CH 2

The atmosphere was both embarrassing and tense. The big brother could only help in easing the atmosphere: "Why don't you... shake hands and make peace?"

The younger brother moved his arm away from Houyu and replied coldly: "I don't want to shake hands with him."

"Then let my two brothers apologize to you."

"No need to apologize." Sui Houyu finally raised his head to look at the big brother, then smiled slyly. "I'm just bored and found them to relieve my boredom."

The smile was just right, and the big brother raised his eyebrows at him.

After Houyu finished speaking, he passed by them as he walked out of the alley.

The night had already fallen; Houyu walked out from the dark alley to the brightly lit road. His body was surrounded by the shop's billboard lights, and the light and shadow on his body were very eye-catching. His fluffy hair, slender figure, and two long legs were particularly astonishing. This figure was amazing enough.

Thinking about that face again, it won’t look hideous when hitting people, but unexpectedly... beautiful.

The big brother watched Hou Yu leave, and when he disappeared in the alley, he looked back to his friend: "Can we stop picking up girls with this awkward method?"

The little brother who would 'save' people was not convinced, and rubbed the painful injuries on his body and said: "We are all brothers here, and there are no girls. Isn't it boring?"

After listening to this, the big brother twitched his lips and laughed: "What's wrong with lots of brothers? It's really not that self-sufficient. The content of future dates is to go with a partner to cut the skin¹, and then go to tie the string together² . How is that romantic and special?"

[1] I wasn't sure what it exactly meant but it apparently means circumcision

[2] Tying the string together here means marriage/engagement, like the red string of fate thing

The little brother rolled his eyes after hearing this: "What happens after cutting the skin? I'm getting goosebumps, why can't I take it back?"

Big Brother pursed his mouth and didn't answer. He suddenly felt that the topic was very weird and disgusting.

Looking at the two friends again, they seemed to be beaten up very badly, but it wasn't too serious. It was obvious that when Houyu started fighting, he had a sense of control and didn't hit too hard. They were simple skin injuries, and there was nothing alarming.

Big Brother took them out of the alley and asked casually: "Have you eaten yet?"

"Nope."

The three of them went to a nearby store together, and the lady boss greeted them warmly: "Oh, Hou Mo! You're here?"

After speaking, she looked at the two behind him and continued: "Xiao³ Deng and Xiao Shen are here, too. Isn't it summer right now? This is the third time⁴?"

[3] Xiao (小) means little and is often used as a term of endearment and/or used with familiar people

[4] I think she's talking about the fights they've had so far this season, not too sure about this one

The three people responded casually. They then saw that the waitress was handing out the menu to someone and that someone was actually Houyu.

Sui Houyu also looked up at them, and then continued to look down at the menu.

The world is really narrow when it comes to Yuanjia⁵.

[5] Yuanjia means a fated fore and is often used in dramas and soap operas when talking about your soulmate

Houyu looked through the menu and ordered a few more dishes.

The lady boss wrote down and asked: "How many people are going to eat here?"

"Myself."

"One person can't eat so much. Our family has plenty of food, and three dishes should be enough."

"It's okay, just get them." After Houyu was done, he returned the menu to the owner and then leaned back on the chair to play with his phone.

Houyu clicked on the WeChat menu and saw that Ran Shu had sent him a voice message. When he clicked on it, he heard a squeaky⁶ voice: "You, you, you really want to move out? Do I need to make arrangements for you? Come on! Really, I can't give you a house right now!"

[6] I'm not sure if it means squeaky here, I might be wrong

Ran Shu was a stutterer. Or at least the most annoying kind of stutter.

If someone is stuttered in the second half, you can guess what he meant by listening to the first part, and there is no need for him to continue talking. Stuttering in the first paragraph really tests people's patience. You have to listen to the long prelude every time.

Houyu: "Can you send me a text next time?"

Ran Shu quickly replied: "You, you, do you fucking dislike me? Typing and typing are hard⁷."

[7] The original text said typing twice

"I have trouble listening to you."

Houyu suddenly received a 57-second long voice message. Seeing the long time frame, he didn't want to listen to it anymore, so he put the phone directly on the table.

Don't look at Hou Mo and his friends right now. Even though they came later, their food came up first, mainly because their dishes were simple.

The owner is an aunt in her fifties. She has a loud voice and enthusiasm. She brought it up and introduced: "I just went to the backyard to pick the vegetables. I have not sprinkled any chemicals. There should be no problem. You can't keep eating like this. Thin and long body... why don't you eat more?"

What they call their third-best dish was noodles in clear soup, steamed buns, and eggs. There is nothing else.

The three of them were eating pitifully. At the same time, they saw Houyu's table kept serving food not far away. He ordered six dishes and three bowls of rice just for himself; he then started eating.

The lady boss was quite busy, but she stopped after a while and stood aside, seeing Houyu eat with interest.

This scene seemed to be like watching an eating broadcast. A person who looks so skinny without a trace of fat can eat so much. No one knows how he does it.

Hou Mo looked at the clear soup and water in front of him, and then at the big fish and meat on the side of Sui Houyu, and suddenly felt a little bit sorrowful.

But this feeling soon disappeared. Mainly because Sui Hou Yu was eating so happily, Hou Mo also felt that he had gotten a kind of spiritual satisfaction, as if he was also full.

This is probably the fun of watching eating broadcasts?

Deng Yiheng, that is, the little brother who saved the girl, couldn't help muttering: "This kid is too capable of pretending. Can he really eat so much?"

Shen Junjing, the rogue brother, replied in a low voice: "This is not something to pretend. If I don't fast, I can eat more than him."

After Hou Yu left, the lady boss also walked over to Hou Mo and sighed: "This little girl is pretty and tall, but she's just too much of a foodie."

All three of them looked at the lady boss with complicated eyes.

Finally, Hou Mo reminded her: "Auntie, that's a boy."

The lady boss was startled, and then asked in amazement: "Do men grow up so handsome nowadays? They are now getting more handsome than you."

Hou Mo did not approve of this sentence, and replied: "Did I bring you just six dishes? Don't you think my face is better than a normal handsome male?"

The lady boss laughed heartily: "Yes, our Hou Mo is the most handsome."

Hou Mo dared to say that. On the one hand, it was because he was stinky and shameless, and on the other, it was because he did look good. Hou Mo didn't have the same skin tone as other children since he was a child.

Here, warm and white skin was common. Hou Mo's skin was a rare cold light white, one degree whiter than ordinary people with fair skin. It seems that he was born with a little melanin, and his hair, eyebrows, and irises are not black, but linen-brown. He had fluffy short flax hair with light-colored eyes, like a cat. When looking at people, his eyes were light and fluttering, as if he doesn't care about anything.

He is always smiling, but there is no smile in his eyes. This is probably due to his naturally smiling eyes.

In addition, he has a sharp-cut face, a high nose bridge, and deep eyes. His face is full of three-dimensionality. He is often asked if he is a minority or mixed race. In fact, he really doesn't have the slightest pedigree in this area. The three generations of his grandparents are all Northeast people.

Hou Mo and the other two walked out of the restaurant and sat at the table near the restaurant, watching the night sky.

The cool breeze at night brings a scent of nature⁸. Living in this paradise-like place was just a little more comfortable at this time.

[8] I'm not sure what's the correct word but it refers to the kind of scent you'd smell in forests or areas with lots of trees

At this moment, Hou Mo received a video call from the coach, breaking the silence.

He took a deep breath and connected the call. He heard the coach yell: "I can see how much you are relaxing! Run at night if you don't want to run during the day! Even during summer vacation, training can't be left off!"

Hou Mo has a good attitude. He is more clever than the "OK" gesture toward the camera: "Alright."

"Don't think of running round and round to fool me. I want to see your different steps change, and run separately. After I get home, I will use the APP and the video will be clear for me to see!"

Hou Mo cleared his throat and replied with a smile: "Okay."

He hung up the video call, and the three people wailed at the same time. The physical education students who took online classes were definitely the most embarrassing existence.

Hou Mo and others walked to the stadium.

This is the biggest sports venue in their neighborhood. The middle field was originally a football field, but it was occupied by square dance teams all year-round.

Although the running track around is a little mottled due to improper care, it is also a good running venue.

When the three of them were warming up, they saw a familiar figure 一 Houyu had just run past them.

The three people looked at each other.

Deng Yiheng couldn’t help asking, "What’s the matter with this stuff? Didn’t he run away right after eating? Aren’t you afraid of a sagging stomach? This is the standard way after eating too much, right?⁹"

[9] It basically means that after eating too much, it is the most normal thing to do afterward

Shen Junjing shook his head and muttered: "I guess it took him 20 minutes to get here. If he is not familiar with the nearby roads, it will take forty minutes to get to here. I guess he has just arrived."

Deng Yiheng nodded: "Yes, he came with his suitcase today. I guess he just arrived here."

Shen Junjing: "He is also an athlete?"

Deng Yiheng remembered how this kid was when he was beating people, and agreed to this speculation: "Maybe he was practicing Sanda¹⁰. I really can see it. He's so skinny so he was able to fight."

[10] Sanda, also called sanshou, is a Chinese kickboxing sport

After Hou Mo finished warming up, he ran towards the track and followed Sui Houyu. The distance between the two wasn't too close. Hou Mo didn't surpass him, and no one stopped. They continued for ten laps together.

When Houyu returned to the guesthouse, he felt bored and uncomfortable. After playing the game for a while, he got bored. He got up and cleaned up the room.

In fact, this type of homestay is expensive, but it has other benefits. Things such as toiletries, toilet paper, etc., are provided by the homeowner. As Houyu had lived with his family for a long time, the homeowner simply sent him a new set.

Utilities and electricity bills are also borne by the homeowner. There is also a cleaning staff coming every day, so he doesn't really need to clean up.

However, he just can’t stay idle.

After he finished packing, Hou Yu pinched his waist and looked at the room, as if there was nothing else to do. He sat down on the sofa, forcibly suppressing his irritability by eating two pieces of gum. He put his hands on his legs, opening and clenching them restlessly.

In the end, he still couldn't hold back. He walked out the door, and started running up and down the stairs.

This unfamiliar environment made him feel uneasy.

Anxiety can aggravate anxiety even more.

He wanted to vent, but he couldn't think of a good way to do so for a while.

The soundproofing here is average, and his running back and forth like this still alarmed the neighbors.

One of the apartments opened the door. The person looked out from the crack in the door and happened to directly face Sui Houyu who was going upstairs.

It was actually Hou Mo.

Hou Mo was also startled when he saw Sui Houyu, then he laughed and asked, "What are you doing?"

"My treadmill will arrive tomorrow." After Houyu said this, he continued running.

Hou Mo leaned out while holding the doorknob, only to catch a glimpse of the AJ sneakers¹¹ already upstairs in the stairwell, so he returned to the door and explained to his mother: "Someone is running."

[11] I assume it's a brand of sneakers

Hou Mo's mother remained gently smiling, saying: "Well, I see. I'm going to rest. You should also go to bed earlier."

Hou Mo helped his mother back to the room before returning to his own room.

He turned on the computer and looked at the computer screen, hesitating for a while before typing a few words in the search box: ADHD.

He has watched Sui Houyu fight and watched him eat, and found that even when Sui Houyu endured it very well, there were always some anxious little movements. Hou Mo couldn't help but feel a little curious.

After comparing for a while, Hou Mo felt that Sui Houyu might not have ADHD.

Then, he saw other keywords in the related entry: mania.

He clicked and looked at it, and then looked at the introduction on Baidu Encyclopedia: Feeling proud about himself, such as feeling that the mind is particularly flexible, or the body is particularly healthy, or particularly energetic; sleepless, and not tired; increased activity, or extreme excitement; recklessness and reckless behavior, or adventurous; obvious hypersexuality.

Hou Mo looked at the page, touched his chin subconsciously, and couldn't help but sigh: "Good physical strength, strong desire... this is a perfect match."

The author has something to say:

The last part is copied from Baidu Baike¹², and Baidu Baike's style is also reflected in the paragraph.

[The age setting in this book is to be able to fall in love.]

[There are indeed Chinese who are born with light-colored hair and light-colored pupils. There are examples in reality, but the ratio is very low, and there is no shortage of nutrition. Don't worry. (The latter is a copy) Chinese people occasionally have red hair, but they are not necessarily "hybrid," because Chinese people have had red hair since ancient times. Liu Tang¹³, the "red-haired ghost" in "Water Margin," got this nickname because of his red hair.]

[12] Baidu Baike is a kind of dictionary, kind of like a Thesaurus

[13] Liu Tang is a fictional character from "Water Margin," one of the four classical novels in ancient Chinese literature