“An Zhihan has suggested getting back together, but if possible, I don’t really want to be around him. Bian Xun mostly feels guilty toward me. Other than competitions, he doesn’t care much about anything, but he values gratitude. If Bian Xun asks to get back together, it would definitely be because he feels sorry for me.”
“As for Yin Liuguang…”
Yan Mo smiled faintly.
“He’s just not used to losing me, his old nanny. There’s also a bit of unwillingness in it.”
Back then, when they broke up, Yan Mo had given up cleanly.
To Yin Liuguang, that was probably very unfamiliar.
In Yin Liuguang’s mind, Yan Mo should have been heartbroken, desperately trying to win him back, clinging to him endlessly.
But he hadn’t.
And so Yin Liuguang developed a rebellious desire instead.
The words “ugly freak” still echoed in his ears.
Yan Mo crossed out Yin Liuguang’s name first.
After a moment of silence, he also crossed out Bian Xun’s.
【Host, Bian Xun is pretty good. Even if you don’t like him, choosing him wouldn’t be bad. At least he doesn’t randomly lose his temper.】
Yan Mo shook his head.
“You forgot. Ji Xian is beside Bian Xun.”
【…】
“Maybe after I left, they already got together.”
In that relationship, Yan Mo had always stood on the moral high ground, yet emotionally he had always been at a disadvantage.
Never had Yan Mo realized so clearly as he did then that even if he occupied the position of Bian Xun’s boyfriend, he might not be the person Bian Xun loved most.
No one wanted to be the extra person.
Having already tasted that bitterness, Yan Mo shook his head.
“If I go back now, Bian Xun will most likely get back together with me out of guilt. But that would mean separating them.”
The system pouted.
【Back when you and Bian Xun were together, I didn’t see Ji Xian keeping his distance because he was afraid of breaking you two up. You’re just too soft-hearted!】
Yan Mo patted its head.
Now, that sadness and resentment had faded.
Only exhaustion and lingering pain remained.
He whispered to himself,
“It’s all in the past.”
The remaining names were temporarily placed into the category of people he had not yet met, or whose intentions were uncertain.
Finally, only Gu Yanhui’s name remained.
Gu Yanhui was the mission target of this world.
After six failures, when facing Gu Yanhui, Yan Mo unconsciously carried the thought:
This person will probably break up with me too.
He didn’t dare invest too much in him.
Yet he still couldn’t help feeling a little hope.
Like a gambler.
The young man tightly gripped his final coin and placed his future on that man.
Then Gu Yanhui became the final person to abandon him.
The man hadn’t done anything especially excessive.
They had never argued.
It seemed they had never truly understood each other either.
Gu Yanhui had no responsibility or obligation to help him.
Nor did he know that the young man was a camel about to collapse under the final straw.
He was like a light piece of straw falling onto Yan Mo.
It appeared weightless.
But in truth, it was a crushing burden, pressing down on the young man’s frail shoulders.
Gu Yanhui hadn’t known.
He had no duty to pity him.
Perhaps if these men had met someone else, the ending would have been different.
After holding his pen still for a long time, Yan Mo lowered his head and slowly, bit by bit, crossed out the three characters of Gu Yanhui.
Late at night.
Yan Mo truly couldn’t sleep.
The city was unbearably hot.
The old standing fan creaked as it blew, but all it gave off was stuffy, hot air that did nothing to relieve the heat.
Only in the latter half of the night did drowsiness finally arrive.
But suddenly, a rustling sound made the sleepy young man jolt awake.
Mixed with the turning sound of the fan, the noise was very clear.
It sounded like thin wire scraping inside a metal lock core.
A thought instantly appeared in Yan Mo’s mind:
Someone was picking his door lock.
【System!】
His sleepiness vanished immediately.
Yan Mo instinctively shouted for the system while reaching for his phone.
He quickly climbed up and rushed toward the bedroom door.
The newly changed lock should be able to hold for a while.
As long as he closed the bedroom door and called the police—
Just as Yan Mo thought this—
Click.
The door lock opened.
Yan Mo: “…”
That was a 488-yuan lock!
His dark eyes widened, and he cried out in alarm.
“You—!”
Before he could finish, a black shadow quickly slipped inside, closed the door behind him, and lunged toward the young man who had made the sound.
The moment Yan Mo tried to close the bedroom door, the tall shadow kicked it open.
The door slammed into Yan Mo, making him cry out in pain.
Then everything spun.
By the time Yan Mo reacted, his mouth was covered by one hand.
His arms were twisted behind his back, and a knee pressed hard into the hollow of his waist, pinning him onto the folding wire bed.
Creak.
The folding bed made a sound.
“Don’t scream!”
The shadow pressing him down breathed heavily.
Like a massive beast using its weight to crush him, it leaned close and warned him in a low voice.
Yan Mo’s heart rate instantly soared.
Pain rose continuously from the places being restrained.
Would he be killed?
Yan Mo’s body trembled slightly.
Fear spread to his eyes.
His heart pounded wildly.
His eyes widened in terror, and tears slowly gathered.
“Mm…”
“Don’t scream!”
The shadow threatened again.
Then he pricked up his ears to listen to the movement outside.
Turning his head, he leaned down beside Yan Mo’s ear and quickly whispered,
“Shut up. As long as you don’t scream, I won’t hurt you. Understand?”
The shadow tightened his grip on Yan Mo’s wrists.
The sharp pain made Yan Mo squeeze his eyes shut, breathing rapidly.
“Mm…”
He immediately nodded to show he understood.
At a time like this, cooperation was the only way to protect himself.
Yan Mo didn’t know what the shadow wanted.
But he was no match for this person.
From entering the room to subduing him, it had only taken a few seconds.
There seemed to be the smell of blood in the air.
Blood?
Had Yan Mo been hurt without realizing it?
Or was the shadow injured?
If the shadow was injured, could Yan Mo win if he struggled?
【Host!】
The system had just powered on and saw the scene.
With a howl, it rushed out and slapped at the shadow with its data claws.
But the system had no physical body and couldn’t touch him at all.
Call the police!
Yan Mo hinted to the system.
The system immediately reacted and hurriedly reported it online.
At that moment, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.
It sounded like many people running through the hallway.
Yan Mo heard someone stop outside his door.
The doorknob moved up and down with a clicking sound.
Someone outside was trying to open the door.
The shadow pressing him down clearly became nervous.
Unconsciously, he restrained Yan Mo even more tightly.
Those people seemed to have come for the shadow.
When they discovered the door was locked, the doorknob soon stopped moving.
Had they left?
Yan Mo wondered.
But the shadow on top of him still did not let go.
After another two or three minutes, Yan Mo was shocked to hear faint murmuring through the poorly soundproofed door.
Those people had not left.
They had pretended to give up and walk away, but were actually still pressed against his door, holding their breath and listening for movement inside.
Thinking of a group of people standing in the dark hallway, possibly holding knives or weapons while leaning against his door and listening, Yan Mo broke into a cold sweat despite the stifling heat.
“Doesn’t seem like it…”
“Where did he go…”
More than ten seconds later, the footsteps outside truly faded.
In the darkness, where only heartbeats remained, Yan Mo heard the shadow softly let out a breath.
But Yan Mo didn’t dare relax.
His body kept growing cold as he forced himself to calm down.
He didn’t know whether the shadow would let him go or silence him permanently.
“Mm…”
“Shh.”
The shadow pressed down on Yan Mo and warned him,
“Relax. I said I won’t kill you, so I won’t.”
“But you can’t scream.”
“I’ll tie you up.”
“I need to borrow your room for two days.”
“As long as you cooperate and don’t try any tricks, I’ll give you some money.”
“If you understand, nod.”