After lunch, Xu Minghe and Tao Luo returned to the training room.
Xu Minghe had assumed that Zhen Ning would sit next to him, but upon entering the room, he found Zhen Ning already seated in the empty spot beside Yan Chengfeng.
Zhen Ning sat with his back to Xu Minghe, while Yan Chengfeng, seated next to him, wore his usual calm expression as he played a ranked match.
Xu Minghe couldn’t see Zhen Ning’s face, and he felt a bit puzzled.
But right now, Zhen Ning was clearly seated next to Yan Chengfeng. Though slightly confused, Xu Minghe reasoned that perhaps Zhen Ning had simply opted for a more spacious seat. After hesitating for a moment, Xu Minghe ultimately decided not to ask.
Nearby, Tao Luo suddenly let out a loud sneeze.
“Who opened the window for no reason?”
Tao Luo sneezed twice in quick succession before she could finish her sentence. “…Was it you, Yan Kitchen? Opening one window is fine, but it’s February! Did you open all of them just to test the limits of your immune system?”
Tao Luo loved to quarrel with Yan Chengfeng, but her sharp tongue and reasoning skills were always a notch below his.
Although Yan Chengfeng could easily render her speechless with just a few words, Tao Luo never let that stop her from eagerly picking fights whenever the opportunity arose.
Oddly enough, Yan Chengfeng didn’t retort this time. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the computer screen, tapping his index finger slowly on the desk.
Tao Luo found his reaction unusual. Just as she was starting to wonder, Zhen Ning, seated next to Yan Chengfeng, suddenly spoke up. “I’m the one who opened them.”
Zhen Ning’s voice was muffled, and he seemed to have a hoarse throat.
“The room felt a bit stuffy, so I opened the windows for some fresh air,” he explained.
Tao Luo was momentarily stunned before hurriedly replying, “Oh, it’s no problem at all!”
“I-I usually just like to throw a few casual jabs at him, nothing more.” She scratched her head before asking, “Do you still need more fresh air? Should I leave them open a bit longer?”
Zhen Ning replied, “It’s fine; you can close them.”
Tao Luo replied briefly and closed the window without much thought before returning to her seat.
This small incident was quickly forgotten by everyone.
With the spring regular season about to start, the intensity of their training had increased. That afternoon, they had a BO31best of three training match scheduled against a European server team.
KYM’s starting AD for the Spring Split was Lei Tao, with Zhen Ning as the substitute. For this match, Lei Tao continued to play as the AD.
The game ended swiftly. After all, European teams have always been a step behind Chinese teams in mechanics and decision-making. On top of that, Yan Chengfeng’s orderly command during team fights led to a clean 2–0 victory.
Their coach, Joe, was a male beta. KYM had recruited him from the North American server a few years ago, where he had led his team to a championship. Known for his exceptional tactics and brilliant decision-making, Joe had a humorous and gentle personality in daily life but was extremely strict when it came to managing players. Under his leadership, KYM had delivered impressive results over the past few years.
Joe had been coaching Yan Chengfeng since his youth training period, and Yan Chengfeng held him in high regard.
After the training match, Joe didn’t have much to say. He just gave a brief review and waved them off to go rest.
However, just as he was about to leave the training room, he suddenly called out, “Zhen Ning, come here for a moment.”
Everyone froze for a second. Zhen Ning also paused briefly before standing up and following Joe out of the room.
The air was still for a moment.
Lei Tao stood up with a grim face and said, “Don’t bother calling me for dinner,” before storming out and slamming the door behind him.
“…What’s with him now?”
Tao Luo was startled and turned to look at Lei Tao’s back in confusion. “Honestly though, even though we won today’s match, why does it feel like it wasn’t that satisfying? Every game felt like a bit of a struggle.”
“I felt the same. We came really close to getting overturned in the second game.” Xu Hao couldn’t help but chime in, “And remember, last year with the same lineup, we completely crushed little Europe.”
Yan Chengfeng stayed silent.
Since he and Lei Tao had played the bottom lane together, Yan Chengfeng had a clearer sense of Lei Tao’s performance than the others. Lei Tao’s current state was poor.
Even though the final score looked good, Lei Tao had made far too many basic mistakes during the games. While none were fatal, Yan Chengfeng was certain that Joe had noticed them too.
A silence fell over the room as everyone seemed to realize this simultaneously.
Tao Luo cleared her throat, got up, and said, “Ah, let’s stop overthinking and go eat dinner.”
When Yan Chengfeng followed the group out of the training room toward the cafeteria, he noticed Zhen Ning and Joe standing at the far end of the hallway.
Joe was smiling as he spoke to Zhen Ning, who looked visibly hesitant. After a moment of deliberation, Zhen Ning finally nodded.
Yan Chengfeng stared at Zhen Ning’s side profile for a moment and frowned.
Zhen Ning’s skin was fair, the type that would flush red with just a bit of sun exposure. In the past, Yan Chengfeng often teased him about being delicate.
It had been five or six hours since noon, and Zhen Ning’s complexion now showed no abnormality. However, when Zhen Ning turned his face to talk with Joe, Yan Chengfeng noticed a faint trace of pink lingering at the base of his ears.
Yan Chengfeng’s Adam’s apple moved slightly as he forced himself to look away.
He had to admit that he had been a bit too impulsive at noon.
It had felt satisfying—anyone would feel good after saying such harsh words. But the problem was, after cooling down and reflecting on it, he began to waver again.
Yan Chengfeng recognized how extremely contradictory he was behaving.
Whenever he saw Zhen Ning, he would feel unbearably irritated. His original plan for their reunion had been to harshly berate Zhen Ning and then treat him as if he didn’t exist.
But as soon as Zhen Ning was the one to suggest “keeping a distance,” it left a completely different taste in his mouth.
The realization that Zhen Ning was actively trying to avoid him made Yan Chengfeng uncontrollably furious.
For someone like Yan Chengfeng, who viewed gaming as his entire life and had an impulsive straight alpha cancer mindset, people were simply divided into two categories: those who played well and those who didn’t.
Outside of gaming and competitions, he rarely paid attention to others, let alone bothered to learn details like their gender, personality, or appearance. The only person who had ever managed to spark even a little interest in his life outside of gaming had been Zhen Ning back then.
The fact that Zhen Ning had differentiated into an omega was something Yan Chengfeng had partially processed but hadn’t fully come to terms with.
He had released his alpha pheromones in front of Zhen Ning, but he hadn’t given much thought to the consequences or implications of that action. He’d simply been angry and had resorted to whatever means necessary to make Zhen Ning let go of the gaming chair.
Since then, Zhen Ning hadn’t spoken a word for the rest of the afternoon. Just as Yan Chengfeng had demanded, Zhen Ning neither changed seats nor left the chair. He simply sat there quietly, watching the training match against the European team alongside the coach.
By all accounts, Yan Chengfeng had been the undisputed winner of their confrontation at noon, but now he felt inexplicably frustrated.
Why wasn’t Zhen Ning saying anything?
Did I go too far at noon? …But why should I care how he feels?
…Since he’s an omega now, could it be that he felt unwell because of my pheromones? …But why should it matter to me whether he’s comfortable or not?
Yan Chengfeng failed to realize that the training match had occupied the entire afternoon. Afterward, Zhen Ning had been called away by Joe, leaving them no opportunity to talk.
For a moment, Yan Chengfeng couldn’t make sense of his emotions. He should’ve been satisfied with the small revenge he had taken on Zhen Ning, yet an inexplicable heaviness weighed on his chest. He found himself spiraling into a vortex of inner turmoil.
“Should we save some dinner for Zhen Ning and Lei Tao?” Xu Minghe suddenly asked.
“Right, right,” Tao Luo mumbled, shoveling food into her mouth. “Joe always takes at least half an hour when he starts chatting with someone. By the time Zhen Ning gets back, we’ll probably be almost done eating. Why don’t we set aside some food for them first?”
Yan Chengfeng absently glanced at the dishes on the table.
It was a stark contrast to their youth training days when they had lived on boxed meals every day. KYM clearly put much more effort into the diets of their starting lineup, tailoring three meals a day to the players’ tastes and preferences.
Most of the players on the team were young, energetic alphas who loved spicy and fried foods. Last year, KYM had even hired a cooking auntie skilled in Sichuan and Hunan cuisine just for them.
Their dinners were either completely red or golden yellow. For the sake of balanced nutrition, the auntie also stir-fried vegetables, but since the plain dishes were often left untouched, she eventually started seasoning them heavily to make them more appetizing with rice.
Yan Chengfeng suddenly realized that, aside from the plate of steamed buns in the corner, there was hardly anything on the table that Zhen Ning could actually eat.
In fact, Zhen Ning probably wouldn’t touch the steamed buns either, since he had always disliked flour-based foods.
Unlike Tao Luo, who could eat and play games simultaneously—her keyboard so messy that spilled water might sprout rice the following year—Zhen Ning was an extremely picky eater.
Back when they were 17 or 18 and still on good terms, Yan Chengfeng particularly enjoyed testing Zhen Ning’s limits with all kinds of extreme foods.
Zhen Ning never ate spicy food. His reasoning back then was simple: “I’ve never had it, and I don’t want to try.”
He had an indifferent attitude toward most things, never showing strong preferences. But Yan Chengfeng had believed that a life without spicy food was incomplete and was convinced that spice tolerance could be built with practice.
One day after training, when the two of them went out for a special meal, Yan Chengfeng seized the moment while Zhen Ning was in the restroom to order a plate of stir-fried pork with green peppers.
Removing the peppers from the meat, Yan Chengfeng lied when Zhen Ning returned. “I ordered some pork in soy sauce. Try a bite.”
Zhen Ning didn’t suspect anything.
Then Yan Chengfeng discovered it wasn’t that Zhen Ning disliked spicy food—he simply couldn’t handle it at all.
Zhen Ning was so sensitive to even the slightest hint of spice that the moment he put the meat in his mouth, he broke into a fit of coughing. His entire skin turned visibly red, terrifying Yan Chengfeng, who was sitting right next to him.
Though Zhen Ning managed to reassure him between coughs that he was fine, Yan Chengfeng was overwhelmed with guilt. To make up for it, he made a promise on the spot: “From now on, whenever we eat together, I’ll check your food for spice. How about that?”
Zhen Ning didn’t refuse.
Over time, Yan Chengfeng checking Zhen Ning’s food for spice became an unspoken habit between them. Their fellow youth trainees couldn’t help but marvel, “The relationship between these two is ridiculously close.”
Out of nowhere, this memory resurfaced in Yan Chengfeng’s mind. When he snapped back to reality, he muttered a low curse to himself.
Why are you thinking about him?
After so many years apart, hasn’t he been living just fine? They were all adults now—did he still need to fret over what Zhen Ning ate?
Still, he couldn’t stop himself from feeling distracted.
Tao Luo had just used the serving chopsticks to scoop some spicy tofu onto a small plate when she noticed Yan Chengfeng standing up. His face didn’t look too good as he glanced in her direction.
Tao Luo instinctively clutched the plate protectively to her chest, her expression wary. “What are you doing?”
Yan Chengfeng ignored her and simply asked, “Is Auntie still in the kitchen?”
Tao Luo was momentarily stunned. “Yeah, I just asked her for another bowl of soup. Why? Didn’t you eat enough?”
Yan Chengfeng didn’t respond. He only turned and walked away, showing her his back.
When Zhen Ning arrived at the dining area, most of the group had already finished dinner and were heading back to prepare for the evening’s training session.
Tao Luo was chatting with Xu Hao and Xu Minghe, gossiping about other teams. When she saw Zhen Ning approaching, she waved enthusiastically. “You’re here! We saved some food for you. It’s all on the small plates on the dining table.”
Zhen Ning said, “Thank you.”
Tao Luo chuckled. “Hehe.”
Yan Chengfeng was walking at the very back of the group.
As he passed by Zhen Ning, he didn’t say a word. He merely gave him a casual glance before brushing past him.
Zhen Ning didn’t speak either. He lowered his head and curled his fingers.
Even though the room had been aired out earlier in the afternoon, Zhen Ning still hadn’t fully recovered. His limbs felt faintly weak, and the lingering scent of the alpha’s strong white tea fragrance still clung to the tip of his nose.
It had been years since they’d last met, and Yan Chengfeng had changed a lot.
While his temper was still as irritable and fiery as ever, and his words and actions remained as childish as always, his playstyle and mindset during the training match earlier revealed how much he had grown.
In the match that afternoon, Yan Chengfeng had played flawlessly. Even during the laning phase, when he was at a disadvantage, he maintained his composure. His decisions during team fights were rational and decisive.
When he was doing something he loved, the light in his eyes still burned bright and brilliant.
Before returning to KYM this time, Zhen Ning had thought through every possible scenario.
He wasn’t surprised by Yan Chengfeng’s hostility or mockery and had resolved to face it all with the calmest attitude possible.
But what he couldn’t figure out, no matter how much he thought about it, was why Yan Chengfeng had flown into such an inexplicable rage at noon and then insisted on making him sit next to him.
In every scenario Zhen Ning had envisioned, Yan Chengfeng would have wanted him to stay as far away as possible.
On the table were a plate of mapo tofu, another of peppercorn pork ribs, a plate of steamed buns, and a small bowl of hot and sour soup.
Zhen Ning knew that Tao Luo and Xu Minghe meant well, but he truly couldn’t handle their kindness.
After hesitating for a moment, he decided to head to the kitchen. As he had done over the past few days, he planned to find some fruit in the fridge and make do with that instead.
However, just as Zhen Ning reached the kitchen door, he bumped straight into the kitchen auntie, who was rushing out, slightly out of breath.
The auntie poked her head out to glance around, then let out an “Ah!” and called to Zhen Ning. “Young man, did you just see a tall guy? Really good-looking face, but always looks like he’s upset—like he’s angry.”
Zhen Ning froze. “…What?”
“Oh, there are so many of you, and I can’t remember all your names. I only recognize Xiao Luo because she always comes asking me for extra food.”
The auntie thought for a moment before adding, “Oh, right! It’s that guy Xiao Luo always calls ‘Kitchen!’”
Zhen Ning’s body stiffened.
“He just told me he wasn’t full and asked me to make him another egg fried rice. Oh, he went on and on about all these requirements—less oil, less salt, extra vegetables, and he specifically told me not to add any chili.”
The auntie held up the plate of fried rice in her hands and asked, puzzled, “I rushed to make it, but where did he disappear to?”
Author’s note:
Hehe, here’s the thing: As mentioned before, the main characters in this story are not perfect. Both Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhen have some small flaws in their personalities, but they will grow over time.
Xiao Yan is young and a straight guy. He’s never loved anyone before, so when he reunites with the close friend who abandoned him all those years ago, it’s only natural for him to feel angry.
Anyway, just a little reminder: If you expect the protagonist to be perfect, this story might not be for you. They won’t reconcile immediately, and there will definitely be more conflicts ahead. After all, growth and love both take time~
