Chapter 8.2 - Genius Cannonfodder’s Counterattack Record (8.2)
Ch8.2 – Genius Cannonfodder’s Counterattack Record (8.2)
After fiddling with the projector in the living room for a bit, Chi Xiaochi managed to turn it on. He then made himself a cup of vegetable juice and curled up on the sofa. As he fiddled with the remote control, he occasionally sipped his drink.
He said, “It’s been a while since another person accompanied me to watch a movie.”
Before 061 could respond, Chi Xiaochi continued, “Oh right, you aren’t a person.”
061, “……” You’re not wrong.
Chi Xiaochi, “That’s also fine. What do you want to watch?”
061, “Up to you.”
Chi Xiaochi laughed, “Aiyo, how considerate. The way you said that sounds like you’re spoiling your girlfriend. You’re probably really popular with the other AIs, aren’t you?”
061, “Somewhat.”
061’s answer wasn’t wrong. He was mild tempered, so other AIs liked to come to him to vent, using him as an “emotional trash bin”. He was indeed popular.
He quickly followed up with, “However, the main system didn’t provide AIs intimacy methods. We have only pure friendship between us.”
Chi Xiaochi pressed on the buttons of the remote to rapidly flip though movies, “You really don’t have any aspirations. Even if you don’t have any such conditions, you still could create them. Aren’t you guys made of 1s and 0s?”
061, “……”
After reacting, he felt as his ears and spirit had been tainted.
Chi Xiaochi selected a horror movie and dimmed the lights in the living room in passing.
As the movie started playing, 061 reminded him, “Lower the volume a little. Most people are still sleeping now, so don’t disturb your neighbours.”
“This place’s soundproofing is really good,” Chi Xiaochi wasn’t at all concerned, “Unless I brought a drill here and started drilling for diamonds or oil, no one will complain.”
Although he’d talked big, the moment the horror movie music started, he madly mashed the volume button, immediately lowering the volume from 40 to 20.
Two minutes into the movie, Chi Xiaochi’s teeth started to chatter.
061, “……Are you scared?”
Chi Xiaochi, “Nonsense.”
061, “……If you’re scared, don’t watch anymore.”
Chi Xiaochi covered his eyes with his cup, “I’m watching it because there is someone else to watch it with me.”
The system sighed. He didn’t understand his logic of “the more I’m scared, the more I want to watch”.
“Given how the movie’s been going, nothing will happen when the female lead looks behind her. It’s only when she turns around that the ghost will come out, so when that happens, close your eyes.”
Like this, with him opening then closing his eyes, closing then opening them, Chi Xiaochi unexpectedly fell asleep curled up on the sofa.
061 quietly urged, “Wake up, go back to sleep on the bed, or else you might catch a cold from sleeping on the sofa.”
Chi Xiaochi quietly “hmph”-ed and flipped over, curling up around the thin blanket.
061 sighed, “……Ai.”
Shortly, a dark figure appeared in front of the sofa.
The tall young man in a white shirt and black pants bent down, taking Chi Xiaochi and his blanket into his arms.
Chi Xiaochi’s whole body violently stiffened and he quickly opened his eyes.
061 was a little embarrassed, but after staring at him for a while, Chi Xiaochi closed his eyes once more.
Chi Xiaochi thought, I’m dreaming again. This time, it’s a good dream.
……He couldn’t tell Lou-ge he’d noticed him, or else he’d leave again.
061 waited a while longer, waiting until Chi Xiaochi had gone back to sleep before slowly carrying him into the bedroom.
While Chi Xiaochi was living a comfortable, cozy life, Yang Baihua’s thoughts were in turmoil.
Returning home exhausted only to find that there was no hot soup and rice awaiting him, just a cold pot and cold stove, Yang Baihua was increasingly unhappy.
He moved out to that childhood friend’s home already? Was he that eager to move out? He couldn’t even find some time to give him a heads up?
Yang Baihua was incredibly exhausted. He felt that recently his passion for Cheng Yuan had gradually died down, and his interest in bedroom matters had even decreased. He frequently felt tired enough to collapse while washing up, where did he have the time to make up with him?
He was so busy with work, but Young Master Cheng Yuan had never learned to be considerate.
Yang Baihua didn’t look for Cheng Yuan.
From prior experience, Cheng Yuan was usually the first to give in. He would soon call and make up with him anyways.
However, his parents had already been here for three or four days, but he still hadn’t received an explanation from Cheng Yuan.
When he took his parents out for dinner, he spoke very little and couldn’t stop rubbing his finger on the leather case of the steering wheel.
His parents were sitting in the backseat, and his younger cousin Yang Xiaoyan was sitting in the passenger seat.
Even after sitting in this car for a few days, his parents still hadn’t lost interest in the novelty of the car. His mother was studying the tinted film on the car window, “Child, with this thing stuck on the window, you really can’t see inside from the outside?”
Yang Baihua came back to himself. He nodded and smiled, “Yes.”
Yang Xiaoyan was wearing bright red nail polish, and her makeup and clothes were all in fashion.
Her phone had run out of battery, so she had borrowed Yang Baihua’s phone to play with. Hearing this, she silently pursed her lips.
……Country bumpkin.
After scrolling through Weibo for a while and responding to a few messages from fans, she started clicking in and out of various apps on Yang Baihua’s phone.
Wanting to find new gossip, she secretly opened up Yang Baihua and Cheng Yuan’s chat history. After flipping through a few pages, she saw the three songs Cheng Yuan had sent over a few days earlier, labelled as demo1, 2, and 3 respectively.
Yang Xiaoyan also occasionally wrote some small tunes, so she was naturally very interested in the work of her Xiao Cheng-ge. With a tap of her fingertips, the music started playing.
Without any warning, the music started echoing inside the car. Yang Baihua’s scalp broke out in goosebumps.
He wanted to snatch back his phone, but he was currently driving. He was also afraid his movements would be too obvious, arousing his parents’ suspicion. He could only worry helplessly, a steady flow of cold sweat seeping out of his palms.
On the other side of the car, Yang Xiaoyan was over the moon.
She could tell that this wasn’t the finished demo and was just a prototype, but the melody was full of creativity and was made with masterful artistry. It was accompanied by a person’s quiet humming, which tugged at the heartstrings.
With a cold look on his face, Yang Baihua said, “Don’t randomly play music, you’re wasting data.”
Yang Xiaoyan’s eyes spun. She came up with an idea, “Was this composed by Xiao Cheng-ge?”
Yang Baihua’s expression twisted. He shot Yang Xiaoyan a look.
Yang Xiaoyan stared at him with bright eyes, pretending to not understand.
Yang Baihua scolded her in his heart.
This question indeed attracted the attention of Yang Baihua’s parents.
His father asked, “Xiao Cheng? Your brother’s friend?”
Yang Xiaoyan was quick to answer first, “Yeah, didn’t brother ever mention him to you? He’s older brother’s good friend, a musician.”
Yang Baihua was sweating profusely through his palms, making his hands slip slightly on the steering wheel.
When she heard the words “good friend”, his mother was a somewhat expectant, but hearing “a musician”, her bottom lip turned down, making a disdainful expression similar to the expression Yang Xiaoyan had made earlier.
“Child, listen to Mom, don’t associate yourself with those types of people without a proper job. You’re different from them. You did well in university, are a university graduate who got his degree through hard, steady work, and are a proud son of heaven. Most of those art students are fools. They study the arts because they aren’t good enough to study anything else, and have no future.”
Yang Baihua didn’t have the chance to speak before Yang Xiaoyan robbed him of it, “Xiao Cheng-ge’s from a rich family, he can study whatever he wants.” She then turned to Yang Baihua and whined, “Brother, isn’t he?”
Embarrassed, his mother looked at Yang Baihua.
Yang Baihua followed up on his mother’s words, saying, “He just casually composes and sings a bit, he doesn’t really have much future prospects.”
Having found some face, his mother let out a “hoh”, then turned towards Xiaoyan, “You hear that? Only rich people can mess around like this.”
Xiaoyan pretended not to hear. She played around with Yang Baihua’s phone, and the more she listened, the more interested she was.
She tried to sound out Yang Baihua, asking, “Did Xiao Cheng-ge also just casually write these? Is he not going to sell them like the others he wrote?”
Yang Baihua, eager to put an end to the topic, pressed down hard on the car horn and answered in a low voice, “His family’s rich, so he doesn’t usually sell his music. Besides, he doesn’t like relating music with money.”
Yang Xiaoyan was relieved.
She sneakily picked two out of the three demos, and forwarded them to herself. With another few taps of her finger, she quickly and silently deleted the forwarding history off of Yang Baihua’s phone.