Chapter 62 - Aren’t you touched?
This is brought to you by Samie as well~ Thank you :blobheart:
Since he just woke up, there was no particular topic in his mind so he started a random conversation: — What are you doing?
Liang Liang replied swiftly from his end: — Eating.
Kang Shengzhe glanced at the time; it was going to be five o’ clock soon. The other party seemed to have some suspicions in his heart, or perhaps it was just that he already predicted it, because he cut straight to the chase and asked: — You just woke up?
Initially, he had a.s.sumed that his next line would be asking him to eat, but the contents of the message was different.
[Liang Liang]: — Do you want to play a game?
Kang Shengzhe focused: — What game?
[Liang Liang]: — A quiz game.
Despite being puzzled, Kang Shengzhe rolled his eyes and replied: — Okay.
Liang Liang quickly followed up with a question: — What does your bedroom have?
The question and answer quiz was popular game on the Internet once and it was suitable for many people to play together. The objective was to be the first to guess the item’s colour, and a penalty would be incurred if the wrong guess was made. Kang Shengzhe ran through his options quickly but he could not fathom why Liang Liang would suddenly ask such a question. However, he still replied: — Bed.
[Liang Liang]: — What’s next to the bed?
Kang Shengzhe: — Bedside table.
[Liang Liang]: — What is inside the bedside table?
Kang Shengzhe’s mind flashed and he replied speedily: — Avoid. Pregnancy. Set!
[Liang Liang]: — ……
Kang Shengzhe: — I’m just joking.
After being asked one question after another, Kang Shengzhe started having some ideas in his mind. Even though he cracked a few jokes while answering, his hands did not stop as he yacked open the bedside table drawer. Other than the supplies provided by the hotel, the drawer was empty.
If Kang Shengzhe hadn’t guessed wrongly, Liang Liang’s questioning method was trying to hint to him that he had left something for him before he went home.
Understanding that, Kang Shengzhe flipped through the bedroom once only to find no fruits for his labour. On WeChat, Liang Liang sent him another message.
— What does the bathroom have?
Kang Shengzhe did not answer first. Instead, he ran to the bathroom and rifled through it once. Due to his large stature, he made a spectacular mess with his movements but he found an exquisitely packaged gift box in the middle of a towel stack within a few seconds.
Kang Shengzhe instantly became ecstatic; he was giddy for a good while before he took apart the packaging to reveal a box of red candy. On top of the box was a card decorated with balloons and four words were written on it: A First Meeting Gift.
Although the words were plain and the gift was not given in person, Kang Shengzhe still burst with joy.
When he thought back about the circ.u.mstances he and Liang Liang met under, he gave the box an additional look. Then, he picked up his phone and typed: k2014; There is a beautiful man who is extremely happy because he received a gift.
A short while later, Liang Liang replied: — Half-correct.
Kang Shengzhe pretended not to understand: — Which half is correct?
[Liang Liang]: — Your heart has no self-awareness.
Kang Shengzhe laughed lightly for a long while. In smooth and practiced motions, Kang Shengzhe unwrapped a sweet and placed it in his mouth. Similar to Small Sweet Hearts, it was a candy with a filling but it was filled with strawberry instead. And when it melted, it made his heart tremble.
However, even though it was sweet to the taste, it induced a wave of salted ache when it entered his throat, causing him to cover it and wheeze like a donkey.
When he looked up, he happened to see You Liangxing instructing him on WeChat: — Don’t rush to eat it, care for your sore throat.
While he was still donkey wheezing, he replied: — I didn’t it! 〖Serious Face〗
* * *
Across the internet, You Liangxing could not help but tug up the corners of his mouth to form a smile. After idling around the house for the entire day, it was just the matter of time that this would happen.
Now that the gift had been sent out, he felt relaxed. Truth to be told, the gift was supposed to be given in person, but he had inadvertently missed the opportunity to do so, and he could only resort to hiding it when he was heading out on his morning run.
This was the first time You Liangxing had snuck around and his mood had been complicated by it. However, now that the matter was settled, his head felt calmer.
Just as he was thinking, Kang Shengzhe sent another message: — Hei hei hei, little brother really knows how to tease.
With the all the solemnity and indifference he possessed, You Liangxing ignored his joke and replied: — Scram.
The messages ended there and You Liangxing put down his phone to return his attention back to the information he was holding. All the concentration he previous possessed had fled him, and he found that he could not read on.
His heart would not still, and he could not stop thinking in bizarre tangents.
In an untimely manner, the question of ‘Are you single’ from Ah Sheng surfaced in his mind. Every time it made itself known, You Liangxing would spend a considerable amount of time to ruminate over it.
What did the question mean exactly, was it a hint? Or was he asking casually?
To be honest, even though You Liangxing had never been in a relationship, it did not mean that his ability to sense amorous feelings was slow. He could feel the subtle atmosphere between him and Ah Sheng and he was extremely clear about the fact that they were both male.
But the reason why his face hadn’t changed colour despite realising that something was wrong, or the most crucial one he had discovered after much contemplation was that…. He did not hate the feeling.
In any case, the question dredged up deep waters; delving deeper would only yield more questions, and You Liangxing had never felt so perplexed by an issue before. After thinking through it for a bout, he decided to put it down.
…. Just let it be.
If the main threads of reason could not be grasped, just let it be.
Furthermore, it was pointless to get tangled up about it. The relationship between him and Ah Sheng had just progressed from online chatting to meeting up and he did not even know the other party’s name.
“Oh right, Xiao Liang, when are you heading back to A City?”
You Liangxing came back to his senses. His parents were drinking tea in the living room and they were causally conversing. You Liangxing replied: “In a few days.”
Since the family gathering had ended, there was no reason that required You Liangxing to remain in Beijing; going back to A City to focus on researching his project was the standard procedure.
But Bai Yan was reluctant: “Can’t you stay for a few more days? How often does Mom see you? Stay at home and accompany me.”
You Liangxing did not speak, but he happened to see You Ming staring at him from behind Bai Yan and he lowered his head once, saying lightly: “Okay.”
Gratified, Bai Yan nodded, and she turned around to talk to You Ming about an upcoming fashion show. After discussing it for a while, she was seized by the sudden impulse to see the international show that was occurring tomorrow. Thus, she booked a flight ticket for France, and happily returned back to her room to pack her luggage.
In a blink of an eye, she completely forgot the fact that her son was going to stay to accompany her at home.
However, You Liangxing was accustomed to it. You Ming, seeing that he barely showed a response, was extremely satisfied. “Men should be more broad-minded and be patient with women.”
If it had been any other ordinary day, You Liangxing would not have answered. However, afflicted with the diverging thoughts he had today, he asked: “What if I don’t have the patience?”
You Ming said: “Then you might not be able to find a woman as beautiful as your mother.”
You Liangxing: “… Not necessarily.”
You Ming did not hear him clearly: “What did you say?”
When You Liangxing thought back about it, he realised that he did not know what he said either. Therefore, he shook his head and chose not to speak.
Later in the evening, Bai Yao, who had been out on a shoot, came home. The moment she entered the door, she latched onto You Liangxing, and it was only after she tormented him with a flurry of actions, did she beam and ask: “Do you want to play a game?”
Although Bai Yao had downloaded King’s Glory, it was actually rare for her to ask You Liangxing to game with her due to the inconsistent schedule she had as an actress which caused a mismatch in their timings.
You Liangxing wondered, “Is your work over?”
Bai Yao smiled with crinkled eyes and said mysteriously, “My work states that I have to play the game tonight. Come on, let’s play, I’ll invite you.”
Still baffled by his track of emotions, You Liangxing rejected her softly. “Not playing.”
Despite feeling a wave of regret, Bai Yao chose not to pester him further. Instead, she went into the kitchen to find something to eat.
Meanwhile, You Liangxing returned back to his room and he locked the door behind him to prevent anything unexpected from happening. After lazing around for a period of time, Ah Sheng called him on WeChat: — Liang Liang~ Liang Liang~ Liang Liang~
You Liangxing replied: — If you need something, just say it.
[Ah Sheng]: — I have a surprise for you in game~
You Liangxing was not excited by the word ‘surprise’ and it might partially stem from the eccentric environment he grew up in which had left him a little unfeeling when it came to sorrow and delight. Therefore, when he showed a brief moment of hesitation, it was because Ah Sheng had asked him for a game, and not because of the surprise.
Should he play? After a second, You Liangxing stated: — Let’s go.
Ah Sheng replied with an〖OBJK〗expression, to which You Liangxing ignored as he directly logged into King’s Glory. When he went online, he intentionally glanced at Bai Yao’s account and sure enough, she was online as well.
Bai Yao’s account name was【G.o.ddess of Kings in Gold】and her rank placement was at Gold VI. Previously, when Bai Yao had been in the silver division, she had brought up that her in-game name was【G.o.ddess of Kings in Silver】. In accordance to her self-made rules, she would change her name every time she ranked up, until she was 【G.o.ddess of Kings】.
Instantly, You Liangxing felt the beginnings of a headache. He had just rejected Bai Yao’s invitation and at the turn of her head, he had chosen to game with someone else. Aware that Bai Yao would definitely find him to kick up a fuss later, he sighed lightly. Just then, You Liangxing noticed that the icon for【don’t want to move】lit up in his friend’s list.
Ah Sheng had chosen to use his minor account which had just entered the platinum division, and it was one star shy from his own account.
Did he want to rank?
You Liangxing considered it for a moment, and the invitation from Ah Sheng popped up on the interface.
–【don’t want to move】invites you to partic.i.p.ate in a multiplayer ranking.
Sure enough.
You Liangxing was about to press accept when another invitation emerged.
–【G.o.ddess of Kings in Gold】invites you to partic.i.p.ate in a multiplayer ranking.
Subsequently after, he pressed the cross on Bai Yao’s invitation interface, accepted Ah Sheng’s invitation and entered the party room.
He had barely exhaled the breath he was holding when his body abruptly stiffened. His brows twitched out of conditioned reflex.
The party room had been made for a three-man queue, and because he was the third to arrive, the room reached maximum capacity when he entered. Apart from【don’t want to move】which belonged to Ah Sheng, there was another person and their in-game name was especially familiar with its blaring and exacting five characters:【G.o.ddess of Kings in Gold】.
You Liangxing: “……”
You Liangxing: “!!!”
You Liangxing rarely swore at people, but at this moment, a faint impulse along the lines of ‘f.u.c.k my life’ arose in his heart.
Then, messages from Ah Sheng appeared like a sprinkling of salt.
— Liang Liang~~ Do you know who the other person is?
— It’s Bai Yao!
— Previously, you mentioned that you were alright with her; and I’ve heard that she’s a big celebrity. Although I don’t have much interest in chasing celebrities, Liang Liang, you’re okay with it right?
— How about it, are you surprised, aren’t you touched?
You Liangxing: “……”