Chapter 18 A Chance Encounter "Stand still, watch where you're going."...
Early in the morning, Li Yan was awakened by her cell phone ringing.
He squinted at the time; it was just past seven. His head was throbbing from the hangover. He hissed and answered, "Okay."
After hearing something said over there, Li Yan suddenly opened his eyes.
The guest room door opened suddenly, and Mo Ningzhi turned around with a water glass in her hand, noticing the worried look on her friend's face: "What's wrong?"
"You went back to the Mo family yesterday?" Li Yan asked in return.
Mo Ningzhi was silent for a few seconds: "Hmm, how did you know?"
Li Yan strode over and, leaning on the table, asked urgently, "You hit Zhou Yaozheng?"
Mo Ningzhi narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"
He did have a conflict with Zhou Yaozheng last night, but they didn't fight. However, judging from Li Yan's expression, it doesn't seem that simple.
"You're still hiding it from me? My mom just called and said Zhou Yaozheng had an injury on his face when he went to work today. You even came home last night. Now everyone in the industry is saying that the two sons of the Mo family are fighting over the inheritance, and it's gotten to the point of a physical fight." Li Yan was extremely anxious: "Did you really hit him?"
Mo Ningzhi: "It moved."
"Damn it, how dare you go up against Zhou Yaozheng all by yourself? That bastard is cunning. This must be his doing. He wants to ruin your reputation with public opinion so that all your assets and the group will go to him." Li Yan was so anxious that she paced around in circles.
"Stop." Mo Ningzhi reached out and handed him a glass of water. "Calm down."
Li Yan gulped down a mouthful of water. "No, I still can't calm down. Stealing my brother's property is tantamount to taking my life."
"..."
Mo Ningzhi wasn't angry or anxious at all. She leaned back on the sofa and looked at him with a smile. "I didn't hit him. I didn't cause the injury."
"Didn't you just say you were going to take action?"
"I just gave it a little push."
"..."
The sofa next to her sank, and Li Yan stretched out her long arms and rested them on the back of the sofa, letting out a long sigh of relief. "Then it seems that someone else did it. I knew Zhou Yaozheng was no good person. He probably got hit on the head while walking at night. It's gratifying."
"Alright." The phone rang a few times. Mo Ningzhi picked it up and kicked Li Yan. "Aren't you hungry? There's no food at home. Order takeout yourself."
Li Yan: "Aren't you going to work?"
"I'm taking the day off today." Mo Ningzhi nestled into the sofa.
Li Yan clicked his tongue, took a couple of steps, then turned back: "By the way, can I stay here for a few days?"
Mo Ningzhi looked up upon hearing this: "You were kicked out of the house too?"
"Get lost, Dad, I'm so lovable." Li Yan said, "It's just that my family has been pressuring me to get married lately, arranging blind dates for me every weekend. I can't take it anymore."
What about your other houses?
"Stop talking, all the keys have been taken away."
"..."
Mo Ningzhi: "I'll send you the password."
"Okay, I'll move the things over this afternoon."
After Li Yan left, Mo Ningzhi opened her phone and saw several unfamiliar messages.
[Unknown Number]: I'm sorry, I didn't know things would get like this. I've already arranged for someone to clarify.
[Unknown Number]: My injury was an accident. I will explain to Uncle Mo and my mother and will not let them bother you.
There were still a few unread messages, but Mo Ningzhi had no intention of reading them, so she simply cleared them all and blocked the other user.
On his rare day off, Mo Ningzhi had no plans. At lunchtime, he discovered that the refrigerator was empty. Li Yan was moving in that afternoon, so he should buy some things for the house.
Mo Ningzhi went to the boutique supermarket downstairs.
He and Li Yan picked out some items according to their tastes, and also selected a few bottles of wine. When passing by the home furnishings section, Mo Ningzhi was attracted by the items on a certain shelf.
He stood there, hesitated for a moment with a blank expression, and finally took two bottles of shampoo from the top of the shelf and put them in his shopping cart.
It is the same style as that used by Qin and Jin.
He used it every day for the few days before he went to country T to participate in the event.
Before leaving, Mo Ningzhi checked out and pushed her full shopping cart to the exit. Before she even got close, another shopping cart rear-ended her.
The two shopping carts collided with a crisp sound.
Mo Ningzhi looked up and found that the person who bumped into him was very tall, wearing a mask and with the brim of his baseball cap pulled low, so he couldn't see his face.
He had just frowned when he heard the other person's tone rise: "Mo Ningzhi?"
Mo Ningzhi was taken aback: "Qin became Jin?"
"...What a coincidence." Qin Weijin looked at the boy's indifferent face and couldn't reconcile him with the ruthless fanboy who had threatened to "pounce" and "kidnap" the boy last night.
Mo Ningzhi's performance online and offline is vastly different.
Qin Weijin sometimes even doubted his own intuition. Perhaps he was too sensitive. Were Gudemoning and Moningzhi actually two completely unrelated people?
Qin Weijin's gaze inadvertently swept over Mo Ningzhi's shopping cart, and he couldn't help but pause when he saw something that looked familiar.
The next second, the two bottles of shampoo were covered up with a fruit box, a rather blatant attempt to conceal the truth.
Qin raised his eyes to Jin.
Seeing that Mo Ningzhi turned her face away somewhat awkwardly, she said, "You should pay the bill first."
Qin Weijin smiled and stepped back a little. "I'm not in a hurry. You arrived first."
There was no one at the checkout counter. Mo Ningzhi pushed the shopping cart forward with a heavy heart. The footsteps behind him were neither too close nor too far, just close enough for them to see what he was buying.
Mo Ningzhi looked at the two bottles of shampoo in the shopping cart, unsure whether she should take them out.
He bought this stuff simply because he thought it smelled nice; it had nothing to do with Qin Weijin.
But since this is happening now, the atmosphere is inexplicably awkward. Qin Weijin might not think he has some strange collecting obsession, right?
...like collecting everything my idol has ever used.
"Is there anything else?" the cashier asked when he didn't move.
Mo Ningzhi snapped out of her daze and calmly took out all the items to settle the bill.
He had thought it through. The goods were on the shelves, and everyone could freely choose to buy them. What did that have to do with Qin Weijin? He wasn't the one endorsing them either.
That's right.
It has nothing to do with Qin becoming Jin...
"You like this shampoo too?"
A voice came from behind me.
Mo Ningzhi: "..."
"No." His voice was low and a little muffled. "My friend likes it, so I brought it for him."
"Oh." Qin Weijin nodded. "Then your friend has good taste."
Mo Ningzhi: "..."
You really like to pat yourself on the back.
After paying the bill, Mo Ningzhi originally planned to leave quickly, but he bought too many things, and by the time he finished packing, Qin Weijin had already walked out of the gate.
Mo Ningzhi, carrying the heavy items, turned around and gave a fake smile: "Then, Brother Jin, I'll be going now."
"good."
But Qin Weijin followed him closely, neither too close nor too far, until they entered the community gate.
Mo Ning thought of a certain possibility and turned around: "Brother Jin lives here too?"
Qin Weijin nodded, a hint of surprise on his face: "Which floor do you live on?"
26.
"What a coincidence, I live upstairs from you, I just moved in yesterday."
"..."
Okay, the head of the anti-fans has become neighbors with a celebrity.
This was a fateful encounter, like being struck by lightning that day.
Qin Weijin raised an eyebrow, observing Mo Ningzhi's ever-changing expression: "You're not happy?"
"No."
Qin Weijin moved closer and noticed that his eyebrows furrowed.
Mo Ningzhi relaxed her expression: "It was just a bit of a surprise."
Qin Weijin said, "I remember you were one of my biggest fans."
Oh no, I wasn't in the right mindset for work, I almost forgot about this.
Mo Ningzhi composed herself and smiled, "Brother Jin is a big star. For us little fans, it's enough to just catch a glimpse of him from afar."
Qin asked Jin, "What will happen if we get closer?"
"It will dispel the myth," said the leader of the haters.
"..."
Half a minute later, the two walked into the elevator one after the other, and no one mentioned the topic of true fans anymore.
Upon reaching the 26th floor, Mo Ningzhi, disguised as a junior assistant, obediently bid farewell to Qin Weijin, who responded with a very aloof "Mm."
Mo Ningzhi raised an eyebrow and stepped out of the elevator with an even more aloof air than him.
...
The next day was still a workday, and neither Mo Ningzhi nor Li Yan had the habit of eating breakfast at home. Li Yan changed her clothes and prepared to leave, saying, "Your workplace is quite close to mine, so I'll give you a ride."
"No."
"Why? Is a taxi as comfortable as my car?"
Mo Ningzhi glanced at him: "The studio's car is downstairs."
Li Yan clicked his tongue in surprise: "Huh? You hold such a high position in Qin Weijin's heart? He even specially provided you with a private car?"
Mo Ningzhi: "..."
Not long after Li Yan left, Mo Ningzhi went out. The elevator came down from upstairs, the door opened, and sure enough, Qin Weijin was standing inside.
Mo Ningzhi immediately smiled and said, "Good morning, Brother Jin."
Qin Weijin's gaze swept over his less-than-radiant features. "Good morning."
Mo Ningzhi noticed that Qin Weijin seemed a bit listless. After a pause, she asked, "Didn't you sleep well last night? Are you not used to the new place?"
Qin Weijin was somewhat surprised by Mo Ningzhi's keen insight. "No."
He was just sending private messages on his phone, and after several hours without a reply, he realized it was already 1 a.m.
It's not that I didn't sleep well.
Mo Ningzhi nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
Upon arriving at the garage, Qin Weijin got into his car. He hadn't read the script since he started filming his new drama today; he simply closed his eyes to rest.
Mo Ningzhi checked the schedule and found that the latter half of the month was mainly spent filming, with a lot of time spent on set.
Mo Ningzhi had heard months ago that director Hou Qing, who had been silent for three years, was planning to film a new drama. At that time, he was still working as an entertainment reporter. The company sent two teams to keep an eye on the news, but it came to nothing. It was said that the project was temporarily shelved because they couldn't find a suitable actor for the male lead.
Unexpectedly, only a few months have passed and the crew has already started filming.
Judging from the updated schedule, Qin Weijin only took on the role about half a month ago. He is now famous and has many fans. After the production team released the news, there was no shortage of sponsorship. It is not surprising that the project was successful so quickly from planning to implementation.
However, we don't have to film today; we're mainly taking costume photos.
Mo Ningzhi was somewhat expectant.
Putting aside his status as a hater, he was still looking forward to Qin Weijin's ancient costume look. After all, Qin Weijin became popular all over the country when he debuted with his ancient style young man image. This is his first ancient costume after his comeback. From a photographer's point of view, Mo Ningzhi was also a little itchy to show his skills.
The weather has been very changeable lately. It started raining as soon as I arrived at the film set.
Mo Ningzhi took a large umbrella and walked over to Qin Weijin. Qin Weijin estimated their heights and figured Mo Ningzhi would have some difficulty holding the umbrella, so he took it from her, saying, "I can do it myself."
Mo Ningzhi gestured for him to go: "Let me do it. There are a lot of fans nearby. Brother Jin should maintain his image and avoid any crowding or collisions."
Qin Weijin did not insist any further and got out of the carriage.
Mo Ningzhi sheltered him under a black umbrella. Qin Weijin lowered his eyebrows slightly and saw that Mo Ningzhi's black shirt sleeves were rolled up twice, revealing a section of fair and slender forearm. Thin fingers gripped the umbrella handle, knuckles protruding, and rounded fingertips with a hint of pink.
Mo Ningzhi approached, and the familiar fragrance wafted into his nose. It was a scent he was used to, but Qin Weijin felt as if there was something extra in it, making it even fresher and more pleasant.
As soon as Qin Weijin got out of the car, he heard the fans shouting loudly, but because it was raining, he didn't linger and turned to walk towards the filming location.
The large umbrella remained overhead.
Qin Weijin's gaze shifted, and he noticed that Mo Ningzhi's shoulder was partially exposed outside the umbrella, yet there was still a considerable space between them. He immediately said, "Mo Ningzhi, come closer to me."
"No need." Mo Ningzhi glanced at her shoulder, not paying any attention. "The rain isn't heavy, and we're almost there."
Qin Weijin's brows furrowed. As the rain intensified, he paused for a second before reaching out and grasping Mo Ningzhi's wrist.
It's very fine and soft.
It looked like it could be broken with a little force, so Qin Weijin couldn't help but reduce his strength.
"Ningzhi, turn left ahead and go through the second door," Xiao Guo pointed ahead.
Mo Ningzhi looked up, her attention drawn to the scene. By the time she realized her wrist had been grabbed and she was being pulled under the umbrella, it was too late.
He tripped and stumbled into a warm, fragrant place.
Qin Weijin gripped his shoulder, his palms warm. Their bodies were pressed close together, their similar body temperatures mingling under the damp umbrella. Mo Ningzhi was still bewildered when he heard a clear, pure voice above him, its tone restrained at the end: "Stand still and watch where you're going."
As soon as that cell-killing voice came out, Mo Ningzhi felt as if she could hear the frantic heartbeats of her fans again.
A note from the author:
----------------------
I've been a bit busy three times, and I really enjoy revising my writing, so it's taken a little longer than usual. I'll probably update again tomorrow afternoon or evening, and try to be as quick as possible. Sorry for the long wait, I'll send out red envelopes (cash gifts) tomorrow! [rose emoji]
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