No, no, no, you can't be an old man.
On the third day after Yin Li's burial, some of the crabapple blossoms in the Yin Wang Mansion fell again. Yin Li sat on the veranda sorting through her sister's belongings—a chipped rough porcelain bowl, a faded red rope, and the farewell letter that she had been caressing until it was wrinkled.
He Mo carried over a bowl of warm osmanthus soup and gently placed it in front of her: "I just had the kitchen make this. You haven't been eating properly these past few days, so have some."
Yin Li looked up and saw the tenderness in his eyes, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart.
She took the porcelain bowl, her fingertips touching his hand. The two exchanged a knowing glance, the misunderstanding that had created a barrier between them long since vanished, leaving only the closeness that had come after weathering the storm.
"Thank you, He Mo," she said softly, scooping up a spoonful of osmanthus soup. The sweet fragrance spread on her tongue, but it still couldn't cover up the bitterness in her heart.
He Mo sat down beside her, reaching out to gently brush away the petals that had fallen into her hair, his movements as tender as if he were handling a fragile treasure: "Why are you thanking me? There's no need for such formality between us." He looked at the bloodshot eyes and added, "Yin Li also hopes you're doing well and not always pushing yourself to the limit."
Yin Li nodded and continued to drink her osmanthus soup, unaware that He Mo's gaze was fixed on her profile, filled with complex emotions—tenderness, affection, and a hint of barely perceptible longing.
A gentle breeze blew by, ruffling her hair and revealing a small mole behind her ear, like a star fallen on her skin. "A-Su..." A very soft call drifted into Yin Li's ears on the wind.
Her scooping motion froze instantly, and she looked up at He Mo in confusion: "What did you just call me?" He Mo's body stiffened as well, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it, smiling as he ruffled her hair: "Nothing, maybe the wind was too strong and you misheard."
"I mean, the osmanthus soup doesn't taste good when it's cold, drink it while it's hot." But Yin Li didn't miss that strange feeling.
That "Asu" sound just now, though soft, was very clear; it was definitely not the sound of the wind.
She put down the porcelain bowl, her gaze fixed on He Mo's eyes, her tone serious: "You clearly called 'A Su' just now, you didn't mishear."
"He Mo, who is 'A Su'?" He Mo's fingertips curled slightly, and his hands, resting on his knees, quietly clenched his robes. He avoided Yin Li's gaze, looking at the crabapple tree outside the corridor, his voice lower than usual: "She's... an old acquaintance, her name contains the character 'Su'. I saw the mole behind your ear just now and suddenly remembered her; it was a slip of the tongue."
This explanation sounded reasonable, but Yin Li still felt something was off. She had known He Mo for so long, and she had never heard him mention any "old friend with the character 'Su' in their name."
Moreover, the gentleness and nostalgia in his tone when he called "A-Su" were definitely not those of someone treating an ordinary old friend. More importantly, the mole behind her ear was left from an accidental burn when she was a child, and apart from her second uncle and Yin Li, almost no one knew about it—did the person named "A-Su" also have such a mole?
"An old friend?" Yin Li pressed, her eyes full of doubt. "What kind of old friend? Have you known each other for a long time? Does she also have a mole like mine?" A series of questions made He Mo's expression even more unnatural.
He avoided Yin Li's gaze, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the corner of his sleeve, his voice somewhat hesitant: "It's just... we met a long time ago in Xinghua Village, not very well, I don't remember clearly. Maybe I'm mistaken, I also forgot if she had a mole." As he spoke, he tried to change the subject, "By the way, let's investigate Wei An's old subordinates tomorrow, maybe we can find more clues." But Yin Li didn't respond to him.
She looked at He Mo's flustered appearance—he had always been calm and composed, and had never been so helpless, even when faced with the ambush of the purple-clad man or the difficulties posed by Jin He.
This deliberate avoidance only deepened her suspicions.
"He Mo, you're lying." Yin Li's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable seriousness. "You never mince words with me, nor do you forget important matters. Who exactly is this 'A Su'? What is her relationship with me?"
He Mo's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he finally looked up at Yin Li, his eyes filled with struggle. He opened his mouth as if to explain, but in the end he only said, "Yin Li, please don't ask anymore, okay? He's just an insignificant old friend, I don't want to mention him anymore."
These words, like a small thorn, pierced Yin Li's heart. Looking at the evasive look in He Mo's eyes, she felt a strange sense of loss—they had clearly been through so much, clearly promised to trust each other, yet he was still hiding a secret and unwilling to be honest with her.
The wind under the eaves grew stronger, scattering crabapple petals all over the ground. Yinli didn't ask any further questions, but simply picked up the porcelain bowl again, though she had lost her appetite for the osmanthus soup.
She looked down at the osmanthus flowers in the bowl, the name "A-Su" echoing repeatedly in her mind, along with He Mo's panicked eyes. Who exactly was that person called "A-Su"?
Why did He Mo think of that person because of the mole behind her ear? And why wouldn't he tell her the truth?
Countless questions swirled in her mind, causing ripples to spread through her once calm heart.
He Mo felt bad seeing her silent. He didn't mean to lie, but the identity of "A Su" was tied to too many past events, to his initial feelings for Yin Li—he was afraid that if he told her, she would misunderstand and that the relationship they had finally grown closer would crack again.
The two sat there on the veranda, neither speaking. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the crabapple trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground, but it couldn't penetrate the faint cloud of doubt between them.
Yin Li knew that He Mo wouldn't lie without a reason, but the suddenly appearing "A Su" was like a mystery, forcing her to start thinking—what she thought was their "first meeting" might have concealed a past she didn't know from the very beginning. Ever since the day the name "A Su" entered her ears, Yin Li's heart had been pounding like a rabbit. During the day, she pondered "Who is A Su?", and at night she dreamed of chasing after a girl in a blue dress, asking "What's your relationship with He Mo?", waking up covered in sweat.
She didn't press He Mo further, but secretly added a page to her notebook titled "A Guide to Investigating Asu," determined to uncover this "mysterious rival in love."
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