Bai Ying is someone who knows when to yield and when to stand firm.

Given the current situation, as long as she isn’t foolish, she won’t openly defy Jiang Mocheng.

Thus, after lying in bed for a while, she finally resigned herself to the inevitable. Under Jiang Mocheng’s intense gaze, she slowly got up and entered the master bedroom’s bathroom.

He had prepared everything perfectly; the washstand was equipped with clean toiletries, and he had even bought the hairband she used to wash her face.

Naturally, there was no conversation between them.

He stood at the doorway, watching her for a few minutes, “There’s a walk-in closet, it’s yours.”

He said succinctly, “Choose whatever clothes you want to wear, I’m not good at picking.”

Bai Ying couldn’t be bothered with him. At this critical juncture, she didn’t want to curse him out, but that didn’t mean she had to show him a pleasant face.

After washing up, she shuffled to the walk-in closet in her slippers.

He followed her every step, as if afraid she would run away.

Upon entering the walk-in closet, Bai Ying couldn’t help but give him several looks. This man… The closet had everything one could need; anyone unaware would think he had moved an entire department store in there.

It seemed he hadn’t lied; he must have planned to bring her here for a visit.

She quickly scanned the room, remembering the warmth and dryness inside and the good weather outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. She chose a crimson dress and, without giving him another glance, passed by him and returned to the bathroom. After taking a bath, she came out feeling fresh and clean.

Her fair skin, covered all winter, was now exposed, and although Jiang Mocheng had seen it before, his gaze lingered on her at this moment.

He led the way, and she followed him out of the master bedroom.

She guessed that this was a large seaside villa, with bright lighting inside that shone on the smooth, reflective floor tiles, calming her previously agitated mood a bit.

As they went downstairs, there were other people in the villa.

Bai Ying looked at Jiang Mocheng walking ahead with surprise.

He turned around as if he had eyes on the back of his head, “There’s an auntie, a chef, and also a butler.”

After spending time together, he knew her temperament well.

He had said he would take her on a vacation, naturally ensuring she would be comfortable. All the big and small matters were taken care of by others—if she wished, she wouldn’t even have to comb her own hair.

Was she supposed to praise him for being attentive and great?

Did he think she didn’t want to tell him to get lost or curse him out?

The auntie was wiping the table and, seeing them come down, quickly asked, “Sir, should I serve breakfast now?”

Jiang Mocheng nodded, but his words were for Bai Ying, “Eat something before we go out for a walk?”

Bai Ying wouldn’t mistreat her own body, and she felt hungry. She nodded lightly, and the auntie served breakfast at top speed. Perhaps because they were by the sea, everything seemed to be related to seafood.

Jiang Mocheng moved the auntie’s hand aside, stood up, and served Bai Ying a bowl of seafood porridge, “Try it, it’s quite fresh.”

Bai Ying took a spoonful and tasted it. The porridge was fresh and sweet, the shrimp was fresh and bouncy, without any fishy taste. The flavor was indeed very good.

When one is happy eating, how bad can their expression be? After pausing for a few seconds, a smile unconsciously spread across her lips.

Seeing this, Jiang Mocheng withdrew his gaze with satisfaction.

After eating, Bai Ying followed Jiang Mocheng out of the villa’s main door, and the sea breeze that greeted her dispersed her irritability.

She also understood why, when someone is in a bad mood, onlookers always advise them to go out and relax.

The sea, stretching endlessly into the distance, sparkled with waves. Occasionally, the sounds of unidentified birds reached her ears, mingling with the salty sea breeze that blew gently—comfortable yet not cold.

After March and April, Ning City’s temperature had indeed risen, but one still needed to wear a windbreaker. Occasionally, there would be drizzles, which couldn’t compare to the pleasantness of being on an island.

This is an island under my name.

Jiang Mocheng said, “I don’t remember which year I bought it, but after returning to China, I come here to stay for half a month during every vacation.”

Bai Ying immediately looked around. Indeed, this island didn’t seem very large. Besides this villa, there were also cabins and a signal tower nearby. As they walked, it was evident that everything was well-maintained.

Her feelings were complex.

Regarding Shen Jin, she was also jealous, but not as intensely as she felt now.

In essence, everything Shen Jin had now was something he had fought hard for.

Jiang Mocheng seemed to guess what she was thinking. His gaze was calm as he said, “I bought it myself.”

“…Oh.”

Perhaps it was because they were away from Shen Jin’s line of sight, or perhaps Shen Jin was far, far away. When Jiang Mocheng mentioned this person again, he didn’t sound as bitter and angry as he did yesterday. His mood and tone were noticeably calmer.

“Originally, I was supposed to come here after the New Year, but someone secretly came to my house.

Apart from my fake identity, everything I’ve told you is true. My family is large—my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, and two children, plus me.

The people below are even more diverse.”

“When I discovered it, the documents in the study were almost stolen.”

Jiang Mocheng’s tone grew heavier. “Whether you believe it or not, when I went to Shen Jin’s place, I had no intention of taking anything. If it weren’t for that night when I ran into you and you happened to take my photo, I would have left long ago.”

Bai Ying was taken aback.

Was he referring to the night they met? She hadn’t actually taken a photo of his back; it was just a casual mention. She hadn’t expected it to be the catalyst.

So, he meant that if she hadn’t said she took a photo, he wouldn’t have paid any attention to her at all?

He wanted to die.

“Before taking you away from there, I had already informed my secretary to contact Shen Jin’s company. After he returned to China, I want to discuss something with him.”

Jiang Mocheng glanced at her nonchalantly. “I’m worried that in the future, when I take you to other occasions, you might run into him or the Miss Bai you mentioned.”

Bai Ying pursed her lips.

At that time, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now that he brought it up, she wanted to grab a handful of sand from the ground and stuff it into his mouth to shut him up.

“So, I plan to talk to him and make sure he treats the Miss Bai you mentioned as if he’s never seen her before. Even if he does see her, he should pretend not to recognize her.”

He continued, “Until I brought you to Ning City, I didn’t know who you were. It was only when I heard that Shen Jin had returned to China that I had my people arrange a meeting with him.”

Jiang Mocheng paused for a moment and finally posed a question to her.

“Think about it: How do you think I discovered you were Bai Ying before he did?”

If it weren’t for the comfortable sea breeze and her overly relaxed nerves, Bai Ying wouldn’t have spared a thought for this unrelated question.

She thought for a moment and then shook her head.

Reflecting on it, before that day, he should have never doubted her identity. So how did he find out without alerting Shen Jin?

“I don’t know.”

Jiang Mocheng’s gaze suddenly became sharp, staring at her unblinkingly, not missing any expression on her face, and uttered two words, “Fountain pen.”

Bai Ying’s eyes widened, staring back at him in astonishment.

Fountain pen?

Fountain pen!

She had a good memory and quickly recalled the incident. Yes, that day when he accompanied her shopping, they encountered a mischievous child, her handbag was knocked to the ground, and the fountain pen… the fountain pen was picked up by him.

Bai Ying exhaled a sigh of relief. Life really loved to play jokes on people, catching them off guard.

“What’s with that fountain pen?”

Bai Ying really wanted to say “none of your business,” but under his roof, she had to bow her head. After a few seconds of silence, she answered, “I joined the drama club in college, and all the members had one.”

When Jiang Mocheng heard “all had one,” his brows finally relaxed a bit. “What about Shen Jin’s?”

Bai Ying gave him an impatient look.

She had already noticed that he was a bit obsessive. Even if that fountain pen was a couple’s item with Shen Jin, what did it have to do with him? Was he, a third party… oh, no, a newcomer, putting on airs like he was the original partner every day?

“He sponsored a sum of money to our drama club.”

With a simple sentence, Bai Ying clearly didn’t want to say more.

But Jiang Mocheng understood.

Sometimes men can be self-deceptive. Bai Ying thought, no matter what her real relationship with Shen Jin was, in the eyes of outsiders, outside of the two of them, they were indeed together for a year.

In this year-long relationship, the fountain pen was too trivial. Just because it wasn’t a couple’s item, not the so-called token of affection, did Jiang Mocheng feel happy?

What Bai Ying didn’t know was that for Jiang Mocheng, if the fountain pen had been a token of affection, it would have meant something entirely different.

He knew what she had taken from Shen’s house.

If she hadn’t taken any other belongings but specifically took that fountain pen…

That was what bothered him the most.

It was like a thorn in his heart, which he wouldn’t normally think about deliberately, but once it came to mind, how could he be happy?

Now that thorn had been pulled out, and he indeed felt much better.

Bai Ying refused to walk towards the beach.

The sun was too strong now, and it was a bit hot on the skin.

The two of them found a cool shade under the trees. Bai Ying broke out in a slight sweat. She glanced at him quickly and asked softly, “What exactly do you want to do now?”

“I won’t let him take you away.”

Jiang Mocheng leaned against the tree as lazily as she did, the two trees very close to each other.

Bai Ying hung her head, silent.

Mainly because she was afraid that if she opened her mouth, it would be a curse.

“I brought you here for a vacation.”

Jiang Mocheng said, “Didn’t you say you wanted to come to the seaside?”

Whatever he said now, no matter how shamelessly, she wouldn’t be surprised anymore.

“And there’s more.”

He stood up straight, walked over to her, lifted his hand, and smoothed the strand of hair that the sea breeze had blown onto her cheek behind her ear.

His palm brushed over her face, down to her neck, collarbone, and finally pointed at her chest, saying in a deep voice, “Keep your conscience intact. Is it worth thinking about people who are irrelevant to you?”

Bai Ying caught his hand, looking him in the eye, “Do you really need to make such a fuss with him? You’re a businessman, can you afford to be so capricious?”

Nobody is a fool.

For people like Shen Jin and Jiang Mocheng, who have incompatible auras, if they really fought, it certainly wouldn’t be as simple as a physical fight—in other words, how much would be lost if these two men just lifted a finger? She wasn’t heartbroken over it; after all, it wasn’t her money being spent.

She just felt that these two men had actually been annoyed with each other for a long time. Now it was just old grudges adding to new ones, and the old grudges occupied a much larger proportion than the new ones.

Whether they fought openly, without regard for anything, or sat down calmly to talk, it shouldn’t involve her.

They should have some self-awareness.

Like Shen Jin, even if he’s the male lead, he can’t be unreasonable. Has their agreement ended? Yes.

Do they have no relationship anymore? Yes.

Is she free to go? Of course!

It’s his business that he’s searching for her all over the world, not her mistake.

And Jiang Mocheng, that’s even more unreasonable. He’s the one who deceived her. She was in a relationship with Xu Yang; what does it have to do with Jiang Mocheng?

Bai Ying felt her heartbeat quicken.

She thought she had a conscience, but it was these two men whose consciences had been eaten by dogs, which is why the current situation had arisen.

Jiang Mocheng understood the worry in her words.

He really wanted to ask her if she was worried about him or Shen Jin when she said that.

However, he didn’t ask and just said indifferently, “It doesn’t matter, I can afford to make a fuss.”

Bai Ying looked up at him.

He hugged her again, whispering in her ear, “Have you forgotten? I promised you, I’m willing to die for you, so what’s a little loss of money?”