Chapter 68
Chapter Sixty-Eight
The moment the word "Victory" popped up, Xu Ziyan was still immersed in the tense and exciting atmosphere of the game and hadn't reacted yet. Yuan Shaofeng's cheers in her earphones also sounded so unreal.
Until someone put their arm around his shoulder from behind, took off his headphones, and Xie Wei's smiling voice came from beside him: "Yan Yan, it's time to get up and shake hands."
Xu Ziyan then seemed to wake from a dream and stood up in a daze.
Xie Wei walked in first, and he followed behind her. When they reached Mumu, he glanced at the two of them with a surprised look, then smiled knowingly and said, "You two have such a good relationship."
Xu Ziyan didn't understand why he said that at first, but when he looked down, he realized that Xie Wei had been holding his hand ever since he stood up.
A row of flashbulbs and cameras were watching the situation closely. He quickly broke free, and Xie Wei didn't insist, letting go of his hand.
Anyway, everything that needed to be photographed has already been photographed.
In the TWG lounge, Jiang Yuxin hadn't even had time to rejoice over the trophy he had just won when he was nearly knocked unconscious by the sight of the two holding hands on the TV screen.
Seeing Xu Ziyan hurriedly let go, Shen Xiao shook his head and commented sharply, "It's better late than never."
It was indeed a case of locking the barn door after the horse had bolted; the TWG supertopic was already in an uproar.
Xu Ziyan, who was still on stage, was unaware of this. He finally calmed down and shook hands with each of the YNG team members.
Qu Qingyue smiled and congratulated him on winning the championship, while Bai Ke, who had been targeted by him throughout the game, gritted his teeth and whispered, "Just you wait."
Then, all the YNG players left the field, and Shen Xiao and Yu Guangzhou walked out of the rest room. All the players and coaches of TWG team lifted the championship trophy together, bathing in the unique fireworks and glory of the champions.
In the dazzling light, Xu Ziyan turned her head slightly to the side.
Xie Wei, wearing a TWG team uniform jacket, had relaxed eyebrows and eyes, a faint and lazy smile, and golden confetti fell on his hair, shining brightly under the spotlight.
This is Xie Wei, whom I've seen countless times on screen and in my dreams.
I was standing right next to him at that moment.
Perhaps it's because the obsession runs too deep; even when it actually happens and you actually get it, it still doesn't feel real enough.
The camera in front of them was about to take a group photo, and the host smiled and told them to look at the camera.
Xu Ziyan quickly looked away and turned to look ahead.
--
After a lengthy interview, the TWG members returned to their van. They knew they couldn't miss the celebration party, and everyone chose to attend.
Xu Ziyan only found out after stepping off the stage that the photos of Xie Wei holding his hand had been leaked online. Coupled with the lingering effects of the previous interview, almost everyone was convinced that the lover Xie Wei mentioned was him.
He panicked a little and quietly asked Xie Wei what to do, but was shut down by the man's nonchalant "Isn't this the truth?"
Shen Xiao was gleefully watching the drama unfold on Weibo. When he heard that the celebration banquet was to be held in Huating, he casually remarked, "Speaking of which, wasn't the championship celebration banquet last season also in Huating? I think there was some clueless Omega who tried to seduce Captain Xie back then, and he served him a spiked drink, hahaha..."
After laughing, he suddenly realized something was wrong and quickly turned back to Xu Ziyan to explain: "Of course, Captain Xie didn't follow his lead at all and went straight back to the dormitory. That Omega was also kicked out of the team later."
Xu Ziyan: "...I know."
Whether Xie Wei fell for that Omega's tricks that day, probably no one knows better than him.
After all, he was the one who spent the whole night with Xie Wei that night.
Xie Wei had obviously thought of this as well, and instead of getting angry, she even had a playful smile on her lips.
"Ouch!" Jiang Yuxin had been making phone calls and arguing for ages at the front of the van. Finally, she hung up and, in a fit of despair, said to Xu Ziyan and Xie Wei, "Fine! You two might as well just go public!"
Xu Ziyan was taken aback: "Publicly?"
Xie Wei replied, "Okay."
Seeing his straightforward answer, Jiang Yuxin became even angrier: "Did you expect this all along? Is that why you let slip during the interview? I should have thought of that!"
He wouldn't have let the news out if there was even the slightest possibility of debate. The number of fans a contestant with a partner can attract, and their spending power, are on completely different levels compared to a contestant without a partner.
Although it sounds like a fan culture phenomenon, a team's income does indeed largely come from these sources.
Xie Wei is out of the question; he's built up a stable fan base over the years.
The key issue is Xu Ziyan. He's still a new contestant and gaining fans, and now he's already being paired with Xie Wei...
Jiang Yuxin seemed to see pools of gleaming silver flowing away before his eyes.
Xie Wei smiled noncommittally and said, "We'll have to trouble Manager Jiang with the public relations."
Xu Ziyan hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he didn't speak.
The van arrived at Huating, and everyone got out in a noisy commotion. Xu Ziyan didn't rush to follow, but lagged behind, making an excuse to make a phone call.
Once he was finally alone, he sighed softly and dialed a number.
"Hello?" Xu Ziyan leaned against the wall, staring down at his shoes. "Mom, it's me... Are you free these days? I'd like to bring someone home... um, my boyfriend..."
On the other end of the phone, the noisy sound of mahjong tiles still rang out. Xu's mother seemed somewhat surprised, her words stammering, "Ah, ah, okay, okay, when are you... coming back? I'll prepare in advance. Are you bringing it home?"
Xu Ziyan said, "I'll let you know in advance when the time comes."
Xu's mother readily agreed.
Xu Ziyan then dialed her father's number and received the same reply.
Clearly, both of them were quite surprised. Over the years, Xu Ziyan would never call unless they took the initiative to contact him, especially not for something like this.
After hanging up the phone, Xu Ziyan squatted down and buried his face in his knees, as if the two short conversations had exhausted all his energy.
Just then, footsteps approached him from behind.
Xu Ziyan was startled and looked up, meeting Xie Wei's gentle gaze.
Without saying a word, the man reached out, pulled him up from the ground, and then hugged him tightly.
"I heard you." Xie Wei kissed the young man's earlobe. "So you finally want to take me to meet your parents? You're willing to give me a proper status?"
For some reason, upon hearing his voice, the heavy emotions that had been weighing on her heart suddenly vanished. Xu Ziyan curved her lips slightly: "I've always been willing."
Xie Wei hugged him, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly said, "I have a suggestion."
Xu Ziyan said, "What?"
"How about we sneak away first?" Xie Wei suddenly lowered her voice, temptingly saying, "My family owns a hotel upstairs in Huating. The floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor offer a view of the entire city at night. Yan Yan, do you want to see it?"
She knew perfectly well that going with him wasn't for seeing the night view.
But Xu Ziyan was still bewitched, and despite her embarrassment, she nodded, her ears turning completely red.
--
After the competition, the season will temporarily end. As is customary for the team, they will give the players a week off to relax.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xu Ziyan brought Xie Wei back to City B.
After exiting the highway and turning through several streets, a familiar yet unfamiliar landscape unfolded before Xu Ziyan's eyes.
People all have roots. Even if they have been away for a long time, when they return to their hometown, they will still feel an overwhelming sense of belonging.
And this time, he wasn't alone; his beloved lover was with him.
Xu Ziyan became interested and introduced the school to Xie Wei one by one: "Look, that's the school I used to go to. Back then, my grades were pretty good, but I was always late. I was always outsmarting the PE teacher who was catching people at the school gate. Later, in order to catch me, they added two more people to squat by the wall and guard me, afraid that I would sneak over the wall."
Xie Wei was unaware of all this, and he asked with great interest, "So, did you run away?"
"Of course!" Xu Ziyan said proudly, "Actually, there is a back gate at the back of this school, which is tied with wire. I cut the wire and bought a new one to wrap around it. You can't see it at all normally. Every time I go in, I just open the new wire, which is very convenient."
After saying that, he sighed and said, "But it was still discovered in the end."
"That internet cafe, the one I used to frequent, the owner was incredibly beautiful. I always thought she was in her twenties, but later I found out her son was in the same grade as me..."
"This fried chicken shop..."
Xu Ziyan hasn't talked about his past with anyone for a long time, not only because he's been living alone in another city all these years, but also because there's nothing worth mentioning about those memories.
Some dark and painful pasts are things that no one can talk about, and there is no need to bring them up again.
The car passed another school. It was dismissal time, and the students were noisily coming out. The roadside was full of cars picking up their children, and the traffic was a bit congested.
Xu Ziyan looked at the school and paused for a long time.
Xie Wei turned her head: "What's wrong?"
"No, it's nothing." Xu Ziyan smiled. "It's just that I used to skip classes a lot to go online, and I feel really bad for my teachers when I think about it."
He made it sound simple, but the truth is far more complex.
At that time, Xu's parents each had their own families and other children, and they all regarded him as a burden. For a long time, Xu Ziyan lived in the homes of other relatives. He would stay at one house today and another tomorrow, but he could never return to his own home.
At first, things were alright; his relatives took pity on him and would take him in.
But as time went on, rumors and discontent began to emerge.
Xu Ziyan was unwilling to be an extra person in other people's homes anymore. He had no money and could only spend the night in internet cafes. He lived each day in a daze and started to slack off in his studies. He simply gave up on everything and spent all his time in internet cafes playing Resistance.
The anxiety and torment of drifting through each day aimlessly is more painful than working hard to the point of exhaustion.
At that time, Xu Ziyan had almost no idea what else he could do or whether he had a future.
He felt as if he were standing on a swamp, and whether he struggled or not, he would be swallowed up, so he might as well not struggle at all.
During that time, the only thing that kept him going was Xie Wei.
Looking back, he didn't feel much hatred or blame towards his parents. Resentment and hatred only arise when there is expectation and love, but Xu Ziyan had no feelings for them other than blood ties.
But whenever he recalls that time, he feels even more grateful and longs even more for the light that guided him out of the mire.
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