The Pink Electric Scooter

Unlike the two doll bosses fretting back in the living room, Ye Shengge felt incredibly light after stepping out of the villa. The smile on his face hadn’t faded for a second.

However, the next thing the system said made it impossible for him to keep smiling.

Watching its host, who was solely focused on the joy of escaping the villa, the system considered its words carefully before asking: [Have you thought about where you’re going?]

If he had no place to stay after coming out, he might as well have stayed inside, played the emotional card with the doll bosses, and tried to stabilize them. At least then he wouldn’t be on the verge of becoming homeless.

The smile on Ye Shengge’s face froze instantly.

He had left in a hurry, taking nothing but his phone and the business card he clutched in his palm like a treasure.

Worse yet, not long ago, the “dollmaker” of the original plot had used the phone to transfer a huge sum of money to a supplier for doll-making materials. There was virtually no spare cash left.

As for the black card that held the dollmaker’s entire fortune—he didn’t remember the card number and couldn’t link it to his digital wallet.

This was a major problem.

Perhaps he and the system really would have to sleep on the streets tonight.

This terrifying realization was hard for Ye Shengge to accept.

He looked down at the business card in his hand, and a sudden idea struck him. He asked somewhat reluctantly: [What if… we call him over?]

Though he didn’t want to have more contact with that “big dummy” Heavenly Master, he had to interact with the man if he wanted to eventually clear this dungeon.

As for calling his childhood friend, Brother Jing—something that embarrassing was out of the question for the “dollmaker” in this plot. The character didn’t want his childhood friend to look down on him, so he’d rather suffer in silence than admit he was in trouble.

But if it involved his childhood friend’s partner… that was another story.

The dollmaker, who took pleasure in bothering Wen Jishi’s partner, would be more than happy to cause him trouble.

Besides, the opportunity to be a nuisance had been handed to him voluntarily. It would be a waste not to use it.

The system, sensing his thoughts: […That works too.]

The system felt a bit sentimental.

Previous players who entered this dungeon and realized the Heavenly Master could help them finish their tasks would treat him like an ancestor, terrified of upsetting him and losing the chance to have the doll bosses sealed.

Yet those flatteries never worked on the cold and aloof Heavenly Master; they only made him more disgusted by people who brought him trouble.

In the end, those players were lucky if the Heavenly Master didn’t actively work against them.

But with Ye Shengge, the vibe was completely different.

The cold, aloof master didn’t just avoid being annoyed; he treated Ye Shengge like an ancestor, not even daring to raise his voice for fear of upsetting him. His personality and attitude had done a complete 180-degree turn, actively approaching Ye Shengge to tell him that he could reach out for anything.

In contrast, no one would believe he was the legendary “high-cold” golden finger that made countless players despair.

If players who had barely escaped this dungeon using expensive items saw this, the system had no doubt their first reaction would be to doubt their own eyes. Afterward, they’d have a brand new definition for the words “cold” and “aloof.”

One could say this Heavenly Master played the “double standard” game perfectly.

Fortunately, the arrow of this double standard was pointed at Ye Shengge.

While it felt a bit unfair, the system was quite satisfied. These double standards were proof that its host had a very high chance of making it to the end and returning to his original world.

Meanwhile, Ye Shengge’s efficiency reached its peak after receiving the system’s approval.

Without a second word, he pulled out his phone and dialed the number on the perfectly preserved business card.

After the ringtone, the call was quickly answered.

A second later, a cold voice came through the receiver.

“Who is this? Speak quickly, I’m busy.”

It was concise and blunt. After saying that, he didn’t seem willing to utter another syllable.

Hearing this voice—both familiar and strange—Ye Shengge felt a sense of unreality.

This unreality kept him from answering Peng Biao immediately. Instead, his mind wandered.

He couldn’t understand why the person on the phone sounded so different from the big dummy who had acted so foolishly in front of him just a while ago…

It was only now that Ye Shengge understood why the rumors called Peng Biao cold and arrogant.

To use such a frigid tone and speak so bluntly—only a Heavenly Master with genuine skill like Peng Biao would dare.

Just then, the voice came again.

“Hello?”

This time, besides being cold, his tone carried a hint of impatience.

Ye Shengge snapped out of it. Fearing the other man would hang up and leave him truly homeless, he spoke up, his voice small: “It’s me…”

Though it was only two words, and the speaker’s voice was low and light, in the ears of the person on the other end, it was louder than a clap of thunder.

There was a loud bang—the sound of a chair falling over.

A moment of chaos ensued on the other end. Minutes later, Peng Biao’s voice returned, but this time it was nearly a shout: “Little Ancestor! It’s you!”

Peng Biao’s tone had reverted to how it was before—nervous, excited, and even a bit silly.

But regardless, Ye Shengge found this much easier to get used to than the cold impatience from before.

The beautiful youth’s lashes fluttered as he gave a soft “mm.” His voice trembled slightly: “Are you alone right now?”

What he really wanted to ask was if Brother Jing was with him.

Fortunately, Peng Biao wasn’t stupid. He caught the unspoken meaning and quickly said, “He’s not here. It’s just me. Did something happen for you to call me so suddenly?”

Though he hated to admit it, he knew the youth misunderstood him. Even if the misunderstanding was cleared, the boy didn’t have a good impression of him and was even a bit repelled by him.

For the boy to call him now, something unsolvable must have happened.

At this thought, Peng Biao couldn’t sit still.

He threw on a coat while asking, “Where are you? I’ll come pick you up right away. Do I… need to call Wen Jishi?”

He was reluctant to ask the last part, but considering the boy’s situation, he did it anyway.

He knew Wen Jishi was a special existence to the boy—almost like family. For the boy to ask if Wen Jishi was around probably meant he was too embarrassed to contact him directly and wanted a middleman.

Even though Peng Biao didn’t want to call his love rival, he wanted the boy to be disappointed even less.

If the boy wanted him to call, he would.

Peng Biao felt a bit down as he thought this.

However, the youth—who could sway his emotions so easily—did not ask for Wen Jishi. Instead, he said something that made Peng Biao doubt his own ears.

“Don’t tell him. Also… is your place convenient? If it is, could you… put me up for a few days?” Ye Shengge knew that a request for cohabitation from someone he’d only met once was a bit offensive, but he truly had no other choice.

System: [Tone it up a bit. Remember to maintain your character settings.]

Ye Shengge took a moment to reply to the system while waiting for an answer: [But I’m begging him right now. If I upset him, we’ll actually be sleeping on the streets.]

System: […] That’s a fair point, I guess?

Ye Shengge: [There’s a saying: ‘A wise man submits to circumstances.’ Even if I want to be prickly, now is not the time.]

The system felt this made sense. Since its sensors didn’t detect a direct violation of the character persona, it turned a blind eye and stopped pestering him.

As for the other party, he was already stunned by this massive stroke of luck.

Just thinking of the word “cohabitation” made Peng Biao’s face turn uncontrollably red.

He didn’t find it offensive at all; he wished the boy would stay forever.

Thinking this, he said it out loud: “It’s very convenient! You can stay as long as you want. Live however you like. If there’s anything you don’t like, we can tear it down and remodel it!”

If anyone who knew Peng Biao heard this, they would be shocked.

Everyone knew Peng Biao hated trouble and had a strong sense of territory. He never brought anyone to his home, let alone invited someone to move in or remodel.

But those principles were non-existent in front of the youth.

If the boy really planned to live with him for a while, he’d let him tear the whole house down if he wanted to.

“It doesn’t need to be that much trouble for now. I’ll give you my location. Come pick me up first.” Ye Shengge looked worriedly at the bright sun outside, hiding in the shade to avoid the light.

It was too hot.

When he was in the villa with the air conditioning, he didn’t feel it, but now that the excitement of escaping had worn off, the outside felt like a giant steamer, making him feel sticky and uncomfortable.

After giving his location, Ye Shengge urged the Heavenly Master to hurry.

“I’ll be there in minutes,” Peng Biao promised.

In fact, the urge was unnecessary. He was more anxious than the boy to get there. His heart was beating so hard it nearly jumped out of his throat.

For some reason, hearing that the boy wanted to keep this from Wen Jishi gave him the illusion that between him and the childhood friend, he had been chosen. A secret sense of accomplishment welled up in him.

This secret pride reached its peak when he arrived at the location on his vehicle.

“I’m here! What happened? Tell me slowly, I definitely won’t tell Wen Jishi!” The moment he saw the boy, he forgot everything else and blurted out a string of words.

However, the beautiful youth he was asking was completely distracted by the pink electric scooter nearby.

“Is that your… vehicle?” Ye Shengge looked curiously at the burly, rugged man. No matter how he looked, he couldn’t connect Peng Biao with a pink electric scooter.