My Neighbor Totoro

[Chenchen has been live streaming less frequently recently, does he have a new love?]

Seeing this comment, Gu Chen, who was drinking milk, paused, lowered his eyes guiltily, and answered vaguely: "Well... because sometimes I have things to do during the day, I feel sleepy at this time, so I didn't live broadcast that day."

In just a few days, his life changed completely.

Friends, this existence that sounds a little strange actually appears in his life.

The first time a friend came to visit, the first time to play a game offline, the first time to join a group...

Many things seemed to have fast-forwarded, pulling him out of his previously closed world.

But Gu Chen still needs time to adapt and adjust.

So for now, he can only accept visits from friends, and for the time being, he still refuses their invitations to go out.

"Mianmian can't go out."

He refused on this ground.

Previously, the ice-breaking sessions between him and his two new friends were all conducted through interactions between pets. Naturally, if he wanted to enter a new stage, he also needed the efforts of the pets.

The two new friends were very positive and said that they could go to a pet-friendly shop... However, Ren You seemed to be a little overwhelmed with pets recently and couldn't make time for it, so he had to put the plan on hold for the time being.

So Gu Chen did a live broadcast after a long absence.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, let's continue playing games."

The young man smiled slightly. Perhaps because he had been with Yun Huan for a long time recently, he had learned some witty online terms: "Today's fan benefits are on a first-come, first-served basis. No one will be allowed after the deadline."

He took out a small sign and handed it to the Totoro who was half-closed his eyes.

whisper?

Mianmian very skillfully dropped the original sign in her hand, picked up the new sign, and obediently acted as the assistant.

After the game started, Gu Chen did not see the discussion floating on the barrage:

[I feel like Chenchen has become a little more lively.]

[This is a good thing! I finally have the temperament that I should have at my age!]

[It’s only been a few days… I’m a little worried. Chenchen is so innocent, he won’t be deceived, right?]

[Don't worry, I guessed who Chenchen's latest friend is. I think they met at the previous Galaxy Exhibition. Both of them are very nice people.]

[Hmm? Listen, who is that?]

"Okay, it's over."

Gu Chen put down the mouse, stretched, took a piece of mouse food and fed it to Mianmian, looked at the barrage, patiently answered some questions about the game, didn't see anything special, and prepared to end today's live broadcast.

"Good night everyone, go to bed early."

After saying that, Gu Chen closed the live broadcast room and planned to wash up and rest.

It's almost dawn now.

I don’t know if it’s because he can’t adjust his sleep schedule or something, but after lying in bed for more than an hour, Gu Chen still can’t sleep.

While tossing and turning in bed, wondering whether to wake up Mianmian to play together, Gu Chen suddenly heard a faint sound.

It was like a door opened.

Gu Chen opened his eyes directly with some vigilance.

Without turning on the light, he got out of bed barefoot, walked close to the bedroom door, carefully opened it a crack, and looked out.

The young man changing his shoes under the warm orange light at the door was none other than Gu Xu.

It's my brother...

Gu Chen breathed a sigh of relief and remembered something.

Previously, Gu Xu had actually informed him that he would be back soon, but he did not say the specific day. The dates he reported the first two times were also inaccurate, so Gu Chen put the fact that he was coming back behind him.

I didn't expect to come back in the early morning.

Hmm...

Originally, he wanted to go out and say hello directly, but when he thought of something, Gu Chen hesitated again. When Gu Xu turned his gaze to him, he silently shrank back to avoid being discovered.

Whenever Gu Xu called me these days, he sounded a little tired, which was very worrying.

Although he had just unilaterally reconciled with his brother, seeing this situation, Gu Chen still endured his inner awkwardness and comforted him seriously.

Unfortunately, the results were minimal.

Even if Gu Xu sounded smiling when the call ended, he would become listless during the next call.

Maybe his comfort is not enough and he needs a gift.

Thinking of the fact that Gu Xu had accidentally mentioned that he liked Ren You, Gu Chen specially asked Ren You to leave some autographs when he came to visit him, and placed them all in Gu Xu's private study, intending to give his brother a surprise all at once.

So now——

Gu Chen followed Gu Xu quietly, wanting to witness the moment when his brother was happy when he saw the gift.

At this moment, Gu Xu was not in a very good mood.

After finishing work, rushing back home and reuniting with your brother should be a very good thing, especially when their relationship is beginning to break the ice.

But when Gu Xu came back, he saw some new traces in the house.

The extra slippers I took out specially, the tea cups on the cabinet, the extra pillows on the sofa...

All these indicate that there are new regular visitors in this house, who have left their own traces and habits here.

However, his arrangements have not yet reached this stage.

Gu Xu walked towards the study with a frown.

In his estimation, his brother's psychological problems were not yet to the point where he could accept strangers invading his life, so he had no similar plans for the time being.

But the changes here now show that my brother’s current interpersonal development is beyond his control.

It would be fine if it was an ordinary person, but what if it was someone with ulterior motives?

This suspicion reached its peak when I saw the large number of signatures in the study.

——Ren You.

Gu Xu flipped through the cards on the table, took a deep breath, walked into the courtyard and made a phone call.

Huh?

Why is this reaction? Are you unhappy?

The little tail that had been following the young man followed him in confusion.

Then, he heard a few sentences that contained too much information:

"Have you been to Chenchen's house often recently?"

“I don’t have such plans at the moment.”

"What do you want to do? Don't try to trick him."

Several meters away, in an empty courtyard, Gu Chen actually didn't hear Gu Xu's words clearly at first, nor did he know who his brother was talking to.

Until he clearly heard the name "Ren You" from Gu Xu's mouth.

Combined with the previous words, Gu Chen was completely confused.

What does this mean…?

Are the friends he makes related to his brother?

With his head buzzing, Gu Chen subconsciously took a few steps back and returned to his bedroom in a restless state of mind.

He left without seeing Gu Xu's gradually calming reaction, and naturally couldn't hear Ren You's strenuous explanation in the receiver.

"What a purpose, big boss! I totally treat Chenchen as my younger brother!"

"When we first connected, I just wanted him to join my group. You know, it's pure heroes appreciating heroes!"

"Now I just remain true to my original intention and have accepted a sworn brother."

Click.

Gu Chen gently closed the bedroom door, leaned against the door panel and slid down a little bit, staring at the dark room in a daze.

So, the changes and progress he thought he had made were actually just the result of Gu Xu's careful creation?

What about friends? What about life that is gradually becoming normal during this period?

Is it fake too?

Such speculation was too terrifying, and Gu Chen felt that he could not sleep.

He recalled the moments they had spent together during this time, trying to gain some confidence and support, but he couldn't help but wonder if these feelings were fake from the beginning.

Indeed, everything went too smoothly.

If you think about it carefully, he is no match for the two new friends, and he is not likable at all. He simply does not have the charm to make them come to play often.

So, it must have been arranged by my brother, right?

The courage I had just gained was completely unable to resist the fear that had returned to my heart. The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became, and the more sad I became...

The boy sat quietly against the door in his pajamas all night.

Gu Chen, who was immersed in his own world, didn't know that the fur ball in the chinchilla cabinet had woken up at some point. It was scratching the glass door with its two paws and looking at him with its head tilted in confusion.

Jigu~?

What's wrong?

“Knock, knock.”

Gu Xu knocked on the door and asked, "Are you awake?"

He originally planned to wait for his brother to wake up, then pretend that he had just returned and prepare a surprise for him in the study.

But by the evening, there was still no movement in Gu Chen's bedroom, so he couldn't help but knock on the door.

I thought Gu Chen had slept in, but a few seconds after I knocked on the door, I heard a young man's answer from inside:

"woke up."

The sound was so close that it seemed to be right behind the door, but it sounded strangely muffled.

Gu Xu was a little worried: "Get up and eat, Auntie has prepared it."

The room was quiet for a moment.

"I'll eat later."

After a long while, Gu Chen replied slowly, in a very calm tone: "I'm not hungry now. There is food in the room. You can eat first."

Gu Xu: ...

Now that things have come to this, he can't force his brother.

But before leaving, he felt a sense of disharmony for no reason.

Clearly during yesterday's phone call, Chenchen still called him brother, but now it seems that he has returned to his previous cold attitude.

...Are you still not used to seeing him back?

Feeling a little uneasy but without any definite evidence, Gu Xu could only ask, "Call me if you need anything," and then went to the restaurant alone to eat.

He almost lost his appetite and was thinking about whether he should go and watch the replay of his brother's live broadcast.

Gu Chen actually had no intention of moving.

He had been sitting behind the door for almost a day. His limbs were cold and his head was aching slightly. He would definitely be questioned if he went out like this.

But he didn't want to tell what he heard yesterday, so he could only hide in the room and not go out.

He thought he might sit like this for a long time, but suddenly he heard a "bang".

His dry eyes rolled as he looked in the direction of the sound and saw a ball of white fur with its entire body pressed against the glass door of the Totoro cabinet.

oh.

Mianmian is still here.

Gu Chen's slow brain reacted slowly and he slowly supported himself on the floor to stand up. All the bones in his body seemed to make crackling sounds and were extremely stiff.

At least feed Mianmian.

This is Gu Chen’s only thought at the moment.

"Coo-coo!"

Slowly approaching the cabinet, he heard the little guy's slightly anxious cry and saw the fur ball constantly banging against the door.

"Don't worry, I'll let you out."

Gu Chen whispered soothingly and reached out to open the glass door.

clatter!

Da da!

The little guy immediately jumped down from the highest shelf, jumped up one step at a time, and soon jumped to the ground. He circled around the boy's feet. His attitude was much more earnest than before. I wonder if he was extremely hungry.

Gu Chen walked to the table, took down the chinchilla food with great effort, put a handful on the table, then bent down, picked up the little chinchilla that was running around at his feet on the ground, and put it on the table.

"I won't feed you this time, eat it yourself." The boy's voice gradually became lower, "I feel dizzy... I need to take a nap first."

whisper?

Seeing the table full of rat food, Mianmian subconsciously jumped a few steps closer, picked up a grain of rat food and took a few bites.

The single-lined little animals are easily distracted by food, even if eating is not their original intention.

"call--"

After seeing the chinchilla eating, Gu Chen finally felt relieved. He leaned back and let himself fall on the bed. Then he stared blankly at the ceiling, his consciousness gradually becoming blurred.

For some reason, perhaps because he had not been able to vent his worries for the whole night, when he was about to fall into a coma, he uncontrollably compared the chinchilla he had just come into contact with the friend who had been bothering him for nearly a day.

Come to think of it, if those friends were arranged by my brother, then they are actually the same as Mianmian...

It's a simple logic. If he can't provide food, even Mianmian will abandon him, right?

But this is also normal.

Because feelings themselves are very precious and rare things.

Just like Mianmian wouldn't get close to him without food, those friends might not approach him without his brother's arrangement...

"Coo, coo, coo!"

As his consciousness gradually faded and he closed his eyes, Gu Chen suddenly felt something cool on his face.

There were also some itchy hairs, the touch of which was all too familiar to him.

Is it Mianmian?

He ate so fast that he obviously poured out a lot.

Struggling to open his eyes, Gu Chen looked at Mianmian in an unclear state. He first saw the food crumbs near Maotuan's mouth, and then his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a pile of rat food on the table that looked as if it had not been touched at all.

...Huh?

strangeness.

The drowsy brain was unable to process this information for the time being. After reading this, Gu Chen just felt confused. He still couldn't resist the gravity that swallowed his consciousness like a black hole, and his eyes went dark.

In the silent room, the only active thing was the Totoro.

"Coo-coo!"

"whisper!"

"Uh-huh?"

Mianmian jumped around the boy's head, cooing non-stop, and from time to time stretched out her paws to scratch the boy's face, then retracted her paws and waved them away because of the burns from the temperature.

The whole chinchilla was so panicked that it didn't know what to do.

What's going on!

How come it’s cooked?

The temperature reaches 28 degrees, which will make chinchillas feel uncomfortable, but Mianmian dares to touch the forehead at 39 degrees. It really makes me cry ()

The estimate failed... Yesterday there was one chapter left, which was the chapter for the sixth day. Today there is only three chapters left, so there is still one chapter to be completed tomorrow qwq

There will definitely be another crisis as the finale approaches...