Chapter 77: Sleepy, a Timid Cat
"Xi Le! Why don't you get up? You'll be late for class." As Ren Qing knocked on Chang Xi Le's bedside railing, making a crisp sound, Fang Xinai called her to get up while putting on her socks.
"This is strange. Normally, she is the first one to get up early and never stays in bed. But why can't I wake her up recently even if I call her?" Fang Xinai scratched his head and planned to use a more violent way to wake her up.
The next second, Chang Xile's bed curtains were swished open, revealing a hairy head. She was so sleepy she couldn't even open her eyes, and mumbled, "What time is it?"
"It's seven-thirty-five!" Fang Xinai said, "Ren Mei and Gui Si went to buy breakfast first. Hurry up and get up so we can go straight to the classroom."
"What!" Chang Xile woke up instantly. She fumbled under the covers, changed her clothes, and got out of bed. The gust of wind from her clothes had also brought out several yellow talismans on the bed, all of which had runes written on them.
Fang Xinai touched her forehead with some concern and asked, "You don't look very well. Are you not fully recovered yet? How about I ask the teacher for leave for you?"
"No, no, I just didn't get enough sleep." Chang Xile quickly washed up, put on his shoes, picked up his bag, and said to Fang Xinai, "Let's go!"
Elsewhere, Ren Qing and Yang Guisi had already bought breakfast for Fang Xinai and Chang Xile, respectively. Both of them were rather reserved, so for a moment, there was nothing to say. After a moment, Ren Qing said, "Xile seems really tired lately. Is it because of what happened with Chen Moxin?"
"Not really." Yang Guisi shook his head. Lately, Chang Xile had been cramming for exams at the library, occasionally staying up late. Ren Qing had been nervous for a while, figuring there weren't any exams or tests coming up.
But Chang Xile was actually practicing talisman drawing. She wondered if she'd been spurred on by Yang Guisi's intense study of the talisman book. Yang Guisi had once asked her why, and Chang Xile had replied with unusual anxiety, "I'm afraid I won't be able to help at all. Wouldn't that ruin my reputation?"
Yang Guisi shrugged and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'll protect my own brand. You don't have a brand anyway, so you can just smash it."
"Don't just smash it!" Chang Xile inexplicably developed an idol burden. Perhaps the fans' words were too cute, making her unable to help but shoulder the responsibility of not letting them down.
But these things can't be told to Ren Qing, don't scare him. Yang Guisi changed the subject and asked, "You don't look well either, did you sleep well?"
Ren Qing also nodded: "Alas, I've been having nightmares lately and I'm a little afraid to sleep."
She was a light sleeper and had many dreams, something everyone in the dormitory knew. Yang Guisi nodded, and silence fell between them for a moment.
By the time class started, Chang Xile's forehead was about to slam into her book. Ren Qing wanted to wake her up, but Yang Guisi glanced at the classmates around her who were eager to gossip and thought it was better for Chang Xile to be so dazed, so she wouldn't have to deal with others.
But after the teacher's gaze had crossed his path for who knows how many times, Yang Guisi nudged Chang Xile's arm with his elbow and asked softly, "What time did you go to bed last night?"
Chang Xile regained consciousness for a moment, turned to look at Yang Guisi, and said, "I don't remember."
It turns out that she turned off her phone automatically and I don’t even know what time she goes to bed.
Although Yang Guisi thought it was impossible, he still asked, "You've been practicing talismans these days. Are you using a cinnabar brush to draw them?"
Chang Xile nodded.
If it weren't for the class, Yang Guisi would have wanted to give her a smack on the head. She gritted her teeth and whispered, "You're using so much power in one breath, if you're not going to be afraid, who will be?! You're not allowed to practice anymore."
Chang Xile asked, “Does this also have an impact?”
Yang Guisi took a deep breath and patiently explained to her, "Have you seen that game Xiao Ai usually plays? Casting spells consumes mana, but in the real world, when the mana bar is used up, your health bar is burned."
Chang Xile gasped and nodded to show she understood. The little bit of energy she had just regained disappeared again, and her head moved back and forth like a chicken pecking at rice.
When Yang Guisi heard the teacher's cough with a hint of meaning, he reluctantly took off his baseball cap and put it on Chang Xile's head to cover most of her face, allowing her to squint.
During the break, Chang Xile put his head down on the table and began to sleep. In a daze, he heard noise coming from the class.
"It's a kitten!"
"Wow, it's rubbing against my leg."
"So cute, so cute, adorable god."
Yang Guisi saw the girl who was sleeping soundly next to him suddenly sit up, and without even opening her eyes completely, she began to look around and mutter something.
"What? What's wrong, Xile?" Yang Guisi held Chang Xile's shoulders.
Chang Xile felt drowsy as if in a nightmare. She looked at the cat that everyone was talking about that had strayed in. It was a tabby cat. It wandered around among the seats as if it was in an empty space, and finally found an open space to crawl down and rest.
"...It's not him." Chang Xile looked towards the windowsill again. The sun was shining brightly, but the windowsill was empty. Chang Xile blinked with great effort, but finally couldn't hold on any longer and slumped back into his seat as if to release the force.
Yang Guisi looked at the back of her dark head with a helpless expression. Fang Xinai on the other side seemed to be thinking about something. She had also heard what Chang Xile said just now.
The name that Chang Xile kept repeating was "Anping".
Fang Xinai poked Ren Qing and whispered in her ear, "Do you think Xile knows about the painting?"
What about the word "joy" hidden in the painting? Ren Qing shook his head.
Fang Xinai asked, "Do you think she doesn't know?"
Ren Qing said, "I said I don't know." She emphasized the second "I." Then she asked, "Why are you saying this suddenly? Don't you never interfere with the cause and effect of other people's feelings?"
Fang Xinai held up his face and said with some melancholy, "Yes."
But sometimes, perhaps they are already in the secular world and are the cause and effect of each other.
The voices in Fang Xinai's head were a mess. She waved her hands in frustration and said, "Forget it, forget it. Let's talk about it later."
After class, Chang Xile went back to the dormitory and had a deep sleep. When she woke up the next day on the weekend, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon.
She rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking through the curtains. There was no light in the dormitory, and she thought it was still dark. But when she looked at her phone, the time on it made her think she was still asleep.
How can a person sleep for 22 hours? Is this reasonable?
The dormitory group has already piled up a hundred stories high. The last one was posted by Fang Xinai:
[I don't care. If she doesn't wake up after watching this movie, I'm going to go wake her up. If she doesn't wake up, call an ambulance!]
Chang Xile lifted a corner of the bed curtain and saw that her three roommates had gotten out of bed. Yang Guisi was reading, while Fang Xinai and Ren Qing were huddled together at her desk, facing the computer screen.
She weakly raised a hand and said, "I'm awake."
"Oh my god, Xile, you're finally awake! I was so scared I almost called the police!" Fang Xinai couldn't believe it. She pointed at her phone and said, "You've been unconscious for almost a whole day and night."
Chang Xile smiled embarrassedly, but this sleep restored her energy and spirit, and she no longer felt weak as if her body was hollowed out.
Yang Guisi glanced back, then stood up with a bowl in hand and said, "Wash up first, I'll heat up some food for you. Your stomach will be damaged if you don't eat for a day."
Chang Xile had just woken up and was still in a daze. She nodded obediently, then looked at Fang Xinai and asked, "What movie are you watching?"
Fang Xinai put his arm around Ren Qing's shoulders with a wicked smile and said, "It's a horror movie. Let's challenge each other to not scream. Whoever loses buys milk tea."
Ren Qing's face had turned pale, and she was holding back only because of her moral composure to "not wake up Xile." After Fang Xinai finished speaking, Ren Qing pressed the spacebar on her computer and ordered, "Hurry up and finish this! I won't be able to eat dinner if this continues."
Chang Xile lay in bed for a while before she suddenly realized she was going to be broadcasting live that evening. She quickly got out of bed, washed, and cleaned up. By the time she had finished washing her face and left the bathroom, Yang Guisi had returned with the meal.
"Wow, Guisi, you are so nice. I miss you." Chang Xile gave Yang Guisi a hug and went to eat happily with the lunch box.
At around six or early seven o'clock, the two of them packed up and prepared to head to the home of the fan who submitted the post.
Yang Guisi put on masks for himself and Chang Xile. In order to avoid accidents, Chang Xile also brought a bunch of miscellaneous talismans. By the way, he also recalled how to use the soul-catching rope to avoid getting rusty about it after not using it for too long.
In order not to expose the privacy of the two and the contributor, they did not start the broadcast while on the road. The contributor's home is next to a scenic spot in a mountain city. It is a single-family house in the suburbs with its own small garden. There is a mountain next to it. When you open the window of the room, you can see the trees on the mountain.
This house looks quite old and according to the contributor, it was inherited from ancestors.
When the two arrived, it was five minutes before eight o'clock. Yang Guisi contacted the contributor on his mobile phone and told him in advance that the live broadcast would start. Then he turned on his mobile phone and started the live broadcast.
Because of the advance notice and the fact that many people were taking a break from lunch, the livestream room was immediately flooded with viewers who had been waiting. They all greeted Lan Tong and Gui Si, but Yang Gui Si retreated behind the camera to act as photographer and narrator. Chang Xile didn't interact with the comments, but instead adjusted his golden cat mask and knocked on the door of the contributor.
The contributor is a young woman in her twenties named Jiang Yue. She recently graduated from university and currently works as a freelancer. She usually stays at home sketching, rarely going out to socialize, and has a cat for company.
Jiang Yue, wearing a mask, greeted shyly, "Please come in."
Chang Xile also greeted her with a smile: "Hello Yueyue, I am... Lan Tong."
I almost said my real name, what a close call.
Yang Guisi, as always in her direct and straightforward style during live broadcasts, asked, "Where is the study room you mentioned?"
"Oh, it's on the first floor, just go straight along this corridor." Jiang Yue reacted and stretched out her hand to lead the way for them.
The cat she raised, Bubu, was a ragdoll cat. It always stayed by Jiang Yue's feet and moved with her. It didn't even bark when it saw Chang Xile and Yang Guisi, two strangers.
Yang Guisi's camera captured this kitten, which looked cute and well-behaved, with big, bright eyes. The comments immediately became abuzz:
"So cute...so dear."
"Okay Kitty, say goodbye to this auntie and let's go home."
"When will humans be able to break free from this rule of cute creatures!"
But Chang Xile seemed to be lost in thought. She spoke gently but confidently, "It has been living in constant fear. It's so timid that it has lost its temper."
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