Xiaolu said, "Long Xi can't dance, but she still wants to go to the school Easter dance. If I win, you must let me teach Long Xi how to dance."

Mo Kun's expression changed slightly. He pointed to a lark on the pear tree and said with a halfhearted laugh, "What if I exchange your consciousness with this bird forever? Will you still have a chance? My advice to you is to be good... Ah! Ah! Ah..."

He did not finish his sentence, as he suddenly had a splitting headache and screamed in pain, his hands cupping the sides of his head.

At first, Xiaolu thought he was faking it and dared not go over to help him.

He watched for a while and saw Mo Kun twitching all over, his body in convulsions. He was sweating profusely and his nails were deeply embedded in his skin. His face was as pale as a vampire zombie, and it did not seem like he was faking it.

Xiaolu took a stool and made Mo Kun sit down.

He asked, "What's wrong with you? Have you been poisoned? It wasn't me!"

Mo Kun's voice trembled with pain. He said faintly, "I have...a headache...There are... painkillers... in my... trouser... pocket!"

Fan Xiaolu touched his trouser pocket, and sure enough, there was a bottle of pills there. He opened the bottle and asked, "How many do you need to take?"

"...three...!" Mo Kun spat out that one word with difficulty and breathed heavily.

Fan Xiaolu fetched a gla.s.s of water and gave him three pills.

It took a long time for Mo Kun's face to relax.

He said to Fan Xiaolu, "Thank you. You are really a kind and good person, with no bad intentions at all. Please don't tell Xixi, I don't want her to worry."

Xiaolu said, "Actually, to be honest, I had an evil idea in my mind for a moment, and that was to take your life while you were ill. However, this kind of behavior is really against my nature, and I couldn't do it!"

Mo Kun said with a smile, "You really missed your best chance, but you won my respect. Well, I promise to compete fairly with you, without resorting to any unfair means. I agree to the bet. If I win, you'll teach me to dance, and then I'll teach Long Xi. How about that? Is it fair?"

Xiaolu made a "666" gesture with both hands and said with a smile, "You've earned my respect, too."

Xiaolu asked, "What happened to you just now? I thought you had a stroke!"

Mo Kun said, "It's a long story."

Xiaolu knew he didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't ask again.

They fell into an awkward silence.

Mo Kun was not afraid of Xiaolu. It was really a long story that was hard to tell.

The average life expectancy of people on Planet BT was no more than 23 years, due to diseases caused by serious environmental pollution, such as brain genetic diseases and respiratory diseases.

Mo Kun's father also had this genetic disease. He died just before Mo Kun was born, at the age of 25.

And Mo Kun's mother died two days after giving birth to him, with the same genetic brain disease as his father. That year, she was only twenty-three years old.

Mo Kun was also born with this disease, and he would be sick every month.

There were always a few days in a month, when his brain would ache as it was going to crack. These episodes were irregular, not as punctual as a woman's period.

Usually, the pain would come suddenly without warning, and he would feel as if he was in h.e.l.l for a few days. But after that, he would be back to normal.

He often thought that he might not live beyond twenty-five years of age!

With the advanced medical level of Planet BT, there was still no way to deal with this genetic disease, let alone Earth, whose medical level was at least 500 years behind Planet BT.

Anyway, live one day at a time!

Because of his short life span, he was determined to live as he wanted to live and not to live a mediocre life.

At this time, Long Xi came back with a basket of dumpling wrappers and pork stuffings.

Mo Kun winked at Xiaolu, and Xiaolu nodded knowingly.

When Long Xi saw that Mo Kun's face color was not very good, and he was sweating profusely, she immediately asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Mo Kun's breathing was laborious, but he still forced himself to laugh and said, "Nothing. I just did some push-ups. Do you want to make... love?"

Long Xi gave him an angry stare, and blushed. Why was he so explicit? She was even more embarra.s.sed, in front of Xiaolu.

Mo Kun gasped and said, "Make what you love to do! What did you think I was talking about?"

Xiaolu couldn't help snickering and covered his mouth.

Long Xi glanced at both of them, put the basket on the table and said, "Come on, let's all make dumplings together. The village is so poor. We can't afford to throw away the leftover lard oil residue remaining from the oil manufacturer, so better to use it to make dumplings stuffings. However, this kind of meat stuffing with lard oil residue, has a different flavor! Come on, let's do it ourselves!"

Xiaolu said, "I don't know how to make dumplings. Can you teach me?"

Mo Kun laughed and said, "Neither can I."

In fact, he still had a headache, but those drugs helped to deaden his pain nerves, so he was not in such uncontrollable pain as before.

Long Xi touched his forehead and asked worriedly, "Do you have a fever? Why is it that I feel you're sick?"

Mo Kun said, "I didn't sleep well yesterday. I have a little headache."

Long Xi said with a smile, "I learned ma.s.sage techniques with an old Chinese medicine doctor, and I can give you a ma.s.sage."

She then reached out and started ma.s.saging Mo Kun's temples.

She had really learned the art from an old Chinese medicine doctor, so her technique worked very well. After the ma.s.sage, Mo Kun felt much better.

Xiaolu smiled and asked Long Xi, "Master Xi, what other life skills do you have? How is it that you are able to do everything? Your cooking skills are also excellent!"

Long Xi smiled and said, "That's because I am a foodie. Whenever I eat something delicious, I will go home, and learn how to do it. Over time, I have become a good cook. If you come to my house, I'll cook for you!"

Mo Kun and Xiaolu both laughed and pretended to drool, then they smiled at each other.

When Long Xi saw that their relations.h.i.+p seemed to have improved, she asked, "Eh? Did you two shake hands and make up while I was away?"

Mo Kun said, "We just had an agreement that we'll compete fairly. In fact, I have one thing in common with him, and that is, we both have unusually good visions!"

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of dumpling wrapper and asked, "How do I wrap this?"

Long Xi saw that his hand was shaking slightly, a little like the hand of a patient with Parkinson's disease. She was a bit worried and said, "Brother Kun, you'd better go and have a rest. I and Xiaolu, Eh...oh...no, and brother w.a.n.gchuan will do it together."

Mo Kun said, "How can I trust the two of you to be alone, to make dumplings in the same room?"

Xiaolu said, "Eh, what can I do in broad daylight? Besides, do I look like that kind of beast?"

Mo Kun said with a smile, "I'm afraid you're not a human being if you become a beast!"

Xiaolu made a face and and gesture of speechlessness, and Long Xi couldn't help laughing.

When she saw Mo Kun and Xiaolu talking and making jokes, and their hostility toward each other largely diminished, she was upset that she was initially worried that they would hurt each other, and now she was relieved.

Mo Kun yawned a few times. Those drugs had side effects and he really wanted to sleep now.

He pouted and said, "Then helps me into the room."

Long Xi laughed, helped him up, sent him into the room, and let him lie down on the hard bed. She covered him with the quilt, and kissed him on his forehead.

Mo Kun smiled and closed his eyes obediently, but his hand still held on tightly to Long Xi's hand.

Long Xi waited for him to fall asleep and then gently pulled out her hand.

When he was asleep, he really looked like an angel, with a sweet smile on his lips. His long eyelashes were thick and slightly curled, and fluttered gently like b.u.t.terfly wings, casting a faint shadow below.

Long Xi looked at him lying motionless for a while, then kissed him on the lips, feeling like a thief.

He muttered something, which made Long Xi start up like a spring, and her heart almost jumped out of her chest. Was he awake? Or was he just pretending to sleep?

Fortunately, he was just talking in his dreams.

Long Xi clasped her chest and crept away.

She went out to the hall and saw that Xiaolu had already wrapped all the dumplings.

She asked, "Didn't you say you don't know how to make dumplings?"

Xiaolu said, "Just because I haven't eaten pork, does it mean I have never seen a pig run? I've seen the maid wrap dumplings at home. That's pretty much it."

Long Xi checked the dumplings he had made. Although they were a bit unsightly, some had too much meat, and some had too little meat, they were all wrapped.

She praised Xiaolu and took the two plates of raw dumplings to the kitchen, ready to boil some soup and the dumplings.

Xiaolu followed her, carrying two plates of raw dumplings, and tried to help.

Long Xi found that she had run out of firewood and could not start a fire.

In fact, there was wood in the kitchen, but it hadn't been chopped into firewood yet.

Xiaolu picked up the pile of wood and said, "I'll chop it!"

Long Xi picked up the firewood chopper and said with a smile, "Let me do it. You, the second generation of stars, couldn't possibly do it!"

Xiaolu laughed and said, "You could teach me. I'm stronger than you anyway!"

So Long Xi took Xiaolu to the yard and taught him how to chop wood.

Xiaolu was smart, and a quick learner. Besides, he often exercised, and his arms were strong.

After he chopped enough firewood for Long Xi to make a fire, Long Xi said, "That's enough. You take a rest, I'll make a fire to boil the dumplings."

Xiaolu said, "I'm feeling over-energetic. I'll just chop all it."

Long Xi jokingly said, "Are you the young master, usually so diligent?"

Xiaolu smiled and said, "I can be a talented person, and I can also chop firewood!"

Long Xi said, "Well, sorry to trouble you then, please chop it."

Xiaolu chopped, while showing a brilliant healing smile and sang Tom Holland's song "like a dream". The tune was pleasant and light, and his voice was clear and bright. It was really better suited for singing than talking!

The lyrics were, "Actually, it's not really like me, especially when I'm with my friends. You are the quietest in the noise but easily ignite the slow-burning heart..."

"Well, that's great for the mix-and-match of chopping of firewood and the lyrics," Long Xi said as she carried some firewood to the kitchen.

Xiaolu's smile faded away, and his beautiful voice was tinged with a trace of loss.