Everything I bought on online shopping platforms was genuine.

Chapter 173 Liu Ruyan: I've Become a Substitute?
We don't have any women's slippers at home, so please make do with these.

In the living room, Lin Mo handed over a pair of newly opened blue slippers. Liu Ruyan casually took them, put them on, stomped them on, and, finding them acceptable, laughed:
"It would be a real problem if you had women's slippers at home. I should have brought two pairs. I'm thirsty, could you find me something to drink? I'll just wander around by myself."

For some reason, Liu Ruyan acted as if she were a complete stranger at his place and even started ordering him around.

Lin Mo rolled her eyes at her and asked, "Iced or room temperature?"

"It was supposed to be served iced back then, but I can eat iced food today, you know what I mean?" Liu Ruyan said as she strolled around his living room with her hands behind her back, as if she were surveying her own territory.

Lin Mo opened the refrigerator, took out a can of sparkling water and handed it over: "Drink this, it's sugar-free, so you don't have to worry about gaining weight!"

"Oh, you know a lot, little brother." Liu Ruyan took the soda and drank several sips, enjoying the cool and refreshing taste.

After Liu Ruyan finished drinking, she looked around and was about to say something when she suddenly noticed that Lin Mo was staring straight at her.

Following Lin Mo's gaze, Liu Ruyan slowly lowered her head and immediately noticed that Lin Mo was looking at her feet. She then chuckled and said, "What are you looking at? What? You like them? I didn't expect you to be a foot fetishist?"

"Ahem." Having been discovered, Lin Mo immediately came to his senses and quickly said, "Get lost, I was just a little surprised."

"Surprised? Are you sure you're not a pervert?" Liu Ruyan looked at him with feigned disgust.

"You're the pervert! I'm just surprised that you're not barefoot today. I've known you for so long, and this seems to be the first time I've ever seen you wearing socks," Lin Mo said.

Although Liu Ruyan's feet are indeed very beautiful, he is not a foot fetishist and doesn't have many strange hobbies.

"Is that so? Maybe. I was driving today, so I wore flats. Of course, I had to wear socks. I only wear them when I wear heels. How is it? Is it okay?" Liu Ruyan lifted her foot and stretched out her toes at him. The white socks covered her slender feet completely.

Hearing this, Lin Mo chuckled and said, "I'm just thinking, someone like you who loves walking barefoot on the ground, those white socks of yours will be worn smooth in less than a day!"

"Get lost, you dare tease your sister, huh!" Liu Ruyan blushed and spat at Lin Mo with a punch.

It was very obvious that she was embarrassed and angry. Liu Ruyan must have had the experience of socks getting patina. Don't be fooled by her good looks, socks don't care if you're a goddess or not, they'll get patina if they want.

After giving Lin Mo a nudge, Liu Ruyan started looking around his living room: "You've got quite a lot of stuff. When did you buy a bicycle?"

"I bought it online, it just arrived yesterday. I was thinking of going out for some exercise when I have some free time," Lin Mo said.

He did want to sell the bike to Empress Ruyan, but he was afraid she wouldn't like it, so he didn't make a move. After all, Liu Ruyan didn't seem like someone who liked bicycles.

"That's good, exercise more, and it would be best to develop abs," Liu Ru said with a smile.

Lin Mo looked at her in surprise and said, "You like abs too? I thought only Sister Yuan liked that stuff."

"Nonsense, most women like abs, okay? You probably don't have any, or if you do, it's from being too thin. They won't feel like a muscle to the touch. Thumbs down," Liu Ruyan commented after looking him up and down.

"You have a good eye for people!" Lin Mo pursed his lips, unable to refute.

Surprisingly, Liu Ruyan guessed correctly; he did have the outline of abdominal muscles, but they weren't from exercising; they were from being thin.

After all, I am naturally thin and do not have a belly. Although I have been exercising every morning recently, it is only half an hour of running and standing meditation. I have not exercised my abdomen at all, so naturally I don't have abs or anything like that.

Seeing that he had given in, Liu Ruyan smiled smugly, and then continued to look around, including taking out and examining the certificates of honor and banners in his display case.

"Hey? You drink baijiu? Didn't your cousin say you can't hold your liquor?" Liu Ruyan asked, pointing to a bottle of Moutai in the display case.

He bought this on a shopping platform, intending to bring it home for his dad to drink around October 1st. It wasn't a particularly vintage, just the most ordinary Feitian Moutai, the kind that costs over two thousand yuan a bottle.

"I haven't drunk it, it's just sitting there. I'll take it home when I go on vacation," Lin Mo explained.

Liu Ruyan nodded: "I see. Don't bother with this stuff. In a couple of days, I'll bring you a few bottles of good wine to display. It'll be understated yet luxurious and classy. This is too blatant; people will immediately know you're not well-off."

Lin Mo:
Indeed, people's joys and sorrows are not shared; what he considers a good thing, others may find low-class.

"Hey? What is this?"

Just then, Liu Ruyan noticed a Gong fan in a display case. She opened it, took it in her hand, looked at the pattern on it, and examined it against the sunlight before asking uncertainly, "This is... a Gong fan?"

"Huh? You recognize it?" Lin Mo was a little surprised. This thing should be even less common than the bicycle. Liu Ruyan had only glanced at his bicycle, but she didn't expect to recognize this fan.

“I wasn’t sure at first either. It’s mainly because my mom likes these little trinkets. She has a Gong fan, which I heard is a work by a famous artist and costs over 100,000 yuan. Yours looks pretty good too. Where did you get it?” Liu Ruyan asked as she gently waved the fan.

"I bought it, of course. I couldn't have made it myself, could I?" Lin Mo laughed.

Liu Ruyan glared at him upon hearing this: "I didn't know you bought it. Gong fans, one of the three wonders of Zigong, still have some steps that are passed down only within the family. The cheap Gong fans on the market now are definitely defective products, mostly made by apprentices. Fans costing tens of thousands of yuan are of average quality. Fans made by true inheritors are not cheap. Yours looks good, and it feels similar to my mother's. I thought it was made by a famous artist."

"To be honest, I bought it from someone else, so I'm not really sure about the details. Why don't you find someone to take a look?" Lin Mo thought for a moment and then said.

Bicycles may not sell, but we still have fans. Since Liu Ruyan is interested in them, let's let her give them a try.

"Tch, I was just saying it offhand, and you actually think this is the work of a true successor or a master? I don't care, this fan looks pretty good to me, I'm taking it. Besides, you haven't given me any gifts yet." Liu Ruyan made the decision for him directly.

In her opinion, if this thing wasn't a work by a famous artist, it would at most be an ordinary item worth ten or twenty thousand yuan, or even something made by an apprentice worth a few hundred yuan, so she didn't take it seriously.

Lin Mo hesitated after hearing this. Others might not know, but he certainly knew whether the item was genuine or not. It was definitely a legitimate Gong fan. But then he thought that if it wasn't made by a famous artist, it would only cost tens of thousands of yuan. So he simply nodded.

Besides, it's really not easy for him to find someone to sell it himself. Since that's the case, it wouldn't be bad to give it to Liu Ruyan as a gift.

"What? You can't bear to part with it?" Liu Ruyan asked teasingly when she saw his expression.

Lin Mo waved his hand: "Come on, what's with all the talk about being reluctant? If you like it, just give it to me. It's not like it's anything valuable." The fact that Emperor Ruyan was able to lend him two million is a huge favor. You know, even some close brothers might not be able to lend him that much, let alone a complete stranger like him.

Another point is that the other party may not know that he will definitely make money. If he loses money, he will lose everything. Since the other party is willing to risk lending him money, he naturally cannot be stingy.

"Hmph, that's more like it," Liu Ruyan glared at him, her lips curving upwards slightly, and even her walk seemed to carry a hint of joy.

Then Liu Ruyan picked up the things she had brought and continued, "By the way, which one is your bedroom?"

"What's wrong with the one on the left?" Lin Mo asked.

"What do you think? Of course I want to go in and take a look. Do you mind?" Liu Ruyan rolled her eyes at him.

Isn't that a rhetorical question? I don't want to go in because I don't want to. Why am I asking you?

Lin Mo shook his head dismissively: "It's nothing, why should I care?"

"That's good, I'm going in now," Liu Ruyan said, opening the door to his bedroom and walking in.

The bedroom was tidy and didn't have much stuff. The blankets on the bed were folded neatly, and it looked very clean.

"Hmm~ The room is clean and odorless~ Your little brother is living a very healthy life!" Liu Ruyan glanced at him and smiled.

Lin Mo:
He didn't understand the others, but he understood this sentence.

"Hey, don't slander me, okay? I'm not as sleazy as you think. My daily routine has been very regular lately."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot you've started taking Chinese medicine recently, so you naturally need to take it regularly," Liu Ruyan said, covering her mouth and laughing smugly.

With just one sentence, Lin Mo lost all his strength and means; it was a fatal blow.

"Ha~ Okay, okay, I'm just teasing you. I'm just putting something in."

As she spoke, Liu Ruyan waved her hand, then opened the bag, took out a black nightgown, and hung it up in the wardrobe.

Then she took out a photo frame and placed it on the bedside table. Inside was a photo of two hands holding a cup of milk tea. She also put a few bottles of her usual skincare products and face masks on it.

Finally, he went to the bathroom, put in a set of toiletries that were clearly women's, and plucked out two strands of his own hair, wrapping them around a comb.

"Alright, if Yunyun comes again and notices these things, she'll know I've been here." Liu Ruyan looked at her setup and felt quite satisfied.

Lin Mo, watching from the side, said with a slight toothache, "You've done this so discreetly, are you sure she'll find out?"

"What do you know? This is just in case. I won't be coming here often. It's fine for a short time, but if it goes on for a long time and you don't have any trace of me, she will definitely find out something."

If she comes again later, you can casually let her see these things. Oh, and when you have time, go downstairs and buy two pairs of women's slippers," Liu Ruyan instructed.

It can be said that Liu Ruyan went to great lengths to get rid of Ms. Zhao's emotional entanglement.

"So, what are you planning to do about Sister Yuan? Although you are a company leader, I'm afraid you can't expect Sister Yuan to work like a slave in the company forever, can you?"
"As long as Sister Yuan comes back, we might run into her one day. Once that's exposed, all this effort will be for nothing," Lin Mo asked the crucial question.

Yuan Meng is the biggest problem. If it's not resolved, their relationship might be exposed one day.

Hearing this, Liu Ruyan sat down on the sofa and thought for a long time before speaking:

"I've thought about it. If it really gets exposed, Yunyun won't be too upset. In fact, she might even be more cautious about my attitude. The worst outcome would be that things would just go back to normal."

If we don't want it to be exposed, I have two options. First, I'll move you to another house, away from her, so she won't know about your relationship with Yuanyuan. The downside is that your sudden departure will be a bit abrupt.

Is the second solution a permanent solution?

Lin Mo asked with some curiosity, "What is the second option?"

“Since we’ve already lied, we might as well lie to one more person. After all, they’re cousins,” Liu Ruyan said.

Lin Mo:
"No, do you think Sister Yuan would believe that? She's not stupid; she can't just believe whatever we say!"

"That's true, but I can't exactly eat a kiss in front of her to prove it, can I? Ugh, this is difficult!" Liu Ruyan said, rubbing her forehead with a worried expression.

Just then, the door to the living room made a sound as if a password was being entered. With a click, the living room door opened, and then Director Wang's voice came out:

"If Heaven had not given birth to me, Liu Ruyan, the scumbag world would never have known the long night. Come, Liu Ruyan!"

"Old Mo, come on, goblin?"

As soon as Wang Chugang rushed in, he saw Liu Ruyan in the living room. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and then looked behind him.

"What nonsense! Let me see what's going on!"

The next second, Director Wang was pushed, and then a woman dressed in the same black horse-face skirt, with her hair held in place by a hairpin, walked in.

At first glance, it seems as if she was taught by the same master as Liu Ruyan in the room.

As soon as the Sichuan girl entered the room and was about to say something, she saw a woman who looked even more like Liu Ruyan than she did with makeup, and she stood there dumbfounded.

Even the real Liu Ruyan herself was somewhat surprised, and said softly, "I've become a substitute?"

Three people:
(End of this chapter)