Become the Sickly Villain in the Novel - Chapter 96

Over the weekend, after much deliberation, Mo Chuan finally decided to take Li Nuo out for some fun.

Not for any special reason. He just didn’t want to waste the itinerary he had carefully planned.

“But before that, let’s go to the hospital for a follow-up check.”

Li Nuo frowned. “I was just discharged a few days ago.”

He truly hated going to the hospital now. He had spent the rest of his previous life there, and in this life, he was still constantly sick.

Was he a patient in every parallel universe?

“You’ve been discharged for over a week now. It’s time to get checked again,” Mo Chuan said, wrapping him affectionately in his arms. “Once we’re done, we’ll go out and have fun. Don’t worry, it’ll be quick.”

After much coaxing, Li Nuo finally relented, and Mo Chuan let out a sigh of relief. He was clearly an adult, yet whenever the topic of going to the hospital came up, he behaved like a child and strongly resisted.

But there was no helping it. Mo Chuan couldn’t bear the thought of anything going wrong with Li Nuo’s health. Li Nuo wasn’t the robust type to begin with, so there was no room for mistakes.

Li Nuo’s check-up was completed quickly. By now, he was already quite familiar with the staff in each department and didn’t need any guidance through the procedures.

He Yan, perhaps out of concern, also came by the examination room for a look.

“Are you getting used to living at his place?”

Before Li Nuo could reply, Mo Chuan cut in, “Of course he’s used to it. He could sleep when staying at your place. Wouldn’t he sleep even better next to me?”

He Yan snorted with a laugh. “I haven’t even settled the score with you. Why are you chiming in? Did you get the water and electricity restored at my place? If I go back and something’s wrong, don’t blame me for coming after you.”

Mo Chuan replied dismissively, “Relax, I already had someone fix it.”

Li Nuo watched the two of them banter and found it quite amusing.

He didn’t know why, but Mo Chuan always seemed particularly mean to He Yan.

Generally, Mo Chuan came across as friendly to everyone. This side of him was rare to see.

Was this his true nature showing through?

“Did something happen between you two before?” Li Nuo asked curiously.

“Hmph—” Mo Chuan turned his head away. “This guy hated me in high school, so I hate him too. And you shouldn’t hang out with him either.”

Li Nuo’s mouth twitched. Are you a kid or what?

Still wearing that same smiling expression, He Yan said, “I never singled you out, did I? Honestly, back in high school, didn’t I equally ignore everyone?”

Mo Chuan: “……”

Li Nuo: “……”

Who would’ve thought you were that kind of person, Dr. He.

……………

He Yan said he would inform them once the test results were ready, so the two of them went on their way.

“You said it would be quick, but it’s almost noon already.”

Li Nuo glanced at the time and sighed. “I’m starving.”

He hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since morning because of the blood test. He only had a little something after the blood draw, and it wasn’t enough to feel full.

“Let’s go get lunch. I already reserved a table. What do you want to eat? I’ll send it to Liu Ming now, so by the time we get there, it should be almost ready.”

As they chatted and walked out of the lobby, they spotted Qin Xu and Li Yan waiting for them.

Mo Chuan clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Li Nuo, on the other hand, was delighted and walked over to greet them.

“What are you two doing here?”

“Wasn’t today Brother’s follow-up appointment? That’s why we came. So, how did it go?” Li Yan quickly stepped forward as well.

“Judging by Brother He’s expression, there shouldn’t be any issues, but the results won’t be out until the afternoon.”

Li Nuo tilted his head and gave Qin Xu a smile. “Brother Qin.”

Qin Xu nodded back at him.

Mo Chuan walked up from behind. “Alright, enough chatting here. Let’s go somewhere else.”

“We were just about to go eat. Let’s head to the underground parking lot first.”

As the group descended to the parking garage, almost simultaneously, both Mo Chuan and Li Yan’s phones rang.

They both showed equally grim expressions.

Li Yan was simply overwhelmed with work.

Why do domineering CEOs always have time for romance? Because everything is handled by their secretaries and assistants.

As for Mo Chuan, it was just that he couldn’t easily reject the caller.

The two of them took out their phones at the same time and, coincidentally, made a gesture asking the others to wait a moment. They would be done soon.

Then they walked away to answer their calls.

Seeing their retreating figures, Qin Xu raised his eyebrows, not missing the opportunity.

He immediately grabbed Li Nuo’s hand and pulled him away.

Li Nuo, confused, was dragged along. “Huh?”

He was still craning his neck to see where the two had gone when he was unknowingly pulled a fair distance away.

Qin Xu’s car wasn’t parked far, so they reached it quickly.

“I want to talk to you alone. Don’t worry, I’ll take you back afterward.”

Li Nuo, still baffled, was pushed into the car.

Once seated in the front passenger seat, he turned back to look, but the vehicle blocked his view of the two men.

“Are we not waiting for them?”

“It’s not like we’re children. We’ll just call them later. Weren’t you hungry? Let’s go eat first.”

Li Nuo glanced at Qin Xu in the driver’s seat. This felt quite novel to him. It was rare to see Qin Xu drive himself.

Knowing he couldn’t change Qin Xu’s mind about leaving first, he silently took out his phone and sent messages to both Mo Chuan and Li Yan.

By the time Mo Chuan, hearing the sound, turned around, the car had already driven off.

“Damn it.”

Mo Chuan’s expression darkened. Clearly, chasing a car on foot was impossible. After cursing a few times, he immediately got in his own car and called Liu Ming. “Check where Qin Xu’s car is going.”

“Got it. On it now.”

Liu Ming didn’t even ask why and started investigating right away.

After hanging up, Mo Chuan tossed his phone onto the front passenger seat.

Once he pulled out of the garage, Qin Xu’s car was already out of sight. Not even the exhaust fumes remained.

He gritted his teeth until they cracked. Good one, Qin Xu. I let my guard down, and you stabbed me in the back.

He deeply regretted answering that phone call. Had he known, he would’ve ignored it. Now he had no idea which way to give chase.

He quickly picked up the phone again and called. As expected, the call was declined.

He sent a message instead, and this time, the reply came quickly.

But when Mo Chuan saw it, his eye twitched.

“Hah, karma, huh?”

Mo Chuan: 【 Where are you? Send me your location. 】

【 I’m following you. 】

Li Nuo: 【 Get lost. 】

Same words—it was obvious at a glance that Qin Xu had sent the message using Li Nuo’s phone.

A trace of bitterness welled up in Mo Chuan’s heart, and then he smiled wryly and shook his head.

When Qin Xu had read the message he sent yesterday, he must have felt the same way.

You see, people really shouldn’t do bad things. Retribution always comes around.

There was nothing Mo Chuan could do in his anxious state except wait for Liu Ming to get back to him.

When Li Yan returned after finishing his business, he found that not a single person remained where he had left them.

Li Yan: “……”

On the other side, Qin Xu handed the phone back to Li Nuo.

Li Nuo had learned his lesson. If someone who’s driving asks for your phone, it’s best to hand it over.

He still valued this second life of his quite a bit.

“Did you send me a message yesterday?” Qin Xu suddenly asked.

“Yesterday?” Li Nuo tried to recall. He hadn’t touched his phone much the day before.

“You sent me the words ‘get lost.’”

“Huh? Me?”

Li Nuo looked at his phone and discovered that all the chat history with Qin Xu had been wiped.

Incidentally, the messages with Mo Chuan were also all gone.

Hmm, at least that freed up a good amount of storage.

He explained, “I didn’t know about that. Mo Chuan took my phone at the time.”

“You two have gotten quite close, haven’t you?”

Though the tone was flat, the words made Li Nuo’s heart tremble inexplicably.

He forced a smile and replied, “Haha, yeah, seems that way. I didn’t expect it either.”

He was someone who took relationships seriously. Even though they’d agreed to keep it secret, now that everything had been resolved, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to make it public.

Hearing this, Qin Xu fell silent. The car was enveloped in a heavy quiet.

……………

“I’m full.”

Li Nuo set down his chopsticks and picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth.

To be honest, Qin Xu bringing him out like this had clearly been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but the restaurant arrangements had been made surprisingly quickly.

As expected, money really is all-powerful most of the time.

After finishing his dessert, he showed a satisfied smile.

Qin Xu had ordered more than a dozen dishes, all of which were very healthy.

Seeing that Li Nuo was done eating, Qin Xu also set down his chopsticks.

Li Nuo wasn’t much of a talker during meals. Once he saw Qin Xu also stop, he asked, “Didn’t you say you had something to talk about?”

“Not here. Let’s go somewhere else.”

Qin Xu wiped his mouth with elegant, composed movements.

Li Nuo couldn’t help but feel a little emotional. How could someone so handsome have had such a tragic childhood?

He mused inwardly, Could this be what they call “beautiful, strong, and tragic”?

“Why are you staring at me?”

Noticing his gaze, Qin Xu looked puzzled.

“You’re so good-looking. It’d be a shame not to fall in love,” Li Nuo replied with a grin.

Qin Xu touched his face with a dazed expression, but at the latter part of the sentence, his lips pressed into a line. “Love…”

Li Nuo: “What?”

“I think being with you would be nice.”

Li Nuo was momentarily stunned. Qin Xu had spoken so quickly that his mind couldn’t quite process it in time.

Shouldn’t something like this be gradual? That way, it’d be easier to let someone down gently.

Caught off guard, he still managed to utter a refusal, “Sorry, I…”

But before he could finish, Qin Xu interrupted him. “Let’s go out first.”

The moment he saw the look on Li Nuo’s face, Qin Xu already knew the answer.

If they stayed seated, Li Nuo would finish that sentence and he wasn’t ready to hear it.

Qin Xu walked ahead, followed by Li Nuo, who looked visibly anxious.

“Um, I think it’s better to make things clear. I…”

“I’d rather hear it later.”

“But I want to say it now.”

“Can we talk about it later?”

Li Nuo: “……”

Even though Qin Xu’s tone hadn’t changed, Li Nuo inexplicably felt a sense of pressure and instinctively fell silent.

The car took them to a place they had visited before, a park. Back then it had been autumn, but now spring was in full bloom, and the place was filled with people out enjoying the season.

“Spring really is more beautiful. So many flowers are in bloom.”

Temporarily forgetting the earlier awkwardness, Li Nuo began to take in the scenery.

Then he suddenly remembered that it had been around this very spot where he first noticed Qin Xu’s feelings for him.

He shook his head. His thoughts were wandering again.

A breeze tousled his hair, and Li Nuo stopped to brush away the strands that had fallen into his eyes. His hair had grown quite long and hadn’t been trimmed in a while. It now hung past his shoulders.

“We had a great time here before.”

That day left wonderful memories not only for Li Nuo but also for Qin Xu.

It was his first time taking a walk with someone so leisurely, strolling without a goal—something he had never experienced in his life before.

Just the slightest touch of memory was enough to flood it all back.

His first time at an amusement park.

His first time riding a roller coaster.

His first time waiting for someone at a coffee shop…

In less than a year, they had already shared quite a number of memories.

Still feeling somewhat unwilling to let go, he stopped in the same small pavilion where they had once rested and asked, “Why did you choose him?”

“…I just got used to having him around without realizing it.”

“If it had been me, would you have said yes?”

After a moment of silence, Li Nuo said a little apologetically, “No.”

There were many reasons, layered and complex. But ultimately, he had never considered being with Qin Xu. Being friends was already more than enough.

“I’m truly grateful for all your help. It’s a kindness I could never repay. But… just being friends is enough. Anything more…”

He didn’t finish the sentence. With his head lowered, he said, “I’m sorry.”

After a pause, he finally heard Qin Xu speak.

“I had originally planned to wait until the end of the day to ask you.”

There was a trace of self-mockery in his voice.

“But I couldn’t hold it in.”

“Lift your head. I’m the one who got rejected. Why should you be the one who’s sad?”

Following his words, Li Nuo looked up, his face full of apology.

“I told you, there’s no need for you to apologize.”

Qin Xu’s gaze shifted to a spot just behind Li Nuo. Mo Chuan was approaching with a menacing air.

Didn’t expect him to find us this fast… Must’ve put in some effort.

“Well, honestly, I’m still a little bitter. Might as well get a bit of revenge.”

A puzzled expression crossed Li Nuo’s face.

“If I actually kissed you, you’d probably get mad too, so let’s just do this instead.”

With his palm between them, Qin Xu cupped the back of Li Nuo’s head and leaned in for a kiss.

Close enough to feel the warmth, but never making contact.