You don't necessarily know your friend, so we have to watch what we say and do.----Excerpt from Hua Xin's Collected Writings.
"Remember? You're supposed to ask what kind of people he likes." (Click.) (Click.)
Xia Yan pointed at the "fashionable"... uh, man standing off to the side, striking poses and waiting for some passing photographer to take a ton of pictures of him.
The other man wore a black hood with dreadlocks attached, making his face impossible to see. Judging by his height and build, there was no doubt he was a man.
"Remember, ask about his type."
"Don't be scared. I'm right behind you."
Xia Yan spoke to Hua Xin while eating cookies. He finished a packet in two or three bites, then gently patted the girl's shoulder.
Hua Xin: ????
With her legs feeling weak, Hua Xin nodded dazedly.
In reality, she hadn't heard a word Xia Yan said. Her mind was filled with panic at the thought of interviewing a stranger alone.
(Xia Yan, I'm going to kill you??.)
(You said you'd let me?? What happened...)
(This person is dressed all in black and even wearing a hood...)
(Could he be in some kind of gang??)
(No, what gangs are there nowadays? Ahahaha??)
Two whirlpools seemed to appear in the girl's eyes as Xia Yan pushed her dazedly toward the man.
(It's okay...)
(There aren't any gangs, girl. Don't be scared??...)
"Hmm?"
"Damn, m3, what the hell is up, bro."
The hooded man looked at Hua Xin, who was a head shorter than him and holding a gel pen, then at Xia Yan behind her, filming him with a camera and phone. He asked suspiciously,
Yet the excitement in his voice was impossible to hide.
He had been standing there all morning. Finally, someone with discerning eyes had come to interview him.
"Uh..."
Hua Xin nervously took two steps back.
(What is he saying? Is he going to kill me? So scary. Is this the thing? Why does he have a West Coast accent? So scary, so scary. Could he be a rer?)
The girl turned around, intending to run, but saw Xia Yan smiling sweetly and pointing at the camera.
"Don't run, or your classmates and teachers will all see Hua Xin running away."
Xia Yan seemed to be saying this silently.
The girl silently turned back around.
(What kind of friend is this...)
(He's a bad person??.)
Her half-lowered sleeve hid her little hand. Holding the gel pen like a microphone, Hua Xin's hand trembled up and down as she stammered, "Excuse me..."
"Could I ask what your mo... mo..."
Hua Xin froze.
What was it again?
She hadn't remembered what Xia Yan had said!
"Bro, m3damn, what is it? Me m3, I'm m3 running out of m3 time here."
The hooded man pretended to be impatient, but his ears inside the hood had practically stood straight up as he waited intently for the girl's question.
"Type, type..." Xia Yan reminded her softly.
Oh, right!
Hua Xin suddenly remembered, and a little confidence entered her voice.
"What, what type of people do you hate most?"
"Hey, bro, m3, bro m3, is this some new segment? M3, it has a lot of meaning."
The hooded man waved his crossed hands around, showing off his empty eloquence, then answered seriously:
"I hate girls who wear that m3, Lolita stuff the most. Don't they think those clothes look weird and cumbersome? M3, and then they put on such huge petticoats, as if they're afraid people won't know what m3 they're wearing."
"They're really annoying, m3."
Hua Xin: ?? (Realization, yet utter confusion.)
Xia Yan: ?? (Breaking into a cold sweat.)
"Thank you for cooperating. Uh... please wait here for a moment. Our segment still needs to interview some other people. We'll come back and continue with you later, handsome."
Xia Yan promptly ended the interview, then quickly dragged the girl away.
"Me wait for you, bro."
"M3~"
The hooded man's voice came from behind them. Xia Yan walked to a nearby corner, watched the recorded interview on his phone, and twitched the corner of his mouth.
Their assignment seemed destined to exceed everyone's expectations.
Originally, Xia Yan had wanted the theme to be "What kind of people do you like?" They would interview a few people and awkwardly gather together afterward.
He hadn't expected it to turn into a scene where enemies met face-to-face so soon.
Still, it felt pretty interesting!
They only needed to run before anyone started fighting??.
With the corners of his mouth slightly raised, Xia Yan turned to look at the culprit.
Hua Xin leaned against the wall with her head held high and her arms crossed, looking very proud of her performance just now.
Who said she had social anxiety?
Who?
Who said that??!!
"That was a great interview."
"Come on, let's find our next lucky audience member."
Xia Yan didn't blame Hua Xin. Instead, he continued encouraging her.
(I haven't forgotten that you threatened me just now...)
The girl gave him a dark look.
A few minutes later.
"Ex-excuse me... what type of people do you hate most?"
Compared with last time, the girl was clearly more practiced now, though she still kept her head lowered.
The Lolita-clad girl stole a few glances at Xia Yan behind Hua Xin. A flash of delight passed through her eyes.
"Ahem. Well, the kind I hate most are those Skinny Dogs—skinny arms and legs, yet always shouting like some street punk."
The Lolita girl rolled her eyes?? and spoke disdainfully.
"Okay, thank you for your answer. We'll come back and continue the interview later. Please don't leave."
Xia Yan stopped the recording on the camera and phone, then calmly spoke to the Lolita girl.
His smile was too lethal when aimed at girls. For Hua Xin's sake, it was clearly best to avoid any further accidents.
He then tugged on the girl's sleeve and hurried away.
Hua Xin: (Proud.)
A few minutes later.
"What do you think of this gentleman in the photo?"
Because the assignment required every member to appear on camera, Xia Yan was now holding the gel pen and interviewing a thin, tall young man in white shorts and a white T-shirt sitting beside a flower bed.
Xia Yan handed Skinny Dog a photo of the hooded man on his phone.
Skinny Dog frowned slightly, then said, "Ah, this guy? He looks fashionable, interesting, very..."
Xia Yan: "Tell the truth."
Skinny Dog: "He looks hideous. He doesn't look like Batman; he looks like Gray Wolf sneaking around in Lazy Sheep's down jacket."
"Cut."
Xia Yan gestured to the girl, who was holding the camera in one hand and the phone in the other, then quickly took them from her.
(I'm exhausted...??)
(I want to go home...??)
Under her clothes and mask, the girl's hair had already been soaked with sweat and stuck to her forehead and cheeks. A faint flush had risen in her face.
Her physical fitness was truly awful.
"Come with us for a bit and complete the segment?"
"No problem, bro. I'm a street drifter anyway."
A few minutes later.
The hooded man, the Lolita girl, and Skinny Dog stood together, staring at one another.
Hooded Man: "M3, sis, your outfit's pretty good."
Lolita Girl: "You're too kind, you're too kind. You too, you too. Ah, this big brother's pretty handsome too."
Skinny Dog: "Thanks for the compliment, thanks. You all look good too."
It was clearly an incredibly harmonious scene???.
Xia Yan took out his phone and played the videos they had recorded earlier.
"I hate girls who wear that m3, Lolita..."
"Ahem. The kind I hate most are those Skinny Dogs..."
"He looks hideous. He doesn't look like Batman; he looks like someone stealing Lazy Sheep's..."
Xia Yan: "Successfully making friends earns one mysterious grand prize."
He immediately retreated to Hua Xin's side.
The hooded man was the first to lose his temper, tearing through the false harmony: "What the hell? Who wears Lazy Sheep's down jacket? One hood of mine costs half your yearly salary, you know? Damn!"
Skinny Dog gave a cold laugh. "You look like gauze."
Hooded Man: ??
The Lolita girl was no pushover either. She pointed at the hooded man and cursed??, "What's wrong with Lolita, huh?"
"So what?"
"One of my skirts costs as much as a whole roomful of your hoods. Wearing some rebellious coffin hat—are you hiding your face because you're too ugly to show it?"
"Can you speak like a normal person? You keep spouting that ridiculous gibberish."
Skinny Dog attacked from both sides: "What's wrong with being a Skinny Dog? What's wrong with being a Skinny Dog????"
"I may be skinny, but have I eaten all the rice in your house?"
The Lolita girl rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You look like I could knock you down with one punch. I could even give you a bag of rice afterward."
Skinny Dog continued mocking her. "Yeah, at your weight, you look like some African tank. Even Taishen wouldn't survive one punch from you."
Lolita Girl: ??
"I'll have to show you that being skinny doesn't mean being useless!"
Skinny Dog took two steps back. "?? Go! (Ignore that.)" He then completed a backflip on the spot.
"My cat can do backflips too. What's so impressive?"
Skinny Dog: ??
Then they seemed to realize something and collectively fell silent.
Looking at the empty spot where the two people had been standing, they snorted coldly in unison and left in different directions.
(One minute earlier.) ↓
"Go, go, go! Run!"
Xia Yan switched off the camera and phone, then dragged Hua Xin rapidly toward the motorcycle.
The amusement in his eyes refused to fade.
Although he felt a little sorry.
Stars seemed to be sparkling in the girl's beautiful eyes, and for the second time, a smile appeared openly on her face.
Xia Yan was too wicked.
But...
Watching the drama unfold??...
It was...
It was just way too damn fun, wow!!!??
Before you continue