Become the Sickly Villain in the Novel - Chapter 65

Li Nuo was practically dragged into the house. He turned back to glance behind him. Mo Chuan was smiling as he waved goodbye. Li Nuo opened his mouth, forming the words “goodbye” in return.

As soon as the door closed, Li Nuo cautiously looked at Li Yan. “Are you angry?”

Li Yan rubbed his face and forced a smile. “No, I’ll go make dinner. Brother, you sit down first.”

Yeah, right. Watching Li Yan’s retreating figure heading toward the kitchen, Li Nuo shook his head helplessly. The atmosphere had sunk to the depths of hell, yet he was still putting on a brave front.

But did Li Yan see something? Or did he hear something?

His dear younger brother had always been extremely wary of Mo Chuan. He had even warned him before not to get too close to Mo Chuan.

What just happened probably made him feel a little upset.

During dinner, even when Li Nuo wanted to bring up what had happened earlier, Li Yan would deliberately change the subject, refusing to talk about it. Li Nuo could only sigh inwardly.

“Li Yan, I’m going to take a shower.”

“Mm.”

Standing at the sink, Li Yan washed the dishes from dinner. Only when he heard the bathroom door close did he let out a heavy sigh.

He felt like all his efforts had been in vain. He had tried so hard to keep Mo Chuan and Qin Xu away from his brother, yet it seemed to have had the opposite effect. It was enough to make him feel utterly defeated.

If he stepped in to stop them directly, maybe it would work. But if he interfered too much in his brother’s personal relationships, Li Nuo would probably find it unbearable. In that case, their relationship might grow distant again.

He wanted to take good care of his brother. But if someone truly reliable appeared in his brother’s life, he would be happy for him. What he wished for was simply for Li Nuo to meet someone “good, gentle, and decent”—not a playboy!

Someone who loved his brother, had patience and would treat him well. Ideally, someone with a stable family background, since Li Nuo couldn’t handle strenuous work and had to go for regular medical checkups. Financially, Mo Chuan did meet the criteria, but as a person, he was worlds apart from being a “good man.”

Li Yan slammed his fist against the sink in frustration. Qin Xu was no better. Neither of them inspired any confidence.

No way. Those two had to be ruled out. No matter how high their status was, they had plenty of enemies. The business world wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

Even he had to tread carefully around them, let alone his brother.

While Li Yan stood in the kitchen, lost in thought, Li Nuo, inside the bathroom, was also caught up in his own turmoil.

Just now, at the door, his smartwatch had registered a heart rate of over a hundred. His heart had already improved after this period of recovery, yet every time Mo Chuan got close, it still raced uncontrollably.

Mo Chuan had always been physically affectionate with him before, but now, it felt completely different.

Was it because of the confession? Now, whenever Mo Chuan approached, his whole body felt uneasy.

Under the stream of warm water, he shuddered, overwhelmed by this unfamiliar emotion.

An unfamiliar, restless feeling stirred in his chest, making his heart itch. He scrubbed himself harder, as if trying to wash away his chaotic thoughts.

It took a long while before he finally stepped out of the bathroom.

Li Yan glanced at his damp hair and quickly grabbed the hairdryer. “Brother, come here. You have to dry your hair, or you’ll catch a cold. It’s late autumn already.”

“Oh, I can do it myself. You must be exhausted from all the overtime recently.”

“I still have enough energy to dry your hair.”

There was no need to be overly cautious about Li Nuo’s health anymore. As long as he was careful in his movements, maintained a proper diet, and exercised appropriately, there wouldn’t be any major issues.

So, Li Yan wasn’t overly protective of him. Besides, he had been swamped with work lately. This was the first time in a while that the two brothers had seen each other at night.

Previously, by the time Li Yan came home, Li Nuo had already gone to bed.

The hum of the hairdryer filled the living room. The two brothers fell into silence.

Drying short hair didn’t take long. After a few minutes, Li Yan switched off the hairdryer.

After a few seconds of silence, Li Nuo finally asked, “You saw everything today, didn’t you?”

“……”

There was no response. Li Nuo turned around. Sure enough, Li Yan was looking at him with an expression of suppressed anger.

Li Nuo couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’ll always be my dear little brother. There’s nothing to worry about. Besides, I haven’t even agreed to anything.”

If he got into a relationship now, Li Yan would be left all alone. His brother had spent most of his life looking after him. If he was suddenly left by himself, he would probably feel lost.

Li Nuo stood up and pulled Li Yan into a comforting hug. “No matter what happens, nothing will change the fact that we’re family. So, don’t worry.”

Where Li Nuo couldn’t see, Li Yan’s expression turned bitter.

Family… huh?

……………

Mo Chuan drove into a familiar garage. This was a highly secure villa district. At least Qin Xu still had some conscience—though he had kicked him out before, he hadn’t changed the access codes.

Pressing the eight-digit password, Mo Chuan walked into the villa, humming a tune. He was clearly in a good mood. Sitting in the living room, reading through documents, Qin Xu frowned. “Shut up. Stop singing.”

After a brief pause, he added, “You came back but didn’t report to the company. What exactly are you up to?”

Mo Chuan collapsed onto the sofa, looking completely exhausted. To be honest, he was a little tired. The drive had been quite long today. Hearing Qin Xu’s question, he snorted, “I had Liu Ming take care of it. Why would I need to go myself?”

“Besides, according to the schedule, I wasn’t supposed to be back for another two or three days.”

Qin Xu nodded. “Didn’t expect you to be this competent after all. I suppose pressure really does bring out motivation. From now on—”

Before he could finish, Mo Chuan interrupted, “Forget it. I’m not going on any more business trips. Send someone else.”

What a joke! Going on another trip? Not a chance. Not when he had just made up his mind to pursue Li Nuo properly.

“Speaking of which, I went to see Li Nuo. Why haven’t you dealt with the person who just appeared around him? Doesn’t seem like a good guy either.”

“He’s not necessarily someone who needs to be dealt with. Besides, I’m curious. Will this trigger Li Nuo’s memories?”

Mo Chuan tilted his head back and scoffed. No wonder Qin Xu had only asked Fang Che to investigate but hadn’t taken further action.

Because if Li Nuo regained his memories, Qin Xu would actually be at an advantage. After all, the old Li Nuo had been deeply attached to him.

But now that he knew about it, he would take action. If they left things alone and something happened in the future, it would be too late for regrets.

“By the way, you’ve seen Liu Ming’s investigation report, haven’t you?” Qin Xu suddenly asked.

Mo Chuan sat up and scratched his head. “Yeah, I saw it. Honestly, I had my suspicions before, but seeing it with my own eyes was still shocking.”

“So things like this really do happen in real life, huh.”

“Yeah,” Mo Chuan replied, following his train of thought. “The law is fascinating. Two people with no blood relation can become ‘twins’ on official records just because of an adoption document. Actually, calling them twins is ridiculous. Their real birth dates are two months apart.”

“What’s even more absurd is that the younger brother seems to know about it.” Qin Xu added matter-of-factly.

Mo Chuan clicked his tongue in amusement. “Now that you mention it, I’m actually curious about the father. How does someone manage to raise a child with zero blood relation to be so devoted to his real son, so much so that he’d endure beatings and scoldings without complaint?”

Thinking back on Li Yan’s past, wasn’t his entire existence centered around Li Nuo? Even knowing that the person he was devoted to wasn’t really his biological brother, he still acted the same.

And then there was the look Li Yan had given him today—like a father catching a blond delinquent trying to get close to his beautiful daughter. The hostility was palpable.

He was clearly a man in his twenties, yet his sense of responsibility toward his older brother was unbelievably strong.

Hearing Mo Chuan’s words, Qin Xu’s mind stirred. Could it be that the old Li Nuo had sensed this too? Is that why… he despised Li Yan?

But with Li Nuo’s amnesia, there was no way to confirm it now.

At least on the surface, their brotherly bond was flawless. Their former neighbors hadn’t suspected a thing, and even Liu Ming had taken a long time to confirm the truth.

As he was deep in thought, Mo Chuan’s voice interrupted.

“I confessed today. But I haven’t succeeded yet. To win his heart, I’ll do whatever it takes. Even if it means using you.”

Under the lights, Mo Chuan’s emerald-green eyes darkened. Qin Xu narrowed his eyes and met his gaze.

Mo Chuan noticed the subtle flicker in those pitch-black eyes. His smirk deepened. So, Qin Xu had also fallen for him.

The reason Mo Chuan had said it out loud wasn’t to turn Qin Xu into an enemy. He wanted both—his lover and his old friend.

He had spoken up to make a declaration.

“If he says yes, you’d better not regret it. I’m not going to give him a chance to back out.”

Mo Chuan was full of confidence. “I’ll definitely succeed.”

Qin Xu knew Mo Chuan well enough to understand what he meant. He wasn’t trying to ruin their friendship.

So, Qin Xu ought to give a serious response as well.

“Does my opinion matter?”

“Of course. I’m telling you in advance because I want you to know that I won’t betray you. Even if I end up with Li Nuo, you will still be my best and only true friend.”

That might have sounded cheesy, but Qin Xu had known Mo Chuan for years. He knew the man meant it.

Which is why he was surprised.

Mo Chuan rarely wanted anything so badly. With his privileged upbringing, lack of interest in power, and a family that doted on him, he had always lived freely.

But that didn’t mean he was incapable. When he set his mind on something, he was relentless, just like how he had once pestered Qin Xu until they became friends.

In a way, they were the same kind of people. Qin Xu had taken control of the company for his own reasons and had pulled Mo Chuan in to assist him.

Mo Chuan himself, along with his family’s influence, had been a huge asset to Qin Xu.

Qin Xu curled his lips into a smile. “Seeing you this confident makes me really want to knock you down a peg. What should I do?”

“Heh. If you can.”

So, in the end, who would Li Nuo choose?

“Obviously, the winner will be me.”

Mo Chuan flashed a calm and composed smile.