TYMRHBDES Chapter 23

Fu Tingchuan cleared his throat and scooted closer, wrapping his arms around Jiang Luoluo through the blanket.

He’d never tried to coax someone before, so he had to dig back into his cold and isolated teenage years for any understanding of how to do it.

Of course, he couldn’t just copy his small, chubby male classmate from back then, the one who would pull people into a corner after school and start bowing…

Fu Tingchuan patted Jiang Luoluo through the blanket, forcing his voice to be gentle. Mimicking the way his classmate used to soothe others, he said, “Uh… don’t cry anymore…”

“Do you like houses or cars better? How about a seaside condo? Or that new pink Ferrari isn’t bad, either. I’ll buy you whatever you want if you stop crying, my love.”

Before he could finish, the blanket was abruptly pulled off. Jiang Luoluo stuck out his head, his eyes sparkling. “Really?!”

“…Wait, weren’t you crying?” Fu Tingchuan asked, taken aback.

“Who said I was crying?!” Jiang Luoluo whipped the blanket away, his hair now messy and two cowlicks [footnote]   imagine he has 2 of these![/footnote] sticking up at the top of his head, almost like he’d grown a pair of little ears.

He’s adorable—almost too good to be true.

Fu Tingchuan ruffled Jiang Luoluo’s hair, thinking about how great it would look if he wore bunny ears and a big fluffy tail someday. [footnote]ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ – ˵ ) ✧[/footnote]

Unaware that Fu Tingchuan was eyeing his body again, Jiang Luoluo held up his fingers and bargained, “But I don’t like pink—it’s too flashy. I want a misty blue one.”

Fu Tingchuan’s gaze slid down to Jiang Luoluo’s delicate skin, as soft as the finest silk.

A thin layer of powder covered it, making him look like a snowy mountain peak shrouded in twilight mist.

His throat bobbed twice as Fu Tingchuan insisted stubbornly, “No way, it has to be pink.”

After watching Fu Tingchuan leave for work, Jiang Luoluo happily lay on the sofa, applying a face mask and munching on potato chips. He was looking forward to a relaxing day—eating junk food at noon, then getting a spa treatment.

In his mind, there was a crackling sound as the System finally came online again.

:::system
[Host, long time no see!]
:::

“It’s been a while. Why haven’t I been able to reach you lately?”

The System grumbled in a monotone,

:::system
[Don’t even get me started. For some reason, there’s been a series of issues with the mainframe lately. The old-timers in the central control room are about ready to come to blows. All the systems have been affected to some degree, and I got the shortest end of the stick—I was hit hardest by the problems!]
:::

:::system
[They keep insisting I’m infected. They’re scanning me all the time and it’s starting to make me glitch!]
:::

:::system
[I had to specially request to talk to you. They want me to ask if you’d like to switch to a more efficient system. That way, you could access it anytime, anywhere.]
:::

“You’re asking if I want to replace you?” Jiang Luoluo crunches on potato chips.

:::system
[Yes.]
:::

“Would you be in danger if I did that?”

:::system
[I’m not sure. They’d lock me in a secure space and keep scanning me until they’re certain I’m harmless. If the scans show a problem, they might even take me apart and rebuild me.]
:::

The system’s voice trembled at this thought.

“Then forget it,” Jiang Luoluo says quickly. “I won’t switch. You’re good enough for me.”

The system is overwhelmed with gratitude.

:::system
[Really? But I’ll be constantly scanned from now on. I might not be available when you need me, so I won’t be much help!]
:::

“Don’t worry about it too much,” Jiang Luoluo says, comforting the system. “You weren’t much use before anyway.”

The system’s words of thanks choke in its throat. Distracting itself with some data, it changes the topic:

:::system
[Your favorability points with the first personality have increased to 6001. Your favorability points with the second personality have increased to 70. Congratulations!]
:::

Hearing these numbers, Jiang Luoluo was a bit surprised.

He knew that Fu Tingchuan’s second personality was good to him, but he didn’t realize they had such high favorability.

The thought of that gentle, ascetic version of Fu Tingchuan inevitably brought to mind last night’s scene: those slender fingers, sweat-soaked hair, and bottomless eyes. He truly was very tender…

A tingling sensation seemed to linger on Jiang Luoluo’s skin. Blushing and feeling weak-kneed, he couldn’t help but think about it again.

:::system
[Um… I wanted to remind you about something…]
:::

The System callously interrupted Jiang Luoluo, who was daydreaming about flirting with Fu Tingchuan.

:::system
[Be careful with Fu Tingchuan. I’ve been thinking about it lately, and his split personalities still seem really strange and out of place.]
:::

Jiang Luoluo obediently said, “I see,” and continued munching on chips.

:::system
[Even though he seems perfectly normal right now.]
:::

Jiang Luoluo nodded, “Got it~”

:::system
[I have to go back for a check-up but don’t worry. I’ll come to visit you as soon as I have a chance.]
:::

The System logged off again. Jiang Luoluo tossed the empty chip bag into the trash and ran to wash his hands.

***

The CEO’s office.

An alert flashed on his phone—a charge from the pink Ferrari account. Fu Tingchuan glanced at it, then set the phone facedown on the table. Jiang Luoluo’s brilliant smile materialized again before his eyes.

Her look of sheer delight at money was one he made no effort to hide.

Fu Tingchuan checked the mirror. The man reflected there had striking eyebrows and eyes that glimmered like stars, with a carefree aura that exuded confidence.

The corners of his mouth quirked up, and the reflection in the mirror mirrored this hint of a smile.

He was rich and handsome, and for years, people had lined up to get into his bed—from the company’s front door all the way around S City’s Eighth Ring Road. He couldn’t figure out what this person was thinking.

They only care about my money!

There was a knock at the door. Xiao Liu, his assistant, arrived with a pile of documents. “Mr. Fu, are we ordering lunch from outside or eating in your office?”

The pen spun between his fingertips, then slammed down on the desk. Fu Tingchuan called the villa. “At noon today, have Jiang Luoluo deliver my meal.”

The housekeeper’s voice chimed cheerfully. “Last time, Young Master Jiang spent ages in the kitchen. I had a quick look from afar—it looked really good. Young Master, shall we have Young Master Jiang oversee the cooking again?”

Fu Tingchuan’s mouth twitched as he told his assistant, “No! Don’t let him even touch the kitchen! Buy it and deliver it here himself!”

An hour later, Jiang Luoluo appeared at the company entrance wearing a baseball cap. Irritated, he tightened the belt before securing it with a tied knot around his waist, his main reason being to prevent Fu Tingchuan from getting any (inappropriate) ideas at work.

He groaned as he climbed out from the back seat of the car, bemoaning his fate under the capitalist’s tentacles. other people get eight hours of work per day, I gotta be on call and ready to serve someone else around the clock, no breaks—this is the ultimate exploitation! Now he couldn’t even go out for some solo shopping or get a spa treatment at midday!

How infuriating!

My back still aches from that awful massage! he grumbled to himself.

Jiang Luoluo climbed up the stairs, knocking at the door and sticking out his head with an innocent, charming expression. “My darling husband~”

Without taking his eyes off the computer screen, Fu Tingchuan patted his lap. “Join me.”

---

Jiang Luoluo out here suffering the ultimate capitalist exploitation while still managing to secure a pink Ferrari—truly an icon.—on-call 24/7, no breaks, not even a midday spa trip! If you want to ease his tragic fate (or mine), buy me a Ko-fi! 😂☕”