Bonus Chapter: CP Warning!! Lee Hwan-bin x Shen Xiao (4)
Shen Xiao was furious. Just then, his mother came upstairs to urge him to eat, so he simply turned off his computer and went downstairs to have lunch.
Outside the window, people had already started setting off firecrackers, making a loud crackling sound. On the TV in the living room, the host was holding a microphone, randomly interviewing lucky passersby near the train station.
The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen. Shen Xiao took a sniff and his eyes lit up: "Let's have beer-braised duck today?"
"You have such a keen sense of smell," Mother Shen said with a smile as she walked out of the kitchen carrying a pot. "From childhood to adulthood, you've never been wrong about what we eat."
Shen Xiao chuckled, took two steps forward, took the pot from his mother's hands, and helped place it on the dining table.
Three dishes and a soup, with both meat and vegetables, are a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.
After setting out the bowls and chopsticks, Shen Xiao had just sat down at the table and hadn't even picked up his chopsticks when he heard his father ask unhurriedly, "Shen Xiao, how old are you today?"
...Here it comes.
Shen Xiao pursed his lips and reluctantly answered, "Twenty-three."
"You're not young anymore," Father Shen nodded. "Your aunt's son is also an Alpha. He's twenty-five, and both his sons can already walk. What about you?"
Shen Xiao sighed deeply: "Dad, I haven't thought about these things yet."
Mr. Shen said with dissatisfaction, "No ideas? It will be too late by the time you have ideas! I didn't want to rush you because you're young, but it's been so long and you still don't have a boyfriend! Other people's children are dating, getting married, and having children, and you're still all alone. How can your mother and I feel at ease?"
Shen Xiao was thoroughly annoyed: "Don't just look at these things, look at their income too. I earn more in a year than they do in ten years. I'm still in the prime of my career, I don't have time to date..."
Shen's father gave him a cool look: "Oh, the prime of your career? So, no one in your team is dating? Where's your captain?"
Shen Xiao was about to say that Xie Wei hadn't talked to her either, but then he suddenly realized that things were different now, and Xie Wei had gotten involved with the new Omega Medical. So he choked on his words.
Noticing his expression, Shen's father pressed his advantage: "What's wrong? Can't say anything?"
"They don't have my level of thinking!" Shen Xiao said angrily. "Are we even going to eat?"
Seeing this, Mother Shen quickly jumped in to play the good cop, saying, "Alright, alright, hurry up and eat! Stop talking about all that nonsense!"
Father Shen snorted, but didn't press too hard, and stopped the conversation at the right time.
As Shen Xiao ate his rice, even the duck in his mouth didn't taste good anymore.
For some reason, in the past few years, even though he is only 23 years old and still a very young Alpha, his parents have started to pay extra attention to his love life. When they call to check on him, they will mention this matter.
It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because once it was brought up, Shen Xiao felt incredibly depressed.
Is it that he doesn't want to talk?
In recent years, although not many, there have been people I've liked.
But... he was determined, but the other side just wouldn't give him a chance!
Having a rough time in love and being pressured by others only doubles the frustration.
After dinner, Shen Xiao helped clear the dishes and took them to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Chen's mother, who was washing dishes, saw him and suddenly grabbed his arm, lowering her voice mysteriously: "Son, your father and I are very open-minded people. As long as you have a partner, even if it's an Alpha, it's fine. Bring them home so we can feel at ease."
Shen Xiao's mind went blank for a moment, and then his face turned bright red: "Mom! What are you saying! How, how could I possibly like..."
"Okay, okay," Mother Shen nodded knowingly, understanding her son's personality. "Mom understands."
You don't understand at all!!!
Knowing that saying more would only lead to more mistakes, Shen Xiao could only leave the kitchen with a frustrated expression.
Back in his room, he threw himself onto the bed, lay there for a while, then turned over to look for his phone, which he couldn't remember putting anywhere.
Upon picking it up, I saw seven unread messages, all from Li Huanbin.
[Li Huanbin: Sorry, I just got matched. Did you and Ice disband? Want to duo queue together?]
[Li Huanbin: Tsk, ran into that easy target medical player.]
[Li Huanbin: Time to eat. Did you have lunch?]
[Li Huanbin: [Image]]
The photo shows a lunchbox containing broccoli, shredded carrots, and a thickly sliced teriyaki pork cutlet. The sauce glistens under the light, making it look very appetizing.
[Li Huanbin: I made it myself.]
[Li Huanbin: I just went downstairs to feed the stray kittens, and he brought over a little female kitten, snow-white, I wonder where he found his little girlfriend.]
[Li Huanbin: I'm done eating. Are you free this afternoon? Want to play duo queue together?]
As Shen Xiao read through the messages one by one, his agitated emotions were miraculously calmed down.
He rolled over, lay face down on the bed, and lazily typed out each word.
[Seamy: Is it a guaranteed win?]
Li Huanbin didn't care at all that Shen Xiao was a slow-replying idiot, and replied instantly: "Guaranteed to win."
Shen Xiao pursed his lips and chuckled softly.
[Seamy: Number one. 】
As soon as I logged into the game and the interface finished loading, Li Huanbin's team invitation came through.
Shen Xiao clicked "agree," and soon, Secret, with its silver glow effect ranking second on the overall leaderboard, appeared in the team list.
So cool.
Shen Xiao was a little envious.
"Can you hear me?" Li Huanbin's voice was deep and magnetic, his tone gentle, and even through the screen, one could almost see the curve of his lips.
A tingling sensation ran through his ears, and Shen Xiao licked his lips uncomfortably: "...I can hear you."
Li Huanbin said, "Okay, then I'll line up."
"Hmm." Shen Xiao then remembered the photos he had sent him and, not wanting the atmosphere to become too awkward, asked, "It's already this late, and you're still at the base?"
Li Huanbin seemed surprised that he would take the initiative to talk to him. He paused for two seconds before saying, "Yes, the plane ticket is for tomorrow."
"Why did you leave so late?" Shen Xiao frowned. "Isn't tomorrow the New Year? Do you cook for yourself every day?"
"I only go back for the Chinese New Year." Li Huanbin said halfway through, then realized his tone was off, adjusted himself, and smiled again, "It's not every day, I just do it occasionally when I feel like it."
"oh."
Thinking of the delicious-looking teriyaki pork cutlet rice bowl in the photo, Shen Xiao couldn't help but crave it, even though he had just eaten lunch.
Perhaps it was a meeting of minds, but Li Huanbin asked, "Did you just finish lunch?"
Speaking of lunch, Shen Xiao sighed heavily: "Yes."
"What's wrong? Did you have a fight with your family?"
In the past, if Li Huanbin spoke to him in such a coaxing tone, Shen Xiao would definitely get angry. But he was in a good mood at the moment, so he didn't take it to heart and replied, "No, it's not a conflict, it's just that they're urging me to find a partner."
After listening, Li Huanbin remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Oh?" He then added, "You're only twenty-three, and you're already getting anxious about this?"
"That's right!"
Shen Xiao finally found an outlet for his frustration, and no longer caring who the person on the other end was, he poured out all the words in his mouth: "I've already said that I'm still young and don't want to find a partner yet... Actually, it's not that I don't want to find one, it's just that I really can't find one."
"Maybe I'm just not cut out for relationships. I'm already emotionally exhausted, and they're still pressuring me..."
At the WOF base, Li Huanbin unconsciously clenched his hand holding the mouse.
His face darkened, but his tone remained calm: "So, it sounds like you already have someone you like?"
The young man on the other end of the voice call hadn't realized something was wrong and readily admitted, "Yes."
Li Huanbin closed his eyes.
After a while, he opened his eyes again, the wavering emotions in them now completely hidden: "It's good to have someone you like."
"It's pretty good, it's just that they don't like me." Shen Xiao chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Speaking of which, this is all your fault."
Li Huanbin asked, "Why?"
"My first crush was someone I was really close to. We were about to confess our feelings when suddenly one day she came up to me and told me that she had someone she liked. Do you know who that person is?"
It's you!
Li Huanbin seemed momentarily stunned, pausing for a long time before finally saying, "Me?"
"Yes!" After finally speaking out, he felt much more relieved than he had expected. After all, being honest is always easier than hiding. Now that he had started, Shen Xiao was too lazy to hide anything anymore and poured out all his complaints.
If anyone heard these words and learned that they had been disliked for so long because of a baseless liking, they would probably be both bewildered and furious.
But the person opposite him was none other than Li Huanbin.
Shen Xiao inexplicably felt that he could be tolerant of him.
After hearing this, Li Huanbin showed no displeasure whatsoever, only chuckled lightly: "Then haven't I been wronged for so long?"
Shen Xiao scratched his head, a little embarrassed. He said, "That was indeed my problem, but... later when you pretended to be a girl and lied to me, that was your problem!"
"If I don't do that, you probably will never agree to duo queue with me in your entire life."
For some reason, he could detect a hint of grievance in Li Huanbin's tone.
Damn, this is too weird.
Shen Xiao rubbed his arms: "You can't do that, I thought at the time..."
"What did I think it was?"
I thought I had found true love.
Shen Xiao interrupted, "It's nothing."
Fortunately, Li Huanbin didn't ask any further questions. They were matched into a team, and Shen Xiao quickly clicked to confirm.
After setting aside his personal emotions and prejudices, Shen Xiao had to admit that working with Li Huanbin was an incredibly comfortable and pleasant experience!
Li Huanbin could anticipate almost every move he made and then provide the best support. If he wanted to advance, Li Huanbin would provide cover from behind; if he wanted to retreat, Li Huanbin would move forward to cover him.
After a few deaths, he racked up a huge number of kills. Looking at the shiny MVP on the results screen, Shen Xiao felt completely satisfied, and his tone when speaking to Li Huanbin was even a little smiling.
Seeing that he was in a good mood, Li Huanbin seized the opportunity to steer the conversation back to what had just happened. He casually asked, "By the way, you just said you have someone you like, besides that... unknown first love, is there anyone else?"
"Hmm." Shen Xiao was a little embarrassed, but then he remembered that Qu Qingyue had already rejected him, so he simply stopped hiding it and said frankly, "It's Clear."
Clear, TWG's former starting healer, has now transferred to YNG. She is an Omega, with a generous personality and elegant manners. As for her looks... even if Lee Hwan-bin wanted to be picky, he had to admit that Clear is a very beautiful woman.
His expression darkened.
Before disappointment could creep into his heart, Li Huanbin heard Shen Xiao continue, "However, she has already rejected me."
"Sigh, maybe I'm just not lucky in love." Shen Xiao had no idea how many times his few words had affected Li Huanbin's heart. He rubbed the mouse wheel and joked, "My mom just called me to the kitchen and said that if all else fails, I could bring an Alpha home... Please, it's not that I don't like Omegas, it's that no Omega is willing to like me."
Li Huanbin's eyes gradually brightened, and he suppressed the upward curve of his lips: "Then you haven't considered it?"
What are you considering?
"Find an Alpha."
Shen Xiao paused for a moment, then chuckled. He didn't think too much about it and waved his hand, "What are you talking about? I'm not interested."
As he spoke, he imagined himself with another Alpha, and shuddered, getting goosebumps all over his arm.
That's so disgusting, absolutely impossible.
"...Is that so?"
Li Huanbin's voice entered his ears without warning, and the imagined Alpha suddenly took shape.
Although Shen Xiao is impulsive, he is still a good young man who knows his own limitations. He is fully aware of his shortcomings, such as being hot-tempered, straightforward, and lacking tact.
Li Huanbin has a pleasant voice, a gentle temperament, and is quite tolerant of his own temper. He's also very attractive, handsome, earns a lot of money, and apparently comes from a wealthy family…
It seems... alright?
No, what am I thinking?
Shen Xiao snapped back to reality, startled by the thoughts that had just crossed his mind.
He pursed his lips uncomfortably, trying to banish those chaotic thoughts.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
