Chapter 8.2 – Didn’t Sleep Comfortably

It was proven that the mascot costume could only fit Gu Yanshu, who was 1.8m tall, but not Shen Jue, who was close to 1.9m tall. 

Hence, the production team could only arrange for Shen Jue to wear a baseball cap to hide his hair and wear a large mask, covering most of his face, then readied them to start work at the florist near the train station. 

Gu Yanshu glared coldly at Shen Jue’s dressing, feeling as though he’d seen this somewhere before. 

However, before he could take a closer look, Shen Jue took the Pikachu headgear and covered him, “This is so much cuter than how you originally look.” 

You are the cute one, your entire family’s cute. 

Gu Yanshu turned around indifferently, unwilling to look at Shen Jue. 

Yet, the indifferent turn that he thought he made, appeared to Shen Jue as a furious Pikachu slowly revealing its round little buttocks. 

It was so damn cute. 

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Rv oypd’v alrwzpkhl yv yzz.

Fbld Kwl blze cynj bkp zywtbvla.

Dw Wydtqydt, obs oyp clpkel vblx, oyp pvkzz qzwpvlale. “Ebu kp vbkp xypnsv nspvwxl ps byae vs olya?”

Qw Zydpbw wple vbl tyr bkeeld wdela Vkjynbw’p xswvb vs qkde bla, vbld vssj pxyzz pvlrp shla, “Ps vbkp, vbld alynb uswa byde vbaswtb vbkp. Nsspld uswa dlnj, sa usw’zz cl kdfwale obld usw olya vbl blyetlya.”

Ebld Qw Zydpbw prsjl vs tkazp, bkp hsknl oyp pvkzz hlau zktbv, cwv vblal oyp y elvynble tldvzldlpp vbyv oypd’v lypkzu dsvknle, rwvvkdt vbl zkpvldla yv lypl.

Dw Wydtqydt qszzsole bkp kdpvawnvksdp, yde qkdyzzu tsv vbl nspvwxl sd.

Fbl vbld pktble ellrzu, “Rv’p ps blyhu yde nzywpvasrbsckn.”

“Kwpv tlv wple vs kv pzsozu. Rv’p pvkzz yzaktbv pkdnl kv’p okdvla dso. Rv’zz cl byaela vs clya ewakdt pwxxla.”

“That’s true, at least I won’t freeze. But Xiao Shu, why do you seem adept at wearing it?” 

“I’ve worn it before,” Gu Yanshu answered lightly. 

Xu Fangfang assumed that Gu Yanshu probably wore it on other variety shows, so she didn’t read too much into it. She then turned around and received the flyers from the director. 

The mascot outfit’s workmanship was extremely fine; the exterior’s texture was exquisite, and there was a gap near the nose, making it easy to breathe and speak. The gloves were also rather soft, so the wearer could at least do some simple movements with their hands.  

After the crew managed to hide the mics, they led the two short-legged fatties out of the door. On the other hand, Shen Jue walked out leisurely with his two long legs, shamelessly admiring Pikachu’s plump little butt. 

Perhaps it was because the mascot was too plump, hence walking seemed somewhat strenuous. Fortunately, the train station was close to the villa, so they managed to get to the station after a short while. 

Shen Jue went to the florist, while Gu Yanshu and Xu Fangfang remained at the plaza of the train station and started handing out flyers. 

The follow PD [1] and VJ brought their small cameras and stealthily hid within the crowds. 

Wearing a mascot outfit during winter wasn’t too warm, but it wasn’t too comfortable either. Their entire bodies were cooped up within the costume, their vision was narrow, they couldn’t breathe smoothly, and the heavy headgear was causing their necks to start aching. 

The passersby were either walking past in a hurry, or engaged in conversations, so few were willing to accept the flyers. 

By noon, they had only distributed more than three hundred flyers. This meant that they had earned less than forty dollars. Yet, Xu Fangfang was already feeling somewhat breathless, and her stomach growled loudly. 

Feeling aggrieved, she sat down by the curb, hoping to rest for a while. 

Just as she sat down, the song “Reflections of the Moon in Erquan” sounded from somewhere behind her. It was probably played on a poor quality speaker; the mournful sounds from the erhu was mixed with crackles of electric currents, making the song sound even more desolate. 

Desperation grew in Xu Fangfang’s heart, as she felt that they couldn’t continue this way. She turned around with the intention of discussing her next steps with Gu Yanshu. 

And was met with the sight of a round Pikachu roaming around a vagrant. 

The vagrant was kneeling on the ground. Beside him was a sound system, while he held a microphone in his hand. In front of him was a piece of paper that had the following words: “Raising funds to buy a ticket back to my hometown. Still lacking 99. Begging for good Samaritans to help.” There was also a bowl beside the paper, and in it, was a few scattered coins. 

Pikachu was staring fixated at the few coins. 

The homeless man guardedly pulled his bowl in. 

Pikachu followed the bowl and took a small step forward too. 

Homeless man: “…..” 

Pikachu: “……” 

Xu Fangfang: “……” 

Was Gu Yanshu so badly driven by his hunger that he decided to rob the homeless man?!

Xu Fangfang hastily straightened her short Kumamoto Bear legs and ran over, before whispering softly, “Xiaoshu, there’s no need to stoop to this!” 

No need to stoop to what? 

Pikachu slowly turned around and tilted his head, the two red blush patches exhibiting his puzzlement, looking extremely adorable. 

Xu Fangfang was dazzled by the moe sight, but logic returned to her, “Robbery is against the law!” 

Pikachu then slowly turned his head back, then reached his fat hand out and pointed towards the sound system and said to the homeless man, “Can I borrow this? I’ll pay for it.”

Homeless man: “?” 

“I’ve been observing you. You receive about twenty dollars an hour. I’m going to give you thirty, can you rent this to me for an hour?” 

The homeless man counted with his fingers, three is larger than two, this deal is worth it!

However… are these people stupid? Why were they so eager to give him money? 

The homeless man remained guarded against this ultra-yellow electric mouse who stood in front of him. 

However, Shen Xunyuan had already reacted, “Xiaoshu, are you thinking of busking?” 

Pikachu shook his gigantic head and nodded, his two ears trembling cutely. 

Xu Fangfang immediately understood what he was doing. 

Previously, the production crew had stated that they could earn money, so long as they didn’t use their identities as celebrities. Now that they were in mascot outfits, they couldn’t be considered celebrities anymore, hence the money they earned would belong to them. 

This way, with Gu Yanshu’s singing prowess and her acting cute, they would earn more money than giving flyers out. 

Kumamoto Bear and Pikachu came to a consensus, agreeing on a business collaboration of the cross-cultural interaction of the cutest moe creatures. 

Xu Fangfang quickly took out her remaining thirty dollars from her pocket and handed it over to the homeless man, “Brother, can you help us? Please?” 

She said it in her man-killing loli voice. 

The homeless man immediately fell. 

Pikachu and Kumamoto Bear spent a large sum of money and successfully purchased a microphone and sound system. 

From all angles, the microphone and speaker were of terrible quality, but it was better than having none at all. Moreover, the sound system came with some melodies of a few songs, so it was better than having to sing without music. 

The two gigantic heads huddled together and studied the system for a long time, and finally understood how to use it. 

Pikachu’s two hands managed to deliver the mike to below his mouth with much difficulty. Fortunately, it was enough for the sound to travel out. 

After Kumamoto Bear had finished acting cute and stating their intention, bringing together a group of audience, she walked towards the song selection system and scratched her head, “Pikachu, the songs here are quite old, do you know how to sing them?” 

Pikachu nodded, “I probably know all of them.” 

Kumamoto Bear was pleased. “Then I’ll just casually pick a song.” 

“Alright.”

So long as the songs weren’t unpopular indie songs, he would have heard them. Moreover, music that was meant to be played on the streets were probably the ones that people were familiar with. 

However, when the accompaniment sounded, Gu Yanshu was stunned for a moment. 

Why did it have to be this song? 

However, his surprise was barely noticeable – immediately, in a low and unhurried voice, he started singing. 

“On the small riverbank by the field, the snowball bush has bloomed. There’s a youth that I really love, but I can’t confess to him, unable to say all the words in my heart…” [2]

The crisp and clean voice was like snow falling on a desolate mountain. The voice was plain, but it broke through the noisy crowds, tricking into the hearts of the passersby. 

A number of people immediately looked up. 

Shen Jue, who had nothing to do in the florist and was just fiddling with the roses, also looked across from the racks filled with fresh flowers. 

Amidst the crowds, he saw a Pikachu carrying a cute smile that would never fade singing a sad song. 

Shen Jue recalled the first time he heard Gu Yanshu singing this song. The vocal teacher had commented that his thoughts were too clean, so he couldn’t bring out the emotions within the song. Yet, the last time he heard Gu Yanshu sing the same song, the vocal teacher said that his sorrow was too strong, so he couldn’t bring out the restraint in the song. 

If the vocal teacher was to hear this now, Shen Jue felt that he would surely say that the song was well-balanced. 

This was because there were many things in this world that could only be understood after a long period of time. As for whether the price paid to understand this was worth it was something that only the singer himself would know. 

The song ended, and the plaza was unbelievably silent. 

Until Pikachu made a slow bow, then warm applause burst out. 

Xu Fangfang snapped out of her daze, took the small bowl and went forward to the crowd, saying auspicious words. 

The woman who stood at the front of the crowd was already quite old, but one could still see some semblance of her youth with her blond hair and blue eyes. Her hands were shaking as she took out her wallet and pulled out a note from within. In a slightly accented Chinese, she said, “You sang very well. Do you know how to sing this in Russian?” 

A paid dedication. What an attractive deal. 

It would be acceptable if the request was to sing it in English. To sing it in Russian, wasn’t it making it difficult for him? 

Xu Fangfang could almost see the silver ingots flying past her eyes, and felt extremely sad. However, she heard a clear and gentle voice from behind her, “Are you from Russia?” 

The old lady nodded, “Yes. My lover often sang this song for me in the past.”

For a person her age, the words “in the past” had already concealed countless life and death separations. 

Gu Yanshu saw the old lady’s longing and lonely expression through the gap of his headgear, then said in his low and gentle voice, “I know how to, but I probably can’t sing it as well as your lover did.” 

After he said that, the familiar melody sounded again. 

This time, there was no bad quality accompaniment. The unique and clear voice sounded even more clean and gentle, the light sorrow peacefully permeating every single speck of the air, delicate yet dominant. 

Even if it was an entirely foreign language, people seemed to still be able to understand the song. 

Everyone was immersed in it. 

The song finally ended again. 

The old lady’s eyes seemed to be teary, but a graceful smile appeared at the corners of her lips, “You sang it really well. I was reminded of my lover and my hometown.” 

Gu Yanshu didn’t care about how clumsy or heavy the mascot outfit was, as he bowed to the old lady, “I hope that someday, you’ll still get to meet the person you want to.” 

The old lady nodded, “I will. You will too, so please, don’t be sad.” 

Gu Yanshu froze, then replied, “Yes.” 

The old lady didn’t stay on for long and staggered away. 

With this precedence, the rest of the audience quickly followed suit. The number of dedications increased. There were some who paid five dollars, ten dollars, twenty dollars. Gu Yanshu didn’t mind the amount paid, and sang all of the songs. 

Despite a lack of accompaniment, his own voice was strong and resonant. In the open outdoor environment, the distinctive cool tone sounded even more special. 

There were many people who busked. 

There were even more who could sing well. 

But there were few that could sing this well, and had such a wide knowledge of songs. 

With the cute Pikachu exterior but a soulful and clean voice, the stark contrast garnered even more interest by the crowds. 

Thus, more and more people gathered, and many were filming on their phones, posting it continuously on all social media sites. 

The money in Xu Fangfang’s bowl was also almost overflowing. 

However, once the crowds increased, problems also arose. 

When Xu Fangfang took the bowl and went forward once more, she heard a few girls huddled together and whispering, “That sounds like Gu Yanshu.”

Xu Fangfang immediately waved her hands, “No, it doesn’t.” 

A young lady said doubtfully, “It does. Gu Yanshu’s voice is so special, it’s the first time I’ve heard someone who sounds so similar.” 

Xu Fangfang insisted, “It’s the microphone. He doesn’t sound like that in person.” 

The young ladies were even more suspicious, “Are there such good quality microphones? Also, your voice sounds familiar.”  

Xu Fangfang feigned ignorance, “Good quality? Familiar?”

“Fami… Oh! Look over there! Isn’t that a camera?” 

Xu Fangfang struggled to reply, “That’s not a cam…” 

“Ahhhh!! That must be Gu Yanshu!!! Sisters, let’s go!!!” 

Xu Fangfang gave up salvaging the situation. 

They couldn’t hide it anymore!

Immediately, she turned around and shouted, “Gu Yanshu! Run! You’ve been recognised!” 

Gu Yanshu was still stuck in the mascot outfit and concentrating on his songs when he suddenly heard this scream. It was as though he had returned to the scenes of fans madly chasing him down. Instinctively, he turned around and ran, trying to exhibit the usual athleticism he used to hide from sasaeng fans and the media. 

However, he forgot that right now he wasn’t the same man with long limbs. 

The enormous headgear blocked out his line of vision, Pikachu’s short legs limited his strides, and his natural sense of bad direction caused him to knock into many things once he turned around. Even though he thought that he was sprinting away in a dashing manner, he couldn’t change the fact that he looked like a pair of short legs that was running straight ahead and knocking things down. 

Seeing that he was about to be captured by the fans, Pikachu’s stubby hands was suddenly caught in a firm grip, and a deep chuckle could be heard near his ears. 

“Silly, you’ve gone the wrong way. This way.” 

[1] Follow PDs are producer-directors who follow celebrities around for filming in variety shows, but usually film in secret, or behind the celebrities. 

[2] The song is the Chinese version of a Russian song, named “The Snowball Bush in Bloom”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXlN0vdo6QU