Ah Hui understood his own personality very well, and he also knew that it was impossible to expect everyone to share the same views as him.
Even if he explained right now the true reason their group had been attacked by Butterfree, the people around him wouldn't really take it seriously.
In their eyes, how could monsters possibly be compared to humans? It was just a field of flowers, after all.
So Ah Hui wasn't hoping to change his friends' way of thinking overnight. He only planned to slowly convey what he knew about Pokémon to them over time.
After giving a vague explanation, the buzz-cut young man didn't force Ah Hui back into the topic.
Still, with the most talkative guy unusually quiet, the gathering felt like it was missing something.
The buzz-cut youth thought for a moment, then quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, brothers, let's stop talking about those butterfly monsters. We've all finally recovered—keep going on about it and the atmosphere gets kind of weird."
As he spoke, he slung an arm over Ah Hui's shoulder, a mischievous grin on his face.
"How about we talk about you and Feng Lan instead? So, how's the progress? While you were hospitalized, she must've gone to visit you pretty often, right?"
When it came to gossip like this, men and women were all the same.
The nature of the gathering instantly shifted.
The meal, which had started in the afternoon, lasted for several hours. By the time everyone had said just about everything they wanted to say, night had already fallen.
Ah Hui originally planned to call a ride and head straight home, but before he even made it out of the private room, he was dragged back inside.
"What are you doing?" Ah Hui asked.
"What do you mean, what am I doing? You've got the nerve to ask!"
The buzz-cut youth, clearly drunk, swayed as he spoke, his words growing increasingly slurred.
"You tell me—what have you been doing since you got discharged? Fine if you didn't come see me, but you didn't even know I'd been discharged! I had to notify you! And here I was thinking we were best brothers."
"Hic—things have really gone cold… gone cold…"
"…Wasn't that because I thought you wouldn't be discharged so soon…"
Ah Hui scratched his head awkwardly.
Since leaving the hospital, he'd practically spent every day camped out in Chen Mo's livestream, waiting to watch all sorts of fascinating wilderness adventures. When Chen Mo wasn't streaming, Ah Hui was active in Chen Mo's fan groups and the small chat group called Pokémon Cottage, chatting endlessly about different Pokémon and fantasizing together with others about what their first Pokémon might be like someday.
"How about this," Ah Hui quickly offered, feeling guilty. "In a few days, I'll treat you to a meal myself. You pick the place. That fair enough?"
But when he turned around, he saw that the buzz-cut youth—thoroughly drunk—had already slumped against the table and fallen asleep.
"…This guy."
Ah Hui sighed.
He had known the buzz-cut youth since their early school days. Among his current friends, aside from Feng Lan, there was probably no one he'd known longer—or stayed in closer contact with—than him.
"Let's get someone to send him home…"
Just as Ah Hui was about to help the buzz-cut youth up, he ran straight into a restaurant staff member.
"Sir, here is your bill. Would you like to settle it now?"
"..."
In the end, he still couldn't just leave things alone.
Originally planning to go straight home, Ah Hui ultimately followed the designated driver of the car ahead, all the way to the buzz-cut youth's house.
"Sigh… today really is a cursed day. If I'd known, I should've just declined and gone to Brother Mo's place to look at Pokémon instead…"
Supporting the buzz-cut youth, Ah Hui—who had visited this place countless times before—skillfully fished out the keys from the man's pockets. After hesitating for a moment, he still opened the villa's door and headed inside toward the living room.
Just as Ah Hui was about to take the buzz-cut youth to his bedroom and then leave, a petite figure in sleepwear slowly came downstairs from the second floor.
She rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep.
When she saw Ah Hui, her eyes brightened slightly.
"Brother Ah Hui?"
"Good evening, Xiaocai. Sorry for disturbing your rest," Ah Hui said with a smile, looking at the middle-school-aged girl in front of him.
"No, no, I just happened to wake up," she replied shyly.
Noticing the figure slumped over Ah Hui's shoulder, she looked a little confused.
"Who is this?"
"Your brother…"
"Oh."
She frowned slightly, but the good upbringing instilled by her family made her bow politely to Ah Hui.
"Thank you, Brother Ah Hui, for bringing him back."
One was a brother drunk out of his mind; the other, a well-behaved and sensible younger sister.
Looking at these two siblings—born into the same family yet so completely different in temperament—Ah Hui felt a deep sense of helplessness.
"Your parents are on another business trip again?" he asked.
"Mm."
"You're home alone, yet Haoran still dragged us out drinking. That guy…"
"It's fine. I can take care of myself," Xiaocai replied calmly.
"Sigh."
Ah Hui sighed softly and didn't pursue the topic further.
"Then you should get back to rest early, Xiaocai. I'll take your brother to his room and head out afterward."
"Actually, Brother Ah Hui, you could just leave him in the living room—or even outside. It'd be fine. He's tough; nothing would happen to him."
"…Uh…"
Hearing the girl's icy tone, Ah Hui couldn't help thinking that today really wasn't a good day to go out.
"It's fine. Since I'm already here, I'll take him to the bedroom. He just recovered from his illness—catching a cold wouldn't be good."
Vaguely, Ah Hui felt like he heard Xiaocai mutter something under her breath, but her voice was too soft to make out.
After settling the buzz-cut youth, Ah Hui was about to leave when Xiaocai stopped him.
"Brother Ah Hui, you must've been dragged into drinking quite a bit too. Why don't you stay the night? There are plenty of empty rooms."
"..."
Looking at the girl blocking the doorway, Ah Hui couldn't help sighing inwardly.
This was exactly why he didn't like coming here.
In the end, he still couldn't refuse. Ah Hui watched as Xiaocai—who said she was going to prepare some hangover soup—skipped cheerfully toward the first-floor kitchen.
Turning back, he saw the buzz-cut youth sprawled on the bed, sleeping like a dead pig.
"Damn it. This is all because of you."
Still… maybe it really was time to have a proper talk with Xiaocai.
Kids these days were just maturing far too early.
Shaking his head, Ah Hui turned to leave—when a backpack leaning against the wall near the door suddenly toppled over, landing squarely on his foot.
"Isn't this the backpack we used on the camping trip? Just leaving it here by the door—real classy, Hao—huh?"
The moment he picked it up, Ah Hui suddenly felt the backpack move—just a little.
"…Was that my imagination?"
He frowned.
As he was about to put the backpack down somewhere else, it shook again—this time unmistakably real.
Ah Hui's entire body stiffened.
He stared at the backpack in his hands, disbelief flooding his eyes.
"No way…"
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