Tenfold cashback: How I manipulated my ex-girlfriend on the plane

Chen Mo remembered that the clothes he bought from JD.com yesterday had arrived.

"Okay, then you can make your own arrangements. I probably won't be home for dinner tonight; Guan Yao can't leave her place."

After the message was sent, Lin Shiyu remained silent for a while. About three minutes later, she replied, "Okay. Then take care and get some rest, don't overwork yourself."

Looking at the message, Chen Mo felt that there was something unspoken hidden in the words "Don't overwork yourself." But he didn't think too much about it, put his phone in his pocket, and got up to go to the nurses' station to get breakfast.

The insulated bag felt heavy in my hand. Opening it, I found, besides the congee with preserved egg and lean pork, two meat buns, a fried egg, a small dish of pickled vegetables, and even a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. The congee was at the perfect temperature—not too hot, not too cold—as if it had been made to order.

Chen Mo leaned back in the chair in the corridor, finishing his breakfast bite by bite. A thought popped into his mind: Lin Shiyu, putting aside all her other skills, is absolutely top-notch at taking care of people. This kind of woman is perfect for a life together.

But what he needs now is more than just someone to live with.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the doctor came to make rounds.

Guan Yao was awake, and her complexion was better than yesterday; at least she wasn't as deathly pale as a sheet of paper. She leaned against the headboard, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, wearing a loose hospital gown, chatting with Zhao Xue. When she saw Chen Mo enter, her voice paused, and her gaze shifted away somewhat awkwardly.

Zhao Xue was very perceptive and immediately stood up, saying, "Xiao Guan, I'm going to work now. I'll come see you again tonight." As she walked to the door, she turned back to look at Chen Mo, her eyes holding both scrutiny and a hint of approval.

Only the two of them remained in the ward.

"Have you had breakfast?" Chen Mo asked.

"I ate it. Zhao Xue bought it for me." Guan Yao paused. "What about you?"

"have eaten."

"Was it... sent by that girl?" Guan Yao's voice was soft, but the question was direct.

Chen Mo was taken aback: "How did you know?"

"The nurse told me," Guan Yao said, lowering her head and fidgeting with the edge of the blanket. "She said it was a very pretty girl, with a ponytail and wearing a white shirt. She brought a bag of things over early this morning, left it at the nurses' station, and left." She looked up at Chen Mo, her eyes filled with inquiry and a hint of nervousness. "Who is she?"

Chen Mo didn't hide anything: "Lin Shiyu. Do you still remember her?"

Guan Yao's expression clearly changed. Her lips parted slightly, and a complex light flashed in her eyes. There was surprise, wariness, and some other emotions that were hard to define.

"Lin Shiyu..." she repeated, her voice even softer, "the... campus beauty from the dance major in college?"

"right."

"How...how did she end up with you?"

"It's a long story." Chen Mo sat down on the chair by the bed and briefly recounted Lin Shiyu's story. She had been swindled out of her money and her virtue by a rich second-generation heir, leaving her with a mountain of debt. She ended up working as a hostess in a bar, where he met her, and now she's his assistant.

Guan Yao remained silent for a long time after listening. Her expression was calm, but the force with which she gripped the blanket increased until her knuckles turned white.

"So you let her live in your apartment?" The voice sounded calm, but Chen Mo could sense the undercurrent beneath.

"Um."

"What...is your relationship?"

"It's an employment relationship. She's my assistant; I pay her a salary, and she handles things for me."

Guan Yao stared at him for several seconds, as if trying to determine whether his words were true or false. Then she smiled, a very faint smile, the corners of her mouth just slightly upturned, but there was no hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Chen Mo, you're still the same as you were in college," she said. "Always eager to help others."

"This isn't helping others; it's an equal exchange."

"Equivalent exchange?" Guan Yao's smile turned cold. "You help her rent an apartment, pay off her debts, and give her a monthly salary of 20,000 yuan. Is that equivalent exchange? What value has she created for you?"

Chen Mo frowned. He didn't like Guan Yao's tone—that condescending, scrutinizing, and slightly sarcastic tone.

"She cooks for me, cleans, and takes care of chores. Isn't that valued?"

"How much does a nanny cost per month?" Guan Yao's voice rose slightly. "You're paying her 20,000 yuan a month just because she's pretty? Chen Mo, don't lie to yourself."

The atmosphere in the ward suddenly became tense.

Chen Mo looked at Guan Yao, and Guan Yao looked back at him. Their gazes clashed in the air, neither willing to back down.

"Guan Yao," Chen Mo's voice turned somber, "you just had surgery, I don't want to argue with you."

"I didn't mean to argue with you." Guan Yao looked away and gazed out the window. "I just felt... you didn't need to do this."

"Is there any need to do anything?"

"There's no need to do it this way..." She paused, as if carefully choosing her words, "to prove what?"

Chen Mo was silent for a few seconds. Then he stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Guan Yao.

"What do you think I'm trying to prove?"

Guan Yao did not answer. But Chen Mo could feel her gaze on his back, burning and complex.

"You think I deliberately found a pretty girl by my side to spite you? To prove that I'm doing well after leaving you?" His voice was calm, but every word was like a nail, precisely driven into a sensitive spot.

"I don't…..."

"That's what you think." Chen Mo turned around and looked at her. "Guan Yao, you're still the same as before, always thinking that everyone in the world revolves around you. You always relate everything I do to yourself."

Guan Yao pursed her lips into a thin line.

"Lin Shiyu's matter has nothing to do with you." Chen Mo's voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm and resolute. "She's in trouble, and I happen to be able to help her. It's that simple. You don't need to interpret this as some complicated conspiracy."

Guan Yao's eyes reddened. She bit her lower lip, desperately trying to hold back her tears, but one still slipped down her cheek, onto her chin, and onto the blanket.

"You're right..." Her voice was hoarse and trembling. "That's just how I am. I always put myself at the center, always feeling like everything other people do is related to me... It's my flaw, I know..." She sniffed, looked up at Chen Mo, her eyes filled with tears, "But have you ever thought about why I'm like this?"

Chen Mo did not speak.

"Because of you." Guan Yao's voice was very soft, almost inaudible. "Because in the four years we've been together, you've been my whole world. All my joys and sorrows are related to you, every plan I make includes you, and I even thought... that once we start working and save enough money, we'll get married."

She closed her eyes, and tears slid down her cheeks and into her hair.

"But reality isn't a fairy tale. My parents don't approve of us being together. My mom calls me every day and berates me, saying I must be blind to date a poor guy. My dad got so angry he was hospitalized with high blood pressure, saying I was unfilial. My colleagues and friends all advise me, saying that with my qualities, anyone I date would be better than me..."

She opened her eyes, looked at the ceiling, and her voice grew softer and softer.

"I held on for six months. In those six months, I didn't stop arguing with my mom every single day, and I didn't stop doubting my choice every single day. I watched you leave early and come home late every day, earning a meager salary, and even hesitate for a long time before treating me to a Japanese meal... It's not that I think you're poor, Chen Mo, it's that I can't see any hope."

Chen Mo stood by the window, his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a long shadow in front of him, which fell right on the edge of the hospital bed, like an invisible line separating the two of them.