CH 24.1

Lin Xiao felt the unfriendly gazes falling upon him and rubbed at the messy strands of his hair somewhat helplessly. Of course, he had not forgotten how “his” relationship with these people had originated. However, based on the current situation, it seemed that they had a much deeper impression of him than he had expected…

One particular gaze that fell on him was exceptionally chilly. He raised his eyes to look in its direction and saw that the person directing it at him did not have even the slightest hint of emotion expressed on his face. That pair of eyes regarded him so coldly that they were as chilly as the Ice Age1. The deep, indescribable hatred that those eyes contained was clearly visible.

Yet, Lin Xiao did not feel even a trace of annoyance. Rather, he slowly and casually turned his gaze towards that person’s face. No matter the angle at which he looked at it, the contours of that face still looked so good that they seemed almost perfect.

Like this, Lin Xiao’s attention began to sweep downwards, moving bit by bit from the strands of his hair to his lower jaw, then his neck, his waist, his legs, and finally to the pristine and immaculate pair of shoes he wore. When he was done, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

You Jing in person looked somewhat skinnier than he did on screen. Although Team Black Rose’s uniform hung casually on his body, this did not at all affect the cold and lofty temperament that made him difficult to approach. Even if he was just casually standing somewhere like he was now, the impression he gave others was more akin to that of English or French royalty and nobles from the past, rather than simply the upper class celebrities who stood at the peak of today’s society. He gave off an indescribable sense of aristocratic elegance.

Lin Xiao, who was currently standing in front of him, paled greatly in comparison.

“This handsome guy, will you leave by yourself, or do you want us to call for security to ‘escort’ you away?” The smile on Liu Zeshen’s face looked so kind that it was almost as if the implications of his words were equally friendly.

“Don’t, I’m here to look for someone!” Lin Xiao hurriedly stopped them as he looked at the handphone that he had fished out.

“We all know that you’re here to look for someone. I say, could you possibly be more shameless!” The disregardment in Lin Xiao’s reply made Xu Yiming so angry that his hair stood on end. Unconsciously, he stood between Lin Xiao and You Jing and said threateningly, “If you ever cause as much trouble as you did last time, don’t blame me for not going easy on you!”

“Last time? What trouble did I cause last time?” The intonation of Lin Xiao’s reply rose slightly as he tilted his head in a contemplative expression, showing that he did not remember.

“Last time, you wanted to molest our captain in broad daylight…” Before Xu Yiming could speak any further, Xu Yichen promptly covered his mouth and quickly dragged him aside.

You Jing’s cold words echoed gloomily, “What are you doing standing here, let’s go back.”

Everyone felt their whole body turn cold. Immediately, they followed him and headed towards the exit without saying anything more.

You Jing did not look at Lin Xiao again. He walked forward and passed him, as if no one else was present. He acted as if Lin Xiao did not exist at all.

However, in the brief instant that their bodies brushed past each other, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed his left wrist.

You Jing’s steps suddenly stopped when he felt the slight warmth penetrating through his skin. In a flat and dull tone laced with a threat, he said, “Let go.”

Lin Xiao acted as if he was completely unaware of the pressure directed at him by this low voice. Rather, he silently increased the strength exerted by his hand. In a soft voice that only the two of them could hear, he casually brushed past You Jing’s ear and whispered, “Captain You, don’t think that warming it with some hot water is enough. When necessary, you must remember to apply some medicine…”

As he heard these words, the depths of You Jing’s eyes shimmered slightly. He looked to his side and happened to make brief eye contact with Lin Xiao. In that moment, all he saw was a casual and thoughtless2 smile full of sincerity.

However, since he was aware of this person’s true nature, this sincerity just caused him to feel even more aversion.

The feeling of Lin Xiao’s direct touch at his wrist caused You Jing to feel extremely disconcerted, as if it was creeping into his heart bit by bit.

With his lips and teeth slightly parted, You Jing’s voice became even more frigid as he clearly spat out the words “Get lost.”

“Ai3, why ask me to get lost?” Lin Xiao was rendered speechless by the other’s lack of appreciation towards his kind intentions. He unwittingly raised his tone of voice, as if You Jing’s actions were completely unfounded.

However, he did not have the chance to explain how kind and thoughtful his reminder was. The other suddenly suddenly lifted his feet and straightforwardly stepped away without showing him even a shred of sympathy.

Shocked, Lin Xiao hurriedly hopped a few steps backwards to avoid this sneak attack and said in a dissatisfied manner, “Don’t think that I won’t dare to hit you just because you’re good-looking!”

The expressions of the bystanders immediately darkened upon hearing these words.

However, Lin Xiao continued to speak while giving the poster in his hands a little shake. “I know that you don’t want to see me, but you should be a little gentler to the fans of your team. Do you have to be so vicious as to directly want to harm me!”

“I’ll say this one last time, get away from me.” You Jing swept him with a chilly glance, turned and walked away without leave.

At almost the same time, the others had subconsciously taken a few steps forward, wanting to take the opportunity to take care of this damned stalker once and for all.

Lin Xiao took a look at the silhouette that was getting further and further away, as well as at the antagonistic4 looks of those around him. He sighed helplessly, and felt a strange sense that his future life living under the same roof as these people would be worrisome. Based on the current situation, when he entered the team in the future, it would probably be extremely complicated for him to get close to and develop a good, loving relationship with his captain…

Xu Yiming spread his arms wide to block off the path in front of him. It was only after You Jing had left that he silently glanced at the poster with the large print of Shen Changyu’s face on it. He couldn’t help but complain, “I say, since you yourself have acknowledged that you are our fan, you should be a little more professional. You could actually even bring the wrong poster.”

Lin Xiao was just about to roll up the poster, but paused when he heard these words. With a “hua la”5 sound, he spread the poster open and displayed it to everyone before him.

Pointing at Shen Changyu, who was standing close by, he raised his eyebrows and said, “Who said I brought the wrong one? I originally came today to look for God Shen.”

He looked towards the direction in which his finger was pointing. The moment he had spoken these words, Shen Changyu completely froze on the spot as he was enveloped by the stares coming from all directions.

Lin Xiao broke out in a smile that was directed at him. “God Shen, I didn’t get it wrong, did I? That you would be able to see me the moment you came out.”

After a long period of silence, Shen Changyu made an “en” sound in a vague tone of voice.

The interaction between the two left everyone else in complete shock. They couldn’t help but look at each other, unable to process the way that the latest developments of the current situation had unfolded before them. Why did this gay man who had unabashedly chased after their captain suddenly seem to be so familiar with their vice captain?

Qin Lei, who had never witnessed the previous spectacle, was the first to break. He looked back and forth between both people quite a few times, then weakly asked, “Vice Captain Shen, what the heck is going on?”

“That’s right, what the heck is going on! This thing has actually changed favorites?” Xu Yiming felt as if his brain was not powerful enough to process this. This didn’t make sense! All of his actions just now had definitely been that of a person who bore unrequited love for their captain, not like those of someone who had stopped being a fan! This fxxker, could he be prepared to ride on two boats at the same time6?

“Before, vice captain mentioned that he had an appointment with someone. It couldn’t be him, could it?” Xu Yichen, who had been silent from the beginning, suddenly spoke.

“Vice captain, you know him?” Unlike the others, Liu Zeshen’s use of the word “know” implied that he was not referring to a one-time meeting.

The barrage of questions from everyone caused Shen Changyu to finally regain his senses. He paused for a moment. Then, he said in a voice that did not reveal much emotion, “I have some things to say to him. All of you can head back to the hotel first, no need to wait for me.”

After he finished speaking, he no longer answered any questions to explain himself.

Xu Yiming was obviously restraining his misery but he left, constantly looking back while Xu Yichen forcefully dragged him away.

Liu Zeshen was walking at the very back. Right before he left, he took a good look at both people straight in the eye and, to wrap things up conclusively, he said, “Come back early.”

Lin Xiao looked at the people who looked so uneasy and couldn’t help but feel that this situation was quite funny. Only when they turned around the corner and their shadows completely disappeared did he turn towards the gaze that had not left him for even a second since just now. He felt as if the other would not stop looking at him till his firm stare bore a few holes through his body.

He turned his head slightly, with the corners of his lips raised. “I say, stop looking at me like that! I’m making matters clear, the one who harassed You Jing previously was not me!”

Shen Changyu choked a little at this, his expression somewhat complicated. “I know it wasn’t you…”

Lin Xiao placed the poster aside and suddenly raised his arms towards him, laughing. “Then, do you want a hug of love first?”

Shen Changyu was slightly stunned. Shortly after, he suddenly ran forward with large strides, and used his firm hug to express the complex emotions that were storming in his heart like turbulent sea waves.

Lin Xiao patted his back, and the smile on his face at this time was more simple, yet more radiant than it had ever been before. “Although I’ve already said this before, I still can’t help but want to say it again. Vice Captain Shen, I’m back.”

Hearing these words stirred up countless emotions in him. The corners of Shen Changyu’s lips tilted into a gentle smile. “Welcome back.”

________________

TL comments: This was surprisingly easy to translate, and full of feels <3 Also, I’m imagining the Black Rose guys with the Pikachu meme face after they found out that the “stalker” and their serious Vice Captain know each other, hahaha.

Literally 10,000 years of freezing cold.

As in lacking ill intent, not the negative meaning we normally use it for in English.

I don’t believe this has an English equivalent. Think of it as a cross between an exclamation and a sigh. It can be used in a variety of contexts, from being aggrieved to being dramatic.

Literally “looking as if a big enemy had arrived”. It’s too funny to not share, haha.

Think of the sound you make when you quickly unroll a piece of paper, or the sound of scattering papers.

As in to date two people concurrently. Normally used in the context of romantic relationships to describe when someone is cheating on their partner.