DSF Chapter 69

Yan Yibing was both angry and frustrated.

How could they say he’s ignoring him?

Clearly, it was Han Mo who, after a simple ‘ Mm’ yesterday, went to interact with the Rising Star.

He had just launched a surprise attack and even touched his waist.

After being taken advantage of, he softened, and now he couldn’t get angry anymore.

He was about to explode.

A rough cough from upstairs was followed by the sound of shoe soles rubbing against cigarette butts.

The narrow corridor space caused the sound to reverberate, making it seem like it echoed right next to them.

The sound-activated lights on both floors were shaken open by this sound.

The lemon-yellow light bulbs warmly emitted a halo, illuminating every inch of the corridor clearly.

Yan Yibing instantly tensed, even his face turned pale.

Han Mo was also stunned, clearly not expecting someone else in the safety passage.

The words they just spoke were definitely heard.

Yan Yibing had never been this quiet before. He stiffened against the wall, holding his breath, not even daring to blink.

Who was upstairs?

It couldn’t be someone from outside working in the League building.

Did he mention Han Mo’s name just now?

Did Han Mo call him?

When Han Mo kissed him, he probably made a sound.

That ambiguous sound when their lips touched and the uncontrollable low breaths when they separated.

Any mature and sane person could understand what had just happened—it was a secret kiss.

Yan Yibing’s face, initially pale from fear, gradually flushed to the point where his ears were burning. He anxiously raised his eyes and looked upstairs.

The person upstairs didn’t come down, but they also didn’t continue smoking, and they didn’t leave either.

It seemed that the person also didn’t know how to react. Separated by the thin floor, the two sides entered a stalemate.

Han Mo, with his thick-skinned nature, quickly returned to normal.

He leaned against Yan Yibing’s ear and whispered, “Master is so frightened, how are we going to explain this secret affair… mmm.”

Yan Yibing swiftly covered Han Mo’s mouth in anger, glaring at him fiercely.

How the hell did this look like a secret affair?

If someone saw this, it’d be impossible to clear their name even by jumping into the Huangpu River!

Han Mo stopped talking, obediently letting Yan Yibing cover his mouth, blinking at him.

Yan Yibing’s hand was firmly pressed against Han Mo’s lips.

The hands of e-sports players are delicate and soft. Except for the fingertips that often hit the keyboard, which are slightly red, they are white everywhere.

The sound-activated lights suddenly went out. Everything around plunged into darkness, making the imminent threat seem distant.

Han Mo didn’t miss this excellent opportunity. He pursed his lips and kissed Yan Yibing’s palm.

Yan Yibing felt as if he was electrocuted, his arm trembled, and he pulled away in panic.

But before he could scold Han Mo, he quickly pushed Han Mo away, opened the iron door, and slipped out.

Han Mo chuckled and followed.

“Damn, it’s all your fucking fault!” Yan Yibing, back in the bright sunlight, had stabilized from the shock, and vented his anger at Han Mo.

Han Mo didn’t mind, “He doesn’t know who we are.”

Yan Yibing glared at him fiercely, wiping his lips, “If he knew us well, he would have recognized us just by listening!”

Han Mo pretended to be sincere, suggesting, “Then, Master, just say I forced you. Everyone will definitely comfort the defenseless Master. I’ll silently accept the punishment and will never betray the Master.”

Yan Yibing paused, then turned his face, emphasizing firmly, “Actually, you forced me.”

Han Mo’s tone contained a hint of laughter, “Hmm, and we can also turn the tables on him. He casually throws cigarette butts everywhere. By then, let everyone gently comfort Master while strongly condemning him.”

Yan Yibing: “…”

He felt like Han Mo was treating him like a child.

Back at the training room entrance, Yan Yibing reached out, “Give me back the cigarette.”

Han Mo casually put the cigarette in his pocket, “No, wait until your body fully recovers.”

Yan Yibing frowned and said in a harsh tone, “You’re being too controlling, aren’t you?”

Han Mo: “Hmm, Master can also control me, and I’ll listen.”

Yan Yibing’s heart fluttered as he realized something and quickly said, “You’re not allowed to kiss me in the future.”

Han Mo burst into laughter directly. Since they were too close to the room, his laughter was deep, but each syllable felt like a hammer striking Yan Yibing’s heart.

“Obviously I am six years younger than Master, how can Master have the nerve to play tricks on me.”

Yan Yibing: “…”

Clearly, he’s six years younger than me. How can he act as if he’s got a claim on me?

But he also felt that arguing like this was quite childish, so he turned his face away, too lazy to deal with Han Mo.

Before they could push the door open, the door opened from the inside.

Xin Chen poked his head out, first glanced at the calmly composed Yan Yibing, then shifted his gaze to Han Mo.

“Captain, where did you go? I was looking for you.”

In the instant the door opened, Han Mo reverted to his usual aloofness.

He frowned, “Do you have something to find me for?”

Xin Chen earnestly nodded, “I was watching your review just now and found a professional Korean player who ranked above me in the Korean server. He’s quite formidable. Captain, do you have any information about him?”

Han Mo replied indifferently, “I don’t. Ask the coach.”

Yan Yibing didn’t want to hear their internal team discussions. So, he slipped through the crack in the door, playfully tapping Yu Yan’s chair as he walked in.

Yu Yan tilted his head back, looked at Yan Yibing, and froze, “Did you put on lipstick?”

Yan Yibing: “…”

Except for the first time, Han Mo kissed him too fiercely every time.

There’s a feeling of watching a squirrel hoarding food, as if not hoarding enough would leave them hungry in winter.

Yan Yibing tried hard to maintain a composed expression, “Ate some spicy strips.”

“Oh,” Yu Yan didn’t think much about it The League Chairman indeed prepared a pantry for them. He murmured to Yan Yibing, “Tsk, if I had known, I would have brought my disciple, Feng Chen, to learn a thing or two.”

During the break just now, Xin Chen stared at Han Mo as he left midway, so he began to pester him and the coach, bombarding them with questions about the review.

Technically, Xin Chen had nothing to do with the East Asia Championship this time, and the coach wasn’t obligated to tell him.

But with nothing else to do, they had no choice but to indulge him.

Clearly, it was supposed to be a break, but the coach and Yu Yan were trapped for more than twenty minutes.

Yan Yibing chuckled, “Then we can also bring Song Tang.”

Yu Yan smacked his lips, “Song Tang’s already skilled enough. What else can he learn here? Give others who need it a chance.”

Yan Yibing retorted, “But Feng Chen learned from you firsthand. Doesn’t your presence mean that he is here?”

Yu Yan replied, “I’m thinking of having your disciple here, my disciple has to come and join in the fun too.”

Yan Yibing said, “…Get lost. Han Mo is a player.”

They were joking and bickering when someone outside the door shouted: “Captains and coaches, your takeaway is here.”

Immediately after, the door opened, and staff members brought in several bags of drinks.

The coach frowned, “Who ordered takeaway? We’re about to start practicing.”

Yan Yibing looked blankly at Yu Yan, then at Chen Chi, before shaking his head.

He and Han Mo had been together the whole time, and neither of them had ordered anything. Obviously, Yu Yan and Chen Chi were equally clueless.

Xin Chen raised his hand, smiling innocently, “I thought Captain’s barley water looked good, and since no one has tasted it, I ordered six cups from the store.”

Xin Chen took the barley water and distributed it to everyone.

Two coaches, Yu Yan, Chen Chi, substitute Lu Jianghe, and one cup left.

Yan Yibing raised an eyebrow.

Yu Yan frowned, “Thanks, but it’s one cup short.”

Xin Chen nodded, “Uh, Bing Shen said he won’t drink, so I was afraid of ordering too much.”

After speaking, he awkwardly looked at Yan Yibing, as if declaring his innocence.

Yan Yibing did say he wouldn’t drink, and he wasn’t thirsty.

Logically, for a seventeen-year-old like Xin Chen, ordering six cups to avoid wasting any wasn’t entirely wrong, but he lacked a bit of tact.

However, Xin Chen was only seventeen and not yet an adult, and Yan Yibing didn’t want to argue with a minor.

“Well, I won’t drink. Don’t waste it.”

A silence fell over the room, and the atmosphere solidified to a freezing point.

Even Yu Yan didn’t know how to liven up the mood. Xin Chen’s actions were indeed a bit too much.

No one needed an extra cup of barley water. Earlier, Han Mo only brought one for Yan Yibing because Han Mo knew that Yan Yibing was the only one who liked sweet things here.

Han Mo buying one for Yan Yibing was just a concern for his well-being.

But Xin Chen ordered for the entire room, leaving out Yan Yibing was unacceptable.

Even Yu Yan, as the recipient of the gift, couldn’t say anything either.

Han Mo silently took the cup of barley water he had bought, walked behind Yan Yibing, leaned forward, placed it in front of him, and thoughtfully helped him insert the straw.

His movements were slow. When his line of sight was parallel to Yan Yibing’s, he whispered softly, “You can’t drink cold drinks. It’s bad for your stomach. I brought you a room-temperature one.”

Yan Yibing glanced at him in surprise.

He didn’t expect Han Mo to come over at this moment.

By giving him this cup now, Han Mo, the only one without barley water in the room, stood out.

Tsk.

Yan Yibing pondered for a moment.

Why did this feel somewhat comforting?

Xin Chen was dumbfounded.

He knew that Yan Yibing and Han Mo used to have a master-disciple relationship.

But they’ve been fighting independently for two years, and they belong to opposing teams. Online fans are in constant arguments, and every year, during offline matches, they clash head-on.

In theory, he and the team captain were on the same side, and Yan Yibing was the outsider.

But the captain seems to be overly eager to please Yan Yibing.

He specifically bought him the pricey barley water, and just now, he followed him out for a private chat.

However, Yan Yibing’s attitude towards his captain has always been lukewarm, sometimes even indifferent.

Strangely, everyone in the room is accustomed to it, as if it were normal for Yan Yibing to treat his captain that way. He felt that the master-disciple relationship shouldn’t be like this.

Although in name they were master and disciple, everyone is young, and not that different from each other, so why should one be treated as inferior?

He feels unfair for Han Mo and even harbors some disgust towards Yan Yibing.

Actually, missing out on buying one cup was intentional.

After all, Yan Yibing had said he wouldn’t drink, so it wasn’t entirely Xin Chen’s fault.

But now, the situation seems to be deviating from his expectations.

Xin Chen hesitated for a moment and handed over his own cup, “Captain, how about you drink mine?”

Han Mo waved his hand, “I don’t like sweet things. You drink it. There’s no need to give it to them; they can buy it themselves if they really want it.”

Xin Chen retracted his hand, “Oh.”

If it were before, Yan Yibing wouldn’t bother with these petty conflicts.

He also didn’t plan to be friends with Xin Chen. Within his limited professional career, the captain he would interact with would be Han Mo.

But today…

He picked up the barley water Han Mo gave him and took a big sip, frowned, and nitpicked, “Not sweet enough.”

Han Mo readily agreed, “Hmm, I’ll get one with 5% more sugar tomorrow.”

Xin Chen: “…”

The coach nodded approvingly and put on a kind fatherly look, “It’s right for players to take care of each other.”

Before coming here, he heard about the friction between Han Mo and Yan Yibing and thought leading the team would be difficult.

Turned out, it was nothing like that.

The two of them were getting along so well, like brothers.

After another two hours of training, the sun had completely set, but the sky was still clear blue, occasionally with a few wisps of cotton-like thin clouds floating by.

After it was over, everyone was too tired to talk and lay on their chairs playing with their phones.

Xin Chen had no reason to stay any longer, and Han Mo didn’t ask him to join them for dinner, so he turned around and left.

Yu Yan sent a WeChat message to Yan Yibing.

Yu Yan: “I told Luo Luo, and she’s on her way here. Chat with her about your friend’s situation.”

Yan Yibing: “Chat about what?”

Yu Yan: “Your friend’s situation. Luo Luo has at least graduated from college, so she understands better than I do.”

Yan Yibing: “…”

He had completely forgotten about it.

Soon, Ding Luo poked Yan Yibing.

Ding Luo: “Bing Shen, Yu Yan said your friend has developed feelings for their college teacher?”

Yan Yibing: “Ah… this kind of influence isn’t good.”

Ding Luo: “It’s definitely not good. If it’s a professor from the same department, and it involves grading, having emotional entanglements with students is a big no. If reported, the professor will be in trouble, may be suspended, and lose their position. Especially in schools like ours where the student council has a lot of power and public attention. The professor may never recover from it. So, I suggest your friend to wait until after graduation to pursue this, not to harm the teacher.”

Yan Yibing knew that Yu Yan likes to exaggerate, but for it to become a professor in such a short time was too much.

Yan Yibing: “It’s not a professor, and it doesn’t involve grading… In fact, the age difference isn’t much, about six years. It still doesn’t seem appropriate, though, a bit strange.”

After he typed, there was silence on the other side.

Yan Yibing regretted, feeling he might have said too much.

After a moment:

Ding Luo: “!!!”

Ding Luo: “[doge/]”

Yan Yibing: “???”

He didn’t understand what Ding Luo meant.

Ding Luo: “In that case, it’s very different.”

Yan Yibing: “Huh?”

Yan Yibing was confused.

How could it be that different?

Ding Luo: “A six-year age gap, a perfect difference in age. There’s no love story that doesn’t start with impulsiveness. Being young means being impulsive. Your friend in college, is probably only eighteen or nineteen years old, if they don’t seize true love now, do they want to wait until they become corporate slaves, obey their parents’ arrangements, and settle for an arranged marriage?”

Yan Yibing: “Is it that bad?”

Ding Luo: “Bing Shen, do you know the probability of love at first sight?”

Yan Yibing: “…I don’t know.”

Ding Luo: “An American psychologist once did a study. Among three thousand samples, only two people experienced love at first sight, and the probability of being with the person you love at first sight is almost zero. If your friend doesn’t take the initiative, they’re essentially lowering the percentage themselves, casting a deep shadow on the hope that love can conquer all.”

Yan Yibing: “…Thank you, I’ve learned something.”

Yan Yibing’s face was red and his mouth was dry.

Could it be that Han Mo pursuing him was actually beneficial for humanity?

Ding Luo suddenly sent an evil smile emoticon.

“Bing Shen, your ‘friend’ you’re talking about isn’t you, is it?”

The phone vibrated again.

Han Mo: “Let’s have dinner together tonight?”

Yan Yibing, feeling nervous and confused, instinctively replied: “It’s not me, my friend is named Liang Hefeng.”

Han Mo: “.”

Yan Yibing glimpsed at the profile picture in the chat box, and his heart sank.

No!

Nononononono!

Han Mo has PTSD about Liang Hefeng!

Yan Yibing subconsciously attempted to withdraw the message. But when he saw the reminder that the message was withdrawn, he felt even more stupid.

Han Mo had already seen it, and he was recalling for what?

Yan Yibing quickly lifted his eyes, looked in Han Mo’s direction, and stammered, “It’s not what you think!”

Han Mo also looked at him, his eyes lowered, lips tensed.

With his eyelashes shielding the view, Yan Yibing couldn’t see his expression but felt a bit wronged and somewhat angry.

Yan Yibing swallowed hard, feeling restless and agitated as he fidgeted in his seat.

Then, he made up his mind, stood up decisively, and picked up the cup of barley water, walking over to Han Mo.

“Ahem, I sent it to the wrong person.”

Han Mo didn’t raise his eyes, his fingers swiping lightly across the phone screen. He said nonchalantly, “Someone once said not to mention it in front of me.”

Yan Yibing pursed his lips, his almond-shaped eyes narrowing slightly.

Facing Han Mo, he unexpectedly started feeling guilty.

Although he only mentioned Liang Hefeng in passing, Han Mo clearly didn’t like hearing about him.

Adding to the fact that he learned Han Mo liked him, it seemed that Liang Hefeng was nothing more than an annoying presence to Han Mo – a childhood friend and confidante, perhaps even more detestable than simply disliked.

After hesitating for a moment, Yan Yibing extended the barley water forward and whispered, “Are you thirsty? I’ve already had a sip.”

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Author’s Message:

Yan Yibing: If I’m wrong, the heavens will punish me instead of letting me coax the Little Beast.

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