Chapter 67

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

“It won’t be that easy.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What is it?!”

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

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

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

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

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

Mo Di was speechless for a moment.

“Don’t take it to heart.”

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

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

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

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

Mo Di looked at Lai De Si.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

…..

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

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

And the withdrawal happened in Myanmar.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

…..

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

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

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

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

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

The group was overjoyed as they screamed and cheered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 66

Mo Di nodded at the doctor’s words. 

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

“No, no, it’s nothing.”

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

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

“Dr. Wang, please don’t hesitate.”

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

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

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

…..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I’m also a very reliable person, ok!

…..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Including cash?” 

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

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

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

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

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

“Absent for a month?!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 65

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

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

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

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

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

“He’s ill?! Wait up, I’m coming too!”

Lai De Si followed in a hurry.

…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As for how he had consumed the drug…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Why are you standing here in the cold?” 

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

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

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

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

“It’s a little better.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lai De Si twitched his mouth and stopped smiling.

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

“What’s going on, tell me.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“En.”

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

…..

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

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

“Director Mu, it’s an honor.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ok.” Mo Di nodded.

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

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

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

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

There’s nothing to be afraid of.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 64

Du Wen Jing called for everyone to have some fruits but most just grabbed a piece of watermelon before going back to their singing. 

Only Mo Di took a piece of grapefruit but having too much to eat prior to this, Mo Di could not stuff in any more food. He put it back on the plate and decided to go out for a walk to assist his digestion.

The hallway was now noisy as a few of the doors were open. Listening to the jumbled noises, it seemed Xian Yu Chao’s voice was not at the bottom yet.

Mo Di’s ears and heart were tired. He finally chose to go downstairs to have some peace and quiet outside the building.

There were no distinctive noises in the lobby on the first floor. One of the receptionists was serving a customer while the other was busying with her phone.

Mo Di walked across the hall and out the front door.

Just when he got across the street, his phone rang. It was Xian Yu Chao.

“Hello, Xiao Di, where have you been?! Du Wen Jing went to look for you and couldn’t find you anywhere!”

Xian Yu Chao’s trumpet voice blasted across the phone.

Mo Di distanced his phone from his ear: “I’m outside getting some air. You guys sing, don’t worry about me. I’ll come back later.”

“Ok! Come back quickly! Oh right, we drank the wine, it’s really good! We left you a cup!” Xian Yu Chao was still shouting into the phone.

Mo Di felt his eardrums almost destroyed and hung up quickly.

“Mo Di!”

Just as the shouts from the phone died down, Mo Di heard another one exploded from behind.

Mo Di was shaken up. He slowly turned his head to find Gu Ran Ju standing right behind him. He was wearing a black jacket and black jeans. His hair was shaved at the sides, leaving a tuft in the middle which he combed back with gel, very much like a rock and roll singer.

Mo Di was instantly annoyed.

“Gu Ran Ju, what the hell were you yelling for?”

“The first thing you do when you see me is being angry at me!” Gu Ran Ju was feeling somewhat aggrieved. He charged forward and glared at Mo Di.

“Mo Di, why do you dislike me so much?! What is your reason?!” 

Mo Di was mystified. What’s the matter with this Gu Ran Ju?

He never sought him out nor had he ever tried to harm him. The most he did was ignore him but that was nothing overboard, was it?

Were they to switch roles and Gu Ran Ju was the victim of the countless times he tried to ruin his life, would the reborned Gu ran Ju let him live? What a joke. He was not seeking revenge. All he did was ignore him and it’s not wrong to ignore people.

Gu Ran Ju seemed to think too highly of himself.

Mo Di turned and walked away, completely treating Gu ran Ju like air.

Gu Ran Ju followed behind him like a leech.

“Mo Di, stop right there! How dare you ignore me?! How dare you?!”

Gu Ran Ju was furious and also partially aggrieved.

The last time he went to look for Mo Di was to clear things up. He searched the whole Jing Da but could not find him. When his temper was at its peak and he had to go back to school, his second class for the day had already started. With his rotten luck, he was caught by the discipline master and the principal. The bullshit principal even called his parents and that was the reason he was being watched for a whole month.

Today was the day his ban was lifted and his father’s bodyguards had left him alone. To celebrate his freedom, he went to get a new hairstyle and decided to sing all night. As luck would have it, he happened to bump into none other than Mo Di, the culprit behind his misery.

Initially, he had no intention of arguing with Mo Di but even when he took a step back, Mo Di still ignored him!

Gu Ran Ju was absolutely pissed. He felt he was going to die of injustice. Even adding up all the mistreatment he ever received from everyone else in his life, it was not even close to the ones he received from Mo Di!

Gu Ran Ju caught up with Mo Di and was about to grab his arm when Mo Di pulled his arm back and pressed him on the ground.

“Ah!!” Gu Ran Ju screamed in pain. “Mo Di, you hit me?!”

“If you follow me again, I’ll not only hit you but give you a good kick!” Mo Di turned and went back into the building. He decided to round up the guys and return to school. It was almost eleven and it’ll be too late if they don’t leave soon.

When Mo Di reached the room, Du Wen Jing came out to greet him with a plate of fruits.

“Oh Xiao Di, you’re back. I was about to go look for you.” Du Wen Jing smiled, “The fruits are almost finished. I only managed to keep some for you. Lin Jun Feng’s eating speed is just too fast, it’s like he doesn’t even chew.”

“Thank you.” Mo Di said with a smile. The pieces of grapefruit were exactly the same as before he left. “I can’t finish them all, you can give them some.”

“There are only four pieces. You really can’t finish them? No wonder you’re so skinny.” Du Wen Jing smiled and continued: “I’m different, I can finish the whole fruit myself.”

“I’ve had too much to eat today.”

Mo Di had always been careful with his body, in other words, it was a form of discipline. Except for staying up late due to work, he had a very healthy lifestyle.

Oh, another bad habit was drinking scalding hot soup. This was formed due to the trauma sustained from his past life. After rebirth, he would drink soup at extreme temperatures to feel the warmth of being alive and safe.

But this habit was critically reprimanded by Mu Tian Heng and he had since kicked it. Now he would pay attention and only have the soup at the appropriate temperature.

“Ai, alright. I know we ate a lot tonight but it’s not easy to resist the food you like.” Du Wen Jing passed the fruits tray to Mo Di, “I’ll leave this to you. Remember to eat it soon or it won’t be fresh anymore.”

“En, thank you.”

Thinking that it was just a few pieces of fruit, Mo Di decided to eat it anyway. As he picked up a piece, a series of heavy footsteps came into earshot and before Mo Di could react, the fruit tray in his hand was knocked on the floor with a bang.

“No eating!!!” 

It was Gu Ran Ju gnashing his teeth.

Mo Di dared to hit him and then just walked away! How could he eat like nothing even happened!

He must’ve owed Mo Di something in his last life! Otherwise, why would Mo Di mistreat him as such!!!

If Mo Di knew what he was thinking, he would definitely nod his head in agreement.

At present, all Mo Di wanted was to beat the crap out of him.

“Gu Ran Ju, are you crazy?!”

“You’re the crazy one! Mo Di, why did you ignore me?! You not only ignored me, you even hit me. And when you’re done with abusing me, you just wiped your hands and left. How could you do that to me?!”

Gu Ran Ju roared.

Mo Di laughed in anger. He rolled up his sleeves: “What did I do to you? Have you ever thought that the unreasonable one is you? Gu Ran Ju, are you a child still drinking your mother’s milk?!”

Not to mention his last life, even in this life, Gu Ran Ju seemed to be infected with rabies.

“From the start, you were mad because I did not call the ambulance for you and you tried to beat me up. After I graduated and we met outside, you still wanted to fight me. I refused to fight you and you got angry. I ignored you and you claimed that I wronged you. All of this, you’re the one who started it?”

“You, you… I….” Gu Ran Ju was dumbfounded.

“What’s going on? What’s going on? Who’s making trouble…” Xian Yu Chao and the others came to the door and shouted when they saw Gu Ran Ju.

“Hey! It’s the little rascal again! Is the school giving you too little homework that you have the time to go around causing trouble?!”

Gu Ran Ju ignored them and only looked at Mo Di. “I… know I’m wrong, ok. I’m not looking for a fight with you but you’re still not socializing with me!”

The last time he broke into Mo Di’s dorm, he was given a good scolding. Since then he had reflected and found that what he did was indeed a little …odd and unfair towards Mo Di. All he wanted now was to be friends with him but Mo Di kept ignoring him!

“Kid, you’re really childish.” Zhao Chun and Zhang Jie Meng who came out to watch the commotion laughed and said: “If you keep making trouble, no one will want to be friends with you. And being friends is a mutual act, you can’t force others to be your friend, that’s just selfish.”

“You, you….” Gu Ran Ju was teeming with anger. He stared at Mo Di and asked: “Tell me, tell me what to do so you’ll forgive me.”

Mo Di simply wanted him to leave him alone but he knew this won’t be solved by ignoring him any longer. 

“If you stop looking for me and giving me trouble for half a year, I’ll consider it.” Mo Di replied.

“Half a year? I can’t come to find you for half a year?!” Gu Ran Ju widened his eyes.

“I don’t want to see your face for at least three months. Of course it’s up to you if you don’t agree. I don’t particularly want to be your friend anyway.” Mo Di sneered.

Gu Ran Ju was agitated. He could feel he was being jabbed at but he endured and finally took a deep breath.

Mo Di no longer paid him any heed. He turned to Xian Yu Chao and said: “It’s past eleven, let’s go back. It’s late.”

“Ok. My throat’s a little dry, I don’t want to sing anymore.” Chen Zhao said.

“Um, let’s go. Staying up late is not good for my skin.” Zhao Chun said as she touched her face.

There was no objection from anyone so Mo Di prepared for the checkout. He took a glance around and found that Du Wen Jing was missing. “Where’s Du Wen Jing? Did she go somewhere?”

“I’ll give her a call. Let’s go down first.” Zhao Chun said.

…

The group arrived on the first floor and Mo Di went to settle the bill. It was then that Du Wen Jing returned with two big bags in hand.

Zhao Chun immediately went over to her, “Wen Jing, where did you go? You didn’t answer your phone.” 

“I went to buy drinks. I bet everyone is thirsty after singing but the beverages here are overpriced so I went to buy from the vendors outside.” Du Wen Jing handed Zhao Chun a bottle of snow pear juice: “Here you go, your favorite.”

“Thank you, Wen Jing.” Zhao Chun smiled, “You’re the most considerate. None of this ever crossed my mind.”

Du Wen Jing laughed. She began to pass everyone their drinks. Lin Jun Feng, Xian Yu Chao, and Chen Zhao’s were coke, Pang Qiang Lang and Han Chao’s were Sprite and Fanta, Zhang Jie Meng’s was green tea. Everyone thanked her for the drinks.

As for Mo Di, it was a bottle of grapefruit juice.

“The grapefruit was knocked over just now so I bought you a bottle of juice instead.” Du Wen Jing smiled at Mo Di.

“Thank you.” Mo Di was surprised at Du Wen Jing’s attentiveness. He warmed up to her, “We came here to relax yet you have to run here and there, sorry about that.”

“It’s nothing. I just like doing this.” Du Wen Jing looked around, “Where’s that wild kid? Did he leave?”

“Um, we chased him away.” Zhao Chun said, “Just a kid with too much time on his hand.”

…

The gentlemen watched the ladies safely boarded the taxi before saying goodbye and going their separate ways, either by taxi or the train.

Mo Di and the gang used bike-sharing.

Back at the dorm, the four took turns to shower. Mo Di sat on his chair. Feeling thirsty, he took a sip from the bottle Du Wen Jing gave him.

Chen Zhao observed him and a wry smile appeared on his face. “Xiao Di, why do I feel that Du Wen Jing was especially nice to you? Just now, she not only ordered grapefruit for you but even went out of her way to buy you a bottle of grapefruit juice. Do you think she likes you?”

“She was also nice to you. You should wash your thoughts.” Mo Di was speechless.

“Get lost with your filthy brain. Don’t sully our Xiao Di.” Lin Jun Feng hit gave Chen Zhao a hit, “Besides, Du Wen Jing is twenty-four, we’re only eighteen.”

Chen Zhao: “Ai, Lin Jun Feng, why are you so old-fashioned. It’s only six years older.”

“That’s not how it is. What you saw was how Du Wen Jing was brought up. I heard from Zhao Chun that she has a younger brother. Her family is really backward and they’re the patriarchal kind, they treasure boys over girls.” Explained Xian Yu Chao as he walked out of the bathroom in his baggy pants. “The women of this type of family are usually very meticulous and courteous towards the people around them. This is probably the trait we saw in Du Wen Jing.”

“Hey Salted Fish, don’t tell me you like Du Wen Jing!” Chen Zhao teased the rarely serious Xian Yu Chao.

“Stupid Chen Zhao, don’t talk nonsense.” Xian Yu Chao flicked his towel at Chen Zhao. “I just thought that she probably had a tough life, seeing her simple clothes and such.”

Mo Di drank half the bottle of grapefruit juice and left it on the table.

Du Wen Jing indeed was dressed plainly for a girl going out for fun. Her family probably did not treat her very well. Living in a family filled with prejudice, Mo Di could sympathize with her.

He felt he might be able to give her some help.

“After we passed this round of the competition, I’ll give everyone a big bonus.” Mo Di said all of a sudden.

“What? A bonus?!!” Xian Yu Chao froze on the spot. He was no longer bothered with Chen Zhao and rushed at Mo Di with excitement, “Are you serious?!!”

“Of course.” Mo Di smiled sincerely, showing his shallow dimple.

He would be paying each member a bonus of ten thousand yuan. One was to boost morale and the other was to help out the ones in need.

“Ahhhh! That’s fantastic! Xiao Di, this father loves you!” the group began to sing Mo Di’s praises.

Mo Di smiled and went to the bathroom. He had not taken his bath yet.

However, he was not sure if the water was too hot or there was another reason, Mo Di had a particularly unpleasant bath. His heart was pacing quickly and there was an overpowering sense of excitement that was suffocating.

Mo Di reduced the water temperature drastically.

The cold water poured down on him but it did not elevate his discomfort. He only felt cold on his skin while his breath was still hot and heavy. His heartbeat was loud, almost deafening to his eardrum. There was also dizziness and nauseousness…

Mo Di took a long breath but still felt uncomfortable.

He turned off the showerhead and took a seat on the toilet. This did not help much and panic began to set in.

Although… although he was feeling dizzy and flustered, his brain was highly active.

Mo Di’s face was now looking incredibly pale.

What’s going on, this is not normal.

Xian Yu Chao was outside discussing how he would be spending his bonus saw Mo Di coming out of the bathroom just after seven or eight minutes. “Xiao Di, your bath was quick today.”

But Mo Di could not afford to avert his attention towards them. He went directly to his bed with a calm face and grabbed his phone. 

He dialed a number: “Brother, brother, can you take me to the hospital?”

Chapter 63

Mo Di stopped and turned to look at the person behind him.

Li Zhao stepped forward. With the smile of a salesman trying to sell an unpractical product, he said: “Little student, I think you have an outstanding appearance. Do you want to develop in showbiz? I promise you will be famous.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not a conman. I’m an agent under Xing Hai Entertainment Company. Here’s my card.”

Li Zhao took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Mo Di: “My eyes never wronged me. I’ve also brought out a lot of A-list stars. When the time comes, they’ll be your seniors.”

Mo Di accepted the card. Sure enough, this person was Li Zhao, the golden broker for Xing Hai Entertainment.

Unfortunately, Mo Di was not interested.

More importantly, he knew who Li Zhao’s big boss was and also that his son had a very good relationship with Qin Cheng Yi.

However, according to the development in his last life, the two had a falling out over Mo Liu Gui. He was not planning to get involved in this love triangle but would be looking forward to a good play.

“Sorry, I’m not interested in showbiz for the time being.” Mo Di kept the card out of politeness.

“Little student, I think you should consider wisely. The wonders of the entertainment industry are far beyond a normal person’s imagination.”

“Thank you but I’m not interested.” Mo Di smiled but his attitude was firm.

Li Zhao was disappointed that Mo Di rejected his offer. Signing Mo Di was not something he came up with on the spot. After he tried time and again but still failed to create hype for Mo Liu Gui, he couldn’t help but think of Mo Di who had a very different reputation and also an excellent appearance.

Furthermore, if it was Mo Di, he would certainly have a lot less to worry about.

This time, having fatefully met him here, Li Zhao simply had to implement this proposal. Pity that Mo Di was not willing to sail this boat.

Li Zhao sighed and made one last attempt: “If you ever regretted and want to enter the entertainment industry, give me a call. Even if I don’t take in anyone else, I’ll do it just for you.”

“Ok, I’ll call if I changed my mind.” Mo Di smiled, nodded, then turned to follow his friends.

Li Zhao’s action and words confirmed a conjecture that was looming in his heart. There was no way Li Zhao would sign him for only his looks. It must have something to do with his public image. This also meant that he must be really disappointed with Mo Liu Gui’s current status.

Regardless, showbiz was never his calling.

The group went to the cubicle upstairs and began ordering their food. After the waiter left, Xian Yu Chao lamented Mo Di’s decision.

“Celebrities can earn a lot. And once they’re hot, everyone in the country will know them. Countless girls will fall for them. How wonderful is that!” Xian Yu Chao cried into a cushion, he was once again traumatized by the previous incident.

“What’s so good about it? There’s no privacy. Moreover, if you’re not big enough, you can’t even have your own personality. Everything is a script the company set up for you. You’re going to have a split personality sooner or later. Not to mention having to deal with anti-fans.” Chen Zhao slapped Xian Yu Chao on the back.

“But one might have fans. I think it’s worth it.” Xian Yu Chao sobbed, “Now, girls don’t even like me.”

Mo Di shook his head helplessly. At the same time, he heard a chime coming from his phone.

It was Zhang Cheng Cheng, the person who specialized in sound effects Sun Ning Tao introduced. He texted that he would be available tomorrow and asked to meet. Mo Di checked his schedule and made an appointment with him at six the following evening.

Lin Jun Feng saw Mo Di texting and got curious: “Xiao Di, who are you talking to?”

“Zhang Cheng Cheng. I’ll be meeting him tomorrow. If he’s good enough, we can invite him to our team. If our games can have quality dubbings, it will definitely take it to a higher level.”

“Yes yes yes. Having good CVs can definitely stimulate players!” Xian Yu Chao added.

The orders were being brought in and the group started their meal.

…

At the same time, it was not just Mo Di’s group who was discussing Zhang Cheng Cheng.

More than ten kilometers away stood a secluded and luxurious villa.

Mo Wu Hang and Qin Cheng Yi were sitting face to face. The two teacups on the table between them had not been touched.

Mo Wu Hang was obviously impatient yet he was too fearful of Qin Cheng Yi’s brutality that he dared not step out of line.

“As I said, do not follow your brothers’ footsteps. Brainless and useless.” Qin Cheng Yi’s face was cold and distant, “Do you think that buying off an insignificant person can bring Mo Di to his knees?”

Mo Wu Hang shifted his head in silent disagreement.

“That’s just foolishness!”

Qin Cheng Yi said coldly: “Mo Wu Hang, if you want to hurt Mo Di, that’s fine, but you better make sure it’s cleanly done. If your failure affects Xiao Gui in any way, I’ll let you know what regret is.”

“My intentions have always been for the benefit of Xiao Gui. How can I cause her any trouble!” Hearing Qin Cheng Yi accusing him, Mo Wu Hang retorted.

“Qin Cheng Yi, you don’t know anything. Xiao Gui has been coming back home with a gloomy face every day. She would cry whenever she sees the comments on the internet. If I don’t avenge her, who will? Lately, you don’t even care about her. Don’t think you can have her just because you’re rich and powerful! You …!”

Qin Cheng Yi’s expression had turned for the worst and his posture was becoming oppressive. Mo Wu Hang shivered and stopped talking immediately.

There was a deafening silence in the air.

A minute later, Qin Cheng Yi who had suppressed his violent feelings sneered at Mo Wu Hang: “If it wasn’t for Xiao Gui, you won’t even be able to sit here.”

“For the last time, stop trying to buy people to hurt Mo Di. What can an idiot like you accomplish? You’re more trouble than you’re worth.”

Mo Wu Hang clenched his jaw and endured the humiliation.

“One more thing. I refused to let you do it does not mean I’m letting Mo Di off. Xiao Gui in my heart is more important than the life of anyone else, even you people from the Mo family. So I advise you not to say anything stupid in front of her. Or else… I’ll pull out your tongue.”

Qin Cheng Yi’s voice was like the hissing of a venomous snake, making Mo Wu Hang shake involuntarily. But hearing him despising the Mo family, Mo Wu Hang picked up courage and said: “You claim that Xiao Gui is important to you, why don’t I see you do anything to avenge her?!”

Qin Cheng Yi’s dark eyes swept over Mo Wu Hang with disdain. He had no intention of explaining himself to a brainless thing. He had not made a move because he was secretly preparing for his plan to develop.

And finally, it was about time to carry it out. Mo Di’s happy days will soon come to an end.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Did I hit a nerve?” Mo Wu Hang persisted.

“There’s a piece of information that trash like you would never come by.” there was annoyance in Qin Cheng Yi’s eyes. Although he would not disclose his plans to the incompetent Mo Wu Hang and preferred to have him disappear, there was still some use to him.

“The game competition Mo Di participated in, there’s a stage in which all the teams will be moved to an official base where they will be filmed while working on the games. You trash, you’re unaware of this right?”

Mo Wu Hang was furious at his insult but he could not afford to stand up to Qin Cheng Yi. Moreover, it was true that he did not know anything including the fact that Mo Di was even in the game competition. And according to Qin Cheng Yi’s words, the little animal had not been eliminated yet?!!

“What about it?”

“What about it?” Qin Cheng Yi suddenly laughed. Mo Wu Hang was indeed the dumbest of the Mo family. “If he were to make a big blunder on live television, there is no way he could cover it up.”

“What do you mean?” Mo Wu Hang could not comprehend at all. “You’re going to make a fool of Mo Di? Even if he slips up on television, so what? It’s not like he’s dead!”

“Dead? How can I let him die, that’s too good for him.”

Qin Cheng Yi picked up his teacup and drank from it. The cooled tea flowed down his throat and yet his mood was still heated.

He never thought that death was the ultimate punishment. No, not at all. On the contrary, it was the lowest form.

Especially for someone like Mo Di who dared to hurt his Xiao Gui time after time, even turning him into a human stick was not enough.

All the punishment would come step by step, layer by layer.

A ruined reputation was just scratching at the surface and if that was all, then it was not worthy of his time. He wanted Mo Di to face a life worse than death. 

A good image? A praiseworthy individual? Alright, let’s see how anyone can still love him after his ugliness is exposed to the whole country.

A drug addict whose habit was broadcasted to the entire Hua Xia, what kind of life can he expect after that?

Realizing that Qin Cheng Yi was not going to reveal the plan to him, Mo Wu Hang endured and asked no more but deep down, he was harboring a hatred.

Pei! Qin Cheng Yi thought he could have his sister, no way. In fact, Ye Cheng Feng was becoming a better candidate than him by a hundred times!

…

Whatever transpired at Qin Cheng Yi’s villa, Mo Di had no clue. Everything was coming in place and Mo Di was immensely busy.

Zhang Cheng Cheng did not pass all of Mo Di’s tests so he was not invited to the team. Zhao Chun introduced to him another sound effects specialist named Du Wen Jing who Mo Di felt was not bad and decided to take her in. Hence, the team was now officially ten members and the female to male ratio had also increased, worthy of a celebration.

In addition to that, the procedures of establishing his game company were smoothly completed thanks to Mu Tian Heng. Even before the deadline to upload the game, Di Yi Mu Game company had come into existence!

Mo Di was overjoyed even though there were only two employees under the company at the moment which were him and Mu Tian Heng.

As for the team, Mo Di would not be telling them about the company yet. Firstly, this was not an urgent matter and secondly, there were one or two members Mo Di was still unsure whether he wanted a permanent collaboration with them.

Soon after the establishment of his company, the group completed the testing for the first six chapters of Infinite Life. With three days ahead of the deadline, Mo Di uploaded the game to the competition’s webpage.

The time after they have uploaded the game was always the most relaxing. Especially this time because Infinite Life was their finest work yet. Everyone was incredibly satisfied during the testing and played through the whole six chapters with excitement. The game had a rich and engaging plot mixed in with a sense of thrill and sophistication. It was thought-provoking and extremely addictive.

Pang Qiang Lang suggested that they all go out for a small celebratory dinner and Mo Di agreed.

Hence, Mo Di reserved a room in a hotpot restaurant and invited everyone in the team.

After they had their fill, Sun Ning Tao and Zhao Chun suggested that they go for karaoke. Mo Di was not interested but since everyone else was going, Mo Di tagged along as not to become a spoilsport.

…

The karaoke lounge they went to could be regarded as one of the higher-end ones. The room was spacious and the equipment was up-to-date. The only problem was after listening to Xian Yu Chao’s screech-like singing, Mo Di thought his ears were going deaf.

After about ten minutes in, he could not take it anymore and decided to go out for fresh air.

Just as he got out of the room, a waiter was pushing a beverage cart over. He smiled politely when he saw Mo Di.

“Hello, we are currently celebrating our fifth anniversary and any guest who spends up to 1888 yuan will receive a complimentary bottle of red wine. This is for you. We hope you and your friends have a great time.” The waiter then picked up a bottle of wine from the cart and passed it to Mo Di.

Mo Di accepted the wine and realized it was actually a pretty decent bottle. 

“Alright, thank you.” Mo Di nodded and went back inside.

He was just in time for the start of the next song which was Pang Qiang Lang’s turn to sing. Chen Zhao saw Mo Di with the wine bottle and asked: “Xiao Di, did you leave to get some wine?”

“I didn’t buy this, it’s a gift. They’re celebrating their fifth anniversary.” Mo Di placed the bottle on the table, “Anyone of you wants to drink?”

“Xiao Mo, you’re not drinking?” Sun Ning Tao grabbed some popcorn and laughed as he said: “You’re not eating any of the snacks either. Do you not like the food here?”

“I don’t usually eat these things. If there’re fruits, I’ll have some.”

“That so? No wonder your skin is so good.” This was the first time Du Wen Jing joined them for dinner. She was putting in a lot of effort to get along with everyone and upon hearing Mo Di’s words, she immediately joined in.

“That’s right, Xiao Di likes peaches and grapefruits.” Lin Jun Feng added.

“Why don’t I go and get another fruit platter?” Du Wen Jing looked at everyone and proposed.

“There’s no need.” Mo Di quickly said but Du Wen Jing insisted on. 

She went out for about ten minutes and returned with a large plate of fruits. There were no peaches but grapefruit was available.

Chapter 62

Mo Di hugged Mu Tian Heng, rubbing his head against the nook of his neck. His voice was warm as the sunlight and somewhat sticky: “When you’re an old man, I’ll also be the same.”

“Not going to happen. In my heart, you’ll always be my little one.” Mo Di’s dependency melted his heart. He tightened his arms around him and kissed his hair.

“Good boy.”

“I want to be kissed on the face again.” Mo Di blushed and looked at Mu Tian Heng, “Brother, let’s kiss again.”

In fact, Mo Di wanted to ask for another mouth to mouth but he was still after all a noob in love, there was not enough courage in him to say such words.

Mu Tian Heng smiled gently then plastered a kiss on his hot cheek and forehead. 

He said teasingly: “My little kid is all grown up, he even knew how to ask for a kiss.”

Mo Di’s face instantly became even hotter. He quickly buried his face into Mu Tian Heng’s neck.

Mu Tian Heng chuckled heartily, making a slight tremor on his chest. He rubbed Mo Di’s hair and pulled him in close.

…

Half an hour later, when Mo Di and Mu Tian Heng finished adjusting their mood, they went out of the villa with a cooled down look.

Xian Yu Chao and the gang began to swarm towards Mo Di. 

“Be a good boy, don’t think about games or work today, just relax and have fun with your friends.” Mu Tian Heng whispered into Mo Di’s ear then smiled and walked away.

When the group approached, Lin Jun Feng saw the big man leaving and asked: “Xiao Di, what did the boss say to you?”

“Nothing much. He told us to have fun and relax.” Thinking of Mu Tian Heng’s doting words, Mo Di’s face turned hot again.

“Xiao Di, what did you guys do inside the villa? I heard the boss’s friends said that he had a special present for you. What present was it that took you guys so long?” Chen Zhao could not control his curiosity and ask.

“That’s a secret.” Mo Di said smugly.

Pang Qiang Lang and Han Chao overheard this when they walked over and were speechless.

Pang Qiang Lang always felt that Mu Tian Heng was somewhat of a beast. Sooner or later, Mo Di would be eaten by him. Han Chao did not feel anything but after hearing Pang Qiang Lang mention it several times, he also began to notice the abnormality between them. 

Pang Qiang Lang hesitated for some time and finally decided to speak his mind: “Xiao Di, are you in love with anyone right now? If not then let brother Pang give you some advice. Whether it’s man or woman, don’t ever fall for someone who has a big age gap with you. Seven or eight is already a very big age gap, anything older than that, you should give it a pass! You can never win against those old foxes, especially those who are over ten years your age. You know, those who are twenty-eight and above.”

“Cough…” the twenty-eight years-old Lai De Si happened to hear this as he walked by and coughed loudly twice.

“Of course I know full well what kind of person I fell in love with.” Mo Di smiled at Pang Qiang Lang and patted him on the shoulder. “Thank you for your concern but in my opinion, if you want to give relationship advice, it’ll be a lot more convincing if you at least have been through one relationship.”

“!” Pang Qiang Lang was stumped.

“Ha ha ha…” Han Chao couldn’t control his laughter.

As the group chatted, three others came to join them. They were the new artists of Mo Di’s team.

The oldest amongst them was Sun Ning Tao, a bespectacled man of about twenty-six in age. The other two were female fresh graduates of about twenty-two years-old named Zhao Chun and Zhang Jie Meng.

“Congratulations to our Xiao Di for turning eighteen. Ai, you’re just too young, otherwise, I would’ve made a move.” Zhao Chun was a cheerful girl. She said with mischief: “Why can’t you be a few years older?”

“Today I’m going to work on the illustrations and it’ll be based on you. You’ve given me great inspiration.” Zheng Jie Meng said: “You’re just too gorgeous today!”

“Thank you. You guys look beautiful as well.” Mo Di said charmingly. “In fact, you can also illustrate everyone in our team. Whoever does it is fine. In a few days, we’ll have an interview and our names will be announced. Before that, we should create a Weibo account for our team and occasionally post some of our creative projects and miscellaneous news. This can attract a lot of traffic and bring in new fans.”

“That’s a great idea!”

Pang Qiang Lang patted his thigh and said excitedly: “Why didn’t I think of this before? Wait for me, I’ll cook one up when I have the time. A big drawing of the whole group.”

Everyone else also thought it was a great idea.

“You better make me look good.” Zhao Chun adjusted her skirt, “It’s best if you draw me like I am today.”

Pang Qiang Lang: “…oh please, you’re not like this at all. You normally wear glasses.”

“Pang Qiang Lang, you asking for a beating?” Zhao Chun rolled up her sleeves.

Everyone laughed. Sun Ning Tao coughed and said: “There’s someone from my previous team who specializes in sound effects and was asking me if I’ve joined a new team. He wanted to know if we’re in need of his skills as he really wants to continue in this competition…”

Sun Ning Tao turned to Mo Di: “Xiao Mo, should we add a sound producer to our team. He’s also well versed in dubbing and knows a lot of voice actors. If we can add voices to the characters, it’ll take our game up a notch!”

“Can you give me his contact information? I’ll get in touch with him tomorrow or the day after.”

Mo Di was pleased. He was indeed looking for someone to work on the sound effects and adding exclusive voices to the characters had always been on his mind. However… adding a new member was not something he can be lax about.

“Ok.” Sun Ning Tao sent him the WeChat contact. “That’s him.”

…

Once Mo Di started to talk to the team, it lasted for almost an hour. During this time, Rodel came to join them from time to time. After knowing Mo Di had a team participating in the game competition, his eyes were shining bright.

Rodel was all the more impressed with Mo Di after learning that Mo Di was not only the leader of the nine-person team, he was also the producer and director who was responsible for almost ninety percent of the work.

Rodel himself had a great affinity with game making and now would like to join Mo Di’s team, thinking that he could learn a lot from working under him.

In fact, when Mo Di had his first conversation with Rodel, he knew that he was a very talented game maker. But the more talent he had, the more reluctant Mo Di was to take him in. For someone with Rodel’s talent and charm, it was more suitable for him to go his own way and start his own team. Mo Di was sure he would not stay long under someone else.

Moreover, Rodel was only in Hua Xia for the holidays. Mo Di preferred a long-term commitment and this was why he was willing to give portions of his shares to the core members of the team. With Rodel only joining them for a short while, it would complicate this matter.

And so Mo Di cleverly shifted the dilemma to Rodel’s father, Edmund.

After hearing that his son was whimsical in getting involved with someone else’s business, Edmund pulled him away by the ear.

Rodel protested vigorously but no matter how tall he was, the strength of a fourteen-years-old could not overcome that of his father’s.

The party lasted till 6:30 p.m. when everyone’s stomach was filled with round after round of food and beverages.

At the end of the party, Mo Di had the driver send the girls back and the men either took a cab or the subway home.

The things in the courtyard were cleaned up by the catering team and after half an hour, the whole courtyard was clean and empty.

Mu Tian Heng was in a particularly good mood and gave out a lot of red packets to the cleaning and cooking crew. 

When there were only Mu Tian Heng, Mo Di, and Lai De Si the third wheel left in the villa, it was already nine at night.

As Mo Di and Mu Tian Heng made eye contact, the thought of them kissing on the third floor sprang to mind and they both blushed with quickened heartbeats.

Mo Di rubbed his face and on the pretext of taking a bath, rushed back to his room.

Mu Tian Heng was about to go after him but was stopped by Lai De Si who held him by the neck.

“You old beast! Out with it! What’s the situation between you and the kid?! Say it!!”

Mo Di could hear Lai De Si’s interrogation in his room and his face involuntarily turned hot.

…

Too bad Mo Di and Mu Tian Heng could only spend a day as lovers before Mo Di had to leave for school.

Mo Di was quite reluctant but he knew other than dating, study and work were also important. 

The most reluctant one was Mu Tian Heng but his little one was at the age of leaving the nest and spreading his wings. What he should do was help him fly higher and not be the old beast that held him back. 

As for now, he did have something to help his little one with.

Mo Di previously mentioned to him about forming a game company could be put into action. Back then Mo Di was not old enough so the idea was stranded but now that the time was right, it should be done promptly. As a matter of fact, Mu Tian Heng already had everything prepared, from the capital to the documents needed. All Mo Di had to do was put his signature on it. There was nothing else for him to worry about. Even the company name had long been decided by the two: Di Yi Mu Game Company, it was an indirect fusion of both their names (TN: 第一目 means something like the first sight, at first glance etc. It has Di and Mu which are parts of their names)

The two had agreed on the terms with Mu Tian Heng holding twenty percent of the shares as an investor and Mo Di eighty percent. The contract was drafted a while back and was only waiting to be signed to seal the deal.

Mu Tian Heng knew Mo Di was unwilling to take too much money from him. Nonetheless, by only investing a measly ten million yuan, he got twenty percent shares of a company with a limitless future was Mo Di giving him too much benefit.

And so Mu Tian Heng decided that he would give Mo Di twenty percent of the sixty-five percent shares he owned of the new commerce building being constructed. In addition, Mo Di would have two entire floors to run his company.

This was a project he invested in two months prior and despite the strict supervision, it would probably take a year and a half to complete.

By then, Mo Di would be in his third year and the company should be proceeding on the right track. Putting aside two floors for him to set up his office should allow him to have some convenience. Even if he wanted to have his own building someday, the rent from the office space should help to cover some of the costs.

That said, getting his little friend to accept the shares was not going to be easy. But that was not urgent, what’s important now was to establish the game company first.

…

After Mo Di returned to school for two days, he found that the photos of him at the party had been pass all over campus. Especially the one with him standing under a tree and smiling, it spread like wildfire.

And the direct result of this was him receiving love letters and gifts on a daily basis.

Mo Di was able to make a polite rejection the first few times but when he realized it did not work, he had to access his Weibo account and changed the relationship status to ‘in a relationship’.

This helped to curb a lot of unwanted confessions but even so, he would still occasionally receive private messages asking if he was looking for a girlfriend…

Hence, under the enthusiastic advice of Xian Yu Chao, Mo Di posted Xian Yu Chao’s best booking photo on his page attached to the comment: Seeking a girlfriend for my good brother.

As it turned out, Mo Di’s Weibo returned to its peaceful days without anyone messaging him again. 

Xian Yu Chao burst into tears after discovering this fact: “Ah Ah! I can’t live anymore! Why is it so hard for me to find a girlfriend?! I’m going to have a makeover!”

Chen Zhao and Lin Jun Feng were laughing hysterically.

“It’s ok Salted fish, that’s just fate. Ha haha!”

“Ai, this father is still single. There’s no hurry. Ha ha ha.”

Xian Yu Chao cried even louder.

Mo Di sighed. To comfort him, he decided to treat everyone to Xian Yu Chao’s favorite BBQ restaurant. 

Immediately after Mo Di said this, Xian Yu Chao stopped crying and asked Mo Di excitedly when would they be able to eat.

Mo Di: “…” 

Mo Di had a feeling he was being scammed.

The next day, Mo Di reserved a table for the group at the BBQ restaurant in the evening.

Coincidentally, when they arrived, he met someone familiar. He was the person who, in his previous life, pathed the way for Mo Liu Gui to become the number one celebrity in Hua Xia, her broker, Li Zhao.

Mo Di only gave Li Zhao a passing glance when going up the stairs with the others. But as his back was facing Li Zhao, he was called out by a voice: “Hello young man, do you have any interest in joining the entertainment industry?”

Chapter 61

Mo Di’s face turned a shade redder when he heard uncle Liang’s words.

“Uncle Liang, please don’t tease my little friend.” Mu Tian Heng said, “He gets embarrassed easily.”

“Aiya, alright alright. I’ll stop teasing him. Come, let us take a picture.” Uncle Liang chuckled and waved his hand at them as though he had not noticed anything. However, living to the age of sixty, how could he not see what was happening.

The two reasons he could maintain his youthful looks were mainly because he could appreciate what the young people liked and the other was not minding others’ business.

When two people are in love, it is no one else’s business but their own.

Furthermore, he sincerely thought the pair of children looked good together. As long as they’re happy, nothing else matters.

After uncle Liang took Mo Di’s photo, Mu Tian Heng and Mo Di bid uncle Liang farewell and left together.

Next, Mu Tian Heng brought Mo Di to a private modeling studio where Mo Di had his hair styled.

Mo Di was glad he had the box of castella to line his stomach.

When they were done styling Mo Di, the whole studio wanted to get a group photo with him. Seeing Mo Di being surrounded, Mu Tian Heng had a softness in his eyes as he smiled.

This little prince is mine.

By the time Mo Di got in the car and could finally go home with Mu Tian Heng, it was already half past one.

“Hungry?” Mu Tian Heng handed Mo Di a bottle of water, “We’ll have a big meal when we get back.”

“I’m fine. I ate that much cake, I’m not very hungry. Brother, are you hungry?”

“Me? I’m satisfied just looking at you. I’m not hungry.” Mu Tian Heng smiled at Mo Di.

Mo Di blushed instantly.

Mu Tian Heng… why was he suddenly saying such brazen love words, something’s changed.

Mu Tian Heng watched Mo Di momentarily turned into a little quail and couldn’t stop himself from feeling amused. He rubbed Mo Di’s hair gently, “Good boy, fasten your seat belt, we’re going home now.”

“En.” Mo Di put on the seatbelt.

The two arrived at the villa at two.

The vast courtyard had long been set up with long beige dining tables lined with delicious five-star cuisines from steak and seafood to dessert and champagne, anything that one could think of. 

Xian Yu Chao and the others were enjoying themselves when Lai De Si hollered them to block Mu Tian Heng’s car which had just arrived.

The group was about to administer the latecomers but was stunned when the door opened and Mo Di stepped out.

Three seconds later, Xian Yu Chao gave out a howl which was like some kind of weird switch, making the rest of the group follow suit.

“Xiao Di! You’re too handsome today!!!”

Chen Zhao screamed: “Xiao Di! You look incredible!”

“Kid, you look amazing! Just like a prince!” Said Edmund.

“Aiya little Mo Di, you almost blinded me!” Lai De Si rushed forward, wanting to grab Mo Di but Mu Tian Heng ruthlessly swatted his hand away, “Keep your pig hands in place.”

Lai De Si was both angry and sour: “Mine are pig hands, then what are yours? Good looking pig hands?”

“Wow Mo Di, you look fantastic.” Rodel, who came with Edmund, rushed forward like a big dog. His brown eyes looked straight at Mo Di: “Just like a prince from a fairy tale.”

“Thank you.” Mo Di smiled at Rodel, “You look good too.”

Rodel’s eyes were shining brightly. He reached into his pocket eagerly but after touching his body all over, he realized that he had left the birthday present on the table. He was able to say something when Edmund hastily dragged him away.

Edmund was getting tired.

His playboy of a son was trying hard to impress Mo Di but ended up looking like an idiot.

“Xiao Di, in the future, you can be our spokesperson on top of being our leader.” Pang Qiang Lang couldn’t help exclaiming. He happened to be standing next to Lin Jun Feng who was only slightly taller. Standing side by side, they looked quite alike a pair of dolls.

Mo Di laughed.

He had never been this happy on his Birthday.

In all his previous birthdays, if he wasn’t locked up, then he was being ignored. No one gave him any blessings or presents. The Mo members and even the guests invited ridiculed him for being born, making him feel loveless and that there was no reason for his existence.

But today, many were praising him and giving him genuinely sincere blessings. Mo Di truly felt thankful and blessed from the bottom of his heart. His life had really changed. He had friends and people who cared about him. 

Mo Di couldn’t stop smiling.

At this moment, Mu Tian Heng nudged his shoulder lightly.

“Happy Birthday, little one.”

Bang!

As soon as Mu Tian Heng sent his blessings, fireworks shot over the villa across the sky. The white and blue sparks sprinkled across the evening sun like petals reflecting beautifully against the clouds.

“Happy Birthday!”

“Happy 18th Birthday to our Xiao Di!”

“Little friend, have a great coming of age ceremony!”

“Wah Xiao Di, you’re eighteen now. Now you’re an adult like the rest of us brothers.”

“Happy Birthday!”

“…”

Mo Di looked at everyone who congratulated him and felt a swell of emotions, making his eyes a little hot. This was a feeling he had never felt before.

But he knew he was very fortunate to be able to live again. And unlike his last life, he did not have to live under the disgust of others.

This present…. is really great.

Everyone gave Mo Di their gifts after the fireworks ended. Mo Di received a total of fifteen presents which was making it difficult for him to carry them.

However, none of them were from Mu Tian Heng.

Mo Di assumed that the suit and cufflinks were the presents. He cherished them deeply and intended to keep them in a safe place after today was over.

Unexpectedly, after the triple-tiered birthday cake was cut and distributed, Mu Tian Heng rubbed off a smudge of frosting on Mo Di’s cheek and took him away from the crowd, saying that he had a present for him and that Mo Di was the only one who could see it.

Lai De Si heard Mu Tian Heng’s whisper and rolled his eyes. He chomped down a big piece of cake in disdain. Damn it, the old beast was definitely up to no good.

Mo Di did not think that he would be receiving anymore present, much less a special one. Mo Di was turning red, and at the same time, he was also curious.

He excused himself from the crowd then followed Mu Tian Heng into the villa.

Mu Tian Heng took him up to the third floor of the villa.

This was the first time Mo Di stepped foot onto the third floor. Although Mu Tian Heng had given him the key, he had never spent time here.

There were only a living room and a bedroom on this floor making it seem particularly spacious. To the east of the living room was a balcony and another next to the bedroom. The balcony in the bedroom had walls built on both sides and hence, it was not obvious looking from outside.

Mu Tian Heng brought Mo Di into the bedroom. He then took out a small box from the big gray wardrobe.

It was a silver box with rounded edges and a leather band lined the opening, giving it an inexplicably cherished feel.

“See if you like it.” Mu Tian Heng handed the box to Mo Di and led him to sit near the balcony.

Mo Di was filled with curiosity towards the box. He looked up at Mu Tian Heng: “Brother, what is this?”

“Make a guess.”

“I can’t.” Mo Di began observing the box and found that it had a number lock.

“Brother, this requires a passcode.” 

“It’s a four-digit code, this you should be able to guess.” Mu Tian Heng looked at Mo Di fondly.

Mo Di was stunned. He started trying… he turned the dials to 1030. That was his birthday.

Just as he pressed the lock, the box opened with a click.

Mo Di quickly glanced at Mu Tian Heng and saw him gazing down at himself with affectionate eyes. Sunlight poured onto Mu Tian Heng from behind and outlined him with a soft golden hue.

Mo Di breathed a little then returned his sight to the small opened box.

There were photos and albums, and also…things that look like graduation certificates and diplomas.

Mo Di ventured a guess in his head but he still couldn’t believe it until he picked up an album filled with photos of Mu Tian Heng ranging from the time he was young and handsome in high school to the time when he was still a prince-like cute little primary school student. There was even a collection of his stark naked baby photos!

Mo Di’s heart was pounding. He couldn’t tell what this feeling was exactly but he knew he did not want to let it go. He continued to look through the albums and then the diplomas. There were also medals and awards….

In the little box was a timestamp for Mu Tian Heng’s most precious memories, representing his entire past.

Mo Di hugged the little box full of memorabilia. There was no other present that he could ever like more than this.

“Do you like it?” Mu Tian Heng kneeled down in front of Mo Di and placed one hand on the armrest of Mo Di’s chair. He focused on Mo Di with utmost gentleness.

“Yes, I like it. Especially like it.” Mo Di pulled his sight away from the box and looked at Mu Tian Heng with eyes filled with light.

“Brother, this box… did you bring it here the last time you went back to the States?”

Wasn’t that about a month and a half ago? That was when he was still muddled about his relationship with Mu Tian Heng, not knowing that he had already fallen for him.

Could it be… that even back then, Mu Tian Heng already had feelings for him?

“Um, that was when I brought this back.” Mu Tian Heng admitted. He smiled and said: “There are still a lot more trophies and awards but they would require a much bigger box and it’s not very artistic. So I was thinking … after you have accepted me, I’ll bring you back to America and give you the key to my house there and you can have the rest of it.”

Mo Di’s face was obviously red and his temperature was rising.

“Brother…?”

“I like you. Are you willing to be with me?” Mu Tian Heng placed one hand over Mo Di’s and the other, touched him gently on the cheek. He looked straight into his eyes with a seriousness he had never shown before. 

“I know I’m a lot older than you therefore I always felt I’m too much of a beast. At first, I could not get past this notion but the more time I spent with you, the more these feelings became uncontrollable. And so I decided … I’ll wait for you to grow up, turn eighteen, then I’ll confess to you.”

“Today I can finally ask you to formally be with me.”

“So, do you agree? Are you willing… to be with me?”

Unprepared for Mu Tian Heng’s sudden confession, Mo Di’s heart jumped as it started to beat wildly. Mo Di could even hear his own heartbeat, numbing his entire skull.

“I… of course I’m willing. I like you, Brother. I like you very much.”

The last ray of sunlight shone in from outside, shrouding them in a brilliant shade of colors.

Mu Tian Heng had never felt his heart melted this much. It was like honey was being poured in and stirred vigorously.

He looked deeply into Mo Di’s eyes and lightly touched his cheek. Taking some time to restrain himself, he said: “If you agreed, then you can’t regret it. After this, you’re mine and mine alone. Do you understand?”

“Brother, you also belong to only me.” Mo Di looked at Mu Tian Heng with bright red cheeks, “You can only like me.”

Mu Tian Heng couldn’t help chuckling. The majestic and pleasant laughter further made Mo Di’s temperature rise. When he was stumbling on what to do to hide his obvious embarrassment, he was covered by Mu Tian Heng’s body.

There was warmth on his lips. He was kissed.

“!” A buzzing rang in his head and his face was dyed red to the extreme.

Mu Tian Heng had one hand gripping the back of Mo Di’s chair while the other hand supported the back of Mo Di’s head, pressing him gently towards himself, locking him in a complete embrace.

The lips of his little one were much softer and sweeter than he had imagined. With just the initial touch, he felt the jolt of an electric current numbing his spine. The sweetness and satisfaction from the depths of his heart reached its peak, giving birth to an even stronger desire. He just wanted to keep kissing, licking, and sucking. Mu Tian Heng was able to have some control over his movements in the beginning but as it went on, he could not help but emit a sense of oppression.

Heat was being passed between them as the atmosphere turned pink with the warm sunlight.

“Brother, Brother…”

Mo Di was paralyzed entirely. His heart was afloat and so was his head. This was his first kiss. He never knew that kissing someone you like would have this bone-melting feeling. Apart from his rapid heart rate and rising temperature, his every other movement was slow and feeble as he accepted Mu Tian Heng’s kisses and hugs.

Mu Tian Heng kissed Mo Di passionately, absorbing the temperature on his lips and cheeks. The more he kissed, the more he felt his love for him overflowing and surging through his blood, making it almost impossible for him to defy. After a while, Mu Tian Heng did his worst and suppressed the desires. At last, he printed a deep kiss on Mo Di’s neck, rubbing and sucking at the same spot.

“Brother loves you.” 

Mu Tian Heng’s voice was slightly hoarse, arousing Mo Di with thrill and excitement. 

“Brother…”

“So I hope you can remember.” Mu Tian Heng softly kissed Mo Di’s ear again. Trying his best to calm himself, Mu Tian Heng raised his dark eyes and looked at Mo Di with undivided attention.

“I want to protect you and give you happiness. Give you everything that you deserve: a healthy life free of worries. It would be best if I can help you fulfill a small wish every day so you can be happier with each passing day.”

“Therefore, I will never hurt you. If you have any trouble or opinions, you can tell me because… I will always love you no matter what.”

“Brother you also have to remember that I feel the same.” Mo Di put his arms around Mu Tian Heng’s neck. Raising his head, he kissed Mu Tian Heng on the cheek. His voice was weak like he was fearful that such a beautiful life would vanish one day.

“Brother, from now on, you have to be will me forever.”

“Of course, I promise.” sensing Mo Di’s subtle fear and panic, Mu Tian Heng guessed that he was remembering his previous family. With an aching heart, he reached out and held him in his arms. He leaned closer and kissed Mo Di’s head.

“I’ll stay by your side. I will also work hard and keep fit, so even when I’m an old man, I can still accompany my little one.”

Chapter 60

Mo Di’s birthday was on Saturday, October thirtieth. The labor holidays ended on Friday and so Mo Di had to return to Jing Da as he had two more classes in the morning.

This gave Mu Tian Heng the time to set up the courtyard and decorate the villa.

When Mo Di got back to the dorm, Xian Yu Chao and the others popped confetti at him and cheered. They insisted on bringing him out for a treat to celebrate his birthday.

“Xiao Di, I can’t wait to give you my precious gift.” Chen Zhao put his arms over Mo Di’s shoulder and said with a smug. “It’s highly matured stuff, you’ll like it.”

“…?” Mo Di had a bad feeling.

“Get lost! Don’t defile our Xiao Di’s pure heart.”

Xian Yu Chao grabbed Mo Di away from Chen Zhao and said: “Have you decided where to celebrate tomorrow? Want to listen to your brother’s advice? Try the new all you can eat hot-pot place, there’s a lot of meat available.”

“Too much meat is not good for your body. This father doesn’t agree.” Lin Jun Feng pulled Xian Yu Chao back by the collar and said: “I think Japanese restaurants are better.”

“Japanese food? It’s not very enjoyable to eat. There are so many raw dishes, I don’t like them.” Xian Yu Chao objected.

Chen Zhao: “Exactly! But I don’t think the hotpot is any better. What about BBQ? I heard there’s…”

“BBQ? you guys have no creativity!”

Mo Di looked at the rambunctious group and sighed helplessly: “I have to go back home tomorrow. My brother said he will give me a coming of age ceremony. I planned to invite you guys, do you want to come?”

Xian Yu Chao was silent for a moment before wailing hysterically: “Woooo! That’s right! How can we forget!”

“Boss Mu is sure going to give Xiao Di a magnificent party!” Chen Zhao’s eyes sparkled.

“I bet there’s lots of meat to eat!” Lin Jun Feng swallowed his saliva.

“There’s definitely good food.” Mo Di smiled. “My brother said I can invite as many people as I want so I would like to invite you guys… there are also the artists that I’ll be inviting to the party.”

“So this is also like a small meeting for our team?” Xian Yu Chao smiled.

“By the way, when I spoke with my uncle and mentioned that tomorrow is your birthday, my uncle said he also wanted to give you a present but he can’t come back for the time being.”

“Is he currently in America?” Mo Di asked Chen Zhao, “The last time he came back, I remembered him saying that he still had three more months before his contract expired.”

“En, he’s in America and he only has one week left on his contract. He’ll probably be back in half a month. This time he’s going to settle down in Hua Xia and won’t be going back to America anymore.”

“That’s good.” Mo Di smiled, “Has he decided where he wanted to work?”

“The director of the First Hospital contacted him in person and they have already agreed on the terms. My Uncle will sign the contract when he gets back.”

The group continued to chat when Mo Di’s phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar number.

Mo Di thought through and decided to ignore the call.

However, after a few seconds, it rang again. It was the same unfamiliar number.

Mo Di rejected the call and blacklisted the number.

“What’s wrong?” Xian Yu Chao noticed Mo Di’s reaction, “Who was that?”

“Dunno. Probably some prank call.” Mo Di put his phone on the bed and said to Xian Yu Chao and the gang: “Alright, there’s some free time, let’s get to work. We should be able to finish chapter four today.”

“Ha?!” the three howled in disapproval, “Tomorrow is your birthday! Why can’t you spare us, you workaholic!!!”

Meanwhile, tens of kilometers away, Gu Ran Ju was also howling.

However, unlike Xian Yu Chao and the others, he was howling in anger. 

Mo Di, how dare you hang up on me again!!! And you even blacklisted me!

Gu Ran Ju was enraged to the max.

And he even spent so much effort to get Mo Di’s phone number.

“Mo Di, just you wait and see!” Gu Ran Ju gritted his teeth.

He decided that as soon as school ended the next day, he would find Mo Di and force an explanation out of him!

…

The next day, there was a festive mood in the air and Mo Di could clearly feel his roommates’ excitement which even overwhelmed his own.

Right after their morning class, the group was about to take the train home when Mo Di received a message from Mu Tian Heng telling them to go to the east gate to wait for him.

“It’s really considerate of the big man to come and pick us up.” Lin Jun Feng patted his stomach and cheered. In front of Mu Tian Heng, his self-acclaimed ‘father’ position would automatically disappear.

The group was rowdy as they walked all the way to the east gate. 

Mu Tian Heng’s Maybach was parked humbly on the side of the road. Behind it was a silver Land Rover.

Mu Tian Heng lowered the window and spoke to the group: “Students, can you go to the villa first in the Land Rover at the back? There’s someplace I have to take Mo Di to first.”

“Yes yes yes! No problem!” The gang immediately answered and nodded vigorously in unison.

Lin Jun Feng pushed Mo Di towards the car door and said: “Boss, we’ll leave Xiao Di in your hands.”

“…” Mo Di was speechless as he watched the three figures ran towards the other car.

Why did he have a subtle feeling of being sold off?

Mo Di shook his head.

Mu Tian Heng smiled and said: “Little one, get in the car.”

“Oh… en.” Mo Di opened the door and settled in.

“Brother, where are we going?”

“You’ll know when we get there.” Mu Tian Heng decided to keep it a surprise.

Well, no matter where Mu Tian Heng took him, Mo Di was not at all worried. With a mischievous smirk he said: “Brother, I’m eighteen today.”

Mo Di’s voice was gentle and seductive but Mu Tian Heng just reached to the back seat for a box of castella and handed it to him. “Eat this while it’s still hot.”

Mo Di froze.

When he saw Mu Tian Heng reaching to the back seat, he thought it would be a bouquet of roses or some cute gifts like those scenes from TV but turned out… it was just breakfast.

Sure enough, those scenes only happen on TV.

Mo Di sighed. He said that he was eighteen, wasn’t his implication obvious enough?

Mu Tian Heng did not have to wait anymore and they can officially be together, and then… and then kiss.

Mo Di’s face blushed.

But touching the still hot castella box in his hands, Mo Di was feeling the warmth spreading to his heart. Mu Tian Heng must have thought that he would be hungry by now and went out of his way to get his favorite cheese castella. 

Brother is so good to me.

Mo Di opened the box and forked up a piece of the soft castella and put it in his mouth.

The fluffy and rich taste of eggs and butter filled his taste buds as the slightly salty and fragrant cheese castella melted in his mouth, how perfect.

Mo Di had his first bite then quickly forked another piece for Mu Tian Heng, “Brother, have some too.”

Mu Tian Heng rubbed Mo Di’s hair: “Thank you but I just ate. You eat first.”

He then stepped on the accelerator and drove away from Jing Da.

Mo Di could only continue to eat by himself.

When he was almost half full, they had also arrived at their destination: a small sunny villa on the outskirts of the city.

However, looking from the outside, this place seemed more like a high-end shop instead of living quarters.

“Brother?” Mo Di eyed Mu Tian Heng suspiciously.

“This is the atelier of a senior designer I got to know in Hua Xia. He’s the one who makes all the suits I wear recently. The formal dress suits he designed are all of great craftsmanship. My little one turned eighteen today, how can he not have a decent suit to wear?”

Mu Tian Heng looked at Mo Di with indefinite indulgence, “Come, let’s get out of the car and go try some clothes.”

When Mo Di heard Mu Tian Heng said ‘my little one’, he couldn’t help rubbing his red ears as his heart fluttered.

Mu Tian Heng had given them Mo Di’s measurements beforehand and the making of the suit started a month prior. It was only done two days ago.

Designer Liang saw Mu Tian Heng brought someone along and greeted: “It’s for this young man here? Quick, come try it on.”

“Hello, Uncle.” Seeing that the designer was over forty, Mo Di called him uncle politely which made him smile even wider.

“I’m sixty this year. In fact, you should be calling me grandfather.”

“Ah?!” 

Mo Di was genuinely surprised. Designer Liang looked nothing his age, the most anyone would guess was fifty years old!

“Uncle Liang still looks very young, calling uncle is suitable. Besides I address you as uncle and Mo Di calls me brother, so it’s just appropriate that he calls you uncle as well.” Mu Tian Heng said with a smile.

“Fine, it’s uncle then.” Uncle Liang was obviously jubilant to hear those words. “Your dress suit is upstairs. I’ll go get it, please wait a moment.”

With that, uncle Liang went up the stairs.

After about two minutes, he came down with a silver-gray suit.

The suit was made in sleek satin, looking classic and trendy. It was carefully designed and masterfully crafted.

Once Mo Di put it on, the piece fitted him like a glove, highlighting his perfect shoulders and necklines as well as the slender waist. The pants complimented his straight and long legs elegantly. Like there was a coat of glitter over him, the overall aesthetic was that of a graceful little prince straight from a fantasy novel, mesmerizingly beautiful.

A layer of warmth appeared in Mu Tian Heng’s deep and gentle eyes.

“Gorgeous! How incredibly gorgeous!” Uncle Liang was undeniably satisfied. After looking at Mo Di through different angles, he sighed with gratification: “Oh my, it’s perfect.”

“Thank you, uncle. This suit is really beautiful.” Mo Di beamed brightly at uncle Liang.

“No no no. It’s not just the suit. Because you’re also a fine-looking young man, you have brought out the artistry in this suit. Wait here, I’m going to get my camera. It’s been quite long since I was this satisfied with my work.” That said, uncle Liang jogged up the stairs, resembling nothing of a sixty-years-old man.

Mo Di smiled and turned back to look at Mu Tian Heng. “Brother, what do you think?”

“Of course you look wonderful, to the point that everything else pales in comparison.” Mu Tian Heng walked up to Mo Di and gently put his arms around him, embracing him lovingly.

He kissed Mo Di’s hair softly with utmost affection: “My little prince.”

Mo Di turned red instantly. It was like Mu Tian Heng had pressed a switch on his heart making it beat involuntarily violent.

“Brother…”

“But, there’s one more thing to add.” Mu Tian Heng let go of Mo Di. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small navy suede box. Inside was a pair of cufflinks inlaid with blue diamonds encrusted in a layer of exquisite platinum.

Mu Tian Heng personally put them on for Mo Di. With deeply passionate eyes, he focused his sight on Mo Di.

“How handsome is my little prince.”

Mo Di felt his heart being tickled by a feather. Mu Tian Heng’s voice was seemingly magical, it vibrated through his ears and skin, all the way straight to the bottom of his heart, causing him to feel a burst of numbness spreading through his entire body.

Mo Di’s face grew even hotter and his chest felt like it was being filled with warm honey.

“Aiya, this old SLR, I haven’t used it for so long, it took me quite some time to find it.” Uncle suddenly came down the stairs.

Mo Di hurriedly stepped back. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

“Come come come, let’s take a photo.” Uncle Liang approached them gleefully. 

When he took a closer look at Mo Di, there was an immediate inquisitiveness: “Ai, young man, why is your face red? Was wearing the suit too hot? That’s not right, it’s only twenty degrees today.”

Chapter 59

Mo Di did not wait for Mo Liu Gui and left as soon as the visiting time was over. When their car left the prison gate, Mo Liu Gui was hurrying out and Ye Cheng Feng escorted her away.

“How was it?” Mu Tian Heng was relieved to see that Mo Di was not in any way upset.

“Brother, are you referring to Mo Shi Hong? He doesn’t seem to have a good time in prison.” Mo Di looked away and took a sip from his thermos. “He was very upset when he saw me. He tried to come at me but there’s no chance in hell. He was then disciplined by the guard.”

“He’s incorrigible.”

“Well, at least he’s a lot more docile with the guards. If it was before, he would have been more violent.” Mo Di smiled, “Brother, it’ll be six or seven in the evening when we reach my school, how about we eat out tonight?”

“Of course, there’s probably nothing much to eat around your school area at that time.” Mu Tian Heng turned the steering wheel, “What would you like to eat?”

“Anything is fine. I’m just happy to dine with you.” Mo Di beamed as he looked at Mu Tian Heng’s side features.

Mu Tian Heng was instantly soothed. He laughed and said: “Then I’ll have to think hard not to disappoint you.”

Mo Di also smiled, “Then I’ll just sit back and wait to be served.”

…

Mu Tian Heng dined with Mo Di at a French restaurant, something they had never eaten together before.

After dinner, Mo Di returned to Jing Da and continued to code.

The three roommates were awfully quiet. Ultimately, it was Chen Zhao who broke the silence and asked: “Xiao Di, did anything happen today when you left with Mo Liu Gui? Did she find anything to bully you with?’

“She did not have the chance.” Mo Di answered as he continued to work, “What’s wrong? Did you guys hear something?”

“Err… it’s nothing serious. I just overheard a few boys from other departments claimed that you bullied Mo Liu Gui and they said a lot of bad things about you. They even threatened to give you a lesson.” Chen Zhao was quite enraged as he spoke: “A bunch of idiots blinded by beauty.”

“Anyway, Xiao Di, you don’t have to worry. This father will protect you.” Lin Jun Feng pounded his chest and proclaimed: “If they really dared to come, I’ll crush them all!”

Xian Yu Chao rolled his eyes at Lin Jun Feng. He then looked at Mo Di: “Xiao Di, you don’t have to worry. There are only five or six jerks ranting in the school forum. It’s not a problem if they come, we brothers can handle them.”

“I’m not worried. If they don’t care about having a record, I fully welcome them. Unless it’s seven or eight people coming at me at once, I should be able to fend them off.” Mo Di smiled, “Besides, how many of those who bully others on the internet are truly powerful in real life? Most of them are just cowards who hide behind the screen.”

“Alright, stop gossiping. Have you guys finished the tasks I assigned this afternoon?” Mo Di could not care less about those commenters on the forum but it was quite unexpected. Was Mo Liu Gui’s halo activated again?

Nonetheless, it had to be said that her halo was indeed getting weaker. Previously, her aura was able to reach powerful and influential people. Now, other than Qin Cheng Yi and Ye Cheng Feng, no other male leads seemed to have emerged. 

Was it because they have not met or that Mo Liu Gui’s aura could no longer reach them?

When Mo Di questioned them about the work he assigned, Xian Yu Chao and the others were somewhat guilty and felt like they were being chased by a teacher for not doing their homework. The three quickly got in place and began working seriously.

Mo Di: “…” Just as he expected, it’s not done.

That night, Mo Di did his coding till two when he got up for a quick shower before tucking in.

He did not sleep immediately but watched the recording of the Mo family for the past few days. He quickly filtered through the contents.

There was not a lot of new useful information.

Other than the second aunt, no one else would enter Mo San Zhi’s room. And the second aunt in the recording was like a loose cannon. The noble and reserved temperament of the past seemed to have been thrown out the window. From time to time, she would provoke Ruan Qing Dan and the imprisoned Mo Shi Hong. Other times, she would pull Mo Shi Qiang into Mo San Zhi’s room and berate him for not caring about their son, using the things in his room to make him feel guilty.

The couple quarreled almost every day, damping the mood of the entire Mo house and making the Mo grandfather outraged. Mo Shi Qiang even wanted a divorce but the second aunt wouldn’t have it. She continued to taunt and agitate him as a revenge for her son, thinking since her son was having a hard time, Mo Shi Qiang should also feel the same.

The eldest aunt, on the other hand, was a lot more restrained. She did not find trouble with anyone and even tried to mend the relationship with Ruan Qing Dan to please Mo Liu Gui and Qin Cheng Yi. However, Mo Di was certain that she did have a thorn in her heart for the way Mo Liu Gui used Mo Si Lang to wash white.

Mo Di watched the footage of the Mo family and the most useful information was probably the mention of Mo Er Qian coming back. However, this was the same time as his previous life so it was not news to him. Even if he did not watch the video, he knew all along that this would happen. (TN: In case you forgot, Mo Er Qian is Mo San Zhi’s twin and son to the second aunt)

Mo Di was a little depressed at the thought of Mo Er Qian. Compared with Mo Si Lang who was insidious and difficult to deal with, Mo Er Qian was on an even higher scale.

The reason being that he was the person with the highest IQ in the Mo family. Graduating from the prestigious H University in America, he was poached right after finishing his studies and was now participating in a top-secret government research. He was going to be a big adversary.

Luckily, due to his profession, he had been cooped up in a closed environment and was not able to communicate with the outside world. Otherwise, he would not have learned of the Mo family’s situation only two days ago.

But even when he knew, he could not come back because his research was not completed. 

In his last life, Mo Er Qian was escorted back home by several soldiers at the end of the year.

If memories served him right, after Mo Er Qian completed this project, he declined a high standing position in another confidential project because he was too often away from Mo Liu Gui. After which, he accepted an offer to be a professor at H University in America.

Being a professor at a prestigious University on top of having participated in a governmental project, needless to say, his social standing was unshakeable. Getting to know the top one percent in the country was a cinch for him. This was how he laid the foundation for Qin Cheng Yi to develop his enterprise in America. In the later period of his last life, Qin Cheng Yi was quite a prominent figure in the states and Mo Liu Gui was like a fish in water, blockbuster and record-breaking scripts were plentiful for her to choose from.

Pity that was not going to happen in this life.

Mo Di closed his laptop.

Mo Er Qian was as hard to deal with as Qin Cheng Yi. The deciding factor that sealed him in the asylum was the psychological evaluation provided by Mo Er Qian whose field of studies included neurobiology and psychology. With his diagnosis, would anyone even bother to question if Mo Di was mentally ill or not?

Mo Er Qian was truly a ruthless entity who could destroy anyone without a second thought. Wise and cunning, he was the guiding force behind the Mo family. And like them, he had cast him into the mental hospital with an upright and elegant attitude.

Mo Di hated Mo Er Qian the most.

But he knew full well that Mo Er Qian was still untouchable for the time being.

Mo Di took a deep breath and calmed himself. He pushed down the turbulent emotions and tried to sleep.

It’s ok. Let them come one by one. There’s no hurry to send them their retribution. 

…

In the days that followed, there was no movement from the Mo family and things gradually returned to normal. Mo Di went on with his daily life in peace.

Mo Di spent a week perfecting the updates for Xin Wei Dao which was then uploaded to the game competition’s website. When that was done, he refocused on the production of Infinite Life.

Two weeks later, the results for the first of the final rounds were announced. This day, Mo Di happened to be on holiday and was staying with Mu Tian Heng back in the villa.

This time, the live broadcast was scheduled at 8:30 p.m, a prime time slot, instead of 10:30. Even the stage had a major makeover and was more spacious and exuded a sense of luxury. The large HD screen was also enhanced and could now better depict the three-dimensional world of the games. This obviously meant that the game competition was gaining a lot of popularity. 

Xin Wei Dao successfully entered the top twenty and made it to the next stage. Not only that, it had also managed to avoid the last three spots at number fifteen.

And entering this stage also meant that they would be receiving a lot of feedback directly from the judges. Hearing several praises for his game, Mo Di was inevitably happy. Thanks to Mu Tian Heng’s advice, he had optimized the gameplay and the battle system, giving a new sense of innovation to the game and impressed the judges, or else, it would have been quite dangerous.

“Xin Wei Dao cannot be used for the next round anymore.” Mo Di said to himself.

Mu Tian Heng sitting next to him smiled. He rubbed Mo Di’s hair, “How many chapters have you completed for Infinite Life?” 

“We’re almost done with chapter three.”

“That’s pretty fast. You were given three weeks for this round, it is estimated that there will be more time allotted for the next round so you’ll probably get a month. Use this time to complete up to chapter six or seven, that should be enough to show the potential of the game.”

“En. These types of games are only engaging when there are enough plotlines.” Mo Di said with a smile. 

The host began to introduce the winning teams as the screen showed footage of the games in crisp and sharp resolution with stimulating background music, displaying a particularly sensational trailer.

Even Mo Di was feeling pumped.

When all the teams were announced, a series of topics also popped up on Weibo discussing the more eye-catching games.

Next, the host announced the rules for the next part of the competition in which the top fifteen will enter the championship round.

This time, however, apart from the judges, netizens will be able to vote for their favorite games and this will account for thirty percent of the score.

The deadline for this round will be on November 22nd, twenty-five days from now and that also marked the last day for voting.

“There’s plenty of time.” Mo Di said happily.

Mu Tian Heng, on the other hand, was thinking about how little time he had.

It was only two days before his little one’s eighteenth birthday, he must prepare the perfect coming of age ceremony for him. He was still in a pickle at which point he should make his confession. Should he do it during the party or after?

Making the confession during the party would give it more grandeur and spectacle but then he would be ridiculed by Lai De Si as an old beast. Doing it after would be more private and romantic but not as grand. 

Sigh, what a dilemma.

Chapter 58

What a wonder to meet Mo Liu Gui here. Mo Di was slightly hesitating his steps.

“Xiao Di, I really want to talk to you. It’s very important, can we go have a talk in a coffee shop?”

Mo Liu Gui quickly approached Mo Di and grabbed his sleeve: “Xiao Di, Xiao…”

Mo Di frowned and turned to look at Mo Liu Gui.

“But I have nothing to say to you.”

Mo Liu Gui’s eyes turned red immediately. She stammered: “Xiao Di, how can you say that? We are siblings.”

“What exactly do you want to talk about?” Mo Di looked at Mo Liu Gui and forced himself to endure a few more seconds.

Every time that Mo Liu Gui came to look for him, there was bound to be some sort of hidden agenda. He was curious what it was this time.

Mo Liu Gui pursed her lower lip and beseeched him with crying eyes: “Tomorrow… tomorrow I’m going to visit dad. Xiao Di, please come with me to see him.”

Mo Di’s brain was on alert the moment she announced her intentions.

“The last time mom and I visited, dad had aged a lot. His hair is all gray.” Mo Liu Gui said in a weeping tone. “Dad… he cried and said he regretted it. He remembered how you used to hug his leg and called him daddy when you were younger. He said that he misses you and also blamed himself…”

“Xiao Di, dad really loves you a lot. He did not know what made him lose his trust in you but he wants your forgiveness. Xiao Di… Xiao Di please visit dad with me. He really wants to see you. Xiao Di, Xiao…”

“Alright.” Mo Di answered.

Mo Liu Gui’s face was instantly painted with astonishment.

It seemed she did not expect Mo Di to agree in the first place, even less so this quickly.

“But there’s something I want to remind you, he had never hugged me before. He only ever held you. Even if I followed close behind and tried to hug his thigh, all I would get is a kick.”

“But you’re right, I should indeed pay him a visit after he went to prison.”

To see how well Mo Shi Hong is doing.

“Just contact me when you are ready. You can easily find my schedule in Jing Da.” After saying this, Mo Di immediately turned to leave.

Mo Liu Gui did not try to catch up.

Her every minor reaction was carefully observed by Mo Di and he couldn’t help but sneer in his heart.

From the second Mo Liu Gui called out to him, she had already set up her little ‘trap’.

After hearing what she had to say, he was eighty percent certain.

Since she had decided to carry out her little scheme, there was no way he could avoid her. Walking away would only make her chase after him and make a scene with her wailing and begging for him to visit Mo Shi Hong.

As long as he coldly ignored or refused her, there’s probably going to be a post on the internet with a video or photo attached about their meeting followed by a tearful essay. With that, what would become of him?

A cold-hearted white-eyed wolf?

People can be forgetful when it comes to the news they were exposed to and most would feel sympathy for the old, the weak, and the sick. As Mo Liu Gui had depicted Mo Shi Hong as a remorseful aging father who wished to see his son, were he to refuse and showed his ruthlessness, Mo Liu Gui would have a field day turning public opinion against him.

There might be some that would not be swayed but with the use of the water army, it would not take much to turn him into a heartless person.

Some might say that even though they understand that he was badly treated, his father had repented and wanted to see him so badly yet he still showed no mercy….

Under these influences, Mo Shi Hong could earn a lot of sympathy from the public whether or not they knew the truth about him. The support he had gathered from before would disappear and put him at a big disadvantage in the future.

And Mo Liu Gui would be the one to benefit the most having won back the public opinion for herself and the Mo family.

Therefore, he would pay Mo Shi Hong a visit. That was also something he should do. Seeing how ‘well’ he was doing might lift Mo Di’s mood. 

He returned to Jing Da and told Mu Tian Heng about the matter.

“I don’t quite agree. It’s not safe. Who knows if the Mo family has set up some other traps.”

“There are police officers around, it’ll be fine.”

“That’s not a certainty. A desperate person will do anything.” Mu Tian Heng disagreed.

“Brother, they’re not desperate enough to resort to drastic means. The Mo family still has some reputation left and Mo Liu Gui is still in her hype period. If something happens to me, all of them will be affected.” Mo Di smiled and continued: “Besides, rather than trying to harm me in prison, isn’t it easier to do it in school?”

Mu Tian Heng was silent for a few seconds. Finally, he said: “I’ll go with you tomorrow.”

“There’s no need! Brother, aren’t you quite busy?”

“There’s not much going on tomorrow and since my network has been established, I can take as much time off as I want.” Mu Tian Heng was rarely this adamant towards Mo Di. “It’s decided then. Inform me immediately after Mo Liu Gui has contacted you tomorrow.”

Mo Di sighed: “…”

He simply just wanted to give Mu Tian Heng a report but it was naive of him to think that Mu Tian Heng would let him go alone.

“Alright, I’ll keep you informed.” Mo Di agreed and briefly after, he asked: “Brother, how is your website doing?”

Impression was a networking platform Mu Tian Heng founded when he was in junior high. It has now become the mainstream network in America, Europe, Australia, and several other Asian countries. Only in Hua Xia was Impression still finding a foothold. This was why Mu Tian Heng had decided to come and establish a more localized network under the name Huaxia. (TN: 华夏 Hua Xia is actually an old word for China. The author did not directly stated ‘China’ so I did not translate it as such. As for Mu Tian Heng’s website, the word is 花下 which is pronounced similarly but it me ans something like ‘under the flower’)

Mo Di was curious if it could completely capture the Hua Xia social network given that Mu Tian Heng did not have his accident like in his last life.

“It’s not bad. Traffic is surging.”

Mu Tian Heng knew that Hua Xia was a gold mine waiting to be dug but at the same time, he also understood the difficulties of introducing a networking platform owned by a foreign enterprise into the country as the government would not be able to control the fluctuation of the capital and the flow of information released to the public. Therefore, Mu Tian Heng had to cooperate with a deeply connected family, the Zhao family.

This was before he met Mo Di and the contract had already been settled. Otherwise, it was wiser to establish the company under his little friend’s name and let him be the main shareholder with him just working behind the scene.

But this did not mean they would not have a chance to work together in the future. Huaxia was just the first of the many projects he was using to test the waters. Furthermore, even though on the surface, his cooperation with the Zhao family seemed harmonious, they had had several conflicts in their business philosophy. He expected a lot of friction between them would arise in the future.

Mo Di continued: “Brother, when my game passed the next stage of the competition and entered the top twenty, your website will be the first to post our exclusive interview, what do you think?”

At this stage of the competition, when the top twenty teams were announced, many media outlets would be reaching out to interview them and the gaming committee would also strongly promote them. This had been the trend ever since the first gaming competition was organized.

Mu Tian Heng smiled. He knew that Mo Di was helping him draw traffic but he still couldn’t help lamenting the fact that his little one was spoon-feeding him with opportunities again.

“That’s good.” Mu Tian Heng said in a warm voice filled with delight: “I have to give you my thanks first. When my website becomes popular, you’re my great hero.”

Mo Di blushed at Mu Tian Heng’s gentle and magnetic voice. “I don’t deserve that much credit. It’s just an interview, it won’t necessarily bring in much traffic.”

…

The two chatted for over ten minutes before hanging up.

After letting slip that he would be visiting Mo Shi Hong, Mo Di knew that Mu Tian Heng was not going to brush off this matter. If Mo Liu Gui called him tomorrow and he did not keep Mu Tian Heng informed, he would definitely be angry.

“Ai…” Mo Di sighed but his heart was ultimately sweetened.

He had never received this generous amount of care from anyone in his previous life. Although in some way it was a sweet burden, the sweetness outweighed everything else.

He felt that at present… he was as happy as he could be.

After his second class ended, Mo Liu Gui was waiting for him outside the classroom.

She was wearing a long white dress and her dark black hair was half gathered with a pearl hairpin, portraying the image of purity and beauty.

When she saw Mo Di, her eyes inadvertently turned red, attracting the sympathy of any passerby.

“Xiao Di, we’re visiting dad at 3:30 this afternoon. Since we’re quite short on time, let’s leave immediately and have something to eat on the way there.”

Mo Di: “…”

What was Mo Liu Gui up to? And was she seriously going to visit Mo Shi Hong in prison dressing like that?

However, going along with her logic, she would probably explain herself by saying that she wanted her father to see she was doing well as not to worry him.

Mo Di looked at the time on his phone and without a change in expression, he said: “It’s only 12:10. The road takes two hours tops. I prefer to eat at school.”

Many passing students were staring their way. Mo Di turned and went back to the classroom, “You should go for lunch first. We’ll meet up at the prison gate at 3:00.”

“Isn’t it better for us to have lunch together and then leave together as well?” Mo Liu Gui followed him into the classroom. Her eyes were grieving: “Xiao Di, Xiao Di, please have a talk with me. We haven’t spoken for so long. I’m really worried about you. How are you doing lately? Are you…”

“Of course I’m doing well.” Mo Di interrupted her. He turned and looked at Mo Liu Gui with a smile: “No one abuses me, no treats me like I was nothing, and no one is biased against me. Sister, you should know that very well.”

Mo Liu Gui was baffled by Mo Di’s words and when she was about to rebuttal, Xian Yu Chao and others blocked her off.

“What do you want with our Xiao Di? Have you come to fuel the fire and make things worse?”

“I advise you to stop giving Xiao Di trouble. You’re so pretty on the outside, why is that your inside is so different?”

“Xiao Di, it’s lunchtime. Let’s go. Don’t think you can have good food all to yourself.”

The gang barricaded Mo Di from Mo Liu Gui, blocking her way. Chen Zhao then grabbed Mo Di and they left quickly, leaving Mo Liu Gui far behind.

However, this time, she refused to give up. She followed behind them from a distance and when Mo Di was seated, she picked the table next to them and sat down.

Mo Di was getting impatient and sped up his eating.

Mo Liu Gui tried to strike up a conversation with Mo Di several times but his reaction was entirely unexpected to her. He did not entirely ignore her and would from time to time respond to her questions. Albeit his words were hollow but she could not find fault with them. 

Mo Di knew too well Mo Liu Gui’s little trick that she liked to pull in public and hence, he had to entertain her. There were too many people around, no way was he going to give her a chance to wash white.

Mo Liu Gui was at a loss failing to get the result she wanted. The meal she was having turned all the more chaotic when she accidentally ate a piece of chilly pepper. Her face twisted as her tongue burned.

She did not understand why Mo Di was suddenly approachable and tolerant of her. All she needed was for him to ignore her and she could have a script to go on but Mo Di was being too cool about this. He was amiable and conversed with her casually, making her plans backfired.

Mo Liu Gui was in a mess. Without organizing her thought and eagerly trying to show her concern for Mo Di, she pointed to the soup stall and said: “Xiao Di, I remembered you like walnut oatmeal soup the best. Too bad they don’t sell it here. Walnut season is almost over but mom bought a lot of them and she said… she said if only you were home, she would cook some for you….” 

Mo Liu Gui’s face showed some sadness as she was reminiscing about an impossible pass.

However, Mo Di’s eyes changed abruptly.

Walnut oatmeal soup?!

He had never liked to eat walnuts but after leaving the Mo family, he was too busy working on his game company that there was no spare time for him to make his own breakfast. The solution was to buy from a store right opposite his company. They sold buns and the only other item on the menu was walnut oatmeal soup. And because of its price, the shop had very little patrons which was convenient for him. Therefore every day, he would order a stuffed bun and walnut oatmeal soup.

Furthermore, after he was forced into the mental hospital, Mo Liu Gui heard from someone in his company about his breakfast menu and decided that he must really love walnut oatmeal soup. To show how much she cared, she had ordered a bowl of walnut oatmeal soup to be sent to the hospital every day. The ‘good’ nurses there would then dutifully make sure that he was fed with it.

Mo Di lowered his head and tried to suppress the surging emotions, forcing himself to calm down and think over.

What exactly did Mo Liu Gui mean?

Why did she raise this topic all of a sudden? It must be said that never once in his life did he mention walnut oatmeal soup to the Mo family.

Could it be that Mo Liu Gui was also reborn at a certain point?!!

That was why she changed from being passive to an aggressor?!!

But that would not explain how he managed to survive until now.

Could it be she was getting back her memories from the last life and it was only coming back in bits and pieces? 

Mo Di felt the situation was a bit alarming.

If Mo Liu Gui was either reborn or regaining her memories from their previous life, then was she trying to probe something from him by telling him this? Or was it just a slip of the tongue? Or… a warning?

Mo Di felt ominous. He looked at Mo Liu Gui and she was looking back at him, smiling sweetly.

Mo Di kept a poker face and said: “Did you remember wrongly? I’ve never said that I like walnut and oatmeal soup. It’s Mo Si Lang who likes red dates with oatmeal soup, but he won’t be able to drink it anymore seeing where he is at the moment.”

Mo Liu Gui’s smile turned stiff and spoke mindlessly: “Xiao Di, fourth brother was only just a little obsessed. He’s already repented…”

“That’s good for him. That attitude might get him a reduced sentence.”

Mo Di gave her a smile then turned to give Mu Tian Heng a quick call and hung up after a short conversation.

Seeing that Mo Di had called Mu Tian Heng, Mo Liu Gui seemed all the more uncomfortable.

Mo Di then hurriedly finished his food and said a few words to Xian Yu Chao and the others before clearing up his dishes into the dishwashing lady’s tray. He left right after.

For some reason, Mo Liu Gui did not follow him this time.

Mo Di picked up his pace and dashed to the west gate to wait for Mu Tian Heng.

It actually took a lot for him to stay calm. Mo Liu Gui’s words were too ambiguous. Others may not find anything wrong with walnut and oatmeal soup but he was well aware of what it meant.

Mo Di was not certain what was her motive in telling him this but combined with her recent actions, he was sure of one thing.

Mo Liu Gui had knowledge of their previous life.

Was she reborn like he did or for some other reason recovered her memories from their past? He was not certain and he also had no way to confirm it but he knew the road ahead would become hard to walk again.

And with Mo Liu Gui’s recent activities, he was also sure that after she learned of their past, she had decided to treat him as the enemy.

Mo Di felt a sense of irony.

Mo Liu Gui who was bathed with the protagonist aura from birth still decided to be malicious towards him even after knowing how bad his life was. Why?

Was it because he did not follow the original path and caused her to lose her fame and recognition? Was she threatened that his rebellion against fate would destroy her happy and sweet life? Because of that, she had to sanction him?

Mo Di felt a chill in his heart.

If that were the case, Mo Liu Gui would most likely plant more obstacles for him in the future. The easiest would be through the game competition. The ‘friendly suggestion’ she made to Ye Cheng Feng almost made it impossible for him to participate. And even though it failed, she was not going to give up anytime soon.

It’s just… it’s going to be difficult predicting where she would strike next.

Mo Di was deep in thought when he heard a car honked.

Mu Tian Heng lowered the window. He smiled and said to the dazed Mo Di: “Little one, what are you thinking?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Mo Di saw Mu Tian Heng and immediately a smile emerged. “Brother, that was quick.”

“I was already on my way to see you when you called.”

Mo Di was surprised: “Brother…. Were you worried that I won’t tell you anything and so you have come to check on me?” Mo Di opened the door and sat in the car.

“Um. That’s about right.” Mu Tian Heng replied frankly without a tinge of guilt.

Mo Di was simply speechless.

The road was congested at this time of the day. Mu Tian Heng’s Maybach moved slowly through the crowded traffic. After driving for two hours, they reached the detention center at three.

Ten minutes later, Mo Liu Gui arrived. This time, she was not accompanied by Qin Cheng Yi but Ye Cheng Feng. 

Mo Liu Gui deliberately introduced Ye Cheng Feng to Mo Di, making him even warier of her intentions.

Mo Di paid them no heed and followed the guard, giving both Mo Liu Gui and Ye Cheng Feng a bad look.

In general, real-life prison was not the same as those shown in dramas. There were no bright and clean little lattice windows, just Mo Shi Hong and the other prisoners standing on the other side of a glass pane. Visitors had to move in close to talk to their relatives face to face.

Mo Di naturally would not be doing that. From a distance, he saw Mo Shi Hong in prison wear with a shaved head. He seemed to really have fallen from grace. Mo Di could tell that he had collapsed both mentally and physically. It seemed he was not able to receive any special treatment in there. 

Mo Di did not feel much seeing Mo Shi Hong again. Even when he finished talking to Mo Liu Gui and glared at him with hatred, Mo Di did not feel provoked, only slightly amused.

He showed Mo Shi Hong a smile.

On the contrary, Mo Shi Hong on the other side of the glass was becoming more agitated. Unfortunately, no matter how angry he was, there was nothing he could do. And when he kicked and hit on the glass in his tantrum, the prison guard nearby snapped at him and warned that if he did it again, they would take him away immediately.

Mo Shi Hong turned chicken and dared not repeat his action.

Mo Di laughed again. The law is indeed a good thing.