Rong Yi thought about it for a moment and knew that this matter might not end well.
Given Lin Yi’s personality, he was likely to be forced to drink and might not even be able to come back.
He nodded and said, “Maybe I won’t come back. Don’t wait for me if you have plans for tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Xiao Yin nodded, then said, “I’ll drive you there.”
Rong Yi had originally wanted to refuse, but then he thought that Xiao Yin was currently his boyfriend, even though he didn’t know how long this relationship would last, but occasionally it seemed reasonable for a boyfriend to offer to drive him somewhere.
He really didn’t know how to drive, and he was unfamiliar with this area of B City. Taking a taxi was also troublesome, and he had to worry about being photographed by paparazzi.
Rong Yi obediently agreed, “Okay, thank you for your trouble. You don’t have to worry about me when you come back.”
In the evening, Rong Yi changed his clothes and set off with Xiao Yin on time.
Usually, Rong Yi found it troublesome to choose clothes, and he usually just wore a T-shirt.
But today the temperature had dropped in B City, so he put on a white shirt, paired with a Klein blue student hat and shoes of the same color scheme. He looked very refreshing and his whole person was radiantly white.
His black hair was casually blow-dried and softly draped down, making his nape look even more lustrous.
As soon as he appeared, Ci She, Hui Mao, and Wu Dao Gu San all quietly took a glance at themselves.
It seems like it’s a little too messy.
The team has two visual benchmarks every day, and they occasionally feel some pressure.
Wu Dao Gu comforts them: “It’s okay, even if we tidy up, we won’t have the same effect as Captain Rong.”
“How about we ambush him tonight?” Ci She starts to brainstorm, “Xiao Yin definitely won’t agree, so let’s just take down Brother Yin as well.”
Hui Mao looks at him sympathetically, “If we can’t beat him online, we can do it offline, right?”
Naturally, Rong Yi didn’t hear their sneaky conversation. Before leaving, Xiao Yin handed him a mask. After putting it on, he pushed the door and headed to the underground garage.
The garage of their hotel was very dark. It was hard to see the way as it was already dark outside, and the street lights were weak.
Rong Yi was looking down, focused on checking his messages.
He, Lin Yi, and Cang Cui had formed a small group specifically for this reunion. Lin Yi couldn’t stop talking and was always chatting in the group.
“I’m telling you, this time the competition almost killed a few commentators. If the home field wasn’t mine, who could keep up with VIT’s play? At this rate, commentators will become extinct.”
“Why hasn’t Easy arrived yet? Did he die on the way?”
“I’ll drink Captain Rong’s famous hot soup instead.”
As Rong Yi typed furiously, about to send a message with the word “get lost,” his footing suddenly slipped and he stumbled forward, but a strong hand grabbed him and pulled him to the side.
“Be careful,” he heard Xiao Yin say.
Xiao Yin was dressed in black again today, almost invisible in the darkness except for the faint glimmer in his indifferent phoenix eyes, like a dim candle flame.
With the pull, he was now closer to Xiao Yin, his elbow brushing against the other man’s. Their skin touched, and in the heat of the summer night, their body temperatures rose, making it feel a bit warm.
After a moment’s thought, he looked up and smiled at Xiao Yin, happily placing his hand in the other man’s and leaning into him, all the while concentrating on his phone.
Xiao Yin hesitated for a moment before finally interlocking his fingers with his, leading him through the dark streets.
When they reached the garage, Xiao Yin sat in the driver’s seat and waited patiently for him.
He closed the car door behind him, and the passenger seat in Xiao Yin’s car was exceptionally comfortable. Leaning against the backrest, he stretched lazily and extended his legs.
Then he noticed that Xiao Yin had not moved, and when he looked over, Xiao Yin had stopped and said, “Seat belt.”
Although he had heard Xiao Yin, his brain had not processed the information, and he responded with a soft “hmm?”
Xiao Yin leaned over to fasten his seat belt, and he was so close that, as Xiao Yin was taller than him, his face was lowered to meet his.
He leaned back against the seat, breathing shallowly, soft and gentle.
The car’s air conditioning was blowing gently, but it did not diminish the warmth of the summer night.
Xiao Yin paused for a moment, his eyes deep but he didn’t do anything.
After a two or three second pause, he got up and started the car.
He drove him to the night market, and out of politeness, Rong Yi invited him: “Do you want to eat with us?”
Xiao Yin’s expression was indifferent: “No need, there are still some things to be done in the team. If you…” He paused for a moment, “if you come back, give me a call.”
“No problem,” Rong Yi said.
He got out of the car and walked towards the night market.
Lin Yi and Cang Cui had chosen a private restaurant near a university, and the preserved and marinated meats, as well as the slow-cooked soup, were excellent.
By the time Rong Yi arrived, the two of them had already taken their seats.
“Quite far, huh?” Lin Yi handed him a drink. “It must have taken you quite some time to get here. I came by subway, and it’s rush hour, so it was crowded.”
Rong Yi opened his can of Coke with a pop. “Nope, Brother Yin drove me.”
“Wow, you’re really well-treated, Xiao Yi.” Cang Cui teased him, clinking his cup against his. “I actually wanted to see Yin Shen too. With you guys in VIT this season, we really can’t compete anymore.”
Rong Yi smiled, “It’s not that much.”
The three of them chatted about various topics, talking nonsense.
Lin Yi and Cang Cui persuaded Rong Yi to switch all the drinks to high-fruity beer. After a few rounds, they all got a little tipsy.
Cang Cui was the first to fall, and Lin Yi still managed to hold on, leaning on the table, and ordering another round of skewers. While eating and clinking glasses with Rong Yi, he asked in a lowered voice, “How’s it going with Xiao Yin? Did you guys work things out?”
Lin Yi knew about Rong Yi’s relationship with Xiao Yin from the beginning. Because Rong Yi, this little brat, shared every detail with him when he first started dating, he almost choked on all the dog food he received.
But when it comes to other people’s feelings, he couldn’t interfere too much, especially since the other party was someone like Xiao Yin, who was of a higher level than him.
“We worked things out, and we’re back together,” Rong Yi said seriously, pushing the squid whiskers in front of him into his bowl. His voice was a bit shallow and hoarse because he was drunk. “But it’s not like it used to be. He just thinks it’s convenient, and I think it’s good too. At least it won’t affect our cooperation in the team.”
In the light, with the alcohol rising, his cheeks were slightly red, but his demeanor was quiet and steady. His long eyelashes gave him a serene and beautiful appearance.
After three rounds of drinking, the three of them were all wobbling as they got up.
Despite being on the brink of losing his senses, Rong Yi managed to pay the bill and packed some fresh and pickled seafood to bring back to the team’s young players.
Lin Yi and Cang Cui were already close to falling asleep, and Rong Yi couldn’t get a car for a while. He hesitated for a while before tentatively calling Xiao Yin.
After he made the call, he realized that his mind wasn’t clear. It was already two in the morning, and given Xiao Yin’s daily routine, he had probably gone to bed. Making a call at this hour was inappropriate no matter how he looked at it.
The call was only half a second long before Rong Yi hung up, then he focused on waiting for a response from the ride-hailing app.
However, three seconds later, Xiao Yin called him back.
The deep blue phone screen showed a hexagonal snowflake as the illustration. The coolness of it seemed to come through the screen, and it was somewhat oppressive.
Rong Yi stared at the incoming call page, then answered after a two-second delay.
“Hello?” Rong Yi put his fingertips on his temples and rubbed them heavily, then asked, “Did I wake you up?”
“No, I’m looking at some materials, haven’t slept yet.” Xiao Yin’s voice was still casual. “Are you done eating? I’ll come pick you up.”
“Here is a bit far and I couldn’t get a car,” explained Rong Yi, “but someone should accept the order soon. I want to take these two back first.”
“It’s okay, it’s on my way. Find a warm place to wait for me, I’ll be there in 20 minutes,” said Xiao Yin before hanging up.
Rong Yi dragged the two stumbling people and sat on the roadside, stretching his legs. After drinking beer, he felt a chill on his body, and the shop had already closed. He huddled under the streetlight, checking his phone.
His social list had many people congratulating him on the success of VIT moving from Group B to A, and they were looking forward to their performance in Group A.
Rationally, Rong Yi told himself that he should be polite and respond, but he had been drinking today.
“Rong Yi playing mid was unexpectedly strong! Let’s have a training match one day so we can learn from you!”
From a manager of a team that had a lukewarm relationship with him. They usually support whichever team is popular.
Rong Yi replied: “It’s no use, you won’t be able to learn.”
After sending the message, he silently cheered in his heart and continued replying to messages.
“E-god is too strong. Today I watched you play the whole game while live commenting. You and Yin-god’s cooperation was amazing! When are you coming back to B City? Let’s have a meal with a few of us familiar faces!”
The message was from a professional player who had turned to behind-the-scenes work and commentary. He was known for his ability to read people and make accurate predictions.
With him as the commentator, private interests were obvious, and he had been bought off by the RS team manager. He relentlessly output private interest when he was invited to the guest commentary box, leading the rhythm with Contain.
Rong Yi’s peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly, the smell of alcohol permeating the air, making his eyes look shockingly beautiful under the street lamp with a hint of crimson.
He replied, “You want to eat with me?”
After sending the message, he exclaimed “yeah” again.
Then, he began to search for the next target.
Before he could search for the third person, he saw a car’s bright headlights in the distance. The driver was very thoughtful and honked the horn once.
Rong Yi looked up and saw that Xiao Yin had turned off his headlights and parked the car on the side of the road. He put down his phone and was about to stand up.
As soon as he stood up, he felt dizzy and disoriented, unable to tell north from south.
Rong Yi blindly grabbed the slightly cool streetlight pole and the warm corner of his coat collar in the air.
A strong arm wrapped around his waist. Xiao Yin lowered his head to look at the collar of his shirt being tugged on by Rong Yi’s fingers, the slender fingertips lightly pinching it like a kitten hanging on.
“You’re here,” he said.
Rong Yi’s mind was also becoming a little sluggish. The arm behind him was stable and he leaned against it to steady himself. He then took a deep breath and said, “We’re both a little drunk, let’s take them back to the club first.”
He kept his head low, trying to maintain his composure, but the remnants of his rationality were already fading away in the sweet scent of fruit. His eyes were already red, and the corners of his eyes drooped slightly, unable to withstand the fatigue. His black eyelashes were like crow feathers, with sparkling water droplets.
It was the aftermath and helplessness after his rationality had dissipated.
Because he had leaned against the street lamp for too long, there were a few unnamed marks on his fair face.
Xiao Yin reached out his fingertips and traced along the mark on his cheek, slowly sliding down.
