Chapter 12#

He’s Not Right#

Ji Baiwen fought Gulu Gulu Bubbling online for several rounds. When he rested for a moment, the cold wind cleared his mind, and he finally realized he had wasted too much time with this person.

Closing the Weibo page, the screen brightened and dimmed. Ji Baiwen tapped the keyboard and entered another interface.

This was a shared information exchange website for Peking University and the National Institute of Science. Various findings and correction information would be uploaded for perusal in a timely manner.

Aside from those related to the Institute of Science and Peking University faculty and students, no one else could access this website.

He scrolled down the page and found the data correction message in the bottom right corner.

The message was posted three hours ago, and the corrector was [Anonymous].

Ji Baiwen lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the keyboard.

How did Mo Xuzhi know about this?

Mo Xuzhi returned to his room and typed on his laptop for a while, then felt his eyes go dry and fell asleep.

When he woke up the next day, it was already bright outside.

Mo Xuzhi reached out for his phone and checked the time. Just as he was about to put it down, a message popped up following a transfer notification.

[Creditor No. 2: Nine to twelve, I’ll be at your ward door]

Creditor No. 2 was his contact name for Luo Wenyun.

Mo Xuzhi sat up and looked at his phone again.

8:54, still had some time.

He quickly went to the bathroom to wash his face, and while unbuttoning his hospital gown, his eyes scanned the closet.

Fortunately, he had brought some clothes himself earlier.

His fingers had already touched a T-shirt, but Mo Xuzhi stopped and then abruptly switched to a white shirt, layering an apricot-colored wool sweater over it.

Giving his hair a few quick ruffles, he smiled at the mirror. Replacing his sleepy exhaustion was a shy smile, exuding a sense of innocent naivety.

The smile lasted only an instant before Mo Xuzhi quickly pulled it back. He operated his phone with one hand while turning the doorknob with the other.

Luo Wenyun, who was sitting on the sofa facing the door, heard the movement and only saw a figure before the door closed with a “click” before he could even speak.

Luo Wenyun: “…”

Mo Xuzhi leaned against the back of the door, habitually reaching for his pocket only to find nothing but his phone he just put in.

8:59.

One minute left, no rush.

A worker’s soul, not a minute more than clock-in time.

9:00 sharp.

There was movement at the ward door again. Luo Wenyun looked up and met a smiling face that suddenly peeked out from the gap in the door.

The youth had red lips and white teeth, his fine hair gilded by the sunlight.

He had a shy and modest look on his face, his smile not at all overbearing.

A youthful aura burst forth, cheerfully upward.

Luo Wenyun was momentarily stunned, his brow twitching, then his finger trembled, and he returned to his usual manner, even sinking a bit further.

Mo Xuzhi didn’t care at all that the man’s face had darkened. He took the initiative to approach and bent down to touch his sleeve: “Mr. Luo, it’s time to go.”

Luo Wenyun looked up at Mo Xuzhi’s features, focusing on his light-colored pupils, trying to discern the true emotions in his eyes.

Unlike what the gossip reporters said, Mo Xuzhi didn’t have bad acting skills. On the contrary, his acting had reached a peak.

He had reached an agreement with Mo Xuzhi long ago: he would pay, and Mo Xuzhi would play the role of Shen Le for a certain amount of time depending on the payment.

The Shen Le in his eyes before he had self-awareness.

Just like now, every movement, every subtle expression, and even his clothing preferences were based on the Shen Le in his eyes.

Mo Xuzhi, with only a few words of description, had perfectly recreated Shen Le.

The youth asked him with a smile, “Where are we going today?”

Luo Wenyun raised his hand to stroke his cheek, his voice still crisp and cold:

“To the amusement park.”

He didn’t seem to think there was anything strange about saying “to the amusement park” with that expression.

The cold feeling came from the side of his face. Mo Xuzhi’s ear tips turned slightly red, but he didn’t dodge. He smiled and said:

“Okay.”

His acting was excellent, and he had strong professional ethics.

Luo Wenyun squeezed the soft flesh under his hand.

So good that sometimes he couldn’t tell if it was acting or if Mo Xuzhi really had feelings for him.

The youth in front of him felt pain and lightly patted his hand.

Luo Wenyun smiled, his mood improving slightly.

“Click.”

The sound of the doorknob turning came from nearby. Mo Xuzhi turned his head slightly.

The youth in the wheelchair with a laptop on his lap saw the two of them, was momentarily stunned, then averted his gaze.

Feeling it wasn’t quite natural, he nodded slightly to Mo Xuzhi as a greeting.

Sensing this slight movement, Luo Wenyun’s eyes narrowed slightly. He reached out to Mo Xuzhi and said:

“Time to go.”

Mo Xuzhi pulled him to his feet. Just as he was about to let go, he found his hand had been held in return.

The man’s slender fingers brushed his palm, then forcefully interlocked through the gaps in his fingers.

Ten fingers interlocked.

Mo Xuzhi’s expression remained unchanged. As he was led away by Luo Wenyun, he turned his head to smile at Ji Baiwen, giving a small wave with his free hand.

The smile was casual and scattered, yet so dazzling that one couldn’t look away.

Ji Baiwen’s gaze fell on their interlocked fingers, then he lowered his head, adjusted his wheelchair, and turned to leave.

Rounding the corridor, Mo Xuzhi shook their joined hands and looked up with a smile:

“I want to send a message.”

Luo Wenyun looked down at him for a while, smiled ambiguously, let go of his hand, and leaned against the wall to watch Mo Xuzhi seriously take out his phone.

Mo Xuzhi sent himself a message.

After sending it, he didn’t put the phone back in his pocket but held it in his hand, still maintaining that gentle appearance:

“Okay, we can go now.”

Luo Wenyun gave a soft snort, glanced at Mo Xuzhi’s hand holding the phone, and walked ahead of him.

Mo Xuzhi followed at a small run.

The two arrived at the amusement park.

This was a newly opened amusement park with good publicity and high foot traffic. Mo Xuzhi and Luo Wenyun had already put on masks at the hospital, and now they had added baseball caps.

Luo Wenyun really seemed to just be taking him there to play.

Under this guise, although they didn’t experience many of the game projects, they still played quite a few. Mo Xuzhi was now sweating on his forehead.

Wearing a hat and mask was a disaster.

Letting Luo Wenyun sit on a bench, Mo Xuzhi took off his hat and waved it to create a faint cool breeze, then turned around to queue for ice cream.

Luo Wenyun sat on the bench, squinting at the passing crowd and the amusement facilities behind them, finally fixing his gaze on Mo Xuzhi who was still queuing for ice cream.

The discarded wool sweater was on his lap. The youth was only wearing a white shirt, which revealed his thin figure. He was also very fair, appearing like a walking light source under the sunlight.

Luo Wenyun saw a young girl behind Mo Xuzhi saying something to him with a red face. Mo Xuzhi smiled slightly, but it was a bit faint. He shook his head, put his hat back on, said a few words, and turned around.

Halfway through turning, he noticed Luo Wenyun’s gaze. He paused for a moment and then gave a big smile, dazzling and bright.

Completely different from the faint smile he gave the girl.

Luo Wenyun narrowed his eyes and turned his head, his mood improving slightly.

This was his first time at an amusement park, and it felt pretty good.

Just as Luo Wenyun turned his head away, Mo Xuzhi took out his phone and checked the time.

11:40.

Twenty minutes left until he clocked off.

“What are you looking at?”

The mask was touched, and an ice cream entered his vision, handed to him.

Luo Wenyun looked up to see Mo Xuzhi holding ice cream in both hands, his eyes shining.

Those beautiful eyes were full of his own reflection.

On a whim, Luo Wenyun asked:

“What is our relationship now?”

Mo Xuzhi was stunned.

Luo Wenyun saw his ears gradually turn red, the color of a peach, looking quite tasty.

Mo Xuzhi didn’t answer but sat down beside Ji Baiwen and slowly ate his ice cream.

The more he ate, the redder his ears became.

Luo Wenyun gave a soft snort and didn’t mention it again.

Mo Xuzhi’s ears were bright red, but his face was perfectly calm.

Luo Wenyun’s money wasn’t easy to get. Even if it was only 500,000, it wasn’t that simple.

Luo Wenyun’s attitude and positioning toward Shen Le was constantly changing. Last time they were just good friends, and now it had become an ambiguous relationship.

There was no script, no preset lines or small theaters; everything relied on improvisation.

Luo Wenyun said, “Come here a bit.”

Mo Xuzhi leaned his head over, his mouth still moving.

Luo Wenyun removed a tiny leaf from the top of the youth’s head, looked at the other’s puffed-out cheeks, and said softly:

“We should be together.”

Mo Xuzhi’s face suddenly flushed red.

“I…”

Luo Wenyun had a faint smile, his light gray pupils concealing all emotions, like an experienced hunter patiently watching his prey fall into a trap.

“I, well…”

Mo Xuzhi also smiled, his gaze meeting Luo Wenyun’s without evasion. The redness on his face and ears vanished instantly. He said:

“It’s time. I’m off the clock.”