“I love you.”

When Bai Ying heard him say these three words with almost exasperation, she was momentarily stunned. Unable to contain herself, she burst into laughter.

It was truly amusing.

Men’s sweet nothings lost their impact when spoken to her. He had been reluctant even to say, “I like you,” and now he effortlessly uttered the weightier phrase, “I love you.” It seemed that everyone had the potential to lie.

Jiang Mocheng held her even tighter, his lips brushing against her ear. “Are you happy now?”

They stood embraced near the hotel’s revolving door, attracting friendly glances from passers-by.

Bai Ying couldn’t stand being held so tightly. She pushed him away. “Let go of me. People are watching.”

Jiang Mocheng closed his eyes. “Let them watch.”

After all, he rarely visited Ning City, and few people knew him. He wouldn’t return unless it was for his grandparents’ grave-sweeping.

If he lost face, so be it.

Bai Ying couldn’t help but smile.

“But what’s gotten into you? Do you think I stormed off because of you?”

Jiang Mocheng remained silent.

Now that he had calmed down, he should have realized she hadn’t left. Her luggage was still in the room. But in that moment, rationality had escaped him.

Seeing the empty room, he genuinely believed she had gone.

So, when he rushed out of the hotel to find her and saw her walking slowly toward him, his mind went blank. It was the first time he had acted so impulsively.

Bai Ying had indeed considered leaving. However, she had quickly regained her composure.

The deed was done, and she hadn’t yet figured out the situation. The best course of action was to maintain the status quo.

“Alright.”

Bai Ying’s legs were nearly numb. Impatiently, she urged him, “Enough with the hugging.”

He hadn’t hugged enough, but he didn’t want to continue being a spectacle.

Jiang Mocheng gradually released her, though his hands remained on her waist.

He gazed at her, his expression no longer as dark as before. “Are you hungry? Let me take you out for dinner?”

“Sure.”

Bai Ying was hungry. While the hotel restaurant’s chef was decent, eating there too often would become monotonous.

Jiang Mocheng led her past a black sedan. The driver inside stared in confusion for a while. Jiang Mocheng gestured with one hand behind his back, signalling “go back.” The driver finally understood, but he remained puzzled.

What was going on with Mr Jiang? Why did he refuse the private car and flag down a taxi on the street?

Once inside the taxi, Jiang Mocheng gave the driver an address.

As if afraid she’d run away, he still held her hand, tucking it into his coat pocket.

In fact, if yesterday’s incident hadn’t occurred, he would have gradually revealed his real name to her. But considering how emotional she had been, fainting even, he hesitated.

Would she faint if she learned of his real identity? He glanced at her pale face, his eyes narrowing.

Suddenly, he realized this was a very tricky situation.

In his eyes, she was straightforward. Even the idea of leaving Shen Mansion with him had frightened her.

If she found out that he was Shen Jin’s opponent, and that he had ulterior motives for being at Shen Mansion… what would she do? She might truly leave.

Bai Ying noticed that he tightened his grip even more, causing her discomfort. She glared at him and whispered, “Hey, that hurts. Let go!”

Jiang Mocheng eased his grip slightly but didn’t release her. When they got out of the car, they walked through a narrow alley and arrived at an inconspicuous courtyard. The signboard was equally simple.

The enthusiastic landlady led them into the courtyard, seating them by the window.

“There’s no menu here.”

Jiang Mocheng gestured toward the small blackboard. “Whatever dishes they have, they’ll serve. Everyone who comes here is a regular, and the taste is indeed excellent.”

Bai Ying nodded in understanding. “A private kitchen?”

Jiang Mocheng raised an eyebrow. “Exactly. You know about this?”

“If you know, I naturally know.”

Bai Ying surveyed the restaurant’s environment. It reminded her of a place she had been to before. Compared to romantic Western-style restaurants, Shen Jin seemed to prefer these private kitchens.

“My older brother likes this place.”

Jiang Mocheng said, “He comes here every time he visits Ning City.”

They informed the owner of their dietary restrictions who promptly disappeared into the kitchen.

Jiang Mocheng finally had a chance to ask, “Where were you this afternoon?”

“Checking up on me?”

Bai Ying took a sip of water, glanced at him, and answered his question, “Nowhere special. Just went out for a walk to clear my mind.”

“You never answer when I call.”

Bai Ying playfully lied, “Wasting phone credit.”

She knew that his calls were usually trivial, just a few sentences exchanged.

At that time, she was already in a taxi back to the hotel. She had spent the entire afternoon at the stock exchange, her mind buzzing, and had no patience for his idle chatter over the phone.

Jiang Mocheng found her amusing. He laughed for an extended period, and Bai Ying couldn’t stand it.

“What’s so funny? Is it that amusing?”

“Not really.”

Jiang Mocheng clenched his fist against his lips, concealing his smile. “I’ll call you later. Remember to answer. I need to know where you are.”

He paused, emphasizing, “Don’t worry about phone credit. Just make sure you pick up.”

Bai Ying gave perfunctory replies.

Soon, the dishes arrived one by one. Having only had coffee in the afternoon, she was genuinely hungry now.

Jiang Mocheng felt the same way. Arguing with her was more exhausting than working a week straight.

Bai Ying accidentally picked up a piece of fatty pork belly. She looked at the man across from her and calmly moved her chopsticks, placing the meat in his porcelain bowl. Smiling, she said, “Have some more.”

Jiang Mocheng looked up, meeting her smiling eyes. He felt a sense of relief.

Being in a relationship wasn’t as easy as it seemed. But compared to the past, he preferred sitting quietly with her while they ate.

After they were full, Jiang Mocheng stood up and went to the cashier. Bai Ying remained at the table, using a small mirror to carefully wipe any traces of food from her lips. Jiang Mocheng glanced at her, and the landlady, who clearly remembered him, asked tentatively, “Last time, were you here with Mr Jiang Hongcheng?”

Jiang Mocheng nodded. “He’s my older brother.”

“No wonder. You two look somewhat alike.”

The landlady smiled and handed him a piece of paper and a pen. “Mr Jiang instructed me before. The bills for his friends are all recorded under his name.”

Jiang Mocheng accepted the pen without hesitation, wrote down his name, and returned to the table. He naturally helped Bai Ying put on her coat, then held her hand as they walked out of the courtyard.

Bai Ying felt a bit full from dinner. Since the evening temperature wasn’t too low, she suggested taking a walk back to the hotel.

Jiang Mocheng had no objections. This part of town was still an old district, preserving its original architectural style. As they strolled, Bai Ying noticed a courtyard with white walls and black tiles.

The low courtyard wall was adorned with blooming white magnolia flowers. She looked up in awe and tugged at his clothes.

“Look, magnolias!”

Magnolia flowers had a very short blooming period. They were rarely seen in flower shops nowadays, so each sighting brought her immense joy.

For no particular reason, her adoptive mother was named Bai Yulan. When she was first sent to her adoptive mother, Bai Ying had anxiously tried to please her.

Upon hearing her adoptive mother’s name, she had specially picked a magnolia flower and placed it on her desk. ^[1]TL’s note: Yùlán means Magnolia in Chinese

While carnations were commonly given to mothers, Bai Ying believed that magnolias were the true flowers for mothers.

Jiang Mocheng followed her gaze, casually asking, “Do you like them?”

“Yes.”

Bai Ying’s eyes held nostalgia. “Magnolias are my favorite.”

“Wait.”

Without diverting his gaze from the white magnolias in the moonlight, Jiang Mocheng swiftly leaped and vaulted over the courtyard wall. Their eyes met as he landed. Bai Ying’s pupils contracted.

He had jumped into someone else’s yard!

“Hey!”

“Hey!”

Bai Ying stood there, dumbfounded. She approached the wall, pounding on it with force. Afraid of disturbing the residents, she lowered her voice urgently.

“Hey! You’re crazy!”

This was trespassing! If caught, they might mistake him for a thief and send him to the police station…

Bai Ying had long suspected that he had some issues, but she hadn’t expected him to be this reckless.

In her mind, she cursed him countless times and had already planned to leave. Now, she was torn between pretending not to know him and hurrying back to the hotel or staying here and being treated as an accomplice.

Just as she hesitated, the courtyard gate creaked open.

“Why don’t you stay at home when you come back?”

The weathered voice of an elderly person reached them. “Your brother used to secretly pick flowers for your sister-in-law, and now it’s you.”

Bai Ying’s sneaking steps froze.

Jiang Mocheng lazily and affectionately said, “Why are you here today? Did I startle you?”

What’s happening?

“Not me, but this young lady,” the elderly person said as she walked out. She smiled kindly at Bai Ying, then couldn’t resist raising her hand to playfully hit Jiang Mocheng.

“Look at that, the young lady’s face turned pale from fright.”

Jiang Mocheng supported Bai Ying and gestured for her to come over.

He only played tough in front of familiar people, and Bai Ying didn’t bother to expose him. She gave him face, smiling gently, and carrying her bag, she came to his side.

“Grandma, this is my girlfriend, Jiang Xue.”

Jiang Mocheng introduced, “This is my grandmother’s older sister. You can call her Grandma.”

Grandma smiled warmly, took Bai Ying’s hand, and examined her. Left and right, she exclaimed, “Such a handsome young man! And I haven’t seen a more beautiful girl than you!”

Bai Ying smiled, recognizing the expression that elderly people loved.

After the pleasantries, Grandma explained, “I dreamt of your grandmother this afternoon, so I thought I’d come to visit. You’re back in Ning City, so why aren’t you staying at home? Hotels outside aren’t clean; even the beddings aren’t properly washed.”

“I’ll stay a few days and then leave. I don’t want to bother.”

Grandma didn’t quite understand why young people wouldn’t stay at home and insisted on staying outside.

She invited Jiang Mocheng and Bai Ying to sit in her house, promising to cook delicious food for them. Fortunately, her daughter arrived, and after some back-and-forth, with Grandma’s repeated reminders, Bai Ying agreed to visit their home in a few days.

Grandma was overjoyed and left with her daughter.

Jiang Mocheng led Bai Ying into the courtyard. Now it was just the two of them. Bai Ying dropped her gentle and shy facade.

“So, this is your family! You scared me!”

“My grandma’s house.”

Jiang Mocheng casually handed her the magnolia flower he had picked earlier. “Don’t you like it?”

Bai Ying huffed but accepted it. The magnolia was beautiful—the best she had seen in recent years.

She lowered her head to smell it, a smile playing on her lips.

Jiang Mocheng watched her attentively and suddenly said, “Consider this tree a gift for you.”

“But isn’t this your grandma’s house?”

Bai Ying rolled her eyes. “It’s not your house, and it’s not your tree.”

Beside the white magnolia tree, Jiang Mocheng nonchalantly pointed at it.

“I’ve recently decided to compete with my older brother for this property.”

Even close brothers had to settle their accounts.

After all, she liked this tree.