Rebirth Of A Cannon Fodder From A Novel CHAPTER 21.1

Mo Di looked at the video on the screen and his pupils shrank. There was an overwhelming sense of fear and disbelief on his face.

But he was laughing in his heart.

To be honest, before Qin Cheng Yi spoke, he was scared indeed. He did not know what kind of trap the Mos and Qin Cheng Yi had set up for him this time but after Qin Cheng Yi revealed his cards, he just felt funny instead.

After all, if it wasn’t for the Mos and Qin Cheng Yi, he would not have such a great opportunity to break off his relationship with the Mo family.

Zhang Kuang Chang revealed that he sold the exam questions to two families, this did happen in his last life. And the reason why he was exposed and then sent to prison was that he had offended the Qin family. The only difference was that in his last life, Zhang Kuang Chang sold one copy to Huang Lie Hao from Jin Cheng High School and the other to Ma Lian Chao from Jing Da Affiliated High School. 

As for why he managed to remember this event so clearly. Well, if anyone was attacked by their school bullies on the second day of the college entrance exam, and had to forfeit the last exam due to a broken arm, he would also remember the names of the top and second scorer.

He even remembered that when the case was reported in August, the police had found the specific transaction records and video footage hidden by Zhang Kuang Chang’s mistress. Huang Lie Hao and Ma Lian Chao’s parents both gave them cash for the payment of 1.5 million each. Zhang Kuang Chang marked Huang Lie Hao as “H” and Ma Lian Chao as “M”. At first glance, the “M” could easily be mistaken for “Mo”.

More importantly, the transaction was in cash. With the intervention of the Qin Family, the transaction amount could be reduced to several hundred thousand, and with the Mo family certifying that Mo Di’s New Year money saved over the years and with other belongings, he could easily come up with the money to pay Zhang Kuang Chang. And finally, as long as Zhang Kuang Chang insisted that it was Mo Di whom he was dealing with, there was no way Mo Di could clear his name.

And Qin Cheng Yi would not allow him the chance to prove his innocence. He would work behind the scenes and ensure that he would be convicted swiftly. 

Under such a frame-up, if Mo Di was just a regular student, there was really nothing he could do but resign to fate; to be splashed with dirty water, denounced by the whole netizens, cut off from everyone, sentenced to jail, and had his whole life destroyed!

The Mo family could then further publicize the ‘evil’ things that he had done to gain a wave of public sympathy. As for him, a person with a vile mind, a despicable personality, useless garbage with fabricated achievements, a white-eyed wolf – what he had to face in addition to prison were the scorn from thousands of people, a tarnished reputation, and finally the fancy torture with no boundary or hope of escape.

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By then, Qin Cheng Yi and the Mo family could easily clean him up. And since he was more powerless and his reputation was worse than his past life, forcing him into a mental hospital could be done even more effortlessly. Were he to escape from the asylum after being tortured mercilessly, the public would still spit in his face with the words “serves you right!”

Mo Di felt a shiver in his heart.

He realized that after his rebirth, this world had spared no effort to change and accelerate the plot process. Not only did he have to suffer through new difficulties continuously, but the consequences of failing to change his fate were raised to hellish levels! As though there was a large mouth filled with fangs under his feet, with one careless step his fate would be hundreds of times worse than in his last life. He would be crushed to pieces and doomed eternally without any hope of getting back up.

It was as if he was being punished for breaking the core of this world and daring to change his destiny!

But there seemed to be another force, although feeble compared to the world force, was fighting for him and had saved him from being destroyed completely.

He could still remember vividly that when Zhang Kuang Chang was arrested in his last life he not only divulged his exchange procedures and the amount involved but also the location.

…

Mo Di just stayed in place and watched the video in disbelief, not saying a word.

But Qin Cheng Yi got impatient and scoffed: “You should consider well. What you’ve done has been exposed. The crimes of cheating and buying the questions are already set in stone! If you do a good job in admitting your crime and apologize to Liu Gui and Uncle Mo first, when you admit your wrongdoings on the internet, some people might still forgive you.”

“And if part of the public was willing to forgive you, the pressure on you will be much less. More importantly, if Uncle Mo and the others decided to keep their ties with you, they could get some connections to help you out. You could get through this unscathed but if you don’t apologize and own up, things won’t end with just being cut off and going to jail. It’s a simple choice, it can’t be that you don’t know which to choose, is it?”

Mo Liu Gui looked at Mo Di anxiously. Seeing that Mo Di remained silent, she could not help but say: “Xiao Di, this is the best way. I’ll ask grandpa and dad to find some connections and help control the public opinions online. This way, you will receive the least damage and won’t be cut off. You probably won’t even be sentenced. It’s just that your result will be invalid and you can’t retake the exam in the future.”

“But that’s ok, you can still have a good life even if you don’t go to university. But if you go to jail then you’ll be ruined. Since the new legislation was introduced last year, the penalty on cheating in the college entrance exam has become very serious!” 

“If I admit something that I didn’t do just like that then I’m really finished!”

Mo Di looked at Mo Liu Gui and finally spoke.

“I don’t understand, Sister, I don’t understand! Why are you all persuading me to admit! Saying it’s for my own good, that’s just because you believed that I cheated!”

“But I didn’t do it! Sister, you’d believe a Qin Cheng Yi that you’ve only for a month and a one-sided claim of the criminal who sold the papers but you don’t believe me? Why?!”

“You never doubted that they’ve set me up? Or that there’s a misunderstanding somewhere?”

“Why do you insist on believing that I cheated? Or is it that you’ve always thought I shouldn’t have scored that well, that I couldn’t get such a high score. Was thinking that I could get 720 points my mistake?!!”

“I, I … I didn’t mean that. That’s not what I meant!” this was the first time Mo Liu Gui was questioned in such a manner by Mo Di. No, it should be that this was the first time anyone had questioned her in such a manner. For a moment, she was in disbelief. Anger and grievances caused her eyes to turn red.

More importantly, Mo Di’s eyes towards her were just too strange. It was far from his usual expression which roused a sense of unexplainable discomfort.

“Mo Di, you animal!”

Mo Shi Hong exploded instantly after seeing his baby daughter being bullied and under scrutiny. Not only her goodwill was trampled by that white-eyed wolf, but he even reversed right and wrong! Mo Shi Hong’s heart ached terribly and his rage was uncontrollable. He only wished to kill Mo Di right now! To kill the shameless and vicious ingrate!

Mo Shi Hong violently pulled at the door of Mu Tian Heng’s car, wanting to drag Mo Di out.

“Mo Di, come out right now. Otherwise, I’ll immediately go to court and disown you, you bastard! When you go to jail, no one will even care! When you’re dead, no one will collect your corpse!”

A sharp hoot blasted from the car horn.

Mu Tian Heng was in a dark mood, he shot a cold look at the startled Mo Shi Hong, “What? Mo Third Master, are you trying to destroy my car by acting so violently?”

For a moment, Mo Shi Hong was taken aback by the powerful look and demeanour exuding from the person in front who was obviously younger than himself. He recollected himself after two seconds and his anger returned: “I really want to question you! This beast…Mo Di is my family’s child. How we discipline him, Mr. Mu, as an outsider, you have no right to interfere. Why are you still not letting him go? Are you trying to abduct my son?”

He had heard a bit of gossip the other day. It seemed that Mu Tian Heng liked men. A pervert.

If he wasn’t worried that it would bring shame and insult to the Mo family, he would’ve let someone expose Mu Tian Heng as a pervert who had abducted a Mo family member. Such a disgusting person, even looking at him would taint his eyes. He should just get lost!

When Mo Liu Gui heard this, she had almost voiced her astonishment. How could it be? What her father just said, …did it really mean that???

How was that possible? Although she did not discriminate or oppose homosexuality, it was just not normal at all!

“Third Master Mo, you should be careful with your words. Some things are easily said but hard to take back.” Mu Tian Heng cast a cold look at Mo Shi Hong, “Instead I would like to ask if Mo Di is a child that you just happened to pick up? You naturally pin him for everything. Injustice, unfounded charges, maltreatment, insult, and abuse…you people don’t deserve to be human. Mo Shi Hong you are even more unworthy to be a parent!”

“You…!” Mo Shi Hong was teeming with fury. He pointed at Mu Tian Heng and was about to discharge a barrage of insults when Mo Yi Cheng frantically stopped him and advised: “Uncle, third uncle, calm down. Our priority now is to take Mo Di home.”

“Xiao Di, you just sit there and watch your father being insulted and reviled?” Mo Liu Gui was annoyed and had a sad look on her face. She then said with anger to Mo Di: “Xiao Di, what’s the matter with you. How can you change like this?”

“What’s wrong with me? How had I changed?” Mo Di pulled down the window completely. He showed an even more heartbroken and distressed look, “Do I have to admit every accusation that comes my way? And scold Mr. Mu who is my benefactor? That is the right thing to do? That is how I should behave? ”

“Mr. Mu is my benefactor. He took me in when I was in trouble, so I can study safely, live my life safely. Now he’s speaking up for me to refute all your slandering. He only threw back what you guys had said and you guys can’t even stand it? You still think I’m the beast? Why do you think that you’re so upright?”

“Just because you’re my family so you can defame me without fear? This time it’s not just some petty slander, it’s a crime! I could go to prison!”

“Bullshit! You little beast… you’re getting harder to teach after running away from home.” Mo Shi Hong gasped as his anger intensified. He took a breath and continued to scold Mo Di: “You vicious scheming little thing. It’s no use pretending. You’ve robbed your sister ever since you were a child. The evil acts here and there, don’t think that you can wash it away with just two sentences!”

“How had I robbed my sister? How had I framed and schemed against her?!” Mo Di abruptly opened the door. He stood and looked straight at Mo Shi Hong and tears flowed down uncontrollably: “I’ve been trying my best to be a good child since I was little. I’ve never robbed anything or harmed anyone! Father, you and these people keep saying that I’m vicious, I’m scheming, I’m harmful. Based on what? Based on what?! I’m clearly your family, how could you mistreat me like this?”

“I mistreat you? What bullshit!” Mo Shi Hong was going to hit Mo Di but was stopped by Mo Yi Cheng who saw Mu Tian Heng closing in from the other side. He shook his head at Mo Shi Hong, “Third Uncle, please control your anger.”

Mo Shi Hong took a deep breath, and looked as though he wanted to swallow up Mo Di, “It’s no use pretending.”

“How am I pretending?” Mo Di’s eyes and nose were red, “Father…”

“You animal, don’t call me father. I’m going to cut ties with you immediately!”

Mo Di was stiff. He raised his arm to wipe his face: “Fine, then I’ll call you one last time fa…ther. I just want to ask one thing that I’ve never understood growing up. I’m clearly your child, a Mo child, why do you hate me so much. You always think the worst of me and denounce me.”

“I remember when I was very young, day by day I would look forward to you and mom hugging me. I tried to be good every day, but you both never paid any attention to me. You only liked my sister.”

“So I thought that I wasn’t good enough and decided to do something to make you happy. I once learned how to make fruit tea from the kitchen lady and wanted to serve it to you. But on the way, I accidentally tripped and fell. The teapot broke and my leg was splashed with hot water. It hurt so much and there were so many blisters, but you still blamed me. You blamed me for trying to hurt my sister just because she was startled by the noise and cried. But I really did not try to hurt her and yet you still accused me.”

“Accused you? The hell I accused you. So small yet you already have such misguided thoughts. At that time, Xiao Gui’s health was already not very good, and you still frightened her. You just wanted to scare her into a fever. Did you think that me, your mom and grandfather couldn’t see? We’ve lived much longer than you had. You still dare to mention it.”

Mo Di’s eyes were blurred by tears. He wiped his face and did not argue. He then continued: “When I was six, I scored first in my grade. I happily showed you the certificate but you all still scolded me. I was called to the back garden by my brothers and the four of them beat me up and even broke my leg. But you still said that their teaching was right because I made my sister cry. You said that I was intentionally attacking her self-esteem and giving her a psychological scar. You accused me of trying to harm her!”

Mo Di did not give Mo Shi Hong and the others a chance to speak, his eyes were red as he continued: “On my eighth birthday, third and fourth brother locked me up in the toilet before the birthday party. On such a cold day, I was locked up all night. You didn’t even look for me. After I came out, I had a bad cold and you didn’t even care. But when my sister caught a cold the next day, you hit me with the clothes hanger, saying that I infected her on purpose, that I couldn’t go to the sports meet so I deliberately caused her to be absent as well. You called me a white-eyed wolf. Called me insidious! Called me an animal…”

“Mo Di!” Mo Yi Cheng who had been holding in his anger, finally could not help but said: “I didn’t expect you to be so well versed. You’re even good at acting pitiful in front of others, even reversing the truth and blurring the focus. You make it sound like you’re innocent but don’t forget that your harming and scheming against Xiao Gui are all facts.”

“She has always treated you well but all you do is frame her. You can argue but facts speak louder than words! The truth is you made her cry, made her sad, made her ill, and recently, you even smeared her name. I don’t understand how you can be so vicious and not even know right and wrong?!”

“I don’t know right and wrong? I’m vicious?” Mo Di stared at Mo Yi Cheng, his tears blurring his sight, “Is it that even if I don’t do anything, as long as my sister is sad, ill, or hurt, and that I’m connected, it’ll definitely be my fault? Are these the ‘facts speak louder than words’ you are referring to? That I harmed her?!”

Mo Di cried till he wanted to laugh, “And the drink that she gave me a month ago which caused me to have an allergic reaction that I almost died. All I did was ask if she knew I was allergic to cocoa and because she cried and fainted, it’d become my fault again! It’s me who set her up. It’s me who smeared her name! You even said that I was so determined to discredit her that I even harmed myself. Why do you keep pinning this on me, keep making me the one who’s nasty and disgusting! She’s a Mo child and I’m not? Since young, you’ve never liked me. You had ignored me and despised me. Later you’d always think the worst of me, insult me, hit me. And now you actually want to put false charges on my head and put me in jail! What right do you have?!!”

“See! You animal! You finally can’t pretend anymore. You’ve finally shown your face. I knew you were always jealous of Xiao Gui, always hated her, so you always tried to hurt her!” Mo Shi Hong approached and grabbed Mo Di’s collar. He raised his fist towards Mo Di’s face, “You ani… Ah—!”

Mo Shi Hong ‘s fist was seized by Mu Tian Heng and then given a twist. His wrist was dislocated and his face was pale with pain.

“Third Master Mo, how can you bully a child like this? This is not excusable.”

Mu Tian Heng’s face was cold as he pushed Mo Shi Hong aside, then he turned back and raised his long leg and kicked the figure approaching from the right.

Bang!

Qin Cheng Yi was caught off guard and suffered a kick to his waist. The violence in his eyes could no longer be suppressed. But when he tried to retaliate, he was pulled back by Mo Liu Gui who was on the verge of tears.

“Stop fighting! Don’t fight anymore!”

She then turned to Mo Di: “Xiao Di, is this the scene that you want to see, family becoming enemies? Dad was beaten, are you happy about this?”

“Then sister, what is the scene that you want to see? That I confess to the crime that I didn’t do? That I admit on the internet that I bought the exam papers and then obediently go back to the Mo house to be abused and beaten? That I was put in handcuffs and put on trial?”

“That was not what I meant at all. Xiao Di, how can you misinterpret my intention like this?! I only wanted everyone to sit down and discuss this matter, at the same time help you….”

“Xiao Gui, you let that animal be!” Mo Shi Hong shouted. He covered his wrist and stood up. Looking grudgingly at Mo Di and Mu Tian Heng, he said: “Good daughter, stop worrying, let that animal be caught and sentenced. I’m going to the court later to cut him off!”

“Dad, I don’t agree!” Mo Liu Gui was a little shocked, she firmly opposed, “Dad you can’t cut Xiao Di off. What’ll happen to him after you cut him off? How can he survive the lawsuit? How can he support himself? What will others think of him?”

Mo Shi Hong refused Mo Liu Gui’s demand for the first time. He got in the car and said: “I’ve already made up my mind. Xiao Gui, you’re just too silly and kind. In order for you to not be harmed again, and also for that animal to receive the punishment he deserved, this relationship must be broken! You don’t have to plead anymore. Your mom, grandpa, uncles, they will also agree to this.”

Mo Liu Gui turned and looked at Mo Di with sadness and concern, then caught up with Mo Shi Hong, wanting to keep persuading him.

Mo Shi Hong’s group finally left.

Mo Di stood rooted in place. He felt tired all over, very tired. The tears had dried on his face; he felt a slight sting on most parts of it.

But he was inexplicably relieved. What he just said to Mo Shi Hong and the others had helped him complete one small step in his plan.

It’s just that…

Mo Di’s thought process was disturbed by a sudden warm breath that enveloped him. He looked up and saw Mu Tian Heng standing to his left, reaching out for his shoulder and held it gently.

Mu Tian Heng’s usual calm and tender eyes were filled with heartache and a few traces of suppressed anger.

“Little fellow, shall we go home first? Let’s eat something. That falsified evidence is not worth worrying at all. We’ll definitely think of a way out.”

“I…” Mo Di’s eyes suddenly felt slightly scorched. Although for now, he was not worried about the result of this matter, yet hearing Mu Tian Heng’s voice and comfort, he still felt strangely sad and the grievances in his heart overflowed. 

“Good boy.” Seeing Mo Di’s small appearance, Mu Tian Heng’s heart ached terribly. He reached out to rub Mo Di’s hair gently, “Brother will not let you suffer any grievances, nor will I let them frame you. Do you trust me?”

“I do…” Mo Di nodded lightly. 

Nonetheless, Mo Di knew that without him interjecting, Mu Tian Heng could not help him through this dilemma cleanly. It’s just that at this moment, he only wanted to indulge himself in this sense of security. He just wanted to temporarily rely on Mu Tian Heng for this one minute. Just for a minute.

TN: There’s one point I want to bring attention to. MLG said that she’s not against homosexuality BUT then she said it’s not normal after all. That’s not really something someone who doesn’t discriminate against homosexuality says, so she’s also a homophobe. Just keep this in mind.