My Neighbor Totoro
The driver experienced the shortest yet longest drive in history.
Although it was only a few minutes, he couldn't help but peek at the back seat through the rearview mirror.
He was quite familiar with the destination of this trip, where exhibitions were often held and all kinds of young people dressed in strange styles would go there to play. His children also went there to play today.
So, even chinchillas can be brought along?
You are indeed a young man, you just don’t understand…
The driver had nothing to talk about but his mind was filled with random thoughts.
Hey, that's not right!
Is it actually to protect against him?
Has he become that annoying?
The driver held the steering wheel with his hands, and the expression on his face gradually disappeared.
Ah, I really want to talk and ask something clearly.
Could it be that the young people who had been chatting happily with him before actually don’t want to chat with him anymore?
The driver of Sheniu encountered counterattack for the first time and felt complicated, but the audience was still immersed in the scene of Shushu holding the sign just now.
[Hahahaha, using Totoro to hold up signs instead of communicating, visualizing some cute attributes of the second dimension. ]
[Looks so cute! It turns out that the child has been exercising these days just to go out. No wonder he has to carry a large stack of small cards when he goes out. ]
[Hahahaha, this is a very clever move. If I simply didn't reply, it might be considered impolite, but letting Totoro hold up the sign to reply is like a well-designed plan. It's interesting and not embarrassing.]
[But, won't Mianmian be scared when she goes out? Totoro seems to be quite timid. ]
[It depends on individual personalities. I think Mianmian's reaction is okay. She didn't have any stress reaction when she went out late at night before. She is quite brave.]
[It should be a bit stupid. It didn't react much when it was first sold from the pet store. It was a very stable mentally. 】
whisper?
Mianmian really didn't react much.
Maybe it was well trained in the pet shop. It is not sensitive to changes in the environment and can stay as long as the conditions are suitable.
Of course, this still requires a prerequisite. After the environment changes, you must at least have someone familiar to accompany you.
So although Mianmian looked calm, her body was always tightly pressed against the human's wrist, showing a hint of dependence.
Coincidentally, Gu Chen is the same.
Staying in a small space with a strange driver, even for just a few minutes, made him feel a little uncomfortable, and he could only touch the chinchilla again and again for comfort.
Fortunately, the sign at the beginning worked and the driver did not talk to him, otherwise he might have fainted from nervousness.
Soon, they arrived.
Gu Chen paid the fee quickly and got off the car without any hesitation.
"Hey wait..."
The driver's farewell words were stuck in his throat. He scratched his face in frustration. Just as he was thinking about whether he was really unpopular, he saw a small card left on the back seat.
[Thank you and wish you a happy life.]
At the end, there is a drawing of a big-eared chinchilla bowing, with its clenched little paws seeming a little nervous.
“Wow…”
The driver couldn't help laughing, put away the small card, turned the steering wheel and left.
Just a shy kid.
He was overthinking it.
The exhibition officially starts at nine in the morning.
When Gu Chen arrived, it was just half past seven.
The official invited guests to enter at 8 o'clock. Gu Chen arrived half an hour earlier than this time, hoping not to meet too many people and to stay alone in his seat.
The staff who came to greet us were surprisingly attentive.
When Gu Chen walked to the entrance and silently showed the invitation letter on his mobile phone, before he could hesitate to say anything, a girl who looked very gentle took the initiative to lead him to the backstage.
On the way, she didn't say anything except the necessary instructions and explanations. Her very modest attitude made Gu Chen relax a little.
In fact, after Gu Chen agreed to come, the official gave him today's procedures online.
In fact, it is not very complicated.
He was not a special guest and did not need to go on stage to interact. During the entire exhibition, he basically only needed to sit behind a booth.
Some guests want to have a sense of presence, so they can volunteer to act as NPCs in a certain process of the exhibition, responsible for interacting with the players and then giving out pass certificates.
Of course, Gu Chen didn't want to be the guest.
He just wants to meet his fans today, that's all.
The customer service seemed a little surprised to hear his request, but after a while, they replied that it was no problem and he just needed to take a group photo as a souvenir.
It was precisely because of this relaxed schedule that Gu Chen mustered up the courage to come.
Communicating with fans can get Mianmian’s help.
The group photo will be taken quickly, don't be afraid.
call--
After entering the reception room, the girl who led the way left the program and closed the door and left. Gu Chen was the only one left in the huge room. He finally recovered from his tense state and breathed a sigh of relief.
Guh?
The furry ball poked its head out of his arms.
The generally timid chinchilla is actually better at adapting to unfamiliar environments than its owner.
Gu Chen was still sitting in the chair adjusting his breathing when Mianmian began to run, jump and hop on the table curiously.
"You can't bite anything here. If your teeth itch, you can bite this."
After recovering from the shock, Gu Chen's first reaction was to control the chinchilla. He picked up the chinchilla that was sniffing around and handed it a special small toy for teething.
Mianmian: Hmm?
The fur ball was stunned for a moment, pushed the toy away with his little paws, and moved his nose.
I've been grinding my teeth these past few days.
No need to waste time now!
"Good boy, good boy." Gu Chen relaxed his brows. Worried about Mianmian's condition, he kept stroking the little guy's fur to comfort him. At the same time, he was also comforting himself, "It's going to be okay. Everything will go well today."
whisper.
Mianmian lowered her ears obediently, enjoying the smooth fur of the human. After a while, she climbed up the human's arm and stepped on the boy's shoulder to observe the environment.
Soon, other guests came into the room.
"hello!"
A very beautiful girl with pink hair sat down opposite Gu Chen.
She had on delicate makeup, colored contact lenses, and her clothes were novel and unique, and it was obvious that she had prepared them carefully.
Seeing Gu Chen sitting across from her, she was a little surprised and took the initiative to talk to him: "Are you a cosplayer too? Why haven't I seen you before?"
ah.
People are coming.
Gu Chen's eyes were evasive and his voice was very low: "Hello, I'm the anchor, not the one who says 'knock, knock...'"
After trying for a long time to come up with the word, Gu Chen could only vaguely pass it over and prayed in his heart that the other party didn't notice.
The girl really didn't pay attention, mainly because she was shocked by the first half of the answer.
Varied!
Is there any other beautiful young anchor with such good looks?
Yun Huan was heartbroken.
The first time she saw the child, countless beautiful characters that would suit her immediately emerged in her mind.
Please!
It would be a shame not to cosplay with this face!
Yun Huan, who was a real socialite, immediately planned to develop a friendship with the other party and then recommend him to start a side business. However, before she could say anything, the shy boy suddenly looked up, stared at her seriously, and took the initiative to say: "My Totoro can hold up a sign, do you want to see it?"
Huh?
What sign?
This conversation, which was like "My cat can do backflips", confused Yun Huan. He didn't understand what the other party wanted to do, so he subconsciously replied, "Okay... Shit!"
The shock in the second half of the sentence came from the fact that she saw the young man holding up a white and soft little chinchilla in one hand, and the chinchilla was holding a small piece of paper with "Hello" written on it.
Wow!
It really does!
"So cute, hahaha."
When she realized what was happening, she couldn't help but smile, her eyes sparkling.
Just as he was about to say something else, Yun Huan saw the boy's left hand rummaging in the small box on the table, changing a piece of paper and handing it to Totoro.
The chinchilla took it obediently, and this time it was a sign that said "Thank you for the compliment."
Looking at the boy who had been openly lowering his eyes to avoid eye contact ever since he changed the paper for Totoro, Yun Huan realized something.
Is it because he is not good at socializing and needs pets to help?
Looking at the silly and soft little chinchilla, Yun Huan couldn't help but ask: "What is this chinchilla called?"
The content of the paper changed again: "Mianmian."
"Well, what about Mian Mian's master?"
Yun Huan has completely entered the role and it's as if he is having a conversation with Totoro.
Paper: "Gu Chen."
OK, OK.
Yun Huan could hardly hold back his laughter.
I always thought that this scene would only appear in anime, but I didn't expect to see it in real life.
Was it carefully designed for the exhibition?
It’s really creative.
Since the other party was talking to a pet, Yun Huan naturally gave up the original social topic and replied in a very dramatic way: "Hello Mian Mian, you are so cute, even cuter than my Yezhu!"
Gu Chen:……?
Yeah pig?
Are there still pigs as pets?
Gu Chen paused in confusion while changing the card. After thinking for a long time, he carefully replied with a piece of paper: "Thank you for the compliment."
He tilted his head slightly, carefully checking the expression on the other person's face.
In the past few days, except for the time for live broadcast and sleeping, Gu Chen has been working hard to prepare for today's exhibition exchanges.
These small pieces of paper were carefully cut out by him, and made bit by bit according to his soft claws.
The words above were simple, with basic polite words and some words to the fans, trying to enable him to survive in the venue without speaking.
This sneak peek allowed Gu Chen to see the smile in the eyes of the girl opposite him.
He was a little worried at first, but since the person he met for the first time didn't mind, he should be able to do well, right...?
"Ah! It's almost time to start preparing."
Yun Huan glanced at the time, slightly surprised, turned around and waved to Gu Chen with a smile: "Bye Mian Mian, I have to go to work first."
As an officially invited professional cosplayer, she needed to stand near the central booth for people to take photos with her, so she had to prepare early.
[Bye-Bye! ]
The small card in Totoro's paw was replaced with a cute waving expression.
The boy who had been silently lowering his head to change the cards for Totoro also raised his head and said seriously: "Come on."
“Hahaha yes!”
Yun Huan left happily.
"call--"
When the door of the reception room closed again, Gu Chen breathed a long sigh of relief.
He picked up the chinchilla, shook it with a little excitement, and said in a lively tone: "Mianmian did a great job just now, very good!"
Gu!
The fur ball pushed away the human's hand that was tickling its chin, and opened and closed its two paws, trying its best to hint.
It’s been so long…
What about rewards? What about wages?
"Are you hungry? Eat this first!"
When humans handed it food, Maotuanzi became visibly happy, jumping on the spot and eating quickly with his ears shaking.
Narrator:
"At the beginning of this important trip, the assistant was very reliable."
"The big star was very satisfied with this and cooperated well with the young assistant, and their relationship gradually warmed up."
【Hahahaha, we can actually communicate like this. 】
[You know what, even though I am a social phobic, I still find it very interesting if you chat with me in this way! ]
[So cute, haha. Who can resist a little Totoro that can hold a sign? ]
[I’m just afraid that some passers-by won’t buy it…]
[It's okay. Aren't the kids here to meet their fans? They should be quite friendly.]
Nearing eight o'clock, the staff pushed open the door of the reception room. Gu Chen, holding Mianmian, followed the guidance of the other party to his booth.
In a relatively corner location.
Gu Chen did not have any dissatisfaction, on the contrary, he felt relieved.
Although this seat is remote, he can just see what's going on in the venue. There is even a real-time screen of the stage in the front left. If he just comes to the exhibition to have fun, this is simply the perfect position.
Of course, now is also a good time to slack off.
Gu Chen set up the stand for Mianmian, organized the small cards he had prepared, gently touched the fur ball's head, and was ready for battle.
I sat in my seat quietly for not long before someone came.
"Chenchen!"
A cheerful and lively female voice came from a distance. Gu Chen's heart tightened and he raised his head nervously.
Judging from the face alone, this is a stranger that I have never met before;
But the other person's expression when he looked at him was as natural and friendly as if he had met an old friend.
"Wow, you're really here!" The girl sat down in front of the booth naturally, with her hands on the table, looking at the boy inside with joy, and praised enthusiastically, "Chenchen, you look even better than in the live broadcast room!"
Such a loving look made Gu Chen turn his face away in embarrassment.
"Thanks……"
He couldn't match the person in front of him with the words in the live broadcast room, so he felt a little uncomfortable with the girl's overly enthusiastic words.
"Eh? Sorry, Chenchen, did I scare you?"
"No... not... uh..."
This kind of communication is definitely not acceptable.
Gu Chen took a deep breath, regained his senses, and finally remembered the magic weapon he had prepared earlier.
He picked up the squinting Totoro in the corner, helped it stand upright on the shelf, and then decisively stuffed a small piece of paper into the fur ball - [What is your ID?]
"Why are you in such a corner? There are obviously several people in the center who are not as popular as you..."
Seeing the boy's embarrassment, the girl was planning to talk about something else to ease the atmosphere, but when she turned around, she saw this small piece of paper.
She was surprised at first, then delighted: "Wow! Mianmian is here too, so cute! Was this specially prepared by Chenchen? My ID is 'Did Xiaoxie get rich today?' Does Chenchen recognize me?"
Of course I know him.
As long as you speak in the live broadcast room for two or three days in a row, Gu Chen will remember it.
Connecting the impression of the text in his mind with the vivid real person in front of him, Gu Chen felt a little more at ease, and his words became more fluent and natural: "Yeah, I remember you."
He took out a specially made expression card and replaced the question card.
[Crash~]
The new card shows a little chinchilla wearing a magic hat, with its two front paws spread out, scattering red envelopes, probably symbolizing blessings.
"Ahh, thank you Chenchen!"
The girl was overjoyed and quickly took out her phone to take photos as a souvenir.
Just like in the live broadcast room, Chenchen is very sincere.
Hehe, I was just a little nervous because it was our first meeting, but being a little shy is also very cute!
Since they had agreed that they could communicate through the small pieces of paper, the girl propped up her chin and started talking as if she was chatting with someone:
"Recently, I've been..."
Gu Chen stroked the chinchilla and listened attentively, occasionally putting small tags with suitable text into the chinchilla's hands as feedback.
Although his expression didn't fluctuate much, perhaps because of nervousness, the girl could tell the other person's seriousness from the emotional expressions on the card.
Even after listening to her half-exaggerated complaints to the school counselor, the boy seemed to be unable to find a suitable card. He pursed his lips, wrinkled his nose in a sympathetic way, and said sullenly: "Why is he like this... He is really bad..."
After thinking for a moment, he raised his eyes seriously and took the initiative to speak for the first time: "Do you need my help?"
Woohoo, Thai is so cute!
The mother fan was touched in the heart, and the girl's anger in the memory immediately disappeared, and she smiled and waved her hands: "Hehe, it's okay, it's okay, I just felt a little depressed before and had no place to talk to Chenchen. Now that I can talk to Chenchen, I feel better."
Seeing that Gu Chen seemed a little unconvinced, she rolled her eyes and said shamelessly: "If you are worried, just let me touch Mianmian. This is my lifelong wish!"
Gu Chen pursed his lips and said hesitantly: "I still remember that you said before that touching my head is your lifelong wish..."
What!
I actually remember it!
The girl was shocked and once again determined not to joke in front of Gu Chen. She was not sad about the impending rejection.
hateful!
Both adults want to touch each other...
"Luckily you changed your wish."
As soon as the conversation changed, Gu Chen on the opposite side breathed a sigh of relief, took down the dazed fur ball on the shelf, and took the initiative to hand it over, with a serious expression: "Just touch Mianmian."
——If you touch it, you can’t touch me anymore.
For no reason, many cute pet emoticons flashed through the girl's mind.
So cute!
How do you raise such a natural child?
The girl felt satisfied as she touched the curled-up little chinchilla and felt its softness in her hands.
Well, it's not a bad idea to touch this~
After touching Mianmian and taking a photo with Gu Chen, the girl was satisfied and began to become curious about other exhibition areas.
"Chenchen, I'm leaving first. I'll come see you later!"
"Well, have fun."
Watching the girl walk away, Gu Chen let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair.
Socializing with strangers for such a long time was something he had never dared to imagine before.
However, fans are not pure strangers.
After communicating for a while, Gu Chen was able to connect the person on the Internet with the girl in front of him and could predict the other party's next words. In the later stage, the chat between the two sides became much smoother, and they no longer even needed the assistance of Totoro.
Although I was a little nervous at the beginning, when it came time to say goodbye, just like every time I closed the live broadcast room, I felt a little reluctant to see the number of people online gradually decrease...
Gu Chen blinked, ignoring the hidden sadness in his heart, and touched Mianmian to ease his emotions.
However, in the past few days, there have been a lot of things to do after the live broadcast, so I don’t seem to be lonely.
Mianmian: Jigu?
The fur ball subconsciously stretched out its claws.
Feeding?
Not feeding?
Seeing that the human was just staring blankly, Mianmian jumped out of the human's hand in anger and hid in the corner.
Why are you pretending if you don’t give me anything to eat? Humph!
Soon, as the exhibition officially started, more fans arrived:
"Here I come! Did Chenchen see me in the crowd at first sight?"
"Excuse me, are you the anchor? Ah! I see Mianmian. Good morning, Chenchen."
"I brought some desserts. Has Chenchen had breakfast?"
Not all fans are very enthusiastic, some are as shy as Gu Chen.
Regardless of which one it is, the communication form of holding up signs is well accepted.
After all, Mianmian is also the new favorite in the live broadcast room. Everyone is familiar with the fact that there is a white and clean little chinchilla holding a sign every time they enter the live broadcast room. Now seeing it in real life, it seems even more cute. When chatting, they subconsciously lower their voices for fear of scaring the chinchilla.
Of course, they came mainly for Gu Chen.
Gu Chen met many familiar and unfamiliar people.
The feeling is very subtle.
He obviously didn't know him, but after reporting his ID and having a brief chat, he suddenly felt much more familiar with the person in front of him.
The connection that was originally just floating in the text in the middle of the night and flickered very faintly suddenly became clear and solid at this moment.
So, he obviously has a lot of friends...
Gu Chen blinked, watched another group of fans leave with his little gifts, and couldn't help but smile.
They are not fake people, they are all real.
The discomfort of being in an unfamiliar place gradually dissipated with each meeting, and Gu Chen was even looking forward to the arrival of the next batch of fans.
Guji...
Mianmian slowly moved around the table, seizing the hard-earned free time.
After all, once people arrive, it will open for business...ji?
Being picked up again, Mao Tuanzi sighed imperceptibly and numbly raised a sign - [What is your ID?]
There are definitely more than just fans at the show.
This time, it was a passerby who mistakenly entered Gu Chen's booth.
When he asked for the ID and didn't get a correct response, Gu Chen was stunned, and his heart, which had just relaxed, suddenly tensed up.
A passerby said in a loud voice: "We need to exchange secret codes? Are you also an NPC?"
He flipped through the map in his hand, a little confused, but then his eyes lit up: "It's not on the map, could it be a hidden special booth?"
The booth with the chinchillas is indeed special.
Gu Chen's face turned pale: "That..."
He could still communicate normally with the fan group which was all female, but when facing this tall man with bare arms and tattoos, he suddenly became speechless.
Yes, yes, you can ask Mian Mian for help...
Gu Chen was in a panic and finally found a suitable apology sign. He was about to give it to Mianmian to apologize and explain, but Maotuan threw it down directly.
Is Mianmian afraid too?
That’s right, then let’s hide Mianmian first…
Gu Chen was a little confused.
He wanted to quickly pick up the chinchilla and hide it in the cage under the table, but as soon as he got it onto the table, the fur ball in his hand suddenly broke free from his hands and landed lightly on the table.
The next second, the little guy jumped a few times, but did not hide. Instead, he jumped directly to the highest shelf on the table and shouted fiercely at the loud passerby:
"Gu-gu!"
Chinchillas can really meow. Their normal sounds are like "gugu humming" just like a baby. When they are afraid or alert, their voices will break.
This is the warning call.
Mian Mian: (She is so cowardly but finds that others are even more cowardly) Get out of the way! I’ll do it!
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