Chapter 53 Uncontrolled Illusion Zhou Yaozheng seems to have lost his mind.
"Want to come upstairs with me?" Mo Ningzhi asked, turning her head.
Qin Weijin raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
Mo Ningzhi: "Hmm?"
Qin Weijin stared at him for a while before chuckling and saying, "Meeting the parents? But I haven't prepared anything."
"..." Mo Ningzhi said irritably, "Then do you want to go or not?"
"Never mind, maybe next time," Qin Weijin said. "Okay, get ready."
Mo Ningzhi found his reaction amusing: "Teacher Qin is afraid of meeting parents?"
"Of course I'm afraid. This meeting could affect my happiness for the rest of my life." Qin Weijin said, glancing at him. "If you're not afraid, why don't you come home with me sometime?"
Mo Ningzhi thought about the scene for a moment, then shook her head vigorously: "I'm not going."
Qin Weijin smiled and said, "You go up first. I'm going home to get some things. I also need to go home tomorrow."
Having grown accustomed to spending so much time together, Mo Ningzhi felt that this wasn't enough time, so she leaned in and kissed him again, then asked domineeringly, "When are you coming back?"
"You need to have dinner first."
"Alright." Mo Ningzhi released the person. "Approved. Go and come back soon."
Qin Weijin found him very cute and kissed him for a long time before separating half an hour later.
...
Mo Tingzhou recovered well, and the next morning he received permission from his attending physician to be discharged and go home to recuperate.
Zhou Suiyin arrived at the hospital at noon to pick up Ningzhi, and brought her housekeeper to pack their belongings. "Ningzhi, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and your father has just been discharged from the hospital. It's a good day for our family. Let's have dinner together tonight."
Mo Ningzhi hadn't planned to just leave anyway, so he nodded and agreed, "Okay."
Then he leaned against the window, playing with the small pendant in his hand.
Zhou Suiyin glanced at it unintentionally and said, "You play with Perler beads too?"
Mo Ningzhi didn't understand: "What are you competing for?"
He glanced at the object in his hand. "Is this made of beans? I can't tell."
“Perler beads,” Zhou Suiyin said. “I’ve seen others play this online. They use special small beads to create patterns, and then iron them flat. There can’t be any mistakes, otherwise all your efforts will be wasted. Yours has many colors and complex patterns, yet you still managed to make it look so beautiful. You’re really skillful.”
Zhou Yaozheng suddenly said, "It is indeed quite beautiful. Can it be transferred?"
Zhou Suiyin turned her head and gave him a strange look. "Why are you also interested in these kinds of gadgets?"
"I've always been interested," Zhou Yaozheng said. "Could you part with it, Ning Zhi?"
"No." Mo Ningzhi put the pendant away.
Zhou Yaozheng said, "I can add money; you can set the price as you like."
Zhou Suiyin's expression changed. Worried that he would ruin the atmosphere, she secretly tugged at her son, "Ningzhi, don't listen to his nonsense. He's too busy with work and his mind isn't quite clear."
Mo Ningzhi never transfers his conflicts with Zhou Yaozheng to Zhou Suiyin, but he still harbors resentment and cannot get close to her.
"Dad, can we go now?" Mo Ningzhi turned and asked.
"That's about enough," Mo Tingzhou said. "Let's go."
The villa was cleaned very early in the morning. Lanterns were hung at the door, the yard was spotless, and even the water in the pond was changed. When Mo Ningzhi crossed the stone bridge, he even threw some fish food into the water.
"Young Master, these fish were just fed this morning. We can't feed them again today. If they overeat, the Master will scold us again," the butler reminded him.
These fish were indeed all plump and round, and they didn't know when to stop eating. As soon as the fish food was put into the water, all their heads crowded over and tried to grab the food. Mo Ningzhi seemed to like it quite a bit, but unfortunately, if she fed them any more, they would be stuffed to death.
He clapped his hands and was about to put down the fish food when he heard Mo Tingzhou say behind him, "Let him feed it. I've fed so many fish since I was a kid, even the most expensive ones. A few more won't make a difference. This kid has been a fish nemesis since he was a child."
"Alright, alright, then you can continue feeding them." As she spoke, the butler placed another box of fish food next to Mo Ningzhi.
Zhou Yaozheng couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Mo Ningzhi: "..."
There are two different things: what you want to do and what others make you do. He just acted on a whim, but now his whole family seems to be waiting to see him make a fool of himself, which makes Mo Ningzhi feel that it's pointless.
Lunch was already on the table, but Mo Ningzhi wasn't hungry yet. After eating half a bowl of rice, he went to the yard to spread out and sunbathe. Qin Weijin had to go home for the holiday in the morning and probably wouldn't be free now, so he didn't want to bother him and just let himself get bored.
The sun was blinding, and he was just taking out his sunglasses and putting them on when his phone rang. It was Qin Weijin calling, as if on cue, "Have you eaten?"
"I've eaten." Mo Ningzhi smiled. "Now I'm sunbathing."
Qin asked Jin, "When are you going home?"
It seemed quite lively over there, with the sounds of many children playing.
"I don't know, anytime is fine." Mo Ningzhi thought for a moment, then asked, "What about you?"
"It will probably be a little late. There are many people in our family, so dinner is usually quite late." Qin Weijin's voice, as always, pierced Mo Ningzhi's heart.
“Then don’t bother rushing back tonight,” Mo Ningzhi said. “It’s too much trouble. I’ll probably stay home tonight anyway.”
Mo Ningzhi didn't actually want to stay here, but he needed to go home. Qin Weijin would definitely come back. His home was in a neighboring city, and it would take more than an hour by car or high-speed rail. He had just finished filming a variety show for two days, and Mo Ningzhi didn't want him to waste his rest time on the road.
After hearing this, Qin Weijin was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Okay, can I have tomorrow's time?"
Mo Ningzhi thought for a moment and said, "This afternoon is fine."
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
"Um."
After hanging up the phone, Mo Ningzhi lay on the deck chair for a few minutes, and then she heard rustling footsteps on the lawn.
Mo Ningzhi closed his eyes and subconsciously said, "If you have something to say, say it; if not, leave."
"What are you saying, you brat?" Mo Tingzhou's annoyed voice came as he sat down on another recliner. "Are you sunburned?"
Mo Ningzhi raised her head slightly, took off her sunglasses and glanced at him, "Oh, I thought you were Zhou Yaozheng. Who told you to walk so quietly?"
Mo Tingzhou was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at him: "You and Yao Zheng still have such a bad relationship?"
Mo Ningzhi closed her eyes and said, "What, trying to be a peacemaker again?"
“I’m not that free. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now,” Mo Tingzhou said in a low voice. “If you really can’t get along with him, I’ll tell him to go away.”
Mo Ningzhi opened her eyes. "What?"
"The company's overseas business is going very smoothly. Zhou Yaozheng has been in charge of liaison in this area, so he is the most suitable person to be sent overseas."
Mo Ningzhi: "Aren't you afraid Aunt Zhou will be unhappy?"
“Then you’ve misunderstood her. She’s already agreed to it,” Mo Tingzhou said.
Mo Ningzhi was a little surprised. Zhou Yaozheng was already busy enough. If he went abroad for an extended period of time, they might not see each other for a year or two. How could Zhou Suiyin be willing to do that?
“Your Aunt Zhou and I aren’t stupid. We’ve seen how you’ve been spending time together lately. Yao Zheng is definitely not acting right. We don’t know if it’s because he’s been working too much. Your Aunt Zhou is planning to let him rest for a few months before he’s sent abroad again. You’ll have fewer opportunities to see each other in the future.”
The thing he had been looking forward to had happened. Zhou Yaozheng was no longer an inescapable part of his life, and he no longer had to worry about him. Mo Ningzhi was momentarily speechless.
"What, are you dumbfounded?"
Mo Ningzhi snapped out of her daze: "No, I was just surprised."
“I never expected that I would send him away?” Mo Tingzhou said.
Mo Ningzhi remained silent for a while before obediently humming in agreement. Zhou Yaozheng could be considered the most anticipated standard heir among the major families in the capital. He had always thought that Mo Tingzhou would hand over the company to Zhou Yaozheng soon, in order to continue the company's glory.
"You brat, do you think your dad is the kind of person who can't distinguish right from wrong? Alright, eat your food and go to bed early. Tomorrow morning, we'll go see your mother together." Mo Tingzhou stood up and said.
This has been a tradition that Mo Ningzhi and Old Man Mo have tacitly agreed upon for many years. Every year on the second day of a holiday, they would visit their mother's grave in the suburbs. This habit has continued for more than ten years.
"I understand," Mo Ningzhi said.
...
Dinner was relatively peaceful. After dinner, many relatives and friends came to visit. Mo Ningzhi accompanied the guests for a while, then sat to the side and quietly sent messages to Qin Weijin with her head down.
[Good Morning]: [Image] [Image]
[Good Morning]: It's too noisy at home, I really want to sleep.
[Qin for Jin]: Under the same sky, with the same group of relatives, it's the same for me.
Mo Ningzhi stroked the small pendant in her hand and casually sent a message: 【Your handicrafts are so valuable. Someone wanted to buy them today and offered a high price.】
[Qin for Jin]: So you sold it?
Mo Ningzhi teased him deliberately: "[Sold it.]"
[Qin for Jin]: Then I'll make a few more, and you can sell them all to him. All the profits are yours.
Mo Ningzhi couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
I used to think that people who were holding their phones and smiling sweetly looked like fools. Now I realize that some people can make others feel comfortable and happy just by using words.
Friends and relatives gathered around 7 or 8 pm, making the whole house lively and bustling. They left like a tide after 10 pm. Mo Ningzhi stretched his neck a few times, feeling that entertaining guests was more tiring than a month-long business trip.
"Ningzhi, you must be tired." Zhou Suiyin saw that he looked exhausted and took out some skin care products. "You just finished a business trip and then went to the hospital to take care of your dad. You just got home and then it was a holiday. You've had everything happen to you. Go back and rest."
Mo Ningzhi was a little lazy and leaned back on the sofa, not wanting to move: "Aunt Zhou, you go first, I'll rest for a while before going upstairs."
“Alright, your room has been cleaned. We didn’t touch anything. If you need anything, just ask the housekeeper. Oh, right…” Zhou Suiyin suddenly remembered something, turned around and took out a large box of skincare products from the cabinet. “The weather in the Northwest is so hot that boys need to take good care of themselves too.”
Mo Ningzhi felt a headache coming on when she saw all these bottles and jars of different sizes. She was about to refuse when she remembered Mo Tingzhou's words and paused: "Aunt Zhou, have I really gotten a lot darker?"
“A little bit, not very dark,” Zhou Suiyin said.
Mo Ningzhi took the box and said, "Thank you, Aunt Zhou."
"Okay, I'll go upstairs first. You should get some rest too."
Mo Ningzhi nodded and continued to nestle on the sofa to study the contents of the box. Before long, she became sleepy and fell asleep without realizing it.
When Zhou Yaozheng returned from his phone call, he saw this scene as he passed through the living room. He put away his phone, his reason telling him not to go over, but his body moved first, tiptoeing slowly towards the sofa.
Mo Ningzhi wasn't sleeping soundly; her eyelashes fluttered gently.
Zhou Yaozheng then even softened his breathing.
When he left, the living room was still bustling with noise, but after a phone call, it seemed that only he and Mo Ningzhi were left in the entire villa.
Zhou Yaozheng sat down next to Mo Ningzhi almost without making a sound, his hands resting flat on his knees, his lowered eyes revealing no emotion.
After a moment, his gaze slowly shifted to Mo Ningzhi's face.
Like seeing Pandora's box, like seeing a flower hidden in the mist, like seeing a treasure long awaited but never obtained, Zhou Yaozheng couldn't help but approach.
He had never looked at Mo Ningzhi so closely before.
As their breathing grew closer, Zhou Yaozheng seemed to lose his senses.
"Clang."
The sudden sound startled him from his dream. Zhou Yaozheng opened his eyes and turned his head away unhappily.
At the corner of the stairs, the face mask in Zhou Suiyin's hand slipped and fell to the ground, her face as white as paper.
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