The Gentle Man Next Door is a Rabbit - 88

 

TGMNDIAR - 88 | Karl & Qin Xin

Yamaha Villa District

"So, you're doing well over there?" The Black Ball asked leisurely, crossing its legs.

"Yes." A calm male voice suddenly sounded in the room, though there were no communication devices around.

The Black Ball snorted, "Stupid human, you almost starved yourself to death. If I hadn't kindly sent you away, you'd be dead by now!"

"......" There was no response.

"Don't you have anything to ask me?" Little Black Ball asked curiously.

"......" After a moment of silence, the voice on the other side said, "The original owner of this body......"

"Heh, how can you be so dumb?" Little Black Ball shook its head. "You have the same name, of course you swapped places."

It pouted, "By the way, are you really doing well over there? In such a technologically backward place, isn't it hard? I mean, why did you......"

"It's pretty good." The male voice sounded a bit relaxed, genuinely happy.

Little Black Ball couldn't understand, "Oh, okay."

"The plot of that world......" The male voice paused.

Little Black Ball sighed, "It's gone off track, I'm trying to fix it."

The voice was silent.

Little Black Ball continued, "Don't worry, the person you swapped with is enjoying himself now. He even managed to get the protagonist shou to fall for him, tsk."

The male voice said softly, "I see...... then he's happy."

Little Black Ball asked curiously, "Why are you so interested in the other guy?"

The voice didn't answer immediately. After a few seconds, he said, "He had a similar experience to mine, but he managed to overcome all his difficulties and is doing very well. On the other hand, my situation is a complete mess......"

"But if he's happy in my world, it makes me very happy too, and it eases my guilt a bit."

…

Balcony

A tall figure stood in front of the railing, the blue light of a communicator flashing by his ear.

"......Alright, I understand." Qi Xin looked at the suspended central garden with a cold, deep gaze. 

Over the past few years, he had become less emotional. "Anything else?"

Jiang Yuntao hesitated, "Well, since Mr. Bai has left Fanxin, should I follow——"

"You're going to work at his company?" Qi Xin interrupted.

Jiang Yuntao quickly said, "Yes, yes, I can keep an eye on things and continue to relay messages to you, Young Master Qi—no, President Qi."

Suddenly, the curtain behind them moved.

A voice, growing louder and louder, came from a distance.

"......Qi......"

"......Qi Xin......"

"Qi Xin!!!"

Jiang Yuntao paused, hearing the faint sound from the other end of the call.

Qi Xin frowned and quickly said to Jiang Yuntao, "Alright, you don't need to report Bai Nian's situation to me anymore."

Jiang Yuntao was caught off guard, "What?"

He wanted to say more, but Qi Xin coldly interrupted, "The recommendation letter from Tafeng that you wanted, I'll have my secretary send it to you the day after tomorrow. The finiance department will also settle this quarter's payment. All our dealings end here."

Qi Xin had let go of his past obsession, because now, by his side, there was someone......

Jiang Yuntao didn't dare to say anything more, "Alright, understood, President Qi."

The call ended.

Qi Xin had just turned around when a pillow was thrown at him. He caught it effortlessly and said calmly, "What is it?"

"Qi Xin!!! Where's my strawberry milk?!" Little Black Ball clicked its tongue in annoyance. "Where did you put my strawberry milk?"

Qi Xin's expression remained unchanged as he walked forward slowly. "You drank too much yesterday and used up half a month's supply."

The Black Ball's eyes widened in disbelief. "I didn't drink that much—"

"An entire cardon." Qi Xinyue said in a stern voice, "The surveillance camera caught you drinking a whole bottle. Don't think that covering it with a white cloth makes it invisible."

Little Black Ball choked, damn, after being a beastman for so long, it forgot it was a system and could block electronic devices.

Feeling disgruntled, Little Black Ball's eyes darted around. "Are you going to get that Jiang or whatever to send you news about your white moonlight again?"

Qi Xin frowned. "You—"

Tears welled up in Little Black Ball's eyes, and it yelled loudly, "You promised me... you really are a liar. Hmph, you're not worth my love at all. I've decided, I'll find a better man to love from now on!"

Qi Xin's face remained unchanged. He had heard such words countless times and was already immune.

"Alright, I haven't looked at any news since I promised you last time. It's just that I forgot to tell that person to stop sending it, but kept sending it to me..."

Little Black Ball looked furious but he was actually dazed. 

What should it eat next? Ah, it hadn't eaten batteries in a long time, but it didn't have enough energy to buy them... Maybe it should visit the protagonist shou’s place...

Suddenly, a buzzing electric sound accompanied by a "ding-dong" startled Little Black Ball.

【Mission progress 100%, ID 123 ready to connect to the main system—】

Little Black Ball's eyes widened. Mission progress 100???

Qi Xin paused mid-sentence. "Karl?"

Little Black Ball didn't respond, still staring blankly at the sky.

Qi Xin's breathing grew heavier as he placed a hand on Little Black Ball's shoulder. "Don't throw a tantrum, you..."

"Qi Xin." Little Black Ball suddenly called out.

Qi Xin exhaled slightly, "Yes, what is it?"

Little Black Ball looked straight into his eyes. "I'm leaving. I've found someone more worthy of my love."

—Oh yes!!! He's going back to the main space!!!

Qi Xin was stunned, doubting his ears. "What did you say?"

Ignoring him, Little Black Ball ran back to the room to pack his things. 

As if he would stay when the mission was completed!

Qi Xin followed him into the room, speaking in a low voice, "Don't joke around—"

"I'm not joking." Little Black Ball replied casually, "Someone who's been secretly in love with me moved me, so I've decided not to waste any more time on you."

"I'm going to find my own happiness. I want to get married, to live joyfully, I want to..." Little Black Ball grew more and more excited, almost humming a tune.

"Karl." Qi Xin gripped his wrist tightly.

Little Black Ball couldn't break free. "What are you doing?"

"Don't go..." Qi Xin said hoarsely.

Little Black Ball: "Huh, why?"

"I... I..." Qi Xin gritted his teeth. "I need you."

The Black Ball was puzzled. "What do you need me for?" 

The protagonist gong had already completed his transformation and successfully took over the Qi family, having everything he wanted...

Oh, except for the protagonist shou.

But the mission was already at 100%, and Little Black Ball didn't want to overthink it. Maybe the protagonist realized that money and power were more attractive than his white moonlight.

"I need you, just you," Qi Xin's eyes were dark, his face clouded.

The little Black Ball felt strangely scared but also a subtle satisfaction. 

Tsk, tsk, back when he was a pathetic bootlicker, but now it seems the tables have turned?

Little Black Ball scoffed, "But I don't need you anymore. I've already talked with Yadan. We're going to start a beautiful relationship, then live together, get married, and have kids..."

He rambled on, getting more and more excited, not noticing Qi Xin's expression growing colder.

Qi Xin clenched his fists, his chest heaving, his eyes filled with a red fury. "/karl, what did you say?!"

Dating, living together, getting married...

"You said you loved me. How can you..." Qi Xin's teeth ground together.

"I don't love you anymore." Little Black Ball discovered some batteries he had left in the cabinet, he was overjoyed.

Oh my sweet batteries—

"Karl," Qi Xinyue approached slowly.

"What?" Little Black Ball pocketed the batteries, feeling delighted.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. A circuit board in his mainframe was pressed, causing a short circuit.

Before Little Black Ball could react, he felt weak, his program automatically entering sleep mode, awaiting restoration.

Qi Xin steadily held him in his arms, looking at Karl's sleeping face. He the corner of his mouth twitched.

-

When the Little Black Ball woke up, he felt the main brain buzzing with electrical sounds.

He struggled to sit up and found himself on a familiar bed with familiar decor, but—

He noticed a transparent energy shield surrounding him.

"Qi Xin?" The Little Black Ball called out tentatively.

Within minutes, the door opened, and Qi Xin walked in, carrying a plate of salad and a bottle of strawberry milk.

He didn't say a word, just stood silently by the bed.

The Little Black Ball wanted to ask what was happening but couldn't take his eyes off the food.

Oh, so hungry.

Technically, as a robot, he shouldn't be hungry, but he craved these colorful foods so much that he installed a "stomach," essentially a trash bin, and a taste-conversion sensor.

Naturally, Little Black Ball took the food and began to eat.

Qi Xinyue didn't stop him, he sat on the edge of the bed, staring at him intently.

After finishing, Little Black Ball finally asked, "My neck hurt before, did you..."

"Why do you want to leave?" Qi Xinyue interrupted, "Can't you stay?"

The Little Black Ball blinked, "I want to find true love—"

"I love you, Karl," Qi Xinyue said softly.

Little Black Ball: ???

What is the protagonist gong saying???

"You love me?" The Little Black Ball stiffly lifted his head. "Love as in romantic love?"

Qi Xin remained silent, his gaze icy.

The Little Black Ball thought: Damn, this is bad! What's happening?

"How could you decide to leave just as I figured out my own feelings?" Qi Xin's voice was filled with a mix of frustration and vulnerability.

The Little Black Ball felt overwhelmed and hesitated, "Well, love has an expiration date, and I've run out. You—"

"Aren't you happy with me?"

The Little Black Ball pondered. To be honest, although the protagonist gong had been a bit of an idiot early on, he had significantly improved later. 

Especially after his mother died and his brother went mad, and his family's side branches began to scheme, he became ruthless and seized power, undergoing a complete transformation. 

The Little Back Ball suspected that Qi Xin might have taken some smart pills or been swapped with someone else, as he finally resembled his original character from the original story.

"It's been alright." He had good food, drinks, sleep, and occasional energy boosts. How could he not be happy?

"Haven't I been good to you?"

"You weren't good to me before."The Little Black Ball held grudges.

"And not even after?"

"..." The Little Black Ball clicked his tongue. "Barely."

"You—"

The Little Black Ball was drinking his strawberry milk and accidentally choked and coughed violently.

Qi Xin's face remained stern as he gently patted his back. Once the Little Black Ball stopped coughing, Qi Xin changed his blanket and used tissues to wipe his hands and mouth.

The Little Black Ball, accustomed to this treatment, nonchalantly commanded, "I need a jacket, it's cold."

Qi Xin didn't say a word and complied, adjusting the room temperature.

The Little Black Ball leaned back against the headboard, narrowing his eyes and feeling lazily comfortable.

"You've been good, but I still have to leave." Little Black Ball spoke earnestly, "You can't stop me from pursuing my happiness."

—Oh, he missed the main god space so much.

Qi Xin's face was tense, his voice cold, "Then we'll just have to take our time."

He stood up and left the room. Before leaving, he said, "I won't give up."

The Little Black Ball: "..."

-

For the next half month, Little Black Ball stayed in the room. There was no way around it, the protagonist gong was incredibly clingy, insisting on letting him stay there.

For some reason, during this period, Little Black Ball couldn't get in touch with the main system, so he had to stay put.

He sighed and bit into a piece of watermelon.

Little Black Ball waved for the robot to bring him some savory snacks.

The robot left, but a few minutes later, Qi Xin returned with the snacks. He didn't hand them over, insisting on feeding them to him.

Little Black Ball didn't care, "Ah—" He opened his mouth wide.

Qi Xin then worked beside him.

Bored, Little Black Ball played games, occasionally being reminded to drink water. When he refused, Qi Xin would feed him.

"..." Weird, why did the protagonist gong love to feed him water so much?

"It's time, go take a bath and sleep."

Qi Xin turned off his screen, making Little Black Ball mad enough to scratch him.

But he had no choice, just like always, he followed the robot into the bathroom.

Inside, the semi-transparent glass allowed him to see the figure outside.

The system was waterproof, so Little Black Ball could occasionally play with water, but he didn't really enjoy it. His skin had a self-cleaning program and was always pristine.

He hacked into the robot's system, altered the program to make it think he had already bathed. Little Black Ball then heated his motherboard, making his face turn red and his hair damp before stepping out.

Oh, almost forgot.

He sprayed himself with perfume that smelled like body wash.

"Come here, I'll dry your hair."

"Okay."

The warm air from the hair dryer made Little Black Ball drowsy. He suspected his motherboard was overheating, causing some system programs to shut down temporarily.

He yawned, "So sleepy..."

"Then go to bed early."

"Okay—" Little Black Ball sluggishly crawled under the covers and closed his eyes.

Qi Xin watched him, feeling a mix of emotions. 

After all these days, Little Black Ball didn't seem to mind being confined. Was there... some other method he was using? But there had been no unusual actions...

Qi Xin couldn't figure out his thoughts, he felt uneasy.

-

Life went on like this for several months. It was quite comfortable, with everything provided and nothing was lacking.

Finally, the Little Black Ball managed to contact the main system, which was a great relief.

【...Please confirm the necessary procedures. Do you want to leave this interface?】

The Little Black Ball's hand hovered in mid-air.

Strange... He pressed his lips together, why couldn't he press the button?

He tried to reach out, but it felt like an invisible force was stopping him.

The Little Black Ball thought about many things: Qi Xin's desolate state, his foolish moments, his sorrow when family members died one after another, his suppressed demeanor...

He couldn't help but feel a twinge of empathy.

And during these days, he would hear Qi Xin sitting by his bed late at night, his hoarse voice tinged with a sob.

"Why... do you want to abandon me too..."

"Didn't you say you loved me?"

"You're just a liar too..."

"You're all I have..."

...

The Little Black Ball took a deep breath and slowly withdrew his hand. He turned off the light screen and lay back down.

Click—Qi Xin came in during the night.

As usual, he said nothing at first, just sat there, then later started mumbling to himself. 

As he spoke, his voice choked up again.

Little Black Ball couldn't take it anymore and opened his eyes.

"Enough, stop crying."

Qi Xin was startled, "You... you were awake?"

Little Black Ball rolled his eyes, "You were talking, I'm not deaf. How could I not wake up?"

"Oh..."

Qi Xin suddenly grabbed The Little Black Ball's hand, "Karl."

The Little Black Ball didn't respond or pull away.

After some time, Little Black Ball sat up, staring at the dimly lit wall.

He felt a bit melancholic.

He thought: Maybe... he really couldn't leave anymore.

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