Chapter 69: Big And Tall Nian’er

    Jin Jiuchi let out a burp and rubbed his full stomach with a satisfied look on his face. Today was not without gain. Even though Nian had not appeared in front of him yet, he received lots of free food and even a yearly discount coupon!

    All of a sudden, he looked up and exclaimed out loud, startling the people around him, "Ah, if only there was free food everyday!!"

    "E–Excuse me!" A man clad in a formal suit approached him gingerly, his eyes sparking like stars when he caught sight of Jin Jiuchi. He hurried to take out a business card from his inner pocket and offered it to Jin Jiuchi with both hands, "Are you interested in becoming a model? I have noticed you from afar, and I think that it’s such a waste if you don’t try to become a model. I give you my word, I will definitely turn you into a star!"

    Jin Jiuchi did not receive the card and instead, took a step back to create some distance between them. "Y–You want to turn me into a star?" he asked in disbelief. How could this person be so bold to claim that he wanted to kill Jin Jiuchi and mold him into a burning rock in broad daylight?! Dangerous... this world was so dangerous!

    "Yes!" The man pressed closer in great enthusiasm. "I can guarantee that with a face and body like yours, you will be loved by millions of people! Don’t you want to try?"

    Jin Jiuchi swallowed tensely, "Then... will I appear on the television?"

    "Oh I’m so sorry, our agency specialized in young adult magazines, but if you manage to secure a deal with the national brand, then—"

    "No, thank you!!!" Before the words even settled in the air, Jin Jiuchi had zoomed far into the distance, leaving nothing but an afterimage and a gust of wind on his wake.

    "...Huh?" The scout blinked, dumbfounded when the person he was talking to vanished all of a sudden. He looked left and right in fluster, but he could not find the man anywhere. "W–Where is he?!"

    How could a person run away so fast?!

    On the other hand, Jin Jiuchi, who had already ran almost a thousand meters in mere seconds, poked his head out of the wall and let out a huge sigh of relief when he saw that the suspicious man was not chasing after him. He patted his chest to relieve the lingering fear, "It’s fortunate that I am a fast runner, or else who knew what would have happened if I am caught?!"

    Along the way home, Jin Jiuchi became alert and mindful of his surroundings in case the man from before would appear out of nowhere to kidnap him.

    Sigh... was this the consequence for being too lovable? He could not help but lament inside his heart.

    He could finally allow himself to relax once his house came into sight. Humming under his breath, Jin Jiuchi offered a huge smile to every tenant that met his eyes and made his way up the stairs, skipping two or three steps at once. Just then, a gust of breeze blew by, carrying the mixed scent of the cramped neighborhood, people bustling about their lives, hazy smoke from the chimney and...

    "Hmm?" Jin Jiuchi perked up like a hound sensing its prey and he sniffed the air a few more times, taking in the sweet and mellow scent in the air. T–This smell was...! He couldn’t have mistaken it. Only Nian’er had such a pure and clean fragrance of all the people he had met!

    Nian’er had finally come! As expected, it was the right decision to do that mukbang challenge and appear on TV!

    Jin Jiuchi’s eyes lit up in joy, and he immediately sprinted up the rooftop, his foot almost not touching the ground at all. The sight of his tiny house soon came into sight, together with the figure who currently had his back turned to Jin Jiuchi.

    Jin Jiuchi’s eyes shook and his breath seized on his throat upon seeing the familiar silver hair that was tied in a high ponytail, shimmering like a ray of dazzling moonlight had condensed into each strand of them.

    On the other hand, Shen Nianzu, who had been waiting outside Jin Jiuchi’s house for more than half an hour, was stewing in frustration and impatience. As soon as he sensed the presence of another person behind him, he turned around and immediately launched his angry spiel like a dragon spewing breath of lava, "Damn you Jin Jiuchi, you dare to—oof!" He almost bit down on his tongue when a pair of steel-like arms pulled him into an overly warm and tight embrace, so tight that the breath was punched out of his lungs.

    "Nian’er, you’re here!" Jin Jiuchi was so excited that he was practically buzzing on his feet. He pressed his cheek on top of the jade doll’s head and nuzzled on it, "What takes you so long? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting? I have even thought that you have cast me away! If you had not appeared today, I would have gone to search for you tomorrow! By the way, what was going on here? Why didn’t I remember ever making my way home? I did not dream of everything, right? Also, did you see me on TV? I ate so many bowls of ramen to find you! It’s so hot that my stomach feels like it’s burning inside out! Oh, you are no longer a tiny and short Nian’er, you are big and tall now! Big and tall Nian’er!!"

    Shen Nianzu trembled in rage, so angry that he was rendered speechless.

    It was still okay if Jin Jiuchi did not bring it up, but now that he did, Shen Nianzu felt as if he would explode in anger if he did not let it out. "You still dare to say that you ate those ramen to find me? From the way I saw it, you looked like you were enjoying yourself so much!" He pushed Jin Jiuchi’s face away from him, though the man’s arms were still securely looped around his waist like a vice. Angry veins popped up in his forehead. "Let go of me first, you damned husky! You are suffocating me!"

    "But I don’t wannaaaa..." Jin Jiuchi drawled on his words and peeked out through the gaps of Shen Nianzu’s fingers, and when their gazes collided in midair, he instantly sucked in a sharp breath, "Wow, Nian’er..."

    Jin Jiuchi tugged Shen Nianzu’s hand away from his face and stared down at him unblinkingly. The smoldering, intense gaze the man fixed him with caused Shen Nianzu’s heart to skip a beat.

    "So pretty..." Jin Jiuchi whispered in awe. "How can you be so pretty?"