Yan Yibing hesitated for a few seconds between continuing to sleep or paying attention to his parents’ emotions, then he turned off his phone, pulled the blanket over himself, and lay down carelessly.
Whatever, it’s not like the whole world doesn’t already know.
Han Mo couldn’t help but smile helplessly, reached out to turn off the light, and hugged Yan Yibing who was wrapped in the blanket, then also fell asleep.
Too tired.
This day was just too exhausting.
Neither of them had the energy to stir up emotions, nor did they have time to enjoy the tender embrace of sleep. Within a few seconds of lying down, they lost consciousness.
When they woke up again, it was already noon the next day.
Yan Yibing was awakened by hunger.
He hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon, and when the hotel staff came to deliver the meal later, he didn’t even manage to open the door.
He rubbed his stomach and lazily stretched his legs under the blanket, momentarily forgetting about the trouble of their relationship being exposed.
“Han Mo, are you hungry?”
Yan Yibing asked wearily.
Han Mo, taking advantage of the situation, wrapped his arm around Yan Yibing’s waist, pressed his forehead against his waist, and rubbed against his smooth skin scented with shower gel.
“A little, let’s order some food.”
Yan Yibing opened the app and ordered a few croissants, two cups of milk, and two bowls of beef noodles.
In no time, the meal arrived, along with the spaghetti he had ordered yesterday.
Han Mo’s phone rang.
Yan Yibing had turned off his phone yesterday, but Han Mo hadn’t.
They couldn’t afford to both be out of contact, in case there was something they needed to deal with.
Yan Yibing felt irritated when he heard the phone ringing: “Ignore it.”
Han Mo whispered softly, “It’s the League Chairman.”
Yan Yibing: “…” So it was that old man.
The old man was getting old, and his adaptability was a bit lacking. He was probably scared out of his wits by now.
But after all, he was the nominal boss, so Han Mo still answered the call.
Before he could say anything after picking up the call, the other side asked, “Where’s Yan Yibing?”
Han Mo: “… Eating.”
The League Chairman grumbled angrily, “Hiding again! When things go wrong, you know how to hide!”
His voice was so loud that it reached Yan Yibing’s ears.
Yan Yibing couldn’t help but say, “If you encounter trouble, do you hide?”
The League Chairman: “…”
The League Chairman: “If I had known to avoid you two I wouldn’t have hurt my feelings in the hallway!”
Yan Yibing: “???”
Han Mo: “…”
The atmosphere fell into an eerie silence.
In the hallway?
Memory instantly flashed back, shedding light on a small mystery that had troubled them for a long time.
Han Mo moved his lips slightly, forming the words silently —
“The one who casually throws cigarette butts.”
Yan Yibing despairingly covered his eyes.
At that time, he thought it might be some temporary worker or a cleaning lady.
This matter had never been disclosed, so it couldn’t possibly be someone they knew.
But it turned out to be the League Chairman.
The League Chairman was actually this old-fashioned traditional guy!
Seeing only the sound of breathing from the other side, the League Chairman thought they were feeling guilty and ashamed.
“Now you know you’ve lost face? When you… did that in front of me, did you not know you were losing face? Weren’t you two supposed to have nothing to do with each other? Wasn’t your relationship bad? I was worried that you two wouldn’t be able to cooperate in the championship match, reminding Yu Yan to pay attention, and it turns out you two are just a couple having a lovers’ quarrel? We had already prepared the promotional materials for the championship on our side, and now how are we supposed to proceed? Wishing you two a hundred years of happiness and early childbirth!”
The old man had a craving for cigarettes that day, but he didn’t want the office secretary to inhale second-hand smoke, so he specifically ran into the safe passage to satisfy his craving.
He was leisurely enjoying his smoke when suddenly he heard someone else coming upstairs.
He deliberately didn’t make any sound, not wanting to constrain anyone because of him.
Everyone was there to relax and smoke, the more relaxed the better.
The old man was touched by his own considerate behavior.
But soon he realized it wasn’t like that at all.
Two people came in, and they started quarreling as soon as they came in.
The old man was too familiar with their voices. Almost as soon as they spoke downstairs, he recognized them as Yan Yibing and Han Mo.
He listened to the young people’s arguments and sighed inwardly.
Sure enough.
Forcing these two to cooperate in a match was bound to lead to a fight sooner or later.
The enmity from before couldn’t be resolved in a short time.
The old man had intended to mediate, but as soon as he had the thought, the quarrel suddenly stopped. The situation changed dramatically, as Han Mo pressed Yan Yibing against the wall and kissed him, expressing satisfaction with a murmured, “Tastes like oranges.”
The old man’s glasses almost shattered.
He thought he might be getting delusional due to his old age. How could Yan Yibing and Han Mo, these two archenemies, do such a thing?
Kissing?!
Then, the conversation became more and more unrestrained, the feeling was completely that of a quarreling couple.
Yan Yibing was throwing a tantrum, while Han Mo was coaxing him, just like any other young couple.
The old man couldn’t stand it anymore, so he coughed as a warning.
Sure enough, it became quiet downstairs, and soon after, the two left, closing the door behind them.
In the narrow and dimly lit safe passage, only the lonely old man remained, disheveled by the wind.
For the sake of the competition, for the sake of stability, he reluctantly swallowed this unpleasant knowledge.
But what was the result?
Well.
These two went even bigger, kissing in front of all their fans after winning the World Championship!
The league’s previous drafts, themed around prioritizing friendship over competition, were all scrapped.
This is fucking love!
“Chairman, that day… it was you.” Yan Yibing’s face flushed.
In front of an elder who could almost be his grandfather, being so intimate with Han Mo was indeed inappropriate, slightly challenging the worldview of the older generation.
League Chairman: “Hmph, if it wasn’t me, who else could help you two keep it a secret?”
Han Mo: “Actually, you were afraid that revealing it would affect our performance in the East Asia Championship, right?”
League Chairman: “…”
Han Mo: “But thank you for calling to congratulate us.”
League Chairman: “???”
Congratulations? Wasn’t he here to reprimand them?
So, after all that time, Han Mo only heard the last sentence?
Yan Yibing suppressed his laughter and remained silent.
Sure enough, thick skin was Han Mo’s strong suit.
The Chairman angrily hung up the phone, but evidently, there wasn’t much he could do to them.
After all, the league’s regulations didn’t explicitly prohibit dating, but who the hell would have thought that the captains of two top-tier teams would be in a relationship?
“You’re going to drive the old man crazy,” Yan Yibing said with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
“His opinion doesn’t bother me, but what about Auntie… Is she very upset?” Han Mo asked with a furrowed brow while biting into his sandwich.
Yan Yibing lowered his eyes, remained silent for a moment, and whispered, “My mom didn’t call directly, just sent a text, indicating that she’s still within the realms of reason.”
“She’s having a hard time accepting it, isn’t she? And what about your uncle?”
“It depends on whether my cousin’s subtle influence has any effect.”
In China.
Yan Yibing’s mother hadn’t been in the mood to work all day.
Initially, it was because she was following Yan Yibing’s finals.
With a twelve-hour time difference between them, Mama Yan struggled to stay awake during the first half of the match, forcing herself to stay alert and not doze off.
Later, when Yan Yibing won the championship, she was especially happy. She had already notified relatives and friends, and even shared the championship photo in her circle of friends.
Among her students, there were those who didn’t know that Yan Yibing was her son, and they were surprised that she was following esports matches.
Fortunately, Mama Yan was used to being reserved and didn’t like to show off, so she managed to resist revealing her relationship with Yan Yibing and Han Mo.
It was also fortunate that she didn’t say anything because she soon saw that live broadcast video.
She saw Han Mo kissing Yan Yibing in front of national netizens, and Yan Yibing’s response was natural, indicating that they were already very familiar with each other’s kisses.
They hadn’t just gotten together that day; they had been together for a long time behind her back.
The sweet and familiar feeling between the couple almost overflowed from the screen.
She had never seen Yan Yibing talk to someone in that tone before. Her son wasn’t incapable of falling in love or immature; he just liked men, he liked Han Mo.
Now that these two were so open after the match, who knows what shocking things they might have done before?
Thinking back on their daily interactions, she realized that everything was traceable.
A normal person, even a disciple, wouldn’t be so at ease cutting apples for their master, or eagerly wanting to feed their master?
Or occasionally giving their master a massage or helping with groceries from the supermarket?
Yan Yibing couldn’t be so oblivious, unless this was the love between two lovers! Interesting!
In her mother’s eyes, her son had always been a simple and ignorant child. She couldn’t even escape this misperception.
Who knows, maybe the bedsheets had rolled over a few times already!
Mama Yan’s temples throbbed with anger.
Papa Yan sat silently on the sofa, slicing apples. The apple peel snaked its way into the trash can until, with a sudden twist of the knife, the peel broke and fell into the bottom of the bin with a crash.
This seemed to be some kind of switch, echoing through the room, shattering all surface calmness.
Papa Yan paused, then simply tossed the apple aside, rubbed his brow, and sighed deeply.
Mama Yan exploded instantly, “No wonder he never agrees to blind dates! No wonder he’s hot and cold with Han Mo! So they’re in love? Having mood swings? And what about back then? Did they break up and make up? And now they’ve actually gotten back together! I’ve been introducing him to potential partners all this time, and he already has someone, a man! When they come back, this matter must be resolved!”
Papa Yan: “Calm down first. It’s pointless to talk about the past now that they’re already together.”
Mama Yan: “I’m angry that they lied to me! Honestly, I’ve been nice to Han Mo, right? I treated him as my son’s best friend, and he… he’s dating my son!”
Papa Yan got up, hugged Mama Yan’s shoulders, and whispered softly, “Are you more upset that they lied to you or that they’re in a relationship?”
Mama Yan fell silent.
She hadn’t thought about this question carefully, but her first reaction upon hearing the news was anger, and it made her stomach ache.
Papa Yan: “Does Xiaoxia know?”
Mama Yan’s face turned cold, “I don’t know, but during this time, Xiaoxia has mentioned two men being together to me intentionally or unintentionally.”
Papa Yan: “He tells his cousin everything.”
Mama Yan: “So he’s hiding it from me because he knows I won’t agree?”
Papa Yan: “Do you remember, when I went to Harvard for my JD, it was supposed to be three years, plus work, another three years. Your parents thought I wasn’t serious enough and asked you to let go.”
Mama Yan fell silent.
In those days, it was difficult for parents to understand and accept a man who was about to marry their daughter going abroad for six years.
Mama Yan also pursued her PhD and studied abroad, but she didn’t study in the same city as Papa Yan. Moreover, she returned to teach at a university in China after three years of study, but Papa Yan continued to work in the United States.
She knew it was for future career development, for greater competitiveness, and also because of Papa Yan’s ambition for his career.
She didn’t like people who changed their life trajectory for love, it seemed immature, lacked determination and goals.
She had never changed her trajectory for Papa Yan either. They were both equally outstanding, and neither of their lives was worth wasting.
So, one in China, one abroad, for many years.
Mama Yan graduated with a bachelor’s degree, pursued a master’s and Ph.D., plus work. She was no longer young. At that time, most people got married and settled down after graduating from college.
So her parents disliked Papa Yan very much. They had been planning to find her a local partner in Magic City who owned a house and a car. Even her ex-boyfriend from university was considering a comeback, trying to pursue her again.
But Mama Yan had never wavered.
She wasn’t someone just anyone could catch.
Having dated an excellent man like Papa Yan, being liked and admired by him, how could she possibly be attracted to someone else again?
Papa Yan: “Parents’ opinions are just that, children may not necessarily listen to them, and although unwilling to admit it, the generation gap is inevitable. After all, in the eyes of the older generation, getting married at thirty and premarital sex are unacceptable.”
Mama Yan sighed.
She had to admit that she wasn’t a worry-free child when she was young.
She was educated by her parents to be very reserved and conservative in China, so her first love was just holding hands, without even a kiss.
Her mother said she was still young, and kissing should wait at least a year after falling in love.
She believed it, so her ex-boyfriend couldn’t bear it and cheated.
Later, when she went abroad and saw the lifestyle of her peers, she felt like she was opening the door to a new world, as if her rebellious period had been postponed.
They had done everything abroad, from hugging to kissing and uniting their souls and bodies.
If the safety measures hadn’t been good, Yan Yibing would have been born abroad.
But at that time, they weren’t married yet.
Papa Yan: “We have to be mentally prepared. If we can’t change the next generation, we have to change ourselves.”
Mama Yan looked at him, her eyes filled with resentment. “Now I finally understand my mom.”
Papa Yan: “…”
Papa Yan: “Your mom really likes me now.”
Mama Yan: “Back then, I actually waited for you to come back from abroad. What if you didn’t come back? What if you stayed on Wall Street for the rest of your life? What if you met someone else you liked? I would have been too late to get married by then.”
Papa Yan hugged her, stroked her cheek, and sighed. “I wasn’t someone just anyone could catch.”
Mama Yan was taken aback.
That sentence actually resonated with what she had thought back then.
Papa Yan: “Don’t put too much pressure on him. Just send a text asking how he is. He must be very tired right now.”
Thank you for reading! 
Hope you enjoy the rest of your day 🍀
If you like reading my translations, do consider supporting me with ko-fi🌼
