DSF Chapter 67

Four days later, Yan Yibing had completely recovered.

The high fever had subsided, the swelling of his glands disappeared, chewing no longer brought any pain, and even walking had become much easier.

He felt great.

After getting his blood tested at the hospital and confirming his full recovery, Yan Yibing hastily packed his clothes and returned to the club.

No one in the club had been infected by him. Everyone had been training systematically during this period, and Song Tang even reached the top ten in the North American server.

Yan Yibing lazily leaned on the small sofa in the pantry, feeling the continuous waves of condolences from everyone. It seemed that the emotions that had deviated during his illness had now returned to normal.

He no longer needed Han Mo’s personal care. He wouldn’t contract such an annoying illness again, and there would be no chance for Han Mo to kiss him.

The two of them were about to become simple teammates. At most, they would only have a competitive relationship as team captains.

Yan Yibing stood up, hands behind his back, pacing back and forth by the French windows.

His eyes were bright and spirited, looking affectionately at the scenery he had once dismissed.

Traffic flowed intermittently on the road, pedestrians bustling by, small BBQ stands emitted smoke, and fruit stalls put up their awnings.

The sky was exceptionally bright, and the sun was scorching, but as it scattered over the glistening river, its temperature was diluted by the cool river water.

He took a deep breath, feeling a considerable weight lifted from his heart.

He regarded the events of the past month as deviations in his life.

Not only had Han Mo deviated, but he himself had also deviated.

Now that life was back on track, all deviations should be corrected.

Yan Yibing had even watched several films featuring sexy beauties and followed a few European and American supermodels on social media.

Women with a delicate figures, soft and charming, those were the ones he should like.

He had always liked women.

Mama Yan was a bit regretful that he was leaving home so soon. She had been calling him every day these past few days.

Yan Yibing became enthusiastic about the blind date partners introduced by his mother, unlike his previous indifferent attitude.

This time, when his mother went out, she met a girl who was an athlete, a girl who was equally matched with him in terms of status.

Mama Yan said decisively, “Son, this girl is really good. She’s twenty-four this year, practices figure skating, and is beautiful and slender, poised, and articulate. Both of you are involved in competitive sports, so you’ll definitely get along well.”

Yan Yibing imagined the figure skating competitions he had watched before.

The girls usually wore beautiful skirts, performing elegant and artistically graceful movements on the ice, effortlessly lifting their legs high over their heads.

Just thinking about it made it clear how beautiful it was. He pursed his lip and smiled, “Is that so? How did you meet?”

Mama Yan sensed a different tone in Yan Yibing’s delighted voice.

She was overjoyed, thinking that she had finally touched her son’s heart.

So, Yan Yibing wasn’t afraid of marriage; he liked people who were into sports.

“The girl’s parents were your father’s clients before. When your dad was still a senior lawyer, he was in charge of their company’s listing project. They became friends, and this time, when your dad was on a business trip and happened to be in Lan City, the girl’s parents hosted him. I’ve met that girl; she’s about to participate in a championship.”

Yan Yibing nodded repeatedly, “Impressive, impressive. You guys can even think about my romantic life when you’re on a business trip.”

Mama Yan said, “Recently, the girl is preparing for a competition, and you’re also preparing for a competition. After both of you are done, I’ll arrange for you two to meet. The girl hasn’t been to Magic City much; you can take her around, go to Disneyland or something, to develop your relationship.”

Just the thought of having to take someone to Disneyland and considering the crowdedness made Yan Yibing feel a bit troubled.

He was about to find an excuse to decline, but the words stopped at his mouth and were swallowed back.

“Okay, you arrange it.”

He needed to interact more with the girl to quickly return to normal and forget everything that shouldn’t have happened.

“Good, you focus on training, and I’ll keep an eye on it for you.” Mama Yan was in high spirits, as if she had found the second spring of her career.

After a few caring words to his mother, Yan Yibing hung up the phone.

Sun Tianjiao came in from outside holding two boxes of ice cream, casually closing the door behind him.

“Taro flavor and chocolate flavor, which one do you want?”

Yan Yibing placed his phone on the table and instinctively reached for the cup of taro-flavored ice cream.

But just as his fingers were about to touch the cup’s surface, he paused, and instead, picked up the cup of chocolate ice cream.

Taro.

Taro with sugar threads.

He was instantly reminded of that unexpected kiss that night.

Sun Tianjiao scooped a spoonful, sipped, and sighed, “It’s damn hot these days. It’s so hot that I’m about to melt.”

“Yeah, it’s quite hot,” Yan Yibing answered casually, focusing on eating his ice cream.

To be fair, the chocolate flavor is also delicious.

Not worse than taro.

Sun Tianjiao glanced at him for a moment, smacked his lips, and said, “Zuzong, now that you’ve recovered, aren’t you going to the League Building for training today?”

Yan Yibing decisively shook his head, his slightly long hair swaying gently with his movement, a strand falling onto his nose.

He brushed away the loose hair and said casually, “I’m not going, just in case. I can communicate with them at the club the same way.”

In fact, he was avoiding Han Mo.

During this period, he and Han Mo had become a bit too intimate. He needed to let Han Mo know that such days wouldn’t become the norm and that their chances of meeting would become fewer.

Han Mo was only nineteen. Maybe in a few years, he would naturally return to normal and start liking women.

Being young always brought some rebellious thoughts.

But he was twenty-five; he couldn’t afford to be rebellious anymore.

Sun Tianjiao didn’t notice Yan Yibing’s strangeness and chatted with him aimlessly.

“Prince recruited a new player, you know?”

Yan Yibing’s movements paused, his eyes lowered, and he casually said, “Yeah, heard about it.”

He had heard about it from Han Mo, perhaps even earlier than Sun Tianjiao knew.

Sun Tianjiao put down the ice cream, sighed deeply, and said, “I’m really jealous of Xiao Ding. Why is his luck so good? It’s like he always gets a windfall. Back then, it was Han Mo, and now it’s Xin Chen. Oh, the new player is called Xin Chen. They haven’t officially announced it yet, but I dug it out. Tsk tsk, it pisses me off. I sent an email to Xin Chen, and he didn’t reply at all. He actually went to Prince without even a polite response.”

Yan Yibing raised his eyes, glanced at him unexpectedly, and asked, “Is he very good?”

Sun Tianjiao nodded, “Seventeen years old, broke into the top five in the Korean server. Although it was only once and he quickly dropped out because the top Korean players were coordinating to practice squad games, boosting their ranks exceptionally high. If it was a normal time, Xin Chen could’ve stayed up there for a while.

He’s the same age as you were back then and achieved similar results. Ah, but you’re different; you entered the scene late, and started playing casually at first. If you had started earlier, you probably could have joined when you were fifteen or sixteen.

Anyway, once I noticed, I immediately sent a private message, but I haven’t received a reply. I thought he was just a casual player who didn’t want to enter this field, but unexpectedly, he voluntarily joined Prince without even a courtesy reply.”

Yan Yibing fell silent for a moment, continued eating his ice cream, and said with waning interest, “That’s a pretty good talent. Cultivate him well, and his future will be limitless.”

Sun Tianjiao snorted sourly, “I’ve seen Ding Jun with his neck almost craned up to the sky these days, proud as a hen that laid an egg. And he’s keeping a close eye on that young player, afraid that he might run away.”

Yan Yibing chuckled, “Is that so?”

Sun Tianjiao blinked, leaned in closer, and gossipingly said, “You don’t know yet, right? I heard that the kid is a die-hard fan of Han Mo. He joined Prince just to fight alongside Han Mo, saying he wanted to become famous overnight like Han Mo. Ding Jun really spoils him and even asks Han Mo to duo with him, personally guiding his training. Oh God, it’s Han Mo, the apple of Ding Jun’s eyes.”

Yan Yibing raised an eyebrow, seemingly indifferent, “Bringing in a newcomer. Didn’t I do the same back then? I even led a whole bunch.”

Sun Tianjiao snorted, “You did it out of boredom; you enjoyed it. Do you think Han Mo, with his temperament, would willingly take on such a task?”

Yan Yibing said calmly, “What’s there not to be willing about? Everyone goes through their ‘good at mentoring’ phase during adolescence.”

Sun Tianjiao sighed sadly, “If this kid joins Prince’s main team, they’ll become even stronger. I guess Mo Bei will be replaced during the next transfer period. Actually, Mo Bei is not bad either, the kid’s quite diligent, just lacks some presence.”

“Mo Bei,” Yan Yibing murmured, a bit absent-minded.

He wasn’t very familiar with Mo Bei, but when Prince announced Mo Bei joining the main team, he also forwarded the Weibo post to congratulate him.

During team gatherings, Mo Bei had even toasted him.

His impression of Mo Bei was good. He knew that the kid had bright eyes, a bit naïve, yet very hardworking.

If the newcomer was stronger, Mo Bei would be replaced.

He wondered if, at his current age, he could bear it.

But the competitive arena was just that cruel.

Sun Tianjiao continued lamenting, “So cruel!”

He patted Yan Yibing’s shoulder.

These were the things he could only discuss with Yan Yibing.

As the team manager, he understood Ding Jun’s actions very well. But once emotional bonds formed with the players, being the villain hurt deeply.

“Heh,” Yan Yibing chuckled lightly. His almond-shaped eyes formed a shallow crescent at the bottom.

In reality, he didn’t feel like laughing at all.

This kind of cruelty had always surrounded him.

Liang Hefeng, Lei Ming, and now Mo Bei.

If they had more talent, and better results, perhaps they would have had a completely different fate.

He felt regret and sorrow but was powerless.

He could only watch as the once-close brothers and earnest juniors gradually turned into unrecognizable figures.

After finishing the ice cream, Yan Yibing had to go for training.

He found a private training room, connected his peripherals, entered the server, and joined Yu Yan, Chen Chi, and Han Mo for squad games.

Yu Yan: “Tsk, the son has fully recovered. Isn’t it time to pay a personal visit to Dad?”

Yan Yibing: “Heh, afraid that the remnants of the virus will take you away.”

Yu Yan: “Relaxed at home for a week, hope you didn’t forget how to shoot.”

Yan Yibing: “Rest assured, even if I forget you’re my son, I won’t forget how to shoot.”

Chen Chi: “Enough chit-chat. Let’s go.”

During their gaming session, they didn’t talk much. For players like them, a single word conveyed a lot of meaning.

They played ten consecutive rounds.

Except for the somewhat scattered formation, they practically won every match.

The MVPs varied, but the distribution was quite even.

Both Yan Yibing and Han Mo, as entry fraggers, played a significant role; they got the most kills, yet also encountered more danger. For them, placing their hope in their teammates was a rather novel experience. After all, in previous matches, they bore this heavy burden themselves.

After training, Yan Yibing exchanged a few words with Yu Yan, then closed the game and logged off.

He immediately received a WeChat message from Han Mo.

He had changed the nickname from 【Little Beast】 to 【Han Mo.】

However, the two characters “Han Mo” felt bland, incapable of expressing any emotion, seemingly less intimate than the affectionate 【Little Beast】

【Han Mo: Still feeling uncomfortable? Want to go out for dinner?】

Yan Yibing rubbed his forehead, sighed, and stared at the WeChat for over a minute. Slowly, he put down the phone, turned it off, and didn’t reply.

It’s not that he didn’t want to respond, he just didn’t want to be too close.

At 8 PM, it was well past dinner time.

Yan Yibing ordered takeout, eating in silence while occasionally glancing at his phone.

Han Mo didn’t send any more WeChat messages. He believed Han Mo should understand his intentions.

Dinner was his favorite buttered rice with crab roe. Due to its high purine content, he only ate it every few months. Each time was an exquisite indulgence, savoring each grain meticulously.

However, today, he suddenly felt the rice was a bit fishy. As he swallowed, waves of nausea surged in his stomach.

In the end, more than half a bowl remained untouched. He stared at the golden crab roe but couldn’t bring himself to eat anymore.

Yan Yibing licked his lips, and suddenly, his mood soured.

Three hours had passed since Han Mo sent him a WeChat message.

It was time to reply.

As if a seal had suddenly been lifted, Yan Yibing swiftly grabbed his phone, fingers flying over the keyboard, as if racing against a few seconds of a crucial deadline, he sent it out.

【Yan Yibing: Just saw it, already had dinner, completely fine now.】

After confirming the WeChat was sent, he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple tightening, lips subconsciously pursed.

Two minutes passed, and the last chance to retract the message expired, but Han Mo didn’t reply.

Yan Yibing felt as if the seal he had just broken had been resealed. He was now plunged into a new round of waiting.

Staring at the WeChat screen, he furrowed his brows, feeling restless.

Not replying to Han Mo’s message made him feel guilty, but replying could lead to misunderstandings.

This situation was seriously affecting his life.

With nothing to do in the evening, he packed the leftover food and placed it in the kitchen refrigerator before returning to bed for more rest.

After lying with his eyes closed for a while, unable to fall asleep, he got up and took a shower.

After showering, he emerged from the bathroom, his whole body dripping wet.

He shook his hair and turned off the air conditioner that was blowing cold air.

Just as the AC vents closed completely, his phone vibrated.

Yan Yibing’s heart skipped a beat.

Without bothering to dry his hair, he hurried to the bedside and glanced at his phone.

It was WeChat.

It was a message from Han Mo.

【Han Mo: Mm.】

Just one word, devoid of any emotion or meaning, as if expressing acknowledgment.

Yan Yibing felt even more restless.

This one word was worse than no reply at all.

Turning around, he sat on the bed, the towel draped over his head. Hunched over, he stared blankly at the floor.

Ever since he proactively distanced himself from Han Mo, he found himself increasingly uneasy.

Yan Yibing wasn’t sure what was happening to him.

His replies were often delayed, and sometimes, even if he saw a message, if he didn’t consider it too important, he wouldn’t respond immediately.

For instance, Liang Hefeng, who sent long voice messages complaining about the unprofessionalism of the commentary company during his induction. Yan Yibing listened to them later, realizing they were just grievances about the job, something everyone does. But he didn’t reply. Because it wasn’t important, and complaining about work is normal; bosses aren’t charity workers, making you uncomfortable is normal.

However, even if he didn’t reply, he didn’t feel particularly upset.

Why was it different with Han Mo?

What was different?

Why did intentionally not replying to Han Mo’s messages bother him so much?

The slight moisture on his body had already evaporated.

He hadn’t even had the chance to dry himself.

Only his hair was still damp, and occasional cold droplets fell on his shoulders.

Yan Yibing logged into his long-unused Weibo account.

He found that the last post he made was complaining about being unlucky.

That time when Han Mo confronted him during the blind date, deliberately picking a fight, even threatening to expose Little Wildcat’s account.

Han Mo must have liked him back then.

So when he went on the blind date, Han Mo must have been really upset.

Yan Yibing chuckled, tapped his fingers, and posted a new status.

【@ZeroYanYibing: Finally back to full health. Parotitis is killing me. Everyone should wear masks in crowded areas.】

【AAAAAA First!】

【I love you, Bing Shen, post more selfies!】

【The new sportswear is so pretty, gotta get one, Bing Bing’s figure is really good.】

【East Asia Championship, ahhh, gotta train hard, can’t lose face! 】

【Bing Shen has parotitis? Oh my God, that’s so uncomfortable, can’t eat anything, heartbreaking. 】

【I lost six pounds when I had parotitis, my eyes were green from hunger, too painful, and every chew hurt.】

【Aren’t adults supposed to be less likely to get it? So unlucky.】

Yan Yibing thought, he didn’t lose weight; if anything, he gained a bit.

Thanks to Han Mo’s various delicious cooking.

Thinking of Han Mo, his eyes trembled, and absentmindedly, he searched for Han Mo’s Weibo.

Han Mo’s Weibo was always boring.

He never expressed opinions or emotions. His Weibo was filled with ads and more ads, or promotions friends asked him to repost.

Yan Yibing clicked it and found the latest post was Han Mo reposting an official announcement from a sponsor.

It was the brand that signed an annual endorsement for the East Asia Championship.

The brand was pretty good, comparable to the one he signed with.

The only difference was he signed a quarterly endorsement, both sides were cautious, whereas Han Mo signed for a year directly.

Yan Yibing clicked the ad post, and somehow, the comments were sorted in real-time.

【??? My husband followed which little bitch?】

【@XC0717 Is this a license plate number?】

【Could it be the person Han Shen said he wanted to pursue in the live broadcast? My heart can’t take it!】

【Are you all dumb? That’s a guy! He also followed Prince’s official account and other Prince players, definitely a staff member. 】

Yan Yibing clicked on Han Mo’s following list and found that the first one was indeed @XC0717.

Clicking into @XC0717’s Weibo, there was only one post.

【@XC0717: Captain @PrinceHanMo, one day, I will stand at the summit with you!】

Popular Replies —

【@PrinceHanMo: Keep it up.】

【@XC0717 replied to @PrinceHanMo: Ahhhhh I’m so happy!】

This conversation took place after Han Mo replied with that “Mm.”

This Weibo account that looked like a license plate number was probably the new player Xin Chen.

Looks like Ding Jun was worried that “too much talk could be bad” and wanted to announce it soon.

Han Mo was surprisingly cooperative.

But being admired by someone must be pretty cool, so it’s normal to be cooperative.

Standing side by side at the summit and all that.

Hehe.

Yan Yibing lazily tugged at his lips, feeling a dull ache in his chest.

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Author’s Message:

Yan Yibing: ……………

Han Mo: Baby, Ding Jun forced me to do it.

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