Rebirth Of A Cannon Fodder From A Novel CHAPTER 25

Chapter 25

There was an upsurge of internet discussion regarding the two contrasting news.

“Mo Di the first scholar,” “Mo Di 1st in the College Entrance Exam,” “Mo Shi Hong acquitted” etc, was quickly pushed to the front of the top hot searches and gained a string of lively responses.

“Wow, 729 points! Mo Di rocks!!!” 

“Hahaha! This is killing me! The father whose brain is weird and vicious wanted to break off with Little Mo and even posted the severance documents online. But ultimately when he made Little Mo sign off the severance agreement and about to let him be taken away by the police, he was arrested instead. Now Little Mo scored 729 and placed first in the exam while he is sentenced to jail! Ha Ha Ha Ha The heaven has eyes!”

“Say, the two news flashes on my phone at the same time. Having them side by side like this, do you understand how exciting this is?”

“I do! Because the same thing happened to me!”

“Plus 1!!!”

“Hey Hey Hey, the video from a few days back gave me heartache and anger. Now I feel great! Oh yeah!”

“My God. My Grandmother said that it’s fantastic that a good child was able to leave that sea of misery, she’s going to celebrate with some pig’s hoof stew. Grandma, I’m trying to lose weight!”

“…”

The Weibo hot search comments resembled a festival. Although there were still negative and crude comments, most of the netizens were in a congratulatory mood.

And news tweets do not discriminate, so Mo Yi Cheng, Mo Wu Hang and the others also received the stimulating pair of contrasting news. 

Mo Wu Hang with his broken nose was already having trouble with breathing. After seeing the news, his anger caused his breathlessness to worsen and his whole face turned red like a pig’s head. Don’t even talk about the modelling audition, even leaving the house would attract repulsive stares.

Enter Mo Liu Gui with her red eyes into the living room. Seeing Mo Wu Hang, she quickly went over and patted him on the back: “Fifth brother, what’s wrong with you? Are you ok?”

“Xiao Gui, you’re willing to talk to me?” Mo Wu Hang raised his head in surprise and looked at Mo Liu Gui.

Since ten days ago, Mo Liu Gui had refused to talk to him because he had deceived her and went along with his uncle, grandpa and the others to break off with Mo Di. The depression was killing him.

This matter was not solely his fault. His third uncle and grandpa were also involved. They knew that Xiao Gui, who was too kind and softhearted, might stop them at the last moment so they made such a decision.

“Well, who made you my fifth brother? Can’t I be worried about your health?” Mo Liu Gui turned away from him: “If you’re still so stubborn in the future, still hide things from me, then I’ll ignore you forever!”

“I absolutely won’t do it again. I know I’m wrong! Really, Xiao Gui, stop ignoring me. I will listen to you in the future and won’t make decisions behind your back anymore!” Mo Wu Hang put his hand up to swear, “I promise not to do such things again. Xiao Gui, please forgive me. Xiao Gui, you’re the best! Sister, you’re the best!”

Mo Liu Gui pursed her lips, then she turned around and said: “You’ve said it, fifth brother, now you have to listen to me.”

“Yes, absolutely!” 

“Then fifth brother, now you have to….Xiao Di scored 729?!” Mo Liu Gui saw the news on Mo Wu Hang’s phone and was shocked: “He’s the top scorer in the whole capital?!!”

Mo Wu Hang quickly shoved his phone inside the sofa, regretting the mistake he just made. “This year’s College Entrance Exam is overrated! That animal must’ve done something underhanded! It’s impossible for him to get such good results. Xiao Gui, don’t pay attention to it.”

Mo Liu Gui was listless. She paused before saying: “I don’t mind. I’m just happy for Xiao Di. Fifth brother, don’t say that Xiao Di cheated anymore. Maybe he suddenly thought things through. Although his grades were usually poor, he worked hard and maybe the huge change brought about quality changes. It’s just a pity that he broke off with us. If we could hold a graduation party together, that would be nice….”

“Xiao Gui…” Seeing Mo Liu Gui’s sadness, Mo Wu Hang’s heart was terribly sore.

“But he hurt my dad, so this time, I won’t forgive him easily.” Mo Liu Gui wiped the corner of her eyes. When Mo Wu Hang saw her distressed look and was about to mentally swear at Mo Di, Mo Liu Gui said: “Fifth brother, take me to the courtroom, I want to attend the court session.”

In the next moment, her eyes were thoroughly red, “I want to see my dad.”

Mo Wu Hang was dumbfounded, even scolding Mo Di slipped off his mind. This was not good. His grandfather had ordered not to let Xiao Gui attend the hearing. His third uncle agreed as well. Firstly, he was worried that Xiao Gui would get too emotional seeing him, and they both would get upset. Secondly, he knew there would be media coverage and did not want Xiao Gui to be caught in the same frame as him. If the scene were to be widespread, his precious daughter was would get hurt.

He did not want his Xiao Gui to be in the news for such a disgraceful matter. This would have a negative impact on her.

Mo Wu Hang understood his uncle’s intention which was why he hated Mo Di to the core. If it wasn’t for Mo Di, the Mo family would not be abused online, the Mo Group shares will not fall, his third uncle will not be sentenced, and most importantly, his beloved sister would not be ridiculed by those scums on the internet. Mo Di deserved to die! He should be hacked into a thousand pieces!!

Agitated with Mo Wu Hang’s silence, Mo Liu Gui turned and immediately ran out of the living room and towards the villa’s gate where she was stopped by the security guards.

Mo Liu Gui who was in a hurry but could not get out was about to cry when a car came to stop outside the villa. Qin Cheng Yi alighted from the car.

He saw Mo Liu Gui on the verge of tears and was instantly furious. He ordered his henchmen to hold the guards down and break their arms and legs.

Then he took Mo Liu Gui to the car.

Mo Wu Hang hurriedly chased after them. Trying to catch up from behind, he carelessly tripped and stumbled to the ground. He let out a pitiful shriek when his healing nose gave out a clicking sound and broke, again.

When Qin Cheng Yi and Mo Liu Gui reached the court, the session had ended over thirty minutes ago. The case was closed and Mo Shi Hong was taken to prison.

Mo Liu Gui turned on the waterworks and was inconsolable. Qin Cheng Yi anxiously held the weeping beauty. His heart ached terribly and his mind was filled with violence. He placed Mo Di on the top of his blacklist. 

The last person who was at that position was now a human staff displayed at one of his Southeast Asian underground casinos. 

And no one at this moment was aware of this but, Mo Wu Hang did not want Mo Liu Gui to come because he was worried about the repercussion to her image and so he blocked her way, Qin Cheng Yi on the surface wanted to take Mo Liu Gui there but underneath, he wanted the same thing as Mo Wu Hang. And hence, he ordered the driver to choose a road with heavy traffic and deliberately came late. But Mo Liu Gui…

There were at least a hundred ways to leave the Mo house. All she had to do was to have a small scratch on her arm or leg while struggling and the bodyguards would never refuse her request, but Mo Liu Gui was not able to think of such methods.

Meanwhile, Mo Di had returned to the villa.

Mo Shi Hong’s participation in giving out false testimonies had disturbed judicial justice and had a very bad social impact. He was sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment according to the law. However, he admitted his guilt sincerely and things were stopped in time, hence the negative impact was not aggravated. He was sentenced to thirteen months in prison.

The Mo family must’ve put up a lot of effort and resources, otherwise, Mo Shi Hong would’ve been sentenced to three years instead. And Mo Shi Hong was surprisingly flexible to actually admit his mistake, which was not within Mo Di’s speculation.

It seemed that when things did not concern Mo Liu Gui, the Mo family members were able to rationally choose the most efficient way out. No matter how frustrating or disagreeable the choices were, they would put their benefits above all else.

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When Mu Tian Heng came back in the evening, Mo Di told him about the verdict.

“Only thirteen months?”

Mu Tian Heng was carrying a simple looking bag that looked like the gift bags from beauty boutiques that girls would frequent. It… did not match his high-end suit very well.

“I think it’s already quite long.” Mo Di took back his line of sight from the bag and sincerely looked at Mu Tian Heng. 

After all, that was truly what he thought.

How bad can prison be? Even if the inmates and guards despised Mo Shi Hong, at best he would be shoved around or get a beating. There were no electrocutions, iron needles into your fingers, no chains, no dark rooms, no insane patients, etc. Not to mention the Mo family might even reel in a warden to take good care of him. Such a fine living condition, how can it be enough?

This was just the beginning, an appetizer. The most important benefit of Mo Shi Hong’s imprisonment was to drag down the Mo family’s reputation and let their ridiculous mentality be forever sealed in the minds of the public. Let everyone know how they had manipulated the truth and even commit crimes to frame him. This way he would not be at a disadvantage in public opinions and the majority would not believe in the Mo family’s lies.

But prison was simply not enough. He would not let them off just because they had suffered one-thousandth of what he had in his last life. He is Mo Di, not a priest.

Mu Tian Heng would never have thought the ‘little good boy’ in front of him was actually a black sesame filled dumpling. He placed the bag in Mo Di’s hand and said: “I respect your thoughts, but just don’t let yourself be mistreated. This is for you, congratulations on becoming the number one scholar. See if you like it.”

“Ah?” Mo Di was surprised, “Number one scholar?”

“You didn’t check your score?” Mu Tian Heng laughed at Mo Di’s stunned and surprised look, “Did you turn silly with making games?”

“…I forgot.” Mo Di received the gift in a daze. He could almost hear his heartbeat thumping from joy.

After coming out of the courtroom, his mood was a little extraordinary. He just sat on the subway seat and stared at the advertisements passing by and did not want to do anything, let alone check his phone.

And when he got back to the villa, he went straight to his room and continued coding his game. If memories served him right, in almost a month, the first Chinese Innovative Game Competition will begin. In his last life, even before his death, he had missed every chance to participate due to various reasons. In this life, he was not going to miss it again. And to make an outstanding game, a month was barely adequate.

But for now, he was willing to put the game aside and fully enjoy the present bliss.

Mo Di looked up at Mu Tian Heng with excitement: “Brother, how many points did I score?”

“729. Top in the whole exam.” 

Mu Tian Heng looked at the bright-eyed Mo Di, teeming with happiness, he smiled: “Not going to open the celebratory gift I got you?”

Mo Di picked up the very feminine gift bag and couldn’t help wanting to laugh: “Let me guess. Is it something valuable for adults? Like a watch or a tie?” 

“Is your brother that uncreative?” Mu Tian Heng rubbed Mo Di’s hair and said: “Besides you’re not eighteen yet so you’re not an adult.”

“Almost there. I’m going to university soon. In fact, I can be considered an adult already.” Mo Di gave a pleasantly sweet smile. He held the bag and said with an almost serious expression, “Brother, can I open the gift now?”

“Go ahead.” Mu Tian Heng said with a chuckle.

Mo Di lowered his head and opened the bag. Inside was a flat and square box. Mo Di then opened the box.

Inside was an out of print CD of his favourite singer, Veles! There was even his signature!

Mo Di was in shock. He stared at the CD in disbelief and his cheeks turned a tint redder.

“Do you like it?” Mu Tian Heng smiled and asked.

“Yes! Very much! This is the favourite gift that I’ve ever received. Thank you, brother!” Mo Di held pressed the CD against his chest but couldn’t help but want to take it out. Like a chipmunk that found a chestnut and wanted to hide it but at the same time also wanted to admire it.

This was not just his favourite gift, it was the first gift he ever received from a friend or family. It’s truly precious.

He had only casually mentioned that he liked Veles in one of his talk with Mu Tian Heng, to think that Mu Tian Heng remembered and even found the CD. 

“Brother, how did you find this? It’s been out of print for so long, and even signed by Veles.”

“Actually it’s really a coincidence.” Mu Tian Heng showed a gentle look, “I have a friend who is acquainted with Veles’s nephew. More than a decade ago when Veles became famous, my friend relied on his relationship with the nephew and acquired quite a collection of CDs signed by Veles. Over the years, he had sold and handed them out as gifts and there aren’t many left. I asked him the other day if he still kept any and unexpectedly, he did find one and mailed it to me.”

“This must be really expensive. Or should I say, brother, what did you promise him?” Behind the joy, was a little anxiety, he was afraid he couldn’t repay this favour.

“It’s not expensive, and I did not owe him anything. That guy owed me a favour.” Mu Tian Heng patted gently on Mo Di’s shoulder and said tenderly: “You don’t have to think too much, only whether you like it or not.”

Mo Di saw Mu Tian Heng’s gentle eyes on him and felt his chest becoming warm and stuffy. The feeling caused his nose to turn sour. He could not point out what this feeling was because he had never felt it before, but it was too alluring that he was greedy for more.

Mo Di sniffed and said: “Brother, my dream is to establish a game company as soon as possible and let it spread my games across the globe.”

“That’s great.” Mu Tian Heng did not understand why Mo Di changed topics all of a sudden but he still encouraged: “You just have to do what you want. I believe in your capabilities. Little one, what kind of game company do you have in mind?”

“Online games. What I want to work on most is 4D online games but the current condition is not suitable. So at the moment, I want to make an online 3D game that will be widely distributed in the market.” Mo Di gazed at Mu Tian Heng with enthusiasm in his eyes: “Brother, when I finally set up my company, will you be a shareholder? I guarantee you’ll profit! I absolutely won’t let you suffer any losses, really!”

Under little Mo Di’s insistence of wanting to help him earn money, Mu Tian Heng was touched and also a little amused. He put his hand on Mo Di’s head and rubbed it gently, “Alright, when you’re ready to set up your company, I’ll be your very first investor.”

“It’s a promise!” Mo Di stared at Mu Tian Heng seriously.

“Um, it’s a promise. Want to pinky swear?” Mu Tian Heng deliberately teased Mo Di.

“…” Mo Di blushed in embarrassment. He pulled his eyes back to the CD and found something else to talk about: “Brother, Veles is handsome and has such a good voice, why did he retire? Isn’t it a pity?”

Mu Tian Heng: “…”

Hey, he just realized that the little guy was quite skillful at brushing off topics. Still, teasing him was pretty fun.

Mu Tian Heng did not realize that his appetite and behaviour were more becoming of an old beast. He casually followed up: “It’s probably because he’d earned enough and it was time to go after his wife. I can relate to that.”

When Veles retired, he was forty years old. He married the year after his retirement. The wedding was very lowkey and only family members were invited. No one outside knew what the bride or the groom looked like.

Mo Di: “…” he realized that Mu Tian Heng was matured, stable, and reliable. Yet during their conversations, there would be a sentence that made one wonder if that impression of him was accurate.

The next day, Mo Di received a call from the Principal of Xia Jia International School, Huang Li Cheng. According to the schools’ practice, there would be a reward ceremony for Mo Di and the top ten scorers in the city. Principal Huang would like Mo Di to make a trip to school and have their photo taken together.

Mo Di had no desire to go back to school but he really wanted and needed the money. Xia Jia International School was a wealthy school. Every year, their scholarships for the top ten students were extremely generous. Generally, the first place would get one hundred and fifty thousand yuan, second and third place get one hundred yuan, the fourth and fifth place get fifty thousand yuan, and the sixth to tenth get thirty thousand yuan. 

This bonus could help patch up a portion of the burning hole in his pocket after buying the computer equipment and drawings.

On the phone, Mo Di sincerely expressed his gratitude for the teachings and guidance the school provided and how honourable it was to be a Xia Jia student …..after singing a lot of praises for the school, at the end he stated that it was not convenient for him to visit the school for the photo session but his bank account number was available. 

Huang Li Cheng on the other end was silent.

He felt that after Mo Di was met with downfall one after another, his change was very drastic. Before he was a regular good student and a little introverted, very much unlike this.

Huang Li Cheng continued to solicit but to no avail. He finally took a step back and said that he wanted to meet Mo Di outside of school, the place would be of Mo Di’s choice. He wanted to bring along a relative. This relative of his had a son with unacceptably poor grades and so, hope that Mo Di could tutor him. The pricing was not a problem.

Although Mo Di wanted to refuse but after second thought, he agreed in the end. Huang Li Cheng had taken a step back and he had to at least give him some face.

Mo Di sent him the address of a cafe three blocks away from the villa. At four in the afternoon. He wore a mask and went to the appointment.

He arrived at the coffee shop ten minutes before schedule but principal Huang was already there. Mo Di hastened his pace and came forward.

“Hello, principal. Sorry, I’m late.”

“It’s ok, I came early.” Huang Li Cheng was beaming when he looked at Mo Di. He showed a never before sense of familiarity and said: “Little Mo, you’ve really brought honour to our school. You’ll definitely become a pillar of society in the future!”

“Principal, you’re overpraising me.” Hearing such formal praise, Mo Di also replied formally.

“No no, his praises are spot on.” Next to Huang Li Cheng was a middle-aged woman who had a traditional and kind appearance. She quickly chimed in: “Little student, you’re the top student in the entire capital, no amount of praise is enough. Unlike my son. He only knows how to play computer games and nothing else. His grades are at the bottom of the class, it’s frustrating.”

“Humph!” Huffed the tall and large size boy sitting next to her, holding a tablet.

“What was that?” The middle-aged lady looked at her son disapprovingly and apologized to Mo Di: “I’m sorry little student, my son, he doesn’t have a problem with you. He just had an argument with his father before coming here. Now he’s still mad.”

“It’s alright.” Mo Di tilted his lips and maintained his respect.

“I do have a problem with him. I said I don’t need a tutor and I don’t want the make up lessons. I can earn thirty thousand yuan a month, you don’t have to worry I can’t support myself in the future. Why are you forcing me to go to university? That’s not my calling.” The boy sat up straight and put his tablet on the table, “I said I wanted to draw. I don’t want to attend school and I’m not meant for schooling either. I can’t understand those things and I have no interest in them!”

“Actually, there are all kinds of professions and everyone excels in different areas.” Mo Di wanted to ease the atmosphere before things got too tense and then reject the tutoring offer. But as he finished his sentence, his sight was captured.

The figure illustration on the boy’s tablet was actually…pretty good.

The colour rendering was clean, vivid, and charming. The background design and characters were in perfect harmony. There was also a three-dimensional sense to his artwork. His drawings were excellent compared to the expensive commission he paid some else to draw a few days back!

Mo Di immediately looked at the fat boy in front of him and said with great interest, “Did you draw this piece? It’s really good. The watercolour is beautiful.”

“This piece is not done yet, there’s still a little refining to do.” the boy looked at Mo Di with a little surprise, “A nerd like you also likes to draw?”

“I’m not a nerd.” Before the middle-aged woman apologized again, Mo Di smiled to show that he did not mind. “From what I heard just now, you earn money by drawing? Is this ordered by someone?” 

“Um, six thousand.” the fat boy had an indifferent look. “I can finish this in a week. In a month, I can produce at least five to six pieces.” 

“That’s incredible!” Mo Di said sincerely. This was much better than the eight thousand yuan that he paid for!

Principal Huang and the middle-aged lady: “…”

What was going on? We did not invite you here to praise his drawings, we want you to teach him how to study!

“Give me a way to contact you. I’ve been trying to find an illustrator recently. Even if you don’t want to have a tutor, then just treat me as a client.” Mo Di smiled.

The fat boy used a strange expression to eye Mo Di and said: “Just because you’re pitiful and have that kind of family, I won’t give you any discount.”

“…” Mo Di smiled. “It’s ok. My school just gave me a hundred and fifty thousand yuan grant, enough to pay you for a few months.”

The fat boy choked then seriously added Mo Di’s wechat. The fat boy’s figure was just as his surname suggested: Pang Qiang Lang. His wechat nick: Brother Pang is strong and unrestrained. Um, perfect use of his name.

(TN: fat in Chinese is ‘pang’ which pronounces the same as his surname though the word is different. His name is what it is, ‘qiang’ is strong, ‘lang’ roughly means unrestrained)

Principal Huang and Pang Qiang Lang’s mother saw the harmonious picture and did not know if they should stop it. Besides, they were not sure whether that kid Mo Di was trying a detour strategy or was serious about buying the drawings.

Pang Qiang Lang’s mother thought that regardless of whether the top student in the capital tutored her son or not, it was still beneficial for them to be friends. She wanted to invite Mo Di home as a guest, but before she could ask, sudden noises were coming from upstairs. A man and a woman came down one after the other. They seemed to be arguing.

The man glanced at his surroundings in anger, then he pulled down his hat and left. The woman, both angry and anxious, ran after him. The customers in the shop were baffled. They took a few more glances at them before looking away.

Mo Di was a little surprised. He did not expect to meet his fourth brother, Mo Si Lang’s assistant and agent at this place.

And from the few sentences he could hear just now, it seemed like there was something at fault with Mo Si Lang’s image and the agent had decided to give the good endorsements and activities to someone else. The assistant was begging him to do otherwise?

What a pity. In his previous life, Mo Si Lang’s career from the start was smooth sailing. He had a good reputation and a highly commendable style. His fans were proud that their idol was an all-around great person and highly talented musician. He was the spokesperson for either a high-end brand or a top global brand. Before his death, Mo Si Lang had already reached the pinnacle of his career and become the top-ranking artist in Hua Xia.

Unfortunately…

In this life, his path to fame had fallen apart, and it fell apart quite early.