To tell the truth, teasing Mo Er is a great source of amusement.
Especially when you tease him until he gets flustered and bristles like an angry cat. That is the most entertaining part. At those moments, we only need to say a few soft words, and he can be perfectly smoothed over. Plus, he never holds a grudge.
And just like that, Yi Xuan had teased Mo Er until he was fuming.
This kind of thing happens eight hundred times a day when the two are together, and Yi Xuan never tires of it.
“Yi Xuan, how could you be like this!” Mo Er puffed up his cheeks and turned his face away, refusing to pay any more attention to Yi Xuan.
“Are you actually mad?”
Yi Xuan leaned his head toward Mo Er, looking rather cheeky.
He currently looked exactly like a meme from the Earth internet. A pigeon looking down to see if its companion is crying, accompanied by the caption: Are you really crying?
It was infuriatingly bratty.
“I am just joking. Our Mo Er is very smart, right?” Yi Xuan said with a low chuckle.
Mo Er was just about to retort with, “At least you have some eyes,” when the sound of someone nearby interrupted him. The newcomer answered Yi Xuan’s question for him.
“Mo Er is indeed very smart. Yi Xuan, you are teasing the little cutie again.”
The voice was very familiar, and the newcomer’s tone toward Yi Xuan was quite intimate.
Yi Xuan turned his head, his gaze colliding with that of Xu Shize. He raised an eyebrow slightly, then turned back as if nothing happened. The two pretended this was their first meeting since regaining their wits.
“You are not acting so foolish now, are you?” Yi Xuan said, still propping his head up with his hand.
“I was never foolish.” Xu Shize sat down directly in the seat to Yi Xuan’s left.
“Ah, yes, yes, yes. Your mind has become quite sharp now, so where would you be foolish?” Yi Xuan thought of something and chuckled softly.
“Tch, what a boring sense of humor,” Xu Shize remarked.
“Dian, isn’t this your first time seeing Yi Xuan since you woke up? Why are you not acting at all estranged from him?” Mo Er looked full of doubt. He stroked his chin, appearing deep in thought, and added, “Did you two secretly chat behind my back? A private window? Is that it?”
“But the group chat has been so quiet these days.”
“Well, we did chat privately a few days ago.” Yi Xuan nodded, speaking without the slightest avoidance.
In truth, they had done no such thing. After being friends for so many years, that bit of tacit understanding was still there.
“You do not even hide it from me when you are stealing a bug now?” Mo Er said, feigning hurt.
“Hey, hey, hey. Stop making me sound like a mistress. Besides, the group chat was dead. I do not believe you guys managed to resist chatting privately,” Xu Shize retorted.
“That is totally different. I am Yi Xuan’s original partner; at best, you are a later addition,” Mo Er said, his reasoning shaky but his attitude firm.
“Fine, fine, fine. I, Dian, did not come to break up this family; I came to join this family,” Xu Shize said, holding back a laugh.
He was currently accepting his other name quite well.
“What kind of weird stuff are you two talking about?” Yi Xuan wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Do not tell anyone we know each other when we go out. I cannot afford the embarrassment.”
“Wow, Yi Xuan, are you tired of me, your grizzled partner who has endured hardships with you?” Mo Er clutched his chest, expressing great sadness.
Yi Xuan: (Grizzled partner? Does he mean a partner from the Ci Jun’s side? When I was writing this, how did I not know you were this abstract?)
Seeing Mo Er act like this, Yi Xuan was rendered speechless by silence.
“Hahaha, you two are hilarious.”
“You are quite bored yourself,” Yi Xuan shot a glance at him and said.
Since Xu Shize entered, the inquisitive gazes directed his way had not ceased.
This Prince Dian was famous among the bug race. Previously, given his status and the mental test results at his birth, even though he was simple-minded, many Ci Jun were interested in marrying him. After all, a simple-minded male bug was easier to get along with than one who was awake but mostly acted crazier than a lunatic. At the very least, he would not subject someone to private torture just because he did not like the look of them.
After all, a simpleton knows nothing of joy, anger, sorrow, or delight.
Although he was awake now, most bugs had only heard of it, and very few had actually seen it. Looking at him now, he did indeed seem normal, and his interactions with the other two princes were quite good.
Yi Xuan was not widely known because he had just been found and never liked attending banquets, but Mo Er, who sat beside him, was quite famous.
Mo Er had the best temperament and family background among the known male bug princes of the insect race. Thus, everyone assumed that those who could hang out with him would not be any worse off.
Now, three high-quality princes sat together. Even though they had specifically chosen a small corner, once noticed by many bugs, it was no longer a hidden spot.
“Yi Xuan, Dian, my Xiong Father is calling for me. You two chat,” Mo Er said.
As the three were chatting happily, Mo Er’s terminal rang. He looked down, fiddled with it, and then stood up to leave after speaking to the two beside him.
“Mislert, could you go get me another drink from over there?”
Seeing Mo Er walk away, Yi Xuan glanced at Xu Shize, instantly understanding what the other wanted to talk about. He instructed Mislert, who stood behind him, hoping to send him away.
“Understood, Master.”
Mislert did not suspect anything. He bowed his head and left.
Now, only Yi Xuan and Xu Shize were left at the table. For a moment, both sides were quiet, neither speaking.
“So, do you not plan to apologize first?” Xu Shize fiddled with his terminal, his eyes fixed on Yi Xuan.
“Please, what does this have to do with me? I am a victim too, you know,” Yi Xuan spread his hands helplessly.
“Does our transmigration not have a direct connection to you?”
“If you had not written about a dormitory of people transmigrating, would we have transmigrated?” Xu Shize asked.
“Hey, hey, hey. Do not start with that victim-blaming nonsense. Am I not wronged? I was clearly just writing a novel. Who knew it came with after-sales service, where writing it guarantees a transmigration?” Yi Xuan insisted he was truly the wronged one.
“If I had known before, I would have written myself an infinite money wealth system, added super powers, and stacked all sorts of buffs before transmigrating.”
“Pfft. You did not even write a good setup for yourself in your own novel? You cannot even dream properly, yet you gave yourself an angst-filled plot.” Xu Shize mocked him.
“Oh, yes, yes, yes. What about it? It is not like your plot is not angst-filled. Are they not all angst novels? Do you expect me to double-standard the writing when it is the same author and the same book?” Yi Xuan felt speechless.
“Your situation is still better. As for me, sigh… you have no idea how bitter my life is,” Yi Xuan sighed.
“What happened? Tell me, let me enjoy it,” Xu Shize said, looking quite excited as he watched the drama unfold.
“Mislert is a regressor.”
Xu Shize: (?)
The teeth he had been baring were suddenly retracted.
“Ah? What the hell? For real?”
“Yes. Since I created him, I know his personality better than anyone. He is acting completely wrong; the highest probability is that he is a regressor,” Yi Xuan said with a bitter face.
“Wow, that is very interesting,” Xu Shize said.
“Well, I cannot help you with that. You are on your own. You made this bed, now lie in it,” Xu Shize continued. “By the way, have you seen anyone else these days?”
“I saw two. No, I should say I saw one, and the other one got mixed up in his own plot,” Yi Xuan said, playing with the cake in front of him out of boredom.
“You are quite unlucky, then.”
“I am used to it.”
“What about the other two?” Xu Shize asked again.
“I remember that one guy did not read your novel.”
“Who?”
“Old Xiao. He has been very busy lately. His advisor has him grinding on his research progress, so he has no time to read novels. He does not know the plot. How do you plan to handle him?” Xu Shize explained.
“Oh, him. His plot is not that angst-filled. I know he is a bit stubborn, so I did not set the difficulty too high for him. Do not worry, I will go see him in a few days when he is free,” Yi Xuan said.
“Wait, you have not checked up on his side?”
“No, I have only looked at my own side. I wanted to see what you wrote about me, but thankfully, I transmigrated immediately after reading, saving the time I would have spent forgetting the plot.”
“You really have good luck,” Yi Xuan said, falling silent for a moment before squeezing that out.
“My luck has always been good. After all, I get double SSRs in ten-pulls in games, I find money on the road, and even if I go to the bathroom without paper, I will find a pack of unused paper left by a pit friend from the previous stall.”
Yi Xuan, the perennially unlucky, consistently hitting pity caps in games, choking on water while drinking, retorted: “Fine, fine, fine, stop talking. I have heard enough.”
“You are just jealous.”
“Ah, yes, yes, yes. I am jealous, I am jealous. Stop talking.” Yi Xuan scratched his head in agitation.
“Speaking of which, I think I saw Ying Jue a few days ago, but I could not see clearly if it was him.” Xu Shize thought for a moment and said.
“Normal. He should be at the main star right now too.”
“Are you not the Bug God here? You are using the word ‘should,’ and you do not even know where they are?”
“Do you remember exactly what you wrote in an essay a year after you finished it?” Yi Xuan countered.
“No, but is that the same thing?”
“What is different about it? Is it not all just writing?”
The two had much more to chat about, but Mislert returned with the drinks, interrupting their conversation. Plus, Mo Er came back shortly after, so they stopped talking.
In any case, they had terminals to send messages; there was no need to rush.