Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Pei Ran was taken aback. He had even forgotten about it himself.

Lin Xuhuan tried to recall the memory and then took a deep breath, his face filled with emotion. "This... I think this was when I had just finished my training and was still a substitute player... Baby Ran, you were hiding this so deeply."

Pei Ran said, "It's not that..."

Before he could finish his sentence, someone gently brushed past his shoulder.

Yan Zhun walked up to Lin Xuhuan and took the phone from his hand. "Don't go through other people's phones without permission."

Lin Xuhuan felt wronged. "I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't know he took these pictures of me, so I just swiped through them."

Yan Zhun ignored him and passed the phone back to Pei Ran.

Pei Ran reached out to take it, but Yan Zhun's grip was firm, and he couldn't retrieve it in one go.

Yan Zhun lowered his gaze and took another glance at the photo before finally letting go.

Learning that Pei Ran was his die-hard fan, Lin Xuhuan couldn't help but straighten his back and tousle his hair. "Baby Ran, don't ask my brother to play with you anymore. Just come to me directly. I'll carry you for free, even in my streams."

Pei Ran pondered how to explain the situation. His online freelance work was a secret; he hadn't told anyone. That Weibo account was like his alter ego in the world of anime.

"Alright," the coach interjected suddenly. "Let's head to the practice match. The room is already set up. Hurry, we're playing custom games today. I've arranged a few teams."

Yan Zhun replied coolly, "If you've invited other teams, I won't join."

"No, our youth team is included. I reserved a spot specifically for you," the coach said as he placed a hand on Yan Zhun's shoulder. "Those three boys have great potential. Please give them your feedback."

Yan Zhun responded, "It's been a while since I last trained. I can't give much critique."

"Don't make excuses. I know you can still do it. Come on, lend a hand. When I told them you'd be joining, they all trained an extra two hours last night..." Checking his phone, the coach continued, "They're already urging me. Quickly, hurry up so you don't keep the other teams waiting."

Before rushing to the game room, Lin Xuhuan left a message for Pei Ran, "Baby Ran, I'll gift you a signed set of equipment later." Without waiting for a response, he was hurried away by his teammates.

As the coach led Yan Zhun forward, the latter turned back abruptly. "Can you wait for me?"

Pei Ran had planned to take his computer back to the dormitory and watch a movie. He had already picked one out - a highly realistic film that had received excellent reviews after just two days in theaters. It had piqued Pei Ran's interest.

Yan Zhun fell silent for two seconds before he added, "It won't be too long."

Pei Ran canceled his movie plans in his mind and put his phone back into his pocket. "...I understand. Good luck with the practice match."

With several question marks hovering above his head, the coach playfully slung his arm around Yan Zhun's shoulder. After walking a short distance, he asked, "What's going on? Is there some sort of family connection between you two?"

"No," Yan Zhun replied. "Keep an eye on him for me."

"Got it. He can't exactly run away, can he?" At the entrance to the gaming room, the coach patted his shoulder. "Play well."

Pei Ran was led to the lounge, which had a large screen for data analysis and watching matches.

Several bottles of different branded drinks and packets of biscuits were placed in front of him.

The coach chuckled. "I didn't know what you like, so I got a bit of everything. These stinky kids love carbonated drinks."

Pei Ran thanked him and took a bottle of mineral water.

The coach fiddled with the remote control, and the screen lit up, displaying the gameplay of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

After the two teams of TZG landed, the coach took out his notebook, ready to critique the players' performance at any moment.

There were two practice rooms in the base, one of which was buzzing with excitement. If not for the soundproofing, the noise would have easily reached the other team of trainees next door, all wearing their headsets.

"Where do you think my brother and the others will land?" Lin Xuhuan chirped.

"Who knows? But usually, the trainee teams play it safe, so they might choose more scattered areas in the wilderness."

During regular gameplay, skilled players often preferred landing spots where fights were likely to break out. However, in a competition, most teams would land in the wilderness near the center of the circle, as it was common for clashes to occur there if one wasn't careful.

Lin Xuhuan glanced at the map, preparing to fly towards the small wilderness area marked by the command. Suddenly, notifications popped up on his screen.

"TZGmoxie has knocked down XPP-hot with an AKM"

"TZGmoxie has headshot knocked down XPP-youxiang with an AKM"

"TZGmoxie has headshot knocked down secret_happy with an AKM"

The practice room fell silent for a moment.

Landing on the ground, a teammate asked, "Whose ID is the one we're supposed to watch out for?"

"Hmm... It's Yan Zhun," Lin Xuhuan frowned as he scouted the wilderness area. "Damn, my brother is really crazy. Before I even landed, he's already clashed with two teams... They must have landed at the military base."

By the time Lin Xuhuan finished searching his designated area, Yan Zhun had already eliminated six people. He had single-handedly wiped out almost an entire team at the military base.

"What a beast, a true beast," Lin Xuhuan marveled. "As expected of my brother."

In the semi-final circle, only six teams remained, to be precise, five teams and one lone player.

Three members of TZG's youth training squad were already eliminated, leaving only Yan Zhun standing.

He found a house, crouched behind a wall to peek around and heal up.

"Brother~ Brother~ Is that you, brother~?" Lin Xuhuan activated the all-chat, and his voice echoed in Yan Zhun's headphones.

Lin Xuhuan had seen Yan Zhun enter this particular wilderness area, alone, wearing the exclusive outfit. He could recognize him from afar.

Firing a few shots without scoring a kill, Lin Xuhuan decided to lead his teammates to ambush Yan Zhun.

Yan Zhun ignored him and began searching for their location.

Lin Xuhuan's team only had two members, while the other two were still in the wilderness behind.

"Aren't we waiting for them to join before rushing the building?" a teammate suggested.

"No worries," Lin Xuhuan replied. "We can handle a two-on-one. Besides, my brother will definitely go easy on me since we're close."

Two minutes later, both of them were defeated by Yan Zhun outside the building, kneeling in humiliation.

Without hesitation, Yan Zhun finished them off and turned to leave.

"Brother," Lin Xuhuan, now dead, decided to chat with him idly through the microphone. "You coldly knocked down your long-time admirer like that. How ruthless, how brutal. I just love it so much..."

Before Lin Xuhuan could finish his sentence, a freshly thrown grenade bounced twice on the ground, rolling precisely onto his yet-to-disappear in-game corpse.

With a loud boom, his character lying flat on the ground was flipped over by the explosion.

Lin Xuhuan: "..."

A teammate commented, "Our relationship is indeed good; we're so close that we'd challenge you to an actual showdown."

In the second round, the team sought excitement and landed at the Airport. Within two minutes of Lin Xuhuan's arrival, Yan Zhun knocked him down. Yan Zhun didn't finish him off but tossed a grenade at his face before departing without sparing a glance at the subsequent explosion.

In the third game, Lin Xuhuan was taken down by another squad. He hurriedly crawled behind a building, just as his teammate was about to revive him – a loud bang echoed as Yan Zhun, from a distance, used a 98k rifle to claim his life.

In the fourth round...

And in the fifth round...

Upon the conclusion of the training match, Lin Xuhuan rushed to the neighboring room, removing his headset as he went.

"Brother, why do you always tease me like this? You're even pushing it to the extreme..." Lin Xuhuan complained, "You're going after all three of my personas!"

Most frustrating of all, the three of them hadn't even coordinated against Yan Zhun, yet he managed to take out two of them with a single blast.

Yan Zhun removed his headphones, rising to his feet amidst the junior trainees' nervous yet admiring gazes.

"Fashion," he said.

Lin Xuhuan: "?"

"You're wearing such an ugly outfit."

Lin Xuhuan: "..."

Yan Zhun ignored him and turned away, leaving the competition room to head for the review room.

This was Pei Ran's first time watching a PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds match.

Training matches were far more casual and intense than official ones, with the coach mostly focusing on Yan Zhun's perspective.

The door opened, and Yan Zhun entered with a calm expression.

"The flawless performance today was impressive," the coach praised without reservation.

"Why are you watching my perspective instead of your own team members?" Yan Zhun asked as he sat down beside Pei Ran.

"I did want to watch them, but unfortunately, they tend to die too quickly," the coach mumbled softly. "There still seems to be something missing..."

Yan Zhun didn't respond. He lowered his gaze and saw Pei Ran holding a bottle of mineral water with both hands.

Feeling his gaze, Pei Ran tilted the water towards him. "Want some? It's still unopened."

Yan Zhun took it but didn't rush to open it. He asked, "Did you watch the training match?"

"Yes," Pei Ran paused, "You were incredible."

This perfunctory compliment didn't seem to satisfy Yan Zhun. He pursed his lips and twisted the cap open, taking a sip.

The other team members gradually entered the resting room, preparing for a post-match analysis. Soon, the room was filled with people.

Just as Pei Ran started feeling uneasy, Yan Zhun spoke up.

"Take your time with the review. It's inconvenient for us to stay here. We'll head back."

"There's no inconvenience," the coach tried to persuade them to stay.

Yan Zhun replied, "Let's go, Pei Ran."

"Wait a moment," Lin Xuhuan hurriedly interjected. "Babe Ran, I haven't given you the equipment yet. Hold on while I fetch it from the storage."

Pei Ran stopped Lin Xuhuan before he could ascend the stairs.

"What's up?" Lin Xuhuan asked. "Don't be shy. The equipment is a gift from sponsors. We get sets of them during holidays, more than we can use."

While Pei Ran didn't wish to reveal his involvement in the anime world, he certainly wouldn't appropriate the affection and admiration that fan had for Lin Xuhuan.

"I received this photo from someone else," he explained. "One of your fans approached me for a commission, wanting me to draw you."

Lin Xuhuan was initially taken aback, but then his admiration for Pei Ran grew. "You're an art student? No wonder, I could tell at first glance that you must be studying in this field. Have you done many commissions before? Do people often ask you to draw me?"

Pei Ran replied, "Only this one time."

Lin Xuhuan: "..."

The teammates in the lounge all laughed, with some teasing him for being shameless.

"None of you know anything. Baby Ran's artwork is exceptional, so his pieces must be expensive! Besides, those who like me are just little sisters; how could they afford something like this?" Lin Xuhuan coughed and leaned closer to Pei Ran, asking, "Baby Ran, we're so familiar now, you have to give me a discount for my fans... How much did you charge for this commission?"

Pei Ran hesitated, on the verge of speaking.

Lin Xuhuan reassured him, "Go ahead and say it. It's fine if it's high. I'm worth that much."

Pei Ran replied, "Eight hundred."

Lin Xuhuan was taken aback, "Huh?"

When the team assistant entered, Lin Xuhuan was in the middle of an argument with someone, spouting phrases like "You're the one who's cheap," "Do you look down on eight hundred?" and "Even if you paid fans to take your drawings, they wouldn't want them."

"What are you laughing at?" The assistant placed a box on the table. "A sponsor sent a gift."

Lin Xuhuan paused his exchange. "What is it?"

"Merchandise," the assistant opened the box and held up a merchandise keychain.

The keychain depicted a pair of pink sneakers, about the size of a thumb, modeled after the sponsor's latest shoe design. The details were intricately crafted.

"Such a small, pink thing," Lin Xuhuan frowned. "I don't want to wear it."

"Available in every color. You can choose one for yourself, and they'd make great gifts for girlfriends too." The assistant turned back. "Brother Zhun, leaving? I got one for you as well. What color do you prefer?"

Lin Xuhuan chuckled while selecting one. "Forget it, my brother isn't into these things—"

"White," Yan Zhun asked softly. "Do they have it?"

-

They walked a long distance after leaving the base in silence.

Pei Ran didn't know what to say, and Yan Zhun was walking slowly, probably because he was tired from the recent practice match. So Pei Ran decided not to speak either.

A chill brushed against his cheeks, and Pei Ran lifted his head in a daze.

Without realizing when it started, a light drizzle filled the air, with tiny raindrops dripping down gently.

This kind of rain wouldn't hinder people's daily routines, so pedestrians on the street continued walking calmly, only slightly quickening their pace.

Pei Ran was absorbed in observing the rain in the sky when he suddenly felt something cover his head, blocking half of his view with the brim of a hat.

He instinctively reached up and touched Yan Zhun's black baseball cap.

Yan Zhun's eyes were cast down, meeting his gaze for only two seconds before he reached out to adjust the position of the cap's brim.

The baseball cap carried Yan Zhun's scent, like floating rain—chilly yet gentle.

Pei Ran came back to his senses. "No need, it's not that heavy."

Yan Zhun replied, "Put it on properly."

Pei Ran: "…"

Walking in the rain, Pei Ran's field of vision was partially blocked by the cap's brim. To see more, he subconsciously tilted his chin up slightly.

He was completely unaware that the person beside him had been looking down at him all along.

A few training matches wouldn't exhaust Yan Zhun; his silence was due to the unrest within him.

The moment he saw Lin Xuhuan's picture on Pei Ran's phone, he felt as if he had been transported back to a summer day during high school.

That day, after leaving the supermarket with two packs of milk candies in his bag, he turned a corner and saw Pei Ran leaning against the wall, head bowed, quietly allowing Luo Qingshan to hold his hand.

Arriving at the point where they needed to part ways, Pei Ran stopped and said, "Thank you for escorting me to the base today..."

"Pei Ran," Yan Zhun interrupted him.

Pei Ran looked at him. "Hmm?"

Yan Zhun was taller than Pei Ran, and due to the brim of his cap, Pei Ran had to strain his neck to look up at him when they spoke.

Yan Zhun raised his hand, slightly lifting the brim of his cap.

He said, "Do you still remember when I told you that I liked you?"

Pei Ran fell silent instantly, his eyes gradually widening, revealing his unease.

He even contemplated pushing the brim of the cap back down.

Realizing that Yan Zhun was waiting for a response, Pei Ran remained quiet for a long while before he finally replied, "I do."

Yan Zhun acknowledged with a soft "mm-hmm."

Feelings were not mere trifles that could be neatly packed away into a suitcase and discarded. That was why he had always wanted to give Pei Ran time, but now, he suddenly didn't want to wait anymore.

If Pei Ran still carried the shadow of his ex's infidelity, Yan Zhun would be the one to dispel it.

If Pei Ran still harbored feelings for Luo Qingshan, then Yan Zhun would be the one to tear them apart.

"Hand."

Still a bit dazed, Pei Ran extended his hand instinctively.

A small, white sneaker charm – the one the assistant had mentioned as something "suitable for a girlfriend" – now rested in the palm of his hand.

Yan Zhun declared, "Pei Ran, I'm starting to pursue you."