TGMNDIAR - 71
The ice cream shop on campus, part of the Planet chain, was well-received.
Despite it being winter and with cold wind biting at their faces, people crowded the hall, lining up to buy ice cream.
“What flavor do you want?” Bai Nian looked up at the colorful advertisement screen. “They also have combo platters…”
“Sea breeze coconut,” Xu Mu randomly picked one.
“Are we eating it here or at home?” Bai Nian asked. “It's better not to eat it while walking; it's too cold.”
“At home.”
“Okay.”
Xu Mu’s optical computer vibrated.
“Brother Nian, the academy counselor, wants me to sign out. You go to the hovercraft and wait for me after you buy the ice cream.”
Bai Nian agreed, “Okay.”
Xu Mu left the ice cream shop, and a message came from the black ball.
[The ever-handsome Lord Karl: I’ve arrived!]
[The ever-handsome Lord Karl: Come to the west gate, and have an encounter with the protagonist gong.]
The wind was quite cold, making him tuck his neck down. Xu Mu tightened his collar and put on his hat.
[Xu: Isn’t he supposed to come find me?]
[The ever-handsome Lord Karl: It's getting dark, and I still need to find the protagonist shou to absorb energy!!!]
[The ever-handsome Lord Karl: I'm at the west gate, hurry up, have you shaken off the protagonist shou?]
Xu Mu received the message and frowned.
[Xu: Not shaken off, he is just temporarily away]
[The ever-handsome Lord Karl: Oh, that’s not important, just get over here]
[The ever-handsome Lord Karl: If you take any longer, the protagonist gong will spend money to have students broadcast a search for you on the campus network]
Xu Mu: "..." Is he crazy?
What kind of old-school domineering CEO plot is this? Oh, wait, the protagonist gong isn't a CEO yet.
[Xu: Got it]
Xu Mu prepared to go to the west gate and, according to the photo sent by the little black ball, waited "by the tree to catch a hare."
Maybe the location given was too accurate, he hadn't even reached the landmark building when he already saw the protagonist gong's figure.
This time, compared to the casual glance from the upstairs window last time, he saw more clearly.
——So familiar, he seemed to have seen him somewhere earlier.
Xu Mu tried hard to search his memory but found nothing.
The little black ball saw Xu Mu and secretly waved from behind.
Xu Mu steadied his mind, walked over naturally, and waited for the other to stop him.
Then he brushed past the protagonist gong.
Xu Mu: ?
Wasn't the other person looking for him?
The little black ball choked, the protagonist gong was such a blind fool!
He lunged forward and grabbed Qi Xin's arm, crying out "Ouch!."
Qi Xin finally lowered his head and said coldly, "What do you want now? I didn't go looking for Brother Bai as you wished. I'm warning you, don't push your luck."
The little black ball thought to himself: Yeah right, you just couldn't find him, you big idiot.
"No, no. The snow is too thick, I didn't walk steadily, sorry..." He pretended to be flustered, his eyes moving helplessly.
Qi Xin spat out a word coldly: "Fool."
The little black ball didn't bother to respond and continued his act, he looked around and acted surprised, hesitant, then glanced at Qi Xin, as if unsure whether to speak up.
"If you have something to say, just say it, don't act like—"
"Xin, is that him?" The little black ball tugged at his sleeve and said timidly, "I remember the photo... Is it the person you're looking for?"
Qi Xin narrowed his eyes and said with a stern face, "It's him."
He strode over and stood straight in front of Xu Mu.
"Hello."
Xu Mu appeared calm, with a hint of confusion in his eyes, "And you are?"
Qi Xin said, "Who I am is not important. What's important is that I know Brother Bai, and that's enough."
Xu Mu, who had thought the other person would say something significant: "..."
The little black ball, who was about to slip away to absorb energy: "..."
"How silly," both of them simultaneously lamented in their hearts.
The little black ball rolled his eyes. No wonder the protagonist shou in the plot initially disliked the protagonist gong—those lines might be fine in a book, but when acted out, they really lower your IQ.
…
Café
It was Xu Mu's suggestion to come to the café. To be honest, he hadn't expected himself to be the one to suggest it either. But when he thought about it, with the protagonist gong's "privileged" mouth and the bustling campus, if he were to say something like a CEO catchphrase, he would be the one embarrassed.
Qi Xin scrutinized the man in front of him. There was nothing particularly special about him, but he was together with Brother Bai. Was it because of his youth? He felt a bit resentful. Perhaps if he had come to find Brother Bai earlier, things would have been different. If only he had come earlier...
In Qi Xin's mind, his mother's stern face and sharp words floated up. His mood instantly sank, and his fists clenched on his knees.
"Mr. Qi hasn’t said much, I'm not interested in your relationship with Brother Nian, I just want to know, what business do you have with me?" Xu Mu glanced at the time. It had already been ten minutes since they arrived.
According to the speed of the ice cream line, they could probably be bought in about twenty minutes. He had to hurry back by then.
Qi Xin frowned and said directly, "You and Brother Bai are not suitable."
Xu Mu's expression remained unchanged. "Oh."
Qi Xin continued, "You're young and immature. What Brother Bai needs is a caring and understanding lover."
"You—" he said, "haven't even graduated from college yet. Putting aside whether you can shoulder your own future responsibilities, you're too busy with your own affairs right now. You eat and live at Brother Bai's house, am I wrong?"
Xu Mu raised an eyebrow, not bothering to refute these baseless conclusions, and simply said, "Hmm, so?"
Qi Xin said coldly, "You two are not suitable."
Xu Mu understood now. The protagonist gong would just repeat this sentence over and over again like a broken record.
"According to Mr. Qi's words just now, you and Brother Nian are merely..." he paused, "not even friends. At most, you're someone Brother Bai cared for in childhood, and now you're nothing more than a pursuer?"
Xu Mu added, "Or rather, a pursuer is defined by the one being pursued. I suppose Brother Nian probably sees you as someone who inexplicably disrupts his life, perhaps even a calamity that befell him."
Qi Xin's expression darkened.
Xu Mu continued, "Let's say this, even if Brother Nian makes any decision, good or bad, what does it have to do with you?"
"Are you coming to ask me to step back? Or to tell me that you don't care about Brother Nian's feelings, whether he has a boyfriend or not, and that you will get what you want, and if your pursuit fails, you'll resort to other means?"
Suddenly, Xu Mu remembered where he had seen the other person before.
——It was a few months ago when he went to the bank to apply for a card, and he saw the middle school syndrome man roaring in the rain while waiting for the public shuttle.
Xu Mu said, "This doesn't sound like love, it sounds like not having a childhood doll, so when you grow up, you go to great lengths to snatch it, hoping the doll will bring you hope. But in the end, people have to rely on themselves. When you start to crave salvation, it means you'll eventually fall back into the quagmire."
"You're quite ridiculous, you're making up excuses for your own selfish desires. It's one thing to deceive yourself, but there's no need to ruin others."
Qi Xin's face turned green and white, with veins bulging on his neck.
"You, you..." He was furious.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"You're the ridiculous one!"
Xu Mu found such a response neither here nor there.
He smiled, "Well, if Mr. Qi came to see me to say these things, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."
Xu Mu suddenly realized that the person in front of him was still young, having just graduated a year ago, not the "protagonist gong" as described by the little black ball, who would later become unpredictable and moody in the family power struggle four years later.
...However, the current "protagonist gong" was a bit neurotic at the moment.
He had his way of thinking and was arrogant, and he couldn't listen to what others were saying.
As the plot described, he indeed lacked love.
He seemed to really need someone to follow him around, teaching him what love and being loved truly meant.
Unfortunately, no one was obligated to help each other grow, to understand what true—
Xu Mu's gaze unintentionally swept past the door and found that the little black ball had returned, squatting in front of the glass, staring straight at the beautiful cakes on the counter.
He paused, his expression suddenly strange.
He remembered the other's "genius" ideas and couldn't help but feel trouble brewing.
Qi Xin followed Xu Mu's gaze and saw the little black ball.
He paused.
The youth shivered from the cold, stomping his feet and occasionally tiptoeing to observe the situation inside the café.
But he was too stupid. After looking for a long time, he still hadn't found him, Qi Xin thought coldly.
The next moment, he felt inexplicably worried. It was so cold...
"I'm leaving," Xu Mu said, taking a sip of plain water to refresh his throat.
Qi Xin snapped back to reality and blurted out, "I don't know him!"
Xu Mu: ?
He was confused. Who didn't he know?
Qi Xin's heart was in turmoil. "I don't know why he's waiting. He's just stupid, doing inexplicable things—"
Xu Mu: “…” Who is he talking about? The little black ball?
The little black ball was leaning against the window, drooling over the cakes inside, his eyes glazed over.
Heh heh, they looked so delicious...
He touched his pocket and found a battery with the scent of cake.
It should be delicious too.
The little black ball felt hungrier the more he thought about it, saliva pooling in his mouth.
Suddenly, he sniffed.
Huh? How could he smell the scent of energy?
The little black ball wasn't sure, so he took a few more deep breaths.
It became stronger.
Following the scent, he looked over—
The protagonist shou? What is he doing here?
The little black ball was intoxicated by the scent, feeling warm all over...
Wait! The little black ball snapped out of it and quickly sent a message to Xu Mu.
[Today’s Ever Handsome Lord Karl: Hurry, the protagonist shou is here!!!]
"...Mr. Qi, I don't care about your relationship with others, you don't need to tell me," Xu Mu pressed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Why did he feel like the little black ball was messing with the protagonist gong and making him act strangely?
Qi Xin stiffened, not saying a word.
Xu Mu finished the water in his cup.
Half an hour had passed already. He clicked his tongue, hopefully Brother Nian wasn’t waiting for too long—
"Ah Mu."
Xu Mu's eyes widened slightly. What, was he hearing things?
"Ah Mu." This time, the voice became clearer.
Following that, there was a clattering sound.
Qi Xin stood up abruptly, "Brother Bai."
Bai Nian calmly glanced at him, saying nothing. He walked over to Xu Mu's side and asked gently, "Ah Mu, did you finish signing with your counselor?"
"...Yes, finished," Xu Mu's heart raced.
"That's good," Bai Nian nodded. He looked at Qi Xin, who was nervous and didn't know where to put his hands and feet. "Do you two know each other?" he asked.
Qi Xin opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Xu Mu.
"We don't know each other," Xu Mu hugged Bai Nian and skillfully nuzzled his neck. "Brother Nian, I was walking on the road when he suddenly appeared and stopped me, saying that you two are friends and he wanted to chat with me."
"What did you talk about?" Bai Nian asked gently.
Xu Mu sighed, "We talked about a lot of things, it was like he was checking my ID or something, and his words were not very pleasant... Oh, no, it's just, quite strange. I wanted to leave but couldn't. Is he Brother Nian’s friend?"
Qi Xin looked over in disbelief.
Bai Nian pursed his lips and said calmly, "Not exactly a friend."
Xu Mu exclaimed, "Did you lie to me?"
Qi Xin was about to grind his teeth to powder. This kid had two faces?
Bai Nian patted his head and said to Qi Xin, "Stop doing inexplicable things."
Qi Xin stiffly pulled the corners of his mouth, "Brother Bai, I'm just worried about you, I..."
"Brother Nian," Xu Mu interrupted, rubbing his temples, "I'm feeling a bit dizzy. Probably because I ran 3000 meters and then stayed indoors too long…."
Bai Nian frowned, worriedly asking, "Should we go outside for a walk now?"
"Well... wait a moment, I'll slowly get up," Xu Mu said vaguely, sluggishly getting to his feet.
Bai Nian grew more concerned. "When did you start feeling dizzy?"
"I didn't feel well as soon as I entered this café, probably because of poor air circulation..."
Bai Nian glanced at Qi Xin, his lips tightening.
"If you feel unwell next time, don't worry about anything else, just go outside," Bai Nian advised.
"Okay," Xu Mu nodded obediently.
Qi Xin: ”…”
F*ck your dizziness!
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