Jiang Ling and Mu Yinyin remained silent, simply gazing at the person before them.
Qi Mo smiled and spoke, "I had nothing to do, and there's a restaurant nearby with excellent food. I ate a bit too much, so I came out for a walk to digest. I didn't expect to see you two here."
Mu Yinyin's eyes flickered, and she managed a slight smile, "That's quite a coincidence."
Indeed, there was a restaurant nearby with exceptionally good food that attracted many customers.
Perhaps Qi Mo had genuinely come for the restaurant.
However.
People who usually came here were often with family, friends, or romantic partners.
But.
What about him?
Was he here with his assistant to enjoy the local cuisine?
Something felt a little off.
Regardless, she didn't want to overthink it.
Qi Mo then turned his gaze to Jiang Ling, and seeing Jiang Ling's cold stare, he nonchalantly said, "This must be President Jiang."
Jiang Ling nodded faintly, "Young Master Qi."
As he spoke, he extended his hand. Qi Mo shook it, raising an eyebrow, "President Jiang knows me?"
He knew Jiang Ling entirely because of Mu Yinyin.
Jiang Ling calmly replied, "Young Master Qi's reputation is quite renowned, how could I not know you?"
Despite his polite words, there was no smile on his face. He observed the man before him, his eyes full of scrutiny.
Clearly, he was very wary of this Qi Mo.
A stranger, a very capable person, suddenly offering to support their company, and now arranging to meet at this specific time—Jiang Ling didn't believe for a second that he had no ulterior motives.
Similarly, men understood men.
He was surely harboring some intentions towards Yinyin.
Therefore, Jiang Ling's impression of him was not good.
Qi Mo raised his eyebrows and chuckled, "It seems I'm too outstanding."
Mu Yinyin: "..."
Jiang Ling: "..."
Mu Yinyin glanced at him and said nothing, turning to walk forward.
Jiang Ling followed her with his gaze and kept pace.
Qi Mo also casually trailed behind them, seemingly unbothered by the situation.
The three of them—two handsome men and one stunning woman. Qi Mo's assistant, being perceptive, stayed back, following at a distance, not wanting to intrude on their... trio.
Passersby couldn't help but steal glances in their direction. Even at night, the sight of three people with such striking appearances in the same frame inevitably drew attention.
Some people even took out their phones, unable to resist snapping photos. Soon, these images would find their way onto trending posts back home.
However, the trio remained unaware of this as they continued their stroll. Qi Mo never felt awkward about being there.
Instead, he conversed with them with great ease.
Mu Yinyin responded occasionally, and gradually, Jiang Ling's impression of Qi Mo seemed to improve slightly.
This man, while giving off an air of narcissism and danger, was still comfortable to be around.
He didn't overtly show excessive attention or affection towards Mu Yinyin; rather, their interactions felt like those between friends, which made things much more pleasant.
Thus, they walked for over half an hour, meandering their way back to the hotel where Mu Yinyin and Jiang Ling were staying.
Mu Yinyin looked at Qi Mo and calmly stated, "Young Master Qi, it's getting late, and we should head back to rest."
Qi Mo raised his eyebrows, "Alright, let's go together then."
With that, he headed towards the hotel entrance.
Mu Yinyin: "?"
Jiang Ling narrowed his eyes slightly, saying nothing.
Qi Mo glanced at the two of them and casually remarked, "It's late, and I don't want to go through any more trouble. I'll be staying here tonight. Why are you two looking at me like that?"
Mu Yinyin offered a wry smile, "Nothing, just a moment of confusion."
Jiang Ling remained silent, following Mu Yinyin's steps.
Qi Mo said with a half-smile, "No need to doubt. Saying the same thing for the third time might be a bit unbelievable."
Mu Yinyin: "..."
He had indeed repeated a certain phrase twice during their meeting earlier that day.
"A beautiful woman is admired by a gentleman."
After saying this, Qi Mo smiled at Mu Yinyin, and his assistant, being astute, went to handle the check-in procedures.
Soon, the group entered the same elevator and went to the same floor.
Mu Yinyin glanced at him and finally said, "Get some rest early."
Qi Mo nodded, "Good night."
His words clearly implied that what Mu Yinyin had just said to him was essentially "good night."
Mu Yinyin felt that this man was constantly setting traps and, not wanting to engage further, headed straight for her room.
Jiang Ling gave him a slight nod as a greeting.
After returning to her room, Mu Yinyin went into the bathroom. By the time she was done tidying up, it was past ten in the evening. She picked up her phone and climbed into bed, noticing two missed calls and several WeChat messages.
The missed calls and messages were all from Gu Xiaoqi.
—Gu Xiaoqi: [Yinyin, what are you doing? I'm so bored! You must have already gone to bed, right?]
—Gu Xiaoqi: [Awooo, Yinyin... Why aren't you replying to me... I'm so bored.]
A faint smile played on Mu Yinyin's lips as she called him back.
Gu Xiaoqi answered quickly, lamenting, "Wuwuwu... Yinyin, you finally decided to talk to me!"
Mu Yinyin couldn't help but laugh, "What's wrong? Is Ah Chuan not free to accompany you now?"
"Alas, he's gone to work again," Gu Xiaoqi said somewhat listlessly. "Actually, I want to go to work too. Lying in bed every day, I feel terrible. How many more days until you guys get back?"
"The auction is the day after tomorrow. If everything goes smoothly, we can return after it concludes. We should be back the day after that."
"Awooo! Soon, finally soon!!" Gu Xiaoqi rolled around on the bed, bored, and couldn't help but say, "When you come back and see my pathetic state, maybe I can be discharged early!"
A hint of complexity flickered in Mu Yinyin's eyes. Fortunately, she didn't need surgery; otherwise, she wouldn't know how else she would have continued to deceive him.
"Yes, take good care of yourself, don't be picky with your food. You might really be able to get discharged a little earlier. I'll come see you when I get back."
"Mhm!!! I'm being very obedient. I've been super good these past two days! But I saw some things online~"
Mu Yinyin asked with some confusion, "What things?"
"Besides being with Boss Jiang tonight, who else were you with?"
Mu Yinyin was a bit puzzled, "How did you know?"
"It's not just me who knows; I bet the entire country knows," Gu Xiaoqi chuckled. "Everyone's saying how handsome and beautiful you three are, and they're even debating which one you'll marry."
Mu Yinyin: "..."
What utter nonsense.