episode 34

"Alright, you can discuss it yourselves."

Mu Xianglu felt like she had been granted a pardon. Not wanting to be a third wheel, she quickly made an excuse and left in a hurry.

Only He Xun and Mo Shilin remained.

The night wind was chilly, and a gust of wind blew in from outside, making their hair messy.

Mo Shilin took another half step inside, lowered his hand from his tie, and stared at He Xun with a cold, condescending gaze: "I think I just said I didn't need it, didn't you hear me?"

“I heard you.” He Xun didn’t move, looking at him calmly, his pupils darkened by the night. “But I think Aunt Mu is right. If you’re leaving the city, you’ll need someone to take care of you.”

Mo Shilin sneered, then reached out and pinched He Xun's chin, forcing him to look up: "Let me see, aren't you ashamed to lie?"

He didn't use much force this time, but He Xun's dark eyelashes still trembled with his movement.

He Xun subconsciously grabbed his arm, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, and Mo Shilin subconsciously leaned down to listen.

The distance suddenly closed, their lips almost touching, their breaths mingling. He Xun felt a jolt run through him, his movements stiffening: "You..."

Mo Shilin said in a low voice, "What?"

"..."

The two stared at each other for a long time, but He Xun finally fell silent, like the cold moon hanging high in the night sky. He turned his head away and forcefully stubbed out the cigarette on the wall next to him.

Mo Shilin felt the softness under his palm and the slightly cool temperature on He Xun's chin. Suddenly, the image of that night on the sofa on the second floor flashed before his eyes, where He Xun looked at him with those eyes swollen like peaches, both provocative and resentful.

I can't describe how I feel.

He subtly moved his fingers, almost imperceptibly stroking He Xun's chin twice, thinking to himself that this guy really knew how to play the victim.

...Forget it.

He and he originally had nothing to say to each other.

"Whatever." Mo Shilin released his hand listlessly and turned to leave.

"No matter what you think," He Xun suddenly spoke softly, his slightly hoarse voice floating in the air.

Mo Shilin stopped and turned to look at him.

"But I didn't lie."

He Xun turned his head away, suppressing the inexplicable bitterness rising from the bottom of his heart: "At least when it comes to caring about you."

*

The next morning, Mu Xianglu thoughtfully brought He Xun an unopened suit.

To be Mo Shilin's male companion, one should at least dress appropriately.

The suit was a custom-made spare, available in every size, so that I wouldn't have to waste time looking for clothes in such an emergency.

The outfit Mu Xianglu brought over was a light lake blue, a casual style, with a white V-neck shirt underneath. The design was exquisite yet not old-fashioned, perfectly matching He Xun's age and temperament.

Before heading to the airport, Mu Xianglu made sure He Xun tried it on so Mo Shilin could see if it suited him.

Mo Shilin was sitting on the sofa replying to messages when he heard this. It took him a while to look up at He Xun, who was standing on the other side of the coffee table.

He Xun's figure was slender, which perfectly matched the light color. His thin shoulder blades outlined a beautiful curve, and the exposed half of his wrist bone had distinct lines. His clean finger joints had a very light pink hue.

His gaze swept from He Xun's upper body to his smooth collarbone, and he commented, "A bit plain." Then, he casually tossed He Xun a beautifully packaged, luxurious velvet box: "Put this on."

He Xun reached out and took it. He opened the package and found a gemstone necklace inside that matched the color of his suit.

He used his fingers to pull out the slightly cool necklace.

The chain is made of pure silver, polished to a slender and smooth finish. At the end hangs a silver outline in the shape of the sun god, with a square-cut lake-blue gemstone set in the center. It is as if the tranquil and mysterious Lake Baikal is contained in this small world, shimmering and dazzling in the light by the floor-to-ceiling window.

Seeing this, Mu Xianglu cleverly took the necklace and helped He Xun put it around his neck.

"It really suits you."

Mu Xianglu fastened the buckle, walked to the front to take a look, and felt that it was indeed the finishing touch.

No wonder their young master personally chose it.

She smiled and said, "It looks so beautiful on He Xun's neck. Shi Lin is so thoughtful. I didn't even think about buying jewelry for He Xun last night."

He Xun stroked the gemstone hanging on his chest, subconsciously following Mo Shilin's gaze.

Mo Shilin stared into his eyes for two seconds in silence, then said calmly, "Well, since it fits you, I'll give it to you."

He Xun naturally thanked him, since Mo Shilin couldn't very well wear something that He Xun had worn close to his body.

He still has that much awareness.

*

As the capital city of a major tourist province, City C is currently in its peak tourist season, and even five-star hotels were fully booked two weeks in advance.

Only one suite with a large bed, which Assistant Li had reserved in advance for Mo Shilin, remained.

The original plan was for Mo Shilin to attend the auction alone; he had no intention of bringing anyone with him.

Fortunately, He Xun's last words last night may have eased the atmosphere between the two somewhat, so when Mo Shilin learned that he would be sharing a room with He Xun, he did not show any particular dissatisfaction on his face, but his tone when speaking to He Xun remained indifferent.

I bought a plane ticket for 10:00 AM, and when I got off the plane and arrived in City C, it was lunchtime.

Besides attending the auction, Mo Shilin also had other game development projects to discuss in City C, so he would stay for three days before leaving. As soon as he entered the hotel room, He Xun opened his suitcase and dutifully began packing his luggage.

Mo Shilin went to his room to change his clothes, and when he came out, he said to Mo Shilin, who was tidying up his luggage on the floor, "I'm meeting a friend here. You can have lunch by yourself."

Upon hearing this, He Xun paused in folding his shirt, then stood up, nodded, and said okay. He hung the shirt up, then took out his phone and silently canceled the dishes he had just selected online. After doing all this, he turned around and found that Mo Shilin had not yet left the house.

Seeing him look over, Mo Shilin leaned against the doorframe and said indifferently, "Or do you want to come out with me?"

"No, I'll just go out and get something to eat. I saw there was a restaurant downstairs when I went upstairs."

Why did he have to get involved when everyone else was having a meal together?

Mo Shilin didn't insist any further and left after opening the door.

He Xun buried himself in tidying up for a while, stretched, and was just about to go downstairs for dinner when someone knocked on the door, saying it was the food delivery.

As expected of a five-star hotel, they even offer lunch delivery service.

He Xun opened the door and was greeted by a man in a suit and tie, holding a trolley.

"Hello, excuse me, is this Mr. He?"

"It's me."

"Okay, here's your meal."

The man in the suit smiled and extended his hand, thoughtfully introducing the dishes to He Xun: "The appetizer is foie gras and tuna slices with lemon sauce, the soup is pumpkin soup, the main course is Angus beef tenderloin, the black truffle mushroom pasta is sliced ​​with ham, the seared sea bass is topped with lobster chicken soup, and the dessert is a red velvet cake and a cheesecake. Please enjoy."

He Xun suppressed his surprise: "Thank you."

The man in the suit then politely gave the last four digits of a phone number and asked, "Is the information correct?"

He Xun was taken aback upon hearing this.

Isn't this... Mo Shilin's phone number?

...No wonder it's so lavish.

He Xun quickly came to his senses, smiled and nodded: "That's right, thank you, please push it in."

After the man in the suit left, He Xun looked at the dazzling array of lunches in front of him, thought for a moment, and then took out his phone to send a message to Mo Shilin: "Thank you for ordering lunch for me."

I don't know if the other person saw it, but I didn't reply to him.

It wasn't until He Xun finished his lunch and took a short nap that Mo Shilin replied with a message unrelated to lunch at four o'clock in the afternoon: "We'll leave at seven o'clock tonight. Come downstairs when it's time."

— 7 p.m.

He Xun changed his clothes and went downstairs five minutes early. Before he even left the hotel, he saw Mo Shilin's figure in the distance.

The man, with one hand in his pocket, leaned against the car, looking down at his phone while waiting for him.

The other person was also dressed very well today, wearing a crisp black suit with the buttons undone, revealing a white silk shirt with a bamboo print underneath. He wore a silver snake chain on his left wrist and a small emerald ring on the middle finger of his right hand, the deep color of which complemented the bamboo print on his shirt.

His handsome face flickered in and out of the hotel sign lights, exuding an air of nobility and elegance, yet also a sense of unattainability.

Passersby frequently turned their heads, whispering among themselves, "So handsome and tall, is he a male model?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Doesn't he look a bit like Mo Shilin from Yuntu?"

"Holy crap, the leader of Yuntu? He looks even younger in person than he does online! It's true what they say, comparisons are odious..."

"Yeah, who doesn't have an app developed by Yuntu on their phone these days? I can't even imagine how much money they make every day..."

He Xun couldn't help but think of the original novel's protagonist, Qin Zhuo.

He thought that the two of them were indeed two completely different styles.

Judging from appearance alone, Qin Zhuo has a more aloof and solemn temperament, and even his live streaming style is known for its cold demeanor.

Mo Shilin, on the other hand, is dashing and debonair. To put it more abstractly, Mo Shilin's appearance is more "frivolous." He looks like the kind of dangerous man who is very good at bewitching people. Before getting close, you have to be wary of whether his eyes are an abyss of no return.

Although Mo Shilin is several years older than Qin Zhuo, the two of them seem to have swapped ages.

I don’t know if it’s related to Mo Shilin’s background in computer science and his work in the internet industry, but he doesn’t have that big elite air about him on the surface. His ruthlessness is more subtle and hidden deep inside.

Therefore, in novels, it is usually the aloof and composed characters who can be the protagonists.

At least that's the case for most of them.

He Xun came to this conclusion.

What were you looking at just now?

As soon as He Xun got into the car, Mo Shilin put away his phone and looked at him with a half-smile. He Xun had no doubt that if he said that the person he was looking at was him, the other person's wolf ears and tail would be sticking up to the sky in the next second.

He Xun almost laughed.

Mo Shilin was clearly asking a question he already knew the answer to.

"Looking at a handsome guy." He Xun blinked, his two sharp canine teeth revealing a sly look, and said deliberately, "There was one who just walked past you, he was very handsome, so I took a second look."

"......"

The smile on Mo Shilin's lips gradually disappeared, and his handsome face darkened as the light outside the car window flickered. He crossed his arms and turned his head away, ignoring him for the rest of the journey.