IRAJAS Chapter 18

“…… So, the team captain has such a bad temper,” Lin Lan pondered and concluded, “Next time, I shouldn’t joke with him…”

Xiao Hai was choked by cola, staring at him with wide eyes, “No, Captain’s temper is not bad. Even when we play poorly, he never scolds us…”

Ayu nodded, “We’re not afraid of him scolding us; it’s that we play badly, and when he sees that, he feels guilty… If it weren’t for us holding him back, the captain would have already achieved his dream by now…”

“The captain is super serious and responsible. During the upgrade of DT to LDL before, he injured his hand. He went to the hospital, got it closed, and still played forcibly. After that game, he rested for a whole month to recover…”

“And that time in the rest area, when DT was looked down upon and bullied, the captain negotiated with them in the front…”

Lin Lan said just one sentence, and her teammates chattered for ten sentences, all defending Xiao Shengjing. Looking at them anxiously explaining, Lin Lan could feel that Xiao Shengjing was indeed very important in their hearts, which was somewhat different from the original world.

Although Silly Dog was also respected, that respect was a kind of admiration, not from the heart.

Feifei and Xiao Shengjing had known each other the longest, and he had the most say. Recalling it, there was a full-hearted affection in his tone, “I heard that he had an agreement with his family. If he could make it to LPL, they would believe he could walk this path well… So, the captain takes every game seriously. Although he doesn’t say it, every time we lose, he locks himself on the rooftop for reflection…”

“Seeing him like that breaks my heart.”

“It makes me even more guilty…”

Lin Lan blinked, as if understanding something. Because he played poorly, felt he held back Xiao Shengjing, so he felt guilty. Because of the guilt, he dared not get close to him, and over time, he became afraid of interacting with him.

Suddenly, Lin Lan felt that this world’s Xiao Shengjing was quite pitiful.

No matter how Silly Dog was, he had a bunch of friends, many fans, and his own support in the team, always doing as he pleased.

But this world’s Xiao Shengjing.

It seemed like a layer of dust covered him, and no matter how hard he tried to wipe it off, he couldn’t let his brilliance see the light of day.

Carrying dreams but unable to fulfill them. Longing for freedom but bound by family ties. Finally getting rid of the nagging from Brother Mu, only to end up with 200 yuan he scraped together…

Recalling the pitiful guilty expressions of Xiao Hai and others, Lin Lan felt that his joke had gone a bit too far.

In the original world, both he and Silly Dog were players worth hundreds of millions. 200 yuan was nothing to them; they started gifting each other gifts in the live broadcast room with four-digit numbers. But in this world, Xiao Shengjing was just a player barely making a ten-thousand-yuan base salary…

Lin Lan felt like he couldn’t sleep anymore.

Should he just give it back to him?

It seemed a bit abrupt.

He got up and sent a message to Xiao Shengjing: Captain, is there anything you like to eat? I’m going to the supermarket tomorrow. What do you want me to buy for you?

After sending the message, Lin Lan added: Not exceeding 200.

If it exceeded 200, it wouldn’t be within the range of his guilt.

Xiao Shengjing replied quickly: No need.

Lin Lan: Captain, don’t be polite with me. Do you like cola? Did you like the new flavor I gave you last time? I’ll buy some for you.

Next door, Xiao Shengjing’s fingertips paused on the chat interface, a faint glow falling on his nostrils, reflecting a softness on his cold profile from the lenses.

He was a bit confused about Lin Lan now.

Deliberately getting close to him, constantly pushing boundaries, and after obtaining permission, inexplicably pulling back.

Xiao Shengjing didn’t like this back-and-forth feeling, so he politely declined: No need, thank you.

After replying, there was no movement from the other side.

He couldn’t figure out Lin Lan, so he didn’t know what he was thinking. Perhaps he didn’t seem as indifferent as he appeared, and his words might have hurt his sensitive feelings…

Holding the phone, he got more and more entangled in his thoughts.

On the other hand, because Xiao Shengjing said no, Lin Lan went to sleep without a care, saving 200.

In total, he felt guilty for about two minutes.

…

Today was the day Xiao Hai was getting his stitches removed, and the hospital wasn’t far. Lu Shi originally planned to ride his electric bike to take him but suddenly felt a stomachache when leaving, so he handed the keys to Lin Lan, “Good buddy, help me take Xiao Hai to get his stitches removed. After it’s done, bring him back. My stomach hurts…”

Lin Lan couldn’t ride an electric bike, but he had ridden an electric scooter, and he thought they should be somewhat similar.

When he got on, hmm… it seemed a bit different.

Xiao Hai sat behind him anxiously, “Lin Lan, do you, do you know how to ride?”

“I should know.”

Lin Lan tried it, feeling a strong force, able to ride but a bit wobbly and unable to go straight. He reassured Xiao Hai, not very confident, “Don’t worry, I’ll ride slowly.”

Xiao Hai grasped his shoulders tightly, the jolting making it hard to speak clearly, “I-I-I’m not afraid…”

Lin Lan quickly became familiar with the bike, riding slowly and steadily. Xiao Hai noticed that everything he did seemed so leisurely and confident, a far cry from the timid, sensitive person he used to be.

“Lin Lan, you seem to have changed a lot.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Ayu told me that after a person experiences death, they understand many things. After that incident, you changed a lot, and…”

Before Xiao Hai could finish speaking, Lin Lan suddenly made an abrupt brake and collided with something. He paused, “Lin Lan, what did you hit?”

Lin Lan had hit a pillar. To avoid a reckless black car, he had turned and collided with the safety pillar nearby. Fortunately, they were moving very slowly, and neither of them was injured.

Seeing the luxury car on the opposite side with a license plate indicating wealth, Xiao Hai was ready to give up, “How about we forget it? We’re both fine anyway.”

“Even if nothing happened, we should scold him a bit. How can he be so arrogant when driving against traffic?”

Lin Lan got off the bike, removed his helmet, and approached the driver for a confrontation. Initially, the driver was quite stubborn, but under Lin Lan’s firmer attitude, he eventually apologized.

Xiao Hai felt that Lin Lan had really changed a lot. He was nervous just now, but Lin Lan stood in front like a war god.

“Lin Lan, you were so cool just now.”

“Cool? If Lu Shi finds out I crashed his bike, I don’t know how he’ll react.”

“Whether you crashed it or not, he won’t notice…”

As the two walked away, the black car that had been stationary slowly rolled down its window.

The person sitting in the backseat wore a purple pinstripe suit and donned oversized sunglasses, revealing only a corner of a fair chin, the jawline sharp as a knife.

He looked up at Lin Lan’s departing figure, rhythmically tapping the glass with a cup adorned with black and gold rings, carrying a hint of curiosity.

“Master, it seems like he doesn’t recognize us?”

“If he doesn’t, then he doesn’t,” the sunglass-clad young man in the suit sneered, swirling the glass in his hand. His voice was low, “Heh, it’s not the first time he’s played dumb.”

…

Inside, Xiao Hai was getting his stitches removed, while Lin Lan played with his phone outside. Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up to see a masked female doctor in her forties holding a lunchbox, apparently ready for a meal.

“How come you’re here?” The female doctor seemed to recognize him. “You didn’t finish your medication last time. I called you several times, and you didn’t answer. I thought you weren’t coming.”

Lin Lan had no impression of her at all. In the fragmented memories of Mirror Lin Lan, there was no trace of this person. He looked at the doctor’s name tag. Her surname was Li, and she turned out to be a psychiatrist.

He cautiously asked her, “Dr. Li, how long has it been since I came here? I’ve forgotten.”

“Over a month, I called you several times, but you didn’t answer. You’re really something. I thought something happened to you.”

Lin Lan came just a month ago, which means Mirror Lin Lan saw the psychiatrist before his suicide. Could his suicide be related to his mental illness?

“Dr. Li, can you tell me about my illness… Is there still a need for treatment? Can I see my medical records? Is that possible?”

“Of course, you can see them. Patients have the right to be informed. However, I’m not your attending physician; it’s Dr. Wu Ming. Your records are with him, and he’s at the hospital today. You can go find him.”

Lin Lan nodded, seeing off Dr. Li, feeling curious about this matter.

The financially struggling Lin Lan had been seeking medical treatment and taking medication, and it was in the field of psychiatry. Why hadn’t he come across this information in his memories?

Even everything related to Xiao Shengjing wasn’t seen. Instead, fragments of memories of Lu Shi, Brother Mu, and Wu Tianqi, seemingly irrelevant people, were present.

In theory, Mirror Lin Lan, who had a secret crush on Xiao Shengjing, couldn’t possibly be absent from his memories. Could it be that he still didn’t have enough control over this body, preventing him from unlocking deeper memories?

Lin Lan was lost in thought, contemplating whether to ask this Dr. Wu Ming. Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder, “I’m done. Let’s go.”

He snapped back, “Is your hand okay?”

“No problem. The doctor said I’m young and recovering well. When my hand is better, you must teach me how to play Thresh. I’ve been itching to play after watching you and Ayu these days, almost wanting to start a game immediately…”

Lin Lan looked at his hands, wrapped up like zongzi, and chuckled, “Let’s talk about it when your hand is better.”

“My hand will be fine soon. The doctor said at most two weeks. You wait to teach me then.”

“I’ll teach you, but have cola ready for me.”

“But let’s make it clear, even when my hand is better, you’ll still be the one playing in the matches. I don’t want to drag down the captain…”

Lin Lan nodded with a “Hmm,” finally realizing something was amiss, “Hmm…?”

He seemed to have overlooked a very serious issue: After going on stage as a substitute, how would he leave the stage?

Looking at Xiao Hai’s admiring and envious gaze, merging with the countless fans from the original world, it felt like he was being sent to an unreachable height.

“Wait a minute,” Lin Lan organized his words, “Actually, Xiao Hai, if I win, it’s just because of good luck.”

“Hmm, I know.”

Lin Lan felt relieved.

Then, Xiao Hai affectionately patted his shoulder, “Great players like to keep a low profile. I won’t tell anyone.”

Lin Lan: ????

Don’t imagine things, young man!

 

Author’s note:

Thanks to the little angel who sent the mine: 47111646 (1 mine)

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