After the promotion, the club faced various affairs related to the upgrade, keeping everyone extremely busy. Even Xiao Shengjing had to run around with paperwork; the team couldn’t find anyone to handle things.
Lin Lan spent his days eating and sleeping, chatting with Lu Shi and others whenever he had free time, and lounging in a chair.
“Ayu’s grandma has recovered from a life-threatening situation. Fortunately, he returned early. She was almost at the end but she heard her precious grandson come, and she pulled through.”
“Haha, the power of being a big grandson.”
“But Ayu has to thank Lin Lan. If not for him, we would have failed in the promotion matches.”
“Now, many people are looking for Lin Lan online, but unfortunately, Lin Lan doesn’t use social media.”
“But they made a lot of memes. Look at this,” Lu Shi pulled out saved meme images, “It’s hilarious. Lin Lan was originally playing support, and then Ayu played poorly. So, Lin Lan applied, ‘Coach, can I play AD?’ The coach thought, it’s already angry enough to the point of hitting someone, and then Lin Lan lifted Ayu off and sat down to play AD, hahaha…”
“I want to send this picture to Ayu; it’s too funny…”
Lin Lan also found it amusing, chatting with them like this every day, with an abundance of snacks on hand.
This rhythm was damn comfortable.
One day, Lin Lan wanted to get up as usual, wash his hair, and prepare to go downstairs for shopping. Lu Shi still hadn’t gotten used to his new hairstyle and was startled when they met. “Damn, Lin Lan, I feel like there’s a gap between us. If we go out together, do you think any girl would be interested in me? Quickly change your hairstyle back, and we can still be good brothers.”
Lin Lan glanced at him, too lazy to bother.
Wearing slippers, he casually walked downstairs, coincidentally meeting Coach Zhang coming back in a hurry. “Xiao Lin, you’re here at the right time.”
Without saying a word, Coach Zhang handed Lin Lan a bunch of messy documents. “Take these to Xiao Shengjing; he’s waiting in the administrative building.”
After that, he also gave him two hundred yuan, “Take a cab, go.”
Lin Lan originally didn’t want to accept, but seeing the two hundred yuan for transportation, he uncontrollably took it. “Which administrative building?”
Coach Zhang took out his phone, and quickly typed, “I sent you the address. Xiao Lin, I have urgent matters to attend to, no time to chat with you.”
Seeing Coach Zhang in such a hurry, sweating profusely, and not having slept well these days, Lin Lan didn’t dare to delay. He borrowed Lu Shi’s electric bike and rode off.
On the way, he sent a message to Xiao Shengjing in advance: Captain, the coach asked me to deliver some documents to you.
Xiao Shengjing took a while to reply: Hmm. How did he ask you to deliver?
Lin Lan: He drafted soldiers and caught me.
Xiao Shengjing: Hmm, wait for me downstairs, message me when you arrive.
Lin Lan: Okay.
He put down his phone and focused on riding the bike. The scenery along the way was still familiar, much like that other world. However, for Lin Lan, both the good and bad memories were now things that happened in another world. Currently, he is doing well here, with no thoughts of going back.
Arriving at the destination, he parked the bike and removed his helmet. Lin Lan looked up and saw a newly built office building, with everything freshly decorated.
As he was about to go in, he suddenly noticed a shady figure wearing a mask and a hat getting out of a car. The person glanced around deliberately, then hastily entered the adjacent office building.
Lin Lan happened to catch a glimpse of his eyes. In an instant, he remembered, isn’t this Dr. Wu Ming, who examined “Lin Lan”? What was he doing here sneakily?
Driven by strong curiosity, Lin Lan caught up quickly. To avoid being recognized, he put on a hat and a mask. With his changed hairstyle, the other person probably wouldn’t recognize him.
He briskly followed Wu Ming into the adjacent building, which was much more luxurious than the one next to it. Access required a card, Lin Lan didn’t have one, but Wu Ming did. He had to stop and watch him go in.
Why would a doctor come to an office building?
And dressed so sneakily?
Lin Lan felt something was off. He stepped out to check the building’s name, “Golden Mansion.” Flipping through some documents on the stand, he roughly figured out it was a real estate developer’s office building. Everyone entering and leaving should be internal staff. Why would a doctor have a card for this place?
Even if he’s a private doctor, does he need to dress like this?
Lin Lan’s thoughts were getting intrigued when a conflict erupted between security and someone else. People around gathered to watch, and chaos ensued.
A white-collar worker tried to rush in, Lin Lan seized the opportunity to follow her discreetly. As she swiped her card, he sneaked in with her.
Entering the stairwell, Lin Lan didn’t expect that the floors here also required card access. The white-collar worker swiped for the 17th floor, the area for employees’ offices. Many people were coming and going, but no one noticed him.
In such a vast place, finding one person seemed too challenging. Lin Lan was contemplating whether to go back when suddenly the elevator doors closed, taking him upstairs.
After a long wait, the elevator stopped on the top floor, the 33rd floor. With a “ding,” the doors slowly opened.
Outside stood a young man in a suit and tie, wearing a wristwatch. His bold face carried a fierceness not typical for his age. He forcefully threw something at Dr. Wu Ming’s face, “You haven’t handled things well, and you still want money from me? Get out with your stuff. Speak another word, and I’ll make sure you can’t survive in this industry.”
Wu Ming dared not speak up, hastily picking up the items from the floor, “Th-this, I…”
Lin Lan noticed hospital seals on those documents.
After the suited young man threw things, he aggressively adjusted his tie and entered the elevator. He forcefully pressed the button for the negative second floor. Just as his anger subsided, he noticed Lin Lan.
His sharp eyes fell on Lin Lan like knives, “Which department are you from? Daring to come to the 33rd floor.”
The other person’s age was similar to Lin Lan’s now, slightly taller, but the pressure he brought surpassed even Xiao Shengjing by tenfold.
Lin Lan felt that this person looked very familiar; his mind raced, “I’m delivering something to my cousin, don’t have a card to go down.”
All the elevators here required a card to operate. The person stared at him for a long time, seeming to think that Lin Lan, with his young appearance, didn’t seem like he was lying, “Which floor?”
Lin Lan: “Huh?”
The young man impatiently frowned, “I asked, which floor are you going to?”
Lin Lan: “First floor.”
The other person forcefully pressed the button for the first floor.
He seemed to enjoy wearing things on his hands; on his right hand alone, he had three rings—two on the index finger and one on the middle finger. Coupled with the large wristwatch, one hand emitted an imposing aura that didn’t belong to his age, filled with boldness and extravagance.
Playing with his phone with one hand, his facial features were sharp, with a thin jawline. He habitually furrowed his brows, giving him a somewhat arrogant appearance.
The more Lin Lan looked, the more he felt familiar, especially with that impatient demeanor. Where had he seen it before?
The elevator finally reached the first floor with a “ding.” Lin Lan walked out, and halfway through, he suddenly realized something, “You’re not Xie Zilu, are you?”
The elementary school student who played Yasuo back in the day. He had the same expression when he was angry, with a high and low brow.
At this very moment, the elevator doors closed. Xie Zilu finally looked up and took a good look at Lin Lan. Their eyes met in mid-air, just before the elevator doors were about to close completely. Someone inside suddenly pressed the elevator button, “Lin Lan?”
Lin Lan ran without thinking. Although he didn’t know why he should run, he just subconsciously felt uneasy. When he reached the entrance, he remembered he didn’t have a card to exit.
He looked back at Xie Zilu, who was chasing him. It seemed like the other person also knew he couldn’t escape. Xie Zilu sneered, “Lin Lan, you dare to come here yourself?”
Lin Lan covered his face with a mask, still thinking about trying to bluff his way through.
Xie Zilu had reached him by now, scrutinizing him. He frowned after assessing, “What kind of weird hair color did you dye? Take off the mask; I don’t like people talking to me with masks on.”
Lin Lan’s impression of this elementary school student was that he was both weak and liked to pretend, enjoying making threats. He was like a toothless dog barking recklessly. Unexpectedly, now that he had grown up, Lin Lan found himself without a penny to his name and relying on Brother Mu’s conscience.
Lin Lan steadfastly refused to take off the mask, and Xie Zilu didn’t bother with small talk. He grabbed Lin Lan’s neck, paying no attention to the number of people around, and led him straight into the stairwell.
“Speak, why are you looking for me?” Xie Zilu let go, closed the stairwell door, and looked at him with a hint of disgust. “I think I made it clear last time. It has nothing to do with me whether you live or die. If you don’t understand and insist on making a big deal out of it, don’t blame me for taking action.”
In Lin Lan’s eyes, this guy was always that elementary school student who loved playing Yasuo. When he lost a game, he would get angry, and when he lost face, he would make empty threats. So, Lin Lan didn’t take his threats seriously.
However, he picked up a clue from the guy’s words — it seemed like the original owner and Xie Zilu had some ongoing connection. Moreover, he seemed to know about the original owner’s suicide.
Lin Lan’s mind quickly processed this information. “I was just passing by, came in to take a look.”
“Come in to see me?” Xie Zilu laughed incredulously, with the pity of a superior being looking at a lower life form. “Are you out of your mind? Did you overdose on sleeping pills?”
He indeed knew about the original owner’s suicide attempt with pills. Lin Lan remained composed, “If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.”
Xie Zilu’s eyes looked at him like he was some bizarre creature. He bent down and frowned at him. The impatience in his eyes reappeared, making him look particularly sinister. “Lin Lan, what kind of tricks are you playing with me again? Coming here to see me intentionally? Is it worth it? Don’t feed me some nonsense like suicide-induced amnesia; you’ve already played that card before.”
Xie Zilu’s gaze was particularly fierce, and Lin Lan’s scalp tingled. Fortunately, his phone rang in his pocket, a call from Xiao Shengjing.
Inside came the cold voice of the other party, “Where did you send the documents? Been waiting for you for half an hour.”
“I’m on my way.” Lin Lan hung up the phone, innocently looking at Xie Zilu, “See, I really came to deliver documents, just happened to come in.”
In front of him, Xie Zilu’s eyes tightened slightly. He looked at Lin Lan in disbelief. After a brief hesitation, he slowly released his grip and stepped back.
Lin Lan pocketed his phone and asked Xie Zilu, “Can I leave without a card?”
Xie Zilu’s eyes looked even more peculiar. “Ask the security guard.”
“Thanks.” Lin Lan left.
He walked away calmly and composed, not at all like a pretense. He seemed to have transformed completely from inside out.
Xie Zilu stood there, seemingly incredulous. He never let go of his frowning expression, and his hand, full of rings, vigorously manipulated his phone, dialing a number, “Hello, Dr. Wu.”
His expression remained hidden in the darkness, and only the outline of his Adam’s apple was visible. His voice was light and icy, “You haven’t left yet, have you? I have something to ask you…”
…
Lin Lan quickly ran to the adjacent area and saw Xiao Shengjing. He promptly handed the items to him, saying, “Here, Captain.”
Xiao Shengjing looked at him, panting. “Did you run over here?”
“No,” he suddenly remembered that Xiao Shengjing was on his side. Lowering his voice, he said, “I have amnesia, right? I just met someone I know, and he said a bunch of weird things. I couldn’t understand a word and felt a bit scared, so I ran away quickly…”
After saying this, he took off his mask. Sweat was visible on the tip of his nose. Xiao Shengjing handed him a tissue, offering, “Do you want to go upstairs?”
“Go for what?”
Lin Lan followed him upstairs and saw the decoration upstairs. Only then did he realize what Xiao Shengjing had been busy with these days. “Is the team moving here?”
“Yes, the previous base did not meet the requirements of the LPL league. We were ordered to reorganize within a month, and someone from above will come to inspect.” Xiao Shengjing put his hands in his pockets, suddenly turning back to look at him. “What’s wrong? Didn’t Brother Mu mention it so many times during the meetings? Were your ears closed?”
“Uh… I didn’t hear.” Lin Lan hated meetings the most, so every time there was a meeting, his brain would subconsciously block out the external environment.
He looked around and found out that the apartment upstairs was for accommodation. “Captain, are these single rooms? Can I pick one myself?”
Xiao Shengjing nodded, looking at him. “Whichever one you like, it’s reserved for you.”
“Can I really pick any? Wow, that’s great!”
Lin Lan quickly went to choose a room.
He preferred a room with a larger window and good lighting. When not in training, he could bask in the sun and drink coffee. Just thinking about it made him feel happy.
“This room is good. I want this one!”
After picking a room, Xiao Shengjing was also choosing. It seemed like the room next to Lin Lan’s was quite suitable…? Ahem, he didn’t mean anything else; he just thought it had more space for books.
Lin Lan, with his new hairstyle, appeared even more lively. He kept telling Xiao Shengjing, “This is my dream room. Captain, you reserved it for me. Don’t let Lu Shi see it…”
Xiao Shengjing couldn’t help but laugh. “Got it.”
As they came downstairs, Lin Lan was chatting animatedly when he suddenly saw a black luxury car parked outside. Xie Zilu was standing next to the black car, talking on the phone, and suddenly turned to look in their direction.
Lin Lan quickly grabbed Xiao Shengjing’s coat and hid himself in it. The overly intimate distance made Xiao Shengjing a bit uncomfortable. He took a step back, but Lin Lan unexpectedly burrowed even tighter.
“Captain, save me, save me, save me!” Lin Lan buried his head. “I ran into someone I know. Help me block him for a moment!”
Xiao Shengjing’s body stiffened, and he looked at Lin Lan in shock, who was still trying to squeeze inside. He firmly grasped Lin Lan’s hand. “Where are you touching?”
Translator’s corner:
I wonder what Xie Zilu’s role in “Lin Lan’s” suicide-attempt…
