The Silly Shou Transmigrated Into a Book - Chapter 47

Xu Muqing went to the locker room and changed into a fresh set of clothes. Carrying his backpack, he walked out and asked, “Are you hungry?”

Gu Qiuyi shook his head. “Not at all!”

His eyes sparkled as he looked at Xu Muqing. “Muqing-ge, how much did you make from that one match?”

“This one was a bit low,” Xu Muqing replied. “160,000 yuan.”

“!!!” Gu Qiuyi was shell-shocked. “You make that much?!”

Xu Muqing said in a gentle tone, “It will get lower and lower in the future. This place has a betting cap, and since quite a few people have started betting on me lately, the payout isn’t what it used to be. Given the scale of this operation, this is about the limit.”

“That’s already amazing!” Gu Qiuyi grew excited again and reached out to lift Xu Muqing’s shirt. “I really didn’t expect you to have abs! And a six-pack at that!! How did you do it?”

Xu Muqing caught his hand, preventing him from lifting the hem of his school uniform. “Daily exercise is all it takes.”

Unable to see the abs, Gu Qiuyi settled for the next best thing. “Can I feel them?”

Xu Muqing released his hand. “You can feel, but no looking.”

Gu Qiuyi muttered, “You’re so strange, Brother. Usually, it’s ‘look but don’t touch,’ but for you, it’s ‘touch but don’t look’.”

As he spoke, his hand moved over the area. Sure enough, it was rock-solid, with clear, undulating lines. Because Xu Muqing had been sweating, his school uniform was slightly damp; since the fabric was washed thin and pale, Gu Qiuyi could actually trace the shape of the abdominal muscles from the outside.

In truth, Xu Muqing’s abs weren’t overly exaggerated. Given his natural frame, there was a limit to how much bulk he could develop. While his speed was incredible, his endurance was his shortcoming in the ring.

Xu Muqing looked down slightly at Gu Qiuyi. His own hair was damp with sweat, clinging messily to his forehead. In the contrast of black hair against white skin, his expression seemed momentarily unfathomable. However, it was gone in an instant. He looked up at the giant LED screen displaying the time. “It’s almost six o’clock. You two should head back.”

Jiang Hansa reached out to pull Gu Qiuyi away. Gu Qiuyi reluctantly withdrew his hand and asked, “Muqing-ge, are you going back alone? Or should we give you a ride?”

“I’ll go back on my own,” Xu Muqing replied. “I still have some things to do. No need to drop me off.”

Gu Qiuyi, ever the inquisitor, pressed on: “What else do you have to do?”

Jiang Hansa covered the boy’s mouth. “That’s enough. You talk too much. Let’s go.”

Xu Muqing smiled at Gu Qiuyi. “Going to a relative’s house.”

Gu Qiuyi made a few muffled “wu wu” sounds, but Jiang Hansa didn’t let go, dragging him away. Xu Muqing watched them for a moment before walking in the opposite direction.

Once they were far enough away, Jiang Hansa finally released his hand. “Your curiosity is way too much.”

Gu Qiuyi spat a few times. “Hansa-ge, your hands are all sweaty! How gross.”

“I didn’t even complain about your drool getting on my palm, and you’re complaining about my sweat?” Jiang Hansa retorted.

Gu Qiuyi spat again until the salty taste was gone. “Muqing-ge is so handsome, don’t you think?”

“I do. You really can’t judge a book by its cover,” Jiang Hansa said seriously. He finally realized that Xu Muqing was even better at “acting” than he was.

Gu Qiuyi’s mind was racing, but for now, his thoughts were dominated by Xu Muqing’s performance in the ring. He felt a pang of regret. “Darn it, I forgot to record it.”

“There will be other chances,” Gu Qiuyi told himself.

Jiang Hansa looked at him curiously. “Aren’t you afraid of him?”

Gu Qiuyi paused. “…He treats me pretty well.”

“What kind of situation is his family in that makes him so desperate for money?” Jiang Hansa wondered. “If he earns over a hundred thousand per match, why does he still act like that at school? He looks so poor that his clothes are washed paper-thin, and he still wears them. When Zheng Hongxin from the next class was shoving him around, he didn’t even fight back; he just took the abuse.”

Gu Qiuyi’s excitement began to cool. “It is very strange.”

He knew Xu Muqing was short on money, but in the original book, it was only ever about saving for living expenses and university tuition. That was why, when Jiang Hansa introduced him to a part-time job paying 2,000 a month, he took it—2,000 was more than enough for him then.

But what was the situation now? How could someone earn hundreds of thousands in a single match and still be that poor?

Gu Qiuyi’s curiosity reached its peak. He raised his hand to speak again: “Let’s tail Xu Muqing!”

“Motion denied!” Jiang Hansa snapped. “Stop acting on every whim, okay?” He didn’t dare provoke Xu Muqing now. If he made the guy angry, he’d definitely get beaten up.

Jiang Hansa hooked his arm around Gu Qiuyi’s neck. “Enough. Let’s go back. We’re having French food tonight.”

“!! Let’s go, let’s go!” Gu Qiuyi instantly put Xu Muqing out of his mind; his head was now entirely filled with food.

Once in the car, Gu Qiuyi took out his phone and saw Chu Yueguang’s message. Still feeling a bit hyper, his focus was scattered as he typed: “Yeah, I have plans.”

Chu Yueguang replied almost immediately: “Cancel them.”

“Why?” Gu Qiuyi asked. His attention slowly returned, and realizing his tone was a bit blunt, he quickly tried to salvage it: “Why, Brother? Are you asking me out on a date?”

After a long silence, Chu Yueguang replied: “Mhm.”

“!! Brother, what do you want to see me for?”

“You’re moving in. Shouldn’t you see my house first?”

“Ah… Brother, can we do it next time? I’m going out to play tomorrow, waaaa.”

Chu Yueguang: “…”

Seeing the ellipsis, Gu Qiuyi typed: “Wait, Brother! I’m going out to sea with Kou Huai-gege. Didn’t he invite you?”

Chu Yueguang’s heart leaped with amusement. “He didn’t.”

He immediately messaged Kou Huai: “? You lied to me.”

Kou Huai: “?? What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Chu Yueguang: “Gu Qiuyi says he’s going out to sea with you. You told me you were going mountain climbing.”

Kou Huai: “…” Kou Huai messaged Gu Qiuyi: “Qiu-ah!!! Why did you tell Chu Yueguang about our plans!”

Gu Qiuyi was confused. “Am I not supposed to? It’s not a secret.”

Kou Huai felt weak. “You just can’t let Chu Yueguang know!”

“Why? Aren’t you two good brothers?”

Kou Huai: “…” When nothing is happening, we’re brothers. When it’s time to compete, we’re love rivals, okay?

Seeing no reply, Gu Qiuyi called out: “Kou Huai-gege? Are you mad?”

“No, I’m just miserable,” Kou Huai replied. “Our ‘world of two’ is going to be ruined.”

“Wait, don’t misunderstand!! I’m not going on a date with you. I’m bringing Hansa-ge.”

“I can manage to ignore him,” Kou Huai said.

“…Then your eyes are truly impressive, Brother.”

Kou Huai wailed: “But I can’t ignore Chu Yueguang!!! He’s so huge!”

Gu Qiuyi: “It’s a party. The more the merrier. Just invite Yueguang-gege to come along.”

“No! I don’t want to! I want to be in a ‘world of two’ with Chiu Chiu!”

“To be honest, it’s a party,” Gu Qiuyi said. “It was never going to be just the two of us.”

Kou Huai: “I can ignore those people. In my eyes, there is only Chiu Chiu.”

Gu Qiuyi sighed and typed: “Kou Huai-gege, I really don’t know what to do with you. Since it’s a hassle for both of you, I won’t go.”

Kou Huai: “…” Kou Huai: “Brother hasn’t seen Chiu Chiu in so long. Crying behind hand.jpg” Kou Huai: “Fine, I’ll invite Chu Yueguang. The more the merrier, right?”

He tiredly went back to reply to Chu Yueguang: “Good brother, I did lie to you. But since you found out, want to come along?”

Chu Yueguang acted aloof: “I’m very busy.”

Kou Huai cursed internally: You aloof freak. You’re dying to come, yet you’re still posing!

Kou Huai: “Oh? Then never mind.”

Chu Yueguang: “Mhm.”

Kou Huai: “…” Kou Huai was speechless. He urged earnestly: “Good brother, you can push your work aside. The National Day holiday is only a few days. It would be a shame not to come out and play.”

Chu Yueguang: “Since you’re begging me so much, I’ll agree.”

Kou Huai: “…” Help, he’s actually posturing with me now?

He grit his teeth and typed: “You really are my… ‘good brother’.”

Chu Yueguang: “Good brother. Cat high-five.jpg”

Kou Huai almost vomited.

Chu Yueguang went back to message Gu Qiuyi: “Kou Huai asked me to join.”

“!! That’s great! Let’s all play together, Brother!”

Chu Yueguang replied aloofly: “Mhm.”

“What are you doing right now, Brother?” Gu Qiuyi asked.

“Watering flowers.”

“!! Wow, you grow flowers too? What kind? I want to see!”

Chu Yueguang replied: “Orchids.” He sent a photo.

Gu Qiuyi looked at it. It seemed like a very ordinary orchid, just with white-and-yellowish flowers. “This orchid is beautiful!! You must have put a lot of effort into making it look this good, right?”

“Mhm,” Chu Yueguang replied. Then he added: “These orchids die easily. They’re hard to keep alive.”

Jiang Hansa leaned over to take a look and gasped. “Su Guan He Ding. The prices for these have been astronomical lately. A single plant recently sold for nearly twenty million, though its quality was a bit lower than this one.”

“?? Twenty million?? For this piece of weed??”

Jiang Hansa covered his mouth. “Stop talking nonsense. If people heard you say that, they’d spit on you. These are extremely rare and precious plants. They are worth that price.”

Gu Qiuyi: “…”

“Don’t always act like such an uncultured bumpkin,” Jiang Hansa said. “People will truly laugh at you.”

Gu Qiuyi broke free from his hand and whispered, “I think it’s just a tax on stupidity!”

Jiang Hansa said in agony, “…Baby, I really want to kill your parents. How could they let you grow up having never eaten French food and calling a million-dollar orchid a ‘weed’?”

Gu Qiuyi covered his mouth. “Fine. Maybe I am just too much of a country bumpkin.”