Chapter 23 Hello Sir, I am glad to serve you
The lotus lantern made of mechanical metal slowly bloomed, casting star-like light points. The air was filled with the faint fragrance of cedar wood, mixed with the subtle scent of golden roses placed in antique vases as gifts.
The guests gathered in twos and threes, and as the people in the room whispered to each other, a slight gleam of light in their ears or necks was inadvertently revealed.
A very restrained chuckle blends into the elegant and soothing background music of strings. The only high-pitched voice probably comes from the doorman standing at the door singing out the guests' names.
A certain nobleman who had been able to move freely in various social occasions since his youth was now acting out of character and lazily leaning against the window.
The series of messages sent from the light screen fell on deaf ears, and no response was received for a long time. Lancelot turned off the light screen, and his tail behind him fluttered the curtains like a feather duster. After a few seconds, he turned it on again, with his eyes lowered expressionlessly.
"Lancelot! Why are you here? Do you know how long I have been looking for you?"
Quan Yi hurriedly struggled to free himself from the grasp of several elders. In a corner where no light could penetrate his face, he found his lost comrade, chin in his hand, lost in thought. "Is this really your cousin's housewarming party? Why do I feel like there are more ladies tonight than at a social gathering this season... Hey, what are you looking at? Are you even listening to me?"
As he spoke, he arched his back and stretched his neck forward.
"nothing."
Lancelot waved his hand, and the light screen disappeared. He raised his eyelids and looked around, and was caught off guard when his eyes met his mother's not far away.
Standing next to her were the Chamber of Commerce chairman and his family. The person closest to her was a handsome young man, who also looked over here following her gaze.
“…Tsk.”
Lancelot sighed with his ears flying, but quickly regained his spirits and put on a smiling expression.
He raised his glass in that direction, with a smile that was just right, not too deep or too shallow, and took a sip of wine.
Quan Yi shifted his gaze back and forth, finally staring at him in confusion: "Aren't you going over there?"
Lancelot replied perfunctorily, "No, I am no longer at the age where I can greet my elders with my hands behind my back."
"Don't play dumb, you know what I mean."
Quan Yi winked gossipingly and lowered his voice to talk about the young man, "He must be Inoan, right? He's a genius from the Mechanical Department of the neighboring Gadro College. He recently won the Newcomer Mechanic Award..."
Lancelot raised his eyebrows in feigned surprise: "Wow, young and promising, but still not as good as me."
"No, that's not what I want to talk about." Quan Yi curled his lips speechlessly and said to the shameless guy in front of him, "Don't you admire ghosts very much? Maybe you can have a lot to talk about with him."
Lancelot glanced at him strangely: "Why?"
"I've seen his work. How should I put it... It's somewhat similar to the engraving technique of a ghost. Do you think he could be the ghost?"
"Won't."
"Are you sure? Have you seen a ghost?"
"No." Lancelot thought for a moment and came to a perfunctory conclusion, "A little... intuition."
"It wasn't him," he added quickly.
Quan Yi shrugged. "Well, I just heard that he's quite humble and has a good reputation."
Humble enough to let everyone know?
Lancelot rolled his ears. He had not used such childish tricks to show off since he was ten years old.
Quan Yi thought he was silent, took another quick glance, and reminded him, "And your mother seems to like him very much."
"She prefers his mother, the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce," Lancelot asserted with a smile.
Their small talk attracted more people of their age to come over and say hello. Lancelot changed the subject in time and prepared to take another glass of wine from the waiter's tray beside him.
"Hello sir, it's a pleasure to serve you! Would you like some melon wine?"
The familiar voice startled the red-haired noble. He turned around, thinking he was hallucinating.
The chestnut hair on his forehead was combed back, revealing his smooth forehead. Under the brilliant light and shadow of the lotus lantern, the dwarf rabbit orc's eyes were particularly bright. He tilted his head and smiled faintly at himself.
Lancelot's absent-mindedness throughout the night finally had a focus. He found that whenever he was not paying attention, this man would disappear, and he had actually become accustomed to it.
Well, hanging out here is better than going to a messy place with a bunch of messy people.
Before Lancelot could speak again, Youan already knew what he was going to ask and answered smoothly, "I only covered for Yin Pei for one day. She was taken to Professor Laura's office."
Lancelot sighed, "Poor girl," and then turned his attention to the guy in front of him. He narrowed his eyes and reminded him seriously, almost pulling his ear: "Don't run around after you're done. Wait for me to go back together."
"Okay!"
Youan quickly agreed and turned to Quan Yi. Seeing that the other party shook his head confusedly to indicate that he had no needs, he left with the tray in high spirits.
He was wearing a dark uniform and moving silently among the guests, occasionally stopping to pour wine for the guests with his white neck lowered. He was pleasing to the eye from every angle.
Especially the tail curled into a ball of fur below the lower back, which also jumped and shook with the brisk steps.
"Who is he? Your classmate?" someone asked impatiently.
These people were just nodding acquaintances, not close friends. Quan Yi threw a nut into his mouth and replied casually, "Yes, Lance's roommate."
"Oh...roommate..." They smiled knowingly, and the tone they spoke sounded more like they were talking about ambiguous lovers.
Lancelot paused stroking his wine glass, tilted his head and raised an eyebrow: "What?"
"No, nothing much. I just thought he was cute and pretty, and wanted to get to know him."
"He looks better than the guy who took off his clothes and crawled on the floor yesterday..."
"Look at that tail. It'll look so pretty when its butt shakes."
"What's the point of just shaking your butt?" The leading brown-haired young man chuckled softly. "It's more suitable to... do something exciting."
Quan Yi couldn't stand it any longer and rolled his eyes in annoyance: "What? Is the little head controlling the big head again?"
The man didn't care after being scolded. He just said it as a joke and stared at the figure walking away, with a hint of greed in his eyes.
Quan Yi frowned and turned his head to look at Lancelot beside him. The latter just stood quietly on the side, shaking his wine glass with a smile.
Most of the time, Lancelot is an elegant gentleman who knows when to stop even in combat classes, but sometimes he does it differently.
The lively dance music from the banquet was gradually blocked out by the carved door panels. The brisk drum beats fell one after another, and the mirror surface just happened to crack into a radial spider web, with each layer getting larger than the last, dyed a fishy red.
"I'm sorry... I was wrong... Please, please..."
The tiger's mouth gripped the most vulnerable throat, and the noble who was about to faint was grabbed by the back of his head by his hair. His vision was blurred and he could only twitch all over. He heard a smiling voice in his ear.
"Don't be nervous, yes, that's it, relax... remember to keep breathing——"
Suddenly, an astonishing force pressed down, and the wash basin was splashed with water by a brown head, and the rolling water waves gradually became turbid.
"Is it exciting enough? It seems you like it...Haha, let's do it again."
*
The nobles must be very good at building mazes.
Youan stood in the middle of the corridor with a tray in his arms and a blank expression on his face, and came to this new conclusion in his heart.
Suddenly, the rabbit ears on his head twitched. He followed the faint movement, walked quickly to the corner of the corridor, and peeked inside. His eyes suddenly lit up.
Lancelot wiped his hands, hummed a light tune and walked out of the bathroom door.
The well-tailored jacket on him was gone, and the muscles under his shirt were tight but not bulging. His strong waist was tucked in the dark brown vest, which made his shoulders broad and his back straight. At this moment, he was like a male model completing a fixed pose, slowly and methodically putting his slender fingers into the black gloves.
He gently folded his five fingers together, then slowly opened them, wrapping them tightly around the wrist bone. Then he raised his head and raised his eyebrows at Youan, who had a dazed look on his face.
Youan didn't want to reveal that he had taken the wrong path, as this would make him look unintelligent.
He walked over with big strides, wanting to greet her calmly, like "What a coincidence, you're here to pee too."
But unfortunately, he tripped over the carpet and hit Lancelot's chest with his head.
I didn't expect that although the man looked thin, his chest was actually soft and elastic, and his forehead didn't hurt at all.
Lancelot pretended to be surprised and pushed him away: "I am going to scream for help, sir."
"Scream, scream..." You An suppressed his shyness and said half of the set line.
He couldn't go on any longer in the face of the other person's gentle smile, so he simply shut up and chuckled twice, staring at the red-haired noble in front of him with his round black eyes.
The young master was dressed very differently tonight. His usually loose red hair was tied up high at the back of his head, with a few small braids here and there. In short, he looked elegant and exquisite!
You An praised with starry eyes: "You are prettier than all the girls tonight!"
"Do I need you to tell me that?" Lancelot snorted and laughed. He noticed someone coming over from the corner of his eye. He slapped away the hand that was trying to pull his pigtail, grabbed the wrist and pulled the person behind him and walked out.
At the end of the corridor behind them, another figure slowly walked out from the light and shadow.
Inoan looked at the receding figure and turned back to the banquet.
"My dear, where have you been?" His mother was chatting with the distinguished Lady Vanser. When she saw him coming, she smiled and waved at him.
The docile young man walked over quickly: "Sorry, Mom, I went to sober up. The honeydew melon wine I just drank was very sweet, but it had a strong aftertaste."
"It seems that your alcohol tolerance is a little worse than Lance's." Madam Su chuckled and glanced around. "Speaking of this child, he has been missing tonight."
"Shall I dance with you?"
Inoan thought for a moment, paused subtly, and smiled, "He seems to have gone to the courtyard...it might not be convenient for him to come over."
"Yeah."
Mrs. Su raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to look in the direction the other person had quickly glanced at.
The night breeze gently blew through the flowers and leaves in the courtyard. It was obviously a good atmosphere for lovers to confide in each other, but it was mixed with an inappropriate tone.
"I'll say it again, control your mental strength and follow the metronome. Don't play too fast or too fast. The theme song is a collection of happy stories, not a hellish adventure—"
Lancelot scratched his long hair, which had already been scattered, and a few messy strands of hair appeared on his head. He interrupted the music in the pavilion without caring about his image.
The person standing opposite him explained something in a low voice. He sighed softly as if in compromise, walked back and forth for a while with his tail wagging, and simply turned off the metronome on the screen, and raised his hand with difficulty to beat the rhythm for others.
The stumbling melody starts again, trying to keep up with the beat. The floating light particles around it gradually take shape, perfectly outlining a playful and cute elf.
Thank God!
Lancelot was like a parent who had just finished watching a kindergarten performance and suddenly felt like wiping his eyes.
As soon as he stopped clapping, the perfect melody began to change, and the elves in the air suddenly became missing limbs.
“…”
Lancelot was a little tired and stared at the innocent-looking man in silence.
You An felt good about himself: "Actually, it's pretty much the same as before?"
"There's a huge difference, sir." Lancelot laughed angrily and tapped his forehead with his finger. "Are you listening carefully?"
Youan said nothing, but the pair of small rabbit ears on his head trembled reluctantly to show that he was listening.
He wanted to say something else, but he tilted his head and sneezed.
Lancelot pulled out a handkerchief and threw it to him: "Cold?"
Youan: "No, it's just an itchy nose."
"That's right. Every time I practice, I always feel itchy all over." Lancelot folded his arms and leaned back against the pavilion pillar, with a hint of mockery in his eyes and a soft laugh.
Youan muttered, "Not every time," and caught a glimpse of someone approaching from a distance.
The pure white like snow pierces the night.
She had snow-white triangular ears, long snow-white hair, and wore a plain brocade shawl. There was only a simple red jade hairpin inserted in her hair, but anyone could see that her status was not comparable to that of an ordinary noble lady.
Youan was inevitably a little nervous. He heard the people next to him call each other "Mom", and then he found himself becoming even more nervous.
At this moment, a hand was placed on his tense back and patted, and he miraculously relaxed. He was gently pulled over and stood next to Lancelot.
Lancelot tilted his head and winked at him with a smile, then raised his chin and calmly turned to his mother to introduce: "This is Youan, a freshman in the Strategy Department and my roommate. He happened to run into me today while working part-time for a classmate."
Youan was used to seeing wealthy people, but he felt a little awkward in front of a very imposing white fox lady.
He straightened his body as much as possible and bowed slightly: "Hello, auntie, I'm Youan, nice to meet you."
Madam Su looked him up and down for a moment, from the fingers digging at the seam of his pants to the short, round rabbit ears. Her gaze fell on the pair of black eyes and she suddenly chuckled, "Hello, dear."
She rubbed Youan's head and said, "I just heard the piano music, so I came out to take a look."
The warmth above his head had not yet faded. When Youan learned that she had come out only after hearing the piano music, he swallowed and said quickly, "I'm not practicing well, so Lancelot is teaching me."
Lancelot wagged his tail beside him and glanced at him with a half-smile. He seemed very humble at this moment. It was unknown who was dissatisfied just now, but his ears stood up like steel spikes.
"Lance? He wasn't very good at playing the piano when he was little, but now it's actually useful..." Mrs. Su sighed, "Honestly, I'm surprised."
Lancelot interrupted with his ears flying: "Mom."
Madam Su smiled and tilted her head: "What?"
Lancelot stopped talking, made a gesture for her to go ahead, and continued chatting while she held Youan's hand.
Mrs. Su felt no aversion to the well-behaved boy whom she could see through at a glance. She chatted softly with Youan about the school situation until the banquet bell rang.
Mrs. Su wanted to chat for a while longer, but now she could only end it: "Come to my house when you have time during the holidays."
Youan nodded flattered. The banquet was almost over and he still had to report to the butler.
Lancelot caught a glimpse of his anxious look and said, "Go change your clothes. I'll wait for you here."
You An nodded, bowed to Mrs. Su, said "Goodbye, Auntie", and hurried into the house.
Lancelot stood there, staring at his back, trying to remind him to pay attention to his feet.
Before he could open his mouth, Youan suddenly turned around and waved at them, then as expected, he staggered, slowed down awkwardly, and disappeared from sight at a trot.
The corners of Lancelot's lips curled up, and suddenly, the tip of his ear was pulled lightly or not heavily.
"Mom, I'm an adult now." Lancelot turned his head helplessly. "It would be embarrassing to go back to school with a bald ear."
Mrs. Su put on a gentle smile: "I just want to tell you that the parent-child conversation time has begun."
Lancelot: "Then you should make a quick decision. I am busy."
"I can see that. I hope you can make a name for yourself." Madam Su suppressed the smile on her face. "Originally, tonight was your chance to make some connections. People from the military and the Chamber of Commerce are here. No matter what happens in the future—"
"Come on." Lancelot interrupted her and shrugged with a smile, "It's hard to say whether some of them are human or not."
Madam Su raised her head and sighed deeply: "I have no way to refute this point of view, but——"
Her fingers with bright red nails poked Lancelot's forehead and she narrowed her eyes to remind him, "Change your bad habits. At least try to be more low-key. The bathroom is very troublesome to clean."
"I'll prepare a gift to apologize to my cousin." Lancelot asked, wagging his tail. "Anything else?"
Madam Su had already seen him, with a backpack slung over his shoulder, moving towards her in small steps. She waved her hand helplessly, "That's all. Remember to arrive early on the day of the family dinner. Your brother will also be back."
"I know, Mom."
Lancelot's wagging tail froze imperceptibly for a moment, then he quickly agreed and turned to run towards the person standing under the lamppost.
The two figures quickly squeezed together side by side and gradually disappeared into the dimly lit night.
Usually after dinner time, Fiona would leave work because it was inconvenient for her to stay in the dormitory.
"It's half past nine. I'm going to bed."
The left-behind little rabbit watched two episodes of cartoons, turned off the projector, and returned to his room. He planned to push the walnut rocking bed to the door so that his brother could see him as soon as he entered the room.
He drank the potion, stuck his butt out, and pushed it halfway with his head.
But the walnut bed was too heavy and he was so tired that he simply stretched out his hind legs and lay on the ground to rest, and gnawed on the wall to relieve his boredom.
Soon the head began to nod, not even bothering to chew the wall, and slammed against the carpet.
Oh, just go to sleep. Your brother will pick you up when he comes back.
You Tuantuan smacked his furry three-petal lips and fell asleep in a daze.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw my brother as I wished, but my butt was also tapped twice by a small paper stick.
"Ouch, ouch." You Tuantuan cried out with a frown on his face.
"Who told you to sleep like this?" You An turned him over and touched him. Fortunately there was a carpet, otherwise he would definitely get diarrhea if he slept like this.
Lancelot supported his forehead and sighed while sitting on the sofa. Compared to Youan, he seemed to be still in shock. After all, as soon as he opened the door, he saw the overturned bed, the rolling potion bottles, and the cub lying motionless on the ground. Who wouldn't go crazy?
This night was really colorful. You Tuantuan got spanked, his fur was wiped clean and he was sent back to his nest to stay as a quiet little bun.
When Youan changed into his pajamas and walked out of the bathroom, he happened to see Lancelot biting his fingertips. He tilted his head and gently pulled off his gloves, then rummaged through the cabinet to find the treatment device.
"Are you hurt?"
"It's just a scratch." Lancelot raised his hand and gave him a look, then walked into the house with his things and said lazily, "Rest early. Good night."
"good evening."
Youan paused and turned back to the room.
He lay in his soft bed, swaying on his toes against the quilt, making You Tuantuan jump around excitedly.
Not long after, the rabbit ears of different sizes moved at the same time.
You Tuantuan quickly jumped into the walnut rocking bed, parked the car and put it into the garage. You An also turned over and closed his eyes.
At this time, the door opened gently.
Lancelot dimmed the night light, glanced around the room, whispered "It would be strange if he didn't catch a cold", closed the window facing the bed, and turned on the external circulation system.
With the subtle sound of the door closing, the footsteps gradually faded away until they disappeared.
You Tuantuan sat up from his nest: "How exciting."
"Yeah. But he's gone to bed now."
The floral rug on the bed moved, and Youan opened the quilt without any sleepiness, his eyes full of energy.
He got up and took out a toolbox and various homemade machines from the cabinet, and spread them all over the table.
Then he carefully took out the broken brooch from You Tuantuan's little nest.
The brooch is shaped like a fox with its head and tail connected, holding an emerald green crystal in the middle. Due to the damage to the core gear, the fox cannot open its eyes and keeps them closed as if it is sleeping.
"Brother, look, this is broken too." You Tuantuan poked the crescent scratch on the fox's tail with his claws, feeling a little sorry, "It's not shiny anymore."
Youan couldn't understand why these mechanical jewels, so precious, couldn't even withstand being dropped.
He scratched his head, turned up the tool light to its highest brightness, and tried to think of a way to repair it.
There was a slight "click" sound, and the tip of the tweezers, as thin as a hair, gently fiddled with the stuck gear.
Under the auxiliary mirror, the dark jewel bearing looks like a solidified sea.
A starship with cold and hard lines, like a humpback whale quietly rising from the deep sea, sails smoothly on the merchant ship's transport route, with powerful artillery ready to go, silently sliding into the sight of star pirates looking for fat sheep.
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