know it.

It wasn't that he wouldn't tell her—he'd never hidden anything from her, no secrets at all. But a phone was super private, and she had no need or interest in digging around in his.

And he never pried into hers either.

So after all these years, she really didn't know his password.

Yin Jihong leaned against the dining table, picked up his half-finished bowl of porridge, elegantly scooped up a spoonful, and casually told everyone in the room: "Cover your ears."

The doctors didn't react at first, until his gaze swept over them—then they snapped to it and quickly covered their ears.

He then turned to Chen Yuanshan, who hadn't moved, and tilted his chin: "You too."

Chen Yuanshan: "...Like I'd care about your phone password?"

"Who knows." Yin Jihong shot him a faint glance. "Wouldn't put it past you, a lonely desperate old man, to scheme and try to find some single hotties' numbers in my phone... Though aside from Momo, my mom, and my grandma, there are no non-work-related women in my phone."

Even Jin Mo, who'd been giving him the cold shoulder the whole time, almost cracked a smile at his nonsense.

Chen Yuanshan couldn't be bothered to banter, just grabbed his earphones and put them on, signaling he was deaf.

Yin Jihong turned back to Jin Mo and said slowly: "The password is 190318."

When she heard those numbers, she instinctively went still.

A strange sense of familiarity washed over her, especially the last four digits—those were her birthday.

As if reading her hesitation, Yin Jihong raised an eyebrow, a hint of smugness on his face: "Want to know what this password means?"

Jin Mo opened her mouth.

Before she could get a word out, he answered on his own: "It's the date of your eighteenth birthday."

Jin Mo's heart gave a little flutter.

She instinctively looked up and met his eyes, like she was falling into a gentle sea.

The surface shimmered with ripples, the water flowing softly, clearly reflecting her.

Using the date of her eighteenth birthday as his phone password—wasn't that a little much?

Her heart couldn't help but race at his words.

Could she really let herself hope?

Seeing her drop her gaze, lips pressed together, the tips of her ears quietly turning red, he watched her and added casually: "All my passwords right now, including my bank card, are this one."

"So if I ever suddenly go broke," he flashed her a charming, infuriating smile, "Momo, I'll definitely have Guozi come arrest you."

Jin Mo: "..."

She was caught between exasperation and amusement at his relentless teasing. The coldness and avoidance she'd deliberately kept on her face finally cracked.

In the end, she said nothing, just shot him an exasperated glare before turning and walking into the bedroom with his phone.

The Young Master who'd just been glared at, on the other hand, looked like he'd won the lottery, his mood visibly brightening. He turned to the doctors, whose hands were already sore from covering their ears, and said lightly: "Alright, you can put your hands down now."

Chen Yuanshan didn't even look up: "Not eating the arsenic after all?"

Yin Jihong let out a snort. "If you like it so much, knock yourself out."

-

Jin Mo walked into the bedroom with Yin Jihong's phone, shutting the door behind her, and typed in the six-digit password he'd just mentioned.

His lock screen was a stunning, endless view of the snow at Blackcomb Mountain in Canada—a photo she'd snapped on a whim when they went there together back then. He'd loved it so much he'd asked her for it and made it his wallpaper.

The second the phone clicked open, her eyes widened slightly.

This was the first time she'd ever seen what was behind his lock screen.

His phone screen was clean and neatly organized. The first page held only a few essential apps, not a single flashy or gimmicky app in sight.

But what really grabbed her attention was his home screen wallpaper.

The background was a vast, open field at night, dotted with fireworks. A girl stood among them, holding a sparkler, swaying gently, her smile bright and dazzling.

That girl was her.

...

Jin Mo took a deep breath, her fingers unconsciously tightening around Yin Jihong's phone.

He must have secretly taken this photo on New Year's Eve. In the photo, she had no idea she'd ever been in his frame.

She told herself maybe he just thought this "photo" was pretty and decided to use it as his background. Or maybe he didn't have any other decent pictures and just grabbed this one to fill the slot.

But even she knew these excuses were paper-thin.

Would anyone really use their childhood friend's little sister's 18th birthday as the password for their phone, bank cards, and every private account? Would anyone secretly snap a photo of her when she wasn't looking, save it to their phone, and set it as their wallpaper, staring at it day and night?

Could this really just be how you show affection for a sister?

Jin Mo even felt a sudden urge—she wanted to grab a guy with a real younger sister and ask him if he'd ever do something like this.

She felt like her whole heart was squeezed in Yin Jihong's grip. With every move he made, every word he said, it could easily soar—up to the clouds one second, plunging into the abyss the next.

A confusing kiss while she was out cold, then passwords, then wallpapers...

Was he doing this on purpose, or not? What was he even trying to say?

The fog in her head kept getting thicker. Jin Mo stood there for a long moment before snapping out of it, remembering she'd come in to make a call. She quickly dialed Yan Qinxuan's number.

The phone rang and rang, but no one picked up.

Amid the dull, repetitive beeping, Jin Mo's heart sank bit by bit. Clutching the phone, she paced the room, waiting with every fiber of her being to hear Yan Qinxuan's bright, clear voice on the other end.

But she tried five or six times, and still no one answered.

Then she called Jin Yuan, and a cold automated voice came through: "The number you have dialed is powered off."

The unease and worry she'd buried deep inside for so long finally burst through the calm surface like a wild, overgrown vine, wrapping around her with clawing tendrils, telling her her worst fears were about to come true.

A wild, terrifying thought took shape in her mind, and she couldn't shake it.

Just then, a soft knock came at the bedroom door.

Jin Mo snapped back to reality, quickly saying "Come in," and the door opened.

Chen Yuanshan and Yin Jihong stood at the doorway, neither of them looking too happy.

To be exact, Chen Yuanshan looked serious, while Yin Jihong's expression was hard to read—somewhere between wistful and fed up.

Jin Mo's heart lurched, and her fingers at her side clenched. "...What's wrong?"

"Momo." Unexpectedly, it was Chen Yuanshan who spoke first, his tone slow and careful, as if afraid of scaring her. "About what you asked me to look into—Jin Yuan's whereabouts—Guozi got some news."

He paused, watching her face carefully, choosing his words: "Before I tell you what I heard, tell me—have you gotten ahold of her?"

She shook her head, her face pale. "My other best friend has been looking for Jin Yuan too. She's not picking up either."

Yin Jihong, maybe finding Chen Yuanshan too roundabout and hesitant, stepped forward and cut in: "If Yan Qinxuan actually found her by now, she probably has her hands full and can't pick up."

As Jin Mo's gaze wavered, he spoke in a low voice, peeling back the bloody truth:

"Momo, Jin Yuan tried to kill herself. She's in the hospital right now, being resuscitated."

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Author's note:

Red envelopes are still dropping randomly! Keep hitting me with your bookmarks, comments, and nutrient solutions—love you all! Also, don't forget to bookmark my author page! Also, check out and bookmark my next novel "The Crane" on my page—a Beijing circle story (might also turn into a Beijing circle ensemble piece). Either way, it's all mature adults with plenty of spice, haha.

Sang Jie is starting to act up! This Sang Jie is full of schemes—he's messed with the puppy, and now he's stirring up trouble in the side plot too. He's a real piece of work! And let me add, this side plot is designed this way for a reason—in every sense. Keep reading and you'll get it!

Sang: Momo, go find a guy with a real younger sister and ask him—would he set his sister as his wallpaper, use her 18th birthday as his bank card password, or kiss her? Go ask Shanmei.

Shanmei (smiling): Sure, ask away~ (turning to Yin Puppy) Come on, 10 points, and I'll keep fighting for you.

Yin Puppy: Drop dead!!

Puppy, oh puppy, who told you to forget! You forgot your first kiss, of all things! Punishment: keep desperately chasing your wife! Competing with the second male lead for attention! Grovel without mercy! Everyone loves a redemption arc! Everyone loves the push-and-pull!

Guys! Feel free to make bold guesses about the plot in the comments! I love reading them, hahaha!