Chapter 32: The Next One Will Be More Obedient
Wen Ling thought about it and nodded. “Okay.”
“By the way, do you know how to play basketball?” Not that Cheng Ge looked down on people, but Wen Ling really didn’t look like a baller.
“No.” And the facts were indeed so.
“It’s okay, I’ll teach you later.”
The distance wasn’t far. The two walked over, digesting their food on the way.
There weren’t many people in the gym, and there happened to be one empty basketball court.
Wen Ling’s athletic cells were truly underdeveloped. Cheng Ge taught him several times, but the little noob’s posture was only barely standard, and his shooting percentage was pitifully low.
“It’s okay, try a few more times. You’re doing pretty well.” Teacher Cheng implemented encouragement-style teaching for Student Wen.
“So tired, not trying anymore. You play.” Defeated by Student Wen’s “willing degeneration.”
Having played for less than twenty minutes, Wen Ling’s entire face was flushed red. The stray hairs on his forehead were wet with sweat, he was panting, and his eyelids drooped, making him look strangely pitiful.
Cheng Ge felt the little noob’s exercise quota for the day had long been met, so he didn’t force him to play. “Then go rest on the chair over there. Remember to massage your legs yourself.”
“Understood.”
Cheng Ge’s basketball skills were good, and he enjoyed the shooting process. By the time he had played to his heart’s content, more than half an hour had passed.
Cheng Ge bought a towel from the vending machine to wipe his sweat. He wanted to ask if Wen Ling wanted a drink, but when he turned around, he saw Wen Ling surrounded by two tall, burly guys who almost completely blocked him from view.
It looked like social bullying, although logically speaking, no one could bully this little lunatic Wen Ling right now.
Cheng Ge walked over quickly, not even realizing he was wearing a stink face. “Hey, what are you guys doing?”
The three of them looked toward him in unison, and then one could discover that Wen Ling and Cheng Ge actually had the same stinky expression.
Cheng Ge pulled Wen Ling behind him, frowning at the two guys.
“Bro, it’s not that serious, is it? Just asking for a contact, that’s all.” A guy with yellow hair laughed it off.
“Why ask for contact info?” Cheng Ge felt something was wrong as soon as he heard it. Did Wen Ling look like someone approachable who would randomly add people on social apps?
“Just saw him playing basketball, and you told him to stop playing.” The other guy’s gaze fell on Wen Ling.
“Are you guys here to sell lessons?” Seeing Wen Ling’s skills were too trash, they locked onto the target and seized the opportunity to sell one-on-two basketball coaching?
No wonder Wen Ling’s face was so sour; he was being mocked for his skills.
The two guys: “…”
“No need, his skills are actually quite good.” Cheng Ge felt he was truly a great person, giving Wen Ling so much face. “If all else fails, he has me to teach him.”
Seeing this protective stance, how could the two guys not guess the status between Cheng Ge and Wen Ling? They had just wanted to pry at the wall*, but now they didn’t dare. Laughing awkwardly, they slipped away with their tails between their legs. (*T/N: “Prying the wall” means trying to steal someone’s romantic partner.)
After the people left, Cheng Ge still felt something was off. He turned to ask Wen Ling, “Were they really selling lessons?”
“Don’t know.”
“Then why did they want to add you?”
“They asked if I wanted to cpdd.”
“What!?” Cheng Ge felt like his whole body had been electrocuted.
“Asking me if I want to cpdd. What is cpdd?” Wen Ling tilted his head. “They also told me ‘the next one will be more obedient/behave better,’ and that they are very patient.”
“But I found them annoying. Leaning so close, looking like they wanted to die. There used to be people like this too, baffling…”
Cheng Ge’s worldview was refreshed. He couldn’t help but pinch Wen Ling’s face and scrutinize it for a while.
The mask had been thrown away when they ate, and the hat was taken off when playing basketball. Because of the exercise, his whole face looked healthy and vibrant. Red lips, white teeth, and eyes that were especially beautiful—eyelashes long and curled, fluttering like fans over his eyes, pupils sparkling like glass beads.
He was very pretty, but you can’t just assume someone is gay out of nowhere, right!?
And Wen Ling didn’t seem to count as gay, right?
Based on Wen Ling’s words, Cheng Ge sorted out the process. Those two guys were probably gay, assumed he and Wen Ling were a couple, and thought they had broken up because of the basketball argument. Then, the two guys came over to pry the wall…
Even saying they would be more patient and obedient?
Idiots.
“Why are you pinching my face?” Wen Ling stared at Cheng Ge. Because his cheeks were being pinched, his speech was slurred.
“Nothing.” Cheng Ge pinched him again, neither lightly nor heavily, before letting go. Felt quite soft.
“You encounter this kind of thing often?”
“Sometimes.”
“Then what do you do?”
“Leave.”
“What if they make a move?”
“I make a move too.”
Cheng Ge felt a strange sense of relief that Wen Ling had the ability to protect himself, even if those vicious tricks had once been unfairly used on him.
“What does cpdd mean?” Wen Ling asked again. “Haven’t heard it before.”
Cheng Ge got inexplicably angry thinking about those two. “It means they want to die.”
“Incorrect. You’re lying.” Wen Ling’s tone was serious, as if being literal. “That doesn’t fit logic.”
The little lunatic was talking to him about logic now.
“That’s what it means to me. Believe it or not.”
Wen Ling didn’t hesitate. “Then that is what it means.”
(T/N: “cpdd” is internet slang. CP = Couple/Shipping, DD = Di Di (sound of a message notification). It basically means “Looking for a partner/couple up, message me.”)
Cheng Ge bought Wen Ling a bottle of room-temperature drink. The two sat in the spectator stands resting for quite a while.
“I want to go back,” Wen Ling said.
“Let’s go.”
Cheng Ge had distracted his mind enough and had the energy to deal with everything that would follow.
Back at the villa, Cheng Ge casually cooked a small pot of noodles. He and Wen Ling ate a bit simply, then went about their own business.
Maybe it was because going out to play was too tiring, or some other unknown reason, but at certain moments—like cooking, or seeing the lump of quilt arched on the bed after showering, or lying on the soft bed—Cheng Ge actually felt a trace of warmth. That was really too bizarre.
Simply brain damage!
Cheng Ge had a bad premonition in his heart. Not about others, only about himself. He couldn’t explain clearly what he was worried about, but he suddenly started to feel uneasy.
But this uneasiness was immediately replaced by another worry—money.
The original host’s balance was only enough for registration and living for a short while temporarily. But he wasn’t clear on exactly how long he would stay here. What if he ran out of money?
And if he left, the original host would return. Upon returning and finding the money gone, wouldn’t he curse him to death? Furthermore, he should leave some money for Grandpa in the countryside. Otherwise, what if the elderly man got sick and had no money for a doctor?
Actually, he could ask Wen Ling for money. After all, it was the little lunatic who locked him up here. But Cheng Ge just felt awkward. Call him old-fashioned or weird, or perhaps it came from deep-seated inferiority, but he just wasn’t willing to extend his hand to others, let alone spend Wen Ling’s money for free.
Including cooking for Wen Ling. Aside from the conquest value and healing Wen Ling’s ruined stomach, a part of the reason was that Cheng Ge treated these things as a part-time job. Wen Ling covered his room and board; he cooked for Wen Ling, and so on.
Although it sounded particularly ridiculous, that was just how Cheng Ge thought.
There were many ways to make money. Cheng Ge thought it over and felt that taking orders to boost game accounts was the most suitable. Didn’t need to go out, and the money came relatively fast.
Just had to build up an account first, get the rank up, then go to a specialized order-taking app… As the plan became detailed, his consciousness gradually blurred, and Cheng Ge drifted to sleep…
The night was dark and quiet. The tiny sounds of breathing in the room went from intertwining to synchronizing. The light blue quilt tightly covered two arched lumps. Under the quilt were two drifters nestling together.
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