An Zhihan was a shadow Yan Mo could never escape.
The man came from a good family.
Well-educated.
A man standing high above others.
Mr. An would never act like a thug, resorting to violence or vulgar insults.
He had never hit Yan Mo.
Never cursed at him.
Yet the look in his eyes—that superior gaze of an older man, moving from disappointment to complete indifference—had carved a deep fear into Yan Mo’s heart.
Countless times, Yan Mo had become cautious and restrained under that gaze, pale and awkward.
In front of An Zhihan, Yan Mo was deeply insecure.
Like a child who could never please their parents no matter how hard they tried.
A child who could never earn even a single word of approval.
The feeling that even breathing was wrong.
That no matter what he did, he would never compare to someone else’s child in the man’s eyes.
The pressure of chasing endlessly and never catching up, of never being able to hold your head high, was enough to drive a person mad.
Especially because An Zhihan had been Yan Mo’s first love.
More than once, Yan Mo had thought that having a first love like An Zhihan was worse than never falling in love at all.
Even now, the wounds that man left behind made Yan Mo uneasy whenever he heard the surname “An.”
Lost in thought, Yan Mo sat down.
There were fewer passengers in first class.
He stared absentmindedly through the window at the travelers continuing to board.
【What’s wrong, Host? You seem distracted.】
The system had been excitedly chatting away by itself, talking nonstop about all the places they would visit.
After receiving no response for a long time, it finally looked over.
Only to discover that its host had been daydreaming all along.
【Host, that’s too much!】
Yan Mo blinked and came back to his senses.
“Sorry, sorry. Where were you?”
【Hmph.】
The system crossed its arms.
【We were talking about our travel destination.】
“Uh…”
The system stared at the guilty expression on Yan Mo’s face before exploding.
【Wait—you weren’t listening at all, were you?!】
Yan Mo: …
Yes, actually.
The system was speechless.
【Shanghai! Shanghai! We’re going to Shanghai! I just searched up travel guides online. It’s so lively there, with tons of places to visit. There are concerts, music festivals, comic conventions, and even esports tournaments! Should we go see them?】
“…Sure.”
Yan Mo was a quiet and somewhat shy person.
To be honest, he knew very little about comics or esports.
The only reason he had ever gotten involved with esports later was because of someone.
When he was younger, his life consisted of school and tutoring classes.
There was very little room for entertainment.
I guess I’m what people call a bookworm…
No wonder nobody likes me.
Yan Mo shook his head and smiled.
Still, he thought it might be nice to try something different for once.
The system connected to the world’s internet and sifted through information at incredible speed.
Excitedly, it pulled up photos of famous attractions one after another.
Yan Mo listened with a smile.
The system had even chosen a hotel already.
【This hotel is expensive, but it has the best night view in Shanghai. Don’t worry. If we run out of money, I’ll just charge everything to that bastard Gu Yanhui’s card!】
The system sounded vicious.
【Scumbag. Pah!】
Yan Mo couldn’t help laughing.
Normally, the frugal young man would never have paid for a first-class ticket.
But the system insisted that since he only had a little time left, he should enjoy himself properly.
So it booked him a comfortable first-class seat.
Have fun.
Live a little.
The system poked Yan Mo’s fair, delicate cheek as it watched him lift his head quietly, a faint smile appearing on his soft red lips.
Waaah, my precious child!
The system extended its tiny data-hands and continued patting him.
Honestly, it couldn’t understand it.
Its host was so wonderful.
Were all those men blind?
Yan Mo wasn’t some breathtaking beauty who could topple kingdoms or captivate everyone at first sight.
Yet the strange thing about him was that the more you looked, the more appealing he became.
True beauty came from the bones, not the skin.
And Yan Mo possessed that kind of beauty.
He resembled the kind of boy girls would fall for during their first love.
Like a treasured memory wrapped in a warm nostalgic filter.
Like the clean, gentle boy who lingered in one’s thoughts long after a breeze had passed.
The system contemplated this for a while and clicked its tongue.
Using three tiny forked data-fingers, it rubbed its chin thoughtfully before suddenly asking:
【Host, do you think you’re naturally attracted to scumbags?】
Because with Yan Mo’s appearance, temperament, and eyes…
Anyone would believe he belonged to the neighboring “White Moonlight” strategy department.
Yan Mo: “…”
Yan Mo sighed helplessly.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Just as they were talking, something suddenly dropped onto the floor with a clack and rolled to Yan Mo’s feet.
Startled, he looked down.
A fountain pen that appeared quite valuable lay quietly beside him.
“Whose pen is this…”
Instinctively, Yan Mo bent down to pick it up.
Just as his pink-tinted fingernails touched the pen, another hand entered his field of vision.
The hand was larger than his, with distinct knuckles.
Both hands reached for the pen at the same time.
The moment they touched, they immediately withdrew.
It must be the owner’s hand.
Yan Mo looked up.
“Sorry…”
The other person also looked up.
His voice was cool and calm.
“It’s nothing. Thank you.”
The moment their eyes met, Yan Mo froze.
It felt as if all the blood was slowly draining from his body.
Every painful memory.
Every suffocating moment.
All surged into his chest at once.
The fear carved into his bones made his fingers tremble violently.
The overwhelming pressure made him want to throw up.
The emotions he had once felt so deeply forced moisture into his eyes.
His pupils contracted as they reflected the man’s serious face.
A mature face shaped by time, carrying a restrained charm.
Yan Mo shivered.
…An Zhihan.
…It was An Zhihan.
“Is there a problem?”
An Zhihan’s cold, composed gaze rested upon the unfamiliar young man.
The other person remained frozen in a half-bent posture.
Fear and shock were clearly visible in his eyes.
His fair face had lost all color.
Even his lips were trembling.
For a brief moment, curiosity caused the lofty Mr. An to lower his gaze toward this ordinary stranger.
“You know me.”
It was not a question.
It was a statement.
Picking up the pen, the man examined him carefully.
“…No. I don’t.”
Yan Mo’s mind was completely blank.
The only thing he could hear was the system screaming in his ears.
For a moment, he felt as though he had returned to that old residence.
The man ten years older than him sat there.
Knowledge.
Experience.
Age.
Family background.
The gap between them had always been impossible to bridge.
Yan Mo had never been able to stand at An Zhihan’s side.
It felt as though countless layers of etiquette and social status separated them.
Yan Mo kept looking up.
Always looking up.
He chased after the man using every method his young self could imagine.
He gave everything he had.
And in the end—
Everything was dismissed as cheap attempts to curry favor.
“Yan Mo, don’t you feel ashamed of your intentions?”
An Zhihan had said.
Yan Mo moved his tongue.
His soul felt detached from his body, floating above as he watched himself slowly straighten up.
Then he smiled.
A pale yet polite smile.
And said:
“I’ve never met you before, sir.”
“…”
“…”
If only we’d never met from the beginning.
If only I’d never encountered An Zhihan at all…
Yan Mo clenched the fabric over his chest.
Trying desperately to steady his trembling breaths before they became sobs.
The man in the tailored suit lowered his eyes and slowly rolled the fountain pen between his fingers.
Assistant Wang lowered his voice.
“Is something wrong, Mr. An?”
An Zhihan studied the pen for a moment before speaking.
“Tell me. Under what circumstances would someone look at you with fear, clearly recognize you, and yet insist they don’t?”
Assistant Wang considered the question.
“Guilt?”
An Zhihan fell into thought.
“Guilt…”
“You met someone unusual?”
Assistant Wang had already looked around.
There were no CEOs from rival companies or anyone particularly noteworthy in first class.
There was a celebrity who seemed to recognize An Zhihan and appeared eager to approach him, but the bodyguards had kept him away.
If it wasn’t that person, then it had to be the young man sitting behind them.
After pondering for a while, Assistant Wang suddenly muttered:
“Come to think of it… that young man’s temperament is remarkably similar to Yan Mo’s…”
“If his face weren’t different, I might have mistaken him for Yan Mo.”