By the time Chen Mo and Xiaoyu returned to the apartment, it was well past midnight.
As soon as they stepped inside, Xiaoyu stiffened. Realizing she'd be spending the night here made her heart pound like a drum.
"I—uh, I'm going to the bathroom," she said quickly, vanishing like a startled deer.
Chen Mo watched her retreating figure with a smile and shook his head. He turned on his computer and pulled up the photos Liang Zhihang had sent.
He had to admit—Liang had a good eye. The photo of them under the streetlight, locked in that first real kiss, had captured something… sincere. Dreamy, even. And somehow, cool. He saved the photo, edited it lightly, and set it as his lock screen.
By the time Xiaoyu came out of the bathroom, she was freshly blushing and clearly hesitant. After a long pause, she climbed onto the bed and turned her back to him.
"I'm gonna sleep first."
"Alright," Chen Mo replied, keeping his voice casual.
He knew tonight would be a test of patience—and not the good kind.
He turned his focus back to his project. Strings of code for the mobile OS stretched across the screen, each line bringing him closer to a working alpha. The sound of keys clicking softly filled the room.
On the bed, Xiaoyu rolled over and peeked at him. He looked so calm, so focused. Her heart fluttered. She thought about everything that had happened that night—the baby, the kiss, the photo, the way he'd held her close…
A sweet smile spread across her lips.
Eventually, Chen Mo stood, stretched, and walked to the bathroom. When he returned, he carefully climbed into bed beside her.
He kept his hands to himself.
Be rational, he told himself. God gave me strength, not a pass to make dumb decisions.
Beside him, Xiaoyu's body had gone stiff, like a taut string.
The room was dark, the silence broken only by the occasional sound of traffic outside.
Minutes passed.
Still no movement.
She slowly relaxed, peeked one eye open—and nearly yelped. Chen Mo's eyes were open and glowing faintly in the dark, catching the light from the screen.
"So you were faking it, huh?" he teased.
She laughed, caught red-handed.
"You couldn't sleep?" she asked.
"Hard to sleep with a beautiful girl beside me. You?"
"Same."
They fell into a quiet, playful rhythm.
"I heard a joke," Chen Mo whispered. "A woman once told a man, 'If you touch me, you're a beast.' So he didn't. The next morning, she slapped him and said, 'You're worse than a beast.'"
Xiaoyu giggled and hid her face.
"Don't worry," she whispered. "When I'm ready… I'll give you everything, okay?"
His eyes widened. "Really?"
"Really."
"I'm saving that line forever."
"You want a reward now?" she murmured, leaning close. Her breath tickled his ear. Then—mwah—a quick kiss on the cheek. She pulled the blanket over her head.
"You said you were wild," Chen Mo chuckled. "Now I believe it."
She elbowed him gently in the ribs.
They shifted until they found a comfortable position, Xiaoyu curled up in his arms. And there, warm and peaceful, they fell asleep.
The next morning, sunlight filtered through the window.
Xiaoyu stirred first. She felt the warmth of Chen Mo's hand still resting gently on her waist. Her cheeks reddened. Carefully, she pried his arm away, sat up, and tiptoed to the bathroom.
Chen Mo woke moments later, yawning and stretching.
"She sneaked out?"
The bed was empty, but her scent lingered faintly on the pillow. He smiled.
A few minutes later, the door opened and Xiaoyu stepped in—carrying a breakfast bag.
"Morning," she said, setting it on the table. "There was nothing in your kitchen, so I went out and bought food."
Chen Mo sat down beside her and took a bite of the warm porridge. "Changed my clothes too? What a lucky man I am."
"I washed them, yeah. They were filthy."
"Looks like I'm keeping you."
"Dream on." Xiaoyu rolled her eyes. "You live like a caveman. Ever heard of cooking? Your pots look brand new."
"You gonna teach me?"
"Ha. No way. You eat takeout all day and wonder why you're always tired."
"Honestly, I don't even eat breakfast normally," Chen Mo said between bites. "Lunch is usually the cafeteria. Dinner after the gym."
Xiaoyu paused, thoughtful.
"I have to go back today. I need to review for my accounting exam. If I don't, Ruo Ruo and the others will chew me out."
Her cheeks colored slightly. It was the first night she hadn't returned to the dorms—and people would talk.
"Let's go out again next week," Chen Mo offered.
"Maybe. But no expensive dates. You need to save money."
"Okay, boss."
They finished breakfast, and Chen Mo walked her back to her dorm.
Unbeknownst to either of them, a video clip had already gone viral overnight—grainy footage of Chen Mo saving the baby. But the lighting had been too poor, and his face wasn't visible. He was still anonymous… for now.
Later that day, Chen Mo headed downtown to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau. It was time to make things official.
He walked into a clean, modern office full of smiling professionals. A young woman in business attire approached him almost immediately.
"Good afternoon, sir! Are you here to register a company? We handle full-service registration, trademarks, patents—you name it."
Chen Mo nodded. "I'd like to register a company."
"Of course. Please, have a seat." She guided him to a consultation desk. "Will it be a sole proprietorship or a partnership?"
"Sole. 100% under my name."
She hesitated for a second. "That may make future lending a little harder—are you sure you don't want a co-investor?"
"I'm sure," Chen Mo said.
"Alright. What's your intended registered capital?"
"Fifty million yuan. No need to advance."
Her eyes widened. Fifty million? No capital advance?
The smile on her face brightened considerably. Her tone softened. Her posture shifted.
This guy was loaded.
"Understood, sir. You'll need to prepare three to five company names in case your first choices are taken. I can help check availability."
Chen Mo nodded and scribbled a few options down. He ignored her subtle attempts to flirt—he'd seen enough in her eyes when he mentioned the capital.
After finishing the necessary forms and paying the fees, he left the agency with the process underway.
Next stop: full focus on the mobile OS.
Once that was ready, his company would launch with a bang.
Still, there was one problem: he had no team. No experience managing a company. That would need to change—and fast.
He made a mental note to start looking for a competent operations manager.
Back at the apartment, Chen Mo opened his laptop, stretched his fingers, and got back to coding.
The future wasn't waiting.
And neither was he.