One day he had a sudden idea and printed a picture of Cupid and pasted it on the wall to show his sincerity.
This behavior sounds silly, but Tao Zhiyue thought it was very funny at the time. It was one of the rare pleasures in his dull life.
But now seeing this chubby little god of love, Tao Zhiyue felt inexplicably annoyed.
In the original book, Huo Ran and Shen Nian lived a very happy life, and this happiness made him look even more miserable now that he was heartbroken.
If he falls in love with Huo Ran according to the plot, he will encounter a car accident; if he tries to jump out of the plot and falls in love for the first time, he will meet a completely straight man.
Tao Zhiyue felt that his second life was so miserable.
Sighing, Tao Zhiyue walked to the dining table and took down the portrait of Cupid.
He wanted to crumple the smiling little Cupid into a ball and throw it into the trash can, but after hesitating for a while, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Tao Zhiyue folded the slightly yellowed A4 paper, took out the chlorpheniramine from his backpack, put them all away, and put them in the cabinet at the top of the bookshelf.
Just consider it as a souvenir.
While walking back, Tao Zhiyue's mind was empty and his thoughts were wandering. He didn't pay any attention to his phone.
When I took it out and looked at it, the screen was full of unread messages from HR.
[hr: Doctor Tao, I went back to look for him just now, but he seemed to have gone far away and I couldn’t find him.]
[hr: I felt very lost at that moment. It was a very special feeling for me.]
[hr: I wanted to ask Dr. Tao before. I have a colleague who blushes easily when he sees me. Although he has never said anything explicitly, I have never known how to get along with him.]
[hr: I just thought about it carefully, this is what Dr. Tao described as liking.]
[hr: No matter what the other person does, I am deeply attracted to him. I want to keep looking at him and my face gets hot.]
[hr: But when I looked at him, all I could imagine was that friend I had never met.]
[hr: I think the one I like is that friend.]
Seeing that he didn't reply for a long time, HR asked carefully.
[hr: Is Dr. Tao working overtime? I am sorry for disturbing you.]
The last message stays here.
[“hr” patted me.]
Tao Zhiyue was a little surprised. He didn't expect that HR's mental journey was so similar to his.
There are many people on the Internet who use "he" and "she" interchangeably, but Tao Zhiyue had already been certain that HR was a straight man, so he didn't pay attention to the words "he" that filled the screen.
No matter who HR likes, he had promised to help HR solve his emotional problems before, so he should at least help him get rid of the pursuit of the other three gays.
In this way, HR's life can return to normal, and Tao Zhiyue will have no reason to continue contacting him.
They were originally two parallel lines that intersected accidentally. After the tide receded, they should return to their own lives.
Tao Zhiyue made up his mind that he would distance himself from HR without leaving any trace and not be overly close to him like he had been in the past few days, so as to avoid investing more emotions in him.
[Tao: Just got home.]
[Tao: Then ask your friends to come out and meet up. Before that, do you want to deal with those people who are bothering you first?]
[Tao: Otherwise it may cause unnecessary misunderstandings.]
[I tapped "hr".]
hr responded very quickly.
[hr: Dr. Tao is right. I should deal with my own emotional problems before pursuing others.]
[hr: And, it seems my friend has someone he likes.]
[Tao: If the other party has not officially entered into a relationship, you still have a chance^-^]
At this point in the conversation, the HR seemed to think for a while before sending a message without a beginning or an end.
[hr: Does Dr. Tao have a boyfriend now?]
Tao Zhiyue was shocked. These three words were so unfamiliar to him that he was almost embarrassed when he heard them from someone else.
[Tao: … ]
[Tao: No_(:3∠)_]
[Tao: Wrap myself tightly in my little quilt.jpg]
[hr:_(:3∠)_]
[hr: What does this expression mean?]
[Tao: It’s a little man lying down. Hmm… It has many uses and is hard to explain. Here it can probably be understood as a kind of helplessness.]
[hr: Oh!]
[hr：Then I don’t have it either_(:3∠)_]
Tao Zhiyue couldn't help laughing. The originally subtle atmosphere was diluted by the weird conversation. He didn't think deeply about the word "also" in HR's words.
[Tao: Do you need my help with your blushing colleague?]
[hr: I don’t think so. I’ve already told him that I have someone I like.]
[hr: I think he will slowly change his attitude towards me.]
Tao Zhiyue felt like he was hit by an arrow again, and a sour feeling quietly spread in his heart, but he still had to respond to the other party calmly.
[Tao: I will definitely do that^-^]
In fact, he couldn't laugh at all.
Tao Zhiyue sighed silently and felt that he could not continue chatting with HR. The more they talked, the more hurtful it became. He began to think about what excuse he could use to end the conversation.
Tao: I’m going to browse the forum, wave.
Tao: I’ll go take a shower first and we’ll talk tomorrow.
Tao: I'm going to sleep now. Come to me if you need anything.
…
The text in the dialog box was deleted again and again. It seemed so abrupt no matter how he looked at it. Tao Zhiyue covered his face in frustration.
In the narrow field of vision revealed between fingers, HR's reply popped up.
[hr: Dr. Tao, are you free to play games?]
[hr: I want to move the island. Is there any vacant area near Dr. Tao's island?]
Tao Zhiyue let go of his hand and rubbed his eyes subconsciously, suspecting that he was hallucinating.
After a while, Tao Zhiyue, who was a little dazed, boarded the Animal Island and sent the coordinates to the only friend on the list.
Amid the soothing and melodious music of the game, a prompt popped up on Tao Zhiyue's game interface.
[Dear island owner, good evening, an unexpected fate has come! A brown bear wants to move to your island. Do you welcome this guest from afar?]
Tao Zhiyue clicked welcome, and then a lush island slowly floated towards him amidst the fireworks that suddenly filled the screen.
On a moonlit night, the island was filled with brilliant lights, illuminating the green trees and small houses. A big brown bear stood in the front, waving excitedly at his island.
Tao Zhiyue looked at the nickname on the brown bear's head and his heart couldn't help beating faster. He remembered that HR used to call Koala Dad.
[A Hedgehog: Why did you change your name?]
[A brown bear: This is more serious ^-^]
Huo Ran regretted it very much. If he had known this would happen, he would have forced his father to start the Jinbei City project as soon as possible so that he could escape from this terrible place.
pp's message alert sounded.
[Tao: That’s good. Good sleep is very important.]
[Tao: If you have any problems you want to talk about, you can send it to me at any time. I will reply when I am free.]
[Tao: Lunch break is over, I have to work.]
[Tao: I love going to work, and going to work makes me happy.jpg]
Huo Ran looked at the message and couldn't help feeling ashamed.
Dr. Tao is such a positive person who not only loves his work but is also very helpful after work.
[hr: Thank you, Dr. Tao! ]
[hr:Come on/Sun]
Doctor Tao's page status changed to busy, Huo Ran did not bother him anymore, but read the chat history from last night. Doctor Tao didn't say much, but every word was full of care, which Huo Ran found very useful.
Seeing the part where Dr. Tao talked about his sexual orientation yesterday, Huo Ran was very dissatisfied with his response at the time. Although it was all his true feelings, he felt that it was still too old-fashioned and did not reflect his heartfelt respect and support for Dr. Tao at all.
I don’t know how young people nowadays express their enthusiastic support in such a fashionable way…
"What are you looking at? Why are you smiling like a pervert?"
A clear female voice suddenly sounded at the door.
Huo Ran shuddered and looked up. It was his sister Huo Sihan, who was three years younger than him.
"Can't you just ring the doorbell? You always sneak in like a thief." Huo Ran looked down on her, "What is a pervert?"
"Nothing, I just mean you're handsome." Huo Sihan said perfunctorily, "Do you know what a surprise inspection is? How can I find out your true identity even if I notify you?"
Huo Ran said shamelessly: "Do you need to find out my true face? Isn't it obvious that I'm handsome?"
"… A pervert is a hooligan, a pervert, and a pervert." Huo Sihan smiled. "Why is there such a mess downstairs? I think I saw two wine glasses on the table. Did you have any adventure without telling your dear sister?"
Huo Ran was shocked. He was suddenly attacked last night and it took him a long time to chase away the "pervert" who brought his own red wine. He was exhausted both physically and mentally and did not bother to clean up the mess.
He didn't expect to be caught by Huo Sihan today. If she knew about these things, she would definitely laugh at him.
Huo Ran looked very honest. "Can't I drink with myself? Haven't you memorized the saying 'raise your glass to invite the moon and shadow to form three people'? Play less with your phone, read more books, and learn from your excellent brother."
"... I'll give you the latest model of Orange phone. It's so fun and has everything." Huo Sihan whispered devilishly, "Then you won't have the right to say this to me."
"Don't try to corrupt me." Huo Ran said righteously, "Although Dad has admitted his mistake to me about this matter, I have gotten used to it over the years and don't feel like there is anything missing in my life."
This was Huo Ran's true words, and he didn't just want to argue with Huo Sihan.
When Huo Ran was a child, the Huo family was well off, and Huo Ran could quickly get any new things that appeared on the market. Huo Zhendong would happily buy him all kinds of new toys, imported snacks, and even computers, which were very expensive at the time.
But after the emergence of color-screen multi-function mobile phones, Huo Zhendong, like many parents, began to worry about his children's addiction to mobile phones.
In fact, Huo Ran has been a very self-controlled child since he was young. Although he is naughty, he does things in moderation, which many adults cannot compare to.
But worried parents are often unreasonable, especially since Huo Zhendong is busy with his career and has no time to take care of the education of his two children on weekdays, and there is not much communication between parents and children.
After he accidentally heard about several friends' children hiding in bed playing with their mobile phones every day, which caused their grades to drop and their eyes to become myopic, he immediately decided to take preventive measures. Not only did he strictly limit the time Huo Ran could use electronic products, he also often gave him stern lectures.
Huo Ran was young at that time, but he had a very stubborn temper. He didn't understand what other people's addiction had to do with him, nor did he understand why his father refused to trust his own son and only referred to the mistakes made by others to ask him to learn a lesson even though he had done nothing wrong.
So Huo Ran solemnly told Huo Zhendong that in the future he would only use his mobile phone to make calls and send text messages and maintain the minimum necessary contact with people. The mobile phone is just a tool and he will not be controlled by the tool.
He hopes that this action will make Huo Zhendong realize that he should spend more time to understand his son.
Huo Zhendong did not take it seriously at first, but ten years later, Huo Ran really did what he said. Even in an era when everyone is addicted to their phones and even the middle-aged Huo Zhendong is no exception, Huo Ran still uses the color screen keypad phone that Huo Zhendong guarded so closely back then.
When he needs to use the Internet for study and work, Huo Ran uses the computer to complete it efficiently and never wastes time on the Internet.
Correspondingly, Huo Ran has more disposable time than his peers. In addition to completing his studies, he likes sports and traveling. When he has free time, he travels around the world, gaining a lot of knowledge, learning several languages roughly, and making many friends.
Huo Ran did not completely give up normal interpersonal communication. He registered for an APP that everyone uses, but it is connected to the computer and cannot be carried around like a mobile phone for chatting at any time.
Over the years, girls often come to him for no reason. Since his reply speed is very random and he often appears only after a long time, the girls who come just for chatting gradually lose their enthusiasm. As a result, Huo Ran has avoided a lot of peach blossoms from the opposite sex.
After a long time, a rumor spread in the circle that Huo Ran had good looks, abilities, and family background, and had no problem communicating when they met, but he was too cold to girls when they were not meeting, and his speech was unromantic and old-fashioned, as if the fifty-year-old Huo Zhendong was chatting for him.
Huo Ran: …
Huo Ran felt that his life was happy and fulfilling, except that he lacked some insignificant knowledge. But Huo Zhendong was now worried that he was out of touch with his peers, and he kept sending his sister to persuade him to let go of his prejudices and embrace the trend of the times.
Facing his stubborn brother, Huo Sihan simply dragged a chair over and sat down, advising him earnestly, "Are you not going to fall in love in the future?"
Huo Ran was very sensitive to these words and immediately put up his guard, "What? What does this have to do with falling in love?"
"You need to chat when you are in love!" Huo Sihan was disappointed. "Who talks to their partner with a computer every day? It's so sweet to lie in bed and talk to your boyfriend until you fall asleep at night."
Huo Ran looked puzzled: "If you are in love, you can meet each other. If you are in love, you can get married. If you are married, you can live together. If you don't live together, you can still call each other. What's the difference?"
"... Ah, you're so annoying!" Huo Sihan was furious and tried to organize his words. "It takes one or two years from dating to getting married. There must be times when you can't see each other. So how can your girlfriend contact you whenever she wants to talk to you?"