“Why?” Shen Mo asked.
“Because…” Zhou Nuan hesitated for a moment, then said softly, “Because his parents didn’t approve.”
“Oh?” Shen Mo raised an eyebrow. “Jiang Hao didn’t fight for it? Just because his parents disagreed, he broke up with you?”
“I don’t know,” Zhou Nuan shook her head lightly. “He probably did try to resist?”
“Hah!” Shen Mo let out a scornful laugh. Of course, his resistance wouldn’t have mattered.
Someone like him—a second-generation heir with no real skills, living entirely off his family’s wealth—could never challenge his parents. If they opposed his marriage, no amount of protest would work; he simply didn’t have the power to go against them.
Honestly, Shen Mo couldn’t help but look down on people like Jiang Hao.
They relied on their parents’ influence. Remove that, and they’d be nowhere near someone like him, who worked hard with his own hands to make his way in society.
“His mother even called me in,” Zhou Nuan said with a self-deprecating smile. “I never imagined a tiny elementary school teacher like me would be personally summoned by the chairman of a major group.”
“Warm-warm…” Shen Mo turned to look at her, concern and affection in his eyes. “She didn’t say anything harsh, did she?”
“No, nothing like that,” Zhou Nuan shook her head. “She just said we’re not suitable and asked me to break up with him myself.”
“Hmph!” Shen Mo snorted. These people didn’t care about feelings at all—they only saw money, status, and power.
“The richer and more powerful they are, the more they care about social standing. Whether it’s their sons marrying someone or daughters being married off, it can only be someone who benefits them.”
“Mm.” Zhou Nuan nodded in agreement. “This experience taught me something: they have their own circles, and ordinary people like us will never fit in.”
“Warm-warm, next time, you should find someone with similar background and understanding of your life,” Shen Mo said meaningfully—almost as if he wanted to add, someone like me.
Heaven help him, Zhou Nuan wasn’t blind to his thoughts. But she preferred to think of him as a brother.
“Of course, Shen Mo-ge!” she replied, smiling mischievously.
Her bright, playful smile, like spring flowers in bloom, made Shen Mo’s head spin.
His heart skipped a beat.
His hands trembled slightly on the steering wheel, nearly causing the car to swerve. He quickly straightened up.
“What kind of music do you want to listen to?” he asked, changing the topic.
“Anything is fine,” Zhou Nuan shrugged. They were close in age, so no generational gap existed in music tastes.
“Just keep it low. I want to nap.”
Shi Anlan’s words from last night had left her excited, and she hadn’t slept well. Getting up early for the trip home only added to her fatigue.
“Okay, you sleep. Recline your seat a bit,” Shen Mo said thoughtfully.
“Mm.” Zhou Nuan leaned back and closed her eyes, soon drifting off to a light, even breathing.
Watching her peaceful sleeping face, Shen Mo’s heart softened.
The girl he had seen grow up had become a young woman!
He didn’t know when he started noticing her differently; he only knew that when his parents suggested pairing them, he had felt a genuine thrill.
Since then, whenever he came home, he’d make a point to connect with her and enjoy these moments alone in the car.
Zhou Nuan seemed to reciprocate, showing a rare closeness.
Unfortunately, before he could confess, Jiang Hao had appeared—sweet words and relentless charm—and quickly won her heart.
Knowing they could never truly end up together, Shen Mo had been powerless, watching from the sidelines.
Today, hearing that Zhou Nuan had broken up with Jiang Hao, Shen Mo felt a dormant hope stir in his heart.
Could this mean he had another chance?
By ordinary standards, Shen Mo was already a semi-successful young man. A graduate from a top-tier university in computer engineering, he had been hired at his current tech company, became a technical supervisor in a few years, and earned a six-figure salary.
He had a mortgage on a modest three-bedroom apartment in Jiangcheng. Not huge, just over a hundred square meters, but impressive for someone who had only worked a few years.
He also had a car, affordable but sufficient—no more squeezing onto buses or subways. He belonged to the “house and car” group.
He looked refined, clean, and scholarly.
Many female colleagues had secretly expressed interest, but he only had eyes for Zhou Nuan.
When he learned she had fallen for Jiang Hao, he had been heartbroken—but he knew the relationship wouldn’t last.
Sure enough, in less than a year, parental opposition ended it.
“Warm-warm,” he whispered softly, looking at her sleeping form, “if it were me, I’d protect you completely, never letting you suffer the slightest hurt.”
Alas, the girl slept soundly, hearing none of his words.
He gripped the steering wheel tightly, driving as smoothly as possible so as not to disturb her.
Over an hour later, the car stopped in the parking lot of Zhou Nuan’s neighborhood.
“Warm-warm, wake up. We’re here!” Shen Mo gently nudged her shoulder.
“We’re here already?” The girl rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked outside. Seeing the familiar scene, she jolted upright.
“Haha, you slept like a little piglet, even drooling a bit,” Shen Mo teased, noticing the faint wet mark at her mouth.
“Sorry, Shen Mo-ge. I didn’t sleep well last night,” Zhou Nuan blushed and quickly wiped her mouth.
Though he was a man, Zhou Nuan felt no fear around him, which explained her deep sleep.
“Here, use these.” Shen Mo handed her two tissues.
“Thanks.” She took them.
Shen Mo got out and helped her carry the things from the trunk.
“Shen Mo-ge, want to come in for a bit?” Zhou Nuan asked—it was still early.
“Sure.” Shen Mo had been hoping for that.
He parked, helped carry her bags, and they took the elevator together.
The neighborhood was old, a bit dated. The buildings weren’t high, and the elevator had been installed later as part of a government renovation.
Zhou Nuan’s family had no choice but to continue living here due to financial limitations, while Shen Mo’s family had moved to a large apartment in Chengdong.