Chapter 27

Chapter 27

As Luo Qingshan received Pei Ran's mother's reply, Su Nian happened to come out of the bathroom with a warm towel in hand.

Su Nian unfolded the towel and was about to wipe Luo Qingshan's face when Luo Qingshan stopped him. "I'll do it myself."

Su Nian paused and obediently handed over the towel.

Luo Qingshan casually wiped his face while his eyes remained fixed on his phone.

"Luo Qingshan: Auntie, I brought you some local specialties during my trip. Recently, Ranran and I had a small disagreement, so I can't deliver the gifts to you. When would be a good time for you?"

"Pei Ran's Mother: It's alright, there's no need for the gifts. Auntie doesn't lack anything, and we're currently not in the country. Thank you anyway."

Luo Qingshan massaged his throbbing temples and propped himself up from the bed.

Su Nian made space for him and held his elbow. "Are you okay? Can you walk?"

"Yes," Luo Qingshan replied in a hoarse voice. As he passed by, he patted Su Nian's shoulder. "Thank you for your help yesterday."

Su Nian's smile froze on his face, only recovering when the bathroom door clicked shut.

Sensitive to male-to-male contact, Su Nian was certain that Luo Qingshan's pat on the back was purely an expression of gratitude between friends and nothing more.

Su Nian had ordered breakfast, which arrived just as Luo Qingshan emerged.

"I got soy milk and fried dough sticks. Have some to settle your stomach. You drank too much last night; you might get a stomachache if you don't eat," Su Nian placed the items on the table. "You look pale. Are you unwell?"

Luo Qingshan's expression was grim, not much better than on their way back to the hotel last night.

"Pei Ran came by yesterday," he bit into a dough stick, finally unable to hold back his words.

Su Nian asked, "And then? Did you have an argument?"

Luo Qingshan took a large sip of soy milk. "Then... he took Yan Zhun away."

Su Nian raised an eyebrow, his expression subtle.

Luo Qingshan could no longer contain his anger. He had been holding back his temper all night, and if it hadn't been for his friend's birthday, he might have caused a scene at the restaurant.

Worried about causing a scene, he could only ask someone to take him away first.

"Yan Zhun…" Su Nian paused deliberately, "No wonder."

Luo Qingshan asked, "No wonder what?"

"Nothing, I just suddenly remembered… it seems like there's some conflict between us." Su Nian smiled, "Don't you remember when we were chatting in the group, and he randomly scolded me for no reason?"

Of course Luo Qingshan remembered.

Su Nian continued, "But I recall it wasn't long after you and Pei Ran had broken up, right? Even a rocket wouldn't have been that fast… Didn't you notice anything strange about Pei Ran before?"

Luo Qingshan lost his appetite. He put down his fried dough stick and turned to get his coat.

Su Nian quickly grabbed him, "Where are you going?"

"Back to the dorm," Luo Qingshan said, "Thank you for picking me up last night."

Luo Qingshan had already reached the door when Su Nian pulled him back again.

With a furrowed brow, an expression rarely seen on him, Su Nian said after a long while, "Brother Qingshan, Pei Ran has betrayed you, and yet you're still going to look for him?"

Luo Qingshan replied, "It was Yan Zhun's mistake."

Su Nian had more questions, but Luo Qingshan's strength was too great; he couldn't hold on.

So, he could only ask the one question that mattered most: "Brother, in your eyes... what am I to you?"

"A good friend," Luo Qingshan answered tersely, then reached out to rub Su Nian's neck in a perfunctory manner. "Go back to sleep. I'll extend your room for another day when I leave. Goodbye."

-

In the dead of night, Pei Ran had just sent his completed draft to the client and was about to turn off his computer and go to bed. Unexpectedly, within seconds of sending the message, a barrage of QQ notifications flooded in like a storm.

"TZG Super: Ah!"

"TZG Super: Ahhhhhhhh what kind of god are you?!"

"TZG Super: You're incredibly talented, Master! You're so amazing! How did I ever deserve to commission your artwork?!!"

"Feyi: ...It's because the information and photos you provided were detailed enough."

"TZG Supreme: So captivating, so stunning!!"

"TZG Supreme: Can I post this on Weibo, dear? Can I use it to make a cheering banner at the event?[Praying Hands Emoji]"

"Fei Yu Yi: You can, but this price is for personal use. For commercial purposes, we need to discuss the fee."

"TZG Supreme: Understood! You're not only beautiful but also kind-hearted!"

"Fei Yu Yi: .........."

Pei Ran was no stranger to such comments; his Weibo followers seemed to persistently believe he was female.

After submitting the translation, he exhaled in relief and closed QQ.

His gaze fell on the last image file on his desktop. A few seconds later, he double-clicked to open it.

The boy in the drawing had a slightly cold expression, with his shoulders slouching in TZG's team jersey. His fingers rested nonchalantly on the keyboard, while behind him was a somewhat disordered training room, with empty gaming chairs on which other teammates' clothes were casually draped.

Yan Zhun seamlessly blended into this scene, as if he were an actual esports player himself.

Pei Ran sat quietly for a while until his phone pinged with a notification.

"Yan Zhun: Lin Xuhuan's birthday is the day after tomorrow. Want to join me at the base?"

"Pei Ran: Not really. It wouldn't be appropriate to go without him knowing."

"Yan Zhun: He was going to mention it, but I took on the job."

"Pei Ran: ..."

"Yan Zhun: See you in the evening then?"

"Pei Ran: Sure."

"Yan Zhun: Get some rest early."

Pei Ran replied with the same and then closed the chat window. After blurring out the TZZ logo from the painting, he saved it on his phone and posted it on Weibo.

Upon returning from his grooming routine, he found hundreds of new comments under his post.

Pei Ran seldom replied to comments, but tonight he seemed particularly intrigued, scrolling through them on his phone while lying sideways on the bed.

"Ahhhh, it's an e-sports hunk! So good-looking! The style is so different from before, is this a commercial piece?"

"I feel like it resembles a fanwork?"

"Fei Yu Yi: It's neither a commercial piece nor a fanwork."

"Is it a virtual character? Will there be more? I want more of this ship!"

"Fei Yu Yi: It's someone from my real life."

"There's such a handsome person around you?! I don't believe it! It must be beautified!"

"Fei Yu Yi: There is."

"Wait, this background, as an e-sports fan, I strangely find it familiar?"

"So it wasn't just me who thought that! Is it an e-sports player? That doesn't make sense, I should remember someone this handsome."

"Fei Yu Yi: Not a participant."

After sending the reply, Pei Ran pondered for a moment and added another thoughtful comment on this thread:

"Fei Yu Yi: But he's incredibly skilled at gaming."

Pei Ran sporadically replied to a few more comments until sleepiness overtook him, and he shut down Weibo to rest. Upon waking up, he didn't recall the conversation and had posted the artwork on Weibo as a way to save or commemorate it, not for the sake of gaining likes, shares, or comments.

On Lin Xuhuan's birthday, Pei Ran had no classes. In the afternoon, he left early to buy a gift and returned to find Yan Zhun standing outside their college building. Yan Zhun wore a black baseball cap, a white hoodie, and a mask, holding two cups of room-temperature milk tea.

With his striking figure, both men and women passing by couldn't help but glance at him, intentionally or unintentionally.

Yan Zhun turned his head, locking eyes with Pei Ran.

In just a few strides, Yan Zhun stood in front of him, handing over the milk tea and asking with lowered eyes, "What did you buy?"

Pei Ran replied, "A very small neck and shoulder massager."

Very small?

Yan Zhun glanced at the bulging bag, raising an eyebrow noncommittally.

Due to being in the competition period, Lin Xuhuan celebrated his birthday at the base. When they arrived, a table of dishes had just been served, and the wine was prepared.

In the midst of the lively dinner, Lin Xuhuan unwrapped Pei Ran's gift, holding it up and exclaiming, "Look, look! This is what you call a gift! Take a look at what garbage you all have given me..."

The coach asked, "What did they give him?"

"Socks that came with a shoe purchase, an umbrella from a bank promotional event with their logo on it... Am I a trash can or something?" Lin Xuhuan was furious, pointing at his own assault player. "This idiot even gave me a 5GB movie!"

The assault player defended himself confidently, "Do you think I wanted to? I just don't have the cash. What kind of cursed month is this? Why does it feel like everyone around me has a birthday this month?"

Lin Xuhuan hummed in response, "If I hadn't seen you spend 20,000 yuan on a female streamer last night with your alt account, I might have believed you."

Pei Ran: "..."

After having his fun, Lin Xuhuan took a photo of the food with his phone, preparing to post it on Weibo to share with his fans.

Lin Xuhuan often mentioned his fans in conversation, and he indeed had many. His number of Weibo followers ranked within the top three in the esports circle, making him a genuine favorite among advertisers.

Thus, as soon as he opened Weibo, he was flooded with fans' enthusiasm.

Most were wishing him a happy birthday, some had even sent Weibo red envelopes, and a small portion had presented customized birthday gifts.

The more Lin Xuhuan looked at them, the wider his smile grew. Until he stumbled upon a fan-made sketch, causing him to exclaim, "Damn!"

It was from a fan named "TZG Highest," depicting him as cool and dashing, holding a trophy in hand.

He studied it repeatedly before commenting, "You draw really well."

Within seconds, the other person went wild, spamming "ah ah ah" before finally calming down.

"TZG Highest: No, no, wait! I didn't draw this! It's by @Fei Yu Yi, M'am!"

Out of curiosity, Lin Xuhuan clicked on the Weibo account that was tagged.

Pei Ran ate quietly. Even in such a rowdy environment, he seldom spoke, only occasionally chuckling at something amusing.

As they spent more time together, everyone loosened up. The sharpshooter, pouring himself a drink, eyed the empty glass in front of Pei Ran.

The marksman casually offered to pour him a glass too. "Pei Ran, would you like some…?"

Yan Zhun lifted his hand to block the rim of Pei Ran's glass. "He doesn't drink."

The marksman was taken aback for a moment before he chuckled. "Why are you acting like his parent? Just a little bit won't hurt."

Recently, they had a competition, and after much pleading, their coach allowed them each two small glasses of low-alcohol ice beer.

Yan Zhun looked at Pei Ran, realizing that the latter was seeking his permission. Pei Ran said, "It's alright, I can have some."

The marksman smiled. "See there…"

"Shit!" Lin Xuhuan exclaimed loudly. "Oh shit! Bro!"

His volume was so high that Yan Zhun frowned in response. "What's going on?"

Lin Xuhuan held up his phone and flipped it around. "Quick, look at this drawing! Doesn't it resemble you!"

Yan Zhun glanced over, but before he could study it closely, the person beside him suddenly started coughing violently.

Pei Ran's expression was unusually flustered; his eyes widened slightly as he appeared at a loss –

In Lin Xuhuan's hand was his painting.

To be precise... it was a portrait of Yan Zhun that he had drawn.

But... how could this be? He didn't have many followers on Weibo, it wasn't a commercial commission, and there had been no promotion. Why would Lin Xuhuan find it?

Yan Zhun's voice drifted from beside him, "Give it here, let me see."

Upon seeing himself in the painting, Yan Zhun was initially taken aback. He tapped to view the full image and studied it for a moment.

After a long while, he glanced at the blogger's ID.

Fei Yu Yi.

"Damn, it really does resemble you," his coach remarked, peering over in surprise. "This wasn't actually painted from life, was it?"

Yan Zhun glanced at the person next to him. Pei Ran had his head down, meticulously picking up noodles with his chopsticks, one by one.

He found it amusing and replied nonchalantly, "Who knows?"

"And looking at the blogger's response, they claim to have drawn a real person and are also skilled at gaming..." Lin Xuhuan said, "Is it really that bizarre?"

The coach took another glance. "Don't you think that even the background looks similar to our training room?"

Thoughtlessly eating, Pei Ran realized he shouldn't have been lazy and referenced TZG's training room.

"Wait a moment, bro. Could it be like this?" Lin Xuhuan stroked his nonexistent beard. "Could this person be a fan from when you were in the youth training team? Even though you've been gone for years, they still have you in their heart..."

"It's not possible," Yan Zhun said. "My hair wasn't this long back then."

Lin Xuhuan looked again. "...That's true."

The assault player commented, "Tsk, the more I look, the more alike it is. This must be you... Has a young girl who's learning to draw been pursuing you recently?"

Pei Ran paused in his actions, his heart pounding like a drum as if he had been called out in class.

"No," Yan Zhun said. "I don't know many people who are into drawing."

The people around the table engaged in an extended discussion about the painting. Yan Zhun listened quietly until those beside him were almost burying their faces into their bowls before he spoke up, "Enough, it was just a coincidence. Are we done eating? Should we have a practice match?"

Although it was Lin Xuhuan's birthday today, they still had a competition the day after tomorrow, so everyone needed to train.

Given that Lin Xuhuan hadn't managed to eat a single bite of cake last year, as it all ended up on his face, he didn't order one this year. Satiated with food and drink, they stretched lazily before heading towards the gaming room.

As usual, Coach had reserved a seat for Pei Ran in the audience area. Walking side by side with Yan Zhun at the back of the group, when they reached the fork between the training room and the lounge, Yan Zhun gently tugged on Pei Ran's finger. Pei Ran instinctively halted his steps.

Yan Zhun didn't pause, brushing past Pei Ran's shoulder deliberately while lowering his voice.

"The painting is very nice," he said softly. "Thank you, Teacher Pei."