IOLYF Chapter 52

The news of Wen Ci nearly drowning during the game spread quickly. He was taken to the hospital, and a whole group from the production team and the park staff went with him. Xingci Entertainment also urgently dispatched people to the site.

With Shen Xixi following Wen Ci to the hospital, Mo Ming’s team was suddenly down to just him. The production team decided to revise the script, directing Mo Ming to cooperate in the performance and let Cheng Jing and Zhao Li’s team win, wrapping up the afternoon’s recording rather hastily.

On the bus ride back to the hotel, a representative from the production team explained to everyone that what happened with Wen Ci was purely an accident.

“They say it happened on a boat. Wen Ci’s safety belt came loose, and that’s how he got thrown into the water…”

“How does a safety belt just come loose? Was it not fastened properly from the start?”

“Wen Ci said he accidentally unfastened it himself, but how is that possible? If it were that easy to undo, who would dare play that game? I heard the safety belt was actually…”

People on the bus were quietly gossiping.

A lot of people had gathered at the scene of the incident, and everyone had clearly heard Shen Xixi’s comments. For those on the inside, it wasn’t hard to get the details of what really happened.

As the conversation trailed off, the voices lowered significantly, but Zhao Li, who was sitting behind the two talking, heard everything clearly. Her high ponytail, with red and blue ribbons tied around the braided strands at her temples, made her look like a rebellious yet cool girl. Though her makeup wasn’t heavy, her deep eye shadow made her seem like a tough punk.

Zhao Li stood up, leaning on the seat in front of her with both arms, and smiled at the two. “Smart people don’t leave blood on their hands, and they certainly don’t act out of impulse to do something that harms others without benefiting themselves. After two days of recording, who do you think is the smartest among us?”

The two immediately caught the underlying meaning in Zhao Li’s words and quickly smiled back. “We were just chatting. No conspiracy theories here.”

Zhao Li didn’t bother with them further. She moved to the row where Mo Ming was sitting, tapped Cheng Jing on the shoulder, and had him switch seats with her.

Mo Ming was sitting by the window, his head resting against the glass as he drifted off to sleep. After being kept up half the night and then spending the whole day mentally and physically drained, he was utterly exhausted.

Zhao Li leaned in close to Mo Ming, lowering her voice as she smiled and asked, “Mo Ming, are you and Han Ge going to get married?”

Mo Ming didn’t know Zhao Li that well, but she was one of the people he had the most interaction with, aside from Cheng Jing, during the recording.

Zhao Li’s question caught him off guard, and he blinked, a bit dazed.

“They all think Han Ge came to visit Wen Ci, but I know he was here to see you.” Zhao Li said with a smile.

Mo Ming looked at Zhao Li. “Are you close with… um, Han Shao Zhou?”

Zhao Li nodded. “Our families are old friends. We grew up together, though I went to Korea for several years as a trainee. But my brother and Han Ge are still as close as they were when they were kids.”

Zhao Li added, “You probably know my brother, Zhao Cheng.”

Mo Ming was a bit surprised. He did remember Zhao Cheng, one of Han Shao Zhou’s very talkative but caring friends.

“I’ve met him a few times.”

“You don’t know, but before I came to this show, my brother described you as this delicate little flower that couldn’t stand the wind…” Zhao Li laughed. “I was actually thinking about whether I should take extra care of you out of respect for Han Ge. But it turns out, you’ve been plowing through every challenge, and I’ve even had to rely on you a few times.”

“Just lucky.” Mo Ming replied.

“No way. I really admire smart men. Guys like my brother and Han Ge, I’m not interested in.”

Mo Ming: “…”

Zhao Li leaned closer to Mo Ming’s ear, lowering her voice further but with genuine sincerity. “No matter what people say, I think you and Han Ge are a perfect match.”

During the years when Wen Ci was mingling with Zhao Cheng and Han Shao Zhou’s circle, Zhao Li was abroad, so she and Wen Ci didn’t have much interaction—at best, they were acquaintances through mutual connections.

Mo Ming forced a smile, feeling a bit uneasy. His relationship with Han Shao Zhou didn’t seem like it could continue as it had for the past three years, where they purely indulged in each other’s bodies with no other connections.

Slowly but surely, the hassles of maintaining their relationship were starting to outweigh the pleasure it brought.

Yet, despite this, he found that he was still reluctant to let go. Even from a rational standpoint, Han Shao Zhou was an exceptionally high-value lover…

Back at the hotel, it was just after five. Cheng Jing and Zhao Li invited Mo Ming out to grab a bite, but he declined, saying he needed to catch up on sleep—he was utterly exhausted.

But as soon as he lay down, his phone rang.

It was Han Shao Zhou.

Mo Ming, lying under the covers with his eyes closed, answered listlessly, “Shao Ge…”

“Wen Ci’s alright.” Han Shao Zhou said softly, trying to comfort him. “What happened wasn’t your fault. The place was newly built, and you weren’t familiar with everything. It was an oversight by your production team. You don’t need to feel guilty.”

Mo Ming slowly opened his eyes. “…”

“Little one, come to the hospital.” Han Shao Zhou’s voice was gentle. “I’m sure today’s incident gave you a scare. Don’t worry, it’s all over. Wen Ci isn’t upset with you.”

Mo Ming sat up, pressing his fingers against his temples. “I’ll head over now.”

Not long after, Mo Ming arrived at the hospital Han Shao Zhou had mentioned, and found him waiting outside the inpatient building.

Han Shao Zhou placed his hands on Mo Ming’s cold cheeks. “You should’ve worn more.”

Mo Ming’s gaze softened, and he couldn’t help but tiptoe to rub his nose against Han Shao Zhou’s. He suggested, “How about we find a restaurant nearby and sit down?”

Han Shao Zhou chuckled. “Shouldn’t we go upstairs to see Wen Ci first and apologize?”

“…”

“It’s just a simple apology.” Han Shao Zhou said. “Besides, Wen Ci made sure to tell everyone it was his own fault for accidentally unfastening the safety belt, so you don’t need to worry about any nasty rumors…”

To Han Shao Zhou, this was a straightforward matter. His little one had accidentally hurt Wen Ci, so all Mo Ming needed to do was apologize. Wen Ci would graciously forgive him, and the whole incident would be neatly resolved.

This was also Wen Ci’s request before Mo Ming arrived. Even after suffering such a shock, Wen Ci was willing to let it go for Han Shao Zhou’s sake, only asking for an apology from Mo Ming as a small consolation.

Mo Ming’s gaze lowered and then lifted again. “I’ll bring him a fruit basket. Could you buy one for me?”

Han Shao Zhou couldn’t help but laugh, pinching Mo Ming’s cheek. “You call that your gift?”

Despite his teasing, Han Shao Zhou promptly went to a nearby fruit store to get a basket. He was actually quite pleased with Mo Ming’s behavior. He had been worried that Mo Ming might harbor some resentment toward Wen Ci due to his past pursuit of him, but now it seemed that Mo Ming was being very reasonable.

The little one had a good sense of propriety.

Carrying the fruit basket, Mo Ming followed Han Shao Zhou upstairs.

The VIP ward was very quiet.

The people who had initially crowded Wen Ci’s room had been gradually dismissed by him. Only Shen Xixi, Wen Ci’s assistant, and a staff member from the production team remained.

When Han Shao Zhou and Mo Ming appeared at the door, Wen Ci asked Shen Xixi to return to the hotel and had his assistant and the staff member step out.

“Han Ge, Mo Ming…” Wen Ci sat up straight, but he still didn’t look well.

Before Han Shao Zhou could remind him, Mo Ming stepped forward, placed the fruit basket on the bedside table, and calmly said, “I wish you a speedy recovery.”

Wen Ci nodded. “Thank you.”

“Will you need to stay long?”

“I’ll be discharged tomorrow morning. Just need to rest here tonight.”

“I know the cameras wouldn’t have captured what your hands were doing at that moment.” Mo Ming suddenly said, his tone calm. “But I trust my own eyes. You unfastened the safety belt yourself.”

Han Shao Zhou frowned.

Wen Ci didn’t react much. He closed his eyes slowly. “I only wanted an apology, but you’re trying to turn the tables on me. I can’t help but wonder if you did this on purpose.”

“I’m not interested in arguing with you about this. I just want to say that I won’t apologize.”

Mo Ming looked at Wen Ci. “I can guess your motive, but since this incident hasn’t caused me any real harm, and you haven’t incited any public backlash, you’ve ultimately hurt yourself the most. So, I won’t do anything. This fruit basket and my well-wishes are for Shao Ge’s sake…”

In the winter evening, the sky grew dark early. The city lights were already beginning to twinkle outside the corridor’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

Snowflakes started to drift in the cold wind…

In the hallway, Han Shao Zhou stopped Mo Ming, his expression sour. His high brow bones made his eyes look sharper than usual.

Mo Ming knew that Han Shao Zhou was angry.

“What happened back there? We had a plan when we were downstairs.” Han Shao Zhou said, his voice low. “What did you mean by those words?”

Mo Ming looked at him. “I meant exactly what I said.”

“He nearly drowned, and all he’s asking for is an apology. Is that really so hard for you?” Han Shao Zhou’s expression tightened. “Besides, Wen Ci immediately cleared you of any wrongdoing. Otherwise, everyone would believe you tried to hurt him on purpose.”

Mo Ming lowered his gaze. “So, everything I said just now—you didn’t believe a word of it…”

“I thought about it and realized it’s impossible.” Han Shao Zhou said. “If Wen Ci wanted to frame you, he wouldn’t have cleared you right away. In that situation, only the two of you knew what happened. Wen Ci could have easily claimed you did it on purpose, but all he’s asked for is an apology. He hasn’t done anything else…”

Mo Ming let out a quiet laugh. “Because that’s exactly what he wants…”

Directly accusing someone of trying to harm him would be the stupidest move… That man was smarter than he had anticipated.

At first, Mo Ming had naively thought Wen Ci was just trying to create the illusion that he had tried to drown him. The childishness of that tactic even made him feel a little pity. But now he realized that what Wen Ci truly wanted was for everyone to subconsciously believe that Mo Ming owed him.

Whether intentional or not, in everyone’s eyes—especially Han Shao Zhou’s—Mo Ming would always owe Wen Ci an apology.

Wen Ci wanted an apology because he knew Mo Ming, knowing the truth, would never give him one. This unsolvable impasse would drive a wedge between Mo Ming and Han Shao Zhou.

Perhaps that man wasn’t hurting himself after all—he was achieving his goal in one fell swoop…

No one knew whether the safety belt was fastened correctly at that moment. Even if Mo Ming denied it, people would think he had simply made a mistake… Wen Ci had already taken the moral high ground. Everyone would see him as magnanimous, while Mo Ming would be left feeling disgusted, knowing the truth.

“I know you don’t like Wen Ci.” Han Shao Zhou said, his tone patient despite the unease Mo Ming’s expression gave him. “So, here’s the deal. You apologize, and I’ll take you out of here immediately. Then this whole thing is over.”

“I’m not going.”

Aside from a slight chill, Mo Ming didn’t feel particularly angry or upset. The only impact this whole thing had was on the man standing in front of him…

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”