At that time, Tao Zhiyue had just resigned from his previous company. He felt very uncomfortable for having to leave, so he prayed every day that Huo Ran and Shen Nian would meet and fall in love in advance so that he could be free soon.
One day, he suddenly had an idea and printed a picture of Cupid and pasted it on the wall to show his sincerity.
This behavior sounded 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 get into a car accident; if he tries to jump out of the plot and fall 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 up the smiling little Cupid 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 ^-^]
The small private chat box on the screen is still stuck on the conversation from two minutes ago.
Tao Zhiyue felt that his face must be extremely red and his head must be so hot that it seemed like smoking.
This is more solemn.
In the context of middle-aged people, what does solemn mean
Tao Zhiyue almost opened the search engine and searched for the meaning of solemnity.
Before his fingers moved, Tao Zhiyue decisively instructed his brain to control his body and stop this stupid and illiterate behavior.
If the names of Peach and Idiot during the day were purely accidental, then the name of HR at night should have been changed to imitate him, right...
Tao Zhiyue lacks romantic literary talent and has always been bad at naming. In PP and technical communities, he is simply called Tao. As for entertainment forums and games that are not suitable for being associated with real names, Tao Zhiyue will be stuck at the naming stage for a long time.
In the end, they chose common and uncreative names like "Hedgehog" and "Peach".
So when Tao Zhiyue saw the silly meme about Director X of XX Mental Hospital on the Internet, he quickly changed his original forum nickname to "Taozi76267" and was very proud of his own wit.
For a while, Tao Zhiyue envied people with the surname Bo because they could name all their user names like pineapples, which are neutral and easy to remember, while peaches always sound like girls.
This shows that the world where naming is useless is really sad.
So why did HR imitate him and change his name to this boring one? Why did she ask him if he had a boyfriend
With his face flushed and his heart beating for a long time, Tao Zhiyue still turned on Qiandu while despising himself.
[Solemn: A Chinese word that means careful and serious.]
Good, he was really retarded today.
Tao Zhiyue lowered his head deeply, too embarrassed to face himself whose IQ had dropped.
He kept repeating the phrase “HR is a straight guy who likes girls” in his mind, but still couldn’t hide his excitement.
In any case, he felt indescribably happy at this moment.
Tao Zhiyue got up and ran to the bathroom to wash his face with cold water, then drank a large glass of ice water, forced himself to cool down physically, and managed to regain some composure.
After he came back, he sat upright, took a screenshot of the game without changing his expression, and saved it into the folder filled with the little hedgehog's life.
Having your first neighbor is certainly something worth commemorating, and it should be captured and saved.
He didn't do that to save HR's answer.
[A brown bear: Here I am!]
[A brown bear: Can I come visit my new neighbors now?]
HR seemed to have realized that Tao Zhiyue on the other side had stopped moving, so he sent a cautious test.
[A brown bear: Doctor Tao, are you offline?]
[A brown bear: /poke]
Tao Zhiyue felt a little guilty and made up an excuse.
[A hedgehog: Sorry, I just received a phone call.]
[A hedgehog: I see, your island is very beautiful.]
[A hedgehog: /flower]
[A brown bear: Dr. Tao, can I call you later?]
Tao Zhiyue widened his eyes.
Then the screen went black, and when Tao Zhiyue came back to his senses, he found that he had reflexively pressed the power button.
Okay, this time I’m really offline.
Local physical cooling was not enough, so Tao Zhiyue walked into the bathroom with unsteady steps, took off his clothes stiffly, turned on the shower, and let himself be engulfed by the dense stream of water.
Why... call him
Tao Zhiyue had a head full of white shampoo foam. He rubbed his hair mechanically and felt like a robot that had malfunctioned due to water taking in its hair.
When he came out again, he stayed away from the computer and mobile phone, as if he was avoiding some terrible allergen.
Tao Zhiyue crawled into the bed that he used to fall asleep as soon as he touched it. He closed his eyes, but his mind was filled with what HR had said.
He rolled back and forth countless times on the large double bed, the thin quilt tangled around his body like a knot. Tao Zhiyue buried his face in the soft pillow, feeling like a self-heating pancake.
He suffered from insomnia for the first time.
Dr. Tao has not responded yet.
Huo Ran stood up a little nervously and paced back and forth in the hotel room.
The drinks in the refrigerator were a bit monotonous, and the feel of the bathrobes in the closet were not particularly good. He preferred linen ones. The view from the floor-to-ceiling windows on the balcony was very beautiful, overlooking most of the brightly lit Jinbei City.
Huo Ran walked and walked back to the computer. It felt like half a day had passed, but in reality only two minutes had passed.
Dr. Tao still did not respond.
[A brown bear: Dr. Tao, can I call you later?]
The private chat conversation froze here, and Huo Ran felt a sense of melancholy.
Doctor Tao won't answer the phone again...
Did he say something wrong
Huo Ran tried to seek help off the field.
[hr: Is it too much to ask netizens to make phone calls?]
[I am OK again: … … ]
[I'm OK again: Brother, how obsessed are you with making phone calls!!!]
[I am OK again: What should I say, I am indeed an antique straight man?]
[I am OK again: No, when did you start dating someone online behind my back?!]
[I'm OK again: male and female! Could it be the old doctor from last time?]
Huo Ran paused and started to talk about something else.
[hr: Have you watched the game video? Do you like it?]
Earlier, he sent the video to Huo Sihan, and when this was mentioned, Huo Sihan's attention was immediately diverted.
[I'm OK again: Feelings are all in the id.]
[I'm fine again: Since you recorded such a long video, I'll reluctantly not pursue the idiotic name you gave me.]
[I'm OK again: So... who is the peach that you're trying out with? Is she your friend? Is she a cute little sister?]
[I am OK again: starry eyes.jpg]
… Why did the topic come back here
Huo Ran typed out his reply with a bit of depression.
[hr: I won’t tell you.]
[hr: Going to bed, good night.]
Usually when he says he's going to bed, he really means going to bed.
But today Huo Ran had no sleepiness at all. The game screen was still. He sat in front of the computer in a daze, his mind full of random thoughts.
The online status of players is not displayed in Animal Island. At one point, Huo Ran even wanted to ask someone to log into the system to check if there was any problem.
Huo Zhendong just decided to invest in the production company of Animal Island some time ago, and now he is also a shareholder behind this game.
What if Dr. Tao’s game is disconnected and he can’t log in again
Half an hour later, both pp and the game were dead silent, and Huo Ran gave up the hope of getting away with it.
Dr. Tao is really offline.
He must have pissed off Dr. Tao.
Huo Ran turned off the computer in annoyance, took a shower, turned off the lights, and then sank into the soft bed without moving.
He should have thought that Dr. Tao was a very cautious person. He had not agreed to meet him before and certainly did not want to have any sudden contact with him other than text.
He was completely stunned today. When he saw Dr. Tao said he was on the phone, he asked subconsciously.
Huo Ran turned over, the ups and downs of the whole day were still lingering in his mind.
He never thought he would like a man.
Originally, he just didn't understand why he couldn't stop thinking about Dr. Tao, and he asked the driver to turn around and drive back to look for the figure who had hurriedly left.
At that time, Huo Ran got out of the car and looked around aimlessly. The sculpture-like Jiang Nansheng followed him.
Jiang Nansheng spoke so softly that it was almost inaudible: "Boss Huo, did you find out that I... you?"
“…” Huo Ran really wanted to say that only a blind person wouldn’t be able to detect it, but another sentence came out of his mouth.
"Sorry, I already have someone I like."
He spoke very naturally and confidently, as if it came directly from the bottom of his heart, without any of the helplessness and weakness he had shown in the past when faced with confessions.
It was not until that moment that Huo Ran suddenly realized his feelings.
He really wants to meet Dr. Tao.
He really wanted to hear Dr. Tao's voice.
After tossing and turning for a long time and still unable to fall asleep, Huo Ran took the mobile phone from the bedside table.
He opened the chat history with Huo Sihan, found the series of "weird" articles, and read them one by one.
The phone screen emitted a faint light, reflecting Huo Ran's nervous and serious expression.
Tao Zhiyue could almost imagine the tone of the other person's voice. He must have complete faith in what he said, so it had a strong appeal that could drive away all uneasiness and hesitation.
Such a person is often irresistible, not to mention that he has keen insight.
Only through a few pictures and a few days of brief communication, HR discovered the real him. He is a hedgehog in the game and the same in life.
If he really met HR in real life, it would be difficult for him to control his emotions. Tao Zhiyue felt that he would definitely fall in love with her.
Fortunately, HR is a straight man who is much older than him.
Tao Zhiyue rubbed his sore eyes, holding back the tears that had not shed for a long time, and also put away his wandering fantasies.
[Tao: Thank you.]
[Tao: There are many houses of different styles on my island. Would you like to come and see them?]
It turns out that holding someone's extended hand is such a simple thing.
[hr: OK, then add me as a friend. Let me see what my ID is.]
[hr: 5629168, Dr. Tao, please add me.]
[hr: Little Bear Spinning.gif]
Looking at the cartoon bear spinning happily, Tao Zhiyue couldn't help laughing. All the emoticons he had sent were stolen by HR.
In his imagination of the HR whom he had never met, the other party had a bit of childishness and cuteness that was not in line with his age.
Tao Zhiyue opened Animal Island, which he had never uninstalled, on his computer. When he saw the screenshots just now, he began to miss the little hedgehog he hadn't seen for a long time.