SMS CHAPTER 32

The time spent helping Yan Chengfeng prepare for the KYM tryouts was brief, but it marked the beginning of their tentative efforts to open up and truly become part of each other’s lives.

It was winter break, and the KYM tryouts were scheduled for after the Spring Festival. Although the break was short, they met up daily to practice duo queues together.

Though it had been a bit embarrassing to be caught crying that night, after their heart-to-heart talk, Yan Chengfeng had already decided that Zhen Ning was his new friend.

Even though this new friend was often cold and indifferent, occasionally making him second-guess himself, Yan Chengfeng was carefree and had a poor sense of personal boundaries. That day, as soon as he entered the internet café, he saw Zhen Ning sitting quietly with his head down, writing something. Without hesitation, he leaned in close, sticking his face near Zhen Ning’s.

“Is that your school’s winter homework?” He stared curiously at Zhen Ning’s worksheet. “Wow, is your school’s English always this hard?”

His warm breath brushed against Zhen Ning’s ear, making him stiffen for a moment. He didn’t respond.

Whenever he was around Yan Chengfeng, Zhen Ning always felt a strange sensation.

Even though they were both destined to differentiate into alphas in the future, whenever Yan Chengfeng got close or slung an arm around his shoulders in a brotherly manner, Zhen Ning would feel a faint, barely noticeable tremor in his heart.

It was a strange kind of flutter—tingling and itchy, brief yet subtle. His body would grow rigid, and after a moment, he would silently let out a breath.

Tang Fangyuan, who was standing next to Yan Chengfeng, leaned over with interest to take a look and was immediately dumbfounded. “Yan-ge, the question may be written in English, but this is math homework!”

Yan Chengfeng: “Huh?”

After flipping through the books and test papers in Zhen Ning’s backpack, Yan Chengfeng froze completely.

It was then that Yan Chengfeng realized Zhen Ning wasn’t the “rebellious, aloof high schooler wasting away in internet cafés” he had always assumed. Instead, Zhen Ning attended an elite bilingual school that only wealthy families could afford. What’s more, the numerous “A+” marks on the old test papers in his bag proved he was nothing short of a top-tier honors student.

Yan Chengfeng was utterly stunned.

Zhen Ning capped his pen, put the books back into his backpack, and said calmly, “Today, you need to play a few more matches as Vine Witch. Healing-type heroes are clearly your weak point, but they’re in high demand in the current competitive meta. During the trial, the club will likely test your hero pool.”

It took Yan Chengfeng a moment to snap out of his daze before he cried out in horror, “…No way! Playing a healer even once would take ten years off my life!”

Zhen Ning silently locked eyes with him.

Yan Chengfeng: “…Fine, I’ll do it. I’ll play.”

Zhen Ning forced Yan Chengfeng to step out of his comfort zone and directly face the challenges he might encounter in his upcoming trial. Yan Chengfeng suffered, yet somehow, he found joy in it.

Under such training, his awareness and mechanical skill improved by leaps and bounds in a short period of time.

Yan Chengfeng was actually a very easy person to read.

His emotions were written all over his face. A proud and unrestrained young man, he sometimes cared too much about things that mattered to him. Take gaming, for example—he would often become overly obsessed with winning and losing, unable to control his temper. After a loss, he would stew in frustration, replay match recordings multiple times with a grim expression, and dwell on it for the entire afternoon before he could finally move on.

This kind of temperament could become a hidden danger in the future, but it was also part of his nature, so Zhen Ning didn’t interfere.

When he wasn’t gaming, Yan Chengfeng would gleefully pull out his phone to show off to Zhen Ning. “Look, look, this is KYM’s manager’s WeChat profile! See his cover photo? That’s the lobby of KYM’s base. There’s even a snack area! And here’s the training room…”

“I wonder if I’ll get to talk to their current players once I’m in. They’re probably super busy with practice.” He paused, then said excitedly, “But who knows? Maybe one day, I’ll be one of their players too!”

In his eyes, Zhen Ning could see an ambition so intense it was almost tangible.

Sometimes, after going on and on, Yan Chengfeng would feel a little self-conscious and ask Zhen Ning, “What about you? What do you want to do in the future?”

Zhen Ning: “I don’t know. Maybe study abroad.”

Yan Chengfeng let out a “hmm,” scratching his head. “Right, you’re really good at studying…”

They worked better and better together, their playstyles complementing each other seamlessly. In a brief time, they climbed to the top ranks of the national server at a terrifying speed, even receiving partnership offers from livestreaming platforms.

If, in the beginning, they had been driven by boundless passion and endless dreams for the future, as time went on, the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy.

With each passing day, their coordination improved, and the more they learned about each other’s lives, the closer they came to Yan Chengfeng’s trial day.

After the trial, they would likely never see each other again.

They had both known this from the moment they made their agreement. Yet, over the past couple of days, Yan Chengfeng had seemed noticeably distracted.

“Why is time… passing so quickly?” He slumped over the computer desk, dejected. “I can’t believe it’s only two days until Chinese New Year. Can’t a day have sixty hours instead?”

Zhen Ning was silent for a moment. “Haven’t you always wanted to go to the trial sooner?”

Yan Chengfeng was caught off guard by the question.

He fumbled for words, struggling to explain how he felt. Finally, he awkwardly added, “…I do want to go, but I also feel like I could use more practice, to prepare a bit better, you know? What’s wrong with that?”

Zhen Ning glanced at him.

Yan Chengfeng coughed, trying to cover it up, then suddenly thought of something else.

He looked at Zhen Ning’s profile and spoke hesitantly. “Zhen Ning, actually, your mechanics and awareness are completely at the professional level. H-have you ever thought about—”

The next second, his gaze fell on Zhen Ning’s backpack. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and in the end, he hastily looked away. “…Never mind, let’s play another match.”

The day before New Year’s Eve, they finished their last high-level ranked game together. Even though they had won smoothly, neither of them looked happy.

Zhen Ning rarely smiled, but Yan Chengfeng was different. Now, his face was practically drooping to the ground, his dejection written all over him.

As they stood at the entrance of the internet café to say goodbye, Zhen Ning said, “Good luck with your trial in a few days.”

It was rare for him to say something so gentle.

Yan Chengfeng paused for a moment, then lowered his head and gave a muffled “Mm.”

After they parted, Zhen Ning returned home.

The villa was empty and silent, but he was already used to it. The housekeeper had left a meal on the table, still warm—a luxurious spread of four dishes and a soup.

Yet, for some reason, Zhen Ning suddenly craved instant noodles.

Chicken and mushroom flavor, with an overly salty seasoning packet. It would be even better if he could throw in a starch sausage.

The dining room lights were cold and dim, and he had no appetite for dinner. Curling up on the living room sofa, he quietly closed his eyes.

For no particular reason, he began thinking about the trajectory of his future.

It had been planned out from the start, or rather, arranged by others.

He would mature and differentiate as expected, study abroad for university, and then return a few years later to take over the family business at Zhen Qing’s company. Until now, Zhen Ning had never thought there was anything wrong with this arrangement. After all, he didn’t have anything he particularly wanted to do himself.

In the eyes of those people, as long as he stayed out of trouble, kept quiet, and remained far enough removed from their lives, that was the best outcome.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated.

[Yan Chengfeng]: Are you there!

[Yan Chengfeng]: Are you there, are you there, are you there, are you there!

[Yan Chengfeng]: Can you come out for a bit on New Year’s Eve night? It won’t take long, just half an hour.

Zhen Ning was momentarily stunned. He replied: “Okay.”

Holding his phone close to his chest, he stared quietly at the ceiling for a while.

After some time, he unlocked his phone again and found the name “Zhen Qing” in his contacts.

For the first time that month, Zhen Ning took the initiative to send a message to Zhen Qing: “Where are my ID card, birth certificate, and future secondary gender differentiation documents?”

Zhen Qing was Zhen Ning’s omega father.

Many people said Zhen Ning was like a replica of Zhen Qing. Zhen Qing was taciturn and independent, while Zhen Ning was cold and silent. Aside from their future secondary genders, their appearances and personalities were remarkably similar.

But Zhen Ning despised such comparisons.

Their personalities had always created distance between them. Even in childhood, their relationship had been distant. After the divorce, Zhen Qing had been busy starting a business, leaving Zhen Ning in the care of a housekeeper and rarely involving himself in his son’s life.

Zhen Qing’s reply came after a brief hesitation: “What do you need those for?”

Zhen Ning: “School activity.”

Zhen Qing didn’t suspect anything and responded: “They’re in the study on the second floor.”

A few seconds later, another message came through: “By the way, Xiao Ning, Dad has some work to do at the company tomorrow, so I won’t be coming home. You’re grown up now, and you need to learn to…”

Zhen Ning didn’t bother finishing the message before shutting off his phone.

He didn’t even feel like exposing the ridiculous lie about the company not having a holiday on New Year’s Eve. Instead, he stood up from the sofa and headed for the second floor.

On New Year’s Eve, Yan Chengfeng arranged to meet Zhen Ning at a small park near the internet café.

The weather was bitterly cold, and since it was New Year’s Eve, the park was nearly empty. The ground was still covered with remnants of unmelted snow.

Yan Chengfeng handed Zhen Ning a box of dumplings.

“My mom made too much filling, so she told me to bring some for my friends,” Yan Chengfeng said awkwardly. “A few of them are ugly because I made them. If they’re too hard to chew, just don’t eat them.”

Zhen Ning looked down at the lunchbox in his hands. After a moment, he said, “Okay.”

Yan Chengfeng widened his eyes in disbelief. “Are you serious? I tell you not to eat them, and you really won’t? They don’t actually taste different, you—”

Zhen Ning: “I’ll eat them all.”

Only then did Yan Chengfeng let out a satisfied hum.

He stared at Zhen Ning’s face, as if about to say something. But before he could, someone in the plaza suddenly set off fireworks.

The two of them sat side by side on a bench, silently watching.

The fireworks were brilliant and beautiful, their shifting lights reflecting on both their faces. Yan Chengfeng’s eyes sparkled, and his cheeks were flushed red from the cold.

When the fireworks ended, the two of them remained unusually quiet.

“I’m heading to the trial in a couple of days,” Yan Chengfeng suddenly said. “And then, during the Spring Festival… we probably won’t see each other. It feels like we’ll have fewer chances to meet in the future, so there are some things I wanted to say to you face-to-face.”

“After the trial, when we both have free time, can I still meet up with you?” He sounded a little embarrassed. “If I get into KYM’s youth training team, I’ll probably be busier, but I can sneak out on weekends—”

Yan Chengfeng didn’t finish his sentence. He had just realized that Zhen Ning wasn’t even paying attention to him. Instead, Zhen Ning was looking down at his phone.

After a moment, Zhen Ning raised his eyes and shook his head.

Yan Chengfeng’s heart suddenly sank.

He parted his lips to say something, but at that moment, a new round of fireworks bloomed in the sky, swallowing his words.

“…I know you probably have other things to do, and it’s always been me bothering you. So if you don’t want to meet again, that’s okay.”

As the fireworks faded, Yan Chengfeng avoided Zhen Ning’s gaze and forced a smile. “But still, Zhen Ning, I want to thank you for this time.”

However, Zhen Ning shook his head again.

Then, he said, “A few days ago, I submitted my resume to KYM.”

Yan Chengfeng suddenly fell silent.

“Just now, I received their trial invitation too.” Zhen Ning held up his phone, meeting Yan Chengfeng’s eyes as he said softly, “Like you, I’ll also be busy in the future. So I’m sorry—I probably can’t agree to the request you just made.”

He saw Yan Chengfeng’s pupils tremble.

Yan Chengfeng stammered for a long time, struggling to form a complete sentence. His voice shook. “You, you…”

Zhen Ning’s expression remained calm. “Don’t get too excited yet. We don’t know the final results, so—”

But he didn’t get to finish. In the next moment, he was pulled into a warm, tight embrace.

“You’ll definitely make it!”

He heard Yan Chengfeng’s excited, trembling voice ring in his ears. “We’ll both make it, Zhen Ning.”

It seemed like just a celebratory hug between friends.

A new round of fireworks burst into the sky.

But a hazy emotion settled over Zhen Ning’s heart. He tilted his face upward, watching the colorful fireworks above. After a moment, he gently rested his chin on Yan Chengfeng’s shoulder.

A quiet yet dazzling firework bloomed in Zhen Ning’s heart.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

Later, Zhen Ning would often ask himself: if he had known what lay ahead, would he have made the same choice at this moment?

But every time he thought back to that winter when he was sixteen—their first meeting, their time together in the internet café, the boy who had hugged him so tightly, his eyes sparkling like fireworks—Zhen Ning knew. No matter how many times he relived it, he would still make the same decision.

Whether it was the choice to join KYM’s youth training program at sixteen or any of the decisions he made afterward, Zhen Ning never regretted them.

Because every step he walked alongside Yan Chengfeng had been completely worthwhile.

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Author’s note:
That’s the end of the flashback for now~