DSF Chapter 72

By noon the next day, both Prince and Han Mo had yet to make any statements themselves.

It seemed like they intended to bear this silence.

Yan Yibing sighed while scrolling through Weibo, wondering why he was bothering about this.

As the trending effect faded, the comments on Han Tang’s Weibo stopped increasing.

Apart from the enthusiastic comments from the front rows, mostly young female fans, there were still some questioning voices.

However, the voices of skepticism were pushed to the bottom, and unless one scrolled patiently, they were almost invisible.

After all, both individuals shared the same surname, and their ages were consistent with the father-son relationship. Plus, Han Mo had not come out to clarify.

Yan Yibing was a bit curious, to be honest.

If Han Tang released a childhood photo of Han Mo, it would surely be more convincing.

If it was a photo of them together, it would explode in popularity.

Because no one had seen what Han Mo looked like as a child, not even Yan Yibing.

Unless Han Tang didn’t keep a single photo of Han Mo’s childhood, making it impossible to produce one in such a crucial moment.

After all, Han Tang abandoned his wife when Han Mo was only seven or eight years old. He even refused to give money when asked by his own son, relying on a photo to trigger nostalgia was unrealistic.

So, Yan Yibing thought it was normal.

When Han Mo was seven or eight years old, Han Tang abandoned his wife, even rejecting his son’s plea for financial assistance. Expecting him to get sentimental over a photo was just wishful thinking.

Thinking about it, Yan Yibing felt a bit sorry for Han Mo.

After checking Weibo, he went to an esports forum to read the comments.

Sure enough, there were already seven or eight trending posts about Han Mo’s identity.

【Is Han Shen’s father really Han Tang? I’ve bought clothes from their family, but the quality is a bit poor.】

【Cheap, just as long as it’s wearable. What else do you need? Tang Shi’s clothes are about thin profits and high turnover, sold in large markets.】

【So, his family is really rich. No wonder he doesn’t need to go to school and plays esports.】

【I checked the encyclopedia; it seems like his mother was from a prominent family in Jiangbei, a scholarly family.】

【But wait, Han Shen’s mom passed away, that seems to be his stepmother.】

【Han Shen’s background is not bad; I thought it was an inspirational story, turns out it’s an adventure of a rich second generation.】

【Hahaha, Han Shen is awesome!】

After scrolling through, Yan Yibing also noticed Zero’s fans sarcastically mocking.

【Oh, really something, signed an endorsement for sportswear, then turned around to promote daddy. Well done, Han Shen.】

【Hahaha, the main sponsor must be furious; Han Shen is probably getting returned.】

【Those Han fans who mocked our Bing Shen for being a rich second-generation sissy, come out and call your dad!】

【The operation is too sly; the trending clearly was bought, so many marketing accounts. Now even esports players have to establish their image?】

【Resolutely boycott Han Shi; trash products should be buried to the core of the earth.】

【Damn, I’m ashamed to be a Zero fan. I’m going to burn my Han Shi sportswear now.】

Yan Yibing sighed.

Due to the long-standing rivalry between Zero and Prince, Han Mo would be criticized by his fans whenever something happened.

But he couldn’t control it.

However, surprisingly, the fans who boycotted Han Shi because of Han Mo became Han Mo’s allies.

Yan Yibing felt that Han Mo was even more miserable.

Afternoon training proceeded as usual.

Xin Chen followed along again, sitting in the corner, leaning against Han Mo’s side, holding a laptop, absentmindedly playing with his phone.

But Yan Yibing didn’t feel as averse to Xin Chen today because he knew that Han Mo and Xin Chen weren’t close.

As soon as he pulled a chair to sit down, Han Mo naturally pushed a cup of barley water towards him. “With three sugar cubes.”

Xin Chen raised his eyes slightly, glancing between Han Mo and Yan Yibing, a bit puzzled.

Being polite by bringing water for a day was one thing, but bringing water every day, even a boyfriend wouldn’t be so attentive.

Yan Yibing paused, reached out, and took the barley water.

“Thanks, you…”

His voice was softer than usual.

He wanted to ask about Han Mo’s condition but felt that it wasn’t appropriate to inquire about Han Mo’s privacy in front of so many people.

And there wasn’t much to ask; Han Mo must be extremely sad, perhaps he cried quietly in bed all night yesterday.

Thinking about this, Yan Yibing’s heart softened even more.

“Is the bite you got yesterday still itchy?”

Before getting mosquito repellent, Han Mo seemed to have been bitten.

A few times later, too.

Yan Yibing wanted to find an opportunity to care for and comfort Han Mo. After hesitating for a while, all he could think of was this sentence.

Before going to bed, Han Mo had applied ointment to the bite, and by this morning, he didn’t feel much anymore.

But since Yan Yibing asked, Han Mo pursed his lips and said softly, “A little, there’s no anti-itch medicine at home.”

Yan Yibing sighed inwardly.

Indeed.

People tend to lose track of things when they are extremely sad. He never thought that one day, Han Mo would need him to take care of him.

The proud and self-confident soul fluttered freely, and Yan Yibing suppressed the urge to praise himself, keeping a straight face. He reached into his pocket, took out a bottle of cooling balm, raised his hand, and casually tossed it in Han Mo’s direction, saying lightly, “Apply it, don’t let it affect training.”

He waved his sleeve, taking away not a single cloud.¹“taking away not a single cloud” is a metaphorical expression often used to convey a departure that is swift, leaving no trace or disturbance behind. In the context of the translated text, it suggests that the person left gracefully and without causing any trouble or disturbance, just like a breeze that passes through without affecting the sky or leaving any clouds behind. Han Mo subtly lowered his eyes, then exclaimed with delight, “Thanks, Bing Shen.”

This bottle of cooling balm was the one he had given to Yan Yibing before.

So, Yan Yibing didn’t throw it away; he had been carrying it with him all along.

Han Mo unscrewed the lid, dabbed his index finger, and then lowered his head, casually rubbing it on his arm.

Since it wasn’t itchy at all, he completely forgot where the bite was.

Sitting on the side, Xin Chen watched with wide-open eyes as Han Mo applied the cooling balm on his fair skin without a single mosquito bite.

Xin Chen: “…”

Is it necessary?

Training ended, and the sun had already set.

Ding Luo didn’t come today, as Yu Yan was going to IKEA with Ding Luo. Hence, there were no dinner plans for tonight.

Xin Chen moved his lips, “Captain, shall we go back to the club together?”

He heard that Han Mo used to live at the club most of the time, but since he came, Han Mo seemed to prefer going home.

Actually, he had been looking forward to Han Mo returning to his old habits so that they could duo together.

Han Mo replied, “I’m going back to the residential area with Bing Shen. There’s been a lot going on these days, and I want some quiet time alone.”

Xin Chen felt disappointed, “Oh.”

You guys even live in the same residential area, and you still say your relationship isn’t good.

Yan Yibing hadn’t planned to go home originally; he was like a third wheel at home, so usually, when he had nothing to do, he slept at the club.

But since Han Mo mentioned having a lot on his plate, he couldn’t bear to refuse.

What else could be the matter? Surely, a client was complaining again.

He decided to accompany Han Mo home for a while. After all, Han Mo didn’t have many people to confide in.

During rush hour, it was challenging to get a taxi, so they could only walk along the road. They passed the office building, reached the entrance of the commercial complex, and only then had a chance of getting a ride.

While walking, they happened to pass by a KFC. The aroma of fried chicken wafted out, tantalizing their senses.

Yan Yibing felt a bit hungry, so he went in and bought two egg tarts.

Before paying, he asked Han Mo if he wanted something to eat. Han Mo shook his head, eyes downcast, looking dispirited.

Yan Yibing’s heart trembled again.

After getting two egg tarts, Yan Yibing walked and ate at the same time.

He liked sweet things and the fragrance of milk. He finished one egg tart in just a few bites.

He naturally picked up the second one.

Yan Yibing, chewing on the egg tart, comforted Han Mo, “Don’t think too much. Anyway, things are already like this; the competition is more important.”

After saying that, he took a big bite from the second egg tart, leaving a dent with his teeth. The custard jiggled, looking a bit cute.

Han Mo nodded, forcing a smile, “I’m fine.”

Yan Yibing glanced at him from the corner of his eye, feeling uneasy about the forced smile.

Sigh.

Even in such a situation, he wanted to appear strong. Probably no one had ever spoiled him before.

Yan Yibing silently took another bite of the egg tart.

The traffic light changed, trapping them at the intersection.

Suddenly, Han Mo asked, “Are egg tarts really that delicious?”

“Um… just so-so,” Yan Yibing paused, “Have you never had egg tarts before?”

Han Mo hesitated and shook his head.

“When I was a kid, I thought they were expensive, so I always cooked for myself. As I grew up, I ate at the team canteen, and Auntie’s cooking was pretty good, whether it was for Zero or Prince.”

Yan Yibing stopped and whispered, “Ah… no wonder you’re so good at cooking.”

In this day and age, there are still young people who have never had fast food.

Moreover, during the times when he was most greedy and craving as a child, he never got to eat them.

Han Mo blinked, quietly approached Yan Yibing, and his gaze fell on the golden brown egg tarts. “Master, can you let me have a taste?”

Yan Yibing was briefly taken aback, then frowned, “I’ve already taken a bite.”

Han Mo’s Adam’s apple rolled, seemingly truly tempted by the fragrant and sweet egg tart. His voice became deep and warm, “I don’t mind, okay?”

Yan Yibing struggled internally, feeling the egg tart had become a bit too hot to handle. “I’ll buy you another one.”

Han Mo lifted his eyes, with deep, pitch-black pupils, and a few stray strands of hair brushed against his eyelashes.

“I just want to eat Master’s.”

Yan Yibing swallowed hard, his lips awkwardly pursed.

That statement held a deeper meaning.

He knew Han Mo liked him, wanting to be close to him.

It seemed like anything related to him could make Han Mo happy.

Now, the most important thing was to make Han Mo happy, right?

Coincidentally, the traffic light changed, allowing pedestrians to cross. In the bustling crowd, Yan Yibing fed the remaining egg tart to Han Mo.

As soon as Han Mo took a bite, Yan Yibing didn’t dwell on it too much, quickly withdrawing his hand, and cleared his throat, “The light changed; let’s hurry.”

Han Mo chuckled, slowly savoring the egg tart.

As soon as his tongue touched it, he raised an eyebrow.

However, soon, he satisfiedly swallowed it.

Yan Yibing walked ahead, clapping the crumbs off his hands while pretending to be calm.

Han Mo followed him, and when they reached the other side of the road, he suddenly leaned close to Yan Yibing’s ear and whispered, “Master, it’s delicious.” Yan Yibing didn’t respond, but his earlobe turned slightly red.

When Han Mo spoke just now, his breath sprayed onto Yan Yibing’s ear, carrying a rich sweet fragrance.

Although it was a bit ambiguous, Yan Yibing felt like he was doing a good deed.

Back at home that night, lying on the bed, Yan Yibing was half-awake and half-asleep.

His phone, placed beside the pillow, rang, waking Yan Yibing up.

He frowned, squinting his sore eyes, and picked up the phone to check.

【Han Mo: Master’s company makes me feel a lot better.】

Yan Yibing’s heart softened instantly.

He repeatedly looked at this message from Han Mo, staring for a while. Then, he clicked on Han Mo’s contact, deleted the cold words “Han Mo,” and changed it to【Little Pitiful】.

Not only WeChat but also the contact list and Weibo were altered.

The night made people lose their sanity.

For a moment, Yan Yibing developed a protective instinct towards Han Mo.

This might not be a good sign, but he couldn’t control it.

After a few more days, Yan Yibing clearly felt that Han Mo became a bit more cheerful and talkative, with more flirtatious remarks.

Of course, this was thanks to his dedicated acts of kindness.

This included, but was not limited to, personally feeding Han Mo, letting Han Mo play with his hair, having dinner together, and in front of Han Mo, discarding the long-hidden box of love letters.

At the moment of burning the love letter box, Yan Yibing didn’t feel any regret. After all, he hardly remembered most of those classmates, and the letters from the past were full of misspelled words and childishness.

But being coaxed by Han Mo to handle these romantic histories, it felt like he had compromised on something.

Will he continue to date girls in the future?

He found himself losing interest in the idea.

He couldn’t even imagine where the joy of being with a girl surpassed that of being with a guy.

Looking at his friends’ social media, every year during various festivals, girls would start posting about their trips, gifts, and group photos.

Just looking at it made him feel tired.

Being attentive and caring, never getting angry, and remembering every special day— he couldn’t do any of that.

He couldn’t be like his dad, always accommodating his mom, without any bottom line.

Just as Ding Luo said, dating was really hard.

He had been consistently lowering the percentage of the population interested in him, leaving a deep shadow on the probability of falling in love.

At the end of August, Yan Yibing made a rare appearance on Zero. Today was Sun Tianjiao’s birthday, and they were celebrating at the club.

Sun Tianjiao didn’t have a girlfriend. For the first twenty-seven years of his life, he dedicated himself tirelessly to making money, never turning back.

Among the star-studded group, Sun Tianjiao raised his highball glass, looking up at the ceiling, stroking his beard and sighing, “My life has been full of ups and downs, facing dangers and coming out alive.”

Yan Yibing: “…”

Sun Tianjiao: “From the day I cleverly designed and kidnapped Yan Yibing, I knew that my life would never be ordinary. The era that belongs to me has arrived, and Zero is the place to realize my lifelong dream!”

Sun Tianjiao: “Thinking about my Fudan University classmates—some went abroad, some entered foreign enterprises, some are about to graduate with a Ph.D., some are racking their brains to stay abroad and earn tuition. Some have already become mid-level managers in securities companies, earning a monthly salary of fifty thousand. Only me, stepping into the esports circle, became the first ordinary little genius in the class to buy a house in Magic City.”

Yan Yibing: “…”

Song Tang: “…”

Xu Rui: “…”

Fu Haifeng: “…”

Sun Tianjiao shook his head, took a sip of wine, his cheeks rosy, and his delicate little arms shook the wine glass.

“Sometimes, I envy them. Stable, steadfast, learning and working in one field, not wasting these more than ten years of studying. But I’ve returned all my knowledge to the teachers, holding money in my hands. I don’t even understand the stock market index, and I can’t even invest. I can only rely on the bank’s financial manager. See, this birthday cake was a gift from the financial manager.”

Song Tang whispered to Yan Yibing, “If it weren’t for my decent salary, I would be like in the movies now, pouring red wine over the manager’s head.”

Yan Yibing chuckled and whispered back, “Let him brag.”

Sun Tianjiao seemed to remember something, put down the wine glass, and approached Yan Yibing.

“Zuzong, I have some gossip here that I forgot to tell you.”

Yan Yibing casually picked a grape and combined it with cheese, putting it in his mouth to chew.

“What gossip?”

Sun Tianjiao had too much gossip, mostly about the petty conflicts within various teams. Yan Yibing wasn’t really interested.

But today was Sun Tianjiao’s birthday, and Yan Yibing was willing to indulge him.

Sun Tianjiao: “I have a classmate working in investment banking, and there’s a project involving Han Shi.”

Yan Yibing’s fingers paused.

He lifted an eyelid, unable to resist asking, “And then?”

Sun Tianjiao: “In their project team, every action is reported to everyone via email, so that any future problems can be traced back easily. Originally, on the Han Shi side, the ones who needed to be forwarded were Han Tang, the project manager, and the business supervisor, just the three of them. But a few days ago, they suddenly said they wanted to add Zuo Yunshi to the recipients of their emails, and they also had to send all the previous files to Zuo Yunshi.”

Yan Yibing raised an eyebrow.

“What does that mean?”

Sun Tianjiao smacked his lips. “It implies something fishy! Han Tang and Zuo Yunshi are a couple, right? If the emails are already sent to Han Tang, is it necessary to send them to Zuo Yunshi? It wasn’t required before. Zuo Yunshi wasn’t involved in the company’s affairs at all. But this time, for some reason, Zuo Yunshi, who never cared about the company’s matters, suddenly wants all project documents. My classmate said that some projects aren’t their responsibility, explaining it quite clearly, but Zuo Yunshi didn’t understand a thing. Anyway, she seemed a bit anxious. My classmate has nothing to do with this matter, so he tactfully asked Han Tang, and Han Tang said not to worry about his wife.”

Yan Yibing’s interest was piqued. “Are they quarreling?”

Sun Tianjiao wiggled his eyebrows. “Listen to me. My classmate loves gossip, so he went to inquire. He heard that Zuo Yunshi and Han Tang had a falling out, and she caused a scene at the company, smashing Han Tang’s office. She claimed that Han Tang had a second thought for the Zuo family.”

Yan Yibing asked, “Why did this happen suddenly?”

Sun Tianjiao: “Isn’t Zuo Yunshi’s family a scholarly family? Her relatives are only good at raising flowers, birds, fish, and insects. They can’t make money at all. Han Tang used to arrange work for some of Zuo Yunshi’s mom’s relatives, but Han Tang refused long ago. He didn’t care about some of Zuo Yunshi’s mom’s relatives. Zuo Yunshi has always been resentful. Then, coincidentally, Han Tang suddenly decided to develop an esports series of sportswear, wanted Han Mo to endorse it, and suddenly announced on Weibo that Han Mo is his son. Now, netizens call Han Mo the rich second generation, the little master. Zuo Yunshi can’t accept it.”

Yan Yibing lightly chuckled. “Serves her right.”

Sun Tianjiao grinned. “Xiao Ding is ruthless. Before, when Han Tang went to Prince, he seemed to have said something to get close to Han Mo, and Han Mo recorded it. Then Ding Luo got Zuo Yunshi’s email, edited and sent the recording to her. Zuo Yunshi has no son, and thinking about Han Tang’s series of actions, she went berserk, forcing Han Tang to take down all esports series products. Now, Han Tang thinks she’s crazy, and she thinks Han Tang cheated on their marriage. It’s a big mess.”

Yan Yibing’s smile gradually faded.

He squinted his eyes and reconfirmed, “There’s a recording? Sent over a few days ago?”

Sun Tianjiao: “Yeah, now either Han Tang takes down the esports sportswear, or Zuo Yunshi splits the family and withdraws the investment. Xiao Ding really vented his anger. Didn’t Han Mo tell you?”

Yan Yibing took a deep breath, drank a mouthful of wine, and sighed, “Probably afraid I’d beat him up.”

Sun Tianjiao laughed, “Oh, you’ve got that master’s authority again?”

That night, infuriated Yan Yibing took out his phone and changed all the nicknames for Han Mo back to【Little Beast】

Pitiful Han Mo my ass!

Damn!

Author’s Message:

Yan Yibing: I’m going to find a stick.

Hello, just an update about Chapter 71, I have changed the translation from “cologne” to “mosquito repellent” to better describe the situation of the story, that’s all thank you! 🙏

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🌼

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  “taking away not a single cloud” is a metaphorical expression often used to convey a departure that is swift, leaving no trace or disturbance behind. In the context of the translated text, it suggests that the person left gracefully and without causing any trouble or disturbance, just like a breeze that passes through without affecting the sky or leaving any clouds behind.