Zhen Ning glanced up at the time.
Staying calm and unflustered was one of his strengths on the field. He had always been composed, but there were exceptions to everything.
It was 9:45 PM, and Yan Chengfeng still hadn’t returned.
“I’m going to the supermarket to buy something. You pick a movie first, and I’ll watch it with you when I’m back.”
Those were Yan Chengfeng’s exact words when he left. And before stepping out, he had even added firmly, “Oh, and no American films.”
Now that they had gone public, nothing was stopping them from living together.
However, after spending three consecutive nights under the same roof, they had to sit down for a serious discussion.
It wasn’t that they weren’t suited to living together—on the contrary, they were too compatible in every way, which made self-control a real challenge.
The Summer Split playoffs were a critical moment, and maintaining energy levels was crucial. During team training, it was easier to stay disciplined. But the moment they were alone in a private space like the bedroom, things could escalate far too easily.
Neither of them lacked self-control, but they were young, and this was the first time they had ever been in love. Even if they agreed in advance to “just kiss tonight,” the plan would often fall apart in an instant—whether it was Yan Chengfeng gazing at Zhen Ning a second too long or Zhen Ning letting out the slightest gasp that Yan Chengfeng could hear.
So, they came up with an agreement: during the week, they would train hard and rest properly, but every Friday night, Yan Chengfeng would come to Zhen Ning’s dorm room for a special “movie night.”
Today was Friday.
Every time Zhen Ning saw Yan Chengfeng sneaking up to the door, a pillow in his arms, pretending to act nonchalant while failing to hide the little spark in his eyes, his heart would soften.
Zhen Ning carefully filtered through movies, checking the storylines and directors, before finally settling on one for the night. Just as he made his choice, there was a knock at the door.
Opening it, he found Yan Chengfeng standing there, a plastic bag in one hand and an unopened new pillow in the other.
Zhen Ning took the bag from him. “Why are you so late?”
“I just got back from the supermarket.”
Yan Chengfeng avoided looking directly at Zhen Ning as he placed the pillow on the bed. After a moment, he added, “And on the way back… there was a bit of traffic.”
Zhen Ning nodded.
Then he heard Yan Chengfeng casually say, “By the way, guess who I ran into at the supermarket?”
For a moment, Zhen Ning didn’t catch on.
“Zhang Shao,” Yan Chengfeng said, gripping the corner of the pillow slightly tighter, his fingertips pressing into the fabric. “You know, ZC’s former top laner. Do you remember him?”
Zhen Ning let out an “Ah.”
He set the plastic bag down and asked, “How’s he doing?”
Yan Chengfeng was silent for a moment before answering, “Not great.”
Zhen Ning was taken aback.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with Yan Chengfeng. However, Yan Chengfeng didn’t elaborate, instead averting his gaze somewhat uneasily.
“He talked to me for a bit,” Yan Chengfeng said, his tone casual and his expression natural. “He’s having some conflict with their management. Oh, you might remember him—he was our team’s manager back when we were in youth training…”
“The one called Xiong Hao.” Yan Chengfeng met Zhen Ning’s gaze. “They’re not getting along at all now.”
Zhen Ning blinked.
“We didn’t talk for long, so I’m not entirely sure about the details.” Yan Chengfeng continued in a relaxed tone, “But it seems like they had some disagreements, and after that… ZC suddenly stopped letting him play during the Summer Split.”
The air froze for a moment.
“Is that so?” After a pause, Zhen Ning spoke. “So it wasn’t because of his health…”
“His health is fine. ZC just used that as a public excuse,” Yan Chengfeng replied. “It’s just that Zhang Shao’s mental state doesn’t seem great, and he said… ZC isn’t giving him any opportunity to speak out at all.”
“They’ve been suppressing him, keeping him silent. Everyone thinks he’s sick. Even though he’s perfectly capable of competing, they’re not letting him play.”
Yan Chengfeng paused for a moment before continuing, “I just think this whole situation is pretty scary, don’t you?”
After a long silence, he finally heard Zhen Ning’s response. “Yeah.”
Yan Chengfeng didn’t say anything else.
The room fell into silence. Neither of them brought up Zhang Shao again, nor did they mention Xiong Hao, as if everything Yan Chengfeng had just shared was nothing more than an ordinary piece of gossip—no different from the countless team rumors Tao Luo had shared in the past.
But Yan Chengfeng couldn’t sit still anymore.
He stood up, his voice hoarse as he said to Zhen Ning, “…I’m going to take a shower.”
He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the sound of running water create the illusion that he was actually showering.
He stood at the sink, staring at himself in the mirror, struggling to take a deep breath.
A chill settled in his chest, and for a brief moment, he felt like he could hardly breathe.
The truth was, Yan Chengfeng had long since noticed that even though he and Zhen Ning were together now, they were both deliberately avoiding any discussion about their separation three years ago.
It was the biggest unresolved issue between them, the thing that had once mattered most to Yan Chengfeng.
Someone as petty as him would sulk for ages if Zhen Ning used a couple’s skin with a stranger, so how could he possibly have let go of something like this?
How could he not care? That had been three years of their lives.
But he had always held back from asking.
He couldn’t bear to put Zhen Ning in a difficult position, couldn’t bear to force him to give an answer. Or perhaps, he couldn’t bear to shatter the seemingly perfect reality they had now.
Countless times, he had told himself that everyone had the right to choose their own path in life.
Maybe Zhen Ning’s decision three years ago had been the result of carefully weighing the pros and cons. Yan Chengfeng knew he shouldn’t try to tie him down. In fact, he had even come to understand and respect Zhen Ning’s choices back then.
But what Zhang Shao had said in the supermarket earlier had completely blanked Yan Chengfeng’s mind.
What did it mean?
Xiong Hao? And Zhen Ning?
…What did he mean by “methods”?
Why would Zhen Ning know about his methods? And why were these two seemingly unrelated people… connected in Zhang Shao’s words?
Xiong Hao’s role in Yan Chengfeng’s life had been similar to the role Li Feng played now.
Back then, they had just been youth trainees, so Xiong Hao hadn’t paid much attention to them. Yan Chengfeng had only started interacting with him more frequently after securing his spot on the roster.
Compared to Li Feng, Xiong Hao had always come across as a slicker alpha—sharper and more scheming. But in Yan Chengfeng’s memory, neither he nor Zhen Ning had much interaction with him.
So what was it that he didn’t know?
Could it be that Zhen Ning’s departure back then… had something to do with Xiong Hao?
Yan Chengfeng’s mind exploded with a “buzz.”
The mere thought that even a small part of Zhen Ning’s decision to leave years ago might have been influenced by someone else made Yan Chengfeng feel his rationality slowly burning away.
He forced himself to stay calm, but his hands wouldn’t stop trembling. In the end, he had to clench them tightly into fists just to suppress the shaking.
Staring at the phone on the sink, Yan Chengfeng suddenly thought of someone.
–
Two days later, on Sunday, it was Tao Luo’s birthday.
Tao Luo loved lively celebrations, and typically, her birthday involved a feast at a hot pot restaurant. But this year, she broke tradition and decided to hold a small party at the base instead.
She even refused to order takeout, insisting on preparing all the food herself with the help of the cafeteria auntie.
When the main dishes were finally served, everyone was stunned—four freshly baked pizzas, each buried under an overwhelming amount of shredded and diced carrots.
“Behold! Luo-style Pizza 2.0!”
Tao Luo stood with her hands on her hips, nodding in satisfaction. “Today’s birthday girl, aka me, demands that all of you finish these four pizzas tonight and then post on Weibo praising how amazing they are. Got it?”
Following the unspoken rule that “the birthday person is always right,” everyone politely took a bite. And then, they all fell into a shared silence.
Xu Hao: “It’s delicious. Ugh… Really delicious. What a fragrant crust, haha.”
Yan Chengfeng: “Yeah, it’s pretty good… Just a little hard to swallow. Uh, I noticed there are a lot of drinks over there. I’ll go grab some—”
Tao Luo: “Stop right there. You’re not doing anything else until you finish eating.”
Seeing that no one was getting out of this, Zhen Ning suddenly spoke up. “I noticed the staff prepared some fireworks for you. The selection looked pretty good.”
Tao Luo: “No way! You can’t distract me with that. Tonight, you all have to finish eating before… Huuuuh? Fireworks? Where can we set them off?”
In the end, the group carried their drinks to the lawn behind the base to set off fireworks.
While Tao Luo and Xu Minghe were busy figuring out how to light the fireworks, Zhen Ning and Yan Chengfeng stood by the back door, silently drinking and watching the others fumble around.
Zhen Ning had just finished the last sip of wine in his glass when Yan Chengfeng, as if nothing had happened, picked up the bottle and immediately refilled it.
Zhen Ning glanced at him.
He could hold his liquor fairly well, but he tended to blush easily. Normally, Yan Chengfeng would stop him from drinking too much, but tonight, he kept refilling Zhen Ning’s glass—whether by accident or on purpose was anyone’s guess.
Zhen Ning didn’t say anything. He accepted the drink.
After a brief silence, Yan Chengfeng suddenly spoke. “Do you remember that one time the two of us secretly drank beer? Then we went back to training and played so horribly that Joe scolded us like crazy.”
Those days in the youth training program, before either of them had differentiated, had been both beautiful and pure. Back then, Yan Chengfeng had been an impatient, reckless kid who often got into trouble.
Zhen Ning’s eyes held a faint smile. “Actually, that game wasn’t even that bad. You just burped in front of him, and that’s why he ended up scolding you.”
His cheeks were slightly flushed, his eyes misty and glimmering faintly. It was clear he was already a little drunk.
Over the past few days, a thought had quietly taken root in Yan Chengfeng’s mind. He had an overwhelming desire to get an answer from Zhen Ning.
In truth, just a few more drinks and Zhen Ning would be drunk enough. Then, getting him to talk wouldn’t be too hard.
But suddenly, Yan Chengfeng hesitated.
Was it really necessary?
Was the answer… truly that important?
As he was lost in thought, the group on the lawn finally managed to light the fireworks.
Bright explosions bloomed brilliantly, one after another, in vibrant clusters across the sky.
Tao Luo shouted at the top of her lungs, “This year’s birthday wishes! First, I want to find an omega who loves me! Second, I want to win the World Championship this y…”
Xu Hao roared back, “Shut up! If you say your wish out loud, it won’t come true!”
Tao Luo froze for a second, then covered her mouth and screamed frantically, “Why didn’t you remind me earlier?!”
“…Silly girl.”
Yan Chengfeng sighed. “Good thing she didn’t finish that sentence, or we’d all be doomed for the year.”
Zhen Ning didn’t say a word.
The final round of fireworks faded away, leaving behind a brief silence as darkness reclaimed the sky.
In the distance, Tao Luo, still unsatisfied, stood on the lawn with her hands on her hips, directing Xu Minghe and Xu Hao to fetch another box of fireworks.
The air became quiet. Then, almost at the exact same moment, they both spoke:
Zhen Ning: “I have something I want to tell you.”
Yan Chengfeng: “I want to ask you something—”
Their voices overlapped. Yan Chengfeng froze for a moment before hesitating. “Let me go first. Mine is more…”
Zhen Ning shook his head.
“I know what you want to ask,” he said. “Kong Xian told me you contacted him yesterday.”
Yan Chengfeng’s body went rigid.
Zhen Ning knew him too well.
Or rather, Yan Chengfeng had never been able to hide anything from Zhen Ning. Even the slightest crack in his emotions would always be noticed and understood by him.
Perhaps over the past few days… no, perhaps from the very moment Yan Chengfeng returned from the supermarket that day, Zhen Ning had already sensed something.
Even the small gestures, like trying to get him drunk just now, Zhen Ning must have noticed. But he hadn’t said anything.
“In truth, Kong Xian is a very loyal friend. He… barely told me anything.”
Yan Chengfeng found it difficult to speak. “All he said was that when you first arrived in America and met him, you were already—”
Yan Chengfeng didn’t finish the sentence.
But after a long pause, he saw Zhen Ning nod.
Yan Chengfeng’s heart clenched sharply.
Then he heard Zhen Ning say, “Honestly, we should have talked about this a long time ago.”
“At first, I kept telling myself to wait until the competition was over.”
Zhen Ning shook his head and added softly, “But when it ended, I started wondering if we should wait until after the World Championship instead.”
“…It always felt like something was in the way, blocking me,” he said with a faint smile. “Later, I realized I was still subconsciously avoiding it.”
“But now we’re partners, and you’ve given me 100% of your trust.”
“So I realized we can’t keep going on like this.”
Zhen Ning paused for a moment before saying, “Because this is… unfair to you.”
Yan Chengfeng rarely heard Zhen Ning speak so much at once.
Zhen Ning looked into the distance. His expression was calm, though his words came out a little faster than usual.
“Whichever way you look at it, things have turned out well,” Zhen Ning said. “So for everything I’m about to say, I hope you’ll listen calmly until I’ve finished.”
Before this conversation, Yan Chengfeng had been telling himself over and over: no matter what he heard, no matter what the answer turned out to be, he needed to stay in control.
But the moment Zhen Ning started speaking, Yan Chengfeng found his hands trembling uncontrollably, his breathing quickening. Once again, he couldn’t keep himself in check.
“It was Xiong Hao, wasn’t it?”
Yan Chengfeng gritted his teeth, his voice trembling as he struggled to suppress the fury rising in his chest. “Did he threaten you? Or did he, did he do something to you—”
Zhen Ning didn’t speak. He only shook his head.
Then, he lowered his gaze and took Yan Chengfeng’s hand.
Zhen Ning’s palm was warm, and his expression was gentle. The moment their fingers interlocked, Yan Chengfeng finally felt a bit calmer.
But his breathing was still uneven, and his gaze remained fixed on Zhen Ning’s face. His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn’t.
A long silence passed before Zhen Ning finally spoke again.
“Do you remember that movie we watched together?” he asked.
Yan Chengfeng was momentarily stunned. The question seemed completely unrelated.
But vaguely, he recalled what Zhen Ning was referring to.
Years ago, Yan Chengfeng had been developing a strategy for Mianli. He had pestered Zhen Ning endlessly to duo with him using Velvet Willow. At the time, no one had discovered the potential of this bottom lane duo. Velvet Willow was primarily played in the mid-lane.
Back then, using these two champions together in the bottom lane was a guaranteed way to get flamed by teammates.
So, as compensation for making Zhen Ning endure an entire month of duo matches and the inevitable complaints from teammates, Yan Chengfeng had treated him to a movie.
Granted, it was a bit odd for two “bros” to go watch a movie together, but life as a trainee was boring, and their salaries weren’t great either. So, a movie was actually a pretty decent way to unwind.
Zhen Ning had agreed at the time.
But now, as Yan Chengfeng tried hard to recall the details of that night, he realized his memory of the movie itself was… faint.
“7:30 PM screening.” The next second, he heard Zhen Ning say clearly, “Theater 5, Row 11, Seats 7 and 8.”
“I know you probably don’t remember much about the movie itself.”
He continued, “Because that night, you fell asleep right after the opening credits. You leaned over onto my shoulder and slept the entire time. But even in your sleep, you were still clutching the popcorn in your lap like you were guarding it, afraid someone would take it from you.”
Then, Yan Chengfeng saw Zhen Ning smile faintly.
And he said, “That night, I went through my differentiation.”
