Chapter 70

“En.” Mo Di knew that Mu Tian Heng was only concerned for health so he nodded and accepted his preaching.

“Good boy.” Mu Tian Heng smiled. Mu Tian Heng wanted to touch Mo Di’s head but realized that he was too high up on the bed and reaching up would turn out to be awkward.

Mu Tian Heng clenched his hand to diminish the desire and reminded him tenderly: “Have a good rest and quickly go to bed, it’s already late. I’ll be leaving now.”

He was here for a surprise inspection and did not intend to stay for too long. Furthermore, the dorm would be locked at twelve midnight and he won’t be able to leave afterward.

“Brother, let me see you off.” 

“There’s no need. It’s cold outside, you’d better rest up and go to bed.” Seeing Mo Di about to get out of bed, Mu Tian Heng had to accentuate his tone: “Are you not listening to your brother’s words anymore?”

Mo Di stopped his movement and looked at Mu Tian Heng in aggrievedness.

Mu Tian Heng turned soft immediately. He said in a gentle tone: “You’re badly affected by the cold, going back and forth might give you a fever. Listen to me, alright?”

In his need to dissuade Mo Di, Mu Tian Heng spoke to him in an indulgently coaxing tone that he usually used when they were alone. Xian Yu Chao and the others had their eyes wide open, gawking in awe.

The big man was just too doting on their Xiao Di. This tone was like coaxing a child.

Mo Di detected the reactions of his roommates and his face turned red. He stopped what he was going and said: “Then, then brother, I won’t be seeing you off.”

“Um. You all should rest up as well.” Mu Tian Heng also felt the change and coughed: “I’m going now.”

After Mu Tian Heng left, Xian Yu Chao and Chen Zhao immediately stared at Mo Di while Lin Jun Feng looked curiously at Mu Tian Heng’s back as he closed the door.

“Xiao Di, isn’t Boss Mu a little too kind to you? And … and also…” Xian Yu Chao was unable to describe his exact thought on the matter. After stuttering briefly, he was just concluded with: “It’s nothing like how one would treat a younger brother.”

“Exactly! It was more like how a husband coaxes his wife.” Chen Zhao suddenly burst into laughter.

His uncle liked men and therefore, he felt there was nothing wrong with it.

“You shut up. That’s crazy.” Lin Jun Feng walked back to the bed and patted Chen Zhao’s shoulder, “Boss Mu is obviously a bro-con!” 

The group continued to discuss this topic, causing Mo Di terrible embarrassment. He covered his blanket and said to them: “If you’re not going to sleep then I’ll send you guys the work for the next chapter of Infinite Life. Do you want to do it now?”

“!!!” And then there was silence in the room as the rowdy three looked at each other in dismay.

…..

With the precise review topics to work on and the exams taking place one after the other, time flew by quickly.

A week went by and so did several of Mo Di’s exams. Jing Da had begun the self-study week and also compulsory revision classes.

Mo Di would return home every weekend. And on the weekdays when he stayed at the dorm, he would make sure to go to bed on time since Mu Tian Heng had three informants by his side, there was no way for him to cheat!

Every bedtime, Mo Di would sigh in a complicated way before sleeping.

The next stage of the competition would be to fight for the top ten spots and everyone was baffled why Mo Di was working himself to the bone. Even if they only managed to upload one or two chapters, they were pretty much guaranteed to be promoted.

Mo Di had words that he could not divulge.

Only he knew how things would change as the competition ushered into the next stage. After the top ten was selected, which was also when the hype for the competition reached its peak, all the teams would have to cohabitate in a base provided by the committee. Like popular variety shows, a camera crew would film their game making progress day by day.

However, as this was the first-ever game competition in Hua Xia, sponsorship was not adequate for every team to have their own villa. The choice of living quarters was very limited and it all came down to the rankings. The higher up they were on the list, the more probable they would be able to pick a place to their liking. This would change in later years when the competition had garnered enough popularity and investors were willing to pour capital into it.

But in this premier competition, things were not as perfect. From what he could remember watching the episodes in his last life, there were only three villas available: One with three floors and the other two with four floors each. Just enough for the ten teams.

He had to stay in the top three positions to ensure that he could pick one of the top floors. In regard to privacy, comfort, and safety, the highest floor was always a good choice.

Ai….

Life is not easy, Mo Di sighed.

Time zipped by as Mo Di busied with his studies and work. When he realized it, the last day of the exams was here and he had only one subject left to hurdle.

Not only the dorm but the whole class was filled with a festive mood.

Early this morning, Mo Di did not have to call and everyone was already out of bed.

The last exam would commence at 10:30 but the room would be occupied till 10:00 for an earlier class. 

Before ten, everyone was waiting outside the exam room discussing their plans for the holidays: when were they leaving for home, by rail or plane, where would they spend their vacation etc.

Xian Yu Chao and the others already had this discussion last night. They would be going home for the time being and when the game results were announced, they would then plan the next part of their winter holiday.

….but they knew they could plan all they want, Mo Di was not going to let them have it easy.

As Mo Di entered his last exam, a hot search popped up on the internet out of the blue.

“Release Date For The Film ‘Silence’ Is Set”

Silence is a film directed by renowned director Sun Yi Lun starring Mo Liu Gui and another actor on the rise. It told the story of first love and unrequited love.

Due to Sun Yi Lun’s reputation, the film attracted a lot of publicity once it had been announced. However, because of the Mo family’s scandals being exposed one after the other, Mo Liu Gui was in no position to buy any hot search and even when she did, more serious articles would drown out her own. Without these obstacles, the movie would have been top of the search list.

Recently, the Mo family had quietened down and when Mo Liu Gui stepped on Mo Si Lang to wash white, although it did not fully recover her image, proper publicity and marketing could now be carried out.

And so, in the sixth and eighth position of the hot search were “Mo Liu Gui, the newcomer in the lead role of Silence” and “Mo Liu Gui, the school goddess”. Several other buildups were also started. Most sounded objective on the surface but they were all a publicity stunt.

In it, Mo Liu Gui was described as a gifted and beautiful actress with great potential. She had flexible acting skills, captivating beauty, and on top of that, an academic achiever currently studying at Jing Da.

In the past, Mo Liu Gui’s reputation was nothing commendable. Coupled with the Mo family’s soiled reputation and the video confrontation between her and Mo Di, the netizens were skeptical at first with all the news involving her.

However, the water army was not there for nothing. Collaborating with Mo Liu Gui’s fans, they began a massive spread of propaganda on Weibo and major entertainment websites, aiming to help her wipe away all the previous rumors.

The so-called rumor-wiping was a common viral marketing method in the entertainment industry. Fans and water armies organized a large number of fabricated materials to refute anti-fans and whitewash their idols.

With their help, Mo Liu Gui was painted in a wholly different light: a rich, talented, intelligent, and innocent girl who had been misunderstood and bullied by the common people. When someone refuted them with evidence from the video, the water army would shut them out with claims that it was just a misunderstanding and deflect all the bad rumors. As long as the fans were shameless enough, they could go along with anything.

Under the forceful indoctrination, the truths and lies about Mo Liu Gui became a highly discussed topic for a while but with the water armies on her side, any opposers were immediately discredited. Eventually, Mo Liu Gui was promoted to the good side and managed to gain some popularity on Weibo.

Mu Tian Heng had just left his company on the way to pick someone up from Jing Da…. when news about her was notified on his phone. 

He immediately knew the farce behind all this.

After reading a few manuscripts written by the water army lying through their teeth, Mu Tian Heng’s mood was dampened. Needless to say, he did not waste time on meaningless anger. He immediately gave his PR department a temporary task and promised them a bonus were they to do a good job.

And so, by the time Mo Di came out of the examination hall and found the numerous absurd articles regarding Mo Liu Gui going viral, the whole hype was actually beginning to die down.

Not only that, the tables were now turned against Mo Liu Gui. 

The acts of the Mo family were dug up once again and were documented throughout the net along with the analysis of Mo Liu Gui’s caught on camera moments with Mo Di. The netizens were sarcastically praising her outstanding acting in that footage. 

The general masses were not idiots. Even with the fake articles circulating, Mo Liu Gui was still getting the cold shoulders.

With that, the publicity of the film Silence was once again affected.

Director Sun Yi Lun was a fuse ready to explode. He never paid attention to his casts’ personal life and only cared about their performance on the set but Mo Liu Gui had time and again hindered the publicity of his film, it was inevitable that he was getting dissatisfied with her.

He had planned for her to be the female lead in his next film but he seriously needed to reconsider that.

With just a quick browse of the internet, how could Mo Di not know what had transpired. He turned and gave Mu Tian Heng a smile.

“Brother, your countermove is too timely. Did you give the sisters and brothers who helped out drumsticks?”

“I did. I gave them a bonus big enough to buy thousands of drumsticks.” Mu Tian Heng rubbed Mo Di’s hair, “Congratulations on getting through all your exams. You’re finally free, anywhere particular you want to go?”

“Hmm…” Thinking of Mo Er Qian coming back in January, Mo Di hesitated: “I want to have a look at the Mo house.”

“The Mo house?” Mu Tian Heng instantly frowned. “And what would your purpose be?”

“That…” Mo Di was drawing a blank, “I’ll tell you when we get home. I can’t give a clear explanation at the moment.”

Chapter 69

Du Wen Jing was distraught. Why did they break his fingers? Didn’t they say that as long as she obeyed they wouldn’t hurt him?!!!

Du Wen Jing jumped hysterically at sister Meng, wanting to grab the photos. The cuffs on her wrist which were chained to the chair clattered harshly.

“What happened to my brother?! Where is he?! What happened to him?!”

Sister Meng witnessed her reaction and turned to look at the policeman there with her.

“Stop pretending. If you didn’t work with the people at the casino, how would your brother end up like this?”

“I didn’t! I didn’t! I did not want to hurt my brother! I love him the most! How could I hurt him?!!!”

Du Wen Jing’s tears flowed endlessly. “Tell me what happened to my brother?! Aren’t you the police? How can you let this happen to him?! Why didn’t you save him?! What kind of trashy police are you?!”

“You better have some respect!” The young officer snapped at her angrily.

Sister Meng was more accustomed to dealing with interrogation. She smacked two photos in front of Du Wen Jing and spoke to her calmly: “We have been working with the Myanmar police on a case and when the crimes committed in the gambling den were about to blow up, the police went after everyone in that place. But somehow they knew the police were coming and decided to use your brother as a hostage. Our hands were tied and they escaped. Now, do you still want to cover for them? Are you still willing to work with these people?!”

Du Wen Jing’s eyes were fully red: “How could they do that? They clearly said… They said…”

Sister Meng deliberately ignored her words. She told her gravely: “You’re still not willing to tell us?”

“It seems you’re trying to protect them. You’re helping each other get rid of your targets. You hated your brother because your family treated him better than you. And the person you’re working with hated Mo Di for some reason so he helped you harm your brother and you help him to deal with Mo Di. Am I right?”

“That’s nonsense!” Du Wen Jing glared at sister Meng with rage, “If something happens to my brother I won’t let you off, I won’t let them off!”

“Those people are not trustworthy! I’ll kill them! They deserve to die!”

“They gave me their word. They said if I gave Mo Di drugs and turned him into an addict, they would write off my brother’s debts and let him go. They lied to me! They should all go to hell!”

“So you worked with them to ruin Mo Di and save your brother?” Although she had expected this, sister Meng was still furious, “Do you know that what you did brought danger not only to your brother but also others?!”

“Did you know that those people set it up so your brother would turn into an addict and owed them that much debt?” The policeman next to sister Meng said in anguish: “Those people deliberately targeted your brother and you’re still willing to be used by them?!”

“Ah!!!” Du Wen Jing cried and wailed hysterically.

“Are you going to stay quiet to protect them or will you start talking?”

“If you delay us further, we won’t be able to track the people who took your brother and the longer he stayed with them, the more dangerous his situation is!”

“I… I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!” Du Wen Jing choked up and said with tears and snot all over her face: “I’ll tell you everything…”

“You have to save my brother. Quickly save my brother!”

…..

Du Wen Jing retold her story from the beginning.

It started a month ago when a group of men came to her door and demanded a payment of 12 million yuan. They said it was the gambling debts her brother owed and she had to pay up or his hands will become obsolete. 

Of course she had her doubts and wanted to call the cops but they showed her a picture of his toe being chopped off and threatened that if she went to the police, the next time it won’t be just a finger or a hand, it’s going to be her family’s bloodline.

Du Wen Jing was scared witless, she dared not take any reckless actions. She cried and begged them to let her brother go but they refused and kept threatening her with photos of her brother being beaten to a pulp. 

Then finally, they put up a proposal as compensation. 

She was reluctant at first. She did not want to promise them anything, definitely not to hurt people, let alone go to jail! But there was nothing she could do, her brother owed them too much money and even his life was in their hands. She had no choice but to cooperate.

She is innocent! She is also a victim!

Sister Meng could not sympathize with her willingness to harm innocent people instead of going to the police. She told Du Wen Jing to give a description of the men and how to get in touch with them. Then with a cold face, she left the interrogation room.

The police immediately launched an operation.

Unfortunately, once those people heard that Du Wen Jing was in police custody, they scattered and only two were caught after two days of pursuit. They pleaded guilty to everything and insisted that no one else was giving them instructions.

At the same time, Du Wen Long was successfully located with two fingers and two toes missing. He was rescued and was sent home from Myanmar. After knowing everything, he hated Du Wen Jing.

When they were allowed to see each other, he only threw insults at her. He was being held for so long because she did not go to the police immediately and even cooperated with the people who tortured him. He felt that Du Wen Jing did it on purpose and wanted him dead.

Seeing Du Wen Long hating herself, Du Wen Jing was devastated. She cried to the point of fainting.

It was a tragic story of retribution.

Du Wen Jing’s crime of deceiving others into taking drugs was finalized. As for how long she will be imprisoned was up to the court.

And Mo Di had put Du Wen Jing aside for the time being and focused on the Qin family alongside Mu Tian Heng.

Cases whereby victims were enticed into gambling and eventually turned into habitual gamblers like Du Wen Long’s were not rare. These schemes were usually run by underground gambling dens and in Myanmar, it was operated in a grey area which included the rich, both dirty and clean. The Myanmar police could not lay their hands on them without reasonable cause but now that a foreign nationality was harmed on their soil, the police could no longer turn a blind eye.

Mu Tian Heng cooperated with the Myanmar businessmen in his acquaintance and had them put a lot of pressure on the local law enforcement to flush out the illegal activities of the casinos. With each successful arrest, the Myanmar police had gained a lot more support and momentum.

With the additional help of the Hua Xia police force and the information provided by Mu Tian Heng and Mo Di, Commissioner Wang had managed to put the Qin family onto the dissecting table. 

Amongst the people the Qin family sent to overlook their casinos, two were Qin Cheng Yi’s closest confidants and they were arrested, sending Qin Cheng Yin into a spiraling rage.

But his anger was useless. The most he could do now was send them a message, warning them not to say anything stupid.

With them under police custody, he could not simply make them disappear and cut off any ties they had with the Qin family.

Mu Tian Heng and Mo Di worked with several I.T. officers to trace the connection between the Qin Group and the gambling dens. Their ceaseless work eventually led to finding clues one after the other, even the malpractices committed in Du Wen Long’s case.

Even with his utmost effort, Qin Cheng Yi could only remove himself from the case while several of his confidants and an important right-hand man were put in custody and awaiting their sentences.

The Qin’s casinos in Myanmar were sealed off and they were put under serious surveillance.

Commissioner Wang’s interest in the case naturally did not allow him to give them any breathing room. He directly gave the report to his superiors and with the glaring evidence, the central government had to get involved.

Ultimately, the government made a swift decision to directly manage and control resources coming in and out of the Qin Group. The two major projects currently under their development had been banned indefinitely.

The news that their funds were being investigated spread like wildfire and even though the Qin Group was able to block outgoing news to the public, many in the circle had already caught wind of it. The Qins’ share immediately saw a four percent drop, meaning their market value had shrunk by nearly a hundred billion yuan. Many of their affiliated projects had also been shelved.

Qin Guang Jie had to fly back from Europe overnight.

…..

Mo Di heaved a sigh of relief when the government decided to make their move.

However, he was not overly surprised. This was bound to happen one day and it was only the beginning. His goal was to doom Qin Cheng Yi eternally.

After their crack on Qin Cheng Yi, Mo Di went back to his busy days working on his games and reviewing for the finals.

The air was getting frosty as mid-December arrived. Due to the experience from his previous life, Mo Di was particularly averse to the cold. He would wrap himself up like a bun every day.

Even the girls could not help but tease him. It was only seven or eight degrees, what would he do when the temperature got any lower.

Mo Di could only smile and continued to cover himself in layers.

Their classes had come to an end; they were now entering the final review week. The exams would commence at the end of December all the way to the eleventh of January.

In a bad case of coincidence, the deadline to upload their game for the next part of the competition was January twelfth.

With that, Mo Di’s time was squeezed dry. He was juggling between school and work which diminished his sleep to only three hours a day.

Xian Yu Chao and the others could not bear to see Mo Di go on like this but their persuasion was just falling on deaf ears. Without any other choice, they secretly gave Mu Tian Heng a call.

On that same night, Mu Tian Heng came straight to his school.

When Mo Di was busy coding while drinking water in bed, Mu Tian Heng was being smuggled in by several traitors.

“I’ve heard from somewhere that someone has been lying to me. He promised to go to bed at twelve but as it turned out, he would only sleep at three in the morning.”

Suddenly hearing Mu Tian Heng’s voice, Mo Di received quite a shock.

He looked up in a daze and was stupefied at the sight of Mu Tian Heng standing in his dorm.

“Bro…brother?”

Mo Di’s face that was revealed through the little opening in the blanket was blushing red. Mu Tian Heng’s anger was partly soothed at the humorous sight. “Isn’t today Friday? Why didn’t you come home? Don’t tell me you have class because I know that your classes are over.”

“But there’s an exam tomorrow morning for elective courses.” Mo Di replied in a timid little voice.

“Then I’ll come to pick you up tomorrow at noon.” Mu Tian Heng said: “There shouldn’t be any exam tomorrow afternoon and Sunday, is there?”

“No exam, no exam.” Xian Yu Chao and the others said in unison. “And the next week is for review so there are no classes, only a few exams on Saturday.” 

Mo Di was planning to ambiguously say that he had exams next week but was cleanly exposed by the others. 

The group of traitors!

“Well then, I’ll be bringing you back home tomorrow. You can review or work on your games at home.” Having said this, Mu Tian Heng looked straight at Mo Di and smiled, “Little one, do you have any objection?”

“No…” 

Mo Di answered like a good boy. With Mu Tian Heng supervising, he could only sleep on time. If so, then he could only produce up to chapter seven of Infinite Life. Chapter eight would have to wait.

Hopefully, the judge that claimed he would give them a bad review if they did not let him play another four chapters was only joking.

Looking at Mo Di’s cute and submissive look, Mu Tian Heng soon turned soft and wanted to hold his hand but seeing where they were, he took back the thought.

“I know you’re very busy with reviewing for the exams and working on the game but your health is more important than anything else, got it?”

Chapter 68

Du Wen Jing watched Mo Di rushed out of the room and heard his footsteps heading for the public toilet on the east corridor.

She surveyed the room. Seeing that the others were busy celebrating, walked to the bedroom and closed the door.

Du Wen Jing took off her hairband decorated with shiny cubes, each filled with a white powder.

Du Wen Jing had a hesitant look but thinking of her brother, she kept at it after all.

She quickly uncorked the sparkling wine and emptied three cubes of powder into it.

Mo Di was watching the surveillance on his phone in the men’s room.

The hidden camera was placed inconspicuously between the sofa cushion, facing the table where his school bag and the two bottles of wine were.

Du Wen Jing’s every action was caught on camera and it was all her own “initiative”.

There are two situations whereby recording from a hidden camera is unsubmissive in court. The first is that there were no illegal activities such as violence, coercion, illegal restraining, etc. The second is that it violates legal rights which includes privacy and the maintenance of the individual’s daily lives. Without infringing these two laws, the video can be used as evidence in court.

And Mo Di was well within these guidelines.

The camera angle he set was to monitor his own school bag and wine, it was to secure his own personal property. After all, there was valuable data in his bag and this was not a private space, what if someone sneaked in without his knowledge.

As for Du Wen Jing, she just happened to enter the frame on her own volition.

Mo Di had no intention to play the confronting game with Du Wen Jing. Without any delay, he reported to Mu Tian Heng, and eventually, the police were called in.

The police’s arrival was swift, in less than fifteen minutes, they were already at the hotel gate.

Even with the police at their door, Xian Yu Chao and the others were still in the dark. Only when they barged in amidst their high jinks that the group was shocked silly and stood frozen in place.

Wha… wha… What just happened?!

They had just ordered food, why did the police come instead?!!!

Du Wen Jing panicked. She pretended to be in need of the toilet in order to leave but was stopped by a policewoman who then handcuffed her.

“You’re Du Wen Jing right? Why don’t you come with us?”

“What are you doing? Why are you arresting me?!” Du Wen Jing struggled to break free and escape.

“That’s because you broke the law of course.” The policewoman was very much accustomed to apprehending criminals who tried to act innocent. She grabbed Du Wen Jing with force and pinned her on the ground.

“Ah!” Du Wen Jing screamed with pain.

“What’s going on? Why are you arresting my friend?” Seeing Du Wen Jing’s predicament, Zhao Chun stepped forward briskly, “Officer, is there a misunderstanding? My friend did not commit any crime, why are you arresting her?”

“We suspect she has drugs in her possession with the intention to intoxicate others. We’re taking her back for questioning.” The policewoman passed him her card, “If you have any doubt about our arrest, you can file a complaint at the station.”

“No, no… I certainly don’t mean any offense but…” Zhao Chun was full of disbelief looking at Du Wen Jing on the ground. “It’s just that there’s no way my friend has any drugs on her.”

Xian Yu Chao and the others also came out of their shock and started asking questions: “Who was she planning to intoxicate?!”

That’s the most important point!!!

“It’s me, I reported.” Mo Di’s voice faded in.

“Xiao Di?!!!”

Everyone’s had a change in their expression. Chen Zhao ran to Mo Di and asked him frantically: “Du Wen Jing tried to drug you? Xiao Di, please don’t scare me, this is serious!”

“Xiao Di, how are you feeling? Do you need to go to the hospital?” Pang Qiang Lang and Han Chao immediately shifted their attention to Mo Di. Han Chao insisted that Mo Di leave for the hospital right away.

“Can we get rid of the drugs by gastric lavage?”

Mo Di smiled sincerely looking at the group who were concerned for his safety even in their confusion, “It’s ok, I’m fine now.”

“The caller also has to come with us to the station.” Two male policemen who had collected the evidence and placed them in the evidence bag said to Mo Di: “You’re Mo Di, right?”

“En.” Mo Di nodded. He looked at Du Wen Jing on the ground and she was looking up at him with bright red eyes.

“You framed me!” Du Wen Jing had started the waterworks. “Why did you frame me?! I have never been exposed to drugs! I never drugged anyone! You’re the one trying to trick me into taking drugs!”

Mo Di was quite surprised at Du Wen Jing’s last-ditch effort. He could only laugh. He expected her to resist and deny but he never thought she would turn around and blame him.

Him tricking her to take drugs? 

This could get interesting.

“What rubbish?! Xiao Di has been with us all this time, don’t you dare accuse him of anything!” Lin Jun Feng was fuming. He could not imagine that the Du Wen Jing they had been feeling sorry for was such a person! She tried to drug Xiao Di and when that failed, she tried to slander him instead!

“Your accusation is invalid.” Mo Di pointed to the evidence in the hand of the police, “Everything has to be based on evidence.”

“I do not possess drugs, I don’t use drugs, and I definitely was not trying to make anyone take drugs! It’s you, you framed me! You want me to take the fall. You know I’m poor and powerless so you used me, I ….ummm!”

“Stop making a scene! It won’t help your case. I’ve seen this many times.” The policewoman gagged her with a napkin, “Stay still! Do you think you can get away with this by causing a ruckus? Dream on. Take her back.”

“Yes, sister Meng.” A young policeman immediately received her order and took Du Wen Jing away.

It was apparent that the policewoman was of a higher rank.

“Can you come to the station to make a statement?” the policewoman clapped her hands and said to the Xian Yu Chao and the others, “It won’t take long.”

“Of course, no problem.” They nodded repeatedly.

And so, everyone got in the police car.

After some time, Xian Yu Chao could not hold his curiosity and asked: “Xiao Di, what the hell is going on? How did Du Wen Jing trick you into taking drugs? Are you sure you’re alright?”

“That’s right, Xiao Di, are you now…” Han Chao looked at Mo Di: “feeling any discomfort?”

“I’m fine.” Mo Di replied calmly.

“I discovered something was wrong with her and after she spiked my drink, I have not eaten anything from her since. It was the last time we went to karaoke that I found out that she drugged me. I was not able to confirm back then but today I’m certain.”

“Last time?!” Pang Qiang Lang was flabbergasted

“En. I don’t want to talk about the details but it was pure luck that I discovered it.”

The group wanted to know more but seeing Mo Di keeping it short, they no longer asked.

Zhao Chun was still in disbelief: “But why would Wen Jing drug you? Could she have drugged us too?”

“No. She has another motive.”

“Ha?! What motive?”

“That’s the truth behind this case, we better not discuss it now.”

(TN: in case anyone was confused with the names like I was, Zhao Chun is the girl who introduced Du Wen Jing to Mo Di. Chen Zhao is one of Mo Di’s dorm mates and Song Yu’s nephew. Han Chao is one the first members of the team who joined with Pang Qiang Lang.)

…..

As Mo Di was driven to the police station, Mu Tian Heng had also made his move.

He brought everything he found on Du Wen Long to Commissioner Wang, the upright officer who had worked with them on the College Entrance Exam fraud case.

In fact, Commissioner Wang had been paying close attention to the Qin family for some time now but he just could not find any critical evidence of their crimes. With the evidence provided by Mu Tian Heng in the College Entrance Exam fraud case and Mo Si Lang’s case, his interest in the Qin family deepened and he had been keeping an eye on them. However, there was no strong evidence to topple the Qin family and so he had to be passive for now.

For this reason, Commissioner Wang was more reliable than any other government official and most suitable to exchange information with.

This time Mu Tian Heng contacted Commissioner Wang in the hope that he could use De Wen Long to make Du Wen Jing reveal everything that she knew.

However, Mu Tian Heng acknowledged that even if she spilled everything, the most they could prove was that Du Wen Long was kept in the Qins’ gambling den in Myanmar. The thread that tied the drugs to the Qins were fickle and would be unable to put garbage like Qin Cheng Yi in prison. And even if they found more incriminating evidence, there were plenty of people who were willing to be his sacrificial lamb.

In the beginning, Mu Tian Heng was reluctant to use underhanded means against the Qin family but their ruthlessness disgusted him to no end. Qin Cheng Yi cannot be left to inherit the Qin Group, he should be in a prison cell instead.

At the station, the locked up Du Wen Jing gradually calmed down as she remembered the words of the person she had been in contact with.

It’ll be fine, as long as she stays strong and sticks to her claim that Mo Di was the one who framed her, she’ll be fine.

Even if… even if there was evidence against her, it’s not that bad. She did some research, the crime of coaxing others to take drugs only has up to three years sentence unless it was serious to the point of life-threatening. She only spiked his drink twice and Mo Di was not affected at all, her sentence should be light.

At most, it would cost her three years of her life. She would be thirty by the time she got out but that was acceptable. As for now, she must not tell them anything or her brother’s hands and legs would be chopped off by those in the gambling den!

How could her brother live a normal life after that? And her parents and her, how could they live with themselves for letting this happen?!!

Du Wen Jing was determined to stick to her story unless there was concrete evidence to convict her. But even so, she would claim that she did it out of jealousy for Mo Di’s talent and wealth. That would be all she was willing to say.

Du Wen Jing had everything mapped out in her head. Just as she braced herself for what to come, no one came to interrogate her even after three hours.

After an unknown amount of time passed when she slowly drifted into sleep, the door to the interrogation room opened.

The policewoman who had handcuffed her came in with her colleague.

When Du Wen Jing was about to open her mouth to claim her innocence, the police officer’s words stumped her first, then turned her complexion pale.

“Is Du Wen Long your brother?”

Sister Meng then went on to show Du Wen Jing photos of Du Wen Long with broken fingers: “He was lured into gambling and had turned into an addict. His enabler tricked him into going to Myanmar, to an underground gambling den where he almost had his limbs amputated. And you, you were working with the people who were trying to hurt him, why? Tell me!”

Chapter 67

Aware of what Mo Di was thinking, Mu Tian Heng gently held his shoulder and comforted: “Be patient, I’ve sent for an investigation. If Qin Cheng Yi is really involved in this, we’ll know soon enough.”

“It won’t be that easy.”

Mo Di was inconsolable. He ground his teeth and said: “Brother, Qin Cheng Yi owns many underground casinos abroad and each of them is affiliated with a powerful local criminal syndicate. They’re corrupted to the core. It’s unlikely that we’ll be able to find anything.”

“But we did have confirmation that Du Wen Long is in Myanmar.”

Mu Tian Heng continued: “Qin Cheng Yi has three casinos in Myanmar, if we investigate them one by one, I’m sure we’ll dig up something. More importantly, I’ve found out that between Qin Cheng Yi’s two most trusted confidants, one has gone to Laos and the other to Myanmar.”

Mo Di raised his head and looked at Mu Tian Heng.

Mu Tian Heng patted Mo Di’s head, “We’ll monitor those two and from them, I’m sure we’ll be able to get more leads. Believe in me.”

“I do believe you, but…” Mo Di frowned, “What if they took him somewhere other than the casinos? What can we do then? It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”

“That’s very unlikely. Regardless of how powerful the Qin family is, they are not untouchable in foreign countries. Du Wen Long left the country legally, he was not smuggled out. Therefore, if Qin Cheng Yi wanted to hide him, the best place would be somewhere he has full control over and that’s the casinos he owns. He will not risk keeping him somewhere out of his scope.”

Mu Tian Heng paused for Mo Di to digest before continuing: “More importantly, I’ve found something related to Du Wen Jing. Although nothing on the drugs yet, but it’s the reason I’m eighty percent sure Du Wen Long is tied to the casinos.”

“What is it?!”

“It’s something I accidentally discovered.” Mu Tian Heng paused and said: “Du Wen Jing comes from a strict patriarchal lineage. However, unlike the modern women who rejected the sexist idea of favoring the son and belittling the daughter to the point that they decided to cut ties with their own families, Du Wen Jing completely accepted this mentality. She practically worships Du Wen Long.”

“I made Lai De Si contact her former classmates under the ruse of trying to court her. He asked about her hobbies and interests but all of her classmates said that her only focus in life is to spend money on her brother. How much she loves her brother… probably even more than she loves her parents.”

Mu Tian Heng cleared his throat: “I also found out that when she just graduated, her job only paid 6000 a month and yet, she sent 3000 to Du Wen Long. With only 3000 left for expenses like food, rent, and transportation in this costly city, you can imagine how much she is willing to sacrifice for her brother.”

Mo Di was astounded. He had no idea that Du Wen Jing was this crazy about her brother.

When they learned about Du Wen Jing’s family background from Zhao Chun, there was a wave of sympathy for her. As not to hurt her feelings, they would never intentionally mention this in her presence. Furthermore, Du Wen Jing rarely talked about her brother, Du Wen Long, which was why they assumed that her mentality aligned with theirs. Who would have thought that she was doing it on her own volition and even devotedly so.

Mo Di was speechless for a moment.

“Don’t take it to heart.”

Worrying that Mo Di would blame himself because of this oversight, Mu Tian Heng took his hand: “No one could’ve known this.”

“That’s true, this is really unexpected.” Lai De Si’s voice interjected.

Seeing that Mu Tian Heng was taking his own sweet time in Mo Di’s room, Lai De Si suspected that he was engaged in animalistic activities but when he went to peek, the door was not even closed and the two were just holding hands.

Lai De Si was considering whether Mu Tian Heng was taking things a little too slow.

Mo Di looked at Lai De Si.

Lai De Si coughed and said: “As I said, this was a shock to everyone. As a female who has received higher education and living in this liberated era, it’s normal to reject the idea of favoring one gender over the other. In fact, she knows that her mindset will be disparaged by others so she was hiding it, only telling them details that would earn her sympathy. If we did not check with her high school classmates, we might not even realize this. Many of her University friends only knew that her family values son over daughters but not that she also felt the same. They all sympathized with her having to send large sums of money to Du Wen Long every month.”

“I can’t wrap my head around this.” Mo Di mulled for quite awhile only to express his baffling thought.

“Not many can, but there’s no need to.” Mu Tian Heng looked at Mo Di: “All we need to know is that that is her mindset and it’s also how Qin Cheng Yi was able to manipulate her to harm you.”

Mo Di was distraught. There was a certain frustration at being bitten for helping the wrong person.

“But that’s not right…” Mo Di found another problem, “When Du Wen Jing was paid 6000, she gave her brother 3000. When she was paid 8000, she gave him 5000. Why is it that when I paid her 12000 and even gave her the salary in advance she still only sent him 5000?”

According to Du Wen Jing’s habit of pampering her brother, she would have definitely sent him more than that.

“That’s an incongruent point indeed.” Mu Tian Heng said in a deep voice.

“I’ll tell Li Cheng to speed up their search on Du Wen Jing’s recent contacts and also transactions that stand out. We’ll get some results soon.”

…..

What Mu Tian Heng said was realized by the afternoon when Mo Di had just finished his lunch. Li Cheng and Edmund had found something.

Du Wen Jing had asked a colleague of hers to help transfer 10 000 to another account, and half a month ago, money was withdrawn from it. 

And the withdrawal happened in Myanmar.

More clues were popping up and things were beginning to unravel. Mu Tian Heng took an extra step and contacted several influential tycoons in Myanmar who had wanted to work with him before. With their help, Mu Tian Heng was certain finding Du Wen Long was just a matter of time.

At the same time, he also had eyes on Du Wen Jing.

Mo Di went back to school after taking a day off.

Under Mu Tian Heng’s instruction, Xian Yu Chao did not disclose that Mo Di was ill to the rest of the team.

Mo Di wanted to catch Du Wen Jing in the act so after a few days, under the guise of wanting to watch the game competition’s live broadcast together with the team, he invited everyone to dinner.

As expected, upon receiving Mo Di’s message, Mu Tian Heng’s subordinate sent to monitor Du Wen Jing reported that she went out the same night.

She took the bus and changed at several stops before arriving at a dilapidated neighborhood in the eastern suburbs where the tallest building was only six stories high.

For fear of being discovered, Li Wenli, the person assigned to watch Du Wen Jing, did not follow her when she climbed the stairs of a three-story building.

After receiving the news, Mu Tian Heng told Li Wenli to wait at the stairway between the third and second floors. As soon as Du Wen Jing came out, they could determine which apartment she went to.

Li Wenli stood by for twenty minutes until he heard movements coming from the second story. He glanced below and saw Du Wen Jing exiting one of the eastern units.

In the span of several seconds while Du Wen Jing was closing the door behind her, he quickly turned the recording function on and then pretended to be on the phone while climbing up the stairs.

Du Wen Jing cautiously glimpsed up at him but decided that there was nothing unusual and left in a hurry.

Another ten minutes after, the door opened again and a bearded man came out. His complexion in a glance was very sickly, like a junkie who had been using for a long time.

Li Wenli secretly recorded the man and reported to Mu Tian Heng.

When Mu Tian Heng received the footage, he was looking through the findings sent to him from Myanmar regarding Du Wen Long’s exact location. He considered for awhile then ordered Li Wenli to temporarily trail the junkie instead of Du Wen Jing.

Once he got another breakthrough from Myanmar, this junkie who was distributing the drugs could be handed over to the police as definitive proof against Du Wen Jing.

As for whether or not Qin Cheng Yi was the one behind the addict, Mu Tian Heng assumed there was some minor connection like hooking them up but that would be it. This time, Qin Cheng Yi had been extremely careful every step of the way. Other than keeping Du Wen Long in his underground casino, nothing else could be traced back to him.

They have tracked every single one of Du Wen Jing’s contacts for the last two months and tailed her for several days but discovered she did not come in contact with anyone remotely connected to Qin Cheng Yi.

Every piece of news that Mu Tian Heng got, Mo Di naturally knew.

He did not stop his plan to create ample opportunities for Du Wen Jing to spike his drinks.

This was because she could not be acquitted with the previous bottle of grapefruit juice since there was always the argument that she did not know what was in it or even claim that it was Mo Di’s own doing. Therefore, Mo Di needed to catch her red-handed for a foolproof conviction.

…..

The big day finally came when the results of the competition would be announced. After their afternoon class, Mo Di brought the delirious three to the hotel box that he had reserved in advance. There, they met with the rest of the team.

This special lounge was spacious and high-end and came with a small bedroom with a toilet, bed, and sofa included. The main space outside the bedroom was fully equipped with amenities like a super high definition TV and microphones for karaoke. The group ate and had fun till half-past eight when the live broadcast finally started.

Without a doubt, their game had entered the next stage of the competition. 

Infinite Life was praised by many judges as the black horse that suddenly charged right into the heart of the competition. Many loved the rich plot and beautiful graphics. The concept was new yet easy to familiarize with. The gameplay was challenging and addictive. One of the judges even urged them to have at least four more chapters out by the next deadline or he’ll give them bad reviews!

This time, the team was given high praises and their score soared them all the way to second place.

The group was overjoyed as they screamed and cheered.

Mo Di smiled and went to get a bottle of red wine and a bottle of sparkling wine with low alcohol content, intending to open for the celebration.

But just after picking it up, he frowned as he felt a pain in his stomach.

Seeing Mo Di’s reaction, Du Wen Jing who had been waiting for an opportunity quickly came over and asked: “Xiao Di, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

“I must’ve eaten too much, my stomach hurts a little. I have to go to the toilet.”

Mo Di blushed slightly and covered his stomach, “You guys can drink up without me. Don’t have to leave me any of the red wine, I can only drink the low-alcohol sparkling wine.” 

“Are you sure? This is a pretty expensive bottle of red wine.”

“I can’t drink it. I’ll pass out immediately with that level of alcohol. I’ll just have some of the sparkling wine.” Mo Di waved his hand and said.

“I can’t take it anymore, can’t talk, have to go.”

Chapter 66

Mo Di nodded at the doctor’s words. 

“Thank you for your help, Dr. Wang.” Mu Tian Heng adjusted his mood and thanked the doctor, “I have to invite you to dinner in a couple of days.”

“No, no, it’s nothing.”

Mu Tian Heng said: “You’re too humble. This gratitude I have to repay. Your help was tremendous.”

“Not at all. All I did was run some tests.” Dr. Wang smiled. “But I do have a small favor to ask of you, Director Mu.”

“Dr. Wang, please don’t hesitate.”

“Sigh… it’s about my son. He wants to apply as a postgraduate student at M University but his resume is not very glorious. He had no prior experience or outstanding achievements, so…” Dr. Wang said with abasement. “I want to ask for your help in letting him do some internship at your company, make his resume look a little better…”

Mu Tian Heng understood immediately: “No problem, I’ll let him learn under one of our more experienced programmers. However, whether or not he can make anything out of it is beyond my help.”

“That’s good enough, that’s all I’m asking.” Dr. Wang knew that he should not overstep his boundaries and expressed his thanks, “Thank you, Director Mu. I’m well aware of my son’s capabilities, I don’t dare to ask for anything else.”

…..

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Mu Tian Heng left with Mo Di.

“Are you still uncomfortable? Are the symptoms going away?”

Seeing Mo Di’s pale face, Mu Tian Heng was filled with heartache and anger. He wanted so much to hold him in his arms.

“I’m fine, brother. It’s not uncomfortable anymore. Really.” Mo Di was still a little nauseous but it was a lot better than before and bearable.

Lai De Si was cast aside where he stayed soundlessly. He had thought that Mo Di was just being paranoid but unexpectedly… who would’ve thought he really was drugged!

The culprit was too malicious, this could destroy his entire life!

Mu Tian Heng gently rubbed Mo Di’s hair: “Get a sick leave for tomorrow. Don’t go to class for the next two days, stay home and rest, ok?”

“Brother, I can’t.” Mo Di shook his head.

“The Spring Festival comes early next year and so will the holidays. We’re near the end of the course and the last few classes are critical, I can’t afford to be absent. Furthermore, if I were to do that, the culprit will be on alert. I want to find out who did this and the true mastermind. I can’t let them go unpunished.”

After saying his piece, Mo Di sweetened his tone, with a smile he said: “Brother, I’m fine now, it’s really nothing.”

Mu Tian Heng’s dark eyes stayed on Mo Di for a while. He finally sighed and embraced him in his arms.

“You can rely on me a little more, you know.”

“I’m already very dependent on you.” Mo Di smiled and hugged Mu Tian Heng back. His cheek pressed on his shoulder, “Brother, you’re the one I trust and rely on the most.”

Lai De Si pouted as a sour taste was getting stronger in his mouth.

I’m also a very reliable person, ok!

…..

Although Mo Di was not going to ask for leave, he came back to the villa with Mu Tian Heng for the night.

Mo Di took another bath then went to the living room in his yellow pajamas to discuss matters with Mu Tian Heng.

He had been too busy lately and did not have the time to shop for a new set like he said he would.

Mu Tian Heng was typing when he saw Mo Di coming: “I made you a cup of pear juice. You should drink it before the color changes.”

“En, thank you, brother.” Mo Di picked up the cup of freshly squeezed pear juice and took a sip. The sweet liquid flowed down his throat but his heart felt like it swept by a feather, light and warm.

Mu Tian Heng could always touch the deepest part of his heart with his care and gentleness.

Moments after, Lai De Si also came out from his shower wearing a T-shirt and boxers. He sighed and said: “Hua Xia’s heating is amazing, it’s so warm and comfortable.”

“You’re not going to bed?” Mu Tian Heng looked at Lai De Si.

“With what just happened, how could I possibly sleep? What are your plans, count me in.” Lai De Si walked over and sat down.

Mu Tian Heng did not object. He swayed the laptop and showed the screen to Lai De Si: “The information is all here. Du Wen Jing is a very questionable person.”

Lai De Si bent over to look at the screen, “Hmm… there’s something odd about Du Wen Jing…”

“What?”

“Can’t tell. Just a feeling that something does not sit right with her…” Lai De Si frowned. “Nevermind. It’s probably just me. Du Wen Jing was born in the countryside and has a brother?”

“Yes. Her brother, Du Wen Long, is twenty-one this year, five years younger than her. He’s now a third-year student of some college in the south. He’s not very capable and is always asking her for money.” Mo Di said: “According to Du Wen Jing, she would give her brother 5k a month even with the salary of 8k that she got from her previous job. After joining the team, I paid her 12k a month and gave her an advance payment so she could pay her rent.”

“Little Mo Di, that’s not the right way to do it.” Lai De Si said: “She only entered your team for less than a month, it’s good enough that you’re giving her a higher salary, why did you give her an advance payment?”

Mo Di answered calmly: “Because I think she’s quite pitiful and wanted to give her hand.”

“And we both have been under prejudice and discrimination from our families. I thought I understood her and could sympathize with her. That’s why I wanted to help”

“Damn it! It just pisses me off.” Lai De Si was furious, “Du Wen Jing is too… too, what’s the phrase… a white-eyed wolf!”

Mu Tian Heng rubbed Mo Di’s hair. He did not preach, only ask: “You’ve done a background check on her on the internet, haven’t you?”

“Um, I did and I did not find anything wrong with her.”

“I also did a search just now. I asked Li Cheng and the others to help as well and they did not spot any glaring problems. The person behind her is very meticulous.” As Mu Tian Heng explained, his tone became increasingly cold. He pulled up a screen and said: “But I managed to find some discrepancies. Here are her financial records.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Lai De Si looked through it and asked: “I don’t see anything.”

“There’s something not right.” Mu Tian Heng opened another page, “These are the accounts that she had transferred money to in the last two months. The account starting with 0258 is her brother’s and this account, for the past two months, would immediately withdraw the 5000 Du Wen Jing sent and the 1000 from their parents as soon as the money was transferred.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Lai De Si was even more confused.

Mo Di’s expression changed. He exclaimed: “That’s definitely strange.”

“What is it?” Lai De Si was completely clueless, “Explain clearly you two!”

“How much do you spend a month?” Mu Tian Heng looked at Lai De Si.

“I…” Lai De Si sulked and took out his phone to check. “Let me check my account. Oh, I spent 38k this month but I’ve saved up compared to last month. It’s nearly the end of the month and I still haven’t past the 40k mark!”

“Including cash?” 

“Even with cash, it’s still not 40k. And who still uses cash in Hua Xia?! It’s more convenient to swipe… that’s not right.” Lai De Si was enlightened. “I got it! Du Wen Long is a twenty-one-year-old who likes to go out and have fun. He’s a spender and there’s no way he uses cash to pay for everything and yet, he withdrew every penny from his account?”

“That’s right. For the last two months, Du Wen Long had withdrawn all the money in his accounts. There’s nothing left for him to make any electronic transfers.”

Mu Tian Heng continued typing across the keyboard, “I also hacked into his campus administration and found that he had not been spending anything with his campus card.”

“That’s too unusual.” Mo Di thought of something ominous and his expression changed, “Brother, do you have information on Du Wen Long’s group chat with his classmates? Is there any mention of his current situation?”

“I’m still trying to find out.” Mu Tian Heng’s long and powerful fingers were almost impossible to follow as he typed. Moments later: “I got it. Someone mentioned him a week ago, saying how he had been playing and not coming to class for a month and that they envied him.”

“Absent for a month?!”

“One month of absenteeism from this kind of college wouldn’t normally attract much attention.” Mu Tian Heng’s brows creased, “But Du Wen Long’s situation is very fishy.”

“So what we should focus on for now is not Du Wen Jing but her brother, Du Wen Long.” With that, Mo Di ran back to his room to retrieve his laptop. 

Upon his return, he said: “Brother, let’s start tracing Du Wen Long’s activities. His recent abnormalities, I suspect Qin Cheng Yi has a hand in this!”

“I’ll check his immigration records to see if he’s been traveling.” Mo Di said, “Brother, you check his financials. There’s definitely a clue there.”

“No problem. Lai De Si and I will investigate his transactions and spending habits.”

“All right! Let’s pull an all-nighter!” Lai De Si rolled up his sleeves.

Mu Tian Heng added: “I’ve also requested help from George and the others. They will be looking up Du Wen Long’s social network and personal interactions for the last two months”

…

Mo Di had no intention of sleeping but today was an exhausting day. And coupled with the side effects of the drug, Mo Di finally dozed off at four in the morning.

Mu Tian Heng carried the sleeping Mo Di back to his bedroom.

Seeing Mu Tian Heng came back, Lai De Si twitched his lips.

“You were expecting Mo Di to fall asleep, weren’t you? I was surprised as to why you did not make him go to bed and instead let him stay and work.”

“Even if I told him to go, he will never agree.” Mu Tian Heng tidied up Mo Di’s empty milk glass.

“So you deliberately give him milk and honey to make him sleep faster, didn’t you?” Lai De Si sighed, “You old fox. That can be considered attentive but at the same time luring someone to sleep is also the act of a beast.”

“But little Mo Di can be quite headstrong. I think he’s only willing to rely on you.” Lai De Si stared at Mu Tian Heng, “If you’re not here, I’m afraid he won’t even ask me for help.”

Mu Tian Heng looked at the empty milk glass and various emotions were trapped in his eye.

The next day, Mo Di slept till late in the afternoon at which he woke up in a daze.

As he was about to get up, his head sunk with a buzz and an oppressive pain filled his head.

Mo Di hissed and covered his head. This side effect is quite powerful.

“You’re awake.” Mu Tian Heng happened to come in and saw Mo Di grabbing his head. He quickly went to him, “What’s wrong? Headache?!”

“It’s ok. I got up too abruptly just now. I’m just a little dizzy.” Mo Di did not want Mu Tian Heng to worry. He smiled: “Brother, what time is it? I have to go back to school.”

“It’s already noon. Don’t go back.” Mu Tian Heng sat by the bed and gently smoothed Mo Di’s bed hair. “I called Xian Yu Chao and asked him to get you a sick leave for today. Don’t worry, your conduct will not be affected.”

“Sick leave?” Mo Di grabbed his phone from the bedside table and was shocked, “It’s already past twelve?!!”

He had hardly ever slept past twelve in the afternoon in his two lifetimes!

“You should at least get some rest for two days. You’ve been busy with making games, studying, and working with the team. And after what happened yesterday, shouldn’t you give yourself a break?” Mu Tian Heng softy pinched Mo Di’s face, “Don’t overexert yourself. If you fall sick, you won’t be the only one in pain.” 

“I…” Mo Di gazed into Mu Tian Heng’s gentle yet serious eyes and blushed, “I understand.”

“Good.” Mu Tian Heng smiled, “Take your time to freshen up. Lunch is ready, come out and eat later.”

“En.” Mo Di answered. As the thought of Du Wen Jing suddenly hit him, he couldn’t help but asked: “Brother, have you found out anything wrong with the Du siblings?”

Chapter 65

After receiving Mo Di’s call, Mu Tian Heng’s expression changed drastically. 

According to his little one’s character, he would never call him if it was just a minor illness. 

Mu Tian Heng soothed Mo Di with a warm voice while he put on his coat and get ready to depart.

Lai De Si came out of the toilet just in time to see Mu Tian Heng leaving. He asked: “Mu, where are you going? We just came back from work and you’re going out again?”

“The kid is ill, I’m taking him to the hospital.” Mu Tian Heng said as he quickly put on his shoes and turned the doorknob.

“He’s ill?! Wait up, I’m coming too!”

Lai De Si followed in a hurry.

…

In the meantime, Mo Di was already dressed and carrying the bottle of grapefruit juice down the stairs.

The others wanted to go with him but he insisted that it was just slight discomfort and sent them back.

The dorm’s gate was locked at night and Mo Di had to call the night guard to open it for him in a feeble voice, saying that he needed to go to the hospital. The guard was reluctant at first but once he saw Mo Di’s poor complexion and believed that Mo Di was not feigning to be ill, he hastily went to open the gate for him.

Mo Di thanked the guard and immediately left through the gate.

Mo Di strode steadily as he inhaled and exhaled, gradually relieving the anxiety within. 

He was still questioning his conjecture. Even if he was feeling dizzy and flustered, on top of having an urge to vent his energy by screaming and jumping, this did not conclusively mean that he was drugged.

These symptoms were not particularly alarming. Generally, anyone else who had not experienced what he had from his previous life would not even think anything was out of the ordinary. After all, it was common for one to feel drowsy at night, and yet there was a restlessness or excitement that just kept them awake. 

He did not want to disclose this to the others lest they think that he was too paranoid for going to the hospital over a mere suspicion.

Nonetheless, he could not completely rest assured. The symptoms were too similar to the ones he had when he was first injected with drugs. Although this time it was mild compared to back then, he couldn’t help feeling suspicious.

Hence, it was vital he did a check-up.

As for how he had consumed the drug…

Mo Di slowed down as he looked coldly at the bottle of grapefruit juice in his hand. 

If there really was something in this, most likely it was tied to Du Wen Jing.

He invited the group for hotpot tonight, therefore, everyone ate from the same pot and the utensils were clean. Nothing could go wrong there.

At the karaoke lounge, he did not consume any snacks or fruits. The only thing he had was this drink here. And if that was the case and this bottle was spiked, then Du Wen Jing was definitely the culprit.

Qin Cheng Yi and the likes could control many things but they could not possibly buy over every grocery store and supermarket, much less make sure that the drink he will consume is the one that was drugged.

But he did a thorough check on Du Wen Jing before and nothing was suspicious about her. She was a good-natured person who was once praised by the media for saving a child at an intersection. That was why he asked Du Wen Jing to join the team and even wanted to help her knowing she had a difficult life.

The more he thought, the heavier his heart became. However, he knew that there are many sides to a person.

There are those that love and protect animals yet commit murder without a second thought. A law-abiding citizen who treats his friends with care might be an infidel husband who abuses his wife. A wealthy and intelligent man with impeccable talents could turn traitorous and even sell out his own country…

These had all been explosive news at one point with people still unable to believe what they saw and tried to defend the perpetrator. And if Du Wen Jing was indeed the culprit, things could get troublesome.

Du Wen Jing was a hot potato. Even if the law punished her, there would be people who would sympathize with her. 

Mo Di was quite aggravated. His already heavy chest was feeling more pressure.

“Why are you standing here in the cold?” 

In Mo Di’s troubled state, a familiar voice rang. He looked up and saw Mu Tian Heng in a black coat walking towards him in big strides. 

“Since you’re unwell shouldn’t you be more careful?” Mu Tian Heng frowned. He raised his hand and touched Mo Di’s cold face. He then took off his coat and put it on Mo Di.

“I… brother, I’m just feeling a little heated and dry, that’s why I wasn’t wearing too many layers.” Mo Di explained.

“That won’t do. What if you catch a cold or have a fever? Isn’t it worse?” Mu Tian Heng looked at Mo Di, “How are you feeling now? Better?”

“It’s a little better.”

Mu Tian Heng was able to feel a little relieved: “Where specifically are you feeling the discomfort? How about we go to the First Hospital?”

“Actually…” Mo Di glanced at the surroundings and was about to tell Mu Tian Heng when Lai De Si came out of the car. He looked at Mo Di worriedly and asked: “Little Mo Di, are you alright? How did you get sick?”

Mo Di hesitated briefly but he decided to speak anyway: “Actually I’m not sick.”

Although Lai De Si was less reliable than Mu Tian Heng, he was trustworthy, there was nothing to hide from him.

“Not sick?” Lai De Si was surprised but immediately showed a smirk: “Little Mo Di, are you trying to skip class tomorrow?”

“Shut up.” Mu Tian Heng swept a stare at the out of sync Lai De Si and said solemnly: “Do you think that everyone is like you?”

Lai De Si twitched his mouth and stopped smiling.

He did feign to be sick to skip class but that was nothing strange, a lot of college students had done that alright! And other than pretending to be sick, there are various other ways to get out of class.

“What’s going on, tell me.”

Mu Tian Heng leaned over and looked at Mo Di with increased concern. If it was not a sickness and yet the little guy still insisted on going to the hospital then something even more serious had happened.

Mo Di felt a lot calmer as he looked at Mu Tian Heng. He paused briefly before telling him his symptoms and suspicion.

When he finished speaking, Mo Di couldn’t help but added: “Brother, these symptoms are the same as those I saw on a documentary program and I’ve never felt like this before, that’s why I was scared… Brother, do you think I’m overly paranoid? There’s…” 

At this point, Mu Tian Heng’s face had already sunk to the bottom. 

Hearing Mo Di’s words, he comforted him as gently as possible: “No, I think you did the right thing. It’s never wrong to be cautious.”

Lai De Si wanted to express his thoughts but he dared not talk. He felt that this scenario was quite unlikely. Didn’t Hua Xia have very strict laws against drug abuse? But since Mo Di was this suspicious, it’s alright to have a check.

Mu Tian Heng made a quick phone call. After, he gently held Mo Di’s shoulder and said: “Let’s not go to the First Hospital, we’ll go to the Third Military Hospital. I’ve already contacted someone there and we can have the tox results quickly and discreetly.”

“En.”

Mo Di nodded with no objection. He had also wanted to go to the Third Military Hospital.

…..

Half an hour later, the three arrived at the hospital gate.

A man in a white coat was standing at the door. Seeing their car, he hurried over at once.

“Director Mu, it’s an honor.”

“Hello, Dr. Wang, sorry to trouble you. Something happened to my friend here, it’s best if we can have the results as soon as possible.” Mu Tian Heng got out of the car and shook hands with Dr. Wang.

“It’s understandable, it’s understandable. In case it’s really drug consumption by accident, it could be serious.”

“Thank you for taking the time. I’ll have to treat you to dinner some other day. I hope Dr. Wang will accept my invitation.”

“Please, this is nothing worth mentioning. It’s just a simple check-up.” Dr. Wang laughed as he led them to the lab, “I will speed up the report for you. Don’t worry, it’ll be available in an hour.”

Mo Di’s throat moved and he took a deep breath. 

Dr. Wang looked at Mo Di and said: “Young man, you don’t have to be nervous. Even if you’ve indeed consumed drugs by mistake, the first time is mostly harmless. And rarely would someone use a high dose of heroin to harm others because it is quite costly. And looking at you, I don’t think you’ve consumed heroin so you should be ok.”

“En.” Mo Di responded. This he had already known.

“But you should pay attention to the people around you. Most of the time, making others take drugs unknowingly is done by peers with a motive. You should be careful.” Dr. Wang added.

“I understand, thank you, uncle.” Mo Di said, passing the bottle of juice to Dr. Wang, “Uncle, can you check the contents for this as well. I suspect this drink is the cause.”

“Alright, I’ll check it for you later.”

Mu Tian Heng’s eyes were fierce as he stared at the bottle but he remained silent.

Lai De Si felt the chilling air coming from Mu Tian Heng and instantly took a step back. 

Dr. Wang drew some blood samples from Mo Di then went on to extract a small amount of juice from the bottle and labeled them separately.

Dr. Wang’s voice was dulled behind the mask: “You can come back in half an hour. Drink plenty of water to expel the drugs from your system.”

“Alright, thank you, Dr. Wang.” Mu Tian Heng replied. He then led Mo Di out of the room.

“Does it hurt?” Mu Tian Heng looked at Mo Di’s arm, “Is it still bleeding?”

“No, and it doesn’t hurt.” Mo Di smiled. This pain was like a tickle to him.

“Let’s wait at the convenience store. Remember to drink more water and eat something. November nights are cold, let’s eat something hot.”

“Ok.” Mo Di nodded.

Mu Tian Heng put away the bottle of grapefruit juice then drove to a nearby 24h convenience store. He bought a bowl of millet soup and several bottles of mineral water for Mo Di. 

Lai De Si was craving Guandong cuisine so he ordered a bowl of Guandong porridge.

The warm soup filled his stomach and Mo Di was a lot more relaxed. The tightness in his chest was gone and only slight dizziness remained.

And seeing that Mu Tian Heng was sitting opposite him, he was completely relieved of any panic or worry.

There’s nothing to be afraid of.

Mu Tian Heng saw that Mo Di was about to finish his soup and immediately went to order another bowl of black rice porridge. He passed it to Mo Di and said: “Drink more.”

“…” Mo Di hiccupped. Such a large bowl, the store was very generous with its portions. Mo Di was getting bloated.

Half an hour later, Dr. Wang called and told them to come get the results.

Mo Di had butterflies in his stomach again but he maintained a calm look and not much change could be seen on his face.

But Mu Tian Heng’s expression was ice-cold because he could tell from Dr. Wang’s tone that Mo Di was undoubtedly drugged.

They rushed back to the hospital and went to find Dr. Wang who had just finished his report.

“There’s bad news but also good news.” Dr. Wang had a gloomy look. He handed Mu Tian Heng the report, “The results showed that there are certain harmful substances in his blood. It’s meth, also known as ice.”

Mu Tian Heng’s expression instantly turned dark. Even Lai De Si was shocked.

“But the good news is the concentration is very low. I tested the contents of that juice as well and there are traces of meth in it. With this amount of concentration, the bottle should hold no more than one gram of the drug. Which means that most likely, Mo Di has less than half a gram in his system. This should not cause addiction at first consumption, just a little discomfort.”

Dr. Wang then looked at Mo Di: “How are you feeling? Still uncomfortable?”

“I’m much better now. Only a little nauseous. The dizziness and anxiety are gone.”

Mo Di had an innocently happy look on his face but internally, he was feeling immense pressure. They did not give him this low concentration out of the kindness of their heart, this was definitely done to give him an addiction without him knowing. 

Although the investigation had not started, he could be certain that Du Wen Jing was working under Qin Cheng Yi.

But why? Why would Du Wen Jing agree?!!

“That’s good. You may continue to feel discomfort for the next one or two days but after that, everything should be fine.” Dr. Wang said: “Don’t be scared and don’t worry too much about this. It’ll be fine.”