Bringing a Boy Home for the First Time

The Yue River, like a ribbon of jade, divided Yangcheng in two.

Nestled in the heart of the river lay Sansha Island, widely recognized as the most affluent neighborhood in Yangcheng.

The reason it earned this reputation was due to its two exclusive villa communities, comprising a mere 182 households in total.

However, with the city's long-standing ban on new villa construction, every existing villa was a limited edition—demolish one, and it was gone forever.

The prime riverfront villas on Sansha Island were especially coveted and practically priceless. The highest recorded transaction had capped at an astronomical three hundred thousand per square meter, and not a single property had been listed since.

The car glided smoothly across the river bridge and onto Sansha Island.

Watching the scenery blur past the window, Lin Mo couldn't help but feel a touch of amusement.

Across two lifetimes, he had lived in Yangcheng for many years and knew the illustrious name of Sansha Island all too well. It had been connected by major roads very early on, and there were even plans for a subway line in the future.

Yet, today was the very first time he had ever set foot here.

The island's landscaping was impeccable. Meticulously pruned vegetation lined the roads, and the air felt noticeably fresher than in the city center.

Even though these villas were built around the turn of the millennium, careful maintenance kept them looking pristine after more than a decade.

The car pulled into the New Century Garden estate.

Despite its modest name, the neighborhood consisted entirely of single-family mansions.

As the vehicle slowly rolled to a stop in front of a three-story villa, Lin Mo's divine sense had already silently unfurled.

The villa on the left was completely empty. A thin layer of dust covers draped the furniture, indicating it had been vacant for quite some time.

The villa on the right had its lights on, but it was only occupied by a few servants busy with their cleaning duties; the homeowners were nowhere to be seen.

The car door opened, letting in a cool breeze tinged with the moisture of the river. Night had fully fallen, and only the streetlamps and the warm glow from the villas kept the darkness at bay.

Lin Mo's gaze swept over the villa's interior before turning to Jiang Yunlu beside him. He casually asked,

"You don't usually live here, do you?"

Jiang Yunlu, who was stepping out of the car with her bags, paused. Her face filled with surprise.

"How did you know?!"

Lin Mo rubbed his chin and offered a deadpan analysis. "It took us nearly an hour to drive here from school, and that was without any traffic. If you commuted from here every day, you'd have to wake up at five in the morning."

He paused, looking at the girl's slightly parted lips as she stared at him in astonishment, and added, "Unless you do what I do—live near the school during the week and only come back here on weekends."

Jiang Yunlu blinked and nodded in agreement.

"As expected of our top scholar. Your logical reasoning is impeccable."

Uncle Zhao stepped out of the car and took out a set of keys. As he pushed open the heavy, carved solid wood door, a faint scent of aromatherapy mixed with a warm, inviting atmosphere wafted out to greet them.

Beneath it, there was the mouth-watering aroma of home-cooked food.

"Come on in."

Jiang Yunlu glanced back at him, her lips curving into a beautiful smile, though a different sort of meaning flickered in her eyes.

"I didn't bring you here just so you could analyze my daily commute."

Lin Mo looked entirely unfazed. He sat down on the mahogany bench in the entryway and unhurriedly took off his shoes.

The villa was incredibly quiet. The spotless floor was polished to a mirror shine, and the faint scent of woody incense lingered in the air.

"Little Miss, you're back." A nanny in her fifties, wearing a crisp uniform, hurried down the stairs. Her steps were quick yet practically silent.

"Auntie Qiong, I'm home!" Jiang Yunlu immediately greeted her with a bright smile, her voice carrying the endearing playfulness of a little girl.

Lin Mo could tell that her attitude toward Auntie Qiong was much more intimate and gentle than how she treated anyone at school.

"This is Auntie Qiong. She basically raised me," Jiang Yunlu said, turning to introduce her to Lin Mo.

Lin Mo promptly stood up and offered Auntie Qiong a polite nod. "Hello, Auntie Qiong. I'm Lin Mo, Yunlu's classmate. Thank you for having me over today."

His introduction was perfectly balanced—neither overly humble nor arrogant, just polite and courteous.

Auntie Qiong's gaze lingered on Lin Mo for a fleeting second. It was a gentle yet appraising look. Then, a professionally warm smile spread across her face.

"Hello, Lin Mo. Thank you for looking after our Little Miss at school."

As she spoke, she opened the nearby shoe cabinet, took out a brand-new pair of slippers still in their packaging, and bent down to place them gently at Lin Mo's feet.

The stereotypical trope of an evil, snobby nanny was practically non-existent in real life.

Anyone who could hold down a long-term position as a nanny for a wealthy family possessed a high level of tact and exceptional caretaking skills.

"Thank you," Lin Mo said, accepting them with both hands before slipping them on.

No sooner had he stood up than Auntie Qiong offered him a warm, sanitized wet towel.

Jiang Yunlu naturally took one as well and wiped her hands, clearly accustomed to the routine.

"The Son-in-law has been busy in the kitchen all afternoon," Auntie Qiong said to Jiang Yunlu with a smile. "It's obvious he highly values tonight's guest."

Lin Mo chuckled inwardly.

Of course he highly valued the guest. He just wasn't sure if Old Jiang had spent the afternoon studying recipes, or studying how to poison the food so Lin Mo would quietly depart from this beautiful world.

As they carried their bags of snacks toward the dining room, Lin Mo lowered his voice and asked in a seemingly casual tone, "Why does Auntie Qiong refer to your dad as 'the Son-in-law' and you as 'Little Miss'?"

Jiang Yunlu paused for a second before bursting into a soft giggle, her eyes curving into crescents as she explained.

"Because Auntie Qiong used to be my mother's maid. After my parents got married, it was only natural for her to call my dad 'the Son-in-law'. That makes me the 'Little Miss'."

Hearing this, Lin Mo figured that Jiang Yunlu's mother must have been quite the wealthy heiress herself.

Inside the dining room, a massive round table had already been set with several exquisite cold appetizers and five sets of fine tableware.

Jiang Yunlu took a quick glance before making her way to the kitchen doorway.

"Dad, is Auntie also coming home for dinner tonight?"

The rhythmic chopping of vegetables in the kitchen came to an abrupt halt.

Jiang Chengshan, who had already heard his daughter return, turned around. His eyes immediately landed on his daughter, and then on Lin Mo standing right behind her.

The last sliver of hope he had harbored—that Lin Mo might have a last-minute emergency and cancel—shattered into a million pieces.

Right on cue, Lin Mo offered a polite smile and nodded. "Hello, Uncle."

This kid really had the nerve to show up!

However, in front of his daughter, he maintained his gentle, fatherly demeanor. He forced a smile and nodded back.

"Hello, hello."

Only then did he turn his attention back to Jiang Yunlu.

"Your aunt should be back shortly."

"After all, this is the first time you've ever brought a boy home. She said that as your aunt, she absolutely had to come back and see for herself. After all, you never even brought Xia Yusheng home before."

At those words, Jiang Yunlu's face flushed beet red. Like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Dad! What are you talking about?! I just invited a classmate over for dinner! Didn't you say you really admired Lin Mo anyway?"

Flustered and exasperated, she subconsciously glanced back to check Lin Mo's reaction.

Instead, she was met with Lin Mo's half-smile, his eyes practically dancing with obvious amusement and teasing.

He even gave her a subtle, playful raise of his eyebrow.

Right at that moment, the heavy front door was pushed open with a loud thud.

"I'm home! Has Little Yunlu brought his Little Momo back yet?"

Lin Mo didn't even need to sweep the area with his Divine Sense to know exactly who the woman swapping out her high heels in the foyer was.

It was none other than the one who had tried to pick him up at the bookstore's CD shop.