Become the Sickly Villain in the Novel - Chapter 72

The hospital discharge procedures were completed quickly. Li Yan had already discussed it with He Yan the day before. In order to ensure that Li Nuo would obediently go to Songshan, Li Yan took a day off to accompany him.

Although he could not stay there with him, which was somewhat regrettable, in the long run, this was the only viable option.

As Qin Xu’s secretary, it was acceptable for him to be absent for a day, but if he was gone for too long, Wen Dong would certainly become suspicious.

“Finally discharged from the hospital.” Li Nuo neatly folded his hospital gown and, looking energized, slung his backpack over his shoulder.

“Are we going straight home?”

“No, we’re going somewhere else.”

“Where?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

Li Nuo nodded without further questioning. He wasn’t worried that Li Yan would take him to any strange place.

As the two packed their belongings, the hospital room door opened, and He Yan walked in. “All packed?”

Li Yan replied, “Yes, we’re just waiting for you.”

Li Nuo, however, was surprised. “Brother He, aren’t you supposed to be on a rare day off?”

“Yes, and I’ve decided to spend this precious time with you two.”

Li Nuo curiously studied him. “So that’s why you’re in casual clothes?”

He had never seen Brother He without a white coat before. He looked completely different.

“Why? Does it not suit me?”

“No, you look very handsome.” Li Nuo gave him a thumbs-up. “So, are we going somewhere fun?”

For the past few days, following Mo Chuan’s instructions, He Yan had found various reasons to keep Li Nuo inside the hospital, rarely letting him go out. But this couldn’t last much longer.

Fortunately, Mo Chuan had finally taken the next step in his plan.

“Let’s go. You’ll find out when we get there.” He helped carry the luggage.

The group made their way down to the underground parking lot, where a black car was parked.

“It’s a rental,” He Yan said as he opened the driver’s side door. “I’ll drive. You two can sit in the back.”

As soon as his car left the parking lot, two other vehicles followed closely behind, heading straight out of the city.

Throughout the drive, Li Yan remained silent. One aspect was the excuse, and another aspect was whether his brother would accept it.

Li Nuo, however, was in good spirits, gazing out the window at the barren winter trees outside.

“We’ve left the city by now, right? Are we heading out of town?”

Li Yan, who had been quiet, finally spoke. “Yes, you’ll be staying there for a while. There’s a severe flu outbreak in our neighborhood, and we don’t want you to get infected, so you can’t go back for now.”

Li Nuo was stunned. He had thought they were just going out for the day, but he hadn’t expected to be staying for a while.

Seeing his silence, Li Yan grew a bit anxious. “The scenery there is beautiful, and the air is fresh. It’s just for a short while. Once winter is over, you can come back.”

“Are you coming too?”

“…No, I’ll be leaving tonight.”

“I’ll be alone?”

“Brother He will stay with you for a while.”

Li Nuo frowned. If there was a flu outbreak, couldn’t he just stay home and take extra precautions? Why did he have to be sent away to such a remote place?

But looking at Li Yan’s weary face, he swallowed his disappointment and nodded. “Alright.”

Since Li Yan had arranged for him to go, it should be fine. He didn’t want to cause more trouble.

Seeing that he agreed, Li Yan forced a smile. “The company is really busy right now, so I won’t be able to visit. But there will be plenty of people there to take care of you. Don’t worry, they’re all easy to get along with.”

Li Nuo sighed in relief.

“Also, because the place is quite remote, the signal isn’t great. Your phone might not work properly.”

“Feels like some kind of mysterious place.”

“But there are entertainment options too, so you won’t be bored.”

Li Nuo took out his phone. “Then I’ll let Brother Mo and Brother Qin know first.”

Mo Chuan would send messages almost every day. If he suddenly lost contact, he would probably become anxious.

Seeing Li Nuo busy messaging, Li Yan’s expression grew even more complicated.

This terrible idea had come from those two.

After exiting the highway, the car passed through a sparsely populated village and continued forward.

Li Nuo glanced at the now-barren farmland. In truth, he had no understanding of this world’s geography. After half a year here, the only area he was somewhat familiar with was the city center.

He could only tell that this place was indeed quite remote.

“Hey—did Brother Mo provide the house?”

Listening to Li Yan’s explanation, Li Nuo exclaimed, “So all the messages I sent were for nothing!”

Since the house belonged to Mo Chuan, he must already know where he was headed.

After thinking for a moment, Li Nuo asked again, “How do I contact you?”

“There’s a landline.”

“Are there no other residents around here?”

“In the summer, it’s known as a great spot for picnics and outings, and some people come here to hike. But in winter, there’s hardly anyone.”

“Ah, right. Even in winter, there are wild animals in the mountains, so, Brother, you shouldn’t wander off.”

“I know.”

Listening to the two brothers chat, He Yan’s lips curled into a small smile. As the wheels rolled on, they arrived in front of a massive iron gate. Through the gaps, they could vaguely make out a sprawling villa inside.

After a brief wait, the iron gate opened automatically.

He Yan stepped on the gas and drove inside.

Passing through the somewhat withered front garden, where cold-resistant plants such as irises, spireas, peonies, and camellias were still growing, they finally arrived at the main house, partially concealed by trees.

He Yan glanced outside.

“There are so many people here,” Li Nuo observed, also looking out the window.

Li Yan replied indifferently, “Oh, they’re the estate staff. With a place this big, you need people to manage the gardens, the main house, the greenhouse, and everything else.”

Li Nuo nodded, signaling his understanding.

Li Yan sighed inwardly. In reality, these were the guards Mo Chuan and Qin Xu had arranged. To avoid suspicion, they were all dressed as villa staff.

The car came to a slow stop, and Li Nuo stepped out, gazing at the villa before him.

“It’s beautiful.”

Upon entering, a massive landscape painting greeted them. Standing on the steps and looking back toward the front garden, one could see a koi pond and rows of cobblestone paths.

At the center of the koi pond, a small pavilion had been built, connected to the backyard by a winding corridor, exuding a peaceful and comfortable ambiance.

Li Nuo thought to himself, No wonder they had chosen this place for me to recuperate and spend the winter.

Inside, the heating was turned up high, and the moment Li Nuo stepped in, he could no longer feel the cold.

The courtyard followed a traditional Chinese aesthetic, but the first floor of the villa had a rather modern design, with a large glass window offering a panoramic view of the landscape outside.

Li Nuo was instantly drawn to the window and the plush-looking sofa beside it.

Meanwhile, Li Yan scanned his surroundings before pulling out his phone. No signal at all.

Even though this was far from the city, with the number of signal towers nowadays, there shouldn’t have been a complete lack of reception, even in the mountains. It seemed like they had actually installed a signal jammer.

As the three of them continued taking in their surroundings, a middle-aged woman emerged slowly from a side door. Naturally, all three turned their attention to her.

The woman introduced herself with practiced elegance. “Hello, I am Zheng Yan, the housekeeper here.”

Among the three, He Yan was the oldest. He stepped forward and extended a hand. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m He Yan.”

They shook hands with polite smiles.

Li Yan spoke first. “Hello, I’m Li Yan. This is Li Nuo, who will be staying here for the time being.”

“Hello.” Li Nuo gave a slight nod in greeting.

Mrs. Zheng looked at him and smiled warmly. “Young Master has already informed me. You’ve come from far away, so you must be hungry. Lunch is ready. Please, come and eat first.”

She gestured with her hand, leading them toward the dining room.

Because the villa was located near the mountains, lunch was primarily made up of carefully prepared local mountain delicacies. Having eaten hospital meals for a long time, Li Nuo now found the outside food particularly appetizing.

Mrs. Zheng quietly took note of the dishes he enjoyed, adding them to the list of preferences sent to her by the young master.

After they finished eating, she said, “The desserts will take a little longer. Why don’t I show you around in the meantime?”

The villa covered an extensive area. All spaces enclosed by iron fences were private zones, but when Li Nuo looked around, he could only see the fences surrounding the front garden, with no sight of the ones at the back.

The three floors of the villa were all living areas. The wings extending to either side housed storage rooms, restricted areas for management, and buildings serving other functions.

While the first floor had some rooms, it mainly consisted of the living room, dining room, and reception rooms. More importantly, there was a large indoor swimming pool.

Mrs. Zheng glanced at Li Nuo. “If you’d like to use the swimming pool, just let me know. I’ll have it filled with hot water. Don’t worry about the trouble. Swimming is an excellent form of exercise.”

Both Li Nuo’s and He Yan’s rooms were on the second floor, along with the home theater, game room, study, and gym, making things much more convenient.

The third floor mainly consisted of guest rooms.

After touring the main building, Mrs. Zheng led them outside. “The greenhouse is this way.”

She smiled at Li Nuo. “I think you’ll like it. The young master had it specially prepared for you.”

Li Nuo blinked. Young master? She must be referring to Mo Chuan. Did he specially prepare this place?

Walking through the chilly corridor, they soon arrived at the greenhouse in the backyard.

The entire structure was made of glass. Unlike the cold air outside, a wave of warm, floral-scented air greeted them the moment they stepped in.

Li Nuo glanced around at the lush greenery, his expression instantly brightening with delight.

He really did love flowers and plants. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have accepted the bouquets Mo Chuan brought him every time they met.

Noticing his reaction, Mrs. Zheng let out a small breath of relief.

Though the greenhouse had always been in operation, Mo Chuan’s sudden request had sent everyone scrambling.

A great deal of effort and resources had been poured into transforming it over the past few days.

But seeing how much Li Nuo seemed to like it, she thought, Young Master will surely be pleased as well.

Turning past a cluster of rose bushes, they saw a table and chairs set up in the center of the greenhouse.

“There’s a restroom here too. If you want, you can even sleep here.”

“…I probably wouldn’t go that far, but taking a nap here doesn’t sound bad.”

Maintaining and upgrading a greenhouse required significant funding. It was evident that Mo Chuan had put a lot of effort into this.

As they wandered around, someone entered and placed a food box on the central table.

Mrs. Zheng noticed and said, “The desserts are ready. Come, have some.”

She then introduced the apron-clad middle-aged woman who had just arrived. “This is Aunt Zhou. She’s in charge of the meals here.”

Aunt Zhou was a bit older than Zheng Yan, as evidenced by the fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Unlike Mrs. Zheng’s composed efficiency, she exuded warmth and kindness.

She smiled at them. “Come, have some dessert.”

Aunt Zhou had prepared a variety of bite-sized treats, and Li Nuo particularly enjoyed the subtly sweet Snow Mochi.

After finishing the desserts, he let out a yawn. Having traveled here by car since morning without any rest, now that the excitement had worn off, he was starting to feel drowsy.

Seeing his exhaustion, Li Yan intended to take him back to his room, but Li Nuo shook his head and pointed at the lounge chair. “I’ll just nap here. It’s not cold, and the air smells nice.”

Mrs. Zheng retrieved a thick, plush blanket from a small storage room connected to the greenhouse. “Here, cover yourself with this.”

Li Nuo wrapped himself in the blanket, lay down, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

The others didn’t disturb him, quietly stepping out of the greenhouse.