Chapter 215: Mu Sheng Almost Cried
Mu Sheng pointed at Li Hanchen the moment the male nurse finished his sentence. “He needs help with his food.”
Li Hanchen’s face instantly turned dark.
It was the age of the internet, so all they needed was some gossip to ruin a man.
It did not matter if people were speaking the truth, they simply needed to spend some money to spread the gossip.
“Stop acting tough since your arms are in pain.” Mu Sheng placed the food in the nurse’s hand. “Thanks so much.”
The male nurse sat by the bedside and scooped a large spoonful of food and held it in front of Li Hanchen as he glared at Li Hanchen annoyingly.
The man was such a bad husband for making his lovely wife feed him.
Li Hanchen did not want to eat. Since Mu Sheng was standing there watching, he could only force himself to finish lunch.
Li Hanchen did not want Li An to get worried while he was at the hospital, so he did not tell him the truth. However, Li An noticed something amiss, so he secretly followed behind Mu Sheng when she came out.
He was at the door looking inside the room when he saw a burly man feeding Li Hanchen lunch.
Li An opened his eyes wide and felt stunned. It was such a comical sight.
He was so astonished by the sight that he forgot to conceal himself.
Li Hanchen raised his head and saw a pair of bright round eyes outside the window after swallowing the food downheartedly.
“Come over,” said Li Hanchen.
Li An was absolutely shocked.
He was stunned. Did his big brother know he was here?
He walked over thinking that his older brother was going to kill him. To his surprise, Li Hanchen did not reprimand him. Instead, he pointed at the bowl in the nurse’s hand and said, “Come over and feed me.”
“Sure!” Li An hurriedly skipped over. “What do you want to eat?”
The nurse left since the patient’s family member was here.
Li Hanchen seemed annoyed. “Whatever.”
Li An thought Li Hanchen was angry with him, so he obediently fed Li Hanchen lunch before peeling an apple for him.
“Big Bro.” After Li Hanchen stopped looking as angry, Li An finally went up to him. “What happened to you?”
Ever since Li Hanchen came back, Li An kept hearing people say Li Hanchen was on the brink of death. He asked Li Hanchen about it several times, but he refused to tell him the truth.
Since Li Hanchen was hospitalized, Li An naturally felt worried.
“It’s fine.” Li Hanchen contemplated and said, “Everything will be okay real soon.”
Li An pursed his lips with his eyes slightly teary. He sat down by the bed and held Li Hanchen’s arm. “Really? Big Bro, I don’t want you to be sick.”
What would happen to Li An if anything befell Li Hanchen?
Although Li An did not seem the type to care, he cared a lot about Li Hanchen. He was worried Li Hanchen was saying this to make him feel better.
Li An wiped the tears trickling down his face as he thought about his older brother dying.
“Why are you crying? With me around, your older brother will live to a ripe old age.” Mu Sheng was eating a piece of fruit when she raised her head and spoke with utter confidence.
Li An raised his head to glance at Mu Sheng. “Really?”
“Uh huh. I swear.” Mu Sheng nodded. Not even the God of Death could Li Hanchen from her.
Li An felt happy. “Big Bro, why did you let that beefy guy feed you? How could you bear to eat it?”
It promptly evoked Li Hanchen’s memory of getting fed by the burly male nurse. He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Li An. Li An automatically went “oh no” in his heart.
Sure enough, Li Hanchen instantly said, “Did you cut class to come here? Write a review when you get back.”
His older brother was terrible!
Li An frowned sadly. “Okay.”
Even though Li An did not like writing reviews, he happily left the hospital now that he confirmed Li Hanchen was going to be fine.
Shortly after Li An left the hospital, Mu Sheng received a call from the director.
After hanging up the phone, Mu Sheng clearly looked happy. “The director just called to say that the entertainment program will be filming as planned.”
Although Mu Sheng had annoyed Li Hanchen earlier, the anger in his eyes dissipated when he saw her smiley eyes. “That’s perfect.”
“I have to go home and do some research about cooking. I heard we have to cook on our own,” said Mu Sheng as she packed her things.
Li Hanchen looked at Mu Sheng. “Then are you coming tonight?”
Mu Sheng wanted to say no. She turned to glance at Li Hanchen and saw him sitting with his head lowered so that she could see his thick eyelashes. He inexplicably seemed lonely to her.
“Yes, I will.”
Li Hanchen raised his head. “I am waiting for you.”
“Uh huh.”
Mu Sheng went out with her things. Shortly after she left the hospital ward, she bumped into Mu Xiao. She was surrounded by people and headed in her direction.
Zhang Man automatically wanted to stand in front of Mu Xiao and say something to Mu Sheng.
Since they were in public and there were plenty of eyes on them, she did not want people to learn that Mu Sheng was from the Mu family. She eventually pretended not to see Mu Sheng.
Mu Xiao glanced at Mu Sheng angrily before averting her eyes and pretending not to see Mu Sheng.
Mu Ting came out from the specialist’s room with a piece of paper as he walked over. The moment he saw Mu Sheng, he froze before he finally disregarded Mu Sheng.
He certainly did not want anyone to find out his daughter was such an embarrassment.
Mu Ting walked past Mu Sheng and worriedly went up to Mu Xiao. “Xiaoxiao, the doctor said you have to recuperate at home. I don’t think the doctors here are good enough, so I have hired a medical team from France to take care of you. They can examine you in a couple of days.”
Mu Xiao cleared her throat a couple of times. “Uh huh. Thanks, Dad.”
Mu Sheng glanced at Mu Xiao from the side, and her lips curved upwards slightly.
Even though she did not examine Mu Xiao, it was clear that she was not sick. At the worst, Mu Xiao was only a little anemic.
Mu Ting and Zhang Man kept checking on Mu Xiao while she leaned against her mother’s shoulder weakly. “Dad, the air in the hospital is bad. I want to go home now.”
“Sure. Let’s go back now.” Mu Ting ordered his men to take Mu Xiao home. Before he left the hospital, he glared at Mu Sheng viciously.
Mu Ting quickly warned Mu Sheng when no one was looking, “Stop embarrassing yourself. Otherwise, I am going to give you a piece of my mind.”
Mu Sheng glanced around and spotted surveillance cameras. She decided not to take Mu Ting to heart and refrain from causing any commotion in public.
——
After everyone found out that “A Journey Through Food” was not going to film a new season this year, everyone kept taking it out on Mu Sheng online. Countless viewers kept blaming her for causing the show to get cut.
The fans of the show kept making vicious posts on My Sheng’s social media account page. They ridiculed her and demanded that she get kicked out of the entertainment industry.
[This is infuriating. “A Journey Through Food” has been airing for years. Would it end up getting cut if it weren’t for you?]
[I will come here to curse you every day until the show comes back. How could you take away my spiritual sustenance? ]
[Get out of the entertainment industry, Mu Sheng. You are a scourge to the entertainment business. Can’t you just stick to doing live telecasts?]
Mu Sheng had recently gained a wave of fans for being a cool female gamer. However, she lost a lot of fans because of the show.
Everyone clicked on it for a look. Initially, they were just a little peeved about her. Now that they had seen the post, everyone blazed with fury.
The talent agency had just posted pictures of Mu Sheng studying recipes.
@Midsummer’s Night: [Mu Sheng is learning how to cook. Do you want to take a look at how she is doing?]
Everyone rolled their sleeves up and was ready for a fight. Was Midsummer’s Night joking? How could the person responsible for getting the show taken off talk about cooking? It was absolutely pretentious of her!
Just as everyone was composing their posts, someone suddenly reminded them.
[Whatever it is, let’s go check out the social media account of “A Journey Through Food” first.]
Everyone clicked into the show’s official social media account and rubbed their eyes in disbelief when they saw it.
Even after rubbing their eyes, nothing changed.
@A Journey Through Food: [We would like to thank Golden Group for the sponsorship. The latest season will be aired as usual. Thank you for your support.]
The post left everyone dumbstruck. Everyone on earth knew about the Golden Group.
In a word, Golden Group was stinking rich.
[I thought the director was mad. When I clicked on the hashtag with the company name, I realized it was really Golden Group’s official social media account!]
[My entire family is blown away by this news. Golden Group’s CEO recently activated a local social media account. Now that the company has an official social media account as well, does this mean they plan on focusing on China? This is brilliant.]
[No wonder Mu Sheng promoted for the program. She must have received inside information about this. Hahaha! I am so happy. I am glad that the program gets to stay. Now I have something to watch over dinner.]
Not everyone felt as happy when they saw the news.
Chu Rao was delighted that she had escaped death and did not have to appear on the show when she suddenly heard the news that it was airing as usual. She could not help feeling dejected.
“Yang, I beg you. Please don’t make me appear on the show. I really don’t want to go.” Chu Rao looked miserable and could not be bothered keeping up her image as a beauty.
“Give me a reason.” The talent agent glanced at her sideways. “In that case, why don’t you pay the compensation fees for breaking your contract? I reckon it is as good as you working for the company for nothing for 20 years. Are you still going to terminate the contract?”
Chu Rao swallowed uneasily. “20 years?”
Chu Rao weighed the pros and cons between appearing on the program with her ex-boyfriend and the astronomical contract termination fees and chose the money unwaveringly. “Never mind. It’s just an entertainment program, right? I will do it.”
The talent agent looked at Chu Rao speechlessly. “Do you have any idea how many people want to appear on a show with Ye Zhipei? Sadly, he refused them. You have no idea how lucky you are that he agreed to this. Why can’t you just treasure the opportunity?”
Chu Rao was stunned. It did not cross her mind that Ye Zhipei only agreed because she was still on his mind.
In that case, there was only one reason he could have possibly agreed. Ye Zhipei must have taken on the show with the intention of seeking revenge on her. Chu Rao did not know whether she was sad or afraid thinking about this. “Erm… Do I have company insurance?”
The talent agent was flabbergasted. Although the talent agent knew Chu Rao was capable of doing strange things sometimes, the talent agent certainly did not see this coming. She could not help glancing at Chu Rao warily. “Why are you asking?”
“Why don’t you get me one?” Chu Rao wanted to cry. “If I can’t make it back alive, you can at least get a payout from the insurance company.”
The talent agent went quiet as her lips twitched. “What’s gotten into you this time?”
Chu Rao quietly hugged her arms. She was not crazy. Her talent agent simply did not get it.
——
Meanwhile, at the villa.
Mu Sheng spent all afternoon studying recipes. When it was dinner time, she volunteered to take over Auntie Lin’s job.
Auntie Lin stood at the kitchen entrance an hour later and shook her head at Mu Sheng from behind pitifully.
She pitied Li Hanchen.
Li Hanchen checked the time for the fifth time in the hospital ward.
It was already 6:05 pm, but Mu Sheng was not here yet.
Just as he was about to raise his hand and check his watch for the sixth time, Mu Sheng opened the door and walked in.
“You certainly are punctual today,” said Li Hanchen with a straight face.
“Really? Wasn’t I five minutes late?” Mu Sheng was a very punctual person. “There was a slight jam on my way here.”
“I see.” Li Hanchen glanced at the lunchbox she was holding. “What did you bring?”
“I made some food, so I brought it over for you to try,” said Mu Sheng as she opened the lunch box.
Li Hanchen glanced at the food and raised his brow slightly. “Did you make this?”
The color of the food looked decent. In terms of appearance, it passed.
“Uh huh.”
Li Hanchen had already gotten Qin Kai to inform the nurses not to come into the hospital ward if they could avoid it, so only Li Hanchen and Mu Sheng were in the room now. He lied blatantly, “My hands hurt.”
Mu Sheng took a piece of pork rib with her chopsticks and placed it in Li Hanchen’s mouth. “What do you think?”
Li Hanchen took a bite happily.
He tried chewing it, but he could not bite through it.
Two bites later, he was still unable to do it.
……
After trying several times, Li Hanchen cleared his throat. “I am sick, so I can’t chew very well. Why don’t you give me something else?”
Mu Sheng fed him some vegetables.
The instant it entered Li Hanchen’s mouth, it was so salty that he was unable to speak. He went quiet promptly before he swallowed the vegetables. “This is good.”
“Really?” Mu Sheng wanted to sample her own cooking back home, but Auntie Lin stopped her, so she did not know how it tasted.
Li Hanchen nodded slightly. “Uh huh.”
“Why don’t you try this then?” Mu Sheng fed Li Hanchen a piece of potato.
Li Hanchen glanced at the dirt on the potato skin. Despite his OCD about cleanliness, he said nothing and simply ate it.
Halfway through eating, Li Hanchen finally could not bear it and got Mu Sheng to bring him a glass of water.
Mu Sheng secretly took a bite and spat the food while he was drinking water.
She tried the pork ribs next. They were as hard as stone, and it was impossible for her to eat them.
“This tastes terrible. How could you eat it?” Mu Sheng frowned as she looked at Li Hanchen.
Li Hanchen smiled with the empty glass in hand. “It is your first time cooking, so this is pretty good. I am done drinking. Let’s continue.”
“No, don’t. It’s awful.” Mu Sheng took the food away. “I will get Auntie Lin to send some food over now.”
Li Hanchen insisted. “Come on. I like my food salty anyway. Give it to me.”
Mu Sheng looked at Li Hanchen. “Are you forcing yourself to eat it because you don’t want to hurt my feelings since it is the first time I am cooking?”
Li Hanchen frowned slightly. “Of course not. I really like it.”
Mu Sheng frowned even harder. She could tell Li Hanchen was just trying to be supportive. “Only an idiot would like my terrible cooking.”
Li Hanchen smiled. There was some imperceptible tenderness in his deep eyes as he looked at Mu Sheng. “Uh huh. I am that idiot, so just give it to me.”
Li Hanchen’s voice sounded husky and tender, making Mu Sheng’s heart skip a beat. She placed the food in front of Li Hanchen.
She put more food into his mouth.
“You need to skin the potatoes before you make this. There is a little too much salt, so just be careful in the future.”
He took a bite of the pork ribs. “The pork ribs have to be cooked for about 30 minutes longer. You put too much sugar this time, just watch out for that. Since it is your first time cooking, this is normal.”
Li Hanchen gave Mu Sheng suggestions as he ate slowly.
Li Hanchen raised his head when he did not hear Mu Sheng answer after some time. Her eyes were slightly red and tears were glistening in her eyes.
Li Hanchen was shocked, so he stood up immediately. “Why are you crying?”
He forgot that he was still weak from the operation and inadvertently fell back on the bed. Mu Sheng hurriedly went over to support him.
Li Hanchen did not care about himself. He looked Mu Sheng in the eyes and asked, “Tell me. What’s wrong?”
Mu Sheng shook her head. She did not know what came over her either.
No one had ever been so kind to her in her life. In her past life, she underwent strict training. Every time she failed, she would end up punished severely.
However, Li Hanchen did not care about her mistakes and patiently corrected her. Despite her terrible cooking, he ate it all up.
She felt as though she had gone back to when she was five years old. Back in the day, she could be a vulnerable child since her mother was around to protect and love her.
Mu Sheng pursed her lips. “Can I hug you?”
Ever since Mu Sheng got reborn in this era, she wanted a shoulder to lean on whenever she felt vulnerable just like Li An.
Li Hanchen looked at Mu Sheng deeply. He reached his hand out to pull Mu Sheng into his arms with his other hand on her waist and embraced her seamlessly.
Mu Sheng did not know what to say. She simply wanted to hold Li Hanchen’s arm and lean on his shoulder just like the way Li An hugged her.
Things were not what she anticipated now.
She had to admit, this made her feel inexplicably secure.
Li Hanchen was only dressed in a patient’s gown, so his body heat kept radiating towards Mu Sheng, and she could smell his cool pine scent.
After some time, Li Hanchen smiled. “Do you like it when I hug you that much? Why aren’t you moving?”
Li Hanchen lowered his head and took a glance before Mu Sheng could reply. Mu Sheng had unknowingly fallen asleep in his arms. Her long eyelashes could be seen fanning over her eyes. She looked absolutely beautiful.
Li Hanchen looked at her intently. All the feelings and desire for her that he had suppressed and concealed behind a cool facade suddenly surged into his heart.
He lowered his head and kissed Mu Sheng’s head.
He was like a devout follower standing in front of the temple and offering his god his all.
Mu Sheng could sense herself surrounded by a warm pine scent in her sleep. Since it smelled good and felt warm, she instinctively went closer towards the scent.
Li Hanchen sighed in his heart.
It felt good that Mu Sheng relied on him, but…
Li Hanchen pulled up his blanket to cover his belly.
Mu Sheng was in the habit of moving in her sleep. It was hard for him to endure it with Mu Sheng rubbing against him.
It was already late at night when Mu Sheng woke up and the sky outside the window was dark.
It was already late at night when Mu Sheng woke up and the sky outside the window was dark.
“Li Hanchen.” Mu Sheng patted Li Hanchen’s arm and wanted to make him let go of her waist.
“Don’t move. Since you fell asleep, then just continue sleeping.” Li Hanchen did not open his eyes and even pulled Mu Sheng closer to him. “I am so sleepy. I want to go to bed.”
The moment he finished his sentence, Li Hanchen’s breathing became even, and he seemed to have fallen asleep.
Mu Sheng went quiet. She ought to find this strange, but she did not mind even though it was awkward. Perhaps it was because she had a lot of skin contact with Li Hanchen recently.
Li Hanchen was a gentleman, so he would not do anything to her in her sleep.
Mu Sheng stopped thinking about it and closed her eyes to sleep.
Li Hanchen was asleep but he opened his eyes to glance at Mu Sheng with a smile on his face before he pulled Mu Sheng into his arms and happily went back to bed.
——
Meanwhile, at the Li residence.
“What are you saying? Golden Group?” said Li Ming in a high pitch in disbelief. “Why would Golden Group invest in ‘A Journey Through Food’?”
“Mr. Li, I don’t know either. I only know that things have gone back to normal for the show.” The assistant spoke sadly. “There is nothing we can do about the program.”
Other people might feel threatened by Li Group, but not Golden Group.
Li Ming frowned hard. “Doesn’t Golden Group have no business in the country? What’s going on? Why is Li Hanchen so lucky? Why is it so hard to finish him off?”
“Mr. Li, it might not be such a bad idea for Hanchen to go on the show.” The assistant came over to Li Ming.
“What do you mean?”
“We were unable to do anything about him previously. Now that he is appearing on public television, even if we can’t kill him openly, we can let him get devoured by public opinion. He might not die from a bad opinion, but it can certainly make his life hard.”
It was the age of the internet, so all they needed was some gossip to ruin a man.
It did not matter if people were speaking the truth, they simply needed to spend some money to spread the gossip.
Li Ming spun his pen. “You make sense. Enough. In that case, just forget about ‘A Journey Through Food’. Make arrangements for the Ye family’s banquet. Go to the auction to bid for a necklace.”
“Yes, Mr. Li.” The assistant nodded reverently. “Should I bid for pink diamonds? They are Miss Mu’s favorite.”
“Certainly not,” said Li Ming coldly as though Mu Xiao was not his childhood sweetheart. “Bid for a ruby necklace. The second daughter of the Ye family prefers those.”
