Reborn to Outshine My Ex and His White Moonlight novel Chapter 396

Chapter 396: Chapter 396 He’s Here

Zhou Zhao quickly stepped forward to support Sang Li. Upon inspecting Sang Li’s injuries up close, his brows furrowed.

"Third Young Master is way too ruthless."

"Forget it, let him vent his anger for now." Sang Li took the towel and wiped the corner of his lips, "Since he managed to track me down here, it’s clear that using coincidence as an excuse won’t fool him. Let’s focus on buying some time for Zhiyi first."

"Young Master, don’t you also have a personal agenda? You want to find Miss Lin before Third Young Master does," Zhou Zhao remarked.

Sang Li didn’t refute him.

He often wondered, if he had been the one to meet Lin Zhiyi first, would everything have turned out differently?

He wanted to take that gamble.

"Zhou Zhao, keep investigating Zhiyi’s whereabouts. We need to stay ahead of Third Young Master at all costs."

"Understood."

...

Gong Chen returned to his room and casually grabbed a towel to clean the scratches on his hand.

His expression was cold and indifferent, his demeanor utterly detached.

Just as Chen Jin was about to step forward to say something, Gong Chen’s phone on the table chimed.

Even Chen Jin could tell that it was Liu He updating her status again.

Gong Chen had secured Liu He and Gong Shiyan’s positions within the Gong Family, but he had stopped bringing up Lin Zhiyi entirely.

Nearly everyone had come to believe that Lin Zhiyi was nothing more than a relic of the past—a fleeting, insignificant moment.

Even Liu He believed the same.

That’s why Liu He wasn’t guarded against Gong Chen on social media.

But that suited Gong Chen’s purpose perfectly: Lin Zhiyi might ignore him, but she would never ignore Liu He.

It was inevitable that Liu He would reveal some clue.

Gong Chen opened her post. Liu He had shared several photos of Lin Zhiyi, one of which was a picture of Lin Zhiyi with Sang Li.

They looked incredibly happy together.

Gong Chen clicked on the photo and stared at it for a long time. The darkness clouding his face gradually began to lift.

Chen Jin noticed this shift and asked, "Third Young Master, is there a problem?"

Gong Chen replied in a cold tone, "Sang Li lied."

"How’s that possible? Plenty of people know Mr. Sang has moved into the Sang Mansion with a woman," Chen Jin said.

"This photo is a fake." Gong Chen handed his phone to Chen Jin.

No matter how closely Chen Jin scrutinized the photo, he couldn’t see anything wrong: "What’s out of place?"

"The fountain in the background only operates on the fifteenth of every month. Today is the fifteenth, but Sang Li is currently in the country. How could he have taken this picture with Lin Zhiyi?"

"Maybe it was taken earlier?" Chen Jin speculated.

Gong Chen pointed to the corner of the image where a timestamp was visible.

"It’s dated today."

"This... What does it mean?" Chen Jin enlarged the photo multiple times, still unable to make sense of it.

Gong Chen moved to the floor-to-ceiling window, his gaze sharp and calculating.

"There’s only one explanation. The photo is fabricated. Lin Zhiyi has been sending Liu He pictures, likely to reassure her, and to avoid the risk of sending the same image twice, she included timestamps. But she wasn’t aware that Sang Li is back in the country. She’s never actually been with Sang Li in person."

Chen Jin immediately understood. "I’ll have every photo analyzed by the tech team right away."

Gong Chen nodded.

He fixated on the dense night sky, as though determined to pierce through its obscurity.

Lin Zhiyi, where exactly are you?

...

Morning.

Lin Zhiyi watched as Xingxing walked into the kindergarten.

Just as she was about to turn back, she caught sight of a familiar figure across the street.

Lin Zhiyi bolted on instinct.

The man behind her sprinted after her relentlessly.

She dashed into a guesthouse, running straight into Liao Yi, who was descending the stairs.

"Help!"

He emphasized the word "everyone."

The implications were clear enough.

Lin Zhiyi froze momentarily, remembering someone’s obsession. Her face turned pale.

"He... he came here?"

"Yes. I’ve asked Chen Jin to keep him preoccupied, but Gang City isn’t big. If he really wants to find you, it won’t take long," Li Huan warned.

Lin Zhiyi almost panicked but paused when she recalled the morning news, then resumed her composure.

"There’s no need to worry. He and Xiao Ran already have a child together. Pretending we don’t know each other is the best solution for everyone."

"A child? How could he possibly have a child with Sang Ran?" Li Huan countered.

"It’s already been reported in the news."

"You’ve lived in these circles before. You know that kind of news is controlled—what they want you to see is what you’ll see. Besides, he had a vasectomy ages ago."

"The Old Master’s order?" Lin Zhiyi’s mind clicked, yet she still felt puzzled. "Why would he have a vasectomy?"

"Because he dreamt of having a daughter. To protect the daughter in his dream, he went and had the procedure. He feared what the Old Master might seek to do if Sang Ran bore his child. He refused to let the dream of his daughter turn into another casualty."

While speaking, Li Huan kept a close eye on Lin Zhiyi’s expression.

Lin Zhiyi remained silent, gripping her hands tightly as her face darkened.

Li Huan continued, "Over the past three years, he hasn’t lived well. He’s been desperately searching for you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhiyi lowered her gaze and chuckled softly.

"It’s all in the past now. Maybe not enough time has gone by. Besides, his wife is Sang Ran. It’s inappropriate for you to tell me this."

"No, what I mean is..." Li Huan hesitated, finally sighing. "He genuinely had his reasons."

"Li Huan, I’m doing just fine right now. I don’t want to revisit the past." Lin Zhiyi emphasized firmly.

Li Huan frowned. "Then what’s your plan going forward?"

Lin Zhiyi looked up at her guesthouse, exasperation in her tone.

"I’ll leave..."

Before she could finish, Liao Yi rushed in frantically.

"Zhiyi! The townsfolk said there’s been a car accident at the kindergarten! Hurry!"