WCG Chapter 86.2

After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms. Jiang Lele, still energetic, grabbed a cat treat and went to find Xiao Hei. “We had a feast, so Xiao Hei should get a special treat too!”  

Xiao Hei had no resistance to cat treats. The moment he heard Jiang Lele’s voice, he darted out of Jiang Shi’s room, quickly devouring two treats. Just as he was angling for a third, Jiang Lele patted his head. “Why are you as greedy as that Little White Hair?” 

Realizing there was no more food, Xiao Hei immediately lost interest. He shot Jiang Lele a glance, flicked his tail, and trotted off, not giving him any chance to cuddle.  

Jiang Lele, half exasperated and half amused, said, “You’re just like your owner!”  

Jiang Shi didn’t comment.  

Before heading upstairs, Xie Xu suddenly suggested, “Want me to make you a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice?”  

Jiang Shi shook his head frantically. “No, no, I’m full.”  

In the past, he would have gladly accepted.  

But now? The ex-boyfriend situation plus the kiss…  

He had no idea how to be alone with Xie Xu anymore.  

Jiang Shi successfully fled to his room. But before bed, as he looked around, he realized he couldn’t find Xiao Hei. 

He opened WeChat and sent a message in the team group chat.  

[Obedient Jiangjiang: Has anyone seen Xiao Hei?]  

[Obedient Jiangjiang: @The Group’s Most Handsome Guy Jiang Lele, is he with you?]  

Xiao Hei usually slept on the cushion in his bedroom at night.  

Jiang Lele replied that he had let Xiao Hei go after feeding him treats, and the others also said they hadn’t seen him.  

Except for Xie Xu.  

Jiang Shi hesitated, then clicked into their private chat.  

Their last conversation was three days ago.  

That morning at Xie Xu’s house, Xie Xu had asked if he was awake yet.  

At the time, Xie Xu’s mother had knocked on his door, telling him breakfast was ready.  

Jiang Shi hadn’t dared to reply to Xie Xu’s message back then. He felt guilty, like he was taking advantage of someone else’s beloved son under their own roof. 

And then, with the busy training schedule and the awkwardness of running into his ex, he hadn’t even sent a good morning or good night message since.  

He was acting exactly like a scumbag who ghosted after winning someone over.  

Wait… he hadn’t actually won Xie Xu over, had he?!  

Jiang Shi shot up from his bed like a startled fish.  

Xie Xu kissed him, but he never officially gave him a title!  

He should’ve struck while the iron was still hot back then, clung to Xie Xu, and made him confess on the spot!  

Forget it. He probably wouldn’t have had the guts anyway.  

Just the slight brush of their lips had left him paralyzed for half a day, like someone had hit his pressure points. He hadn’t even realized he was still on his tiptoes.  

Now that he’d thought it through, Jiang Shi slowly lay back down.  

Forget it, it’s better be a coward! 

But just as he picked up his phone again, he saw a message from Xie Xu in the group chat.  

[Xu: The cat is with me. Come pick him up.]  

Jiang Shi almost dropped his phone.  

He might as well let that stinky cat fend for itself!  

Ten minutes later, Jiang Shi, head hanging low, knocked on Xie Xu’s door.  

The door opened. Jiang Shi stood at the entrance, not stepping inside. “Where’s Xiao Hei?”  

Xie Xu stepped aside and pointed to the chair, where Xiao Hei was curled up napping.  

Xiao Hei noticed Jiang Shi’s arrival, lifted his head to glance at him, then went right back to sleep.  

Jiang Shi: “…”  

This stinky cat forgets who his master is after being blinded by Xie Xu’s beauty! 

Still, he stepped forward, reaching out to carry Xiao Hei.  

But just as he picked the cat up, he heard the door click shut behind him.  

Jiang Shi froze in place, still bent over. It took him a long moment to straighten up.  

His first thought was—  

‘Crap. He’s caught.’

Xiao Hei, unhappy with Jiang Shi’s lack of movement, jumped from his arms and rubbed against Xie Xu’s ankle instead.  

Jiang Shi followed the movement with his eyes and saw the discarded cat treat wrappers in the trash can.  

His heart sank even further.  

Xie Xu picked up Xiao Hei but kept his gaze fixed on Jiang Shi. 

“You’re avoiding me.”  

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.  

Jiang Shi turned away, forcing himself to deny it. “No, I’ve just been really busy lately—”  

Before he could come up with more excuses, Xie Xu nodded.  

“I understand.” Xie Xu said, “Well, you’re not busy now. Is there anything you want to say to me?”  

He had held back before, worried that bringing it up would affect Jiang Shi’s focus before the match. But he never expected Jiang Shi to try and dodge the topic altogether.  

Jiang Shi: “….”  

He had absolutely no idea how to respond!

But his brain worked fast—

“Wait, why do I have to say something? Shouldn’t you be the one talking?”

After all, Xie Xu was the one who confessed first, the one who asked for time to think, and the one who kissed him first! What was he supposed to say?

Before Xie Xu could reply, Xiao Hei suddenly started squirming, scratching at his shoulder. Xie Xu frowned slightly and set the cat down.

Jiang Shi immediately noticed the spot he had winced at. He leaned closer. “Is that where you got hit earlier?”

That iron can of Wangzai milk wasn’t light. It must have hurt like hell.

Jiang Shi flicked Xiao Hei on the forehead. “Go away.”

Xiao Hei meowed in protest but trotted off toward the door, ignoring the two of them.

Xie Xu rubbed his shoulder. “It’s nothing. It’ll be fine in a few days.”

Jiang Shi frowned. “Captain, I wanted to say this earlier — don’t block things for me. Today it was just a can, but what if next time it’s a brick?”

“Or, something even more dangerous, like a knife?” 

As someone who basically grew up in the street, Jiang Shi has more experienced dealing with such situations compared to Xie Xu. 

When that can hit Xie Xu with a thud, his heart stopped in fear.

Jiang Shi was just about to list the dangers to Xie Xu so he would pay more attention, but Xie Xu met his gaze calmly. “It was an instinct.”

His tone was steady, but his words were serious. His eyes, unwavering.

Jiang Shi’s heart skipped a beat.

It’s just a simple statement. Why did that sound like a confession?

Jiang Shi lowered his eyes, avoiding his gaze, and only mumbled in response. “Then you can’t do it blindly again.”

The confidence he managed to muster now fizzled out under Xie Xu’s gaze.

While Jiang Shi could avoid Xie Xu’s gaze, he couldn’t avoid Xie Xu’s response. “I’m not doing it blindly. I’m doing it to protect my boyfriend.”

“I’ve been considering it before, just to make sure you’re still the same person as yourself a year ago.” Xie Xu looked Jiang Shi straight in the eyes. “Now that it’s confirmed, there’s nothing to hesitate about.”

“We talked about a lot of things at the time, and now we can do them one by one.”

They haven’t drunk the same cup of milk tea with one  straw, nor have they gone to a dessert shop to eat cake together…

Xie Xu reached out and rubbed the end of Jiang Shi’s eyes. It was slightly red and puffy, maybe from being opened too long. “You can blink and breathe.”

Jiang Shi came back to his senses and took a deep breath. As he breathed, his head moved forward and almost completely buried his face in Xie Xu’s palm.

There was a little smell of cigarettes. It’s very light, mixed with the smell of hand sanitizer.

‘Xie Xu smoked again? But didn’t he win the game today?’

The cool touch made Jiang Shi instinctively rub his cheek against Xie Xu’s fingers.  

Subconsciously, Jiang Shi really liked physical contact with Xie Xu.  

Because of the way he was tilting his head up, the overhead light reflected in his eyes, making them look as if they were glowing—clear and bright. His usually cold and distant face from the daytime softened, turning warm and gentle.  

Their eyes met for a few seconds, breaths intertwining lightly.  

Xie Xu’s fingertips twitched slightly as he held Jiang Shi’s chin and leaned down.  

This time, the lights were on. Jiang Shi could clearly see Xie Xu’s face gradually drawing closer, the faint scent of fruit wine blending with the refreshing citrus fragrance on Xie Xu’s body, slowly enveloping him.  

But suddenly, the sound of claws scratching against the door and a pitiful meow interrupted them.  

Xiao Hei wanted out.  

Xie Xu’s movements paused.  

Realizing what was happening, Jiang Shi’s face turned bright red. He quickly shoved Xie Xu away, scooped up Xiao Hei, and bolted out the door.

It took three seconds.  

Xie Xu reached out, trying to grab him, but caught nothing but air.  

Back in his room, Jiang Shi felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. He leaned against the door, trying to calm himself down.  

He couldn’t be this useless.  

Jiang Shi even forced himself to think about today’s match. ST didn’t let Smile play in any of the three games—clearly, they were looking down on them. Next time, he was going to completely destroy them!  

The distraction worked. His heartbeat gradually steadied.  

But then, his phone buzzed in his pocket.  

[Xu: Why did you run?]  

[Xu: If you have something on your mind, you can tell me.]  

[Xu: We can even discuss it on Weibo.]  

The next second, Jiang Shi’s Weibo alt account received a message.  

[x7456315: I don’t want to be your ex-boyfriend anymore.]  

Seeing this message, Jiang Shi’s barely-calmed heart started racing all over again.  

He really had no resistance against Xie Xu QAQ  

Meanwhile, Xie Xu still stood where he was, reflecting on whether he had been too aggressive.  

But a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.  

When he opened it, there was no one there—just a snowman plush sitting at the doorstep.  

It was from the collaboration between the league and his champion’s skin last year. It was also the gift Jiang Shi had prepared when they were supposed to meet back then.  

The colors had faded slightly, but it was still clean.  

Xie Xu’s gaze flickered. He reached out and took the snowman.  

Jiang Shi leaned against the wall, hidden in the shadows, his voice soft. “I didn’t run. I just went to get your gift.”  

“The gift I never got the chance to give you before.” Jiang Shi rubbed his burning ears. “And… it’s a gift for my boyfriend.”  

Xie Xu couldn’t see him, so he instinctively stepped forward.  The moment he stepped out, a hand pressed onto his shoulder.  

Before Xie Xu could react, Jiang Shi quickly kissed him.  

Because he hadn’t aimed properly, it landed on the corner of Xie Xu’s lips.  

But Jiang Shi was still very satisfied.  

His eyes were shining, though he deliberately lowered his voice to maintain his composure. “That’s it. Goodnight. Go to sleep early.”  

Next time someone called him a coward, he’d fight them!  

Just as Jiang Shi was about to escape, Xie Xu, as if expecting it, grabbed his arm and pulled him into his embrace.  

Xie Xu held the back of Jiang Shi’s head and leaned in again.  

Jiang Shi’s fingers clenched tightly around Xie Xu’s collar, but he didn’t dodge.  

Their dry lips brushed against each other, a mix of inexperience and nervous excitement.  

Xie Xu whispered, “This is a return gift for my boyfriend.”