Chapter 23 Blasphemy
After dinner, Lin Yan didn't take me home directly. Instead, he took me to the arcade on the top floor of the mall. I looked at the colorful claw machines and scoffed, "How childish!" But my body honestly exchanged coins.
Then, the onlookers witnessed an epic "chicken-to-chicken fight"—or no, it was me, the novice, being outmaneuvered by the machine. I played like a tiger, pushing the joystick, smacking the buttons, with all my might, only to be met with limp noodles. Five times in a row, I couldn't even pull up a hair! Zero, five, a disastrous end!
"Fuck! There must be something fishy going on with this machine!" I was so angry that I wanted to kick the machine.
Lin Yan couldn't help laughing and took the remaining coins from me: "Let me try."
He stood still, his gaze calmly scanning the position of the dolls in the machine. His fingers gently moved the joystick, his movements precise and steady. He saw the perfect moment and decisively pressed the button. His claws descended, firmly grasping the neck of a cuddly brown bear, lifting it with ease and letting it tumble smoothly into the exit.
"What the hell?!" I was stunned.
Then, Lin Yan seemed to be on a roll. Observe, aim, paw, and hit! All in one go. In less than ten minutes, my arms were laden with spoils—a bear cub, a rabbit, a baby dinosaur… My bounty was so plentiful, it drew the attention of passersby.
As I walked home, clutching a pile of stuffed toys under the newly lit streetlights, I felt a bit dazed. I looked at Lin Yan, who was strolling leisurely, bags beside me. The streetlight cast a soft shadow on his chiseled face, making him look like a jade Buddha, detached from the mundane world. Then I looked at the pile of childish toys in my arms, and the state of myself, which had been "raised" to the point where I was increasingly straying from the path of a goblin...
I couldn't help but mutter under my breath: "Damn... I'm a goblin that has transformed into a spirit, right? I can actually be with a Jade Buddha like you..." There was a hint of incredible self-mockery in my tone, but also a hint of hidden pride.
Hearing this, Lin Yan paused slightly and turned his head to look at me. His eyes behind the glasses looked particularly deep in the night, with a hint of mischievous smile. He suddenly lowered his head, his warm breath brushing against my sensitive earlobe, and he lowered his voice, saying in a whisper that only the two of us could hear:
"It's more than that."
My ears went numb and my heart skipped a beat. "...Huh? More than what?"
Lin Yan's eyes swept meaningfully over the doll in my arms, and finally fell on me. The corners of his lips curled up in an extremely ambiguous arc, and his voice became lower, with a magnetic temptation:
"You're blasphemous."
“???” My mind was still racing, but my face started to burn. “How…how did I blaspheme?”
Lin Yan chuckled, raised his hand very naturally, and patted the peak of my buttocks neither lightly nor heavily.
The crisp sound was particularly clear in the quiet street.
"Use here." Lin Yan's voice was low and smiling, like the mellowest wine, with blatant hints and teasing.
The string of "reason" in my brain suddenly snapped, and it felt like all the blood rushed to my head. My face and neck instantly turned red, even more vivid than when I had eaten the pickled fish! I almost suffocated the stuffed toy in my arms because of my subconscious strangulation.
"Lin! Yan! You fucking——!!!" A roar of shame and indignation broke the tranquility of the night, and the furious goblin - that is, me - pounced on the person beside me with fangs and claws bared, smiling like a vixen who had successfully stolen something and was now wearing the skin of a saint.
The streetlights stretched our shadows, our chase and play (though I was the one being suppressed), far, far longer, interweaving them and blending into the clamorous yet gentle city night. The god had been dragged into the mundane world by a goblin like me, a trained spirit, and I, in my own unique way, was carving the most vivid and passionate mark on him.
The streetlights stretched our shadows, as we chased and sparred (actually, I had unilaterally attempted a counterattack, but was ruthlessly suppressed), far longer and longer, interweaving and blending into the clamorous yet gentle city night. The god, tugged by the hem of his clothes, stumbled a few steps, grinning like a vixen who had stolen something.
Oddly enough, to outsiders, Lin Yan and I might seem like a match made in heaven—a flammable, explosive Zaun goblin, a gentle, jade-like bodhisattva, a jade bodhisattva. Yet, we've never truly exchanged a single blow. What others might consider an invasion of privacy (like Lin Yan's meticulous "feeding" of me, even controlling how much water I drink) or excessive interference (like his relentless defense against anyone he deems "unfriendly"), to me, with my unsophisticated sense of urgency, seems like a minor nuisance. Someone else is happy to worry, and I'm content to be hands-off. As for Lin Yan, he considers "feeding" me his greatest joy, caring for me with unwavering willingness and genuine delight. One willing to fight, the other willing to suffer. It's probably the legendary match made in heaven—though its form is a bit peculiar, like a bodhisattva taming a goblin, or a goblin successfully corrupting a bodhisattva.
There was an elective class for his major that afternoon, and Lin Yan didn't take it. Before leaving, while trying to push down my perpetually unruly alopecia (unsuccessfully), he gently said to Lao Si, who was about to join the class, "Lao Si, keep an eye on him for me."
The fourth brother patted his chest, his face slavish, "Don't worry, Boss Lin! I'll take care of Brother Rui. I guarantee not a single hair will be touched!" I rolled my eyes inwardly: Tsk, who dares to touch me? Aren't you afraid of being sprayed to death by me?
Lin Yan pushed up his pair of gold-rimmed glasses, his smile still gentle, but his tone was full of unquestionable meaning: "Well, the main thing is not to let blind people get close to him, especially..." He paused meaningfully, and the look he gave me made my scalp tingle. "You know."
The fourth brother shuddered and had an instant PTSD attack. He remembered Zhao Lei's previous experience and the tragic scene of his ex-girlfriend crying at the scene, and nodded hurriedly: "I understand! I understand! Kill all outsiders without mercy! I guarantee that not even a suspicious fly can fly within three meters of Brother Rui!" I feel that he didn't accept the mission of a bodyguard, but was holding a goblin bomb that could explode at any time.
However, after a few classes, Lao Si, who sat next to me, deeply experienced what it meant to be "sick to death without compensation." He felt like an oversized background board, exuding the fragrance of being single and forced to receive high-intensity dog food signals.
The phone vibrated.
I swiped open it and saw a voice message from Lin Yan. I swear I didn't mean to play it aloud, but Lao Si's ears are like radar!
Lin Yan's voice, as gentle as jade and as if carrying the scent of a March spring breeze, broke through the screen: "Ruirui, the experimental data is finished, half an hour faster than expected. What do you want to eat tonight? I'd like to bring you the taro balls from that new place? I heard their signature super thick taro paste is good."
My fingers flew as I typed impatiently, "Whatever. I'm starving."
Lin Yan's reply came almost instantly, another voice message, the voice carrying a subtle smile and indulgence: "'Whatever' won't do. Last time you said 'whatever', but you only took two bites of the mango sago you bought me because you thought the diced mango was too sweet and pushed it to me. Be sweet, be more specific, what toppings would you like?"
I was so annoyed by his nagging that I yelled into the phone: "Then it's taro balls! Add double the taro paste! Less sugar! If you keep nagging, I won't eat it! I'd rather starve to death!" After yelling, I felt the world was at peace.
The fourth kid next to me: "..." He dropped the pen in his hand onto the table with a clatter, staring at me in amazement. His eyes seemed to say, "Brother Rui, do you have some misunderstanding about 'acting like a spoiled child'? This level of rage is comparable to a goblin destroying a house!"
Lin Yan's reply came with a smile, so gentle it could drown you: "Okay, I'll listen to you. Don't be distracted in class, listen carefully." He paused, and the last sentence, a very low voice close to the phone microphone, with a hint of ambiguous hoarseness, clearly penetrated the ears of me and the fourth child, "Be good... I'll feed you well when I go back tonight."
The fourth brother was instantly petrified, his cheeks flushing crimson, the notebook in his hands nearly shattered. He was a straight man, but it felt like his auditory system was being assaulted by tons of indescribable magical force! Such lewd words! Absolutely lewd words! Boss Lin, you're such a master at playing both gentle and charming in public, yet full of lewd talk behind people's backs! Is this still the same high-class, high-ranking Master Lin?!
This wasn't the end of it. During the break, I yawned and scrolled through my phone when Lin Yan's message came back, threatening to rip me apart: "Did Lao Si carry out his mission seriously? Did anyone try to harass you?"
I rolled my eyes and snapped a picture of Old Four, who was still daydreaming and questioning his life. In the picture, Old Four sat upright, his face full of resentment, as if he was standing guard to block the whole world. I sent the message: "Here, your golden bodyguard, doing his job conscientiously. There's not a blade of grass growing within a three-meter radius. Not even a female mosquito can fly in."
Lin Yan replied with a gentle and harmless smile emoji: "Very good. As a reward, he won't have to bring you lunch next time."
The fourth brother glanced at his phone screen and nearly burst into tears: "..." Thank you, Boss Lin! This is a blessing for you, do you want it? Even though it's a bit tiring to bring food to Brother Rui, at least I get the errand fee. Can I refuse this reward?!
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