"Why do we still have to wear pajamas?" Ye Mo asked somewhat frustrated, thinking to himself, could this be for some risqué photoshoot?
Seeming to understand Ye Mo's thoughts, Li Mu Mei said, "Qingxue isn't afraid, so why are you? Don't tell me you really think you're the star of an adult film."
"Ning Qingxue," though she held some reservations about Ye Mo, felt a bit embarrassed by Li Mu Mei's words. After all, the mention of "adult films" was something she strongly disliked.
Ye Mo wanted to refuse but recalling the melancholy look in Ning Qingxue's eyes when he first saw her—so similar to his master Luo Ying's—he agreed. Perhaps deep down, subconsciously, he was equating Ning Qingxue to his master Luo Ying, or using her to remember Luo Ying. Besides, if Ning Qingxue wasn't afraid, why should he be? Such things meant nothing to him, and helping out wouldn't cost him much.
Wearing pajamas, Ye Mo and Ning Qingxue leaned against the headboard together, and Ye Mo felt a strange sensation. Ning Qingxue's faint virgin scent intoxicated him. Her fragrance was somewhat similar to Luo Ying's, yet also different in ways he couldn't pinpoint—but he liked it very much.
He instinctively leaned a little closer to Ning Qingxue, not realizing he was performing.
Ning Qingxue also sat in pajamas beside Ye Mo. Her brows furrowed slightly, showing a bit of displeasure, but quickly returned to normal. Ye Mo carried no unpleasant odor—instead, he smelled fresh, almost excessively so, with a faint masculine scent mingled with a baby-like fragrance that made Ning Qingxue feel a little dizzy.
She seemed to sense Ye Mo inching closer and, instinctively, did not pull away but leaned into him, closing her eyes as if recalling the sensation, completely forgetting they were acting.
Ning Qingxue's body was soft and tender, making Ye Mo feel very comfortable. But soon after they cuddled, Ye Mo remembered this was a photo shoot with Li Mu Mei right beside them, and not time for fantasies. Realizing this, he was startled and wanted to pull away.
Li Mu Mei, however, said with surprise, "You two aren't really getting into character, are you? Hey, I've finished shooting, you can come down now!"
Ning Qingxue instantly snapped out of it, her face flushing bright red. She didn't know how she got so immersed and dared not look at Li Mu Mei or Ye Mo. Nervously, she grabbed her jacket and threw it over herself.
Ye Mo chuckled, rubbed his nose, put on his clothes carelessly, and walked out of the room.
"Mu Mei, I..." Ning Qingxue seemed unsure how to explain her earlier behavior. She didn't understand why Ye Mo attracted her, nor why she didn't push away the ill-intentioned Ye Mo.
"Sigh, it's fine, the photos are done. I'll give them to Jingwen later and bring a copy back to Yanjing. For now, you'll live here alone for at least a month or so until things clear up. I'll come see you often," Li Mu Mei sighed again and continued, "Luckily Ye Mo is who he is, otherwise it'd really be dangerous for you two to be together."
Ning Qingxue understood what Li Mu Mei meant but didn't know how to respond. She even doubted if Ye Mo was a normal man—after all, he lived with Xu Wei. Although she thought this, she was too shy to say it aloud.
Still, she knew her feelings for Ye Mo, and regardless of who he really was, Mu Mei was just overthinking. What happened earlier was an accident; at that moment, her heart was calm with no other thoughts.
The next day's biggest news wasn't Ning Qingxue's marriage but that a pair of "buddies" driving a BMW were found badly injured at Century Plaza. When the police intervened, they discovered one was the son of the vice mayor—and both had suffered severe injuries.
Clearly, it was an intentional attack. Though Zheng Wenqiao and the other man survived, they were left mentally incapacitated. The case became a mystery.
After Li Mu Mei left, Ye Mo's life returned to normal. He found that if he didn't bring meals home, Ning Qingxue rarely ate.
What Ye Mo didn't know was Ning Qingxue only brought him a bank card when she came out, and she herself had no money. After recent events, she was too embarrassed to call Li Mu Mei, and since Ye Mo took her 500,000-yuan card, she didn't mind living off him.
If it were just Ye Mo, he could get by eating lightly or skipping meals, but with Ning Qingxue here, he had to bring food daily.
However, days passed, and Ye Mo noticed Ning Qingxue ate very little each time. He sighed, guessing she had a picky appetite and couldn't get used to the boxed meals outside.
Helpless, Ye Mo began buying ingredients and cooking himself. But with only 50,000 yuan left—partly spent on medicine and miscellaneous items—he had just 20,000 yuan remaining. Looking at Ning Qingxue's card, he thought it wouldn't hurt to swipe it since she lived here and ate his food anyway. He didn't mind if there was extra money; he'd just give it to her.
To his disappointment, Ning Qingxue's card was frozen—he couldn't withdraw a single cent. The bank had frozen it.
Though many things were difficult, at least Ning Qingxue didn't dislike his cooking and often ate a fair amount, which comforted Ye Mo. Otherwise, if she became fragile, that other woman Li Mu Mei might come after him fiercely—not a problem for him, but he worried about the chaos it could cause at Ning University.
Also, Ye Mo had no ill feelings toward Ning Qingxue—on the contrary, he felt quite good about her and didn't want to see her starve.
Ning Qingxue was puzzled. Although she ate little of the store-bought food, she ate more of Ye Mo's cooking. Perhaps Ye Mo's dishes suited her taste. After just over a week, she realized she had even gained a little weight.
The happiest news for Ye Mo was that his Silverheart Grass had finally matured, and its seeds were ready for harvest.
Carefully, Ye Mo collected thirty-nine seeds and stored them in a prepared jade bottle. He didn't want to keep planting in this courtyard because he couldn't stay in Ninghai for two years. Once things settled, he planned to leave immediately. He had a feeling Ninghai was no longer suitable for him.
After collecting the seeds, Ye Mo began processing the mature Silverheart Grass. How to make good use of it was key—maybe this single plant could help him advance to the second level of Qi Refinement.
The remaining 20,000 yuan was mostly spent on herbs, combined with the Silverheart Grass to brew medicinal soup.
Ning Qingxue usually asked Ye Mo to borrow some books from the library. She rarely went out, mostly sitting quietly in the courtyard reading. When Ye Mo tended the plants or brewed medicine, she quietly watched without asking a single question.
Xu Wei typically returned home late at night, leaving early in the morning. She rarely interacted with Ning Qingxue beyond a few words to Ye Mo. This reminded Ye Mo of when he first came—back then, he also rarely saw her.
Ye Mo brewed an entire jar of medicinal soup into one bowl, planning to drink it during evening cultivation.
"Ye Mo, I want to ask you a favor." For the first time, Ning Qingxue, who rarely spoke except for borrowing books, proactively spoke up, seemingly about to request something.