Chapter 1948: with translation of chapter title

NO. 568: The brains for three people

To be frank, although the problems of Ludaofu Xiangzheng and Qianming's representative are that severe, severe enough that leaving them untreated could very well turn into a lifelong mental affliction, even the latter, which is somewhat lighter, ought to become some kind of inner demon in a specific situation.

But in Aomo's eyes, this is just a very small problem.

So small that a slight nudge is all they need to walk out on their own.

Even if left alone, after a while perhaps a few words from someone will part the clouds and let the sun shine through, leading to spontaneous 'recovery'.

But nobody wants to, nor can they afford to wait for a 'maybe'.

Perhaps they never got such an opportunity, and thus, unable to see each other's diverging paths, they walked toward each other's dire state without meeting, precisely because their problems stemmed from each other's kindness.

It is a one-sided tenderness and kindness that fosters an equally narrow consideration. Not wanting to be an obstacle to the other, not wanting to become a burden, and even that classic point that could already draw laughter——

——not wanting to cause trouble for the other.

In the Jidong cultural sphere, tens of thousands of instances of lacking communication stem from this extremely plain constraint.

To Aomo, this seems like a curse imposed by culture, but fortunately, it is also the easiest curse to break.

Although the demand for 'an outsider who can see the problem clearly and yet is willing to speak up' is, in some people's eyes, as high a luxury threshold as requiring 'friends' in a co-op game, capable of filtering out a large number of people, but for horse girls with trainers, what is that?

"What do you want to hear me say?"

"Eh? Ah, um…"

After Aomo turned his head and said, "Now it's your turn," Qianming's representative then asked, "What do you want to hear?" and she let out a whole "ah oh uh".

Sudden and, with an already guilty outline, the colorless slit beneath those blood-red pupils traced the rare flustered demeanor of the grassland performer; for a horse girl who constantly feigns foolishness, free as the wind and composed, this is how rare it should be; as the instigator, Aomo Lindun ought to feel at least some stirring.

But at this moment he seemed to feel nothing at all.

He merely stared at the brown-haired horse girl who was almost scratching her ear and cheek, silently waiting nearly eight seconds before his calm yet imposing inhuman eyes showed a slight ripple of emotion.

"I think I don't need to say anything," he said while lifting the translucent magic claw to pick up the sake‑style porcelain bottle, filling Luna's, Qianming's, and his own small cup in turn.

"And you also seem to want me to stay quiet."

"No way!" Qianming exclaimed upon hearing Aomo say that, and while speaking she slapped the table, causing her mid‑air arm to hastily guard the cup like a startled person.

"I—I just got stuck by your question, couldn't think of how to reply for a moment. You said you wanted to hear what I have to say, and I really have a bunch……"

"That sounds like you're not focused on the present." Aomo silently lifted the cup before him.

"How can you say that!" Qianming made a face that wasn't perfectly angry, then in the next second adopted the standard thinking pose of "me pondering," saying, "I was just figuring out how to talk to Luduo, and also recalling what I was thinking back then."

"Did you figure it out?"

"I remembered, uh, I seemed to be feeling sorry for myself then."

"Huh?"

Even after being prompted by Aomo, still swiftly calculating Ludaofu's future in his mind, the wine cup he had just lifted halfway also came to a stop.

"What the hell, why are you both staring at me?" Qianming felt creepy under the gaze of the two, especially as the private‑room mode kicked in, making it seem as if the light were filtered through a layer, casting a slightly dim background.

Her purple and red pupils glowed faintly, inexplicably giving off a hint of predatory aura.

"Can't I just feel sorry for myself for a bit!?"

"Based on your usual performance..." Aomo, who had already looked away, took a light sip of the drink, couldn't help but remark that this stuff is really weak compared to what he used to drink at bars and at the Sui family table.

Still, it's decent juice.

"You should be the last person who wants others to worry about you, and even less want them to arbitrarily imagine your fragile side."

"Don't bother me!"

"All right." Aomo complied willingly.

For this set of female attitudes that seem to follow the same template when acting willfully, he really had little to say; instead, responding with an overly familiar conditioned reflex let him slightly detach from that serious, scrutinizing state—he couldn't help but reminisce.

Looking back on their past interactions, the fan's heart would pound violently.

... But maybe I should suppress it, Aomo thought.

That shouldn't be now.

Then someone shouted, "Wait, don't just start drinking by yourself! Cheers, cheers! Luduo! You come too!"

"Do we have to clink such tiny cups?" Aomo, who had just downed his drink, was refilling.

"What's small about it! You really think being small means you should call uncle to get a bigger one!" Qianming's representative, already flipping through the menu as she spoke, seemed eager to sweep away her earlier embarrassment with this; she busily flipped, selected, and called out, yet still would utter something when toasting.

"Come on! Let's toast to our embarrassing selves from the past few months!"

"Huh?"

The trainer, who had neither been embarrassed over the past few months nor wanted to toast for that, expressed puzzlement, yet the horse girls on both sides coincidentally did so at this moment.

"Cheers!" x2

"What the heck, is it Luna? No? Or Luduo?"

"There's no need to split it so finely," Ludaofu Xiangzheng, wearing an air of extraordinary talent, said with a soft, carefree smile that made even Qianming and Aomo hesitate a moment, "I've thought about it, I feel ashamed yet also fortunate—ashamed that my past self was bound by those reasons, yet glad that the reasons came from myself and didn't bring disgrace to others; then I suddenly saw clearly, and the change I once felt clueless about became clear."

"And then you actually did that!?"

Staring at the guy whose mask was already hard to tell apart, as if he had begun to digest his mask inside out, Qianming also didn't know what to say.

Just thinking back to when she had tried to correct the underclassmen who claimed Ludaofu could do anything, and tried to point out his glaring mental limits, now she could only feel absurd.

Where did the moon's limits go?

"Ah, not really… completely?" the uncertain Ludaofu turned her gaze toward Aomo, as if seeking his judgment, but Aomo merely continued to take the large cup the boss handed him and pour, leaving her to keep speaking: "I myself feel rather strange… a bit fresh, and not quite used to it……"

Speaking, she seemed to have discovered something, looked at the cup in her hand, lifted it and drank.

"This might help a bit."

"In the early stages of mental fusion, some numbing measures to promote acceptance are indeed needed," Aomo, having shifted his gaze from the professional opinion sent by Miss Dazhenhan, adhered to the "use what works" principle, reciting verbatim, "Drinking is a good tactic, but only for the start; if one continues to develop dependence afterward, it's not good for the decision‑maker."

After all, alcohol numbs the senses and further impairs judgment.

A drunk can make decisions, but it's unlikely for a decision‑maker to be a drunk, unless it's someone like He Ling who pretends to be clueless while actually not getting drunk—a feigning‑idiot expert.

"That's probably the smallest problem for Ludaofu, too!" Qianming's representative, whom they usually call, quickly found him, raised a hand and patted Ludaofu's shoulder past Aomo, saying, "If that's the case, then for a good start to Ludaofu's treatment! Let's not get drunk and not go home!!"

Yay yay! Sis, I also love this segment the most!!

Ao: "?"

Qian: "?"

Lu: "?"

In private booth mode, soundproofed and blurred, only occasionally seeing some multicolored people sitting in a row nearby, and hearing only some muffled, deep intermittent noises from the three of them, they turned their heads and saw the Shenbi wink girl almost lying between the three, especially pressing on the middle person, causing an overly intimate smile.

Will anyone call out to her?

No way? When it comes to handling such a sensitive issue.

Don't look at how everyone's chatting so openly right now, as if sharing everyday worries. If there really were a risk of someone overhearing, the two horse-girls involved would definitely be the first to act!

Could it be the trainer?

No way? He doesn't even need this older sister to ease the atmosphere, especially since he himself is not good at dealing with her.

For a moment, the three stared at each other.

Then they turned their heads to look at the counter outline, which remained clearly discernible even in the private booth mode.

The same conclusion points to the sole 'insider'.

But this doesn't help with the current situation.

"Why is nobody responding to me? How can everyone be so cold, after I rushed over so fast…"

"Let me ask first, you weren't speeding, were you?"

"Of course not! Road safety is important!"

"..."

Then the time difference could only be that guy/shop owner/fourth uncle.

(End of chapter)