Chapter 121 Intentionally to Annoy You

Xie Xingchen found it quite strange.

Mingming has been extremely calm in recent years, but his illness still flares up daily. Sometimes he takes suppressants, sometimes he doesn't, and he self-destructively does whatever he wants.

He even suspected he was developing PTSD, but at that moment, Lin Yao's lips just touched his chin, without even kissing him, and he instantly became aroused.

“Yaoyao…” he said helplessly, “You can’t just set a trap for us.”

Lin Yao looked at him mockingly and repeated his words: "Do nothing."

Xie Xingchen: "..........Hmm."

"Okay, let's go back."

Before leaving, Lin Yao's fingers slid from the back of the other person's neck to their lower back, applying just the right amount of pressure: "Why are you so tense if you're not going to do anything?"

Xie Xingchen nodded, remaining silent.

They've gone astray.

Lin Yao went out first and saw Cheng Boyan standing at the door of the room. He glanced over, put out his cigarette, and said to the person in front of him, "You go in first, I'm going to the restroom."

"Brother Yao!" He Li turned around, quickly ran over, and sidled up to him as they walked back. "Why didn't you sit with Xie Gou this time?"

"Why should I sit with him?" Lin Yao was completely confused.

He Li winked and thought to himself, "I already know everything, why are you still pretending? It's so funny to see this cool guy playing the role of a secret crush."

"I understand, I understand."

Lin Yao looked at him as if he were an idiot: "Did you just fall into the toilet? You're talking nonsense like your brain is full of water."

He Li thought he had a big scoop, and now he had a more pleasant perspective on the other party: "It's okay, I understand. If you want to sit across from him, you can observe his subtle expressions and handsome face."

Lin Yao: ".........."

Lin Yao didn't know what was wrong with him all of a sudden and couldn't be bothered to pay attention to him.

He Li propped her chin up and stared straight at him; it was a rare sight indeed.

Although my perspective is limited, it's worth recording.

He took out the limited edition camera he had just received, and after Xie Xingchen sat down again, he took the first photo of his brother Yao and his crush.

"I want one too." Cheng Boyan put away his nonchalant attitude and faced him directly. "Shouldn't you take a picture of the gift I gave you?"

He Li muttered as he turned the camera around: "Shoot, shoot you to death."

“The documentary you filmed for me last time was really good; I watched it several times after I got back,” Duan Zheng said.

"Of course, you already experienced my skills back in freshman year, didn't you?" He Li chatted casually while adjusting the focus to film the other side. "I was the top video editor who made you a hit in the parody video section back then."

Duan Zheng chuckled: "You used to always scold me."

“Because you used to be really annoying, you swore a lot and had a bad personality.” He Li said bluntly, “After joining Yao Ge’s team, you completely changed, mainly thanks to my brother Yao. Now I find you much more pleasing to the eye, and you are quite good-looking.”

Cheng Boyan and Xie Xingchen exchanged a glance and instantly united on the same side.

Tsk, how come this guy is familiar with everyone?

"Is he good-looking?" Cheng Boyan suspected that this guy not only had a low IQ, but also had problems with his eyes.

"It's alright, what do you think, Yao-ge?" He Li casually offered his opinion.

Lin Yao looked up, and under the gaze of several pairs of eyes, turned his head and looked at himself for several seconds before giving an objective assessment: "It's alright."

Xie Xingchen drank the wine in his glass without expression: "I think it's just so-so."

Cheng Boyan hummed in agreement, then retorted, "According to my aesthetic standards, it's indeed just average."

Duan Zheng: "............."

Are you two engaging in blatant bullying here?

“How is he just average? You don’t know what the news department interviewed before… sigh, even in the logistics department, they can’t find two people who are good enough to be on camera.” He Li was very fair. “If someone like him were released, he would be a top-tier heartthrob in the department.”

"There are no ugly guys from Chongqing, they're all handsome. The internal competition is fierce," Zhang Yang said with a laugh. "Back then, the entrance physical exam included looks, right?"

“There are some.” He Li reached out to clink glasses with him across the long table, rambling on, “If you’re good-looking, like Yao Ge, you get five credits. If I’m good-looking, I get three credits. If you lose credits, you have to make up for it from other places, like moral credits, like helping old ladies cross the street.”

He made everyone at the table laugh uncontrollably.

Lin Yao took a sip of the wine in his glass, observing Cheng Boyan's concerned expression, and couldn't help but watch the show.

He Li is practically a social butterfly. It's hard to imagine how popular she is in the news department with her innocent-looking face and eloquent tongue.

"You're so charming." Zhang Yang came over with a bottle of wine, put his arm around his shoulder, and said, "Let's add each other as friends and hang out sometime."

"What are you laughing at?" Duan Zheng rarely saw Lin Yao with such a gentle expression.

“Xiao Heli…” Lin Yao paused halfway through his reply, feeling a light tap on the toe of his shoe, and looked across at the other side.

Xie Xingchen's gaze fell on the wine glass in his hand.

A silent reminder: You can't hold your liquor, yet you still want to drink?

Lin Yao stared at him, slowly finished his glass of wine, and was still saying what he hadn't finished saying earlier: "Laugh at what He Li just said."

"You have such a long reaction time," Duan Zheng said.

"Hmm, a little, maybe I'm a bit slow after drinking." After Lin Yao finished speaking, he bent down and glanced down. Then he felt his calf being hooked and lifted up. Just as he tried to break free, he was suddenly clamped down, with a thumb pressing on his ankle as if as punishment.

He looked at Xie Xingchen silently.

Didn't you say you wouldn't do anything? Why are you touching my leg?

Lin Yao deftly pulled his foot out of his hand and continued drinking the wine in front of him. In fact, he had improved his alcohol tolerance over the past two years and was no longer as drunk as before, but it was still not good.

Xie Xingchen only knew that he would get drunk every time he drank a little.

I only remember two times: once when I lay on his back and opened up my wound, and once when I confessed my feelings in a daze.

He tried to use a very ordinary tone: "How come Captain Lin started drinking by himself?"

“That’s right, come on, let’s raise a glass together and cheers to celebrate the start of our three-month training!” He Li immediately followed suit.

Xie Xingchen: "........."

Aren't you afraid of drinking your brother Yao to death here?

Lin Yao didn't blush; after two drinks, he was only slightly tipsy.

Xie Xingchen lowered her eyes and typed a message to him.

[xxc]: Still want to drink?

[xxc]: I can't take care of you today.

Lin Yao's phone vibrated; it was Cheng Boyan's again. Taking it out now was a bit too blatant, especially with He Li sitting next to him. Lin Yao lowered his head, swiped to reply, then looked up again to continue listening to the others' conversation.

[AA Baby]: I'm no longer someone who gets drunk after just one cup.

Xie Xingchen was slightly taken aback.

Throughout the day, they went from being speechless to embracing. A heart that had been adrift for four years finally found peace. They hadn't broken up. It was a long-distance relationship. Before they could even be happy, they realized that they had missed out on so much from each other without realizing it.

【xxc】: When did you start practicing?

[AA Baby]: You left during the winter New Year, and you drank too much with your godfather.

[xxc]: I can imagine that Uncle Pei must be quite capable.

[AA Baby]: I drank it twice more later, and slowly drank a little during the team dinner. Now I don't get drunk after one glass.

【xxc】：I worried for nothing.

Lin Yao tightened his lips, then relaxed them, noticing his dejection.

These emotions have come and gone several times today, becoming a knot between them that will require a long time to untie.

Seeing that he hadn't replied yet, Xie Xingchen sent another message.

【xxc】: Then drink less, after all, I can't watch you act cute today.

【AA Baby】: No

[xxc]: Still upset about what just happened?

【AA Baby】: No, I just wanted to annoy you.

Xie Xingchen raised an eyebrow slightly. This statement was a bit willful, not like Lin Yao at all. It was very frank and revealed his little temper without any attempt to hide it.

But it gave him a sense of peace and comfort after a long time of being cautiously reunited.

【xxc】: What's wrong with you?

[AA Baby]: I'm drunk, but you can't touch me.

Xie Xingchen gritted his teeth, convinced that Lin Yao's few words had ignited his long-dormant thoughts.

That's truly an amazing skill.

He did nothing, dressed neatly, moved with proper manners, sat opposite him, and simply sent a message that made him incredibly agitated.

Xie Xingchen raised his eyes and looked at the person sitting diagonally opposite him. The corners of his eyes were slightly upturned, and he looked at him provocatively, his competitive spirit was extremely strong.

【AA Baby】: I'd like to see how many days you can hold it in.

Xie Xingchen suddenly smiled, a slightly roguish smile, and slowly, silently mouthed the words to him.

"If you can't have it, you can fantasize about it."