Chapter 36

The summer night was slightly warm, and insects chirped in the grass.

Rong Yi leaned against the villa door, stunned for a moment.

Xiao Yin’s fingertips touched his cheek, his eyes lowered. For the first time, Rong Yi saw something… tentative in those eyes.

Rong Yi doubted what he heard, but reason told him it was very quiet around them, and there was no chance he had misheard.

Seeing him not speak, Xiao Yin lowered his voice even more and asked, “Is it okay?”

Rong Yi’s ears grew warm, a little confused about the situation, trying to avoid his gaze. “What do you mean by pursuing me? Aren’t we now…”

Together. Reconciled.

Busy with the team.

But it didn’t seem complete.

He chose a word, trying to keep his tone calm and cautious: “Didn’t we agree before? A contractual relationship.”

To avoid awkwardness while working together, they resumed their romantic relationship.

He looked at him, the night deep, making it hard to see clearly.

In fact, he couldn’t quite make out Xiao Yin’s expression either. Almost pressed against the door by Xiao Yin, the only light was from a hallway lamp behind him, casting shadows on his face.

Hidden in the night, only the warm breath remained, carrying a hint of mint.

Xiao Yin’s fingertips still lingered on Rong Yi’s cheek.

Rong Yi felt his legs go weak. Realizing this, his foot slipped, and the door behind him beeped, “Prolonged obstruction detected.”

But at that moment, Xiao Yin’s hand had already come over, wrapping around his waist.

Rong Yi was already quite tall, but Xiao Yin was much taller, able to lift him effortlessly with one hand.

Rong Yi was wearing new shoes today, and the soles were still slippery. When Xiao Yin lifted him, he instinctively hugged his shoulders, taking a step back before he steadied himself and softly thanked him.

Xiao Yin’s body was firm, his posture upright, muscles strong. The warmth of his body enveloped him.

Rong Yi’s hand trembled slightly, then he turned back to re-enter the password and press the asterisk key to unlock the door.

The lock buzzed, and Rong Yi reached to push it open, but his wrist was grabbed again.

Xiao Yin’s voice came from behind him, very soft: “Did we agree to keep it the same as before?”

“I’ve thought about it for a long time. I didn’t make it clear when I first came back.”

Xiao Yin said, “You’re avoiding me.”

Rong Yi finally succeeded in opening the door, his hands no longer trembling.

He stopped, took a deep breath, then looked at Xiao Yin and said, “I’m not avoiding you.”

He wasn’t quite sure how to explain.

The living room was still pitch black, neither of them had turned on the light. Rong Yi said, “In fact, I don’t even know what you’re thinking. I thought our relationship was just…”

He said, “Partners, and nominal lovers. We fulfill each other’s needs as adults.”

“What I mean is, I want to develop a personal relationship with you.”

After listening, Xiao Yin followed up, his voice calm and precise, “I like you and want to date you.”

Rong Yi was stunned for a long time.

When had Xiao Yin ever said anything like this? One of his ears was burning, and he felt like he had entered another dimension.

Is this really Xiao Yin?

Rong Yi stammered, “Let’s not talk about dating for now…”

Xiao Yin’s sharp eyes lifted, quietly watching him.

In the dark, his phoenix eyes appeared more emotional and composed.

Yet, as those words left Rong Yi’s mouth, Xiao Yin’s eyes dimmed slightly, like a candle flickering in the wind.

“Can I ask you for a reason?” Xiao Yin continued, his voice still calm but now tinged with caution.

Rong Yi closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

Objectively speaking, there were no insurmountable obstacles between him and Xiao Yin. Any misunderstandings had been explained. However, re-entering the same relationship with the same person wasn’t something that could be done easily.

Xiao Yin, in all aspects, was excellent. But from what Rong Yi knew, he was a bit too detached and result-oriented.

In other words, although Xiao Yin was gay, his personality was particularly straightforward.

Rong Yi had already experienced what it was like to be in a relationship with him. Now, working with such a big shot every day and occasionally enjoying his good looks for free seemed pretty good to him.

The idea of falling in love again, especially with Xiao Yin, made him nervous.

More importantly, he had never considered this possibility.

Rong Yi thought of a suitable reason: “The team has just been established, and the regular season isn’t over yet… it’s not about you. I just don’t want to be distracted while focusing on my career.”

Rong Yi lowered his eyes, his soft bangs falling over his forehead. He cautiously explained, “So, this… I think it’s pretty good as it is. You don’t have to worry about it, really. Let’s just focus on our careers.”

After he finished speaking, he let out a light sigh, his heart still racing.

“I understand.”

Xiao Yin let go of his wrist, his eyes dropping as well. “I’m sorry for giving you a bad date experience today.”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant.”

Rong Yi felt this conversation was becoming increasingly awkward, and he just wanted to escape: “I’ll go take a shower. It’s late, you should rest too.”

He controlled himself not to look at Xiao Yin’s reaction, quickly went upstairs, and shut the door. Then he threw himself onto the bed, burying his face in the covers silently.

After the initial confusion, nervousness and shyness kicked in, making him feel hot all over.

Rong Yi wished the world would pause for a second, just to let him catch his breath.

After rolling around for a while, he finally calmed down. Having not reported to Lin Yi all day, he picked up his phone and started texting him frantically.

“Lin-Ge, Lin-Ge, are you there?”

Lin Yi was just about to fall asleep when he was woken up by the pings: “What’s up? What’s up?”

Rong Yi thought for a long time, not knowing how to say it. Finally, he typed on his phone screen, “Yin suddenly said he wants to pursue me.”

Lin Yi: “?”

Lin Yi: “? What kind of move is this? Didn’t he say you two were getting back together?”

Rong Yi scratched his small bangs, replying after a long pause: “I don’t know either.”

After sending that, he laughed to himself, “I can’t believe he would say something like that. All these years, I never noticed.”

“He even said he likes me.”

Thinking back on it, it was quite unexpected.

“Who could have guessed? Just yesterday, I was saying Yin has no heart.” Lin Yi typed back, “By the way, did he ever say he liked you when you were together?”

“No.”

Back then, there was no need for Xiao Yin to say anything; Rong Yi was like a little red flower blooming towards him. Just a smile from him could light up Rong Yi’s entire world.

“Well, he’s quite heartless,” Lin Yi continued tapping on his phone. “Don’t be so quick to agree after getting all happy.”

“I know that.”

Rong Yi thought for a moment and decided to defend Xiao Yin, “He’s not heartless; the team is still the most important thing.”

He pondered a bit more and said, “Also, office romance is not advisable. If we seriously started dating and then broke up, could I still stay as the captain of VIT?”

“He’s clearly heartless, okay? Don’t let his good looks blind you.”

Lin Yi was frustrated, “But it’s good that you’re thinking this way.”

“Yes, there are plenty of men out there,” Rong Yi agreed. “But I only have one ideal team.”

Lin Yi perked up, “Should I continue introducing partners to you? How about that guy with the abs from today?”

Rong Yi’s attention was successfully diverted, “You’re not getting too deep into this for my sake, are you?”

Lin Yi said, “Of course, I have to make sure you find the right person. I know a lot of people.”

Lin Yi indeed had a wide network, and Rong Yi didn’t reject the idea, though he wasn’t overly enthusiastic.

Right now, he was still quite infatuated with Xiao Yin.

If he could get over Xiao Yin, it would save him a lot of trouble, and the team dynamics would be normal.

Rong Yi coughed, steering the conversation away from this topic, “We’ll see about that later.”

“So, what about today?”

“Nice muscles.”

Rong Yi laughed again. He always felt a sense of familial warmth from Lin Yi, so he joked, “I want someone tall and handsome, with muscles that are well-defined but not exaggerated. Someone who looks slim in clothes but muscular without, and can pull off a suit really well.”

“No problem,” Lin Yi replied, not sure if he was just humoring him. “I’ll introduce you to a hundred then, okay?”

“Alright, alright.”

After chatting with Lin Yi, Rong Yi felt the earlier awkwardness dissipate. He quickly took a shower and went to bed.

Because he slept late, Rong Yi woke up a bit later than usual the next day, stepping out of his room at 7:30.

In their Club, 7:30 AM was considered quite early. Xiao Yin’s working hours were from 9 AM to 5 PM, with only the Operations Team and Data Team having people on night shifts.

Just as Rong Yi came downstairs and turned towards the Cafeteria, he noticed that there were significantly more early risers today than usual.

The Club’s Cafeteria and the players’ dining area were separate. The meals for a few Club members were usually prepared by a dedicated Auntie, but Rong Yi liked to go to the Cafeteria to have some youtiao and steamed buns.

Rong Yi had just poured a cup of soya milk and, with his steamed buns, found a seat. Looking up, he noticed that at the next table was a familiar face from the Operations Team.

Rong Yi remembered asking Xiao Yin to handle the photo issue last time, which had kept her busy for quite a while, so he greeted her proactively, his eyes curving into a smile, “Good morning. You’re here early today.”

The young lady from Operations noticed him and replied, “Oh my, Captain Rong! Good morning, good morning.”

She took a sip of her soya milk and sat across from him, shrugging with a smile, “Everyone’s here early today. The Boss sent out documents overnight, and it scared us to death. Who would dare not come in early?”

“What documents?” Rong Yi asked curiously.

“No idea.” The Operations staff looked puzzled as she pulled out her phone to show him the group chat. “The Boss usually only cares about the Data Team, leaving us pretty much alone. But last night, he suddenly sent several reports and quarterly tasks.”

“I heard from the Data Team too. Tasks that were due next week, the Boss stayed up all night completing them, and now he’s assigning new tasks. No one knows what’s going on.”

She complained a bit, “It’s good that he’s finally giving us some requirements, but it’s so scary. I hope it’s not like this every day.”

Rong Yi checked his phone.

As a Pro Player, he wasn’t part of Xiao Yin’s company operations, so he couldn’t see the specifics. However, many people he had added were indeed lamenting on their social media.

Even Hydralisk was lamenting in the group chat.

“Damn it, what’s Yin on today? Early in the morning, he handed out customized schedules for everyone. He said he’d personally train my anti-GANK abilities. Who needs that! Who can survive under his training!”

“Someone, please stop him! Can anyone stop him? Can someone protect their teammates’ mentality?”

“He’s gone mad, he’s really gone mad.”

Hydralisk then posted his match record—he had been killed by Xiao Yin thirty times in a row during the simulated scrims.

Accompanied by Xiao Yin’s coach comment: “Slight improvement in anti-GANK ability.”

Grey Cat was also driven to madness: “Yin actually said my Support skills still need improvement! Even though he’s right, it just makes you want to punch him when he says it! I won’t sleep tonight; I have to beat him!”

Wu Daogu: “I second that.”

Judging by the time of Hydralisk’s lament, he had already been tortured by Xiao Yin for two hours.

Hydralisk started sending private messages to Rong Yi: “Captain! Why aren’t you up yet? Can you come save us, please?”

Rong Yi, carrying his steamed buns and soya milk, bid farewell to the Operations Xiao Jiejie and headed to the Training Room.

From outside the Training Room, he watched through the glass, munching on his steamed buns.

All four teammates were already in position.

Xiao Yin, wearing headphones, was adjusting some data.

His developed software allowed for infinite replay analysis and simulation of existing match scenarios. He was using it to endlessly train Hydralisk’s anti-GANK abilities with Jungler Di, while everyone else brainstormed to find a breakthrough.

This type of training was something they did daily, though usually in phases.

For instance, they generally aimed for overall team synergy, which had greater benefits than extensive individual training—though individual training wasn’t without its merits.

Hydralisk and Grey Cat needed practical growth, and until they matured, it was normal for the other three in the team to bear higher risks.

However, Xiao Yin seemed a bit too pushy today.

VIT had never undergone military-style training before. In fact, the only people in the entire Club who could adapt to this training method were Rong Yi and Xiao Yin.

Rong Yi quickly finished two steamed buns outside, then entered the Training Room with his soya milk.

Everyone looked up at him, expressions of relief on their faces.

Xiao Yin noticed the others’ gazes and took off his headphones, looking over at Rong Yi with a calm and indifferent expression.

His sharp phoenix eyes were piercing.

Although everyone had been complaining in the group chat, they were still afraid of him. Despite being tormented, they remained silent.

Rong Yi thought for a moment and asked, “Has everyone eaten?”

“Yes, yes, we’re all just waiting for you, Captain,” Grey Cat said obediently, pretending he hadn’t been complaining in the group chat. “Yin-Ge made us do extra practice all morning.”

“How tragic,” Rong Yi said with a smile, his eyes curving. He then asked Xiao Yin, “Do I have to as well?”

“Damn it!”

Hydralisk frantically messaged in the group chat, “We’ve been tricked! Easy was always the Juan Wang1! How did I forget!”

“A match made in heaven!” Wu Daogu, embracing his masochistic side, coldly observed the chaos, “A sadist paired with a workaholic, the true spirit of enterprise.”

Grey Cat sent a gritted teeth fighting emoji.

Xiao Yin looked at Rong Yi, pausing for a rare moment before lowering his eyes and speaking.

“You don’t have to.”

It was as if last night’s events had never happened; both sides were natural, and the conversation felt like any other training session before.

Not much was said, just straight to the point.

Rong Yi sat down at his station, booted up his computer, and after a long while, decided to send Xiao Yin a private message.

“What’s going on with you?”

Just as he sent those few words, he came across a post from the Operations Xiao Jiejie—the Operations Team was starting to move equipment and edit the team’s daily activities, and they were required to post updates three times a week.

Things were getting a bit tricky.

Xiao Yin replied quickly, and everyone saw him pausing his tormenting behavior to send a message.

Rong Yi looked down at his phone and saw the message.

[Yin]: “You said you wanted to focus on your career and not get distracted.”

[Yin]: “I want to speed up my career progress.”

Footnote:

1. Juan Wang(卷王): Is someone who excels in a particular field through hard work and dedication. It’s often used to describe a top student or a very diligent worker, similar to a “go-getter” or a “high achiever” in English.