Chapter 5

After sending a message to Mo Chengchuan, Guan Tang waited for half a day but did not receive a reply. She threw her clothes aside and called her beloved father.
He ran out of breath and said, "Dad..."
"Hmm!" Guan Shaoyang seemed quite happy.
Guan Tang asked, "Where did you search for my potential dates?"
"What's the matter? How's your chat with that young man?"
"Not that great, don't bother." Guan Tang pondered for a long time, not knowing how to explain to Guan Shaoyang that the LGBT community is quite chaotic, and some so-called online dating is not what it seems. Guan Shaoyang is a pure and innocent old father who only accepted the setting of his son being gay, and it really scared him to face the chaos in this community."
"Guo Shaoyang said over there: 'No, this won't work. Are there any other options? Besides, if you're willing to put in some effort yourself, why do you need me to go through the trouble here!'"
"..." Guan Tang was speechless and could only pinch his nose and say, "I have someone in mind."
Guanshaoyang didn't believe it at first when he heard this: "Really?"
"Really," Xiao Yan said calmly. "Today, Madam successfully entered the palace and received the decree from His Majesty allowing her to divorce Prince Cheng. In addition, His Majesty granted her the properties of Prince Cheng's residence and bestowed her with a noble title. Therefore, Madam is quite grateful to me."
"When did this happen? Wasn't it just the other day that they didn't have it yet?"
Guantang began to make up a story: "Just today, I went out to eat and happened to run into someone who told me..."
"Encountered while eating? How reliable is that? Did you get his contact information?"
"Yeah, I did. I..." Guan Tang glanced at her crumpled clothes, "I accidentally stained his clothes, so I offered to wash them for him and took the opportunity to ask for his phone number."
"You are quite smart and skilled in playing tricks." Guan Shaoyang was somewhat skeptical.
Guan Tang forced a smile, "Hehe, that's right."
"Does he have feelings for you?"
Guantang casually remarked, "If he's not interested in me, why did he leave his phone number? Does he need someone to do his laundry for him?"
"Well, you could always just offer to compensate him with money," retorted the other person.
Guantang thought to herself, "Why didn't I think of that? I could just give him money instead of doing his laundry. We've already broken up, why should I still do his laundry for him?"
Guang Tang was once again immersed in deep frustration.
"Then you try your best to catch up and call us back for dinner. I'll keep an eye on him," Guan Shaoyang said, although he didn't really believe what Guang Tang said. It's not that Guang Tang wasn't good at making up stories, but Guan Shaoyang knew exactly what his son was capable of - Guang Tang may not be good at anything else, but he is definitely a master at storytelling.
After Guan Tang agreed, Guan Shaoyang said, "There's one more thing. I was thinking of telling you in a few days, but I'll ask now if you're willing to help. Yang Auntie's son is coming back from England soon, and he's planning to look for work in your area. Can you let him stay with you for a bit until he finds a job and a good place to live? Today, your Yang Auntie asked me about it. She felt awkward to ask for your help, but she's concerned. As neighbors, she's also been helpful in finding a partner for you. If you agree, I'll go tell your Yang Auntie. If you're not willing, then forget it."
Guan Tang thought she had passed the test and relaxed, saying: "You can ask Yang Auntie first, let her ask her son, and I...after all, the situation is special. If he is willing, you can give me a message and I will tidy up the room." Although Guan Shaoyang was straightforward and enthusiastic, he knew that his sexual orientation was not acceptable to everyone, so he wanted Guan Shaoyang to ask first.
Guo Shaoyang said naturally, "Don't worry, we are all family, how could he dislike you? Don't tidy up the room anymore, you may frighten him. Ordinary boys are not as particular as you. As for the daily life, let's live more freely, just be comfortable."
Guang Tang: "..."
Guantang grew up with Guanshaoyang since childhood, and her lifestyle was indeed a bit sloppy. Later, after she was with Mo Chengchuan for a few years, she had to pay attention to some details. When she returned home after breaking up with Mo Chengchuan, she had not yet emerged from the habit of being attentive and tidy, which caused some psychological shadow to Guanshaoyang, who didn't know where to step. But now she has returned to nature, and is just slightly better than Guanshaoyang.
He felt embarrassed to tell Guan Shaoyang, so he just muddled through it.
As soon as he hung up the phone, Guan Shaoyang immediately went to Yang Auntie's house.
Guan Shaoyang is a straightforward and honest person. He often helps his neighbors with their chores and lends a hand when needed. Without a mother to take care of him, and with Guan Shaoyang having to work and care for his children, Guan Tang often had to look after himself. Thankfully, he had the good fortune of being liked by his neighbors, and he grew up to be a charming and well-behaved boy. He didn't act like the other rowdy boys, and people genuinely enjoyed his company after spending time with him.
It's about Guan Tang's coming out years ago. Everyone was shocked at first, but after seeing the world with Guan Shaoyang, they all moved on with their lives. Recently, they found out that Guan Tang still doesn't have a partner and they feel sorry for him. They think Guan Tang is an adorable child with a good personality and shouldn't be without a partner, so they all enthusiastically help Guan Shaoyang find him one - hence the nickname "Love Finder" they came up with.
Aunt Yang is also worried about her son lately. While other parents worry that their sons are not capable enough, she worries that her son is too capable. He studied abroad for a few years and finally returned to China, only to have to go work in another city. Her children are rarely at home and they rarely have the chance to see each other. Even though her son is very capable, as parents, they still worry.
Neighbor Guan Tang has been studying at the local university since he was young, and now he has bought a house there. He always wants to inquire about the situation there from Guan Shaoyang. Unexpectedly, Guan Shaoyang directly said that Guan Tang's place could accommodate her son temporarily, and the two children also had the opportunity to get to know each other and provide companionship in the future.
Yang Auntie was very happy and immediately called her son.
The two children had also spent time together when they were young, but they went their separate ways as they grew older. She introduced Guang Tang's situation to her son, who seemed hesitant.
Yang Auntie anxiously called out to Guan Shaoyang to hand over the phone: "Hey, Zhiming, it's your Uncle Guan speaking. I want to tell you that I suggested to have you move in. Guang Tang has taken a liking to someone recently, and I'm worried. I don't want to pry into your private affairs, you young people. So, can you help me out and keep an eye on him? It's doing me a favor. It's not easy being a parent, and your parents worry about you living alone outside. Guang Tang has been living there for several years, and with him leading the way, it'll be easier for you to find a job and a place to live, and your parents can also be reassured. You don't need to think too much about it. Just consider it as having a roommate or a friend and get along normally."
Given the elder's words have come to this point and it is indeed convenient for oneself, there is really no reason to refuse.
Guan Shaoyang and Yang Auntie exchanged glances and were both happy: "It's settled!"
Guantang knew nothing about it. After hanging up the phone, he picked up his suit jacket that he had tossed aside, looked around and mumbled, "I'll just buy a new one."
He couldn't go out today. A few days ago, he had a moment of madness and posted all his drafts, which was like returning to the pre-liberation era. Now, he had to do all the updates manually every day, which was extremely miserable.
Even worse, readers have tasted the sweetness and ask him every day, "Daddy, Daddy, will there be an update today?"
There are also people joking in the author group, "Shangmu, is there no update today? You can't do it. How many years does it take for you to update once?"
Playing around with chapter updates not only affects the author's readers, but also affects readers who follow multiple authors on the same website. If one author delays updates, it inevitably puts pressure on other authors to update as well. Many authors have recently been pressured to update more frequently, so joking about Guang Tang's updates is normal.
Originally, these few days, Guan Tang let them tease him as they pleased. Today, when he opened the group chat, he happened to receive a reply from Mo Chengchuan with only four words: "Clean yourself up."
Mo Chengchuan is just that capable, using only a few words to shut people up. Guan Tang is so angry that he throws his phone aside and grabs the keyboard to type, "What are you rising up for, Shi? Do you want to crush them under you?" He's so arrogant that he's just short of smoking a cigarette.
He had a major explosion in his last update, and readers were like in a dream, leaving messages and donating to him. Consequently, his position on the ranking rose rapidly, surpassing everyone else and ranking first. He hasn't fallen down in the ranking for several days and has indeed been keeping all the other authors under his feet.
"I'm going, this is so cool."
"So this is what Shangmu looks like..."
"Lie flat and let the pressure pass.jpg"
"He's just blabbering, maybe he emptied his drafts before posting this one. Why don't you ask him to post another one?"
The group suddenly became lively, but Guan Tang coolly closed the chat and typed passionately until midnight like she had taken chicken blood, publishing five updates in a row and using up all her saved drafts from the past few days.
Someone posted a screenshot of their update in the group, and after a moment of silence, everyone started using trembling emojis to strongly discourage such behavior that confuses readers, disturbs the market, and harms the ecosystem with one's own actions. In short, it's extremely detrimental behavior.
Xu Yuan said in the group chat, "Everyone needs to learn more," but in private chat, she sent an expression of no words and asked, "What happened to you? Did your plan start again?"
The day Guan Tang met Mo Chengchuan for the first time, she made a life plan for herself, including a goal about updating, but she didn't stick to it the next day and abandoned it.
Xu Yuan's words were like a direct hit to a sore spot.
Guan Tang swallowed a mouthful of blood and slowly responded, "I have a new plan again, this time I must rise up."
Xu Yuan yawned, "Alright, go to bed early, we'll talk about it tomorrow."
Shangmu: "Don't you believe me?"
Yuanyuan is a little fairy: "I don't believe in tomorrow's you."
Shangmu: "..."
Shangmu: "Okay, I'll go to bed now and talk to you tomorrow."
He turned his head and replied in the group chat, "I won't scare you guys anymore, let's end it here for today."
Xu Yuan suspected that Guan Tang still had chuunibyou.