The Earth is Online

2017, China, Suzhou.

It was just entering summer and the sunlight was becoming glaring. Suzhou Library located in the old city had recently opened a new convenience event, with many ‘book collecting spots’ set up throughout the city. As long as they borrowed the book using their mobile phone, they could get the book they wanted if they dropped by the nearest ‘book collecting spot’ that evening.

A young black-haired man came down from the bus, holding a huge bag in his hand. The bag was so heavy that his shoulders were unnaturally tilting to the side. He went to the book collection spot, took two books out of the bag and placed them in the book locker.

Tang Mo rubbed his shoulders and went back to the bus stop, ready to go to the next location.

Originally, there was a special staff member responsible for this. However, many people borrowed books today and the director threw him the big bag, allowing him to get off work early. In fact, this was his overtime.

It was early evening when lanterns were first lit and the colourful neon lights reflected the redness of the night.

Tang Mo was walking to the bus stop when his phone vibrated. He took it out and had a look.

[Victor: You’re not online yet?]

He looked at the time on top of the phone.

[Mo Tang: I’m working late today. Have you already started?]

[Victor: No.]

A moment later, the other person sent another message. [I remember that you are a civil servant.]

The implication: Civil servants also have to work overtime?

It turned out this person had misunderstandings about civil servants.

Tang Mo’s lips curved and he was about to send a message when he saw a red sports car. He reflexively looked up and didn’t see a license plate, only the trident logo on the rear of the car.

It was a beautiful Maserati sports car.

Tang Mo thought about it and replied: [Civil servants also have to work overtime but the leaders will make us work overtime in a strange way 【Helpless】]

The two people chatted as Tang Mo went to the bus stop. He looked around casually and saw the red Maserati again. There was a beautiful woman waving her hand in the car. “You really aren’t going to play Li Wen? What time is it? Can’t we go to another place?”

A young male voice answered her. “My father called me back to Shanghai. Next time, I will call all of us together again to play.”

“Okay.”

The tall beauty got off and walked into a high-end neighbourhood. The Maserati turned a corner and accelerated. Like flames in the night, this high-end sports car caught the attention of everyone at the bus stop. Tang Mo bowed his head to send Victor a message when he suddenly looked up.

The Maserati had just moved past the crowd and the young man in the driver’s seat laughed and set kisses to the ‘onlookers’ at the bus stop.

His eyes happened to meet Tang Mo’s.

Both men were slightly stunned.

By the time Tang Mo reacted, the car had driven far away.

“...The rich second generation are really funny.”

Tang Mo got on the bus and returned home. He first turned on the computer, entered the online bridge platform and joined a team with Victor. As he watched for opponents to be matched to them, Tang Mo sneaked into the kitchen to cook some porridge. Then he came back when the game started.

Tang Mo sat straight up and focused on playing.

They played until midnight. Tang Mo stretched and discovered that it was this late. Then he remembered something else. “Don’t you have to go to work tomorrow?”

Victor was very mysterious and was like a ghost.

Tang Mo didn’t know his name, his work and he only had an approximate guess of the age of the other person. However, Victor always slept early, as if he had to get up early every day. Sometimes he would disappear for a month or two. Of course, he would always tell Tang Mo before disappearing.

[Victor: I have returned to China recently and have a long holiday.]

Holidays were rare. There were holidays all over the world but Victor had never taken one.

[Busy people also have holidays?] Tang Mo finished replying and held his chin with one hand as he gazed at the computer screen.

Victor was typing for a long time. He seemed to delete many messages before finally sending a reply.

[...Yes, I was promoted to the nobility so the leader gave me a long holiday.]

Tang Mo’s eyes brightened. [How can you be promoted to the nobility? Does your family have a throne to inherit?] Tang Mo then felt this was a bit too much and quickly added: [I heard that a promotion to the nobility is followed by a wife. You should be prepared.]

It was just a joke but Victor didn’t respond for a long time.

Tang Mo became a bit impatient. He tapped his finger on the tap and thought about it. He decided to send the words ‘It is a joke. Don’t mind it,’ when he saw a reply on the computer screen.

[How is it promoted to the nobility? It is probably adding a star to the shoulder. The throne doesn’t exist. This is a democratic, civilized and harmonious country.]

Tang Mo’s eyes widened at this reply and he felt strange.

The addition of a star to the shoulder, was Victor a soldier?

He didn’t have time to respond when the other person sent another message.

[As for a wife...]

[Mo Tang, I like men.]

Tang Mo was stunned as he stared at the last sentence on the computer screen. Moonlight shone from outside the window as the young man’s fingers tapped his delicate face. After a long time, he smiled and said, “Telling me this when I secretly like you.” It was so soft that it was like it didn’t happen.

[Mo Tang: Your socialist core values are divided by one-third. This unqualified party member can also add a star to his shoulders?]

The man in front of the computer waited for so long only to receive this reply.

Fu Wenduo smiled helplessly and typed back: [I am very familiar with the party chapter. I will recite it for you.]

Tang Mo wasn’t interested in listened to this since he wasn’t a party member.

[Stop playing around. I’m going to bed since I have to work tomorrow.]

[Victor: [Okay, go to sleep. Good night.] There was a pause before another sentence was sent. [Maybe I will find another chance to recite it for you.]

[Mo Tang: ...]

[Mo Tang: Spare me Major.] He had just gone to Baidu to search and a major had a star on their shoulders.

He didn’t expect Victor to reply seriously: [It is lieutenant colonel.]

Tang Mo, “...”

[Good night, Lieutenant Colonel Victor.]

[Good night Mo Tang.]

He had a good night’s sleep and the next morning, Tang Mo came to the library. At noon, Xiao Zhao came looking for Tang Mo. “Tang Mo, haven’t you found that something is wrong recently?”

Tang Mo thought about it. [Two days ago, the director sent another batch of books.]

Xiao Zhao waved her hands. “Not that. There is someone mission.”

Tang Mo realized and gave an answer, “The huckster.”

“Yes! It is the huckster. We haven’t seen him in almost a week. Where did he go? He used to come to our library every day and now he hasn’t been here for a week...” Her voice stopped and Xiao Zhao gulped. “Did something happen to him? Didn’t a foreign country have this type of news before? An old man always ordered pizza at the same store, booking it every day. Suddenly, he didn’t book it for two days and the pizza store sent people to check. Sure enough, the old man had fallen down at him. Perhaps the huckster is sick at home?”

Tang Mo helped a mother with a book and spoke calmly, “Then you can go to his house to check.”

Xiao Zhao, “...”

The young girl walked away and Tang Mo could hear her muttering, “There is no point at all. He’s so boring.”

Tang Mo raised his eyebrows and didn’t say anything. He continued to help people return books.

He only started working at Suzhou Library last year. At the time, many young girls in the library tried to talk to Tang Mo due to his good looks. However, they were soon stopped by his cold and indifferent attitude. He wasn’t interested in these girls and didn’t want to worry about the shelving. It was convenient to coldly refuse and saved someone trying to introduce a girlfriend to him.

His older female colleagues liked introducing potential boys or girls to young people. At the beginning, they also wanted to introduce people to Tang Mo. Then Tang Mo was too cold and unfamiliar and no one wanted to introduce people to him. He was happy with the quiet.

It was true that speak of the devil and he would appear.

Xiao Zhao just spoke for a long time about how she didn’t see the huckster. Then Tang Mo looked up and saw a middle-aged man in a suit come over. Tang Mo looked at the other person and didn’t fail to recognize him. “Mr. Chen?”

The huckster Chen Fangzhi stared nervously at Tang Mo, rubbing his hands today, “How do you like my outfit today?”

Tang Mo, “...”

This was a library, not a clothing store!

The huckster told him, “Don’t misunderstand. I have too few friends and don’t know who to ask for advice. I...I’m going to take the high-speed train to Shanghai to see my daughter in the afternoon. Her mother finally agreed to let me see her. Do you think my clothing is appropriate? Perhaps her mother will think I look good and then allow me to see her more often?”

Tang Mo stared silently at the huckster, who pinched his clothing.

Tang Mo sighed before smiling. “Mr. Chen, you look very good, very spiritual. However, can I ask you to move aside? There are people who want to borrow books.”

The huckster’s expression brightened at the praise and he repeated three times, “Good, good, good! Thank you so much! Then I’m going, I’m going.” He turned and ran, probably heading to the train station.

Tang Mo, “...”

There was no time to think about the huckster as Tang Mo was busy all day. It was only when he got off work that he wondered, “How is the huckster doing?” Still, he just thought about it and didn’t take it to heart. The huckster was just an ordinary reader who often came to the library to read books and became familiar with the library employees.

Shanghai, the Shibei Middle School.

A pale and very thin middle-aged man in a suit paced nervously at the entrance of the school. Finally, the school bell signalling the end of class finished and the man jerked excitedly. He was so nervous that he didn’t know where to put his hands.

One after another, students emerged from the school gate. The man had been waiting 10 minutes when two girls and a little fatty came out together.

The little fatty had his hands clasped together. “Please Shanshan. I don’t understand it. Today’s math questions were too hard. Please let me borrow it to copy.”

A short-haired girl replied casually, “The teacher will scold me.”

Zhao Ziang hurriedly exclaimed, “If you don’t say it then who will know?” Then he begged. “Please Shanshan.”

Chen Shanshan suddenly stopped moving.

Zhao Ziang followed her gaze and looked surprised. “Hey, who is that. His clothing is so strange.”

The huckster’s clothing actually wasn’t strange. It was just that his perturbed expression and nervous posture didn’t fit his identity as an adult.

Chen Shanshan’s voice was quiet. “He is my father.”

Zhao Ziang, “...”

The little girl carried her bag, went to the huckster and spoke in a calm manner, “Father.”

The huckster was moved to tears. “Shanshan!”

The little fatty Zhao Ziang, “...” Whoa, this was business he shouldn’t get involved in.

The depressed little fatty walked him. He went to the intersection and couldn’t help crying, “Why is that strange man Shanshan’s father? What should I do about my maths homework?”

The child kept his head lowered as he vented his thoughts. He didn’t know that his loud words had scared a black commercial car stopped at the junction. This was a big business car that looked very ordinary. Nobody knew that there were countless sophisticated security instruments and three armed police protecting a researcher.

The three armed policemen had actually loaded their ammunition when they saw the small fatty yell at the door of the car. They were shocked and gripped their guns. After a moment of observation, they discovered the little fatty had gone far away and relaxed.

The protected scientist laughed. “It is just a child.”

One of the armed police said, “Professor Luo, we are responsible for protecting you. Please cooperate.”

Luo Fengcheng pushed up his glasses and didn’t say anything else.

Suzhou, the park.

Today, the director didn’t find an excuse to make Tang Mo work overtime. Thus, Tang Mo headed home as the sun was setting. He cooked some noodles for himself, turned on the computer and found that... a certain person was actually online.

His lips curved and he typed.

[Mo Tang: You aren’t busy these days?]

[Victor: Didn’t I say yesterday that I have a long holiday?]

[Mo Tang: Come play a game.]

Victor quickly replied: [I can’t. I have to get on a plane.]

He was going somewhere?

Tang Mo: [Okay, I’ll see you later.]

He hadn’t closed QQ yet when a message box popped up. Tang Mo opened the message and his fingers froze.

[Victor: I’m on a plane flying to Shanghai.]

[I remember that you are in Suzhou.]

[...Mo Tang, let’s meet.”