Chapter 27 Incompatible as Water and Fire "Qin is Jin, do you know Zhou Yaozheng?...
"where did you go?"
Mo Ningzhi was so confused that it took him a while to realize that he should leave Qin Weijin's house. Yes, where was he going? This was his home.
It must have been because this person was so natural when they came out of the bath, their bathrobe loose, and the way they walked over while drying their hair made them seem like the owner of the room, that gave Mo Ningzhi the illusion of accidentally entering someone else's bedroom.
He slowly retreated to the sofa: "..."
People are always busy when they are in an awkward situation. Mo Ningzhi opened her backpack and sorted through her belongings, stuffing and taking things out, but in the end, she only had a few things in her hands.
Qin Weijin stood to the side watching him aimlessly repeat the same action, showing no intention of leaving.
The house was spacious, but Mo Ningzhi suddenly felt cramped. The living room, which was over 50 square meters, seemed to have been cut in half by someone. He squeezed into a corner to escape, but even moving around felt awkward.
Mo Ningzhi sensed the dampness around him. Qin Weijin's hair was still wet, which made him feel like he had found a slightly noteworthy topic: "There's a hairdryer in the bathroom cabinet. Brother Jin, why don't you dry it off? It's easy to catch a cold if you stay wet."
Qin Weijin didn't move: "No need, I'll go back and play later."
Mo Ningzhi stood up and asked, "Then shall I see you off?"
Perhaps he saw the guest off a little too hastily, for Qin Weijin's expression was momentarily complicated.
Mo Ningzhi realized he had overreacted. It wasn't the first time he'd been in a room with Qin Weijin; the only difference was that he hadn't worn a bathrobe last time. After calming himself down, Mo Ningzhi quickly attributed it to the bathrobe Qin Weijin was wearing—blame the manufacturer's design for being so indecent, causing him to lose focus and do something stupid.
He took a new towel out of the cabinet. "Let me wipe myself down first."
Qin thanked Jin, and as they took the towel, their fingers touched; their skin, still warm from the shower, was touching.
It's said that a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. There's nothing wrong with two same-sex neighbors borrowing each other's bathrooms, but after the blunder just now, Mo Ningzhi felt that no matter how she reacted, she couldn't get rid of the ever-present embarrassment.
Qin Weijin's expression remained unchanged, as if he himself was being overly sensitive and suspicious.
The more uncomfortable he felt, the more Mo Ningzhi would try his best to act as if nothing was wrong. He was just about to change the subject.
"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore." Qin Weijin dried his hair, unable to suppress a laugh. "I'll dry my hair when I get back. Thank you for the bathroom and the towel."
"..."
Mo Ningzhi pursed her lips. "Do I look like someone who's easy to fool?"
Qin Weijin shook his head. He was very tall, and because he had just taken a bath, even his eyes seemed particularly bright. "No."
Mo Ningzhi: "..." Then why are you still joking?
“It’s just that there’s a big difference between when you’re at work and when you’re off work,” Qin Weijin said. “My assistant seems to have many faces, which makes the boss curious.”
“That’s because you’ve never been a beast of burden,” Mo Ningzhi said succinctly. “You don’t know that no one can greet their boss with a smile after get off work.”
Having finally found a plausible excuse for her outburst, Mo Ningzhi felt like she had come back to life.
"Ding-dong."
"Ding-dong."
"Ding-dong."
A few penguin notification sounds broke the awkward silence. Mo Ningzhi turned her head to look at the phone lying flat on the table. The screen was already lit up, and several banners were flashing on the lock screen.
Qin Weijin was drawn by the sound and looked down.
"..."
Since the advent of mobile payments, social life has become dominated by WeChat. Mo Ningzhi knew without a doubt that the penguin notification sound could only come from those messy group chats.
Qin Weijin was closer to the phone, and Mo Ningzhi was worried that he might see something, so she took a step forward and bumped into Qin Weijin who was sitting by the coffee table.
A few drops of water fell from the ends of my hair, landing near my eyes, feeling slightly cool.
The two were stunned for a moment when their bodies collided, and then they each tacitly stepped back. However, in their haste, they made a big mistake. Mo Ningzhi was about to hit the edge of the coffee table when Qin Weijin reacted quickly and caught her. Mo Ningzhi was also startled and instinctively grabbed him.
"Thump."
By the time she realized what was happening, Mo Ningzhi had already knocked Qin Weijin down and pinned him to the sofa.
What she was holding was the bathrobe around the man's waist. Qin Weijin hadn't tied it very tightly to begin with, and Mo Ningzhi felt that she hadn't even used any force, yet the bathrobe had simply come undone.
He still had one hand supporting his chest.
Without even scanning downwards, a large expanse of flesh color spread out in my peripheral vision.
Mo Ningzhi: "………………"
Qin Weijin rarely saw Mo Ningzhi so stunned, forgetting her own embarrassment at being knocked down, and not knowing where to put her hands, so she simply spread them out in mid-air, "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Mo Ningzhi hurriedly got off him, her hands curling up and then unfolding as if she had been burned. "Sorry, I lost my balance."
He jumped three meters away, his tone remained unchanged, but his heart was pounding.
"It's alright." Qin Weijin stood up and straightened his bathrobe. "Everyone slips sometimes."
"..." This sentence just doesn't sound right.
Mo Ningzhi glanced down and noticed that Qin Weijin's chin was red.
My forehead was also throbbing slightly.
He was wondering what the loud thud was, but now he knew—he had bumped Qin Weijin's chin and made it red.
Mo Ningzhi stared blankly at the red, even though this was not the time to be distracted, his thoughts still wandered involuntarily... For a while, the black group was constantly posting about Qin Weijin's plastic surgery, saying that his face was made with technology and looked very cobbled together.
But looking at it today...
It must be genuine; it didn't even break after being hit like that.
A celebrity's face is very valuable. Although it wasn't crooked, Mo Ningzhi was still worried that there might be some aftereffects. "Does it hurt a lot? Let me take you to the hospital."
"It's not serious." Qin Weijin got up and rubbed his head. "I'll just put on a dressing when I get back."
"All right."
Just then, the doorbell rang twice.
Mo Ningzhi glanced towards the door: "It should be takeout."
He used to live alone, and no matter how busy he was, he could still cook for himself. Whether it tasted good or not was another matter, but as long as he was full and the food was safe, that was already very good.
But ever since he became Qin Weijin's personal assistant, he has never stepped into the kitchen again, and he is too tired to be in the mood after get off work every day.
The door had barely opened a crack when several arguments erupted.
"...He doesn't like us coming here, Xiao Zheng. You're going to ruin everyone's relationship by doing this. He's finally softened his stance towards us a little, so don't push him so hard."
“I didn’t force him.” Zhou Yaozheng’s voice was very calm.
Zhou Suiyin hesitated, "Then don't let me bring you here. I don't like you like this at all. Mom will get angry. Let's go back before we get caught, okay?"
Zhou Yaozheng stood still, his adult male strength far exceeding that of his frail mother. Zhou Suiyin pushed him a few times, but couldn't budge him.
"Zhou Yaozheng." She rarely called her son by his full name.
The gentle mother always thought she could always maintain her authority in front of her child, and that she could scare her rebellious son into submission by simply calling him by his full name with a cold face. But she clearly forgot that Zhou Yaozheng was no longer the timid child who would clung to her clothes for security.
He didn't buy it at all, standing there coldly and hard, almost making Zhou Suiyin cry.
“Clatter.”
Zhou Suiyin turned her head in surprise and saw Mo Ningzhi open the door.
"..."
"Um, Ningzhi, I'm sorry, we didn't mean to bother you." It was only five o'clock, and Zhou Suiyin hadn't expected Mo Ningzhi to be home. Her face paled slightly. "We'll leave now."
Zhou Yaozheng stared at the person by the door, patted Zhou Suiyin's shoulder reassuringly, and walked over. "I have something I want to talk to you about. Can we go inside?"
Mo Ningzhi twitched the corner of her mouth. "What do you think?"
Zhou Yaozheng wanted to say something more, but Zhou Suiyin rushed over and stopped him tightly, "Xiaozheng, be more mature, don't be like this, you've grown up."
Mo Ningzhi raised an eyebrow. Zhou Yaozheng had lost control like this, even disregarding the tacit peace they had reached, and came directly to their door. Had something happened at the company?
...Zhou Yaozheng's election for board of directors was unsuccessful?
"Are you aware of what's going on at the company?" Zhou Yaozheng asked.
Mo Ningzhi already understood most of it: "Which one are you referring to?"
Zhou Yaozheng frowned: "You don't know?"
“Aunt Zhou, if your son is sick, lock him up for treatment. Don’t let him out to bite people.” Mo Ningzhi’s tone was somewhat cruel.
Zhou Suiyin felt her face burning red. While pulling her son, she apologized, "It's my fault for not disciplining him properly. I'm sorry, Ningzhi."
Mo Ningzhi scoffed and reached out to close the door.
But perhaps this jeer triggered Zhou Yaozheng's fragile nerves, and just as the door was about to close, Zhou Yaozheng suddenly reached out and pried open the crack.
What happened next was perfectly logical.
Mo Ningzhi had never been friendly to the two uninvited guests, and when he saw that Zhou Yaozheng was still trying to force his way in, his suppressed temper exploded. He punched Zhou Yaozheng in the head and then grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"Have I been too easy to talk to lately, making you think you can take advantage of me anytime?"
Zhou Suiyin was so frightened that she stood frozen in place.
Zhou Yaozheng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked down at Mo Ningzhi. "My failure to win the board election today wasn't your doing?"
"Really? You failed." Mo Ningzhi smiled sarcastically. "That's good news, but you underestimate me. If I could influence the board's decisions, you wouldn't just have lost the election, you would be packing your bags and getting out."
Zhou Yaozheng did not resist, his defeated eyes fixed on Mo Ningzhi's face, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
"Ning, Ningzhi... don't fight, I'll take him away right away, okay?" Zhou Suiyin pleaded softly.
Mo Ningzhi frowned, then slowly released her hand.
Zhou Yaozheng suddenly grabbed his arm.
Mo Ningzhi instinctively twisted Zhou Yaozheng's shoulder against the wall. Zhou Suiyin was so anxious that she didn't know who to pull. In the chaotic shoving, Zhou Suiyin fell to the ground.
Mo Ningzhi paused for a moment.
Zhou Suiyin endured the pain and got up from the ground. Her wrist was bleeding from the wide-band watch, and the bright red liquid soaked the watchband. For a moment, Mo Ningzhi seemed to see, across time, the bloody shards of glass lying on the floor a few years ago.
The urge to beat up Zhou Yaozheng suddenly wasn't so strong anymore.
Mo Ning's hands were trembling slightly, and she managed to control them with all her might so that no one would notice anything amiss.
He slowly hid his hands behind his back.
Perhaps the commotion outside was too loud, or perhaps Mo Ningzhi was gone and wouldn't return; in any case, the commotion quickly caught the attention of Qin Weijin at home. He walked out slowly, asking, "Mo Ningzhi?"
Upon hearing this voice, Zhou Yaozheng suddenly froze, even forgetting to help Zhou Suiyin, and stood there comically in mid-air.
Qin Weijin stepped out of the foyer and saw the chaotic scene outside. He was surprised for a moment. "Are you alright?"
Before Mo Ningzhi could react, Zhou Yaozheng asked incredulously, "What's he doing here?"
He looked at Qin Weijin, but spoke to Mo Ningzhi. When his gaze fell on the bathrobe on the other man, he froze.
The sudden appearance of Qin Weijin poured cold water on the chaotic scene. He didn't look at Zhou Yaozheng, but glanced at Mo Ningzhi and found that he was just a little pale and probably not injured, which put his mind at ease.
He had just gone to the bathroom to get his clothes and was about to take them upstairs when he came out and found that Mo Ningzhi hadn't returned yet. There were some voices at the door, but he couldn't hear what they were saying until he realized something was wrong and came out.
Mo Ningzhi looked like a child who had made a mistake, standing with his hands behind his back and not saying a word.
A top male celebrity was taking a shower at his assistant's house when the door was pried open, and he was only wearing a bathrobe. This scene would be explosive enough for anyone, but neither Zhou Yaozheng nor Zhou Suiyin showed any signs of being gossipy. They were both stunned, and Zhou Yaozheng's face was even worse.
"You... live together?" Zhou Yaozheng asked.
His voice was very soft, not enough to wake Mo Ningzhi, so Qin Weijin said, "No."
Mo Ningzhi then came to her senses, her eyes fixed on Zhou Yaozheng, not Zhou Suiyin, and asked, "Your mother's hand is in such a state, and you're still concerned about other things?"
Zhou Suiyin looked terrible, whether from anger at her son or from astonishment at Mo Ningzhi's extremely disgusted tone.
Back home, Mo Ningzhi rarely lost his temper in front of Zhou Suiyin. He reserved all his bad temper and harsh words for Zhou Yaozheng and Mo Tingzhou in private. Compared to these two, Zhou Suiyin was the one who got along the best.
Over the years, she probably thought that even if Zhou Yaozheng and Mo Ningzhi's relationship was bad, it wouldn't have developed to the point of resorting to violence.
Today, I learned a lesson from Mo Ningzhi.
His relationship with Zhou Yaozheng has gone from being extremely passionate to being irreconcilably opposed.
Perhaps starting today, cracks will appear again in this seemingly harmonious family, although in Mo Ningzhi's view, the two families were already on the verge of collapse and could be split apart by a gust of wind.
Old Mo seems quite satisfied with Zhou Suiyin over the years; I wonder if hearing about this will affect their marital relationship.
Zhou Suiyin's wrist injury wasn't actually serious, but it looked serious because of the bleeding. She simply bandaged it with a handkerchief she carried with her, and then reached out to pull Zhou Yaozheng over.
The commotion tonight had left her physically and mentally exhausted. This woman, who usually couldn't maintain a cold demeanor, became unusually firm. "I'm sorry, Ningzhi, I will take Xiaozheng back. I won't let him come here again, and I won't either."
Zhou Yaozheng frowned. "Mom."
"Shut up." Zhou Suiyin's words were sharp and harsh as she pulled him toward the elevator. "You've gone too far. Don't say anything now, just come with me."
Zhou Yaozheng reluctantly entered the elevator.
After the two left, Mo Ningzhi stood there dumbfounded. He showed no expression on his face, but Qin Weijin felt that his downcast eyes and the way he stood there were full of confusion and guilt.
"Are you alright?" He asked softly, almost as if afraid of disturbing something.
Mo Ningzhi shook her head.
He seemed to have no desire to share or confide in anyone; in fact, he looked even more tired.
Just as Qin Weijin was pondering whether he should leave or offer comfort, Mo Ningzhi suddenly looked up at him and asked, "Qin Weijin, do you know Zhou Yaozheng?"
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