Chapter 7: Lovesick
Five hours before Chi Jing’s streaming debut, the webcam Qi Feng ordered for him finally arrived at the base entrance with two hours to spare.
Ding-ling.
Hearing the doorbell, Qi Feng sat up from the sofa and went to open the door.
“If you hadn’t come, I would have suspected you were kidnapped.”
Master Li at the door rolled his eyes at him.
“Saw your team’s announcement. Debut at 8 PM. My timing is just right. You guys install the camera, eat some food, and you can start streaming. Told you this afternoon I was a bit busy. Who told you to be lazy and not pick it up yourself?”
Qi Feng rolled his eyes back at him, took the delivery box from his hand, tucked it under his arm, took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and handed one to him.
Master Li took the cigarette and tucked it behind his ear, smiling as he said, “Didn’t you brat shout about quitting smoking? Why are there still some in your pocket? I’m going to report you to your team manager in a bit.”
Qi Feng ignored his words directly, dropping a few cold words as he closed the door: “Walk slowly, I won’t see you out.”
Master Li didn’t mind. They had known each other for about three years; Qi Feng had always had this temper, and he didn’t hold it against him.
“Little Chi, your webcam is here. Call me ‘Gege’ and I’ll give it to you.”
What Chi Jing couldn’t stand the most was this flirtatious vibe of his. He ground his molars.
“Didn’t you make me call you that this afternoon? Trying to renege?”
Qi Feng waved the box in front of him cheaply, not forgetting to provoke him verbally. “Want it? If you want it, call me ‘Gege’.”
Chi Jing, adhering to the principle that calling him ‘brother’ wouldn’t make him lose a piece of meat, called out very frankly:
“Qi Feng Gege.”
This sound made the goosebumps of the few people in the base explode. Song Qi was the first unable to hold back.
“Are you two already familiar to this extent?”
Qi Feng raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t we familiar? If you call me ‘Gege’, I don’t mind either.”
Song Qi reminded him with a tactful tone, “Do you really want to hear it?”
Qi Feng looked at Song Qi, then at Mo Jingchun, finding the other was looking at him too. He withdrew his gaze and mimicked Song Qi’s tone: “Do you really want to call me that?” After speaking, he winked toward Mo Jingchun’s direction.
Song Qi trembled all over. He looked at the man standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. He stood there like the cold sunlight of winter, chilly and indifferent, yet also like the faint starlight of an autumn night, distant and remote. For some reason, he was just afraid of such an expressionless Mo Jingchun. He always felt that in the next second, he would leave him, and he would never find him again. Song Qi looked at his back and silently shut his mouth.
Chi Jing sensed the atmosphere was wrong but didn’t ask much. Qi Feng signaled him with his eyes to chat on the phone. Chi Jing opened his phone and indeed saw a WeChat message from him.
Feng: Quite curious, aren’t you?
Jing: If you have something to say, say it. If not, shut up.
Feng: Little Mo’s feelings for Little Song are very unusual. Perhaps neither of them has realized it, but eyes can betray a person.
Jing: You mean…?
Feng: Probably. I can feel it.
Jing: But I feel their interaction is just a very ordinary friendship, just occasionally the vibe is off.
Feng: Little Mo is a person with emotional mysophobia. To him, feelings are black and white. For him to have such an atmosphere with Little Song means he can sense his own feelings for Little Song. He just isn’t willing to admit it.
Chi Jing turned off his phone, watching Little Song sit on the sofa staring at Little Mo’s back in a daze. It seemed he could understand why he said Little Mo’s feelings for Little Song were different. Because Little Song’s feelings for Little Mo didn’t seem the same either.
Chi Jing thought silently, suddenly recalling Qi Feng saying before that Little Mo raised Little Song like a younger brother. Family ethics drama? recovering his senses, Chi Jing shook his head, trying to shake out these absurd thoughts.
“Suffered some hurt in the past, couldn’t let go of some things.”
Mo Jingchun’s WeChat ringtone rang. He glanced at the contact name; it was Lin Chen. He picked up the phone and walked outside to answer the call.
“Chen-Chen, what’s up?”
The male voice on the other end was somewhat muffled, seeming far from the phone.
“Nothing, just wanted to ask how you’ve been recently? I want to schedule a solo match with your team’s Mid Laner.”
Mo Jingchun guessed he was calling for this, but he didn’t have the right to make decisions for Chi Jing on his own, so he said, “I’ll help you ask later. How have you been recently?”
Lin Chen seemed to give a bitter laugh. “Hand injury is a bit serious. Wrist has been aching often lately.”
Mo Jingchun was silent for a while, asking with a slightly hoarse voice, “Thought about retiring?”
The person on the other end fell silent too. Had he thought about it? Actually, he had. But he wasn’t resigned to it.
Sorting out his emotions, Lin Chen laughed and started teasing, “What are you dreaming about? Me retiring to make room for you? Brother is this handsome, skills this superlative—retiring now would simply be a waste of heavenly gifts.”
Mo Jingchun laughed very lightly. He had expected him to say this.
“Alright, stop joking. Our team’s new Mid Laner has his streaming debut today. After his stream ends, I’ll help you ask. See if the World’s No. 1 Mid Laner is you or him. Ugly words upfront: don’t cry if you can’t beat him.”
Lin Chen seemed angered by him and hung up the phone directly. Leaving Mo Jingchun with only a busy tone.
He collected his thoughts. Coincidentally, Song Qi came out to call him back to eat. The corners of his mouth hooked up slightly as he followed Song Qi back to the base.
After eating, Qi Feng helped Chi Jing adjust the webcam. Wu Cheng came over to instruct them to start streaming right on time, not to be early or late.
Qi Feng naturally had experience. He nodded, meaning he understood, then lowered his head to explain the streaming precautions to Chi Jing in detail.
“Can’t curse, can’t mock people, can’t attack people, can’t be sarcastic, can’t curse officials, not allowed to get anxious when playing.”
Qi Feng nagged like an old mother beside him. Chi Jing’s face grew darker and darker, and he couldn’t help interrupting him.
“I am eighteen, not eight. Trouble you, Gege, to look carefully at this face of mine. Do I look like a retard?”
Qi Feng was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and very obediently examined Chi Jing’s face carefully.
Pale skin, a pair of black eyes that seemed able to see through everything. When smiling, they were like crescent moons; when solemn, like cold stars. A straight nose bridge, lips colored scarlet. When he chuckled lightly, it was like a falling feather, sweet as candy; when silent, he was cold as ice. The contours of his side profile were like a carving, sharp and angular yet not losing softness.
Just as Qi Feng was in a daze, suddenly, the teenager in front of him laughed lightly. The laughter was like a clear spring in a mountain cave during summer, the spring water chiming, carrying fine stones plunging into his heart one after another, causing ripple after ripple.
“Being lovesick?”
Qi Feng snapped back to reality. The eyes of the person before him hid teasing. He shook his head helplessly. He really lost to him. Who told him to be a face-judger? Looking at such a handsome face was indeed pleasing to the eye.
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