I Treat You as a Brother

64 – Couple Filter

Translator: tamago

Fang Mo’s eyes widened in an instant.

He looked at the teammate, who had his arms on Xu Xiran’s shoulders, in surprise, and then quickly shifted his gaze to Xu Xiran’s face. His mouth moved, as if to say something, but Xu Xiran didn’t hear anything.

“What’s the matter?” The teammate was not only tall, but his nerves were also thick, “Are you embarrassed? Then I must have guessed right!”

“Go away,” Xu Xiran’s forehead was getting hot, and he pushed him hard, “When did I say that? Don’t talk nonsense…”

However, the other party was so tall and big that he couldn’t push him at all. The lao-ge1 kept smiling and joking with him: “You treat me like this after you use me?”

During this interaction, Fang Mo kept staring at Xu Xiran’s face with a flabbergasted expression, and his scorching gaze nearly burned two holes into his skin.

Fortunately, the results of the lottery were finally out. The sports committee shouted out, and the uninvited guest finally left to learn about tomorrow’s schedule.

Only Xu Xiran, who was sweating again, and Fang Mo, who was stiff all over, were left at the scene. Xu Xiran nervously looked at the ground, while Fang Mo still aggressively looked at Xu Xiran’s face.

After a while, he finally opened his mouth, “Do you like her?”

Xu Xiran shook his head without hesitation and shouted: “No!”

After that, there was another moment of silence.

Fang Mo frowned: “So, you have a girl you like, but it’s not her?”

“I…” Xu Xiran fell into a moment of embarrassment.

He had someone he liked but it wasn’t a girl. This person was seemingly far away, but actually close at hand. However, he was unable to say those words to Fang Mo.

Fang Mo was very concerned about this: “Who is it? How come you’ve never mentioned to me at all?”

His words suddenly brought back some of Xu Xiran’s bad memories. Not long ago, he had asked Fang Mo the same question, but Fang Mo avoided answering.

That’s right, Fang Mo should have someone he liked.

Xu Xiran’s heart suddenly turned cold. During this period of time, his mood had constantly been fluctuating, and after being in a state of mental confusion, he had forgotten about such an important thing.

Fang Mo also seemed to have remembered something, and anxiously asked: “Let me confirm, this person you like is a real girl in real life, right?”

Xu Xiran froze for a moment, then slowly but firmly shook his head.

It was the real boy standing in front of him right now.

Fang Mo clearly had a different interpretation of his response.

“I’ll say. Why do you have such a bad opinion on the second season of Love Story?” He looked a little out of breath, and then after a sigh, he laughed again, “So it turns out you like a different one now.”

Xu Xiran immediately couldn’t bear it anymore: “Am I that superficial of a person? You didn’t listen to what I said that day. I’m not satisfied with the second season because…”

“In any case, you have a new wife, right?” Fang Mo interrupted him.

Xu Xiran closed his mouth. He looked at the Fang Mo in front of him, and then after a moment, cautiously nodded. Then, to cover his lie even more, he added: “That lao-ge misunderstood and thought I was talking about a female classmate.”

“What does she look like? Do you have a picture? Can I see?” Fang Mo leaned over.

Xu Xiran took a step back because he was too guilty to look at him: “No, I won’t show you, it’s for my eyes only.”

While the two were having a fruitless conversation, the rest of the people have already dispersed. They still had to compete tomorrow, so it was not suitable to celebrate right away. Going back early and resting was the right thing to do.

Xu Xiran put on his coat, and walked towards the dormitory with Fang Mo.

He began to seriously ponder some things in his mind. In unrequited love, people would inevitably have unrealistic expectations. He couldn’t help but wonder, when Fang Mo didn’t want to confess to the person he liked, could the reason be the same as his own? If so, wouldn’t that be a surprise.

This assumption was so sweet it made his heart beat faster, and he couldn’t help but laugh at himself.

How would that be possible? If that was true, then Zou Shun wouldn’t have asked him if he liked Fang Mo and told him that he could help pursue him. If Fang Mo liked him, would he still even need to pursue him? That would be illogical. If Zou Shun really knew what he was thinking, and directly told Fang Mo that he liked him, then everything would be over. Therefore, this person was here to mislead him and was not reliable at all. 

So, what kind of person was this love rival who he had never met before?

“What does she look like?” Fang Mo’s voice suddenly sounded from the side, “Why are you so stingy all of a sudden? What’s wrong with me taking a look?”

Xu Xiran hesitated again, but finally couldn’t hold back, and said, “Then you tell me first, what’s the name of the person you like?”

Fang Mo was stunned for a moment.

After a while, he stammered and said, “Wha-what? Who did you hear this from, d-don’t talk nonsense.”

This kind of panic was undoubtedly self-inflicted.

The two walked quietly side by side for a bit, and then he turned his head and glanced at Xu Xiran quickly, and sighed: “Actually, it’s not a person I like either, it’s… it’s a character I like. It’s a character from a mobile app game I’ve played a while ago. 

“Why have I never seen you play before?” Xu Xiran was skeptical, “What game? What’s it called? What genre?”

“I won’t tell you,” Fang Mo turned his head. “It’s one of those degenerate games, the kind that people would laugh at you if they find out. I always play secretly, and I won’t tell you even if I die.”

Seeing his resolute attitude, Xu Xiran truly believed him. While he was relieved, he was also curious about what kind of character he would like. Although he often praised Xiaoyao’s cuteness in front of him, Fang Mo himself didn’t seem to have a particular preference for the female characters in Love Story. This was very unreasonable for a harem-oriented work with a variety of characters and a reputation of “there’s always someone for everyone.”

“If you can’t show me, then can you describe what they2 look like?” Xu Xiran said.

Fang Mo’s expression became stiff, and he turned his head to look at him again, and then said, “Then let’s exchange, you answer me first.”

Xu Xiran cared a lot about Fang Mo’s preferences, so naturally, he could not refuse.

“Ask away.”

“Does your new wife look like Xiaoyao?” Fang Mo asked.

Xu Xiran looked at the mole at the corner of his eye, raised his hand, and gestured with his index finger and thumb: “A little bit like her.”

After he finished speaking, he immediately said, “My turn to ask.”

This form of taking turns asking questions was a bit too childish, as if they were elementary school students, but both of them seemed to really enjoy it.

Fang Mo pursed his lips and nodded: “Say it.”

“The character you like, what type are they?”

“Good-looking!” Fang Mo replied in seconds.

“You’re talking nonsense, how would they purposely make a character look ugly?” Xu Xiran was dissatisfied, “I’m asking about her type, like lolita? Yujie3? Sanwu girl4?”

Fang Mo thought for a while, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed: “The… the very… very sexy kind.”

Xu Xiran narrowed his eyes upon hearing this.

“Oh, the very impressive kind?” He asked.

Fang Mo glanced at the strange place, blushed, and nodded: “You could say that.”

It turned out that Fang Mo liked this kind of type.

“Like a mature, big sister type of character?” He asked again.

“No, not like that. The sexiness is only on the outside.” Fang Mo was even more embarrassed, “They’re the kind of silly, cute, and warm type that makes people want to take good care of them.”

Xu Xiran understood.

Pure and lustful, sexy and fleshy, and can also evoke a person’s desire to protect; this was really the Achilles’ heel of every straight man!

But this description, minus the fleshy parts, wasn’t this just Fang Mo?

“Such a shameful thing and I’ve already told you honestly,” Fang Mo said again, “It’s your turn now. Apart from her looks, does your new wife… have the same figure as Xiaoyao?”

Seeing Fang Mo’s flat figure, Xu Xiran instantly burst out laughing. He shook his head and continued, “But they have characteristics in common with the character you just described.”

For some reason, Fang Mo was not satisfied with this answer, and frowned slightly, as if he had been ignited with a sense of competition: “The one I like is very, very good-looking, extremely good-looking. And their figure is also very good.”

Xu Xiran would never admit defeat: “Whether a fictional character looks good or not ultimately depends on the style that they’re drawn, and a figure can be drawn however they want. There is no comparison with real people.”

After he said this, he immediately realized that he had made a slip of the tongue, and before he could figure out how to cover it up, Fang Mo had already looked over with his eyes wide.

“…Do you like a female idol?”

Xu Xiran froze, not daring to make a statement.

“No wonder you refused to say.” Fang Mo shook his head, “You are really becoming more and more degenerate.”

Xu Xiran cleared his throat as a cover, and then said, “Anyway, they’re very good-looking, pure and sexy, and can also evoke a person’s desire to protect.”

Fang Mo frowned and seemed unhappy, but continued to ask, “What’s their personality like?”

Xu Xiran didn’t dare to look at him anymore. He lowered his head and his face began to get hot: “They’re… a bit more extroverted, quite lively, but also has a quiet side. They’re occasionally silly, and a little playful. In short, they’re very cute, and adorable.”

Fang Mo fell silent.

Xu Xiran mustered up the courage to glance at him, and found that his expression was somewhat serious.

“They’re actually really similar,” he muttered in a low voice, “The one I like is also like that.”

Xu Xiran thought to himself, this is understandable. Fang Mo had always been quite narcissistic, and it was not surprising that he would have a crush on characters similar to himself.

He was extremely curious about the character described by Fang Mo, but he was also afraid that if he asked to see a picture, Fang Mo would ask for his too. Where was he going to conjure up a lovable girl idol like Fang Mo who perfectly fit his description.

After chatting the whole way, they finally made it back to the dormitory.

Before parting, Fang Mo was still in deep thought, looking preoccupied.

“Then I’ll head up first?” Xu Xiran said to him.

Fang Mo suddenly asked: “You didn’t lie to me, did you? The person you mentioned is really not from your class?”

Xu Xiran immediately denied it, with a firm and forceful tone: “How is that possible!”

Hearing this, Fang Mo smiled at him: “What are you so nervous about? Hurry and go take a good hot shower before going to sleep. Tomorrow will depend on you!”

 

~

 

After Fang Mo returned to the dormitory, he thought about it for a while. Xu Xiran’s descriptions didn’t fit that girl at all, so at least half of his alarm had been lifted. As for whether he liked a real-life idol, he still had doubts. After all, he had not seen any clues before whatsoever, and his recent Moments posts were still recalling the beautiful first season of Love Story.

But when it came to whether he had paid special attention to a girl in real life, it seemed like there was no one.

If this person really was an idol, Fang Mo would actually feel a bit jealous inside. In contrast, he would rather Xu Xiran continue to indulge in the second dimension. A rival in love who existed in the real world would inevitably evoke a person’s desire for comparison. But because he couldn’t show his so-called favorite character, he couldn’t force him to ask Xu Xiran who his favorite idol was either.

He felt troubled in his heart for a while, and then suddenly had a very unrealistic and tempting thought. But very soon, he poured cold water on himself and persuaded himself to calm down.

Except for being very good-looking, Xu Xiran’s other descriptions had nothing to do with him.

But even if it was just a tiny bit of hope, it was hard to ignore this itch. After pondering for a while, he took out his phone and typed a text message to Zou Shun.

[“Honey, am I sexy?”]

As a so-called fan of the authorities, self-evaluation was inevitably not objective, so it was better to seek opinions from outsiders.

Author’s note:

Zou Shun, who claims to be an expert in cooking, forcibly in He Chengyi’s kitchen.

*He Chengyi: Babe, your phone is ringing.

*Zou Shun: Who is it?

*He Chengyi: Your Momo. Want me to bring it to you?

*Zou Shun: My hands are dirty, read it to me.

*He Chengyi: ……

*He Chengyi: Honey, am I sexy?

*Zou Shun: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

*Zou Shun: (๑⁼̴̀д⁼̴́๑)ｯ

*Zou Shun: (๑و•̀ㅂ•́๑)و✧ Of course!

*He Chengyi: I meant, the message he sent you was, “Honey, am I sexy?”

* Zou Shun: … ∑(°Д°)

*He Chengyi: You two seem very close^ ^

*Zou Shun: (°Д°≡°Д°)

[PS, although it’s all nonsense, I still want to emphasize that the beautiful female idol and the game character are of course not the same in the slightest]

 

1

Kind of like bro but literally translates to old brother

2

Like before, I will start using they/them to denote when the characters use pronouns (or don’t use pronouns at all) that are ambiguous to Fang Mo and Xu Xiran because she and he sound the same in Chinese

3

Mature sister type

4

Girls who are silent, lack facial expressions, and are hard to be emotionally seen.