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墨書 Inktalez
The room felt inexplicably cold at night. Song Bunan curled up on the sofa, sipping saltwater in small gulps, the lingering sour taste of vomit still in his mouth. He looked disheveled, yet his eyes sparkled with life. Wrapped in a blanket, his knitted socks, adorned with a pattern of a hamster, stood out against the light brown fabric of the sofa.
Xin Yi noticed that he had a fondness for hamster-themed designs—on his face, socks, clothes, and even in the study where photos of hamsters were displayed. Since moving in, Xin Yi had learned just how many varieties and patterns hamsters came in.
They had just been discussing Xin Yi's resignation when Song Bunan expressed his full support for the decision, vehemently criticizing the upper management of Mighty Falcon with harsh words. In contrast, Xin Yi articulated his views calmly and logically, presenting his thoughts clearly and convincingly.
"That's not it," Song Bunan said, smacking his lips. "I know you have perfectly valid reasons, but you can't just let Mighty Falcon off the hook! After all these years invested and emotions poured in, it turns out to be just a selection process—an unofficial one at that. Who's more of a fool than you? You might as well write a book about it."
In this regard, Song Bunan had an uncanny ability to pinpoint issues that even Xin Yi couldn't see clearly. The latter could only respond with silence, unaware that his lack of response led Song Bunan to believe he was passively accepting the situation.
The small but spirited man slammed his hand on the table, attributing all of Xin Yi's reactions to an inability to let go of his feelings for that wretched place. He claimed he was best at treating such confusion. Xin Yi instinctively shifted away, eyeing him with suspicion.
Song Bunan exaggeratedly curved his mouth downward, eyes gleaming with excitement as he rubbed his hands together like someone eager to pounce. He reached out to block Xin Yi's sudden hand movement towards his face and flipped him onto the sofa in a reverse hold, asking what he meant by "treatment."
The captured man kicked his legs like a fish out of water, his voice muffled by the sofa cushions as he shouted, "The first step in treatment is to calm you down! I was thinking of giving your shoulders a massage, and here you are treating your physician like this! I'm done! You're hopeless! Just wait to die!"
His playful antics lightened Xin Yi's mood considerably. He released Song Bunan, who slid down into the gap between the sofa and coffee table, glaring at him defiantly and claiming that this treatment could be considered an injury at work and deserved compensation.
"How much do you want?" Xin Yi asked as he curled up beside him, his long legs squeezed for space. The cheeky man pouted and mockingly imitated him with an annoyingly smug tone while waving five fingers in front of Xin Yi's face, insisting that he wouldn't get up unless he received at least that amount—and threatened to go outside and tell everyone how he had beaten up his physician.
Xin Yi hesitated for a moment before quietly suggesting five thousand. When Song Bunan continued undeterred and raised it to fifty thousand, eventually reaching fifty million, Xin Yi noticed that Song Bunan's expression had returned to normal and even brightened with joy. He watched as Song Bunan retracted his hand, grinning widely.
"I was going to say fifty originally, but since you offered fifty million yourself, I can't refuse. So tell me, sir—are you paying by card or in installments?"
Only then did Xin Yi realize that this kid was just trying to make him laugh by being silly. Now that he had fallen for it again and switched back to his little money-grubbing mode, there was a mix of happiness and surprise on his face. Xin Yi readily pulled out his only bank card and slapped it into Song Bunan's outstretched hand, saying it was all for him.
The thin card appeared larger in the hands of the slender man who grinned widely as if he had struck gold. "This treatment is quite a bargain! Plus I get extra benefits!" he exclaimed.
"Were you just trying to make me happy by doing this?" Xin Yi believed that some things needed to be openly discussed in a relationship. Although he hadn’t fully recovered from feeling betrayed by an organization he trusted, Song Bunan’s “treatment” made him feel much better. He simply pulled him back onto the sofa and handed him warm water while directly voicing a small doubt that lingered in his mind.
With joy radiating from having the bank card, Song Bunan faced him with an incredibly sunny smile. He shook the card playfully in front of Xin Yi and said, "Just admit you're feeling happier now! I was going to tickle you physically for some cheerfulness, but now I think using magic would be better—it can earn me some extra cash too!"
He watched as Song Bunan pressed a kiss to the bank card, then tucked it into his pocket.
"Although I won't manage the money, until you decide to stop reminiscing about Mighty Falcon, darling, this will stay here as collateral. When you turn over a new leaf, I'll return it to you. If you need money in the meantime, just let me know," the man said, hands on his hips, lifting his chin in a way that made him look like a little mouse proudly flaunting its stolen treasure.
Xin Yi sent a message to Song Bunan with the password: "My money is your money; buy whatever you want."
The man rolled off the sofa excitedly and onto the floor, transforming into a Caterpillar crawling around. He occasionally emitted sharp, short bursts of sound, and from his rambling, it was clear he was thrilled about having someone to spend money on him.
Isn't it normal to spend money on your partner? Xin Yi was already accustomed to not understanding Song Bunan's thought process. After a brief moment of confusion, he voiced his question. The Caterpillar paused mid-crawl, its fluffy head turning to meet his gaze. "Are you mocking me for never having been in a relationship?"
Oh, I forgot about that. Xin Yi felt even better.
The Caterpillar eventually crawled all the way to the kitchen and stopped at the doorway, remaining still for a long time while staring at Xin Yi with its bright black eyes, devoid of any expression. The person being stared at returned the gaze, silently questioning what it wanted.
The Caterpillar waddled over to the refrigerator and declared that it was hungry but didn’t want to cook.
The one who couldn’t cook mimicked its expression and explained that if he went into the kitchen, he could only make instant noodles for it. Upon hearing "instant noodles," the Caterpillar scrunched up its face in disgust.
"Takeout!" the Caterpillar shouted. "I want big shrimp, big clams, big crabs—I don’t care; I just want to eat!" The little creature twisted on the floor, its black curls flailing like a wild mop, nearly knocking off its glasses.
Xin Yi replied affirmatively three times and picked up his phone to search for takeout in front of him. When he found a suitable restaurant, he looked up and asked the Caterpillar if this place was good. The little bug was thrilled at the prospect of food; it crawled over and broke free from its cocoon, snatching the phone and frantically tapping on the plus sign.
Not understanding how Song Bunan's emotions could shift so freely and rapidly, Xin Yi complied with the payment request. When he saw that the delivery person had accepted the order, the Caterpillar beside him reverted back to its previous state—this time lying on the sofa with one hand reaching out to change the TV channel.
"I never knew life at home could be like this." Perhaps without any stimulation, Xin Yi had time to reflect on everything he and Song Bunan had done since returning from Lin Mo Hui. Setting aside work and organizational troubles, what remained was almost entirely Song Bunan's carefree demeanor.
He resembled a fish swimming in water, moving freely in his own little world where he could do as he pleased—speak what he wanted—and even use his advantages to influence those around him. Like himself at this moment.
Hearing Song Bunan criticize Mighty Falcon's higher-ups for their incompetence made him feel uneasy; after all, that was where he had lived for decades. Almost all his memories were tied to that place—his joys and sorrows played out against that backdrop—it had been his refuge for half his life. But now everything had changed; what once was a sanctuary had become a prison trapping him and others within its walls. Many who had left might have perished at the hands of their own people.
To put it more seriously, everything he believed in collapsed at this moment, leaving nothing behind.
However, Song Bunan did not think so. He brought joy in the most nonsensical way, encouraging him to step out of his gloom. At the very least, facing the situation with a slightly positive mindset would prevent him from making irrational decisions out of sadness.
He succeeded. His mood indeed improved, gradually leading him to understand why Song Bunan did not believe in so-called "team friendship." Those who have been betrayed by what they once believed in naturally find it hard to rekindle their confidence when faced with similar situations again.
Perhaps he was originally just a strange stone cracked and dried up by the lack of water on the riverbank, but after a little fish carried him into the water, he was reborn.
Beside him, Caterpillar was intently watching a cartoon on television. The pair of feet sticking out from under the blanket felt a bit cold against his leg. Xin Yi reached out and held those feet in his hands, clearly feeling the body stiffen. Meeting Song Bunan's astonished gaze, he said that it would be more comfortable once they warmed up.
Perhaps it was because his body temperature was quite high that Caterpillar's fair face turned red, and the tips of his ears nearly looked like they would bleed. Song Bunan lay back down, smacking his lips and stubbornly saying to do as he pleased.
"When the takeout arrives later, don’t eat too much. You’ll feel uncomfortable if you overeat after just throwing up," Xin Yi warned, only to receive a fearless tongue stuck out at him from Caterpillar. The adult man acted as mischievously as a child, playfully defying him.
"You should first get out of your dead end before talking about me. Although your paid treatment has ended, as your attending physician, I still find it necessary to remind you," he said proudly while twisting his neck and dramatically pulling out a bank card from under the blanket, looking quite smug.
In the next moment, he noticed Caterpillar suddenly withdraw his emotions, glancing between the card and him with a frown. "Wait a minute! Your card is with me; how are you going to pay? Are you hiding some secret stash?!" Caterpillar sat up abruptly, baring his teeth in a fierce expression as if he were about to devour him alive.
Xin Yi sighed in exasperation and pinched the soft cheeks of the man. "How can you be so brainless one moment and then smart the next? Don’t you know you can link your card to your phone?"
Caterpillar awkwardly lay back down again and said he would call him when the takeout arrived, even adding a thank you.
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