This dog walk made Zhuchuan very depressed.

Because from beginning to end, the little girl who was walking the dog beside him was very silent, a change from her usual chatterbox self. He, who was known for his mature and steady style, seemed to be the one who talked the most...

It wasn't that he had a lot of things to report to her, but it was just that the atmosphere would be awkward if the two of them didn't talk. And the way she walked beside him with an absent-minded look on her face was also a bit annoying.

Feeling upset for no reason.

That's strange.

Does it matter who Mr. L is?

For the past three years, they had only chatted on QQ, mostly bragging and gossiping, and had barely spoken a word about poetry or life ideals... Now he was standing in front of her in person, and for various reasons the two of them were forced to become ten thousand times closer than their previous "online friend relationship", but she suddenly wanted to emphasize to him the importance of "Mr. L"'s existence?

What matters must be sorted out one by one?

Why?

WHY?

——She clearly has a more complete and real "Mr. L".

Zhao Chuan frowned, and suddenly remembered what the fan who left a message on his Weibo said that day. She said that because of the deep affection over time, she would look into the eyes of the person she likes and talk to him; that's why she couldn't help but chat with him about gossip; that's why she would blush...

What kind of state is that?

As Zhuo Chuan thought about it, she unconsciously lowered her head to glance at the people around her - at this moment, she was holding Er Gouzi, standing by the football field, watching seven or eight high school students playing football in the field. When the wind blew, she raised her hand to tuck the loose hair behind her ears... Her whole body was so gentle that she seemed to be crushed into the silver frost of the moonlight.

“…”

...What is it like when you like someone without knowing it?

The man fell into a brief silence. At this moment, as if she felt his gaze, she retracted her wandering gaze and looked at him curiously.

The man frowned and twisted his head: "It's not like that anyway."

First Li: “?”

The man walked away, took two popsicles from the refrigerator of a nearby stall, and came back. The one he handed to Chu Li was still a strawberry flavored cone... Chu Li thought to herself, why would I eat ice cream in such a windy November? But she still took it, tore open the package, took a bite, and said casually, "Vanilla flavor is still better."

"……………………" Zhu Chuan was standing beside her, quietly holding a popsicle in his mouth. Upon hearing this, his expression suddenly changed. "Are you looking for trouble?"

"What's wrong?"

"Didn't you eat the strawberry flavored one cleanly last time? You didn't seem to be picky at all. I let you pick the most expensive one in the entire freezer, but why did you have to go after the cheap one?"

"..." Chu Li lowered her head to look at the ice cream in her hand, then looked up at Zhu Chuan. She felt something was wrong, but she still looked confused and had no idea what was wrong. "What did you say?"

"From what you said, your Mr. L is just an online friend, right? Have you met him? How many times have you called him? How many times have you arranged for him to write a manuscript?" The man took out the popsicle in his mouth, bent down and stuffed it into the mouth of the big Alaskan dog beside him. "You said yourself that he was just a person who imitated Zhu Chuan in writing, and now Zhu Chuan himself is standing in front of you - we meet every day; we don't even need to call each other; we eat at the same table; we walk the dog on the same road; you knock on my door every day to ask me if the manuscript has been submitted or how much of the manuscript has been written; the entire editorial department gave way to you because you held my resources in your hands... What's the result? You have a real-life version of Zhu Chuan in front of you, and you are not satisfied. You are still thinking about that copycat!"

“…”

"You're really disappointed that I'm not Mr. L, right? I know you're really disappointed, it's written on your face - otherwise what's the point of not talking to me all night?"

“…”

The little princess went crazy, on this harmonious moonlit night, on the side of the road——

Next to him was an Alaskan dog that couldn't stop chewing a popsicle with its paws.

Next to Alaska stood a little girl who was half a head shorter than him, holding a strawberry cone in her hand...

This situation is very dramatic.

So on the street, people who were playing football stopped playing; children who were playing hopscotch stopped jumping; grandpas and grandmas who were taking a walk also looked over...

Chu Li looked down at the ice cream in her hand in bewilderment: God, weren't they talking about ice cream? She just said she preferred vanilla flavor, why did this bomb explode right there?

Before she could figure out what was going on, her ice cream was snatched away.

According to idol dramas, the angry male protagonist should throw the ice cream to the ground at this time, and then the camera should zoom in to give a close-up shot of the ice cream falling to the ground to show that "there is abuse here";

However, the reality is that before Chu Li could finish her sentence "Don't throw it away, the strawberry flavor is good, and there's nothing wrong with the live-action version of Chu Chuan", she stared at the man with wide eyes and gloated as he ate her ice cream cone in two or three bites...

Gave it to me.

Chu Li was stunned.

Chu Li: "...That's my ice cream."

"I paid for it," the man threw the last little point of the wrapping paper into the trash can, "I won't give it to ungrateful people."

Chu Li reminded quietly: "I've already taken a bite."

Zhuchuan: “…”

Chu Li: "………………Forget it, I have a physical checkup every year and I am pretty clean, no disease."

The man glanced at her without making any comment. He just wiped his mouth, snatched the leash from her hand, and dragged the big dog away by force. Chu Li didn't react for a moment and watched him walk a few steps away. Then, as if she suddenly woke up, she hurriedly followed him...

The man led the dog to the outside of the street and put her on the inside of the street without making a sound. He kept saying, "Why are you following me? Go to QQ and find Mr. L. Ask him to buy you a suite on QQ Space and you can sleep there tonight!"

Chu Li: "..."

Chu Li reached out to take the leash from the man's hand——

The man dodged and slapped her hand away: "Why, this is a real dog, how can it be compared to the penguin in QQ Pets!"

"...Teacher, I'm just curious about Mr. L. If you are right, then yes. If you are not right, then forget it. Can you stop being so sensitive and jealous of a friend I've never even met?"

"I'm jealous!" The man raised his voice and snorted loudly, "I'm jealous?!"

"…That's not what I meant. Anyway, it's just - hey."

"Why are you sighing? I am the one who wants to sigh. Where did I find such an ungrateful person like you? You can't tell good from bad. You eat what's in the pot but you still have to think about what's in the bowl."

"I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong!"

"It's useless even if you're wrong. What's your fault? You should apologize first anyway. Who are you trying to please? Just think about that knockoff version of Joo-Chuan. It's so boring for me to be a living person who can only buy you strawberry ice cream. Even now! At this moment! I can't even use an angry expression when talking to you!"

“…”

The two walked further and further away, the moonlight poured down, stretching their shadows very long——

The play ends as the actors fade away, and the ice cream vendor continues to sell his ice cream;

The young boys who were playing football restarted the game;

The hopscotch kid spread his legs;

Seeing the lively grandfather supporting the grandmother, he smiled and shook his head: "Young couples nowadays quarrel over eating ice cream. They just love to make trouble."

The eldest mother kicked her legs and rubbed her arms: "It was the same when we were young. We loved each other for a year, and quarreled for another year. It went on like this year after year. Isn't it a lifetime?"

The master thought about it, nodded and said seriously: "That seems to be true."

The wind blows, the night is dark, and the moonlight is just right.

…

This evening.

After Chu Li and Zhu Chuan returned home, they went back to their own rooms as if they had said too much... It was exactly 9:30, and Zhu Chuan posted a Weibo post today: [What is it like to fall in love online? ]

A bunch of people responded below, "Products from elementary school," "My first crush was called Crystal Prince," "QQ back then was called OICQ," "When looking for new friends, I would choose the one with a handsome avatar, and I stubbornly believed that the guy with a handsome avatar must also be a handsome "doge"..."

Of course, there are also class representatives who do their homework seriously——

[I can’t touch him, I don’t know who I gave my heart to, what’s his name, how old he is, what his life path is like, what he’s doing at this moment - no one gives me a hug when I’m cold, I can’t fall asleep listening to his breathing, no matter how many sweet words I say, after turning off the computer, all that’s left is emptiness... Online dating is really stupid, it’s hard to imagine that people were so obsessed with this a dozen years ago. ]

Zhuchuan looked at his phone and clicked "like" on the reply. He thought it was not enough, so he replied directly, which was unusual: [Well said! ]

Not long after he posted the comment, he heard a "bang bang" sound coming from outside. It was probably someone opening his door and rushing downstairs. He stood on the attic stairs and roared at the people below: "Teacher, who are you mocking?!"

Zhuo Chuan put down his phone and said, "I just sent you a dream catcher decoration on Q-zone. Take it out and put it on the bedside. Have a good dream!"

After a moment of dead silence outside the house, there was a series of clattering footsteps, and then there was a loud bang of a door closing. It was probably the door that had just been closed was closed again.

Zhuo Chuan picked up his phone and continued to read the comments on Weibo where people from all walks of life were commenting on online dating.

I was so happy to see it that I opened my mouth...

Then I suddenly realized that the Mr. L who was itching just a second ago seemed to be myself. How could such an unbelievable thing happen that I tried so hard to step on myself?

The smile on the man's lips disappeared, his hands trembled, and he deleted the topic interaction he had posted tonight.

Feeling depressed, I was about to put away my phone and go to bed early, but at this moment, I received a message from Yu Yao on my phone QQ:

【Yu Yao: The club gave out two movie tickets.】

【Zhuchuan:? 】

[Yu Yao: There’s a movie about editors and authors that was recently released. The company gave out movie ticket vouchers, saying that it’s to help editors build closer relationships with authors… Chu Li is a new girl, and she doesn’t know many authors—I heard that Gui Wa is not from G City. There’s also a guy named L. When we suggested that she could invite him, for some reason she looked at us with a ridiculous expression, and instead, it was your name, teacher, that came out of her mouth.

After thinking about it, I think the only one Chu Li wants to invite is you, teacher. If the little girl invites you, I hope you will give me some face.

How embarrassing it would be to be rejected. 】

【Tsukawa: …】

——When we suggested that we invite someone named L, she looked ridiculous and blurted out your name, teacher...

Zhuchuan put down his phone.

Zhuochuan picked up the phone again.

Zhu Chuan stared at a line of text in the message sent by Yu Yao on his mobile phone. He pulled the screen away and looked at it again. He pulled the screen closer and looked at it again.

——What came out of my mouth was, "Teacher, your name."

...Ah, no wonder.

No wonder he kept asking me about Mr. L today. It turns out he was laying the groundwork for this matter?

Um, invite me to a movie?

Really, it’s no big deal for young girls nowadays to go through so much trouble... As if it’s such a big deal. Are they afraid of being rejected by me and losing face?

When she mentioned her boyfriend, she blurted out my name - hahahaha, really, could it be that the moment she got the movie tickets, the only thing on her mind was inviting me, and she didn't listen to what others said?

"Really? I can't stand these little girls nowadays."

While talking to himself like a psychopath, grabbing his phone and falling back into the soft bed, the man unconsciously raised the corners of his lips and typed out words in a serious tone -

【Zhuchuan: What movie? She didn’t tell me.】

【Zhuchuan: I personally don’t really like watching movies, especially art films.】

【Zhuchuan: Why don’t you try to convince her to invite someone else? 】

I was just about to type "Jiang Yucheng" and he was also in G city recently. However, halfway through typing, the man hesitated and deleted it for some unknown reason. He added another sentence as if to cover up his mistake -

【Zhuchuan: I really don’t like watching movies. 】

[Yu Yao: Just as a senior, you accompany the younger generation to cultivate their sentiments? ]

【Zhuchuan: ...You said so.】

【Zhu Chuan: I really can’t refuse. 】

[Zhu Chuan: After all, every author shoulders the responsibility of thinking about the future of the literary world, and editors are the cornerstone - when you say this, it's as if I don't accompany her to see a movie, I will let down the future of the literary world. ]

[Zhuchuan: Okay, okay, if she invites me. ]

After sending out a string of “reluctant” replies, Zhuo Chuan threw away his phone and spread out his arms on the soft bed.

After thinking about it, I picked up my phone and started searching for the latest movies that were about editors and authors. I wanted to know the plot in advance so that I could make a profound and educational speech when the plot was just right...

After all, educating new editors, the future cornerstone of the literary world, is a heavy burden on our shoulders.

…

At the same time, Chu Li, who had no idea what happened downstairs and had no idea that she had been betrayed by her boss, sat on the roof of the attic with her face in her hands, thinking for a long time. She was wondering why she suddenly cared about Mr. L's affairs. It was obviously just a sentence "it's all based on my own belief" said by an unfamiliar netizen... She hurried to verify it.

I don't know what it is to prove.

Or maybe it was just because this matter was related to Hikawa that she had the urge to get to the bottom of it?

With a sigh, it was almost eleven o'clock in the evening... Chu Li climbed back to the attic from the roof with a panting sound. When she jumped back to the attic floor, she accidentally kicked her bag and her wallet fell out. When Chu Li picked it up, she accidentally caught a glimpse of two movie ticket coupons that fell out of her wallet.

When Yu Yao took this thing out, it seemed like he was asking them to each bring along the author they were closest to or the one they wanted to please the most.

Chu Li: "..."

Chu Li's first reaction was of course to ask Chu Chuan if he wanted to go. However, when she thought about how he could think divergently about an ice cream, what if he associated such a simple and innocent behavior as "the editor invited the author to watch a movie about the editor and the author" with her proposing to him?

Chu Li stuffed the movie tickets into her bag.

At this time, the phone lit up and Ah Xiang sent a WeChat message:

[Flying Elephant: Have you given away the movie tickets? Has your boyfriend agreed? ]

[The navy hired by the monkey: …]

[The Monkey’s hired trolls: Forget about that, boyfriend, he’s just a gay friend I’ve known online for years, I was just joking! I almost had to sleep on the street today because of this!]

[The Monkey’s hired navy: Forget about the movie tickets. I’ll go by myself.]

【Flying Elephant: How lonely it is to go to the movies alone. 】

[The monkey’s hired navy: That’s nothing. I’ve eaten hotpot by myself before.]

【Flying elephant: ……】

[Flying Elephant: If conditions permit, I'd better find an author. I read the film reviews online, and many people in the industry said that they were very moved and touched. What if I accidentally develop a sense of mutual understanding and appreciation with my author in a dark movie theater...]

Chu Li imagined that she and Chu Chuan were watching a movie in the cinema and suddenly they felt a mutual understanding and cried together.

…………………………Forget it.

Today, I was even trying to snatch ice cream from a little girl on the street.

[The Monkey's hired navy: Forget it, forget it. I guess Mr. Chuan threw the movie ticket back at my head like a zombie the moment I asked him to come.]

【Flying Elephant: Huh.】

[The monkey's hired navy: ...What are you saying?]

[Flying Elephant: Today, when the boss reminded you that you could invite your boyfriend, you responded with a can of natural gas and asked, "Why should I invite Chu Chuan?" We were all confused. 】

[The Monkey’s hired navy: ………………………………………………Don’t lie to me. I can’t possibly say that.]

【Flying Elephant: But that's what you really said.】

[Flying Elephant: There's nothing wrong with that. Mr. Chu Chuan is tall and handsome. Apart from his unapproachable appearance, at least people outside say that he has a good temper... Isn't it normal for a girl like you to like him?]

Chu Li: "..."

Normal shit!

[The Monkey’s hired naval officer: It was almost time to get off work, right? I was thinking about something at that time, so I guess I said something wrong, please don’t misunderstand me.]

【Flying Elephant: Oh.】

[The monkey's hired navy: ...Don't say that in a meaningful way, thank you.]

After talking to Ah Xiang, Chu Li turned off her phone and went to sleep. She didn't take Ah Xiang's question about the movie tickets to heart. Yu Yao didn't say that people from Yuan Yue Society would be standing at the door of the cinema to check attendance. It was up to her to decide whether to go or not and who to go with.

…

I didn't sleep well the whole night because I was worried about something, so I inevitably woke up with dark circles under my eyes the next morning.

After washing up and going downstairs, I found that the man was already sitting at the dining table in high spirits, holding a newspaper in his hand and wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, which looked like a "gentlemanly beast" in capital letters.

"Good morning, teacher."

The man at the table uttered a nasal greeting.

Are you still angry? Chu Li muttered to himself, yawned, and slumped his shoulders into the kitchen to make breakfast. After breakfast was ready and he served Er Gouzi and the landlord, Chu Li wiped his mouth and put the dishes in the kitchen. He couldn't help but glance at the man who was reading the newspaper at the dining table: "Teacher, remember to wash the dishes. I'm going out."

At this time, the man was still sitting at the table holding a newspaper. When he heard Chu Li's words, he just said "hmm" -

It looks like even one word is too much.

Chu Li felt depressed and a little irritated.

She grabbed her bag and ran to the entrance to put on her shoes. She put them on carefully and put her hand on the door handle. At this moment, she felt as if there was a burning gaze sweeping across her back...

She was slightly startled and turned around, only to find that the man had changed his sitting position: he was supporting his chin with one hand and looking down at the newspaper.

"...Teacher?" Chu Li called out in confusion, "Anything else?"

Zhuchuan: “…”

She actually asked me if I was okay?

Don't you feel like you still have some unfinished business?

Zhuo Chuan raised his head, frowned slightly, and asked, "What's the matter? Do you have anything else to tell me?"

Chu Li was confused, replied "No problem", grabbed his bag and ran away.