Sweet Daily Life
The fishing tackle was clearly prepared: two lightweight lures, a box of soft baits and spinners, and a pre-tied leader line. Chen Yuchuan handed over one set, then casually reached into his pocket for cigarettes.
The wind rustled through the thick forest, and birdsong could be heard from time to time. The ecology of this place was indeed very good. I wonder what kind of background Chen Yuchuan's relative has that he was able to buy such a large area of the mountain.
Shenhe reminded him, "It's windy here and there are many trees."
Chen Yuchuan seemed even happier, "I'll just take it out to look at it, I won't actually smoke it, you know me."
Shenhe didn't know what he should know about him, so he ignored him, picked up his tools, and turned to walk towards the river.
The river flowed gently, and the sound of it washing over the stones was very relaxing. Chenhe put his fishing rod on the stand, lay down in his deck chair, and stared at the float.
Chen Yuchuan jumped and scurried among the rocks, sometimes squatting, sometimes lying down, looking more like a wild monkey than a fisherman.
After waiting for a long time, neither of their rods made any movement. Someone brought over a meal that had been prepared in advance. It was steaming hot and looked very rustic. The aroma, mixed with the scent of grass and wood, wafted over. Chenhe simply stopped worrying about the rods and turned to enjoy the food.
Chen Yuchuan made conversation, and the two chatted about the game for a while. Shen He casually asked about the other teams in the league. Midway through the conversation, Chen Yuchuan casually remarked:
What's going on with Gao Mingyuan?
"What...what's going on?"
"What do you mean you certified him as the most compatible? Did you really say that?"
"He plays really well, has a deep hero pool, and is highly proficient. The key is to trust me, he's the kind of player who can hit in seconds."
A cold snort came from the side.
Shenhe was speechless at his pathetic state and asked him:
What do you mean?
Chen Yuchuan was very disdainful and launched a scathing attack on Gao Mingyuan, saying, "A support needs to have a broad perspective and be bold enough to fight and command. I watched the match that day, and he played timidly and didn't actively create an output environment for you. You could only obediently develop and couldn't fully utilize your playstyle advantages."
Then he added, "He's not good enough for an ADC of your caliber. He should be good enough for a world champion like me."
Shenhe retorted calmly, "Come on, your teammates on the forum that day all said you were terrible."
Chen Yuchuan smiled with narrowed eyes, then pressed on, "I'm serious, if you want to rank up in the future, come find me. I'll play support for you, protect you closely, fight bravely and aggressively, and I guarantee you'll have a wonderful experience, okay?"
Shen He raised an eyebrow, didn't respond, but simply reached out and lifted the fishing rod up a little. The first fish finally took the bait.
After several hours, there were only seven or eight fish in the bucket, mostly caught by river fishing. The float sank again and again, and the water surface shimmered in the sunlight. The atmosphere was unusually quiet and comfortable.
Shen He looked up at the sky. The clouds were piling up, and it was getting dark. He was the first to hang up: "The weather is bad, let's hang up."
Chen Yuchuan responded without giving it much thought, his expression relaxed. He told Shen He not to worry about the pole, as someone would come to collect it.
Upon hearing this, Shen He stopped what he was doing and released the fish back into the river one by one. The water splashed, and the fish quickly disappeared. Chen Yuchuan paused for a moment, then said half-jokingly, "What, have you converted to Buddhism now? You're not eating meat anymore?"
"We still have to eat, but we'll skip the ones we caught ourselves." His tone was flat, revealing nothing. He took a few steps and saw Chen Yuchuan still standing there, seemingly lost in thought.
Shen He turned around, and Chen Yuchuan immediately followed, casually putting his hand on Shen He's shoulder. The two walked side by side, and seeing that Shen He didn't react, he seemingly unintentionally changed the handshake into an arm around him, just like they used to.
Back in the courtyard, the kitchen was already preparing the meal. The side dishes looked very plentiful, and the aroma could be faintly smelled. After changing their clothes, the two lay in the courtyard looking at the sky. Chen Yuchuan suddenly said, "After we eat, shall we go soak in the hot spring? There's also a swimming pool over there. It's guaranteed to be clean. You can go for a few laps."
Shen He shook his head: "Forget it, I'm not interested." He paused, then continued, "Let's go hiking."
Chen Yuchuan glanced at him, said nothing, but a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes. Shen He had always loved swimming, but had little interest in mountain climbing.
Now, it seems all his old habits have disappeared.
Given the less-than-ideal weather, the two of them only strolled around the foot of the mountain after dinner. The mountain path was damp, and the pine needles crunched underfoot. Only a few birdsongs occasionally echoed through the forest.
Shen He spotted a strange mound of earth, crouched down, and parted the fallen leaves to reveal a cluster of grayish-white mushrooms with black sap oozing from their edges. A strange, sweet-smelling odor emanated from them. Chen Yuchuan, finding it odd, casually asked, "Can you eat this?" Shen He replied, "Yes, if you want to die."
Chen Yuchuan immediately moved away, and Shen He casually flipped open one of the nearly rotten caps, revealing wriggling larvae inside. Scattered on the ground were the corpses of many different kinds of insects. Chen Yuchuan was shocked. "Holy crap, this is a highly poisonous mushroom!" Shen He ignored him, focusing instead on carefully observing the larvae inside the mushroom.
Chen Yuchuan leaned against a tree and stared at him. Suddenly, he chuckled, seemingly making a connection to something. "Back then, I thought your family would send you out to study medicine."
Shen He didn't look up, picked up his phone and started snapping pictures of the insects, saying indifferently, "Studying medicine? That would be such a waste for me."
Then, as if remembering something, she twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "Back in F County, you also had food poisoning, but you stubbornly insisted to the doctor that you were perfectly fine and nothing was wrong."
Chen Yuchuan was taken aback, then laughed out loud: "You really do remember."
Shen He finally looked up at him, his eyes conveying an indescribable meaning: "Didn't that doctor say—studying medicine can't cure you idiots?"
Chen Yuchuan, on the contrary, became shameless and said, "So what? If you go to study medicine, you'll definitely be able to cure me with your skills."
Shen He added coldly, "My views are very much in line with his."
It was already quite dark when they returned, and the air was thick with dampness. Chen Yuchuan stood in the courtyard, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the sky and the road, his tone unusually casual: "How about we stay here tonight? We can go back tomorrow morning; the air is much better than in the city."
Shen He looked up at the sky; heavy dark clouds pressed down. He packed his bag and said calmly, "It's bound to rain heavily tonight, and the road conditions in the mountains will be very complicated tomorrow. It's safer to go back."
Chen Yuchuan stared at him for two seconds, then smiled and said, "Okay, whatever you say." The mountain road seemed even narrower in the night than in the daytime. The headlights illuminated the road ahead in a stark white light. Raindrops pounded on the windshield in waves, growing more and more intense, but the driver drove with increasing steadiness, without a single bump.
Shen He leaned back in his chair, his eyelids heavy, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. In his dream, he was swimming in a wide pool, with Chen Yuchuan standing on the shore. That mischievous stray dog was leisurely tearing at his expensive sneakers, waiting for him to reach the shore. But the further he swam, the farther away those two figures became. The warm pool water turned icy cold, and a thick, dark red liquid enveloped him, pushing him further and further away. Only a trace of unknown warmth remained, clinging to him as if trying to pull him back from the abyss.
Shen He awoke with a start, his chest tight, the cold oppression of the dream still lingering in his breath. He found himself pressed tightly against Chen Yuchuan, his head resting on his shoulder. Chen Yuchuan's body temperature was high, like a furnace, but his shoulder was stiff and uneasy. His brows were furrowed, his eyes were closed, and his breathing was rapid, as if he, too, was trapped in some unsettling dream.
Shen He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and nudged him, his voice low: "Wake up."
Chen Yuchuan's eyelids trembled, he slowly opened his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and glanced at him.
Shen He withdrew his gaze and turned to look out the window. "We're almost there. Just take me back to the base."
After a brief silence, Chen Yuchuan opened the partition and instructed the driver, "It's late, just go straight to my place."
A few minutes later, the car turned into a low-key apartment building.
Shen He glanced around and casually asked, "What's the situation with your house?"
Chen Yuchuan said in a low voice, "VLG's base was originally located in City A. We bought it and lived there for a while before moving to City B."
Shen He followed him upstairs, opened the door, and found the interior furnishings to be brand new, the furniture still carrying the lingering smell of wood. Clearly, they hadn't lived there long.
He didn't expose it, just hummed in agreement, changed his shoes, and went inside.
The interior design was understated yet sophisticated, with clean lines and a predominantly gray and black color scheme. Shen He looked around and gave the design a 99 out of 100. Scattered throughout the living room were some miscellaneous documents and business books. Shen He glanced at them casually and felt a headache coming on. He couldn't help but ask...
"Didn't you finish your exams and prepare to go abroad? Why did you end up playing professionally?"
Chen Yuchuan was pouring water, and as he turned to the side, the light shone on his profile, revealing no emotion in his expression. He casually remarked, "Reading is nowhere near as fun as playing games, and you're no different."
Shen He glanced at him and replied indifferently, "Indeed."
Shen He didn't want to expose his deception, because he hadn't directly answered Chen Yuchuan's question during the hike earlier that day.
The rain grew heavier, and the apartment was so quiet that only the sound of raindrops outside the window could be heard.
Chen Yuchuan casually tossed two towels to Chen He, his tone nonchalant: "There's no guest room here, and the sofa in the living room is too small. You'll freeze to death if you sleep here all night. Just make do in the master bedroom tonight."
He then added, "You sleep in the bed, I'll sleep on the floor, I won't make you feel uncomfortable, okay?"
Shen He leaned against the door frame for a few seconds, then said nothing, casually tossing his pajamas over to him: "Stop pretending."
Chen Yuchuan caught the pajamas, a slight smile playing on his lips, and offered no further explanation. He leisurely rummaged through the closet for blankets, casually pulling out a brand new set of pajamas, his tone feigning nonchalance: "New, never worn, take it or leave it."
Shen He took the pajamas, casually took off his coat, and turned around. His black T-shirt was pulled off as well, revealing the clear lines of his shoulders and neck. Chen Yuchuan couldn't help but look at his pale back. The man before him had excellent proportions, a slender figure, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with firm, clean muscles that weren't exaggerated. The light poured down from above, outlining the curve from his collarbone to his chest in a faint shadow. Chen Yuchuan's gaze involuntarily lingered there, his breath catching in his throat for a moment.
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