Chapter 9
Early the next morning, Gu Juncheng got out of bed and reviewed some vocabulary words before making breakfast for Cheng Xuyuan. Though he had an upcoming appointment with the heroine, he didn't neglect any of his routine tasks.
At eight o'clock sharp, Gu Juncheng had already changed into a handsome t-shirt and a pair of fitting jeans. His towering height of 187cm made him look broad-shouldered and slim-waisted. His long, straight legs elicited a sense of envy from Cheng Xuyuan.
"Are you dressing up to meet your beloved girl?" he joked.
"You talk too much," Gu Juncheng retorted, a hint of embarrassment flashing in his eyes. "Just transform back."
Not amused, the Pen God turned back into a pen and was put on the table, musing that he was set for a boring day alone.
But unexpectedly, Gu Juncheng packed him into his bag.
Cheng Xuyuan, confused, asked the system, "Is this kid planning to take me along as the third wheel or to make me envy his popularity with girls?"
After some thought, the system responded seriously, "I believe the latter is more likely."
Feeling insulted yet helpless, Cheng Xuyuan lamented over his fate as an accessory, subject to the protagonist's whims.
Upon arriving at Wanda Cinemas, Gu Juncheng went in alone and used his smartphone to pick up two tickets from the automated ticket machine. After that, he looked around and walked into a stall in the men's restroom.
Once the door was closed, he took the pen from his backpack.
"Pen God, you can transform back now," he said.
Cheng Xuyuan was puzzled, not understanding what his companion planned to do. Was he meant to weather insults in human form?
So, with a shift, the Pen God turned back into a handsome, puffed-up young man, and appeared before Gu Juncheng. The small stall felt increasingly cramped with two tall men inside.
"What are you up to?" Cheng Xuyuan glared at him discontentedly.
Gu Juncheng was perplexed at the Pen God's anger. He looked into his eyes and said, "I brought you here to watch a movie."
Cheng Xuyuan's expression was priceless.
He stared blankly at Gu Juncheng for a while, then asked, "Weren't you supposed to watch it with Tang Xiaorong?"
"Tang Xiaorong?" Gu Juncheng echoed cluelessly. "Who said I was watching a movie with her..."
"What about that time yesterday in the hallway..."
"Oh, you're referring to that incident," Gu Juncheng's lips twitched, "She mentioned wanting to treat me to dinner as a thank you for the manuscript paper I gave her. But I declined."
Cheng Xuyuan looked at him incredulously, "You actually turned her down?"
Gu Juncheng seemed surprised, "We barely know each other. Why would I agree?"
"But she..."
"I've already bought the tickets. You're not going to turn me down now, right?"
Gu Juncheng's attractive eyes fixed on him, hinting at some sort of disappointment – like a big, sulking wolfhound that Cheng Xuyuan found hard to resist.
Then, Cheng Xuyuan asked the system, "So, what should I do in this situation?"
The system took quite some time before answering, ".... Prioritize the male protagonist's needs. As long as the career line doesn't get skewed, we don't need to be too serious about the emotional line."
It took a while for Cheng Xuyuan to understand what the system meant by "not be too serious", and an even longer time to realize that from that moment onwards, the system had planned to play him.
"Fine."
Seeing those eyes transition from disappointment to delight, Cheng Xuyuan thought to himself, this kid is indeed a good actor.
"Well then..." Gu Juncheng lowered his head to look at Cheng Xuyuan's bare feet, "Why not conjure up a pair of shoes first?"
"A pair of shoes?"
"You can't do that, can you?"
"Of course, I can." Cheng Xuyuan glanced at Gu Juncheng's shoes expressionlessly and conjured an identical pair for himself.
At the same time, he mentally said to the system, "Damn, I was just saying that randomly. Luckily, I really can do it; otherwise, it would have been so embarrassing."
The system: "..."
Gu Juncheng's expression was somewhat awkward, "Why did you make a pair of shoes that are just like mine?"
"We're not the same," said the Pen God calmly, "You're size 45, and I'm size 43."
Gu Juncheng: "..."
Upon leaving the restroom, a stunned uncle standing in line outside gawked at the two handsome young men exiting the stall together; his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
Unfazed by the attention, Gu Juncheng and the Pen God walked out of the restroom.
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As they entered the movie theater, the two tall, handsome boys immediately became the focus of everyone's gaze.
Gu Juncheng had a neat short haircut, and his good looks had a hint of aggression about them. His perfect physique made numerous boys and girls turn to look. The Pen God, with his silky black hair and handsome face, became an especially eye-catching sight.
More importantly, the two were wearing identical shoes.
As a result, many people looked at them with subtly suggestive glances. Some boys actually winked at Cheng Xuyuan as they walked past, leaving him to believe they were a bit off their rocker.
Before the start of the movie, Gu Juncheng specifically bought a super-large bucket of popcorn and two cups of cola. He casually handed one cup to the Pen God. The latter took it with satisfaction, gulping down a mouthful. He then reached in front a grabbed a large handful of popcorn directly from the bucket in Gu Juncheng's lap.
Gu Juncheng glanced at him, a flicker of amusement in his eyes, then handed him a movie ticket.
Cheng Xuyuan took the ticket and looked at it, then suddenly widened his eyes: "Why is it a couple's seat?"
"There's a discount for couples' seats," Gu Juncheng looked at him as if he were a fool, "What else were we supposed to buy, father-son seats?"
"Screw you!" Pen God glared at him in annoyance, then reached for another big handful of popcorn.
Suddenly, Gu Juncheng looked at him and asked, "Is it tasty?"
"Delicious…" Cheng Xuyuan's cheeks were stuffed full.
"Which is tastier, the popcorn or the dessert I made?"
Without hesitation, Cheng Xuyuan replied: "Of course, the dessert you made is tastier."
A subtle smile appeared on Gu Juncheng's lips, his eyes filled with unnoticeable indulgence.
As the movie began, Gu Juncheng handed Cheng Xuyuan a pair of 3D glasses and asked him specifically, "Do you know how to use these?"
"…" Cheng Xuyuan snatched the glasses and put them on. "What an underestimation of my abilities."
When the movie started, Cheng Xuyuan suddenly realized he had already seen this film. Feeling particularly vindictive, he revealed a sly smile. Hidden under his sunglasses, his eyes were filled with cunning.
Gu Juncheng was engrossed in the movie when he suddenly felt someone lean in close, causing him to stiffen.
The fresh scent of the youth triggered his senses, causing him to nervously swallow. To his surprise, the youth leaned even closer.
In the darkness, the youth's attractive face approached Gu Juncheng's cheek. His lips parted slightly and the warm breath tickled his earlobe, like countless strands of hair sweeping over his ears and causing a ticklish sensation.
However, after clearly hearing what the youth said, Gu Juncheng lost all semblance of calmness.
"I've seen this one, XXX dies a gruesome death later." Cheng Xuyuan spoiled the movie maliciously.
In that instant, Gu Juncheng wanted to kill him, and the slightest hint of an amorous atmosphere disappeared completely. In anger, he grabbed a handful of popcorn, stuffed it into Cheng Xuyuan's mouth, and commanded in a low voice, "Shut up!"
Cheng Xuyuan, whose scheme succeeded, shook with laughter. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't make a sound in the theater, he would probably break into thunderous laughter.
Gu Juncheng also leaned into Cheng Xuyuan's ear and said with a hint of threat, "If you spoil the plot again, there will be no more cookies for you tonight."
Greed swayed Cheng Xuyuan, and he decided to be a quiet bird.
However, since he had already seen the movie, he felt very bored but couldn't spoil it for the person beside him. So, re-watching it lost its meaning.
Thus, about half an hour into the film, Cheng Xuyuan tilted his head and fell asleep on Gu Juncheng's shoulder.
Taken aback, a faint blush appeared on Gu Juncheng's cheeks in the darkness.
After the movie ended, Gu Juncheng shook him awake: "Wake up, god of sleep."
"I'm not a god of sleep…"
Cheng Xuyuan muttered as he woke up, his fair cheeks full of confusion. He glanced at the screen, and even the post-credits scene had finished. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he asked Gu Juncheng, "So, how was it? Wasn't XXX's death gruesome...?"
Gu Juncheng stuffed popcorn into his mouth, wanting to slap him to death.
He couldn't believe how he had found the sleeping Pen God adorable just a moment ago – he must have been blind.
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After leaving the movie theater, Gu Juncheng took the Pen God to Wanda Plaza and asked him what he wanted for lunch.
"Whatever."
Gu Juncheng thought for a moment and asked, "How about hot pot?"
"Oh no, that's too spicy. I don't want that."
"Then how about barbecue?"
"It's too spicy, I won't eat it."
"How about crab hotpot?"
"It's too much of a hassle to peel, I won't eat it."
Gu Juncheng looked at him helplessly and asked, "What do you want to eat?"
"Whatever."
A vein popped in Gu Juncheng's forehead, but he quickly calmed down. He said to the Pen God, "Wait here for a moment."
Bishen nodded, confusedly watching him enter a snack shop.
In a short while, Gu Juncheng came out holding an ice cream cone and handed it to Bishen.
Cheng Xuyuan took it and saw the words "Whatever Ice Cream" written on it. (Note: 随便 [Suíbiàn] = whatever, do as you wish. It's an actual ice cream brand lol)
"This is the 'Whatever' you asked for; you can only eat this for lunch," Gu Juncheng said expressionlessly.
The Pen God unwrapped the "Whatever" ice cream, took a small bite, and looked at Gu Juncheng with a weak expression. "I was wrong, Brother Cheng. Please take me to eat something delicious; anything will do."
The two of them were engrossed in their conversation, not noticing that not far from them, two girls were whispering to each other. Suddenly, the two girls shyly blushed and walked up to them.
Cheng Xuyuan, while licking his ice cream, asked them out of curiosity, "Can I help you with something?"
Gu Juncheng is often approached when he is out, expecting the girls to ask for his phone number or something similar. However, to his surprise, they directly walked up to the Pen God.
"Um..." One of the short-haired girls asked, her face blushing, "Can I have your WeChat number?"
Only then did Cheng Xuyuan realize that he was being flirted with. His heart felt a moment of glee, but Gu Juncheng spoke before he could, "He doesn’t have WeChat."
Cheng Xuyuan stared at Gu Juncheng in bewilderment.
The other girl, with long hair, quickly chipped in, "We can take your phone number instead!"
With a straight face, Gu Juncheng answered, "He doesn’t have a mobile phone either."
What he was telling was the truth. The Pen God was penniless, and not only did he not have a mobile phone, even his shoes were conjured up on the spot.
But who doesn't have a phone nowadays? The two girls thought Gu Juncheng was lying and looked at Cheng Xuyuan with an aggrieved expression.
Cheng Xuyuan was embarrassed and scratched his head, "He's right. I indeed don't own a phone."
"Okay then..."
The short-haired girl looked disappointed. At this moment, the long-haired girl suddenly asked, "Um... young man, may I ask how old you are?"
Cheng Xuyuan thought for a moment, felt it wouldn't be a good idea to say he was over a hundred years old, so he honestly replied, "I'm 26 years old."
"26 years old?!"
Both girls echoed with astonishment. They couldn't be blamed, though, as the Pen God's appearance made him seem no older than 17.
At this moment, the long-haired girl glanced at Gu Juncheng and asked, "And how old are you, handsome?"
Cheng Xuyuan felt their question was completely out of the blue. Gu Juncheng coldly replied, "I'm 17, a minor. Is there anything else you need? If not, we will be on our way."
Without even giving the two girls a chance to reply, he promptly took Cheng Xuyuan by the arm and led him away.
Just as Cheng Xuyuan was about to ask what that was all about, excited voices from the two girls behind them reached their ears, loud enough for both of them to hear.
"I knew it! I knew they are a couple!"
"What a pity, I really like that handsome young man..."
"Give it up, girl," one sister commented, "Just look at their shoes! And that domineering attitude of the guy!"
"But who would have guessed," the other chimed in, "That they're actually..."
"It's actually this way!"
"So adorable! The standard younger milk dog and older wolf pairing..."
Cheng Xuyuan, a straight man of steel, wore a puzzled expression and asked Gu Juncheng, "What are they talking about?"
Gu Juncheng's originally gloomy face brightened up at this moment. He glanced at the young boy beside him who was obediently licking his ice cream. Suddenly, he wanted to reach out and ruffle the boy's soft, black hair but hesitated and pulled his hand back.
He simply said in a light tone: "They say you're a fool."
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Note: Hi! I've decided to take over this translation after falling in love with the first few chapters. I'll eventually come back to re-translate the first 8 chapters but that might be a while yet. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy reading the next chapter!
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