The day after receiving his salary, Lin Lan returned the money to Lu Shi. Although Lu Shi urged him to repay, when Lin Lan actually did, Lu Shi became hesitant again, saying, “Are you in such a hurry to pay me back? Is it enough for yourself?”
In the expensive city of S, even a regular takeout costs nearly 50, and after repaying the debt, Lin Lan had just over two thousand left, barely enough for meals.
Lu Shi hesitated, “How about you repay half first? I’m not in a hurry for the money anyway.”
“No, no, I’ll repay it all at once.” Lin Lan didn’t like owing favors, and he had no concept of money usage. He preferred to tighten his belt once and for all, saying, “You have a hard time earning money, and your old bike needs to be replaced.”
Although Lu Shi did have a hard time earning money, being in his early twenties, his reaction time was already declining. After struggling for so long, he barely made it to the starting lineup once, and even thinking about changing a bike required squeezing his salary.
He patted Lin Lan’s shoulder with emotion, “Good brother.”
“It should be repaid.”
“No problem, come to me if you have difficulties in the future.”
“Sure.”
The printer behind them was running, and Xiao Shengjing, who was copying documents, heard their entire conversation. When Lu Shi left, he couldn’t help but raise his head, meeting Lin Lan’s gaze.
Since the last incident in the room, he always felt uneasy around Lin Lan. However, the other party seemed to have completely forgotten about it, casually greeting him as usual, “Captain, copying documents?”
“Yeah.” Xiao Shengjing seemed to have something to ask and hesitated for more than ten seconds before speaking, “Why do you owe money to Lu Shi? Do you have any difficulties?”
“Nothing difficult. Just borrowed a bit before, and the hospitalization fee from last time wasn’t reimbursed by Brother Mu. Lu Shi helped me pay, and I told him I’d repay when I received my salary.” Lin Lan picked up the documents and casually flipped through them. “Version analysis? Coach Zhang has the leisure to prepare this kind of thing?”
“Coach Zhang has been learning data analysis recently.” Xiao Shengjing said, then looked at him, his eyes subtly moving, clearly not focused on the documents. “How are you feeling after the last hospitalization?”
“I’m fine.” Lin Lan almost forgot about being hospitalized; the densely packed data on the documents gave him a headache. “Copying so much?”
“Yeah, Coach Zhang said everyone should have a copy and be familiar with it.”
“Familiar?” Lin Lan felt like he had returned to his student days, looking shocked and conflicted. “How is this different from my previous teachers?”
“Coach Zhang used to be a Chinese teacher.”
Lin Lan quickly closed the documents, feeling as if he had been transported back to his school days. He looked shocked and conflicted, “Disturbed you, Captain, I’ll go now.”
“Wait,” Xiao Shengjing stopped him, contemplating for a long time before speaking, “Why did you… forget it. Do you have time now?”
“I… should I have time?”
Fifteen minutes later, Lin Lan and Xiao Shengjing appeared in the supermarket. In front of them were mountains of snacks. Lin Lan asked, “Captain, did you call me down to help you move things?”
“Yeah.” Xiao Shengjing calmly rolled up his sleeves, revealing a noble air even in the relaxed and careful movements of moving things. Even when moving something, he exuded the seriousness and caution of a strong person. “Brother Mu mentioned that tomorrow’s upgrade match might be DT’s last game. He asked me to buy some things for everyone to relax.”
The more important the match, the more relaxation was needed. Lin Lan understood this principle. “But there’s no need to buy so much, right?”
Xiao Shengjing effortlessly lifted two boxes of cola, “Anything you can’t finish, you can take home.”
What? Anything unfinished can be taken home?
Lin Lan immediately became energetic, rolled up his sleeves, and started to help.
The first trip was manageable, but Lin Lan found it a bit challenging on the second trip. He discussed with Xiao Shengjing, “Captain, should I call Lu Shi down to help?”
“I asked him to practice two new heroes, just in case.”
“What about Ayu and Feifei?”
“Their hand strength is not enough, and they need to protect their wrists.”
With Xiao Hai still recovering from his injuries, Wu Tianqi wouldn’t be of any help. After thinking for a while, Lin Lan finally realized something was off. “Captain, don’t I need to protect my wrists and undergo training?”
“You eat and sleep every day. I haven’t seen you training. Your wrists will rust even if you don’t use them.”
Lin Lan didn’t expect Xiao Shengjing to be so sarcastic. Attempting to save face, he said, “Captain, you can’t just say that. I train hard every day, getting up early and staying up late, dedicating myself to the team. If Brother Mu hears this, he might deduct my bonus…” He made a cute gesture, mimicking a kitten with ruffled fur.
Xiao Shengjing couldn’t help but smile. The elevator arrived, and he entered. Through the corner mirror, he could see Lin Lan.
Standing at 1.75 meters, Lin Lan wasn’t short, but he was too thin. His frame was slender, giving the impression of a youth. Standing next to Xiao Shengjing made him seem quite small. At this moment, he was engrossed in the snacks in the bag, unaware that a slim section of his white neck was visible beneath the collar.
Xiao Shengjing averted his gaze, suddenly feeling that the atmosphere in the elevator had become strange again. He had never treated Lin Lan this way before, and the change felt oddly mysterious.
“Lin Lan,” he wanted to ask something but hesitated, “why did you… forget it.”
“Ding—” The elevator arrived.
Lin Lan quickly carried his belongings into the elevator. There was one more trip waiting for him, and he protested in frustration, “Captain, this is purely exploitation from capitalism. You have to compensate me.”
Xiao Shengjing laughed again. Watching Lin Lan’s disheveled head, he felt an impulse to pat him on the head, but then he remembered something, and the smile slowly disappeared.
Lin Lan looked too normal; he didn’t seem like someone who would commit suicide.
But the more normal he appeared, the more uneasy Xiao Shengjing felt. He didn’t know the motivation behind Lin Lan’s suicide attempt or whether he would repeat it in the future. Occasionally thinking about it would make him feel an inexplicable suffocation that lingered all night.
Lin Lan was about to lift the remaining items when a tall figure suddenly enveloped him. A hand extended from behind, “Let me do it.”
Xiao Shengjing took the items, handed him a bottle of cola, and Lin Lan began to drink. Only then did he remember, “Captain, is this bottle of cola your treat, or did Brother Mu pay for it?”
“Does it make a difference?”
“Of course, if Brother Mu paid for it, then you still owe me a bottle of cola. If you paid for it, then you don’t owe me one.”
Lin Lan looked serious as if this matter was crucial to him. The wind on the roadside rustled the fallen leaves, and his hair swayed softly around his ears.
In the end, Xiao Shengjing couldn’t resist it. He vigorously rubbed Lin Lan’s head, and beneath his fingertips, it felt soft and warm. The unfamiliar sensation didn’t repel him; instead, it brought an inexplicable and difficult-to-verbalize addiction.
Forcing down the inexplicable restlessness in his heart, Xiao Shengjing scolded him, “You don’t train properly every day. What are you thinking about?”
“It’s not like you want me to train. You pulled me down to do manual labor, right?”
“I didn’t pull you down to do manual labor, nor did I see you training.”
“Slander! You’re slandering me.”
The tug-of-war between the two continued until they reached the upper floor. Feifei, sipping on cola, remarked as if discovering a new world, “This is the first time I’ve seen the captain being so enthusiastic.”
Ayu nodded, “Indeed.”
In their perception, the captain was like a supreme commander, always serious, and every word represented a command. They didn’t expect that being with Lin Lan would be so childish and funny. Was Lin Lan toxic?
As they didn’t have training in the evening, Coach Zhang gathered them together to play some small games to relax.
“How about playing Werewolf1TL’s note: This is the first time I heard of this game, but yeah, it is a game, a party game.?” Lu Shi was eager and ready to go back for his collector’s edition. However, everyone resisted, saying, “No, every time we play, it turns into a massacre by the captain.”
“I play one round, and there’s no gaming experience at all.”
“Last time, he voted out all the werewolves, leaving only the captain, and then he wiped out all the gods by himself.”
“I feel like my brain isn’t suitable for playing this game with the captain. It’s like a strategic downgrade.”
After listening to their complaints, Lin Lan’s eyes suddenly lit up, “Captain, are you very skilled at playing Werewolf?”
Werewolf was Lin Lan’s favorite game, but he only wanted to play with skilled players. Unfortunately, the silly dog in the original world always catered to him, making playing this game particularly dull.
Xiao Shengjing glanced at him indifferently, “What, do you want to play with me?”
Lin Lan did want to. He was eager to experience the captain’s skills. Before he could speak, his teammates had already decided to play Truth or Dare.
Lu Shi announced the rules, “Since we have a match tomorrow, tonight is only Truth without Dare. The spoon points to someone, and that person has to answer the question. If they don’t want to answer, they can use a sticker. The person with the most stickers washes the entire team’s socks.”
Feifei: “The whole team’s socks?”
Ayu: “No, I can’t…”
Xiao Hai: “Oh my god, this is too harsh.”
As soon as they heard about washing socks, Coach Zhang, who originally wanted to integrate into the group, quickly lifted his butt as if he suddenly remembered something. “I just remembered Brother Mu has something to discuss with me. You guys go ahead and play.”
Wu Tianqi also didn’t want to accept the punishment and found an excuse to leave.
The team leader and assistant also didn’t show much interest.
On the scene, only Lin Lan, Xiao Shengjing, Lu Shi, Feifei, Ayu, and Xiao Hai remained.
Lu Shi asked them, “Is there anyone else who wants to quit? There’s still a chance now; it’ll be too late later.”
Everyone looked at each other but no one chose to quit.
The game officially began.
Feifei was the first to spin the spoon, and it landed on Xiao Hai. “Who do you think is the most powerful in the team?”
“Need I say it? It’s definitely the captain.” Xiao Hai spun the spoon, and it landed on Ayu. “Who do you admire the most in the team?”
Ayu glanced at Xiao Hai and suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. “It’s definitely the captain…”
“Oh,” Xiao Hai awkwardly laughed. “It’s the captain.”
Lu Shi couldn’t stand it. “Playing like this is boring. Let me do it. I’ll set an example for you.”
He rolled up his sleeves and casually spun the spoon, which landed on Lin Lan. Then, he dropped a bombshell directly, “Why did you want to commit suicide?”
The scene suddenly quieted down. Dim lights cast eerie shadows on Lin Lan’s head, creating a strange interplay of light and darkness.
The training room became stifling and quiet. Everyone held their breath, watching Lin Lan intently. Xiao Shengjing’s hand, holding a water cup, involuntarily tightened without him realizing.
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