Chapter 212 I Like You: Okay, boyfriend.

More than a year has passed quietly in training, competitions, and the physiotherapy room.

Lu Cheng had long since lost her initial awkwardness and rejection towards Gu Yanqing; instead, the two of them had become the closest people in the club.

Lu Cheng used to be a chatterbox and people would always complain that he "talked too much".

Only Gu Yanqing would listen to him with a smile before handing him warm water.

She would also gently massage his tense shoulders and neck while he was complaining.

This made Lu Cheng even more open with Gu Yanqing.

Gu Yanqing had already figured out Lu Cheng's temperament.

I know Lu Cheng is tough on the outside but soft on the inside, and I also know he's afraid of pain but loves to show off.

Gu Yanqing remained as gentle and refined as ever, but the look in his eyes when he looked at Lu Cheng held a tenderness and possessiveness that others were unaware of.

The two understood each other implicitly, and their feelings for each other quietly grew as they spent time together day after day.

...

One day, Lu Cheng was returning home after finishing a solo business trip in another city.

As soon as the car left the highway exit, two sedans followed closely behind.

The driver frowned and sped up, but the other party kept up.

Lu Cheng was playing on her phone in the car, complaining to Gu Yanqing about the bizarre things that happened during this business event.

The driver suddenly swerved the steering wheel, and the car behind couldn't brake in time, scraping against their side door with a "bang".

The enormous impact caused the car to lurch violently.

Caught off guard, Lu Cheng's right forearm slammed hard against the car door.

A sharp pain shot through him, and he hissed, clutching his arm as his face turned deathly pale.

The driver dared not delay any longer, so he quickly called the police and contacted Coach Zheng.

After the police arrived, Coach Zheng also arrived.

The first thing they asked about Lu Cheng was, "Are you alright? Where are you hurt?"

Lu Cheng shook his head: "It's nothing, just a slight bump, a minor injury."

Coach Zheng, with his sharp eyes, went straight over and rolled up Lu Cheng's sleeves.

"Ouch! Ouch! Slow down!"

"You call this nothing? It's swollen like a pig's knuckle! I'll have someone take care of it here, but come with me to the hospital right now."

Lu Cheng didn't dare to argue and obediently followed the coach's instructions to go to the nearby hospital.

*

Inside the UPW club.

Gu Yanqing was giving physical therapy to the trainees when he heard a commotion in the training room.

Li Le rushed over in a panic.

"Brother Gu! Something terrible has happened! Team Lu is in trouble!"

Gu Yanqing's hand suddenly stopped. "What's wrong?"

"Coach Zheng just called to say that the team was chased by stalkers on their way back and their car was hit!"

“Coach Zheng has already gone there! I heard that Team Leader Lu injured his arm, but we don’t know how serious it is yet,” Fang Xu added.

"Lu's hand...it can't really be..."

"Pah! Pah! Pah! What nonsense are you talking about! Don't say unlucky things!"

"Bless the team, bless the team! May you be safe! And may your hands be safe too!" Wang Chu clasped his hands together and prayed to the sky.

Gu Yanqing instantly lost his usual gentleness, his smile vanished, and his eyes turned cold.

Which hospital?

"It seems to be Xingbei City First Hospital."

Gu Yanqing grabbed the coat draped over the back of the chair, turned around and rushed out.

The team members in the corridor were all startled by his appearance.

Gu Ge, who is usually always smiling and composed, had a very intimidating and terrifying expression today.

After leaving the club, Gu Yanqing hailed a taxi.

At that moment, the air inside the car seemed to freeze, and Gu Yanqing's hands slowly clenched.

My mind was filled with what my teammates had just said.

He dared not imagine how devastated that proud and persistent person would be if Lu Cheng's hand were truly ruined by this car accident.

Gu Yanqing couldn't help but recall his past car accident.

He looked at his right hand, and terrifying memories from the past flooded back.

He had already experienced the regret caused by his hand injury.

Gu Yanqing didn't want to...

He didn't want Lu Cheng to go through the same thing as him.

"Master, please hurry up, even faster!" Gu Yanqing couldn't help but urge, his voice trembling without him even realizing it.

While in the car, Gu Yanqing made several phone calls to Lu Cheng.

None of them answered, and Coach Zheng's phone was constantly busy.

His heart grew heavier and heavier.

The taxi stopped at the hospital entrance, and Gu Yanqing paid the fare and rushed inside.

Just then, Coach Zheng called him back.

"Hey Coach Zheng! Lu Cheng, he..."

Coach Zheng knew that Gu Yanqing had also come to ask about Lu Cheng's situation; a bunch of people had called to inquire since earlier.

He said the same thing: "He's fine, just a fracture in his right forearm. The doctor said he needs to rest and recover. I don't plan to let him play in the second half of the year's competitions, after all, it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone."

Just then, a voice came from the side.

"A six-month suspension? Is that an exaggeration? Don't listen to the coach's nonsense, I don't even have a fracture, I'll be fully recovered in a month at most..."

Hearing that Lu Cheng still sounded energetic, Gu Yanqing felt a little relieved.

"Coach Zheng, which ward are you in?"

"Xiao Gu, you're asking this because...you've come to the hospital too?"

"Um."

...

Ten minutes later, Gu Yanqing saw Lu Cheng sitting on the hospital bed, his face pale.

With his right forearm wrapped in thick gauze, he was listening to the doctor with a furrowed brow.

Gu Yanqing paused, calmed his rapid breathing, and then slowly walked in.

Hearing the noise, Lu Cheng looked up and saw that it was Gu Yanqing.

"You actually came! I thought the coach was just kidding me."

Gu Yanqing walked to his side, her gaze fixed on his forearm wrapped in gauze.

His brow furrowed slightly. "Does it still hurt?"

Gu Yanqing's gaze was intense, filled with undisguised worry.

Lu Cheng felt a warmth in her heart and said nonchalantly, "It's alright, it's not a serious injury, it doesn't hurt at all."

"At this point, stop showing off. Have you forgotten how much you screamed when the doctor bandaged you up?" Coach Zheng ruthlessly exposed Lu Cheng's lie.

Lu Cheng looked at Gu Yanqing with a slightly guilty expression, only to see the other's face turn cold again.

He quickly added, "It's just... just a little bit of pain, a bit of a throbbing feeling. Don't worry, this injury won't end my career."

Lu Cheng seemed to know what Gu Yanqing was thinking, and deliberately said this to comfort him.

He knew that Gu Yanqing had also injured his right hand in a car accident, which affected many things afterward.

This was the first time Lu Cheng had seen Gu Yanqing like this.

The person who is usually all smiles is unusually serious today, with worry and tension in his eyes.

He hadn't expected the other person to be so worried about him.

At that moment, a corner of Lu Cheng's heart slowly collapsed.

The lights in the ward were soft.

Gu Yanqing was also looking at Lu Cheng's face, his eyes deep.

All restraint and forbearance are about to vanish.

All that remained was the urge to hold the person in front of me in my arms.

As Coach Zheng left the ward to make a phone call, Gu Yanqing called out to him.

"Lu Cheng."

"Um?"

"I like you and I want to take care of you from now on. This isn't just a passing fancy."

Lu Cheng's pupils contracted, and he almost forgot to breathe, "..."

The man in front of me looked up and smiled, "Are you willing to give me this chance?"

A subtle atmosphere was spreading between the two.

For a moment, no one spoke, and they remained silent for a full minute.

Seeing that Lu Cheng remained silent, Gu Yanqing added, "Don't rush to give me an answer. Whether you like it or not, I will..."

"I do."

"..."

Lu Cheng is an impatient person; if something happens today, it definitely won't be left until tomorrow.

He doesn't like things to be done in a daze.

On the field, when he has the opportunity to make a decisive shot, he will not let it slip away.

The same applies now.

“Gu Yanqing, I’ve made up my mind. This isn’t just a passing fancy.”

At this moment, Coach Zheng came in from outside, "What do you mean by 'on a whim'? What are you talking about? Don't you have plenty of whimsical things to do? Playing e-sports is the only thing you've stuck with the longest."

The ambiguous atmosphere in the room was suddenly broken, and the two of them turned their heads away at the same time.

Lu Cheng's ears were still slightly red.

Coach Zheng was left completely bewildered.

Is what he said... wrong?

...

After 24 hours of observation at the hospital, Lu Cheng left safely.

After that, he spent his days recuperating from his injuries.

Upon hearing about this, Yin Song and Lu Wenyan immediately took Lu Cheng back.

The coach also gave Lu Cheng a few months' leave so that he could recuperate properly.

After returning home, Lu Cheng became a complete "left-handed expert".

With his right arm suspended, he could only exert force with his left hand.

Despite being injured, Lu Cheng never stopped moving around; his phone was always in his hand.

Early this morning, he started typing furiously on his phone with his left hand again. He felt uneasy if he didn't bother Gu Yanqing every day.

Even though I know the other person is probably working right now.

[Lu Cheng]: Gu Yanqing, are you giving someone physical therapy?

[Lu Cheng]: Gu Yanqing, is it because I'm not around that you feel embarrassed to give acupuncture to others?

[Lu Cheng]: Gu Yanqing, I watched those guys' training match video yesterday, and they were absolutely terrible. I've only been gone a few days! Our club really can't do without me.

[Lu Cheng]: Gu Yanqing! Gu Yanqing! Gu Yanqing! Come out and speak!

Gu Yanqing finished the physiotherapy for the last team member.

My phone has been vibrating non-stop in my pocket since just now.

When I finally had some free time, I took out my phone and saw that it was full of messages from Lu Cheng.

It's a long string of words, like a machine gun.

[Gu Yanqing]: How is your arm today? Did you take your medicine on time?

When Lu Cheng left the hospital, the doctor prescribed some oral medication to reduce the swelling in his arm.

[Lu Cheng]: I've eaten. I'm fine. Stop worrying about my arm. Can we talk about something interesting instead?

[Gu Yanqing]: What do you want to hear me say?

Lu Cheng was still thinking about something when a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"He only has one hand left, and he's still holding a phone and playing with it?"

Lu Cheng was startled by the sound, "Holy crap!"

Turning my head, I saw that it was Lu Yuan, with Lu Xun and Lu Qi also at the door.

"You...you've all come back?"

“This is our own home, we can come back whenever we want,” said Lu Qi, who was walking over.

Lu Xun also came over and asked, "Xiao Cheng, you really should use your phone less. Since your arm is inconvenient, don't move it around too much."

"Big brother, how come you're like this too!" Lu Cheng pouted.

He thought to himself with annoyance, "He's not just playing on his phone; he's doing serious business."

After being single for so many years, he suddenly realized that now that he has a partner, shouldn't he have a proper chat with her?

However, Lu Cheng doesn't plan to tell his family about this yet.

To avoid a group of people gossiping about him again.

He and Gu Yanqing have only been together for a short time, so he needs some time to adjust.

[Lu Cheng]: Something came up at home, I have to talk to you now, I'll call you back tonight.

On the other side, Gu Yanqing smiled as he looked at his phone screen and slowly typed out a line of text.

[Gu Yanqing]: Okay, boyfriend.

————————!!————————

Lu Cheng: I'm not planning to tell my family. [Clown]

[[Cai Gou] This part of the timeline roughly connects to chapters 123 and 124 of the main text, the spot where Lao Si injured his arm. This coincides with Zhao Zhao's holiday break, the whole family gathering, and then Lao Si's relationship being exposed.]