Smile Code (Lost Laughter) 失笑 - Zhu Le 祖乐

41

Until you no longer feel embarrassed.

Yu Dule's laughter had already spread over, infecting Lu Ming and Guan Xingxin, who also began to laugh-loud enough for the whole street to hear. Gu Yi felt more deflated than ever, despite all the awkward moments she had endured before. While other people's romantic journeys seemed to be paved with flowers, hers was riddled with stumbling blocks, as abundant as a reflexology path.

She wanted to climb down from Liang Daiwen, but the fact that she was pinned against the wall served as a stark reminder: this wasn't some moment of deep passion from him-it was all about removing the nipple cover stuck to her butt.

The embarrassment stung so deeply it hurt her heart. Clearly, she wasn't cut out for any idol drama scenarios. Being this careless, and considering Liang Daiwen had encountered similar things with her before, he would definitely seize this opportunity to mock her and enjoy her humiliation. This man had derived far too much joy at her expense-so much that she felt like charging him for it.

"Did you do this on purpose?"

With a sigh, Gu Yi reached out to take the nipple cover: "Don't say it. Whatever it is, it's all my fault."

Just as Liang Daiwen was about to speak, she covered his mouth with her hand. Deprived of his chance to retort, he playfully slapped the cover onto his own chest. The silicone pad now stuck to the black fabric of his shirt. As he helped Gu Yi down to the ground, he sighed, "Are you that afraid I'll mock you?"

As for the three people laughing uncontrollably behind them, they were even more unable to deal with his "who can tell whether I'm male or female" demeanor. Yu Dule said, "I'm done! I can't laugh anymore. Does emotional insensitivity mean you don't have a sense of humor either?"

Ignoring the commotion, Liang Daiwen handed two bags of specialty snacks to Guan Xingxin: "You guys divide these up. I'm heading home to edit some pictures. These were a gift from a teacher at the Disabled Persons' Federation; I don't usually eat this stuff."

After finishing, he nonchalantly patted his chest, pressing the nipple cover even more firmly in place, and turned to leave. When he glanced at Gu Yi, his face remained expressionless, but he gave her a deliberate wink. It wasn't cheeky or flirtatious, nor was it anything like the fake smiles from old Korean dramas. It was just a harmless, half-hearted gesture.

From behind, Guan Xingxin called out, "Liang Daiwen, the little rabbit is drunk! Take her home. We're leaving!"

They gave Liang Daiwen no chance to make a suave exit. He turned around and shouted, "She won't let me take her."

It must have been a grudge from the last time she read scripts with Xu Guanrui. The nipple cover made Gu Yi unsure where to direct her gaze. She wouldn't even dare to dream of such a scenario. Ever since meeting Liang Daiwen, whether in life or concerning this man, it felt like God was always cheating at cards.

The early summer breeze brushed past them. Liang Daiwen never once removed the nipple cover. Gu Yi felt increasingly like she was being punished. "So, are you deliberately humiliating me...?"

"I'll keep it on until you no longer feel embarrassed."

Gu Yi's face instantly turned red. This wasn't about overcoming embarrassment-it was because she liked him. Yet, once again, her romantic moment had been interrupted by a nipple cover. Now, just looking at it made her want to sigh in regret. Liang Daiwen's ability to empathize was deeply flawed. He didn't react when it was appropriate to laugh, but when laughter was entirely unwarranted, he kept throwing her cues and cracking jokes, as if his signals were entirely on a different wavelength. However, the way he shifted the embarrassment onto himself-his single-mindedness-was oddly... touching.