Perhaps it was because he had been drinking, but the boy's voice was slightly hoarse, and it sounded especially obedient.
Shen Kuangye unconsciously lowered his voice: "Go to bed."
After saying that, worried that his tone might have sounded commanding, he added gently, "Be good."
Lu Xiangyang blinked at him in a daze for a moment before slowly getting up and obediently crawling into bed, curling himself up. Even though his eyes were so heavy he could barely keep them open, he still asked, "What about you?"
Shen Kuangye's lips curved into a smile he didn't even notice: "I'll come after a bit."
By the time he finished showering, Lu Xiangyang had already fallen asleep.
He still retained his old sleeping habits, curling up at the edge of the bed as if the slightest movement would make him fall.
It was a posture full of insecurity.
When Shen Kuangye got into bed, he scooted him toward the center.
Lu Xiangyang didn't wake up. He still carried a faint scent of fruity alcohol—not unpleasant, actually sweet.
Feeling the warmth, he burrowed his head into Shen Kuangye's chest like a cat, and once he found a comfortable position, he stopped. Then, suddenly, he let out a soft laugh, as if something had made him truly happy.
Shen Kuangye smiled along with him.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
He didn't expect the slightly drunk boy to respond.
"I'll be a professional player too, someday."
Lu Xiangyang grinned, speaking unclearly.
He had first come into contact with the game Identity V at sixteen and had been intensely interested ever since, studying strategies daily and achieving excellent results. Later, he learned that there were professional competitions for the game, and he began to follow them, watching player after player perform brilliantly in tournaments. He was extremely envious and, from that moment, hoped that one day he could step onto the professional stage and create his own brilliance.
From then on, even though he knew he had great talent, he never let himself slack off. He always stayed on edge, fully aware that while his abilities might stand out among ordinary people, they might seem unremarkable among professional players.
Being a professional required not just talent, but effort and research.
After graduating from high school at eighteen, he argued with his mother until she finally agreed to let him pursue a professional career.
He finally got into the youth training camp, but soon received some bad news from his mother. Thankfully, Shen Kuangye was there to help him handle it.
Now, he had finally become a true professional player.
Tonight, the alcohol didn't actually smell very sweet; it was just that Lu Xiangyang was a little excited and joyful, wanting to celebrate a bit.
"I'll win the championship someday."
He was breathing steadily again, but suddenly another sentence slipped out:
"And then, I'll get treatment for Mom and return the money to my brother."
Then he could interact with his brother without any burdens.
But he had drunk too heavily, and the last part didn't actually get spoken.
Shen Kuangye stared at him for a long while, asking softly, "Why did you suddenly call me 'brother'?"
Lu Xiangyang thought for a moment, then answered off-topic: "Cheng Rang said you're scary. I argued with him—you're not scary. You're really nice."
"How do you know I'm nice? You've only known me a few days."
Shen Kuangye countered.
"You saved Mom, helped me see through Ella, brought me into EAR…"
And he had helped with complicated hospital procedures, comforted him, encouraged him—everything Lu Xiangyang couldn't do seemed to be done by Shen Kuangye.
The more he spoke, the more he felt like he couldn't finish; he had only known Shen Kuangye for a few days, yet he had already helped so many times.
"Anyway… brother is just nice," he concluded.
"What if I was a bad guy trying to get close to you on purpose?"
Shen Kuangye teased him deliberately.
Lu Xiangyang was still too trusting, too lacking in caution.
It didn't matter; Shen Kuangye would handle the obstacles. Lu Xiangyang only needed to be happy and be himself.
"Brother isn't a bad guy."
Lu Xiangyang's voice had a hint of seriousness: "Don't say that."
He was clearly too drunk, even mistaking Shen Kuangye for a stranger trying to create conflict.
Shen Kuangye looked down at the person in his arms under the moonlight.
"Lu Xiangyang."
His voice was low; the huge room was so quiet that this faint word could be heard.
No response came.
"Congratulations on becoming a professional player."
"I hope your life ahead is smooth."
Without that bloodsucking club, Shen Kuangye believed Lu Xiangyang could perform even better.
Adversity could indeed help someone grow, but his vitality would shine stronger in love and sunlight.
Shen Kuangye wasn't sure what the future held; perhaps he would disappear from this world soon, but before leaving, he wanted to make sure everything was taken care of for Lu Xiangyang.
—
The Identity V fan forum was in a frenzy over the transfer season, debating which teams would take in new players.
Everyone was most concerned about the top two ranked youth trainees and where they would go.
The ranking of youth trainees wasn't important; what mattered was their terrifying stats and win rates, far ahead of the third-place player. One had already been discussed years ago as the top scorer.
It was obvious how in-demand they were.
"Guaranteed to join Ella, huh?"
"I think so too."
"Didn't you see the rumors? They rejected Ella and agreed to join EAR."
"EAR? Really? That reckless?"
"Seems real—book posted it in the group and deleted it right after. [Image]"
"Definitely true! My friend works near the EAR club and saw them. They even had two super handsome newcomers. I think that must be the two youth trainees."
"Handsome guys? Back in the day, BW and CITY were also handsome, played professionally for years, and now they're just part of my past (tears). Identity V really ruins people!"
"Damn, I'm pumped just thinking about handsome guys! I want official photos!!"
"Three days left, hurry hurry hurry!!"
—
"Lift your head a little… yes, like that."
The makeup artist held the eyeliner, slightly lifting Lu Xiangyang's chin.
It was his first time wearing makeup, and he was a little nervous; the eyeliner felt cool against his skin.
After finishing one eye, he sneakily glanced at Shen Kuangye.
He was much more practiced, completely expressionless, eyes down on his phone.
Shen Kuangye noticed the glance immediately. Suddenly, he looked up from the mirror and met Lu Xiangyang's eyes. Without moving his head, he handed him a cup from the table: "Drink some water."
Lu Xiangyang only realized he was a little thirsty.
He looked at the simple black thermos, saying nothing.
Shen Kuangye then remembered that Lu Xiangyang was a bit of a clean freak.
Shen Kuangye himself was extremely particular about cleanliness, but he thought it didn't matter with Lu Xiangyang.
Yet Lu Xiangyang seemed to think otherwise.
Just as Shen Kuangye was about to explain that the cup was new and unused, Lu Xiangyang seemed to sense it had been touched by someone else and reacted quickly, as if afraid the cup would be put away: "Okay."
Shen Kuangye glanced sideways, surprised. Lu Xiangyang had already taken a sip.
His previously dry lips regained some redness.
Lu Xiangyang tasted it; there was a faint sweetness: "Kuangye, do you like jujube tea?"
Shen Kuangye didn't particularly like it.
He had prepared it for Lu Xiangyang, who liked cold drinks, stayed up late, and sometimes had low blood sugar.
Over time, it wasn't good for his health; drinking more of this nourishing tea could help.
These little habits needed time to develop.
The thermos was heavy; Lu Xiangyang's hands would get tired.
So Shen Kuangye carried it for him.
"It's okay," Lu Xiangyang said, and unconsciously took another sip of the jujube tea, looking happier.
Shen Kuangye was very satisfied.
"You two are really close. Have you known each other long?"
The makeup artist remarked.
Shen Kuangye noticed Lu Xiangyang's smile grew brighter after hearing that.
How could this guy get so happy so easily?
Lu Xiangyang hadn't even started to explain when Shen Kuangye replied with a simple: "A long time ago."
The makeup artist was even more surprised: "Really? You both look so young. Were you high school classmates?"
"No," Shen Kuangye said. "I'm his brother."
He glanced at Lu Xiangyang, whose beautiful peach blossom eyes widened in surprise. He seemed to suddenly realize something, and his ears turned red.
Shen Kuangye couldn't help but laugh.
How could his face be so thin-skinned?
Lu Xiangyang's ears stayed red all the way through the makeup photoshoot.
Shen Kuangye watched him from the side.
The photographer asked him to pose.
Although Lu Xiangyang knew plenty of cool poses, he froze, and the photographer had to adjust him a few times before he slightly loosened up.
In the end, the photos turned out well.
The boy's face was still youthful, yet handsome. Paired with his extreme cold expression, he carried a certain "Cold Emperor" aura.
Whenever Shen Kuangye stood there to be photographed, the photographer would shoot a full frame instantly.
According to him, Shen Kuangye exuded a cold, indifferent aura; his features were flawless, and he didn't need to pose—just standing there, the sense of authority was palpable.
Later, they took a full team photo.
It was at this moment that they met Lin An.
Lin An had plasters on his wrists.
He looked thin, probably due to illness.
Seeing Shen Kuangye, he smiled slightly and walked over: "Hello, I'm Lin An. I wasn't at the club for the past couple of days."
Shen Kuangye replied lightly: "Shen Kuangye."
Lu Xiangyang added his own name.
Lin An smiled at Lu Xiangyang: "Shall we add each other on WeChat? It'll be easier to contact each other since I won't come to the club often."
His voice carried a hint of loneliness.
Everyone knew what tendonitis meant for a professional player.
When Shen Kuangye opened his phone, he glanced casually and noticed something surprising: "Are you a minimalist? Why are there only two contacts in your chat?"
Then he realized: "Sorry, I wasn't looking on purpose."
Shen Kuangye didn't mind: "It's fine."
Lu Xiangyang peeked at it and saw that Shen Kuangye really only had two contacts.
The top contact's profile picture looked familiar—almost like his own.
Had Shen Kuangye pinned him to the top?
As Lu Xiangyang tried to read the screen, Shen Kuangye noticed.
He asked softly: "What are you looking at?"
Lu Xiangyang looked caught and embarrassed, rubbing his hair and glancing around: "N-nothing."
After accepting Lin An's friend request, Shen Kuangye handed the phone to Lu Xiangyang: "Is your phone out of battery? Use mine."
He thought about the apps on his own phone, adding: "There aren't many fun apps. Download whatever you want."
Lu Xiangyang wanted to refuse, but Shen Kuangye had already placed the phone in his hands.
The screen wasn't even off; it stayed on the WeChat interface.
Lu Xiangyang finally noticed Shen Kuangye had set his full name as a note—just three simple characters: Lu Xiangyang.
The other two were Xing Xing and Lin An.
He didn't seem to be treated differently from others.
He felt a twinge of indescribable disappointment but knew he was a little greedy.
And he noticed that although Shen Kuangye had set his full name, he had only pinned him to the top.
Lu Xiangyang felt a little happy again.
Cheng Rang, sitting on a nearby chair, clicked his tongue twice at the scene.
"What's wrong?" Pei Xunan asked.
"Nothing," Cheng Rang said lazily. "Just found something interesting."
"Is there anything uninteresting in your eyes?" Pei Xunan, always gentle with others, teased: "I'd be grateful if you didn't cause trouble."
Cheng Rang chuckled: "Who said I find everything interesting?"
He glanced at Pei Xunan: "For example, you—I find you very boring."
—
After the group photo, Lin An left first; he still needed to recuperate.
Back at the club, Shen Kuangye went to get takeout. When he returned, Lu Xiangyang was in the bathroom wiping his mouth.
He had rubbed it until it was almost sore.
He'd been wearing lip gloss all day and was uncomfortable; now he just wanted to remove it, but for some reason, water alone didn't clean his lips.
Lu Xiangyang was frustrated.
"Don't move."
Shen Kuangye opened the takeout bag and took out two bottles: "I'll help you."
Lu Xiangyang obediently put down his hands and watched Shen Kuangye pour some liquid onto a cloth, gently lifting his chin and rubbing his lips with the wet side.
From Lu Xiangyang's perspective, he could see Shen Kuangye's flawless face clearly. He was focused, lips slightly cold due to seriousness.
Lu Xiangyang thought randomly: Shen Kuangye looks even better without makeup.
But… weren't they too close?
He could clearly smell the faint mint scent on Shen Kuangye and hear his soft breathing.
Shen Kuangye was too focused to notice that the person opposite him was slowly turning into a flustered little ball.
After a while, the lip gloss that wouldn't come off with water or tissue completely disappeared.
Lu Xiangyang felt amazed.
"So you can't just use water?"
His expression showed shock; this was beyond his previous understanding.
He had thought makeup could just be washed off with water.
"This is makeup remover. Pour some in your hand, rub it on your face a few times, and it comes off easily."
Shen Kuangye handed him the other bottle.
Only then did Lu Xiangyang realize why Shen Kuangye went to get takeout.
He had thought of even this small detail.
"Thanks," he whispered.
"For what?"
Shen Kuangye smiled lightly: "You called me 'brother' last night, didn't you?"
He had only been joking, but Lu Xiangyang immediately turned away, silently washing his face.
Yet his ears were red again.
After drying his face with a towel, Lu Xiangyang looked at Shen Kuangye and whispered: "Sorry."
Shen Kuangye: "?"
Just as he was about to ask why he was apologizing, Lu Xiangyang said, guilty: "I didn't mean to call you that. If you don't like it, I won't call you that anymore."
The more he thought about it, the more he felt he had gone too far.
Calling someone "brother" without permission, especially knowing Shen Kuangye had a deceased younger brother, felt like he was deliberately stealing someone else's sibling.
He really felt bad.
Lu Xiangyang almost wished he could go back to the drunken night and cover his own mouth.
He looked so cheerful and obedient, but after all, he was a sensitive kid raised by a single parent.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Shen Kuangye said: "Then I should also apologize for jokingly telling them that you're my brother."
Lu Xiangyang quickly said: "No need, I don't mind."
Shen Kuangye looked down at him: "I feel the same way."
He thought for a moment and added:
"You can call me 'brother.'"
"But from now on, only you can call me that."
"Do you agree?"