“Where did you go?”
Su Qianqian was sitting in her wheelchair, her face dark as she spoke.
The sudden interrogation startled Lin Mo.
“Qianqian… you’re still awake?” Lin Mo asked guiltily.
Su Qianqian let out a cold laugh and mocked, “You came back this late. How could I possibly sleep?”
“Qianqian… I’m sorry. I was busy today, so I came back late. Don’t be angry,” Lin Mo said.
Faced with her questioning, he ultimately chose not to tell the truth.
Su Qianqian already had prejudice against Ye Qingqing.
And today he had eaten with her.
If Su Qianqian found out, she would definitely be even more upset.
So Lin Mo simply told a lie.
“Heh. Busy? I think you were busy having dinner with those two wild women,” Su Qianqian said coldly as she threw her phone onto the coffee table.
Lin Mo frowned, picked up the phone, and soon his expression changed slightly. “Qianqian… you already know?”
Although he did not know who had sent the photos to Su Qianqian, he admitted it.
“Hmph. What else? How long were you planning to hide it from me?” Su Qianqian met his gaze and spoke coldly.
“You clearly promised me yesterday that you would come home at night to take care of me. And what did you do?”
“You said you had something to do, but you were busy accompanying other women. Lin Mo, is this how you take care of me?”
Lin Mo felt guilty and explained, “Qianqian, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied to you.”
“But Qingqing really helped me a lot, so I couldn’t refuse her invitation.”
“And Sister Qingyue happened to run into us midway through dinner. The two of them got along well and had a few extra drinks. I didn’t expect to come back this late. I’m sorry for making you worry.”
This time, Lin Mo was indeed in the wrong.
He had made the promise himself.
And now he had failed to keep it.
There was guilt in his heart.
“Really?” Su Qianqian asked suspiciously.
Lin Mo nodded sincerely.
“Then why didn’t you answer my calls?” Su Qianqian pointed at his pocket and asked sternly.
“Sorry, Qianqian. My phone ran out of battery,” Lin Mo said helplessly as he showed her his phone.
Su Qianqian nodded thoughtfully.
“This is the only time. From now on, you must be home before eight in the evening. Otherwise, it will be considered a breach of contract. At that time, you will have to repay all the debts I helped you clear.”
“This…”
“Fine.”
Lin Mo frowned but eventually compromised.
He had no choice. Su Qianqian held the contract.
And he had taken her money. He had no reason to refuse.
“I’m going to sleep,” Su Qianqian said after a moment of silence.
Lin Mo immediately pushed her toward the bedroom.
Ten minutes later…
Su Qianqian lay in bed, tossing and turning.
For some reason, every time she thought about Lin Mo eating with Jiang Qingyue and Ye Qingqing, her heart felt restless.
It felt as though something she cherished was being trampled by others.
Unconsciously, she picked up her phone again and stared at the photos Xiao Jibo had sent.
In the pictures, Jiang Qingyue and Ye Qingqing were toasting each other like close sisters.
Lin Mo was eating, but the smile at the corner of his eyes was impossible to hide. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
And that smile was clearly directed at Jiang Qingyue and Ye Qingqing.
“Lin Mo, are you really that happy being with them?” Su Qianqian murmured, her voice faintly tinged with jealousy.
In the three years she had been with Lin Mo, she had never seen him smile so happily.
Had she treated him badly?
Thinking back on the past three years, aside from venting her anger on him when she was upset, she seemed to have never truly treated him well.
Either she lashed out at him physically or hurled harsh words.
At that thought, guilt arose in Su Qianqian’s heart.
At the same time, she secretly resolved to find Lin Mo a suitable partner.
It would be her way of making amends for the harm she had caused over the past three years.
And she needed to act quickly.
Today’s incident was a warning.
If she continued to delay, Lin Mo might truly fall for Jiang Qingyue or Ye Qingqing.
By then, even if she found a candidate for him, it would be useless.
With that thought, Su Qianqian soon drifted into sleep.
The next morning, as soon as she opened her eyes, she smelled food from outside the bedroom.
She called out to Lin Mo through the door.
After a while, Lin Mo carried her to the dining table.
Once she was settled, Lin Mo glanced at the time anxiously. “Qianqian, you eat first. I need to go to the talent show, so I’ll head out.”
“The talent show? It starts today?” Su Qianqian asked in confusion.
Lin Mo nodded, too pressed for time to explain.
After tidying up quickly, he hurried away.
He had stayed up late preparing the night before, so he had woken up late.
Fortunately, there was still time.
Ye Qingqing had already arrived outside to pick him up.
Su Qianqian also remembered what she had promised Xiao Jibo.
She immediately took out her phone and made a call.
“Hello, Secretary Zhang. Inform the talent show that I’m arranging for someone to join temporarily. And reserve a judge’s seat for me. I’ll also be attending the show.”
Meanwhile, at the same venue as yesterday, Lin Mo got into Ye Qingqing’s car.
“Good morning, Senior Lin,” Ye Qingqing said cheerfully.
Lin Mo touched his nose awkwardly. “Morning…”
Thinking about how she had behaved when drunk the night before made him feel embarrassed on her behalf.
After he had helped her home, Ye Qingqing had started acting wildly.
She insisted on showing him the color of her underwear and even held onto him, refusing to let him leave.
In the end, Lin Mo had persuaded her for a long time before she calmed down and allowed him to help her to the bedroom.
Now Ye Qingqing’s cheeks were slightly flushed.
It seemed she remembered what she had done.
He did not know whether she had truly been drunk or was pretending.
Soon, they arrived at the recording venue.
Lin Mo was arranged into a separate room for rehearsal.
Halfway through rehearsal, the director suddenly called him out.
The contestants were asked to get acquainted with each other.
This way, if someone was eliminated, they would not harbor resentment, and those who advanced would not mock others.
There were eleven contestants in total, eight men and three women.
Most of them were graduates from music universities in various cities.
After getting acquainted with them one by one, Lin Mo stood quietly, waiting for further instructions. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“Everyone, quiet down. Let me introduce a temporary contestant,” the director said seriously.
The contestants frowned.
Registration had ended yesterday afternoon.
Adding someone now clearly meant pulling strings.
But those who could use such connections were not people they could afford to offend.
So no one said anything.
Lin Mo, however, felt distracted.
He had a bad feeling.
“Mr. Xiao, please come in,” the director called.
The door opened, and a handsome man in a suit walked in.
“How could it be him?” Lin Mo’s brows knitted tightly.
It was none other than Xiao Jibo.
Lin Mo was puzzled. Xiao Jibo did not even understand music. What was he doing here?
“Let me introduce him. This is Xiao Jibo. He has just returned from studying abroad,” the director explained with a hand on Xiao Jibo’s back. “He’ll perform last as the finale. Does anyone have objections?”
Xiao Jibo glanced at everyone with contempt, then fixed his gaze on Lin Mo with smugness.
Lin Mo felt suspicious but said nothing.
He sensed that Xiao Jibo had come specifically for him.
The others looked at Xiao Jibo with disdain but dared not object.
After the introduction, everyone returned to rehearsal.
As Xiao Jibo passed Lin Mo, he deliberately bumped into him and whispered, “Lin Mo, you can’t beat me.”
Lin Mo glanced at him calmly.
He was now certain that Xiao Jibo had come for him.
But he ignored him and returned to rehearsal.
Soon, the show began.
For fairness, the order would be determined randomly on a big screen.
Whoever was selected would perform.
To everyone’s surprise, the first performer was Lin Mo.
This was not good news.
Including Xiao Jibo, there were twelve contestants.
With so many performers afterward, the first singer was easily forgotten by judges and audience.
Unless the performance was outstanding enough to be unforgettable.
However, Ye Qingqing remained calm.
She had absolute confidence in Lin Mo’s ability.
“Please welcome the first contestant to the stage,” the host announced.
Applause filled the hall.
Backstage, Lin Mo took a deep breath and walked toward the stage.
Since things had come to this, he could only accept it.
After all, nothing was absolute. He might not be eliminated.
With that thought, he stepped onto the stage.
Just as he was about to introduce the song he would perform, the host suddenly interrupted.
“Wait a moment…”
Not only Lin Mo, but also the audience and judges looked at him in confusion.
“We’ve just received notice that an important guest will be arriving shortly. Please give a round of applause,” the host said awkwardly.
As his voice fell, someone was wheeled onto the stage from backstage.
“Qianqian? Why are you here?” Lin Mo exclaimed in shock as he saw Su Qianqian being pushed by staff, his eyes full of astonishment.