Close Enough To Pluck the Stars” (GL) - Chapter 8

Chapter 08

“What a perfect filming location for a thriller,” Naonao praised. After speaking, it hid behind Shu Qingchen, tilting its head to add: “It’s also perfect for a murder and dismemberment.”

Liang Ke, who was enthusiastically rummaging through something with her head buried in the trunk, flared up at this. She turned around and asked Naonao, “What are you afraid of? You’re not even human.”

“Who—who said that!” Naonao wailed, looking up at Shu Qingchen and doing its absolute best to appear aggrieved.

“Alright, alright, Naonao, don’t cry.” Shu Qingchen gently stroked its head and gave Liang Ke a reproaching look. “Argue if you must, but don’t resort to personal attacks. Naonao is crying so hard now, what are we going to do?”

It was rare for Liang Ke to see Shu Qingchen looking so flustered, which she found quite novel. However, the boss had spoken; even if it was just a trash can, she had to coax it.

Thus, holding a package she had scavenged from the trunk, she walked over to Naonao. She opened it, picked out a gaudy, colorful long stick, and held it before its eyes. “Look at this. Have you ever seen one?”

Sure enough, Naonao stopped crying. It blinked its camera lens, staring intently. After a long pause, a large string of question marks flashed across its display screen.

Liang Ke stood up triumphantly. “You don’t recognize it, do you? This was my favorite New Year’s toy when I was a kid. I can’t believe they still sell them after twenty years. It’s a lot of fun—I’ll show you.”

With that, she flicked a lighter and ran off, only stopping when she reached the riverbank. After a few seconds of silence, sparks emerged, followed by the whistling scream of gunpowder piercing the air. Red, yellow, blue, and green meteors rose to their apex, slowed down, and then—pop—burst apart, completing the most dazzling moment of their lives.

“Wow-oh!” On Naonao’s display screen, its mouth and eyes were shocked into perfect circles.

Holding a firework in the distance, Liang Ke asked, “Is it pretty?”

“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm!” Naonao began to clap.

“Don’t just stand there like an idiot watching. Take pictures for me! I want to make certain people die of envy.” Liang Ke lit the next firework, arrogantly ordering Naonao to do this and that. Seeing Shu Qingchen pull out her phone as well, she immediately clarified: “No, no, I didn’t mean you! Boss, please sit down and just enjoy the show.” As she spoke, she ran back to the car, pulled out an outdoor moon chair, and invited Shu Qingchen to sit.

With something to play with and something to watch, Naonao became much more submissive. It scurried back and forth, up and down, searching for angles, busy with filming and recording.

Shu Qingchen wrapped her coat tighter. From a distance, she saw Liang Ke’s delicate face glowing red with excitement amidst the flickering light. The fireworks she brought weren’t large in scale, but they were unique, with an endless stream of funny and creative effects that made one burst into laughter.

Not long after Naonao finished filming, Liang Ke’s phone began to ring incessantly. One after another, over a dozen colleagues and relatives called.

The most excited were Zhao Pu and a senior from the same lab, Ye Tianze. These two were usually on the best terms with Liang Ke, and they immediately began questioning her in a fit of exasperated rage as to why she was engaging in such a thrilling and joyous New Year’s activity all by herself.

Liang Ke covered the receiver and asked Naonao, “What’s going on? How did they find out so fast?”

Naonao spread its mechanical hands. “I posted to my Moments.”

“You even have a ‘Moments’?” Shu Qingchen asked curiously.

“I do, I do! That post just now exploded with likes. Over twenty people are asking where Liang Ke is, and asking why she’s so heartless and disloyal for not bringing them along.” Naonao puffed out its chest with a “street-smart” air.

“Oh, you have quite a few friends,” Shu Qingchen nodded.

“Not many, not many. Just two hundred more than Liang Ke’s contact list,” Naonao replied. “A few of them couldn’t help but call just now. I’ll post another one—this time with the location tag.” Naonao suddenly thought of something, and a QR code popped up on its display. It said to Shu Qingchen, “Want to add me? You can scan me.”

“Scan what? Time is tight, we need to clear out fast.” Liang Ke shoved Naonao aside, hurriedly packing things up.

“Leaving so soon?” Shu Qingchen asked.

“Yeah, the wolves are coming. I’m afraid you’ll find it too noisy. That bunch of people… not a single one of them is well-behaved,” Liang Ke said as she pushed Naonao toward the car.

Naonao was pushed along reluctantly. It turned back to needle her: “Right, right, as the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. How could Liang Ke’s friends be anything close to gentle and kind?”

“If we just leave like this, won’t it be a bit rude?” Shu Qingchen hesitated.

Clinging to the car window, Naonao chimed in: “Exactly! Brother Xiao Zhao is already on his way. If you leave now, they’ll be so disappointed.”

“Brother Xiao Zhao?” Liang Ke rubbed her arms in disgust and asked, “Since when did you get so cozy with Zhao Pu? What did he give you?”

“Nothing!” Naonao swore to the heavens. “It is purely the vast segment of ‘kindness DNA’ in my code acting up, forcing me to step in and stop your heartless actions.”

“You have XX genetic material! You’re not even human!”

“The boss said no personal attacks, don’t you understand?”

“This isn’t an attack, it’s a fact.”

As Liang Ke and Naonao argued in all seriousness, Shu Qingchen’s several attempts to make peace failed.

Consequently, she walked over to the travel bag where Liang Ke kept the fireworks, opened it, and picked out one with a handy length.

Thinking she wanted to play too, Liang Ke and Naonao immediately stopped fighting and scrambled to offer her a lighter.

Shu Qingchen looked at the two heads leaning in toward her. She raised the firework stick and—thwack, thwack—gave each of them a light tap.

The “Calico Cat” and the “Little Trash Can” both fell silent. A line of text slowly appeared on the trash can’s display: Why is she hitting people?

The Calico Cat refused to back down from her stance, mouthing silently: You’re not a person.

The trash can was utterly enraged. It lowered its voice and said, Fine, how about this: today, I’ll die right in front of you.

It then accelerated toward the depths of the riverbank. However, it regretted the move the moment it hit the pile of jagged rocks. Stumbling and bumping, it was in constant danger of tipping over. The cowardly trash can didn’t dare go any further; it waved its arms, crying out for Liang Ke to save it.

Just as things were in total chaos, two cars screeched to a halt on the bridge by the riverbank. Bright headlights beamed over. Liang Ke immediately let go of Naonao and instinctively used her hand to shield Shu Qingchen’s eyes.

The driver of the lead car was Zhao Pu. He turned off his high beams and ran down, with Ye Tianze close behind. Following them were the “monkeys” under Old Hu’s command, and even Luo Han, an intern from the neighboring lab, had come.

The group greeted Naonao first, collectively ignored Liang Ke, and finally, in unison, surrounded Shu Qingchen.