Chapter 10: Undercurrents Surging

Waiting for her?

He had arrived in Jinghai an hour ago, and now he was standing outside the bar... waiting for her?

Wen Yinong's brain stalled for several seconds before she managed to find her voice again, stammering with disbelief: "You got back so late, you should have gone home to rest... Did you wait for me on purpose because there's something you need?"

On the other end of the line, Mo Shaoshang's voice came through the current, still unreadable, but his reasoning was solid enough to leave her speechless: "Didn't you say you wanted to discuss Airii's progress with me?"

Wen Yinong: "..."

She was momentarily at a loss for words.

Fine. She had indeed said that.

As a rehabilitation therapist, timely communication with parents about a child's intervention progress was very important... but there was no need to be this urgent about it. Her employer had landed in Jinghai and, without even going home first, rushed straight to the bar to intercept her. What was this—was he afraid she'd slack off on the job while he was away?

This new suspicion pricked at her like a tiny thorn, leaving Wen Yinong with the gloomy feeling of being misunderstood.

Her voice involuntarily dropped: "Mr. Mo, while you were away, Airii worked very hard in his sessions... and I worked very hard too."

The tone was like a child wrongfully accused, earnestly trying to prove her innocence—seriousness laced with a stubborn trace of grievance. Transmitted through the receiver, it was inexplicably endearing.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a soft laugh, his voice unconsciously gentling a few degrees: "I wasn't questioning your work ethic, Teacher Wen."

Mo Shaoshang paused, then added: "It's late now. It's unsafe for a young woman to travel alone. Picking you up is me taking responsibility for your safety."

Wen Yinong froze, then reflexively muttered in rebuttal: "But the butler arranged a car for me."

With a dedicated car service, what safety hazard could there possibly be?

Mo Shaoshang seemed disinclined to argue the point. He simply tossed the question back at her, repeating: "Are you done in there?"

At his words, Wen Yinong turned her head, her gaze sweeping over Su Wanxin, Xu Fei, and Jiang Shu.

She thought to herself: her boss had personally come to wait outside the bar—how could she possibly leave him hanging while she continued enjoying herself amid the lights and wine?

With no choice, Wen Yinong could only say softly: "More or less." Then, after a brief pause, as if to make up for that earlier hint of "slacking off," she added loyally: "I'll say goodbye to my friends and come right out. Please wait a moment."

"Alright."

The call ended.

Inside the bar, the lights were hazy and the atmosphere at its peak.

Su Wanxin was playing finger-guessing drinking games with her boyfriend Xu Fei, laughter ringing out nonstop. Wen Yinong leaned over and gently pinched her friend's arm.

Su Wanxin turned her head suspiciously, her face still flushed with excitement: "What is it?"

Wen Yinong squeezed out an apologetic smile and said softly: "It's getting late. I'm going to head out first."

"Huh?" Su Wanxin immediately furrowed her brows, putting on a thoroughly disappointed expression and whining: "It's barely past eleven! The nightlife is just getting started, okay? Stay a little longer."

"No can do." Wen Yinong smiled. "You all have fun."

Su Wanxin leaned in close and lowered her voice: "Why are you in such a hurry to go home? Is our alcohol not good enough, or are the guys not hot enough to keep your heart here?"

Her friend looked ready to interrogate her to the bitter end. Left with no choice, Wen Yinong told the truth: "I recently took a job doing rehabilitation training for a little kid in the southern suburbs—I'm basically a live-in tutor. Since I'm staying at their house, coming back too late wouldn't look good. Cut me some slack?"

"Oh, I see." Su Wanxin understood. Though still regretful, she accepted it and didn't push further. "Fine then. You go ahead, but be careful on the way."

"Mm, got it."

Goodbyes said, Wen Yinong picked up her bag and prepared to leave.

Su Wanxin's eyes swiveled, about to hint at Jiang Shu beside her to make a move, but he beat her to it, standing up and saying mildly: "I'll walk you out."

Wen Yinong waved her hand: "No need, no need. There's a car waiting for me outside."

Jiang Shu: "Then I'll walk you to it."

"Really, there's no need..."

Jiang Shu smiled and said again: "It's stuffy sitting inside for so long. I happen to want some fresh air anyway. Let's go, Teacher Wen."

At that point, Wen Yinong couldn't very well refuse again. She nodded and let Jiang Shu follow beside her, the two of them walking together toward the bar's entrance.

*

The city center was still bustling at this hour, neon lights flickering, crowds streaming past.

Stepping out of the Queen Bee Bar's doors, the night wind immediately swept in with autumn's slight chill. Wen Yinong was only wearing a thin knit sweater; unable to fend off the cold, she reflexively rubbed her arms.

Seeing this, Jiang Shu immediately made to take off his own jacket: "It's a bit chilly tonight. If you don't mind, put this on first?"

"Thanks for the kind offer." Wen Yinong declined. "I'm about to get in the car anyway."

Jiang Shu's lips moved as if he wanted to say more, but out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a black Aston Martin gliding slowly toward them, coming to a stop in front of him and Wen Yinong.

He instinctively looked at the car.

Sharp lines, a low-profile design yet intensely aggressive. The windows were tinted dark, impossible to see inside from out—especially mysterious.

Jiang Shu was still puzzling over it when the rear window slowly lowered a fraction.

A cold, sharply sculpted profile came into his view.

The man's nose bridge was high, his jawline clean and defined, the fine chain of his gold-rimmed glasses glinting coldly in the dim light. His gaze passed right over Jiang Shu, landing directly on the young girl at his side.

"Teacher Wen."

Just three words, and the young girl responded obediently like a student called on by a teacher, then hastily tossed him a "goodbye," pulled open the black car door, and slipped into the back seat.

The next second, the window rose, sealing shut, cutting off all outside prying eyes.

The Aston Martin sped away, merging into traffic in the blink of an eye and vanishing from sight.

Jiang Shu stood there alone, staring in the direction where the black sedan had disappeared, his brows involuntarily knitting tight.

The night wind blew past his somewhat thin clothing, carrying a trace of chill.

The man in the car had an imposing, pressing aura, an extraordinary bearing—and from beginning to end hadn't spared him even a sliver of a sideways glance. Yet that arrogance seemed innate, so natural that even being angry about it felt like a laughable luxury.

Who was that man?

And what was his relationship with Wen Yinong?

Jiang Shu frowned.

*

The night was thick as ink; the car that had brought Wen Yinong out had long since quietly departed.

The Aston Martin slid soundlessly through the city's bustling arteries. The neon along the road grew sparse, the car's shadow flowing toward the southern suburbs, finally merging into the quiet of the winding mountain road and the layered shadows of trees.

Inside the cabin, the air seemed frozen solid.

Wen Yinong and Mo Shaoshang sat side by side in the back seat, a neither-close-nor-far distance between them.

The interior lights were off; only the dashboard and center console screen emitted a faint blue glow, dimly illuminating their two faces.

Mo Shaoshang said not a word, gazing calmly straight ahead, leaving no clue as to what he was thinking.

In this atmosphere, Wen Yinong felt rather fidgety and ill at ease.

After a good while, she carefully cleared her throat, trying to break the suffocating silence, her tone apologetic: "Mr. Mo, I'm really sorry for making you waste time waiting for me..."

"It was no trouble," Mo Shaoshang said.

Wen Yinong: "...Thank you anyway."

"You're welcome."

Back and forth, a few exchanges concluded, followed by another brief silence.

Wen Yinong racked her brain for a topic. Her eyes caught the rows of tree shadows whipping past outside, and she suddenly remembered the actual business at hand. She asked tentatively: "Um... about Airii's rehabilitation progress these past few days—did you want to discuss it now, or wait until tomorrow when it's convenient for you?"

"It's too late today." Mo Shaoshang's tone was indifferent. "I'll come find you tomorrow morning."

She nodded: "Alright."

After that, not another word was spoken the whole way.

The car smoothly entered the estate and stopped in front of the main house.

Wen Yinong practically couldn't wait to push the door open and get out, hurrying up the steps. Mo Shaoshang followed unhurriedly behind her.

Thank goodness, they finally reached the third floor.

Wen Yinong stopped in front of her bedroom door, her taut nerves relaxing slightly. She turned her head, squeezing a smile onto her face: "Mr. Mo, thank you again for picking me up. Sorry for the trouble."

With that, she prepared to go in and rest.

Who would have expected that the moment her hand gripped the door handle, the man's cool voice sounded again—a question: "Is that man your friend?"

The question came out of nowhere. Wen Yinong froze in place, not processing it at first.

She lowered her lashes in thought, taking several seconds to realize who he was asking about.

Wen Yinong: "Do you mean the guy who walked me out of the bar just now?"

Mo Shaoshang made no sound, watching her calmly.

Wen Yinong understood, then curved her lips and answered honestly: "He's a friend of my best friend's boyfriend. Tonight was the first time we met. So... I guess he's technically a newly made friend." At this point she paused, seeming to feel the definition wasn't quite accurate, and added: "We're not close."

At her words, Mo Shaoshang very lightly raised an eyebrow and didn't press further.

He said: "Good night. Rest early."

"You too. Good night." Wen Yinong smiled, inwardly sighing in relief, and quickly twisted the door handle, slipping back into her room in a flash.

Click.

A soft sound—the door closed, the light-colored figure vanishing completely.

The hallway lighting was dim. Mo Shaoshang stood quietly for a moment, then returned to his own bedroom. Once inside, he casually tossed his suit jacket aside, tore off his tie, walked straight to the small bar counter, and poured himself a glass of ice water.

Tilting his head back, he drank down most of the glass.

The icy liquid slid down his throat.

The inexplicable restlessness in his heart wasn't doused—if anything, it burned fiercer.

His blue-black eyes were dark and unreadable.

He recalled the scene he'd witnessed outside the Queen Bee Bar: the girl walking out shoulder to shoulder with that strange man. The man seemed to be saying something; she tilted her head slightly to listen, her expression focused. Something he said caught her attention—she lifted her face to look at him, her eyes curving, the corners of her lips rising into a clear, bright smile.

That smile, falling into Mo Shaoshang's eyes, was indescribably glaring.

Lin Ke had originally scheduled a full six-day itinerary for him in Hong Kong.

But ever since receiving that text from the young rehabilitation therapist, he had begun deliberately compressing the agenda, accelerating his work.

In the evening, the private jet touched down at Jinghai Airport. As usual, Uncle Heng reported on Airii's daily routine. The conversation was brief—until the very end, when the other party casually mentioned: "Teacher Wen went out with friends tonight, to the Queen Bee Bar downtown. A car has been arranged for her."

And so, as if possessed, he had told the driver to change course.

Mo Shaoshang had always prided himself on being an extremely calm and rational person, every action following logic and the principle of maximum benefit.

Yet tonight's behavior had no rhyme or reason whatsoever—it could even be called irrational.

His head ached a little.

Mo Shaoshang closed his eyes, raising a hand to pinch hard at the bridge of his brow.

He couldn't say why, but he hated the sight of her standing beside other men.

He couldn't say why, but he hated her showing her smile to other men.

He couldn't say why, but he wanted to increase how often he saw her.

Even pushing the so-called "discussion" to tomorrow was just to have one more legitimate excuse to be alone with her.

Beyond the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, the night wind suddenly turned fierce, howling as it swept past, rattling the estate's tall greenery, branches and leaves whipping wildly, nearly bending in half.

Mo Shaoshang snapped his eyes open.

A pair of blue-black pupils, in the darkness, resembled a deep sea with surging undercurrents, on the verge of a storm.

In his dream, amid that withered sea of flowers, the girl's skirt danced as she asked him with a smile what he wanted.

What did he want?

The answer seemed on the verge of spilling out.

Author's note:

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Momo: Angwy, need baby kisses to feel better.

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Random 100 red packets~

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Little darlings, my new book *Arson* is now on sale in print across all platforms—a super-alpha special police big shot x a soft, resilient sweet girl story. To all the little ones waiting for the physical release, thank you for your patience!