Become the Sickly Villain in the Novel - Chapter 78

Mo Chuan, who was set to leave early the next morning, spent the entire night clinging to Li Nuo, talking incessantly. If Li Nuo hadn’t firmly refused, Mo Chuan might have even followed him to the bathroom.

“There are only a few hours left, boohoo.”

“……”

“Xiao Nuo, I’m saying that we only have a few hours left together. To be precise, less than four hours.”

“…I’m really sleepy.”

Sitting on the sofa, Li Nuo couldn’t stop yawning.

Disrupting his biological clock was incredibly difficult for him. Li Nuo’s body was not used to staying up late, so naturally, he couldn’t fight off the drowsiness.

However, Mo Chuan was reluctant to let even this little time slip away, so he kept pulling him into conversation.

“No, I really have to sleep now.” His eyes shut involuntarily, and even his voice softened. “I’ll see you off when you leave.”

“…Alright.” Seeing how drowsy he looked, Mo Chuan refrained from waking him up. Instead, he fetched a blanket and gently covered him. “I’m going to check in with Director Qin. Get some rest.”

He placed a light kiss on Li Nuo’s forehead. Half-asleep, Li Nuo only faintly registered the sensation, but he was too exhausted to open his eyes.

……………

Pushing open the door, Mo Chuan saw Qin Xu typing away at his computer. Raising an eyebrow, he remarked, “You’ve been working this whole time? And you don’t even lock your door. What if Li Nuo sees the internet cable?”

Qin Xu’s hands paused on the keyboard. “That kid probably suspects something. Even if he sees it, it doesn’t matter.”

“Hm? You told him?”

“No, I just mentioned some things from the past.”

Mo Chuan looked thoughtful. “Your past? You actually talked about it?”

He narrowed his eyes. “I pestered you for so long back then before you finally spoke.”

It wasn’t that he had been determined to pry open Qin Xu’s old wounds, but at the time, Qin Xu had just received the news of his father’s death. He had completely lost his purpose and looked utterly lost. Mo Chuan had felt that if Qin Xu didn’t open up soon, he would be overwhelmed. After much effort, he had finally coaxed him into talking and had accompanied him in drinking through the night.

“I’m starting to doubt if our years of friendship were even real. I drank with you until you threw up!”

Qin Xu pinched the bridge of his nose. “It was just the atmosphere, I suppose. We happened to watch a movie about child abuse.”

At the mention of this topic, Mo Chuan fell silent. After a while, he asked, “Any work for me?”

“Yes. Secretary Yang asked when you’ll be back.” Glancing at his computer screen, Qin Xu responded.

“Huh? I’ve only been gone for half a day, and they’re already rushing me back? Seriously? Just tell them I’ll be there first thing in the morning.” Mo Chuan sighed dramatically. “Hurry up and recover. I really can’t take this anymore. I’m a carefree, rich second-generation heir. Why am I doing all this?”

“…Sorry.” Qin Xu understood that Mo Chuan was doing it all for him.

“Forget it. I’ve already done so much. I might as well see it through.”

Mo Chuan waved his hand dismissively, saying it was his own choice.

Both of them fell silent. Qin Xu continued handling his work while Mo Chuan paced to the window, looking outside.

Perhaps because they were in the mountains and the weather had been good, the stars in the night sky were exceptionally clear.

Gazing at the starry sky, he thought, It looks like tomorrow will be another good day. Next time, it would be great if I could watch the stars with Li Nuo…

Several ideal stargazing locations flashed through his mind, and he mentally noted them down for future reference.

After finishing his work, Qin Xu looked at Mo Chuan and said, “Take good care of yourself these days.”

“Are you worried that Wen Dong might use extreme measures to retaliate against me?”

“If you collapse now, we’ll be left without a backbone.”

Mo Chuan rolled his eyes. “You always have to beat around the bush instead of just saying you’re worried.” After all these years, he was used to it.

“Forget it. I’m going to find Li Nuo.” Checking his watch, he realized half an hour had passed. It felt like he had been away from him for ages.

“Isn’t he asleep?”

Mo Chuan rolled his eyes again. “Unlike you, I’ll be leaving soon. I don’t have much time left with him.”

At the doorway, he suddenly turned around and pointed at Qin Xu. “Oh, and next time, have someone else help you with your bath. There are professionals here for that. Also, don’t stay alone in a room with him.”

The scene he had witnessed earlier still lingered in his mind, making him grit his teeth.

“No funny business. You know there are surveillance cameras here, right? The staff are all my people. I’ll have Aunt Zheng file a report. I really will!”

With that, he slammed the door and left.

Qin Xu could only shake his head and sigh. “Jealousy truly is a terrifying thing.”

Mo Chuan quietly opened the door to Li Nuo’s room. Perhaps he really was exhausted, because even the slight noise didn’t disturb him at all.

Li Nuo was curled up in the blanket, leaning against the sofa’s backrest, sleeping soundly.

He was in such a deep sleep that Mo Chuan couldn’t bear to wake him. Instead, he simply sat cross-legged on the floor, tilting his head up to watch him.

He sleeps so peacefully.

Mo Chuan stared at him without blinking. Although he had seen him sleep many times in the hospital, seeing him like this in a different setting felt strangely novel.

Compared to the pale, sickly face he had in the hospital, he looked so much healthier now.

Ever since he had fallen for Li Nuo, he had analyzed his own feelings. Back in the hospital, the emotions he had felt must have been pity, right? From a long time ago…

Still not awake?

Mo Chuan carefully observed Li Nuo’s face. His light-colored hair seemed to have grown longer, and his similarly light-colored eyelashes cast a faint shadow under the glow of the lamp. His delicate and well-defined nose, along with his particularly captivating rosy lips, made for an enchanting sight.

“So beautiful,” Mo Chuan murmured to himself, then lightly slapped his own cheek. “What am I even doing? This is practically perverted.”

As he watched, Li Nuo curled up slightly again. Although the heater was on, he still seemed to feel a little cold in his sleep, especially his feet.

Sleeping like this might lead to a cold. Mo Chuan stood up and carefully lifted him into his arms. Li Nuo was so light that it took almost no effort.

“Mm—” The sudden sensation of weightlessness roused Li Nuo, though his consciousness remained muddled, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t open his eyes.

“Are you leaving?”

His drowsy mumbling amused Mo Chuan. He placed him gently on the bed and tucked him in. “Not yet.”

Li Nuo struggled to fully wake up, his eyelids fluttering, but he remained in a half-asleep state, unable to open them.

Seeing him like this, Mo Chuan chuckled. “Just go to sleep. I’ll leave on my own.”

“…No, I said I would see you off…”

“You still want to see me off? Then how about giving me a farewell hug now?”

Mo Chuan had spoken casually, without any real expectations, but Li Nuo, who was still somewhat aware of his surroundings, unexpectedly responded. From beneath the blankets, he reached out with both hands, intending to sit up, but he was simply too weak and gave up.

“You’re actually going to hug me?”

“Mm…” Li Nuo let out a soft hum through his nose.

Seizing the moment, Mo Chuan climbed onto the bed, carefully helping Li Nuo sit up. Li Nuo’s outstretched hands draped over Mo Chuan’s shoulders, and he leaned drowsily into his embrace.

“You’re pretty adorable even in your sleep,” Mo Chuan murmured. “I really like this.”

The strength of his silent embrace, combined with the way he sat up, finally made Li Nuo wake up.

“I’ll hold on a little longer. I promised I’d give this to you.”

Rubbing his eyes, Li Nuo suppressed the urge to yawn.

As his vision cleared, he was met with Mo Chuan’s face, glowing with happiness. He froze for a moment, and in an instant, his drowsiness vanished.

That expression, that gaze—it was as if he were entranced. He found himself staring directly into Mo Chuan’s deep, mesmerizing eyes under the warm light.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I won’t be able to hold back.”

Mo Chuan’s words startled Li Nuo, making him immediately shut his eyes.

But isn’t closing my eyes even worse?

Watching Li Nuo shut his eyes tightly, Mo Chuan suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of emotions, as if all the restraint from their time apart came crashing down like a tidal wave.

He freed one hand and gently cupped Li Nuo’s cheek, slowly leaning in until, finally, their lips met.

To be precise, it was just a light touch. But the moment Li Nuo felt the sensation on his lips, his eyes flew open in shock.

What he saw was Mo Chuan’s face—so close, and his eyes, filled with an unguarded, unmistakable desire, directed solely at him.

A shiver ran down Li Nuo’s spine, and he instinctively pulled back slightly.

Mo Chuan noticed his movement but didn’t stop him. If he were to push further, he wasn’t sure he could restrain himself.

Even just this brief touch of lips had already made it difficult for him to control himself.

His rational mind told him to stop, but his lips betrayed him. “Can we… continue?”

“……”

Li Nuo, of course, didn’t answer.

In truth, he found it difficult to stay calm after Mo Chuan’s sudden action.

His heart was pounding so fast that even his smartwatch immediately detected the change. If it sped up any further, it would probably trigger an alert.

He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to meet Mo Chuan’s ‘I want to devour you’ expression.

Before, when he looked at Mo Chuan’s green eyes, he had always viewed them with admiration and appreciation. But now, that gaze seemed to pierce through his entire being, making his heart race and a tingling numbness spread through his body.

To be fair, before he transmigrated, he had been single his entire life and had never experienced anything like this.

The original owner of this body, on the other hand, seemed to be much more adept. But that wasn’t him!

My heart is about to explode.

Even after Mo Chuan confessed, since Li Nuo hadn’t given a direct answer, their interactions had remained comfortably unawkward. Mo Chuan had deliberately avoided any uncomfortable situations.

But now, seeing this side of Mo Chuan, completely unguarded in his emotions, Li Nuo found himself unfamiliar with him.

Yet strangely, he didn’t feel afraid. Instead, there was an itch in his heart.

Wanting to understand this feeling better, Li Nuo fell into silent contemplation.

Glancing at Li Nuo’s smartwatch, Mo Chuan let out a wry smile. “Looks like I was too impatient.”

Reluctantly, he loosened his embrace and clenched his fists tightly. This time, he truly had to stop.

“I’ll head out first. Get some rest.”

Even though he didn’t want to leave, it was better to let them both cool down for a moment. Yes, he definitely needed to cool down as well.

As he got up from the bed, Li Nuo, feeling that he couldn’t just let him leave like this, instinctively reached out and grabbed his finger.