Chapter 42 A Different Kind of Intimacy: Mo Ningzhi didn't resist, obediently standing still...
Mo Ningzhi paused, feeling the fever that had finally subsided after a nap slowly rising from her heart again.
"What did you say?" Li Yan came out of the room at some point. He had just finished showering and was drying his hair when he wandered into the kitchen to get a bottle of drink.
When he turned around, he heard half of Qin Weijin's sentence, and out of curiosity, he turned around immediately.
Mo Ningzhi quickly looked away and buried his head in his food. He didn't have much of an appetite and moved slowly. "It's nothing. Have you had dinner yet?"
Li Yan pulled out a chair and sat down, leaning lazily to one side. "I've already eaten, you don't need to worry about me. What were you two talking about just now? The atmosphere between you two seemed a bit strange."
Perhaps feeling too guilty, Mo Ningzhi bumped her spoon against the bowl. "You've got the wrong idea. We're talking about work."
Li Yan raised an eyebrow: "But your face is very red."
Across the table, Qin Weijin paused, looking over with some surprise. Mo Ningzhi: "..."
He hurriedly took a sip of porridge and whispered, "Didn't you know I'm sick? Isn't it normal to have a fever and red skin?"
Li Yan thought about it and felt it made sense.
Mo Ningzhi breathed a sigh of relief, and the next second her phone rang.
The caller ID was an unfamiliar local landline with only seven digits. In this day and age, places still using landlines were either part of the official system or were scammers. Mo Ningzhi hesitated for a moment, but still answered the call.
Who is it?
"Mr. Mo Ningzhi? This is the Department of Trauma and Orthopedics at the Third Municipal Hospital. There was a car accident in the suburbs tonight, and a patient named Zhou Yaozheng was injured and admitted to the hospital. The contact number he gave his family is yours. Do you have time to come to the hospital now?" The nurse's voice was crisp and efficient.
Mo Ningzhi paused for a moment: "How badly is he injured?"
As soon as he said that, the other two people at the table looked over.
Nurse: "The patient has a fractured right arm and multiple abrasions and needs to be admitted to the hospital for treatment. Your family members should come as soon as possible. The patient is in a bad mood and is not cooperating with the treatment."
"Understood, I will notify his family." Mo Ningzhi hung up the phone after saying that.
Li Yan: "What's wrong?"
"Zhou Yaozheng was in a car accident and is hospitalized," Mo Ningzhi said calmly.
"Joke." Li Yan sighed, "Has God opened his eyes?"
Mo Ningzhi lost his appetite. He didn't know what had gotten into Zhou Yaozheng, that his family contact dared to leave his number. But for Zhou Suiyin's sake, he wouldn't pretend not to know.
It's impossible for Mo Ningzhi to rush to the hospital to visit Zhou Yaozheng late at night. He would only call Old Man Mo and ask Zhou Suiyin to take care of his son, which would be more prudent.
Mo Ningzhi leaned on the edge of the table to get up: "I'll go make a phone call first."
Qin Weijin watched Mo Ningzhi walk towards the bedroom, and when he looked away, he met Li Yan's somewhat amused expression. "Aren't you curious?"
Qin Weijin lowered his gaze indifferently, "What's there to be curious about? I know Zhou Yaozheng."
Li Yan hissed, revealing a toothache on his face: "How did you know? Ning Zhilian told you all this?"
Qin Weijin slyly acquiesced, saying nonchalantly, "Yes, I've seen him on set."
"Damn it, this bastard even followed her to the film set to annoy people?" Li Yan slammed his fist on the table in anger. "What did he force Ning Zhi to do this time? I knew it! Why would he go to some stupid birthday party? This bastard is up to no good!"
Qin Weijin glanced at him. "If their relationship is so bad, why is Mo Ningzhi their emergency contact?"
"Who knows what kind of wicked idea that bastard is plotting this time? Zhou Yaozheng is no good!" Li Yan cursed.
"What I mean is," Qin Weijin paused for a few seconds, then rephrased his question, "he knew perfectly well that he and Mo Ningzhi had a terrible relationship, yet he still tirelessly used various excuses to lure Ningzhi over there. Why?"
"..." Li Yan seemed to have a new idea pop into his head: "Huh?"
At this moment, Mo Ningzhi opened the door and came out. She had changed her clothes and had a cold expression, as if she was about to go out.
Li Yan stood up. "Are you going to the hospital?"
"Hmm." Mo Ningzhi bent down to change her shoes in the entryway. "Old Man Mo and Aunt Zhou went to Shanghai yesterday. Their earliest return flight is tomorrow noon. I'll just go take a look and come back."
Li Yan was still processing the question Qin Weijin had just posed, his mind a jumble of thoughts with no clear direction. By the time he came to his senses, Qin Weijin had already stood up: "I'll go with you."
"No need, I'll be back soon."
Qin Weijin didn't give him a chance to refuse. He took a mask and hat and walked towards him. "You're still sick. I'm worried about you going by yourself. I'll wait for you at the door of the ward."
Mo Ningzhi still hesitated: "If you show up at the hospital to visit a strange man at night, it will be headline news again tomorrow."
Qin Weijin smiled and said, "Don't you want to check what time it is? Everyone in the hospital who should be sleeping is already asleep."
Mo Ningzhi took out her phone and saw that it was 1:03 AM, already past midnight.
He then nodded, "Alright then."
"Li Yan, give me your car keys." Mo Ningzhi thought for a moment and decided that it would be safer to drive with Qin Weijin with her.
"I just left it on the entryway cabinet when I came back. You two should go and come back soon. I won't go. I'm afraid if I see Zhou Yaozheng, I'll want to throw him out the window." Li Yan crushed the drink bottle and threw it into the trash can.
Since Li Yan moved in temporarily, he has gradually moved a lot of his belongings over. Mo Ningzhi opened a drawer and found the keys to seven or eight cars inside. He chose a large SUV with good privacy and went out with Qin Weijin late at night.
Qin Weijin was driving on the way to the hospital.
Mo Ningzhi leaned lazily against the passenger seat, not looking down at her phone, but staring blankly out the window, occasionally turning around to say a few words to Qin Weijin.
Qin Weijin didn't ask any questions and remained quiet throughout the journey, which made Mo Ningzhi feel very relaxed.
There weren't many cars on the road late at night, and they arrived at the hospital half an hour later. At the door of the ward, Qin Weijin said, "Let's go in."
Mo Ningzhi turned around and saw that there was no one in the corridor. She reached out and helped him adjust his mask. "Call me if you need anything, and I'll be right out."
For a moment, Mo Ningzhi considered taking Qin Weijin inside with her. Zhou Yaozheng was staying in a private room, which offered good privacy. Although it was late at night, people would still appear in the corridor, and leaving Qin Weijin alone outside the door wouldn't be safe.
But Mo Ningzhi didn't want Qin Weijin to see his hysterical side. Their relationship was still shaky, and he didn't want to have any negative impression of Qin Weijin.
Qin Weijin lowered his head indulgently, making it easier for Mo Ningzhi to move, "Okay."
The lights were still on in the ward, and it was quiet. Mo Ningzhi didn't knock; she just pushed the door open and went in.
Zhou Yaozheng was still awake. His right arm was in a cast, and there were several abrasions on his cheek. He was staring blankly out the window when he heard the sound. He turned around, and his somewhat dazed gaze slowly turned into surprise and tenderness. "You're here."
Mo Ningzhi walked to the sofa in the corner and sat down. "Why did you call me over?"
"Are you sick?" Zhou Yaozheng frowned sharply. "Is it serious? Have you seen a doctor?"
Mo Ningzhi ignored him with a sour expression.
"Okay, if you don't want to say, then don't. Cough cough, you've probably misunderstood." Zhou Yaozheng smiled helplessly and said, "It was someone from the hospital who called you; I didn't know anything about it."
Zhou Yaozheng always seemed to be like this. Many times, he would try every means to force Mo Ningzhi to show herself, but once they met, he would portray himself as an innocent person who knew nothing, as if he just wanted Mo Ningzhi to see his harmless and gentle side.
What's the point?
Company or shares? Mo Ningzhi has nothing under his name right now, nothing to covet.
For the sake of family harmony?
But every time they met, the forced family relationship would fall apart even more.
Mo Ningzhi really couldn't understand the cunning schemes of a businessman like Zhou Yaozheng.
He gave a cold laugh and got up to leave.
"Ningzhi," Zhou Yaozheng called out to him.
Mo Ningzhi did not turn back.
Zhou Yaozheng waited a moment before finally giving a bitter smile, "I had a dream, a dream about the first time I entered the Mo family."
Mo Ningzhi frowned and finally turned around: "What do you want to say?"
Zhou Yaozheng's first day in the Mo family was far from respectable. Mo Ningzhi was around ten years old, the most rebellious time of his life. The day after he had a big fight with Old Man Mo, he suddenly found two more people in the house. Instantly, all the rebellious spirit he had accumulated in the past ten years jumped out to oppose him. The Mo family that day could be described as chaotic.
What does Zhou Yaozheng mean by bringing up old matters again?
If you're feeling emo and can't sleep at night, why not have him reminisce about the glorious past?
"I don't want this anymore," Zhou Yaozheng said. "Let's call a truce."
Mo Ningzhi paused for a few seconds, then remained silent.
“I know you don’t believe me. Just consider this a sudden realization after I was on the verge of death. I don’t want to confront you anymore. My mother is also suffering because she’s caught in the middle. Let’s call a truce and live peacefully together from now on.” Zhou Yaozheng looked at him calmly. “It’s okay if you don’t want to call me brother. We live under the same roof. As long as we live peacefully together, Uncle Mo and my mother will have less to worry about.”
Mo Ningzhi stared at him for a few seconds, "Have you hurt your brain?"
Zhou Yaozheng was amused, and the low laughter reverberated in his chest, which also aggravated his wound. He laughed twice but could not laugh anymore, and hissed in pain twice, "Just pretend I hurt my brain."
Regardless of Zhou Yaozheng's ulterior motives, as long as he didn't cause trouble, Mo Ningzhi was still willing to coexist peacefully. Over the years, Old Man Mo and Zhou Suiyin's relationship had grown stronger, and their cobbled-together little family had gradually gotten on track, seemingly inseparable. Rather than being at odds, it was better to maintain a facade of harmony. He and Zhou Yaozheng could never be brothers in this life, so it was good enough for Old Man Mo and Zhou Suiyin to see the peace they had created.
Footsteps echoed down the corridor, and Mo Ningzhi glanced towards the door.
Zhou Yaozheng smiled and asked, "Is there anyone at the door? You looked back several times."
Mo Ningzhi didn't answer, but stood up. "You'd better remember what you said."
Just then, a nurse pushed a trolley in. "The family member of bed number 6 is here. How did the conversation go? Can we start the IV now?"
Zhou Yaozheng smiled suavely, "That's fine, thank you for your hard work, nurse."
"That's more like it." The nurse took out a tube and a needle. "The sooner you get treatment, the sooner you can be discharged. You're such a grown-up, yet you're still acting like a child, needing your family to coax you. This is your younger brother, right? He's really handsome."
"no."
"no."
The two spoke in unison.
The nurse was stunned.
Mo Ningzhi had no patience to stay in the ward any longer. He got up to leave when Qin Weijin walked in from outside. "Is it over?"
Hearing the sound, Zhou Yaozheng turned his head.
The nurse patted the back of his hand and whispered, "Relax, I'm about to give you an injection."
Mo Ningzhi nodded and walked over: "That's enough, let's go back."
"Since you're already here, you might as well see a doctor while you're at it." Qin Weijin stood by the wall, looking down at the person.
With just a few simple words, Qin Weijin disarmed Mo Ningzhi, who had been on guard for so long. Mo Ningzhi yawned lazily, exposing her soft belly like a cat, and said, "I'm not going. I want to go home and sleep."
Qin Weijin touched his forehead, and Mo Ningzhi did not resist, obediently standing still and looking up. "Is it not hot?"
"Hmm." Qin Weijin chuckled softly. "Then let's go back. We can rest tomorrow, so we don't need to get up too early."
"good."
Mo Ningzhi left without looking back.
Zhou Yaozheng stared intently at the door, observing Qin Weijin and Mo Ningzhi's interaction. He felt as if he were seeing a Mo Ningzhi he had never met before—a gentle, playful, and mischievous person. His breathing suddenly became rapid, and he gripped the blanket tightly.
"Oh no, don't move! You're drawing blood!" the nurse exclaimed.
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