Chapter 14

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Yao Sen and Wang Yuxi defeated Bai Yue and Song Mingzhe in the duo queue matches. As the prices in Nanluo Bay’s restaurants weren’t cheap and Yao Sen still had the conscience to not make the two of them pay for dinner, he simply had them take care of the taxi fare.

After the four people entered the hotpot restaurant, they smoothly “ran into” the members of Noah’s Ark who were out to celebrate the club’s sixth anniversary. Shao Han’s face showed a surprised look at Yao Sen’s sudden appearance.

Yao Sen replied very naturally, “Ah, I wanted to go out to dinner after training. I didn’t know where to go at first but I remembered that you said something about having hotpot and thought that it seemed pretty good.”

To the side, Wang Yuxi stared at Yao Sen with a look of dubious awareness. Normally, he’d throw a couple words in jest, but Yao Sen turned to glare at him, signalling Wang Yuxi to hurry up and order food and not prattle on.

The four of them chose a table not far from Noah’s main team and sat down. When Bai Yue and Song Mingzhe went to mix the condiments, Wang Yuxi punched Yao Sen and said, “You’re really something, you can even ask where others are eating.”

“There’s nothing you can’t ask.”

The atmosphere surrounding Noah’s team members was warm. A few hearty laughs could be heard every now and then. It wasn’t long before there was a bottle of beer on every table, and the celebration was finally complete with a touch of alcohol.

Slowly, some people felt that just drinking beer was not enough and directly waved their hands to ask the waiter to serve a few bottles of baijiu. Anniversaries are only commemorated once a year after all, and Noah’s coach and manager didn’t mention a word as the team members let loose.

Shao Han was also led by his teammates to drink a lot. His alcohol tolerance wasn’t too good, and he soon grew somewhat dizzy as he picked at the dishes, his cheeks splotched with spots of red. Shao Han was originally good looking, but his current expression carried a slightly intoxicated trance which could make one’s heart burn up.

Yao Sen watched Shao Han through the misty smoke of the hotpot from a few tables away, feeling as if the hot and numbing red soup in his mouth numbed him to the core of his heart.

A dozen minutes later, Shao Han was thoroughly drunk and resting his upper body on the table, unable to get up. The other Noah team members around him were still lively, planning to go to a KTV after eating.

Captain Lin Lan saw that Shao Han could no longer hold up, and just as he was about to send Shao Han back, a pair of hands landed on Shao Han’s shoulders first.

Yao Sen smiled, “I’ll send Shao Han back, you guys go on and have fun.”

Seeing the Titans’s captain’s appearance, the Noah team members all looked at each other in confusion. However, Lin Lan knew that Yao Sen and Shao Han had a good relationship, so he had no objections and thanked Yao Sen directly.

Shao Han was in such a daze that he had no idea what was going on, and before he could respond, Yao Sen directly gathered him in his arms and carried him away. Yao Sen returned to his table and bid farewell to Wang Yuxi and the others before leaving with Shao Han.

Bai Yue was somewhat baffled, “What the hell is Yao Sen doing?”

Wang Yuxi said, “What’s wrong with others’ pure brotherhood? Let’s eat more. Eat up Yao Sen’s share too.”

Yao Sen helped Shao Han walk to the curb to hail a cab. Shao Han’s steps were a bit unstable as he stumbled after Yao Sen. While Yao Sen stood at the side of the road, Shao Han leaned against his body.

The seemingly calm and composed Yao Sen beckoned for a taxi and carefully brought Shao Han in.

On the way back to the Yiyou Building, Shao Han didn’t speak a word. There were some people who tend to talk nonsense when they’re drunk, but apparently Shao Han was the complete opposite.

At Yiyou, Yao Sen brought Shao Han back to his dorm room. When Yao Sen lowered his head and asked him where his room card was, Shao Han groaned, not understanding, so Yao Sen had no choice but to silently apologize and reach for the room card in Shao Han’s pocket.

When Yao Sen deposited Shao Han on the bed, Shao Han’s eyebrows furrowed before they smoothed out again. The drunken Shao Han’s cheeks were a little flushed, and his light pink lips had turned bright red.

Shao Han had a pale complexion, and his drunken redness was so obvious that it seemed like a berry that had fallen on snow. Yao Sen poured a glass of water and took a sip first before sitting on the edge of the bed to compose himself.

Behind him, Shao Han suddenly moved, and when Yao Sen turned back, Shao Han opened his eyes to look at him. He was sluggish for a long time before saying incoherently, “This is… the captain’s bed…”

“Don’t worry about it, just lie down. Your captain won’t mind,” Yao Sen straightened the disheveled hair on Shao Han’s forehead, “Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

Shao Han didn’t say anything, slightly turning his head on the pillow instead, as if he was looking for a more comfortable position.

Yao Sen observed him for a bit. Seeing that Shao Han probably didn’t feel unwell anywhere else, he decided to go back early and not disturb his sleep. Just as Yao Sen got up, the phone in Shao Han’s pocket rang.

Yao Sen took it out for Shao Han. He first thought that it was one of his teammates calling to check up on him, but then frowned at the name of the caller.

Yao Sen guessed that Shao Han probably wouldn’t want to answer Shen You’s call.

In all honesty, Yao Sen didn’t really have to think twice to know what kind of relationship Shao Han used to have with Shen You. Moreover, he remembered that Shao Han had implicitly and explicitly stated that he didn’t want to have too much contact with him anymore, yet this person still called anyway. It just happened to be Yao Sen he bumped into.

Yao Sen left the phone to ring for more than half a minute, neither answering nor hanging up, and the vibrations finally stopped. But within a few seconds, Shen You called again.

Yao Sen stayed calm and felt that he shouldn’t be so unkind. Whether or not to answer the phone—he should let Shao Han decide.

Yao Sen gently touched Shao Han’s shoulder, “Shao Han, Shao Han.”

Shao Han opened his eyes and stared at him blankly, looking so sleepy that he seemed to be able to fall asleep in the blink of an eye, but he held back his heavy eyelids and looked at him drowsily, “…hmm?”

Shao Han looked very soft, his voice as light as a feather.

“Shen You’s calling, do you want to answer?”

Shao Han stared at him blankly. Yao Sen thought that he couldn’t make sense of his words for a moment, but Shao Han quickly frowned. His drunkenness seemed to have relieved him of his apprehensions, and he rolled over and shrunk himself inside the blanket, his voice sounding somewhat unhappy, “Don’t answer… I have nothing to do with him…”

Yao Sen froze. Shen You hadn’t stopped calling, perhaps it was a real emergency.

Yao Sen let out a small breath as he picked up the phone, “Hello?”

“…Who’s calling?” Shen You obviously recognized that it wasn’t Shao Han’s voice, but didn’t recognize Yao Sen, and his tone was suspicious, “Is Shao Han there?”

“I’m Yao Sen,” Yao Sen answered simply, “Shao Han is drunk and resting at the moment. It’s inconvenient for him to answer the phone. If you have anything urgent to say, I can wake him.”

“Captain Yao Sen?” The other party was surprised for a long while, then finally asked, “Are you looking after Shao Han?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, sorry for troubling you. It’s nothing important really, I just wanted to personally congratulate Noah on their sixth anniversary today and ask him if he’s going to his former youth training team dinner. If he’s drunk then nevermind, I’ll just send him a message.”

“Mm.”

“Then you should get some rest too, Captain Yao Sen. Thanks for looking after him, goodbye.”

After hanging up, Yao Sen thought to himself, it wasn’t even something important, why did he insist on calling? And thanking him? Who was Shen You to thank him?

When Yao Sen looked back at the sleeping Shao Han, he thought back to Shao Han’s words just a moment ago. He couldn’t identify the feeling, but he felt that there was a tightly sealed place in his heart that was itching to make Shao Han tell him everything.

Yao Sen pressed the corner of Shao Han’s blanket, got up, and gently closed the door and left.

At nine o’clock the next morning, Shao Han opened his eyes. He smothered a groan and rubbed his aching head, then turned over for a moment. When he registered that the sheets under him were a different colour from his own, he promptly sat up.

Shao Han stared at Lin Lan who was sitting at the desk and playing a game, “…..Captain? Why am I in your bed?”

“You drank too much last night, Yao Sen sent you back.”

Shao Han grabbed his phone and saw that it was already nine o’clock. Fortunately, he didn’t have to train this morning, otherwise he would feel too guilty.

He immediately turned over and got up, helping Lin Lan tidy up the bed. When he found that the sheets smelled of alcohol, he said, “Captain, let me change the sheets for you.”

“Mm.”

Shao Han was still a little dizzy. He lowered his head to remove the bedsheets, then suddenly recalled what the captain had just said. He raised his head, “You said that Yao Sen sent me back?”

“Yeah.”

Shao Han slowly recalled some memories from last night—he didn’t know if it was because he had been drinking or because he hadn’t washed his face, but his cheeks were stretched taut, feverish. While he knew that he was a pretty silent drunk, never before had he wished so much that he hadn’t spewed some ridiculous nonsense in front of Yao Sen.

“Captain, why was Yao Sen the one who sent me back yesterday when so many team members were there?”

Lin Lan replied, “He initiated it.”

Shao Han lowered his head to change the sheets, then suddenly realized that he had a missed call and a few messages. He unlocked his phone and took a look, and when he saw the words Shen You, his heart sank.

He didn’t know what Shen You was caling him for, but what was strange was that he had called twice, and while the first call went unanswered, the second call was picked up. Furthermore, there was even a call duration.

Shao Han had no memory of answering his phone himself, so it could only be Yao Sen who took the call for him.

Shen You’s message was probably the purpose of his call. He first congratulated them on the club’s sixth anniversary, and then asked if he and Bai Yue were going to attend their former youth training team gathering next month.

Shen You: It’s organized by the old captain, it’s okay if you don’t want to come.

Before joining Noah, he was in the same youth training team as Bai Yue and Shen You. Shao Han could still vividly remember the days when he waited for a big e-sports club to throw an olive branch.

Shen You was a very special person among them. While most of the trainees have been exposed to competitive matches or amateur competitions before professional training, Shen You was different. He first encountered the game on the very first day he entered the training base.

Shao Han and Shen You were close. The two of them were inseparable, and nothing could come between them.

Until one day, Shen You confessed to Shao Han.

Other than his family, Shao Han had never told anyone about his sexual orientation. He didn’t know how Shen You noticed, nor did he care that he knew, because he already had the answer in his heart.

“…I know that you are too,” Shen You said, “Shao Han, I like you, can you give me a chance?”

Facing Shen You’s sincere and slightly expectant gaze, the only thing Shao Han could do wa apologize and turn him down. After hearing Shao Han’s words, Shen You only laughed bitterly and said he understood.

Shen You wasn’t a person who got caught up in his own feelings and couldn’t let go, and Shao Han could also continue being friends with him as if nothing had happened. However, while his rationality said one thing, it was truly quite hard to act accordingly, and he and Shen You drifted apart.

At that time, they were faced with the problems of signing a contract with a club, and everyone was busy deciding where to go in the future. Shen You, who was a highly talented professional player and didn’t have the bad habits most athletes acquired from their amateur days, was the first among their group of trainees to sign a professional contract.

Shao Han wished him well from the bottom of his heart, but that was all.

At a later dinner, Shao Han was so drunk that he was practically unconscious. After sending him back, Shen You kissed him, hugged him, and said that he still didn’t want to give up on him. Shao Han instinctively pushed him away at that time, and Shen You did nothing else.

When Shao Han woke up the next morning, he remembered what happened the night before and felt a mixture of fury and regret. From then on, he knew that it was impossible for him to continue being friends with Shen You.

Shao Han and Shen You had their first big fight, and he rejected Shen You once again, this time thoroughly. Although he understood that he’d have a hard time letting go of Shen You, he also had no further intentions of being a hypocritical friend.

Afterwards, Shen You quietly left, and it wasn’t long before he officially joined Cobra.

Later, when he himself received an invitation to sign with Cobra, Shao Han declined. Over the years, Shen You might’ve already gotten over his feelings for him, but what remained was more of a guilt-ridden compensation for the friendship he had sacrificed.

But no matter what, Shao Han didn’t want it. He didn’t want his guilt nor his compensation. He didn’t even want to have any private contact with him whatsoever—meeting each other in the arena in the future was enough.

After changing the sheets, Shao Han went to the bathroom and washed his face, alleviating his somewhat exhausted look from the night before, and thought that he ought to thank Yao Sen in person.

When Shao Han arrived at Titans’s training room, Yao Sen was in the middle of a break and chatting with his teammates when he suddenly saw that Wang Yuxi’s eyes were a little off. The latter jabbed his shoulder and angled his chin, motioning Yao Sen to look behind him.

Yao Sen turned back. Shao Han stood at the door of their training room.

Yao Sen smacked away the obscene expression on Wang Yuxi’s face with the palm of his hand, stood up, and walked over to him, “What’s up? Are you still dizzy?”

“It’s much better, I troubled you last night.”

“It’s fine.”

“It feels like I’ve been troubling you a lot lately…” Shao Han’s voice was slightly chagrined, “How about I treat you to dinner? Is there anything you’ve been craving lately?”

“Dinner is off the table,” the corners of Yao Sen’s mouth lifted, “Let’s solo queue some other da.”

Shao Han was stunned, but subsequently couldn’t help letting out a soft laugh, “Okay, sure.”

Shao Han saw Bai Yue sitting in the training room and called out to him, saying that there was something he wanted to talk to him about. It wasn’t good for Yao Sen to stand there and listen to them talk, so he could only enter the room.

Wang Yuxi grinned, “What did Shao ge say to you?”

“He thanked me, and we’ll solo queue some other time.”

“Solo queue? Then queue well and don’t drive others to bed.”

“Take a hike.”

Bai Yue came back not long after talking to Shao Han, and Wang Yuxi was even more vigorous than Yao Sen when he asked him what they had talked about. Bai Yue replied indifferently, “He just said that there’s a gathering next month for our former old team members and asked if I’d go.”

Yao Sen: “Are you going then?”

“It depends, but Shao Han doesn’t seem like he particularly wants to go.”

Watching Shao Han’s departing back, Yao Sen momentarily couldn’t hide his happiness.

☆ ☆ ☆

⟵ Chapter 13 | TOC | Chapter 15 ⟶

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