Chapter 015 The Young Master – “You don’t want to take Shi Jingge with you, do you?” (15/35)
By evening, the three-person team officially set off.
Hua Mingyi kept her word and took Li Zhuoyun directly to the top lane. Shi Jingge’s gaming experience was excellent, and his voice was filled with excitement.
Li Zhuoyun recorded it as usual; she needed some material.
“Nice! Beautiful!” the young master’s enthusiastic voice rang out. “Give me the kill, give me the kill, nice!”[mfn]Both ‘Nice’ are in english[/mfn]
After getting the kill, the young master was satisfied. “I told you, there can only be one noob in a team. If there’s too many, everyone else can’t carry them.”
“Haha!” Hua Mingyi couldn’t help but laugh.
Li Zhuoyun also suppressed a laugh. “You’re not a noob. Look at the last game; you even got a gold medal.”
“Thirteen point four percent damage output, only two percent more than the support role and yet I get the gold medal?” the young master complained. “Alright, alright, I know my limits.”
This remark must’ve hit the mark with Hua Mingyi and Li Zhuoyun since they laughed so hard they couldn’t stand straight or even hold their phones properly, both sending crystals to the opposing team.
Shi Jingge: ???
“Are you guys spies sent by the opposing team? We’re out of minions!”
Shi Jingge checked the opposing team’s respawn time and controlled his character to run out.
Just at that moment, the opposing team’s crystal exploded.
Shi Jingge: ???
“Are they surrendering?” The young master was baffled.
Li Zhuoyun suppressed her laughter. “They were intimidated by our bold move of attacking the crystal, so they just surrendered.”
The young master rolled his eyes. “I think they’re just stupid.”
They didn’t know how those five words hit their funny bone, but the two of them laughed so hard they fell onto the sofa.
Hua Mingyi yawned. She had stayed up late last night at the hospital with her mother, only sleeping for two hours, and today she had gone through a series of ups and downs. After returning home, she’d spent several more hours studying the script, and now she was truly exhausted.
Li Zhuoyun knew she was tired, so she handed her a glass of water and casually mentioned to Shi Jingge, “Senior Wen is wrapping up filming.”
The next second, Shi Jingge canceled the queue.
Li Zhuoyun almost burst into a hearty laugh, pinching her cheek to suppress the laughter.
“Hm?” the young master said, feigning modesty.
Li Zhuoyun calmly raised her hand, muting her team’s voice chat, and burst into gales of laughter. She laughed so hard that she even pounded the sofa.
Hua Mingyi looked over in confusion.
Li Zhuoyun waved her hand, finally managing to stop. “How come I never noticed how funny the young master is?”
Hua Mingyi froze for a moment and didn’t say anything.
Li Zhuoyun didn’t expect an answer. She calmly turned team voice chat back on. “Hey, hey, hey, can you hear me, young master? My network’s bad, and I’m losing connection. Can you hear me now?”
Shi Jingge remained silent for a long time before speaking in a cold tone, “Li Zhuoyun.”
“Hm?”
“You turned off your team voice chat. How could you not notice Hua Mingyi’s?”
“!!!”
Hua Mingyi silently looked at her phone and muted her team voice chat.
Three seconds later, Li Zhuoyun and Hua Mingyi were in hysterics.
The young master was furious. “Stop laughing!”
“Alright, alright.” Li Zhuoyun wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. “Let’s talk about Senior Wen.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door from the young master’s side.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
The young master jumped off the bed to open the door. “Big brother?”
In an instant, Hua Mingyi and Li Zhuoyun froze.
Shi Rongqing glanced at Shi Jingge’s phone and handed him the milk. “Still playing games?”
Shi Jingge took the milk and nodded shyly. “Leveling up.”
Shi Rongqing shook his head disapprovingly. “It’s already 11 PM.”
Shi Jingge blinked. “Huh?”
Shi Rongqing reached out and patted Shi Jingge’s head. He sighed. “Go to bed early.”
Shi Jingge raised his hand. “It’s only 11 PM! In the world of e-sports, this is just the beginning! How can you say it’s late before 5 AM?”
Shi Rongqing stared at him deeply, and Shi Jingge touched his nose and pushed him out.
“I’ll play for a little longer, just a little longer, then I’ll go to bed, I promise! Brother, you go to sleep first. You’ve been tired all day. Go to sleep early. Good night, big brother!“
Shi Rongqing didn’t have time to say anything before Shi Jingge pushed him out of the room.
“Big brother, go to sleep early!“ Shi Jingge poked his head out of the door and reiterated.
“Okay.” Shi Rongqing finally retreated with satisfaction.
Shi Jingge sat back down with a flourish. “Hey, where’s Li Zhuoyun? Keep talking!”
Li Zhuoyun shrugged. “The production team wanted to throw a wrap party for Senior Wen, but he refused. He said he’s just a guest star. There’s no need for the production team to go to all that trouble, and it would delay his schedule.
“But wrapping up is still a good thing, so he decided to celebrate. He said he’d book a private room and wait for someone special. Speaking of which, that private room is where Senior Wen first had dinner with you. Young master, tell me the location so I can go ask Senior Wen a few questions too,” Li Zhuoyun added the last sentence mischievously.
“You wish!” the young master said passionately. “I’m not going myself, so why would I tell you? Do you think I’m stupid?”
Isn’t he stupid though? Li Zhuoyun thought with a smile.
“Forget it, I’m not playing anymore,” the young master said solemnly. “It’s already past eleven o’clock. It’s late, everyone should go to bed early.”
Li Zhuoyun raised her eyebrows. “But you just said that in the world of e-sports, it’s not late until 5 a.m., right?”
Shi Jingge: “…”
A few seconds later, Li Zhuoyun was met with the young master’s furious counterattack. “What’s wrong with you? How can you not care about your face?”
Li Zhuoyun: “?”
“Are you even a celebrity? Don’t celebrities care about their appearance? Staying up late playing games instead of getting beauty sleep? Do you know how much radiation that exposes you to? Do you know how much damage it does to your skin?”
“You’re not respecting your fans! Do you think I want to go to bed early? I’m doing this all for your fans! You don’t care about your image at all. Watch out for fans turning into haters!”
Maybe he couldn’t think of anything more, so the young master hung up.
Li Zhuoyun and Hua Mingyi exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
“All for our fans, hahaha.”
“That’s a great excuse!”
“Give him a hundred points, he won’t be proud!”
After laughing, Li Zhuoyun went to apply a face mask and dragged Hua Mingyi along. “Go back to your room and sleep right away. This sleeping mask only works if you apply it before bed. Don’t stay up late reading the script. Look at your eyes. Be careful your body can’t handle it.”
Li Zhuoyun held Hua Mingyi’s hand and chattered on for a while. Hua Mingyi listened with a smile, feeling a warm glow in her heart.
Meeting Shi Jingge and Li Zhuoyun might be the luckiest thing that had happened to her in the past few years.
——-
The next day, Shi Jingge woke up early.
He didn’t know what time Wen Xusheng would arrive, so he decided to go early and wait.
When the waiter saw him, he let him in without hesitation and served him various fruits, snacks, and drinks, all of which were to Shi Jingge’s liking.
It seemed that the “special person” Wen Xusheng had mentioned was someone specific.
Three hours later, it was already 11 o’clock, and Wen Xusheng appeared in the private room.
When he saw Shi Jingge, Wen Xusheng seemed a bit surprised.
When their eyes met, the young master unconsciously scratched his hair. “I… I…”
He took a deep breath and raised his head. “I heard there was some kind of ‘fated person’ event, and I thought it would be fun, so I came to try it out. I didn’t expect it to be you.”
Wen Xusheng smiled and nodded. “Hmm.”
The young master stammered, not knowing what to say. Wen Xusheng spoke kindly, “We are destined to meet.”
These four words were spoken slowly by Wen Xusheng, in a particularly low voice, tinged with a hint of lingering emotion.
“Destined to meet you…” The young master took a deep breath. “…it is my honor!”
“Yes, it is.” Wen Xusheng nodded with a smile.
The young master’s ears turned bright red. He stretched out his hand, pretending to be tired, and rubbed his forehead, but in reality, he covered his face. A few seconds later, his fingers slowly parted, and he peeked at Wen Xusheng through the gaps.
Wen Xusheng was also looking at him.
The young master was startled and almost jumped. “What are you staring at me for?”
Wen Xusheng smiled, his eyes crinkling. “Because you’re handsome.“
The young master: !!!
“You’re handsome. I want to look at you a little longer. Is that a problem?” Wen Xusheng asked innocently.
“No problem,” the young master said in despair. “Two minutes for a hundred RMB[mfn]100 RMB = 13.95 USD , this little cutie lol[/mfn]–look all you want!”
“Alright,” Wen Xusheng said cheerfully, “let’s start with a hundred minutes[mfn](100/2)x100=5,000RMB. 5,000 RMB is about 697.81 USD[/mfn].”
The young master raised his hand to hit him, but Wen Xusheng hooked his lips and looked at him. In that moment when their gaze met, they could see their own reflections in each other’s eyes.
Shi Jingge suddenly froze….
Why did this feel so familiar?
The young master turned away first, but his crimson ears were exposed to Wen Xusheng’s view.
“Where’s Du Yi?” The young master changed the subject.
“He likes spicy food and doesn’t want to eat this, so he went to a Sichuan restaurant,” Wen Xusheng said without batting an eyelid.
In the next room, Du Yi sneezed. “Achoo—Achoo—I won’t catch a cold, will I? Nah, I shouldn’t. I’m so healthy. It’s probably because someone misses me.”
Only Shi Jingge and Wen Xusheng were in the private room, and the two were sitting close together, making the young master feel a little uncomfortable.
However, Wen Xusheng was very natural and even helped him serve the food.
“What’s wrong?” Wen Xusheng asked, lowering his head.
“Nothing.” The young master hesitated and shook his head. Wen Xusheng smiled lightly and reached out to touch his head.
The young master suddenly looked up. “What are you doing?”
His tone was fierce, like a kitten whose tail had been stroked.
Wen Xusheng’s eyes flashed, but his voice was filled with confusion. “What’s wrong? I just saw something white in your hair, like a thread, so I took it off for you.”
The young master blinked, seeming a little skeptical.
Wen Xusheng lowered his head, naturally revealing a hint of melancholy. When he looked up again, he had already put on a playful expression. “Don’t you believe me?”
Only a trace of loneliness lingered between his brows, evoking a sense of sadness.
“I do!” the young master hurriedly said. “I was just wondering what that thing was.”
The young master forced himself to save face.
Wen Xusheng said naturally, “Don’t think about it. Let’s eat. Your favorite lamb chops are here.”
The young master nodded obediently. Wen Xusheng picked up a piece of lamb chop for him, his gaze lingering on his hair.
The touch was so nice. Unfortunately, the young master was sensitive about it.
The meal was very harmonious and lasted a long time. After they finished, the two didn’t leave but started playing a game instead.
Wen Xusheng rarely played games and was a low rank. The young master created a new account to play with him.
In a lower elo, their teammates’ skill level was unpredictable. This game had been released for several years, so there weren’t many actual newcomers, but there were plenty of players who enjoyed trolling.
To make matters worse, the two of them weren’t lucky. Their teammates were very unskilled, and Wen Xusheng was a genuine newbie. To add insult to injury, they were matched against a group of seasoned players who were there to troll.
Under normal circumstances, the young master would’ve been the first to stand up and start cursing.
But this time—
“You…”
Before he could even say the word “goddamn,” Wen Xusheng’s confused voice rang out, “Where should I go?”
The young master immediately abandoned his phone and rushed over. “Go back to the tower. Run fast and don’t let him catch you, or you’re done for.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Wen Xusheng’s character died.
Wen Xusheng looked up. “I’m dead.” He couldn’t help but sigh slightly.
The young master felt a surge of courage in his heart. “Wait there, I’ll kill him and avenge you!”
“Alright.” Wen Xusheng smiled, looking at the young master’s profile, and couldn’t help but sigh.
…How obedient.
It wasn’t until Shi Rongqing called to urge him that Shi Jingge exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, it’s already 5:30! I have to go back. If I don’t, my brother will be angry. I promised him I’d come back early.”
Wen Xusheng had originally planned to have dinner with Shi Jingge and then use the excuse of digesting his meal to take him out for a stroll. Unfortunately, all his plans were ruined by Shi Rongqing’s phone call.
There was nothing he could do to stop it. At this point, offending Shi Rongqing and making him wary was definitely not a wise move.
After much deliberation, Wen Xusheng stood up and sighed. “Alright, I’ll drive you home.”
Shi Jingge scratched the back of his head and nodded obediently.
Soon, Shi Jingge arrived at the gate of the Shi family’s mansion. He opened the car door and got out, hesitatingly saying thank you.
Wen Xusheng smiled. “Give me a five-star review, will you?”
Shi Jingge looked over in confusion. “How do I do that?”
Wen Xusheng beckoned him over. “Come here.”
Shi Jingge walked over, unsure of what was happening. Wen Xusheng reached out and ruffled his hair.
Wen Xusheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. His voice was low when he said, “Good boy.”
Shi Jingge: !!!
Just as Shi Jingge realized what was happening, Wen Xusheng gently pushed him back and closed the door with a sharp click.
Outside, the young master’s face turned bright red. “Wen Xusheng—!”
Wen Xusheng opened the window and stuck his head out, “Thank you for the five-star review, young master.”
“I didn’t—”
The word “thank” almost slipped out before the young master realized it, and he shouted Wen Xusheng’s name angrily.
But with his ears and face bright red, he looked anything but intimidating.
The car drove away. The young master glared angrily after it.
Wen Xusheng looked down at his hands, the corners of his lips curving slightly.
Du Yi in the front seat stared at his rearview mirror, his eyes wide with shock, and hesitated to speak.
At that moment, Wen Xusheng lifted his head and locked eyes with Du Yi, his gaze cold and calm, filled with a threatening undertone. It seemed to say, “You’re an adult—you should know what you can and can’t ask.”
Three seconds later, Du Yi resolutely spoke up, “What kind of movie do you want to take on now? I’ve recently received a few decent scripts—crime, fantasy, war, and there’s also a good mystery one…”
Wen Xusheng listened quietly, occasionally glancing at his hands. Just now, he really wanted to grab Shi Jingge. He didn’t want to watch him leave.
But…
Wen Xusheng sighed softly.
He was wrong.
He had thought that seeing him once would suppress the desire in his heart, but he found that it couldn’t be suppressed.
The young master’s every move and word were like oil poured into the fire, making it burn even more intensely.
If… If only he could stay forever…
“…These variety shows aren’t bad either. Oh, right, there’s another one, a live reality show called ‘Starting with Cohabitation.’ You know it, right? It’s been on for several seasons and is pretty famous. The two guests who were supposed to be on this season had an accident, so now the director is scrambling to find replacements. But I don’t think you’d be interested in this kind of show, especially since you’d have to live with other people, so I turned it down.”
As soon as Du Yi finished talking, he heard Wen Xusheng whisper, “I’ll go.”
Du Yi: “?”
“If the production team allows me to choose another guest and have them be in the same group as me, I’ll go.”
Wen Xusheng’s eyes darkened. ‘Starting with Cohabitation’?
The name alone was very fitting for them.
Du Yi: “…”
In the blink of an eye, a thought that he couldn’t believe flashed in Du Yi’s mind.
He opened his mouth, then closed it, opened it again, then closed it again.
After repeating this several times, Du Yi spoke as if he were ready to die.
——“You wouldn’t want to bring Shi Jingge along, would you?”
Edited: Krone
Proofread: Choux_choux
