‘She chose him?’

It was the most ridiculous joke Shen Jin had heard in his thirty years of life.

“How long have you known her? The truth might not sound pleasant.”

Shen Jin glanced at him. “What I mean is—whether it’s you or someone else, the outcome won’t change. She just needs someone to comfort her, whether that person’s last name is Jiang or Jian doesn’t matter. If I were to raise a dog, it wouldn’t concern you.”

Jiang Mocheng scoffed, indifferent to such words. “Are you saying that I can comfort her, and you can’t? Otherwise, why would she choose to be with me?”

The confrontation between rivals always resulted in harming both sides.

Whether it was Shen Jin or Jiang Mocheng, they would only lose their composure in front of Bai Ying. When it was just the two of them, their inner feelings remained hidden.

“Enough, I don’t care about your intentions. Her intentions are already clear.”

Jiang Mocheng said, “I don’t think President Shen will persist stubbornly, will he?”

“I’ll return that phrase to you verbatim.”

Shen Jin’s expression remained calm. “Blocking the hotel won’t work. Tomorrow, I’m taking her away, and you won’t be able to stop me.”

Jiang Mocheng stepped forward expressionlessly. “Then let’s see if I can stop you.”

The two locked eyes, and the low pressure around them made everyone hesitant to approach.

Shen Jin was past the age of getting into street fights. His temperament wouldn’t allow it.

He simply looked at Jiang Mocheng, his eyes dark behind the lenses, signaling that his patience was wearing thin.

In the past, Jiang Mocheng had indeed considered Shen Jin a worthy opponent.

But from the moment he learned Bai Ying’s identity, thoughts of Shen Jin felt like a thorn in his side, especially now that the man stood before him, repeatedly claiming he would take her away.

After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Mocheng glanced at him. His expression remained calm as he said, “Doesn’t President Shen know that in our line of work, we only care about results, not the process? She called you, but who was by her side yesterday? It was me, and that’s enough.”

Shen Jin fell silent. His face seemed to frost over, and his presence was overwhelming.

Jiang Mocheng, however, remained undaunted. Satisfied with the night, he said, “She’ll be afraid alone in her room. Excuse me.”

He walked briskly toward the hotel. The waiting bodyguards immediately followed. He turned his head and sternly ordered, “Secure all entrances and exits.”

Seeing Jiang Mocheng leave, Zhao Minghai hurriedly approached Shen Jin. Hesitantly, he asked, “Brother Shen, what should we do?”

Actually breaking into the hotel was possible, but they would likely be limited to the lobby. Moreover, it would scare Miss Bai and draw attention from others. Escalating to a public spectacle would harm both sides.

Shen Jin looked up at the tall hotel building, then slowly averted his gaze. His voice contained suppressed anger. “Is everything ready?”

Zhao Minghai was initially puzzled but quickly understood. “Everything is ready.”

From early morning until now, Shen Jin had been busy. Since this was Ning City, there were ways to restrain Jiang Mocheng. His business trip wasn’t a blank slate; he must have found loopholes to rebuild the factory. Shen Jin had mobilized all his connections today and had people ready by the afternoon.

Jiang Mocheng wanted to delay, but it depended on whether the Jiang family would agree.

Zhao Minghai hesitated. “Brother Shen, should I call Jiang Hongcheng?”

He felt there was no need to escalate things to this point. As long as Shen Jin moved towards his next business deal, establishing the Farlight factory, they would be at odds with the Jiang family.

Jiang Mocheng was already a persistent nuisance, and the two women from the Jiang family weren’t easy to deal with either. Why bother?

“No need.”

Shen Jin said, “Unless I strip him to the bone, there’s nothing to discuss.”

…

Jiang Mocheng took the elevator upstairs, stood at the door, and knocked for a long time, but the door remained closed.

He felt impatient too. Clenching his fingers, he continued knocking and simultaneously sent her a text message. He was multitasking, and the message he sent had typos he didn’t bother correcting.

After a tense half-hour standoff, the door finally opened a crack. He seized the opportunity and quickly slipped inside while she hesitated. He saw her packing clothes, arranging them silently inside an open suitcase.

Jiang Mocheng stiffened. She zipped up the suitcase and tried to leave.

Her head was lowered, and he could only see her slightly reddened nose—evidence of recent tears.

She wanted to leave, but he forcefully blocked her. She was forced to raise her head and meet his gaze. In a low voice, she said, “Move aside.”

Jiang Mocheng’s voice was stern. “Where are you going?”

In truth, Bai Ying hadn’t really expected to leave today, but she had to put up a front.

She wanted to leave, and he couldn’t stop her. However, she also wanted him to know that even if she left, she wasn’t going with Shen Jin. When she followed him initially, it was a moment of confusion and infatuation. But now, if she went with Shen Jin, it would mean her brain had been completely drained!

“I’m going back to Jincheng.”

She stubbornly declared, “I don’t want to stay here anymore.”

“Fine.”

Jiang Mocheng said, “In a couple of days, I’ll take you back with me.”

Bo Ying realized that these men probably didn’t understand human language very well—Shen Jin didn’t, and neither did Jiang Mocheng. Talking to them was quite a challenge.

“I don’t want to go back with you.”

Her voice choked, “I want to leave now.”

“Leave?”

Jiang Mocheng had just endured a lengthy and infuriating conversation with Shen Jin. He had suppressed his anger as much as possible. After pleading outside her room for half an hour, he had finally managed to get in.

Now she was packing her bags and trying to leave again. He had almost no rationality left when he blurted out, “Don’t even think about it.”

Bai Ying could barely stand. She tried to step back, but he wouldn’t allow it.

“Who I am doesn’t matter?”

Jiang Mocheng softened his tone slightly. “You know what I’ve been thinking during this time? Besides my fake identity, what else is fake about me?”

Bai Ying… was amazed.

She realized that anyone’s success wasn’t accidental.

Look at him—after having his identity exposed, he still stood there so confidently. If she had half his mental resilience and half his thick skin, she wouldn’t worry about her future wealth.

And he had preemptively used the lines he had prepared—

“My identity is fake, but my heart, my love, are real.”

She was left speechless.

Jiang Mocheng misunderstood her silence, thinking she had taken his words to heart. He continued trying to hold her hand, but she reflexively avoided him. “Why did I appear at the Shen residence? It’s related to some business matters. If you’re interested, I’ll explain later.”

“I didn’t intend to keep it from you.”

He confessed, “Back then, I wasn’t sure if you’d be willing to leave with me. The things I’ve done here, Shen Jin would definitely know. I didn’t want to cause you trouble.”

Bo Ying blinked, ‘So he kept it from her for her own good?’

He continued, “Later, when you came to Ning City with me, I had planned to tell you. But at that time, you fainted and were hospitalized. The doctor said you couldn’t handle stress, so I had to postpone telling you.”

Bo Ying looked only more confused after his explanation.

Jiang Mocheng looked at her with deep eyes. “Are you Jiang Xue or Bo Ying? It doesn’t matter to me.”

“I am Jiang Mocheng. Is this situation difficult for you to accept?”

If it wasn’t happening Bai Ying, she would have applauded this performance.

This just goes to show that men are indeed full of cunning. Clearly, he had ulterior motives when he came to the Shen residence, sweet-talked her into leaving, and deceived her. Yet now, he could still be so composed. Even she was taken aback.

Because she had done similar things herself, but if she were to defend her actions, she’d feel a bit guilty. After all, she had indeed lied and deceived people.

And him!

He had done none of that!

Well, well, well, he truly deserved to be the one she had her eye on.

If she let him continue freely, Bai Ying didn’t know how many absurd things she’d hear. She pushed him away, incredulously saying, “You lied to me!”

Jiang Mocheng looked at her, then after a while, he said softly, “You lied to me too.”

Of course,Bai Ying wouldn’t let him outdo her. She wouldn’t argue about who was right or wrong. In the end, they had both deceived each other.

She put on a disheartened expression and said, “Enough, stop it. I don’t want us to blame each other or complain at this moment. It’s pointless.”

“I knew this day would come.”

She said, “Now that you know who I am, and I know who you are, do you think we can still be together?”

Jiang Mocheng retorted, “Why not?”

Bo Ying shook her head sadly. “No. If you were Xu Yang, I’d be willing to be with you no matter what. But you’re Jiang Mocheng, and that’s not possible, not allowed.”

When Jiang Mocheng heard the first part of her statement, some of his frustration dissipated. At least that part meant she truly cared for him.

But then she said the latter part—no, not allowed. Those five words furrowed his brow. Suppressing his emotions, he asked her, “Why not allowed?”

Bai Ying realized this man was truly clueless.

She wanted to go to the restroom and look in the mirror—why not allowed, didn’t he understand?

She turned away, avoiding eye contact. “You’re deliberately asking.”

“When I followed you, I thought you were Xu Yang. I even imagined what our future days together would be like. It didn’t matter if we were poor. When I was with you, I didn’t care about those things. You know that.”

“But you’re Jiang Mocheng,” she continued, her voice gentle. “His adversary.”

“What connection do you still have with him?”

Jiang Mocheng couldn’t take it anymore. “Do you still have feelings for him?”

Bai Ying remained silent.

Jiang Mocheng stepped closer, staring at her. “You promised to forget everything that happened there.”

“How can I forget what happened?”

Bai Ying raised her head, tears in her eyes. “And besides, back then, he helped me. Without him, I wouldn’t even know where I’d be. Now that I know who you are, I still want to be with you. Do you think I have no conscience?”

Jiang Mocheng detested hearing her bring up her past with Shen Jin.

He couldn’t bear to listen to a single word.

“You have a conscience when it comes to him.”

He stared at her, pressing her. “So, what about me? Do you have no conscience when it comes to me?”

He coldly asked the same question he had asked that night when their relationship was defined—

“Bai Ying, what am I to you? A dog you can summon and dismiss at will?”