Side Story 2: Side CP – Bai Chen × Bai Ke (2)
2.
After drinking the tea, Bai Chen set down the cup. Seeing Bai Ke still staring at him with a smile, he frowned. “Is there something else you want to say?”
Bai Ke didn’t care about his coldness and smiled. “That Miss Luo… are you really going to meet her?”
Bai Chen said, “What else?”
Bai Ke blinked. “Otherwise… I could help you chase her away.”
With that last sentence, he half-rose from his seat, his lips almost brushing against Bai Chen’s ear.
Bai Chen glanced at him, his gaze sweeping imperceptibly over the Beta’s bright red lips, and said indifferently, “No need.”
No need?
Bai Ke’s expression soured for an instant, but he quickly adjusted. He shrugged, acting like he didn’t care. “Suit yourself.”
After speaking, he stood up and left hurriedly.
Bai Chen watched his retreating figure until the youth completely disappeared around the corner of the stairs before withdrawing his gaze.
From childhood to adulthood, Bai Chen maintained a distant, bystander attitude toward the people around him. Perhaps because of his indifference, he saw many people and things more clearly than others.
Every approach had a purpose; every emotion was driven by interest.
This mindset made it difficult for Bai Chen to develop feelings or interest in anyone. Everyone looked the same in his eyes.
Mother Bai was a little princess living in a castle. Pampered by her parents as a child and doted on by Father Bai as an adult, with a wealthy and powerful family, she still held naive and willful ideas about many things even past the age of forty.
For example, if one child wasn’t close to her, she would just raise another one who was willing to be close, to satisfy the surplus of maternal love in her heart.
Bai Chen had seen through his mother’s mindset long ago. He knew, but he couldn’t be bothered to cater to it, so he pretended not to understand.
Father Bai was a taciturn Alpha, principled in other matters, but when facing his beloved wife, he lost his own opinions. So, he took her to the orphanage and sponsored a child to satisfy her craving.
At first, seeing Bai Ke following Mother Bai, smiling brightly and sweetly calling her “Mom,” Bai Chen felt a sense of irony. He thought this kid was too stupid, understanding nothing.
Later, he slowly discovered that Bai Ke wasn’t the sweet, naive fool he appeared to be. About some things, he was probably even clearer than Bai Chen.
Bai Ke understood, but for the sake of wealth and a bright future, he was willing to play along and keep the act going.
After realizing this fact, the way Bai Chen looked at Bai Ke changed.
Clear-headed, calm, with clear goals—knowing what he wanted and able to seize the opportunity to put it into practice.
A smart, rational kid.
Bai Chen appreciated people like that, so his attitude toward Bai Ke softened significantly.
And over time, amidst their interactions, that concern gradually changed flavor.
He just never expected that after he joined TWG with Xie Wei to play esports, the always diligent and hardworking Bai Ke would give up the higher education opportunity right in front of him to follow him into TWG.
It wasn’t that esports was bad, but in Bai Chen’s mind, Bai Ke wasn’t someone who would give up ten years of hard study for a moment of impulse or a so-called dream.
Perplexed, Bai Chen went to the second team to find Bai Ke.
The once soft and cute dumpling had grown into a slender, tall youth. Hearing the question, a smile curled on his lips. “Because this industry pays well and fast, and I can enjoy the feeling of being chased by fans. Is that not good?”
Bai Chen frowned. “Just for money?”
Impossible. After becoming the Second Young Master of the Bai family, the thing Bai Ke lacked least was probably money.
Bai Ke looked into his eyes, smiling slightly. “What else? Is there anything else here worth my following?”
“Stop joking,” Bai Chen sighed, a rare sense of helplessness rising in his heart. “How much do you want? I’ll wire it to you.”
The esports industry sounded wonderful, but only those truly in it knew the hardships behind the scenes. Countless players suffered from chronic illnesses and pain that would last a lifetime due to years of sitting and frequent finger usage. The internet was full of filth and verbal abuse, which was a heavy blow to one’s mental state.
Not to mention the arduous training and the competitive pressure of endless genius rookies.
Bai Ke scoffed. “I’m joking. Brother, I joined the team because I really like esports and I like this game. An esports dream… who doesn’t have one?”
Bai Chen didn’t believe a word of it.
He knew better than anyone that this was a lie.
But he chose not to press further, instead saying helplessly, “…What position do you play? I’ll help you take a look.”
At that time, Bai Ke curved his eyes, smiling cutely. “Brother, you’re so good to me.”
Good?
Perhaps it was good.
Bai Chen couldn’t explain it himself.
Just like now, he couldn’t explain what this emotion in his heart actually was.
These past few days, he had rejected all the blind dates his mother arranged, simply because months ago, in a midnight dream, a snowy white, soft body had embraced him. When Bai Chen looked down, he saw Bai Ke’s face.
It was hard for him to believe he would like someone, or spend his life walking hand in hand with anyone.
But regarding Bai Ke, he truly had developed thoughts he shouldn’t have.
Looking at the teacup in front of him, Bai Chen’s eyes darkened. He lifted his hand, his thumb gently swiping across the rim of the cup.
Withdrawing his hand, he chuckled in a low voice and shook his head self-mockingly.
Perhaps he really should face reality and try going on a blind date.
—
On the day of the blind date, Bai Chen was dressed in a suit. Under Mother Bai’s eager gaze, he looked at himself in the mirror, frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed. “I’m heading out.”
“Good, good, good,” Mother Bai beamed. “Have fun.”
Fun.
A sarcastic smile pulled at the corner of Bai Chen’s lips. He said nothing more, just nodded. “Mn.”
Just as he opened the front door, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from upstairs. Immediately after, Bai Ke ran over like a gust of wind, plonked down on the shoe bench, and bent over to change his shoes.
“This child, always so loud and brash.” Mother Bai’s smile faded slightly.
Bai Chen looked at the patch of snowy skin revealed by Bai Ke bending over. “You’re going out?”
“Mn, meeting a friend for a meal.” Bai Ke quickly tied his shoelaces, looked up, and smiled broadly. “Brother, I wish you a happy blind date.”
Bai Chen wanted to ask which friend it was, but the words reached his lips and he felt it was inappropriate, so he said nothing.
Bai Ke waved his hand and slipped away like the wind. Mother Bai sighed softly. “Sigh, it’s time to find a suitable partner for Bai Ke too. Otherwise, with him being so flighty, when will he ever settle down?”
Hearing this, a sudden fire surged in Bai Chen’s heart for some reason. He turned his head and said coldly, “He’s only nineteen.”
“Nineteen is quite old already,” Mother Bai said, oblivious to his displeasure. “But since he’s a Beta after all, marrying him out works too. It’s convenient either way.”
Bai Chen smiled. He looked at Mother Bai coldly. “He is a child you raised with your own hands. Speaking of such a major life event, you only think about ‘convenience’?”
Mother Bai was startled by his sudden anger. She stammered, “Xiao… Xiao Chen, what’s wrong?”
Bai Chen didn’t want to speak to her anymore. He closed his eyes, grabbed his suit jacket, and strode away.
The meeting place with the Second Miss of the Luo family was a high-end French restaurant. Bai Chen rarely came to such places; when hanging out with friends, they usually chose clubs or bars.
Taking the elevator all the way to the top floor of the skyscraper, the doors opened, and a waiter quickly approached, whispering to ask for his reservation name and table number.
Bai Chen answered, his eyes casually scanning the room, and suddenly froze.
By the massive floor-to-ceiling window, a familiar figure was talking to a man across the table. The two seemed to be having a great conversation, laughing as they spoke. Outside the window, the night was beautiful. Beside them, a pianist in a tuxedo moved his fingers lightly, playing an elegant and soothing melody. The lighting was ambiguous, the atmosphere perfect.
Why was Bai Ke here?
Who was the man opposite him?
“Sir,” the waiter reminded him in a low voice, “your seat is this way.”
Bai Chen frowned. Emotionally, he wanted to walk over, grab Bai Ke, and ask what was going on right now. But reason stopped him. He took a step and walked in the opposite direction.
At the table the waiter pointed to, a beautiful young woman with exquisite makeup was already sitting. Wearing a long blue dress, she looked utterly charming.
Seeing Bai Chen, her eyes lit up, and she stood with a bright smile. “Hello, I’m Luo Chuxi. Auntie Bai was right, you really are handsome.”
Bai Chen had come with a perfunctory attitude to begin with, and having just seen Bai Ke, his heart wasn’t in it at all. Hearing this, he only said, “Hello, I’m Bai Chen.” And nothing else.
Luo Chuxi smiled awkwardly. “Then… shall I ask the waiter to serve the food?”
“Sure, sorry to trouble you.”
On the other side, Bai Ke looked back, straining to see. “Damn, why can’t I see anything from here?”
“Retract, retract.” Opposite him, Zhang Xiaolian kicked him under the table. “If you keep acting like this, they’ll drag you out as a weirdo before you see anything.”
“Tsk.”
Bai Ke withdrew his gaze unhappily. “What use are you?”
“I don’t like hearing that,” Zhang Xiaolian said. “I skipped work to come here and help you surveil… oh no, observe your brother’s blind date.”
“Stop being cringe,” Bai Ke rolled his eyes. “If I wasn’t treating you to French cuisine, would you have come out?”
Zhang Xiaolian chuckled. “See through it but don’t say it, and we can still be friends.”
Appetizers arrived. Bai Ke picked up his knife and fork, cutting the food on his plate with a face full of displeasure. Zhang Xiaolian was a streamer friend he had known for a long time. They rarely met in reality, but their online relationship was quite good, so it was no wonder Bai Chen hadn’t recognized him just now.
Not being at home, Bai Ke couldn’t be bothered to pretend anymore. His face fell. “What exactly is my brother thinking? Clearly unwilling, yet he still came out for a blind date. Does he really want to go down the path of an arranged marriage?”
Zhang Xiaolian didn’t know his feelings for Bai Chen and assumed he was just in the late stages of being a ‘Bro-con’. He spoke earnestly, “Your brother is at that age, and he’s the heir. This step is unavoidable. They say love is the best way to divert attention. How about this? I’ll introduce you to someone. Absolutely reliable. What do you say?”
Although Bai Ke was a Beta, he had good looks, so he had no shortage of followers. But after falling for Bai Chen, it was hard for anyone else to catch his eye. He replied with a lack of interest, “Forget it.”
“Alright, come find me anytime if you change your mind.” Zhang Xiaolian didn’t force it. He looked down and tasted the food. “Damn, delicious. You really get what you pay for.”
A single person’s bill at this restaurant was over four thousand; everything from ingredients to wine was top-tier.
With gourmet food in front of him, Bai Ke had no appetite. He knew that if he kept waiting like this, Bai Chen really would marry someone else.
He had to take the initiative.
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