Some time late at night, Lu Boyuan heard the sound of their teammates’ voices outside his room.
Actually, the base was fairly soundproof, but that was no use when everyone else in the team except Pine all had loud voices, especially when they were drunk.
Lu Boyuan distinctly felt the person underneath him stiffen for a moment, as his legs also forcefully tightened around him.
As a result, Lu Boyuan stopped moving, and he merely lowered his head to kiss Jian Rong.
They had been kissing almost the entire time. They kissed when they met each other’s eyes, when they were feeling good, and occasionally, when Jian Rong made a noise and wanted to cover his face, Lu Boyuan would also smile and kiss him.
It quieted down outside. Jian Rong’s bangs were damp with sweat, and his entire body heaved for air.
All along, Jian Rong had been under the impression that even though he wasn’t as muscular as some other people, he had a lot of strength, so he could still tentatively be considered a little hunk. He had helped carry some things before for the young woman he used to live next to, and he had been able to directly lift up a big sack with just one hand.
But now, even shifting his legs felt monumentally difficult.
Lu Boyuan could tell that Jian Rong was tired, and he rubbed the outer corner of his eye with his thumb. “I’ll take you to shower, and then you can sleep.”
Jian Rong tilted his head back. He swallowed a few times before he shook his head. “…we’ll go after you’re done.”
There was no point in doing this kind of thing with the person he liked if only one of them was feeling good.
In the first place, Jian Rong wasn’t someone who was particularly fragile, and he looked at Lu Boyuan. Even at a time like this, he didn’t forget to show off. “Are you tired? If you are, I can do it myself… mn.”
When Jian Rong remembered that the others had returned, the noise that he had accidentally let escape was enough to send him straight into self-seclusion.
After they were finished, Lu Boyuan still ended up carrying Jian Rong to the bathroom.
Once Jian Rong was clean and back on the bed, he immediately closed his eyes and fell asleep. Lu Boyuan covered him with the blanket and pressed a kiss to his shoulder.
Lu Boyuan was full of energy and wasn’t sleepy in the slightest. He even felt the desire to smoke, but he was also afraid of disturbing the rest of the person next to him.
So he opened WeChat and randomly found someone to send a text to.
[R: Want to smoke.]
Revelry and happiness belonged to the strong. The weak were still stuck weeping and reviewing the finals match that they weren’t able to participate in.
That was why Lu Boyuan swiftly received a reply, despite the fact that it was currently 3:30 AM.
[XIU: ?]
[XIU: What to do? Though you stepped on my broken dead body to win the championship, I’m the type to forgive and forget – shall I send a box over to the young master via same day delivery service?]
[R: I already have some.]
[XIU: ?]
[XIU: You’re really something. The entire internet is exploding because of your post-match interview, yet you disappear for the whole day only to show up at 3:30 in the middle of the night, as if you’re bored as hell, to chat with me about smoking.]
In his sleep, Jian Rong flipped over and scooted closer. He pressed his forehead against Lu Boyuan’s leg and lazily threw one of his arms over him.
Lu Boyuan resisted the urge to wake him up and pulled out a cigarette from the drawer to bite down on. He kneaded and toyed with Jian Rong’s hand as he opened Weibo, which he hadn’t looked at in quite some time.
It was true that Weibo had been very lively these past two days. Since XIU hadn’t played in the finals, PUD’s fans used that to argue that TTC’s win didn’t mean much, after which TTC’s fans retorted back. Both sides had been clashing for many years now, and there were actually relatively fewer arguments this year, perhaps because of Jian Rong’s declaration to fight HT.
Most of the discussion was still centered around what Lu Boyuan had said in the post-match interview.
Consequently, all the female pro players, female hosts, and female streamers in the esports circle had been unearthed. The fans and those here to watch the show had combed and filtered through each person with short, dyed hair one by one. Some women couldn’t stand the disturbance and specially made statements expressing that they weren’t the person in question; there were also some women who posted a few photos of themselves with short, dyed hair and made ambiguous Weibo posts to freeload off the popularity.
Due to the number of likes and comments on it, the post at the top of the hot search topic was a picture of him and Jian Rong sitting next to each other during the post-match interview.
[When Will TTC’s Mid Laner And Jungler Battle In Bed: Short, dyed hair.]
There were all sorts of comments below the post. The two words that showed up the most often were still “well matched,” and one comment said: “You’re overthinking things, how could Road be so obvious about it, isn’t this basically the same as making it public?”
In fact, there was a split second where Lu Boyuan had thought about making it public.
The reason he hadn’t done so earlier was because he didn’t want Jian Rong to be flamed for it. Lu Boyuan could easily imagine what those antis would say—undoubtedly, they would go after Jian Rong for dating before he even achieved anything.
But now, Jian Rong had become the champion right after joining the LPL, he had gotten MVP more times than he could count on one hand, and there was that 1v5 from the playoffs… needless to say, the most impressive pro player this year was Lu Boyuan’s boyfriend.
If they truly did go public, perhaps some people would even say that he had led the kid astray and was into coercing new teammates.
Jian Rong’s fingers suddenly twitched and hooked onto Lu Boyuan’s index finger.
Eyes shut, Jian Rong murmured hoarsely, “…go to bed.”
Lu Boyuan couldn’t tell if he was awake or sleep talking. He tossed his phone onto the nightstand, and all the thoughts emptied out from his head as he pulled Jian Rong into his arms and fell asleep.
Jian Rong was woken up by the sound of a phone ringing the next day.
The ringtone continued for quite a while before he finally moved. He followed the source of the noise, found the phone, and answered it without bothering to open his eyes.
Filled with grumpiness, he asked in a very irritated tone of voice, “Who is this?”
The other end went briefly quiet. Then, they said uncertainly, “Are you Xiao Rong?”
“I’m your…”
Jian Rong swallowed the word “dad” back down.
Because he noticed that the phone he was holding wasn’t the right size. His own phone was a model from a few years ago, one that he could completely wrap his hand around. This phone obviously felt somewhat larger to hold.
The woman on the other end laughed and said gently, “I’m Boyuan’s mom. Are you with Boyuan?”
Jian Rong: “…”
If Jian Rong’s mobility wasn’t limited right now, he could’ve jumped straight onto the ceiling.
Lu Boyuan wasn’t in bed. Jian Rong got up and checked that he wasn’t in the bathroom either.
“He’s…” Jian Rong was startled by his own voice, and a few seconds passed before he said, “Probably downstairs. He forgot his phone in my room.”
“I see, no worries.” Mama Lu laughed. “I’m currently outside of your team’s base. If it’s convenient for you, do you mind coming down and opening the door for Auntie?”
Jian Rong’s mind was in chaos.
He hung up and instantly got out of bed to open the door. After he checked that nobody was in the hallway, he tiptoed back to his own room in a rush and randomly found some clean clothes to slip on.
The entire base was empty. The others were still sleeping, whereas Lu Boyuan was out somewhere.
Jian Rong had no choice but to put on a brave face and get the door.
Mama Lu was dressed appropriately and tastefully, and she carried a brand name purse along with a few insulated food thermoses. She smiled very sweetly when she saw him.
Jian Rong felt a little guilty, and he looked down at the objects she was holding. “Let me get those for you, Auntie.”
“Okay, thank you.” Mama Lu beamed and said, “Is Boyuan not here? Or did he tell you to come and open the door?”
Jian Rong took the thermoses from her; they were quite heavy. “He’s not here, he probably went out.”
Mama Lu nodded and followed him inside. “I asked the auntie to make some nourishing soup early this morning. You all have been working hard lately, make sure to drink a lot later.”
Jian Rong put the thermoses in the kitchen before he poured Mama Lu a glass of water.
He already wasn’t very good at communicating with older folk, and that was even more so the case right now.
Mama Lu accepted the glass and thanked him. “Did I disrupt your sleep? Boyuan really is something else, how could he just leave his phone in his teammate’s room.”
Jian Rong shook his head. “No, I was awake.”
Mama Lu looked at his disheveled hair and the exhaustion written across his face. She laughed but didn’t expose his lie.
“The team didn’t arrange any celebratory events for you all, since you just won the championship?”
If any random stream water friend or teammate saw Jian Rong at that moment, they would be shocked by his ‘primary school student answering questions in class’ appearance.
He said, “They did. We had a celebratory dinner two days ago, and we went out for some fun yesterday night too.”
Mama Lu nodded. Although she was usually dignified and composed, she couldn’t help but beat around the bush and inquire, “Did Boyuan’s girlfriend go with you all as well?”
Jian Rong was caught off guard. “What?”
“Don’t worry, he’s already told me that he has a partner.” Mama Lu smiled. “You must’ve met her, right?”
“…”
Jian Rong hadn’t expected Lu Boyuan to have already brought this matter up with his family, so he was momentarily a bit confused and at a loss.
When did Lu Boyuan tell them? And how?
What should I say?
“Ah, it’s fine if you don’t want to say anything. I can just ask him later.” Mama Lu noticed the conflicted look on his face and quickly said, “Are you hungry? You just woke up, so you must not have eaten anything yet, right? Maybe you should go drink some soup now to pad your stomach first.”
Jian Rong snapped out of it. “No need, I…”
With a beep, someone pushed open the front door of the base.
Lu Boyuan entered wearing workout clothes, a mask, and a hat. He was soaked in sweat, and he was also holding a small black plastic bag.
Upon seeing his mother, Lu Boyuan lifted an eyebrow. “Mom, why’re you here? You didn’t say anything ahead of time.”
“I did. I sent you a text but you didn’t answer me.” Mama Lu said, “Where did you go? You’re sweating all over.”
Lu Boyuan took off his mask and walked over. “A morning run. I forgot to bring my phone.”
“It’s right here.” Jian Rong stood up and pulled out the phone before he slipped it into Lu Boyuan’s pocket and said, “I’ll be going upstairs first then…”
“Hang on.” Lu Boyuan handed the black plastic bag to him. “Take this up and use it.”
Jian Rong took the bag. “What is it?”
“Ointment.”
Jian Rong pulled out one of the boxes, puzzled, and checked the effect. The moment he read one line on the box, his earlobes flushed red, and he shoved the ointment back into the plastic bag like he was stabbing someone.
Lu Boyuan said, “I took a look in the morning, you probably have to apply a bit…”
Before Lu Boyuan could finish his sentence, he was stomped on.
There really was a lot of force behind that stomp; it was quite painful.
Mama Lu realized something. “Boyuan, Xiao Rong’s name is printed on your hat.”
She smiled and said, “Isn’t that right? When I was watching the match the other day, I think I saw that this was Xiao Rong’s name.”
“Mn, it’s his merch.” Lu Boyuan continued, as if nothing had just happened, “Can you apply it by yourself? If not, you can wait until I get upstairs…”
“I can!” Jian Rong swiftly interrupted him and tied the bag into a tight knot with the hand speed that he had used to get a pro penta kill. “Auntie I’m going now you two keep on chatting.”
After Jian Rong went upstairs, Mama Lu retracted her gaze and said, “Look at you, leaving your phone with Xiao Rong and making me interrupt his sleep.”
“It’s fine, he has a good temper.” Lu Boyuan asked again, “How come you came to visit?”
“I came to give you your present, and the soup. It’s been stewing for a long time, so it’ll be full of nutrients. I brought a lot, tell your teammates to have some too when they wake up, especially Xiao Rong. He’s still thin.”
Lu Boyuan nodded. “He’s gained a little weight now, it’s just hard to tell with clothes on.”
Mama Lu didn’t notice the underlying implication. “In any case, it’s better if boys are a bit more sturdy.
“Also, I’m here because…” She paused. “It’s your birthday today, is that young lady not going to come and accompany you?”
Lu Boyuan opened the gift: it was a watch. He raised a brow. “What young lady?”
Since the question had already been asked, Mama Lu didn’t bother trying to conceal it anymore. “Your new partner, of course.”
“My partner…” Lu Boyuan closed the gift box and didn’t hide anything either. “Mom, who told you that my partner is a woman?”
The instant Jian Rong went upstairs, he ran into Xiao Bai, who was rubbing his eyes and on his way to eat breakfast.
At first, Xiao Bai was startled when he saw him, and his gaze unconsciously traveled slowly downwards, starting from Jian Rong’s head.
Messy hair, dark circles under his eyes, a few ambiguous pink marks spanning from his neck to his collarbones, and his ge’s slippers on his feet.
The most damning thing of all—Jian Rong smelled like his ge.
It wasn’t that Xiao Bai was sensitive; it was just that the peppermint aroma of his ge’s shower gel was truly too recognizable.
“You…” Xiao Bai couldn’t resist seeking death. “Why are you wearing my ge’s slippers?”
Jian Rong’s first instinct was to lie, but when he opened his mouth—this bastard clearly saw him and Lu Boyuan kissing already, so why was he still pretending to be some clueless teammate?
As a result, Jian Rong narrowed his eyes and asked in return, “Why don’t you tell me?”
“…”
“Move it.” Jian Rong said, “You’re blocking my door.”
Stunned, Xiao Bai shifted his little body slightly to the side and stared blankly as Jian Rong walked straight into his ge’s room.
A few seconds later, Jian Rong came out holding the clothes that he had left there the previous night. He went straight back to his own room and closed the door.
Xiao Bai: “……………”
What the fuck???
As he was still trapped in his astonishment, his phone suddenly started chiming.
In their loving TTC family WeChat group chat, Ding-ge raged—
[Ding-ge: I told you guys to rest well and stay under the radar, but aren’t you all quite the impressive lot? You even ordered Ace of Spades champagne???]
[Ding-ge: Sharing a link: [Shock! The degradation of the LPL? TTC’s top laner, ADC, and support spotted partying wildly at a bar late into the night after winning! A table covered with Ace of Spades, countless beautiful women nearby—only the mid laner and jungler were obediently resting and practicing back at the base! Click here for details…]]
[Ding-ge: [TTC’s mid laner and jungler suspected to be isolated for being too strong? Not invited to the celebratory party!]]
[Ding-ge: [TTC has severe internal conflicts, are TTC’s mid laner and jungler about to leave the team?!]]
[P-Baby’s Little Support: ………]
[P-Baby’s Little Support: This is very hard for me to explain to you.]
[P-Baby’s Little Support: All I can say is that I, Zhuang Yibai, have never been so speechless in my twenty-plus years of life.]
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