Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
[MelonRind: No, Iâm doing great. Stop watching so many of those useless palace drama television series all day long, focus on your studies.]
Ji Qingge touched her jaw for a while with her fingers and tried another method of beating around the bush, [Got it. But why didnât you come home during your break this time? I was still waiting for your return, in the end there wasnât even a shadow.]
[MelonRind: ... Iâm out.]
[fairlycomplicatedlittlelovesong: What are you doing outside? Traveling?]
[MelonRind: Could be considered so.]
[fairlycomplicatedlittlelovesong: Wow wow wow! Donât you hate going out and wandering around the most? Who did you go with? Fi-god?]
[MelonRind: Why are you mentioning him out of nowhere!]
[fairlycomplicatedlittlelovesong: Oh dear, look at that tone. Whatâs wrong, you guys fought?]
[MelonRind: Howâs that possible!]
[fairlycomplicatedlittlelovesong: Then why are being so averse to him? Tell me whether I guessed correctly or not.]
[MelonRind: ... Mm.]
[fairlycomplicatedlittlelovesong: Tsk, men.]
[MelonRind: ...]
[MelonRind: Thereâs something that I want to ask you about.]
[fairlycomplicatedlittlelovesong: Thereâs actually a day when you would ask me questions, rare. [covers face] Tell me about it, Iâm very willing to clear up your doubts for you.]
[MelonRind: I have a friend...]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The story always begins like this.
Ji Qingge âtsk-edâ twice, pretending to be experienced. [And then.]
[MelonRind: One of his especially close friends suddenly put forward that he wants to be in a gay relationship with him. My friend doesnât know what do now. What do you think?]
[fairlycomplicatedlittlelovesong: Thatâs easy, not knowing what to do means that he isnât averse to it, not being averse to it means that he does like him. Since thatâs the case, wouldnât everything be fine if they just get together?]
[MelonRind: ? ? ? ]
[MelonRind: Is that so?]
[MelonRind: But heâs a straight man!]
[fairlycomplicatedlittlelovesong: Tell you what, let your friend think about it himself. What era are we in right now, even the Qing dynasty has fallen, still involving gender discrimination even in dating?]
[MelonRind: I got it.]
[MelonRind: I will pass on the message to him, quickly go study now.]
âJi Zhiyao, I was so good to you, even helping you to get a boyfriend, trust you to throw me aside after using me huh.â Ji Qingge pursed her lips. âForget it, I shall not stoop down to your level. May things between you and Fi-god blossom soon, till then will I be considered successful as matchmaker.â
...
5:59 PM.
Mo Huaifeng stood outside Ji Zhiyaoâs room and paced back and forth.
Seriously speaking, although Ji Qingge had vouched that it was a 99% possibility that Ji Zhiyao would accept him, he was still worried about the remaining 1%.
Ever since he was born, up till now, it was his first time having such emotions.
Mo Huaifeng stopped in his steps and finally made up his mind, stepping forward to knock on Ji Zhiyaoâs door.
It seemed like a very long time, so long that he could almost hear his heartbeat coming from his chest, before sounds of a slippers slapping on the floor vaguely sounded from inside the room.
It was coming closer and closer.
His heart was pounding wildly, Mo Huaifeng could not help but drew in a deep breath.
Few seconds later, the door opened.
Ji Zhiyao stood there with a head of disheveled hair, his eyes so drowsy with sleep that completely couldnât focus.
Mo Huaifeng was expressionless.
âCaptain youâre here.â Ji Zhiyao yawned as he lowered his head to glance at his wrist watch. âItâs 6 PM already, I donât feel like I slept that long.â
âWhen did you start sleeping?
Ji Zhiyao rubbed his eyes. âSince we came back from the theme park.â
âOkay.â
âGive me a moment, Iâll go get changed, weâll go out for dinner.â
âOkay.â
Ji Zhiyao changed his clothes and headed out with his room key and wallet.
During the walk to the elevator, both of them were very quiet.
Ji Zhiyao secretly darted a glance at Mo Huaifeng and found that he looked very peaceful, completely unlike how pale he looked yesterday afternoon.
Donât tell him it was just him who was feeling extremely troubled, Ji Zhiyao could not help but pursed his lips.
Just as he thought so, he heard Mo Huaifeng say, âHave you decided?â
Ji Zhiyao was stunned by the question. âWhat?â
Mo Huaifeng shifted his gaze to him, the serious look in his eyes was exceptionally good looking. âI have a love, do you want to be him?â
Ji Zhiyao took a step back, his face instantly turned as red as a tomato. âCaptain, youâre unbelievable, why donât you give a warning before you say cheesy things.â
How was he supposed to give a warning? Was he supposed to ask if he was ready?
Ji Zhiyao cleared his throat unnaturally. âI thought about it carefully, actually, itâs not that we canât.â
He lifted his head, deliberately pretending to be mysterious but realized that Mo Huaifeng was merely looking at him very peacefully, with completely no desire of continuing the conversation. Ji Zhiyao instantly felt slightly awkward. âCaptain, why donât you look the least bit happy?â
âItâs not too late to be happy after you finish your sentence.â
âDamn it, how did you even manage to guess that?â
Mo Huaifeng made a âhmphâ sound, the disdain in his voice very obvious. âIâm not stupid.â
Ji Zhiyao hesitated for a bit, then said a little embarrassed, âWeâll just date like this for now, donât announce it.â
Mo Huaifeng understood immediately. âUnderground relationship?â
Ji Zhiyao instantly flared up. âUnderground relationship my ass, could you not put it in such a distasteful manner? Itâs not like you donât know how difficult it is for gay causes to develop locally. Not to mention you are a public figure who holds up half of the eSports scene, it was already so difficult for DiamondJ, much less for us...â
Mo Huaifeng frowned. âIâve told you before, Mixâs club will not be like the others.â
âI know, I know. But the influence of public opinion really causes too much stress, I can be heartless, you can choose to not care too, but what about the rest?â
Mo Huaifengâs brows gradually relaxed.
Ji Zhiyao continued, âMo Huaifeng when weâve conquered the national qualifiers, conquered the international league, when the time is right, itâs up to announce it anyway you want to.â
As professional players, they were first members of Mix, before themselves.
The battleteam above all, glory above all, eSports above all.
This was then where they belonged.
Mo Huaifengâs expression relaxed, his corner of his lips lifting slightly. âWeâll do as you said.â
âThatâs the way, but thereâs another matter.â
Mo Huaifeng looked towards him, puzzled.
Ji Zhiyao said in all seriously, âIn the future, Iâm on the top, you below.â
Mo Huaifeng instantly said, âHave you heard of a saying?â
Ji Zhiyao was confused. âWhat?â
âIf you are a man, speak using your capabilities. Same goes for the matter of top or bottom.â
Ji Zhiyao recalled the fact that he had been thrashed for both the 1v1 and 3v3 earlier, and tears of deep regret involuntarily flowed down his face.
...
The things that needed to be handled were done, Mo Huaifeng very contentedly proposed to return home that night.
He had caught a cold since the first day he arrived, Ji Zhiyao had actually been extremely frustrated with being unaccustomed to the climate.. He went to the shopping center and finished getting all the items that the rest had asked him to buy, both of them booked their plane tickets and headed home.
Back home, it was currently raining in S City.
Walking to the entrance of the airport, Ji Zhiyao glanced at the pouring rain outside, then at the two suitcases that Mo Huaifeng was dragging in his hands and the big and small bags on him and was extremely worried. âCaptain, wait for me here for a moment, Iâll go ahead and hail a taxi.â
He put down the bag on him and had just taken half a step out when he was stopped by Mo Huaifeng.
Mo Huaifeng let go of the suitcases and said with a frown, âItâs raining outside, you wait here.â
With that, he did not even give Ji Zhiyao a chance to retain him and rushed into the rain without another word.
Ji Zhiyao blinked several times bewilderedly, and thought to himself, was this how it felt like to have a boyfriend?
... Not too bad.
He had fallen quite hard.
Ji Zhiyao stared aimlessly at the heavy rain outside, his arm was suddenly intentionally bumped into by someone.
He turned around confusedly and find a young girl in long sleeves and pants, her expression was in the midst of changing from that of sounding out to excitement.
Ji Zhiyaoâs hands moved towards his own face on reflex, and realized that he seemed to have left his mask behind on the plane, he wasnât wearing anything on his face at all.
He could even forget about that, he virtually wanted to salute himself.
Ji Zhiyao swiftly lowered his cap and specially asked under his breath, âLittle girl, did you recognize the wrong person? I donât know who you are.â
The girl rolled her eyes. âMelonRind, stop pretending. Iâve been a fan of you for two years, how is it possible that I would identify wrongly?â
What a nuisance, it was an old fan.
He resignedly looked around from left to right, after checking that no one had noticed them, he was slightly relieved and asked, âDo you want an autograph or a photo together?â
The girl was not in the least bit sloppy. âAutograph please. Taking a photo would incur envy, it wonât be cumbersome for both you and me.â
Ji Zhiyao was pleased at once, his fan was simply too adorable, sensible and also pretty, âfans doing as their idols doâ probably looked like this.
Ji Zhiyao finished signing, and passed the notebook back to the girl, but suddenly heard her ask, âMy melon, is the one running over here Fi-god?â
Ji Zhiyao instantly looked out and instantly drew in a breath of air, putting on a false smile, âYes yes. What a coincidence.â
The girl became suspicious. âArenât you guys traveling together?â
Ji Zhiyao felt oddly guilty. â... It seems so, seems so.â
Mo Huaifengâs hair was essentially all wet, when he walked over, Ji Zhiyao quickly brought out a pack of tissue in his pocket and raised his hand to help him dry his hair.
Ji Zhiyao wasnât tall enough, he tapped his shoulder and Mo Huaifeng instantly lowered his head.
When he had simply wiped several times, Ji Zhiyao was reminded of the girl beside him, when he lifted his eyes for a glance, he found that she was taking photos of them with her phone.
Mo Huaifeng saw too and asked Ji Zhiyao with a frown, âThis is?â
Ji Zhiyao answered in a low voice. âThis girl has been my fan for two years, an old fan.â
âOh.â
Mo Huaifengâs cautious expression relaxed at once, he took the initiative to ask, âDo you want an autograph?â
The girl became excited. âYes! Fi-god please help me to sign on this. What luck do I have today, everyone would definitely be extremely jealous of me if I share this.â
Mo Huaifeng finished signing and capped the pen. âSomething to trouble you with, donât post the photos online, can you do that?â
âDonât worry, I know my limits.â The girl took a glance at her phone, then said, âBut this photo looks quite nice, I send it to you both through private message on Weibo, feel free to save a copy for yourself.â
âThanks. Mo Huaifeng nodded at her. âWe still have something on, weâll leave first.â
The girl waved her hands. âSure sure, bye Fi-god. MelonRind, mummy loves you, bye bye~â
Watching Mo Huaifeng and Ji Zhiyao leave, the girl chuckled and with her phone pointed at her autograph notebook, took a photo and uploaded it to the Weibo group.
[IndefiniteFutureâs Famous Haters Support Club: Look at this! [image.jpg] Ahhhhhhh Iâm about to go crazy because of how handsome these two are.]
[MelonRindMyLove: What the f*ck! Whatâs going on? Whereâs this? You met both MelonRind and Fi-god?]
[mustworkhardtobeacutie: Envious, extremely envious! What kind of luck is this? Ahhhhh Iâm dying of envy!]
[Aaapple: Give a word, how much would you be willing to sell this autograph for?]
[IndefiniteFutureâs Famous Haters Support Club: Wake up, I wonât sell this no matter what. I ran into MelonRind and Fi-god at the airport today, at first I thought I had seen wrongly, later on when I went for a closer look I realized it was really them. MelonRind even pretended that it wasnât him, LOL such a dork, I almost died laughing.]
[heardthewindcoming: Didnât you ask for a photo together? I heard from a friend that MelonRind is very easy to get along with.]
[youngerrrr: Both of them were at the airport together, werenât the other members of the team there? Oh my god, donât tell me they went out on a trip by themselves.]
[chocolateicecream: I suddenly smell a gleam of an unusual scent.]
[M.I.X.Y.A.O: What scent? Gay one?]
[IndefiniteFutureâs Famous Haters Support Club: I didnât see the rest of the team, they might have left first. Donât spout nonsense about matters that have no evidence, it might be exposed to marketing accounts and theyâll deliberate misinterpret things out of context and use MelonRind to gain attention, itâll definitely call for lots of hate.]
[chocolateicecream: I understand, I understand, we can criticize him, but absolutely cannot allow others to do so.
[IndefiniteFutureâs Famous Haters Support Club: (â¢Ìââ¢Ì) Youâre right, thatâs it.]
...
Ji Zhiyao was shoved into the taxi and said slightly gloomily, âIt was my fan, why did it look like she was your fan instead.â
Mo Huaifeng was completely insincere. âOh, sorry to have made you go through that.â
Ji Zhiyao could not help but roll his eyes at him, then lowered his head and began to rummage around.
Mo Huaifeng saw and asked, âWhat are you searching for?â
âPhone. Hey, where did my phone go?â
Ji Zhiyao said while feeling about the pockets on his body and found his phone in the pocket of his pants at last, then raised it before Mo Huaifengâs eyes. âDidnât my fan say she was going to send the photo to me through private message on Weibo, I must take a good look at how good-looking she has made me look.â
He entered Weibo. As there were really too many private messages, he only went through those that were sent in the recent few minutes and came attached with images and found it very quickly.
Only the fanâs username made the corner of his lips twitch sternly several times.
Mo Huaifeng was watching Ji Zhiyao the whole time and realized his expression had very quickly turned from curiosity to anger, hence he asked, âWhatâs wrong?â
âThat girl is âIndefiniteFutureâs Famous Haters Support Clubâ?! In the past, whenever I posted on Weibo, this username would forever be charging at the front line, showing support for me, truly amazing.â
Mo Huaifeng was speechless. â... Great name.â
This name had made Mo Huaifeng slightly interested in how the photos looked. Thus he shifted towards Ji Zhiyaoâs side and look toward his phoneâs screen.
He must admit that the photos were really taken quite nicely, at one glance it already looked to be full of love. Mo Huaifeng was very satisfied. âSend me a copy through WeChat.â
Ji Zhiyao saved the photo upon hearing that and tapped into his chat with Mo Huaifeng while grumbling, âWhatâs nice about that. The second photo made me out to be so much shorter than you, it isnât true to the original anymore.â