Smile Code (Lost Laughter) 失笑 - Zhu Le 祖乐

26

A man with a self-restraint personality, translated, means-harmless.

"Then what happened?"

"I replied to him that it was just a joke. He said, although he was a little offended, he was still in a good mood because the actress herself likes scumbags."

"What did you say?"

"I said, 'That depends on how scummy you are.' After saying that, I went upstairs. There's no way I would let him know that my heart was racing."

Yu Dule gave a thumbs up.

"I'll never believe again that comedy can dissolve sensuality. When Xu Guanrui got close to me, I clearly felt that at that moment, I was the most captivating sight on the whole of Xiangyang North Road. A woman with long hair, standing alone in the rain, unsure of how to get home-Xu Guanrui would be lying if he didn't feel something."

"Yes, the Cinderella version has changed. Before, it was the kind and pitiful girl who hurriedly ran away, leaving behind a shoe, which the prince found. Now, it's the wicked woman who cuts off the back of her heel and has the prince apply a band-aid." Yu Dule leisurely ordered more drinks. He had mastered the art of remembering both the number of drinks and continuing the conversation, still sharp-tongued: "Why don't you mention how your stand-up routine pierced someone's heart? Which man in the room wouldn't feel like they were being scolded?"

"This is really just a joke. The audience doesn't need to rush to think of themselves as scumbags; many are still far from that level. They just take things out of context and think they're bad, without realizing they're not even attractive."

"You're the toxic one."

"Those two weeks of undercover work were like being pua-ed; I was constantly asked if I had a household registration, how much I earned, what I liked to do... At that moment, I realized I have no value in the marriage market. I was just doing a survey, but those girls who were truly in the dating scene were being beaten down over time. Even if they got married, their self-esteem would probably be very low."

Gu Yi sat on the couch, her legs draped over the armrest, her body leaning against the backrest, chatting with Yu Dule in a relaxed manner, while avoiding a potentially ambiguous encounter. The rain was too heavy, and Xu Guanrui, very restrained, tentatively asked if he should drive her home. After being declined, he smiled and said goodbye, his kindness only skimming the surface. Neither of them mentioned exchanging contact information, and when Xu Guanrui lowered his car window, he simply said, "See you next time at Ounce."

She thought this kind of guy was interesting: they would tread carefully, and the moment a woman showed any hint of rejection, they would immediately step back, even pretending to be still-if they went unnoticed, they wouldn't lose face.

In contrast, Liang Daiwen, although he had some emotional communication barriers and didn't care much, ever since meeting her, had been hopping between carriages and pretending to be a tree, even getting his arm injured by a beer bottle, embarrassing himself all day long.

Yu Dule took out wet wipes and carefully wiped every round table, his fingers brushing the corner of a table that had been damaged by a man during a past incident, lightly smoothing over it. Gu Yi suddenly remembered, "By the way, how did you and Guan Xingxin become a couple?"

"We didn't," Yu Dule replied. "We never said it."

"Huh?"

Yu Dule wasn't the type to talk much about his personal life, but Gu Yi could still pick up on clues. During their group outings, though Lu Ming had subtly expressed his feelings, Guan Xingxin clearly favored Yu Dule more. According to Guan Xingxin's assessment, Yu Dule was romantic, interesting, and carefree. As Yu Dule appeared on stage more frequently, he would subtly weave jokes into their conversations with Guan Xingxin, hiding his nervousness, but as long as Guan Xingxin wasn't looking, he would punch his chest and take deep breaths. Pretending to be mature and humorous, in reality, every time he went upstairs, his heart almost exploded from uncertainty. Guan Xingxin never knew. Then one day, on a rainy night, Yu Dule was waiting for the rain to stop in the living room when Guan Xingxin suddenly called him from the bathroom. Yu Dule opened the door a crack, and Guan Xingxin stood in the bathtub, steam swirling around her. She asked, "Can you turn off the light for me?"