In the throes of love
Chen Yuchuan leaned back on Shenhe's sofa, holding the controller in his hand, glancing at him every now and then.
Shen He lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath his eyelids. His face was expressionless, his lips pressed into a straight line. The eyes that had once smiled at him were now veiled in ice, revealing no emotion as he coldly stared at the images flashing on the screen.
Chen Yuchuan felt a little annoyed, but he didn't ask anything. When he got hungry, he would order takeout, eat some fried rice and side dishes to fill his stomach, and then continue playing games, one after another, letting Chen He play whatever he wanted.
He played from afternoon until late at night. At three in the morning, Chenhe finally put down the controller and rubbed his eyes.
"Let's just squeeze in together for the night," he said.
Chen Yuchuan paused for a second, then nodded: "Okay."
Chen Yuchuan lay down beside him and soon fell asleep, his breathing even.
Shen He stared at the ceiling, feeling the warmth from Chen Yuchuan's arm pressed against his. His consciousness slowly sank into the darkness.
The sun was shining brightly by the pool. Sixteen or seventeen-year-old Chen Yuchuan sat on the shore, scrolling through his phone with an impatient expression.
The black dog pounced on Shenhe's legs, rubbing its wet nose against him, and occasionally biting the flesh of Shenhe's calf.
Shenhe smiled, squatted down, and stroked its head.
Chen Yuchuan stood up, and the black dog bit his hand. He frowned and said to the dog, "Have you had enough fun?"
The black dog wagged its tail, looking very happy, and then it inexplicably said, "Goodbye, I'm going home."
Shen He was stunned for a moment, and before he could react, the black dog had already turned around and jumped into the water, its black figure disappearing quickly into the sunlight.
Chen Yuchuan's voice came from beside her, languidly: "Shenhe, let's go home too."
He reached out his hand, and Shenhe walked over and placed his hand in Shenhe's palm.
I had a good night's sleep.
When Shen He opened his eyes, it was already broad daylight. Recalling the dream, he smiled with relief. Chen Yuchuan's hand was still tightly gripping his, just like in the dream. Given Chen Yuchuan's consistently bad sleeping habits, Shen He simply pulled his hand away and didn't wake him.
After her morning run, Shen He quickly washed up. Chen Yuchuan was still asleep, his brows furrowed, looking like he was about to bite someone at any moment. Shen He, in a rare good mood, pinched his nose as he always did.
Chen Yuchuan had difficulty breathing and suddenly woke up.
Shen He stood by the bed, looking at him with a smile in her eyes. It was a faint smile, but the corners of her eyes and brows were gently curved, and her eyelashes were still damp from washing up, carrying a hint of teasing. The morning light shone through the curtains onto her face, making her look almost unreal, like a hallucination.
"Get up." Shen He's voice was no longer as cold as it had been yesterday.
Chen Yuchuan squinted at him for a while, then sat up and scratched his hair.
What time is it?
"11:30."
"Damn it." Chen Yuchuan cursed, stood up, and quickly put on his jacket. "We have training today."
Shen He escorted him to the door. Chen Yuchuan stood outside the door, glanced back at him, and his gaze lingered for two seconds.
"I'll come find you after the competition," Chen Yuchuan said.
Shen He frowned: "Stop bothering me all day long. If you have nothing better to do, go find some books to read."
Chen Yuchuan didn't take it to heart and just looked at him with a smile: "What are you studying for? I'm looking for you, just wash up and wait."
Over the next few days, Shenhe occasionally played ranked games to regain his form, while ASG began preparing for their next match.
Training matches, tactical meetings, and post-match reviews were no different from before, except that the dream had begun to change.
The black dog lay in the water, its body swollen from being submerged. Its blood was black and viscous like oil, spreading along the ground and climbing up to its ankles.
He tried to back away, but found he couldn't move.
The black dog's eyes were open, staring blankly at him. Suddenly, its body exploded, splattering all over him, sticking to his hands, face, and clothes. He could smell the stench of decay, so strong it made him want to vomit.
Shenhe tried to speak, but no sound came out. The liquid clung to his arms, climbed upwards, and tightened around his throat. He struggled, trying to break free, but he only sank deeper.
He awoke with a start, feeling suffocated, his body covered in sweat.
He felt that something was wrong with him.
During training, his touch started to falter; his movements became stiff, and his judgment wasn't as precise as before. Although no one noticed anything amiss, he knew something was wrong.
On the day of the competition, Shen He sat in the player's seat, put on his headphones, and looked at the BP interface on the screen.
Gao Mingyuan seemed to sense something and asked him if he was nervous. Shen He smiled and asked if it was possible.
For once, he didn't think about which hero to choose, what the opponent's playstyle was, how to deal with it, or what breakthroughs to make. Instead, he chose to follow Zhou Yifan's lead.
Throughout the match, he played steadily, but also mediocrely.
In the end, they lost.
After the match, Shen He took off his headphones, looked at the word "defeat" on the screen, and showed no expression.
On the commentary desk, the commentators are reviewing the match.
"Styx played very strangely in this game," one commentator said. "He rarely follows the team's rhythm throughout the entire match."
“Yes, this doesn’t seem like Styx at all,” another commentator chimed in. “However, his performance in this game was still very consistent. He handled the laning phase exceptionally well and was the only player on the team who didn’t make any mistakes.”
"ASG's loss was indeed quite embarrassing, but Styx was probably the only bright spot in this match."
Shenhe took off his headphones and listened to the noisy sounds from the scene and the commentary.
He knew he hadn't played well in this game.
It's just that others can't see it.
As I walked out of the lounge, there was a person standing at the back door, completely out of place with the surroundings. Zhou Wen's suit sleeves were rolled up half an inch, and he was holding a small cake.
Shen He didn't stop walking and continued straight ahead. Zhou Wen straightened up, took a few steps to stand in front of him, and calmly blocked his way.
"Shenhe." His voice was low and restrained. "You're not quite right today. I think it might be related to what happened before. I—"
“I’ve already said it,” Shen He interrupted him, his voice low but cold, “You have nothing to apologize for, so don’t bother me.”
He tried to sidestep. Zhou Wen reached out and grabbed his wrist, blocking his path again without making a sound. His movements were unhurried but carried an undeniable air of authority.
“You used to look down on everyone and care about nothing.” Zhou Wen stared directly at Shen He. “Why is Chen Yuchuan an exception? And why is he allowed to live with you?”
Shen He stopped, his gaze sweeping across the man's face, wondering if this man was still living in some self-written and self-directed script.
A few seconds later, he smiled dismissively: "Because he didn't offend me."
Zhou Wen's gaze sharpened.
He stared at Shen He. He had always thought that Shen He's impatience and indifference were just a facade, a defensiveness. But now, Shen He's expression was almost frighteningly calm. There was no anger, no resentment, not even a hint of annoyance in his eyes, only a cold indifference.
“I’ve apologized for what happened in the past so many times.” Zhou Wen slumped back against the wall, his hand still gripping Chen He’s wrist. “I’m trying to understand and compromise. I can take care of you too… why can’t I?”
Shen He found it strange. He looked at Zhou Wen, frowning slightly, as if pondering a question he couldn't quite understand.
"You have your own stance, and you don't need to apologize to me in the first place," Shen He said, his tone still calm. "Because we were just ordinary friends to begin with, what kind of act are you putting on now?"
"Ordinary friends?" Zhou Wen's eyes darkened, and he lowered his voice. "Why can I only be an ordinary friend, but Chen Yuchuan can be a brother?"
Shen He remained silent for a while, then looked at him speechlessly.
“I’ve already said it, Chen Yuchuan didn’t provoke me, he knows my bottom line.”
“What if,” Zhou Wen took a step forward, the distance between them suddenly shrinking. His eyes swirled with emotion, “Now that I’m starting to know my limits, could you pretend I haven’t offended you?”
"Can't."
Shen He's answer was straightforward and without hesitation.
Zhou Wen's expression froze.
“What you said back then was all true,” Shen He said, looking directly at Zhou Wen, his voice flat. “But I hate it when people tell me how to do things.”
He paused for a moment, then continued, "You say I'm cold, arrogant, and fake-kind, that I look down on everyone, and that's true. But that's my business, and it's none of your concern."
Shen He chuckled softly, as if he was genuinely annoyed.
"So don't bother me anymore." After saying that, Shen He walked past him.
"Sink the river!" Zhou Wen's voice was like a suppressed fire.
Shen He smiled; this person finally couldn't keep up the act anymore.
"At least take this with you." He handed over the small cake in his hand. "This is something you said you wanted to eat a long time ago. I didn't give it to you then, but now it's perfect."
Shen He glanced at him, said nothing, took the cake, and turned to leave.
Back at the hotel, I had just closed the door when my phone vibrated.
It was a message from Chen Yuchuan, containing only two words: "Look quickly."
Clicking on the link, the title was quite straightforward: [Shocking! Chen Yuchuan suspected of actually having a child? Multiple love triangle confirmed?]
The post included several photos.
The first few photos are from that day at the restaurant, where Chen Yuchuan and Zhou Wen are standing together, very close. There's also a photo of Chen Yuchuan's hand near Zhou Wen's cheek, taken at a tricky angle, making it look like he's caressing her. Then there's a photo of the two facing each other, with Chen Yuchuan adjusting Zhou Wen's collar.
The later pictures are even more outrageous: at the entrance of the ASG base, Chen Yuchuan hugs Shen He, who looks annoyed and pushes him away. There's also a picture of him drunkenly hugging Shen He's waist and refusing to let go, behaving like a pervert.
Shenhe scrolled down to the comments section.
Holy crap, this is explosive! Is Trump really going this far?
[In the first picture, the one where she's touching her face, isn't that the man who's her sister-in-law?]
So why is he bothering Styx again? Look at Styx's expression, she's clearly unwilling.
[This has shocked my whole family. It seems this Sichuanese guy can't resist sleeping with any good-looking man he sees.]
[Oh my god, I thought he was one of those scumbags, turns out he's a gay playboy/player.]
[That's fucking insane...]
I thought he was just playing up the homoerotic subtext, but it turns out he was serious and even cheated on me.
Styx, protect your butt...
[An outrageous gay relationship.]
[Likes and dislikes...]
Styx is really in a bad situation...
The next second, Chen Yuchuan called.
"Have you finished watching?"
"Um."
What are your thoughts?
Shen He asked, "When did you and Zhou Wen get together?"
"...I'm fucking beating him up."
Shen He chuckled, "Who beats someone up while hugging and cuddling? In some of the pictures, it looks like they're about to kiss."
Chen Yuchuan asked with a smile, "Are you jealous?"
Shen He cursed, "Get lost." Then he added, "I just didn't expect you to be so shameless as to even eat your own melon."
Chen Yuchuan sighed: "The person who took the photos and spread rumors must be sick. I've already had someone deal with it, but we still need to control the online public opinion."
Shen He leaned back lazily in his chair: "How do I control it?"
Chen Yuchuan replied, "To be honest, I sent it to you just to let you know."
Shen He paused, finding the words somewhat inexplicable.
He hung up the phone immediately.
A few minutes later, a notification popped up on my phone: Chen Yuchuan had posted a new Weibo post.
“老子揍人都能被你们拍成亲密照也是神了，嗑CP请找我唯一指定真爱@ASG.Styx，抱他已经经过本人允许。”
【？？？？】
What is this guy doing? It's terrifying...
I'm completely broken.
Can someone tell me if this is serious or a joke?
Styx is truly an innocent victim now.
[Styx, run!]
This dog has really gone mad.
Shen He stared at the screen for two seconds and felt that the dog had indeed gone completely mad.
He leaned back in his chair, picked up his phone, and sent a message to Chen Yuchuan:
"Can you at least let me know before you go crazy?"
It took several seconds for them to reply: "Yes, I did notify you. I just said I wanted to let you know."
Shen He nearly threw his phone down when he saw the reply, and asked Chen Yuchuan, "Is this how you greet someone?"
Chen Yuchuan: "Yes, I feel I'm quite sincere."
Shen He stared at the line of text, unsure of what to say for a long time, before finally replying:
"I really regret coming to play professionally now."
Chen Yuchuan continued shamelessly: "The main problem is that your teammates aren't very good, and the AD carry can't play either. You won't regret it when we're on the same team."
Shen He sneered and asked him, "Is it too late to delete you from my friends list now?"
Chen Yuchuan: "No, no, no, bro, it's my problem, but you have to understand my situation. I'm still being criticized on the trending topics right now."
Shen He held back, wanting to scold him but feeling sorry for him, so he decided to retweet the Weibo post to clarify things for him:
"Chen Yuchuan is straight. He hugged me because he was drunk. Don't spread rumors."
The comments section was a complete mess, with all sorts of random things being said.
[Styx, your brother is not a guide...]
Whether he was truly drunk or faking it, I dare not say.
[So she's finally admitting she's the mysterious male sister-in-law?]
【I get it, this is a way to announce their relationship amidst the chaos (doge)】
Ultimately, sister-in-law, you still spoil the dog too much (crying)
[If this bastard really cheated on you, we're on your side, sister-in-law!]
Listen to me, brother, protect your Pigu. This Chen Yuchuan doesn't seem like a decent person.
Chen Yuchuan sent a message: "Oh no, now our relationship is really public."
Shenhe ignored him, washed up, and went back to bed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
