Become the Sickly Villain in the Novel - Chapter 68

When Li Yan arrived after work, Li Nuo had already regained consciousness. Seeing him enter, Li Nuo struggled to lift his hand and called out in a slightly hoarse voice.

He had assumed that only Li Yan would come, but upon seeing Secretary Yang following behind him, he was pleasantly surprised.

Secretary Yang placed the bag in his hand on the table and immediately walked to the bedside.

“Oh dear, you’ve suffered so much. Just when you were getting better, your face has thinned again. What happened? Is Secretary Li not giving you food?”

Secretary Yang rambled on loudly, complaining.

Li Nuo listened with a smile as he chattered away.

“When we went to the izakaya last time, I realized that sometimes, people really need some junk food, right? Fried chicken is delicious, isn’t it?”

“I know Li Yan wouldn’t buy it for you. Once you recover, I’ll get it for you, along with some barbecue. You’ve been craving that too, haven’t you?”

Secretary Yang continued enticing Li Nuo with his words.

Sitting nearby, Mo Chuan grew irritated and waved him away. “All you do is talk. Move aside, don’t get so close. Your cold air is drifting over. Just seeing your face makes things worse again.”

“How could that be? Li Nuo should be happy to see me, right?”

Completely unaffected by Mo Chuan, Secretary Yang grinned and leaned in closer. Seeing his playful demeanor, Li Nuo felt much of his gloom dissipate.

“It’s been a while.”

His hoarse voice carried a note of welcome.

Secretary Yang was concerned. “Ah, don’t talk. Here, have some water.”

Standing by the bed, Li Yan reached out and touched his brother’s forehead, breathing a sigh of relief. “No more fever.”

“Mm, Brother He also said that everything is fine now. As long as I get through tonight without the illness worsening, it’ll be okay.”

Li Nuo slowly relayed He Yan’s words.

Li Yan nodded. “I’ll be careful tonight. Is there anything else I need to watch out for?”

“Wait, you don’t need to say it.” Considering his brother’s swollen throat, Li Yan raised a hand to stop him and turned to the person sitting silently beside them. “Director Mo, you’ve been here all day? You should know what Dr. He said, right?”

Mo Chuan nodded. “He said I just need to stay here with him tonight.”

Li Yan’s face immediately darkened, and he struggled to suppress the urge to throw a punch.

“Director, you didn’t attend the afternoon meeting. Neglecting your duties like this isn’t good, is it?”

“Secretary Liu was there, and even Qin Xu didn’t say anything, so just leave it alone.” Mo Chuan had no patience for obstacles in his pursuit of love.

Seeing that an argument was about to break out, Secretary Yang stepped in, picking up the bag he had just set down.

“Hey, hey, let’s eat dinner first. Director, I got yours too.”

Mo Chuan waved him off indifferently. “Go away, you’re too noisy.”

Secretary Yang muttered under his breath, “Ungrateful bastard.”

But he was used to Mo Chuan’s indifference, having been around Qin Xu all the time.

He simply grabbed a sandwich and walked over to Li Nuo. “Eat dinner. There’s not much else you can have right now. Just hold on for a few days, and once you’re better, you can eat whatever you want.”

Li Nuo took the sandwich and nodded. He had little appetite, but his body needed nourishment to recover.

He took a sip of water before slowly chewing the sandwich.

Since Secretary Yang’s family was waiting for him, he didn’t stay long and waved goodbye shortly after.

Only Mo Chuan and Li Yan remained.

After Li Nuo finished eating, Mo Chuan still showed no signs of leaving, and Li Yan finally lost patience.

“Director, aren’t you going home?”

“I already said I need to stay and keep him company.”

“That’s unnecessary. Please leave.”

“I don’t want to.”

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Li Nuo raised his hand to stop them.

“Both of you… Just go home.”

Li Yan had been looking after him since last night without proper rest and had worked all day today.

Mo Chuan had also stayed in the hospital room for nearly an entire day.

It was just a cold, a contagious illness, not post-surgical recovery. Li Nuo hoped both of them would go home and rest properly.

During the day, the nurses all wore masks, but Mo Chuan refused to wear one no matter how much Li Nuo tried to persuade him.

“What if you catch a cold?”

Li Nuo did his best to express his concern, but neither of them seemed to care.

Mo Chuan even grinned and said, “I heard that if you pass your cold to someone else, you’ll recover faster. Isn’t there a superstition about stepping on leftover medicine scraps to carry away the illness?”

“…Superstitions are unreliable.”

Li Yan was equally unmoved. “Brother, Brother He already said tonight is crucial. How could I possibly go home? I’ll watch over you tonight.”

Li Yan raised the air conditioning temperature slightly to prevent him from catching a chill during the night.

Half-lying in bed, Li Nuo looked at Mo Chuan and waved his hand. “Go home.”

Mo Chuan sighed. Even if he wanted to stay at the hospital, Li Yan wouldn’t allow it, and their arguments would only cause more trouble for Li Nuo.

Of course, if he could successfully win over his beloved, then these concerns wouldn’t matter.

Mo Chuan glanced at Li Nuo, whose eyelids were drooping with drowsiness, and reached out to brush his slightly damp hair, made sweaty from the thick blankets and warmth. “I’ll leave in a bit. You sleep first. Resting will help you recover faster.”

Feeling the coolness of Mo Chuan’s hand, Li Nuo closed his eyes comfortably.

“Good night. Sweet dreams. And of course, it’d be even better if you dream of me.”

Mo Chuan’s playful words made the corners of Li Nuo’s lips curl slightly. Soon, he drifted off to sleep.

Seeing that he was asleep, Mo Chuan stood up and glanced at Li Yan. “You really should get some proper rest. Your dark circles are heavy. If your immune system weakens, you might actually catch the cold. Then you wouldn’t be able to take care of Li Nuo.”

His words were sincere. If Li Yan got sick, Li Nuo would likely be worried, which wouldn’t help his recovery.

After Mo Chuan left, Li Yan sat on the couch and let out a sigh. He was indeed a little tired.

To be honest, he could no longer function as he had before, surviving on only three to four hours of sleep a day while still having enough energy to work.

Now, he was relying solely on willpower to keep going.

Rubbing his temples, he glanced at his brother, set an alarm, and planned to rest for a while before waking up again during the night to check on him.

Li Nuo’s hospital stay lasted longer than expected. Perhaps his body hadn’t fully recovered before the fever and cold took their toll, making his recovery slower than anticipated.

Although he cooperated fully with the treatment, he still needed time.

Meanwhile, the company matters were more troublesome than expected. Qin Xu’s internal power struggle forced Li Yan to work overtime. Mo Chuan still showed up every evening after work, but only briefly. Qin Xu was so swamped that he only sent occasional messages.

After not seeing anyone for several days, Zhang Wanhui finally lost patience and sent a message saying he wanted to visit.

Li Nuo agreed.

As Zhang Wanhui looked around the hospital room, his gaze landed on the cabinets, which were completely stocked with fruits and snacks.

Noticing his stare, Li Nuo said, “Go ahead and eat. If they just sit there, they’ll go bad anyway. I can’t finish them all.”

All of those had been brought over by Mo Chuan every time he visited. Even when Li Nuo told him not to, Mo Chuan would just look pitiful and say, “This is the only thing I can do.”

Li Nuo couldn’t refuse him, so he eventually just let him be.

Now, every time he saw that pile of snacks and fruit, Mo Chuan’s face would automatically appear in his mind.

He suspected the other party was doing it on purpose.

Zhang Wanhui casually munched on some snacks while glancing around the room. Eventually, he wandered over to the window and looked outside.

“This hospital room is pretty nice. Must be expensive.”

Li Nuo didn’t respond, only giving him a glance.

“Who’s paying for it? That guy from the coffee shop last time?”

Li Nuo shook his head. His medical expenses had always been covered by Qin Xu. It seemed to be one of the conditions for Li Yan to become a secretary at the company—Qin Xu would sponsor Li Nuo’s medical bills.

That was a year ago. But Zhang Wanhui didn’t know. Had the original owner not told him? If not, then Li Nuo wouldn’t say anything either. He still couldn’t completely trust Zhang Wanhui. Something told him the man was hiding something from him.

Zhang Wanhui didn’t press the issue. He moved away from the window and sat down on the couch.

“This is actually pretty good.”

“It’s a specialty snack Brother Mo brought back from overseas. He said it’s quite famous.”

“…Mo… That guy I saw twice at the coffee shop?”

“Mm, that’s right.”

Zhang Wanhui instantly lost his appetite. Remembering that man’s scorn and harsh words in the alley last time, he pushed the snacks away and stopped eating.

He had originally wanted to tell Li Nuo about Mo Chuan’s cold remarks, but considering that after his memory loss, Li Nuo seemed to be closer to Mo Chuan than to him, he abandoned the idea.

Later, when he contacted Li Nuo, he would ask about Mo Chuan—what kind of person he was, how they had met—but Li Nuo was very cautious and only gave vague, insignificant answers.

Even without words, his attire spoke volumes.

Tailored clothing with expensive fabrics, spotless leather shoes—though Zhang Wanhui didn’t know the brand, he could still recognize the limited-edition watch on Mo Chuan’s left wrist when he raised his hand.

Definitely a wealthy man.

Li Nuo had interacted with many rich people in the past. There were plenty of people interested in him for his looks. Even if they knew he was approaching them for money, they didn’t mind. In fact, it was better that way. Just a casual fling.

But because of his health, Li Nuo himself had hesitated. He wanted money, but his frail body couldn’t handle it.

In the end, he never took action.

Much to Zhang Wanhui’s regret.

But that didn’t matter. Now, Li Nuo had a new target, and he had already succeeded. All Zhang Wanhui had to do was wait to get his share.

He still saw Li Nuo as the same person he used to be.

After all, he believed that a person’s true nature wouldn’t change so easily.

“Is he really the one paying for your medical expenses?”

“Is that so important? You’ve asked twice already.”

Li Nuo was wary of his persistent questioning and refused to answer. Only then did Zhang Wanhui realize the need to change the subject.

“Your cold seems to be much better. When can you be discharged?”

“The doctor says not yet.”

He Yan had said he still needed to stay in the hospital for observation for a few more days. Li Nuo trusted his judgment on this.

“Did you come to the hospital for something today? Didn’t you say you found something?”

Zhang Wanhui had messaged earlier, saying he had made some discoveries, which was why Li Nuo had agreed to his visit.

“Oh, right. Give me a moment.”

He reached into his jacket pocket, took out a photograph, and handed it over. Li Nuo glanced at it. It was a picture of a middle-aged man.

Seeing his confused expression, Zhang Wanhui tapped the photo. “Don’t recognize him?”

Li Nuo tried to recall… A middle-aged man related to him…

“…Could this be my father?”

“You figured it out?”

“Is this really my father?”

Looking at the man in the photograph, Li Nuo couldn’t find even the slightest hint of familiarity. There was no resemblance to himself or to Li Yan. Oh, wait. He had it backward.

Either way, there was no trace of genetic inheritance to be seen.

“Doesn’t look like you, does he? I thought the same thing.”

Li Nuo couldn’t help but study the picture more closely. The facial features, the shape of the face—there was absolutely no trace of family resemblance.

“You once told me that you take after your mother, that she was a great beauty.”

“Ah…”

Li Nuo had complicated feelings about the mother who had abandoned their family. Perhaps it was precisely because of her beauty that she had been unwilling to fall into the endless pit of medical expenses.

“Are there… any photos of Mom?”

“No. In fact, even this picture was given to me by you. You asked me to help you find him.” Zhang Wanhui tapped on the photo.

“I said that?”

Li Nuo was bewildered. The original owner had done such a thing?

Looking for that gambling-addicted father?

Was he serious?