Yan Mo’s heart ached slightly.
Saying An Zhihan didn’t care was putting it lightly. Maybe even if An Zhihan knew he had died, he wouldn’t even furrow his brows.
But at least his tense nerves finally relaxed. Yan Mo barely managed a smile.
“System, you’re really reliable. Thank you. Please ask the Main System as soon as possible.”
【OK!】
The following time was unbearably difficult.
Being in the same space as that man touched upon the past Yan Mo did not dare face. Wrapped in a blanket, he curled up in his seat, not daring to eat or go to the bathroom, afraid he might attract An Zhihan’s attention.
The system asked, what would happen even if An Zhihan noticed him?
Yan Mo thought that he probably didn’t have enough courage to bear seeing An Zhihan frown the moment he recognized him, that look of rejection and disgust, and… the disappointment he might show upon learning that Yan Mo was still alive.
That would hurt too much.
It would be too painful.
It was as if the air carried the breath exhaled by the other man. The hurtful words Yan Mo imagined him saying turned into invisible, tiny knives, entering every blood vessel with the oxygen and making him suffer unbearably.
After their marriage failed, Yan Mo later reflected on it.
An Zhihan was handsome and outstanding.
What he feared was not An Zhihan himself.
What he feared was that relationship he had fought so hard for but could never obtain.
It was the restraint and inferiority he had grown used to whenever he faced the man.
Like a dog that had been beaten too many times.
Did the dog like its owner?
Of course it did.
How could it not?
But even the dumbest, most passionate dog, after being ignored too many times, would eventually lose the courage to wag its tail and beg for affection again.
Amid the torment, the plane finally landed.
Yan Mo almost stood up immediately, enduring the wait as he counted over and over how many people were still ahead of him.
He didn’t dare turn back.
With his head lowered, he quickly got off the plane.
“System, did… did he look this way?”
【No, no. Don’t be afraid.】
Half an hour later, Yan Mo finally left the airport.
Sitting in the taxi, he closed the car door. Fine beads of sweat covered his forehead.
He looked back at the crowded flow of people. Only when he could no longer see anyone familiar did he finally let out a deep breath.
Thank goodness…
After the plane landed, Assistant Wang and the bodyguards busied themselves with luggage and protecting their employer.
Surrounded by them, An Zhihan stood up and subconsciously looked toward the back of the boy who was hurrying away.
When he had seen the boy’s face, he had only felt that he looked familiar.
But when he saw his back, the boy’s figure made An Zhihan’s pupils shrink slightly.
For a moment, he almost called out Yan Mo’s name.
His thin lips moved, but no sound came out.
“What’s wrong, Mr. An?”
“Nothing.”
It couldn’t be him.
An Zhihan knew very clearly.
After Old Master An had awakened him, after he divorced Yan Fei, he had carried a trace of unease and expectation, arrogantly believing that the young man who had once lowered himself to love him would surely come back immediately.
But then he received a call from the police, asking him to identify the deceased’s belongings.
At that moment, An Zhihan understood.
Yan Mo would not come back.
Never again.
The young man had died deep in the mountains, leaving not even a corpse behind.
The final confirmed time of his disappearance was the month An Zhihan married Yan Fei.
For more than a full year—
No one found him.
No one cared about him.
Just like the young man’s personality, he disappeared silently…
Like a bubble evaporating into nothing.
An Zhihan often thought—
While he was still immersed in the happiness of marrying Yan Fei, had Yan Mo’s life been slowly fading away beneath some cliff?
He had been such a shy and timid person.
In such a dark night.
In such a terrifying mountain forest.
No matter how he cried for help, no one came to save him.
Had Yan Mo been in despair?
Had he been afraid?
If An Zhihan had shown even the slightest concern after Yan Mo left—
Even if he had only made one phone call—
Would he have discovered Yan Mo’s disappearance sooner?
Would he have been able to save him?
Why…
Why had he been so heartless toward that young man back then?
So indifferent that he couldn’t even offer a single polite word of concern?
Some things could not be thought about.
The more he thought—
The more An Zhihan went mad.
After arriving at the hotel, Yan Mo finally felt alive again after taking a bath.
The system used his phone to browse travel guides while the two of them discussed An Zhihan.
After meeting An Zhihan, Yan Mo completely lost the desire to go out.
The system comforted him, saying that maybe this world also had an An Zhihan. After all, they were all modern worlds. If that were really the case, Yan Mo didn’t need to hide at all. The man they had encountered on the plane and the one Yan Mo had once targeted would not be the same person.
【Anyway, I don’t believe they’re the same person. Could An Zhihan have transmigrated here or something? Hahahahaha, how is that possible?】
The system placed its hands on its hips.
【Not to brag, but only us systems can do something like that!】
Hearing that, Yan Mo also began to hesitate.
The worlds he had transmigrated into were all modern worlds.
Although they were no longer his original Earth, their countries, geography, and history were the same. Even several emperors still had the same names.
Since the historical figures hadn’t changed, perhaps this world also had a stranger named An Zhihan.
【Relax. Look how badly he scared you.】
Yan Mo: …
As if it wasn’t you who screamed in my head the moment you saw An Zhihan.
The system muttered quietly:
【Besides, these are our last two months together. You’ve already been bullied so miserably. I don’t want your final days to be filled with fear too. Can’t you spend the end happily? Those scumbags—even if they all stood in front of me, I promise I’d knock them down one by one!】
Yan Mo complained inwardly:
If they really came, you’d definitely run faster than me.
Still, warmth spread through Yan Mo’s heart.
He hugged the floating system ball in his arms and gently patted it, pressing his face against it.
“System, you’re really good to me…”
The system became embarrassed.
【Hehe.】
【Then let’s go out tonight.】
“Mm.”
【Let’s do things you’ve never done before. You’re too honest and inexperienced. Big Brother System will take you to see this dazzling world.】
“Okay.”
Yan Mo couldn’t help laughing.
Suddenly, his phone received a message.
The system glanced at it and saw that it was from that bastard Gu Yanhui.
With a cold snort, it directly blocked and deleted him, then continued rubbing against its precious host’s arms.
On the other side, the man leaning against the wall wore a leather jacket and cargo pants.
His long legs and handsome, upright face attracted countless glances.
Gu Yanhui lowered his head and looked at the message he had sent.
Gu Yanhui: [Why didn’t you take the house keys and card? I said they were compensation for you. Also, where did you go? Why didn’t you come home? Did you move out? Did you go out to clear your head? You’ve never traveled far alone before, and you’re unfamiliar with places. Don’t go to cities too far away. Don’t go to Myanmar. Don’t go to Dali either; it’s full of all kinds of people… Don’t misunderstand. I’m only afraid you’ll run away and not come back to get the divorce certificate. The appointment has already been made. You must be present in person to complete the procedure.]
Gu Yanhui: [Where exactly did you go?]
After waiting a long time without a reply, Gu Yanhui wondered whether he had spoken too harshly.
Rubbing the fingers hanging by his side, the man leaned against a mall pillar and frowned as he typed.
Gu Yanhui: [I already told you, Yan Mo. Avoiding the problem won’t solve anything.]
The moment the message was sent, a red exclamation mark appeared on the screen.
The man froze.
Yan Mo had blocked him…
He typed and deleted words in the message box again and again.
After a long silence, he turned off his phone, put it into his pocket, turned around, and disappeared into the crowd.
Over the next few days, Yan Mo and the system explored Shanghai.
They visited Yuyuan Road and St. John’s University.
They took a sightseeing boat and admired the lights of the bustling city.
They burned incense at Jing’an Temple.
They even went to Disneyland.
During that time, they never encountered An Zhihan again.
Yan Mo gradually relaxed.
The system asked him if he had ever been to a concert.
Yan Mo shook his head.
In his original world, he had been an ordinary person among ordinary people.
He had never traveled far.
Even university was in his hometown.
He was afraid the system would laugh, but in the beginning, Yan Mo hadn’t even known how to take a plane.
“The farthest I ever left home was when I went on a road trip with my parents. My parents didn’t control me very strictly, and they encouraged me to go out with friends. My own social circle was just too small.”
Yan Mo smiled shyly.
“My dream was to find a quiet job after graduation, preferably one I could do from home, then raise a small pet.”
【I understand, I understand. Most people are like that.】
The system skillfully patted him.
Its precious host was so obedient.
【There’s a concert tonight. Big Brother System will take you to go wild! Forget all those troublesome men. Everybody, get high!】
The concert atmosphere was indeed electrifying.
The singer was a well-known big-name artist with the surname Zhou.
Even front-row tickets cost as much as thirty-five thousand, and getting one still depended on internet speed.
If one was too slow, they could only spend twice as much.
The venue was packed with people.
Even from a distance, Yan Mo couldn’t clearly see the singer’s face.
The moment the music started, the screams nearly shattered Yan Mo’s eardrums.
The lights went out.
All he could see was an ocean of glow sticks.