He is Too Stingy, This Sand Sculpture Cannon Fodder

Peng Shang’en is completely confused.

“It’s okay,” Shu You said with emotion, “we had a second chance to meet later, and this time…”

“…Did you bring an umbrella this time?”

“It wasn’t raining, why would I bring an umbrella?” Shu You glanced at him as if he were a fool, then covered his chest and blushed, “He was going back to his country this time, so I came back with him.”

Peng Shang’en was completely lost and didn’t understand.

He could only applaud and say, “So romantic, so great.”

“I wish I could have a love like that!” He had been single for many years and had always been longing for it!

Ling Mingxu listened to the whole conversation and thought to himself, “…”

Shu You’s story about their first meeting wasn’t even punctuated correctly.

He rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Shu You immediately sat up straight and obediently replied, “Yes, my good boyfriend.”

Peng Shang’en was hit again and didn’t want to ask any more questions.

The food came quickly and a table full of exquisite dishes was presented. It was indeed a high-end restaurant, with large plates and small portions. Shu You took one bite after another, chewing each bite for a long time, or she would be hungry waiting for the next dish.

While eating, the waiter came over and said that the next dish would take a while, so Shu You drank too much tea and decided to go to the bathroom.

For a high-end restaurant, the restroom was also very elegant, individually furnished at the end of the hallway, with a faint fragrance inside and two rooms. Shu You almost couldn’t find the place.

As he walked in, a young man came towards him, dressed neatly in a suit, but without a tie, with his collar loosened, giving off a somewhat carefree vibe.

Shu You walked in casually, taking a quick glance at him, and then paused slightly.

The man slowed down his movements, turned his head slightly, and stared at Shu You without blinking.

At first, Shu You didn’t notice, and did his own thing. When he finished, he came out to wash his hands, and the man also walked over, turned on the faucet, and smiled, “I seem to have seen you somewhere.”

… Who is this person?

Shu You blinked his eyes and took a quick glance at him, but didn’t recognize him, so he didn’t say anything.

The man was surprised that there were only two people in the room, and Shu You didn’t respond when he spoke. He paused briefly, then smiled and said, “Is your name Shu You?”

Shu You shook his head, “No.”

No?

The man was confused, lowered his head to check his phone, flipped through the chat history, found a photo, and held it up to compare it, muttering to himself, “Yes, although the clothes are different, and the temperament has changed a bit…”

Shu You glanced at it with the corner of his eye and saw that it was a photo of the original owner.

The man felt more and more convinced that this was the person, and asked in disbelief, “Are you really not Shu You?”

“I’m really not.”

Shu You innocently and sincerely asked, “Do you have any business with him?”

“I…”

The man was a little stunned, realizing that he didn’t really have any business with Shu You, he just happened to run into him and some old thoughts came back.

“Never mind,” he put away his phone, put on a smile again, and reached out his hand. “Whoever you are, I’d like to get to know you.”

Shu You blushed and lowered his eyes. “You haven’t washed your hands.”

The man: “…”

His face turned red, he scooped some water haphazardly, cleared his throat, “That’s not the point.”

Shu You curiously asked, “What is the point?”

“The point is, I believe there’s always someone in the world who you will accidentally meet in a beautiful place.”

Shu You was taken aback. “Are you talking about the King of Hell and Heaven? I’m not going.”

The man: “???”

He gritted his teeth and forcibly squeezed out the next sentence, “You’re really good at joking, hehe.”

“Leave me your contact information, we can hang out when we’re free?”

Shu You thought about it seriously and declined politely, “No, I’m usually busy.”

The man: …………….

He failed again, it was too frustrating.

After washing his hands, Shu You hummed a tune and went back to finish his meal. When he was done, he followed Lin Mingxu to the parking lot. Halfway there, feeling satisfied with his meal, he patted his belly absentmindedly.

Distracted by his full stomach, he didn’t notice Peng Shang’en running towards him after paying the bill.

“Hey, Shu You! You forgot to take your dessert!” he said, handing over a takeout box.

“Oh, right,” Shu You said, turning around to take the box. Suddenly, he felt a menacing presence behind him. The man he had met in the bathroom earlier rushed over, gritting his teeth in anger. “Why did you deceive me?”

Without hesitation, Shu You let out a sigh. “That’s just life.”

“What do you mean?” the man asked.

Shu You casually looked around, avoiding eye contact. “Either you deceive others, or you get deceived by others.”

“Hmm, that makes sense,” the man said, almost convinced.

Wait a minute, Shu You thought. He suddenly came back to his senses and laughed instead of getting angry. “Shu You, you’re quite interesting.”

“Last time, your friend mentioned you to me, but I didn’t take it seriously. It seems like fate that we meet again.”

“If I had known how interesting you were, I would have asked him for your number.”

Last time? Friend? Shu You couldn’t help but remember a midnight phone call.

Later, he had blocked the number, so he didn’t know the details. But from what he heard on the phone, it was probably related to that incident.

…It seemed like the blame fell on him once again.

Shu You shook his head, saying firmly, “It’s impossible. I only have a connection with winning the lottery.”

The man’s mouth twitched, at a loss for words. Just then, Lin Mingxu noticed that Shu You wasn’t following and turned around to look.

He was tall and had a striking presence, with a clear gaze fixed on Shu You. As soon as the man noticed him, his interest seemed to intensify, and his tone became more playful. “Hey, Shu You, can I get your contact info?”

“Maybe I can give you more,” Shu You replied with a smile.

“Hmm…”

Shu You didn’t expect this man to be so persistent, almost as much as Lu Chenbi. He smiled and replied, “You’re mistaken.”

“Mistaken about what?”

“I’m not with him because he gives me more.”

The man snorted, but Shu You’s words were clear and he was still curious. “Then why are you with him?”

Shu You blushed and said, “Because he’s handsome.”

The man instinctively clutched his chest, looking like he’d been stabbed in the heart.

Ling Mingxu had already walked up to them.

Without asking, he seemed to understand what had happened to Shu You.

He raised his arm and placed his warm hand gently on Shu You’s shoulder, exerting a slight pressure as he asked in a deep voice, “Shu You?”

“Hey!” Shu You’s voice rose, and he revealed a joyful smile. “Boyfriend, let’s go home!”

His tone was high and cheerful, with a little hook, as if he were acting cute.

Ling Mingxu calmly surveyed the man across from them, searching his memory for a moment before failing to recall his name.

They have already come to this point, and the man’s face can hardly be held up anymore. However, he still wants to say a few words to salvage some dignity, and reluctantly opens his mouth to ask, “What does your boyfriend do?”

Suddenly, Shu You approaches Lin Mingxu and hugs his arm, smiling and saying, “He’s my boyfriend.”

…The person in front of them finally leaves in anger.

Peng Shang’en shakes his head in amazement.

Before Lin Mingxu can even speak, Shu You has already let go of his arm and bounced off to find the car. Peng Shang’en couldn’t help but say to Lin Mingxu, “Brother Lin, I really envy you.”

Although the Lin family has encountered some trouble and Lin Mingxu seems to have nothing, he is still talented and capable. Sooner or later, he will be able to turn things around by himself.

Not to mention, he has also gained…sincere love!

Peng Shang’en is jealous and sourly mutters, “You two have such a good relationship…you bought medicine for Shu You today, didn’t you?”

“I used to think you were the one who would get married the latest among us, but I didn’t expect you to have a day like this…”

Lin Mingxu pauses for a moment.

Peng Shang’en continues, “Really, I never thought I would see you like this… Brother Lin, I won’t say anything useless, I just hope you’re doing well.”

Suddenly, Lin Mingxu asks back, “Do you think I’m doing well now?”

“Yes, yes,” Peng Shang’en responds, confused. “You and Shu You are doing well, right?” And his career is also going smoothly, he’s a winner in life.

No.

It’s not like that.

Lin Mingxu’s eyes darken.

If he had a choice, he wouldn’t want to go back to this moment.

Because the tragedy of the Lin family, Lin Mingxu’s parents…everything that shouldn’t have happened has already happened and is irreversible – even if Shu You changes, what does it matter?

To him, everything is just as it always was.

He didn’t respond to Peng Shang’en, but sat in the car as if nothing had happened.

They quickly arrived at the residential area, Peng Shang’en waved goodbye to them, and Shu You briskly walked into the elevator, suddenly noticing a warm reminder posted inside.

It was posted by the property management and roughly stated that winter had arrived, hoping that the owners would actively pay their heating fees so that the overall temperature of the building would rise, and they wouldn’t be complaining about the cold after paying for heating…

Upon seeing this reminder, Shu You immediately felt dejected, like a wilted winter cabbage.

It was almost time to sleep, so he entered the room feeling sulky. After washing up, he lay on the bed with his limbs spread out and stared blankly at the ceiling for five minutes.

After a while, Shu You got up with a roll and came to Lin Mingxu, grinning, “Lin Mingxu, do you still have any money left?”

Lin Mingxu’s expression remained calm. “Not much, why do you ask?”

After returning to the country, he only had some savings from before, and he had spent most of it by now.

As for the money from investors, it still had to go through a process, and it might take several months to actually receive it.

Shu You sighed and said, “So, should we pay the heating fee or not?”

They could choose not to pay, but their house would definitely not be as warm as others. Shu You was afraid of both cold and heat, and he would suffer for the next few months.

Lin Mingxu’s expression remained unchanged, and he calmly replied, “We don’t have the money to pay.”

On the way back, he suddenly figured out something.

His original idea was not to care about Shu You’s changes. However, it was evident that Shu You’s change had already affected him and caused some things to deviate from their original path.

Maybe…

He should control this variable and gradually guide it back to its proper form.

Lin Mingxu looked deeply at Shu You and said frankly, “I’m already out of money.”

“Okay, then. Heating fees are indeed quite expensive.”

Shu You got up from the bed, and his delicate facial features twisted into a knot. Lin Mingxu unconsciously tensed his body and stared at his every move.

He saw Shu You slowly gather his own quilt, folded it twice, and hugged it in his arms – as if he was going to leave.

Lin Mingxu’s eyes grew deeper, and his knuckles unconsciously curved.

And then…

Shu You puffed up the quilt onto Lin Mingxu’s blanket, slipped back into the bed with a swish, and quickly wrapped himself up into a ball.

Lin Mingxu: ……???

Shu You grinned happily and said, “No worries! I’ll go buy an electric blanket tomorrow. If that doesn’t work, we can sleep together and use two more blankets!”