ISBH - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Ex-girlfriend

"Sister's lip balm tastes like strawberries. So delicious!"

A car pulled into the underground parking garage, casting shifting shadows of light across the space. The usually strict and proper Professor Han had never done anything so furtive as sneaking kisses in a garage. In fact, she had never properly kissed anyone before. Her heart raced with a mix of tension and complexity, and her body suddenly went completely rigid...

Sensing Han Tian's distraction, Mo Sang bit her lips in mock retaliation. Caught off guard, Han Tian nearly gasped. Before her heart could even leap, another kiss sealed her lips, trapping the startled cry right in her throat.

The incoming vehicle parked a short distance from Han Tian's car. Its occupant showed no sign of noticing the commotion inside Han Tian's car. After locking the doors, the person took the parking garage elevator up to the building.

"That was your colleague, wasn't it?" After breaking the kiss, the little vixen looked thoroughly satisfied. She leaned against Han Tian's shoulder, squinting as she glanced sideways at her. "What? Am I really so shameful I can't be seen?"

In just those few moments, a cold sweat had soaked through the back of Han Tian's shirt.

They were pressed incredibly close together. The warmth of Mo Sang's breath washed over Han Tian's ear, raising goosebumps along her skin...

This was going to be the death of her!

The skin where Mo Sang's breath had touched felt like it was burning, heat rushing straight to her head...

Han Tian turned her head away and took several deep breaths, unwilling to look at Mo Sang's breathtakingly beautiful face.

"Am I that ugly? Is that why you won't look at me?" Mo Sang refused to let her off that easily. She lightly bit Han Tian's earlobe as if venting frustration, pleading, "Sister, please look at me..." while her hands firmly turned Han Tian's body toward her. Half-joking, half-serious, she added, "Sister, if you don't look at me right now, I'm going to kiss you again!"

Han Tian almost instinctively turned her head.

But still, she felt a light peck on her cheek.

"A reward for you."

"Mo Sang, stop messing around." Han Tian's voice rose sharply! She felt as though her heart had been completely tossed into chaos by Mo Sang.

With her mind a tangled mess, Han Tian bit down on her lower lip, ready to set things straight with Mo Sang. But Mo Sang leaned back, averting her face. Staring unblinkingly at Han Tian, she spoke softly, "Don't be angry, Sister. I won't tease you anymore."

"Sister, I've missed you so much."

Mo Sang said it with utmost solemnity. The deliberate coquetry from before had vanished, replaced by an unprecedented sincerity in her beautiful eyes that made Han Tian's heart skip a beat.

"Sister, I've waited for you for so many years," tears began to well in Mo Sang's eyes. She bit her lower lip to hold them back, her tearful appearance making Han Tian's heart ache profoundly. "Sister, you have no idea how happy I was when I saw you!"

"But you still look unhappy. Even after what happened between us that night... you still ran away!"

"Is it true that no matter what I do, it'll never register in your eyes, and that I'll never measure up to the person in your heart?"

...

Though she felt humiliated and annoyed at being treated as a stand-in, years of habit as a mom fan kicked in. Seeing Mo Sang like this, Han Tian felt her own heart shattering. She couldn't help but resent the culprit behind Mo Sang's pain:

So Mo Sang's ex-girlfriend actually had someone else in her heart?

How could any stone-hearted person bear to abandon someone as wonderful as her Cub?

...

"Sister, I didn't mean to cause a scene." Mo Sang apologized obediently, her voice taking on a slight tremor. "I was just too angry! I woke up alone in that hotel room that day, and you were gone again."

"I wanted to come find you, but I had already signed an agreement with the production crew. I barely finished working overtime and rushed back overnight just to see you..."

"Sister, please don't drive me away, okay? If you don't want me to be your girlfriend, I can give up the title. I can be that person's stand-in. Sister, I really don't want to leave you..."

...

When had her Cub ever been so humble?

She was the most dazzling star, the very embodiment of beauty, a siren whose every frown and smile haunted countless people's dreams. She deserved all the love and blessings in the world, not begging like this...

Han Tian absolutely despised that ex-girlfriend for breaking her Cub's heart.

"Mo Sang... please don't..." Han Tian's voice came out hoarse. Her mind was in disarray. Logic told her she should clarify right then that she wasn't her ex-girlfriend. But emotionally, a sudden surge of indignation rose up: Was she really supposed to let such a wonderful Cub go back to that ruthless ex-girlfriend, begging humbly and enduring more hurt?

...

Besides, she was partly at fault too. Running away the moment she put her clothes on did make her look like a heartless scumbag.

...

"Tell me what to do, Sister," Mo Sang finally fell quiet. She stared unblinkingly at Han Tian, her eyes crystal clear after being washed by tears. Her teary smile looked heartbreakingly beautiful. "As long as you let me stay by your side, I'll listen to whatever you say."

Mo Sang's gaze held a sliver of hope amidst despair. Her eyes sparkled like they contained stars, brimming with affection and longing...

"I..."

Facing Mo Sang's gaze, Han Tian found herself utterly speechless.

She couldn't bear to watch the stars in Mo Sang's eyes fall.

But... she really couldn't let this entanglement continue!

Han Tian took several deep breaths. Just as she managed to steel herself and prepare mentally, she felt another peck on her lips.

"It's alright, Sister. We can talk about it later if you're not ready now."

"Sister, you have no idea how happy I am to see you. I wish I could see you every single moment," before Han Tian could speak, Mo Sang gave a graceful yawn, shifted back to the passenger seat, and closed her eyes. "But I haven't slept in two days. Sister, I'll just take a quick nap. When I wake up, I'll cook for you..."

"Do you still like braised beef with potatoes, Sister? After all these years, you're just as beautiful as ever..."

Mo Sang's voice gradually faded away.

It was clear that Mo Sang was the weaker party in that relationship. Such a beautiful and devoted Cub... only a damn ex-girlfriend could be so cruel as to abandon her...

Noticing the obvious dark circles under Mo Sang's eyes, the words Han Tian had rehearsed ultimately remained unsaid...

Mo Sang had said she rushed back overnight after finishing work...

Han Tian sighed in defeat. Fine. Let her sleep properly first. They would deal with the messy situation later.

---

"Mo Sang came looking for me. Where should I take her?"

Han Tian sent a text to Li Ai. Less than a minute later, Li Ai's call came through.

Li Ai gave her an address. The voice on the other end carried a hint of pleading. "Miss Han, there's something I'd like to discuss with you in person."

Han Tian drove to the address Li Ai sent. Li Ai was already waiting at the door, her face etched with anxiety. Spotting the sleeping Mo Sang in the passenger seat, Li Ai's expression grew complicated. Instead of waking her, she gestured for Han Tian to park at the entrance and led her inside the house.

"Miss Han, the fact that you attended our Mo Sang's concert shows you must care for her somewhat..." The woman known in fandom circles as the Iron Lady had red-rimmed eyes as she spoke to Han Tian, bowing her head low. "Our Mo Sang has truly suffered walking this path these past years..."

Han Tian realized Li Ai was playing the pity card.

She knew the best course of action was to excuse herself and go home immediately. Yet, for some reason, perhaps out of the sympathy ingrained by years of being a mom fan, Han Tian followed Li Ai inside.

"When I first started acting as her manager, she had just debuted. Back then, she was already obsessively searching for a certain woman," Li Ai wiped her eyes. "That woman's disappearance deeply traumatized Mo Sang. For all these years, she has been looking for her..."

"We've found many women who looked similar before, but no one matched Miss Han quite like this. Mo Sang has never mistaken someone before..."

...

It was a two-story villa. The first floor was decorated like an ordinary home. Li Ai led Han Tian upstairs.

Thick curtains covered all the second-floor windows. Even during the day, the interior light was exceptionally dim.

Li Ai pushed open the first door. Inside stood a large statue of a White Jade Bodhisattva, gazing down from above with serene benevolence. An incense burner in front still held unburnt ash...

Han Tian raised an eyebrow. Having followed celebrities for so many years, she had never known Mo Sang held such beliefs.

Li Ai opened the second room next: Bibles and crosses were arranged inside...

The contents of the following rooms grew increasingly bizarre: chaotic books on karma, investigation files on extraterrestrials, and various invitations from fringe organizations sent to Mo Sang. Mo Sang had invested heavily in an "Alien Research" project...

In the final room, Li Ai flipped on the light. Countless portraits hung on the walls.

Han Tian finally understood why Mo Sang stubbornly believed she was her ex-girlfriend:

The woman in the portraits bore Han Tian's exact face. If not for the white dress Han Tian had never worn before, she would have sworn it was a portrait of herself...

The brushwork was vivid, lifelike to the point of resembling photographs.

Beneath the portraits hung countless abstract paintings. Han Tian didn't understand their meaning, but glancing at them, she felt each one more oppressive and despairing than the last...

Fans knew Mo Sang could paint, but no one had ever seen her artwork. Rival agencies dismissed it as part of her manufactured persona, yet no one had considered that Mo Sang might hide away to secretly paint a woman.

"This is the ex-girlfriend Mo Sang has been yearning for..." Li Ai gazed at the portraits, her voice slightly strained. "For all these years, I've been helping her look for her, but she seems to have vanished from this world entirely. There's not a single trace..."

"It wasn't until later that I realized Mo Sang spends her days clinging to intangible things to find her ex-girlfriend..."

That was when Li Ai noticed Mo Sang's mental state seemed unstable. Yet she couldn't bear to give up on her: Mo Sang was a natural-born star!

As Mo Sang's career grew brighter, Li Ai began to feel afraid. She tried everything to cure her, even attempting to persuade her to step back from the entertainment industry to rest. But Mo Sang consistently refused to see a doctor...

When Li Ai saw Han Tian a few days ago, she had also conducted a private investigation. After all, Han Tian looked exactly like the woman in the paintings. Later, she discovered this lady was a renowned scientist who had lived abroad and only returned to the country five years ago, having never crossed paths with Mo Sang, who had always resided domestically.

Mo Sang had remained unusually quiet after that night, leading Li Ai to lower her guard. She never expected Mo Sang to suddenly show up looking for Han Tian. It was a phenomenon that had never happened before.

"Miss Han, I know this request is highly presumptuous, but the doctor said Mo Sang's condition is extremely dangerous. Could you please keep her stable for a while..." Li Ai's gaze toward Han Tian was full of pleading. "After searching for so many years, Mo Sang now sees you as her only hope. If she finds out now that you aren't her ex-girlfriend, she might truly break down..."

"She hasn't slept properly in years, relying constantly on medication. I've never seen her sleep so peacefully beside anyone other than you..."

...

Han Tian bit her lip tightly.

She never expected to hear a story like this.

Directly facing her was a large portrait. The woman in the painting smiled so sweetly, radiating a familiar feeling...

The resemblance was uncanny! If Han Tian hadn't confirmed beforehand that she didn't know Mo Sang, she would have thought it was her.

...

Though Li Ai hadn't stated it outright, Han Tian wasn't foolish: a woman who required supernatural means to find, leaving no trace whatsoever...

Han Tian had never imagined: Mo Sang's ex-girlfriend was a dead person.

Intellectually, she knew she should make it clear to Mo Sang that she was not that ex-girlfriend, and leave the matter alone. But... this was Mo Sang!

...

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