CTS 37

Jinxiu Villa… Shen Mo had heard it mentioned a few times before.

The first time was from Zhao Yi, who had mistaken him for someone living in Jinxiu Villa. The second was from Old Wang, the driver, who once said that Ji Mingxuan had drunkenly insisted on going to Jinxiu Villa.

It wasn’t hard to guess. That house must have been where Ji Mingxuan kept his lover hidden away. So how had it ended up under his name?

Could it be that Ji Mingxuan, for the sake of convenience, had bought the whole building and let all his lovers live side by side?

Whatever the case, there was definitely something strange about Jinxiu Villa.

Shen Mo turned the pen in his hand and said to Lawyer Chen, “I’d like to go see the place. Do you have the keys?”

Lawyer Chen was briefly stunned, though his professional smile didn’t waver. “Shouldn’t the keys already be with you, Mr. Shen?”

Only then did Shen Mo realize.

Of course. If Ji Mingxuan had given him a house, he wouldn’t have withheld the keys. But why couldn’t he remember any of it?

Three years ago…

That had been the blurriest period of his life. Not because of poor memory, but because he had been completely disheartened back then. He had stopped caring about everything. Each day he watched the sun rise, then suddenly it would be night again. He had no idea how the days even passed.

So Ji Mingxuan had given him the house during that time?

Even Shen Mo couldn’t say for sure. But he had lived in the current villa for years. If the keys really existed, they had to be somewhere in the house. Once the conversation with Lawyer Chen ended and he saw him off, Shen Mo began rummaging through everything.

He was a sentimental person by nature, reluctant to throw things away. So digging through old drawers turned up a mess of items. Like a phone he used years ago, yellowed notebooks, and a few idle sketches. Finally, in the corner of a drawer, he found a box covered in dust.

It was a standard gift box, with a silly bow stuck on the lid.

Shen Mo stared at it for a second.

He remembered this box. It had been a birthday gift. Ji Mingxuan came to see him at his rented apartment that day and handed it to him casually and Shen Mo received it just as casually. He couldn’t even recall if he had ever opened it.

Maybe he had just shoved the box into the drawer without thinking. Maybe he had opened it but hadn’t cared enough to remember. What he did recall was that not long after, his lease ended, and he was kicked out. With nowhere to go, it was Ji Mingxuan who took him in. That was when the contract between them began.

As Shen Mo thought more about it, something didn’t add up.

That meant Ji Mingxuan had already given him a house before they even signed the contract. What was that supposed to mean? A down payment?

He opened the box and found exactly what he expected inside. A key. Next to it was a small slip of paper with the address of the Jinxiu Villa property. The handwriting was familiar. It was definitely Ji Mingxuan’s.

Shen Mo gently held the key between his fingers and decided to go see the place for himself.

Jinxiu Villa was in a prime location. Although it sat in the heart of the city, it was tucked away behind a tree-lined avenue, separated from the bustle by a stretch of greenery. It had a peaceful and quiet atmosphere.

Shen Mo drove over and followed the address to Jinxiu Villa.

It had been three years, but the lock hadn’t been changed. He opened the door and stepped inside. It was a four-bedroom home, finely decorated, spotless in every corner, as if someone had been cleaning it regularly.

The kitchen and living room were fully furnished. The master and guest bedrooms were also neatly arranged. A few sets of clothes hung in the wardrobe, all Ji Mingxuan’s size. He must have spent the night here from time to time. Other than that, there were no signs that anyone else had ever lived here.

Everything seemed perfectly ordinary.

Shen Mo felt a little deflated.

Like someone preparing to uncover a long-buried secret, only to find nothing at all.

There was just the study left to check. Shen Mo didn’t expect much as he pushed the door open. But with just one glance inside, he froze.

The study had been turned into an art studio. It had the best lighting in the entire house. The floor was scattered with art supplies, and the walls were covered with paintings.

Landscapes, portraits, rough sketches, and carefully framed pieces. They were all in the same style. And every single one of them bore the same signature in the bottom corner.

Shen Mo.