Because he had spent too late last night chatting in the group, Yi Xuan once again slept until after 3:00 PM today before waking up.
“Ha. Have I become too decadent lately? Eating until I am full and sleeping until I am satisfied. In a few more days, I feel like I will turn into a useless little waste who cannot do anything.”
Yi Xuan took the hot towel Little Dingdang handed him and casually wiped the water droplets off his face. He walked out of the bathroom while stretching and yawning.
Little Dingdang, following behind him, was dutiful. It not only organized the items Yi Xuan had scattered but also wiped the sink clean, not even sparing the tiny water stains on the floor.
It took a moment to reply to Yi Xuan’s muttering: “It is okay. If Master feels this current state of life is the most comfortable, just keep it this way. You do not need to constrain yourself too much. You are a noble Prince; nothing you do could be a mistake.”
“But this kind of life has no prospects. Forget it, you are just a little machine bug. What could you understand?” Yi Xuan lay on the bed, rubbing his face against the soft quilt. He loved the scent of his quilt; it had the smell of sunshine.
“Hm? Mm, whatever Master says is right.”
Little Dingdang could not understand complex human emotions, but it felt that as long as it was something Master said, it was correct.
“Haha, you silly little robot.”
“Is silly describing me? Little Dingdang likes the pet name Master has for me.” Little Dingdang stood quietly by the bedside, finding everything Yi Xuan said novel and was very happy to accept it.
“That is not a pet name. It means you are stupid.”
“Forget it. Go downstairs and get me some snacks. The things on the little cart no longer have anything I like.” Yi Xuan turned over, grabbed the terminal he had placed at the head of the bed before sleeping, and waved at Little Dingdang behind him.
“Understood. Does Master have any intention of eating a meal within the next hour?” Little Dingdang asked in a steady, AI-paced voice.
“No, I just woke up and do not want to eat a meal. I only want snacks.”
Yi Xuan tapped open his terminal. Because he woke up late, the pinned four-person small group already had 99+ messages.
Just as he entered, he coincidentally saw a message tagging him.
Author-in-Debt: Why are you calling me?
I Don’t Do Letters: Yo, did you finally wake up? I thought you were going to sleep until nightfall.
I Am The Emperor: My old man wants you to come over in a few days.
Author-in-Debt: Me?
I Am The Emperor: Mm, you and Mo Er, both of you come.
Author-in-Debt: Why? I did not receive any message.
I Am The Emperor: My old man told me to bring friends to the house. The point is that they are my friends. How could your family possibly receive a message?
I Am The Emperor: Idiot.
Author-in-Debt: Wow, you think I will just go because you told me to?
I Am The Emperor: Oh, so you are not coming?
Author-in-Debt: Coming. Why would I not come? I have not even seen what the insectoid imperial palace I wrote about looks like in person.
I Don’t Do Letters: It is a total country bumpkin entering the village. Shi Tou, just let him be.
Author-in-Debt: Can we say, let’s not make the target so obvious? Your aggressiveness today is boundless. Isn’t it just because I saw you.
I Don’t Do Letters: Shut up!
I Don’t Do Letters: (Red-faced rabbit)
I Am The Emperor: Fight, fight, fight!
Author-in-Debt: Your stickers are quite rich. You drew them yourself, right? They are mine now.
I Don’t Do Letters: Get lost!
Yi Xuan held back his laughter and exited the group chat. Honestly, when you tease someone until they get flustered and you hear them tell you to get lost as you wished, it is truly fun.
The terminal projected into the air. Yi Xuan shifted from lying on his stomach to sitting in the bed covers. Little Dingdang had already replenished his snack cart, and the bed-table was also filled with his favorite treats.
He did not have to consider anything now; he only needed to play happily. How should one describe these days? It is soaringly cool! It is a level of leisure he would never have dared to imagine in his previous life.
Ever since he embarked on this path of no return known as writing novels, the time he could control became less and less. Even when he finally went on a trip, he had to take out his beat-up laptop back at the hotel at night and type away.
It was miserable to the extreme!
But you have to admit, now that he had some free time, he suddenly felt a bit unaccustomed to it. He kept feeling like countless pairs of eyes were secretly watching him from the shadows, making him feel a bit guilty.
Yi Xuan rubbed his slightly cold palms, his fingers tapping in the air. Finally, Mislert’s chat box appeared on the terminal.
Trailing behind it was a small red number.
7:10 Mislert: Good morning, Master.
7:25 Mislert: Good morning, Master. I have had breakfast.
7:40 Mislert: Master, I am heading out to work.
7:55 Mislert: Master, I have arrived at the office.
11:40 Mislert: Master, I am having lunch. Mislert: (Photo)
2:00 Mislert: Master, I have a court hearing this afternoon. This case is a bit tricky.
3:35 Mislert: Master, good afternoon. Have you woken up?
Except for the one sent after 3:00 PM, all the messages above were just reporting his schedule.
Yi Xuan rested most of his weight on the bed-table, looking at these messages, and for some reason, he found it quite funny.
Why is Mislert like a little machine when reporting his itinerary?
He is so wooden; he cannot even say a few extra words. When his Little Dingdang talks to him, it occasionally pops out an emoji, so why is this guy so stiff?
Thinking about it, Yi Xuan did not rush to reply to Mislert. Instead, he clicked on his profile picture and changed the remark in the notes section to: Stupid Fish.
Yi Xuan: Why do you always send messages on the dot? Is your obsessive-compulsive disorder getting worse?
As soon as Yi Xuan sent the message, Mislert’s side immediately showed “Typing…”
The speed was so fast that it was hard not to suspect he had been guarding the terminal waiting for a reply.
But narcissism is a disease. As soon as this thought occurred, Yi Xuan shook his head and threw it to the back of his mind.
Yi Xuan: Saw the message so quickly? Are you not busy today?
Yi Xuan: Did you not say the case was tricky?
There was tapping and typing on the other side for a long time, but not half a word came back. Yi Xuan almost began to suspect if he had encountered some bug where the opposite side only shows “Typing…” when you reply to them.
Yi Xuan: What are you typing? The flowers are almost withered, and you are still not done? Are you writing an essay?
Mislert (Stupid Fish): Sorry.
Just as Yi Xuan sent his message, Mislert’s reply came through. Obviously, those three words were his apology for the comment about his OCD.
But, it was only three words! Was it necessary to take three minutes to type?
The main thing was that the profile picture on the other side had returned to “Typing…” again.
Yi Xuan, an impatient Leo, expressed his lack of understanding and strongly suspected that the other party was brushing him off.
Really, it is very difficult to get along with a bug who cannot squeeze out a single fart for half a day, even if this bug is good-looking and exactly his type!
So Yi Xuan clicked on Mislert’s profile again and changed “Stupid Fish” to: Stupid Snail.
By the time he finished changing it, Mislert’s message finally came through.
Stupid Snail: I have been keeping the terminal interface open in the air since I got back, so I could see it the moment you replied. The case is tricky, but the hearing just ended. I am organizing the case files now. I am not busy.
Hiss, so he really has been waiting for my message the whole time?
How should he put it? The impatient expression Yi Xuan originally had gradually faded. He pursed his lips, and a secret, hidden thrill arose in his heart.
He opened a bag of potato chips next to him, turned his head to see the curve of his lips, suppressed it, and stuffed a chip into his mouth to chew.
Yi Xuan: Oh, have you been waiting for my message the whole time?
Stupid Snail: Mm. I wanted to chat with you, Master.
Yi Xuan raised his eyebrows upon seeing the message, suddenly struck by a mischievous thought.
Yi Xuan: Our Chief Justice Mislert, why are you daydreaming and looking at your terminal during work hours? Careful about getting your salary deducted.
As soon as Yi Xuan sent this, he guessed that the opposite side would not be able to squeeze out a reply for ages. He could not be bothered to wait and initiated a video call directly.