Volume One, Chapter 63: Unexpectedly, There Exists Another Man in This World So Deeply Devoted to Master

She was surprised deep down, but didn’t voice her question.

The journey was made in silence.

At the cemetery.

Yu Mo followed behind the handsome young man. The two of them came to a gravestone bearing the photo and name of his mother.

Zhuang Xiaoyan.

A gentle woman, looking no older than her mid-thirties.

Yu Mo’s mood grew heavy. She hadn’t expected the handsome young man’s mother to have left him so early.

Mu Shaozhou placed the bouquet of chrysanthemums he held before the gravestone, then stood and clasped Yu Mo’s hand tightly.

Facing the woman in the photograph, he said, “Mom, I’ve brought my girlfriend to see you.”

Yu Mo didn’t refute him. Although last time she’d brought the young man to pretend to be her boyfriend when meeting her own mother, the intimacy between them now made it seem as if they truly were together, even if she hadn’t said so outright. Even though there was tension between her and the young man, she would never quarrel with him in front of elders.

She obediently let him hold her hand and greeted softly, “Auntie.”

Mu Shaozhou’s grip on her hand tightened further. He crouched down, gently tracing the edge of the gravestone with his hand, and spoke slowly.

“Mom, don’t worry.”

He would treat Yu Mo well.

And he would uncover the truth behind that car accident all those years ago.

Yu Mo crouched beside him, listening in silence. When he finished speaking, they stood in quiet reflection for a while longer before turning to leave.

Just as they reached the cemetery gate, Lin Xing appeared, pushing Han Yue in her wheelchair toward them.

Both Yu Mo and Mu Shaozhou paused in their tracks, especially Yu Mo. She was puzzled—why would Lin Xing appear here with her master?

Lin Xing, usually so arrogant, showed a flash of confusion in his eyes upon seeing Yu Mo and Mu Shaozhou.

Yu Mo spoke first, looking at Han Yue in the wheelchair. “Master, what brings you here?”

Han Yue, now in her fifties, had never married or had children of her own. She had adopted two abandoned infants and taken Yu Mo as her disciple, whom she loved dearly.

Her expression was kindly, though a few strands of gray hair lay at her temples. When she smiled, even the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes seemed to join in the mirth.

“Mo Mo, I didn’t expect to find you in the capital too. I came to visit an old friend.”

“Master, I accompanied a friend to pay respects to his mother.”

After speaking, Yu Mo crouched down to check her master’s pulse, relaxing only when she confirmed her condition was stable. Lately, she’d been so busy she hadn’t found time to visit her master.

Han Yue didn’t mind. She raised her not-quite-responsive hand and waved it dismissively.

“It’s all right. This body of mine—if it can take no more, it’ll be a relief to let go.”

Lin Xing, usually so unruly, restrained himself for once. He lowered his head and spoke to Han Yue, “Aunt Han, if you won’t seek treatment, don’t blame me for resorting to force.”

Though his words were forceful, it was clear to those listening that he was only concerned.

After speaking, he looked at Yu Mo. That breathtaking face had been haunting his dreams lately. The corner of his mouth quirked up in a wicked smile.

“Yu Mo, what a coincidence. I knew we’d meet again. I have a feeling we’ll see each other in just a few days.”

Yu Mo ignored Lin Xing. Rising to her feet, she asked Han Yue, “Master, do you need me to accompany you?”

Han Yue shook her slightly stiff neck. “No need.”

Lin Xing’s gaze was fixed intently on Yu Mo.

Mu Shaozhou’s hand, hanging at his side, clenched into a fist. His eyes flashed coldly as he looked at Lin Xing. Were it not for the setting, he might have lost control and struck the man before him.

Sensing the young man’s mood, Yu Mo gently tugged his hand and said to Han Yue, “Then, Master, we’ll take our leave.”

Hand in hand, Yu Mo and the young man left the cemetery and got into his car.

On the way back, she didn’t speak a word.

Her phone rang. She answered.

“Miss Yu, this is Cheng Tai. Mr. Zhuang has been transferred to a hospital in the capital.”

Yu Mo sat up straight, gripping her phone. “Why was he transferred so suddenly?”

“The medical facilities here are better. Besides, Mr. Zhuang has two matters to attend to in the capital: first, to attend Mu Qiming’s birthday banquet, and second, to meet a very important person, who’s also here in the capital.”

“I see. Which hospital? I’ll go now.”

After hanging up, Yu Mo glanced at the address on her phone and said to the young man driving, “Take me to First Hospital.”

Mu Shaozhou said nothing, only pressed the accelerator lightly, made a U-turn at the next intersection, and headed toward the hospital.

First Hospital of the Capital.

Yu Mo got out and sent the young man away. He didn’t stubbornly insist on staying by her side as before, which left her feeling oddly unsettled. She couldn’t tell if she should be relieved or saddened.

At the internal medicine department, Yu Mo entered an advanced ward.

As soon as she stepped in, Cheng Tai brought over a chair for her and then quietly left.

Zhuang Zhizhi looked well, his complexion much improved.

Yu Mo checked his pulse again and found his condition very stable. She spoke, “Mr. Zhuang, since you’re here, I’ll go to the Qi family now to obtain the century-old wild purple lingzhi for you.”

Zhuang Zhizhi struggled to sit up. “No need. I have other plans for the wild purple lingzhi. For now, help me prepare a little medicine. If it proves effective and harmless, then give it to Han Yue.”

Yu Mo was deeply shocked. She stood up. “Mr. Zhuang, what exactly is your relationship with my master, that you’d willingly give such a rare medicine to her?”

She couldn’t believe it was out of mere friendship, especially since both had contracted the same illness at the same time—it was clear there were intricate ties between them.

The fine lines on Zhuang Zhizhi’s forehead shifted. He gently moved his lips, and with deep emotion, uttered the name of the one he cherished most.

“Han Yue is the love of my life.”

It had been so difficult for him and her to be together, only for misfortune to tear them apart; Han Yue had left him as well.

Since then, he’d searched for a cure—not for himself, but for her.

He wanted to free her from her suffering; whether they could be together no longer mattered.

“As long as her illness can be cured, anything is worth it.”

Yu Mo clenched her fists, her eyes growing moist. She hadn’t known another man in this world loved her master so deeply.

Her master often told her that everyone she’d ever cared for was gone from this world, and there was nothing left here for her.

“I just saw Master at the cemetery.”

Zhuang Zhizhi struggled to sit up straighter, his voice strained from the effort. “You mean—cough! Han Yue went to see Yang Duo?”

Yu Mo quickly supported him, gently patting his back, her eyes full of confusion. “Who is Yang Duo?”

“Yang Duo was her closest friend. Years ago, she died of heartbreak. She had a son, whom Han Yue has always treated as her own.”

Yu Mo was stunned.

Her master had never spoken of this before. Thinking back to the two people she’d just seen at the cemetery, she voiced her guess.

“That son, could he be…”