chapter 14

“Last semester I’d already wanted to ask Classmate Kou Chen to join our team,” Coach says, “But he told me then that he wanted to focus on his studies*…”

[*tl note: more accurate would be 'study in peace” but that doesn’t sound right in this context]

Focus on his studies?

Huo Ran felt that his ears had almost been shocked into blindness by this phrase, the Kou Chen who, every day, got up when the end-class bell rang and went to sleep when the start-bell rang, had actually managed to bring himself to say “focus on his studies”, these four words, out loud?

It was fucking more like he was scared that training would get in the way of his sleep!2

“Unexpectedly this semester he still ended up joining huh,” Coach pats Kou Chen’s shoulder rather merrily, then looks at Huo Ran, “It’s just nice that you’re both even in the same class, would be convenient for interaction too.”

“Mn,” Huo Ran responds depressedly.

In order to not have the members feel that their captain was being moody, he tugged the corners of his lips and added: “Welcome.”

Coach then gave Kou Chen an introduction to the members before heading to the equipment room, and the group of members chatted a bit before dispersing, all doing their own thing.

But Kou Chen was rather famous in the school, after all his boasts were made loud and clear, so a number of members were still looking this way.

“Let’s go, to grab food,” Kou Chen walks up to Huo Ran, even wearing a smile on his face.

Huo Ran doesn’t speak, walking out of the gymnasium.

“Are you angry?” Kou Chen catches up.

“No,” Huo Ran sighs, “Do you really want to play basketball or was it just to prove that you can get inside without getting chased out?”

“I’m fine with anything,” Kou Chen says, “When I played ball before it was also because the teacher begged me…”

“It’s just the 2 of us now,” Huo Ran interrupts, “You don’t need to put so much effort into boasting, it’s about enough.”

“In middle school I was also on the school team,” Kou Chen was not affected in the least, “It was also after the teacher had begged me for a whole semester before I’d agreed.”

“…You are the star of hope for China’s Men’s Basketball,” Huo Ran says.2

“Hadn’t Old Geng begged me?” Kou Chen says, “When I’d just transferred over here the first period of PE, he’d already come to look for me, hadn’t he?”

The coach was surnamed Geng, he was their PE teacher, with an extreme passion for basketball, Huo Ran always thought his dream was perhaps to become a basketball in his next life.1

Coach was skilled at discovering members with potential, Kou Chen was alright at basketball, but Huo Ran had only played against him once, his true level, he was unable to estimate.

“How would I know if he had or not!” Huo Ran says, “I didn’t even know when you’d transferred over.”

“No way,” Kou Chen’s face was full of disbelief.

“The first time I knew of your person, was when we played basketball against your class,” Huo Ran says.

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“That time when you wanted to hit me?” Kou Chen asks.

“…You wanted to start it more like?” Huo Ran looks at him.

“Was it?” Kou Chen makes a show of thinking about it, “You fucking started scolding* people first though.”

[*tl note: the word 骂 [mà] means both/either ‘scold’ and/or ‘swear at’]

“Did I scold you?” Huo Ran asks.

“You scolded the people in my class!” Kou Chen says.

“I was scolding my own people!” Huo Ran glares at him, “Who’s got the time* to scold you!”

[*tl note: can also mean ‘skill’ or ‘effort’]

“Fuck, scolding your own members when you’re about to lose,” Kou Chen starts laughing, and after laughing a moment suddenly pulls a long face, his expression becoming full of ferociousness, “From now on I’m part of your team, if when we’re about to lose you dare to scold me…”

“The teams I’ve lead haven’t lost before,” Huo Ran cuts him off.

“…You’re badass, Captain Huo,” Kou Chen gives a sincere sigh full of emotion.

A total of three competitions, the number of games* Huo Ran couldn’t remember too clearly, it wouldn’t have been considered to be many, but he’d only been leading the team for half a semester, so it’d already be considered to be not bad.

[*tl note: the phrase used 场次 [chǎng cì] means ‘the number of times of [something]’ so i had to guess what the something was]

But something like this he’d never said before, since he didn’t actually have Kou Chen’s sort of habit of fronting at any time and place.

Just how long had he been hanging around with Kou Chen? He’d actually started to boast already?

Perhaps it was for the sake of resistance, to counter boast with boast.

…Classmate Huo Ran, you’ll need to reflect on yourself a bit.

After silently walking a stretch, Kou Chen suddenly touched on his arm.

“Mn?” Huo Ran turns his head warily, he didn’t know if this crazy was wanting to strangle his neck again.

If you dare to hug my shoulder I’ll incapacitate you!

“Here,” Kou Chen hands a piece of chocolate over.

“…In the car didn’t you say that was the last piece?” Huo Ran asks, and although unwilling, he still took it over straightforwardly.

“Said that for my sister to hear,” Kou Chen says, “This woman, since we were kids up to now has been impossible to guard against, when snatching my things she calls it ‘taking it conveniently'”.

“Aren’t you supposed to be pretty badass,” Huo Ran swiftly unwraps the chocolate and stuffs it into his mouth, “Can’t you win against her in a fight?”

“She’s older than me by 7 years!” Kou Chen starts shouting, “With one leg she can kick me from the bed to outside the door, fight my ass… besides, I don’t hit women.”

Huo Ran smiles at this: “Is your sister that fierce? Couldn’t tell.”

“That’s in front of Old Yang, she maintains silliness, fairness, sweetness and coolness without going out of character,” Kou Chen says, “Behind the scenes she’s a tyrant, when we were young she even told me, let Jie tell you a big secret, Kou ChenChen you were picked up*, the whole family is keeping it from you! And I fucking believed it.”5

[*tl note: as in from somewhere, aka that he’s not biological, just in case it didn’t come across]

Huo Ran couldn’t stop himself from laughing out loud, almost choking on the chocolate in his mouth.

“Go ahead and laugh, who’s never had a bit of a bitter past,” Kou Chen was in deep grief, but after giving him a look also laughed, reaching out to quickly give his chin a little pinch, “Huo Ran why do you look so funny when you laugh, like a Shiba Inu.”

“Get lost——” Huo Ran roars, conveniently slamming his fist onto Kou Chen’s arm.

Kou Chen first froze in place, then hugged his arm and also started shouting: “Ah——”

He sounded pretty anguished, almost similar to when his pinky had dislocated the last time, the way he shouted even made Huo Ran dazed, looking at his own hand.

Didn’t fucking exert any force though!

Is he made of tofu!

And even ‘fly for Laozi’! How to fly huh!

“Fuck,” Kou Chen rubs on his arm, “Didn’t you not know how to fight? Didn’t you take one bump before fucking going down?”

“It’s that I don’t fight, not that I don’t know how to fight,” Huo Ran says, “If not for Xu ZhiFan holding me back, I’d have incapacitated you 10 times by now.”

Kou Chen looks at him, his eyes narrowing, before suddenly taking his phone out, dialling a number: “Hello! Is this Xu ZhiFan?”

“What’re you doing?” Huo Ran was stunned.

“Tomorrow I’ll buy you a meal,” Kou Chen hangs up after saying this.

“Are you sick?” Huo Ran asks.

“If it weren’t for him I’d have been incapacitated 10 times already,” Kou Chen swings his arm, “Shouldn’t I have to treat him once.”

“…Fine then,” Huo Ran watches his arm.

Kou Chen kept swinging and rubbing to no end, and finally he couldn’t hold it in: “Does it hurt that much? Those who didn’t know would think that I’d removed your upper arm, why don’t you lie on the floor and roll 2 rounds?”

“It really does kinda hurt,” Kou Chen finally stops, placing his arm onto his shoulder, “It’s mainly that it was unexpected.”

Huo Ran raises his hand, and thinks a bit before he gives up.

“Is it that you think Shiba Inus don’t look nice?” Kou Chen asks.

“…Not that,” Huo Ran sighs.

“Shiba Inus are so cute though,” Kou Chen says, “Of course, you’re way better looking than Shiba Inus, I was mainly trying to say that you’re very cute when you laugh.”4

“It wasn’t because of this!” Huo Ran felt that he was unable to maintain silence, “Do you not know how to speak if you’re not pinching or hugging someone else’s body?”

Kou Chen looks at him a little shocked, only speaking after half a day: “Holy fuck, it was just because of this?”

“I…” Huo Ran didn’t know how to answer, if he were to say it’d just been because of this, then it did seem like he’d gone overboard, but if he were to say it hadn’t all been because of this, then what else could it for?

“Do you have contact phobia?” Kou Chen asks.

“What?” Huo Ran turns to continue walking towards the school entrance.

“Like you don’t like people touching you,” Kou Chen says, “When I’m walking with like Xu Chuan and ChaoRen, we’re all like this, since we’re close we place on the shoulders*, I’d never actually seen anyone like you who are like this.”

[*tl note: what they place on the shoulder isn’t specified, so it could be arm or hand]

“Not that,” Huo Ran gives the arm Kou Chen still had placed on his shoulder a glance, “When Xu ZhiFan and the others place on my shoulders, I also don’t really feel anything.”

“…Got it,” Kou Chen removes his arm, stuffing his hand into his pocket, swaying as he walks out to the front.

“Got what?” Huo Ran asks.

“Our relationship hasn’t gotten to that stage,” Kou Chen doesn’t turn back, speaking pretty loudly, “Not familiar!”3

Huo Ran opens his mouth, but couldn’t say a word.

Earlier on he’d said they were going to eat noodles, so Kou Chen walked directly off towards the noodle store opposite the school, walking rather quickly too, Huo Ran caught up to him twice, but kept getting left behind.

In the end Huo Ran gave up on the idea of walking side-by-side, and after he started following behind him, he also stopped increasing his speed.

Childish.

“What noodles are you having?” at the noodle store entrance, Kou Chen had come to a stop, and as he fished his phone out preparing to scan the code, he turned his head back to ask him.

Is he a little kid?

I’m angry now! Don’t want you to treat me anymore!

“Didn’t we agree that I’ll be buying,” Huo Ran asks.

“Ai fuck,” Kou Chen gets stunned momentarily, then puts his phone back into his pocket, “It’s out of habit.”

“What are you having?” Huo Ran asks.

“A large bowl of noodles with gravy*,” Kou Chen says, “They all say this store’s noodles with gravy is delicious.”

[*tl note: couldn’t find a proper English name for these noodles, but this was what kept getting suggested by people so..!]

“Mn,” Huo Ran nods, speaking to the cashier, “One set of noodles with gravy, large portion, and one…”

When he raised his head to look at the menu board, Kou Chen next to him said it one more time: “Their noodles with gravy is delicious.”

“I know,” Huo Ran’s eyes were still sweeping across the various types of noodles.

“Noodles with gravy!” Kou Chen glares at him, skilfully unleashing his tyrannical expression, even suppressing his voice, “Their noodles with gravy is delicious!”1

“…2 sets of noodles with gravy,” Huo Ran could only tell the cashier, “Both the large portion ones.”

After paying they both found a table to sit at, Kou Chen then suddenly looks over to behind where Huo Ran was.

Huo Ran follows and also turns back, seeing that behind them separated by a table, sat a few girls, one of them with her head lowered.

Although the number of times they’d seen He Hua hadn’t been many, Huo Ran could pretty much already recognise her by the top of her head; he couldn’t remember He Hua’s appearance clearly, his impression of He Hua was just a head top.

“Third years have classes today,” Kou Chen says.

“Why’s she still with Li JiaYing and the others?” Huo Ran asks quietly.

“Why else,” Kou Chen takes a pair of chopsticks to rotate around in his hand, “It’s not like she’s planning to resist.”

Huo Ran doesn’t speak.

“Those two are from your team aren’t they?” Kou Chen asks.

“Mn,” Huo Ran doesn’t turn back again, he’d already seen them earlier.

Li JiaYing and two girls, with He Hua in addition, beside them there were two more boys, not the few that had been sent flying last time, Liu Yu and Zhou HaiChao, both were from the school basketball team, and the only two third years on the team.

Both of them were troublemakers*, they’d always refuse to obey* Huo Ran, when Huo Ran had turned back, the two of them hadn’t even nodded their heads, just each of them lighting a cigarette to hang from their lips.

[*tl note 1: term used 刺儿头[cìr tóu] means ‘prickly head’ literally, refers to people that are hard to deal with, unreasonable etc

2: could also mean that they were unaccepting of huo ran’s captaincy]

But as Kou Chen had said, He Hua didn’t actually want others to bother with her, so he didn’t pay them any more attention, turning back.

“This captaincy of yours doesn’t give much authority huh,” Kou Chen says, “If I were captain…”

“What, just joined the team, hasn’t even been half an hour and already thinking of usurping?” Huo Ran cuts into his words.

“Would I care about your crappy little captaincy,” Kou Chen was disdained, “If Coach Geng were to hand the position over to me, I’d even have to consider for a bit.”

“Both of them have to call me Daddy,” Huo Ran says, “I’m going over right now to establish some of my authority, only calling me ‘Captain’ once, provoking and thinking I’ll let it pass? Dream on.”

[*tl note: this line can be interpreted a few ways, so this is my interpretation, but he’s mainly being sarcastic/joking. ‘let it pass’ could alternatively mean ‘making him go over’ (as in to their table), since it’s the same phrase]

Kou Chen was momentarily at a loss, then leaned back in his chair, starting to laugh: “Fuck, then what about me? I’ve fucking even called you Granddad.”

“That’s why,” Huo Ran says, “Why else do you think I’m taking you camping?”

“I’m just realising that you…” Kou Chen points at him, thinking for a moment, “Are a very charismatic person.”1

“Even if you don’t suck up to me I’d still bring you guys along this time,” Huo Ran says, “I’d already agreed to it, and there aren’t many days left, I won’t go back on my word.”

Kou Chen smiles and no longer looks towards He Hua’s table, this sort of having wanted to help someone yet getting rejected, then having to watch her getting bullied feeling didn’t feel very good.

Although this level of bullying, to him really wasn’t considered to be much, if it were his previous school, even if He Hua starved for a few days got pushed a few times got a couple of kicks she could get through it.

Those sorts, Kou Chen had seen quite a number, and he’d never bothered.

But looking at He Hua now, he had this sort of especially powerless and suffocated feeling, perhaps it was because in this sort of university-affiliated school, these kinds of matters were too rarely seen, within a bunch of students who felt like they had degenerated after they’d skipped a class and wanting to hide whenever they spotted their form teacher, Li JiaYing and her group of people seemed particularly hard to look kindly upon.

Only when Huo Ran placed a bowl of noodles in front of him, did he return to his senses: “What, did we have to bring it over ourselves?”

“In this store there are a total of 3 people,” Huo Ran turns to walk over to the collection area, “Who are you hoping would help you bring it over huh.”

“Thanks,” Kou Chen says.

“Hurry,” Li JiaYing’s rather impatient voice floated over from their table, “Cash, account transfer, red packets, all fine, just money for a few bowls of noodles and you’re not willing to come up with it?”

He Hua kept her head lowered, and didn’t seem to have said anything, he didn’t know if she hadn’t dared to speak, or she’d spoken and he hadn’t heard.

In the same instance Kou Chen’s gaze moved over, like Li JiaYing was trying to display her authority, she sent a slap onto He Hua’s back: “You hear? Or do you really think you have someone backing you up?”

Huo Ran who was carrying his own bowl had just walked right next to them, sweeping a glance towards their table: “Don’t talk like someone is backing you up.”

“Yo, Captain Huo,” Li JiaYing looks at him, “What a coincidence, why are you everywhere.”1

Huo Ran doesn’t respond to her, and was deliberating over whether to bring the noodles back to his own table to put down or to slam it upside down directly onto Li JiaYing’s table, when a black item flew over from Kou Chen’s direction, landing on top of the table with a pa.

It was a wallet.

A very flashy crocodile skin one.

The few people turned their heads, Huo Ran following.

Kou Chen’s irritability could be felt even 2 metres away, and when he walked over, his whole aura had changed.

It wasn’t his usual sort of malicious look for fronting, but rather his expression having truly hardened.

Huo Ran suddenly felt the hairs on his arm had secretly started to raise.

“No money for food was it?” one of Kou Chen’s hands supported him on the table, the other held the wallet up, singlehandedly opening it and with a pour, a large stack of red notes rustled as they scattered onto the table, “Your meals for this semester are on me, if it’s not enough come to me for more.”

It couldn’t not be said, that although most people wouldn’t carry cash these days, since whoever carried cash was old-fashioned, when it was time for this sort of fronting and playing it cool, tossing a handful of hundred-dollar big notes out, in terms of being imposing could directly suppress the other party into becoming frozen.

With phone payments you couldn’t bring it to this level, if you wanted to slam someone with money you even had to first add each other as a good friend*, and if the other party refused, you’d have to suffocate to death.

[*tl note: on WeChat]

Thinking back to earlier on when Kou Chen had wanted to buy him noodles out of habit how he had actually also taken his phone out, Huo Ran couldn’t help but suspect that this giant stack of cash, had been prepared by Kou Chen for the sake of fronting…

“What’s your problem?” Li JiaYing leapt to her feet.

“I have ‘a lot of money’ problem,” Kou Chen looks at her, “You better sit down, keep the money, buy your noodles, and before Laozi finishes eating better not let me hear you all yapping.”1

“Tone down your gangster demeanour!” Liu Yu stands up and slaps the table, glaring at Kou Chen.

“Wanna tone down then tone down together,” Huo Ran at the side speaks, “You’re also of an old-school gangster demeanour, where’ve you the face to talk about others?”

“Don’t think that just because we really call you ‘captain’, it means that you’ve got some role,” Liu Yu turns his head, “Over here showing the fuck off? You really think you can do anything to us?”

“I can’t,” Huo Ran gets closer to him, enunciating each word, “But I can make it so that whenever you want to play ball you won’t even be able to enter the gymnasium, and when you want to compete can also make it so that you’d sit the full 40 minutes on the bench, and can also make you retire off the team next week, to focus on preparing for entrance exams.”

Liu Yu looks at him, his eyes glaring to the point of almost being able to shoot.

“And you?” Huo Ran asks, “What can you do to me?”

Kou Chen turns to look at him.

“Fuck!” Zhou HaiChao was someone with an explosive temper, and at this moment had leapt up and sent a fist flying towards his chest, “You…”

Huo Ran didn’t even think before directly sending a palm aimed at his chin, a push and a pull, and Zhou HaiChao had been thrown back onto his chair.

As he was thinking to jump back up, the boss at the cashier shouted:

“Don’t start fighting! We’re at the entrance of your school you know! And you’re thinking of fighting over here! One phone call and I can get your school’s dean over!”

Kou Chen grabs Huo Ran’s arm, tugging him to the side, then points at the money on the table: “Keep the money.”

“Who wants your money, fucking show off!” Li JiaYing holds Zhou HaiChao, who was still wanting to get up and fight, back.

“If you don’t take it nobody leaves today,” Kou Chen takes his phone out, dialling a number, “In a while bring a few people over here to the noodle store at our school’s entrance.”

“Just this crap and you need to call people over? Do you want face?” Li JiaYing sneers.

“Maybe ask yourself, in which instance have you looked for trouble on your own?” Kou Chen asks, “Out of all of you is there anyone that dares to 1 v 1? If there’s none then shut up.”

The number of people eating in the store hadn’t been many, and now that the people eating at the table next to them had finished and gone out, the store was only left with the few of them.

Huo Ran in the midst of the serious and tense atmosphere ate two mouthfuls of noodles, raising his head to look at Kou Chen, and after a few seconds, quietly asks: “How much money did you toss?”

“Didn’t count,” Kou Chen was completely unbothered.

“With me can you not front first please?” Huo Ran asks.

“I really hadn’t counted,” Kou Chen engrosses himself in eating his noodles, “When my dad gave it to me that was how he gave it, so that was how I kept it.”

“What did he give you the money for?” Huo Ran continues asking quietly.

“Food expenses,” Kou Chen keeps his voice low.

“Fuck,” Huo Ran was stunned, “And you don’t want it anymore? Then how are you fucking gonna eat!”

“In the card there’s still last semester’s left,” Kou Chen says very peacefully, “And if it runs out I can still swipe yours.”

“…You say that one more time?” Huo Ran was incredibly astonished, feeling that he gets astonished by Kou Chen almost every single day.1

A Braggart King from the Astonishing Department.+