Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
One after another, the days flew by.
On Saturday afternoon, Xiao Luo changed into a more mature getup after getting a call from Zhang Dashan. He needed a breather. University might be a paradise for many, but it wasnât so great for him. The worst part was having to go to class. It sucked. Time crawled at a snailâs pace when one was miserable: Every minute seemed like a thousand.
âBrother Luo, are you going out?â asked Zhu Xiofei.
He considered the possibility and then, visibly alarmed, asked, âYouâre not going to the mixed martial arts club to respond to Song Jiananâs challenge, are you?â
Hearing the words âSong Jiananâ and âchallenge,â Ding Kai, who was lying in bed reading, sat up and looked at Xiao Luo with a pale, terror-stricken face.
âLao Zhu, you think too much. I canât be bothered with that kind of senseless person,â Xiao Luo smiled slightly.
âThen, where are you doing?â
âA good friend is coming to meet me, and weâll be having a meal tonight.â
Xiao Luo inhaled lightly and said, âBy the way, do you want to come along? You can eat and drink for free.â
âNah, youâre going on a date. Weâre donât want to be a third wheel, heheâ¦..â Zhu Xiaofei shook his head and grinned, showing his teeth.
âThatâs right. People who are third wheels are losers.â
Ding Kai echoed, then lay back down and continued reading.
Xiao Luo, who was silent for a moment, said softly, âHeâs male.â
âWhat? A guy?â
Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai looked at each other and saw the shock registered in the otherâs eyes. No wonder Brother Luo was unmoved by An Huanhuanâs relentless pestering. So the reason wasâ¦..
Zhu Xiaofei coughed a few times and said, âBrother Luo, we understand. You can go with peace of mind. Weâll not gossip about you. Weâll keep our mouths shut tight and keep this secret of yours. Also, weâll not look at you with peculiar expressions because of this. After all, itâs been a long time since the Reformation. Our minds have been liberated and are as wide as the Pacific Ocean. Leaving aside a man getting with a man, itâs not a big deal for us even when it comes to a man with a snake, a man with a ghost, and a man with a rock.â
Holy sh*t! They understood? Just what did they understand?
Xiao Luo felt a little ill. He knew that a man who got together with another man was gay, but man and snake? And what the hell was a man with a ghost and a man with a rock? Why had he never heard of these? Had he become behind the times again?
âLao Zhu, are you talking internet slang? What do you mean by a man and a snake?â Xiao Luo was puzzled.
âItâs Xu Xian and Lady White Snake,â Ding Kai put down his book.
âThen what about a man and a ghost?â
âNing Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian.â
Xiao Luo felt that his three fundamental views had been turned upside down. Then he asked curiously, âWhat do a man and a rock refer to?â
âItâs the Monkey Kingâs dad,â Zhu Xiaofei suppressed his laugh and said.
â?????â
A series of question marks appeared in Xiao Luoâs mind.
âBrother Luo, the Monkey Kingâs dad got a rock pregnant. Isnât he f*cking capable?â
Zhu Xiaofei guffawed. âOne slept with a snake, one slept with a ghost, and one even dared to sleep with a rock. So many predecessors have created a new history in their obsessions. Brother Luo, compared to them, thereâs nothing strange about you, hahaha ⦠â
Xiao Luo was exasperated. In the next second, he sent Zhu Xiaofei, who had thrown his head back and was laughing so hard that tears were flowing, a kick that sent him flying.
******
When Xiao Luo rushed to the school gates, Zhang Dashan and his white Corolla were already waiting there.
âWhat the hell? How did a bastard like you become better looking since our last meeting a while back?â This was the first thing Zhang Dashan said.
Xiao Luo rolled his eyes. He opened the door and hopped in the front passenger seat. âCut the crap. Iâm hungry! Letâs quickly find a place to eat.â
âWhat about the hot, pretty girls? Didnât I tell you to bring some with you?â
Zhang Dashan yelled but didnât linger at the school gate. He slowly started the car and headed for the city.
âYou seem so thirsty. I think I need to order a doll for you online,â Xiao Luo joked.
âThatâs good, but I want one imported from Japan, and it has to be the real thing. I donât want the inflatable kind that only costs around twenty dollars. Itâs too damn shoddy and can never hold up against a few violent thrusts from me,â Dashan laughed mischievously.
âGet lost, you bastard!â Xiao Luo wanted to kick him.
âBwahahaâ¦â
Zhang Dashan was so excited he deliberately pressed sports mode and stepped on the gas, causing the carâs speed to skyrocket in that instant to match his current excitement. However, he did not dare to speed for too long: speed limit signs and traffic monitoring abounded in Jiangcheng. He couldnât even count all the traffic light intersections on his ten fingers and toes.
âBy the way, Lao Xiao. You havenât told me what youâre doing in Huaye,â asked Zhang Dasjam curiously at a traffic light intersection while waiting for the light to turn green.
âI was entrusted to protect someone.â Xiao Luo felt had nothing to hide from his bro.
âWhat? Protect someone? When did you become a bodyguard?â Zhang Dashan was more than a little surprised.
Xiao Luo then briefly told him the story of how he met Chu Yunxiong.
âBalls! So youâre in Huaye to protect Chu Yunxiongâs daughter. The same Chu Yunxiong who owns Chongshan House?â Zhang Dashanâs eyes immediately widened. Whoa. This was some story.
Xiao Luo said, âOther than this Chu Yunxiong, there shouldnât be anybody else who goes by that name in Jiangcheng.â
âF*ck me!â
Zhang Dashan looked at Xiao Luo as if he were an alien, âBastard, you got to know Chu Yunxiong, a VIP tycoon in Jiangcheng. What a lucky bastard. And youâre the one protecting is his daughter? F*ck, isnât it evident he wants you to be his son-in-law?â
âI havenât seen you in a while. Talking bullshit has become your forte,â Xiao Luo said, rolling his eyes.
âWhoâs talking bullsh*t? Isnât it just like TV? Right, so what does Chu Yunxiongâs daughter look like? Is she pretty?â Zhang Dashan asked.
âSheâs okay, so-so.â
Xiao Luo propped his chin up, giving a fitting and direct evaluation.
âAn okay from you means very good.â
Zhang Dashan felt pretty confident about things and said like a shameless rascal, âDamn it, bro. I donât care. You must take me to see her. I happened to dress up tonight, so I look goodâ¦and cool. If I can captivate her, Iâll immediately ascend to the pinnacle of my life.â
Xiao Luo took a closer look at him. For real, this dude was dressed very pretentiously and looked passably good: A white shirt with black trousers in the western style. He gave off a strong gentlemanly vibe. His body was passably good, too. There was only one disadvantageâhis face was too chubby. Otherwise, his sister, Xiao Ruyi, would have been attracted to him from the beginning.
âLao Xiao, I have to tell you something.â Zhang Dashanâs expression suddenly turned serious.
âWhat is it?â Xiao Luo frowned.
âZhao Mengqi was taking the roundabout approach by trying to get some info about your situation from me a few times. She was going to visit you at your home but found that you werenât there. Based on her tone, I think she wants to get back with you.â
Get back together?
Xiao Luo shook his head and smiled, looking at the night scene outside the window. He didnât say a single word; he had already ended the chapter of his life titled Zhao Mengqi.
âA random search on the internet will turn up a lot of negative information about that slimeball Hua Haifeng of Huahai Corporation. He sleeps around with lots of women and changes girlfriends about as often as one turns a page when reading. Zhao Mengqi thought she had slept with someone dependable. Ha! In the end, sheâll just get dumped after heâs had his fill.â Zhang Dashan said indignantly. He thought that Zhao Mengqi was just a stupid woman.
âDonât talk about her. Letâs talk about happier things,â Xiao Luo said.
âThatâs true. You two have broken up. I donât know why I brought it up. Come on, letâs talk about Chu Yunxiongâs daughter. How old is she? Does she have a nice body? Howâs her skin? And most importantâdoes she have a boyfriend?â Zhang Dashan suddenly became energetic and animated.