He is Too Stingy, This Sand Sculpture Cannon Fodder

….. D*mn it.

The moment the words were spoken, Lin Mingxu’s face turned pale. Why did he have to act like Shu You and go crazy like him?

On the other end of the phone, Shu You was also shocked. “Lin Mingxu, you…”

He struggled to find the right words, feeling like his brain couldn’t process it.

Is this phone call real?

Is it Lin Mingxu?

Is it really you?

Yes…

Shu You was stunned, but the call abruptly ended. Shortly after, Lin Mingxu walked up to him and gritted his teeth. “Come with me.”

“What?”

His expression twisted, leaving Shu You dumbfounded. He was too scared to move, and Lin Mingxu decisively took hold of him and pulled him into the room.

Once inside, Shu You suddenly snapped back to reality. “What are you…”

“Yes.”

Lin Mingxu gritted his teeth. “I’m staying in this room.”

“So, that voice earlier…”

“It was me.”

Lin Mingxu emphasized each word. “At that time, I didn’t know it was you next door.”

“Then why did you…”

“…”

Lin Mingxu took a deep breath but didn’t answer immediately.

He himself couldn’t understand why he came to this city, why he stayed in the same hotel, why he pretended it was a coincidence.

This feeling was too unfamiliar. Even in his reincarnated state, everything felt new and like a first-time experience for him.

Meanwhile, Shu You’s mind became a mess, trying to process the situation.

After a moment, he finally reacted and couldn’t help but blurt out, “So, there’s no haunting next door?”

Lin Mingxu’s temples throbbed. “…No.”

“And there’s no undercover agent?”

Lin Mingxu sighed. “…No.”

“Then…”

Shu You suddenly realized. “Lin Mingxu, you lied to me!”

What about the bird outside the window? What about it flying away? Ah, why is the truth like this?

He had a cold at that time, and his head was a bit dizzy. He didn’t think much about it!

After all, who could have expected that, with Lin Mingxu’s thick eyebrows and big eyes… huh? This phrase sounds familiar, did I say it somewhere before?

Shu You was so angry that his hair stood on end and he vigorously shook himself. “I’m getting angry!”

Lin Mingxu: “…”

Shu You turned around in place, realizing that he couldn’t do anything to Lin Mingxu. This made him even angrier, muttering to himself, “You actually fooled me.”

He actually believed it!

Even more furious!

Like a little puppy biting its own tail in place, he almost howled in anger. Lin Mingxu stiffened, pondered for a moment, and couldn’t help but say, “It’s my fault.”

But in that moment of madness, one lie needed a thousand more lies to make up for it.

And this wasn’t the first time.

The incident with the cup before…

Lin Mingxu’s breath hitched—it was all because of Shu You.

Not because of Shu You, but because of Shu You.

It sounded convoluted, but now Lin Mingxu’s emotions were even more complex.

Like intertwining vines climbing layer by layer, entangled together; like an unsolvable knot.

However, now was clearly not the time to contemplate.

Lin Mingxu cleared his throat. “Shall we order takeout? You said you haven’t eaten enough, right?”

“I haven’t.”

Shu You didn’t let go of the takeout in his hand. Upon hearing this, he turned around and coldly said, “I’ll eat by myself!”

Lin Mingxu: “…”

Shu You walked back to his room in big strides, stood at the door, and Lin Mingxu caught up. “…Come to my room and eat.”

The young man forcefully turned his head to the right. “I won’t.”

Lin Mingxu twitched the corner of his mouth, helpless, and reminded him, “Have you found your room key?”

Shu You immediately turned his neck back. “…Not yet.”

Ah, why is it like this!

Lin Mingxu cleared his throat and took the initiative. “You eat first, I’ll go help you get a room key.”

Shu You grumbled, “But you’re not the person, how can you get a room key?”

Lin Mingxu: …Indeed.

He could only watch as Shu You disappeared in a hurry.

Shu You entered the elevator, still sulking, thinking about what to do.

How embarrassing!

It’s all because he trusted Lin Mingxu’s character too much, never thinking in any other direction!

No, if this continues, won’t he be played around by Lin Mingxu in circles?

Thinking of Lin Mingxu’s abilities and retaliatory methods from the original book, Shu You warned himself: Shu You, oh Shu You, have you forgotten the miserable fate of the original host? Have you forgotten the miserable fate of the antagonist? Have you forgotten the miserable fate of the antagonist’s son?

Lin Mingxu is the one who laughs last in the whole book—the big capitalist!

Absolutely cannot be fooled by him again!

So, Lin Mingxu waited in the room for a while until he received a message from Shu You.

Shu You: [Mmm, he pondered over the whole sentence and thought it was fine before sending it.]

It was neither excessive nor too cold, showing his indifference while politely declining Lin Mingxu. Very well—plus, he even said goodnight!

After sending it, Shu You secretly gave himself another thumbs up.

Lin Mingxu: …………………..

…The wind tonight is quite loud.

Lin Mingxu could feel a slight pain in his temples.

He walked up to Shu You’s room door, wanting to say something but hesitated. In the end, he raised his hand and knocked.

“Shu You.”

Shu You heard it, and he contemplated whether to open the door.

“… Shu You.”

He heard it again, and he was still contemplating whether to open the door.

Unable to bear it any longer, Lin Mingxu knocked on the door for the second time, saying, “Shu You.”

“You took away the takeout, how am I supposed to eat?”

Shu You: !!!

He was so absent-minded, he hadn’t noticed.

Awkwardly, he opened the door and reached out to hand over the takeout, but unexpectedly, Lin Mingxu abruptly leaned against the door. With a little force, he opened it directly and walked in.

Shu You didn’t expect him to do that and was stunned for a moment, “Lin Mingxu?”

The man walked in, closed the door, and stood in front of Shu You.

It was already late in the evening, and the surroundings were quiet. The man stood face to face with him, furrowing his brow and looking at him. For some reason, Shu You felt a bit guilty.

… What was he feeling guilty about?

But the way Lin Mingxu’s presence felt, it was as if he was coming to question him—clearly, it wasn’t his fault.

Shu You swallowed nervously, his hair standing on end, and stammered, “Well, I’m still angry.”

“We were arguing.”

Lin Mingxu raised an eyebrow, “What’s the reason for your anger?”

“Um…”

Shu You said awkwardly, “Because you deceived me? And I actually believed it?”

“I apologize.”

Lin Mingxu cut to the chase, very straightforwardly saying, “It was my mistake, please forgive me.”

“At the same time, I promise there won’t be a next time.”

“…”

He apologized so neatly and in such a standard way that Shu You was dumbfounded for a moment, “Is that it?”

“If you’re still angry,” Lin Mingxu paused and said seriously, “don’t stay angry for too long.”

“I remember you said that you won’t punish yourself for other people’s mistakes.”

That’s true, but…

The man’s deep and profound eyes were fixed on Shu You, as if he was only focused on him, reflecting his small image. Shu You opened his mouth, but suddenly couldn’t say anything.

Before Shu You could speak, Lin Mingxu continued, “I came here for another reason.”

Shu You: “…What?”

“The matter from when we were eating,” the man’s eyes darkened, “I already know about it.”

Shu You blushed, fortunately, he had his back to the light, so it wasn’t noticeable even if someone looked closely.

However, his fair and tender ears turned pink.

Lin Mingxu’s voice unintentionally softened as he said in a low voice, “Shu You, thank you.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Shu You felt like he was about to hiccup, his voice becoming airy, “Those two people are quite bad. I despise those kinds of people who act one way to your face and another way behind your back.”

He was afraid that Lin Mingxu would misunderstand, so he hurriedly explained, “Don’t take what they said seriously. Those two fellows are no different from trash!”

Lin Mingxu: “…What’s the difference?”

Shu You lifted his chin, decisively stating, “They’re alive!”

Lin Mingxu: …Yeah, that’s very Shu You.

After this conversation, Shu You’s attention had already shifted, and he wasn’t so angry anymore. He stood still in a daze for a while, watching as Lin Mingxu took the takeout from his hand and walked in, opening and arranging everything on the coffee table.

The food had already cooled down, but it didn’t affect its edibility. Lin Mingxu acted as if nothing had happened and said, “Do you want to eat together?”

Shu You felt like he should refuse, but…

Shu You took small steps and moved closer, telling himself, “There’s still a little bit of anger left. He should remember this feeling.”

Lin Mingxu had already taken apart the chopsticks, calmly asking, “Did you order the spicy one?”

“Yeah.”

Shu You hesitated for a moment and said, “The reviews said their spicy dishes are the best.”

Unexpectedly, in the next second, Lin Mingxu picked up a piece of crispy meat with his chopsticks and calmly handed it over, “Then why don’t you give it a try?”

“Um…”

Shu You’s eyes were fixed on that piece of crispy meat with its fragrant and tender interior and crispy exterior. The delicious aroma kept wafting into his nose. Maybe he should take a bite.

He could get angry again after finishing the food; there was still time for that.

So Shu You took a bite.

He couldn’t resist picking up his chopsticks.

And took another bite.

And another.

…The food box was empty.

Satisfied, he slumped on the sofa. Lin Mingxu took the takeout away and didn’t forget to softly say, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, boyfriend…”

Shu You felt drowsy and dizzy… Something seemed off.

Ah, so sleepy, don’t want to think about it…

He fell asleep.

The next morning, Shu You woke up unusually early.

Maybe it was because he ate too much the night before; he wasn’t really hungry in the morning. He took a stroll along the street outside the hotel, and when he came back, it was just a little past six.

On his phone, Duan Siqi had sent him a bunch of messages, each one a 60-second voice message, almost like the length of a song.

…Confirmed, it was an emotional issue.

Shu You had no intention of opening them, so he called Wu Youzhe, who was staying in a hotel on the adjacent street.

“Brother Wu, wake up! Let’s go, come pick me up quickly.”

Wu Youzhe, with sleepy eyes, glanced at the time. “…6:30 in the morning?”

“Yeah.”

Shu You said matter-of-factly, “We’ll go early for the shoot. Don’t want to delay the progress of the production team, right?”

Wu Youzhe:…That’s true, but why does it feel so strange coming from Shu You?

Unable to hold back, he asked, “Are you feeling better from your cold?”

“I’m all better!”

Shu You was full of energy. “I feel like a superhero now!”

Wu Youzhe:…Youth is truly a wonderful thing.

Shu You was in high spirits, and he should feel happy. Wu Youzhe rubbed his face, quickly got dressed, packed his things, and checked out. A few minutes later, he walked into Shu You’s room with a bottle of soy milk in hand. “Have you had breakfast?”

“I already ate.” Shu You proudly shook his head, “I even ran two kilometers!”

“Two kilometers!”

Wu Youzhe was amazed. “You actually went for a morning run?”

“Yes.”

Shu You proudly said, “I ran two kilometers before I found the Kaifeng dishes store.”

Wu Youzhe was curious, “…Do you want to eat Kaifeng dishes today?”

“No.” Shu You explained, “Because today is Freaky Thursday.”

Wu Youzhe:…Huh?

Not only did Shu You call him early in the morning, but he had also already packed his luggage. Wu Youzhe was concerned and tried to feel his forehead, realizing that he was indeed fine. They walked out together.

Just as they reached the corridor, they came face to face with a familiar face. Tang Le looked surprised at the travel bags in their hands. “Mr. Shu, you…”

Shu You’s hair stood up in an instant—oh no, would it work if he knocked Tang Le unconscious now?

He stuttered and stumbled, “Assistant Tang, what you saw wasn’t me. My name is You Shu! Nice to meet you!”

Tang Le: “…”

Just at that moment, the door next to them opened, and Lin Mingxu walked out. He looked at the situation and twitched his mouth, then looked at Shu You. “Are you leaving now?”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

Shu You nervously replied, “The production team is waiting for me alone. It would be impolite if I didn’t go early.”

Lin Mingxu fell silent.

Shu You turned his head anxiously, not looking at him, and said, “Oh, I booked the high-speed train tickets two nights ago. I didn’t tell you yesterday morning because I didn’t want to disturb your sleep…”

“And I left you a message!”

Lin Mingxu furrowed his brow slightly, “I didn’t receive it.”

“How is that possible?”

Shu You was shocked and skipped over to check the gap under the door. “I clearly put it in!”

Lin Mingxu’s temple throbbed. “…Why don’t you try carrier pigeons next time?”

“But then I would have to buy pigeons, right?” Shu You argued confidently, “Why buy them if I only need them once?”

Lin Mingxu:…The urge to assassinate arose within him again.

He couldn’t help but glance at the time; it was not even seven in the morning.

Lin Mingxu also noticed that Shu You still had a slight grudge in his heart.

Without revealing anything, the man simply said, his voice low and pleasant like a gentle breeze on a summer night, “Shu You, there are many things I don’t know. Do you want to know them?”

Shu You looked up in surprise, blinking his eyes. “How do you know everything?”

Lin Mingxu pondered for a moment, then sighed softly.

“Shu You.”

The man with deep, dark eyes stared at Shu You. There was a perplexing yet gentle emotion flowing silently between them. His voice was low and melodious, like a gentle summer breeze.

“I have many things I don’t know either. Would you like to know them?”