Ch 41: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

His brother’s expression was so strange that Mu Xing couldn’t ignore it.

He asked, “Do I look that frightening?”

Mu Shao quickly shook his head.

Mu Xing asked again, “So what are you here for?”

Mu Shao coughed lightly. “Just came to see you.”

Seeing how calm Mu Xing looked, he carefully organized his words before saying cautiously,
“Brother, there’s a saying… uh… when heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person… no, that’s not it—sharp swords are forged by grinding. Hardship is only temporary. The obstacle in front of you will also pass. If you’re feeling upset, you don’t need to hold it in. You can tell me…”

Mu Xing listened to the ramble, but couldn’t find any point in it.

He interrupted, “What exactly are you trying to say? Speak human words!”

Mu Shao shut his mouth, then blurted quickly,
“I just mean—it’s okay. We’ll treat this properly. If it heals, great. If it doesn’t, I’ll still take care of you. Don’t be too sad.”

Mu Xing was a little surprised to hear such words from him. He studied his expression before asking uncertainly,
“You’re… comforting me?”

Mu Shao gave an awkward snort.
“You’ve been the person I’ve aimed to surpass since childhood. If you were defeated by something like this, wouldn’t that make my judgment seem really poor?”

Rather tsundere.

Not long ago he’d had to face Cheng Qian and Qin Leyi, two disgusting people. Now, seeing his clumsy but kindhearted younger brother, Mu Xing felt his mood improve considerably.

Cheerfully, he said, “Don’t worry. I’m not sad. And my legs will definitely recover.”

Mu Shao looked at him suspiciously for a long time. Seeing no sign of pretense, he finally relaxed.

He sat down beside him and said,
“Then make sure you do recover quickly. Otherwise, by the time your legs are healed, the company will already be mine.”

Mu Shao didn’t bother to hide his ambition for the family business. In the past, it was only because Mu Xing was too outstanding that he hadn’t seemed like a threat.

But Mu Xing didn’t care much about the company’s ownership. He smiled.
“If you’ve got the ability, then what’s yours will be yours.”

The moment he said this, Mu Shao’s expression shifted again, tangled, as though he wanted to speak but didn’t dare.

“Just say whatever you want.”

Mu Shao shook his head.

Mu Xing didn’t press. He casually said,
“Then hand me my cup of water. The thermos right next to you.”

Mu Shao did as asked, unscrewing the lid and handing it over. But when his eyes swept the surface of the steaming water, he froze.

He thought he saw floating on top a few bright red… goji berries?

In disbelief, he asked,
“You’re drinking goji tea?”

Wasn’t that something only their father’s age drank?

Mu Xing looked puzzled.
“Yes. What’s the problem?”

In his past life, because of his body, he had been very health-conscious. And since the Mu family, his Master, and Ah Yue had also been strict about his health, Mu Xing had grown up into something of a “health freak.”

Many habits carried over into this life, impossible to change.

To Mu Shao, though, this was a big problem.

What kind of man was his brother?

A workaholic demon, who relied on his youth to work overtime, sometimes traveling nonstop for half a month. He had once even kept working through a fever.

And this person was now drinking health teas?

Seeing his expression, Mu Xing recalled the original body’s character and knew exactly what this brother was thinking.

He sighed, then said solemnly,
“This accident has made me think a lot.”

Mu Shao looked at him intently.

Mu Xing gave another sigh, looking like someone who had seen through life.
“Nothing matters more than health. My old lifestyle wasn’t good. Why push myself so hard?”

He tapped the book by his side and smiled.
“Sitting here reading a fairy tale and sipping hot tea—that’s a pretty comfortable life.”

Mu Shao and Yuan Rui looked at each other, dumbfounded.

After a long silence, Mu Shao finally let out a breath, stood, and said,
“Then you keep reading. I’ll go buy you some more books later. I’ll head back now.”

Yuan Rui quickly added,
“Goodbye, Brother Mu.”

“Mm. Goodbye.” Mu Xing waved at them with a smile, so kind and gentle that Mu Shao almost wondered if his memories of his domineering big brother had been a dream.

But once outside the hospital, he exhaled and said with relief,
“Even though he’s acting different from what I expected, I feel reassured now.”

Yuan Rui, not knowing Mu Xing well, didn’t think much of it. He asked,
“Reassured about what?”

Mu Shao said,
“You don’t understand. When I heard him just now say he doesn’t even care about the company, I was terrified.”

He shuddered.
“He’s always valued career above everything. If he’s saying things like that, I was afraid he’d been hit so hard he was planning to give up on life.”

Yuan Rui was startled.
“No way, right?”

“Luckily, since he’s drinking goji tea now, it must just be me overthinking.” Mu Shao patted his chest in relief.

He seemed in a good mood, humming a tune as he drove, even planning to go to a bookstore and buy some children’s literature for Mu Xing.

His big brother’s new hobby might be strange, but as a younger brother, he should support it.

*

While the Mu brothers were bonding and their relationship seemed to improve, on the other side, Qin Leyi’s days were becoming difficult.

She had always been known inside Glory Entertainment as a “connections girl.”

Back when she and Mu Xing were dating, he had wanted to make their relationship public, but Qin Leyi had refused. So it remained secret. Nobody ever knew exactly who was backing her.

All sorts of rumors had circulated before, but none were ever confirmed, so people only gossiped about her in private.

Inside the company, she didn’t have many real friends either—after all, others felt it was unfair.

And now, things had taken a turn.

Her resources were being visibly cut back, even projects already finalized and awaiting announcement were suddenly reassigned. Many people whispered behind her back, wondering if the person supporting her had abandoned her.

But the entertainment circle was full of shrewd people. Working under the same company, and with no direct enmity, no one would mock her to her face.

Still, the veiled remarks, the sarcastic jabs—those were endless.

Her agent repeatedly asked her what was going on.

But what could Qin Leyi say?

She couldn’t say, and she didn’t dare to.

While she kept silent, her fans couldn’t.

Originally, she had been scheduled to record a highly popular variety show over the weekend. She had already received the script, and all kinds of leaks had spread. Many fans on her super-topic already knew about it. They were only waiting for the official announcement.

But when the program list was announced today, Qin Leyi’s name was nowhere to be found among the guests.

Had the earlier information been fake?

Not at all. A fan claiming to work at the TV station confirmed: Qin Leyi was the original invitee, but Glory Entertainment’s contact suddenly changed their stance and recommended a more established senior artist instead.

That senior rarely appeared on variety shows and had far greater name recognition. The TV station wasn’t running a charity—of course they agreed.

It looked exactly like Qin Leyi had been replaced.

Before fans could even organize a protest, it happened again.

Two months ago, a big gossip account had revealed that a major production—a workplace drama centered on a powerful female lead—was in talks with Qin Leyi, and both sides were interested.

Today, the casting was officially announced.

The heroine was not Qin Leyi, but Jiang Zhi—another artist from Glory Entertainment, who had been steadily acting for years, with good reviews but without ever becoming popular.

This time, the fans exploded.

They had no doubt at all—their beloved Yiyi was being targeted!

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