Chapter 52: Ye Ye Wants to Be His Companion

That evening, Leng Mohan returned home early—a rare occurrence. Ye Ye had prepared a lavish dinner, though Lin Yan chose not to eat. Leng Mohan sat across from Ye Ye, quietly enjoying his steak. He had to admit that the steak Ye Ye prepared was quite good; the cooking time was expertly managed to medium-well, rendering the meat neither too tough nor too tender, with a deeply rich and savory flavor.

"Brother Mohan, I heard Evergrande has an event tomorrow. It seems Sister Lin Yan has business outside tomorrow and cannot accompany you. Have you found a partner yet?" Ye Ye asked tentatively.

Leng Mohan quickly finished the last bit of steak on his plate, pulled a napkin to wipe the corner of his mouth, and replied indifferently, "Not yet."

"Really?" Ye Ye paused the action of cutting her steak and asked with a hopeful expression, "Then can I go?"

"You want to go?" Leng Mohan stood up, looking down at Ye Ye from his height.

"I'm just bored, and I don't have many friends in Huacheng. If I go, maybe I can make a few," Ye Ye said, stealing a guilty glance at Leng Mohan.

"Come with me tomorrow. Prepare your own evening gown," Leng Mohan dropped these words and headed upstairs.

Sitting at the dining table, Ye Ye simply could not believe her ears. For a moment, her heart bloomed with joy. Too excited to finish the food on her plate, she hurriedly cleared the table and went out.

Leng Mohan walked upstairs and paused outside the door of their bedroom. He listened intently for a long while, but heard no sound at all. He had not spoken to Lin Yan for a week now. Although he secretly went upstairs every night to watch her sleeping face, he still missed those bright, watery eyes of hers. When open, they sparkled like stars, twinkling with a myriad of emotions—sometimes grievance, sometimes stubbornness.

He smiled faintly, but ultimately did not go in, turning instead into the large study next door.

This spacious study belonged to Leng Mohan. Inside the nearly one-hundred-square-meter room, four tall bookcases lined the four walls, filled to the brim with a dazzling array of books of every description. Just by looking at this study, one could never tell what his profession actually was.

His reading habits were eclectic and chaotic; it was impossible to tell what truly interested him.

A desk stood by the window, upon which rested an architectural blueprint. Leng Mohan sat down in the large executive chair in front of the desk, picked up a drafting pen, and began to sketch and draw.

Gradually, the sky grew dark. Leng Mohan finally put down his drafting pen and rubbed his slightly dazed head. It seemed that during the time he was drawing, not a single sound had come from the direction of the bedroom.

He got up and went to the bedroom door for another look, but still found no movement whatsoever. Feeling a trace of doubt, he nevertheless did not consider entering.

Just as he turned to leave, a muffled thud suddenly came from inside the bedroom, followed once more by total silence.

Leng Mohan knocked on the bedroom door. There was no response from inside. A bad prehension gripped his heart, and he immediately reached out to push the door open.

The door was actually locked from the inside. He hurriedly ran to the study to retrieve the spare key.

Upon unlocking the door, the first thing that came into view was the room's collection of cold-toned furniture. Leng Mohan instinctively looked toward the small study attached to the bedroom; Lin Yan was not inside, where only the red optical light of a computer mouse flickered against a black screen.

Just as he was wondering, a crisp crash echoed from behind him. Turning quickly, he could vaguely see through the hollow partition screen that Lin Yan was curled up, lying on the floor.

Walking around the partition, he saw a thick novel lying on the floor alongside an unbroken ceramic mug.