Chapter 35 [Bonus Chapter] "My body likes..."
Nan Zhiyi skipped the live stream, too embarrassed to say she was rushing to finish her thesis, and instead lied and said something came up.
Normally, he would have been bombarded with insults from fans in the comments section, but this time, thanks to the competition, more than half of the people suspected that he didn't want to reveal the competition tactics, and eventually convinced himself.
Angels' next match is at 7 p.m. on the 28th, against his friend Moon's team.
Their previous match was a Group B match at 5 o'clock, one of which was against the Northern team, who had previously leaked the details of their practice match.
Under normal circumstances, the average match and rest time for this type of less formal online competition is 50 minutes. If the competition progresses quickly, the next team can usually start on time after two matches. Even if three matches are played, it will only be delayed by a maximum of half an hour.
However, during today's match, the Northern team encountered some problems, frequently experiencing pauses due to network issues, with the longest pause lasting half an hour. The commentators chatted online until their throats were dry, and the audience was extremely impatient.
In the end, they fought to a decisive game against their opponents—so much so that the match between the Angels and the Moon teams, originally scheduled for 19:00, was dragged out until 21:30.
Today's match was a bit bumpy, with Angels losing their previous undefeated streak in the first game. Fortunately, everyone calmed down and managed to catch up by two points, eventually winning the match 2-1.
The two-and-a-half-hour battle ended at midnight.
Although most streamers are night owls, Nan Zhiyi had been sleeping less these past few days and was feeling a bit sleepy. However, he still called over the other three team members to have a brief debriefing meeting.
Since it was just a simple recap and didn't involve any tactical secrets, he didn't turn off the live stream. Instead, he continued in the voice channel with the previous settings: "In this dungeon raid, our focus was scattered. Yux and I wanted to take down the boss first, but Xiaoyu and Mengge wanted to engage the enemy first, which gave them an opportunity..."
The other three people in the channel listened quietly to his analysis.
Nan Zhiyi spoke briefly for ten minutes, focusing on analyzing several issues that led to their defeat in the first game. Then she turned off the game recording and planned to let everyone go back to rest.
Then he noticed the comment box hidden in the corner... it seemed to be scrolling through the screen exceptionally fast?
Nan Zhiyi pulled up the bullet comment section and took a closer look.
Oh my god, is something bad going to happen?
[She was probably just too tired and fell asleep.]
[Hello host, could you please call Yux? He's lying face down on the table, not moving at all. I don't know if he's fainted...]
[+1 I just came from Yux's live stream, I was so worried]
Upon catching a glimpse of a few ominous words, Nan Zhiyi's heart tightened immediately: "I'll go take a look."
Through the earpiece, Song Meng asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Nan Zhiyi didn't have time to explain; she took off her headphones, threw them on the table, and left the room.
Why did they just leave?
They're probably worried that going out to look for it directly might not be enough time to call.
【？】
What happened? The screen suddenly went black.
[Holy crap, Yux's livestream suddenly cut out, I don't know what happened.]
"..."
Nan Zhiyi jumped off the chair quickly. He had just turned off the power to You Xin's room, interrupting the live stream, and then turned and went into the workroom on the first floor.
The room lights were off, and a human figure was vaguely visible crouching on the table.
Nan Zhiyi rushed over in two strides and reached out to touch the other person's breath—thankfully, they were still breathing.
He paused for a moment, then called out softly twice, "You Xin? You Xin."
A moment later, the person in the darkness opened their eyes.
He stirred slightly, and Nan Zhiyi noticed, immediately letting out a sigh of relief: "You were asleep?"
His heart was still pounding, and his palms were even sweating. After realizing that the other person was alright, he suddenly found his earlier flustered behavior somewhat ridiculous.
He's just asleep... Could something really be wrong with him? He must have been affected by the comments in the live stream...
The room was pitch black; even the moonlight and streetlights outside were completely blocked by the curtains.
You Xin hesitated to make any further moves.
After a moment of silence, he spoke, his voice slightly hoarse and filled with weariness: "...What are you doing here?"
"Huh?" Nan Zhiyi didn't understand. "Someone in the comments said you didn't seem to be feeling well, so I logged off."
“Barrage…comments? I…” You Xin also seemed puzzled, “Didn’t you already…leave…”
His words suddenly stopped.
Nan Zhiyi: "Me? Already?"
You Xin remained quiet for a while.
"It's nothing. I was feeling a bit sleepy just now, and I fell asleep when I heard your voice." When he spoke again, his tone had become much more awake.
As he spoke, he slowly raised his head. Only then did Nan Zhiyi suddenly realize that she had just reached out to check his breath, and her knuckles were still pressed against his cheek, which was accidentally brushed by his movement as he looked up.
He immediately withdrew his hand as if he had been electrocuted.
It was just a fleeting warm touch, but now my fingertips felt like they were on fire: "Just now, uh, your fans came to my live stream and said you were lying there motionless. I was so scared I thought something had happened to you."
You Xin tapped his forehead lightly.
“I was a little groggy just now,” he said. “I thought I was still in the CG training room.”
Nan Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat. He seemed to realize something: "You hadn't been sleeping well at CG before?"
"No," You Xin immediately denied.
Then, as if realizing that his tone was a bit too harsh, he added, "It's not as bad as before... much better."
“Okay.” Nan Zhiyi believed him. “It’s late now, let’s talk about the recap tomorrow—you should get some rest first.”
Nan Zhiyi went back upstairs, first calming down the fans who had migrated from Yux's live stream and were now in an uproar, then briefly explained the situation to the two people still watching in the channel, and then turned off the live stream.
He received a message from Song Meng shortly after the broadcast ended.
[Meng: Is everything alright?]
[Xiaoyi Xiaoyi: It's okay, he's probably just too tired and fell asleep.]
[Meng: Did you go to call him? I called him earlier but there was no answer; his ringer must be off.]
[Meng: Are you living together now?]
Nan Zhiyi: "…………"
As expected of the eldest brother, he keenly perceived something from just a few words.
He hadn't planned to tell anyone about this, but now he had to admit it: "I moved apartments; I had some problems with my previous roommate. Yux just got back and didn't have anywhere to stay either, so we just ended up living together."
Then, as if trying to cover up the truth, he added: "I guess I'll have to find a new roommate for the summer tournament, what a hassle, hahaha."
Fortunately, the other side didn't say anything.
Meng: Oh, I see.
[Meng: Did Xiaoyou not get enough rest?]
Just as Nan Zhiyi was about to type a reply, another message came from the other end: "Back when I was still at CG, he seemed to have trouble sleeping. There was a period when the team's performance was poor, and he couldn't sleep for nights on end, eventually even taking leave from practice matches to go to the hospital."
A little while later.
[Little Yi: What did the doctor say?]
[Meng: It seems to mean he's a bit too anxious]
[Meng: He was prescribed some medicine and some kind of sound wave therapy. I don't know much about it. But sometimes when we go to home games in other cities, the journey is long, and I often see him sleeping with headphones on.]
-
You Xin, dressed in pajamas, stood in front of the bedside table, clutching a white medicine bottle in her hand. A half-full glass of water sat beside her.
He unscrewed the bottle cap, poured in a few small blue pills, and examined them closely.
After a while, he poured all the pills back into the container.
Just then, there was a knock on his door.
You Xin immediately screwed on the bottle cap and threw the bottle back into the drawer with a "bang".
He turned around and opened the door. It was pitch black outside. Nan Zhiyi stood there: "You're not asleep, are you? I saw your light was on."
You Xin: "No."
Nan Zhiyi's gaze swept past him, scanning the room behind him: "May I come in?"
You Xin blinked, released her hand from the doorknob, and retreated back into the room.
Nan Zhiyi entered his room as if she were returning to her hometown. She rummaged around on the chair where he hadn't had time to tidy up his clothes for a bit, and then unceremoniously sat down in the pile of clothes.
You Xin also sat back on the bed.
"Do you have something to tell me?" he asked.
"Um...it's nothing. I just wanted to chat with you." Nan Zhiyi looked away slightly and asked casually, "How have you been feeling lately, um, how are you feeling?"
This question seems completely out of the blue. You Xin said, "Why are you suddenly asking this?"
"Oh, just think of it as the captain caring about the team's competitive state," Nan Zhiyi waved her hand.
“If you work at the club, the boss will pay you three times your salary,” You Xin said. “The captain also has to wear many hats, and after being a coach, he also has to do psychological counseling.”
Nan Zhiyi didn't smile. He insisted, "Answer my question first."
"What?"
How have you been feeling lately?
"I'm in a... great mood," You Xin said, adding a few more adjectives as if to convince the other person, "Relaxed, cheerful, and invigorated."
Nan Zhiyi stared at him intently.
"You lied to me," he said softly after a long pause.
You Xin: "Hmm?"
“Meng told me everything,” Nan Zhiyi said quickly. “He said you weren’t feeling well during the CG session and even ended up in the hospital.”
You Xin lowered her eyelashes slightly: "He was exaggerating. It's not that serious."
“You Xin.” Nan Zhiyi called his name solemnly, “I’m not joking with you. I’m talking to you about this very seriously.”
You Xin grunted in response. After a moment, he said, "Don't worry. It won't affect your performance in the match."
Nan Zhiyi was so angry she almost laughed: "Am I concerned about the game? I'm concerned about you, okay!"
He stood up from the chair, walked around You Xin's room twice, and finally stopped in front of the bed.
"Is it because of your teammates?" he asked, "or because of too much public pressure?"
You Xin thought for a moment: "I don't think so."
“That’s because of you,” Nan Zhiyi said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. “You always put so much pressure on yourself. If the team of four doesn’t perform well and loses the game, is it all your fault? You’ve always been the most consistent and best performer in the team, and the audience isn’t blind—except for those who are just trying to gain negative attention. Nobody’s perfect, and nobody’s putting pressure on you, so don’t be so hard on yourself.”
You Xin blinked again, but didn't respond.
"Okay." Nan Zhiyi loosened her arms that were clasped in front of her. "Leaving the league aside for now, why haven't you been getting enough rest lately?"
After thinking for a while, You Xin said, "It's probably because of you."
In an instant, many possibilities flashed through Nan Zhiyi's mind that made his heart skip a beat, thinking that he was about to say something outrageous again.
But then You Xin added, "Competing with you makes me a little nervous."
Nan Zhiyi: "…………"
Nan Zhiyi sat down again, then pulled the chair closer to him, keeping her gaze at the same level as his.
"Who are you?" he asked, enunciating each word clearly. "Please, you're Yux. You were the best rookie in the league the moment you joined, and you won two championships and two FMVPs last year—you know that? If people knew you were nervous playing in a streamer's cup, they would laugh at you to death."
After hearing this, You Xin actually smiled slightly: "Then let them laugh."
After being exposed, he acted as if he had nothing to lose.
Nan Zhiyi was completely at a loss with him: "The medicine the doctor prescribed for you... did it work after you took it? -- Don't lie to me."
You Xin was about to say something, but then paused.
Finally he said, "I didn't eat it."
Nan Zhiyi's brows immediately furrowed.
"It does have some effect, but it affects my concentration the next day," You Xin explained. "I tried it once, and I was completely distracted during the training match the next day. So I stopped taking it."
For professional athletes, on-the-spot reaction is crucial; even subtle differences can influence the overall outcome. A slight deviation in the landing point of a jump can become a fatal opening for the opponent to exploit.
You Xin didn't want to take the risk. He couldn't afford to gamble.
Nan Zhiyi's brows relaxed again.
His fingertips unconsciously dug into his palm, and when he spoke again, his voice softened: "Is there any other way?"
You Xin thought for a moment and said, "I think so."
Nan Zhiyi's eyes lit up: "What method?"
You Xin seemed to ponder for a moment before finally speaking his answer.
"you."
“…?” Nan Zhiyi looked at him blankly. “I…I what?”
“Everything about you.” You Xin stared intently at him. “Your voice, your touch, even your…existence?”
He spoke calmly and frankly: "It was probably after you left that I had a long time of adjustment. Well, you probably saw it too, right? My performance wasn't very good when I first started playing. Later, the doctor said that this was due to over-dependence caused by improper treatment in the past, which to some extent also affected my independence."
"In other words, it's probably a kind of physiological attraction?" You Xin tilted his head. "My body likes you, so I feel safe when I'm near you, and I relax when I hear your voice. The specific reason... is probably because it has memorized this feeling and formed some kind of muscle memory?"
"…………"
For a moment, Nan Zhiyi was almost stunned by the other party's bluntness.
He almost thought the other person was talking nonsense again. But then he remembered that when he was reviewing the situation, You Xin had indeed inexplicably fallen asleep.
She had just boasted and even asked him if there was any way to help. After a long pause, Nan Zhiyi could only stammer again, "Uh, in that case, then... what can I do to help you?"
You Xin remained silent for a short while.
His gaze fell on Nan Zhiyi, scrutinizing him from head to toe. From his lips, which he unconsciously pursed due to nervousness, down to his long, straight legs that were half-exposed, looking like he wanted to take a step back but was holding back for some reason, and were tightly pressed together.
Nan Zhiyi felt as if she were being looked up and down by a predator while he was staring at her.
But in the end, the man who had been scrutinizing him with the eyes of a predator lowered his gaze and said, "If you'd like, give me a hug."
-----------------------
Author's Note: I hadn't decided what animal to portray Yu as before, but now I think it's probably that kind of large feline that likes to cuddle with its zookeeper, but in reality, its closeness can be quite terrifying [laughing and crying emoji].
Xiao Yi: (Doting on him, zookeeper) He... is he alright? I didn't think he was particularly fierce?
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