episode 25
In fact, the moment He Xun asked the question, he already had the answer in his heart.
In this world, at this point in time, who else but that person could send someone to follow him?
I wouldn't say I'm sad, but I'm definitely a little annoyed.
The Sudanese gold is fake, the warm greetings are fake, only the suspicion and probing are real.
He Xun curled his lips mockingly and said in a sighing tone, "Never mind, I know who it is even if you don't tell me."
Liu Ye didn't know if he really knew or not, nor did he understand what he was talking to himself. With the mission completely failed, he just wanted to leave as soon as possible: "Then I really won't say anything more."
After saying that, he turned and left, but just as he reached the alley entrance, He Xun's leisurely voice came from behind him again, "When you get back, you'll know what you should say and what you shouldn't say."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ye paused, then felt a surge of annoyance.
To be honest, now that things have come to this, his mission is a foregone conclusion that he has failed. He has not figured out the true whereabouts of his target or where his destination is. Even he, who has practiced martial arts for decades, was almost crippled by the other party. And now that the pretty boy is saying these cold words, Liu Ye has a hard time not believing that the other party is deliberately rubbing salt into his wounds.
"Are you threatening me?" Liu Ye turned around and glared at He Xun.
"It seems you haven't figured out your own situation yet. Threatening you?" He Xun raised his eyebrows slightly, and the words that came out of his seemingly soft lips were not pleasant at all. "Not at all. Don't flatter yourself."
Liu Ye was absolutely furious: "You!"
"Besides—" He Xun paused subtly, glancing at Liu Ye with a mocking look, "you don't want people to know that you've been subdued by a pretty boy, do you?"
Liu Ye suddenly froze on the spot.
It must be admitted that He Xun is sometimes very good at manipulating people's hearts, and these words indeed hit Liu Ye's weak spot.
Liu Ye, who considered himself a tough, real man, certainly didn't want anyone to know that he had been defeated by a sissy today. If word got out, where would he put his face? He wouldn't know what excuse he would have to come up with when he got back to the firm.
Liu Ye took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "What exactly do you want?!"
"It's simple, just go back and say that my actions were as usual."
"Okay! I promise you, but you absolutely cannot tell anyone that I lost to you today."
"Okay, deal."
He Xun didn't waste any words. After speaking, he put his hands in his pockets and turned to leave.
Liu Ye, who remained rooted to the spot until his figure disappeared at the street corner, finally breathed a sigh of relief, reached out, and carefully touched down his collar.
A gust of wind blew by, clothes fluttered, and a flash of silver light appeared—it was a pinhole camera!
"Thank goodness... I'm still here... Luckily, that pretty boy didn't find out..."
Liu Ye touched the camera with a look of relief.
After a few seconds of thought, he took out his phone to report to his boss, but the content he sent was naturally slightly edited.
"The target acted normally today. He went out to the pedestrian street this afternoon to buy some daily necessities and then returned the way he came. But on the way back, he spotted me. We fought for a few rounds. He was quite skilled. Afterwards, I made up a reason to dispel his suspicions about my identity. I will send him the video taken by the pinhole camera later."
Shortly after the message was sent, his boss replied, "Received. Send the video as soon as possible."
Upon receiving the reply, Liu Ye immediately dragged his aching body out of the alley and went to find a place to edit the video.
It's quite interesting that both He Xun and Liu Ye, whether clever or reckless, were careless and negligent towards each other because of the superficial appearance of the other.
One judged the other to be a weakling and was proven wrong, while the other was convinced the other was a simpleton and forgot to check if the other was carrying a recording device.
This shows that the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" is a timeless truth.
*
He Xun had just stepped out of the alley when he received a call from Song Liuguang.
"Brother Xun, we have news about Ding Xiabing."
"Okay, go ahead."
"Ding Xiabing was taken away by the police along with Mo Wenjin when he was arrested."
"The police? He was with Mo Wenjin at the time?" He Xun pressed his temples and asked hastily, "Is this information reliable?"
"reliable!"
Song Liuguang replied confidently, "My group of paparazzi buddies were waiting for Mo Wenjin after the news broke this morning. Some of them personally witnessed Ding Xiabing being carried out by the police. If there's anything unusual... it's that Ding Xiabing's face was quite pale and she didn't look well. She was probably tortured by that old bastard Mo Wenjin earlier... Don't worry about me, Xun-ge. The police will at least treat her injuries before questioning her. Isn't she safer than if she were in our hands? I think you should hurry home. Don't get involved in this mess right now, or people will suspect you."
The night wind was bleak. He Xun leaned against the wall, stared at the dark blue sky in silence for a moment, then lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth: "Yes, I was too impatient. You must be tired today, get some rest."
"Don't be shy! Let's have dinner together another day!"
Even after hanging up the phone, He Xun's expression showed no sign of relief.
Perhaps because of the previous nightmare, a lingering sense of unease remained in his mind.
It wasn't that he didn't trust the police, but having lived two lives and spent years in the entertainment industry, he had witnessed far too many dark and sordid things. The depravity of some upper-class individuals was truly unimaginable to ordinary people, and he couldn't guarantee that Mo Wenjin, who was already at his wit's end, wouldn't do something terrible in the final moments.
He feared... that just when Ding Xiabing was about to be saved, something else might happen to her again.
Ding Xiabing is so young. He's about to escape his cage, about to have a bright future...
After squatting on the street corner and smoking almost half a pack of cigarettes, He Xun finally dragged his uneasy heart and exhausted body back to the villa.
It was already 7 p.m., and the entire villa was still brightly lit as usual.
Mo Shilin should be off work by now.
Fearing that his disheveled appearance would attract too much attention, He Xun entered the garden through the back door and then went straight back to his room.
After changing back into his male servant uniform and treating the wound on his face, he went to the servants' private dining room for a meal.
By this time, everyone had long since finished their meals and gone about their business, leaving only Ji Ruoyang slowly clearing away the dishes in front of the sink.
Because it was his turn to wash the dishes today.
As if the cannon fodder had eyes in the back of his head, Ji Ruoyang turned around abruptly as soon as He Xun entered, asking gossipily, "You're back? Why were you out so late?"
"Oh, nothing, I just went out to buy some things this afternoon," He Xun said, pulling out a chair and sitting down at the dining table.
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? There's some leftover porridge, steamed buns, and sweet and sour fish in the fridge. Shall I heat it up for you?"
Ji Ruoyang washed the last bowl clean, put it in the cupboard, and then turned to He Xun with a very enthusiastic expression, like a sunflower.
Although he still occasionally has that urge and thought to do bad things to people, his condition has improved a lot since he became familiar with He Xun after the last incident, so most of the time he is quite happy to stay by He Xun's side.
After all, he had done such a thing last time, yet He Xun was still willing to take the initiative to ask him what happened. Based on that alone, he was certain that He Xun was definitely a very good person.
—Even though He Xun had subjected him to inhumane verbal threats at the time.
Thanks.
"fine."
Ji Ruoyang put the rest of the dinner in the microwave and heated it for a few minutes, then brought it to He Xun and sat down in the seat opposite him.
The rice porridge was soft, sticky, and sweet, with a few ripe red dates floating on top of the snow-white rice grains. The shrimp and wood ear mushroom filling dumplings on the plate were all crystal clear, small and exquisite. Even the sweet and sour fish was still left whole after the servants' dinner.
This is enough to show how high the meal allowance Mo Shilin allocated to everyone was; the servants ate no less than he, their master.
This is the kind of thing that wins people's hearts.
He Xun found it hard to imagine how Mo Shilin lost to Qin Zhuo in the original story.
However, he had never met Qin Zhuo and didn't really know what kind of person Qin Zhuo was. Perhaps he was even more charming than Mo Shilin.
The rich aroma of food somewhat pulled He Xun back from the brink of despair. His complexion improved, and he picked up a spoon and lowered his head to drink the porridge.
Ji Ruoyang looked around to make sure no one was nearby before lowering her voice to ask him, "Have you been in trouble lately? Aunt Mu was asking me about you today."
He Xun paused slightly in the hand holding the spoon, but quickly regained his composure and asked, "What are you asking me?"
"She asked me if you'd recently offended Young Master Mo—"
As fate would have it, before Ji Ruoyang could even finish his sentence, Mu Xianglu pushed open the door and walked in. Her usually solemn face now showed a hint of hesitation, as if further confirming what Ji Ruoyang had just said.
"He Xun," Mu Xianglu called to him, "you're back."
He Xun quickly stood up and gave a polite smile: "Aunt Mu is back."
Ji Ruoyang also got up to greet them, and then quickly picked up a rag to wipe the table, pretending to be working hard all the time. In reality, he had already secretly perked up his ears to listen to what Aunt Mu would say to He Xun.
Mu Xianglu braced herself on the edge of the table, looking He Xun up and down, her expression clearly troubled.
He Xun, being very perceptive, asked proactively, "Is there anything you need me to do?"
"Oh, it's nothing serious." Mu Xianglu sighed subconsciously as she looked at his obedient expression. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke up, "Starting tomorrow, you won't have to work on the third floor anymore."
The third floor—who gave the order is self-evident.
"Ah Xun, did you... make Shi Lin angry?"
Mu Xianglu was from the South, and her tone was indeed quite gentle when she spoke. This was the first time she had called He Xun by his name so affectionately. Her face showed her confusion, and she clearly did not understand why He Xun, such a smart and sensible person, had been demoted for no reason.
He Xun roughly knew why.
But all he could do was laugh and say he didn't know either. He guessed it was because he had been careless and hadn't done a good job, which had upset the young master.
Otherwise, he couldn't very well tell Aunt Mu that Mo Shilin suspected him and was wary of him, which was why he wanted to keep his distance from him, could he?
As they were talking, Ji Ruoyang suddenly called out towards the door, "Young Master Mo."
Mu Xianglu paused, then turned around and greeted them with a smile.
He Xun's eyelashes trembled, and he glanced sideways at the door. Mo Shilin indeed walked in. He must have been back for a while. He had taken off his suit jacket and was only wearing a charcoal gray shirt, with his hair hanging down smoothly.
Mo Shilin nodded politely in response to each of them, and finally turned his gaze to He Xun, who had remained silent.
He Xun stood there obediently, like a Chinese version of a porcelain doll with black hair and dark eyes.
Having made eye contact, it wouldn't be right for He Xun not to speak, so he could only give a faint smile: "Young Master Mo."
"Hmm." Mo Shilin's expression was calm.
He was much colder than when he had said some ambiguous things to He Xun in the car earlier.
After the words were spoken, no one spoke again, and for a moment, the atmosphere was subtly silent.
"Would you like to eat something else?" In the end, Mu Xianglu, who was experienced in dealing with people, stepped forward and said, "I'll arrange for someone to make it. You really didn't eat much tonight."
"No, I just happened to be passing by and saw the lights were on, so I came in to see what they were talking about." Mo Shilin loosened his tie, smiled, and said, "I was annoyed by those reporters today, so I didn't have much of an appetite."
Mu Xianglu understood: "It's because of... your Uncle Mo and that little starlet..."
"yes."
Seeing that the atmosphere had barely become lively again, Ji Ruoyang quickly started cleaning, pretending to be very busy.
He Xun, on the other hand, sat down and continued eating his meal.
This behavior could be considered a big deal or a small deal. In the eyes of the meticulous Mu Xianglu, He Xun's actions were tantamount to ignoring Mo Shilin.
Mu Xianglu couldn't help but glance at him in surprise, becoming even more certain that her young master and He Xun had a falling out. He Xun, such a proper person, would never normally disregard his master. She wondered what that brat Mo Shilin had done to make He Xun so angry...
"What happened to the injury there?"
Mo Shilin suddenly spoke, and Mu Xianglu and Ji Ruoyang, who had different thoughts, were both stunned. Then they realized that Mo Shilin's words were actually directed at He Xun.
The two of them turned their heads at the same time.
They didn't realize it until they heard it. Mu Xianglu and Ji Ruoyang noticed that He Xun actually had several deep red marks on his jaw and neck. His skin was fair, and the marks looked even more horrifying under the chandelier.
"What happened? I wouldn't have noticed if the young master hadn't told me." Mu Xianglu asked with concern at the right moment, showing her care as a superior.
Ji Ruoyang didn't say anything, but he looked at He Xun with concern.
Why ask a question you already know the answer to?
He Xun sneered inwardly, tugged at the choker around his neck to cover the bruises, and laughed, "It must have been an accidental scratch."
He lowered his eyes, concealing the mockery in them.
Mo Shilin put one hand in his pocket, staring into his eyes with a half-smile: "You look scary."
He Xun looked up again, his tone calm: "I just have the constitution of easily causing red marks. It looks intimidating, but it's actually nothing serious."
Mo Shilin raised an eyebrow, didn't ask any further questions, chatted with Mu Xianglu about family matters for a few more minutes, and then turned and went upstairs.
After the person left, Mu Xianglu immediately said to He Xun, "After you finish eating, go to the first-aid kit and get some ointment to apply. It will help you recover faster."
He Xun looked away and paused for a few seconds before replying, "Okay."
*
Third floor, bedroom.
The room was dark, the curtains were open, and the bright moonlight, like silver silk, streamed softly through the French windows, casting dappled shadows on the man's high, straight nose.
Mo Shilin sat cross-legged on the sofa by the window, a cigarette between his fingers, his face expressionless as he puffed out smoke. The veins on the back of his hand bulged with each movement. On the table in front of him was a laptop, its screen emitting a faint blue light, playing the video that had just been delivered to him.
The protagonist of the video is his somewhat frivolous male servant.
Despite the blurry video quality, He Xun's good looks were still undeniable, and the orange sunset added a touch of hazy, dreamlike beauty to him.
Mo Shilin thought that face was too vivid. It was so obedient in front of him, but so bold and agile in private.
As a typical child of a wealthy family, Mo Shilin is naturally both academically and athletically gifted. He not only excels in all his subjects but has also studied Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu for many years. Even with his busy work schedule, he still maintains a frequency of going to the boxing gym twice a week for training.
He could tell at a glance that He Xun had practiced martial arts.
It was very attractive to him, but also very strange.
Later, when he heard the two discussing whether the other was gay, Mo Shilin's throat tightened inexplicably. He couldn't help but loosen his tie again, and when he found that the tie was already as loose as it could be, he simply ripped it off and threw it on the bed. With the slight sound of the tie falling, he was able to suppress the indescribable desire that was rising from the bottom of his heart.
A few minutes later, the video ended.
Without hesitation, Mo Shilin manipulated the keyboard, skillfully silencing the voice of the other person and cutting out the video, leaving only He Xun. He then copied the video to his phone.
After doing all that, he turned around and exhaled smoke towards the window.
He admitted that he was interested in He Xun, but this did not conflict with his desire to be wary of He Xun.
This person is too strange.
There was no file, her background was unknown, and her skills were extraordinary. Of course, most importantly, she was also very much to his liking.
Who would believe this wasn't a corporate spy sent by some company?
At least he hasn't reached the point where he'd lose his mind for the other person.
He just hoped that the final investigation results would satisfy him.
If he's not satisfied, then he'll make him satisfactory.
Bitter smoke lingered in the air, mingling with the moonlight and blending into the color of the person's skin. This slightly lewd thought made Mo Shilin squint, a dark glint flashing in his thin eyes.
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