Chapter 25: Who Didn't Get Invited?
"So then Nobita got bullied by Gian again. Crying and stumbling all the way home, he burst through the door. The moment Doraemon heard him, he took one look and thought, My little brother got picked on? What should he do? Forget the steamed buns—he had to save face! With a mighty roar of 'Waaah! Take this—Air Cannon!' Doraemon thrust out his little round hand and pulled another gadget from his pocket. As the saying goes: Brothers fight tigers together; father and son charge into battle side by side!..."
"Why does your Doraemon sound like a traditional Chinese storyteller's performance?"
Lin Yuxi couldn't take it anymore. Massaging her temples, she interrupted Pu Tong before he could continue corrupting the innocent Japanese girl.
"I'm telling a story! A storyteller's tone fits perfectly."
"Exactly! It's so good!"
Yi Zhi Xuenai nodded enthusiastically, looking completely engrossed.
"..."
Lin Yuxi had no desire to argue with those two oddballs.
She glanced at Yu Wanwan beside her, hoping to get the opinion of the only normal person present.
"What do you think of Pu Tong's storytelling?"
"I think it's great."
"..."
Am I seriously the only normal one here?
That would make me the abnormal one!
There was no questioning that Yi Zhi Xuenai was an airhead.
But how had someone as clever and sharp as Yu Wanwan also been led astray?
"I don't know."
Resting her chin on one hand, Yu Wanwan quietly listened to Pu Tong continue his story.
"Aren't you curious?"
"Not at all."
"..."
Why would she be curious?
People always said that when a woman became curious about a man...
...that was the beginning of love.
Yu Wanwan decided that as long as she wasn't curious...
...she would never fall for him.
"So... you're very curious?"
"Of course!"
"No. You can't be curious!"
Yu Wanwan suddenly grabbed Lin Yuxi's hand with surprising force.
"I haven't gotten curious first yet!"
"...?"
What in the world was Wanwan talking about?
Lin Yuxi felt a headache coming on.
She liked to think she understood her best friend better than anyone.
But lately...
Even she couldn't understand what Yu Wanwan was thinking anymore.
Yu Wanwan had always been the type to overthink things.
But in the past, there had at least been some logic behind her thoughts.
Recently, though...
Lin Yuxi found herself completely unable to follow her train of thought.
Something's wrong.
Very wrong.
Sensing Lin Yuxi's increasingly suspicious gaze, Yu Wanwan hurriedly changed the subject.
"The second episode airs tomorrow night. I wonder what'll happen this time..."
"No idea. But after the first episode aired, I gained around a hundred thousand new followers."
Lin Yuxi poked Yi Zhi Xuenai, who was still completely absorbed in Doraemon.
"What about you? How many followers did you gain?"
"Around two hundred thousand."
She shrugged.
"I didn't have many fans to begin with."
"What about you, Wanwan?"
"Over five hundred thousand... but..."
"But what?"
Most of them were fans shipping her with Pu Tong.
That was simply too embarrassing to admit.
"I think..."
"The person who gained the most followers..."
"...was him."
Yi Zhi Xuenai pointed at Pu Tong, who was calmly spinning a pen while working on a problem.
Looking thoroughly speechless.
The guy had gone viral several times.
His follower count had increased by well over a million.
And all three girls had a feeling that once Episode Two aired...
...his popularity would climb even higher.
Saying they weren't jealous would be a lie.
If it were another celebrity, that'd be one thing.
But Pu Tong wasn't even in the entertainment industry.
He was just an ordinary high school student.
It was enough to make anyone green with envy.
It felt as though Pu Tong were some detached sage who cared nothing for fame...
...yet effortlessly obtained everything they had worked so hard to achieve.
"Seriously, Wanwan."
"He's so talented."
"Why don't you ask him to write a song for you?"
"Huh?"
"I've honestly never thought about it."
"I don't want that from him..."
"Then what do you want from him?"
Lin Yuxi and Yi Zhi Xuenai stared at her in disbelief.
So your ambitions run even deeper?
You're trying to get the guy himself?
"I mean... friendship."
Yu Wanwan quickly realized how misleading her words sounded and hurriedly explained.
"I don't want our friendship to be tainted by weird business collaborations."
"And besides..."
"Writing songs probably requires inspiration, doesn't it?"
Pu Tong silently thought to himself...
Actually, I don't.
As a transmigrator, all he had to do was copy and paste.
Not that he was particularly interested in songwriting anyway.
"I see..."
Neither Lin Yuxi nor Yi Zhi Xuenai looked convinced.
Girls were incredibly perceptive.
If they couldn't tell that Yu Wanwan had changed recently...
Then they would be terrible best friends.
Still...
Neither of the people involved seemed anxious about it.
There wasn't much they could do.
Might as well just enjoy shipping the two of them.
"Watching the show alone is boring."
"How about you two come over to my place Saturday night?"
"We'll treat it like a little get-together."
Because of the show's filming arrangements, all of the celebrity students except Yu Wanwan were staying in apartments provided by the production team.
Yu Wanwan was a local, so having everyone over was convenient.
Lin Yuxi and Yi Zhi Xuenai immediately agreed.
Neither of them had any other plans that weekend.
Even though they were celebrities...
They were still teenage girls.
Getting together to hang out was perfectly normal.
"Aren't you going to invite your deskmate too?" Lin Yuxi teased with a grin.
"No."
"We're not close enough."
"He's just... an ordinary classmate."
Every word reached Pu Tong's ears loud and clear.
Even if you invited me, I wouldn't go!
The show aired at eight in the evening.
Was it really appropriate for him to spend the night with three girls?
If someone photographed them...
The next day's headlines would probably read:
'Three Famous Young Actresses Return to Their Apartment Late at Night With a Mystery Man.'
What then?
Explain to the public that they were simply watching a variety show together?
Who would believe that?
Watching at home by himself was much more comfortable.
If you girls want to court disaster, don't drag me into it.
Lin Yuxi obviously understood this.
She was only teasing her friend.
As for what Yu Wanwan truly thought...
Only she herself knew.
Watching TV with beautiful girls...
Didn't really sound all that exciting anyway.
Pu Tong's stubborn resolve lasted...
...until seven o'clock Saturday evening.
Yu Wanwan sent him a selfie.
The three girls were dressed in casual clothes, smiling brightly at the camera.
Pu Tong nearly ground his molars into powder.
A gathering with incredibly fun, beautiful girls...
Guess who wasn't invited?
Me.
Damn it.
Then again...
Compared to studying...
It wasn't really that important, right?
What could possibly compare to studying?
Knowledge was the ultimate meaning of life.
Those beautiful girls were merely fleeting worldly temptations.
Only knowledge was eternal wealth!
Pu Tong silently saved the photo...
...then continued studying.
"Son! Come watch the show!"
Ni Hui pushed open his bedroom door and peeked inside, looking every bit like a mother secretly checking what her child was doing.
"I beg you."
"Just buy your own VIP membership already."
"Saving money wherever possible is a virtue."
If he hadn't known her for his entire life...
He would've genuinely believed his mother was a diligent, frugal housewife.
Aside from being ridiculously beautiful...
She was good at almost nothing.
He honestly couldn't understand what his father had seen in her.
...Oh.
Right.
She was beautiful.
Never mind.
Heh. Men.
Pu Tong couldn't help complaining.
His mother used his streaming membership every day to binge ridiculous romance dramas.
As a result...
The recommendation algorithm kept suggesting them to his account.
"You didn't pull any crazy stunts this week... did you?"
Ni Hui looked at her son with inexplicable confidence.
She had an odd feeling...
Her son had been born specifically to shake up the entertainment industry.
"I don't think so..."
This week there should only be a few scenes of Werewolf...
...and the love-letter incident.
It sounded like a lot, but his total screen time shouldn't exceed five minutes.
During the Werewolf segment...
He mostly appeared as the narrator explaining the game rules off-screen.
It was extremely safe.
Perhaps because Xu Lei had betrayed him so thoroughly during Episode One...
Pu Tong now had a strange sense of reassurance.
No matter how ridiculous things got...
Surely they couldn't be worse than his disastrous debut.
When you've already started in hell, things can't get much worse, can they?
"It's eight o'clock!"
"Hurry!"
"I know you're in a hurry."
"But don't be."
Pu Tong calmly opened When You Are Young Episode Two.
The show immediately began with...
...a three-minute recap of Episode One.
Giving Pu Tong emotional damage all over again.
The innocent boy secretly in love with Yu Wanwan...
...had somehow returned from the dead.
Is Xu Lei seriously not done with this yet?
The director refused to let go of the free publicity.
He had used it in the trailer...
...and now brought it up again at the very beginning of the episode.
"Wow..."
"It's still so touching even the second time."
Munching on a potato chip, Yi Zhi Xuenai sighed emotionally while watching the recap.
"Even though both of you already denied everything..."
Lin Yuxi narrowed her eyes.
"It still doesn't feel fake."
"If you two keep talking nonsense..."
"I'm throwing you both out."
"Haha, okay, okay."
"We'll keep watching."
The two girls laughed shamelessly and turned their attention back to the television.
After the recap ended...
Episode Two officially began beneath the warm afternoon sunlight shining over the school athletic field.
(End of Chapter)
✨ Love this novel?
Visit my Patreon for fast access and advanced chapters! patreon.com/BbingTranslations
Thank you for your support.❤️
Comments
Post a Comment