Young Master Lin, What Brings You Here

The first class had just ended. While the hallways were still filled with kids roughhousing, the teachers' office had already quieted down.

Chen Xiaoya was holding a stack of freshly printed math exams, still carrying the scent of ink. Just as she was about to deliver them to the classroom, she looked up and saw Lin Mo walking in.

She was a bit surprised.

"Lin Mo? Is something the matter?" Chen Xiaoya asked proactively, placing the test papers on the corner of her desk.

It was no wonder Chen Xiaoya asked; after all, Lin Mo rarely came to the office on his own initiative.

Lin Mo didn't bother with unnecessary pleasantries and directly stated his purpose. "Teacher, I'd like to ask for a leave of absence to run an errand. If all goes well, I should be back before noon."

Chen Xiaoya's brows furrowed subconsciously.

She wasn't worried about the leave itself, but rather about Lin Mo.

As his homeroom teacher, she felt obligated to protect this god-like top student of theirs no matter what.

"Did something happen?" she softened her voice. "If you encounter any difficulties you can't solve, you must tell me. The school will do its best to help you."

These words came from genuine concern.

Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Lin Mo's face. The smile was extremely polite and courteous.

"Thank you, Teacher. It's nothing troublesome, just a little personal matter."

Since he put it that way, Chen Xiaoya tactfully refrained from pressing further.

After all, Lin Mo had his own thoughts, and it wasn't the school's place to stop him.

A school was, at the end of the day, just a school.

She briskly signed the leave slip and handed it over.

"Go on, be safe on the way."

With the leave slip in hand, Lin Mo headed straight for the school gates.

At the main entrance, the security captain, Wang Jinxi, was squatting by the corner of the guardhouse with a cigarette dangling from his lips, thoroughly bored and enjoying a moment of leisure.

Catching a glimpse of a familiar figure approaching from the corner of his eye, he shuddered.

The moment he recognized the person as Lin Mo, Wang Jinxi's reaction was even faster than if he had seen Director Huang.

With lightning speed, he snatched the cigarette butt from his mouth, smashed it fiercely onto the ground, and crushed it seven or eight times with the sole of his shoe until every last spark was completely extinguished.

Immediately after, he hurried forward in quick strides. He subconsciously tugged at his previously sloppy security uniform and plastered a respectful smile on his face.

"Student Lin Mo, is there something you need?"

Lin Mo shook his head. "Nothing much, I just need to leave the school for a bit. I have a leave slip."

Saying that, Lin Mo handed over the approved slip.

Wang Jinxi received it with both hands, but his eyes barely lingered on the paper, as if it were merely a required formality.

He spun around swiftly and opened the electric retractable gate at maximum speed.

"No problem at all! Please be safe, Student Lin."

Lin Mo simply smiled, nodded, and left the school.

It wasn't until Lin Mo's figure disappeared around the street corner that Wang Jinxi let out a long sigh of relief and wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead.

--System: It's been a while since I bubbled up--

Long after the bell for the second math class had rung, the students in the class finally realized in hindsight that Lin Mo's seat was empty.

But even earlier, two figures in the back row had already noticed something else.

Jiang Yunlu hadn't come to school today.

Ye Minghui nudged Zhou Nianqian beside him with his elbow, lowering his voice with a hint of mischievousness, like someone eager to watch a good show.

"Hey, Old Zhou, your girl is skipping class today."

Zhou Nianqian didn't even bat an eyelid. His gaze remained on his book as he gave a nonchalant "Hmm."

Zhou Nianqian had already sent someone to investigate early on.

"Stop pretending, you definitely knew already." Ye Minghui tsked. "I heard that something happened to the nanny at the eldest Miss Jiang's house, and she's in the hospital right now. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show your devotion. Aren't you going to go show your face?"

Zhou Nianqian finally closed his book and turned to look at him, his eyes gazing as if looking at an ignorant brat.

"And then what? Rush to the hospital and tell her, 'Hi, I'm Zhou Nianqian. I had someone look into your family's affairs and came specifically to offer my condolences'? Do you think she'd be touched, or would she call the cops?"

"Pretend I didn't say anything." Ye Minghui touched his nose sheepishly.

Zhou Nianqian leaned back in his chair, his fingers unconsciously tapping the desk.

"I told you last time we went fishing: the more you want to catch a big fish, the more patient you have to be. Right now, she and I aren't even officially acquainted. Rushing up to her recklessly will only make her think I have ulterior motives and increase her guard."

In reality, someone was already on guard against him.

Ye Minghui sighed and spread his hands. "Fine, you're right about everything. You're the strategist, and I'm just a brute."

Yunxi Private Hospital.

Outside the operating room, the dead-silent corridor was illuminated by the pale lights overhead, devoid of any warmth.

The glowing red words "In Surgery" hung like a knife over Jiang Yunlu's heart for many hours.

This was already Aunt Qiong's third surgery.

If the Jiang family hadn't spared no expense in mobilizing all the resources of this top-tier private hospital, even urgently airlifting several unreleased experimental drugs from overseas, Aunt Qiong probably wouldn't have even survived the operating table.

The scenes from last night played on a loop in Jiang Yunlu's mind like a nightmare.

She had merely been thirsty in the middle of the night. Stepping out of her room, she saw that familiar figure collapsed in the center of the living room. The expensive carpet was soaked in blood, blooming into a bizarre and glaring flower.

She had immediately notified her father and called an ambulance.

But even so, behind those tightly shut doors, it was still a matter of life and death.

"Yunlu, go to the lounge and rest your eyes for a bit. Your body won't be able to hold out like this," Jiang Chengyue looked at her niece with heartache, her own voice carrying an unconcealable hoarseness.

Jiang Yunlu just shook her head numbly, staring unblinkingly at those red words as if she wanted to bore a hole through the door.

"No, I want to watch Aunt Qiong come out."

She had no memory of her mother since she was little. It was Aunt Qiong who had fed her bite by bite and sip by sip, Aunt Qiong who stayed up all night watching over her when she had a fever, and Aunt Qiong who secretly slipped her pocket money and taught her what true happiness was.

Aunt Qiong was the image of a mother in her heart.

It could be said that in Jiang Yunlu's world, Aunt Qiong was incredibly important to her.

Right at that moment, the unhurried sound of footsteps approaching from a distance broke the stagnant air in the corridor.

Uncle Zhao, who was guarding the elevator entrance, was the first to react, his voice tinged with surprise.

"Young Master Lin, why are you here?"

This exclamation drew everyone's gaze.

Present were not only Jiang Yunlu's family but also Secretary Zhao, who had appeared in a few previous chapters.

Secretary Zhao was a smart man. Seeing Lin Mo slowly walking over, and then glancing at the eldest young miss who looked like she was about to shatter, he immediately understood.

Without making a sound, he quietly shifted himself behind his boss, Jiang Chengshan, completely yielding the space.

Jiang Chengyue also looked toward the sound, her brows subconsciously furrowing.

At this time, Lin Mo should be at school attending class.

This kid actually skipped class to come to the hospital.

One could call him reckless, but given his heartfelt intentions, even as his aunt, she couldn't find a single fault with it.