Heartbeat Command - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Senior, I am a decent person.

Jiang Luo paused.

When Gu Shiyue said that, it wasn’t with sarcasm; his tone was very flat, and no emotion could be detected. Jiang Luo guessed that he might have misunderstood, or perhaps he just didn’t really understand this “cosplay commission” thing.

After all, this senior was quite distant, giving off a cold and upright vibe. It was possible that his way of thinking was also quite conservative.

Jiang Luo tilted his head and asked in a low voice, “Senior, are you complimenting me or insulting me?”

He looked straight at Gu Shiyue, his eyes bright.

The face in front of him hardly matched the one Gu Shiyue had seen last time. The makeup was different, and the vibe was completely different. The eye-catching pink hair and the markings under his eyes—even with such an exaggerated look, he still exuded a sense of youthfulness.

Gu Shiyue stated bluntly, “Neither a compliment nor an insult.”

“I see…” Jiang Luo paused for a moment, then stared at him and explained earnestly, “Senior, I am a decent person.”

This sentence made Gu Shiyue puzzled for a second.

Jiang Luo added, “And I don’t just ‘play around’ with everyone.”

Jiang Luo only guessed half of it right; Gu Shiyue didn’t have a misunderstanding about him at all.

Gu Shiyue realized what he meant: “Who said you weren’t decent?”

Jiang Luo blinked, his voice dropping low: “I thought you were overthinking it… and thought that when I took commissions, I was doing something improper.”

Gu Shiyue asked him, “Who is ‘overthinking’?”

Jiang Luo let out a “hmm” and made a thoughtful expression: “…Looks like it was me.”

Gu Shiyue nodded: “As long as you know.”

Jiang Luo couldn’t help but laugh.

If it hadn’t been for the fact that Gu Shiyue had ordered two cups of coffee, Jiang Luo wouldn’t have had the time to chat with him.

“What’s the situation?” His roommate, standing behind Gu Shiyue, finally had a chance to interject. He asked Gu Shiyue, “Ah-Yue, do you guys know each other?”

Gu Shiyue didn’t even know Jiang Luo’s name. They had only met twice; strictly speaking, they didn’t know each other.

Gu Shiyue said, “We don’t really know each other.”

The coffee Gu Shiyue ordered was ready, and Jiang Luo packed it up and handed it to him. Gu Shiyue took out his phone to pay, but Jiang Luo said, “I’ve already paid the bill. The coffee is my treat. Thank you for helping me on the subway last time, Senior.”

Gu Shiyue said, “There’s no need for you to treat me.”

“There is, there really is. I’ve already scanned the code; just take the coffee.”

“It was such a small thing, no need for this.”

Jiang Luo smiled: “I think it’s very necessary.”

It wasn’t just about the subway incident; Gu Shiyue had helped him film a video, and Jiang Luo had gained a huge wave of traffic from it. Gu Shiyue’s help was not insignificant.

While they were speaking, a man walked over from behind Gu Shiyue. It was Xiang Qin, who had just been outside taking a phone call and only then walked in. One of the two cups of coffee Gu Shiyue ordered was his.

Xiang Qin almost didn’t recognize Jiang Luo and laughed, “Junior?”

Jiang Luo greeted him with a smile: “Senior.”

Xiang Qin looked him up and down and joked, “I almost didn’t recognize you. Why are you so ‘eye-catching’ every time you appear?”

“I’m actually quite low-key usually,” Jiang Luo joked, “It just so happens that you bump into me whenever I’m occasionally high-profile.”

Xiang Qin was amused by him. He looked at Gu Shiyue and said, “I was wondering why you came to order yourself; so you ran into an acquaintance.”

Gu Shiyue didn’t speak, and Jiang Luo blinked at him.

Since Jiang Luo was working and very busy, Xiang Qin didn’t get to chat with him for long before Gu Shiyue signaled that it was time to leave.

Jiang Luo had set an alarm for 6:00 PM. Just as they left, the alarm went off. The other part-time worker the shop manager had called arrived to cover for Jiang Luo. When the time came, Jiang Luo greeted the manager and finished his shift.

Gu Shiyue and his friends didn’t walk very far; the coffee shop was very close to their school, just across a street. Xiang Qin and Gu Shiyue were talking while looking back. They were just talking about Jiang Luo, and as they looked back toward the coffee shop, they happened to see Jiang Luo walking out.

Xiang Qin stopped and waved at Jiang Luo.

The three of them stopped in their tracks. Xiang Qin wanted to talk to Jiang Luo some more, so he intentionally waited for him.

Jiang Luo walked toward them. He had to rush back to remove his makeup and change clothes, so his pace was quick.

“Off work?” Xiang Qin asked.

“Yeah.”

“Ah-Yue said today’s coffee was your treat; we enjoyed your hospitality for free,” Xiang Qin smiled, “We’ll accept it this time, I’ll treat you next time.”

Jiang Luo didn’t stand on ceremony and smiled: “Okay.”

Xiang Qin was puzzled: “I frequent that coffee shop quite often; how come I’ve never seen you there?”

Jiang Luo smiled: “Seeing someone doesn’t mean you’ll remember them.”

“That’s true, but you’re so handsome, I’d definitely have an impression if I had seen you. You’re too unfamiliar; I’m sure I’ve never seen you before.”

“I’m just working part-time there. I don’t go often, and I don’t usually work at the front register—that’s not my station. Today was a special case.”

“That makes sense.”

Xiang Qin and his roommates often went to that coffee shop, excluding Gu Shiyue—Gu Shiyue rarely drank coffee from outside shops and had basically never been there. Today, they just happened to pass by and “milked” two cups of coffee off him, only to find out it was Jiang Luo’s treat.

Jiang Luo was in a hurry to get back to the dormitory, so he didn’t chat long: “Seniors, I’m heading off.”

Xiang Qin saw he was in a rush and asked, “What’s wrong? Is there an emergency?”

“Ah, I have a tutoring session in a bit, need to go back and change clothes.”

“You’re going to a tutoring session right after finishing your shift? Your part-time schedule is too packed.”

“No choice,” Jiang Luo said, half-serious and half-jokingly, “Forced by circumstances.”

Hearing this, Gu Shiyue glanced at Jiang Luo.

Jiang Luo was in a hurry. After saying goodbye, he left. He even turned his head to wave not far away and said “Goodbye, Senior” toward Gu Shiyue.

Next Friday was Qi Xueying’s birthday. She was hosting a dinner, and both Jiang Luo and Cheng Jiashu were invited. Originally, next weekend was supposed to be when Jiang Luo went home, but after talking with Jiang Chen last time, he had taken Jiang Chen’s words to heart—go home when there’s nothing to do, and stay if there’s something, trying to keep his disposable time for himself.

He was attending Qi Xueying’s party this Friday, so Jiang Luo wasn’t going home and had told Jiang Chen in advance. It was the first time he hadn’t gone home on a day Jiang Chen was off, and he felt a bit uneasy. He called him right at the time Jiang Chen finished school, asking about this and that.

“I’m not home, who’s going to play with you?” Jiang Luo asked pitifully.

“Tian Haoyu is here, he’s playing with me,” Jiang Chen said.

“How can he be as fun to play with as me?”

Tian Haoyu, who was right next to Jiang Chen, grabbed the phone and shouted: “Bro, I’m fun to play with too, okay!”

Jiang Luo couldn’t stop laughing.

They talked for ten minutes. Jiang Chen usually didn’t talk much, but he would answer anything Jiang Luo said. Jiang Luo was talkative, so they could never seem to hang up.

Cheng Jiashu and Jiang Luo were in a car, heading toward Qi Xueying’s, and Cheng Jiashu had been listening to Jiang Luo talk to his brother the whole way.

“Damn, you two can really talk,” Cheng Jiashu sighed, “When did Xiao Chen become so talkative? The kid is growing up.”

“Of course, he always has things to say to me.”

“That’s just because you talk too much.”

“Look who’s talking,” Jiang Luo laughed, “Who could possibly talk more than you?”

Cheng Jiashu snorted twice: “I concede.”

It was Qi Xueying’s birthday today. Gu Shiyue had also received an invitation, but he didn’t go and had someone deliver his gift instead. That night, around 11:00 PM, Gu Shiyue was reading in the living room after a shower when he suddenly received a call from Qi Xueying’s mother.

“Ah-Yue, are you with Xue-er?” His aunt’s voice sounded a bit anxious.

“No,” Gu Shiyue closed his book, “What’s wrong, Auntie?”

“This child, she promised to be home by 11:00, but I’ve called her several times and nobody’s picking up. Could something have happened to her? My heart is thumping wildly.”

Gu Shiyue glanced at the clock on the wall. It wasn’t even 11:00 yet. For young people, this time wasn’t late at all, not to mention Qi Xueying was an adult. It was her birthday party with so many friends, so coming home late was normal.

But Qi Xueying’s mother was a “helicopter parent”—she loved her daughter dearly and was clingy. If she couldn’t reach her daughter for more than four hours, she would panic. Qi Xueying hadn’t answered, and her mother was pacing at home, thinking of asking Gu Shiyue for help as a first resort.

Gu Shiyue comforted his aunt: “Don’t worry, I’ll give her a call.”

“She said she’d be back by 11:00. She’s always come home when she said she would, and she’s never missed my calls before.”

Gu Shiyue called Qi Xueying on the landline while listening to his aunt, but he couldn’t get through.

His aunt was even more anxious. She was a gentle, soft-spoken lady, but now her voice was shaking. Gu Shiyue stood up and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll go find her now. Wait for my call.”

“Okay, okay! Be careful on the road, Ah-Yue.”

Gu Shiyue knew where Qi Xueying was dining. He changed clothes and drove over. He called Qi Xueying again on the way, but still no answer.

The car drove to a villa with a courtyard. The courtyard was hung with colorful fairy lights, and the house was brightly lit. The sound of singing that was off-key could be faintly heard from inside.

Gu Shiyue walked straight in. Two girls were sitting in the living room chatting; the singing was coming from upstairs. Those two people in the living room glanced at Gu Shiyue. They were both friends of Qi Xueying. Gu Shiyue asked them, “Where is Qi Xueying?”

The two girls had been staring at him, and they were stunned by the sudden question. One of the girls came to her senses and spoke a bit stammeringly: “S-she should be upstairs singing.”

Gu Shiyue said politely, “Thank you.”

“Ah,” the girl blushed, “…You’re welcome.”

There was a large KTV room on the second floor. A group of people had gathered there to sing after playing. Qi Xueying had invited many classmates and friends today, as well as some friends from the cosplay circle. Jiang Luo knew several of them; they were all in the same circle, connected online and often hanging out together in person.

Jiang Luo had just lost a game and drank two cans of beer. His head was a bit dizzy, and he couldn’t keep up with the conversation. People were chatting passionately with him, but he just blinked and gave a silly smile, unable to respond. He felt he needed to go to the bathroom to sober up, so he said to the person across from him, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Maybe it was because there were so many people in the room and the air wasn’t circulating, but although Jiang Luo was sure he wasn’t drunk, his head felt dizzy the moment he stood up, and his legs were swaying.

He swayed his way to the door. Someone behind him teased, “Are you drunk, Luo-luo? Two cans of beer knocked you down? What kind of ‘baby’ alcohol tolerance is this?”

Jiang Luo opened the door and looked back with a smile: “I haven’t fallen yet. Don’t discriminate against ‘babies’.”

As Jiang Luo spoke, he turned to walk out. He didn’t notice someone was outside the door, and as he turned, he bumped right into Gu Shiyue’s shoulder. Everything went black for Jiang Luo, and the tip of his nose brushed against the soft fabric of clothes. A faint scent wafted into his nose.

The collision was completely unexpected, and Jiang Luo’s nose hurt. He let out a muffled “Oof” in pain, opened his eyes, and looked up.

Gu Shiyue lowered his eyes to meet his gaze.

The boy’s face was inches away, his eyes filled with confusion and surprise. He stared at Gu Shiyue, his eyes blinking incessantly, his long eyelashes fluttering.

Jiang Luo opened his mouth: “Sen… Senior.”