In the early morning, the sun shone on the dewy grass. After Gu Xingqiao woke up, he found that Tianyuan was not around and he didn't know where he had gone.
He sat up straight, yawned, rubbed his face with his hands, and stared at the sunlight outside the tent in a daze.
The rain last night made the sky clear and refreshing. He folded the blanket, stretched his body which was lazy due to long sleep, and did a set of stretching exercises before he walked out of the tent.
The remnants of the night's bonfire were still there. Gu Xingqiao thought for a moment, picked up a shovel, shoveled the embers aside, and cleaned up the cooking scene.
Tianyuan is back.
He stood not far away, holding two orange pumpkins between his arms, watching Gu Xingqiao, who was wearing his home pajamas and working hard with a shovel.
His emotional module suddenly trembled. This way of getting along with others with a clear division of labor might be what humans describe as a life with a strong daily atmosphere.
"How about pumpkin porridge in the morning?" Tian Yuan asked quietly.
Gu Xingqiao stopped shoveling the dust and smiled: "Okay."
Tianyuan then started to steam. His long hair was neatly tied up at the back, his sleeves were clean and white, and his uniform was wrinkle-free. The morning sun was bright and golden, covering him, as if he was the focal point of the stars on the earth, and his exoskeleton seemed to be shining.
But despite such an intimidating image, he bent down and steamed the pumpkin in a very serious manner.
"Well," he lowered his head, peeled off the thick skin of the pumpkin with his bare hands, broke it into small pieces, and put them into the steamer one by one, "what do you think about it."
Leaning on the shovel, Gu Xingqiao looked at him.
"You know, the last person who told me this was..."
"A man." Tianyuan concentrated on mashing the pumpkin between his fingers. "I know."
As for the man, he didn’t even say “that man” anymore. I really doubt that the next time he mentioned Cecil, he would just use “um” or “hum” instead.
Gu Xingqiao laughed and asked, "Why are you more afraid of him than I am?"
Tian Yuan raised his eyes, his gaze stern: "Because what I cherish is what he discards like a piece of trash. Ignorance is the greatest evil, and I hate his evil as much as I hate him."
Gu Xingqiao turned his eyes away awkwardly and transferred his body weight to the shovel.
"What use is a mere change of address to you?" he asked. "Can it bring about any qualitative leap in the way we get along?"
Tianyuan pressed the switch of the steamer, clapped his hands and straightened up.
"A long, long time ago, people believed that names and titles were magical. Knowing a person's real name, one could use tricks and witchcraft to manipulate the other person's mind and actions on a full moon night." He looked at Gu Xingqiao intently.
"Although it's nonsense, real names and titles still have their special power even now. In other words, I need an identity related to you. Even if it's just a friend, I'll be very happy."
Gu Xingqiao sighed.
If this were a battlefield, Tianyuan would be one of the most difficult opponents. He would not retreat or hesitate, his firepower would be endless, and he would rush forward recklessly. However, he did not know what injuries and losses meant, and he would not give up until he achieved his goal. If you were targeted by such an opponent, you could either avoid his sharp edge and hide in a place where he could not see you, or fight him in a guerrilla war to minimize your own losses.