The children obediently returned to their seats one by one, though the excitement on their faces was impossible to hide.
Only then did Dawa Gyatso notice the blackboard behind Lin Mo.
Drawn across it were simple cartoon animals and plants sketched in colorful chalk. The artwork looked uncomplicated at first glance, but every line carried remarkable spirit and skill. It was obvious that the artist possessed a strong foundation.
Beside each drawing were English words describing colors, animals, and plants.
Lin Mo had actually begun combining art and English into her lessons.
Gyatso didn’t disturb her any further.
He quietly turned and left.
Yet for some reason, his heartbeat had become slightly unsteady.
Afterward, he began casually asking the staff about the girl named Lin Mo.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to learn.
Lin Mo was simply too low-key.
Other than showing up for meals, she rarely appeared around the guesthouse.
As a result, nobody knew much about her.
The following morning at breakfast, Gyatso finally found an excuse to approach her.
“I have a suggestion.”
He smiled warmly.
“Why don’t you take some photos of the guesthouse, both inside and outside? I can help arrange and prepare everything.”
Lin Mo agreed without hesitation.
“Sure.”
Then she turned and went to fetch her camera.
When she worked, she was incredibly focused.
Her slender wrists supported the large camera with steady patience.
Every shot was taken seriously.
Never rushed.
Never careless.
Watching her, Gyatso felt that she was even more conscientious than he was as one of the owners.
While helping her move furniture and organize scenes, he couldn’t help stealing glances at her.
She carried an unmistakable scholarly elegance.
Bare-faced and naturally beautiful.
Gentle.
Quiet.
Refined.
The more he looked, the more he felt that everything about her was wonderful.
By the time they finally finished, Lin Mo didn’t linger for even a second.
She immediately prepared to return to her room and organize her work.
Gyatso had spent the entire day thinking of ways to continue the conversation.
Now all those words remained trapped in his stomach.
All he could do was stand there smiling as he watched her leave.
If Danzeng had known someone was quietly trying to steal his place, he probably would have rushed back immediately, regardless of the consequences.
Unfortunately, he knew nothing.
And by the time he returned, half a month had already passed.
Danzeng and Gyatso had long divided responsibilities for running the guesthouse.
Although the business was operating smoothly, certain matters still required personal attention.
Besides, Danzeng also managed an exceptionally popular bar.
After spending so much time in Zeba Village, a considerable amount of offline work had piled up.
Despite rushing through everything as quickly as possible, he still couldn’t return immediately.
For the first time, he seriously considered hiring more capable managers.
During those two weeks, Lin Mo contacted him only through work reports sent to his email.
She never once reached out voluntarily.
Danzeng, on the other hand, sent her messages every day.
Lin Mo always replied politely.
Then the conversation ended.
Nothing more.
At first, Danzeng felt slightly discouraged.
But he wasn’t angry.
He simply assumed she was slow to warm up to people.
A line of poetry suddenly came to mind.
In the old days, horse-drawn carriages moved slowly, and a lifetime was only enough to love one person.
Life was long.
He could afford to take things slowly.
Meanwhile, Gyatso had begun “accidentally” running into Lin Mo almost every day whenever she went out gathering inspiration.
Well, not exactly every day.
Lin Mo had classes to teach and artwork to create.
Even her sketching trips were inconsistent.
Three days of effort followed by two days of laziness.
Sometimes she felt guilty about it herself.
Gyatso, however, possessed an excellent sense of boundaries.
He understood the importance of moderation.
He appeared often enough to be noticed.
But never enough to be intrusive.
A warm smile was always on his face.
He never made unnecessary physical contact.
Whenever she needed help, he offered it naturally.
Then he stopped there.
Nothing excessive.
Nothing forceful.
A perfect gentleman.
Gradually, Lin Mo’s initial resistance faded.
She became accustomed to his presence.
Spending time with him felt surprisingly comfortable.
Like being around an old friend.
As always, Lin Mo remained astonishingly oblivious.
She genuinely believed every one of Gyatso’s appearances was pure coincidence.
Much later, when she accidentally learned about his feelings for her, she would be genuinely shocked.
Danzeng finally returned after half a month away.
Covered in dust from the journey.
And accompanied by two people.
That afternoon, Lin Mo was eating lunch in the dining hall when she heard loud commotion outside.
Moments later, something practically flew through the entrance.
A bird.
At least, that’s what it felt like.
The energetic “bird” charged straight toward her and nearly knocked over her bowl.
It was Cizhen.
“Why are you here?”
Lin Mo jumped in surprise before laughing as she pushed the girl off her.
“You could’ve at least told me beforehand.”
“I wanted to surprise you!”
Cizhen grinned proudly.
“Well? Surprised? Unexpected?”
Her voice seemed even louder than before.
“Yes, yes, very surprising.”
Lin Mo nodded rapidly.
“I don’t feel any sincerity at all!”
Cizhen planted her hands on her hips.
“Lin Mo, you’re so heartless! After hearing from my brother that you were working here, I practically begged my parents to let me come for a few days.”
Lin Mo couldn’t help smiling.
She had always been calm by nature.
Getting a dramatic emotional reaction from her was nearly impossible.
“So your brother is Danzeng.”
She gently pinched Cizhen’s puffed-up cheeks.
“The world really is small.”
As her smiling gaze moved away from Cizhen, it landed on a handsome man and a beautiful woman standing near the doorway.
Confusion appeared in her eyes.
Cizhen immediately noticed.
“That girl is Tashi Medo.”
“My brother’s childhood sweetheart.”
“She insisted on coming too.”
Cizhen clicked her tongue.
“Pretty, right?”
The question answered Lin Mo’s unspoken curiosity.
“But in my heart, you’re still the prettiest.”
Cizhen tugged on Lin Mo’s arm and whispered sweetly.
Her mouth seemed coated in honey.
Yet Lin Mo barely heard the compliment.
Her attention had frozen on four words.
Childhood sweetheart.
For a brief moment, she drifted into a daze.
“Hey!”
“What are you thinking about?”
Cizhen waved a hand in front of her face.
Only then did Lin Mo return to reality.
The first thing she saw was Danzeng.
And those familiar eyes.
Deep.
Affectionate.
Overflowing with emotion.
Danzeng possessed a pair of naturally captivating peach blossom eyes.
There was a popular saying online:
With eyes like that, even the way he looked at a dog seemed affectionate.
Lin Mo suddenly felt that the saying suited him perfectly.
Perhaps she had misunderstood his gaze all along.
“Here.”
Danzeng extended a hand toward her.
In it was a delicate gift bag.
His eyes never left her face.
“Thank you, Boss.”
Lin Mo froze briefly before accepting it.
Her expression quickly returned to its usual calm indifference.
The title made Danzeng frown immediately.
Boss?
They hadn’t seen each other for only half a month.
Why had she suddenly become so distant?
Medo stepped forward and gracefully extended her hand.
“Hello.”
“My name is Medo.”
“I heard from Danzeng that you’re volunteering here.”
“An artist, right?”
“Nice to meet you.”
Lin Mo looked at her carefully.
She was a classic Tibetan beauty.
Like Danzeng, she had sun-kissed skin.
A high nose bridge.
Thin lips.
But what stood out most were her eyes.
Long and narrow.
Their corners tilted upward like a fox’s.
Wild.
Enchanting.
For some reason, Lin Mo felt that Medo spoke with the confidence of a hostess welcoming guests into her own home.
“Artist is too generous.”
Lin Mo shook her hand lightly.
“I’m just helping out.”
“My name is Lin Mo.”
For a fleeting moment, she thought she detected hostility in Medo’s eyes.
Especially when Medo noticed the gift bag in her hand.
But when Lin Mo looked again, the expression had vanished.
Perhaps she had imagined it.
“I can sleep with you these next few days, right?”
Cizhen suddenly wrapped herself around Lin Mo’s arm and began acting spoiled.
“Of course.”
Lin Mo immediately agreed.
“Let’s go put away your luggage first.”
Feeling strangely uncomfortable, she almost fled the dining hall while pulling Cizhen along.
Once they returned to the room, Cizhen lowered her voice.
“My brother said there aren’t enough rooms because there are too many guests.”
“But honestly, I don’t want to share a room with Medo.”
“Oh?”
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.
“Why?”
Cizhen thought for a moment.
“It’s not really anything serious.”
“She’s actually pretty nice.”
“But she always feels distant.”
She stuck out her tongue.
“And maybe a little arrogant.”
“Though I don’t know her very well.”
“She went overseas for high school and only came back recently.”
Lin Mo hesitated.
Then she finally asked the question that had been bothering her.
“You said she and your brother are childhood sweethearts?”
“I guess so.”
Cizhen nodded while hanging up her clothes.
“The three of us grew up together.”
“I’m younger than them, so I don’t know all the details.”
She paused.
“Though I heard from my mom that both families are very happy about them.”
“They might even get engaged this year.”