Jiang Luo said “Uh-huh” twice, immediately responding: “I’ll play one more round with him and then I’ll stop, I’m going to sleep in a bit.”
Cheng Jiashu was unhappy: “Hey, hey, how long have you even been playing with me and you’re already going to sleep?”
“I get motion sickness from 3D games,” Jiang Luo replied, “It’s giving me a headache, I need to rest.”
“Bullsh*t,” Cheng Jiashu laughed in frustration. He knew it was Gu Shiyue calling as soon as Jiang Luo said “Senior.” “Since when do you get motion sickness from 3D? Whenever ‘Brother Yue’ tells you to sleep, you sleep. Why have I never seen you listen to me like that?”
The live stream chat was lively, with fans asking who “Brother Yue” was and teasing Cheng Jiashu for being jealous.
Cheng Jiashu glanced at the chat and replied to his fans: “What am I jealous of? I only have a desire to play games in my eyes.” He didn’t say who Brother Yue was; he skipped questions involving other people’s privacy.
On the other end of the phone, Gu Shiyue said to Jiang Luo: “Go ahead and play, I’m hanging up.”
“Senior, do you… have anything else going on?”
“No.”
Jiang Luo said “Oh” and told him: “I’ll go to sleep early.”
“Mm.”
The call ended, and Jiang Luo was still a bit dazed. Gu Shiyue had suddenly called just to remind him to go to sleep early.
Jiang Luo didn’t make a sound for a long time, staring blankly at his phone screen. Cheng Jiashu called out “Hey, hey” twice: “Are you still there?”
Jiang Luo came to his senses and replied: “I’m here.”
Jiang Luo couldn’t see the live chat, so he talked to Gu Shiyue as if no one else was around. The chat was still flooding, everyone very curious about the “Senior” Jiang Luo mentioned.
Since he wouldn’t answer, Cheng Jiashu could only snort and reply: “Who else do you want him to be? He called him ‘Senior,’ so he must be a senior.”
“That’s all I’ll say, the rest is up to the person involved to answer.” Cheng Jiashu said to Jiang Luo, “Teacher Luo-c, you caused this trouble, you solve it yourself.”
Jiang Luo seemed to be sleepwalking: “…What?”
“I give up. I’ve been talking for so long and you haven’t heard a word…”
Jiang Luo truly hadn’t heard a word; his mind was still on that phone call. He took a guilty sip of water and didn’t say anything.
Cheng Jiashu said: “Everyone is asking who that senior is. I said he’s just a senior in the literal sense, but they don’t believe me. My words don’t count, you’re on your own.”
Hearing the word “Senior,” Jiang Luo froze for a moment, took another subconscious sip of water, and then muttered absentmindedly: “…He is just a senior.”
The holiday passed in a flash. After returning to school, Jiang Luo and Gu Shiyue didn’t run into each other for that whole week. The school was so big, and they were in different years and majors; unless one of them initiated contact, it was impossible to run into each other constantly.
Jiang Luo still had commissions to finish, and he had one to take that week.
On Saturday noon, Jiang Luo met his client at the agreed-upon restaurant.
Since he started taking commissions, Jiang Luo had never accepted a male client. So, when a guy walked up to his table, he thought the person had mistaken him for someone else and looked at him blankly.
“Are you Teacher Luo-c?” the guy asked with a smile.
Jiang Luo was a bit surprised: “You’re ‘Mu-Mu’?”
“That’s me.” The guy wore black-rimmed glasses, was tall, and dressed casually, looking about the same age as him.
Jiang Luo took out his phone to check. The other person’s screen name was “Mu-Mu,” used an anime girl avatar, and spoke very politely; you couldn’t tell online at all that he was a guy.
Jiang Luo didn’t filter by gender for his commissions—after all, he was a guy himself and didn’t take roles in dating sims, so there was no inconvenience. But he really hadn’t expected to encounter a male client.
“Did you think I was a girl?” the guy asked proactively.
“Yes.” Jiang Luo smiled.
“My fault for not disclosing it beforehand.” The guy pulled out a chair and sat down. “But your commission terms didn’t say you don’t accept male clients, right?”
“Mm, yeah.”
“Then it’s fine.” The guy picked up the teapot to pour some water into a cup, raised his eyes, and stared at Jiang Luo for a moment. “You’re more handsome in person than in your photos.”
Jiang Luo wasn’t the type to be embarrassed by compliments; he’d been praised for his face too much since childhood and had long been immune to it. He smiled faintly: “Thanks to the makeup and styling.”
“It’s not the makeup and styling. I couldn’t tell in the photos, but I can see it with my own eyes, can’t I?” The guy smiled. “Besides, we’re face-to-face now, so close.”
This was Jiang Luo’s first time encountering a male client, and he was still adjusting.
“Are you feeling a bit uncomfortable?” the guy asked with a smile, pushing up his glasses.
“A little,” Jiang Luo admitted. “I always thought you were a girl, so it’s a bit hard to switch gears now that you’re a guy.”
“Don’t be uncomfortable, take your time.”
Jiang Luo felt a bit awkward calling him “Mu-Mu” to his face, so he asked: “What should I call you? Just ‘Mu-Mu’?”
“If you feel awkward, you can call me Qi Mu, that’s my real name.”
“Okay.”
“I missed your book signing during the National Day holiday, it was quite a pity,” Qi Mu said. “Will there be another signing in the future?”
“That depends on the situation.”
Qi Mu scanned the QR code on the corner of the table with his phone and handed his phone directly to Jiang Luo: “Order the food.”
Jiang Luo hurriedly pushed it back: “You order.”
“Alright, I’ll order then.” Qi Mu looked down at the menu and asked Jiang Luo, “Are you not taking commissions anymore after this?”
“Right.”
“That’s quite a pity.”
During the commission, one definitely couldn’t break character. The character Jiang Luo was cosplaying today had a reserved personality. Since he was “in character,” he had been acting cool and aloof, not his usual self.
Qi Mu was gentle and talkative, and they had a lot in common, so their conversation was very smooth.
After lunch, the two set off for the zoo—the itinerary had been set beforehand. After the zoo, they were going to a gaming lounge.
Jiang Luo used to be a gaming addict, and gaming was his strength; he was skilled at all kinds. The gaming lounge used a Switch; they played several games, and throughout the whole session, Jiang Luo was the one leading Qi Mu, and he played very skillfully.
“You’re pretty good at games,” Qi Mu said, turning to glance at Jiang Luo with a smile.
Jiang Luo watched the TV screen, skillfully operating the controller, and said, “I got good from playing a lot.”
“Have you played all of these?”
“Not really, a few were my first time.”
“Then you’re just naturally talented.” Qi Mu stared at him for a while, then suddenly asked, “You’ve been in character all day, are you tired?”
“Hm?” Jiang Luo turned his head to look at him.
“Is your real personality like this?”
Jiang Luo smiled: “If I said ‘no,’ then I’d be breaking character.”
“So it’s not?”
“Yeah, it’s not.” Jiang Luo looked back at the screen. “I’m actually quite rowdy, not this quiet.”
“An extrovert?”
“Yeah.” Jiang Luo nodded. “Anyway, I’m definitely not the ‘aloof’ type.”
Qi Mu laughed, looked down at his watch, and asked, “Can I extend the commission time?”
Jiang Luo’s commission duration was usually six hours. His terms stated that, barring special circumstances, the time could be extended until 8:00 PM at the latest, with additional fees for the extra time.
“Sure,” Jiang Luo said. “Until what time do you want to extend it?”
“Since your latest is 8:00, can it be a bit later?” Qi Mu asked sincerely. “I want to play games with you for a bit longer.”
Jiang Luo got along well with him, and since he was a guy, he thought he had nothing to do tonight anyway, so he decided it wouldn’t hurt.
“Mm, sure. But the latest is 9:00 PM,” Jiang Luo said.
“Great. Then let’s grab some dinner in a bit,” Qi Mu smiled. “Also, I think you can break character now.”
“Maybe not,” Jiang Luo said seriously. “I’ve held it this long, I can’t give up now.”
Qi Mu laughed: “You’re hilarious.”
During a bathroom break, Jiang Luo took out his phone. He hadn’t checked it at all, and he saw several messages on WeChat.
Jiang Luo saw Gu Shiyue’s message at a glance and immediately clicked on it.
Gu Shiyue: I’m coming home late today. Help me check on the cat.
This message had been sent ten minutes ago. If Jiang Luo had seen it even a bit earlier, he wouldn’t have extended the commission until 9:00. But since he’d already promised the client, he couldn’t go back on his word.
Jiang Luo: Senior, I have something going on tonight. I’ll go check on Miantuan as soon as I’m done, but it might be a bit late.
Gu Shiyue: If it’s too late, don’t bother going. No need to make the extra trip.
Jiang Luo: It’s no trouble, I’ll go over as soon as I’m done!
Gu Shiyue arrived home at 8:30. The cat food in the automatic feeder had been finished by Miantuan, but there were no signs that Jiang Luo had been there. Every time Jiang Luo came, he would clean the litter box and put Miantuan’s toys back together. Tonight, he clearly hadn’t come.
Given Jiang Luo’s personality, if he said he would come after finishing his business, he would definitely come. The fact that he hadn’t meant his business wasn’t finished yet.
What kind of business takes until this late…
Gu Shiyue sent him a message: Still not done?
Jiang Luo didn’t reply, so Gu Shiyue called him directly. Jiang Luo was playing a game with Qi Mu when his phone on the small table vibrated.
Jiang Luo said: “Sorry, I have to take a call.”
“No problem.”
Jiang Luo picked up his phone and walked out of the small room. He was stunned when he saw the caller ID. He walked outside the gaming lounge and answered the phone around the corner of the hallway.
“Hello? Senior?”
“Still busy?”
“I guess… you could say that.” Jiang Luo scratched the wall with his fingers. He hadn’t heard Gu Shiyue’s voice for several days. Hearing it suddenly, his heart felt oddly tingly.
“What do you mean ‘you could say that’? What kind of business isn’t finished yet? You haven’t gone back to school?”
“Yeah, I’m still outside. You’re home already?”
“What are you doing outside?”
“I took a commission today, it hasn’t ended yet.”
Gu Shiyue frowned. He was silent for a moment before his voice turned deep: “What kind of commission takes this long?”
“Because I extended the time temporarily, it dragged on a bit. I didn’t see your message then, otherwise, I wouldn’t have extended it that late.”
“Extended until when?”
“Nine o’clock.”
“Why didn’t you extend it until nine o’clock tomorrow morning?”
Jiang Luo froze, opening his mouth: “I…”
“Do you want to?” Gu Shiyue followed up.
“I don’t!” Jiang Luo immediately denied it. Gu Shiyue’s tone was calm, but for some reason, Jiang Luo felt his heart race, as if he had done something bad. He also didn’t know why Gu Shiyue would suddenly ask that; it was such a strange question.
“Where are you now?” Gu Shiyue asked.
Jiang Luo gave him the name of the gaming lounge.
After hanging up, Jiang Luo went back inside. Qi Mu, sitting on the small sofa, turned toward the door: “I almost thought you weren’t coming back.”
Jiang Luo remained professional for the final half hour, perfectly finishing the commission.
The gaming lounge was located in a nearly abandoned commercial building. Although it was in the city center, the open-air mall wasn’t doing well, so the foot traffic had dwindled over the years. Basically, all the shops had closed, with only this gaming lounge and a few long-standing restaurants still surviving.
Outside the mall was a large, empty lot with a few cars scattered around. The area around the building wasn’t desolate; across the road was a newly opened enclosed shopping mall, with heavy traffic and bustling crowds.
Jiang Luo and Qi Mu stepped off the escalator and out of the mall. Qi Mu stopped, turned to look at Jiang Luo, and asked: “Can we have a hug before you leave?”
The only physical contact Jiang Luo accepted for his commissions was a hug; previous clients had basically all requested this when the commission ended.
It was just a simple hug.
For clients who hired him to play a character they loved, it was a farewell to that character—beautiful and pure.
“Sure.” Jiang Luo smiled.
Qi Mu stepped forward, and the two opened their arms for a hug. For Jiang Luo, it was just a simple embrace. He was about to pull away when, in the next second, he was suddenly pulled tight by Qi Mu.
Jiang Luo was stunned.
Qi Mu closed his eyes without speaking, holding Jiang Luo with such force, his breath close to Jiang Luo’s ear. Jiang Luo frowned, and once he realized what was happening, he instinctively tried to push him away.
Just then, a hand suddenly appeared from behind, grabbing Qi Mu by the shoulder and pushing him away forcefully.
By the time Jiang Luo reacted, he had already been pulled to Gu Shiyue’s side.
“Senior…” Jiang Luo blinked rapidly, looking as if he had been frightened.
Gu Shiyue wore a cold expression, staring silently at Qi Mu in front of him.