Chapter 48 "When you're in a relationship, you're thinking about this..."
The task of carrying the trophy back to the lounge ultimately fell to Xiaoyu. He was so excited that his face turned red, and he couldn't stop admiring the trophy the whole way: "Let's put it in the training room later!!"
"How about we have dinner together tonight?" Song Meng suggested. "It's on me."
Nan Zhiyi glanced down at his phone. Ms. Nan Kui had sent him a group photo of the audience, along with a short video. In the video, everyone who was in the photo with her had a "flowery and prosperous" filter applied to their face, highlighting their pink face, pointed chin, and two large blushes.
He looked up, both amused and exasperated, "My mom is celebrating my birthday tonight, but some of my friends will be coming too. Some are livestreamers, and some are classmates. Do you want to come along?"
“Sure,” Song Meng said. “The more people, the more lively it is.”
The little fish nodded in agreement.
Nan Zhiyi looked at You Xin with high hopes.
You Xin was stuffing her coat into her bag when she heard this. After a moment's thought, she said, "I might have to have dinner with my brother later."
"Not even coming to the post-match dinner?" Song Meng raised his eyebrows. "Why don't you invite your brother along too?"
"It's alright, no need. Maybe next time," You Xin said. "I'll treat next time. Everyone's free anytime anyway."
Nan Zhiyi paused for a second or two, feeling slightly disappointed.
He was sure he had written it on his face, because when they parted ways in the underground parking lot, he saw You Xin suddenly point to his phone at him.
Nan Zhiyi opened his phone in confusion and saw that he had received a new message.
[yux: Can I celebrate your birthday with you alone when I get home tonight?]
-
There were about ten people at the dinner party that evening. Ms. Nan Kui was very generous and took everyone to a Japanese buffet that cost around a thousand yuan.
The meal lasted from 8 PM to 11 PM. During the meal, someone ordered a large cake, and the newly crowned champion captain was subsequently besieged. Even after leaving the restaurant, Nan Zhiyi's hair was still covered in cream.
After finishing her meal, Ms. Nan Kui went back to her hotel to rest, and took Xiao Yu, who was underage, and Tao Xing with her. The rest of the group suggested going to karaoke, and Nan Zhiyi couldn't resist them, so she went along. In the middle of the night, she took a moment to send a message to You Xin, telling him that she might be back late that night.
"Bro, you're fucking awesome!" Song Baiyu exaggeratedly put an arm around Nan Zhiyi's neck. He hadn't actually been drinking, but he deliberately walked swaying unsteadily, almost squeezing Nan Zhiyi into the bushes. "Can you teach me some commanding secrets? I've been completely worn out these past few days. Now, every time I go live, the chat is full of people asking me to become your apprentice..."
Nan Zhiyi reached out and pushed his head aside: "Stop flattering me to death."
"Fine, don't talk about it then. Don't slander my sincerity!" Song Baiyu leaned closer to him again, and suddenly lowered his voice, "Actually, I know why you won't tell me."
"What?"
"Because you're afraid that once I learn it, I'll use it against your Yux... Hey, hey, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Don't hit me! I was really wrong!!"
Startled, Song Baiyu hid behind his brother. Just then, Shuo Shuo, who was traveling with them, asked curiously, "Why didn't Yux come with us tonight?"
“His brother is here on a business trip, and they need to meet up,” Nan Zhiyi explained for him.
"Oh, oh." Shuo Shuo nodded and said with emotion, "To be honest, I'm not very familiar with him. I've met him once before, but I didn't dare to go up and talk to him then."
"Back then, he had only been in the league for a short time, right? And he was even accused of being arrogant and diva-like."
"Playing the big shot?" Song Baiyu asked curiously, "Is that true?"
"You guys don't remember? Am I having a memory problem?" Shuo Shuo took out his phone and searched. "I remember correctly... it's this one. A reporter said he had arranged a post-match interview with Yux, but when the time came, Yux didn't show up. The staff came over and said he wasn't feeling well. Then the reporter complained about it on his alternate account, and it got exposed."
"Oh!" Song Baiyu suddenly remembered, "Wasn't there a few other times when he missed the group interviews after the competition?"
“Yes, yes, that’s it. Especially after CG lost a few times, a lot of people said he had a bad temper and was arrogant,” Shuo Shuo said. “At that time, I didn’t know him, so I didn’t dare to talk to him, afraid that he would yell at me.”
"I know what happened!" Song Baiyu jumped up, looking like he had a say in this matter. "Actually, it's not that he's being arrogant, it's that he has camera phobia!!"
"Camera phobia?" Shuo Shuo repeated, somewhat incredulously, "Really? Yux?"
“Really, my brother told me. They were in the same team back then.” Song Baiyu glanced at Song Meng, who nodded. “Little Youshen has camera phobia. He doesn’t like people taking pictures of him, and he doesn’t like crowded places. Sometimes he can’t control himself and he seems to have some kind of anxiety attack. Anyway, it’s quite uncomfortable to watch. But he should be much better in the last two years. I guess he’s gotten used to being photographed.”
He shrugged: "To be honest, if I were him, so handsome, so good at games, and rich, forget about phobias, I'd wish a million people would come and take pictures of me when I walk down the street."
"So he really is the legendary rich second generation?" Shuo Shuo said. "I've seen a lot of people online saying that his family is quite wealthy, and that if he doesn't win the championship, he'll have to go back and inherit the family business..."
Nan Zhiyi thought for a moment and said, "I guess so."
"What? You guys didn't know?"
Yang Wei, who had been chatting with the moon, suddenly interrupted the conversation.
Not long ago, he and Zhou Xiangwen both found jobs in S City. When they heard that Nan Zhiyi was going to play in an offline competition, the two of them immediately bought tickets to watch the final and get familiar with the work environment.
"His older brother, his biological brother, is a big star." Yang Wei gestured with his hand, "A really big one, what's his name again... You Qing?"
"You Qing? The You Qing who went to the commentary booth before?" Shuo Shuo's eyes widened. "They do look a little bit alike... No wonder he didn't come with us tonight. If a big star came along, wouldn't things be chaotic?"
“That’s not right.” At this moment, Yue Liang said, “That You Qing, wasn’t he invited to the commentary stage because he joined CG as a partner? He’s a small boss at CG now.”
"That makes sense. If that's the case, how could a boss let his own brother suffer that kind of treatment? Having his contract blocked by a manager?"
Everyone turned to look at Nan Zhiyi, as if tacitly acknowledging that he knew the truth.
“Hmm…” Nan Zhiyi organized her thoughts, “That’s his second brother. They don’t get along. The person who came to watch the game tonight is his other brother.”
The moon seemed to understand, and gave an "Oh," as if saying, "The struggle for the crown prince position, is that it?"
Everyone laughed.
The group chatted and laughed as they walked for a while until they found a place where they could hail a taxi. During this time, Yue Liang pressed him on how he knew Yux, so his two good classmates, vying to be the third big liar, revealed his past experiences of playing in youth training. Nan Zhiyi had no choice but to tell the story he had told several times before—being approached by Lao Xu to participate in youth training, but ultimately having to withdraw due to injury—once again.
They were all listening intently, somewhat lost in thought.
"It's such a pity," Shuo Shuo said finally. "But I can understand why you don't want to talk about it... I bet every time you say it, someone will ask you why you quit, right? If it were me, I wouldn't want to talk about it either."
"Can I gossip for one more time?" Moon said, "You and Yux are such good friends, you're classmates and teammates in youth training, so why haven't I seen you hanging out together since? I've known you for so many years, and I've seen you follow his matches and CG matches every day. Do you really think you're a fangirl?"
Nan Zhiyi thought for a while.
"Hmm... I guess, maybe he's a little angry with me?" He gave a reason that was neither entirely true nor entirely false, "After all, we agreed to go together, but in the end... I left him alone."
-
Inside the private room, You Xin silently ate the rice in his bowl. Across from him sat a man in a dark blue polo shirt, who was resting his chin on his hand and smiling at him.
"Have some food," You Yan said. When he wasn't wearing his hideously ugly business suit that made it difficult to even button up his coat, he finally looked like a normal thirty-year-old man.
You Xin: "I don't like sweets."
"I thought you were going to bring your little boyfriend. You used to always think about how he loved sweets, and you practically wanted to sprinkle sugar on every dish you cooked at home." You Yan shrugged. "I didn't expect it to be his birthday today, with his own mother here. What a blunder."
"..." You Xin paused in her spoonful of food, and after a moment, said expressionlessly, "He's not my boyfriend."
"What, you haven't won him over yet?" You Yan teased. "Xiao Qing said you two are getting married soon. I was wondering what would happen if Dad found out. He's an old man, I'm really afraid he'll end up in the hospital again."
The way he addressed You Qing sent a chill down You Xin's spine.
"We're living together now," You Xin said casually after a while.
"You're already living together?" You Yan exclaimed in shock. "You said it was nothing?!"
"...Just friends."
"Do you believe this or do you believe Xiaoqing can become a movie star?"
"…………"
You Xin started rummaging through the small bowl in front of him with his spoon again.
After a long pause, she blurted out, "I think he likes me."
"What else? He doesn't like you, so he'll let you move into his house?" You Yan was almost amused by him.
You Xin was quiet for a while.
After a moment, he began to list: "At least he must like my face."
You Yan controlled his facial expression for a while before he managed to stop himself from bursting out laughing: "...Well, so, then what?"
“Then,” You Xin paused, put down his chopsticks, and tapped the table unconsciously with his fingertips, “I can’t push him too hard.”
“He’s someone who responds better to gentle persuasion than force, so… even if I feel he still likes me, if he’s unwilling to say it or face the issue, I can’t force him to say anything.”
"When we first met, we could be more casual and do whatever we wanted. But now that we're physically closer, we have to build up the psychological distance first."
“So I’m controlling myself and keeping my distance from him,” You Xin reasoned methodically. “If I act a little weaker, he’ll feel more relaxed and more willing to approach me. At least the choice should be in his hands. Otherwise, I guess he’ll be scared away by me in a few days.”
He finally came to the conclusion: "So, we'll have to wait a little longer."
You Yan is no longer smiling. His expression is somewhat bewildered.
After a long pause, he finally managed to stammer out, "Why are you thinking about so much when you're in a relationship?"
You Xin neither agreed nor disagreed.
You Yan couldn't help but rub his forehead.
“I do have a question,” he said. “Since you like him so much, why didn’t you go find him sooner? Why wait until now?”
"…………"
You Xin stared silently at the pale reflection on the spoon in front of him.
After a moment, she spoke softly, "Because I've recently figured out some things, and I've also come to understand some of his previous thoughts."
"Now I think it's good to be friends with him."
"As long as we can still be together, that's already good enough."
-
You Xin got home at 11 p.m.
He was carrying a small cake in his left hand, turned on the light with his right hand, casually put the cake aside, and bent down to change his shoes.
There were two pairs of identical slippers in the shoe cabinet, one beige and the other gray. You Xin stared at them for a while, then reached out and pulled out the gray pair.
He washed his hands, sat back on the sofa, took out his phone, and opened WeChat.
[Xiaoyi, Xiaoyi: I'll be back later!]
[A Little Bit of Pleasure: [Image]]
The picture is a group photo, with a person with creamy gray hair standing at the front holding a phone, and a strand of real cream stuck to their forehead.
You Xin read the two messages again, then rolled over and lay down on the sofa, closing her eyes.
One second, two seconds.
Darkness spread.
"Why did you choose to pursue a professional career?" After a crucial match, on stage under the spotlight, the host looked at him with a smile. "Besides liking this game, is there any particular reason? For example, is it because of a certain person, I mean, was you encouraged by a senior?"
He stood upright in the center of the stage, microphone in hand, his gaze sweeping gently across the audience. He saw so many people: those who were disappointed, those leaving their seats; those laughing, waving colorful LED light boards; those shouting at him, hoping he would glance at them. He only saw their mouths opening and closing. He couldn't hear what they were saying. He couldn't see the person he wanted to see. The only one.
"No," he finally said.
You Xin opened his eyes.
I glanced down at my phone; it was 11:57 PM.
He sat up from the sofa, stared blankly for a while, and then began to unpack the cake gift box on the coffee table.
When the door was halfway through dismantling, the sound of the combination lock opening came from the doorway.
You Xin suddenly stood up. He strode over, opened the door, and took a look.
"Good heavens, you scared me half to death." The person at the door took a step back, then relaxed. He looked out of breath, his hair soaked with sweat, strands sticking to his forehead. "I was really out of my mind today, I almost forgot you said you were going to celebrate my birthday! I left those people behind and ran away, Song Baiyu almost beat me up... How did it go? Did I make it?"
Nan Zhiyi turned on her phone screen, and after seeing the number, she laughed, "I made it! It was worth running all the way back. I was worried I might be a minute or two late..."
Looking up, I found the person in front of me staring at me blankly, their gaze fixed on what seemed to be a spot on my face, as if they hadn't heard a word I said.
"...?" Nan Zhiyi waved her hand in front of his face. "What are you doing? Did the game make you stupid?"
You Xin seemed to snap out of her daze and looked away from the other person's opening and closing lips.
"It's nothing." He took a step back, making room for the other person to enter. "I bought you a cake. It's a small one."
"What flavor is it? Let me see." Nan Zhiyi walked to the coffee table, examined the half-opened cake, and then cheered, "Chocolate! This is good! You know, tonight someone ordered a durian ice cream cake, and it had real durian on it. To be honest, it was a bit unethical. I felt like the whole room smelled like that when I left..."
He suddenly paused. Because You Xin suddenly moved closer to him and reached out his hand.
For a moment, Nan Zhiyi felt even his blinking motion froze. But the other person simply reached out and gently stroked his head before quickly pulling away, wiping their hands with a tissue: "You have cream in your hair."
"oh oh……"
Nan Zhiyi responded somewhat haltingly.
You Xin turned around and continued unpacking the cake gift box.
"Just in time." He placed a candle in the center of the cake. "Make a wish."
The lights in the room were turned off, and candles were lit.
“Uh…” Nan Zhiyi stared at the small, flickering flame. In fact, he hadn’t celebrated his birthday so formally since he turned eighteen. He usually just celebrated with his friends in a simple way.
He closed his eyes, solemnly made a wish, and then blew out the candles.
On the other side, You Xin turned the lights back on.
“Let me guess,” he stared thoughtfully at Nan Zhiyi, “you wouldn’t be wishing that I can win the world championship this year, would you?”
"What?!" Nan Zhiyi exclaimed in shock, her expression one of wanting to rush over and cover his mouth. "Even if you really guessed it, don't say it! If you say your wish out loud and God hears it, it won't come true!!!"
You Xin stood there and smiled, a hint of nonchalance in his smile. The light from the entryway fell on him, casting a soft shadow on the side of his straight nose. He looked at Nan Zhiyi, his tone as certain as if stating a truth.
“No,” he said, “because your wish is not under God’s jurisdiction, but under my control.”
Happy birthday, Nan Zhiyi.
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