NOVPUBEarly in the morning, Shen Mochen found himself stuck at home, not understanding what vacation meant for him.
It was nothing more than changing the location to play with his phone... No need to be that tense.
But now that he thought about it, it was the same for himself; Shen Mochen suddenly realized he didn't know how to spend this holiday either.
Born into humble origins, he always believed that to rise above, he had to study; only through education could they truly change their fate.
Additionally, since the Yin Family sisters had been working in factories from a young age to support his education, Shen Mochen spent almost all his free time studying.
Even when Yin Caiyu became a Buque, significantly improving their family's financial situation, Shen Mochen hadn't changed his mindset. In his view, the superpowers of ordinary Buques would eventually wane, and true transformation depended on one's own abilities.
Besides, Shen Mochen didn't want Yin Caiyu to always shield him from the elements.
So over the years, apart from dating Yin Huailan and Yin Caiyu, he'd been studying unstoppably. For him, holidays were just days spent studying at home.
But now, he no longer needed to study. No one was worth such painstaking efforts, nor did he need to change his fate by getting a full scholarship to National University.
His life now felt empty, suddenly lacking a goal to strive for.
He had more money than he could spend, plenty of free time, and no need to worry about his future. He would soon become a national idol; even if he didn't expose his superpower, he was guaranteed a decent civil servant role after retiring from being a Buque.
His future was smooth sailing and bright.
The things that he had once desperately sought were now easily within his reach.
How ironic, if it were his 16-year-old self, he would have been thrilled.
Perhaps he would even have seriously considered the possibility of marrying both Yin Caiyu and Yin Huailan simultaneously.
Instead, like now, having everything he once dreamt of, he only felt bored.
Shen Mochen knocked on the door and entered Qingrou's bedroom; as expected, Xia Qingrou was lying on the bed lazily playing with her phone.
"I need to step out this morning, you can order takeout for lunch, or just go to the restaurant downstairs," Shen Mochen said.
"Where are you going?" Xia Qingrou glanced at him and touched her skirt pocket.
Shen Mochen's expression was calm, "I'm going to visit my sister in the hospital."
Xia Qingrou quickly stood up from the bed, "I'll come with you!"
Shen Mochen raised his eyebrows, hesitating for a moment, "It's pretty boring, I'm just going to see her and come back. It's a long drive, a waste of time."
Xia Qingrou shook her head, "It doesn't matter… after all, I am your girlfriend… ex-girlfriend is still a girlfriend!"
Seeing Shen Mochen still hesitating, Xia Qingrou said, "You helped handle my elder sister too, so accompanying you to see your sister isn't a big deal!"
"Alright, then let's go together," Shen Mochen agreed.
In reality, the reason Shen Mochen didn't want Xia Qingrou to come was that it felt a bit like provocation.
Having before him Catherine, and now Xia Qingrou, each time bringing an incredibly beautiful ex-girlfriend to see her, it was hard to say it wasn't intentional.
Moreover, it was different with Xia Qingrou; something had really happened between them.
Shen Mochen scratched his head, well, anyway, Yin Caiyu didn't know—so let it be.
He felt a bit lonely by himself.
The two set off, with Xia Qingrou always wearing those old, ugly glasses. Shen Mochen didn't comment; after all, he had done similar things to hide his looks.
The two arrived at the hospital ward, where the nurse at the duty desk caught sight of Shen Mochen. She was just about to greet him with a smile when she saw Xia Qingrou by his side, and her expression immediately became somewhat nuanced.
Wasn't it that foreign beauty until just recently? Why has he switched to another one now?
Oh, my goodness... Being handsome gives him the right to do whatever he wants! What a player! Handsome guys truly are fickle charmers!
"Dr. Wu, hello," Shen Mochen said, unfazed by her thoughts. He approached the nurse, his face as luminous as the moon, his eyes under his bangs almost heartbreakingly beautiful, "May I ask how my sister has been recently?"
Damn it, how can a guy be this charming, how can he be so handsome, aaah, I wonder if I have a chance to be his next... Brother, let me be your next, would you!
The nurse's heart skipped a beat the moment she saw his face.
"Dr. Wu?"
"Oh, oh, she... she's doing okay..." the nurse finally came around, wiping the drool from the corner of her mouth, "General Yin has been the same as before..."
"I see... Alright, thank you,"
Shen Mochen nodded, feigning calm, but his heart was filled with an unspeakable bitterness. He really shouldn't have expected any miracles.
Xia Qingrou quietly followed behind Shen Mochen. She had heard about Shen Mochen's sister from Cai Yuncui and also knew roughly about Shen Mochen's background.
She felt that this boy in front of her was very pitiful, irresistibly wanting to hug him.
But Xia Qingrou ultimately did not do so; she merely gently held his hand.
The two of them quietly walked into the ward. Yin Caiyu on the hospital bed looked thinner than before.
"Your sister is so beautiful," Xia Qingrou remarked softly, gazing at the slumbering girl.
"Mm, she's even more beautiful when awake," Shen Mochen gently pulled away from Xia Qingrou's hand and caressed Yin Caiyu's face.
"Your sister, what's her name? I think I heard the nurse calling her 'General' something?"
"Her name is Yin Caiyu."
Xia Qingrou was taken aback: "Her surname is Yin? Then, you two..."
Shen Mochen said, "We're not biological siblings, we used to be neighbors, and now we live together since both our parents are gone."
Xia Qingrou paused again, her gaze lingering on the deep affection in Shen Mochen's eyes, her thoughts momentarily in disarray.
But he said she's his sister, so it must just be sibling affection...
"What a lovely fragrance, oh gosh, are these fresh flowers?"
Xia Qingrou sniffed the air in the room, looked around, and found a beautiful bouquet of flowers on the table, to her surprise, she went over and picked it up for a closer look. 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"It's still fresh. Did someone visit, or did the hospital arrange this?" Xia Qingrou asked.
Shen Mochen walked over and glanced at the flowers, the fresh white lilies with just a hint of yellow on the edges—it must have been delivered either yesterday or the day before.
The hospital naturally wouldn't bother with this; Shen Mochen knew who had sent them, or rather, who had sent someone to deliver them.
Bowing his head to touch the flowers, Shen Mochen smiled gently. But he quickly thought back to yesterday's rumors and couldn't help feeling a bit of a headache.
He wondered if that proud Princess would continue to send flowers in the future.
"Are you talking about me?" Suddenly, at the door of the ward, a bracing voice sounded.
Shen Mochen, startled, felt as if two of his spirits had been scared away, his face showing panic: "Ka-ka-ka..."
