Chapter 49 A Secret Kiss: No sweet words could be more beautiful than this. ...
The moment the door opened, the entire corridor seemed to fall silent. The delivery guy, sensing something was amiss, glanced at Zhou Yaozheng on his left, then at Yang Lian on his right (whose features were obscured but clearly female), and finally at Mo Ningzhi. "Um... your delivery?"
Mo Ningzhi could tell from his eyes that this man was definitely imagining a dramatic scene of catching his lover in the act. He took the takeout without looking at the two people on his left and right and raised his hand to close the door.
Yang Lian spoke up at this moment: "Assistant Mo, I have something urgent to discuss with Brother Jin. Can we go inside and talk?"
Mo Ningzhi didn't immediately refuse, but turned to look at Zhou Yaozheng and said sarcastically, "You also have urgent business?"
“No.” Zhou Yaozheng shook his head, his tone flat: “My mother asked me to come and apologize.”
Mo Ningzhi: "…………"
The delivery driver realized that the scene before him wasn't the one he had imagined—catching his wife cheating on him in bed. He awkwardly touched his nose, turned around, and ran away.
Mo Ningzhi told Zhou Yaozheng that she didn't accept it and told him to get lost, then turned to Yang Lian and said, "He's not here. This is my room. You can call him."
Yang Lian looked somewhat aggrieved: "But he won't answer my calls."
“That’s your problem,” Mo Ningzhi said.
Ever since he learned that Qin Weijin helped Yang Lian to repay a favor from her brother, Mo Ningzhi no longer saw her through the lens of a "poor abandoned girl." He has always been hard-hearted, and the hotel room entrance is the easiest place for romantic scandals to be photographed, so he would never let anyone in.
Yang Lian's gaze lingered on the room behind him for a moment, then her voice suddenly rose: "My urgent matter concerns my brother. He's in a strange state right now, and my parents are worried about him. They want me to ask Brother Jin for help."
Mo Ningzhi hesitated. He didn't know what kind of favor Qin Weijin owed the Yang family, but judging from his obedient attitude towards Yang Lian, Yang Lian's brother must have been incredibly kind to him. Refusing his benefactor's request for help could easily make him look ungrateful, which would be very detrimental to Qin Weijin's future development in the entertainment industry.
Just as he was pondering how to deal with it, Zhou Yaozheng spoke up: "Your brother is not in good condition, and instead of going to see a doctor, Miss Yang went to the hotel for help. Do you really want your brother to live?"
Zhou Yaozheng's attitude towards outsiders was chilly, making Yang Lian's face turn pale and then red. "Of course, the family has notified the doctor, but I'm still worried..."
"If you're worried, go see a doctor," Zhou Yaozheng said. "Does Qin Weijin know how to cure illnesses?"
Yang Lian glanced at Mo Ningzhi resentfully. Zhou Yaozheng's presence was too strong, and his face was quite famous in the capital. She couldn't afford to offend him. She could only complain that she had come at the wrong time and quickly walked away in her high heels.
"Ning Zhi?" In the room, Qin Weijin put down the script when he saw that Ning Zhi had not returned for a long time.
Mo Ningzhi could already hear his footsteps approaching.
Mo Ningzhi didn't want Qin Weijin and Zhou Yaozheng to have too much contact, so she reached out to close the door. Zhou Yaozheng suddenly raised his hand to block her, his eyes filled with a wild interest: "I'm surprised that you would actually go and complain to someone?"
Mo Ningzhi coldly replied, "I can also hit people. Do you want to try?"
Zhou Yaozheng chuckled softly; he was very happy.
The word "complain" ultimately carries a dreamy, intimate connotation.
Mo Ningzhi's complaining to Zhou Suiyin, to some extent, means that he has been included in Mo Ningzhi's close circle.
A person only holds grudges against those they care about—if Mo Ningzhi truly intended to sever ties with him, she wouldn't bother mentioning him to Zhou Suiyin. This complaint precisely illustrates one thing—like a child who has fallen and hurt themselves, always seeking an adult to examine their wound, Mo Ningzhi's display of annoyance at being disturbed to Zhou Suiyin was actually a form of coaxing—Mo Ningzhi needed comfort, and even more so, she needed Zhou Yaozheng to come back and coax her.
So he came.
It has nothing to do with Zhou Suiyin. Her original words were not to disturb Mo Ningzhi, but Zhou Yaozheng arbitrarily changed them to "go apologize".
Seeing Zhou Yaozheng standing in the corridor chuckling for no apparent reason, Mo Ning felt even more that he was sick. Ignoring the fact that Zhou Yaozheng's arm was still stuck in the door crack, he pulled the door shut and slammed it shut, the movement creating a gust of wind.
Zhou Yaozheng's eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly withdrew his hand.
Bang!
The door was slammed shut.
Just then, Qin Weijin walked to the entrance and saw Mo Ningzhi with a fierce expression, like a cat with its fur standing on end. "What's wrong? Who's outside?"
"Nobody."
After saying that, she felt it wasn't quite right, so she added, "It's Yang Lian. She said her brother seems to be in bad shape and wants to ask you for help."
Qin Weijin nodded in acknowledgment, indicating that he understood.
Mo Ningzhi loosened her grip, and Qin Weijin took the lunchbox away. The restaurant delivered food quickly, and dinner arrived still hot. Qin Weijin set out the bowls and chopsticks, then went to the side to make a phone call to Zhan Linzhou.
Mo Ningzhi knew his limits and didn't listen, but some words still reached his ears: "hospital... doctor... care."
Five minutes later, Qin Weijin returned; the call had ended.
Mo Ningzhi: "Resolved?"
Qin Weijin looked at him in surprise. "You knew?"
"I don't know the specifics," Mo Ningzhi said. "Yang Lian only said that his brother wasn't feeling well, so I didn't ask."
After saying that, he added, "I don't really want to know either."
He has never been interested in other people's private affairs.
This was the only thing he was actually a little curious about.
“Before I went to university, I had an assistant named Yang Ting.” Qin Weijin spoke calmly, revealing no emotion: “He was the assistant who stayed with me the longest. He was very young. When we were filming ‘Midnight Files,’ there was an accident on set. The camera crane went out of control, and I happened to be standing under the camera.”
Mo Ningzhi's pupils contracted.
Qin Weijin paused for two seconds before continuing, "Yang Ting pushed me away and hit my head. He's been recuperating in the hospital ever since."
Mo Ningzhi knew Qin Weijin's resume all too well and quickly determined the timeline. He frowned slightly, "I remember 'Midnight Files' was filmed during your summer vacation when you were fifteen... Is it because of this that you retired for four years?"
Qin Weijin was not surprised by Mo Ningzhi's keen insight. If we're talking about knowing everything about him, Mo Ningzhi should be considered the number one fan.
He nodded: "After Yang Ting's accident, the crew blocked the news. The hospital said that he suffered a severe brain injury and would not wake up. He became a vegetable. My mentality was also affected, and I was unable to film, so I chose to retire temporarily."
Qin Wei Jin was like a rather incompetent storyteller, lacking atmosphere and detailed descriptions, yet Mo Ningzhi listened with a furrowed brow. The so-called "affected mentality" was probably due to guilt.
Mo Ningzhi suddenly remembered when she joined the company, there was a huge online uproar accusing Qin Weijin of "workplace bullying" and humiliating his assistant. But in reality, Qin Weijin was probably just worried that Xiao Guo would suffer an accident like Yang Ting.
So, despite being spied on by the cameras, he was furious with Xiao Guo because he felt guilty and scared. That's why he said something that moved fans to tears: "You're just an assistant. You should always prioritize protecting yourself."
Mo Ningzhi slowly gripped the edge of the table, then turned to the side and kissed Qin Weijin on the corner of his mouth.
Qin Weijin raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"It's nothing." After kissing him, Mo Ningzhi moved back to her seat and said seriously, "I think you're very handsome, so I wanted to kiss you."
He had just settled down when a large hand grasped the back of his neck. Qin Weijin leaned over and gently kissed him. Mo Ningzhi not only didn't push him away, but instead indulgently responded slowly.
Qin Weijin couldn't get enough of kissing him, only stopping when he remembered that Mo Ningzhi hadn't eaten yet. His nose was pressed against Mo Ningzhi's nose, his eyes looking at his glistening lips, and his thumb gently pressed against them: "Feeling sorry for me?"
Mo Ningzhi shook her head: "I like you."
Qin smiled and chuckled with pleasure at Jin's request.
The atmosphere became ambiguous and tense again, and the two of them only officially picked up their rice bowls when the food was almost cold.
...
Mo Ningzhi woke up the next morning because she was hungry.
He was stunned for a moment when he opened his eyes and saw the unfamiliar ceiling. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was in the Northwest and staying in a hotel.
He groped around under the covers and found his phone, which had somehow ended up there. He squinted at the time.
06:37.
It was already daylight, and the curtains glowed with a dull golden light from the heat.
Last night, Mo Ningzhi was so infatuated with Qin Weijin that she lost her appetite and only ate half a bowl of rice before going back to her room to rest. It's perfectly normal for her to be hungry now.
Mo Ningzhi didn't want to wait any longer, so she changed her clothes and went downstairs to the restaurant.
This hotel offers a variety of meals 24 hours a day. When Mo Ningzhi went downstairs, she unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance in the restaurant.
Xu Mingtiao saw him from afar and waved to him.
Mo Ningzhi carried the tray over and said politely, "Teacher Xu."
"Please sit down, please sit down. I'm getting bored eating alone," Xu Mingtiao gestured for him to sit down. Mo Ningzhi hesitated and looked around. "No need, I prefer eating alone."
Xu Mingtiao tilted her head and chuckled reservedly, "What are you afraid of? Even reporters don't get up this early. I called you to ask if I could ask you to take some photos for me later."
This was something that had been agreed upon long ago. Hou Qing had to go out to inspect the filming location in the morning, and the official filming wouldn't start until the afternoon. He thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll go back and get the equipment after I finish eating."
Xu Mingtiao smiled: "Then it's a deal. I'll go back and pick out some clothes right away."
After finishing his breakfast, Mo Ningzhi returned to the order counter and brought one for Qin Weijin, Xiao Guo, and Zhang Yuyu as well. It was 7:30, and Xiao Guo and Zhang Yuyu had already gotten up. After delivering the breakfast, he went back to his room.
Qin Weijin was already up and was about to leave with his phone in hand when they bumped into each other in the entryway. Qin Weijin put down his phone and asked, "Going to have breakfast?"
"Yes, this is for you." Mo Ningzhi walked into the room and told Qin Weijin about meeting Xu Mingtiao.
Qin Weijin was silent for a moment, then said, "I'll go too."
Mo Ningzhi was squatting on the ground taking equipment out of her suitcase when she heard this. She hummed in response, "Watching other people take photos is boring, especially outdoor shots with lots of people. You'll get recognized."
Qin Weijin walked over and helped him take out a heavy lens: "I'll be careful."
Seeing his insistence, Mo Ningzhi didn't say anything, but took out a mask and sunglasses from her bag and stood on tiptoe to put them on him tightly.
This time, the filming location was the desert landscape. Hsu Ming-tiao's assistant chose a quiet place with few people, but because it was too close to the city, it was easy to be spotted by fans, so they were very careful along the way.
For this photoshoot, Hsu Ming-tiao specially asked her assistant to drive a dark red rugged SUV. The vehicle was very tall and looked like a majestic bull on the road.
They stopped at the edge of the desert.
Xu Mingtiao changed into an exotic outfit in the car. She wore a short, midriff-baring top embroidered with delicate patterns, paired with matching trousers and gold accessories. She also wore a light red veil over her shoulders. With her beautiful face, she looked like a princess who had stepped out of the desert.
Mo Ningzhi took a few solo photos first, and his assistant even prepared a camel for the photoshoot. Xu Mingtiao said, "Assistant Mo, let me take a few photos with the camel."
“Okay.” Mo Ningzhi had no objections. Desert photography with camels was the most common combination. He moved his camera around a few times and snapped a few photos.
Qin Weijin was an idle man with nothing to do, so he leaned against the carriage and watched Mo Ningzhi linger around Xu Mingtiao and the camel.
Unlike when he was photographing him, Mo Ning was very talkative and interacted a lot with the models. In addition to giving them pointers on movements, he would deliberately showcase the passion and exuberance of the desert so that the models could quickly immerse themselves in the environment.
Mo Ningzhi appeared very relaxed during this shoot.
"Did you get a picture?" Xu Mingtiao released the camel and came over. "Let me see."
Mo Ningzhi readily handed over the viewfinder, and the two of them almost huddled together. Qin Weijin looked at it for a while before lowering his eyes.
When the phone rang, Qin Weijin was lost in thought and took a while to answer, "How is it?"
"It's nothing. I went to the hospital to check on him, and he's still the same. Yang's parents also said that Yang Ting is in good condition. I guess it's just a trick Yang Lian used to try and see you. I'll make sure she behaves herself," Zhan Linzhou said.
Qin Weijin nodded in agreement.
"By the way, how is Mo Ningzhi?" Zhan Linzhou suddenly asked.
Qin Weijin was slightly taken aback: "Why do you ask that?" Could Mo Ningzhi possibly cause any problems by his side?
"It's nothing, just a casual question," Zhan Linzhou said. "Then let's leave it at that."
He hung up the phone very quickly. Qin Weijin seemed to sense something and stared at the end-of-call screen in silence for a few seconds.
"Ta-da!"
Someone tapped on the car body. Xu Mingtiao stood at the back of the car and tapped on the body. "Teacher Qin? I changed cars for the shoot. If you don't mind, would you like to take a couple's photoshoot with me?"
Qin Weijin snapped out of his daze and said, "I won't join in the fun, you guys take pictures."
Xu Mingtiao smiled and said, "That's true. Mo Ningzhi is your assistant. You can't film whenever you want."
Mo Ningzhi paused upon hearing this, thinking to himself that Qin Weijin must be the most difficult model for him to photograph.
...
They didn't finish work until noon.
On the way back to the hotel, Mo Ningzhi exported the photos in the car and also edited some details.
Xu Mingtiao sat down next to him and looked at the photos. "They're really well taken. I thought your photography style was rather limited, but I didn't expect you to be so versatile. You made Qin Weijin look like a fairy, but when you took photos of me, you became so kind and comforting. I especially love these few."
Mo Ningzhi humbly replied, "I'm glad you like it, Teacher Xu."
“But I also really liked Qin Weijin’s group,” Xu Mingtiao said. “Could we shoot together again next time?”
Mo Ningzhi paused for a moment, too embarrassed to say how Qin Weijin's photo was taken. Although it was only taken once, Mo Ningzhi knew in his heart that he could never capture such a feeling in anyone else.
He made up a topic to brush it off, and Xu Mingtiao didn't dwell on it. She took the photos, put together a nine-grid collage, and posted it on Weibo.
When Mo Ningzhi finally had some free time, she noticed that Qin Weijin, who was sitting next to her, hadn't said a word and had been looking out the window the whole way.
Upon arriving at the hotel parking lot, Xu Mingtiao was hurriedly called away by a phone call. Mo Ningzhi opened the door and was about to turn around and call Qin Weijin when she discovered that Qin Weijin had already walked around from behind the car.
"Brother Jin, are you unhappy?" Mo Ningzhi sat in the car, her gaze level with Qin Weijin's. "Is it because I took too long to take pictures, and you got tired of waiting?"
Qin Weijin's gaze was calm as he shook his head.
"Why is that?" Mo Ningzhi said, "I feel like something's wrong with you."
"The photos you took are different from the last ones. Why?" Qin Weijin blinked lightly, as if suppressing some emotion, before finally turning his gaze to Mo Ningzhi's face.
Mo Ningzhi noticed something strange about his gaze; it was deep and intense, as if something was hidden within it, enough to send chills down one's spine at a glance. "It's normal for photographers to have varied styles, and each model suits a different style."
You said you'd be happier if you liked me.
Mo Ningzhi was taken aback.
Both Qin and Jin knew this.
I know that his mood when taking photos varies from person to person. When he likes someone, the photos of Qin Weijin are alluring and seductive. When he takes photos of Xu Mingtiao, it is more out of mutual respect between colleagues, so the photos are much more serious.
Mo Ningzhi stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed, "Yes, in my eyes you are just a set of alluring photos."
No words of love could be more beautiful than these.
Qin Weijin readily accepted that he was different from others in Mo Ningzhi's eyes. He was special, unlike others, and was the kind of emotion that Mo Ningzhi kept hidden in her heart but could also reveal through her eyes.
Qin Weijin's heart pounded, feeling incredibly fortunate that he hadn't missed out on Mo Ningzhi.
Perhaps it was because of the close proximity, or perhaps it was just his imagination, but he felt as if he could hear a rapid heartbeat. He looked at Qin Weijin's face, but his calm expression showed no sign of being moved.
After listening for a while, he felt a little uneasy himself. "Brother Jin, aren't we going back?"
Although the underground parking lot was secluded and their corner was quiet, the feeling of being exposed still made Mo Ningzhi subconsciously nervous.
"I won't go back for now," Qin Weijin said.
"Why, is there something else?" Mo Ningzhi asked instinctively.
Qin Weijin blinked very lightly, his gaze seemingly landing on the tip of his nose. He paused for a long time, and after what seemed like an eternity, he slowly said, "I wanted to do this back in the desert."
After saying this in a low voice, he turned his head and leaned closer.
Mo Ningzhi hid inside the car, his front partially obscured by Qin Weijin's figure. In this dimly lit corner, he secretly kissed Qin Weijin in a secluded spot.
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