Walking back home.
The chubby neighbor was absent-minded, continuously recalling the three sentences the swimsuit girl had said to him after he was rescued ashore.
The first sentence, "Handsome, are you okay?"
The second sentence, "I just thought you looked cute and wanted to come over to meet you, but then you ended up drowning, I'm so sorry."
The third sentence, "Do you mind if I add you on WeChat?"
Three sentences, including punctuation, totaling 36 characters.
Every single word she uttered, every pair of words matched with her expression, were imprinted in his mind like photographs.
Paired with the swimsuit girl's cute expression, her unbeatable beauty, and perfect body... these images spread and fermented continuously in his mind.
"Ah..."
He let out a long, inexplicable sigh. For the three hundred twenty-seventh time, the chubby neighbor took out his phone, opened WeChat, and stared at the empty "new friend" chat box, lost in thought.
"Are you okay?" Chen Yu couldn't help asking.
"Ah....Ah? I'm fine." The chubby neighbor hastily put away his phone.
"Did you really fall for that girl?" Chen Yu said with a sly smile.
"..." After a brief silence, the chubby neighbor spoke hesitantly, "Why do you think she wanted to add me on WeChat?"
"She must like you," said Chen Yu bluntly.
"No... that's impossible," the neighbor faltered, "I've never been one to attract girls."
"That's because you used to be a 'worthless shut-in'."
"Aren't I still one now?"
"Although your title is still 'worthless shut-in', your actions and your demeanor have changed," Chen Yu gradually revealed his thoughts, "you've started exercising, sweating, trying hard to carry out your justice. You might not notice this change because you're in the middle of it, but it's crystal clear to an outsider!"
"Is that so..." the chubby neighbor was still somewhat incredulous.
"Of course!" Chen Yu stopped in his tracks, and with a pat on his neighbor's shoulder, said forcefully, "As the saying goes, Heaven rewards the diligent. Your efforts are not in vain; they can immediately change your life, your social circle. No matter when, a guy who is progressive and strives in sports will always attract girls."
"..."
Upon hearing this, the chubby neighbor lowered his head.
He stood there for a long time before suddenly changing direction and starting to jog.
"What are you doing?" Chen Yu was startled.
"I'm going to run a few laps tonight." The neighbor's eyes shone with determination, his tone full of fighting spirit.
"Good lad!" Chen Yu gave a thumbs up, "Then go on and run, I'm going back to sleep."
Watching his neighbor's figure disappear into the distance, Chen Yu stood with his hands on his hips, satisfied.
The power of love, indeed, could render a person... senseless.
...
Time, like a man in his thirties, moves faster day by day.
When dawn had not yet fully broken the next day, Chen Yu's door was knocked on.
Groggily opening his eyes, Chen Yu's mind was as muddled as paste as he blankly looked towards the door.
"Knock knock knock!"
"Open up!"
"Come on, big bro, open the door."
It was the voice of the chubby neighbor next door.
Chen Yu came to his senses, quickly became alert, tossed the blankets aside, staggered to the door, and opened it, "What's up?"
"Morning run!" The chubby neighbor, fully dressed in sportswear and wearing a baseball cap, was jogging in place, full of energy, "Let's go!"
Chen Yu turned and glanced at the clock on the wall, immediately becoming annoyed, "What the hell time do you think it is?"
Neighbor: "Running early means I can do more laps before it gets light."
Chen Yu: "..."
"Are you okay?" Chen Yu reached out, took off the neighbor's baseball cap, saw that his title was still 'worthless shut-in', then put it back on him, "You go ahead, I'm going to sleep some more. I played video games too late last night."
"Playing my video game console?" The chubby neighbor was stunned.
"Yeah, you threw it at me, didn't you." Saying so, Chen Yu closed the security door, went back to his bed, and lay down to sleep again.
"..."
"Knock knock knock!"
But just as he was about to fall asleep, the door was knocked on again.
Opening his bloodshot eyes, Chen Yu's face darkened. He got out of bed, walked to the door, and yanked it open angrily, "What do you want now!"
"Big bro, are you still not awake?" The panting chubby neighbor wiped the sweat from his brow, "I've already run two laps. Come on, let's go for a morning run together."
"Get lost. I'm not getting up before it's light out," Chen Yu closed the door sharply and lay back down on the bed.
"..."
"..."
"Knock knock knock knock!"
This time, before he could fall asleep, there was another knock on the door.
"Fuck your mom."
Chen Yu flung the blanket away angrily, fuming as he clenched his fists and charged to the door, yanking it open, "What now, huh?"
Outside, the chubby neighbor shrank back in fright, "Dawn... dawn is here, brother."
Chen Yu: "..."
Chubby neighbor: "Shall we... shall we go? For a morning jog."
"Where's my knife?" Chen Yu looked around.
"You left it at the swimming pool yesterday," the neighbor replied.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Chen Yu sighed, massaged his stiff face, and turned back into the house, "Wait for me to brush my teeth and wash my face."
After performing the basic brushing and washing, Chen Yu found a clean jacket and walked out of his home expressionlessly.
The eager neighbor was already waiting outside, "Let's run a few laps first, then have breakfast."
"How many laps have you run?" Chen Yu asked.
"Almost twenty laps."
"Huh." Chen Yu exhaled, "You're really fucking amazing."
The two set off together, one jogging and the other walking, and entered the elevator.
Unable to hold back his long-stewed anger, Chen Yu decisively slapped down, "Don't run in the elevator!"
"Smack."
Gaining a slap on the head, the chubby neighbor didn't seem to feel it and stopped, nodding his head, "Okay."
Then, he took out his phone, earnestly opened WeChat, and looked at the new message from the swimsuit girl, his face showing a foolish grin, "Hehe."
Chen Yu: "..."
"Tap tap tap tap—" With swift finger movements, the chubby neighbor sent a long reply, put down his phone, and turned to Chen Yu, "Big brother, let's not do the morning jog, let's just go straight to the swimming pool."
"You two making progress?" Chen Yu asked, side-eyeing him.
"Yeah." The chubby neighbor nodded, "We decided our future kids will attend the kindergarten in the city center."
Chen Yu was shocked.
"Ding—"
Half a minute later, the elevator doors opened.
The neighbor, full of anticipation, walked out with the numb-faced Chen Yu, only to run into two policemen.
One of them was an old acquaintance of Chen Yu—the policewoman who had arrested him before.
"Wow!" Chen Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Officer beauty!"
The policewoman looked stern, "..."
"What brings you here? And so early?"
"Conducting a surprise check on your title," she said coldly, introducing the policeman beside her, "This is a comrade from the Human Security Bureau."
"Hello, hello," Chen Yu greeted the other warmly, offering a handshake.
But the Security Bureau policeman coldly ignored him, took out a notepad, and said, "Chen Yu, right? Take off your hat."
Without any embarrassment, Chen Yu pulled his hand back, took off his hat, revealing the words "Worthless Otaku."
The chubby neighbor, witnessing this, became puzzled. He stepped back slightly without saying a word.
"No change in 'title,'" the Security Bureau policeman nodded, making a note in his notebook, "No problem."
"Indeed, such 'titles' suit you well," the policewoman rolled her eyes.
Then she noticed the chubby neighbor standing behind Chen Yu, her brows slightly raised, "Are you... the person who reported Chen Yu before?"
"I... ah," the chubby neighbor first carefully glanced at Chen Yu, then stiffly nodded to the policewoman, "Hello... Good morning."
"Has he retaliated against you since he returned," the policewoman asked.
"Tell her, have I retaliated against you?" Chen Yu turned his head and asked as well.
"No!" The chubby neighbor's face suddenly turned firm, he stood on tiptoes and hugged Chen Yu's shoulder, "He's my good big brother! The good brother who has changed my life and inspired me to grow!"
The policewoman: "..."
The policewoman: "If he coerced you, just blink."
The chubby neighbor and Chen Yu exchanged glances, then faced the policewoman with eyes wide open, not blinking.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three minutes...
The lobby of the apartment fell into brief silence.
Another minute, two minutes, three minutes...
With his face turning red and his eyes bloodshot and teary, the chubby neighbor could no longer resist blinking.
"I knew it!" The policewoman's expression changed, "He did coerce you!"
"Fuck this," Chen Yu cursed, "He can't not blink for the rest of his life, can he?"
...