Wen Ran was still in a state of shock, unable to recover her senses, when her awareness was suddenly overwhelmed by a rich masculine scent. Her eyes widened in disbelief as the last remnants of her fleeting rationality dissolved.
At the bedside table, her phone suddenly began vibrating with a loud ringtone—like a detestable interloper—instantly shattering the intimate atmosphere of the room.
Mo Xiuchen frowned, released Wen Ran, and turned to walk to the bedside. He picked up his phone and strode into the wardrobe.
Wen Ran's legs nearly buckled, but she quickly regained her composure. Her heart pounded wildly, as if it were about to burst from her chest, and the tingling sensation on her lips reminded her of what Mo Xiuchen had just done.
She couldn't understand—wasn't he supposed to be ill in that area? How could he possibly...
And besides, what he just did...
He didn't look sick at all.
When Mo Xiuchen emerged from the wardrobe, he was impeccably dressed in an expensive shirt and tailored trousers, his tall frame exuding an air of handsome elegance and refined nobility.
Seeing that she was still standing there in a daze, he said coolly, "I have some business to attend to, so go ahead and sleep."
"Oh!"
Wen Ran mechanically replied, glancing at Mo Xiuchen with her red, slightly parted lips—seemingly wanting to ask something yet too afraid to.
Noticing her hesitation, Mo Xiuchen squinted his deep eyes and asked, "Is there something you want to say?"
Wen Ran's face flushed even redder as she quickly shook her head and waved her hand, "No, nothing. You go."
"Mm."
Mo Xiuchen's gaze lingered on her flushed face for a moment before he turned and strode away.
At 11 p.m., G City's nightlife had only just begun. In the "Time" Bar, a scene of decadence and excess unfolded. Regardless of whether one was a white-collar worker, a boss, or a blue-collar laborer, at this moment they were all solitary souls seeking solace.
Mo Xiuchen stepped into Time, and through the dim, colorful lights he immediately spotted Gu Kai sitting in a corner. Next to him, a blonde woman was attempting to chat him up.
Gu Kai ignored the blonde, who eventually left in a huff. Mo Xiuchen approached a table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. With a teasing tone he remarked, "That girl over there isn't bad—why didn't you pay her any attention?"
Gu Kai shot him a withering look, leaned back into his chair, and fixed his dark eyes on him. "Isn't that Cheng Jia—the little girl who saved you back in the day?"
At that, Mo Xiuchen's handsome brows furrowed slightly. He picked up a glass of wine from the table, took a swig, set it down, and then slowly said, "I'm not sure yet. She said she can't remember much from her childhood."
Earlier in the morning, while Mo Xiuchen was in the operating room, he left a message for Gu Kai, telling him that they had found a girl with a mole on her chin and asking if he wanted to meet her.
After a grueling surgery that lasted over ten hours, Gu Kai managed to track her down as soon as he finished work.
Listening to him, Gu Kai furrowed his brow in thought for a moment and then offered his opinion, "It's natural she doesn't remember. You were eleven back then and could recall everything, but that little girl was only five."
"Shouldn't a five-year-old have some memories?"
Mo Xiuchen's striking features tensed in thought. Although Cheng Jia's age and appearance matched his recollection of that little girl from back then, her inability to remember made him uncertain.
More importantly, he might have already formed an initial impression—he had developed that particular feeling for Wen Ran, while Cheng Jia was just another woman to him, eliciting no special interest.
Gu Kai shook his head. "We can't generalize in such cases. I'd like to meet that girl called Cheng Jia."