CH 25

The mood has turned sour.

About 70% natural and 30% eerie.

On one side is Murong Jihua, still full of ire and stepping hard on the gas to zoom into the distance; on the other side is Su Xiaomo, completely silent, her head sagging down and her eyelashes hanging low.

The two are deep in thought. Neither speaks.

Murong Jihua is quite flabbergasted inside as well; never mind he got the female lead wrong, but just simply capturing Su Xiaomo is even more difficult now. She already has the misunderstanding, so wouldn’t she see him as some kind of freak?

——It’s all He Jünle’s fault.

If only the guy were uglier, his constitution stronger, his studies more diligent, his fighting less, his toying with his harem of many more, his fighting with him over the female lead gone, then everything would be——

Wait.

Murong Jihua suddenly takes a step back in his mind.

How did this character archetype that just screams killer Gary Stu, make him fall in the first place?

Su Xiaomo is conflicted. On the one side is her childhood friend, on the other is the good mister that is almost like a father to her——plus a benefactor for her and her younger brother, Xiaoqiu. She doesn’t know which side to be on anymore.

And, it’s clearly the CEO that can’t just let Le-gege go…

Su Xiaomo sneaks a glance at Murong Jihua, whose expression is hidden behind his dark sunglasses, unreadable.

She sighs, slightly worn out, deciding to use her slim fingers to play with the lace on her skirt instead.

——It’s Le-gege’s fault.

Together means together. If they are to break up, then break up peacefully. To continue to string him along with breakup sex is a very uncouth move!

[Ding]

Su Xiaomo’s terminal blinks. She slides her screen open to see that, on the social media app, ubiquitous in Country A——’vv,’ a familiar ID is contacting her.

‘Le-gege?’ She whispers extremely quietly, but then quickly glances over to see Murong Jihua tremble.

・

[NobleballnのDemonblood Emperor] poked you. (TL: Try to pronounce nobleballn… Never mind. It’s a pun on noble-born. The original Chinese had a pun where the character for ‘noble’ was switched for the character for ‘testicles’ because they share the same pinyin)

[HeartrendのSnowsend Mo] ?

[HeartrendのSnowsend Mo] Le-gege? What is it?

[NobleballnのDemonblood Emperor] Hows Murong Chickenhua (TL: Ji is also the pinyin for ‘chicken’)

[HeartrendのSnowsend Mo] Oh… The CEO is driving me to my lessons. By the way, Le-gege, what happened between you and the CEO? [Emoji] [Emoji]

[NobleballnのDemonblood Emperor] .

When Su Xiaomo is still typing, Murong Jihua decided to park his car by some random road’s side and grabs Su Xiaomo’s device.

He looks over the chat history to almost feel like puking blood again (TL: I’m also puking blood up at this blatant invasion of privacy, you know).

NobleballnのDemonblood Emperor?! HeartrendのSnowsend Mo?!

Hello? The year is 9102, not 4002.

And Murong Chickenhua?!

How many seconds can it waste for you to type the correct character, hmm?

See if he’s alive?! Can he take it as worrying for him——?

Worrying.

Murong Jihua feels like he must be running a high fever to still keep trying to find sweetness in this big pile of excrement of a situation.

Murong Jihua “… Woman, I want He Jünle’s contact details, all of them.”

“Ok…”

Fifteen minutes later, the CEO’s vv account, his device frontend, even up to his phone and SMS——Have all been blocked by He Jünle.

“…”

“Su Xiaomo.”

Murong Jihua’s face is literally black. There is somehow a tinge of a smile by his lips.

This strange, depressing atmosphere really does look creepy.

“I want He Jünle’s Zalipay account.”

[Dogs Took All the Good Names] paid $10000 to [NobleballnのDemonblood Emperor]

Note: Why didn’t you add me?

[NobleballnのDemonblood Emperor] paid $0.01 to [Dogs Took All the Good Names]

Note: Why should I?

Murong Jihua almost chokes on his words. If he calms down to think, rationally, He Jünle is innocent in this case. Everything is caused by unfortunate coincidence, but…

He can’t just let it go like that!

Why is He Jünle not his capture target!

It’s all Tokiomi‘s fault! (TL: Yes. It’s a Fate/Zero meme. I have no idea how or why either)

[Dogs Took All the Good Names] paid $10000 to [NobleballnのDemonblood Emperor]

Note: … I was wrong in the hospital too, but you sbhksajss (TL: Not sure, maybe a typo, maybe he’s slamming his head on his phone, or maybe it’s the shorthand pinyin for something that is way too long)

[NobleballnのDemonblood Emperor] paid $0.01 to [Dogs Took All the Good Names]

Note: Hoho, dumbass.

Note: All-deflecting shield!

Note: Deflection nullified

Note: …

Note: …

(Author’s notes: In terms of settings, Zalipay of Country A permits notes attached even to money transfers between strangers, but does not permit DMs between strangers)

“Uh, Mr CEO?”

Looking at He Jünle’s message telling her to ‘check if that CEO’s brain is leaking out of his skull,’ and glancing at Murong Jihua whose fingers are showing afterimages as he has a primary schooler’s argument with He Jünle with a super serious, stern expression——

She decides to tentatively open her mouth to speak, “uh, I think, I might be, late…”