At five in the afternoon, Lu Sicheng remained slumped in front of his computer, unshaven and looking every bit the slovenly man, immovable as a great Buddha—unfazed by wind or human interference. He browsed news and shows, neither gaming nor streaming.
...His mind was clearly elsewhere.
At five-ten, Xiao Rui returned from outside. Spotting Lu Sicheng still sitting there, he teased with an exaggerated "Oh? Didn't your date arrange to meet you one last time? What are you still doing here at this hour instead of cleaning up and dressing up?"
Lu Sicheng responded with an "Oh," glanced up at the clock overhead, paused, then stood up. He stretched lazily before shuffling over to the sofa and plopping down again, motionless.
Xiao Rui: "？？？？？"
On the sofa, Tong Yao—who had been cuddling Mao while watching an American drama on her phone—felt the other end of the couch sink. Peering over the edge of her screen, she eyed the man now sprawled on the opposite side. His eyes were closed, his soft hair falling back as sunlight from the window bathed half his body.
Tong Yao set her phone down, stroked Da Bing's head, then glanced at the team manager standing behind Lu Yue—who was too busy criticizing Lu Yue's sloppy gameplay to pay attention to anything else.
Hesitating, Tong Yao cautiously nudged Lu Sicheng with her foot and whispered, "Aren't you getting ready to leave?"
"..." After a brief silence—just as Tong Yao thought he hadn't heard—he stirred and let out a vague "Hmm" from deep in his throat.
"Not going?" she pressed, her tone unintentionally brightening without her realizing it.
Lu Sicheng opened his eyes.
Then sat up.
After a pause, he looked at the person on the other end of the sofa, lowered his gaze, and said ambiguously, "Isn't there someone who doesn’t want me to go?"
Tong Yao: "?"
Instinctively, she retorted, "Who’s got the nerve to meddle like that?"—only to immediately realize her slip. "Aiya!" she yelped, springing up from the sofa, her cheeks warming under the sunlight until they turned faintly pink. Under Lu Sicheng’s calm, deep brown gaze, she plopped back down with a "thud," lips trembling as she nearly lost her words: "………………………………You heard everything."
"I’m not deaf."
"Then why did you pretend—"
"I have dignity."
"？？？？？？？"
Tong Yao wanted to argue what the hell dignity had to do with any of this, but as the words reached her lips, she stared at her captain’s deadpan expression—and suddenly understood what he meant.
He had dignity?
He was embarrassed?
Tong Yao: "…………………………………………"
At that moment, blood rushed to her head, her cheeks burning hot enough to toast bread—
Tong Yao: "I-I was just talking nonsense! Mainly worried you’d get distracted! Think about it—your teammates are counting on you for this year’s Worlds, the Summer Split, the Summer Season Champion trophy, oh right, the Championship Skin, getting revenge on Pope—"
Lu Sicheng silently watched her.
Nope.
She couldn’t salvage this.
Sniffling, Tong Yao abruptly lifted the cat in her arms and buried her face in its fur—Da Bing promptly wrapped its paws around her head!Lu Sicheng sighed, stood up, and walked to the other side of the sofa. He bent down to grab the cat by the scruff of its neck, trying to pull it away. However, the person currently using the cat to cover their face stubbornly refused to let go—just as the two were silently wrestling over it, Xiao Rui turned his head and asked, utterly confused, "What the hell are you two doing?"
Lu Sicheng released his grip.
Tong Yao suddenly lost her balance and, still clutching the ten-plus-pound cat, tumbled back onto the sofa—the cat's round belly pressing against her face—
"You planning to greet people with a cat strapped to your face for the rest of your life?"
Lu Sicheng reached out and shook her lightly.
She reacted swiftly, slapping his hand away with a sharp "smack," then turned to curl up on the sofa, facing inward. From Lu Sicheng's angle, beneath the layer of cat fur, he could faintly make out the pink nape of her neck and the side of her cheek, flushed as if it could bleed.
Lu Sicheng: "..."
Xiao Rui: "Lu Sicheng, are you goddamn coming out or not?"
Lu Sicheng: "No. How many times do I have to say it?"
Xiao Rui: "Why the hell not?"
Lu Sicheng flicked Da Bing's forehead, straightened up, and replied coolly, "This cat can't bear to see me leave."
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