He is Too Stingy, This Sand Sculpture Cannon Fodder

Inappropriate Relationship between Men

Lin Mingxu’s hand tightened, and Shu You howled, “Ah, ah, ah, boyfriend, I was wrong.”

He quickly pleaded, “Wu wu wu, we don’t have an inappropriate relationship between men.”

“Give me a chance,” Shu You pleaded pitifully. “Can I go back to the previous sentence to redeem myself?”

“You can,” Lin Mingxu said, raising an eyebrow at him. “Go ahead, speak.”

“Um.”

Shu You hesitated for a moment and tentatively asked, “And the sentence before the previous one?”

Lin Mingxu remained silent.

Shu You’s player almost faced destruction.

After the laughter subsided, Lin Mingxu released him. Shu You opened his arms, pretending to swim in a hot spring pool, making bubbling sounds with his mouth.

Sometimes like a fish, sometimes like a boat.

“Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.”

He turned a corner under his feet and “floated” in front of Lin Mingxu, saying with a touch of grievance, “Boyfriend, you abused me.”

Lin Mingxu looked at him expressionlessly, “How did I abuse you?”

“You were mean to me.”

Shu You confidently stated, “You even pinched me just now.”

“Where did I pinch you?”

“Here.”

Shu You extended his arm and pointed to a red mark for Lin Mingxu to see. “Look, it’s red.”

Lin Mingxu’s mouth twitched as he looked at the mark, which was smaller than a fingernail. “Hmm, it does look serious.”

“Right, right?”

“It will be gone in five minutes, right?”

Shu You coughed. No way.

Since his attempt to deceive failed, he quickly changed tactics. “What about you being mean to me?”

Leaning against the edge of the hot tub, Lin Mingxu calmly looked at him and asked, “Tell me, how was I mean to you?”

“You…”

Shu You’s eyes shifted. “Forget it, forget it. Fighting is a sign of love.”

Lin Mingxu’s heart skipped a beat.

Shu You shyly said, “Boyfriend, you must love me a lot.”

And indeed, Lin Mingxu did.

He slightly averted his gaze and changed the topic, “What else do you want to eat?”

Shu You’s thoughts followed the change, “Um, the crystal cake we had just now was delicious, but it made my mouth a bit dry.”

As he spoke, he instinctively licked his lips.

Lin Mingxu’s gaze returned, and he looked at Shu You’s slightly dry and reddish lips.

But because his tongue had made a circle, they weren’t that dry anymore. They glistened with a healthy luster in the mist.

Shu You continued, “So, I want to buy some drinks.”

He went to find the menu.

The faint touch of red disappeared from view. Lin Mingxu’s Adam’s apple moved, and he suddenly changed his sitting position.

The water was too hot.

Lin Mingxu calmly closed his eyes, but as soon as they closed, another scene appeared in his mind.

Vivid and lifelike.

The sound of water flowing echoed in his ears, and the hot stream surged around his body, seemingly penetrating every pore, gradually seeping inside.

Suddenly, Shu You’s voice rang out, “Lin Mingxu.”

The man suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze darkened, and his voice carried a barely noticeable hoarseness. He asked, “What do you want to drink?”

Shu You stood in front of him.

As a result, the ripples in the water spread out, swirling around the young man, back and forth, back and forth.

Lin Mingxu’s eyes grew even darker. “Anything is fine.”

Shu You exclaimed but didn’t immediately go to order drinks. Instead, he tilted his head and chuckled, “When I came in, I saw they offer aromatherapy massages. How about…”

Lin Mingxu took a deep breath. “I don’t need it.”

“Come on,” Shu You earnestly persuaded, “You’ve been working overtime for so many days, aren’t your shoulders sore? Isn’t your lower back stiff? Can’t you climb five flights of stairs without getting out of breath?”

“Young people nowadays don’t take care of their bodies. When they get older, they’ll have trouble sleeping, restless nights, insomnia, and night sweats.”

Lin Mingxu abruptly interrupted his persuasive speech, “Why would I have trouble sleeping? Where did you go?”

“I…”

Shu You blinked his eyes shyly and said, “By then, I would definitely have left you because I found you annoying and ran off with other square dance grandpas.”

Lin Mingxu…

He ground his teeth and squeezed out a sentence, “Tell me the truth.”

Shu You showed no guilt and argued reasonably, “Isn’t that normal?”

“Men who prioritize their careers over family when they are young end up like this when they get old. So, you must never follow in the footsteps of your predecessors.”

Lin Mingxu remained expressionless and said, “How about I break your legs first?”

“That won’t work. It won’t solve the root cause.”

Shu You chuckled, “Then I’ll just run off with other old men in a nursing home. The result will be the same.”

Lin Mingxu…

Alright, he would consider investing in the nursing home industry.

Or perhaps a covert surveillance project.

In the end, they decided that Shu You would go first, and Lin Mingxu would join him later.

As the young man left, the ripples in the pool water lingered for a long time.

Shu You dried his body, put on a yukata, and walked towards the exit with slippers on his feet. However, as soon as he entered the main hall, he found that Chu Qing was not doing a massage but was arguing with someone.

On the other side was a young girl, visibly angry, engaged in a heated argument with Chu Qing, neither willing to yield and both determined to establish superiority.

Chu Qing caught sight of Shu You approaching and immediately brightened up, “Shu You!”

“Come over here quickly, my words don’t have the same impact as yours. Hurry, I can’t win this argument.”

Shu You…

Suddenly, he felt a great responsibility on his shoulders.

Shu You raised his head proudly and walked over. Just as he stood still, the girl on the opposite side exclaimed, “Hey, are you Shu You?”

“Yes, yes.”

“The one with the English name You Shu?”

“Yes, yes.”

“The one who does stand-up comedy?”

“That’s me.”

Shu You suddenly realized and felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart, “You’ve seen my stand-up comedy?”

“No, I haven’t.”

The girl honestly replied, “I’ve seen the variety show you appeared in with Duan Siqi.”

Shu You said, “Oh.”

Wait a minute, that variety show has already aired.

Chu Qing sighed softly beside him, “Do you have any respect for the other party in an argument?”

“Oh,” the girl laughed cheerfully, “alright, let’s not argue. I actually quite like giving up this spot to Shu You. I’ll go find my boyfriend first and come back for the sauna later.”

She flicked her hair and gracefully walked away. Chu Qing stomped her foot in frustration, “Who asked her to give it up?”

“If I had known, I would have just booked the entire place. Hmph.”

“Let’s not be upset, okay?”

Shu You quickly comforted her, “Look, she has a boyfriend, and you don’t. It means she still has to go through the hardships of love while you have escaped from that sea of troubles.”

Chu Qing wasn’t convinced.

She also wanted to experience the hardships of love, but the problem was she couldn’t find it.

The two of them lay down on the massage beds. Chu Qing couldn’t help but ask, “Hey, is that Duan Siqi guy good-looking in person?”

“He’s alright.”

Shu You thought for a moment, “Among the young people I’ve seen, he’s considered good-looking.”

Duan Siqi was quite young and followed the path of a sunny boy, as long as he didn’t mention his unrequited love history.

“You say that.”

Chu Qing chuckled, “It’s like you’ve seen a lot of handsome guys.”

“Well, not really.”

Shu You thought for a moment and suddenly said, “But I have seen the most handsome one.”

Chu Qing asked, “Who?”

Shu You proudly raised his head and said, “Lin Mingxu.”

Chu Qing: “…”

You people who are in love, can’t you spare the single dogs?

She almost couldn’t bear it and nearly covered her chest with her hand. But then, Chu Qing remembered something and sighed, “Well, Lin Mingxu has always been the school’s heartthrob from childhood to adulthood. Many people like him.”

The two of them attended private schools together from kindergarten to high school. They were too familiar with each other.

Although Chu Qing didn’t always attend the same classes as Lin Mingxu, as a member of the School Campus Gossip Girl Association for more than ten years, she dared to say that she knew everything about the romantic entanglements in the school. She could even draw a complete character relationship chart with arrows and profile pictures.

“Why hasn’t he dated anyone then?”

Shu You wondered, “Haven’t there been any bold and impulsive girls who would go after him without any hesitation?”

“There were.”

Chu Qing couldn’t help but smirk, “In our sophomore year, there was actually one, and she was a transfer student. She was very confident in herself.”

Shu You got interested and started cracking melon seeds in his mind, “And then? And then?”

“Lin Mingxu rejected her many times, but she didn’t give up. She persisted until the second semester of our sophomore year. Lin Mingxu was in charge of hosting the school’s evening party. When it was almost over, the girl rushed up with a bouquet of flowers.”

“And then? And then?”

“Then,” Chu Qing burst into laughter, even affecting the masseuse behind her, who looked helpless, “Lin Mingxu took the microphone and said in a cold tone, ‘The moment to present flowers to the leaders hasn’t arrived yet. Please refrain from acting on your own.’ The entire auditorium echoed with laughter, hahaha.”

“Hahaha.”

Shu You was really enjoying it, “Lin Mingxu was also the host of the high school evening party?”

“Yes, he was amazing.”

Chu Qing’s eyes flickered with longing for the campus heartthrob, “He was also the student council president and won the championship in the national youth artificial intelligence innovation challenge. His academic performance was always among the top.”

“When we chatted privately, we would say that with someone as outstanding as Lin Mingxu, whoever ends up with him would be incredibly lucky and must also be an exceptionally outstanding person.”

That’s right.

Shu You thought in his heart, with the protagonist being so outstanding, there must be a true love waiting for him.

“So when the Lin family had trouble, I couldn’t help but wonder how Lin Mingxu would handle it.”

Chu Qing continued, “But I didn’t expect to see him at the ski resort that day. I think he’s doing fine.”

Although he has indeed changed a lot, he hasn’t been as down and out as she had thought.

Perhaps it’s because he has Shu You by his side.

That’s not it.

Shu You thought again, following the original plot; it’s still quite difficult for him.

He has suffered a lot and endured many hardships that the former prodigy never anticipated.

The two of them gossiped about some other people’s embarrassing moments in school. Chu Qing casually asked, “Shu You, share with me, do you have any secrets for dating? How to find a good man? Teach me.”

Shu You waved his hand, “I don’t think one necessarily has to be in a romantic relationship. You can focus on your career too.”

Chu Qing looked puzzled, “But I already have everything else. What else can I do if I don’t date?”

Shu You made a mistake.

He forgot that this person is the legendary rich sister.

He pondered for a moment and then said seriously, “Actually, there’s no secret.”

“If I have to say something, it would be eight words.”

Chu Qing urged, “Tell me.”

Shu You paused for a moment and solemnly said, “Maintain your breath, don’t suffocate.”

Chu Qing…

Is this related to dating? Why does it sound like a turtle’s longevity secret?

At this moment, the curtain at the door was lifted, and Peng Shang’en walked in. “Hey, it’s just the two of you here.”

“Yes,” Chu Qing replied, “Whom are you looking for?”

“No one,” Peng Shang’en swayed as he lay down on the bed next to them. “Come on, give me a massage. I’ve been exhausted lately.”

Chu Qing curiously asked, “What have you been doing to get so tired?”

“Work,” Peng Shang’en confidently replied, “I’ve been busy with tasks assigned by Brother Lin. Speaking of which, I really admire Brother Lin.”

“Why?”

“I only did a small part of the work, probably about ten percent, and I’m so exhausted every night that I can’t move. Brother Lin took care of most of it and still manages to work long hours.”

Peng Shang’en marveled, “He’s truly something. I heard that Shu You was on a business trip a few days ago, and Brother Lin didn’t even go home during that time.”

As soon as the words fell, Shu You felt a stir in his heart.

He quickly got up, found a random excuse, and left the massage room.

He walked through the corridor, turned a corner, and reached the small room where they had just soaked in the hot spring. Following his memory, Shu You found the same door and approached the folding screen. He noticed that the hot spring pool was already empty, but the lights in the shower room next to it were on. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard a muffled groan from inside.

A sound that was dark, restrained, and suppressed.

A sound that evoked a sense of familiarity.