Become the Sickly Villain in the Novel - Chapter 73

Perhaps it was the familiar floral fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose—Li Nuo found himself dreaming again after a long time.

No, this isn’t a dream. My memories have returned.

The first time was in a small courtyard in the countryside, the second time in a hospital, the third time outside a villa, and this time, inside a house.

It was still from a child’s perspective.

It should be inside that villa, a spacious living room with toys scattered all over the floor.

The child was playing with a Rubik’s cube, completely engrossed, while a brown puppy lay beside him, fast asleep.

A series of footsteps sounded from the entrance. The child and the puppy stood up almost simultaneously and ran toward the door.

Three people walked in against the light.

An elderly man, a middle-aged man, and a middle-aged woman.

The puppy was the first to leap forward. It seemed to be more familiar with the first two, jumping onto one person and then the other in excitement.

Seizing the moment while the puppy was preoccupied with the elderly man, the child lunged at the middle-aged man’s leg, wrapping his arms tightly around it.

The man seemed to chuckle lightly. He bent down and picked up the child, causing his field of vision to rise abruptly. The child giggled with delight.

The man asked, “Xiao Nuo, did you miss me?”

Xiao Nuo, the child’s name. Also… his own name.

The child’s crisp voice rang out, “Missed—”

The prolonged tone of the word made all three adults laugh.

“Come on, let’s go out and play.”

Stepping out of the villa, they entered a beautifully designed courtyard. Not far from the entrance, there was a cluster of flowers emitting the same fragrance that had lingered around his nose before falling asleep.

The group moved into the courtyard. The child was set down and immediately started running around, playing with the brown puppy.

Perhaps because summer was approaching, the courtyard was lush and green. While the child played, the three adults sat in a pavilion, chatting and watching over him.

It was unclear how much time had passed; something seemed to have happened to the child. His entire field of vision wavered, and in the next second, his body tilted sideways, and he lost consciousness.

The panicked shouts of the adults and the frantic barking of the puppy faded rapidly.

Li Nuo opened his eyes.

……………

While he was sleeping, Mrs. Zheng instructed Li Yan, who had woken up early, and He Yan, who had been driving the whole time, to take a rest. After arranging for them, she crossed the living room and headed to a secluded room at the farthest end of the first floor.

Unlike the other rooms, this one required a password to unlock.

After ensuring that no one was following her, she entered the room.

Unexpectedly, inside was only a passage leading downward.

Descending to the basement level, she was greeted by two people who were seated in front of multiple screens displaying live surveillance footage of both the interior and exterior of the residence. This was the monitoring room.

“Edit the footage of them visiting the greenhouse and send it to my email.”

At the very least, the young master should see the person.

Ever since Li Nuo stepped into the villa, his every move had been under surveillance. If any sudden health issues arose, the in-house physician would handle them immediately, and if necessary, the helicopter stationed in the backyard could be deployed at once.

Mrs. Zheng Yan’s report was sent to Liu Ming, who then forwarded it to Mo Chuan.

Amid his busy schedule, Mo Chuan took a moment to watch the video. Seeing Li Nuo flitting about in the greenhouse like a butterfly, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Well, it wasn’t a waste of my time to redecorate the place.”

Although he couldn’t send flowers, gifting an entire greenhouse was a good alternative. He had made sure to include all of Li Nuo’s favorite flowers.

Reaching out, he brushed his fingers across the screen as if trying to touch the image of Li Nuo, who was napping inside.

“I miss you so much…”

He let out a long sigh.

Qin Xu tossed a document at him. “If you miss him, then hurry up and get back to work.”

Only by finishing the tasks here quickly could they either go see Li Nuo or bring him back.

……………

Li Nuo opened his eyes, sat up from the lounge chair, and rubbed his head, letting out a brief sigh.

“Is that child alright?”

He stood up and spaced out for a moment. There was no way he wasn’t alright. After all, that child was himself.

Li Nuo clutched his chest. So, something like that had happened to him as a child? He suddenly collapsed? Was he ever cured?

A pang of unease surged within him as he recalled his memories from the hospital—the sight of that frail, bony hand. It seemed he hadn’t been cured, and he had carried it with him into adulthood.

Covering his face with his hands, his mind spun with chaotic thoughts.

Had he truly forgotten everything? Was it because he had been too young?

No, something was wrong with his memory. He only remembered events from this novel.

A friend had recommended this book to him? Which friend? Why couldn’t he recall anything at all?

Had he been ill before?

There was too little information. Li Nuo began to suspect that something had gone wrong with his mind when he entered this novel’s world. Otherwise, how could he remember nothing and still feel so at ease?

He got up from the lounge chair and gazed at a nearby cluster of flowers, the same ones he had seen in his dream.

Was it the familiar floral fragrance that triggered his memory?

He picked up the phone on the table and glanced at it. As expected, there was no signal, but the time was still visible. It was already past three in the afternoon.

Thinking that Li Yan would probably be heading back to the city soon, he took his phone and went to find him. Staying here, what would he do about his daily necessities? More importantly, he hadn’t brought many clothes.

Before he could step out of the greenhouse, Zheng Yan appeared before him, carrying a tray. Seeing him, she smiled and said, “I figured you’d be waking up around now, so I came to check on you. You must be thirsty after spending so much time in the greenhouse. Have some water first.”

“Housekeeper Zheng, hello. I was just about to go look for my brother.” Since he would be spending quite some time with this person, Li Nuo greeted her politely and took the glass of water.

“Just call me Aunt Zheng,” Mrs. Zheng said warmly. “Your brother is upstairs in a room on the second floor, unpacking. I’ll take you to him.”

Since Li Yan was leaving in the afternoon, a room hadn’t been prepared for him. What he was tidying up now was Li Nuo’s living quarters.

He had only taken a quick look in the morning, but now that he examined it more carefully, he realized that the room was truly luxurious, with excellent lighting.

After escorting him, Aunt Zheng went downstairs. When Li Nuo entered the room, Li Yan had just opened an unusually large wardrobe on the side.

Compared to his own light luggage, the contents of the wardrobe were much more abundant.

“These were all prepared in advance?”

Li Nuo glanced over the wardrobe. There were clothes for all four seasons, as well as plenty of undergarments. It was clear that Mo Chuan had been extremely thorough in his preparations.

As Li Yan sorted the clothes neatly into categories, Li Nuo sat on the bed, hugging the stuffed cat he had brought with him.

“When are you planning to leave?”

Without turning around, Li Yan replied, “I have to set off by five at the latest. I need to get out of the mountains before it gets dark.”

After all, this area was sparsely populated, and traveling at night could be dangerous.

“So soon? That means you’re leaving in just a bit.”

Li Nuo felt reluctant. Although He Yan would be there with him, the thought of being apart from Li Yan for such a long time made him uneasy. They had never been separated for this long before.

“Ah, I saw a telephone in the living room. Should we try using it to contact you?”

“They said it’s broken and hasn’t been fixed yet. Just hold on for now. If I have time, I’ll come visit you.”

Li Yan also felt uneasy about being unable to contact his brother. However, since he could get updates from Liu Ming, he was somewhat reassured.

The villa was equipped with surveillance cameras everywhere to ensure Li Nuo’s safety. However, likely for privacy reasons, there were no cameras inside the rooms.

Although a bit disappointed, Li Nuo could only nod. “Alright, but you have to remember to visit me.”

Li Yan turned around, crouched in front of him, and looked into his pale-colored eyes. Holding his hand, he gently reminded him, “After I leave, don’t forget to take walks. If you need anything, just ask Housekeeper Zheng directly. Don’t be afraid to trouble others.”

“I’ve put all your clothes away. There are plenty of new outfits in the wardrobe. Wear whatever you like, no need to be particular. They were all prepared for you, so make sure to keep warm.”

Seeing Li Nuo nod, he continued, “You can take walks within the villa grounds, but don’t go outside. I’ve told you before, this area is close to the mountains and can be dangerous. There are wild animals around.”

“If you find it too cold outside, go to the greenhouse. It’s warm there, and it has all the flowers you like.”

“I know.”

“……”

No matter how reluctant he was, Li Yan still had to leave.

Standing by the front door, Li Nuo watched the black car disappear from sight before He Yan urged him back into the main hall.

“I get how you feel, but don’t stay out in the cold too long on winter nights.”

He Yan draped a blanket over him. “Keep it on until you’re completely warm.”

Wrapped in the blanket, Li Nuo sat on the couch he had taken a liking to at first sight earlier in the day, gazing out at the now-darkened sky, his face full of worry.

He wasn’t clueless.

Lately, Li Yan had been working overtime, Mo Chuan had been appearing less frequently, and Qin Xu had not contacted him at all.

Only the photo Mo Chuan sent the other day confirmed that the two of them were alright.

And now, they had sent him to this place in the middle of nowhere and even arranged for Brother He to stay with him for a few days to ease his worries.

“Seriously, do they think I’m a fool?” he muttered under his breath.

It was obvious that those three were planning something big and didn’t want him involved, so they had sent him away for a while.

They were the main characters of the novel. Nothing should happen to them, right?

That was what he told himself, but at this point, the novel’s plot had deviated so much that Li Nuo was no longer sure.

Noticing the changes in his expression, He Yan walked over, ruffled his hair, and reassured him, “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. You have to trust them.”

“Brother He…”

“They’ve been preparing for this for a long time, and they’re confident about it. They just sent you here out of concern. It’ll all be over soon.”

Li Nuo was silent for a moment before nodding firmly. “Mm. I trust them.”

Seeing this, He Yan flicked his forehead lightly. “You really are here to recuperate, so stop worrying so much. Otherwise, you’ll look even paler. Alright, go eat dinner, then get plenty of rest and keep a regular schedule. Eat well and put on some weight.”

Li Nuo chuckled. “I won’t get that chubby.”

His appetite was small, and he rarely ate snacks. Gaining weight would be difficult.

Seeing him stand up, Aunt Zheng smiled warmly and led the two of them to the dining hall.