Chapter 30

Chapter 30

*

Jin Mo could hardly believe her ears.

She finally turned her head back from the window, her face full of complicated emotions as she looked at the Young Master beside her who had just spouted such nonsense.

The culprit looked at her with a half-smile, still looking unwell, but his eyes made it clear he could absolutely pull another stunt on her.

His casual tone only made her heart even more flustered.

Was kissing really that easy for him? If he was fully aware he'd kissed her, would he still say "let's make another mistake" so casually?

When Chen Yuanshan got into the car, he immediately sensed the awkward vibe in the car.

He turned to look at the two people in the back seat with weird looks on their faces and couldn't help teasing, "Can't you go one second without picking on Momo?"

"I'm trying to apologize, aren't I?" Yin Jihong said slowly. "I asked her how I bullied her, but she won't say."

With the driver and Chen Yuanshan in the car, Jin Mo would have to be insane to keep arguing with him here.

Just then, Yin Jihong's phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and turned the screen toward Jin Mo: "This is Yan Qinxuan's number, right?"

She took a closer look and quickly grabbed the phone from his hand.

As soon as the call connected, before Yan Qinxuan could speak, she said first, "Xuan Xuan, it's me."

"Momo! Why did you change your phone number?" Yan Qinxuan said. "I've been calling you forever and couldn't get through. I was about to lose my mind."

"I dropped my phone in the snow at the ski resort. This is Yin Jihong's phone." She brushed past the details, not mentioning the avalanche at all. "How is Yuan Yuan doing now?"

Yan Qinxuan was at the hospital, so of course she knew Yin Jihong had gotten Jin Yuan into the ER and even dragged the hospital director in to supervise, so she figured Jin Mo already knew about Jin Yuan's situation.

"She just got wheeled out of the ER and moved to the ICU." Yan Qinxuan's voice was tired but had a hint of relief in it. "She's out of the woods for now, but the doctor said she needs to stay in the ICU for a day or two before she's fully out of danger."

Jin Mo's heart, which had been in her throat for so long, finally settled halfway down.

As long as she's alive, there's hope.

Before getting definite news about Jin Yuan, she'd been terrified that fate wouldn't even give Jin Yuan or them a single chance. She'd prayed over and over that if Jin Yuan could just survive, she'd fight even harder to pull her out of the darkness.

Even if Jin Yuan's parents and family didn't care about her, even if that scumbag treated her like dirt, even if the whole world didn't want her or love her—

She and Yan Qinxuan would protect her with everything they've got.

They wanted Jin Yuan to know that someone genuinely cared about her, that someone truly loved her.

-

At the airport, Jin Mo spotted a private jet parked on the tarmac in the distance.

She couldn't help but glance back at Yin Jihong.

The special route between S City and Xinjiang was a pain to get approved, especially during Spring Festival. She didn't need to think twice to know Yin Jihong had probably put Cheng Shu through the wringer again, forcing him to arrange a private jet and probably even kidnapping the pilot.

When they entered the cabin, Cheng Shu and the crew were already there waiting.

Cheng Shu smiled and greeted them: "President Yin, President Chen, Miss Jin."

Jin Mo couldn't help patting Cheng Shu on the shoulder: "Shu, happy New Year. You sure you don't want to jump ship?"

Cheng Shu held back a smile: "President Yin treats me well. I'm not planning to leave anytime soon."

Yin Jihong lounged back in his seat: "If he dares to jump ship, I'll break his legs."

Jin Mo told Cheng Shu, "Don't listen to him. When I start my own company, I'll poach you with a fat salary, and I definitely won't make you work overtime on holidays."

"Momo, nice one—poaching my right-hand man right in front of me." Yin Jihong gestured for the flight attendant to pour him a whiskey, grinning: "Don't you know hiring him is a buy-one-get-one-free deal? You'd have to take me too."

The Young Master of the Yin Family was willing to be the freebie, but she didn't appreciate the gesture one bit.

Jin Mo didn't even look at him: "My company doesn't hire sickly people who use alcohol as medicine."

Hearing that, Yin Jihong, who was about to take the whiskey from the flight attendant, froze mid-reach.

But within two or three seconds, he smoothly pulled his hand back, looked at the flight attendant, and said with a cheeky grin, "That old man behind me ordered that drink—why are you bringing it to me? Can't you see I'm sick and can only drink hot water?"

Flight attendant: "..."

Chen Yuanshan, sitting behind Yin Jihong, couldn't stand him messing with people like that. He stood up, took the drink from the flight attendant, said "thanks," and made sure to kick Yin Jihong's seat.

Jin Mo had no intention of letting him off that easily.

But Yin Jihong had a loyal, capable subordinate. Just as she was buckling her seatbelt, Cheng Shu handed her a box.

She looked down and saw it was a brand-new phone.

"Miss Jin, I don't know your exact phone model, but judging by the appearance, I think this should be the right one. The color matches the one you lost. See if it suits you."

Jin Mo took it.

Yin Jihong was just that meticulous—always thinking ahead of everyone, arranging everything perfectly, clearing every obstacle in her path, as if he wanted to spoil her to the point of being "unable to function on her own."

Now that she truly understood her own feelings, being spoiled by him without limits like this—how could she not fall deeper and deeper, how could she not start expecting more and more from him?

It was exactly because she had a "guilty conscience" that she couldn't bring herself to mention that kiss.

Her fingertips brushed over the new phone's casing, and she said softly, "It's perfect. It's exactly like my old one."

Then she turned to Yin Jihong and said quietly, "Thank you."

"Why thank me?" Yin Jihong actually asked the flight attendant for a cup of hot water and sipped it slowly. "Cheng Shu found it on the road. You should thank him."

Jin Mo: "..."

She turned away in exasperation: "Then I'll transfer the money to Shu."

"I told you, he found it. Why would you transfer him money?" He drawled, "Oh, I see—are you paying him a deposit so you can poach him later?"

He immediately turned to Cheng Shu and tilted his chin: "If you dare accept her money, I'll throw you off this plane."

Cheng Shu: "..."

"Forget it, just thank me." Yin Jihong raised an eyebrow. "After all, I'm your personal genie. Didn't you just silently wish for a new phone?"

"I heard it, so Cheng Shu happened to find a phone on the roadside—it fell from the sky, no need to transfer money."

"..."

This man really could say anything. Jin Mo simply couldn't deal with him. After thinking it over, she decided to accept the phone for now.

Cheng Shu was incredibly thoughtful, even managing to get her a new SIM card in such a short time, and handed it to her along with the phone.

Before the plane took off, Yin Jihong received a call from Deng Ying.

Jin Mo heard him say "Mom" and instinctively turned her gaze toward him.

"Alright, as long as the doctor says he's fine." He held the phone, his tone casual, "I still won't go back for now, so he doesn't work himself into a fit just by looking at me."

"Coughing? I just drank some water too fast and choked, that's all."

As if afraid Deng Ying would press him about his raspy, smoke-roughened voice, he hung up the phone quickly.

Jin Mo didn't want to pretend she hadn't heard the call, so she spoke up: "Did Uncle Yin see a doctor? Is he alright?"

Yin Jihong looked at her: "He's doing great. The doctor said he's like Wu Song reborn—could still take down another tiger."

Anyone with half a brain knows no doctor would ever say that. Jin Mo was both exasperated and amused, and didn't ask further, turning her head back.

Then, the next second, a plaintive voice drifted from behind: "You've got the heart to worry about that lively old man, but not a single thought for your Brother Ji right in front of you."

After complaining, he even put on a show, deliberately coughing a few times.

Jin Mo bit her lip, her feelings complicated.

She turned around again, looking at the tall figure slumped lazily against the seat, and said in a deliberately stiff tone: "If you want to get better sooner, drink more hot water and get more sleep."

Yin Jihong rubbed his arms: "Hot water doesn't help. I'm cold and can't sleep."

The nearby flight attendant immediately caught on, grabbed a blanket, and was about to step forward to cover him.

But just as he reached him, Yin Jihong stared at him and said nonchalantly: "You that bored? Got nothing better to do with those hands of yours?"

The flight attendant stood there, dumbfounded.

Cheng Shu let out a soft sigh, took the blanket from the flight attendant, and walked over to Jin Mo. He silently placed it in her hand.

Jin Mo shot a helpless glance at the man waiting eagerly, sat in silence for a few seconds, then unbuckled her seatbelt.

She walked over to the giant baby craning his neck in anticipation and, with quick, neat movements, gently unfolded the blanket.

The blanket was wide, covering him from neck to below the knees.

She reached out to tuck the edges around his neck, her fingers accidentally brushing his skin like touching a small jolt of electricity. She yanked her hand back, her ears instantly flushing pink.

She thought of that kiss again, of the sensation of her fingers unconsciously touching his neck.

Jin Mo practically fled back to her seat.

Yin Jihong's gaze lingered on her reddened ears and the back of her neck, unwilling to look away.

Since he was genuinely weak and exhausted, by the time the plane was cruising steadily, Jin Mo pretended to casually glance over—Yin Jihong had already fallen asleep.

Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, with no trace of sleepiness. Originally, she should have told Jin Ping and Jiang Ting she was returning to S City early. But considering Jin Yuan's condition was still not out of immediate danger, she decided to stay at the hospital with her first and only inform them once she was transferred to a regular ward.

When the flight attendant came around with meals, Yin Jihong was still sound asleep. Jin Mo had no appetite and only ate a few pieces of fruit when Cheng Shu quietly walked over.

He bent down slightly, lowering his voice: "Miss Jin."

Jin Mo looked up. "Shu, what's wrong?"

"Mr. Yin didn't tell you about his persistent high fever—first, because he didn't want you to worry; second, because he didn't want to ruin your mood; and third, because he wanted to get to Xinjiang to find you as soon as possible." Cheng Shu spoke calmly, laying it all out. "These past few days, he's driven the A+ team and Yin Group's staff to the brink. Even if the A+ project was urgent, as long as his body could hold out, he would have shown up on time without fail—he would never be late."

"No one wants to see you more than he does."

So he'd figured out she was upset with Yin Jihong and had come specifically to plead his case for him.

Jin Mo was soft-hearted by nature, so of course she understood Yin Jihong's good intentions. What she was angry about was never his lateness—it was that he couldn't hold up but insisted on pushing through, not taking his own body seriously. At the end of the day, it was just that she cared too much.

But her feelings toward him now were far more complicated than just anger.

So she deflected with a light smile: "Shu, how much year-end bonus did he give you to play the emotional card for him like this?"

"No, that's not it." Cheng Shu blinked. "I'm just stating the facts. There are some things Mr. Yin would never say out loud even if his life depended on it. For example, he had planned to accompany you to Xinjiang on time, but right before departure, he passed out in his office and could only entrust his luggage to President Chen to bring along."

"He also fainted in front of me at the ski resort." Jin Mo blinked too. "By the way, how did the A+ deal go?"

Cheng Shu smiled slightly: "An unprecedented success. Let Mr. Yin brag about the details himself—if I steal his thunder, he might actually throw me off the plane."

-

After the connecting flight landed in S City, Cheng Shu was originally going to drive them to the hospital, but Chen Yuanshan volunteered to drive instead.

"Cheng Shu has been running on no sleep for days following you around, and he had to make a round trip to Xinjiang while catering to all your unreasonable demands." Chen Yuanshan slid gracefully into the driver's seat. "If you make him drive too, you'd better watch out for bad karma."

Cheng Shu got into the passenger seat, adjusted his glasses, and smiled: "Thank you, President Chen."

"Who are you trying to fool with that act?" Yin Jihong was visibly more energetic after getting some sleep. Just now Jin Mo had watched Cheng Shu take his temperature—it had dropped to 37.3 degrees—so he was back to full-force banter. "You think doing this will make Momo take pity on you and set you up with someone?"

"Are you that afraid I'll find someone before you do?" Chen Yuanshan replied calmly. "Don't end up being the last single person in this car."

"Don't worry." Yin Jihong's gaze casually swept over Jin Mo beside him. "By the time you find someone, I'll already be holding twins."

When they arrived at the hospital where Jin Yuan was, Jin Mo didn't wait a second—she pushed open the car door and jumped out.

Chen Yuanshan and Cheng Shu went to park the car, while Yin Jihong quickly followed her, charging into the hospital building together.

Given Jin Yuan's current condition, visits weren't allowed, but even just looking at her through the ICU glass would ease her mind.

The ICU was on the third floor. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, the hospital director was already waiting in the hallway.

"Mr. Yin." The director led them toward the ICU. "Miss Jin's condition is currently stabilizing, but she still needs close observation."

"Medication, equipment, staff—I don't need to spell it out." Yin Jihong said. "Spare no expense, get her on the road to recovery as fast as possible."

"Of course, of course." The director nodded repeatedly.

Just as they were about to reach the ICU entrance, the director suddenly turned in another direction and bowed respectfully:

"President Shen."

Hearing that title, Jin Mo looked up.

She saw someone she never dreamed would appear here, at this time, in this place.

It was Shen Yi—the man she had said goodbye to in Xinjiang that morning, the one she thought she wouldn't see again so easily.

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Author's note:

Red envelopes are still dropping randomly! Keep hitting me with your bookmarks, comments, and nutrient solution—I love you all! Also, don't forget to bookmark my author page! And feel free to check out my next new book *The Crane* in my column—a Beijing circle story (might also switch to a Beijing circle ensemble piece), anyway, all mature men and women with plenty of spice, haha.

Ahhhh this chapter!!! It's so sweet I could die!!! Yin Puppy, you giant baby!! Do you not have hands or feet?! But men who act cute have the best luck (not)! Men who whine and cry get the candy!!

Also!! This family!! Really can't function without Cheng Shu who actually speaks up! Yin Jihong, just leave your inheritance to Shu and Shanmei already! Without them, would you even be able to chase your wife??

Tsk, look at how arrogant you are, comparing yourself to Shanmei, constantly picking on him (and don't even get me started—the most infuriating part is he really does have twins before Shanmei does...

Tsk, the ending—things are heating up, folks. Our second volume's motto is stirring up trouble + puppy going all out to win back his wife! Get ready to be killed by sweetness and coolness every day~ Comments! Where are my comments? Bring me your passionate comments!