Become the Sickly Villain in the Novel - Chapter 77

Mo Chuan’s words flashed through Qin Xu’s mind. A little over a year ago, that was precisely when Li Yan joined the company.

“I see. So as soon as you noticed I had a new secretary, you started taking action, huh? That old fox is quite cautious.”

Zhang Wanhui, who despised Li Yan, and Li Yuzhi, who constantly came asking for money, could both be considered Li Yan’s enemies.

Qin Xu furrowed his brows. “Is Secretary Li doing well now?”

“Yeah, no problems. He’s been with Secretary Yang the whole time.”

Since everything was fine on that end, Qin Xu felt relieved but also puzzled. “But the one who made contact with that MLM company was Li Nuo. How did he get dragged into this?”

“When Li Nuo was handing out flyers back then, the person he encountered was probably just bait, deliberately leading him to that company,” Mo Chuan said with a serious expression. “I later questioned Li Nuo. The things that person said, the information he revealed about himself, were mostly lies. But he was careless and had already been under official surveillance.”

“But… that still doesn’t answer the question. What was the purpose of luring Li Nuo there?” Qin Xu asked.

Mo Chuan shook his head. “We don’t know yet. That Manager Lin is just a small fry. He doesn’t have access to information from higher up.”

“Then… what about starting with Li Yuzhi and Zhang Wanhui?”

Zhang Wanhui had always been in contact with Li Yuzhi, yet when Li Nuo asked him to help find his father, he didn’t inform him right away. Who knows what he was plotting?

Mo Chuan hesitated. “Li Nuo might not be happy about this, right?”

Though, he wanted to take that approach too.

Qin Xu was silent for a moment before giving up on the idea as well. “Forget it. Li Nuo is here now, and he’s safe. Those two won’t be able to reach him.”

“Ah, right, there’s also an interesting piece of news. Tsk, these guys are a real goldmine—no matter how much you dig, there’s always more,” Mo Chuan remarked with a sigh.

“What is it?” Qin Xu asked, intrigued.

“A few months ago, Zhang Wanhui apparently inquired about hiring a hitman.”

“?”

That was unexpected. Qin Xu’s brows twitched. He knew Mo Chuan wouldn’t look into something like that without good reason. “Who was he trying to kill?”

“No idea. The person he hired ran into some issues, so the job was postponed and never carried out.”

Both of them immediately thought of the two brothers. Given the circumstances, the target was most likely Li Yan.

“Tsk, better assign a few more people to protect Li Yan.”

“Mm, got it. Don’t worry. Secretary Yang and Secretary Li are both quite skilled. Ah, next week, Secretary Li should be coming over too. I’ll arrange for additional bodyguards. Relax, they’re all people my brother hired.”

“Alright.” Qin Xu had met the current head of the Mo family a few times. He was someone who handled matters with great composure.

“Well, that’s about all for now. By the way, how’s your wound healing? With Li Nuo taking care of you so attentively, you must be fine by now. Time to get back to work.”

After explaining everything, Mo Chuan once again returned to his sulking husband persona.

Although he had expected that sending Qin Xu here would make the two of them grow closer, the thought of the person he liked getting so close to his romantic rival still made his temper flare uncontrollably.

If only it were me instead.

He pursed his lips. “Do me a favor and have some tact. Just stay in your room today. Don’t come looking for me or Li Nuo.”

With that, he got up and left.

Qin Xu shook his head. Forget it. At least Mo Chuan hadn’t locked the door from the outside.

He took out the laptop from the cabinet and quickly connected it to the internet, something that, of course, wasn’t available in Li Nuo’s room.

The moment he opened his email, the notification sounds started chiming nonstop. Qin Xu pinched the bridge of his nose. Looks like there was a lot of work to catch up on.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, Mo Chuan strode quickly to Li Nuo’s door.

Even though he had been receiving messages and updates about Li Nuo during this time, it wasn’t nearly enough. The more he read, the more he wanted to see him in person. Even while working, Li Nuo’s smiling face would pop into his mind.

What’s going on? Why hadn’t he realized before that he was such a hopeless romantic?

Oh, right. He’d never been in a serious relationship before. That explains it.

Taking a deep breath to steady his emotions, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Tick.

The door opened.

Li Nuo appeared, as if in slow motion, his face gradually coming into view.

“You didn’t even check who it was before opening the door?”

“I knew it was you.” Li Nuo peeked out from behind the door, showing just his head as he smiled.

“How did you know? Do you have some kind of special ability?” Mo Chuan smiled along with him.

Facing Mo Chuan’s eyes, brimming with affection, Li Nuo felt that if he kept looking any longer, his face would turn as red as a tomato. He quickly lowered his gaze.

“Why won’t you look at me?”

Mo Chuan gently reached out, cupped Li Nuo’s face, and lifted it, forcing their eyes to meet once more. Li Nuo’s face heated up uncontrollably.

Don’t look at me like that with those mesmerizing emerald-green eyes. It’s too unfair.

Mo Chuan gazed quietly into Li Nuo’s slightly evasive eyes. Then, loosening his hold, he took a step forward and pulled him into an embrace, resting his head against Li Nuo’s neck. At this close distance, he could smell the scent of Li Nuo’s hair, the shampoo he had painstakingly chosen.

Watching videos or looking at photos wasn’t enough. Only by holding him like this could his restless heart finally settle.

“I missed you.”

The deep emotions in Mo Chuan’s voice almost made Li Nuo blurt out ‘I missed you too.’

He had grown used to hearing from Mo Chuan every day, so the sudden lack of contact for so many days had left him unsettled. But…

When he didn’t hear the response he was hoping for, Mo Chuan wasn’t disappointed. Instead, he muttered, “This is the part where you should say it too. Didn’t you say it back on the company rooftop when I returned from that business trip?”

“Mm… It’s different now.”

“What’s different? Even if I’ve confessed my feelings, you don’t have to treat me any differently. Just don’t push me away. That would hurt even more.”

Mo Chuan tightened his arms around him, rubbing his face against the curve of Li Nuo’s neck.

“That tickles! Your hair is scratching me. It kind of hurts.”

Li Nuo’s soft voice made Mo Chuan’s heart soften as well. He loosened his grip slightly. “Sorry.”

“How long are you planning to keep hugging me?”

“Can’t I just hold you like this forever?”

“No.”

The firm rejection did nothing to dampen Mo Chuan’s mood. He simply chuckled and asked, “Can I come in?”

“Of course, it’s your house.”

“Right now, it’s your room. I shouldn’t enter without permission.”

Though, even if Li Nuo said no, Mo Chuan would still go in anyway.

“…I allow you to come in.”

That was exactly what Mo Chuan wanted to hear, yet for some reason, it didn’t feel quite as satisfying.

Reluctantly, he let go of Li Nuo but instead laced their fingers together, holding his hand tightly.

Once inside, Mo Chuan glanced around the room. He had carefully chosen this space, ensuring all the furniture was made of soft materials and specially modified to minimize the risk of injury in case of a fall.

There wasn’t a single sharp edge in sight. Every piece of furniture had been rounded off. The floor was covered with a thick carpet for extra safety.

He led Li Nuo to sit on the sofa. “Have you been doing well lately?”

“I’m fine. Eating well, sleeping well. But what about you? Still super busy?”

“Yeah, completely swamped. And I can’t afford to take a break yet.”

“Li Yan too?”

“Yeah, he’s working overtime as well.” Mo Chuan didn’t want to bring up the mess at the company in front of Li Nuo, so he changed the subject. “What have you been doing here?”

“Just some ordinary reading and stuff. How long will you all be this busy?”

Although Li Nuo had everything he needed here, now that Qin Xu and Mo Chuan had arrived, he naturally began to miss Li Yan as well.

“We’ll be busy for a while. Maybe a month, maybe longer.”

“Hmm… Then how long do I have to stay here?”

“Isn’t it nice here?”

“…It’s not exactly bad, but not being able to contact the outside world is frustrating.”

Li Nuo sighed. “I understand. I’ll wait patiently for you all to sort everything out.”

Mo Chuan gently ran his fingers through Li Nuo’s hair. “I’m sorry.”

Right now, things on Wen Dong’s side were getting even more tangled with Li Yuzhi and Zhang Wanhui. In this situation, there was no way they could let Li Nuo leave.

“Are you tired of staying here?”

“A little. I know everyone is treating me well, but… I still miss home.”

Maybe it was because Mo Chuan was more familiar with him, or perhaps his way of dealing with people made it easier for others to relax. When he was by Mo Chuan’s side, he didn’t mind complaining because he knew Mo Chuan would understand him.

“Have you talked to anyone else?”

“I have, but I can’t just keep dragging people into conversations. I’m not as close to them as I am with you.”

“Have you shared these thoughts with anyone else?”

“Nope.”

“Not even Qin Xu?”

“……”

Li Nuo instantly fell silent.

His reaction made Mo Chuan pause for a moment before he couldn’t help but smile.

Looks like he trusts me more than before.

At the very least, in Li Nuo’s heart, he ranked higher than Qin Xu.

That realization alone was enough to make him happy. Of course, Li Yan still held the top spot, but that was only because of their familial bond.

Come to think of it, what if Li Nuo found out one day that he and Li Yan weren’t actually biological brothers?

Mo Chuan glanced at Li Nuo, who was quietly sitting beside him. Forget it. That’s Li Yan’s problem to worry about, not mine.

“Even if you’re bored, just stay here for now. Oh, right. Li Yan should be coming over next week.”

“Really?” Li Nuo’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“Yeah, but he probably won’t be able to stay long. Just hang in there.”

“Thank you.” Li Nuo’s heart, weighed down by the separation from his family, felt a little lighter.

He let out a breath and finally gave Mo Chuan the concern he had been waiting for.

“How have you been lately? You don’t look too great. When Brother Qin came over, his face was as pale as snow. I only found out later that he was injured.”

“Probably just exhaustion. I’ve been staying up late a lot.”

“Then shouldn’t you be resting properly at night instead of coming over here?”

Mo Chuan looked at him with a pitiful expression. “Are you trying to kick me out already?”

“I didn’t say that. You’re the one who said you were tired.”

Mo Chuan sighed dramatically, playing up his melancholy. “I came because I missed you, and yet… the first thing I saw was you in a room with a shirtless Director Qin.”

“…It was just his upper body, and I was fully dressed.”

“But you touched him!”

“I was holding a towel!”

“So you did touch him?”

“……”

Li Nuo was suddenly at a loss for words. He had touched him.

Mo Chuan tilted his head. “If I were injured, would you take care of me like that too?”

“…Are you a child? Stop making these kinds of comparisons.”

“I am a child!”

“What kind of child is in his thirties? And yes, I would take care of you.”

Hearing those words, Mo Chuan fell silent. Then, a satisfied smile slowly spread across his face.