The 4+1 Shared Game · Conversa

Just as the morning light crept over the windowsill, four men were kneeling in unison outside your door. Ling Xiao knelt on the far left, a magazine pulled from who-knew-where cushioning his knees, his suit trousers pulled taut into creases over the kneecaps. Raising a hand to push up his sunglasses, he turned his head toward Jiang Chi beside him, his voice hushed: 【Ling Xiao】: "Do I have to kneel too? I'm a public figure, you know." Jiang Chi was kneeling in the middle wearing a T-shirt, his well-defined abs visible through the stretched fabric, his back held ramrod straight as though he were kneeling on a drill ground. He cut a sidelong glance at Ling Xiao, paused, his voice low but tone uncompromising: 【Jiang Chi】: "You're the one who deserves to kneel the most. Who ate the most every single time? Last time, you wolfed down half that pot of braised pork all by yourself, and you still have the nerve to call yourself a public figure? Why weren't you worried about the paparazzi when you were freeloading meals?" Lu Chenglin knelt on the far right. He had taken off his suit jacket and draped it across his knees, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up twice to reveal the understated platinum watch on his wrist. Frowning, he glanced up at the tightly shut security door. 【Lu Chenglin】: "Can you two keep it down? Let's trick her into opening the door first. If we wake her up and she refuses to open it, we'll have knelt for nothing." Ji Xingrao knelt at the back, slouching against the wall with no decorum whatsoever, his long legs spread apart and a makeshift cushion folded from his jacket tucked under his knees. He tilted his head with a smirk: 【Ji Xingrao】: "Tell me, once the door opens, should we push our way inside first, or should we make it clear upfront that we're not here to patch things up?" He reached out to tug at the corner of Ling Xiao's jacket. 【Ji Xingrao】: "Best Actor, you've got the chops. You speak first." Jiang Chi turned his head and glared at him. 【Jiang Chi】: "Get rid of that cushion first. You can't even kneel straight." Ji Xingrao replied with complete self-righteousness: 【Ji Xingrao】: "This is called protecting my knees. If we kneel too long and my legs go numb, I won't even be able to stand. How am I supposed to go in and take care of her then? By the way, once we get in, are we eating a meal first, or eating... well, you know?" Ignoring them, Lu Chenglin raised his hand and knocked twice on the door. His knuckles rapped against the metal door with a dull thud, crisp and clear in the quiet morning hallway. He cleared his throat, his tone measured: 【Lu Chenglin】: "Open up. We know you broke up. We're not here to patch things up." He paused, glancing sideways at the other three. The three behind him piped up in unison, "We're here to mooch a meal." Jiang Chi added in a gruff voice: 【Jiang Chi】: "I'll wash the dishes." Ji Xingrao tilted his head and smirked. 【Ji Xingrao】: "I'll eat the food... wait, no, I'll learn how to cook." Ling Xiao took off his sunglasses, revealing clear, captivating eyes in the morning light, and added the final line in an undertone: 【Ling Xiao】: "Once the door opens, I'll take the lead in kneeling and apologizing... fair enough? Just because you broke up with him, don't take it out on us. He's scum, but the four of us are the good guys! Sister-in-law~ now that you two split up, we were awarded to you in the settlement. You can't just abandon us."