Chapter 9#
Little Toy#
The bathroom’s round mirror reflected the youth’s butterfly bones, looking as if they were about to take flight.
The person in the mirror had slightly red eyes as he wiped his body expressionlessly.
After Mo Xuzhi finished wiping his body and returned to bed, he still felt no sleepiness. Without a tablet nearby, he started typing on his phone.
He had promised to update yesterday, but he ended up sleeping until evening and didn’t have time to write afterward. Now was the perfect time to make up for it.
He wrote for several hours.
Zhou Jingrou arrived at the ward at 8 AM sharp to wake Mo Xuzhi up, only to find him already sitting up in bed playing with his phone.
“Good morning, Mr. Mo. Have you finished washing up? When did you wake up?”
Zhou Jingrou put the breakfast aside and came over to pull out the small table on the bed.
“Morning, I woke up half an hour early.” Mo Xuzhi stopped Zhou Jingrou’s hand. “No need, I’ll eat over there on the sofa today.”
“But your body…”
“It’s not so serious that I can’t walk. Moving around for a few steps is fine.”
Zhou Jingrou hesitated for a moment but eventually yielded, bringing the breakfast to the table by the sofa.
Mo Xuzhi ate his breakfast quietly.
Seeing that Mo Xuzhi was almost finished, Zhou Jingrou finally said, “Assistant Li is here. He said he hopes you can go to the old residence with him after you finish eating.”
Mo Xuzhi’s chewing paused, then he continued eating unhurriedly.
Looking at Mo Xuzhi’s weary eyes, Zhou Jingrou felt an increasing sense of dissonance.
She couldn’t say what it was, she just felt that this person shouldn’t be like this, yet also felt he should be like this.
Contradictory and complex.
Mo Xuzhi finished his last bite, looked up at Zhou Jingrou, and then wiped his mouth with a tissue as if nothing had happened.
He knew his behavior from last night until now didn’t match his persona and had caught Zhou Jingrou’s attention.
But it didn’t matter.
Having acted for so long, Mo Xuzhi had figured out a pattern—the main plot was what mattered most. As long as he stayed on the plot line and acted consistently with the original work’s descriptions, he would be within the rules—similar to Luo Wenyun’s behavior.
In other words, in places the plot didn’t describe, such as his personal interactions with minor characters, he could express himself freely.
Free expression = no need to act. This rule wasn’t exactly useful, but at least it made him feel more relaxed, as he didn’t have to wear a mask to talk to people all the time.
Mo Xuzhi needed to change clothes after breakfast. Zhou Jingrou consciously cleared the dishes and left the room. After quickly handling them, she leaned against the door waiting for Mo Xuzhi to come out, taking this time for some self-reflection.
It seemed like she, the caregiver, was just a freeloader.
Although Mo Xuzhi had mobility issues, he could still dress himself and handle his own affairs, needing no help from her at all.
She had wanted to prepare some things Mo Xuzhi might need after discharge, but Assistant Li said he had already prepared them and put everything in the car.
Zhou Jingrou suddenly realized, it wasn’t just a feeling, she really was a freeloader!
Her job was in danger!
“I’m leaving now.”
A cold breeze passed her ear. Zhou Jingrou snapped back from her thoughts and turned her head just in time to see Mo Xuzhi’s side profile flash by.
A hint of crimson above the snow-white chin, loose hair fluttering by his ears, a faint fragrance drifting with the wind.
By the time Zhou Jingrou clutched her racing heart and recovered, she only saw a thin back disappearing around the corner.
When Mo Xuzhi reached the front desk, he saw Assistant Li sitting in the waiting hall with a tablet on his lap, typing away.
Assistant Li was indeed as workaholic as ever.
Assistant Li was a senior assistant who had been with Xue Feng for several years. His professional skills were top-tier, and he was Xue Feng’s most trusted aide. Most matters concerning Mo Xuzhi were handled by him.
It wasn’t that Xue Feng cared about Mo Xuzhi so much, but simply that he acted cautiously and didn’t want others to know about his relationship with Mo Xuzhi.
Hearing footsteps, Assistant Li looked up and saw Mo Xuzhi, dressed in a white hoodie with his hands in his pockets, looking at him with a smile.
Mo Xuzhi’s complexion was much better than when he first entered the hospital, but his face was still pale. Although he was smiling, he couldn’t hide his sickly appearance.
Assistant Li pushed his glasses, put the tablet into its dedicated bag, took out white gloves from a sealed bag and put them on, then walked to Mo Xuzhi’s side.
He reached out and put a mask on Mo Xuzhi.
It was a blue medical mask.
“There are many people outside, it’s better to wear a mask. Medical masks are more breathable.”
Assistant Li pinched the metal wire on the mask to make it fit Mo Xuzhi’s nose bridge.
Mo Xuzhi found it a bit funny.
Assistant Li was as practical as ever.
Other male stars usually wore black masks to look cool and stylish, but Assistant Li was devoted to breathable medical masks.
Coincidentally, Mo Xuzhi didn’t care about these things either, so he just went with it.
“Thanks.”
Assistant Li shook his head: “There are many people outside, keep close to me later.”
“Okay.”
“…”
Mo Xuzhi looked at the crowded hallways and fell into thought.
There were really a lot of people.
“The hospital doctors are about to start their shifts, this is the peak time.” Assistant Li turned sideways to shield Mo Xuzhi, “Let’s go this way, fewer people.”
“Okay.”
Mo Xuzhi noticed people constantly looking this way and even taking out their phones. He immediately pulled up his hood, hiding himself inside, and followed Assistant Li the other way.
But he still couldn’t hide completely.
At the same moment he got into the car, an anonymous blogger posted a Weibo.
像桃子 (Like a Peach): Spotted someone suspected to be mxz at the hospital, brothers, see if this is him? [图片][视频]
The person must have been far from Mo Xuzhi when taking the photo, as it looked quite blurry, but the basic features were still identifiable.
Mo Xuzhi in the photo was wearing a light blue mask, showing fatigue on his face. He wore a white hoodie that was somewhat oversized, hanging down to his thighs, with grey loose casual pants below. He exuded a lazy aura.
The video was only a few seconds long, and the camera was shaky. The only clear moment was roughly when Mo Xuzhi looked toward the camera before looking away and putting on his hood. The video ended there.
Netizens were hesitant.
This was a far cry from the arrogant image Mo Xuzhi usually presented to the public. They didn’t dare to confirm easily.
Usually, Mo Xuzhi was so energetic, acting out and jumping around, constantly insulting people and picking fights—he could be called the “spirited youth” of the entertainment industry.
Thus, the anti-fans who came upon hearing the news weren’t sure either.
[Probably… yes?]
[Doesn’t look like him. This person must have seen the camera, right? Isn’t mxz’s standard move when caught being photographed a middle finger + national curse?]
[Second Brother is right.]
[What’s he doing in the hospital? Didn’t he say yesterday he went back to school to see his junior? Is this it?]
[Even so, I’ve taken a fancy to the man next to him.]
While the anti-fans were hesitant and undecided, only the face fans remained steadfast.
[Yes, yes! Someone this good-looking must be my brother!]
[Slurp slurp, first time seeing Xuzhi in a hoodie, so good-looking, wuwuwu! Baby, please wear normal clothes more often in the future!!!]
After that, the fans and antis started their usual bickering.
Assistant Li drove for half an hour before reaching the Xue family’s old residence.
The old butler came out to greet them, said hello to Assistant Li, and led them to the room where Mo Xuzhi used to live.
The room he lived in before was a guest room, located further in from the master bedroom.
“I’ll pack up myself and find you when I’m done.”
As the butler turned the doorknob, Mo Xuzhi didn’t enter immediately. He turned his head to speak to Assistant Li, then seeing the butler’s slightly changed expression, added, “I can go in by myself, right?”
“Yes.” The butler’s eyelid twitched as he agreed.
“Thanks.”
Mo Xuzhi then turned and entered the room.
Assistant Li and the old butler watched Mo Xuzhi enter the room, then left for the living room.
Despite being a guest room, it was decorated with great taste. The ancient paintings on the walls and the exquisite ornaments showcased the family’s heritage.
Mo Xuzhi knew why the butler was reluctant to let him pack alone.
There were many valuable things in the room. Considering his “greedy” persona, it was easy to guess what the old butler was thinking.
He estimated that the butler would have to work hard to check if anything was missing after he left.
Mo Xuzhi didn’t want to trouble the elderly butler, but he had his own things to do.
Walking to the desk, Mo Xuzhi opened a drawer and took out a square jewelry box. He didn’t spare a glance at the diamond-encrusted men’s bracelet inside, but instead removed the velvet pad underneath and took out a small white bottle.
He weighed the bottle in his hand, gripped it tightly, aimed at the trash can and threw it, then caught it again as it fell and put it in his pocket.
He put the jewelry box back into the drawer, opened the wardrobe to symbolically pack a few pieces of clothing, and then put the books on the shelf into a document bag and sealed it. That was all for his packing.
When Mo Xuzhi opened the door and walked to the living room, Assistant Li was, as expected, diligently working.
The butler was sitting on the other side, facing the hallway Mo Xuzhi was in. Seeing him come out, he stood up immediately.
“Finished packing? Just these?”
Seeing the butler stand up, Assistant Li looked back and saw Mo Xuzhi standing at the hallway entrance with only a small suitcase, and nothing else.
“That’s all. Everything else in the room can be treated as trash. Sorry for the trouble.”
The butler was also a bit surprised to see Mo Xuzhi with only a small suitcase, but he said nothing in the end. He nodded and gave some soft instructions to the maid standing nearby.
As the maid listened, her expression went from a smile to surprise, and finally back to calm.
She nodded with a smile.
“Mr. Mo, please follow me.”
Mo Xuzhi looked at the maid’s polite smile and the old butler watching him, and felt inexplicably tired.
“Let’s go.”
The maid led Mo Xuzhi toward the kitchen.
The butler smiled at Assistant Li, said “Excuse me,” and went toward the guest room Mo Xuzhi had stayed in.
He was going to check the items.
Assistant Li sat on the sofa, his fingers resting on the keyboard, not typing for a long time.