Side Story 2: Bai Chen x Bai Ke (4)
4.
In the past few days, Bai Ke's obviously low mood made everyone in the YNG team realize that something was wrong with him.
Qu Qingyue asked him with great concern if he was feeling unwell, as health was paramount with the competition approaching. Bai Ke understood her meaning, forced a smile, and said he was fine. In fact, his recent training match results had indeed proven there was nothing to worry about. Emotions were emotions, and competition was competition; Bai Ke could distinguish between the two.
That night, provoked by the sight of Bai Chen with other women, he boldly sat on Bai Chen's lap, forcibly kissed him, and...
Although she was eventually pushed away, Bai Ke was still very happy to know that her brother wasn't completely indifferent to her.
But this happiness didn't last long: Bai Chen blocked him.
Only after seeing that glaring red exclamation mark did Bai Ke realize that she had really angered Bai Chen this time.
Maybe... she never wants to see herself again.
Bai Chen's birthday is in two days. Bai Ke bought a gift for this day well in advance. It is a Starry Night watch. It is very expensive, but Bai Ke doesn't care. When he first saw this watch, he imagined Bai Chen in a suit and tie, with a cold face and the watch on his wrist. So he bought it without thinking.
It now seems unlikely that I will be able to deliver it myself.
Because of his background, Bai Ke has his own pride in everything and everyone. This pride, rather than the smugness that comes from his status and family background, is more like the sharp quills that a hedgehog unconsciously exposes to protect itself.
Although he was nominally the second young master of the Bai family, after differentiating into a Beta, he became an "abandoned child." He had seen through Bai's mother's intentions since childhood, and everything that was happening now was within his expectations.
The only exception was Bai Chen.
Nighttime, YNG dormitory. Bai Ke looked at the watch gleaming under the desk lamp and gave a wry smile.
Ten years ago, he finally followed Bai Ke's parents out of the orphanage and moved into a magnificent mansion. The worn-out T-shirts that he used to have to be mended more than ten times in the orphanage were replaced with custom-made shirts and jackets worth thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan, limited edition sneakers, the latest smartwatches, computers, telephones... almost all the luxury and entertainment items he could think of were placed in front of Bai Ke for him to choose from at will.
The luxurious life that I could never have dreamed of while living in an orphanage is now within my reach.
Soon, Bai Ke was sent to a private elite school. He was self-taught from a young age and had a bright mind. He entered the top class directly with the highest score in the entrance exam.
These schools have high entry requirements, so very few of the classmates come from even middle-class families; they are mostly sons of wealthy and powerful families who lack neither money nor power. It was there that Bai Ke witnessed life in another world for the first time.
He used to live in an orphanage surrounded by simple-minded children who dreamed all day long that someone would take them home. Bai Ke was smart and beautiful, and knew how to highlight her strengths, so she naturally stood out from the crowd.
But after entering that class, the first thing he felt was inferiority.
His childhood experiences and the pitying or contemptuous looks from others were etched into his bones. Looking at his classmates who were born into wealthy families with both parents and happy homes, Bai Ke felt the gap between himself and them even more clearly.
When some people see the gap, their first reaction might be to give up on themselves, become timid and withdrawn, and try to minimize their presence.
But Bai Ke chose to disguise himself. He buried all his humility and timidity deep in his heart and put on a cheerful mask.
After all, they were still students, and in the top class at that, so they weren't particularly playful. The Bai family was a top-tier wealthy family, and Bai Ke's grades were among the best. A person who was good-looking, academically excellent, had a good background, and was cheerful and always smiling was naturally very popular, and Bai Ke quickly became very well-liked among them.
When their hearts first fluttered with love, many classmates held hands. Many confessed their feelings to Bai Ke, some to his face, some saying they wanted to start as friends, some secretly sending him love letters…
However, in Bai Ke's eyes, they didn't like the real her, but rather the non-existent Second Young Master of the Bai family that she had created as a facade.
Just as Bai's parents didn't truly love him, but rather the lovely, well-behaved, and sensible Bai Ke.
Sometimes Bai Ke found it both funny and ironic: the mask was one he had put on himself, and now he wanted to take it off, but he couldn't take it off no matter what.
When Bai Ke first joined the e-sports team, he genuinely went with a casual attitude, following Bai Chen's lead. But later, he became truly addicted to the thrill of no longer needing to pretend and being able to freely show his most authentic self.
On the field, within the team, he didn't need to pretend to be cheerful or sensible; everything was decided by the gun in his hand. Therefore, he could freely expose his true nature—violent, ruthless, cunning…
Yuan Shaofeng's confession was probably the last thing Bai Ke had expected.
Seeing the tall, usually carefree Alpha youth standing in front of him, his eyes red and his gaze sincere as he said he liked him, it would be a lie to say that Bai Ke wasn't moved.
Perhaps because this confession was different from the previous ones, Yuan Shaofeng said that the person he liked was the real, unpretentious version of herself, so Bai Ke was surprised to find that she was wavering.
But soon, he thought of Bai Chen.
The man's cold gaze seemed to be frozen solid, instantly chilling and fixing his wavering heart.
In that instant, Bai Ke realized more clearly than ever before that he would probably never fall in love with anyone other than Bai Chen in his life, and at least there would never be another person who would make him open his heart to them so completely.
Therefore, he rejected Yuan Shaofeng without hesitation, leaving no room for negotiation.
At the same time, he admired Yuan Shaofeng. Heaven knows how many times he had fantasized about confessing his feelings to Bai Chen, but he could not muster the courage to do so.
Perhaps it was because I knew all along that the ending was predetermined that I never dared to muster the courage.
Today, Bai Ke earns over ten million yuan a month, has countless zeros in his account, has countless fans, and his career is booming. He is no longer the penniless child living in the orphanage he once was.
However, under Bai Chen's calm and indifferent gaze, all the scars and pain that Bai Ke had hidden deep inside his heart had nowhere to hide. It was precisely because Bai Chen was always indifferent that Bai Ke felt a sense of peace in front of him, a feeling that no other person could give him.
So he remained the same child who would look up at Bai's back in the living room, stumbling and falling behind him. At first, he just wanted to call him brother, but later, that longing turned into infatuation.
Love is always filled with ugly possessiveness.
Bai Ke asked himself honestly, if he were given another chance, knowing the current outcome, and asked to go back to that night and make the choice again, would he still confess his feelings to Bai Chen and kiss and touch him?
The answer is that even if it's repeated hundreds of times, he will still make the same choice.
It's not that he doesn't regret it, but no matter what, Bai Ke can't tolerate the fact that Bai Chen is with other women.
He had even decided that if Bai Chen really went to the arranged marriage, he would leave the Bai family, sever all ties, and never come back.
After sitting for a while, Bai Ke finally made up her mind and sent Xu Ziyan a message, asking him to go out for dinner.
Regardless, he wanted to give this gift to Bai Chen.
To Bai Ke's surprise, Xu Ziyan, after hearing about his situation, explicitly refused and even urged him to personally deliver the gift.
Bai Ke could only smile wryly: "How could he possibly want to see me?"
Xu Ziyan insisted, and promised him that on the day of the YNG vs. TWG match, he would be given a chance to meet and talk to Bai Chen.
Bai Ke looked at his friend before him, deeply moved. And... undeniably, deep down, he also longed for the same thing.
He wanted to see Bai Chen.
On the day of the competition, Xu Ziyan kept his promise and gave him a chance to meet Bai Chen alone. Although it was only for five minutes before the match, it was enough.
Bai Ke composed herself and pushed open the door to the TWG lounge in front of her.
Inside the lounge, a screen on the wall was playing a live broadcast. Bai Chen was leaning back on the sofa, not playing on his phone. Hearing the noise, he turned around, his expression slightly surprised: "Why are you here?"
Bai Ke clutched the watch box, his palms almost sweating. He forced a smile: "Brother..."
He closed his eyes briefly, and before Bai Chen could speak, he continued, "I know you don't want to see me, but isn't it your birthday soon? I want to give you the gift in person. Just this, really."
As he spoke, he took a few steps toward Bai Chen and carefully placed the watch box in his hand on the coffee table.
Bai Chen didn't even look at the watch box. His brows furrowed, and his eyes remained fixed on Bai Ke's face. Bai Ke felt embarrassed by his gaze. Now that they had fallen out, he could no longer use the guise of brotherhood to deliberately make those intimate gestures as he usually did.
Lowering her head to avoid eye contact, Bai Ke said, "Then... I'll be going now."
Turning around and walking to the door, looking at the doorknob in front of me, a voice in my heart cried out: Once I walk out of this door, there really is no chance for them!
Bai Ke gritted her teeth and turned her head back.
But Bai Chen had already stood up at some point and quietly walked behind him.
Seeing him turn around, Bai Chen was also taken aback, but then he said, "Bai Ke, let's talk again after the match."
Bai Ke had been tossing and turning these past few days, thinking that he and Bai Chen were truly over. But now, seeing Bai Chen actually call out to him was like a person trapped in darkness suddenly seeing the light of day. He suppressed his excitement and nodded vigorously: "Okay, then... remember to remove me from the blacklist."
Speaking of this, Bai Chen felt a little embarrassed. He was so angry at the time that he let his emotions override his reason for the first time and did something so unlike himself.
He gave a soft "Mmm": "I'll wait for you in the parking lot."
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