Upon reaching the parking lot, Tong Yao trotted behind Lu Sicheng, watching as he headed straight for the sapphire-blue Marashati parked in the corner and opened the driver’s door.
Tong Yao: “…”
She was just here to buy a pair of slippers, some underwear, and a bath towel.
The car pulled out of the parking spot and stopped in front of her. Instinctively, Tong Yao reached for the backseat door—until the driver’s window rolled down, revealing Lu Sicheng’s expressionless, sharp-featured face. “Sit in the front. What’s with the backseat? Am I your chauffeur?”
“Sorry, Cheng Ge.”
Quick to admit her mistake, Tong Yao reflexively let go of the backdoor handle and scurried around to the passenger side, climbing in and sitting upright, eyes fixed straight ahead.
Lu Sicheng glanced at her.
“Seatbelt.”
“…”
Tong Yao muttered an “Oh, right” and hurriedly fumbled for the seatbelt. Once buckled, she resumed her stiff posture, hands on her knees like a kid waiting for the kindergarten teacher to hand out Little Red Flowers. Lu Sicheng, however, seemed perfectly content with her silent obedience. Pressing the accelerator, he drove the car out of the villa complex…
“Cheng Ge, I just need to buy some slippers and toiletries. Any nearby mall will do.”
“What, you want me to take you to a furniture store instead?”
“Should we?” Tong Yao blinked in surprise.
“Want me to switch to a truck first?”
“…”
Next time you’re about to be sarcastic, could you at least hold up a sign that says “I’m being sarcastic”? Because with that face of yours, everything sounds dead serious… Tong Yao puffed her cheeks, fingers fidgeting with the seatbelt as she alternated between staring out the window and stealing glances at the man driving beside her. He, on the other hand, looked completely at ease, utterly unbothered by the awkwardness—
“What are you looking at?”
“…”
And just when she thought it couldn’t get any more awkward.
Tong Yao hastily averted her gaze, turning back to the window. Thankfully, she’d noticed earlier that ZGDX Club—thanks to their ridiculously wealthy sponsors—had both their DOTA Division and LOL Division based in a villa complex in downtown Shanghai, surrounded by bustling streets. The nearest mall was only a ten-minute drive away… which meant she only had to endure this for ten more minutes. Though, given the chance, she might’ve stubbornly chosen to walk instead.
After parking and getting out, Tong Yao felt thirsty and stopped at a milk tea shop outside the mall. Leaning on the counter, she scrutinized the menu before finally ordering a juice. Turning around, she called out to the man standing a short distance behind her, “Cheng Ge, do you want anything to drink?”
“No.”
A curt reply, accompanied by a “Hurry up” look.
Tong Yao stuck out her tongue and turned back. The barista smiled enviously. “Your boyfriend’s really cool, miss.”
“He’s not my boyfriend, just a coworker.” Flustered by the misunderstanding, Tong Yao waved her hands dismissively. “Uh, could I also get a latte, please?”So in the end, Tong Yao still got Lu Sicheng a cup of coffee. Without saying much, Lu Sicheng thanked her and took it... After buying their drinks, the two walked side by side into the mall, still maintaining the pace where Tong Yao had to take two steps for every one of Lu Sicheng's strides. They practically jogged all the way to the elevator, entering one after the other.
Lu Sicheng was texting the whole time, speaking in Korean to someone—Tong Yao couldn't understand. Once inside the elevator, he stepped back to a more secluded spot while Tong Yao moved closer to the buttons, carefully reading the floor descriptions to find which level had the supermarket and daily necessities... So when Lu Sicheng finished a text and looked up, he called out, "Hey," intending to say something, only to suddenly notice the figure hunched in the corner, chin slightly raised as she studied the elevator buttons...
There was an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Three seconds later, under the man's silent gaze, Tong Yao successfully located her destination and pressed the button for the third floor with satisfaction before turning around. "Hmm? Cheng Ge, did you call me?"
"...Did you know YQCB Team's AD is about to announce his retirement?"
"No. Wait, who's the AD for that noob team again? Let me think... Oh, Xiao Nuan? He's retiring?"
"A friend of mine who plays professionally in Korea told me YQCB Team's new AD might be—"
"Huh? Who?"
Tong Yao bit her straw. YQCB (affectionately nicknamed "a bunch of noobs") was the team Jin Yang's boyfriend, Ai Jia, played for. They had performed poorly in the recent Spring Split, nearly getting relegated to the secondary league, and had just survived the relegation matches a few days ago.
...Why would a top-tier player like Lu Sicheng care about a relegation team?
Lu Sicheng fell silent mid-sentence, staring at the girl standing by the elevator buttons. After a long pause, just as she blinked at him in confusion, he abruptly changed the subject. "Never mind, it's nothing. I heard from Xiao Rui that you came to watch the Spring Split finals the other day."
"Yeah."
"And stayed at the same hotel as us."
"Yeah."
"Forty-sixth floor?"
"Yes..."
Tong Yao answered automatically before suddenly stopping. She blew a big bubble into her drink through the straw, gripping the cup a little tighter. Before she could say anything, Lu Sicheng nodded calmly and concluded with the last thing she wanted to hear: "So that stubborn shorty that day really was you."
"Stubborn...?"
"Stubbornly refusing to admit you're short."
The elevator doors opened, and Lu Sicheng stepped out first. Tong Yao stood frozen for a second before scrambling after him, hopping up and down in protest. "No, listen! I could totally reach it that day! I was carrying too much stuff, and my arms were weighed down, so I couldn't lift them properly—that's why—"
"Stubborn."
"………………………………………………"
Tong Yao was going insane.
She was only a little short compared to Lu Sicheng!!!
She wasn't noticeably short on the street at all!!!!Seeing the man walking ahead casually reach the conclusion that "she's indeed very stubborn" with a satisfied "this topic is over" expression as he strode forward, Tong Yao grew anxious and wanted to grab him... But just as she reached out, she suddenly heard excited female shrieks from the other side of the mall!
Tong Yao froze momentarily before looking up, immediately spotting a group of young men and women not far away staring at them with excitement and joy, chattering excitedly about "Chessman," "my Cheng Ge," "why is he here," etc. Two girls even raised their phones, aiming them at Lu Sicheng's direction—
To think they'd encounter Lu Sicheng's fans even in a place like this!
Seeing the phones pointed their way, Tong Yao sucked in a sharp breath, retracted her neck, and immediately hid behind Lu Sicheng. The latter raised a brow and turned his head, using his large hand to clamp down on the panicking girl's head, forcibly restraining the nearly ceiling-bound young woman as he asked, "What are you hiding for?"
"Your fans are taking photos!"
Tong Yao looked utterly horrified, completely devoid of the boldness she'd shown when caught on camera during the finals—what a joke, the venue had been so dark you could barely see anything, but this mall's lighting was practically daylight-level, exposing every flaw...
Lu Sicheng was baffled by her tense voice: "So what if they take photos..."
"You didn't shave today! I didn't put on makeup! How can we be seen like this! I've never posted photos online before, do you think your female fans will be kind enough to use beauty filters on me!!!!!" Tong Yao slapped away Lu Sicheng's hand from her head. "Ahhh they're coming over, probably to ask for your autograph!"
Lu Sicheng's head throbbed from her shouting, thinking if you're so particular then just never show your face again. But seeing the rookie looking like she might faint from stage fright, he couldn't bring himself to force her, showing a resigned expression before turning around while simultaneously shoving her behind him—
"Then hide properly."
"Will hiding behind you even work?" Tong Yao blurted out nonsense in her panic.
"Vertically yes, horizontally uncertain."
"..."
It took Tong Yao five seconds to realize Lu Sicheng was indirectly mocking her horizontal dimensions, but by then his fans—armed with pens and notebooks—had already swarmed over. Not daring to speak further, she hastily retreated behind Lu Sicheng—
There were about seven or eight of them, making quite a commotion that drew the attention of the spectator masses in the mall. Seeing the tall young man surrounded, they assumed he was some celebrity—though handsome enough, his unkempt "grabbed my keys and ran out to the mall" appearance seemed rather lacking in idol image maintenance.
"Cheng Ge I love you so much!"
"Oh my god Cheng Ge you're so handsome!"
"I really hope ZGDX Team makes it to Mid-Season Tournament this year!"
"Cheng Ge Cheng Ge, please give me an autograph ahhhhh I'm so happy to meet you here! How's Ming Shen? I saw on the official Weibo that he became a data analyst, so glad he didn't leave completely!"
"Cheng Ge, you're so tall in person, even taller than when I saw you competing—"
"Huh?"
A female voice suddenly rose from the excited crowd—"Cheng Ge, is this your girlfriend?!"
The surroundings instantly fell silent.
A big-eyed, doll-faced girl tilted her body slightly to look at the person shielded behind the man—meanwhile, standing behind Lu Sicheng, Tong Yao was frantically poking his waist with her fingers. Despite nearly poking holes in his side, Lu Sicheng managed to reply in an utterly calm voice, "No, where would I find a girlfriend who acts like a daughter... She's a staff member from the team, accompanying me to buy some things."
"Oh." The doll-faced girl visibly relaxed, then smiled. "The staff sister is really cute."
"More like childish," Lu Sicheng swiftly signed the autograph book and handed it back to her.
She stepped back slightly, and other fans surged forward, surrounding Lu Sicheng in layers—Tong Yao, now identified as a staff member, quickly lost everyone's attention and was pushed far, far away...
"......"
Watching the man in the distance being encircled by adoring girls and boys, Tong Yao fully understood the frustration her friend Jin Yang had once felt when her boyfriend Ai Jia wore clothes gifted by fans. This only strengthened her original conviction—
Absolutely, under no circumstances should she ever date a professional gamer. Otherwise, a whole vat of vinegar wouldn’t be enough for a single day’s worth of jealousy.
OpenNovel