Become the Sickly Villain in the Novel - Chapter 47

“Do you want a drink?”

“…Ah, yes, I’d like to try a little.”

It seems that I haven’t drunk alcohol before, whether in this life or the previous one.

“You’re aware of your physical condition, aren’t you?”

“…I was just thinking about it…” Li Nuo’s voice lowered.

“Good boy.” Qin Xu’s large hand rested on Li Nuo’s head, gently ruffling it.

Li Nuo muttered softly to himself, surprised by the compliment. He wasn’t a child anymore; of course, he had this little bit of self-control.

Qin Xu’s fingers exerted slight pressure, prompting Li Nuo to look up in confusion.

“I’ve told you before, you really lack a sense of boundaries.”

“Because Director is not an outsider.”

You’re my God of Wealth. What’s wrong with letting my God of Wealth pat my head? Li Nuo thought this was perfectly reasonable.

“If not an outsider, then what am I?”

“You’re my God of…” Li Nuo almost blurted it out but managed to hold back, correcting himself mid-sentence, “My boss at work?”

“Just a boss? Then what about Mo Chuan?”

“A familiar acquaintance? An older brother?”

Qin Xu’s expression darkened slightly. “Director Mo is your brother, and I’m just a boss?”

The difference in treatment was a bit too obvious.

“Uh—” Li Nuo let out a short, hesitant sound.

Qin Xu moved his left hand to Li Nuo’s face. “How about you try calling me brother?”

“Addressing a director that way? Isn’t that a bit inappropriate? A director is a director.”

In that case, Director Mo should also just be a director. But privately, Li Nuo would call him “Brother Mo” when they met, much to Li Yan’s annoyance. Not that it changed anything.

Qin Xu lifted Li Nuo’s face to meet his perpetually moist eyes.

Under the warm, amber light of the izakaya, his pupils appeared golden, like the sun melting into a snowy landscape.

Li Nuo’s cheeks, flushed from the heat of the izakaya, were squished together from Qin Xu’s grip.

Qin Xu gave his cheeks a slight squeeze, appreciating the tactile sensation. His recovery over the past week had been noticeable, and his cheeks were no longer as gaunt as before.

His fingers moved slightly, and his thumb brushed against Li Nuo’s lips. The sensation was incredibly soft.

More importantly, the vibrant redness was highly tempting.

To the point where he wanted to devour it.

This is an irresistible impulse, Qin Xu thought as he leaned in slowly. Their faces drew closer and closer, stopping only when their breaths could be felt on each other.

Qin Xu opened his mouth and said, “You know what I’m about to do next. Are you just going to watch?”

Li Nuo finally snapped back to reality. “…What are you going to do?”

What kind of question was that…?

Qin Xu pulled back slightly and stared into those pure, unguarded eyes. He sighed. The gaze was so straightforward, like that of a child. It made him hesitate to act.

“Ha…”

Qin Xu applied a bit of force, pressing his forehead against Li Nuo’s with a thud. Li Nuo immediately let out a short cry of pain.

“In the future, if anyone gets this close to you, push them away. You can even slap them.”

Faced with Li Nuo’s astonished expression as he held his forehead, Qin Xu tapped his head. “Understood?”

“…I understand.”

Meanwhile, the two of them had no idea that Mo Chuan had taken a slight liberty on the rooftop garden. Otherwise, Li Nuo might have delivered the first slap without hesitation.

At present, Li Nuo likes Mo Chuan, but not in a romantic way—just the way one appreciates having someone to talk to.

After all, both Qin Xu and Li Yan were rather taciturn.

Qin Xu pulled back and returned to his seat. Li Nuo, still rubbing his slightly aching forehead, shifted his attention to Qin Xu’s hand resting on the table.

“Director.”

“Hmm?”

“May I touch your hand?”

“My hand?”

Qin Xu moved his hand slightly and turned his left palm upward. “Here you go.”

Li Nuo turned Qin Xu’s hand over, placing his own hand on the back of Qin Xu’s and gently stroking the scars. He didn’t ask about the origins of those scars.

Qin Xu squinted his eyes. The warmth of the touch felt comforting, though the light movement of Li Nuo’s fingers was slightly ticklish. As Qin Xu lowered his head, Li Nuo’s pale hand traced back and forth across his own. Qin Xu reversed his grip, curling his fingertips and clasping the small hand in his palm.

“Director?”

“It tickles. And didn’t I tell you to call me brother?”

“?”

“Not Director, it’s Brother.”

Li Nuo stared at him for a moment before suddenly laughing. Qin Xu had already emphasized this several times, making it clear he cared deeply about how he was addressed. Fine, if that’s what he wanted, it wasn’t like it was hard to say.

“Brother Qin.”

“……”

Before Qin Xu could respond, Li Nuo suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Although he usually didn’t care about such things, saying it aloud still felt different.

He tried to withdraw his hand, but Qin Xu held on tightly.

“…Brother Qin, can you let go?”

“What’s wrong with holding it like this?”

“It’s not exactly wrong, but it’s hot.”

“It’s not that hot.”

Qin Xu placed their hands on his thigh, applying slightly more pressure as if to prevent Li Nuo from pulling away.

Li Nuo’s gaze returned to Qin Xu’s hand, prompting Qin Xu to ask curiously,

“Are you really that interested in my hand? The scars?”

“Mm-hmm. Did it hurt?”

Qin Xu didn’t respond immediately. The person who had left these scars on his hands was no longer alive. Lost in thought for a moment, he finally said, “I’ve already forgotten.”

“It must’ve hurt at the time, especially when you were so young.”

“……”

Back then, it had hurt a lot. Moreover, he had fallen ill and hadn’t had time to treat the wounds before new misfortunes had struck.

Memories of that time surfaced in Qin Xu’s mind, darkening his expression. His grip on Li Nuo’s hand unintentionally tightened.

“Ah.”

Hearing Li Nuo’s brief cry of pain, Qin Xu quickly let go.

“Sorry.”

He opened his hand and carefully inspected Li Nuo’s for any issues. Qin Xu’s strength was considerable, and Li Nuo’s body was fragile. If his carelessness had caused a fracture, it would have inflicted needless suffering.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

He carefully examined each finger, asking whether there was any pain.

“Ah, it’s fine now. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Li Nuo shook his head. It had only been a momentary pain, and he’d recovered quickly. In contrast, Qin Xu’s anxious demeanor seemed out of character, almost like Li Yan’s.

“That can’t be…”

Thinking back, there had been other strange instances. Was Qin Xu always this fond of physical contact? Yet he had patted Li Nuo’s head multiple times.

If it were someone else, Li Nuo might have overanalyzed it. But Qin Xu was one of the protagonists in the novel, the very person who had killed the original “Li Nuo.” So, he had never considered it.

Is it because the difference between “Li Nuo” before and after amnesia is so stark that you’ve opened your heart to the current me?

It seemed like he had found a way to avoid the death route.

No, rather, it felt like he had already steered far away from a fatal ending.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Li Nuo laughed, feeling much lighter.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing, I’m just really happy that Brother Qin cares so much about me.”

“…Me?”

Qin Xu’s fiddling with his fingers came to a halt.

“I care about you?”

Ever since childhood, he had been labeled as cold-hearted. Even when living with Mo Chuan, if Mo Chuan got sick, he only worried about catching the illness himself and would send Mo Chuan straight to the hospital.

When his subordinates fell ill, he only told them not to let it affect their work. That was the kind of unempathetic person he was.

He wanted to dismiss Li Nuo’s words as nonsense, but at that moment, he noticed the small, pale hand he still hadn’t let go of.

Unexpectedly, a conversation with Mo Chuan from the other day resurfaced in his mind.

“I don’t want to let go. Since it’s already reached this point, and it’s so obvious, isn’t that all the more reason not to let go?”

Then, he recalled He Yan’s words about how he had no close relationships and didn’t know how to care for others.

Who would have thought that this didn’t need to be learned? When the right person appeared, your instincts would tell you exactly what to do.

Qin Xu finished checking the hand he was holding and, for the first time, showed a gentle smile.

“You’re right. I care about you very much.”

Li Nuo thought he must have seen wrong. He blinked, but the smile remained unchanged.

His face turned bright red in an instant.

Although he knew Qin Xu was a very handsome man, his usual imposing aura made it hard for anyone to meet his gaze directly. Now, seeing Qin Xu’s smiling face up close was like a visual strike to the heart, and Li Nuo’s heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.

Looking at that face, who wouldn’t be drawn to it?

No wonder this protagonist in the novel was so wildly popular.

……………

The next day, there was no need to say it; Secretary Yang was hungover. The previous night, when sending him home, it was his wife who came downstairs to bring him back.

Now, he was slumped in a chair, still looking like he hadn’t fully recovered. When he saw the two brothers walk in, he just weakly raised a hand in greeting.

Seeing his half-dead state, Li Yan was a little speechless. “I told you not to drink so much.”

Secretary Yang leaned back in his chair and feebly replied, “Stop nagging. My head is about to explode.”

“You didn’t take any hangover medicine when you got home?”

“I did, but I guess mixing drinks made it too strong,” Secretary Yang sighed. “I can’t just sleep it off like I could in my twenties.”

“I’ll make some honey water. It helps.”

When Li Nuo came out with a cup, Qin Xu had just arrived. He glanced at the pale-faced Secretary Yang and clicked his tongue in amusement.

“I thought you were really a thousand-cup drinker, considering how determined you were last night to empty the bar’s inventory.”

Secretary Yang rolled his eyes. “Can’t a guy just drink for fun if he’s happy?”

Seeing Li Nuo emerge from the pantry, he extended his arm.

“Hurry up, my honey water!”

Li Nuo handed over the cup. Secretary Yang took a few gulps before letting out a satisfied sigh.

Qin Xu frowned. “Don’t trouble others to take care of you. Get the morning report delivered promptly.”

Watching Qin Xu’s retreating figure as he entered the inner office, Secretary Yang inwardly cursed the heartless capitalist, finishing the rest of his honey water in one go before finally feeling a bit revived.

He grabbed the report and staggered toward the office, his back inexplicably exuding a sense of bitterness.

However, Li Nuo looked at him with admiration. “Secretary Yang, even drunk to that extent, didn’t let it affect his work. That’s amazing.”

Li Yan nodded in agreement. You can say his dedication as a working professional was exceptional.

……………

Mo Chuan had compressed what was supposed to be a two-week business trip into five grueling days. He didn’t take any breaks, working immediately after short periods of sleep.

The subordinates accompanying him were so full of grievances that they could practically kill someone. Fortunately, after completing the tasks, Mo Chuan returned to the country first, leaving the others to sort things out and get some rest.

Emerging from the airport, Mo Chuan dragged a suitcase with one hand and carried a plush toy in the other. Liu Ming was already waiting in the car. When he saw Mo Chuan, he took the suitcase and reached for the plush toy, only to be stopped by Mo Chuan.

“I’ll hold this myself.”

It was a white cat plushie, with artificial fur and an adorably lifelike expression.

The sight of Mo Chuan in a suit holding it was quite jarring.

“Young Master, should we head home to rest first?”

“No, straight to the office.”

Mo Chuan glanced at the time. He should arrive before the workday ended.

Although puzzled, Liu Ming started the car and drove toward the company.