Chapter 94: The Inarticulate Him and Her

“I’m heading back! See you tomorrow!”

“Alright, see you tomorrow.”

After seeing Long Tao off, Wu Rui sank back onto the sofa as if a burden had been lifted, letting out a deep sigh.

Why did everyone inexplicably become so gossipy?

Wu Rui couldn’t fathom it; was such a thing truly that interesting?

He finished the now-cool plain water, then tossed the plastic cup into the waste bin.

“I’m going upstairs now.”

“Alright, go take a shower and get some rest!”

Having spoken with his father, he picked up his schoolbag and ascended the stairs behind the bar.

Unlike the relatively refined decor outside, the staircase behind the bar was not only narrow but also left bare, with gray concrete exposed directly—its surface tinged a faint orange by the solitary small light bulb overhead.

The stairs themselves were also constructed from concrete blocks; he trod upon these rough steps, ascending one by one until he reached his front door.

The front door was unlocked, so he simply pushed open the slightly rusted security door and stepped back inside.

Wu Rui’s home was sparsely furnished and decorated, maintaining a minimalist aesthetic; though its actual area was not large, it nonetheless conveyed a sense of spaciousness.

No lights were on inside the house; the streetlights from outside cast a faint glow through the small windows, offering a meager illumination to the interior.

Guided by this dim light, he switched on a lamp, though he refrained from illuminating the main living room light.

Feeling fatigued from playing basketball, he had no intention of lingering in the living room, planning instead to head straight to his room for rest after showering.

He went to the balcony to retrieve his pajamas, then proceeded to take a shower.

****

“Linxi, are you truly not going to have a late-night snack?”

Su Linxi, who had just showered and was now drying her hair, shook her head.

Amidst the whirring of the hairdryer, Zhong Tian sipped warm water, contemplating whether he should go up and help Su Linxi dry her hair.

Although his thoughts merely revolved around ‘reciprocity,’ he felt that such an action might be a bit too much for their current relationship.

‘Perhaps it’s better not to…’

“Linxi, I’m about to continue working on the storyboards for the latest chapter of my manga.

I was hoping you could take a look and offer some suggestions.”

“Mmm.” Su Linxi unplugged the hairdryer, placing it back in the cabinet.

She tossed her long hair, then stood up and declared, “Let’s begin.”

****

Wu Rui emerged from the shower, dressed in a vest and shorts.

His hair was quite short, so a quick rub with a towel was enough to almost dry it, saving him the time of blow-drying.

The moment he stepped out of the bathroom, he heard the clatter of dishes from the kitchen.

‘Mom must be home from work.’

“Mom? What are you doing?”

“Washing dishes.

Your dad forgot to clean them after dinner again.”

“Oh, do you need any help?”

“No need, I’m almost done.

You go back to sleep.”

“…Alright then, Mom, you should get some rest soon too.”

“Okay.”

Returning to his room, Wu Rui used the remote to switch on the air conditioner, setting it to a timer mode that would automatically turn off at three in the morning.

He sat down at his somewhat old wooden desk and opened his phone.

‘Zhong Tian’s manga is called—’

‘The Inarticulate Him and Her.’

He typed the manga title into his browser, but the search results instead showed a light novel serialized on the BLB light novel website.

‘The author is named “Su Linxi”… this probably isn’t Zhong Tian, is it?’

He clicked on it and observed closely, discovering that the novel had a manga adaptation.

Following the instructions, he downloaded the Mantang app and found the manga version of ‘The Inarticulate Him and Her’ within it.

The manga’s author was named “Kezhong,” which seemed to be correct.

This manga was a highly popular work on the platform, currently ranking first on the monthly chart in the romantic comedy section.

‘How impressive…’

Wu Rui opened the manga’s comment section, where almost all remarks were positive, yet interspersed among them were some rather peculiar long posts…

[Teacher Kezhong!!!! (screaming) (crawling forward distortedly) (grimacing) (running forward) (falling to the ground) (crawling forward distortedly) (screaming) (attempting to stand up) (running forward) (falling to the ground) (screaming) (struggling to stand up) (sprinting) (drooling) (crawling in the shadows) (screaming) (twisting) (crawling in the shadows) (screaming) (twisting) (crawling in the shadows) (screaming) (crawling) (writhing) (splitting) (squirming in the shadows) (rolling) (scrambling intensely) (twisting) (convulsing) (screaming) (squirming) (ominous growl) (crawling) (splitting) (crawling ashore) (writhing) (convulsing) (squirming) (walking distortedly) (attacking indiscriminately)]

[I’m truly speechless.

Today, I bundled myself up completely—hat, mask, scarf, gloves, long sleeves, long pants, and a jacket—I was practically boiling.

Yet, even like that, people still cast envious and jealous glances my way.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.

I ripped off my mask and snatched away my scarf.

Grabbing someone who was staring, I loudly demanded, “What are you looking at!!!”

The person was stunned, stammering for a long time without forming a complete sentence.

After a moment, they pointed at me, turned their head to the person next to them, and exclaimed, “Holy cow! It really *is* Teacher Kezhong’s boyfriend.”]

[I haven’t seen any photos of Teacher Kezhong myself, and I truly don’t understand this obsessive behavior you all display towards her.

I believe we should distinguish between reality and the internet; she may be beautiful, but ultimately, she’s not someone we can touch.

We must live in the real world, thinking about practical matters daily and enriching our own lives, rather than constantly staring at Teacher Kezhong.

We must pursue our own happiness and absolutely not be blinded by things online.

My life is very fulfilling; next Wednesday is my wedding to Teacher Kezhong, so everyone remember to come and celebrate.]

[Don’t be a barber! Teacher Kezhong’s solo fan group number: 383035055!

Come to the group if you have something to say, rawr!]

Wu Rui’s face instantly crumpled into the bewildered expression of an old man staring at his phone on the subway.

‘What in the world is all this?!’

‘Why are there so many strangely long, incomprehensible comments?’

‘Isn’t this supposed to be the manga’s comment section?

Shouldn’t everyone be discussing the plot?

Instead, it feels like a discussion forum for Zhong Tian’s fervent fan club…’

[#CheckingNetizensMentalState]

Wu Rui didn’t understand, but he was profoundly shaken; his curiosity about the composition of Teacher Kezhong’s fanbase even surpassed his interest in the manga itself.

Consequently, he copied the Teacher Kezhong solo fan group number and sent a join request via QQ.

The group, comprising thousands of members, was named: ‘We Will Always Love Teacher Kezhong!!!’

A question was set for joining the group: “Teacher Kezhong’s representative work is _______.”

The question itself seemed rather proper, creating quite a jarring contrast when compared to the group’s name.

He switched back to the Mantang app to check “Kezhong”’s works.

“Kezhong” had only two works: one titled ‘Leafage,’ and the other, ‘The Inarticulate Him and Her.’

‘It must be ‘Leafage.’

‘The Inarticulate Him and Her’ is a new work and an adaptation of a novel, so it probably isn’t her representative work.’

He typed in ‘Leafage,’ clicked confirm, and waited.

In less than a minute, his application was approved.

[Welcome, newcomer!]

[Joining this group at such a young age, your future is surely doomed.]

[Newcomer, let me swiftly… and decisively give you a rundown! (Eager)]

[The characteristic revealing of one’s true colors and impatience unique to homos.

(Utterly infuriated)]

[Only because the newcomer is too beautiful.]

[The little chick has revealed its black feet, hasn’t it.]

‘This is way too abstract…’

The messages flooded in so rapidly that his phone vibrated incessantly; he even had to specifically turn off the vibration function.

[Newcomer, why are you just watching!]

[Have you truly betrayed us!?]

Wu Rui remained silent for a long time, utterly at a loss for words, so he simply sent a random panda emoji.

Just then, someone with an administrator title appeared: [Hello, newcomer~ We know what you’re here for~ Teacher Kezhong’s 4K beautiful photos are in the group album~ Please view them with a pure heart~]

[‘Purity’]

[‘Purity’]

[After using them, one’s mood truly feels very pure.]

[This one is truly a heavyweight.]

[Elaborate on “using.”]

‘…Photos?’

He opened the group album and found that it was categorized: one section was “Rei Ayanami Cosplay Collection,” and the other was “Casual Wear Collection.”

He clicked on the Rei Ayanami Cosplay Collection and then opened one of the photos.

The “girl” in the photo, clad in a white bodysuit, with long blue hair reaching her waist, an flawless pretty face, and graceful bodily curves, immediately captivated Wu Rui’s gaze.

‘Without a doubt, this person is Zhong Tian…’

Observing the photo’s background—though heavily blurred—he could still generally discern that it had been taken at a comic convention.

‘So Zhong Tian also has an interest in this sort of thing…’

Unconsciously, he had already finished appreciating the dozen-plus photos in the Rei Ayanami Cosplay Collection.

Next, he clicked on the Casual Wear Collection.

In these photos, Zhong Tian wore a shirt and a long skirt, simple yet elegant, exuding a full sense of youthful femininity.

The backdrop for these shots was also a comic convention.

The quality of these photos was remarkably high, almost resembling professional portraits, leading Wu Rui to wonder if Zhong Tian might also have a side gig as a model.

He gazed at the images, pondering for a long time, but ultimately decided to follow his instincts and save the pictures.

‘Ahem…’

[Thank you.]

[No need to thank us, newcomer~]

[As long as you like Teacher Kezhong, we are friends forever!]

[Ah—I really want to be Teacher Kezhong’s dog…]

Wu Rui still couldn’t quite tolerate the group, so he set it to ‘do not disturb,’ exited QQ, and then opened the Mantang app to start the first chapter of Zhong Tian’s manga, ‘The Inarticulate Him and Her.’

‘I almost forgot my original purpose…’

He settled his mind and began to read the manga intently.

****