DCHHLT Chapter 5

Inside Xinghai Kindergarten, it was time for the children to arrive.

Liang Xingyuan had changed into his uniform and stood behind the security turnstile, ready to welcome today’s children alongside his colleagues.

This was Liang Xingyuan’s second year as an official employee at Xinghai Kindergarten. He hadn’t been on the permanent staff at first. He started as a contract worker.

During this time, using his eight brains, Liang Xingyuan rapidly absorbed human knowledge, sat for the adult college entrance exams and the civil service qualification exams, and successfully secured a permanent post.

If anyone were to ask why Liang Xingyuan sought this job, the reason would be very simple.

He genuinely loved this role.

Liang Xingyuan felt that lively, rowdy children were the most vibrant humans of all. Being around them made him feel so much younger at heart.

It was precisely the warmth of the children, parents, and colleagues here that had helped Liang Xingyuan so much, giving him a sense of home for the very first time.

However, today, Liang Xingyuan noticed that his enthusiasm for work seemed to have diminished.

He reminded himself repeatedly in his mind, but to little avail. Liang Xingyuan realized that all eight of his brains were filled with thoughts of Chu Junshan, making it impossible to focus.

The class Liang Xingyuan led was called the Moon Class. The class size wasn’t large. Before long, the children filed in one after another, obediently entering the classroom to do morning exercises under the guidance of the teaching assistant.

“Xiao Liang, what’s wrong?” His colleagues had clearly noticed Liang Xingyuan’s unusual behavior. They got along very well with him, almost like close friends. Since Liang Xingyuan was two years younger than them, they all treated him like a younger brother. “We saw you standing at the entrance looking so distracted earlier. What’s up? Did something happen?”

“Did your dog run off again, or did you miss out on a good breakfast this morning?”

Liang Xingyuan shook his head, the corners of his eyes crinkling into a gentle curve as he replied, “Neither.”

“Who says there isn’t? You’re clearly acting off today, young man.”

“Exactly! You didn’t even say ‘Good morning~’ to the children in your class like you usually do, nor have you chatted with us.”

“Right, and there’s more! You haven’t even asked if we’ve eaten breakfast, which is completely out of character. Xiao Liang, did something happen? Is there trouble at home? You’ve always maintained such a steady routine. This is the first time in years something like this has happened. Of course we’re going to check in on you!”

His colleagues chattered away, pointing out piece after piece of evidence to prove that Liang Xingyuan was indeed acting strange today.

Liang Xingyuan pursed his lips, ultimately offering only a small smile without disclosing the truth.

He didn’t want to tell anyone about his situation with Chu Junshan so early in their relationship, fearing that if any issues arose down the road, it might reflect poorly on Mr. Chu.

Waving a hand, he smiled, “It’s really nothing. I probably just didn’t sleep well last night…”

“Hold on, let me guess.” A colleague raised an eyebrow in thought. A moment later, as if struck by enlightenment, she suddenly winked at Liang Xingyuan. “Are you thinking about that Mr. Chu you liked so much last time?”

Hitting right where it hurt, the question caused Liang Xingyuan’s gaze to dodge for a second before he answered, “I’m not…”

“Say no more! You definitely like him!” The colleague nodded, looking heartbroken on his behalf. “Blame me! Did I forget to tell you? He has so, so many suitors. He’s handsome and successful, but he doesn’t open his heart easily. Before meeting you, he went on a hundred blind dates! I really dropped the ball on this. Xiao Liang, don’t be sad! There are plenty of fish in the sea. If he didn’t take a liking to you, so be it. Let’s look forward!”

Liang Xingyuan, who had already entered the trial-marriage stage and was preparing to register their marriage with Chu Junshan: “…”

Feeling a bit helpless, he waved his hand, “Really, it’s not like that. I…”

“I get it! I get it!” The older colleague nodded in understanding and patted his shoulder. “A young man’s pride, right? It’s fine, no need to be shy with me. Listen to me first. Let me see if I can help talk you out of your crush so you stop liking him—”

Talk him out of his crush…

What was all of this even about?

Liang Xingyuan felt a bit embarrassed. Just as he was about to explain that he was genuinely fine, his older colleague’s voice came spraying out in a rapid-fire barrage.

“Although that Mr. Chu is great, I seriously suspect he’s frigid,” she said, shaking her head regretfully. “Think about it—over a hundred blind date partners, and not a single one caught his eye? It’s been years now, so we can rule out him just trying to appease his parents. Otherwise, he would’ve lost patience long ago. If you get together with him, you won’t have any bedroom bliss!”

Liang Xingyuan: “…”

He fell silent for a moment, though a blush quietly crept up his earlobes.

Liang Xingyuan hurriedly brushed the topic aside: “I see, I see. I’ll go check on the class first. Teacher Xu, let’s talk more at lunch!”

He stepped out of the office. Morning exercises were still underway, so instead of heading toward the classroom as he had claimed, Liang Xingyuan walked out to the porch.

Xinghai Kindergarten had a lovely environment, filled everywhere with whimsical artwork created by the kids. Wind chimes and felt ornaments decorated the porch, dancing gently in the breeze.

After hesitating for a moment, he pulled out his phone anyway. But after tapping open Chu Junshan’s WeChat profile, hesitation seized him once more.

Liang Xingyuan couldn’t be sure if he could keep controlling his tentacles as he had last night. Besides, he didn’t want to press too close while their relationship remained ambiguous and their feelings hadn’t been mutually confessed.

He liked Chu Junshan, so he wanted him to be truly happy and fulfilled.

He wanted to try to make Chu Junshan genuinely fall in love with him.

He would give him respect, and then love.

Liang Xingyuan took a couple of deep breaths, bolstered his spirits, and in one swift burst of nerve, typed out a message and hit send.

【L: Mr. Chu, are you awake?】 

【 L: I’d like to discuss something with you. I think it would be better if we slept in separate rooms tonight. You didn’t seem to get a good rest last night. I want you to get healthy, sufficient sleep. As for everything else, we can take our time.】 

Flustered with nerves, Liang Xingyuan’s heart thudded heavily twice. He pursed his lips, anxiously awaiting Chu Junshan’s reply.

However, one minute, two minutes… five minutes went by.

The contact named 【chu】 still offered no response.

Did he see the message? Was I too direct, leaving him not knowing how to reply? Or does he think I’m too naggy and doesn’t want me anymore?

Countless doubts flared in Liang Xingyuan’s mind, like tiny yet unignorable flames scorching his heart with anxiety.

He had wanted to wait a little longer, but morning exercise time was over. Liang Xingyuan had to get back to work.

Pursing his lips, Liang Xingyuan hesitated again and again before sending one last message.

…

At the same time, in a café in another corner of the city, Jiang Chun was holding several thick stacks of files, flipping through them page by page to show Chu Junshan the demanding client’s requirements.

Just then, Chu Junshan’s phone resting on the table lit up once more.

Noticing the flurry of notifications popping up on the phone, Jiang Chun set down his documents and said thoughtfully, “Why don’t you check your messages first? Just in case it’s something urgent. We’re pretty much done with these files anyway, and the rest are just pie-in-the-sky demands you don’t even need to bother reading.”

Chu Junshan nodded. Taking a light sip of the hazelnut coffee before him, he cast his gaze downward and lit up the screen.

The contact “L” had sent him two messages five minutes ago.

Chu Junshan scrolled through them with an unreadable expression, his eyes settling on the latest sticker—a little puppy peeking out curiously.

“Nothing major, right?” Seeing that his expression remained unchanged, Jiang Chun continued chattering away. “Sigh, it’s been ages since we last caught up. The publishing house has been insane lately. The work runs ahead while my soul scrambles behind it, leaving me tripping over my own feet.”

“It’ll settle down once this busy spell passes,” Chu Junshan reassured him calmly before shifting the conversation. “By the way, do you recall anything specific about tentacled monsters?”

His tone was as cool and composed as ever, sounding as though he were discussing mundane everyday topics with Jiang Chun rather than bloodthirsty beasts from a horror game.

Jiang Chun’s eyes widened, startled by the question. “Why bring that up all of a sudden?”

Chu Junshan raised an eyebrow and repeated his question, adding, “Giant octopuses, ghouls, scavengers… what else?”

As the names of these monsters spilled from his lips, a flood of unpleasant memories resurfaced in Jiang Chun’s mind.

Gritting his teeth, he grumbled with a grimace, “Why talk about this out of nowhere… There are plenty of monsters with tentacles, though you’ve probably encountered far more than I have. The game’s native monsters usually evolve from lower invertebrates. But back then, you were on such a wildly ruthless spree. How would you even remember those details now…”

Jiang Chun felt a slight unease lingering in his mind. Normally, due to certain unpleasant memories, Chu Junshan rarely brought up the Infinite Game in front of him. Over time, Jiang Chun had nearly forgotten that they were survivors who had barely escaped that near-fatal game with their lives.

So why was Chu Junshan bringing it up repeatedly today?

Could he really be so utterly burned out by blind dates and so hopeless about life that even the horrific monsters from the Infinite Game suddenly started looking handsome to him?!

This insane thought sent a violent shudder straight down Jiang Chun’s spine. Legs trembling, he turned his head to look at Chu Junshan with a completely indescribable expression.

“…What is it?” Chu Junshan noted his strange look and reminded him, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading out.”

How could Jiang Chun possibly dare to speak his mind? Waving his hands frantically, he blurted out, “Nothing, nothing! I just wanted to say… whether you go on blind dates or not, take good care of yourself! Don’t exhaust yourself. Sometimes, you don’t necessarily need someone by your side to live life…”

“I know.” Chu Junshan grabbed his jacket, walked around the tea table, and tossed a line over his shoulder: “I’m getting married. I’ll have you be my groomsman when the time comes.”

“Sure thing… Wait!” Jiang Chun agreed foolishly. It wasn’t until Chu Junshan had walked out of the café that he finally processed what the man had just said—

WHAT?!! He’s getting married? Chu Junshan?! Who on earth is he marrying?!

Jiang Chun practically wanted to bow to the heavens in worship, desperate to see which saintly figure had finally taken this formidable ancestor off his hands.

At Xinghai Kindergarten, after the second short afternoon class ended, the teaching assistant led the children to the dining room for tea time.

This was the children’s final activity of the day at Xinghai Kindergarten. Once they finished their snacks, their parents could pick them up to go home.

At that moment, the “saintly figure” Jiang Chun had spoken of was sitting in his office, shrouded in a low, heavy aura.

Most of his colleagues nearby had heard the rumor that “Xiao Liang got dumped”. Not daring to recklessly barge in to comfort him, they merely gathered around as Teacher Xu, who was close with Liang Xingyuan, led the group in chiming in with words of comfort one after another.

“Teacher Liang, did you drive today? Mind giving me a ride?” “I remember a new dessert shop opened two streets over. Want to give it a try, Teacher Xiao Liang? My treat!” “Come on, let’s go. Having something sweet will cheer you up!”

Liang Xingyuan’s mind was completely consumed by the two messages he had sent that morning that Chu Junshan had yet to reply to. Going for desserts now, he feared even the sweetest treat would taste bitter.

He shook his head. Just as he was about to politely decline, the phone sitting right by his hand suddenly buzzed softly.

It had almost become a muscle memory for Liang Xingyuan. Tapping open his screen, he finally saw a message sent from that avatar he knew inside and out—

【chu: Let’s talk in person.】

Chu Junshan’s message contained a mere four words and a single punctuation mark, yet it was surprisingly comforting to Liang Xingyuan.

Let’s talk in person… At the very least, it meant Chu Junshan cared about him!

This realization lit up Liang Xingyuan’s eyes. The dreary aura surrounding him vanished, warming up so rapidly that it drew curious glances from several nearby teachers.

“Oh, Teacher Xiao Liang looks so much happier!” “Did something good happen?”

Liang Xingyuan: “…”

Was it really that obvious?

Ears flushing a soft red, he waved a hand. “No, I just have a few things to take care of this afternoon. You guys go ahead. I’ll definitely join you next time!”

Only after turning down his colleagues did Liang Xingyuan reopen Chu Junshan’s message. He read those four words and a single punctuation mark over and over again, mentally replaying Chu Junshan’s calm tone. Countless tiny bubbles bubbled up from the depths of his heart, each one popping into a miniature, heart-shaped firework.

Typing with his fingertips, he edited his response back and forth multiple times, ultimately deleting the long string of text and leaving only a single word: “Okay.”

They’d talk when they met.

In just a little while, he could clock off work, go home, and see Chu Junshan…

Liang Xingyuan’s gloomy mood vanished completely. Pursing his lips slightly, he struggled to suppress the faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

However, before he could even hit send on that single word, a new message appeared in his chat with Chu Junshan.

【chu: [Location Information]】 

Squinting slightly, his eyes swept over the familiar address. He froze for a second, his brain failing to process it at first.

No. 221 South Taohua Road… wasn’t this the address of Xinghai Kindergarten?

A thought he had never even considered surfaced uncontrollably in his mind. The next second, his phone chimed softly as another message came through.

【chu: I’ve arrived. We can talk in person now.】

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