Chapter 19: Date?
In a corner of the parking lot, the man who had been wild on the arena just now leaned quietly against the wall, waiting for Xie Jingchu’s arrival.
He had taken off his team uniform and changed into a regular black windbreaker. His long hair was half-tied, with a few strands hanging in front of him, making his brow and eyes look much softer.
When Xie Jingchu rushed to the agreed location, panting slightly as he scanned the surroundings but didn’t see Shen Guanchao, he wanted to make a call. Unexpectedly, a pair of large hands suddenly covered his eyes.
“Shh, come with me.” The man’s fingertips were warm. He withdrew his hand after a moment, smiling roguishly at Xie Jingchu, just like when they first met.
At this moment, the sneaking feeling between them was inexplicably strong, and an ambiguous atmosphere rose faintly.
Xie Jingchu’s earlobes turned red: “Okay…”
“Do you feel like we are… having an affair right now?” Shen Guanchao continued to joke without realizing he was flirting. “Say, if those entertainment reporters who have nothing to do all day photographed us, would they say I’m secretly dating a fan, or say you are sleeping your way up (casting couch) with me…”
Xie Jingchu was thin-skinned offline. Unlike in the game where he called “Gege” more cheerfully than anyone, being teased like this made his face flush even more: “I… I don’t know.”
“Let’s go first… I booked a Cantonese restaurant, you should… like it.”
“Put on a hat and mask, careful not to be recognized.”
“…”
There were many people leaving the venue right now, and the person next to him was the most popular old fox in the Alliance. If they were really photographed like he just said, they wouldn’t need to eat this meal. They’d be doing PR on Weibo for a hundred yearsâclear their names first.
Xie Jingchu drove over. After getting in the car, he connected the Bluetooth and asked Shen Guanchao beside him gently: “What do you want to listen to?”
“Listen to Michael Wong’s ‘Fairy Tale’.” Shen Guanchao picked a romantic and soft love song, closing his eyes wearily. “That middle match against RSG dragged too long. I’ll sleep for a bit; tired.”
Xie Jingchu: “Okay.”
As the soothing song rang in this small space, weariness surged, and Shen Guanchao slowly dozed off.
He was really exhausted, sleeping dead to the world.
Halfway. Xie Jingchu drove the car into a gas station.
During the wait for gas, warm yellow light spilled in from outside the window, landing on Shen Guanchao, gently tracing his silhouette.
Xie Jingchu turned sideways and looked at him for a long time. Suddenly, he reached out and smoothed his long hair. The soft dusty purple hair tangled in his palm, like an implicit kiss.
At the same time, Michael Wong’s “Fairy Tale” reached its climaxâ
“Maybe you won’t understand” “Since you said you loved me” “My sky, the stars have all lit up…”
The male voice carrying faint melancholy pierced through, seemingly casting a layer of first love feeling over this moment.
Fading the noise of the world, Shen Guanchao in front of him seemed to be the angel spreading wings to protect him in the lyrics.
Cliché, yet incomparably beautiful.
In this moment, time was quiet and good.
Xie Jingchu didn’t come back to his senses for a long time until the gas station staff walked in to askâ
“Hello?”
“Hello, fill up with 95, thank you.”
Staff: “Okay.”
A few minutes later, the tank was full, and the car left the gas station again.
Just as they were about to arrive at the restaurant, Shen Guanchao’s phone suddenly rang. He picked it up with sleepy eyes: “Hello…?”
Zoe’s voice came through: “Hey, brother.”
“Brother Lu asked where you went. He booked a restaurant this morning to celebrate the first win of the season, but the MVP disappeared?”
“I’m out gathering with friends.” Shen Guanchao rubbed his glabella. “Give the phone to Old Lu.”
A moment later, the voice on the phone changed to another person. Lu Wuxu’s gentle and faintly worried voice came through: “Ah Ting, be careful outside.”
“Got it. I promise to return in front of you before 11:30, okay?” Shen Guanchao smiled and called him, “Mama Lu.”
“Okay…”
Hanging up the phone, Shen Guanchao tossed it aside and explained softly to Xie Jingchu: “A stalker fan followed me before. Followed for nearly half a year, even chased to the vicinity of my home. They worry about me more, nagging like old mothers… afraid I’ll be targeted by someone again.”
“And then?” Xie Jingchu parked the car and asked.
“And then? Then that stalker accidentally bumped into our team’s sniper Lu when following me again. Got caught and sent to the station. Stayed in for half a month, I guess? Don’t remember clearly.”
When Shen Guanchao talked about such things, his tone didn’t have much fluctuation. His family, his background, and his team were all safe and reliable. Growing up in happiness and kindness, such a person naturally wouldn’t know how to “hate” much, which also shaped his current personality.
Precisely because of this, when little Xie Jingchu squatted on the roadside lawn exhausted and imageless, covered in injuries, he didn’t stand by and watch.
The world showed him kindness and happiness, and he gave back to the world.
“Get out.” Xie Jingchu unbuckled his seatbelt, pushed the door open, got out, opened the passenger door, and extended his hand to the man inside.
Shen Guanchao also naturally placed his hand in his palm, separating after a brief touch.
Walking into the restaurant and finding the private room Xie Jingchu booked, Shen Guanchao took off his coat and sat next to him, teasing: “Boss Xie, so young yet you have a car and a house, and even booked a private room for two people to eat. Very rich, huh?”
Xie Jingchu: “Mn…”
“Don’t just nod and say mn. I still don’t know what you do?” Shen Guanchao took the bowl and chopsticks in front of him, habitually scalded them with hot water, then pushed them back: “Not going to introduce yourself?”
Xie Jingchu made something up casually: “In the arts.”
“Ah… no wonder you are so changeable. You don’t even call me Gege when seeing me offline.” Shen Guanchao feigned surprise, smiling wickedly.
After the dishes were served, he served Xie Jingchu a bowl of soup first, rarely not asking the waiter for alcohol.
“Do you guys have to review the match tonight? Should I send you back early later?” Xie Jingchu took it with both hands and asked with a serious face.
Before coming, all the chat tips Mu Xinyue taught him were thrown to the back of his mind.
Others talked about hobbies and everything under the sun on dates; he talked about work.
Shen Guanchao comforted: “Don’t be nervous. We are relatively free during the competition cycle. Review is tomorrow’s business.”
“Esports players can’t be like serving a prison sentence either.”
The poached chicken and turbot in this shop tasted good. The two chatted about the match just now while eating. Talking about his professional field, Shen Guanchao analyzed the whole match for him very patiently, watching the recording repeatedly over ten times.
When leaving, he picked up his coat unsatisfied and put it back on, but the cigarettes in his pocket accidentally slid out.
Xie Jingchu picked it up for him, staring at the opened package, and asked: “You smoke?”
“Will do when stressed or in a bad mood.” Shen Guanchao took it and explained, “Few in our line of work don’t smoke. Some smoke even more fiercely than me. Too many annoying things.”
Esports players were under immense pressure usually. While training with high intensity, there were many rumors and slanders online. It was easy to become exhausted physically and mentally. Although some clubs would arrange for psychological counselors to assist players in solving psychological problems, they couldn’t perfectly solve all problemsâillnesses of the heart.
Many players used alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, and binge eating as means to cope with various negative emotions. When Shen Guanchao wanted to smoke, he would go to a designated lounge, but he would absolutely not do it in the arena because the Alliance had a strict smoking ban in the competition area. Violators were deducted three points and fined ten thousand.
As long as one didn’t overly rely on it, this kind of thing was as normal as people going to the gym.
“…”
Xie Jingchu was silent for a moment and didn’t reply.
It wasn’t until the waiter came in with two takeout boxes that he took them, packing some meat dishes to take back. Shen Guanchao guessed: “Do you raise a dog at home?”
“Mn…” Xie Jingchu nodded hesitantly, thinking secretly, Mu Xinyue should count as a dog, right?
“What breed? Cute?”
Xie Jingchu continued to make things up: “German Shepherd. Not cute.”
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