Suddenly, a patter of footsteps sounded from outside.
Ye Jiuliangâs gloom faded from her eyes, and a mischievous smile appeared on her lips.
You dare to flirt with me, Li Mochan, youâre doomed.
Looking up, the manâs excessively handsome face was clearly reflected in the depths of her eyes.
Ye Jiuliang shouted at the top of her voice, "Sir, donât mess around! Is anybody there... anybody?"
Li Mochan, "..."
You little rascal, still pretending, huh?
"Help, is there anyone out there?" As she watched his darkening face, Ye Jiuliang pulled a face at him, dancing on the edge of infuriating him.
"Hel..."
Suddenly her lips were pressed down, and a clear and cool fragrance lingered at her nose.
Ye Jiuliang blinked, looking dazed and silly.
Just when she felt she couldnât breathe, the man finally let her go.
He rubbed her nose gently, his voice low and husky, "Little rascal, still want to play?"
"Knock knockâ"
"May I ask if something happened inside? Do you need help?"
The hearty voice rose behind the door, tinged with a bit of nervousness.
Meeting the manâs sly smile in his eyes, Ye Jiuliang gritted her teeth.
"Yell. I donât care anyway." Li Mochan hooked his lips, whispering in her ear.
After these words, the knocking sounded again, more urgent than before.
"What happened inside?"
Ye Jiuliang glared at Li Mochan, feeling so angry she could hardly breathe, and fluent foreign language spilled from her lips, "Sorry, itâs my phone playing a funny TV series."
With that, the person outside exhaled in relief, "Thatâs good."
Then, the footsteps gradually became fainter.
A strong force pulled her by the waist and her forehead collided with the manâs solid chest.
Ye Jiuliang hissed, and just as she looked up, the manâs clear and cool voice entered her ears.
"Coming to this place late at night, youâve got quite the nerve, huh?"
"If my courage wasnât this bold, how could I have tricked you into my grasp?" Ye Jiuliang rubbed her forehead, her tone casual with a hint of boastfulness.
Li Mochan gave a silent laugh, finding the unfamiliar face before him particularly awkward.
He reached towards her ear and with a rip tore off the mask.
In an instant, the hidden face was exposed under the light, delicate and seductive.
Ye Jiuliang snatched the mask back from his hand, then stuffed it into her pocket.
Itâs not easy to make a mask; it shouldnât go to waste.
"How much did you drink?" Li Mochan adjusted her crooked hat brim for her, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint smile.
Ye Jiuliang replied bluntly, "None."
Having come all this way, how could she have not had a drink.
The little rascal doesnât even draft her lies.
Li Mochan narrowed his eyes slightly, emitting a dangerous signal.
To avoid his nagging, Ye Jiuliang quickly said, "This trip tonight was not a waste, anyway."
"Hmm?" Li Mochan raised an eyebrow, quietly waiting for her to continue.
"Letâs talk outside." She had no habit of discussing matters in a washroom.
Pushing open the door, it was silent outside. Ye Jiuliang quickly pulled Li Mochan and hurried out.
Exiting the mr bar, Ye Jiuliang could no longer find Gu Xinuoâs figure.
Seeing the person beside her looking around, Li Mochan said, "Donât bother looking. She was taken away by Chu Chen."
Taken away?
Ye Jiuliangâs lips quivered.
Anuo, youâre on your own now.
The black sports car sped along the desolate highway, kicking up dust from the road.
Li Mohan frowned, "Mo Yuan is being chased and has hidden in the mr bar?"
Ye Jiuliang hummed in response, a playful smile dancing in his eyes, "I helped him, and now he owes me two favors."
"What kind of favors?"
"He didnât say, Iâll ask for them whenever Iâm in the mood."
Li Mohan couldnât help but laugh, guessing immediately, "Saving them to make trouble for Mo Su?"
Ye Jiuliang glanced sideways at him and pinched his face, "Oh, you really get me."
Li Mohan, with one hand on the steering wheel and the other grabbing her hand, said, "Behave yourself."
"How am I not behaving?" Ye Jiuliang wriggled her hand free, pouting, "Stingy, it was just a pinch on your face."
Li Mohanâs lips quirked up in a smile, glancing at the person leaning against the car window, whose face was as fair as white jade, tinged with a faint blush.
"Want to have some late-night snacks?"
His deep, magnetic voice slid from his throat, spreading throughout the car.
Ye Jiuliangâs eyes lit up, eager, "What shall we eat?"
"What do you want to eat?"
Ye Jiuliang stroked her chin, turning to look out the window where several restaurants were still open.
Her gaze suddenly settled on one of the restaurants, "Letâs eat there."
Slowing down the car, Li Mohan followed her line of sight and saw the restaurantâs sign, his brows lightly furrowing.
Fried chicken, pizza?
He asked, "Are you sure you want something so greasy?"
"How is it greasy? Itâs clearly delicious," Ye Jiuliang retorted with a pout, dissatisfied.
Freshly fried chicken, so crispy and so fragrant...
The taste was simply divine.
Li Mohan smiled helplessly, but still indulged her, turning the car to park in front of that restaurant.
In the deep of night, the restaurantâs patrons were obviously fewer than during the day.
There were only two or three tables of customers inside, the orange lighting lending the restaurant a touch of coziness.
Choosing a seat by the window, Ye Jiuliang sat next to Li Mohan.
Li Mohan reminded her first, "No more drinking."
She had been thinking of pairing fried chicken with beer, but his words were like a bucket of cold water, and she immediately lost her enthusiasm.
She hugged his arm, bargaining, "Half a glass?"
Li Mohan shook his head firmly, "Apart from juice, forget about beer."
She clearly hadnât held back at the bar; he wasnât naive enough to be fooled like a three-year-old.
Ye Jiuliang hung her head, dejectedly bumping his arm with her head.
Her perfect pairing of beer and fried chicken.
In the end, the couple ordered a serving of fried chicken and a pizza, and under the stern authority of a certain someone, Ye Jiuliang obediently chose juice.
...
In country F
At one oâclock in the morning, the villa was still brightly lit.
In the living room, the atmosphere fell into an endless silence.
Aqiao came out of the kitchen, and upon seeing the person sitting on the sofa, she walked over with light footsteps.
She spoke tenderly and softly, "Madam, the miss and the young master are almost here, please donât be gloomy anymore, or theyâll worry about you when they see you."
On the way to the airport, Mo Su received a call about a sudden issue with a business deal; she had to return to the company to handle it. Then there was a problem with the plane, which delayed their boarding time, and one thing led to another, resulting in their delay until now.
"Aqiao, you know itâs not because of them that Iâm feeling down," Mo Yu remarked sarcastically, a carefully applied makeup unable to hide the unpleasant look on her face.
Mo Su and Mo Chen were late for a reason, but her desolation and sadness had always been because of that person.
She had reminded him several times to come home today, but all she ever got from him was "Iâll come back after sorting out the companyâs issues."
Even now, thereâs no sign of him.
Clearly, he wasnât taking her words to heart; he didnât hold this family in his heart either.