Chapter 36 Brief Stay "Knowing you still want to live together? Aren't you afraid of being embroiled in scandals..."
Old Mo felt like he'd seen a ghost: "You are... Qin Weijin?"
Just now, Qin Weijin was wearing a mask outside the door, so he didn't recognize him. Now that he's taken off his coat and removed the disguise from his face, his face, which always appears on various screens, is much easier to recognize.
Mo Tingzhou had known for a long time that Mo Ningzhi was working as Qin Weijin's assistant, but he never expected that in just a few months their relationship would become so close that they would be holding hands and going home together at night, and that they would go home to his son's house.
The old man suddenly felt a pang of heart attack; the scene was so jarring, he didn't know how to begin. "You..."
Fortunately, Qin Weijin was very perceptive. As soon as Qin Weijin uttered the first syllable, he took the initiative to explain, "On the way here, I ran into some stalker fans who were following me. It's inconvenient for me to go home, so I came to Ningzhi to hide for the time being. I apologize for disturbing you, Uncle."
A title that Qin Weijin had never used before caught Mo Ningzhi off guard. He paused for a moment, then slowly raised an eyebrow.
Mo Tingzhou didn't notice anything unusual about his son. He hummed in response and then asked, "What are sasaeng fans?"
“Extreme fans who stalk and harass celebrities and illegally obtain their privacy are called sasaeng fans,” Mo Ningzhi answered simply and bluntly.
Mo Tingzhou nodded, suddenly realizing, "Those two at the corner of the hallway just now, weren't they? I knew they looked suspicious."
"Yes." The person who usually doesn't like to talk nonsense with his father was quite patient in repeating it today.
Mo Ningzhi tightened the water bottle before realizing she hadn't asked Qin Weijin about his solution. "Have you finished talking to Agent Zhan?"
"Hmm." Qin Weijin sat down next to him very naturally. "The security in this community is good, there are surveillance cameras everywhere. After Zhan Linzhou takes the lawyer to collect evidence, he will contact the local police station. Those two won't get away, don't worry."
Mo Ningzhi nodded: "The address upstairs may have been exposed. It's not safe for you to live alone. Why don't you stay at my place for the next few days?"
There's also Li Yan at home. If anyone were to break in, the three of them, as adult men, would be enough to scare them away.
Qin Weijin looked at Mo Ningzhi quietly for a few seconds, then asked in a low voice, "Will this bother you?"
"No," Mo Ningzhi said without hesitation. "My house is big enough; there's enough room for everyone."
"Ta-da!"
The table was tapped in dissatisfaction.
Mo Ningzhi looked up and saw Old Man Mo's large, dark face. "Do you two even remember me?"
Mo Ningzhi: "Why aren't you leaving yet?"
"..." Mo Tingzhou said with a serious expression, "I do not agree to his move in."
Mo Ningzhi casually lifted her eyelids: "This is my home, do I need your permission?"
"..."
Although Mo Tingzhou didn't know if Qin Weijin and Mo Ningzhi had any other relationship in private, the inexplicable intimacy made him shudder. He had heard that people in the entertainment industry were shrewd and calculating, and that all sorts of underhanded rules could swindle people out of everything. Although his son was rebellious, he was still his precious son, and he should protect him. It was just a pity that his silly son didn't appreciate it and even talked back to him.
"From what you're saying, Qin Weijin lives upstairs, right?" Mo Tingzhou pointed in the direction of the upstairs. "Since this place has already been exposed, why not just move out?"
"..."
"..."
Mo Tingzhou's words left the two speechless.
Mo Ningzhi touched the tip of his nose. He was the one who first invited them to live together, and Qin Weijin agreed without hesitation. It seemed that neither of them had thought about moving to another place.
After a while, Mo Ningzhi said, "This arrangement is safer. It's so late, Dad, you should go home quickly. Older people should go to bed early and get up early. I'll have your driver wait downstairs."
"Wait a minute..." Before Mo Tingzhou could figure out why it was safer to live in an address that had already been exposed, Mo Ningzhi hurriedly pushed him out the door.
After closing the door, Mo Ningzhi stared at the tightly closed keyhole for a while, somewhat lost in thought. After a moment, he turned around and found Qin Weijin standing behind him for who knows how long, his eyes somewhat blank, as if he was also in a daze.
Mo Ningzhi thought he was thinking about what Old Man Mo had just said, something that shouldn't be thought about too much as it could easily be misunderstood. He quickly said, "You don't need to worry about what my dad said."
Qin Weijin raised his head, looking quite composed: "Yes, I didn't mind."
"Oh." Mo Ningzhi blinked and asked in a low voice, "So, are you staying here?"
Qin Weijin lifted his eyelids and met his gaze: "Stay."
Mo Ningzhi felt a sudden jolt in some corner of her heart, for reasons she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was as if a box of crystal-clear bubbles, bubbling and swelling in a hidden corner of her heart, were filling it with water.
"Then you should rest for a bit, I'll go order takeout."
Mo Ningzhi turned to go back to the living room to get his phone. As they passed each other, Qin Weijin grabbed his wrist. "It's so late. By the time the takeout arrives, it will be past midnight."
Mo Ningzhi thought about it and agreed: "Shall we go out to eat?"
"Isn't there a kitchen at home?" Qin Weijin said, rolling up his sleeves to reveal a pair of smooth and strong arms. "It's faster to cook by yourself."
Mo Ningzhi, seeing his posture, asked, "You can cook?"
Qin Weijin walked into the kitchen, looking for ingredients as he said, "Yes, you should know that I have a wide range of allergies, and there are some foods I can't touch, so when I'm not working, I usually cook for myself."
Mo Ningzhi nodded, and after a few seconds she came to her senses, belatedly trying to cover it up: "How would I know your allergens?"
He blinked quickly, turned around and took a bag of noodles from the cupboard. "This is all we have at home. There's no other food in the fridge. Shall we have some clear soup noodles?"
Calling it clear broth noodles is an understatement; there's practically no vegetable in the fridge. Tonight, we'll have plain noodles. Qin Weijin sighed. "I'll cook the noodles. You go upstairs to my place and get the ingredients. Take whatever you want. The door code is 991096."
Mo Ningzhi was taken aback for a moment, somewhat surprised that Qin Weijin had entrusted her with the house password so readily, but she only hesitated for a few seconds before turning around and leaving.
Not long after he left, Qin Weijin received a phone call. He was washing his hands at the time, had put the phone on speakerphone and was boiling water. "How is it?"
Zhan Linzhou said, "Pretty much. The surveillance footage is quite clear. I also found out that the two of them had been following you for a week. They were probably just scouting before, but they decided to make their move today. They followed you all the way from the film set into the residential area and even got a access card, so they went upstairs before you."
"The person has been found and negotiations are underway. Be careful these next few days. I have another apartment in Guanshan Community. I'll have Xiao Liu come and take you there later."
"No need," Qin Weijin said, taking a moment from his busy schedule.
"Why not? Your address has already been exposed, and we don't even know if those two have leaked your information. It's not safe for you to continue living there. Listen to me, leave tonight." Zhan Linzhou said decisively.
“Really, there’s no need. It’s very safe here,” Qin Weijin said, turning on the gas stove. Mo Ningzhi’s gas stove emitted a clear “whoosh” sound.
"What's that sound..." Zhan Linzhou finally realized something was wrong. "Where are you now? You don't have a stove with an open flame at home."
"Mo Ning knows his family."
"where?"
“I’m staying at Mo Ningzhi’s house for the time being.”
"..." There was an eerie silence on the phone for a while before Zhan Linzhou said quietly, "You should know what people are saying about you two online, right?"
“I know,” Qin Weijin said.
Once the water boiled, he divided the noodles into two portions and put them into the water.
Zhan Linzhou: "You knew and you still lived together? Aren't you afraid of being embroiled in scandals?"
The soup pot was bubbling and boiling. Qin Weijin took out his chopsticks and gently stirred the noodles. "I'm afraid they won't stay here."
...
When Mo Ningzhi returned with the ingredients, she happened to see Li Yan at the elevator entrance. He must have just come back from a business dinner, as he smelled a little of alcohol, but thankfully he was still relatively sober.
"You're back." Li Yan leaned against the wall, speaking slowly. "I think I forgot the door code."
Mo Ningzhi was holding the ingredients in her arms and couldn't help him, so she went over and reminded the drunkard, "But you can knock on the door."
Li Yan argued logically: "Weren't you not home? Who would answer the door if I knocked?"
Mo Ningzhi: "..."
No, the person is not sober.
Mo Ningzhi was just thinking about how to free her hands to verify the fingerprint when she heard the door lock beep twice and open. Qin Weijin was wearing an apron, his shirt was slightly wrinkled, and there were still water droplets on his arms. "You're back. Why did you take so long?"
Mo Ningzhi's gaze fell on the apron around his waist. It was an old item left by the landlord, with blue and pink plaid patterns and a logo of a chicken essence brand printed in the center. It was very tacky and Mo Ningzhi had casually hung it behind the kitchen door. He had never used it before, but he never expected Qin Weijin to take it and wear it.
"What's wrong?" Qin Weijin noticed his pause.
"It's alright, you can help me take my things inside," Mo Ningzhi said. "I'll help the drunkard."
Li Yan leaned against the wall and said, "There's no drunkard here, I'll help you."
"..."
Qin Weijin almost forgot that there was also an unknown person named Li Yan by Mo Ningzhi's side, whose identity and purpose were unclear. Compared to his short-term "staying" for a while, Li Yan's excuse for staying was much more reasonable, and he could stay as long as he wanted.
Qin Weijin returned to the kitchen with the new ingredients, and five minutes later, he came out carrying two bowls of noodles.
Li Yan was mostly sober by now, and kept turning her head to look at the kitchen. "Wait... what's he doing here?"
Mo Ningzhi: "I'd like to stay here."
Li Yan looked shocked: "He went bankrupt?"
"..."
Observing Mo Ningzhi's expression, Li Yan knew that he must have guessed wrong: "Then why is he staying at your house?"
Mo Ning belatedly realized that Qin Weijin's reason for staying at the hotel wasn't quite convincing, but it should be enough to fool the big, simple-minded Li Yan: "It's too late, and it's inconvenient for him to go to the hotel given his status."
Li Yan responded with an "oh".
Mo Ningzhi let out a breath.
Li Yan then remembered something: "Then he..."
"Have some water." Mo Ningzhi held the water glass to his lips, then cut him off, "Didn't you drink some alcohol? Aren't you thirsty?"
Li Yan took the cup: "It seems so, thank you."
"Ningzhi, it's time to eat."
Mo Ningzhi paused for a moment before standing up: "Oh, okay."
When Qin Weijin said he could cook, Mo Ningzhi didn't really believe him. Celebrities are too busy, sometimes they don't even have time to rest, let alone study cooking skills. In Mo Ningzhi's opinion, kitchen skills are not something that can be learned in a day or two; it's a science.
So when Mo Ningzhi saw the noodles Qin Wei Jin had cooked, she was surprised. They looked delicious and smelled wonderful, and the side dishes were carefully arranged on the plate, making them look very appetizing.
"It smells so good." Li Yan came over as she smelled the aroma.
Mo Ningzhi then remembered to ask, "Have you had dinner?"
Qin Weijin paused with his chopsticks for a moment, then said with a gentle smile, "I'm sorry, Mr. Li, I didn't know you were coming, so I only made two bowls."
"It's alright, I just ate, no need to trouble yourself." Li Yan waved his hand and then rummaged around in the living room. "Ning Zhi, have you seen my car keys? The ones for that Jeep."
Without thinking, Mo Ningzhi said, "The third shelf of the TV cabinet."
"That's true... I was wondering why you disappeared from the company all day. By the way, are you free this weekend? Old Jiang and the others organized an off-road trip. Want to go and relax?"
Mo Ningzhi had never been interested in these kinds of activities, and said with downcast eyes, "I'm not going."
“You’re not participating in group activities again.” Li Yan sighed. “But you have to go to Xiao Kai’s birthday party, right? Speaking of which, you two were mortal enemies when you were kids. Ever since he got a beating from you, he’s become your fanboy. He’s been talking about you a lot lately and has asked me about you several times. I heard that you’re going to have a pool party this time. How about it, go and relax?”
Mo Ningzhi had never been interested in such activities and was about to refuse.
Qin Weijin suddenly pushed a plate in front of him, "Try this fried egg? It's my first time making it, I don't know if it'll taste good."
Mo Ningzhi's attention was immediately drawn: "It doesn't look like it's the first time you've fried it."
Qin Weijin smiled and said, "We almost failed."
Mo Ningzhi had a peculiar preference when it came to fried eggs. He didn't like the trendy one-sided or runny yolks, nor did he like them fully cooked. His favorite was somewhere in between, with the yolk still soft and sandy. This kind of egg was difficult to cook perfectly, which led to Li Yan accusing him of being picky for a long time.
However, Mo Ningzhi liked the egg's cooking time and texture. "It's delicious. Brother Jin is too modest."
"I'm glad you like it." Qin Weijin glanced to the side for a moment, then quickly looked back. "I'll make it for you again when I have the chance."
Mo Ningzhi really wanted to agree, but when he thought of his job, his remaining rationality pulled him back. "That wouldn't be right. I'm the assistant."
“It’s after get off work hours now, there’s no boss or assistant here. Besides, I’m staying at your place, so consider this rent,” Qin Weijin said.
Mo Ningzhi thought for a moment and didn't refuse. They chatted for a while and finished their noodles. Mo Ningzhi got up and said, "Then I'll wash the dishes..."
"No need, I can do it." Qin Weijin took the bowl and chopsticks, his gaze flickered for a moment, then quickly returned. "Why don't you go wash some fruit?"
"good."
The two walked toward the kitchen talking in hushed tones. Mo Ningzhi paused for a moment, feeling as if there was something left undone, but Qin Weijin's words quickly drew her attention away, and the slight mental block disappeared completely.
Mo Ning focused intently on washing the fruit.
After a long pause, Li Yan, sitting by the sofa, said: "...???"
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