Chapter 66
In recent scrims, he would occasionally play, basically alternating games with Lu Yuan. The results were decent.
As for Lu Yuan’s attitude towards him… how to put it? If before she only used a “green tea” aura to be passive-aggressive toward Shen Yanjin, recently she no longer disguised it. She mocked him directly, contradicted whatever Shen Yanjin said, being as acrimonious as possible.
The day’s training ended. At dinner time, Shen Yanjin sat in his seat, not having moved yet.
Duan Mingyue came back from a meeting. Seeing him motionless, he stepped forward and squeezed his shoulder. “Not going to eat yet?”
Shen Yanjin snapped back to reality. He looked up and saw Duan Mingyue, stunned for a moment. In this momentary daze, a wisp of faint fragrance entered his breath.
“Eating in a bit,” he said. “Did you wear perfume?”
Duan Mingyue said, “En, I have to go shoot a magazine ad later. Promised before, have time now, so rushing to shoot it.”
Shen Yanjin only then noticed Duan Mingyue’s attire: shirt and suit pants, a suit jacket draped over his arm, highlighting his perfect proportions. He rarely saw the man in formal wear. The ink-like indigo blue suppressed his overall aura a bit, less wanton, more deep and seasoned.
Seeing him staring foolishly at himself, Duan Mingyue’s lips curved up. “Stupefied?”
Shen Yanjin blushed. “Y-You hurry and go, don’t delay.”
Duan Mingyue ruffled his hair. “Remember to eat on time. I’ll check when I get back.”
Shen Yanjin nodded dully. “Okay.”
The training room door opened and closed. Duan Mingyue strode away, leaving a trace of his men’s cologne in the air.
A while later, Kai ran back like the wind with takeout. Seeing Shen Yanjin still sitting in his seat, he asked in surprise, “Aren’t you eating?”
“Eating.” Shen Yanjin picked up his phone. “I’ll eat outside.”
“OK, watch the time.” Kai didn’t suspect anything, waving at him while unpacking the takeout box.
Shen Yanjin responded and walked out of the training room.
He didn’t walk toward the elevator but turned a corner and went to the lobby of the legal department.
It was very quiet here, suitable for receiving guests. Especially at this time, all legal department staff had gotten off work, so even fewer people would come to this place.
On the sofa in the middle of the lobby, Lu Yuan sat with an elegant posture. Her jet-black long hair draped over her round shoulders, revealing a section of very beautiful collarbone in her open collar.
Seeing her, Shen Yanjin felt mixed emotions.
He had to admit Lu Yuan was beautiful.
But… he also had to say, this woman only had a skin; in reality, her heart was vicious, and she loved to be smart-alecky.
Shen Yanjin didn’t dislike selfish people—every man for himself—but being bad and stupid made people very repulsed.
Previously, his attitude toward Lu Yuan was: Can’t afford to offend, I’ll hide.
But now in the same base, Shen Yanjin really had nowhere to hide.
In this afternoon’s scrims, it was still Lu Yuan playing one game and Shen Yanjin playing one. After the scrims ended, Shen Yanjin found a message from a stranger on his phone. The attitude between the lines was arrogant, demanding he come to the legal department alone at dinner time; she had something to say.
Shen Yanjin recognized immediately that this person was Lu Yuan.
Just… what could Lu Yuan possibly have to say to him privately?
He hesitated for a while but still came.
Lu Yuan also saw him, nodding to let him sit on the sofa opposite her.
Once Shen Yanjin was seated, she spoke, getting straight to the point. “Leave KW yourself. I’ll pay the penalty for breach of contract for you.”
“…What?” Shen Yanjin almost thought there was something wrong with his ears and he heard wrong. He looked at the woman opposite him strangely and surprisingly, finding her calm and composed, seemingly very confident.
Lu Yuan said, “We were teammates after all.” She took a card from her pocket, put it on the coffee table, and pushed it to Shen Yanjin. “There’s an extra eight million in here, equivalent to your signing fee for a year.”
Shen Yanjin couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at the wealth and boldness, revealing a smile on his face. “No need. I have no plan to leave.”
With that, he stood up to leave.
At this moment, Lu Yuan unhurriedly spoke the next sentence: “Does the Captain know you like him?”
Shen Yanjin turned his head abruptly.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan revealed a determined smile. “You are a homosexual, right? If the Captain knows about this, what consequences do you think there will be?”
Shen Yanjin recalled the scene of meeting Duan Mingyue that day, answering silently in his heart: He would pin me against the wall and kiss me.
Of course, these words couldn’t be spoken out loud.
He frowned, a vigilant light flashing in his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“My meaning is already very clear.” Lu Yuan looked down at the bank card on the coffee table. “You take the money and leave. No one else will know about this.”
Shen Yanjin wanted to laugh a little. The last person who said this to him spread the matter throughout the HG base the next day.
He was silent for a while, looking like he was weighing the pros and cons. But in reality, he was thinking: even if he accepted this proposal, if he transferred and left inexplicably without warning, wouldn’t others in KW find it very strange and subsequently associate it with Lu Yuan?
Shen Yanjin didn’t hold back and asked his doubt.
Lu Yuan’s face stiffened, quickly returning to normal. “You act a bit during future scrims, die suddenly a few more times. After a while, just say you can’t stand not being a starter and run away.”
Speaking of such things, the logic became rigorous. Shen Yanjin sighed, didn’t answer, feeling there was no need to continue the conversation, and turned to leave.
“Hey!” This was completely different from the development Lu Yuan envisioned. This person… shouldn’t he have turned pale with fright the moment she mentioned he was homosexual, and taken the money and run? “Where are you going?”
Shen Yanjin said expressionlessly, “To eat.”
Lu Yuan was angry. “You—saying this, you still won’t accept my proposal?”
Shen Yanjin gave her a deep look, didn’t speak, and left directly.
Only when he walked back to the training room door did he take out the phone he had kept in his pocket, his palm full of sweat.
On the phone screen, the words “Recording” were prominently displayed. The timer below showed fourteen minutes. Calculating it, it started recording from the moment Shen Yanjin walked out of the training room.
He tapped stop recording. Soon, a prompt popped up on the screen telling him the recording file had been saved.
Every word Lu Yuan said, from persuading him to quit to encouraging him to breach contract and fix matches, was recorded completely.
Shen Yanjin wasn’t a soft persimmon; he couldn’t let people manipulate him forever.
Now, he held a person’s career in his hand. As long as Shen Yanjin was a bit cruel and put the recording online, Lu Yuan would be finished.
To maintain ventilation, the corridors of KW weren’t heated. Standing here at night was still a bit cold. Shen Yanjin put the phone back in his pocket and pushed the door to enter the training room.
Kai sat in front of his station, watching entertainment videos while shoveling rice. Hearing the commotion, he looked back. “Why are you back already?”
Shen Yanjin felt his pocket weighed a thousand pounds at this moment. He said vaguely, “Nothing I wanted to eat. Thinking about it, better to order takeout.”
“Order, order a big portion,” Kai said. “Speaking of which, we haven’t held a welcome party since you joined our team.”
With the current tense atmosphere in the team, how could they hold a welcome party?
Shen Yanjin casually ordered fried rice and said, “It doesn’t matter if there isn’t one.”
“That won’t do. This is a good chance to legitimately rip off the team for a sum; how can we let it pass! It’s the season now; we’ll make it up to you during the offseason.”
After the preseason points matches ended, there would be a relatively short break period for teams entering the playoffs to adjust and catch their breath.
Shen Yanjin smiled. “Okay.”
At the same time, a shadow quietly emerged in his heart: After these people know my sexual orientation, will they still treat me with this attitude?
The taste of the takeout wasn’t great. Shen Yanjin stuffed two mouthfuls whole and didn’t continue eating.
Song Yuan, who came back with Tans after eating out, saw him eating with difficulty and revealed an understanding expression. “The takeout around here doesn’t taste good. Don’t panic; the base’s cooking auntie will be back in two days.”
Shen Yanjin packed up the lunch box and nodded.
Until the remaining training ended, Lu Yuan didn’t return to the training room. However, she often did this, so the others didn’t find it very strange.
Shen Yanjin returned to the fourth-floor dorm and looked down at his watch.
One o’clock.
Duan Mingyue still hadn’t returned.
He hesitated in front of his and Duan Mingyue’s rooms for a while before taking out Duan Mingyue’s room key.
Just as Shen Yanjin bent down to open the door, a sharp scream came from behind: “What are you doing!!!”
Shen Yanjin shivered from the sudden noise. He looked back; Lu Yuan was standing behind him with a face full of disbelief. “What are you doing? Y-You are prying the Captain’s door?”
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