Chapter 57 – Exclusive Sweet Romance: The Battle to Save the Campus Heartthrob (19)
Shortly after Bai Mo left the room, Jian Haoqing arrived with her team, swiftly pinning down the liaison. She rushed to the computer, only to see that the program had been terminated. The USB drive containing the company’s confidential information was nowhere to be found.
“Where is it?” The woman was stunningly cold and imposing, but her actions were far from gentle as she yanked the accountant by the collar.
“L-Lady Jian…” The accountant trembled, forcing out a smile that looked worse than crying.
“Don’t make me ask a third time. Where is it?” Her long nails grazed the accountant’s cheek, her eyes filled with terrifying intensity.
“The USB… it… it was stolen…”
“A boy… just now…”
Though the words were jumbled, the meaning was clear.
From the accountant’s description, Jian Haoqing immediately realized that the one who had taken the USB was Bai Mo. A smile flashed in her eyes.
Her future sister-in-law was truly impressive.
Meanwhile, Bai Mo had just jumped through a window—straight into Ran Yunyun’s room. As luck would have it, Huo Wen had just returned to the hotel, feeling carefree after sabotaging the design competition backstage. She had just finished a relaxing shower.
Wrapped in a bath towel and drying her hair, Huo Wen stepped out of the bathroom—only to see an unfamiliar man standing in her room. Before she could even see his face clearly, she let out a piercing scream.
“Ahhh—!”
Bai Mo, not wanting to be mistaken for a pervert, quickly covered his eyes and turned away. “I didn’t mean to! Don’t scream…”
His soft, milky voice sounded incredibly familiar. Huo Wen focused her gaze—and to her shock, it was Bai Mo.
At the same time, Bai Mo, thanks to Xiao Bobao’s intel, realized that the person behind him was none other than Huo Wen.
“What are you doing here? Haven’t you ruined my life enough?” Huo Wen seethed with hatred, grinding her teeth.
But then, her eyes fell on Bai Mo’s cleaning uniform. A thought crossed her mind—could it be that her father had succeeded?
Had Bai Mo fallen so low that he was forced to work menial, low-skilled jobs just to survive? How utterly humiliating.
Bai Mo pointed at himself in disbelief. “I ruined your life?” Who was harming whom here? If she hadn’t set him up, he wouldn’t be in this situation today.
Huo Wen was the type of person who never reflected on her own actions—she always blamed others. If someone didn’t support her or opposed her, they were automatically her enemy.
Bai Mo had no desire to waste words on her. He had secured the USB and needed to deliver it to Haoqing.
Just as the boy was about to run, Huo Wen once again felt completely ignored. A deep sense of humiliation surged within her—how dare he, someone who had fallen so low as to work as a hotel cleaner, look down on her?
“Stop right there! Who do you think you are, talking to me like that? Do you believe I won’t report you?”
Bai Mo & Xiao Bobao: “?”
“Ha! You’ve got some nerve. And who do you think you are, daring to order my Mo Mo around?” Xiao Bobao jumped up and pointed at Huo Wen’s nose, cursing her out.
“Oh? Then go ahead and report me.” Bai Mo’s indifferent attitude only aggravated Huo Wen further.
She immediately picked up the phone and called the front desk, filing a complaint that a cleaner named Bai Mo had peeped at her while she was showering and had behaved extremely rudely.
Bai Mo scoffed, “With that body of yours? You think I’d peep at you? Auntie, you sure have high self-esteem~”
He could tolerate many things—after all, he had barged into her room uninvited, so technically, he was in the wrong first. But insulting his taste and aesthetics? Absolutely not.
As far as he was concerned, the only person who met his standards was his dear husband.
“Sorry, miss, but we don’t have any cleaners named Bai Mo at our hotel,” the front desk quickly responded after checking their records.
Huo Wen frowned in confusion. Then, under the sunlight, she suddenly noticed the silver USB drive gleaming in the boy’s hand.
That… that was the USB she had handed over to Father Huo! How did it end up in Bai Mo’s possession?
As the gravity of the situation dawned on her, the hotel staff also realized something was wrong. That room was supposed to be occupied by a female designer from a competing team—since today was the finals, the room should have been empty. So how was someone calling from inside?
Recognizing the possibility of intruders, the hotel staff immediately went up to investigate. If something happened, it would be disastrous for the hotel’s reputation.
“Give it back, you thief!” Huo Wen lunged for the USB. If Jian Haoqing got her hands on it, the Huo family would be finished.
Yet another person trying to snatch the USB—Bai Mo had no intention of giving it up. After a few rounds of cat-and-mouse in the room, his keen animal instincts picked up on movement from upstairs. The liaison’s men were closing in.
He quickly opened the door—on the left, a group of men in black suits; on the right, hotel management staff.
Glancing at his cleaner’s uniform, Bai Mo made a snap decision and sprinted toward the hotel staff, shouting as he ran, “Help! Those men are trying to hurt that girl—hurry!”
The thugs looked menacing, practically wearing “We’re up to no good” on their foreheads. The hotel staff exchanged glances, then immediately grabbed their radios and called security.
A full-blown brawl erupted between both sides, and amid the chaos, Bai Mo slipped into the elevator unnoticed.
As long as he got downstairs and met up with Jian Haoqing, the rest would be taken care of. Then, he could head next door to watch Haoqing’s brother compete. Perfect plan.
The boy smugly tallied up his next moves like a master strategist.
Xiao Bobao, however, delivered a reality check with a sigh. “I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed, Mo Mo. The male lead left for the hotel… fifteen minutes ago.”
“You told Brother Haocang?” Bai Mo frowned, displeased with Xiao Bobao’s decision to act on its own.
“It wasn’t Little Panda’s fault! Little Panda doesn’t know anything!” Xiao Bobao frantically shook its head. “It was Huo Wen who sabotaged the design project. The male lead discovered it halfway through and rushed back to the hotel to retrieve the backup from the design mentor’s room.”
Luckily, there was a backup. Otherwise, they would have had to withdraw from the competition in regret.
Now that Bai Mo, the infamous Black Moonlight, was absent, and with no malicious side characters stirring up trouble, he briefly considered turning back to give Huo Wen a good beating.
As the elevator continued its descent, the doors suddenly chimed open on the twelfth floor.
A hand shot in from the outside, grabbed Bai Mo’s collar, and yanked him out.
The man was dressed entirely in black—clearly one of the henchmen.
“Hey, hey, hey, let go~” Small animals hated being grabbed by the scruff. No matter how skilled a little snow ferret might be, it was impossible to fight back when held like this.
“Let go! Brother Haocang, save me~” Bai Mo suddenly shouted.
The man in black, thinking help had arrived, instinctively turned his head—only to find an empty, desolate hallway.
“You’re quite the liar, aren’t you?” The man snatched the USB from Bai Mo’s grasp. The boy’s flushed face, brimming with suppressed anger, had a certain violent beauty to it.
Enjoying the sight, the man raised his hand, intending to intensify that beauty even further. Bai Mo squeezed his eyes shut, powerless to resist.
Yet, the anticipated slap never landed.
“If you dare touch him, try it and see.”
The low, deep voice was like a melody from the heavens.
Bai Mo’s eyes flew open, his face lighting up with joy. “Brother Haocang~”
Jian Haocang swiftly twisted the man’s arm in a counter-lock, dislocating his shoulder with a sharp crack.
“You—!” The man winced in pain but quickly retaliated, sweeping his leg toward Jian Haocang.
Though Jian Haocang had a scholarly appearance, exuding the refined air of an intellectual, he had been training since childhood. His combat skills were by no means inferior to a professional fighter’s.
Freed from his captor’s grip, Bai Mo was immediately pushed out of the battle zone by Jian Haocang.
Catching the USB that his husband tossed over, Bai Mo stood on the sidelines, enthusiastically cheering.
“Brother Haocang, you got this~”
The boy had complete faith in his dear husband. And if things took a turn for the worse, well—there was always the option of a two-on-one beatdown.
However, every time Bai Mo so much as twitched, eager to jump in and assist, Jian Haocang would simply push him aside.
“Mo Mo, step aside.”
The sight of the boy nearly getting hurt just now had already made Jian Haocang’s heart stop. He couldn’t bear to see Bai Mo bleed in front of him.
Thinking about how Bai Mo had almost been bullied right before his eyes, Jian Haocang’s attacks became even fiercer—each punch and kick carrying the force of a gusting wind.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Before long, the man in black was beaten black and blue. As the sound of approaching security personnel grew closer, he suddenly lunged toward Bai Mo’s direction. However, it was just a feint. When Jian Haocang shifted to defend, the man seized the opportunity to escape.
“You think you can hit my Brother Haocang and just run away?”
Jian Haocang didn’t particularly care if a mere underling got away, but his little ferret-like husband-protecting demon certainly did.
“Mo Mo, are you alright?” Jian Haocang approached Bai Mo, but before he could even embrace him, the boy pushed him aside. Instead, Bai Mo launched himself after the escaping man, delivering a flying kick to his back.
When it came to running, how could anyone outrun their ferret ancestor?
Crack!
A crisp sound echoed—it came from the man’s spine.
By the time the others arrived, Bai Mo quickly retracted his foot, looking a bit guilty.
When the security personnel questioned him, Bai Mo spun around and buried himself in Jian Haocang’s arms, mumbling, “I didn’t do it on purpose~”
That guy looked like he could fight! Who knew he couldn’t even take a single kick?
“It’s not Mo Mo’s fault. Mo Mo did nothing wrong. In fact, if it weren’t for you, that guy would have gotten away.”
Jian Haocang held the boy tightly, comforting him. His breath tickled Bai Mo’s ear, sending a tingly sensation down his spine. Bai Mo struggled to suppress his laughter.
No, he couldn’t laugh! If he did, the pitiful victim act he was putting on would be completely ruined.
With his shoulders shaking slightly, Bai Mo buried his face in Jian Haocang’s chest, while the man gently reassured him with a loving expression.
To the onlookers, it seemed like the boy was simply trembling with relief after surviving a harrowing ordeal.
“You don’t have to be afraid. We’ve subdued all of them. Now, would you be willing to come to the office and explain the situation?”
The head of security softened his voice as he looked at Bai Mo’s reddened, tearful eyes.
The young man nodded, loosened his arms from around Jian Haocang’s waist, and timidly followed behind the head of security.
After taking just a few steps, he suddenly turned around and jogged back to Jian Haocang. With a soft, gentle smile, he said, “Go to your competition, don’t worry about me. I came with Sister Haoqing~”
To ease Jian Haocang’s worries, Bai Mo deliberately mentioned Jian Haoqing’s name. It was true—she was indeed in the hotel.
Jian Haocang smiled slightly and reached out to smooth the boy’s messy hair. “Alright, I trust that my Mo Mo can handle things well. I’ll go to my competition then.”
He had been able to arrive so quickly because he had received a message from his sister downstairs. Although he wanted to stay with Mo Mo, the design competition was still ongoing, and he couldn’t delay the entire team’s work for his personal matters.
Before heading downstairs, Jian Haocang ran into Jian Haoqing. She nodded at him and said, “Your choice of a wife is pretty good.”
Thinking of the lively and mischievous Bai Mo, Jian Haocang chuckled softly. “Of course.” Mo Mo was wonderful—he was lucky to have him.
Bai Mo was taken to the office, where the cleaning lady who had given him the part-time job was also present. Their statements matched: Bai Mo had simply been looking for a part-time job to earn money for his return trip and had even presented his student ID, proving that he was a student from C University in the neighboring city.
Although the cleaning lady’s actions were against hotel regulations, Bai Mo’s adorable demeanor—like that of a snow ferret—won over everyone.
Moreover, he had helped the hotel capture the saboteurs. As a result, the hotel management chose to let the matter slide with only a light warning.
With the rest of the situation left to Jian Haoqing to handle, Hou Wen, the finance officer, and the others were also apprehended.
With nothing else to do, Bai Mo secretly tugged at Jian Haoqing’s sleeve and whispered, “Sister, I want to go watch Brother Haocang’s competition~”
By now, Jian Haoqing fully acknowledged this little sister-in-law of hers—Bai Mo was great. He was loyal to her younger brother, thoughtful, and highly capable.
“Go ahead, and be careful on the way.” Jian Haoqing beamed.
From now on, she wouldn’t have to worry about her brother anymore—Mo Mo would be the one fussing over Haocang instead. How wonderful.