The quality of the photo was not very good. Mo Shenbai’s head was lowered so his face was not clearly captured while Xu Youyou’s face was only partially captured in the photo. It might be difficult for those who were unfamiliar with her to recognize her in the photo, but those who knew her would not have any trouble identifying her in the photo. It seemed like the tabloid confirmed Mo Shenbai’s identity based on his license plate number.
Students in Mo University usually liked browsing Weibo and looking at the local hot searches. Hence, it was impossible for them to miss this matter. In just one morning, news of this had spread in the entire department.
Based on the comment section, it could be seen that some of them did not know who Mo Shenbai was. However, most of them knew who Mo Shenbai was and were passionately discussing the identity of the mysterious woman in Mo Shenbai’s arms.
At this time, no one from the Mo University had exposed Xu Youyou’s identity. However, there were many curious netizens who zoomed in on the photo, hoping to figure out her identity. They discovered that the woman in Mo Shenbai’s arms had an immature face and looked very young. With this, what was originally just gossip about Mo Shenbai’s relationship turned into something more sinister. People were accusing Mo Shenbai of being in a relationship with a minor and forcing a minor into an illicit relationship.
When Xu Youyou saw the malicious comments, she frowned, feeling slightly angry.
Su Lanxu nudged Xu Youyou and said, “It seems your relationship with Chairman Mo is quite good!”
Xu Youyou returned Su Lanxu’s phone before she explained, “It’s not what you think. That night, I almost tripped, and he caught me.”
“Oh, is that so?” Su Lanxu asked skeptically. Clearly, she did not believe Xu Youyou’s explanation.
Xu Youyou was still thinking about the comments she read so she did not pay attention to Su Lanxu’s teasing.
…
Due to the gossip on the Internet, Xu Youyou was absent-minded the entire day. She wanted to message Mo Shenbai a few times, but in the end, she gave up on the idea. She was afraid of disturbing his work, and she was also afraid that this matter would annoy him.
When she returned to Moon Pavilion in the evening, Mo Shenbai had yet to return. After entering her bedroom, she checked the searches again. She found that the matter was at the 38th place on the list of hot searches and showed signs of rising. With this, she grew even more worried. It did not help that Mo Shenbai did not return at all.
The night was quiet. The moon shone down on Moon Pavilion, giving it an air of mystery.
At this time, Xu Youyou sat in front of her easel in a daze. When she heard the sound of a car from outside, she hurriedly set her paintbrush and palette down and rushed downstairs. Just as she arrived at the end of the staircase, Mo Shenbai walked into the house.
For a moment, the duo looked at each other silently.
They had only parted in the morning, but Xu Youyou felt as though a century had passed since they last saw each other.
Mo Shenbai was the first to break the silence. A hint of weariness could be heard in his voice as he asked, “Why aren’t you sleeping yet?”
Xu Youyou lowered her gaze and said, “I’m sorry…”
Mo Shenbai loosened his tie as he said, “You’ve seen the trending searches?”
Xu Youyou raised her head to look at him and nodded slowly. “Did I cause you a lot of trouble?”
“No, don’t think too much about it,” Mo Shenbai said. Then, a faint smile appeared on his face before he continued to say, “It’s getting late. You should rest early.”
After Mo Shenbai finished speaking, he walked past her and went upstairs.
Xu Youyou turned around to look at his back. For some reason, she felt that he looked very exhausted today. She could not help but wonder if it was due to the gossip on the Internet.
When Mo Shenbai walked into his room, he saw Xu Youyou following behind him just as he was about to shut the door. He smiled with a helpless expression on his face as he asked, “Why are you following me?”
Xu Youyou licked her lips before she asked tentatively, “Are you hungry? Do you want me to make you supper?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Then, do you want to have a cup of tea? Or do you want a cup of coffee?” Xu Youyou asked with an expression of guilt and unease on her face. She really wished she could do something for him.
“No, I don’t want tea or coffee,” Mo Shenbai replied as he walked into his bedroom. He removed his tie and tossed it onto the couch before he entered the bathroom.
When the tie slipped from the couch to the floor, Xu Youyou walked in and picked it up. Then, she asked, “Then, is there anything I can do for you?”