The day before the Summer Split team photo shoot, Tong Yao received their team jerseys. Each of them had several sets of the same jerseys and pants for summer rotation. Staring at the neat blue "iling" ID printed on the back, Tong Yao hugged the jersey blissfully, refusing to let go—while watching enviously as the other veterans immediately shook out their jerseys to check the details and sizing. Lu Yue opened his and commented, "Somehow this looks like a high school uniform to me."
"High school uniforms are nowhere near as nice as this!"
"Weren't you the one who kept saying red and black would look better together?"
"..."
"Women are so fickle."
"This is called making the best of what you have. What do you know?"
Tong Yao snorted and rolled her eyes at him before finally unable to resist tearing open the plastic bag and shaking out her own jersey. At that moment, Little Fatty came over with his jersey and compared it to hers, clicking his tongue: "Didn't you say you were too fat to show yourself? I fell for your nonsense—your jersey isn't even half the size of mine..."
Compared to the piece of fabric in Tong Yao's hands, Little Fatty's jersey was indeed as large as a tablecloth.
Old Cat scoffed, "Can you ever trust a woman when she says she's fat?"
Tong Yao scratched her head, grinning smugly for some reason. Just then, the man who had been sitting quietly in his seat the whole time, his untouched jersey beside him as he focused on his game, glanced up at her and remarked, "She is fat—just happens to have a flat chest to balance it out."
"What did you just say?! Where are your manners? How can you casually comment on a maiden's chest?!"
"That's not what you said the other day when you were yelling about your padded bra on Central Street. The bar owner can testify."
"What padded bra?! Are you planning to milk this joke forever?!"
"Do you think I don’t want to forget it as soon as possible?!"
"……………………"
Puffing her cheeks, Tong Yao glared fiercely at her expressionless captain before grabbing her jersey and stomping upstairs to try it on—it was still daytime, and the sunlight outside was bright. Tong Yao held up the jersey against the light, scrutinizing it for a long while before frowning slightly and texting her best friend:
【zgd、iling: SOS! Got the new jersey, but it seems kinda see-through under strong light! What do I do?! Team photoshoot tomorrow, studio lights will be super bright ahhhhhhh [image]】
Jin Yang replied within seconds:
【A Mao's Mom: Such a non-issue. Just wear a black bra, don’t you know that?】
Tong Yao: "???"
【zgd、iling: Black???】
【A Mao's Mom: ...Or bright red? A bit festive, but it could work.】
Tong Yao: "..."
【zgd、iling: WTF!!!】
【zgd、iling: What the hell are you thinking?!】
【A Mao's Mom: A proper woman should always be ready to handle emergencies in her sexiest form.】
【zgd、iling: Emergency my ass! This is a work photoshoot, not a wedding! I’m not like you glamour hussies!!】
【A Mao's Mom: Well said! Tomorrow is your first photo with Cheng Ge. Next time I see you two in the same frame, I hope it’ll be on your marriage certificate at the civil registry.】
【zgd、iling: ...】【A Mao's Mom: A heartfelt blessing, no need to thank me—if my dumbass bestie actually bags the esports heartthrob, I'll be bragging about it for a whole damn year.】
【zgd、iling: ...How did I end up with a friend like you?!】
After replying, Tong Yao flipped her phone face down and tossed it aside, rummaging through her drawers for a suitable bra—not black or red, preferably something light-colored. She soon realized with relief that every piece of her underwear was perfectly appropriate, proving she was every bit the wholesome and innocent girl-next-door type of player.
...
The next morning, she got up, washed her hair, took a shower, and casually slipped into a newly bought matching set of bra and panties. By the time she went downstairs, her teammates were already waiting. Everyone was in casual clothes—Xiao Rui had collected their team uniforms the day before to prevent them from getting wrinkled in the van, so they'd change into them at the studio after makeup.
"Another Summer Split is here!" Old Cat stretched and patted Old K's shoulder. "Hope we make it to Worlds this year too."
"The day we secure our spot at the World Championship, I'm locking all of you up," Xiao Rui muttered while herding them into the van. "You're not going anywhere until our flight, no chances for trouble."
Little Fatty: "I'll report you to the fans for unlawful confinement and let them deal with you."
Xiao Rui sneered: "Go ahead. They might agree with me and even enthusiastically send me a lock from Taobao with a key sunk to the bottom of the Pacific."
Lu Yue cleared his throat awkwardly at this, rubbed his nose, and climbed into the van, sitting next to Tong Yao... She scooted over slightly, her shoulder accidentally bumping into Lu Sicheng, who was playing a game on his phone. He paused and glanced at her, their faces now inches apart. Tong Yao blinked and asked, "Too crowded?"
Lu Sicheng: "...Yeah."
Tong Yao responded swiftly: "If Lu Yue gets off, it won't be crowded."
Lu Yue snorted at this: "Even if I don't take the team photo, I'm still your sub. The roster's already submitted—give it up, you child."
Tong Yao nudged him with her shoulder, and he elbowed her back. Sensing the two squirming beside him, Lu Sicheng kept his eyes on his phone and turned his head away. "Keep it up, and both of you can get out and take a cab to the studio."
Tong Yao: "..."
Lu Yue: "..."
The two immediately fell silent.
The drive to the studio took an hour. Upon arrival, the lively group of boys piled out, gathered, and swarmed into the makeup room—where waiting makeup artists immediately descended upon them to fix their hair, apply foundation, and wage battles over eyeliner, lipstick, and eyebrows with these stubborn straight men.
Old Cat: "No eyeliner. It looks weird."
Makeup Artist A: "Are you sure? Rui Ge, come look—doesn’t Old Cat seem more lively with eyeliner?"
Old Cat: "..."
Lu Sicheng: "The foundation's too thick."
Makeup Artist B: "Oh really? Let me check—you're right, I'll tone it down. Cheng Ge, your skin is already great."
Lu Sicheng: "Hm."Old K: "Huh, what's with this lipstick! Straight guys don't do this stuff!"
Makeup Artist: "K God, with that tone, you're telling me you're straight?"
Old K: "Can't I be?"
Makeup Artist: "No. Hold still, I need to apply a little lipstick, or you'll look too pale later."
Little Fatty: "No need to do the eyebrows, right? My brows are already handsome."
Makeup Artist D: "They are, but have you noticed they're uneven?"
Little Fatty: "Really?"
Makeup Artist D: "Yeah."
Lu Yue: "I'm not wearing makeup."
Makeup Artist E: "Not allowed."
Amidst the chaos around them, the only female team member and her makeup artist worked in perfect harmony. They spent ages just discussing the foundation shade, so by the time the rest of the team had finished their makeup and hair, Tong Yao had only just gotten her base done... But since individual photoshoots were scheduled separately, the staff figured there was enough time before her turn and didn’t rush her. Instead, they herded the guys to the studio first, reminding Tong Yao and the others to keep an eye on the time before closing the door behind them...
"Rui Ge, where did you put the team jerseys?"
"In the bag on the sofa."
"What about the changing room?"
"In the corner. Just change anywhere, it's not like anyone's watching."
"...Oh."
Tong Yao thought: Fair point.
Once the guys were in the studio, the photoshoot went smoothly—
Most guys didn’t care about looking "fair-skinned, slim-faced, pretty, and long-legged" in photos. They just stood there, followed the photographer’s directions for a few poses, clicked, and it was done. Then came random group shots for fan service and promotional material...
Xiao Rui squatted behind the photographer, reviewing the shots and marveling, "Tsk tsk, our Operator Team really is the male model squad of esports! Even Little Fatty is the most handsome chubby guy around!"
"You said the same thing last year," Lu Sicheng remarked after finishing his duo shot with Little Fatty. He glanced at the photos and paused. "What time is it? Shouldn’t we be doing the group photo now?"
"Ah, right? What time is it? Why hasn’t our only female teammate come out yet?" Xiao Rui checked his watch. "Is she trying to turn herself into Empress Wu Zetian?"
"Women are always this slow."
When they say they're about to leave, it really means they still have to wash, blow-dry, style their hair, do their makeup, pick an outfit, spray perfume, choose a bag, pick shoes...
"Well said, Cheng Ge, go get her."
"Me?"
"She’s scared of you. The moment she sees you, she’ll come running."
"..."
Lu Sicheng checked his watch. Seeing that time was running short, he reluctantly nodded and, under the expectant gazes of the others, headed toward the makeup room.
...
Meanwhile, inside the makeup room, Tong Yao—now fully made up—leaned one hand against the mirror while the other fiddled with her eyelashes. The makeup artist packed her kit and said, "The individual shots should be almost done. They’ll probably come to hurry us soon..."
"Ahh, I’ll head over right after I change into the team jersey."
"Alright, you change first. I’ll go check. If it’s time, I’ll come back for you.""Okay, okay, thank you."
Tong Yao absentmindedly responded while fiddling with her eyelashes, watching through the mirror as the makeup artist opened the door and left. She lowered her hand, too embarrassed to admit she couldn’t change clothes with a stranger around… Now that the room was empty, she quickly dashed to the bag Xiao Rui had left behind, rummaging inside for her team uniform before rushing into the changing room to strip off her shirt and shorts. But when she opened the bag, she froze—there was only a pair of long pants inside, no top.
Did they separate the clothes and pants into different bags?
Assuming she must have missed it, Tong Yao figured since no one was in the dressing room anyway, she flung open the changing room door and sprinted toward the other bag on the sofa—
Just then, the unlocked door clicked open.
"Shorty, the sun’s setting. How much longer are you gonna—"
A tall male figure stepped into the dressing room, his voice cutting off abruptly the moment he lifted his eyes and locked gazes with the person frozen mid-lunge by the sofa, bent in an awkward stance.
Tong Yao: "..."
Lu Sicheng: "..."
Tong Yao: "......"
Lu Sicheng: "......"
Tong Yao: "........."
Lu Sicheng: "........."
Tong Yao looked down at her bunny-and-carrot-print bra and panties, then back up at the man standing motionless. For a split second, she recalled movie scenes where the heroine would cover her chest and scream in shyness—but that was all fucking lies. The only reaction she could muster was flaring her nostrils, sucking in a sharp breath, and stumbling backward.
Her expression, without a doubt, was both hideous and twisted.
Meanwhile, Lu Sicheng silently turned around, calmly tossed out a "Hurry up," then turned, walked out, and shut the door.
Staring blankly at the firmly closed door for five seconds, Tong Yao’s mind involuntarily replayed the sacred words of her best friend Jin Yang—
A qualified woman should always be prepared for unexpected situations in her sexiest form.
Tong Yao: "................................."
Only then did she snap back to reality, crouching down and clawing at the edge of the sofa while kicking her legs wildly. "Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!!!!"
......
A few minutes later.
Lu Yue, sent to investigate why neither Lu Sicheng nor Tong Yao had shown up yet, spotted Lu Sicheng from afar as he approached the dressing room.
"Bro, what the hell? The studio’s getting impatient—"
The hallway was eerily quiet.
The person he was looking for was currently squatting in front of the dressing room door, which was tightly shut. One hand covered his eyes, and beneath the white collar of his shirt, his slender neck was faintly flushed. He remained silent, his hair—meticulously styled by the hairdresser—now slightly disheveled from his own doing.
Lu Yue: "?"
This was the first time in his life he had ever seen Lu Sicheng blush.
OpenNovel