Chapter 21 Don't spoil him. "I will personally escort Brother Jin downstairs..."

After shooing away a few clueless reporters who were blocking his way, Mo Ningzhi glanced at the sky. Dark clouds hung overhead, clearly indicating that it was going to rain again. He was still holding the hem and wide sleeves of Qin Weijin's robe in his hand. Wearing this outfit, no matter how big the umbrella was, it wouldn't keep out the rain. "Let's change our clothes first before we go. I'll go ask the stylist for help."

Qin Weijin glanced at his slender robe and had no objection: "Alright."

The opening ceremony lasted for more than an hour. After returning to the dressing room, Xiao Guo immediately poured Qin Weijin a glass of water. "Brother Jin, are you tired? You're about to start filming. Brother Zhan said you've been busy lately, so he canceled the event tonight."

Qin Weijin took the paper cup, hummed in agreement, and subconsciously glanced at Mo Ningzhi, noticing that his lips were also a little dry. "Get him a bottle of water too."

"Okay, I'll go right away." Xiao Guo glanced at Mo Ningzhi in surprise, nodded, took the cup, and walked away.

"Wei Jin, let me take off your wig first, then you can change your clothes later," the makeup artist said as she approached.

Qin Weijin nodded and sat down in front of the mirror: "Thank you for your hard work."

During the process of removing the wig, Qin Weijin felt a little uncomfortable and frowned. "The wig is a bit tight today. I'll loosen it a bit next time."

The stylist examined the parting on the top of his head, took out his tools to adjust it, and said, "I think it's a bit tight. I'm sorry, it's been a long time since I've done a period costume styling, so I'm a little rusty. I'll adjust the wig tomorrow."

Qin Weijin didn't say anything. He looked up and saw the reflection in the mirror—not far behind him, Mo Ningzhi looked a little tired. She casually grabbed a handful of hair from her forehead, relaxed and sleepy, nestled on the sofa with her eyes closed to rest. Her neck, which was turned to the side, was thin and long.

Xiao Guo took a bottle of water and brought it over, "Ningzhi, are you thirsty? Have some water. I'm not busy right now, and I have something I want to tell you."

Mo Ningzhi squinted at him, then closed her eyes again, took the water, and yawned wearily. "What is it?"

“Didn’t you take some photos last time? Manager Zhan thought they were pretty good and wanted to use them as the main promotional images for this event. He asked me to ask your opinion. If you have no problem with it, the studio can post them on Weibo.” Xiao Guo sat down next to him and explained in detail, “Of course, we won’t let you work for nothing. Manager Zhan said he’ll pay you part-time fees based on a photographer’s salary.”

It's just a set of photos. Mo Ningzhi took them casually to enjoy and didn't intend to make a profit. However, since the studio wants to use them for promotion, he needs to think about it carefully. "There are a few photos that can't be used. I'll pick them out first and then send you the rest later."

The photos that needed to be selected were ones that Mo Ningzhi had already exposed on her alternate Weibo account. That account perfectly embodied the roles of "die-hard fan" and "brainless fan," and Mo Ningzhi didn't want to be discovered, especially by Qin Weijin.

"No problem," Xiao Guo said. "Can you send it to me before 6 PM?"

Mo Ningzhi glanced at the time: "Okay."

"But these photos you took are really beautiful..."

The disassembled wig was somewhat messy and obscured his vision. Through the gaps in the hair, Qin Weijin saw Xiao Guo suddenly lean in front of Mo Ningzhi, gesturing wildly as she described something. Even Mo Ningzhi had a faint smile on her face.

"...Wei Jin, did I hurt you?" The makeup artist cautiously glanced at his deeply furrowed brows.

"What?" Qin Weijin snapped out of his daze. "Oh, no."

"Then close your eyes and I'll remove your eye makeup."

Qin Weijin's eyes twitched, and he looked behind him. On the sofa, two oblivious people were still laughing and joking together.

The makeup artist had already prepared the makeup remover pads, and he slowly closed his eyes.

The cool liquid was applied to her eyelids, and in just two minutes, when she opened her eyes again, Mo Ningzhi was no longer in the same spot.

Only a few wrinkles remained on the sofa.

Qin Weijin debuted early and has experienced many complicated makeup and styling processes. There are many looks that take five or six hours to apply and remove makeup. But today, he suddenly felt that the makeup removal process was long and boring.

It's so crowded it's almost unbearable to stay there.

It took an hour to remove my makeup and change clothes, and I didn't actually walk out until 6:30 pm.

"Brother Jin, you're all better now, let's go back," Xiao Guo said.

"Where is Mo Ningzhi?" Qin Weijin glanced around.

"...He was just here a moment ago." Xiao Guo scratched his head suspiciously. "He probably went to the restroom. I sent him a message to meet on the bus."

Qin Weijin nodded, and as he walked to the exit, he suddenly realized that he had left his watch in the dressing room. Xiao Guo was carrying the costume for tomorrow's performance into the car. Qin Weijin could handle this small matter himself, so he greeted Xiao Guo and turned around to look for it himself.

As I walked down a deserted corridor, I suddenly heard a familiar sound coming from outside the window.

Qin paused in his steps as he approached Jin.

Looking out the window, two figures stood by the tulip bushes against the wall, draped in the glow of the sunset, their expressions tense.

“My birthday is in a few days, and it’s also the tenth anniversary of my joining the Mo family. Ningzhi, I hope you can be there too.”

“There’s no one else here, there’s no need to pretend to be Zhou Yaozheng,” Mo Ningzhi said calmly.

He was very irritable and his patience was about to run out. Who knew that he could run into his enemy at an event with Qin Weijin? There were too many people there, so he couldn't make a scene. Zhou Yaozheng tricked him into coming here, and after a conversation, Mo Ningzhi's face became even more stern.

“I’m not pretending, this is who I really am.” Zhou Yaozheng looked at his younger brother in front of him, his tone gentle and calm. “After all, I am your nominal older brother. Uncle Mo said that this is my first birthday since I became the general manager, and he wants to have a big celebration. If there are many family members present, it will cause unnecessary trouble if outsiders discover that our family is not on good terms.”

Mo Ningzhi scoffed coldly, "Do you still think I'm a three-year-old?"

There are countless wealthy families in the capital, and every family has its share of shady dealings. There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. The Mo family's little secret is nothing out of the ordinary. In terms of sensationalism, it's not even enough to become a topic of conversation for others. At most, people might sigh about the sharp conflicts in a blended family, the difficulties of being a stepmother like Zhou Suiyin, or how Mo Ningzhi is rebellious and disobedient.

These comments are practically indistinguishable from those of a real spoiled rich kid, like "good boy".

Moreover, when Mo Ningzhi left home half a year ago, he had already prepared himself so that he would not get angry no matter what others said and would pretend not to hear it.

“Alright, I won’t force you if you don’t want to come.” Zhou Yaozheng said with a hint of realization. “There’s something else I need to ask you. You bought my mom a scar removal cream before, and she thought it was good after using it, but she accidentally threw away the packaging. Do you remember the name of the medicine?”

Mo Ningzhi's face suddenly turned very pale.

Zhou Yaozheng: "It's okay if you don't remember, it's been so many years and it probably can't be erased anyway..."

"Zhou Yaozheng." Mo Ningzhi suddenly smiled, a smirk playing on her lips. "Do you know what I hate most about you?"

Zhou Yaozheng didn't ask, but he knew it wasn't anything nice.

"Look, I only have to say a few words, and you're already on high alert." Mo Ningzhi glanced at his tense body and said sarcastically, "What exactly is Aunt Zhou to you? That you can use her to threaten me without any hesitation every time?"

These words were tantamount to humiliating Zhou Yaozheng by pointing his finger at him. Anyone else might not have been able to remain calm, but Zhou Yaozheng was not. Instead, his patience was rising endlessly: "I don't need you to put on a show of brotherly affection with me. Just attend the banquet. You don't need to worry about any of the social interactions. I will take care of everything."

All that talk about doing it for the company's good is bullshit. Mo Ningzhi suppressed the urge to curse: "Get out."

Seeing his flustered state, Zhou Yaozheng felt a sense of relief.

No matter how rebellious and unruly Mo Ningzhi was, she was still young at heart. "Okay, I'll let you know the specific time on my phone and remove you from the blacklist. It's getting late, have you had dinner? There's a pretty good restaurant nearby, I can treat you... Okay, okay, I won't say anymore, I'll go now."

The conspicuous car was parked not far away. The driver got out and opened the door. Zhou Yaozheng thanked him politely and bent down to get in.

In the passenger seat, the assistant handed over two documents. "Mr. Zhou, has Young Master Mo agreed?"

Zhou Yaozheng turned his head to look out the window. Mo Ningzhi was still standing in the shadows under the tree, his face obscured, but Zhou Yaozheng could tell he was still resentful. Having dealt with him for ten years, Zhou Yaozheng could even imagine the frustrated and uncomfortable expression on his face at that moment.

It should be quite funny.

Zhou Yaozheng looked away, took the document, and said, "The banquet will proceed as scheduled. Send invitations to the board members who voted against the proposal. After the birthday party, I want to be elected to the board with a unanimous vote."

"About the shares..."

Zhou Yaozheng glanced at the figure not far away and said calmly, "I'll handle it."

"……good."

The black car slowly disappeared from sight. Mo Ningzhi clicked his tongue in annoyance. He disliked the feeling of being controlled like this. Unfortunately, Zhou Yaozheng had a good hand, and even if he had a bunch of bombs, he couldn't use them as he pleased. It was frustrating.

Feeling frustrated, Mo Ningzhi turned her head and saw Qin Weijin inside the window.

"..." Mo Ningzhi: "When did you arrive?"

Qin Wei Jin honestly replied, "When you were talking about a three-year-old child."

That means they heard everything.

Mo Ningzhi scoffed, disregarding the fact that her carefully cultivated image of a true love had shattered: "A big star like you has a hobby of eavesdropping?"

"It's not really a hobby," Qin Weijin dodged the question. "I was worried that my assistant would be bullied, so I waited here to help her out."

Mo Ningzhi was stunned for a moment. Perhaps he was enjoying the feeling of having someone back him up, because his fierce aura suddenly faded a lot. "Brother Jin is joking. I'm the one who always bullies others."

When he's in a good mood, he's "Brother Jin"; when he's in a bad mood, he's sarcastic and calls someone a "big star." He changes his tune very quickly.

"Then just consider me here to back you up and help you bully others."

Mo Ningzhi: "..."

He suddenly took two steps forward, walked to the windowsill, leaned forward, and brought his flawless face very close. A large expanse of brilliant sunset shone behind him, making even his hair appear crystal clear, creating a strong visual impact.

Qin Weijin stared at him without blinking.

"Brother Jin, don't spoil me like this."

Mo Ningzhi spoke with a nonchalant attitude and a somewhat frivolous gaze, yet she possessed a captivating charm that made it hard to look away. "I'm good at causing trouble, and there will always be a time when you can't handle it anymore."

Qin Weijin looked at him, then suddenly took two steps forward and leaned against the windowsill. From a certain angle, it looked as if Mo Ningzhi was leaning against his chest, tilting his head back to whisper something.

"That's my problem then."

"..."

Mo Ningzhi blinked. What did that mean? Qin Weijin was letting him cause trouble at will? Could an artist's assistant really be like this?

Did Qin eat poisonous mushrooms for Jin?

Mo Ning stared at him as if she'd seen a ghost, then took two steps back, distancing herself from his perfect face. "Brother Jin is really good to his assistant. So good that I want to stay in this position and shine forever."

"Hadn't you thought of that before?"

Mo Ningzhi: "..."

What do you want a hater to think?

"Alright, I won't make things difficult for you to flatter the boss. It's getting late, go back now. I'll pretend I didn't hear anything about what happened today and won't tell anyone." Qin Weijin finally let him go.

When Qin Weijin returned to the car after retrieving the lost watch, Mo Ningzhi was already waiting by the car. Qin Weijin looked at the light rain in the sky with suspicion, "Why aren't you going up?"

Mo Ningzhi opened the car door for him, her attitude not exactly fawning, "Brother Jin has backed me up, so I have to show my appreciation."

Qin Weijin raised an eyebrow and looked at it: "Is that all you're going to say?"

"Of course not." Mo Ningzhi smiled and tilted her head. "I will personally escort Brother Jin downstairs."

Qin for Jin: "..."

I just moved to a house with two floors, so shouldn't I deliver it to the downstairs?

Sitting in the corner of the car, Xiao Guo watched the inexplicable confrontation outside, completely bewildered. After a long while, he cautiously interrupted the two people facing off outside, "Brother Jin, Ning Zhi, if we don't get in the car soon, the rain will be ankle-deep."

"..."

"..."

After everyone finally got on the bus, Xiao Guo breathed a sigh of relief and handed the two of them a handkerchief to wipe their water.

Qin Weijin and Mo Ningzhi sat side by side in the middle row, neither of them speaking, silently wiping the water droplets from their cheeks.

Xiao Guo had a feeling that the atmosphere was very different from that morning, but he hadn't figured out exactly what the difference was before the car arrived at Qin Weijin's new apartment building.

He looked around. "Ningzhi, I remember your family lives in this area. If it's far, Xiao Liu and I will take you there."

"No need." Mo Ningzhi and Qin Weijin got up and got out of the car together.

Xiao Guo didn't ask why. He said there was no need to take him back, which must be because he lived nearby. The scenery here was beautiful, and taking a leisurely stroll back would be relaxing.

Just as I was thinking this, I saw Mo Ningzhi following behind Qin Weijin, not too far away, but keeping pace with him, and then they entered the same elevator one after the other.

Xiao Guo: "???"

The driver, Xiao Liu, glanced down into the distance. "He's really going to take Brother Jin home? I thought he was joking."

"..."

A note from the author:

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Sorry everyone, I had a physical exam a few days ago, and the results weren't good. I need to be hospitalized for a minimally invasive surgery. But even though it's minimally invasive, it requires general anesthesia. I've never had any surgery before, and I've been incredibly nervous these past few days. I feel completely numb. I don't have enough drafts saved up, so the release date will be postponed for a week. I'm so sorry. I'll send out red envelopes to everyone tomorrow.