camping
The basketball game went smoothly. After they won the semifinals, Wei Yang suggested going camping in the suburbs to celebrate over the weekend, encouraging them to bring their families, saying that it would be more fun with more people.
Everyone echoed this sentiment, taking it as a mobilization before the final competition.
Lin Yu naturally couldn't bring his family, but since everyone was in such high spirits, he didn't want to offend them, so he told Chen Chao that he would be staying out for two days over the weekend.
Chen Chao said that he was going back to his family home for the weekend, and told Lin Yu to have fun on his own.
The forest park on the outskirts of Gailal has large areas of campsites specifically designated for city dwellers to experience the natural scenery.
The campsite is located in the mountains and has nothing except for a barbecue grill. Everything must be done by yourself, which greatly satisfies the desire of city dwellers to play house in the wild.
The first thing Lin Yu and his group did upon arriving at the camp was to frantically set up tents.
There were eleven people in total, including team members and their families. There were enough people, so Lin Yu didn't bother to join in the fun. He rested by himself against the car and took the opportunity to observe the terrain.
Although there is no danger in camping in a regular park, it is instinctive for him to observe the terrain and prepare an escape route in the wild.
After observing for a while, he noticed that the progress of setting up the tents was abysmal. Had these people even read the instructions properly? Lin Yu couldn't help but wonder.
He sighed helplessly and walked over to begin providing technical guidance.
When the tents were finally erected under his guidance, people couldn't help but give him a thumbs up:
"Lin Yu, are you an outdoor enthusiast? You seem very familiar with camping."
"Yes, yes, they're obviously skilled workers, much better than us."
Lin Yu was both amused and exasperated. He thought, "No, I don't camp often. Setting up a tent is not only time-consuming and laborious, but it's also difficult to cover up the traces. Are you setting up a tent during a mission because you're afraid the enemy won't know where you're hiding?"
More often than not, they just find a cave or a thick branch to settle down in. If the weather is really bad, they'll wrap themselves in a waterproof sheet or sleeping bag; they don't even bring a tent.
Aside from learning how to set up camp at the training camp, he never touched it again after leaving the camp.
"No, no, I only have theoretical knowledge. I used to enjoy watching outdoor programs on TV," Lin Yu said modestly.
"Really?" Wei Yang was clearly skeptical, but he wasn't interested in pressing the issue. He had another, more important question to ask: "Everyone brought their partners this time, why didn't you? Are you still single? Doesn't seem like it."
"My boyfriend is busy with work." Lin Yu had a good attitude and didn't feel embarrassed when asked.
"Will he come to cheer you on in the finals? He can't possibly not even find the time for that, can he?" Wei Yang wasn't discouraged; he was determined to find out something today.
"You don't actually want to see what he looks like during the finals, do you?" Lin Yu guessed Wei Yang's thoughts and saw right through him.
Wei Yang, his thoughts exposed, glanced away somewhat awkwardly: "Is everyone curious about who exactly can make you so successful despite being surrounded by women? As far as I know, there are plenty of men and women interested in you at your training institution."
"How did you know?" Lin Yu couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Xiao Lin's girlfriend is an administrator in your organization, and you've been the talk of the town there for a long time."
“I see…” Lin Yu blinked at Wei Yang, pretending to think for a moment, “I’ll ask him if he’s free later. If he is, I’ll video call him. He definitely can’t come on the day of the finals.”
"Okay!" Wei Yang exclaimed excitedly.
"By the way, you know I like men?" To prevent Wei Yang from behaving abnormally when he saw Chen Chao, Lin Yu gave him a heads-up in advance.
Wei Yang was taken aback for a moment, then honestly admitted that he couldn't tell Lin Yu liked men. But Lin Yu's words made him even more curious. What kind of man could make Lin Yu so attached to his home?
As they spoke, the grill was ready, and everyone called them over to start grilling together. Lin Yu walked over while sending a message to Chen Chao.
Counterintuitively, Chen Chao's itinerary was top secret, but his appearance and identity were not. Lin Yu's own identity information, on the other hand, was classified at a much higher level than Chen Chao's.
After all, someone in Chenchao's position would have to meet many people regularly, so there's not much that's secret or not.
If Chen Chao is willing, there won't be any problem for him to greet Wei Yang and the others via video. After all, it's impossible for Wei Yang and the others to connect Chen Chao with Te An just by looking at him.
As everyone grilled skewers and drank, it was late at night before they knew it. After they had eaten their fill, they dispersed in twos and threes. Some sat on the grass and played the guitar, while others went back to their tents to pack up and prepare for bed.
Lin Yu lay on a camping chair, gazing at the night sky, and dialed Chen Chao's video call:
"Boss." The moment the video call connected, Lin Yu's eyes narrowed with joy.
He found it all amazing. Before, when he was in the wild, he was afraid of revealing his location through electromagnetic signals, so he rarely had the opportunity to communicate freely.
Even when I had to contact Chen Chao, it was usually because of urgent matters and things I needed to explain. I've never had such a leisurely video call with him.
But now, he is in the mountains, enjoying the cool night breeze, looking at the starry sky that doesn't belong to the city, relaxing on a camping chair and video chatting with his eldest son.
"Are you done making a scene?" Chen Chao asked.
"Yeah, I'm getting ready to sleep in a little while." Lin Yu noticed that there was an unfamiliar background behind Chen Chao and asked, "Boss, are you in your own room in this mansion?"
“Hmm.” Chen Chao turned the camera around. “I slept in this bed until I was 20. I’ve always thought about when I could sleep with you.”
"Boss!" Lin Yu wanted to fly back immediately after hearing Chen Chao's words. What was the point of camping out like this? Who wanted to stay in this desolate wilderness?
"No rush." Chen Chao turned the camera back on, a smile he couldn't hide on his face. "There will always be opportunities in the future."
Lin Yu reluctantly suppressed his excitement and complained in a slightly coquettish tone, "Although I'm happy with them too, I still feel more relaxed with the boss."
"They don't know all of you, but the world they represent is actually much easier."
Lin Yu nodded: "I often feel that they are naive and fragile. People like them might not survive a day if they were thrown into a slightly outrageous environment. But at the same time, I feel that their naivety and fragility prove that all the suffering I endured in the past was not in vain."
"Are you happy to see the true nature of the world you're protecting?"
"I'm very happy."
As they were talking, Lin Yu heard a noise behind him. He turned around and saw Wei Yang walking towards him with a bottle of beer in his hand.
"Boss, I have a companion coming over. Can I say hello?"
“No problem.” Chen Chao didn’t mind.
Lin Yu waved to Wei Yang, refused the drink Wei Yang offered, and held up her phone to introduce him: "My boyfriend, Chen Chao."
Then, feigning an introduction to Chen Chao, he said, "This is my friend Wei Yang."
Wei Yang spoke to Chen Chao through the screen with a curious expression, secretly hoping to extract more information about this mysterious figure, Lin Yu. Unfortunately, his communication skills were far inferior to Chen Chao's, and after a few sentences, he not only failed to get anything out of him but also revealed quite a bit about himself.
Lin Yu listened from the side and couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.
After a sufficiently polite conversation, Lin Yu dismissed Wei Yang, chatted with Chen Chao for a while longer, and then hung up to rest.
As they slept that night, Wei Yang, who was sleeping next to Lin Yu, couldn't help but say to Lin Yu, "Now I know why you go home whenever you have free time."
"Why?"
"If I had someone like that in my family, I would go back too, and I wouldn't dare to have any disloyal thoughts."
"Why? He's not that scary, is he?" Lin Yu smiled helplessly. Chen Chao was always gentle in front of outsiders; most people only saw him as magnanimous and composed. His tyranny and sharp tongue were things Chen Chao only showed to Lin Yu.
"It's not that I'm scared, it's just that I feel like I should listen to him. I can't really describe the feeling, but if he were my boyfriend, I definitely wouldn't cheat on him."
"Haha, so now you understand me, right? Seriously, don't invite me to gatherings anymore." Lin Yu felt an indescribable sweetness in his heart after hearing Wei Yang's words. He didn't explain further and simply went along with what Wei Yang was saying.
"Sigh, you really are like a limb, treating beauties like hands and feet, and brothers like clothes," Wei Yang said helplessly.
"That's right." Lin Yu smiled and drifted off to sleep.
Chenchao was the best to him; nothing in the world combined could compare to a corner of Chenchao in his heart.
Although Chen Chao promised Lin Yu that he would take some time to accompany him to resume training, he was never able to find the time.
Lin Yu didn't care; he had always practiced killing techniques. He never cared whether he was handsome or not.
The basketball finals arrived quickly. When the final whistle blew and they won the championship by a large margin, the players on the court and the substitutes on the sidelines rushed up and threw Lin Yu into the air to celebrate.
Lin Yu has been their key player all along, and he deserves the most credit for this championship.
Surrounded by the crowd, Lin Yu smiled happily, but a sense of loneliness inappropriately rose in his heart.
This should have been his happiest and most triumphant moment, but he couldn't share it with the person he loved most in real time.
There's no way Chen Chao would come to this kind of event to cheer him on.
When he's not around, the security requirements for Chen Chao appearing in public are unimaginable.
The moment Lin Yu raised the trophy on the podium, he suddenly saw his answer with crystal clarity. He finally understood completely what kind of life he truly wanted.
The two questions Chen Chao had made him think about had crystal-clear answers in that instant.
Surrounded by the crowd, he clearly realized that he only craved Chen Chao's approval and praise; only Chen Chao's compliments could make him truly happy.
Undoubtedly, even now, he still looks up to his boss; he doesn't want an equal relationship.
After receiving the award, Lin Yu did not go to celebrate with Wei Yang and the others, but went straight back to the villa.
Although he knew that Chen Chao probably hadn't finished get off work yet, he finally figured it out and just wanted to go home. He didn't want to stay outside for even a moment longer.
"I won't be going to celebrate, I have things to do at home. Also, there's something else I've been wanting to say, but I haven't been because I was afraid it would affect everyone's mood for the finals. There have been some changes in my work, so I'm afraid we won't be able to play together anymore."
"Really..." Wei Yang was taken aback for a moment, but they were just strangers who met by chance, and he had no right to interfere in other people's lives. "It's such a pity. But I still hope we can keep in touch, just in case we have the chance to meet again."
"Okay!" Lin Yu nodded to Wei Yang, then turned and left with light steps.
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