SMS CHAPTER 54

Tao Luo had a nagging feeling that ever since the Ji Ming Cup ended, the dynamics between certain members of KYM had become… a little strange.

To put it bluntly, she felt that the relationship between Yan Chengfeng and Zhen Ning had inexplicably grown… tense.

Very tense.

Tao Luo had always been the least perceptive person on the team.

Her personality was carefree, and her reactions were slow. If the tension between two teammates had reached a point where even she found it odd, then logically, the others must have already noticed something was wrong.

To confirm she wasn’t imagining things, Tao Luo secretly asked Xu Hao, “Hey, Octopus Xu, don’t you think the vibe between Yan Kitchen and Zhen Ning is kind of weird? Did they have a fight?”

Xu Hao glanced up calmly. “Nope. You’re overthinking it.”

Tao Luo scratched her head. “Really? Okay…”

But she didn’t trust Xu Hao much.

So, she turned to Xu Minghe, who was sitting nearby, and asked, “Lao Xu, what do you think? Doesn’t it seem like something’s off between them? Team disharmony is a big deal. I’m really worried they might—”

Xu Minghe smiled and said gently, “Is that so? It’s probably just your imagination.”

Xu Hao chimed in again from the side, “Yeah, totally just your imagination.”

Tao Luo grew even more frustrated.

Was there really nothing going on? Was she really, truly just overthinking it? She was about to scratch her head bald, but no matter how much she thought about it, something still felt very off.

Because lately, there had just been too many strange things about the two of them.

For example, yesterday, while everyone was having lunch together at the base canteen, Tao Luo was eating from her bowl when she suddenly heard the sound of something hitting the floor.

Everyone froze and turned toward the source of the noise, only to see that Zhen Ning’s chopsticks had fallen, likely by accident.

Zhen Ning bent down to pick them up and said, “Sorry.”

“No worries, just grab a new pair.” Tao Luo scanned the table for spare utensils. Her eyes lit up after a moment. “Yan Kitchen, you’ve got two unused pairs of chopsticks next to you. Hand one to Zhen Ning, will you?”

Before Yan Chengfeng could say anything, Zhen Ning shook his head. “It’s fine. I don’t really need them,” he said coolly. “No need to bother.”

On the surface, Zhen Ning’s response seemed perfectly reasonable. After all, there was only a bowl of soup left in front of him, and drinking soup didn’t exactly require chopsticks.

But somehow, something in those words seemed to hit a nerve with Yan Chengfeng. Tao Luo watched as his expression darkened in an instant.

The veins on the back of Yan Chengfeng’s hand looked like they were about to pop, and he seemed on the verge of crushing the small rice bowl he was holding.

A moment later, Yan Chengfeng slammed the bowl onto the table, stood up, and, with a livid expression, said, “I’m full.”

Then, he stormed off.

He slammed the bowl down with such an over-the-top, childish intensity that Tao Luo was left dumbfounded. “Fine, if you’re done eating, you’re done eating… but at least put the bowl in the sink.”

Yan Chengfeng halted in place.

He turned slightly, glanced at Zhen Ning, and his expression darkened even further. Without a word, he picked up the empty bowl and stalked off toward the kitchen without looking back.

But this wasn’t the only odd interaction between them.

For example, the night before, both Yan Chengfeng and Zhen Ning had started solo livestreams.

Normally, since they streamed from the same training room and sat next to each other, even if they weren’t duo queuing, there would still be some interaction.

Yet, during this stream, the two had zero interaction the entire time, each silently focusing on their own solo queue games.

Adding to the drama, thanks to high-level matches having fewer players and their ranks being extremely high… Yan Chengfeng ended up facing Zhen Ning in-game.

The chat immediately exploded with “???” and comments like, “I bet whichever side has a KYM player is going to win.”

Yan Chengfeng and Zhen Ning were, after all, the two players who knew each other’s playstyles and habits better than anyone else. Their synergy as teammates was legendary, but seeing them as opponents was bound to be a spectacle.

With a deadpan expression, Yan Chengfeng told his audience, “This game, I’m going to teach you how to read the mindset of an AD in a King-tier match.”

“First, look at the enemy AD’s positioning. See how they’re playing forward? It looks aggressive, but their wave-clearing speed is slow. They’re even subtly adjusting the position of the backline minions.”

Yan Chengfeng: “A stance like this usually means the enemy jungler is still clearing the red buff, and their mid-laner is definitely on the way to provide backup. Based on the timing, their mid should be… here.”

He marked a spot on the river.

To the amazement of viewers who had access to both perspectives, Yan Chengfeng’s mark was exactly where Zhen Ning’s mid-laner was at that moment. The chat erupted in shock.

Some spammed “666666,”[mfn]Chinese slang for “awesome”[/mfn] while others couldn’t help but comment, “Chef isn’t analyzing King-tier ADs; he’s analyzing Neither’s mindset!”

The game turned into an all-out war, with both players relentlessly targeting each other. Yan Chengfeng exploited his knowledge of Zhen Ning’s laning habits, while Zhen Ning countered with his understanding of Yan Chengfeng’s roaming patterns. As the chat put it, “These two are seriously trying to destroy each other.”

If Tao Luo had to sum up their current dynamic in one sentence, it would be…

“Don’t you think their behavior now is eerily similar to when Zhen Ning first came to the base?”

Tao Luo desperately sought confirmation from Xu Hao. “Right? Am I right? Yan Kitchen is acting like he’s deliberately going against Zhen Ning on everything, but it’s like… he’s also trying really hard to get Zhen Ning to notice him.”

Xu Hao’s expression turned inscrutable, but he simply said, “Nah, not really.”

Tao Luo hesitated. “You really don’t think there’s anything weird?”

Xu Hao put on a clueless look. “Not at all. What are you even talking about? I think they’re doing fine. Haven’t the training matches been going great these past few days? Isn’t that all that matters? Can’t you think positively for once, ancestor?”

Tao Luo froze for a moment, muttering to herself, “Well, that’s true… Alright then.”

Xu Hao played dumb for nearly an hour—so convincingly that even he almost believed his own act. Only then did he finally manage to dispel Tao Luo’s suspicions.

As he let out a sigh of relief and looked up, he saw Yan Chengfeng standing at the training room door, his expression stormy as he motioned for him to step outside.

In the hallway, Yan Chengfeng nearly gritted his teeth as he demanded, “Why is it like this?”

“Why hasn’t he reacted at all?” Yan Chengfeng paced back and forth in agitation. “It’s been a week already. Are you sure your stupid plan even works?”

“That’s been a while, yeah.” Xu Hao clicked his tongue and wondered. “Doesn’t make sense, though. It should’ve worked by now.”

“Are you absolutely sure you told him exactly what I told you to say? No extra embellishments or edits, right?” Xu Hao asked.

Yan Chengfeng rubbed his temples and exhaled sharply. “No, damn it, I said it exactly like you told me to, not a word different.”

At this point, he couldn’t help but feel that he never should’ve trusted Xu Hao’s nonsense in the first place.

When he had forced himself to say that painfully insincere line “I can’t keep being your temporary partner anymore,” his chest had tightened painfully, but he had pushed through and said it anyway.

After a long pause, Zhen Ning had finally responded, “Alright.”

“If this relationship makes you so uncomfortable…” He had watched Zhen Ning nod and whisper, “Then I’ll agree.”

Yan Chengfeng had been stunned.

Zhen Ning had just… agreed.

There had been no shock, no attempt to stop him, no dramatic confession where Zhen Ning would grab his arm and say, “Don’t go. The person I like has always been you!”

Yan Chengfeng was both furious and frustrated.

He was angry at Zhen Ning—why did he always just go along with whatever he said? Why hadn’t he asked more questions or tried to stop him? Did Zhen Ning really have no feelings for him at all?

But even more than that, he was angry at himself. If he had just followed his own heart and asked the questions he truly wanted to ask, maybe things wouldn’t have ended up in such a frustrating mess.

Irritated, Yan Chengfeng waved Xu Hao off. “Forget it. Go back to training.”

He leaned against the window for a while, letting the view outside calm his swirling thoughts. After exhaling, he turned, intending to head back to the training room, only to halt mid-step.

At the far end of the hallway, he saw Zhen Ning standing with Tao Luo.

Next to Zhen Ning was a small suitcase.

Yan Chengfeng couldn’t make out what they were saying, but a moment later, he saw Tao Luo wave and call out in her loud voice, “…See you after the break then!”

The summer season officially started at the end of June. While their recent training matches had been intense, Li Feng had given them a short vacation to relax before the new season began.

For such a brief break, and since it wasn’t a major holiday like the Spring Festival, it was uncommon for teammates to head straight home with their luggage.

Yan Chengfeng stared at the suitcase beside Zhen Ning, his mind momentarily unable to process what was happening.

After Tao Luo returned to the training room, Zhen Ning turned around and saw Yan Chengfeng standing behind him. They silently faced off in the hallway for a few moments.

“What’s with the suitcase?” Yan Chengfeng tried his best to suppress the tremor in his voice, feigning nonchalance. “Going on a trip?”

Zhen Ning didn’t speak for a long time.

Yan Chengfeng: “The summer season is about to start. Even during a break, you should be focusing on training…”

Zhen Ning: “My heat is approaching.”

Yan Chengfeng froze entirely, staring at Zhen Ning in stunned silence.

Zhen Ning’s expression remained calm.

“Like last time, considering the inherent instability of suppressants,” Zhen Ning said softly, “and the fact that frequent usage impacts performance and reaction time, this time… I plan to handle it at a nearby hotel.”

The moment Yan Chengfeng heard the word hotel, his eyes widened in disbelief.

His mouth opened slightly, but he couldn’t produce a single sound.

“I’ve already reported this to Li Feng. I’ll be back soon.”

Zhen Ning looked at Yan Chengfeng as if predicting what he was about to say, then calmly added, “It won’t affect training. Don’t worry.”

Yan Chengfeng had always used competitions as his go-to excuse, but Zhen Ning’s preemptive words shut down every argument he could make.

As Zhen Ning turned away and began pulling his suitcase toward the door, Yan Chengfeng’s chest rose and fell sharply. Unable to hold back any longer, he strode forward and grabbed the suitcase.

“…You stop right there.”

Yan Chengfeng blocked Zhen Ning’s path, his ears flushed red with anger. Gritting his teeth, he forced out his words one by one. “You can’t leave right now. You—”

For a fleeting moment, Yan Chengfeng wanted to shout, “I take it back!” or tell Zhen Ning, “All that nonsense I said that day wasn’t what I really meant!”

But he couldn’t say it.

“You… You need to give me an exact return date. Nobody’s going to wait for you indefinitely.”

After a brief pause, he added in a dry voice, “I’m the captain, so I can’t just let you come and go as you please. I… I have to ask these questions.”

Yan Chengfeng was running out of options. Unable to come up with a better excuse, he even played the “captain” card.

He began rambling. “Besides, the base is safer than being outside. Hotels are full of all sorts of random people and unpredictable situations. You should really think about…”

“Five days,” Zhen Ning cut in crisply. “I’ll be back in five days. I won’t be gone long.”

Yan Chengfeng fell silent.

Zhen Ning’s response was decisive, as if he had meticulously planned every detail in advance. Realizing this, Yan Chengfeng’s frustration surged to a peak, and an inexplicable sense of panic began creeping in.

Finally, he truly understood that Zhen Ning might actually be serious about leaving.

He heard Zhen Ning ask, “Can I have my suitcase back?”

Their gazes met, and Yan Chengfeng found himself unable to say a word. He could only watch helplessly as Zhen Ning pulled the suitcase handle from his grasp.

Whether intentional or not, in the brief moment when Zhen Ning retrieved the handle, his fingertips lightly brushed against the back of Yan Chengfeng’s hand.

It was an extremely fleeting touch, but Yan Chengfeng distinctly felt that Zhen Ning’s fingertips were slightly hot—likely a sign of his impending heat.

A strange feeling stirred in Yan Chengfeng’s heart.

The next second, his eyes suddenly widened.

He caught a faint whiff of a sour apricot scent. The initial tartness was subtly followed by a trace of enticing sweetness—proof that the omega was on the verge of heat.

The fragrance was incredibly light, barely noticeable, yet it managed to capture Yan Chengfeng’s attention completely.

That fleeting, almost imperceptible scent was the most intoxicating. His mind went blank, his throat tightening as he found himself staring at Zhen Ning’s face in a daze.

And then, he realized that Zhen Ning was also looking back at him.

The moment his gaze locked onto Zhen Ning’s calm, black irises, Yan Chengfeng felt his heartbeat fall out of rhythm.

The sudden touch and surge of pheromones overwhelmed him, leaving him momentarily stunned. It never even occurred to him how strange the situation really was.

For someone as cautious and meticulous as Zhen Ning, who injected inhibitors daily to suppress any pheromone fluctuations, why would he be so careless this time, right before his heat? And how was it such a coincidence that he “just happened” to leak a tiny bit of pheromones in front of an alpha like Yan Chengfeng?

Yan Chengfeng’s voice came out hoarse. “You…”

Zhen Ning didn’t respond.

The air grew silent, the atmosphere delicate. Unconsciously, the two of them drew closer.

Before long, they were so close they could feel the warmth of each other’s breaths. The faint sound of their heartbeats seemed to resonate between them. Yan Chengfeng stared at the gentle flutter of Zhen Ning’s eyelashes, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.

As he instinctively leaned down, closing the distance between their faces, Zhen Ning suddenly raised a hand and lightly pressed it against Yan Chengfeng’s chest, pushing him back slightly—

At the same time, he lowered his head and glanced at the phone in his other hand.

Yan Chengfeng: “…?”

It was like having the perfect bite of meat right at his lips, only for it to suddenly grow wings and fly away. The mouthwatering scent still clung to his nose, and he had already imagined savoring its rich flavor. But now, it had vanished into thin air. The feeling… was nothing short of pure torment.

Yan Chengfeng was dumbfounded.

He stared blankly as Zhen Ning’s gaze lifted from his phone screen.

“My ride is here.”

Zhen Ning looked steadily at Yan Chengfeng’s face and asked softly, “Captain, may I leave now?”

---

Author’s note:
“Kitchen’s Diary”

Location: KYM Base

Weather: Stormy

Mood: Anxious, anxious, anxious!

Reason for anxiety: Xu Hao’s lousy advice is complete bullshit!