Chapter 20: An Unexpected Encounter with an Ex-Girlfriend

Inside the parking lot of Wanda Plaza in Fucheng, Li Mo parked the car and got out.

“Follow me!”

Chen Xi, who had alighted from the passenger seat like a fluttering butterfly, now dashed over to Li Mo’s side like an arrow released from a bow. She reached out her delicate hand and hooked it around his arm, pulling him along as they swiftly headed toward Wanda Plaza.

Once inside, Chen Xi led Li Mo to the clothing section on the second floor.

“Li Mo, I want to buy you a set of clothes,” Chen Xi said softly.

“Huh? Why?”

“In Puxian, you saved me like a hero, so I want to give you clothes as a gift,” Chen Xi murmured, her eyes flickering like a shy mosquito.

“Well, Aunt Mu and Uncle Chen have already thanked me, haven’t they?” Li Mo replied.

“Their thanks are theirs, and mine are mine. Just tell me whether you want it or not!”

Hearing Li Mo’s words, Chen Xi immediately flared up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Yet her rosy cheeks, like ripe apples, and her bashful expression, akin to a shy mimosa, laid bare the tender feelings of a young woman.

Li Mo looked at Chen Xi’s coy demeanor and felt as if a sudden clarity had dawned upon him. He smiled at her, “Of course I want it, but it can’t be just you giving me something—I want to give you something too.”

“Huh? You want to give me a gift? I’m giving you this to thank you,” Chen Xi said, her eyes clouded with a mist of puzzlement, though inside, star-like speculations began to sparkle.

“Of course, it’s to celebrate our fateful meeting!” Li Mo chuckled, taking Chen Xi’s hand as they stepped into the clothing area on the second floor of Wanda.

Meanwhile, within that very clothing section, a slick young man with slicked-back hair was wandering the stores like a ghost, accompanied by a woman.

“Wentao, you bought me that Chanel bag, didn’t you? It wasn’t expensive—just over eighty thousand!”

“My friends all have one; I want one too.”

The woman, wearing a floral dress, her hair softly curled and perched with a pair of sunglasses, clung to the slick young man like a koala, coquettishly pouting.

One of the man’s hands roamed the woman’s waist like a serpent’s caress.

Just then, Chen Xi pulled Li Mo into this very section, their presence like two shooting stars.

Upon seeing Chen Xi, the slick young man’s gaze was instantly drawn to her, a lecherous gleam flashing briefly in his eyes.

At his side, the woman’s eyes flickered with jealousy upon seeing Chen Xi. But when her gaze fell on Li Mo, who was holding Chen Xi’s hand, her expression instantly changed, filled with disbelief and surprise.

“Li Mo? What are you doing here?” the woman demanded, bewildered.

At the sound of her voice, a flood of memories surged through Li Mo’s mind—images of this woman: her laughing brightly, her eyes swollen from crying, running through the university campus, racing through the night... but the final image froze on a cold text message.

“Tang Wei.”

Li Mo’s expression grew complex. This complexity stemmed solely from the fact that this was the first time since his rebirth that he had seen this woman—the graduate student ex-girlfriend he had supported for years.

The man beside Tang Wei shifted his gaze upon hearing her call out Li Mo’s name. When he saw Li Mo, a sneer crossed his eyes.

“Who is she?” Tang Wei suddenly demanded loudly.

Li Mo was momentarily stunned by the question, then let out a snort.

Sensing Tang Wei’s hostile tone, Chen Xi gently squeezed Li Mo’s arm and softly asked, “Acheng, who is she?”

“Tang Wei. She’s the ex-girlfriend I told you about,” Li Mo replied straightforwardly.

“Oh—so she’s that ungrateful wretch who broke up with you right after passing the civil service exam in Nanshi?” Chen Xi said with a teasing smile, eyeing Tang Wei playfully. “Her looks definitely match someone who repays kindness with betrayal.”

“You!” Tang Wei was furious, her face flushed crimson as she glared fiercely at Chen Xi, yet was at a loss against her.

Chen Xi wore a triumphant grin.

Li Mo then spoke calmly, “Tang Wei, since we’re broken up, you have no right to meddle in my affairs. Besides, why don’t you take a good look at yourself? Do you even have the right to question me?”

Only then did Tang Wei realize the man standing beside her was her current boyfriend. Her face shifted from pale to flushed with embarrassment.

The man at her side withdrew his hand from her waist nonchalantly and feigned amusement.

“Oh, so this is the ex-husband, huh? Hello, hello. I’ve heard from Weiwei that her ex is frugal and hardworking. Now that I see you, it’s true. You’re not even wearing clothes worth a thousand yuan, right?”

“Bringing your new girlfriend here to shop at Wanda?”

As he spoke, the man’s eyes shamelessly roamed over Chen Xi.

Li Mo immediately stepped forward and stood before Chen Xi, blocking the man’s gaze, frowning as he said, “Cut out that disgusting look of yours!”

The man smiled faintly, looking at Jiangcheng.

“Let me introduce myself. I am Wu Wentao, currently the general manager of Xin Hui Group’s Nanshi branch in Fu Province.”

“Of course, as a rural cop, you probably can’t grasp what it means to be the general manager of Xin Hui Group’s Nanshi branch. No worries, Weiwei, why don’t you enlighten our ex-husband here? Give him some insight!”

Hearing Wu Wentao’s words, Tang Wei immediately stood tall and took a step forward.

“Xin Hui Group is the leader of Fu Province’s technology sector, overseeing twelve advanced research institutes, with a market value close to a hundred billion!”

“Wentao’s annual salary is ten million. Moreover, his uncle is the chairman of Xin Hui Group. Although Wentao is only the general manager of the Nanshi branch now, he’s destined to become a manager at Xin Hui Group’s headquarters!”

Xin Hui Group?

The name suddenly sparked a lightning flash in Li Mo’s mind.

A file from his previous life slowly surfaced in his memory—an infamous dossier that had caused a political earthquake in Fu Province rivaling the scandal involving Wang Ze.

Among its pages was a detailed account of Wu Wentao’s life, his crimes, and hidden secrets.

Seeing Tang Wei’s smugness and Wu Wentao’s arrogance, Li Mo’s lips curved into a faint smile.

He stepped up to Wu Wentao, scrutinized him briefly, and said calmly, “Oh, so your uncle is Wu Qiang, chairman of Xin Hui Group?”

“But I heard you’re Wu Qiang’s illegitimate son?”

The moment Li Mo finished speaking, Wu Wentao’s proud expression shifted instantly, his eyes filling with panic.

“You... what nonsense are you spouting?”

“I am not the chairman’s illegitimate son. You... you... stop talking nonsense!”

Wu Wentao stammered in alarm, but Li Mo had already grasped Chen Xi’s curious hand and walked ahead, leaving behind a flustered Wu Wentao and a bewildered Tang Wei.

After turning a corner, Chen Xi finally couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked Li Mo, “Li Mo, what did you mean by what you said just now? Why did that guy look so scared after hearing it?”