DSF Chapter 84

At the end of the day, Sun Tianjiao booked the hottest local barbecue and seafood hot pot restaurant.

They reserved a large private room, with the service fee alone costing nearly a thousand, and more than ten people went there in high spirits.

Inside the private room were three enormous seafood hot pots and two barbecue grills. The group gathered in a circle and ordered more than ten bottles of clear liquor.

In reality, Yan Yibing wasn’t accustomed to this kind of alcohol; he found it a bit strong. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do; when you come here, you have to taste their alcohol.

Han Mo sat on his left, and Sun Tianjiao sat on his right, the vastly different personalities of the two causing a buzzing sensation in his right ear.

Han Mo remained silent as always, showing no change in expression even after winning the championship. Sun Tianjiao, on the other hand, was full of excitement, chatting animatedly, almost wearing out his lips.

The meal was ordered in Korean by Sun Tianjiao and Ding Luo, consisting mostly of various types of meat that everyone liked.

The local seafood hot pot here had a unique feature. Spicy sauce was placed at the bottom of the pot, and then a bunch of freshly caught squid, scallops, and abalones were poured into the pot.

A whole pot of freshly caught seafood, absolutely free from any adulteration.

The squid with its suction cup tentacles was still slowly moving in the pot, tentatively extending out of the pot. Everyone felt it was fresh and exciting, enthusiastically taking out their phones to take pictures.

Yan Yibing even extended his fingertips and gave the squid a high-five.

After a short while, a waiter, wearing an indifferent expression, approached with scissors. Without greeting anyone, they snipped the large chunks of seafood into smaller pieces. Afterward, they pushed the broken and still squirming tentacles back into the pot and poured in a pot of boiling water.

People who were taking photos with their phones grimaced and awkwardly put their phones away.

Although it was food, having it cut in front of them was still a bit shocking.

Sun Tianjiao patted Yan Yibing and asked, “Do you prefer seafood or barbecue?”

Yan Yibing thought for a moment and replied, “Either is fine, let’s go with seafood.”

Sun Tianjiao said, “Then switch seats with me. I prefer barbecue, so I’ll sit inside.”

Yan Yibing paused, “Sure…”

Since they were all eating together, it didn’t matter who sat next to whom.

Han Mo’s ear twitched slightly. He raised his eyes and calmly said, “My side is closer; Manager Sun, you can sit here.”

Yan Yibing: “…”

With composure akin to still water, Han Mo stood up, vacated the more central position for Sun Tianjiao, and then took the initiative to sit at the very edge.

They were indeed closer to the seafood hot pot, but a bit far from the barbecue grill.

With Han Mo’s concession, Ding Jun was a bit bewildered.

In theory, being from the same club, they should be seated together, excluding the pair of little lovebirds, Yu Yan and Ding Luo. But now that Han Mo left, Sun Tianjiao was sitting next to him.

Sun Tianjiao raised an astonished eyebrow.

“Heavens, Han Mo, how should I put this… I never expected that after leaving Zero for two years, your affection for me is still so deep. It wasn’t in vain that I doted on you back then!”

Sun Tianjiao praised Han Mo while happily taking Han Mo’s seat.

He glanced at Ding Jun beside him and innocently smiled.

Ding Jun: “…Damn.”

Yan Yibing’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, his almond-shaped eyes drooped, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He knew why Han Mo wanted to switch seats with Sun Tianjiao.

Dealing with kids in ambiguous situations was troublesome; they would make a fuss over trivial matters like this.

The seafood cooked quickly, and when the lid was lifted, the distinctive aroma of Korean spicy sauce filled the air.

They were familiar with each other, and there was no need for formalities. They just got up and helped themselves.

Yan Yibing wasn’t very hungry and only took two scallops.

He glanced at Han Mo, who lowered his head, fiddled with his phone, and then leaned on the table, waiting.

Yan Yibing was curious about what Han Mo was waiting for until Han Mo said, “Haven’t you downloaded WeChat yet?”

Only then did he realize that he was still out of contact with China even after the competition.

So Han Mo was messaging him just now?

Yan Yibing put down his chopsticks, took out his phone, and muttered under his breath, “Forgot.”

He connected to the restaurant’s Wi-Fi, searched the app store, and reinstalled WeChat and Weibo.

Logging into WeChat required not only entering the password but also completing a three-friend assistance security verification. He directly clicked on his contacts and scrolled down. Yu Yan was under “Y,” and Sun Tianjiao was under “S,” both towards the end.

So he decided to select people starting from the end.

He didn’t have many contacts starting with ‘Y,’ and right after that was ‘X.’

He circled Yu Yan first and raised his eyes, seeing the nickname “Little Beast.”

Yan Yibing: “…”

He swallowed nervously, preparing to discreetly swipe to unlock. Just as his finger touched the screen, Han Mo beside him said lightly, “Master, do you think I didn’t see it?”

Damn.

Yan Yibing felt so awkward that he wished he could just dive into the pot and be shoulder to shoulder with the squid.

He had changed it once in front of Han Mo, and then sneakily changed it back behind Han Mo’s back. This kind of behavior was really childish.

Especially considering their positions.

But Han Mo chuckled softly, amused, and said, “It seems that Master really likes this nickname. Alright then.”

Alright?

What’s so “alright” about it?

Yan Yibing suddenly felt a sense of crisis because Han Mo couldn’t be “Little Beast” anymore!

He quickly pointed at the three people present, skipped over “Little Beast,” and then with a tap on his phone, cleared his throat lightly and called out, “Yu Gou, Jiao Jiao, Xiao Lu, help me verify that this WeChat account is mine.”

Yu Yan was busy peeling shrimp for Ding Luo. Hearing this, he frowned slightly. “What WeChat are you looking at during a meal?”

Yan Yibing replied, “Cut it out, don’t think I didn’t notice you already updated your moments.”

Yu Yan was puzzled, “Han Mo is sitting right next to you, why don’t you ask him to verify it for you?”

Yan Yibing pretended to be calm and took a sip of soju, “Just picking randomly.”

Sun Tianjiao, Lu Jianghe, and Yu Yan all picked up their phones and helped Yan Yibing verify.

Yan Yibing quickly logged into WeChat, and countless red dots instantly filled his phone screen.

The matches these days were broadcasted live across the entire internet, so many people were messaging him after watching the matches.

He was usually lazy and didn’t bother clearing his WeChat. Friends from eight hundred years ago were still in his contacts. When there were major events like this tournament, they would send messages to congratulate him.

Among the chaotic messages, Yan Yibing found 【Little Beast】account.

It was troublesome. Yan Yibing tapped it and casually pinned Han Mo’s chat at the top.

He knew Han Mo was watching and hoped that this discreet favoritism would make Han Mo forget about the nickname “Little Beast.”

Opening the chat, Han Mo said —

“Eat less. We’re going out tonight.”

Yan Yibing glanced at Han Mo, slowly withdrew his gaze, and tapped his finger on the screen.

“Mm.”

Han Mo’s phone vibrated.

Actually, he didn’t need to look because from this distance, he could clearly see what Yan Yibing was typing.

Soon, smoke rose from the barbecue grill.

Large slices of well-marinated meat were cut with broad knives, piled on the edge, and new beef was placed in the middle of the grill.

Sun Tianjiao, with oil all over his mouth, couldn’t contain his joy.

He had the type of physique that could eat without gaining weight, or maybe he was just too preoccupied with things, his brain constantly running at high speed, burning off any excess calories.

Feeling guilty because of the nickname “Little Beast,” Yan Yibing glanced at Han Mo, who was only eating two bean sprouts. With a thought, he instinctively snatched a piece of fatty beef from under Sun Tianjiao’s chopsticks.

The fatty beef crossed over his own plate and landed in Han Mo’s.

Yan Yibing casually asked, “Can you eat this?”

Han Mo’s gaze lowered, looking at the slice of fatty beef, lips slightly pursed. “I can’t eat it, please, Master, give me two more pieces.” Liar!

He had just said to eat less a moment ago.

Yan Yibing knew Han Mo’s true intentions, deliberately picked up a chicken heart, shook it in front of Han Mo, then stuffed it into his own mouth.

Han Mo had seen a chicken being slaughtered when he was young, leaving him with some trauma, so he didn’t eat animal innards.

But that was just when he was young.

He glanced at Yan Yibing’s profile and calmly said, “If Master feeds me, I can eat anything.”

Although his voice was low, everyone at the table heard it.

Ding Luo stretched her neck, her eyes sparkling. “What are Bing Shen and Han Shen whispering about?”

As soon as she spoke, the others subconsciously looked in the direction of Han Mo and Yan Yibing.

Yan Yibing suddenly felt a sense of embarrassment, similar to the shame he felt when caught reading manga during class in his childhood.

Clearing his throat, just as he was about to speak, Han Mo calmly said, “Ask Bing Shen to help me get some meat.”

Chen Chi chimed in honestly, “Han Mo’s a bit far away. Come on, get him a plate and pass it over. Yan Yibing, lend a hand.”

Yan Yibing, feeling helpless, had no choice but to publicly help Han Mo pick up slices of meat and then place them in front of Han Mo under everyone’s gaze.

“There you go.”

Han Mo calmly picked up a piece and placed it in Yan Yibing’s bowl. “You eat too.”

Yan Yibing froze for a moment and subconsciously glanced at Ding Luo.

Ding Luo, thoughtfully raised an eyebrow and followed suit, picking up a shrimp and gently placing it in Yu Yan’s bowl. “Husband, you eat too.”

Yu Yan shivered with emotion, and Yan Yibing was so embarrassed that he almost died on the spot.

During the meal, Ding Jun and Sun Tianjiao had a few cups, the two coaches had a few cups, and each of them basically finished a bottle of soju.

Yan Yibing’s breath was a bit hot, and he couldn’t help but tug at his collar, fanning himself with his hand.

Han Mo was usually calm, and even when he drank, his face didn’t flush. No matter how much he drank, he remained clear-headed, his skin cold and pale.

He moved the empty bottle to the side and absentmindedly played with the chopsticks.

The table was a mess, everyone was full and satisfied, entering a sage-like state, unwilling to talk or move.

The waiter came over, glanced at them, hesitated for a moment, then seeing that no one was speaking, walked away again.

Until eleven o’clock at night.

The shop owner came over to Sun Tianjiao and said, “Hello, we close at twelve, do you need anything else?”

Sun Tianjiao had drunk quite a bit, squinted and looked around. “No need, no need.”

The owner said, “Alright, we’ll start cleaning up then.”

Sun Tianjiao took a deep breath, stood up, and rubbed his dizzy head. “Let’s go, they’re about to close. We’ll give you guys tomorrow and the day after to play in Busan, bring back some local specialties for relatives and friends, and then we’ll head back, that’s it.”

Ding Jun helped him up. “Alright, let’s go together. Don’t lose anyone tonight, it’ll be hard to find them later.”

In fact, no one was really drunk, they were just a bit excited. When someone mentioned leaving, they didn’t hesitate and started packing up their things.

Sun Tianjiao patted Yan Yibing on the shoulder. “Zuzong, get some rest when we get back. If Lu Jianghe snores, just tell me, I’ll bleed for you and open another room. Han Mo and I are leaving first.”

With that, he leaned over to reach Han Mo.

Han Mo directly grabbed his sleeve and tossed him to Ding Jun. “Brother Ding, you take Manager Sun back first, Yan Yibing and I have something to attend to.”

Ding Jun frowned. “What’s going on with you two?”

Han Mo replied, “Important matters.”

Yan Yibing exhaled a few warm breaths and murmured, “We could just stay at the hotel.”

Han Mo handed him his phone. “The hotel is too crowded.”

Yan Yibing said, “Alright then.”

They ended up going to Haiyuntai.

As soon as they stepped out, the slightly cool night breeze dispersed some of the alcohol fumes.

Yan Yibing lifted his eyes and found that there were many stars visible by the seaside.

Bright, countless stars not obscured by human city lights.

Although it was still a city, it felt so different from Magic City.

He reached out his hand, attempting to grab one.

They seemed so low, almost close to the horizon, yet he couldn’t catch a single one.

Tilting his head back to look, not watching his step, he accidentally bumped into the edge of the pavement, stumbling for a moment.

Han Mo quickly grabbed him. “Are you really drunk?”

Yan Yibing chuckled lightly, feeling his warm face. “Impossible, just a bit of alcohol.”

The restaurant Sun Tianjiao chose was really close to the sea. They only needed to cross a street to reach the beach.

Under the night sky, the sea was a vast, dark, and silent, while the land was dotted with starry lights. The orange glow seemed to spread like oil paint onto the beach, fading into darkness as it touched the sea.

There was a distinct boundary between these two colors, where the sand near the sea was pure white, fine, and cool to the touch.

Walking on the beach, waves surged and rolled, bringing a salty and fishy breeze. Yan Yibing’s light and cool short sleeves were lifted by the wind, the fabric clinging to his body.

He sobered up a bit. Han Mo urged in a low voice, “I got the MVP.”

Yan Yibing smiled with almond-shaped eyes. “Why are you in such a hurry?”

He lazily squatted on the beach, reached out to grab a handful of wet sand, and watched as the sand, aided by the gravity of seawater, flowed out from between his fingers.

Yan Yibing suppressed his smile, rested his forearm on his knee, and looked up at the dark sea.

“On your eighteenth birthday, actually, I prepared a gift for you, a unique collar pin custom-made from the United States, which was quite trendy and beautiful at the time. But beauty wasn’t the point; the main thing was… the design, I gave some input on it. If the designer didn’t violate the contract, there should be only one in the world.”

A one-of-a-kind collar pin, a gift for the person he considered one-of-a-kind.

Han Mo’s expression stiffened slightly.

Bitter memories flooded into his mind like a tide. He silently knelt beside Yan Yibing, rubbing his nose against his neck.

“Sorry…”

Yan Yibing patted his head, playfully scolding, “Are you silly? I’ve already apologized. I didn’t have the courage to give it to you directly back then, but since Song Tang had a good relationship with you, I passed it to him. However, after that incident, Song Tang was upset and never gave it to you. Actually, I don’t know why I went through all the trouble to prepare a coming-of-age gift for you when we were already estranged, blocking each other. Maybe because you’re the most special esports player I’ve ever seen, exceptionally talented, and… special to me.”

Han Mo’s eyelids trembled, and he fiercely bit down on his cheek, tasting the metallic tang of blood after a moment.

He lowered his gaze, voice hoarse. “Can I still get the collar pin back?”

Yan Yibing turned to look at him. They were exceptionally close, able to feel each other’s breath.

Yan Yibing moved his lips, and his eyelashes quivered. “When I told you about winning the MVP and getting a reward, I actually wanted to give the collar pin back to you. Although it’s a gift delayed by two years, I finally fulfilled the promise I made to wait until you were an adult.”

Han Mo’s Adam’s apple bobbed, eyes downcast, with a faint glimmer of moisture in his lashes.

Everything was a series of coincidences.

If he had received Yan Yibing’s birthday gift during that exhibition match, he wouldn’t have discovered the later extreme incidents, and it wouldn’t have taken two years to break the ice.

Yan Yibing chuckled lightly, his breath carrying the scent of clear alcohol mixed with the sea breeze.

“The collar pin is still at my place. If you had been a bit more careful when you rummaged through the storage cabinet last time, you would have found it under the love letter box. Although it’s a reward, I can’t give it to you tonight, so—”

Yan Yibing sighed lightly, but his tone was as casually cheerful as usual, like the sound of clear spring flowing through a narrow crevice, pleasant and enduring.

“Let’s exchange it for this.”

With that, he picked up his phone and opened WeChat.

The bright lights on the quiet beach appeared particularly conspicuous.

Yan Yibing’s eyes were stimulated by the light, and physiological tears trickled down.

Nevertheless, he persisted, clicked on Han Mo’s contact, and deleted the three words 【Little Beast】 from the notes section.

He paused and solemnly wrote 【Boyfriend】

In the moment of Han Mo’s slight astonishment, Yan Yibing tilted his head and gently, naturally kissed Han Mo’s lips.

Unlike Han Mo’s aggressive kisses.

His kiss was gentle, just like his voice, with soft lips carrying the scent of alcohol, delicately weaving into their breaths.

He breathed shallowly, lightly rubbing against the split on Han Mo’s lip, carefully caressing it twice. His long, curly eyelashes brushed against the depths of Han Mo’s eyes like small brushes.

Han Mo froze, then asked in a muffled and unclear voice, “Does Bing Shen know what this represents?”

Yan Yibing paused, chuckled, a teasing expression escaping from the depths of his throat.

He pulled back slightly from Han Mo’s lips and asked, “Do you know what ‘u ri neun yeonin ip ni da’ means, the phrase I told the landlady?”

Han Mo’s breath quickened, his gaze deepening. “I haven’t had the chance to check.”

Yan Yibing raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, reaching up to hook his hand around Han Mo’s neck, looking into his eyes with determination, and slowly revealing, “Little brother, it means you can date me now.”

Translator’s Note:

Sorry for the delay in updating🙏

Thank you for reading!