On his birthday, Shen Mo only ate a bowl of noodles. It was made of boiled noodles with water, and he didn’t add any other ingredients. He just mixed it with soy sauce and sesame oil, and sprinkled it with a handful of chopped green onions. He ate it alone in the small rental house.

　　If he hadn’t exposed that man’s identity yesterday, the situation would be very different now.

　　Shen Mo ate noodles while looking at the box on the table.

　　It was a common gift box, beautifully packaged, with a pretty bow on the lid. He imagined the man with a stern face, carefully selecting the box, and found it a little funny.

　　He had opened the box last night and found a key and a note inside. The handwriting on the note was unfamiliar, it should be the handwriting of that person, and it simply wrote an address. The address was in Jinxiu Villa, a famous residential area in the city, with an excellent location, and every inch of land was worth a lot of money. Shen Mo had heard of it a long time ago, but he had never been there once.

　　He knew how much thought that person had put into this gift, and such a thought should not be treated lightly. So he closed the lid of the box again and put the things away, planning to make a decision after sorting out the matter between him and Zhou Yang.

　　Today’s sky was still gloomy, and it looked like it was not going to rain. Shen Mo looked out the window, thinking that the man must be waiting for him at Jinxiu Villa.

　　How long will he wait?

　　A week? A month? Or longer?

　　Shen Mo shook his head and stopped himself from thinking about it. After he finished his noodles, he found Zhou Yang’s number on his phone and called him.

　　The other party is always turned off.

　　He called the number many times, and felt that the scene seemed familiar, but he couldn’t remember it. He had no choice but to give up and contact several high school classmates to ask them about Zhou Yang.

　　”Zhou Yang? I haven’t contacted him for a long time since graduation.”

　　”have no idea.”

　　”I don’t know. Aren’t you more familiar with Zhou Yang? I used to see you two together every day.”

　　Only one classmate said, “I heard that he seemed to have gone abroad.”

　　That person also said that Zhou Yang was abroad.

　　If this was true, Shen Mo was helpless. He didn’t even know where Zhou Yang was, so he couldn’t chase him abroad, could he? Although he had Zhou Yang’s address in his address book, it was impossible for him to go directly to his house. He would probably be kicked out as soon as he arrived at the door.

　　Did his relationship with Zhou Yang end in such an unclear way?

　　Shen Mo glanced at the box on the table and made a few more phone calls. Of course, there was still no news. It had been so many years since he graduated from high school. Most of his classmates came from ordinary families and were from completely different worlds from Zhou Yang.

　　In fact, this is even more true for him and Zhou Yang.

　　He himself knew that this relationship was in jeopardy and that every day was like walking a tightrope. If they were not truly in love, they would not have been able to hold on until this point.

　　When Shen Mo thought of this, he suddenly remembered a person. It was the person who helped him and Zhou Yang to handle the formalities when they rented the house. Zhou Yang said it was more convenient and would not be found out. Shen Mo remembered that the man’s surname was Fang, and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He was a middle-aged man with a gentle appearance. Zhou Yang called him Uncle Fang and said that he worked at Zhou’s Enterprise.

　　This person has a good relationship with Zhou Yang, so he must know where he went.

　　Shen Mo finally settled down after finding a goal, and went to bed early that night. Before he went to sleep, he glanced out the window and seemed to see the familiar car, but when he was distracted, the car disappeared again.

　　It must be just his illusion.

　　The next day, Shen Mo got up early and went out after washing up. Zhou’s company building was in the city center. Shen Mo took the bus there and walked into the grand glass door. He was greeted by a front desk receptionist with a sweet smile.

　　Shen Mo walked over calmly, pretending to be there to discuss business, and asked about Uncle Fang in a roundabout way.

　　”You must be talking about Secretary Fang, right? His office is on the sixth floor.”

　　”Thanks.”

　　Shen Mo thanked him, turned around and walked to the elevator. While waiting for the elevator, someone else walked in from the front door. It was a beautiful lady, wearing a decent suit and a set of pearl jewelry. Although she was not young, she had a mature demeanor.

　　When the receptionists saw her, they all showed respect.

　　The elevator door opened with a ding, and the moment Shen Mo stepped into the elevator, he realized who she was. It was Zhou Yang’s mother, the powerful and wealthy Madam Zhou. Shen Mo had seen her photo on Zhou Yang’s phone.

　　After Mrs. Zhou walked into the elevator, she glanced at Shen Mo indifferently.

　　Shen Mo met her gaze and his heart suddenly rose.

　　In the nightmare he had repeated many times, a scarred man looked at him with the same gaze, stepped on his hand with a sneer, and said something in his ear. He couldn’t hear the sound in the dream, and only then did he remember what the words were.

　　”This time I’m just teaching you a lesson. Don’t even think about seeing Zhou Yang again. You’re not worthy of him.”

　　No, not a nightmare!

　　That really happened, he was kidnapped, beaten, his fingers were stepped on and broken…and the mastermind behind all this was the Zhou family!

　　The elevator stopped again, and Shen Mo didn’t care which floor he was on, he rushed out as soon as the door opened. He had a severe headache, and many memories came flooding back, making his mind a mess.

　　It was as if countless voices were speaking in his ears.

　　”Leave Zhou Yang!”

　　”It will be your family that will suffer next time.”

　　”Zhou Yang went abroad with Miss Ji…”

　　Yes, and Miss Ji.

　　Shen Mo walked a few steps holding the wall, and when he saw a safe exit, he walked down the stairs again.

　　He recalled many fragmented moments: he was walking home alone, a car drove up from behind… the abandoned old warehouse, endless torture… in the hospital ward, he broke up with Zhou Yang on the other end of the phone…

　　besides……

　　There was also the man who came to see him in the ward. He had a handsome face and eyes as cold as the night. He said his last name was Ji and he was Miss Ji’s brother.

　　No, no, no, this isn’t the first time they’ve met!

　　He had seen that face before at the hospital.

　　There were only a few steps left on the stairs. Shen Mo was distracted and stepped on empty air, falling headfirst. At the moment he fell heavily to the ground, a scene flashed before his eyes –

　　In the abandoned old warehouse, he lay curled up on the ground, his right hand bloody. He thought he was going to die, but the door that had been closed suddenly opened, and a ray of light came in. The man outside the door was facing away from the light, and his face was blurry. Shen Mo watched him approach him, and his face gradually became clearer.

　　That was the person who saved him from the dire situation.

　　Shen Mo’s head hurt more and more, but he finally remembered the man’s name.

　　It’s Ji Mingxuan.