TLN: 投其所好 (tóu qí suǒ hào) – to adapt to sb’s taste / to fit sb’s fancy
At noon, Ning Guiqu left class with Lu Yuan, something he hadn’t done in a long time. Shi Wen sent a message to the group chat: [Dormitory harmony! Photo.jpg]
It was a picture of him and Lu Yuan’s backs as they were preparing to leave the classroom.
Jiang Xu: [Thumbs up/Thumbs up/Thumbs up]
Ning Guiqu: “…….”
Ning Guiqu felt as if he had stumbled into some strange parents’ group chat.
Sitting beside him, Lu Yuan was transferring pieces of braised pork from his plate to Ning Guiqu’s. Ning Guiqu had initially planned to send a snarky comment on his alt account but lost interest in doing so.
Ning Guiqu watched in bewilderment as the meat on his plate kept increasing. Could it be that Lu Yuan was trying to win him over this way, attempting to make him forget about Lu Yuan stealing his phone?
Did Lu Yuan take him for some glutton?
Just as Ning Guiqu was about to speak, Lu Yuan placed the last piece of braised pork onto Ning Guiqu’s plate and explained softly, “I saw the cafeteria auntie shake off your braised pork earlier. I guessed you might be upset about it.”
Ning Guiqu: “…….”
Lu Yuan didn’t take him for a glutton after all; he was trying to guess Ning Guiqu’s thoughts. Ning Guiqu was indeed annoyed at the time, but it was just a piece of braised pork. He had already forgotten about it!
Ning Guiqu glanced at the extra pieces of braised pork on his plate, then at Lu Yuan, who was calmly eating his meal. A bold and somewhat narcissistic idea formed in his mind. He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to him and Lu Yuan before asking in a low voice, “You’re not trying to pursue me this way, are you?”
Lu Yuan paused for a second.
Ning Guiqu carefully observed Lu Yuan’s expression, feeling he guessed correctly. He hissed, both embarrassed and slightly disapproving, “I’m not an elementary school student. A few pieces of braised pork won’t win me over.”
A flash of surprise passed through Lu Yuan’s eyes. He really hadn’t thought along those lines. Who would use braised pork to pursue someone? He just remembered Ning Guiqu’s three consecutive complaints about braised pork in the past.
Lu Yuan knew he shouldn’t deny it at this moment, so he chose to admit, “Sorry. This is my first time pursuing someone.”
Ning Guiqu: “…”
The serious Ning Guiqu met Lu Yuan’s earnest gaze, and his face slowly turned red. He quickly averted his eyes. “You don’t need to apologize. I won’t return the meat anyway. It would be weird to keep transferring it back and forth. If you want some, I’ll buy more for you.”
Lu Yuan cleared his throat lightly to keep his voice sounding normal. “Ning Guiqu, what do you like?”
Ning Guiqu lowered his head even further, grumbling, “That’s not fair. You can’t just ask me something like that directly.”
Lu Yuan thought for a moment.
“You like playing games.”
Ning Guiqu: “……..” That made him sound like a college student addicted to gaming and neglecting his studies.
Ning Guiqu denied it. “I only play when I’m bored.”
Lu Yuan thought for another moment.
“You like sleeping.”
Ning Guiqu: ???
Ning Guiqu gripped his chopsticks tightly. “I sleep because I’m tired! Not because I like sleeping.”
After a while, Ning Guiqu heard Lu Yuan’s confident voice again.
“You like cleaning shoes.”
Who the hell likes cleaning shoes? Ning Guiqu raised his head in disbelief, only to be met with Lu Yuan’s eyes full of teasing.
Ning Guiqu’s indignation immediately dissipated, and he grumbled unhappily, “Don’t tease me.”
Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly, and he returned to his initial question. “Then what do you like?”
Ning Guiqu thought for a moment before finally having to admit one thing.
“Playing games.”
Immediately after, Ning Guiqu heard Lu Yuan chuckle softly.
How annoying!
Lu Yuan couldn’t help but tease Ning Guiqu a little more.
After returning to the dorm, Lu Yuan didn’t use the excuse of “sleeping together” to nap with Ning Guiqu. Instead, he went to bed early, leaning against the headboard with earphones on, playing with his phone while hugging a black rabbit plush.
The earless white rabbit plush had been abandoned to the side, but it still wasn’t thrown away. Ning Guiqu fervently hoped that the black rabbit’s ears would remain intact!
As Ning Guiqu was idly thinking about trivial matters, a WeChat message suddenly popped up from a familiar contact.
This familiar person was…
The original owner’s father.
Ning Guiqu: “…….”
It finally happened! The original owner’s family! The novel rarely described the original owner’s parents. It was only mentioned that they visited him in prison at the end, questioning why he’d done such a foolish thing.
The original owner had remained silent for a long time, and then the author shifted the focus to the protagonist gong. So, Ning Guiqu knew nothing about the original owner’s parents.
Ning Guiqu opened the chat window from “Dad”.
[Ningning, do you still have money?]
[A harmonious family brings prosperity.JPG]
Ning Guiqu: “……”
Ning Guiqu strangely discovered that the original owner’s father’s style was somewhat similar to his own father’s.
Ning Guiqu glanced at his Alipay balance and replied cautiously: [I do, but not much]
The original owner’s father’s message came quickly.
[How much?]
Ning Guiqu hissed, the feeling of déjà vu was too strong! Nevertheless, Ning Guiqu gave an imprecise number, reporting 500 yuan less.
The original owner’s father replied instantly: [That’ll do. This month is almost over, and your mom will transfer money to you next month. So, can you lend your old man 500 yuan now?]
Ning Guiqu: ??
It was almost identical.
His own father, due to his excessive love for food, had all his earnings managed by his wife, who gave him a monthly allowance.
But his father would still buy snacks when his wife wasn’t paying attention. Milk tea was a must, and he’d also get some desserts. When he gained weight, he would go to the gym, then eat some barbecue afterward, and ask if Ning Guiqu, who was still studying at home, wanted something to eat. When he ran out of money, he would even extend his greedy claws to Ning Guiqu, who was still in high school then, asking him for pocket money!
That was his greedy, shameless father!
Did the original owner also have such a shameless father?
Following the pattern of his chats with his own father, Ning Guiqu replied: [You’ve run out of pocket money again?]
The original owner’s father quickly responded: [It’s because your mom gives me too little. Just some milk tea and snacks, and I’m out of money]
Ning Guiqu: “……”
Still a glutton!
If he hadn’t transmigrated into this novel, who would have? Even the fathers were cut from the same cloth.
Ning Guiqu didn’t reply.
The original owner’s father urged again: [Ningning, my precious son, help your old man out one more time. If you don’t, your dad will have to eat tree bark! Dad wants to drink milk tea!]
Ning Guiqu felt disgusted. Because the original owner’s father was too similar to his own, Ning Guiqu couldn’t bear it and transferred 500 yuan to him, but still advised: [You shouldn’t eat that junk food anymore, Mom is just looking out for you]
Then—
The original owner’s father didn’t reply to Ning Guiqu.
Ning Guiqu: “…….”
Ning Guiqu scrolled through the chat history between the original owner and his father. This was the first time Ning Guiqu had actively looked through something belonging to the original owner. Almost all the conversations were about the father asking the original owner for money. The amounts weren’t large, one or two hundred yuan, with this time being the most at 500 yuan.
The original owner also sincerely advised his father to eat less junk food, and his father had similarly ignored him.
At this moment, Ning Guiqu could empathize fully with the original owner. Even in university, away from home, he was still being pestered by his father like this.
Suddenly, Ning Guiqu realized something. He actually forgot whether he had ever transferred money to his own father when he was in college.
In fact, Ning Guiqu found that his memories from before he transmigrated into the book were quite blurry. He knew he had been fired by a lecherous boss, but he couldn’t recall the boss’s specific appearance anymore, only a vague image of a middle-aged man with a bulging belly and in a suit.
What was going on??
After a few seconds of panic, Ning Guiqu suddenly understood. It was probably a side effect of transmigrating into the book. No need to make a fuss! After all, he managed to transmigrate, and he hadn’t forgotten a single detail of his memories since arriving here. Besides, he might have transmigrated after dying suddenly from reading novels all night, so every second he was living now was a bonus. So, he should focus on living in the present and stay away from the protagonist gong!
Ning Guiqu looked up and saw Lu Yuan still wearing his earphones and looking at his phone. What was he still watching?
Ning Guiqu couldn’t help but send a message out of curiosity.
After sending it, Ning Guiqu lay down on his bed, afraid that Lu Yuan might look at him.
Soon, Lu Yuan’s reply came.
[Catering to someone’s interests]
???
It was confusing. But given the current situation, Lu Yuan saying this probably meant he was catering to Ning Guiqu’s interests, right?
Knowing that he had told Lu Yuan he liked playing games, and seeing that Lu Yuan seemed to be watching videos, Ning Guiqu deduced that Lu Yuan might be watching game tutorials?
Ning Guiqu’s eyes lit up.
He sent a message to his alt account.
[Is Genius Xiao Qu a genius again? Stay tuned to find out!]
Ning Guiqu excitedly settled down for a nap.
There was a class at 2:30 p.m. At 2:00 p.m., Ning Guiqu yawned and climbed out of bed. Lu Yuan was already sitting below, looking very energetic. When Ning Guiqu threw a glance at Lu Yuan, he softly asked, “Is your leg still hurting?”
Ning Guiqu yawned again and waved his hand, “I got third place in the running competition. How could my leg still be hurting?”
After saying this, Ning Guiqu went to the sink to rinse his mouth.
Lu Yuan said with certainty, “Maybe you injured your leg again after the race.”
Now, not only did Ning Guiqu feel confused, but even Shi Wen found it strange.
“Xiao Lu, you should know that if Xiao Qu says his leg hurts, he’ll just make trouble for you and ask you to carry him on your back.”
Ning Guiqu: “……”
Although he had drunkenly called Shi Wen and Jiang Xu “idiots” and seemed completely inconsiderate in front of Lu Yuan, Ning Guiqu still tried his best to maintain his persona!
Ning Guiqu patted Shi Wen’s shoulder and smiled kindly. “I’m not that kind of person.”
Shi Wen advised earnestly, “But you love to trouble Lu Yuan. You even made him sleep with you again last night. Don’t push it too far this time; you two have just made up.”
Ning Guiqu: “…….”
Trying not to get angry, Ning Guiqu said, “Last night, Lu Yuan came to my bed!”
Shi Wen nodded perfunctorily. “Lu Yuan read a horror story and got scared, so he came to your bed. Xiao Qu, do you believe that?”
Ning Guiqu took a deep breath. He, Genius Xiao Qu, couldn’t be bothered to explain to the idiot Shi Wen!
But while Ning Guiqu was reluctant to explain, Lu Yuan surprisingly explained for him.
Lu Yuan told Shi Wen, “Last night, I was the one who took the initiative to come to Ning Guiqu. I was afraid to sleep alone.”
Ning Guiqu, who was sulkily changing his shoes, shuddered!
Shi Wen didn’t believe it. “You don’t seem like someone who’d be scared by horror stories.”
Lu Yuan said without hesitation, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
The single-celled organism Shi Wen… believed it.
Ning Guiqu… was pleased.
Lu Yuan lowered his gaze to look at the secretly delighted Ning Guiqu and asked softly, “Ning Guiqu, does your leg still hurt?”
Ning Guiqu tied his shoelaces. After thinking for a moment, he decided to give Lu Yuan a chance to carry him on his back. He nodded. “It hurts.”
Lu Yuan smiled.
Ning Guiqu was really too easy to coax. Being this easy to coax, he must be his.
Naturally, Ning Guiqu was unaware of Lu Yuan’s thoughts. He wore a baseball cap and even put on clothes he’d never worn before, sneakily leaning on Lu Yuan’s shoulder.
Lu Yuan didn’t mind. After all, Ning Guiqu wouldn’t behave the whole way.
“Ning Guiqu, want to play games tonight?”
Ning Guiqu raised an eyebrow. Oh! His guess from noon really came true! As expected of Genius Xiao Qu!
Ning Guiqu tried to restrain himself. “Did you study some strategy at noon? Just one afternoon isn’t enough to carry someone, you know!”
Lu Yuan said confidently, “That’s not necessarily true. I’ve played this game before but haven’t played it for a while, and I’m a bit rusty. Ning Guiqu, do you want to play with me? You should let me succeed in catering to your interests at least once, right?”
Ning Guiqu’s face turned red, but relying on the fact that Lu Yuan couldn’t see him, he retorted sarcastically, “Why should I let you succeed?”
Lu Yuan thought for two seconds, then chuckled softly, his voice deep and pleasant, “Maybe… it’s because the lovely Ning Guiqu is very kind-hearted.”
Ning Guiqu couldn’t take it anymore!!
!!!!
Damn it!! Using that irresistibly sweet talk on him again!!
Ning Guiqu dazedly agreed.
After agreeing, Ning Guiqu looked forward to playing games with Lu Yuan that evening. Ever since Shi Wen and Li Mu started playing games together, Ning Guiqu had been secretly playing solo matches, trying to improve his rank to make Shi Wen abandon Li Mu and play with him, the skilled little god.
However, Ning Guiqu’s wins and losses balanced out, and his rank never improved. So Ning Guiqu never had the courage to bring up gaming with Shi Wen.
But a few days ago, the homophobic Shi Wen suddenly stopped duo queuing with Li Mu and even invited Ning Guiqu to play again. But! Ning Guiqu secretly shed tears of disappointment. His rank was now too far below Shi Wen’s rapidly climbing rank to play ranked matches together.
So, Ning Guiqu was secretly trying to rank up again. Still unsuccessful, unable to climb.
“Can you really help me rank up?”
During class, Ning Guiqu once again took advantage of the professor’s passionate lecturing to get close to Lu Yuan, covering his mouth and quietly disturbing Lu Yuan’s concentration.
While listening to the lecture, Lu Yuan whispered, “You’ve asked me no less than five times now. How could you say you don’t like playing games earlier?”
Ning Guiqu blushed and whispered sneakily, “Didn’t I admit later that I do like playing?”
Lu Yuan assured him, “Don’t worry, I can help you rank up.”
Ning Guiqu stealthily moved away from Lu Yuan a bit. The professor didn’t notice their whispering at all!
Even after class, Ning Guiqu excitedly approached Lu Yuan to ask again.
Lu Yuan reached out and ruffled Ning Guiqu’s hair, saying helplessly, “I shouldn’t have told you in advance. How about this: if I can’t help you rank up, you can make any request of me. As long as it’s something I can agree to, I’ll do it.”
Ning Guiqu’s eyes lit up, completely ignoring that his hair was a mess. He probed in a low voice, “I’ll make you live with me as life partners.”
Lu Yuan: “……..”
Lu Yuan’s lips twitched slightly, “But I won’t live with you as life partners. So, we will rank up.”
Ning Guiqu finally stopped asking!
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