Chapter 31 Part 1

Thinking his expression had given him away, Pei Ran pursed his lips and said, “I’m not angry.”

Just as Yan Zhun was about to say something, his phone rang. It was a WeChat call from Lin Kang. As the informant, Lin Kang was no longer feeling guilty and was only interested in the drama, urgently telling Yan Zhun to look at the WeChat group. Anyway, the people involved had pretty much all left the group, so they wouldn't start arguing again.

Yan Zhun answered on speakerphone.

Yan Zhun said calmly, “I saw it.”

Lin Kang paused for a moment, uncertain. “I meant for you to scroll up, they were spamming the chat. Um, Pei Ran just joined the group…”

“I know,” Yan Zhun said. “So? Is there something you need?”

Caught off guard by the question, Lin Kang was at a loss for words. After a long moment, he said, “Nothing, then I’ll… hang up?”

Yan Zhun grunted “Mm” and was the first to hang up.

Pei Ran hadn't expected him to check the group chat. Frowning, he listened to the end of the call and after a moment of silence, said, “Sorry, I didn’t handle it well before.”

He hadn't expected things to get twisted like this.

Yan Zhun held the paper box with one hand, his other hand in his pocket. “It doesn’t matter.”

This was a matter of reputation, and Yan Zhun had even been bizarrely “outed.” Pei Ran didn’t think it was something to be dismissed. “I’ll talk to him again. This sort of thing won’t happen again.”

“Really, don’t bother.” Yan Zhun paused. “Didn’t you already stand up for me?”

It was just a few words, how could that count as standing up for him.

Thinking back on it now, Pei Ran felt that he had indeed been angered. He rarely acted on impulse, but he didn't regret it at all.

Pei Ran's usual expression was either blank or a faint smile, so when he got angry, it was especially obvious. Yan Zhun took a few extra glances, then reached out and ruffled his hair. “Have you had dinner yet?”

The two went to a noodle shop. Yan Zhun wasn't picky about food. Back when he was training, for the sake of practice, he often had only two meals a day, one of which was usually instant noodles. It wasn't that the club was too poor to support its players; it was mainly to save time.

They happened to take the last empty table in the shop. It was dinnertime and bustling. In the tiny shop, only a couple was busy working, and several bowls of noodles were sitting at the serving counter with no one to bring them over. Yan Zhun simply got up and went to get them himself.

Carrying the noodles, Yan Zhun turned back and saw Pei Ran sitting quietly in the corner, his entire person looking out of place against the mottled wall beside him, staring blankly at the empty chopstick canister on the table.

Yan Zhun placed the bowl of noodles in front of him, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, split them apart, and placed them on Pei Ran's bowl.

Pei Ran also ate his noodles slowly and deliberately. When some sauce got on his lips, he quickly licked it clean.

“Does your hand still hurt?” Pei Ran asked, looking at his wrist. “Do you want to go back to the hospital and have it checked?”

Yan Zhun's injury actually wasn't serious. His wrist was just a flesh wound, and it was only wrapped in gauze to prevent infection and inflammation.

“A little, but it’s not serious.”

Yan Zhun ate very quickly. By the time he was finished, Pei Ran's bowl was still half full.

Holding his noodles with his chopsticks, Pei Ran looked at Yan Zhun, then at the empty bowl in front of him.

Seeing Pei Ran start to eat faster, Yan Zhun said, “Eat slower.”

After swallowing a mouthful, Pei Ran said, “I’ll be done soon.”

Seeing his cheeks puffed out with noodles, Yan Zhun found it amusing and said, “I got used to it back in the day.”

Pei Ran looked up. “Hm?”

“When I first went pro, because we were a new team, we couldn’t get scrims scheduled, so we could only fill in for other teams’ scrims. I’d often get called away halfway through a meal,” Yan Zhun said nonchalantly. “Later on, I’d eat all my meals at my computer desk, and it was mostly noodles.”

Pei Ran rarely heard Yan Zhun talk about these things. He clutched his chopsticks and asked hesitantly, “Back then… was the salary very low?”

“A few hundred to a thousand a month,” Yan Zhun said. “I was okay. A lot of people had no salary when they first joined a team, just room and board.”

It was a world Pei Ran had never encountered. He raised his eyebrows, surprised and intrigued, and his pace of eating slowed down unconsciously.

Six or seven in the evening was peak rush hour. As the two walked out of the noodle shop, an impatient car horn blared on the road.

Yan Zhun said, “It’s hard to get a taxi at this time.”

Pei Ran nodded, just about to say that he could take the subway.

“Want to see a movie before heading back?” Yan Zhun asked.

They went into the movie theater. The only movies playing recently were of two types: an urban romance whose entire plot was obvious from the poster and synopsis, and a domestic horror film that wouldn't even scare an elementary school student.

The two exchanged a glance, turned around, and walked out of the theater.

Next, they went to a nearby arcade. It was Friday, and by evening it had been completely taken over by students. There were queues for almost every machine.

It was dinnertime, and the nearby basketball court was also empty.

Coming away from the basketball court, Pei Ran found it inexplicably funny. His earlier emotions had vanished.

They had nowhere to go, so they walked aimlessly for a while. Neither of them suggested leaving.

Winter had set in, and the night wind tickled his face as it blew. Pei Ran couldn’t help but sniffle.

Yan Zhun suddenly stopped walking and reached out to tug the corner of his clothes. “Did you bring your ID?”

Pei Ran froze. He turned back to stare blankly at him, then tilted his head to look at the hotel beside them. His mind went blank instantly. After what felt like a long time, he answered in a hoarse voice, “I did.”

Then, Yan Zhun led him away.

Every entertainment venue has its quiet times or closing hours, but there's one place that never does.

Guys sat side-by-side, and the entire internet cafe was filled with shouts of “You’re so fucking bad,” “Is that the long-lost Salvation Gunplay?” and “Go, go! What are you doing, watching a cockfight from the back?” It was incredibly lively.

Yan Zhun pushed open the glass door. Seeing the person behind him walking slowly, he raised an eyebrow slightly. “Don’t want to play?”

“…” Pei Ran said, “I do.”

Yan Zhun was an old acquaintance of the internet cafe’s owner. The place was a bit pricey, but it was clean, thoroughly disinfected, and the private rooms had good soundproofing, so customers were still willing to come.

Yan Zhun, knowing the ropes, got a private room for two.

The chairs in the room were large, soft, and very comfortable. Yan Zhun took out his phone to check his messages; it had been vibrating nonstop since they were at the noodle shop.

He had just replied to Lin Xuhuan with a question mark when the other party immediately called him.