Lin Fei was speechless for a long time before he managed to organize his words and said dryly, “Are you serious?”

How could a mistake be taken as the truth?

In the past, Jiang Mocheng and Shen Jin were rivals, but that was limited to business and official matters. Now, with Miss Bai involved, wouldn’t this turn into a life-and-death feud? In Lin Fei’s view, it was unnecessary.

He estimated that Jiang Mocheng’s romance had lasted at most a month or two.

What was a month or two worth?

Lin Fei didn’t want to meddle in others’ private lives, even if they shared a relationship close to brothers. He didn’t want to waste words, but now the situation was different.

He could only earnestly advise, “I’m not saying you’re not serious, but think about it. How long have you known her? In other words, if you knew who she was from the beginning, would you like her?”

Jiang Mocheng casually leaned back on the sofa, not responding upon hearing this.

Both of them knew the answer.

If he had known from the beginning that she was Bai Ying, he would never have given her a second glance, let alone liked her.

Seeing that he was silent, Lin Fei thought his persuasion had an effect and pressed on, “This is your first time, so you take it very seriously, I understand. But once this is over, in a few years, you might not even remember her name.”

It wasn’t worth adding a mortal enemy over such a mistaken relationship.

As he was about to continue persuading, Jiang Mocheng interrupted him impatiently, “Did you receive the invitation to Cheng Xiang’s engagement?”

The question hit Lin Fei like a hammer, leaving him seeing stars and blacking out.

Lin Fei almost spat blood.

He also lost his composure, standing up abruptly, shouting incredulously into the phone, “Me with her—can that be the same as with you??”

How could Jiang Mocheng’s ill-fated affair be compared to his own passionate, deep, and undying first love?

Was he being given too much face?

Jiang Mocheng didn’t want to drag on the matter with him, tossing the lighter onto the table, “Ah Fei, what’s done is done, don’t talk about ‘ifs,’ it’s meaningless.”

“So you just want to keep going down this dark path?”

Jiang Mocheng had sat in the dark all night, yet his face showed no sign of fatigue. He calmly asked Lin Fei a question, “Tell me, why did she deceive me?”

Lin Fei was stunned, “What?”

“She doesn’t know my identity.”

Jiang Mocheng said, “But she left with me.”

Lin Fei was also dumbfounded by his question.

This was a detail they seemed to have overlooked before.

She didn’t know he was Jiang Mocheng at all. In her eyes, he was just a penniless bodyguard. Why wouldn’t she want the wealthy Shen Jin and instead be with him, even leaving the Shen residence with him?

Lin Fei was suddenly just as puzzled, yes, why?

Anyone looking at this situation would find it incredible.

Lin Fei couldn’t answer, or rather, he could, but he didn’t want Jiang Mocheng to make another mistake.

“Why did she deceive me? Why didn’t she stay in the comfortable Shen residence and instead come out to suffer with someone who has nothing like me?”

Jiang Mocheng asked him, tugging at his tie.

Lin Fei detected a hint of pleasure in his tone.

‘I never expected it, but how could his mood change so drastically in just one night? His voice was so cold on the phone last night, and now this?’

“That’s true—”

“Why?”

Jiang Mocheng asked.

Lin Fei was stumped for a second.

“Even if she is serious about you, and you are serious about her, however, on Shen Jin”s side—”

This ‘even if’

To Jiang Mocheng, sounded like an unpleasant thing to say.

“Can you not treat him as if he’s dead?”

Lin Fei said in one breath, “You’re not in the right here, you’re very much in the wrong. If I didn’t know what kind of person you are, I would suspect you did it on purpose. What would Shen Jin think, what would outsiders think?”

Jiang Mocheng, of course, didn’t care what others thought.

He never took public opinion to heart, and there weren’t many who dared to bark at him, so he turned a deaf ear to Lin Fei’s words.

“She has made her choice, she chose me.”

After a moment of silence, Jiang Mocheng said indifferently, “Nothing else matters.”

Lin Fei felt that this matter was too tricky, more so than ever before.

He wanted to throw this problem away, perhaps to Jiang Mocheng’s elder brother.

The Jiang brothers had a deep bond. If there was anyone in the world Jiang Mocheng would listen to in a rage, it would probably only be his extremely good-tempered elder brother.

Just as he thought this.

“Even if the old man lifts the lid of his coffin, my words remain the same.”

Lin Fei fell silent.

In the underworld, there was someone whose words carried more weight than the elder brother, and that was the long-deceased patriarch of the Jiang family.

Jiang Mocheng”s statement was clear; it didn”t matter who came, he would stick to his words.

“There’s another matter.”

Jiang Mocheng didn’t want to talk about this topic anymore.

He changed the subject and instructed Lin Fei, “Send more people to keep an eye on Shen Jin. I want to know his every move.”

It didn’t matter before, but now Jiang Mocheng thought differently. Of course, he knew that with Shen Jin’s capabilities, finding out about him was just a matter of a few days earlier or later.

He couldn’t stop Shen Jin, and likewise, Shen Jin shouldn’t expect to meet her under his watch.

Lin Fei was now numb. Whatever command Jiang Mocheng issued, he wouldn’t find it strange.

He held back from speaking out, now with this strict defensive stance, he almost couldn’t tell who the pitiful person who had his girlfriend stolen was.

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Mocheng went to the restroom to take a cold shower, washing off all the smell of smoke. He changed into a shirt and trousers, and cleaned up the stubble that had sprouted overnight. Checking the time, he thought it was still early, so he didn’t go next door to wake her up.

…

Bai Ying also realized belatedly that the atmosphere in the hotel had suddenly become strange.

First, there were several more stern-looking security personnel in the hotel lobby.

Secondly, the number of guests staying at the hotel had decreased significantly, and no new guests were being added.

There were clearly many vacant rooms, but the notices released showed that all rooms were fully booked. Those who wanted to check in were politely turned away by the front desk.

Bai Ying’s mind was in turmoil. She suspected that Shen Jin had come, but she had no evidence. On second thought, this didn’t seem like Shen Jin’s style of doing things.

With so much on her mind, she lost her appetite. Even her favorite chicken soup was left untouched after a few sips as she sat lost in thought.

It wasn’t until a crisp sound came that she snapped back to reality and looked up at the man sitting across from her.

Jiang Mocheng glanced at her, “Why aren’t you drinking it? Doesn’t it suit your taste?”

Bai Ying shook her head, “No, it’s not that…”

She just didn’t feel like eating.

Her expression was distant, and she hardly touched the chicken soup. When asked, she was absent-minded. Wasn’t this a sign of being preoccupied?

Jiang Mocheng methodically wiped his hands with a hot towel, “Or shall we go eat something else?”

“No, thanks.”

Bai Ying decisively put down her chopsticks, “I want to go back to the room.”

Jiang Mocheng looked at her suspiciously but still accompanied her out of the dining room towards the elevator hall. They encountered a security officer, and even after Bai Ying had entered the elevator, she couldn’t help but look back.

“What’s wrong?”

Jiang Mocheng reached out to touch her forehead, frowning, “Are you feeling unwell? Should I take you to the hospital?”

Bai Ying didn’t speak. Back in the room, as he was about to call an ambulance in a flurry, she looked up at him with a smile and chided, “You’re cursing me again. I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

After speaking, a trace of worry flashed across her brows, and she asked him softly, “Have you finished your business?”

“What about it?”

Jiang Mocheng asked.

“How many more days will it take?”

She pressed.

“It’s unclear.”

He replied vaguely, “If it’s fast, three or four days; if slow, a week.

Why, do you want to go back to Jincheng?”

“No.”

She said anxiously, “Another week? Then why don’t we change our accommodation?”

“Change?”

Jiang Mocheng was puzzled.

Seeing that he hadn’t grasped her meaning, Bai Ying became somewhat agitated, raising her voice involuntarily, “This place is so expensive, how much money will we waste if we continue to stay here!”

Meeting his astonished gaze, she softened her tone and took his hand, “At first, I thought we’d only stay for two or three days, so it wasn’t worth mentioning. But if we’re going to stay for so long, let’s move somewhere else, to a cheaper hotel, or…”

She paused, “How about staying at your grandparents’ house?”

“I know you have money, but it didn’t come from the wind.”

She felt sorry for her boyfriend, who worked hard to earn money, “Seeing you spend money so freely makes me anxious. That’s not how life should be. We should save where we can, right?”

Jiang Mocheng’s breath hitched, and he looked down at her with lowered eyes.

So, she was worried over such a trivial matter that she barely touched her dinner? Was it worth being so concerned?

“Alright.”

He replied with a smile, “But it’s not necessary.”

Indeed, it wasn’t necessary.

Under his arrangements, the hotel was as secure as a fortress. Even if Shen Jin himself came, he wouldn’t be able to reach her.

At this critical juncture, he didn’t want to change their accommodation.

Bai Ying looked at him puzzled and anxious, wanting to say something, but he playfully held her hand, “It’s not even a week, just three or four days. There’s no need to fuss over these few days.”

“But…”

She frowned.

“It didn’t cost much.”

He lifted her hand and kissed it, “How about this, you manage my money from now on?”

Bai Ying thought he was teasing her and tried to pull her hand away in annoyance, but he didn’t let go.

“Who wants to manage your money!”

“How about I go buy you some late-night snacks? What do you want to eat?”

“Didn’t you promise to save a bit from now on? You’re tricking me again!”

“No, we still need to eat.”

“I can eat.”

Bai Ying negotiated with him, poking him with her finger, “You quit smoking. Even if you don’t smoke much, a pack every two or three days isn’t cheap, right? And smoking is bad for your health. If you quit smoking, have you thought about how much you’ll save?”

“…”

Jiang Mocheng went to great lengths to coax her again.

Hearing her say she wanted chicken soup rice, he got up without a word and headed out.

Bai Ying saw him to the door, and after closing it, she leaned against it, arms crossed, lost in thought.

She always trusted her instincts; the atmosphere in the hotel had become strange, and it wasn’t just her imagination.

Having been with Shen Jin for a year, she could tell at a glance that those people were definitely not just security personnel; each of them was skilled.

And how could he not feel anything?

He was not a dull person; he used to work in this field.

When she suggested changing their accommodation, his expression was clearly off.

And when that security personnel passed by them, he didn’t even glance at them, as if it was very normal, almost as if he had arranged it himself.