Chapter 19

Mu Tian Heng: “What?”

Lai De Si sneered: “I have to give you a scolding first. You old beast!!!”

“Less nonsense. Say it quickly.” Mu Tian Heng frowned, “Or bear the consequences.”

“Whatever. What else can you do other than give me a beating!” Lai De Si felt that he was not only jealous to death but also angered to death.

“Is that so?” Mu Tian Heng’s voice was moderate. He said lightly: “I remember that in addition to the prerequisite salaries and shares I promised you, I also gave you a Rolls Royce, a Porsche, a California villa, a…”

“Stop! I was wrong! I know I ‘m wrong!” Lai De Si interrupted immediately and changed his face to a smiling one and said: “Aiya, we’re good brothers. And for my good brothers, it’s my duty to tell you.”

“Just now the little friend came here and asked me what you like to eat, what kind of flavor you prefer, and even told me to keep it a secret!” Lai De Si said sourly: “Mu! It seems like the little friend really likes you! He really does! I’m not spouting nonsense and I’m not being delusional either!”

Mu Tian Heng on the other end did not speak.

“Mu! Why aren’t you responding? Are you extremely happy right now? Hm? But even if he really likes you, that doesn’t mean that you can make a move on him. He’s only seventeen! You should take it easy! If not then you’re too much of a beast!!”

“I know.”

“You know…you know my ass…wait!” Lai De Si’s voice suddenly stopped and looked as if he had seen a ghost, “Mu could it be? Is it possible that you…you also like the little…?”

“You’re thinking too much.” Mu Tian Heng denied.

He could deny and lie to Lai De Si but he could not completely ignore his restless mood.

Lai De Si had some doubts: “You really don’t like the kid?”

“Can this be fake?” Mu Tian Heng’s voice was heavier: “I’m warning you to shut up. You can lay this out on me but he’s going to take his college entrance exam soon, your rubbish will have a bad impact on him. Understood?!”

“Fine, I got it. I won’t say anything stupid in front of him.” Lai De Si said immediately.

“But… you really have no feelings for the kid? I don’t believe you.”

“What’s there not to believe?” Mu Tian Heng’s voice was cold: “I’ve always liked the matured type. Such a young one, he’s just a child to me.”

“Che!” Lai De Si instantly expressed his disdain. “Is that so? Why is it that your romance with the ‘matured types’ always only has a three months shelf life?”

“Maturity is only the first condition, it still has to be combined with temperament and personality.”

“Pei! You have a reason for everything even though they’re nonsense!” Lai De Si said this and gave an excited cry: “Oh did I say it right?!” 

Mu Tian Heng no longer wanted to be bothered by him, but after a pause, he said: “If I’m busy these few days, I’ll come back after 12. If not, I still will not return until 12.”

“Ah?” Lai De Si was stunned, “You want to hide from the kid?”

“It’s not hiding. I just don’t want to distract him. It’s more important for him to study now.” Mu Tian Heng said lightly: “Since we want to help him, then we shouldn’t hold him back at this critical moment.”

Mu Tian Heng then hung up the phone.

What he had said a minute ago sounded calm and natural but he knew clearly that deep down he was trying to have less contact with the little guy. And that was because there was a thorn in his heart.

While the situation was still manageable, and his feelings for the little guy had not developed too deeply, he should avoid him as much as possible. In case he really… would turn into a beast.

Mo Di gradually realized that it was getting harder for him to see Mu Tian Heng. The most were when they had breakfast together in the morning but for the rest of the day, he would not see Mu Tian Heng again. He also rarely called to check on him. Even when he had fallen asleep, Mu Tian Heng was still not back yet.

Mo Di did not think much of it at first but after five or six days, he was aware that something was wrong.

However, after careful analysis, Mo Di did not panic. Mu Tian Heng deliberately avoided him, it just clearly showed that he was not indifferent to his advances.

Mo Di noted this in his heart. In his spare time, he would come up with ways to further deepen the relationship. The rest of the time he spent on studying and planning on how to face slap the Mos.

Regarding the Mo family, Mo Di thought of the rumours he saw on the school forum about him cheating. How loathsome.

But then he was used to it. On the contrary, if the Mos and those Mo Liu Gui fanatics did not act, he should be suspicious.

As for why he did not delete those posts, that was because they were still useful.

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed and it was the afternoon the day before the college entrance exam. Mo Di energetically went to school in a mask to get his exam pass.

As fate would have it, he met Mo Liu Gui and Mo Wu Hang when leaving through the school gate.

The moment Mo Wu Hang saw Mo Di, his anger exploded. He was about to rush forward and gave Mo Di a good teaching but was pulled back by Mo Liu Gui.

“Fifth brother, don’t get angry! Don’t be impulsive or we won’t be able to persuade Xiao Di to come home!”

After that, Mo Liu Gui turned and smiled at Mo Di: “Xiao Di tomorrow’s the exam, how are you doing on the preparations?”

“Pretty good.”

Mo Di nodded, then turned to leave.

Mo Liu Gui did not expect Mo Di to leave just like that. Her expression immediately carried some disbelief and grievances, and her smile stiffened.

She had never been aired like this before. Her eyes were uncontrollably moist. She raised her voice and said: “Xiao Di, are you not coming back home with us? Mom and Dad can’t eat well or sleep well because of you. Everyone at home is worried about you. Do you really not care at all?”

“Or was it because of those messed up rumours on the internet that you hate me and that’s why you refuse to come home?”

Mo Wu Hang, who was already fuming to act, reached his limits when he saw Mo Liu Gui’s red eyes. In a flash, he charged towards Mo Di and aimed his fist at his right eye!

Mo Di ceased his steps suddenly. He turned around, slightly retreated and dodged Mo Wu Hang’s incoming punch. Next, Mo Di gave Mo Wu Hang’s knee a powerful kick, then grabbed his shoulder and threw him on the ground!

Mo Wu Hang fell hard on his face. His nose hit the ground and made a clicking sound.

“Ah—!” Mo Wu Hang’s sight turned black due to the pain.

Mo Liu Gui stood in a daze. She did not expect that Mo Wu Hang would be beaten by Mo Di. When she snapped out of it, she quickly ran over and said angrily: “Xiao Di, what are you doing? How can you hit your brother? And so brutally?!” 

“Sister, shouldn’t you go to help him first?” Mo Di fixed his mask and while Mo Liu Gui was still distracted, he sped up his long legs and ran towards a taxi that had been parked on the side of the road. He boarded and asked the driver to drive away quickly.

The driver who was called in advance by Mo Di when he came to school stepped on the accelerator and sped off.

Mo Di pulled down his mask and a smirk appeared on his face. He unlocked his phone and crossed off an item on his memo.

In his last life, Mo Wu Hang had participated in a universal modelling competition. With the Mo family’s status and backing, adding in his good looks and body, he passed swiftly from the audition to the finals. Since then, he entered the world of fame and became the most popular male model in Hua Xia, gaining the infatuation from countless girls across the country.

Unfortunately, that modelling competition will begin in three days, and Mo Wu Hang with his broken nose ….

Won’t be able to attend it.

Shortly after Mo Di returned to the villa, it rained again outside.

It seemed like a law that before the college entrance exam each year, it has to rain.

Mo Di did not like rainy days. In the last few years of his life, because he had accumulated so many injuries that even on windy or rainy days, even without the electrocution, his pain was still unbearable that he felt his life was ending.

So from the time of his rebirth, he liked to drink scalding hot soup. It made him feel like the cracks in his bones were filled with heat and warmth, giving him a sense of protection.

He opened the fridge and since there was no chicken left, he decided to make pork ribs soup with yam.

…

Today Mu Tian Heng came home a little early for once. It was a little before twelve when he arrived and was supported by Assistant Gao. Apparently, he had a little too much to drink.

Lai De Si was also drunk but he could still walk. He saw Mo Di coming from the bedroom and gave him a silly smile followed by a “yo!”. After which he saluted, plunged straight to his bedroom and laid paralyzed on the bed.

Mo Di: “…”

Assistant Gao helped Mu Tian Heng to the sofa then went to get him a hot towel. Mu Tian Heng took it from him then let him leave.

Mo Di wanted to say something but Mu Tian Heng just waved his hand, closed his eyes and lie down on the sofa. It seemed he was too drunk and wanted to sleep to ease off the discomfort but did not want anyone to help him up to the second floor, so he could only rest on the sofa in the living room.

Even in a drunken state, Mu Tian Heng was not stained by the word ‘drunk’. His forehead and hair were bright and neat. The well-defined face looked slightly tired but was still impressive. The light fell on his straight nose and deep eyebrows, casting a shadow on his long eyelashes.

Mo Di stood and admired Mu Tian Heng for awhile then went to make jie jiu* soup.

TN: soup to alleviate hangover

He did not know how to make the truly orthodox jie jiu soup, but he knew the simpler versions. For example, cut a few pieces of lemon and add them to black plum and vinegar. Then boil them with water, and finally add some honey. 

Mo Di’s movements were swift and the soup was made in less than 10 minutes. But when he returned to the living room, he saw that Mu Tian Heng was already asleep.

Mo Di paused for a bit before going over to place the soup on the tea table in front of the sofa. He then went to get a small blanket and put it on Mu Tian Heng.

After placing the blanket over Mu Tian Heng, instead of walking away, he leaned down slowly and squatted beside the sofa like a little hamster.

He watched Mu Tian Heng for some time, all the while, his cheeks were turning pink. Finally, he made up his mind. With clenching hands, he propped up and placed a quick and light kiss on Mu Tian Heng’s face.

After this, he instantly escaped from the living room.

A few seconds later, Mu Tian Heng, who was breathing steadily, twitched his eyelids and opened his eyes.

---

TN: I guess Mo Di is the most effective jie jiu soup for Mu Tian Heng

Chapter 18

“Little one, why aren’t you talking?” Mu Tian Heng heard that no response was coming from the phone, he went out of the reception and raised his volume.

“Sorry brother, I was just thinking about a physics problem.” Mo Di quickly regained his mind and said: “I just happened to see where I went wrong.”

“You…” Mu Tian Heng felt helpless and funny. “It’s going to be 12 soon. You can’t just keep studying and not care about eating. Do you think I should praise you or scold you?”

Mo Di replied in a tiny voice: “Praise…praise me.”

Mu Tian Heng listened to the timid and soft voice on the other end insisting on expressing his opinion, he could not help but chuckle: “Fine, I’ll praise you. But…remember to combine work with rest and eat on time. Got it?”

“Uhm!” Mo Di’s voice was vividly lively and a brisk running sound could be heard. “Brother, I saw a lot of vegetables and meat in the fridge. I want to make some fried chicken and vegetables, and also braised eggplant.”

“Uhm, you can cook whatever you want. Just be careful not to cut your hand and watch out for the oil splash. Understood?” Mu Tian Heng had no idea how gentle his eyes were at the moment. As he spoke, his lips were hooked and there was an indisputable trace of indulgence in his smiling eyes. It was as if on the other was not an ordinary youngster he happened to make an acquaintance with but someone he truly wanted to care for.

Mo Di spoke with Mu Tian Heng for five or six minutes before hanging up. He took out the ingredients and started cooking.

While Mo Di was doing this, Mo Shi Hong and Mo Wu Hang, on the other hand, were furious after they knew that Mo Di had asked the headteacher for leave and would be studying at home hereinafter.

Mo Wu Hang was about to kick the table in anger but Qin Cheng Yi immediately said that he knew where Mo Di was residing and he would take them there. When Mo Liu Gui heard this she hurriedly insisted on going with them. In her sad tone, she expressed that she wanted to find her brother to clear their misunderstandings.

But too bad they were going on a wild goose chase.

Mo Di had predicted before that he was doomed to never return to the apartment he rented. There were things scattered here and there that he could not take with him and treated them as a lost cause.

After having his lunch, Mo Di washed the dishes and went back to his studies. It was about 6 in the evening that his concentration was broken by a rumble of crashing thunder.

After studying for more than 4 hours, Mo Di was tired. He looked at the time and stood up to stretch.

The thunder outside the window exploded one after another. Then a heavy rain poured suddenly and big raindrops splattered against the window glass. The banana leaves outside were washed green as they swayed left and right.

The sky darkened abruptly. Mo Di got up to turn on the light but before he could reach the switch, there was a flash as lightning struck outside the house.

“This is a big thunderstorm.” Mo Di flipped the light switch. Feeling that the wind coming from outside was cold so Mo Di went to shut the window.

When Mu Tian Heng and Lai De Si came back in the evening, even if the rain eased up, they might still be affected by it.

Thinking of this, Mo Di went to the kitchen and took out the soup pot. He cleaned it and prepared it for use.

Since he had already decided to be the perfect boyfriend and excellent lover, showing care and being attentive were very much needed.

…

Mu Tian Heng and Lai De Si have been busy all day. It was already 12 midnight when they returned.

“Ahh… achoo!” as soon as Lai De Si entered the door, he sneezed. While wiping his nose he removed his wet coat and left it on the hanger.

“This damn weather! I hate rainy days the most!”

Although Mu Tian Heng did not sneeze, he still felt an uncomfortable chill. Seeing that there was still light coming from the right corridor, he went over to have a look.

“Brothers, you’re back!”

When Mo Di heard the noise outside, he put down his book and turned off the computer. As he trotted out, he almost bumped into Mu Tian Heng who was coming from the opposite.

“Careful.” Mu Tian Heng reached out to help Mo Di stabilize and said warmly: “Why aren’t you in bed?”

“I usually review until 12.” Mo Di was a little shy after being helped by Mu Tian Heng. His cheeks were vividly pink under the light. “Brothers, wait for me. I’ll make a trip to the kitchen.”

Mo Di then ran to the kitchen and Mu Tian Heng was slightly stunned as he stood in place.

Was the little fellow…..shy?

And was it because of the light or was his vision blurred that he saw the kid looking at him like those admirers did in the past, the look that was filled with admiration and radiance.

How is that possible?

Even if the kid had favourable feelings towards him because he was kind to him, it should not be at this level of adoration, or else…

All that he did, was it the right decision?

“Mu, what are you standing there for? Being a door god?”

On the road, Lai De Si had heard a mother talking to her son that way. He felt it was quite interesting so he had been practicing it’s usage the whole day.

Mu Tian Heng did not respond and only turned and went to change clothes.

When he came out, Mo Di was carrying two bowls with him and in the middle of the dining table was a pot of chicken soup. He filled the bowls with chicken soup, smiled and passed one bowl to Lai De Si.

Mu Tian Heng suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. The thing that the little fellow brought, shouldn’t he be the first to receive?

“Ah, no, I hate traditional herbs!” Lai De Si exclaimed as if he was persecuted. At the same time he refused to leave the beautiful young man’s side but still covered his mouth: “Little brother, although I like you very much I really can’t stand soup with medicinal herbs! Ah! I’m not drinking!”

“You’re so fussy.” Mu Tian Heng looked at Lai De Si with a little annoyance. He came over and gave him a smack. “Shut up!”

Lai De Si wanted to refute but when he opened his mouth, he had to sneeze again.

“This is chicken soup. I only added a bit of ginseng as seasoning. It’s not hard to drink. Really!” Mo Di saw Mu Tian Heng approaching, he quickly went to fetch another bowl for him.

Mu Tian Heng looked at Mo Di and the pair eyes that shone under the dining room’s crystal chandelier. The black pupils were moist as if dabbed with spring water, the long eyelashes and the slightly cocked eye corner were hazy under the light, adding in the ink-painting-like pair of brows, it was like an already beautiful scenery being covered in a dazzling veil.

It’s just that the adoring look that he witnessed at the corridor before was gone and replaced with an unrelenting expectation and attentiveness, like the youthful innocence and pure feelings of a first crush, or even a bit stronger than that.

Mu Tian Heng suddenly felt an inexplicable feeling. This time he helped the little guy, he even brought him back to stay. Did he incite a change to the feelings of the kid from an innocent admiration into something deeper? That was not his intention but letting things come to this point, he had to admit that he was partly responsible.

What’s more, he also could not deny that he was quite happy. Especially when seeing the little guy looking at him with such an expression, he couldn’t control his heart beating fast.

It seemed that his speculation when rejecting Lai De Si’s earlier suggestion to cohabitate came true. Once they really live together, certain things will be harder to control.

“Brother, what’s wrong?” Mo Di was somewhat disheartened when he saw that Mu Tian Heng was looking at him, motionlessly, “Brother, you also don’t like the soup?”

“No, I like it.” Mu Tian Heng recovered from his thoughts, took the soup from Mo Di’s hand and drank 1 third of it in one go.

The hot soup was fragrant, savoury, and delicious. The heat seemed to pass through his body and forced out the cold. Even the uncomfortable drenched feeling was gone.

Mu Tian Heng let out a hum and sighed: “It’s really good.”

Mo Di smiled. Lai De Si who was next to him was suspicious. He glanced at the herbs in the soup pot and said: “You’re lying, there’s medicine in it, how can it be delicious?”

Then he looked at Mo Di and frantically said: “Little brother, don’t be mad. I’m not saying that you can’t cook, it’s just that I’m afraid of bitterness.”

“It’s not bitter. Really.” Mo Di did not mind. He said with a smile: “Not only is it not bitter but the taste is good. It also helps to promote blood circulation and qi. It’s really good.”

Lai De Si still shook his head. As soon as he saw the traditional herbs, he was immediately reminded of the overpowering smell.

But he had to admit that traditional Chinese medicine is really amazing. It cured his pharyngitis while many western medications could not.

“If he doesn’t want to drink then let him be, don’t worry about him.”

Mu Tian Heng finished the soup in his bowl and helped himself with another serving. For some reason, this soup tasted better the more he drank. His little friend indeed had good craftsmanship.

Mo Di hesitantly nodded. Seeing that Lai De Si really refused to drink, he drank the remaining portion.

Lai De Si was salivating and his stomach was growling when he inhaled the fragrance, but looking at the herbs lying in the pot, his heart was trembling. He could only describe himself as miserable.

“Where did you get the herbs?” Lai De Si wanted to cry. If only the herbs weren’t in the soup.

“I ordered it from an app and had it delivered here.” Mo Di said: “It’s very cheap.”

Mu Tian Heng looked at Mo Di’s smiling eyes and tasted the lingering flavour of the soup, he felt a softness in his heart.

But at the same time, he reminded himself to keep a distance from the kid.

Otherwise, he might really go down the animalistic path.

After having the soup, they all bid each other goodnight and went to wash up.

Mo Di took a quick shower, dried his, and thinking over, decided to knock on Lai De Si’s door eventually.

When Lai De Si opened the door and saw Mo Di, he was a little stunned but still grinned brightly: “Little brother, what can I do for you?”

Mo Di was a little awkward. He said after a pause: “Brother Lai De Si, I’d like to ask you for help.”

“What is it?” Lai De Si was in high spirits.

“I want to ask….do you know what brother Mu Tian Heng likes to eat? What flavours do he prefer?”

Lai De Si’s lifted spirit abruptly plundered by what his heart knew as jealousy. He could not help but ask: “Little brother, do you really …cough, do you like Mu Tian Heng?”

Mo Di was stumped. He lowered his head in embarrassment and replied in a tiny voice: “En.”

“Shit!!!”

Lai De Si wanted to hit Mu Tian Heng badly. Why did so many people like Mu Tian Heng, that abnormal and narcissistic guy? Why can’t people look past the outside appearance and take a better look at what’s inside!
For example: himself. He’s a lovely, handsome, and bright young man.

But tripping up his brother was not something he’ll do. Moreover to this beautiful little brother, he only felt appreciation and sympathy, and no other ridiculous thoughts.

“There’s a lot of food that he likes. Seafood, chocolate, oh and spicy crawfish after he came to Hua Xia. Spicy pig’s intestines, spicy chicken…” Lai De Si listed out a few dishes, “He likes most spicy foods. Aiya, actually I’m not that particularly clear.”

Mo Di noted everything down seriously. Then gratefully said: “Thank you, brother Lai De Si, I have another request. What I just asked you, can you keep it a secret?”

“No problem!” Lai De Si said delightedly.

Once he closed the door behind him, he rushed to the bedside, picked up his phone and dialled Mu Tian Heng: “Hello. Damn… did you know what the little brother just came to ask me?”

---

TN: no one should ever tell Lai De Si their secret. He can’t even keep it for a minute.

Chapter 17

The score was a little higher than he had expected. Mo Di’s mood was lifted for a while until his thoughts floated back to the Mo family. The smile on his face faded.

Like eleven years ago, Mo Liu Gui will probably get upset and cry again. And the Mo family, are they going to have a heartache to the point of exploding?

And wouldn’t they love to snatch him back to give him a good ‘educating’?

That’s too bad because this time, there will not be a fool who thought his brothers finally took a liking to him when they wanted to see him, who had used up all his savings to buy them toys, who waited behind the back garden thinking his brothers were going to take him to play but what they gave him were merciless beatings and scoldings.

There will also not be a kid who was beaten till his right leg was almost disabled and had to be saved by his sister’s ‘kindness’.

Such…a pity.

Mo Di had a sneer on his lips. He walked to the desk and took out his books. Instead of wasting his time thinking about the Mo family, he might as well spend it on studying.

Indeed, Mo Di was right. Shortly after the results were released, Mo Liu Gui lowered her head on the table after seeing the result. When the other students asked her many times with concern, she only raised her head and showed a delicate smile.

Zhu Wen Ze was on his way to the men’s when he saw this scene. His heart ached to the extreme, but he had to keep it in. This was because his parents had forbidden him from interacting with Mo Liu Gui before the college entrance exams or they would not help him get into x university through unofficial channels. 

But there was no way he could stand by and do nothing while his goddess was depressed. So the first thing he did was to call her brother, Mo Wu Hang, to let him console her.

In less than an hour, every member of the Mo family had already gotten the news.

The Mo patriarch was so upset that he wanted to go to school immediately to see his baby granddaughter. When Mo Shi Hong knew that Mo Di’s score exceeded Mo Liu Gui’s, he smashed the china set in anger. 

“That bastard!!!”

“Third brother, don’t be too agitated.” The eldest aunt standing nearby tried to soothe him. “Xiao Gui has high demand for herself. Her ranking dropped, she will inevitably feel sad. But you just returned from the hospital, don’t let this affect your health, or else Xiao Gui will be more upset. That child is so filial. If she sees that you’re unwell, she’ll blame herself.”

“Uncle, Grandpa, I’ll pick Xiao Gui up at noon and comfort her.” Mo Wu Hang said, then gnashed his teeth. “I’ll also bring back that beast Mo Di. He dared to hurt Xiao Gui. I have to skin him alive!”

“When that bastard was born, I said to either give or throw him away. That thing took all the nutrients meant for Xiao Gui, causing her to stay in the incubator. I knew he was a disaster from the first sight! That bastard!” Mo Shi Hong was red with anger. “Today I have to bring back that beast and see if his conscience was fed to the dogs!”

“It’s all my fault…” Ruan Qing Dan had red eyes and was sniffing into a piece of tissue. “I saw that he was so small, so I stopped you. If I hadn’t done that, my Xiao Gui wouldn’t have been wronged by him. It’s all my fault!”

“Sister-in-law, you can’t blame yourself. You’re his mother, of course you’ll be reluctant. Every mother loves their child. It’s just that some children ….sigh, just can’t be taught.” The second aunt at her side held her hand: “You’re not to blame.”

It seemed that everyone had forgotten that there was also a small little Mo Di in the incubator as well. Little Mo Di’s health was no better than his sister’s and his weight was only three jin*, which was eight liang* lighter than Mo Liu Gui’s.

TN: 1 jin is 500 grams, and 1 liang is 50 grams. So newborn Mo Di weighed 1.5kg, and Mo Liu Gui would have been 400g heavier.

But that was not important. What was important was that Mo Liu Gui was born weak, and Mo Di, although even weaker, he still lived, and this was a mistake. He robbed Mo Liu Gui of nutrition and it was the ironclad evidence that he was a disaster! Without him, their darling princess would have been born a healthy child!

“Don’t blame yourself too much.” Mo Shi Hong comforted Ruan Qing Dan and said: “That bastard from birth is deemed a disaster. This seventeen years has proved that he can’t be taught. He keeps on trying to make Xiao Gui upset. When he comes back this time, we have to give him good teaching! Worst comes to worse, we’ll just kick him out of the house and cut off all ties with him!” 

“Uncle, you want to break all ties with Mo Di?” Mo Wu Hang asked immediately. “At the legal level?”

“This…” The eldest aunt who had been warm and gentle looked at Mo Shi Hong, then at the grand patriarch and said: “Father, third brother is a little impulsive. Since the law on severance came to pass, in these five years, there were only a handful of cases in Hua Xia, and all of them had created a very negative media coverage. If we make such a big move, I’m worried it won’t look good…”

The Mo family business was mainly managed by her son. In the future, her eldest son will become the largest shareholder. She couldn’t let anything affect the reputation and image of the enterprise.

“This matter will be given further consideration.” Mo grandfather frowned. “Bring Mo Di back first.”

“Father, our family business will not be affected at all. In those severance cases in the past, the one that the media denounced were those unfilial children, wasn’t it?”

“What do you know? Now it’s important to take care of Xiao Gui! She cares for that Mo Di so much. If you throw him out of the house and cut him off, do you think Xiao Gui will feel better?” Mo grandfather coughed twice and knocked hard on his crutch.

“We’ll tell Xiao Gui about this matter after her college entrance exams. At that time, I will not object! But now the most important thing is to find Xiao Gui a good psychologist. Xiao Gui missed her classes because she was in the hospital and this caused her grades to slip a little. She must be upset about it. What’s worse, she was overtaken by that beast whose performance is far worse than hers! After such a big blow, it will hurt her self-confidence. It’ll be troublesome if this causes her to have a psychological shadow!”

Ruan Qing Dan listened to Mo grandfather’s words and tears started to flow again. “Why is my Xiao Gui so pitiful? Her study was disrupted because that animal made her faint. All these are caused by him.”

 “But that’s not right.” Mo Wu Hang thought of something and said: “Mo Di’s performance has always been very poor. It doesn’t even come close to Xiao Gui’s. He couldn’t have done so well in the exam! He must have cheated.”

“This must be it.” Mo Wu Hang’s eyes turned red as he proclaimed: “Mo Di that beast! He’s been doing one bad thing after another. First he tried to frame Xiao Gui and caused her to faint. When he saw that no one bought it, he once again bad-mouthed her in the school forum. Next, he knew that Xiao Gui had high expectations of herself and a lowered ranking will have a big impact on her so he found a way to cheat! If Xiao Gui knew that someone who was always inferior in their results like Mo Di had surpassed her, the psychological trauma will be twice as harsh. This shock might even affect her college entrance exam! His mind is really poisonous. He even planned so far ahead!!”

“When are you going to find Mo Di?” The eldest aunt hurriedly said, worrying that Mo Shi Hong’s escalating rage will make him bring up the matter of breaking off ties with Mo Di again.

“We have to bring that bastard back by today! We have to rectify him! If he’s left outside any longer, he’ll just keep hurting Xiao Gui with no one to keep him in check!” Mo Shi Hong was so furious that he couldn’t sit still. He stood up and walked out: “He’s rotten to the core. We have to break him!”

Mo Wu Hang quickly followed behind. Ruan Qing Dan wanted to go as well but was stopped by Mo Grandfather: “Daughter-in-law, quickly go find a psychologist.”

Mo Wu Hang and Mo Shi Hong promptly went to the school together but they were stopped again by the security guard.

“What kind bullshit principal is this Huang Li Chen! He only knows how to lick some else’s boots.” Mo Wu Hang said angrily to Mo Shi Hong: “Uncle, since Mo Di got along with Mu Tian Heng, Huang Li Cheng has been trying to please him. He deliberately told them to stop me from entering the school! What the hell! All Mu Tian Heng did was invested a few millions, is it worth it to kiss up to him like this?!”

Mo Shi Hong’s eyes sank. Mu Tian Heng, the youngest man on the world’s richest list, was not someone he was  unfamiliar with. Instead, they should be trying to make acquaintance with him. However, when they learned of his whereabouts and schedule, their hard-earned visits were all rejected by Mu Tian Heng. 

So it can be seen that either Mu Tian Heng did not know what was good for him or he had been brainwashed by Mo Di to be prejudiced against the Mo family. If it was the latter, then he must be a man with no brains, and there’s much less to say about his character!

Such a person will not go far. He could be lucky and built a company now but sooner or later, it will fall.

But at their current standing, they would not be able to dominate in a battle against Mu Tian Heng.

“He’s such a busybody, why does he care about us Mo family giving our children a lesson.” Mo Shi Hong took out his phone to call his darling daughter’s head teacher. Just as he found the number, a voice suddenly barged in: “Uncle, are you looking for Xiao Gui?”

Mo Shi Hong looked around and was a little petrified. Wasn’t this the friend that Xiao Gui met yesterday named Qin Cheng Yi, son of the richest man in Hua Xia?!

“You are…”

“Uncle, you can call me Cheng Yi.” Qin Cheng Yi smiled and said, “Uncle, what were you saying just now? You’re going to see Xiao Gui?”

“Yes, but we can’t get in!” Mo Wu Hang could not help but interposed.

Mo Wu Hang was frustrated and could not help but pour out his grievances to Qin Cheng Yi. He not only told Qin Cheng Yi why they were not allowed to enter the school but also about Mo Liu Gui and Mo Di. How Mo Liu Gui had suffered under Mo Di’s vile acts and slander and how things had developed to this point.

Qin Cheng Yi listened and the smile on his face disappeared. He could not even hide the violence and ruthlessness that flashed across those fierce eyes.

“This Mo Di is indeed disgusting. Such a disgusting person, it won’t do if we don’t teach him a lesson.” Qin Cheng Yi’s voice was still low and calm but there was a coldness in his smile, “Uncle, come in with me. It’s just nice that I was about to visit this school.”

Mo Wu Hang: “You’re going into the school?”

“En. I know that Xiao Gui is a student of this school. Since the school can cultivate such an intelligent, pure, and elegant person like Xiao Gui, there must be something special here. So I’ve come to have a look and let my father invest a few dozen millions to support it.”

Qin Cheng Yi said as he pointed to the door: “Ah, principal Huang is here. Let’s go in.”

Principal Huang had heard what Qin Cheng Yi said at the door and could not help sweating. He hurriedly led the guests in: “Aiya, I’ve come to greet you a little late, please excuse me. Please come in. It’s so hot outside, let’s go to the school office and talk.”

At the same time, he also gestured to teacher Liu to behind him to inform Mo Di. After all he had received 80 million yuan from Director Mu as an investment, he could not slack off so quickly…unless the Qin group invests 80 or 90 million in one go.

Mo Wu Hang gave a sneer, “Heh! I thought principal Huang was unwilling to let us Mo family members enter the school.”

“That’s not possible.” Principal Huang gave a somewhat sincere smile and guided them to the school, “It’s all a misunderstanding.”

Mo Di stared at the computer screen in front of him. His hands and feet were frigid and felt cold to the touch.

He had previously received an ‘anonymous’ message from Ruan Yan stating that there was something going on in school regarding the Mo family. Although he was expecting something to happen at school, he just did not expect to see that scene after hacking into the security camera. 

His good father and his fifth brother, and also… Qin Cheng Yi! They were walking and talking happily together, and there was even laughter?!

In his last life, this scene would only happen five or six years later. After all, the Mo family members were discontent with Qin Cheng Yi for ‘abducting’ Mo Liu Gui in the beginning. Why was this happening way ahead of time?!

It was as if every element and development were trying to fix the plot by strangling him for being the disharmonious factor, pushing him towards where he should originally be.

Mo Di’s fingers were frigid and numb. A chill was spreading uncontrollably through his nerves and blood.

The successful merger and cooperation between the Mo family and Qin Cheng Yi, to Mo Di in his last life, was the start of one of his most fearful and hateful memories. Because this meant that the Mo family who loved to torment and abuse him had gained the support of Qin Cheng Yi and the black forces behind him. This also meant that the tragedy of his life had opened its curtain.

From that point on, after his whereabouts were discovered quickly by the forces behind Qin Cheng Yi, his busy yet fulfilling life was shattered. His business cooperation was interrupted maliciously, and he was followed by all sorts of strange people. When he felt uneasy and finally decided to leave, he was stopped by the Mo family. In a struggle with Mo Liu Gui who came to ask him to come home, she fell down, and that was the trigger that forced him to be sent to the asylum.

Under the powerful support and assistance from Qin Cheng Yi, Mo Wu Hang and the others were able to fully use their torture methods and succeeded in making his days at the asylum a living hell. 

WARNING! NEXT PARAGRAPH CONTAIN SCENES OF TORTURE, SKIP IF YOU’RE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH IT!

Violent beatings were done daily. Electric shocks in confinement were also common. He was not allowed to pass out after that. If he did, then his fingers would be stabbed with iron needles, forcing him to wake up! He had to kneel if he wanted food. He had to kneel if he wanted to use the toilet. It was ok if he did not kneel, they would just inject him with drugs. After the drugs were injected, glucose was also administered. In brief, they wouldn’t let him die. After that his hands and legs would be bound and then locked up with the more violent inpatients in a dark room. Two days later they would let him out and force-fed him rice. After a day’s break, the process repeated….time and time again in different patterns and length.

Mo Di’s memories pulled him back to those dark days. His fingers trembled uncontrollably with fear, anger, and hatred. Blood was drained from his face and his whole body was icy cold.

Ring, ring, ring, ring!

At this time, a loud bell suddenly rang and interrupted Mo Di’s recollection and pulled him out from the tragic memories of his last life.

Mo Di took a long time to come back but the strong feelings of distress and fear in his eyes were not completely dissipated. He looked down at the phone and found that it was from Mu Tian Heng. 

He grabbed hard at his hair, took a deep breath, and then answered smoothly. 

“Hello, little fellow, what are you doing that you took such a long time to pick up? Did you have lunch yet?” 

The sound of Mu Tian Heng’s voice was steady, magnetic and warm. It was too different from all those people, all those memories. For a while, Mo Di felt strangely confused.

But listening to the voice coming from the phone, Mo Di suddenly….made up his mind.

He decided to use the plan he had set aside as a last resort.

He believed that he would be a very good boyfriend, lover, and partner.

Isn’t it?

Even if there was no mutual attraction for the time being, he could absolutely give everything that a lover can give: the highest level of concern, intimacy and loyalty. He would never betray.

Of course, this may not be fair to Mu Tian Heng, there was no way he would not feel guilty. Furthermore, he was uncertain that this would be the right choice in the end.

But this was the only way that he, as an ordinary student with no power or influence, could save himself from the clutches of both the Mo family and Qin Cheng Yi.

And…

One day, he will pay back the Mo family and Qin Cheng Yi the torment, the trampling, the pain, and the fear by ten times, a hundred times, and a thousand times of what they did to him.

Chapter 16

Mu Tian Heng felt that something was wrong. After knocking on the door a few more times and getting no response from the house, he took out his phone and called Mo Di.

Mo Di had been sleeping in KFC for two hours. When he was awakened by the ring, his mind was still groggy. Seeing that Mu Tian Heng was the caller, in a moment, he was not prepared to react.

But he knew subconsciously that the person at the other end meant him no harm so he swiped to answer the phone. “Hello?”

“Little fellow, you’re not awake yet?” Mu Tian Heng heard Mo Di’s voice sounded dazed.

“No, brother, I’m awake.”

After Mo Di said ‘hello’, his brain was already alert. He sat up straight and pondered why Mu Tian Heng had called him this early.

“Brother, why are you calling this early today? Is there something wrong?”

Mu Tian Heng looked at the breakfast bag with the soymilk and xiao long bao that he was carrying and said warmly: “I’m at your door now. I knocked but no one answered. You’ve already left for school?”

“Ah?” Mo Di was slightly stunned. He was quite surprised that Mu Tian Heng had come to see him so early. Within an instant, he organized and revised all the strategies and plans in his head and answered in the most common sentence: “I’m sorry brother. I’m not at home at the moment. Is there something that matters?”

“Not at home?”

Mu Tian Heng was acutely aware that when this little Mo Di said that he was not home, it was also unlikely that he went to school. He asked: “What’s wrong? You’re not at home and you’re not going to school?”

“I…” the voice coming from the phone sounded a little scared. There was also a feeling that he was trying to keep his composure: “Brother, my place was discovered. I was afraid, so …I left in the middle of the night.”

His place was found?!

Mu Tian Heng’s first reaction was that Mo Di’s address was discovered by the Mo family. No wonder he had to run away at night. He spared the details and asked: “Where are you now?”

“I’m…in the KFC next to Da Huai Road subway station.”

“Wait there. I’ll come find you.”

After Mu Tian Heng hung up his phone, he immediately turned to go downstairs. He almost bumped into someone coming up but managed to shift his body and dodged in time.

After Mo Di hung up his phone, he sat and waited quietly for a while before getting up to order two cups of soymilk, two cheeseburgers, and 2 deep-fried dough sticks.

Mu Tian Heng clearly came just to see him and yet he had calculated him into his scheme. The least he could do was to buy him breakfast.

Unexpectedly, Mu Tian Heng also arrived with two cups of soymilk and two baskets of xiao long bao in his hands.

Mo Di was a little bewildered.

Mu Tian Heng also saw the double set of breakfast on the tray in front of Mo Di. For a short moment, his eyes softened. He then sat himself down opposite of Mo Di.

“Would you like to try the xiao long bao I bought?”

Mu Tian Heng put the take out box with the dim sum basket on the table. He opened it and said: “It’s still warm. There’s pork, celery, and crab. I don’t know if you like it.”

“I like it.” Mo Di looked at the basket and oil pattern on the wrapping paper and his eyes drooped lightly. There was an undetectable trace of warmth.

This is the first time… someone cared if he had breakfast. 

“Then eat more.” Mu Tian Heng was wearing a stylish loose top which did not restrain his movement. He reached for the burger and said to Mo Di in a gracious tone: “Do you mind if I have one?”

“Of course not.” Mo Di shook his head, “I bought it for you.”

“It seems we have a tacit understanding of buying breakfast for the other.” Mu Tian Heng smiled. He then peeled off the wrappers and took a bite. “It’s delicious.”

Mo Di chewed the juicy meat of the xiao long bao in his mouth and also thought that it was really delicious.

Mu Tian Heng finished his hamburger and went on to eat a piece of xiao long bao. In between, he made small talks with Mo Di. Only when they were almost finished with the meal that he asked in a warm voice about what happened last night.

Mo Di paused for a moment before recounting the event. He spoke about how he knew he was discovered but hid the part regarding Qin Cheng Yi’s identity by blurring out some details in his story.

He then honestly voiced his intention of moving to another place.

Mu Tian Heng could tell that Mo Di was hiding something back but he did not pursue and only said: “Since this person could find you so quickly, then he can do so the second time. Even if you moved, it’s still not safe.”

“Then I’m really out of options.” Mo Di licked the oil off his lips and lowered his head.

“Actually, you still have an option.” Mu Tian Heng said tenderly, looking at Mo Di’s soft black hair. 

“What?” Mo Di looked at Mu Tian Heng with a little curiosity and eagerness: “Brother, what other choice do I have?”

Mu Tian Heng was pleased by the little fellow’s adorable animal-like tentative expression. He felt a little pressure on his heart, laughed and said: “You have never thought of asking me for help? Have you forgotten about the reward I promised?”

“Reward?” Mo Di was stumped, “Brother, do you mean that I can use that reward to ask for your help?”

Without waiting for Mu Tian Heng to respond, he continued softly: “Brother, are you going to help me rent a place under your name?” 

“You silly.” Mu Tian Heng reached out his hand and finally touched the soft tuft of hair on Mo Di’s head that he had been coveting for days. He gave it a good shuffle and then did it again.

“Of course not. Your brothers already knew that I took you away. They just have to track me to find you, so using my name will not help.”

Mo Di did not answer. He was looking at Mu Tian Heng in a daze and was not responding. Mu Tian Heng actually reached out…and patted his head, and he did it twice?!

“Cough.” Mu Tian Heng, on the other hand, kept a calm expression. He had absorbed the child’s stunned but inexplicably beautiful look into his eyes. He cleared his throat and took back his hand. Acting as a guardian, he picked up Mo Di’s bag on the seat.

“Since the choice of renting another place is not feasible, little fellow, why don’t you live with me. In fact what Lai De Si said before made sense. There are many rooms in our villa. There’s no problem with you living together.”

And when the time comes when he and Lai De Si had to leave Hua Xia, this house will be left to the little guy to repay for the life-saving debt. That way he could leave with peace.

“Live with you both?!” Mo Di looked as though he truly could not follow Mu Tian Heng’s thinking. There was a stupefied expression on his face.

“That’s right. Are you done with your food?”

“Yes, I’m done. But…”

“Come with me then. It’s already quite late.” Mu Tian Heng stood up and once again rubbed Mo Di’s hair. He carried Mo Di’s large bag in one hand then said to Mo Di in a gentle but adamant voice: “I’ll take you back first so you can pick a room.”

Mo Di looked at Mu Tian Heng who was carrying his luggage from a distance and his eyes drooped. He lowered his head and grabbed at his bag strap.

But when he raised his head three seconds later, it had returned to the obedient and pitiable expression that Mu Tian Heng was familiar with.

Mo Di followed behind Mu Tian Heng like a good boy and got in the car with all his things.

Things had gone a little better than Mo Di expected. When he found out that Qin Cheng Yi and Mo Liu Gui’s meeting was moved up ahead of time, the devastating sense of crisis told him that he needed to use the ‘Mu Tian Heng lifeline’. Initially, he had only wanted to use Mu Tian Heng’s connections and power to avoid this disaster, not to move in with him.

But he had to say that he no longer resisted the idea of cohabitating with Mu Tian Heng. It was actually a good way to get close to him and to brush up their feelings.

“Brother, there is only you and Lai De Si brother living in the villa?” Mo Di asked softly.

“Yes but there’s a housekeeper that comes in the morning to cook. After she’s done with the cleaning, she’ll leave.” Mu Tian Heng stepped on the accelerator, “You can review in your bedroom or the study on the first floor. Don’t worry, no one will disturb you.”

“I’m not worried about this. I’m just…” Mo Di paused for a while, then said: “Brother, before the exam I don’t want to go back to school for the review classes. I want to review by myself, is that …ok?”

“Of course.”

Mu Tian Heng finally understood what Mo Di was concerned about. He was worried that they would mind leaving him at home alone for the whole day. He couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Mo Di’s cautious and timid mind. “You only have to study hard, don’t think about anything else.”

Mo Di did not expect Mu Tian Heng to treat him as such, there was a pang of sudden guilt in his heart. But thinking of the goals and guidelines he set out for himself after his rebirth, he had to put away the guilt. He replied nicely: “Ok.”

“And also, Lai De Si and I will leave before 8:00 in the morning. In the evening, we’ll usually come back after 10:00. I’ll tell the cook to come and make lunch and dinner for you. You can tell her what you want to eat.”

“That’s not necessary, brother.” Mo Di said hurriedly after he heard this: “Don’t let the cook make two more meals just for me. I can cook. I’ll do it myself.”

“It’s not a problem. You don’t have to mind. It’s quite convenient for the cook…”

“Brother, I really don’t need it.” Mo Di interrupted Mu Tian Heng. He insisted: “I really can cook. And it’s delicious. Really!”

Seeing Mo Di’s insistence of the matter to the point that he was almost too embarrassed to stay, Mu Tian Heng could only sigh, “Alright. But I’ll let the housekeeper stock up on the groceries and fill up the fridge. The rest you can do as you see fit.”

Mo Di replied immediately: “Thank you, brother!”

“What’s there to thank. You’ve helped me out a lot before at the construction site.” Mu Tian Heng turned the steering wheel as he drove past a traffic light.

He had to admit, his own life was indeed very valuable.

When Mu Tian Heng and Mo Di arrived at the villa, they were just in time to meet up with Lai De Si who was about to leave. Seeing his brother in arms actually manage to abduct the beauty home after casually going for a drive, Lai De Si could only stare with wide eyes and remained speechless for a while.

“You…you two are….”

“Sorry to impose.” Mo Di stood at the door like a small and straight poplar tree.

“You you you, are…”

“His address was found out. I brought him here to stay.” Mu Tian Heng said in an unperturbed tone, as if the person who had previously rejected Lai De Si’s suggestion was not himself. 

Lai De Si did not want to say anything else but just wanted to ask Mu Tian Heng if his face hurt?!

As for the young cutie that was going to live together with them, he was more than welcome.

“Little brother, come here. You are very welcome to stay with us. Come on, I’ll show you around. This way…”

“That’s enough. If you linger any longer we’ll be late for the appointment with Hai Dong.” Mu Tian Heng grabbed Lai De Si’s back collar and said to Mo Di: “Little fellow, the room in the southeast corner of the first floor is Lai De Si’s, you can’t choose that one. The rest you can pick whichever one you like. We’re now leaving for work. You can study at home by yourself.”

Lai De Si’s plan to arrange the cute kid’s room next to his had failed!

“Ok, I got it. Thank you, brother.” Mo Di gave a somewhat restrained smile.

Lai De Si wanted to say something but he was dragged away by Mu Tian Heng who slammed the door shut.

After settling in the car, Lai De Si looked suspiciously at Mu Tian Heng: “Why didn’t you restrict the little guy from going to the second and third floor? You normally don’t even let me go up there!” 

“There is no need.” Mu Tian Heng opened the folder and looked through.

“You’re too treacherous!” Lai De Si suddenly seemed to understand something. “You’re so insincere. On the surface, it was to help the kid and repay him but actually, you’re not very pleased with the kid!”

“If he goes to the second or third floor without your permission, and touched something that he shouldn’t touch, then you’re going to drive him out aren’t you?!”

“You’re overthinking. His life-saving grace I will repay. It’s just how I’m going to repay it is a little different. And the reason why I did not restrict him was to show that I trust his character.”

“Bullshit!”

…

On the other hand, Mo Di did not even explore the whole first floor. He directly chose the second room on the right-hand corridor as his room.

Then he took out the things in his two large bags and packed them up.

When he was done with the room, he took out his phone, intending to ask his teacher for a leave of absence. It was then that he realized he had received a group email. It was the result and ranking of the mock exam.

Mo Di naturally opened it and his eyes twitched slightly.

At the top was his name. 

Chinese 132, Mathematics 150, English 148, Science 278. Total score: 708. Class rank:1st. School rank: 2nd

Below another name was Mo Liu Gui’s. Total score: 689 Class rank: 3rd. School rank: 7th

Chapter 15

Clang!

The next second Mo Di slammed the curtain shut. His arm hit the edge of the desk and a long bloodstain appeared on the sharp wood.

It was just that the intense shock and escalating fear stemming from the depths of his heart had numbed his nerves and he completely did not feel the pain.

His head was filled with the man he happened to see outside the window. Under the street light, the man’s facial features were clearly illuminated. A youthful, handsome, and well-defined face but with prominent eyebrows and eyes which made the man look fierce. And the iconic ear stud on the left ear… unmistakably, that was the man who fell in love with Mo Liu Gui at first sight and claimed that she was his life – Qin Cheng Yi!!!

Mo Di’s hands and feet were cold but he did not lose his reason. He took a while to recollect himself and then took a deep breath.

His address was exposed but that did not mean that something will happen to him at this time. Nonetheless, he could say without a doubt that Qin Cheng Yi’s appearance right here and now was because of him.

After all, Qin Cheng Yi only liked to live in the most luxurious area of the capital. He hated to associate with the lower class nobles in ‘poorer’ areas. Without a reason, he would never step into this suburban neighbourhood, which in his eyes was a poor and dirty slum.

Unless…it was for Mo Liu Gui.

But he was certain that in his last life, Qin Cheng Yi only fell in love with Mo Liu Gui after the college entrance exam. Did his butterfly wings once again affect the flow and shortened the time?

Mo Di subconsciously turned on his phone. He opened the friend circle and scrolled down. 

As expected, a picture very similar to the one in his last life was pasted on the screen.

Mo Liu Gui: I couldn’t solve the misunderstanding with my brother today, I’m very sad. But it was a pleasant surprise to be able to make a new friend. This could be considered today’s small fortune.

The photo posted showed exactly her and Qin Cheng Yi together.

This explained everything.

Mo Di leaned against the wall, his fingertips sank deep into his palm. The uncontrollable dark mood surged from his heart into his every nerve and cell. 

According to the few times he came in contact with Qin Cheng Yi in his last life, and the description he got from the book, Qin Cheng Yi was a twenty-four-year-old with a cold and detached temperament, which could get violent. He was deeply in love with Mo Liu Gui from the first meeting and treated her as his life. He would pamper her and wholeheartedly resolve all her troubles. And especially towards those whom he did not like or had affected Mo Liu Gui’s mood, he was ruthless beyond means. 

Furthermore, he was the son of the richest man in Hua Xia and was backed by a dark and powerful network. The number of people destroyed by him was not small. And Mo Di, who was branded as the person who had always tried to harm Mo Liu Gui, how could he be spared?

In his last life, or rather in the original plot, were it up to Qin Cheng Yi, Mo Di, who dared to hurt his family’s treasure, was supposed to have his limbs cut off, his eyes and tongue dug out, and made into a human tumbler. This would then be placed at his underground casino as a ‘welcome’ ornament at the door.

But because Mo Liu Gui was too kind that she wanted Qin Cheng Yi to not punish Mo Di too harshly. Qin Cheng Yi could only obey out of his love for her and did not intervene directly. After Mo Di was forced into the mental hospital, he then covered up the truth and made some connections that would allow Mo Wu Hang and the others to have full reign over Mo Di’s ‘treatment’. And so all kinds of abuse, confinement, drug injections, physical and mental tortures….everything was inflicted on him.

Hence, based on this understanding, Mo Di was dead certain that the reason Qin Cheng Yi was here, 99% was because he had heard about Mo Liu Gui’s ‘distress’ and decided to help her solve the problem. 

With the power and resources behind him, there was no doubt that it would take him only a few hours to find Mo Di’s address.

The shiver that came all over his body was completely uncontrollable. The anger, hatred, and fear that was carved in his bones were running amok and Mo Di was in distress. 

Mo Di tightened the grip on his handphone. After three seconds, he closed his eyes and took another deep breath. 

It’s okay, calm down.

No matter how powerful Qin Cheng Yi was right now, he was still a minor. More importantly, he could not break into his house yet. From Qin Cheng Yi’s look the moment before, Mo Di could not determine whether he would catch him and bring him back to Mo Liu Gui or direct Mo Liu Gui to him. 

Mo Di steadily unlocked his phone, tapped on Mo Liu Gui’s private chat and typed.

“Sister, tomorrow after school, I’ll wait for you in the classroom. Let’s have a talk.”

Mo Di turned off the screen after sending the message. He softly touched the side of the window and lifted a corner of the curtain. 

Qin Cheng Yi was no longer downstairs.

There was a hazy ray of light from the yellow street lamp that shone on Mo Di’s face, making him squint. He then closed the curtain.

Qin Cheng Yi may have left temporarily, but in any case, he should not take it lightly.

Qin Cheng Yi would probably tell Mo Liu Gui regarding his whereabouts early tomorrow. With the message he just sent, it was not likely that she would come here to find him but wait at school instead. 

However, he still could not rule out the possibility that Mo Liu Gui would tell the family’s chauffeur to drive Mo Wu Hang here to find him in the morning.

Therefore before that could happen, he had to leave!

Mo Di turned on his computer and borrowed the light to tidy up his things and packed them at his feet. He then put on his clothes and laid down on the bed to rest.

When the alarm went off at 3:30 in the morning, Mo Di immediately opened his eyes. He picked up his two most important bags and left the apartment.

…

Mu Tian Heng finished his morning exercise and then took a shower. He came downstairs with the steam still lingering on his body. He wiped his hair with one hand using a towel.

Lai De Si was still sleepy as a dog but he had to get up due to an urgent need for the toilet. On the way, he yawned as he undid his belt and asked Mu Tian Heng casually: “Mu, you still woke up at 5:30 today?” 

“5:31”

“You’re abnormal.” Lai De Si let out a long breath as he was ‘liberated’ and glared at his watch in a daze, “It’s only six, I need to go back to sleep for a while. Don’t call me. We were tired all day yesterday and only came back at one in the morning. You can take it but I’m tired and sleepy.”

“Up to you. As long as you don’t delay me.”

Mu Tian Heng tightened his bathrobe and the prominent abdominal muscles were partially blocked. “Forgot to tell you, I’m going to see the little guy today so I’m not having breakfast at home. Let’s meet up at Hai Xin Group at eight.”

“For real!” Lai De Si almost knocked over the hand sanitizer as he washed his hands. “We’re already so busy today! You still put aside time to see that kid?! And you dare say that you don’t like him?!!”

“That’s enough. I’m just being a worried guardian and want to check on him.” Mu Tian Heng said as he walked to the changing room and changed his clothes, “Besides we’ve been so busy these few days that I can only visit him this morning.” 

Lai De Si scoffed: “I think you know that I can’t get up early so you deliberately want to leave me behind and have some alone time with the beautiful youth.”

“Then if I’m going to the company now, are you coming?”

Mu Tian Heng finished changing his clothes and came out. He was wearing a loose beige shirt paired with similar beige trousers, highlighting the broad shoulders and long legs. He was giving off a steady and natural feel with a little bit of tenderness. Lai De Si’s eyes were about to pop out, “You’re an animal. Why are you not dressed in a suit and pants but this? I think you’re trying to seduce the kid!”

“I think you’re trying to get beaten.” Mu Tian Heng stopped, smiled at him and kneaded his palm. Lai De Si jumped back in reflex and banged his elbow against the washstand, “Ouch!” he squatted down and cried.

Mu Tian Heng kept his cool look, turned around and went to the porch to change shoes, “It seems like Heaven is warning you not to talk nonsense.”

“Bullshit!” Lai De Si grit his teeth in pain. “You’ve dressed up so nicely and you say you’re not trying to seduce him?”

“Is it?” Mu Tian Heng held the door in one hand, turned his head sideways and smiled back at Lai De Si: “This is just a normal getup. I look nice because my hardware is just too good. Thank you for your compliment.”

Without waiting for Lai De Si to respond, he picked up the briefcase and left through the door.

“F***!” Lai De Si rolled his eyes at the door.

He was not envious at all!!

…

There was not much traffic at six in the morning so when Mu Tian Heng arrived at Mo Di’s neighbourhood, it was less than 6:30.

He guessed that at this time Mo Di would have already woken up but unlikely to have his breakfast yet. Mu Tian Heng got out and bought two cups of soymilk and two baskets of xiao long bao (a type of dim sum) from a breakfast shop nearby. 

It was the first time the lady boss of the store saw such a handsome and good-natured man. She even felt that he looked better than celebrities on TV. In her excitement and happiness, she gave him two extra jujube dumplings. The jealous boss sitting at the side was staring at Mu Tian Heng the whole time. 

Mu Tian Heng thanked her with a smile and carried the breakfast to find his little friend.

He reached the apartment that he had brought his little friend to rent and knocked on the door over a dozen times but no one answered.

Chapter 14

“Are you sick?”

Looking at the steaming Gu Ran Ju, Mo Di felt that the situation was baffling, and also quite laughable. The difference between Gu Ran Ju’s current self, and the one from his previous life who worshipped Mo Liu Gui as his angel and like an ancestor, were worlds apart. 

But he was glad to see this. If things continued down this path, either Gu Ran Ju would squirm in regret or Mo Liu Gui would lose one of her helpers. In any case, it deserved to be applauded.

“Stop saying crap!” Gu Ran Ju’s anger intensified when he heard the youth insulting him. His knuckles were clenched into a fist and he rushed at Mo Di, “I’ll hit till you call me grandpa!” 

Mo Di stepped aside and in the next moment, grabbed Gu Ran Ju’s fist and forcefully twisted his wrist two hundred and seventy degrees.

“AH!” Gu Ran Ju wailed in pain but did not back down. He bit his teeth and threw a heavy punch at Mo Di’s eyes.

Gu Ran Ju’s ruthless move made Mo Di’s eyes change slightly. The impatience and anger burst from within and he stopped holding back. His head turned sideways as he yanked Gu Ran Ju’s fist and then hit his knee against his chest.

“AHHH!!” Gu Ran Ju’s breathing was sluggish with pain and his teeth were cold. But before he could press down the pain and counter, he received a blow to the back of his neck. His brain turned dizzy and he fell to the ground.

“Who’s calling who grandpa?!” Mo Di kicked at Gu Ran Ju’s knee, stepped on his back and kneeled. He smiled and said: “Tell me, who’s calling who grandpa?”

“You…!” This was the first time Gu Ran Ju lost this badly in a solo fight. The last time he was beaten was in the alley where he had almost fainted. But he was ambushed in that fight and it was six against one. Never would he have expected that he would shamefully lose to a goody-two-shoes!

“Still want to hit me in the eye?” Mo Di grabbed Gu Ran Ju’s wrist, smiled lightly, and added some force.

“AhHH” Gu Ran Ju cried out again.

“Xiao Di!” 

When the two stopped fighting, Mo Liu Gui quickly ran over to their side and bent down: “Xiao Di…did you break his wrist?!”

Mo Di turned to look at Mo Liu Gui’s worried and disapproving face. He smiled and said: “Sister, you’re worried about him?”

“He’s just a child. Maybe a junior high student. How could you hurt him this badly…” Mo Liu Gui kept her worried look and glanced at Mo Di, “I’m not worried about him, I’m worried about you. What if his parents file a complaint with the school? If this gets in your record, it’ll be troublesome.” 

“That’s my sister. You think of everything.” Mo Di nodded without any expression. “I didn’t even think of going to his school and file a complaint against him.”

“?!” Mo Liu Gui was quite shocked: “No, that was not what I meant…”

“Then sis, what did you mean?”

“I mean…” Mo Liu Gui realized for the first time that this brother of hers had such black and bright eyes when staring at people. She was a little frightened by those eyes. Her throat moved unconsciously: “What I’m trying to say is that you two should apologize to each other and patch up. Fighting back and forth is not good.”

“Indeed, sister is right, but…” Mo Di raised Gu Ran Ju’s weakened wrist and said: “I didn’t break his wrist, I only dislodged it. And from the beginning, he’s the one who provoked me. I couldn’t stand it anymore and fought back.”

“You..you’re lying!” Gu Ran Ju totally ignored Mo Liu Gui and stared at Mo Di: “It was you who stepped on me, and you didn’t…”

“Didn’t what?” Mo Di pinched Gu Ran Ju’s face and said bluntly: “Didn’t send you to the hospital?”

Gu Ran Ju stared at Mo Di and did not speak, indicating that Mo Di was right.

“Please, I don’t owe you anything and your limbs weren’t broken, you can’t even dial 120 by yourself?”

Mo Di thought it was really funny. In his last life, Gu Ran Ju gave him so much trouble because of Mo Liu Gui. For all those destroyed business opportunities, he was already kind enough to not bury him behind a brick wall.

“But Xiao Di, you were indeed wrong.” Mo Liu Gui seemed to have grasped the situation, “If you can you should help others. At that time you saw that he was sick or injured? How could you not help and do nothing?”

She then squatted down again. Her long, curly hair fell to the side of her cheeks and her small, delicate face was gentle as she looked at Gu Ran Ju: “I’m sorry. It’s my brother’s fault. Let me apologize for him. But can you…”

“It’s none of your business!”

It was as if Gu Ran Ju was blind to the beautiful angel-like Mo Liu Gui. He was unresponsive and even a little impatient. He kept his stare on Mo Di: “I lost a lot of blood and was almost unconscious. If you didn’t step on me and wake me up, how could I call 120?!”

“Then you should be grateful to me.”

“You!!!”

“Anyway, I advise you not to test my limits. Next time I’ll not only dislodge your wrist.” Mo Di stood up. “Of course you can report me to the school, that is if your skin is thick enough.”

“I won’t do such a thing! Don’t look down on me!”

Mo Di no longer wanted to be bothered with him. He turned around and left. Mo Liu Gui did not know whether she should stay in place to take care of Gu Ran Ju or chase Mo Di. Hesitantly, she took a step forward and stopped. When she finally decided to go after Mo Di, he had already got in a taxi and disappeared out of sight.

“Uncle, please go to Feng Yang Housing Community.” Mo Di put his school bag aside, opened his phone and looked at the time.

It was 6 o’clock sharp.

His time was delayed by Mo Liu Gui and Gu Ran Ju. Mo Di frowned. He was about to put away his cell when a call came in.

It was Mu Tian Heng.

“Hello brother.” Mo Di spoke in his well-behaved voice which was slightly coarse.

“What’s the matter? It sounded like you just finished a run?” 

There was a smile in Mu Tian Heng’s voice. His timbre was steady and magnetic. Through the filtering of the microphone, the charm of this matured man’s voice became deeply prominent. It pierced through the ears and straight to the heart. Even Mo Di, who was not fascinated by Mu Tian Heng’s masculinity, felt his heart thumping. 

He had to admit, Mu Tian Heng was perfect, from his voice to his appearance. He was the most charming and sexiest man Mo Di had seen. 

“Little fellow, why aren’t you talking?” Mu Tian Heng put a Bluetooth headset in his ear and crossed his legs. He gestured to the assistant sitting in the passenger seat to pass him a folder.

“Oh I … I was trying to catch a taxi.” Mo Di’s facial expression remained calm yet his voice carried just the right amount of urgency: “I just got in the car. Brother, why are you calling?”

“You’re living alone now, of course I have to check in on you. After all, calling you directly is better than texting.” Mu Tian Heng said patiently, “Well, was there any trouble today? Did the mock exam go well?”

“Yes, it went well. And also there was no trouble. Brother you don’t have to worry.” Mo Di’s voice was clear and gentle as if it was smeared with honey.

“No trouble?” Mu Tian Heng maintained the spring-like smile on his face but his brows were wrinkled.

This little fellow’s guts had fattened. He dared to lie to him.

Not long ago, he received an email from principal Huang, seeking to earn credit for keeping tabs on the little guy. He reported in detail how the little fellow’s brother had been waiting for him outside the school every day without fail. And when he tried to break in, he was stopped by the school security. At the same time, he also mentioned that the kid’s sister, Mo Liu Gui, would look for him every day after class and after school. As a result, he had to hide from place to place.

But this act of ‘only reporting the good and concealing the bad’, was it because he was considerate and did not want to bother him, or …he did not want to get familiar with him?

“It’s true. I’m doing pretty well. When my mock exam results are back, You’ll be the first to know.” Mo Di deliberately bypassed the topic. He said with a smile: “How high do you think I will rank among the students?” 

“What was your ranking for the last test?”

Mu Tian Heng could discern that Mo Di did not want to talk about the previous topic. He could only follow Mo Di’s lead and respond. But deep down he made a decision to visit this little fellow who obviously had something to hide from him.

“The last time I scored…”

How was it possible that Mo Di could remember his ranking for the last exam from his previous life. But he should be able to garner a guess. Ever since he got beaten by his brothers for ranking first in class and made Mo Liu Gui sad, he had been maintaining his grades slightly higher than the average. He had to keep away from the smart and studious Mo Liu Gui.

“I didn’t do well in my last test. It was a little above the middle.” Mo Di sounded ashamed.

“It doesn’t matter. Sometimes we win sometimes we lose. It’s normal for results to fluctuate.” Mu Tian Heng behaved like a loving elder, his deep voice was patient and gentle: “Don’t need to worry and don’t be stressed. The last time you did not do well but your ranking was above average. This time just do your best and the result should be good.”

“Uhm.”

“Is there anything you want as a reward? If you do well, how about brother buy you a house?”

“?!!” Mo Di said immediately: “Brother please don’t!”

“I’m kidding. I know you don’t want it.” Mu Tian Heng gave off a chuckle like he was teasing a child and said: “Little fellow, is there any reward that you want except for the house?” 

“Brother, I don’t want a reward. Really.”

“How can you not have a reward? I want to celebrate your good results and cheer you up.”

“But the results are not out yet…” Mo Di lowered his voice.

“I know. But since you feel that it went well, then your results should be good. You must have confidence in yourself.” Mu Tian Heng continued: “Little fellow if you’re not going to say then it’s up to me to choose.” 

“But I, I really don’t have anything that I want at the moment.”

“Then how about this? You give it some thought then when you think of something, just tell me.” Mu Tian Heng wanted to help this child a little before he left Hua Xia. He said with a smile: “This reward is valid until your college entrance exam.”

“…ok.” Mo Di replied hesitantly.

He then changed the subject: “Brother, have you eaten the snacks in the capital?”

“No. But I do want to try.” Mu Tian Heng looked through his documents while thinking how quickly the little fellow’s thoughts jumped.

“Then when I have the chance I’ll take you to try the snacks that we have here. I know many authentic and delicious little shops. It’s not the same as those you find online.”

“Alright.” Mu Tian Heng fidgeted with his earphones and turned up the volume. He laughed: “as long as there’s a chance, I will follow my little guide and indulge in some gourmet food.”

…

Mo Di and Mu Tian Heng continued to talk for more than ten minutes before hanging up.

After hanging up, there was no way Mo Di would keep up the facade of being shy and obedient like a cute small animal. In the pair of ink-painted eyes was a profound calmness, and this expression was not one that a high schooler should have.

He closed his eyes, relaxed his body and leaned against the back of his chair.

He hoped that bringing Mu Tian Heng into his plans was not a mistake.

The taxi drove in the crowded traffic for more than 40 minutes before arriving at the apartment. Mo Di paid and went home. 

He made a dozen dumplings, added in half a garlic and vinegar and ate his simple meal.

After dinner, he continued to study according to his review guidelines from 7:30 till 12 midnight, and only when his eyes were dried did he stop. He applied some eye drops, cleared his desk, and went to take a shower. When Mo Di came out of the bathroom, it was almost 12:30. While wiping his hair, he went to the bedside to draw the curtains. 

When he got to the bedside and reached out his arm, he saw something that made him frozen in place. A chill crept from the sole of his feet to his scalp.

Chapter 13

Recently, Mo Di was in an upsetting situation.

In addition to Mo Wu Hang, who from time to time blocked him at the school gate, and Mo Liu Gui, who kept pestering him to come home, there was also the middle schooler Gu Ran Ju who he had accidentally met before. Almost like he was in a hysterical fit, he would crouch and wait for Mo Di at the side gates, shortcuts, and alleys of the school in a ready-to-fight manner. 

Mo Di had to keep hiding till he got really impatient.

However, generally speaking, amongst these three, Gu Ran Ju was the least detestable. This was because in his last life, this little jerk went abroad after Mo Liu Gui and Qin Cheng Yi got together. Hence, he did not participate in the ‘suppression and enforcement’ campaign against Mo Di that led him to be locked up in the asylum. 

But that did not mean that he will tolerate Gu Ran Ju. After all, before he went abroad, he had caused him a lot of trouble by impulsively destroying several of his business dealings. Even if he did not hate Gu Ran Ju to the extreme, there was absolutely no favourable impression.

According to what he remembered from the book, Gu Ran Ju did not have a good ending. This male lead number three was killed off in the extra chapters. Most likely because he was different from the other male leads who were determined to guard Mo Liu Gui for life and were deeply devoted to her, which caused many readers to be dissatisfied with him. And so he was written to die due to an accident.

When Mo Di thought of that chapter, he only felt ironic. It seemed that not only the ‘vicious villain’ type like him was put to death, even those supporters who were not devoted enough were also unworthy to have a good ending.

But then Gu Ran Ju was a male lead after all. When he was alive, he got to enjoy the freedom and happiness of life. Compared to Mo Di who was considered the ‘vicious villain’ since his birth, the lives they had were entirely different.

And he was not qualified to sympathize with someone whose happiness and favouritism was based on attacking him countless times.

Mo Di did not intend to deal with Gu Ran Ju, but he could not break his leg to prevent him from coming at him. With Mo Wu Hang’s besiege and interception, and Mo Liu Gui’s incessant advice, Mo Di decided to go home to review after he signed up for the mock exam at school. 

After all, it had been a long time since he left high school. There was bound to be some unfamiliarity and lack of practice. He needed the extra practice in advance. 

And this was Xia Jia’s final strictly graded mock exam. 

On the day of the mock exam, Mo Di got up early in the morning. As usual, he first sent a ‘good morning’ message to Mu Tian Heng, then washed up and made sandwiches, reviewing his notes in between. 

As he was about to grab his sandwich and run to the bus stand, he received a text from an anonymous number:

“Mo Di, I’m a student in the class next to yours. I want to make friends with you. Meet me in the ‘Afternoon’ coffee shop in Furong lane after school. I have something very important to tell you! Be sure to come, or you will regret it! Your strange friend.”

Mo Di raised his finger and deleted the message expressionlessly. He took a bite of the sandwich at the same time. 

Even without checking, he’d already known that the message was sent by the person who started the ‘hot’ thread in the campus forum. And he had also discovered this person’s identity, it’s Ruan Yan,

Ruan Yan was one of the three ‘cannon fodder with a tragic end’ in the book that he had absolutely no intention of working with.

Her methods were too unscrupulous. Moreover, she liked to spike people’s drinks and administer drugs. Although her schemes were never successful, he believed that he could not cooperate with her in any way. 

Therefore, after he found out that the person behind the thread and the analysis post was Ruan Yan, he completely put this event behind him. 

Mo Di ignored the matter and turned his focus to preparing for the upcoming mock exam. 

The exam period always made one feel like time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, the two-day exam was over. Mo Di did the questions with high proficiency and had a good feeling about the results.

It’s just that when people are in a good mood, it is inevitable that their vigilance is slightly reduced. Mo Di was about to leave through one of the school’s side entrances when he was found by Mo Liu Gui.

“Xiao Di!”

In the last few days, Mo Liu Gui had been trying to persuade Mo Di to come home. At the same time, she also wanted to clarify whether he had poisoned their father or not, but Mo Di only ignored her. After classes and after school, he would promptly disappear. Even with her fifth brother waiting at the gate, he still could not catch him. This made her incredibly uncomfortable.

Today she decided to try her luck at the east gate. Unexpectedly, she actually found him!

Mo Di heard the call and his brows creased. He stopped and turned around: “Sister, what can I do for you?”

“Xiao Di, come home with me.”

Mo Liu Gui hurriedly approached and reached for Mo Di’s sleeves but he dodged her advance swiftly. Mo Liu Gui was distressed by Mo Di’s action and her eyes turned sour: “Xiao Di, what’s wrong with you? Don’t you like your sister anymore? Or you’re like those people in the school forum, you think that I don’t care about you?! Do you hate me?!”

“Sister, I’m doing pretty good outside. Don’t force me to go home.” Mo Di said lightly.

Mo Liu Gui could hear that Mo Di was deliberately avoiding the question. Her eyes turned red and she slightly raised her voice: “Xiao Di, how could you believe those people and think of me like that?!”

Mo Di did not want to continue talking to Mo Liu Gui about this matter. He turned and walked briskly towards the gate. Mo Liu Gui heatedly followed him. Her curly hair fluttered in the wind and her small face indeed had the making of a goddess. And because her eyes were a little moist and crimson, it gave off a pitiful look that made people just want to protect her. 

“Xiao Di, if you don’t want to go home then that’s fine. If that’s how you think, I also do not mind. But father’s poisoning, did you do it? You have to make it clear. I’ve always believed it wasn’t you and tried to stop our brothers from coming to school to find you. But you have to give me confirmation! Let me know that I didn’t help you in vain, I didn’t trust you in vain!” 

The few students who were nearby glanced their way, their eyes twinkling as they focused on the gossip coming their way.

Mo Di just wanted to laugh. There it was again. There it was again.

The reason why Mo Wu Hang and the others did not come in to get him was that Mu Tian Heng had vigorously ‘reminded’ principal Huang to strengthen the school’s security. This had prevented Mo Wu Hang from entering and had nothing to do with Mo Liu Gui’s efforts.

But since young, he had been repeatedly reminded that his ‘fine’ living condition was thanks to his good sister, Mo Liu Gui.

When he was six, he scored first in his grade, making the Mo Liu Gui who scored third, very upset. Mo Wu Hang and those brothers hit him till his legs were fractured and almost disabled. It was Mo Liu Gui who tried hard to hold back her tears and shouted for people to take him to the hospital.

He was supposed to be grateful.

On his eighth birthday, because everyone thought that he would affect the Mo family little princess’s birthday party, Mo Si Lang had locked him inside the toilet overnight. It was Mo Liu Gui who had considerately left him a piece of birthday cake.

He was supposed to be grateful.

When he was twelve, he saved up and bought a guitar but it was smashed by his father for the reason of affecting Mo Liu Gui’s rest. His father had wanted to cane him but Mo Liu Gui magnanimously expressed that she did not mind, letting him escape a beating.

He was supposed to be grateful?!

There were countless of those incidents that he could not remember all. Mo Di looked at Mo Liu Gui trying to block his way and gave a sudden smile: “Sister, of course I did not do it.”

“You didn’t?!” Mo Liu Gui widened her eyes slightly and said: “Since you didn’t do it, Xiao Di, why don’t you come home. If mom and dad know that it wasn’t you, they will forgive you. It’s very good at home. How can living outside be better than at home?”

Mo Di gave Mo Liu Gui an incomprehensible smile and looked at her without hesitation: “Sister, do you really think I have a good time at home?” 

“What…what’s there that’s not good?” Mo Liu Gui felt a little uneasy for some reason: “There are good food and good lodgings at home. And also chauffeurs to drive you to and fro. Isn’t it much better than you living alone outside?” 

“Is that so….but I disagree.” Mo Di did not want to continue this redundant conversation with Mo Liu Gui anymore, so he turned and left.

Mo Liu Gui gazed at Mo Di’s back and for some reason, felt that her brother was not the same as before. For a short while, she did not dare to catch up. But when he was almost disappearing at the school gate, she bit her teeth and caught up.

“Xiao Di, you have to come home with me today. If you don’t come back, mom will be very sad! And …”

Mo Liu Gui’s voice stopped abruptly. She gawked in surprise at the two figures sparring in front of her. It took her a moment to react before running forward and shouting at them to stop. She reached out her hand to hold them back: “What are you guys doing? Don’t fight! You can’t fight!”

“Go away!” Gu Ran Ju shook off her hand impatiently and pushed Mo Liu Gui aside. Mo Liu Gui stumbled and almost fell.

Mo Di: “…?!!”

Mo Di inclined his body and once again avoided a blow from Gu Ran Ju. He grabbed his wrist, lifted his foot and kicked his leg: “Do you know who she is? How could you just push her?”

“Who? Isn’t she your sister? What? I can’t even shove her arm a little? You’re pretty worried about your elder sister.” Gu Ran Ju had never lost in a one-on-one fight before but he did not expect that the seemingly weak and obedient student could suppress him into a compromising position. His teeth itched with rage as his fists threw out punches wildly. 

“If you’re worried about your sister, then tell her step aside and stop being an eyesore!” 

Mo Di then gave Gu Ran Ju a jab and his nose bled. He looked dubiously at Gu Ran Ju who was flaring up and Mo Liu Gui who was covering her shoulder. 

Gu Ran Ju wiped off the blood and his unruly face was gradually covered in sweat. He gave Mo Liu Gui a scornful look and said: “Good for you. For your sister, you want to avenge her? Come on!”

Lai De Si did not expect Mu Tian Heng’s first response was “no”.

Mu Tian Heng refused?!

Not to mention this was to help a troubled child, he was also Mu Tian Heng’s benefactor. No matter what he should not have refused.

Moreover, the kid was so cute, it’s like eye candy having him in the house.

Lai De Si strongly opposed Mu Tian Heng’s refusal: “Why not? If we let him rent a place outside, what if he’s found and beat up?! A lifesaving debt should be repaid with a fountain of water*. This saying…. did I use it right?”

TN: the proverb used here should be 滴水之恩当涌泉相报. Literally, it means receiving a drop of water out of kindness and repaying it with a spring. 

It’s too bad no one was paying attention to Lai De Si’s proverb usage.

Mo Di puckered his lower lips. He also did not expect Mu Tian Heng to say no even though he was not going to agree either.

It seemed he had underestimated Mu Tian Heng, or rather he did not really understand him.

For Mu Tian Heng, such a small favour might not mean much but after all, he did help. Alas, he could not count on this tiny ‘affection’ to make Mu Tian Heng his future ‘shelter’.

He not only had to improve his own abilities and broaden his connections, but also needed to continue strengthening his ‘affection’ points with Mu Tian Heng.

It’s just, how should he do it? Does he really have to use the plan he had put down yesterday?

Mu Tian Heng did not know that his firm refusal had caused Lai De Si and Mo Di’s thoughts to derail.

The reason why he did not want Mo Di to live with him and Lai De Si was in fact, very simple – he did not want to have deeper and more intimate interactions with this little fellow.

Why was that? That’s because there’s already a ghost in his heart. 

The initial feelings could not be avoided but how it developed afterwards, at least he could have some control. Otherwise, he really was an old beast. 

In the span of time that they were lost in thoughts, the ambulance arrived.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the hospital. Mu Tian Heng and Mo Di had a full body checkup.

There was no major problem with Mo Di’s injuries, just some bruising that had not completely healed. He only needed to rub some ointment and have a good rest. As for Mu Tian Heng, he suffered from the dislocation of the ankle and severe contusion of the soft tissue. This was also nothing serious. He had to take some medications and for the time being, refrain from physical activities. 

After the checkup, Mu Tian Heng did not stay in the hospital. He ordered the driver to take Mo Di to a residential area in the western suburb.

“I asked my subordinates to do a little research. The residential areas in the west suburb are quite good. There are a lot of places for rent and the standard is ok. The nearby transportation is also very convenient. You can choose a place there.” Mu Tian Heng said to Mo Di: “If there’s anything you need help with, you can give me a call. I will not refuse. Got it?”

“Got it. Thank you, brother.” Mo Dis eyes bent and he smiled obediently at Mu Tian Heng.

“Too stingy.” Lai De Si looked at Mu Tian Heng with indescribable eyes. “I thought you were going to buy him a house.”

“Really, please don’t. I don’t want it.” Mo Di refused decisively.

He did not want to use his hard-earned ‘gratitude’ to exchange for a house, which was meaningless to him. This was really out of line with his plan.

“I did actually think about it but buying it for you at this time is not suitable. It’s better to wait after you’ve finished your exams. I’ll get you one that’s close to your school.” Mu Tian Heng could see that Mo Di really did not want it but he still had to explain himself: “How can I be stingy with you over a few million yuan.”

“No, you really don’t have to.” Mo Di waved his hand and pretended to be embarrassed: “If I really need brother’s help, I will tell you. I won’t be polite. But please don’t buy me a house.” 

“Fine, as long as you don’t act polite with me, I won’t get you a house for the time being. If there’s anything you need help with, you have to tell me”

Mu Tian Heng looked at Mo Di’s slightly lowered head and wanted to pat on the soft-looking hair that seemed very nice to the touch. Fortunately, he stopped the brake in time and coughed lightly: “When are you going back to school?”

“Tomorrow.” Mo Di gave it some thought and said: “After all, there are more than two weeks left till the college entrance exams.” 

After Mo Di was brought to the western suburb, he quickly rented a two-bedroom apartment. Mu Tian Heng paid for the three month’s rent and one month’s deposit. This, Mo Di did not refuse.

He truly did not have much money. The Mo family never gave him any allowance. The little bit of New Year’s money that he saved up was mostly spent on the several hospital trips. 

…

The next day, Mo Di went back to school.

This time it was very different. On his way to the flower bed where he was assaulted by Zhong Dao Kang and the others, no one came to pick on him. Even the people who would look at him with disdain and disgust were not as many as he expected.

Mo Di, though a little confused, did not show any change and remained quiet as usual. He turned and walked around the flower bed to the nearby toilet.

Mo Di pretended that he was going to do a number two, went into the cubicle and locked the door. He then opened the school forum page.

He was too busy the past few days to check on the situation at school but judging by these people’s reactions, something involving him must have happened.

When Mo Di opened the school forum page, he was stabbed in the eye by the topmost post with the bright red ‘hot’ word.

“Rational discussion, this time who was in the wrong, Liu Gui goddess or Mo Di?”

Mo Di frowned slightly, clicking open the super hot post which had already accumulated more than 8000 floors.

What immediately entered his eyes were the direct scoldings from several recent posts.

 “Landlord are you mentally disabled? You want to blacken our goddess’s name?! Don’t get hit by a car when you go out.”

 “Landlord your thoughts are obvious, too disgusting! What’s there to discuss?”

 “Landlord is bs, authentication completed.”

 “My goddess is beautiful, white skin and long legs, rich and talented, kind and intelligent. It’s useless for you to feel jealous. Take your disgusting thoughts together with that nasty vicious garbage Mo Di and get lost!”

 “Landlord you’re that drama queen Mo Di who tried to malign Xiao Gui right? I wish you an early death due to allergies! Don’t have to thank me.”

“…”

But this one-sided abuse was suddenly changed at the 30th something floor after an ultra-long post with a few hundred words of analysis. 

 “It seems at present I’m the only one who is seriously answering the post. Let me briefly analyze. First of all, I think the landlord started this post because he/she was stimulated by Zhu Wen Ze and the others’ severe punishment. Indeed, the actions of Zhu Wen Ze, Zhong Dao Kang and the others were just in the eyes of many people at that time because it was to seek justice for the goddess! Then how could they be punished so severely? After all, something like this had happened in our school before. Some students also used violence to retaliate violence. But they only received some verbal criticisms in the end. And the one that received real punishment was the student that was beaten. Because he made a serious mistake and what he did was also very disgusting.

 At the same time, this incident was the same, ‘violence against violence’, Zhu Wen Ze and the rest were severely punished but Mo Di, the ‘culprit’, was not. Doesn’t that mean that Mo Di did nothing wrong?

 That is indeed so!

I also just realized that our initial thinking was very distorted. If you get out of this strange circle, you will also find that Mo Di is the innocent victim! And Zhu Wen Ze and the others’ behaviours were plainly campus violence. This is not justice at all let alone retaliation against injustice. It’s simply campus bullying! Their so-called justice is twisted!

 All along people think that Mo Di deserved to be beaten, ostracized, abused, bullied, all because of that allergy incident right? Then can I ask based on what you call him vicious and rubbish? Everyone said that he said it on purpose to sow discord and smear the reputation of Mo Liu Gui, but does that sentence really entice that? To tell you the truth, I’m allergic to mango and will swell up like a balloon if I eat it. My parents and friends know that. If they gave me a piece of mango (of course, they won’t) I will subconsciously ask them ‘did you forget that I’m allergic to mangos?’. This is just a casual subconscious question. How is it vicious and calculating? And the goddess actually got so agitated and sad that she cried and fainted. How weird is that?

 Finally, I’m going to say something unpleasant. You people just don’t want to admit one truth: you keep saying that the goddess is very concerned about Mo Di (she also consistently shows it), but she doesn’t really care about him at all. If not how could she not know of his fatal allergies? My junior classmates told me that Mo Di was once sent to the hospital for emergency treatment due to his allergies and could not attend the class party. Can you say that you really care about someone when you don’t even know that he could die after drinking cocoa? And that you even offered him the drink? To be honest I don’t believe it. It’s either you don’t care about this person, or…. Haha.”

This one post set off a storm in the forum.

What followed were angry accusations and curses. It was hard to imagine those vicious words came from the students. But down the list, some people began to agree with the thread owner. 

 “I actually think it makes sense”

 “That’s right! I won’t even say that I’m close with my deskmate but I know that he’s allergic to cheese and will never give him cheese. So this is really baffling.”

 “The few people upstairs, what are you pretending? It’s disgusting. You were hired by Mo Di to slander our goddess! So obvious! Saying things without conscience. Aren’t you scared of being struck by lightning?”

 “Upstairs plus one.”

 “???Some people are just sick. I have never spoken with Mo Di. What, people can’t have a say? In this matter, your goddess is the one unreasonable.”

“I don’t think it’s just unreasonable. This matter is quite scary if you look at it closely. If it was unintentional, then it proves that she was just pretending to care for Mo Di this whole time. That’s some nice acting skills. And then if it was intentional…that’s even worse!” 

“Upstairs watch out for the death of your whole family! It seems Mo Di’s goal has been achieved. Now there is rubbish coming out to attack our goddess!”

“Upstairs your mouth is so poisonous and rotten. Does your goddess know? Did she let you out to bite people?! Your goddess dares to do it but not admit it. ”

“…”

And so, the posts kept arguing back and forth in a swearing competition. In just one night it gained nine thousand floors and was still rising.

But on the last page of the thread, there was an increasing number of people supporting Mo Di and the landlord. Those posts combined could account for ten percent of the total posts. Adding in the other posts which questioned Mo Liu Gui and her supporters, this number came up to nineteen percent. 

Mo Di was in a delicate mood. It was as if ….there was a crack in Mo Liu Gui’s ‘godhood’.

He really wanted to thank the person who started the thread and also the person who posted the analysis. Inadvertently, it had helped him cause a dent in the magical phenomenon of ‘everyone will brainlessly and insanely love and protect Mo Liu Gui’.

First off, he really wanted to know who posted this thread. And also the one and wrote the analysis…who was that?

Principal Huang’s overly severe punishment of Zhong Dao Kang and the others shocked some people. Plus the crack in Mo Liu Gui’s halo, Mo Di rarely had such a tranquil day.

But the calm was broken when he was leaving school in the evening. 

There was a bright red Maserati parked at the school gate and standing beside it was his good 5th brother, Mo Wu Hang. He was scanning the area with an impatient and raging look. Evidently, he did not come for Mo Liu Gui, which meant his purpose could only be one.

Mo Di pressed down his surging dark mood. He gave Mo Wu Hang a stare then turned around and walked away from the flow of people. He went back towards the school and followed several trails of winding paths until he reached a hidden wall that was relatively lower than the others. Swiftly and steadily, taking advantage of his long legs, he climbed over the wall and then jumped off.

“AH!” There was a scream coming from below.

Mo Di inspected and saw a boy lying on the ground, wearing the school uniform of the middle school opposite. He was shocked and confused that he made no immediate movement.

This is Gu Ran Ju?!!

“Damn… You want to kill me?!!” Gu Ran Ju raised his eyelids and glared at the expressionless high school student who was staring at him. He got into a fight with some thugs before and now his head was injured. There was bleeding and he was dizzy and nauseous. When he felt like passing out, he was suddenly stepped on by someone and almost vomited blood. 

And this high schooler just looked at him frigidly without any intention to apologize. Shit! To think that he had such good looks, turned out he was insensitive and cold-blooded!

“Damn it! Say something!”

Mo Di looked at Gu Ran Ju lightly and remained speechless.

Accordingly, after Gu Ra Ju had the fight and was about to faint in the alley, he was supposed to be rescued by Mo Liu Gui. He then developed a strong and irresistible affection for the angel Mo Liu Gui. This Gu Ran Ju was an important supporting male in the book, he could also be considered the third male lead. 

Then what is this situation? Because of the butterfly effect that he had accidentally come to replace the absent Mo Liu Gui? 

He did not want to fill this role.

Besides, he had just stepped on Gu Ran Ju. Even if he pretended to be some angel and comforted his wounds and soul, it probably would not work. Furthermore, he did not want to imitate Mo Liu Gui’s behaviour of ‘saving the misguided juvenile’. 

Him not throwing a brick at Gu Ran Ju at this time meant that his conscience was still intact. 

Gu Ran Ju’s head was in splitting pain but now he could no longer faint. He gnawed his teeth and looked at the high school student standing against the light. His teeth itched with anger. What’s wrong with this person. Didn’t he see him lying there with his head bleeding? Why did he have no response?!! Not to mention not sending him to the hospital, he did not even help him call an ambulance!

Gu Ran Ju clenched his fist but he knew that this was not the time to be impulsive. He suppressed his anger and straightened out his emotions, trying to organize his plea for help. 

Just as he opened his mouth, he saw the young man in front gave him a final indifferent glance and left without any remorse….

He left!

He just left?!!

“F***!”

Gu Ran Ju was furious to the extreme. With all his strength he climbed to a trash can in the corner of the alley. Holding in his disgust, he took out the bag that was thrown in, dug for his cell phone and dialled 120.

Wait and see!

He had carved that boy’s face in his memories!

Chapter 11

When they arrived at the construction site, Mu Tian Heng and Lai De Si got off and went to deal with their work, leaving Mo Di in the car.

Mo Di and the driver stayed in the car in dead silence.

“Want some water?” The driver uncle tried to ease up the awkward atmosphere.

“No thank you, uncle. I want to take a look outside.” Mo Di gave a good-boy smile and pointed outside the window. “There are many things over there I haven’t seen before. I want to have a closer look.” 

“Ok.” After saying this, the driver dropped his show of interest, lowered his head and played with his phone. 

Mo Di did not understand why the driver’s mood suddenly changed but he paid it no mind. He opened the door and stepped out.

Mu Tian Heng’s leg was disabled in Hua Xia. The more dangerous the place, the more likely it would happen there. He had to stay close.

The moment Mo Di closed the door, the driver uncle touched his forehead and grumbled unhappily: “I’m only two years older than the boss. Why does he get to be called brother and I’m called an uncle.”

Mo Di went to the edge of the site and looked towards its center.

There were all kinds of tools, shovels, concrete trolleys, steel pipes etc were lined across the construction site. The bright sun penetrating the dust in the air was like a fog covering the site, basking the place in a golden glow.

Mu Tian Heng was standing in the middle of the construction site talking with a person wearing a suit and a safety helmet. Behind them was a skeletal structure of a building. There were workers carrying buckets and shovels working on it. Bamboo poles and steel pipes were also placed on the platform. At a glance, it seemed harmless but a careful look could cause quite unease.

Mo Di raised his neck to the fullest to look at the dust-covered structure. A few rays of sunlight pierced through the framework with its rough and sturdy looking welding. 

Suddenly Mo Di had a bad premonition. Intuition made him stand up and run towards the center of the construction. 

A worker saw that a child had broken into the site and quickly yelled at him to get out.

Mo Di ignored the man and kept running. Another dark-skinned worker saw Mo Di running in and tried to stop him, yelling fiercely: “What are you doing. Children can’t just casually come in here! Get out!” 

“Where did you come from? Don’t you have eyes? Who let you in? Can you be responsible if any accidents were to happen?”

“I’m sorry, uncle. I’m looking for someone.” Mo Di apologized promptly and pointed to where Mu Tian Heng was standing. He said: “I’m looking for him. I need to talk to him.” 

“You’re looking for the tall-built boss?” The tall middle-aged man glanced in that direction and said: “Who knows if that boss actually knows you. You can’t go in. If we let you in and something happens, what’re we gonna do?”

“That’s right, what if something happened? What’s a child like you running about for? This is no place to have fun.” the short man reached out and pushed Mo Di on the shoulder: “Quickly get out! Stop making trouble here. Even if there’s something wrong you still can’t just run into the construction site. Leave!” 

Mu Tian Heng was listening to the engineer talk about the next phase budget and the final sketch when he heard what sounded like bickering in the distance. Looking up, he saw the boy who was supposed to wait in the car standing far-off, arguing with two workers.

“Your little fellow is so clingy to you.” Lai De Si, who was standing six to seven meters away talking to the deputy engineer, saw Mo Di and said to Mu Tian Heng.

Mu Tian Heng did not want to be bothered with Lai De Si but when he heard his words, he smiled and gave Lai De Si a sweeping look from head to toe: “What, you’re jealous again? Too bad there’s nothing you can do about it. The gap is too large.”

“Damn you!” Lai De Si glared back.

“Liu Cheng Cai, you take this and discuss it with Lai De Si.  I’ll take a look at the situation over there and come back.” Mu Tian Heng passed the documents in his hands to the sweaty engineer, Liu Cheng Cai, in front of him. 

“Ok. I’ll do it right away.” Liu Cheng Cai answered quickly and jogged over to Lai De Si. 

Mu Tian Heng clapped off the dirt on his hands and picked up an empty bottle that was thrown on the ground. He then turned around to leave. After taking two steps, he suddenly heard a man’s roar coming from above.

His sixth sense and survival instincts exploded from within. From his feet to his scalp, Mu Tian Heng was only guided by his subconscious to move forward as fast as he could.

“Bang!”

There was a deafening blast, and a thick cloud of dust erupted.

“Mu Tian Heng!!!” Mo Di watched in the distance as a thick and long steel pipe suddenly fell towards Mu Tian Heng from the floor above. His hands and feet turned cold at that moment. He quickly pushed away the people blocking him and ran to where Mu Tian Heng was.

The construction site was in chaos. The person in charge of the construction and the supervising engineer were in a panic as they ran towards Mu Tian Heng. Lai De Si was also dazed for a moment before he ran and shouted for Mu Tian Heng as well.

Behind the layer of dust, Mu Tian Heng gave out a hiss. He propped his arms on the ground for support and shifted the leg that was slightly hit by the steel pipe.

“Mu! Mu! Are you okay?!!” Lai De Si looked anxiously at Mu Tian Heng sitting on the ground. “Where did you get hit?! Ha?!! Mu!!” Then he turned to the side: “Quickly call an ambulance! Call an ambulance!!”

Liu Cheng Cai and the engineer next to him were almost trembling. They frantically took out their phone and dialled 120. 

“No need to call an ambulance. I’m ….cough.. I’m fine.” Mu Tian Heng used his muscular arms to push himself up. He sat on the ground and rubbed his right ankle.

Although the steel pipe hit his ankle, the force was reduced greatly when it bounced after hitting the ground. The remaining force injured his ankle, but he could still feel his leg. It was not a big deal.

Lai De Si: “How can we not call? We have to call an ambulance!” 

“Mu Tian Heng, are you all right?!” The frantic Mo Di was gasping for air. His cheeks were red from the heat: “How are your feet?!”

Mu Tian Heng looked up and saw Mo Di standing in the sun against the light. The eyes that looked like an ink painting were full of panic. His hair was dyed golden and his lips were apart, panting heavily.

Mu Tian Heng felt an unspeakable emotion rising in his heart. His eyes narrowed: “Little fellow, why are you calling me by my name and not ‘brother’?”

“I…” Mo Di did not expect that Mu Tian Heng’s first sentence would be this. He mentally found a reason with no loophole and answered: “I was so anxious that I let it slip. Plus I checked your information on the internet, and my head was filled with your name, so…”

“That’s okay. Let’s not talk about this.”

Mu Tian Heng waved his hand as he tried to steel his heart. But he felt that at the moment, he was unsuccessful. He was not someone with a high IQ but low EQ who does not understand emotions. He was now very clear. Even though he had been suppressing it and telling himself over again that this was just a seventeen-year-old child, he still could not help but be interested in this little fellow that was only two years older than his nephew.

This is really…

Mu Tian Heng sighed and said to Lai De Si: “Come over and give me a hand.”

“You can get up now? It’s better to wait for the ambulance and use their stretcher!” Lai De Si was still in a panic.

“I’ll kick you if you don’t come over!” Mu Tian Heng frowned, “Quickly! I said I’m fine!”

Lai De Si looked at Mu Tian Heng’s purplish swollen ankle and insisted: “No, let’s just wait for the ambulance! Can’t you sit there for a while?”

Mu Tian Heng ignored Lai De Si and waved to Mo Di: “Little fellow, come over and give me a hand.”

“Me?” Mo Di hesitantly looked at Lai De Si and then the nearby old men who had no intention of moving. He went over and looked at Mu Tian Heng with clear eyes: “How can I help you?”

“Come over to my left. Just grab on to my arm. You’re acting like a crutch, got it?” 

“En.” Mo Di nodded. When Mu Tian Heng put his arm over Mo Di’s shoulder, Mo Di moved in closer and gripped Mu Tian Heng’s strong waist, working with him to help him up. 

Mu Tian Heng stumbled for a bit before he could stand firm on one foot. He then said to Lai De Si who was about to say something: “Someone threw a mineral water bottle on the ground, you pick it up and throw it in the trash bin.”

Whatever Lai De Si wanted to say was choked up. He then thought of how before the steel pipe fell, Mu Tian Heng had stopped to pick up the bottle. If he had not done so, Mu Tian Heng might have been able to fully avoid the accident. Lai De Si flared up: “The person who threw it should be the one to do that, why do you bother!”

He knew that Mu Tian Heng was very attentive even at regular times. Especially the details. Everything has to be qualified and in style. But at such a time couldn’t he just let it go?!!

“I’ll pick it up!” the supervising engineer who had been standing to the side quickly came forward and volunteered. He was sweating bullets as he picked up the bottle. This was the bottle he had finished and casually threw it aside. Who would have thought it could create such a mess!

Mu Tian Heng did not want to persecute the matter. He turned to Mo Di and said: “Let’s go to the car.”

“En.”

Although Mu Tian Heng said that he was fine, his wrists and feet were actually hurting. But with each step he took, the hairy head of the youth brushed against his chin and brought out a light waft of shampoo scent that drilled straight through his skin and caused his heart to itch. By shifting his sight slightly, he could see the young man’s delicate chin, white long neck and the beautiful clavicle hidden under his collar.

Mu Tian Heng told himself that it was not right to keep staring. He turned around to avoid but the other body that stayed close to him was seductively warm and it carried the youth’s unique scent and touch. At the same time it also reminded him he was taking advantage of a seventeen-year-old boy. 

Mu Tian Heng then felt that he had just made a wrong decision.

“Just now, why did you come into the construction site? Didn’t I tell you that it was ok to stay in the car?” Mu Tian Heng decided to divert his attention by conversing. 

“I…” Mo Di lowered his head slightly. He responsibly continued his duty as being a crutch, “Actually it was nothing.”

“Nothing? If it was nothing then why did you go to the construction site?”

“I just thought that the place where you were standing was a bit dangerous.” There was some restraint in Mo Di’s voice, “Where you stood, it was too close to the scaffolding and workers were working up there. I was worried when I saw them moving the steel pipe. It felt unsafe, so I wanted to remind you…”

“Just because of that?” Mu Tian Heng stopped walking.

“En.” Mo Di nodded.

Mu Tian Heng’s mood has a somewhat indescribable complication. For a moment, it felt tender and itchy, and also a little sour.

“Actually, I really want to thank you.” said Mu Tian Heng.

“Ha?” Mo Di looked up with some uncertainty, “I did not manage to warn you.”

“If it weren’t for you and those two workers arguing, I wouldn’t have wanted to go and see what was the situation. I really would have been hit by the steel pipe.” Now that Mu Tian Heng thought about it, he was starting to feel the delayed fear. At the critical moment, had he not managed to move two or three steps, even if he was saved, his leg would still be struck.

And if that was the case, the leg that was hit….would most likely become useless.

Lai De Si who was following behind the two also heard this. The brooding mood turned into a delightful one. That petty man had such a wonderful fortune. Not only did he snag a peach blossom love, but the peach blossom love even saved his life. This really made him speechless. 

He was jealous but also happy for him.

“No no. I didn’t do much at all.” Mo Di shook his head.

“Yes, you did. At least you can consider yourself one half of my life saviour. If not, it’s a leg saviour.” Mu Tian Heng endured the pain in his ankle and smiled, “You don’t have to be too modest.”

“That’s right that’s right.” Lai De Si chimed in, “Little brother, whatever you want you can tell Mu to buy for you. If you have any problem just open your mouth and Mu will solve it for you! At least before we leave Hua Xia, we must repay this debt.”

“You’re leaving Hua Xia?” Mo Di looked at Mu Tian Heng in surprise.

“Not in the next two weeks.” Mu Tian Heng was helped into the Maybach parked at the side of the construction site. Sitting in, he said: “But Lai De Si is right. Little fellow, whatever request you have, if I can help you, I will definitely do it.”

“I….I don’t have any request.”

Mo Di quickly analyzed the pros and cons in his head and finally decided to say nothing. The result he wanted was not the so-called ‘he made a request, Mu Tian Heng helped him to solve it’ and then they went their separate ways. This would cut off the bond and affection he had tried so hard to cultivate.

The ‘shelter’ he wanted was not to be used right now. At the moment, the powerful male leads and supporters behind the Mo family and Mo Liu Gui had not appeared yet. He could still manage alone. Good steel should be used on the blade. He could not afford to waste these feelings and opportunities now. 

“No requests?” Lai De Si disagreed. “Don’t be silly. Whatever you want, you can say it!”

When he said this, Lai De Si was suddenly struck with an idea and said loudly: “Your group of brothers and classmates are all so sickos. Even if you were to rent a house it’s still very likely something will go wrong. Why don’t you just live with us!”

“Right Mu?” Lai De Si looked at Mu Tian Heng, “Our villa is so big, it’s totally ok if the kid lives with us!”

Chapter 10

“Mu, your phone is ringing.” 

Lai De Si spit out the foam in his mouth and looked at the Mu Tian Heng walking down the stairs and said bitterly: “Looks like it’s from that kid.”

Mu Tian Heng ignored Lai De Si. He picked up his phone from the sofa and went straight to the balcony: “Hello?”

“It’s, it’s me.” Mo Di’s nervous voice came through the phone, “Did I disturb you, brother?”

“No. It’s already seven in the morning. I don’t like sleeping in.” There was a smile in Mu Tian Heng’s voice. He had just taken a bath after his workout and the steam was still lingering. His hair was slightly wet. He was wearing a white shirt with rolled up cuffs, revealing a pair of strong arms.

Mo Di smiled awkwardly and then said with some formality: “Brother, I wanted to leave the hospital but the doctor and nurses said that I must have your approval to do so.”

“You want to leave the hospital so soon? You’ve only been there for three days. Those injuries of yours, have they recovered?”

Mu Tian Heng stood at the balcony, drying his hair with a towel with his free hand. The movement caused a few drops of water to fall on the exposed clavicle and slipped down to the strong and sexy muscles.

“My injuries are much better now. It’s not as troublesome. I don’t need to stay in the hospital. Just rest for a few more days and I’ll be fine…”

“Then is it not better to stay in the hospital? There’re doctors and nurses to monitor the situation.” The morning sun was becoming harsh and Mu Tian Heng squinted, “Or is there another reason why you want to leave the hospital?”

Mo Di did not reply immediately, he paused for three to four seconds and spoke softly: “I’m sorry. I, I’m leaving the hospital because of something else. I’m scared that my brothers will come to hit me when they know where I’m staying.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” Mu Tian Heng frowned slightly, remembering what he heard Zhu Wen Ze said before in the hospital ward. Apparently this child’s family members also treated him pretty badly, and also their logic was very different from ordinary people. “Your brothers, are they your biological brothers?”

“They’re my older cousins.” Mo Di did not say more. He just pleaded apologetically: “Brother, can you come to sign for me so I can leave the hospital? Please?”

“You’ve asked me so politely, how can I not go?” Mu Tian Heng thought about his schedule for today and said: “I should be able to arrive at eight. Wait for me.”

“Thank You! Thank you brother!”

“It’s not a problem. Quickly eat your breakfast and pack your things up.” Hearing the child’s voice quivered with excitement, Mu Tian Heng shook his head with a smile. He also felt a slight heartache. This child must have been through a lot. 

“Mu, are you going to see the kid?” Lai De Si suddenly barged into the balcony and looked at him as if looking at a beast: “Are you going to make your move that quick?”

“Get lost.” Mu Tian Heng punched Lai De Si on the shoulder and went back to the living room, “Clean up your dirty thoughts!”

“Damn! That hurts!” Lai De Si gritted his teeth and rubbed his shoulder, following behind, “You’re such an animal! He’s only seventeen, seventeen!!!”

After Mo Di hung up the phone, he exhaled and then started packing. 

Except for the laptop, everything else was put inside the backpack. And on the computer screen, there were seven or eight minimized windows and casually clicking on any one of them will only show a page full of intangible codes. 

When Mo Di finished his breakfast and waited in the ward, it was already half past seven. He took a look at the notes he had carefully written in his previous life and reviewed the mistake-prone questions. As he reviewed, he looked out the window.

As fate would have it, Mo Di was not able to wait for Mu Tian Heng to arrive before the car belonging to the Mo house. 

The hand that held the notebook clenched tight. Mo Di then immediately went to the bedside and turned on his laptop. He pulled up a window and entered some codes speedily.

Half a minute later, a surveillance page was displayed on screen. 

In the surveillance that was somewhat glaring due to the sun, the car slowly stopped in a parking space. Three seconds later, a man alighted. 

It was Mo Wu Hang. After Mo Wu Hang got off, another tall and mature man followed. With an elite temperament that could not be concealed, it’s Mo yi cheng who was now in charge of almost half of the Mo family’s industry. Mo Yi Cheng closed the door and walked towards the direction of his ward.

Mo Di did not expect that this time he had to trouble his good big brother to come.

According to Mo Yi Cheng’s habits and personality, he would not spare him a glance even if they were to pass face to face. And now just for him, he had to come to this hospital.

Mo Di clasped his knuckles and his fingers made a slight noise. He was not afraid of these two people but was afraid that he would not be able to control his urge to beat them up. 

It was estimated that Mu Tian Heng would definitely arrive in twenty minutes. Mo Di turned off the computer and placed it in his backpack. He then sat on the bed and waited for the two men to come. 

When Mu Tian Heng arrived, he heard a burst of harsh voices coming from the upper floor just as he entered the stairway. He instantly had a bad premonition and picked up the pace running up the stairs. Lai De Si murmured the sentence ‘long legs so what, big deal’ as he chased after him. 

Mu Tian Heng had just reached the fourth floor stairways when he saw the child who should have been quietly waiting for him running towards the stairs in fear. The shirt on his body was torn and a ripped off button was dangling off a thread. Coming from behind him were two tall and stout men. 

“Mo Di! Stand right there!”

“Mo Di if you take another step, then don’t even think of entering the Mo house again! We Mo family dare not keep a beast like you who would poison his own father and not feel remorse!”

“I didn’t! You’re talking nonsense!” Mo Di was limping and moving forward as fast as he could. The two men in the back were like hawks teasing a rabbit, following him in an elegant stroll. A patient from another ward came out to check on the situation and stared at Mo Di with contempt, it seemed he had believed the words of Mo Wu Hang.

“I have never given my father any poison. Don’t accuse me!” Mo Di denied as he ran. He was almost out of breath. Then he saw Mu Tian Heng as he lifted his sight.

In an instant, Mu Tian Heng saw that the child’s eyes lit up like fireworks. It was not only filled with trust and amazement but also adoration and gratitude, just like looking at a hero.

Mu Tian Heng had a sudden and uncontrollable sway in his heart.

“Brother!” Mo Di immediately ran to Mu Tian Heng’s side and hid behind his back.

When Mo Wu Hang saw Mo Di’s actions, he was furious. He stared at the imposing man who had suddenly appeared in front of him, “Who are you? We are teaching our little brother a lesson. You’re an outsider, do not interfere!” 

“Little brother?” Mu Tian Heng gave a sudden smile, “Is that so? This little fellow is also my little brother. Why don’t I know he has a big brother like you? Could it be that you’re just an enemy who wants to harm him?”

After that, Mu Tian Heng looked at the patients and their family members who had gathered around and said: “Please have a look everyone. How can these two be this child’s brothers? I’m afraid that they’re gangsters from outside or even human traffickers.”

“That’s bullshiit!” Mo Wu Hang was about to explode when he heard this. He had never been splashed with dirty water like this before. He rushed forward and tried to give Mu Tian Heng a punch.

But Mu Tian Heng easily avoided it.

Mu Tian Heng then used his left hand to grab Mo Wu Hang’s arms. He turned his body and with a sweep from his long legs, Mo Wu Hang was toppled and he hit the ground with bang! 

“F*** you….”

“Shut up!” Before Mo Wu Hang could finish swearing, he was cut off by Mo Yi Cheng who was standing behind. Mo Yi Cheng looked at the man in front of him, creased his brows and said: “Excuse me, are you … Mr Mu Tian Heng?”

Mu Tian Heng did not answer. Although he had not published any photos to the media nor did he like to make any media appearance, it was not surprising that some private photos were spread among the business circle. 

He only gave Mo Yi Cheng an unknowing look before talking to Mo Di: “Little fellow, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Mo Di was carrying his big backpack. He pulled at Mu Tian Heng’s clothes, “Brother, let’s go.”

“Let’s go, let’s go. Let me carry the bag for you.” Lai De Si who had caught up pulled at Mo Di’s bag strap.

“I’ll do it.” Mu Tian Heng grabbed Mo Di’s bag in one hand and strided forward. “Come on.”

“Who the f*** let you go? Stand right there…”

“Xiao Wu!” Mo Yi Cheng interrupted Mo Wu Hang again. His expression turned heavy as he gave Mu Tian Heng and Lai De Si a scrutinizing look.

“Big brother! What’s the matter with you? Why did you let Mo Di leave just like that?!!”

Mo Wu Hang gave the railing a kick in anger and confusion.

“That man might be Mu Tian Heng.” Mo Yi Cheng said coldly.

“Mu Tian Heng? Who’s Mu Tian Heng?” Mo Wu Hang was more confused. 

“All you think about is modeling and entertainment. Your brain is all empty!” 

Mo Yi Cheng gave Mo Wu Hang a dissatisfied glance: “Mu Tian Heng started the Impression social network at the age of 22. In just four years, he led Impression’s rapid development, occupying the whole European and American market and other parts of the world. At the age of 26, his wealth was close to the top 100 in the world! In the past two years, Impression had exploded exponentially. In addition, Mu Tian Heng also has investment in other industries and his influence range worldwide. He now ranked at seven in the world’s richest list, three places higher than Qin Jie Guang, Hua Xia’s richest man. Tell me, what kind of person is he?!”

“He…h…he…” Mo Wu Hang was momentarily dumbstrucked. He only managed to speak after a while: “Brother, you sure it’s him?!”

“I’m certain. That foreigner should be Lai De Si, one of his later team partners. Although they don’t appear in public often, some photos still managed to spread.”

Mo Yi Cheng did not look good, “How did Mo Di get attached to them?”

“That’s right! Let’s catch up with them quickly! Tell them about that beast Mo Di’s true face. It’s obvious they were deceived by Mo Di!” Mo Wu Hang wanted to go as soon as he said that. “Big bro let’s go tell them quickly! While we’re at it, we can also get acquainted and gain some connections!” 

“That is not appropriate at the moment. Firstly, it seems Mu Tian Heng doesn’t want to admit his identity. Secondly, Mo Di definitely had flipped the truth in front of them. If we go to him now, it’ll only make him unhappy.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Let’s go back and investigate. I’ll find a more suitable time to visit.”

…

Mo Di did not feel relieved until he was sitting in the car. He looked at Mu Tian Heng in the passenger’s seat and said ‘thank you brother’ once again.

Mu Tian Heng could not help laughing and said: “How many times are you planning to say thank you? Don’t have to be so polite.”

“I should. It’s a must.” Mo Di said as he looked at Mu Tian Heng’s side features with bright eyes. Then he lowered his head and grabbed his tightly and said: “I can never thank you enough.”

Lai De Si saw this scene and his stomach felt sour again.

“Fine, up to you.” Mu Tian Heng opened the map on his phone. His long eyes lashes drooped as he lowered his sight: “I’ll take you to a hospital in the west city later. But on the way I have to stop by a construction site first. I have some business to attend to.”

“Brother, I don’t want to stay in the hospital anymore.” Hearing this, Mo Di said hurriedly: “You can leave me in the west suburb. I want to rent a place there.”

“You don’t want to stay in the hospital anymore?” Mu Tian Heng turned to look at Mo Di.

“Nope.” Mo Di shook his head firmly.

“Alright, up to you. But it’s still better for you to have a check up in the hospital to make sure that nothing’s wrong. It’s okay if you don’t want to stay.”

After Mu Tian Heng said that, his eyes lowered. He clearly did not want to mind about this kid any more than he already had. He was prepared to end this matter yesterday. Why was he taking care of this little fellow’s business again today?