Chapter 36

Although TZG's two assaulters were usually carefree, after losing the match and with what happened to their teammate, their moods were inevitably affected. They chatted casually with Pei Ran for a bit before lying down again without a word.

Pei Ran sat on the sofa, playing on his phone.

He had never been talkative. If no one spoke, he wouldn't say a word. It felt awkward to just sit there, so he found something to do.

Two topics about TZG were trending. Pei Ran clicked on them and read for a while, liking a few Weibo posts that he found to be fair.

His phone suddenly vibrated twice.

[Lin Kang: Pei Ran, are you free?]

[Pei Ran: What's up?]

[Lin Kang: I'll show you a post. My girlfriend insisted I forward it to you...]

[Lin Kang: [Mancheng University Forum - Exposé - Su Nian from Mancheng University's Electronics and Information Department has hookups with my boyfriend every weekend, pics included]]

[Lin Kang: She also asked me to pass on a message... said "The scumbag gets into a car crash today, the homewrecker will die tomorrow, don't you dare feel sad for those two shitty men."]

[Pei Ran: ...]

Pei Ran had originally thought that "pics included" referred to chat logs or something similar.

He never expected it to be a photo of a naked Su Nian, with only his lower body covered by a blanket. His eyes were sloppily censored with a mosaic, but it was still obvious at a glance that it was him. From the looks of it, he had been caught in the act.

Seeing the photo, Pei Ran listlessly closed it.

Yan Zhun came out of the review room. Hearing the sound, Lin Xuhuan immediately opened his eyes, tilted his head back, and stubbornly asked again, "Bro, want to play a couple of rounds?"

"Not playing." As soon as Yan Zhun's voice fell, the sound of a door opening came from the second floor. The few of them looked up in unison.

Brother Wei walked out of his room holding a cup and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you all looking at me? Little Zhun, you're here?"

Brother Wei was the oldest on the team, about to turn 25. Only he and the Coach would call him "Little Zhun".

Yan Zhun hummed in acknowledgment. "Making coffee?"

"No, just getting a glass of water." Brother Wei's tone was more relaxed than everyone else's. He walked downstairs toward the pantry. "You free? Let's chat for a bit."

Neither of them were men of many words, so when they said they'd chat for a bit, they meant it. Before Lin Xuhuan even had a chance to get any gossip about what they said, Yan Zhun came out of the pantry.

Lin Xuhuan asked, "Bro, you really not playing? I'm sick of playing duo and solo queue."

"Not playing." Yan Zhun walked over to Pei Ran's side, picked up his backpack with one hand, and said, "We're heading up."

TZG was a famous domestic team, one that all Youth Trainees and newcomers were desperate to join. The base for the PUBG division alone was a five-story villa, with a warehouse full of computer parts, a gym, a movie room, a billiards room, and so on—it had everything.

Yan Zhun's room was right next to Lin Xuhuan's. The size and decor were the same as the other team members', with a private bathroom, a TV, and a computer.

The window in Yan Zhun's room was open, the curtains stirred into waves by the night breeze. The black hat he often wore was casually hung on the back of a chair, and the blanket was arranged casually, yet it didn't look too messy.

Although it was clean and didn't have any particular smell, Pei Ran felt that the entire place was filled with Yan Zhun's presence.

Yan Zhun placed the backpack on the chair and turned his head to ask, "Are you going back tonight?"

Pei Ran opened his mouth, stunned for a moment.

A few seconds later, he said, "If I stay... will it be inconvenient?"

Yan Zhun said, "It won't be. The bed is big."

Pei Ran: "..."

Yan Zhun glanced at the time. "It's late now. I'm worried the dorm manager won't open the door for you if you go back."

Pei Ran felt like he was overthinking things. Yan Zhun's expression was natural, as if he were just having a friend stay the night.

So he also tried to nod as naturally as possible. "...Alright then."

They had eaten at a Sichuan restaurant for dinner, and their clothes had absorbed the smell. Yan Zhun gave Pei Ran a set of his own loungewear. He had bought it for its loose comfort, and on Pei Ran, it was even looser. The collar hung messily, revealing a large patch of skin that was dazzlingly white under the light.

Yan Zhun really hadn't thought much of it when he asked him to stay, but when Pei Ran walked out of the bathroom wearing his clothes, all sorts of thoughts, good and bad, rushed into his mind.

Yan Zhun asked, "Are the clothes too big?"

Pei Ran stood sideways, his elbow bent as he used a towel to dry the ends of his hair. "A little, but they're very comfortable."

The sleeves of the T-shirt hung down so loosely that one could see right inside.

Yan Zhun unintentionally glanced over, then suddenly stood up and grabbed a set of clothes. "I'm going to take a shower."

The bathroom had just been used and was full of hot steam. Yan Zhun stood under the showerhead with his eyes closed for a while, then raised his hand and turned the water temperature down a little.

When he came out, Pei Ran was lying on his side on the right side of the bed, his eyes closed. He didn't know when he had fallen asleep.

Yan Zhun let out a long breath. He slowed his steps as he approached, pulling a corner of the blanket over Pei Ran's stomach. The room had heating, so the temperature wasn't low; covering him with too much would be hot.

Yan Zhun had washed his hair out of habit while showering, so now he couldn't use the hair dryer. His phone pinged. It was a message from the Coach, saying that the physical therapists arranged by the team were already on their way, and asked if he wanted them to massage his hand as well.

Yan Zhun replied, "No need," opened a drawer, and took out an unopened pack of cigarettes. He planned to go to the balcony to let the natural breeze dry his hair, turning off the room light before he went out.

The night breeze cooled him down considerably.

Yan Zhun hadn't touched a cigarette in a long time. He took one drag and then just held it between his fingers without smoking any more. He leaned against the railing, his eyes lowered as he stared blankly at the streetlamp below.

In the pantry, Brother Wei hadn't actually said much.

He said he had gotten into esports at fifteen. He used to play CS, and now he played PUBG; rounding up, he had been playing for nearly ten years. In those ten years, he had been praised and cursed, had been in the troughs and climbed to the peaks. He had no regrets and was already satisfied.

Then he asked Yan Zhun, what about you?

Are you satisfied?

Until the cigarette had nearly burned to its end, Yan Zhun had only taken that one drag.

He lit another one.

When Pei Ran opened his eyes, he happened to see the glimmer of firelight on the balcony.

He didn't even know how he had fallen asleep. It was probably because he'd stayed up too late drawing last night and then had a full day of classes today; he had almost fallen asleep in the living room just now.

As consciousness returned, Pei Ran lifted the blanket and got out of bed.

He was barefoot and made no sound. It wasn't until he slid open the balcony door that Yan Zhun turned his head. Upon seeing him, Yan Zhun raised an eyebrow and casually stubbed out the cigarette.

Thinking he had woken him up, Yan Zhun asked, "Did the smell of smoke drift inside?"

"No," Pei Ran said. "Why are you standing outside? Did I... take up the whole bed just now?"

Yan Zhun chuckled. "No, I came out for some air."

Pei Ran glanced at his hair. "Getting some air with wet hair?"

"Yeah, styling it." Yan Zhun moved the ashtray a little further away. "Go back inside, it's cold out here."

"What about you."

"I'll wait for the smoke smell on me to dissipate."

Pei Ran really didn't like the smell of smoke. People who don't usually smoke are unwilling to inhale secondhand smoke.

But he didn't know if it was because the brand Yan Zhun smoked was special, but Pei Ran didn't find it that unpleasant. The smell of smoke mixed with the night breeze seemed to form a different kind of scent.

He walked out onto the balcony and slid the door shut behind him.

Yan Zhun was startled for a moment. He looked down and saw his bare feet on the dark balcony floor.

"Not even wearing shoes?"

"It's too dark, I couldn't find them," Pei Ran said.

Yan Zhun slipped off his slippers. "Stand on these."

Pei Ran obediently stepped onto them. He suddenly remembered the time Yan Zhun had compared shoe sizes with him and couldn't help but take two steps forward, extending one foot to compare with his.

With the sides of their feet pressed together, Pei Ran studied them seriously for a moment. "Your feet aren't that much bigger than mine."

As soon as Pei Ran got close, Yan Zhun could smell the scent on him. It was his own body wash, made even richer after being warmed up under the blankets.

Yan Zhun looked down and saw a large expanse of fair collarbones.

Yan Zhun averted his gaze, then looked back again. Pei Ran was still studying the size of the soles of their feet. After this repeated a few times, Yan Zhun leaned one elbow on the railing and teased him, "It's like you're trying to seduce me."

Pei Ran paused and looked up at him.

Yan Zhun's silhouette was hidden in the darkness. When he wasn't smiling, he looked aloof, and his downcast eyes seemed to hold a crescent moon.

Pei Ran had just woken up and didn't have the energy to think. They were standing so close. He was quiet for a moment, then said, "Can't I?"

For a moment, Yan Zhun couldn't tell if he was asking this on purpose or if he was genuinely confused.

But that didn't matter.

"Pei Ran." After a long moment, Yan Zhun called his name, his voice low and deep. "Come closer."

Pei Ran shuffled forward until they were almost pressing against each other.

As if coaxing him, Yan Zhun said, "Kiss me."

Pei Ran was very glad the light was dim, so no one could see his blushing cheeks. He suppressed the frantic beating in his throat, gave a very calm "mhm," then tilted his head up and, fumbling in the dark, kissed the corner of Yan Zhun's mouth.

He could smell the faint, somewhat alluring scent of smoke.

Pei Ran fumbled in the dark, searching for his lips.

A crisp sound of a sliding door rudely shattered the amorous atmosphere.

The two of them froze, separating only after a few seconds, and turned in unison toward the source of the sound.

Every room at the TZG Base had a balcony. The balconies were separate, but only a short distance apart, close enough to easily talk across the gap.

Lin Xuhuan was standing on the adjacent balcony. He was bare-chested with a bath towel tied loosely around his waist, holding a pair of red underwear on a hanger. He was frozen in the pose of hanging up clothes, staring at them dumbfoundedly.

The night was late and the air was heavy with dew; his red underwear shivered in the cold wind.

For a moment, no one spoke or made any other move.

Yan Zhun was the first to react. He raised his hand and covered Pei Ran's eyes.

Lin Xuhuan: ?

Seeing that he wasn't moving, Yan Zhun asked coolly, "What, you plan on holding that until it air-dries?"

"..." Lin Xuhuan tremblingly hung up the underwear.

It was hung up, but he was still standing there. The two of them stared at each other for another moment.

Yan Zhun asked, "Enjoying the view?"

Lin Xuhuan finally found his voice. "...No!"

Yan Zhun said, "Go inside."

Lin Xuhuan: "Alright, Bro."