“Lu Chengxuan, add a shield for me! Where’s my shield, Lu Chengxuan! E, come on, click E!”
“I pressed it, but there’s no response.”
“Of course not, I’m dead!”
“Then how do I revive you?”
“Revive? I’ll respawn in a few seconds! The enemy’s coming to kill you, run already! What are you doing sitting next to my corpse, waiting for my seventh day or something?”
In the two-person room at Qingsen Internet Cafe, helpless shouts echoed. Lin Shen stared at the black-and-white screens on the two monitors after his hero’s death, his frustration boiling over. He felt like lunging at Lu Chengxuan and throttling him.
Though he had never liked Lu Chengxuan’s quiet nature, to be fair, aside from his temper, which was like a block of wood, Lin Shen had to admit that Lu Chengxuan was excellent in many ways.
But today, he finally discovered another flaw in him.
This guy is terrible at gaming…
So! Bad! At! It!!!
Lin Shen asked himself—when he first played ‘Heroes of Glory,’ he definitely wasn’t this bad. After finishing the tutorial, he could at least dominate the AI matches.
But Lu Chengxuan had played for hours and was still completely useless.
It wasn’t that he was completely clueless; he understood the theory behind the game. The ‘Q,’ ‘W,’ ‘E,’ and ‘R’ skills—no matter how long or complicated the descriptions were—he could figure them out after reading them once.
But while his brain got it, his hands never followed through.
No matter how loudly Lin Shen shouted, Lu Chengxuan’s reactions were always several seconds delayed. Healing and shields were nearly impossible to use at the right moment.
Either they were used when they weren’t needed, or they were kept in reserve long after someone had died.
Lu Chengxuan really tried hard to learn, but it seemed like this type of game was just not for him. His theory and practice were completely disconnected. During the game, he knew what he should do, but his reflexes were way too slow.
Lin Shen considered himself to have a pretty good mindset. Even when he got caught up in the game, he only vented verbally and never argued with his teammates.
But right now, he really wanted to have a one-on-one PK with Lu Chengxuan.
As Lin Shen and Lu Chengxuan’s heroes died, their side was quickly wiped out, and the enemy pushed through to destroy their base. Lin Shen stared at the ‘Defeat’ message on the screen, leaning back wearily on the couch.
The results screen popped up with a message from the opponent.
[Endlessly Troubled by Love]: Your marksman sucks, stop bringing a girl along, you look like you’re really struggling.
[Endlessly Troubled by Love]: The support must be a girl, add me as a friend, I’ll carry you to victory.
[Endlessly Troubled by Love]: Don’t play with that marksman, they can’t carry you.
[Endlessly Troubled by Love]: I could beat you one-handed.
[Endlessly Troubled by Love]: Noob.
Lin Shen usually played as a jungler. He had to pick the marksman and support duo lane because he didn’t want to mess up other teammates.
His game ID was based on Wang Wei’s poem ‘Deep in the Forest, Unseen by People.’
Lu Chengxuan, when creating his account, casually chose ‘The Bright Moon Comes to Shine.’
It was probably because of that that the enemy marksman guessed there might be an online couple in the game. After winning, they deliberately tried to stir up trouble by being obnoxious.
Lin Shen was already annoyed from losing, but when he saw the provocative messages in the chat box, he couldn’t help but respond immediately, following the ‘grit your teeth and let it out’ mentality.
[Deep in the Forest, Unseen by People]: Dude, have you ever won a game?
[Deep in the Forest, Unseen by People]: Whether I carry or not isn’t your business.
[Deep in the Forest, Unseen by People]: Jealous seeing others together? If you’re so good, why don’t you have anyone to duo with?
[Deep in the Forest, Unseen by People]: I know you’re impatient, but it won’t help.
[Deep in the Forest, Unseen by People]: Because being impatient doesn’t change anything.
[Deep in the Forest, Unseen by People]: Playing solo must be so boring, life alone must be even more boring. Play less and see the world more.
[Deep in the Forest, Unseen by People]: Stop being a simp online, and you won’t be troubled by love.
[Endlessly Troubled by Love]: ****Noob still has the nerve to talk back.
[Endlessly Troubled by Love]: You *** don’t know ****.
[Endlessly Troubled by Love]: Playing with *** makes no sense.
[Deep in the Forest, Unseen by People]: What are you even typing? I can’t read it.
[Deep in the Forest, Unseen by People]: Someone’s getting triggered!
Lin Shen wasn’t just all talk. In a matter of seconds, he managed to provoke the enemy to the point where their defenses broke, and then quickly left the room.
But to his surprise, this ‘Endlessly Troubled by Love’ guy wasn’t giving up. He couldn’t swallow his pride and sent Lin Shen a duo PK invitation. Lin Shen thought to himself that quitting after the insults wasn’t really manly, and feeling almost blindly confident in his own skills, he accepted the invite.
Then, he was killed by the enemy in a clutch counterattack. He lost.
Lin Shen took a deep breath and immediately exited the room, not giving the opponent any chance to throw more insults his way.
Soon, a new friend request popped up.
When he opened it, it was from the very person he wanted to argue with—Endlessly Troubled by Love.
Without saying a word, Lin Shen blocked the guy immediately.
“Honestly, it’s not worth it to argue with people like that,” Lu Chengxuan suddenly spoke up from the side.
“Don’t say that!” Lin Shen, already upset from the game loss and feeling embarrassed in front of his friend, couldn’t help but complain, “If you’d just put a shield on me, I wouldn’t have died, and if I didn’t die, we wouldn’t have lost!”
After all, he had been invited to play because of a bet, and if it had been anyone else, facing such unreasonable temper would probably have already led to a heated argument.
But Lu Chengxuan’s most remarkable trait was his emotional stability.
He didn’t show any signs of frustration at Lin Shen’s complaints. He just listened quietly and replied calmly, “I’m not as good as Lin Wangye, so I can’t really help you. You don’t need to force me into playing. Just go ahead and play, I’ll watch. Don’t get upset over such small things.”
Lin Shen was quick to get angry by nature, but as long as no one stoked the fire, it only took a moment for him to cool down.
After hearing these words, Lin Shen suddenly realized that it was his idea to drag Lu Chengxuan into this game in the first place.
It was completely normal to be slow at first when trying something new.
He glanced at Lu Chengxuan from the corner of his eye, rubbed his nose, and then cleared his throat, “Well… never mind, I guess it’s my fault for not being good enough to carry. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you earlier. I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine,” Lu Chengxuan said.
That attitude made Lin Shen feel even more guilty, and a little embarrassed, he scratched his head and took out his phone. “I’ll call Xiao Lin and have him carry us.”
The call went out, but there was no answer.
Lin Shen kept calling several times, but after the tone, it automatically hung up each time.
“What’s that kid up to?” Lin Shen stared at the phone screen, puzzled.
“No idea.” Lu Chengxuan shook his head and offered a reasonable guess, “He’s probably with Xu Suinian.”
“Ugh, I hate love-struck people.”
Lin Shen sighed and rubbed his temples, then sat back up and placed his hands on the keyboard and mouse.
“Well, let’s just play together. I’ll carry you in an AI match.”
“Okay.”
*
On the weekend, many students and office workers finally had a well-deserved break and would usually seek out some entertainment. That’s why shopping malls and amusement parks were packed during holidays.
At the Yixin Pottery and Oil Painting DIY store, Lin Wangye’s phone was vibrating like crazy.
However, he sat nearby completely unaware.
On the walls surrounding the storage cabinets were various completed pottery works, and Lin Wangye sat in a corner, holding a pottery manual, looking completely overwhelmed, with a lump of irregular clay sitting in front of him.
The pottery shop was busy with weekend customers, which is why extra part-time help was needed.
Shi Yuan had to deal with three tables of customers, so he couldn’t give Lin Wangye one-on-one attention. The couple at the table next to him was fine—after some brief instruction, they didn’t need much help.
But then a child came with their parents, and the parents didn’t know anything about pottery, so they kept calling for help. Shi Yuan could only patiently teach them.
Lin Wangye was completely clueless. He’d never tried this before.
He thought that because he used to play with mud as a kid, he could handle it easily. But it turned out, it wasn’t as simple as it looked. In videos, it seemed easy—just spin the clay and shape it with a pinch, and it’s done.
But when Lin Wangye tried, he realized it required skill.
All he wanted to do was make a simple cup as a gift for Shi Yuan. He thought shaping a cylinder with a hole in the middle wouldn’t be that hard. But when the clay came into his hands, it wouldn’t cooperate. It either broke halfway through, had a hole in the bottom, or got all twisted.
He had bragged to Shi Yuan earlier that he could do it alone, but now, after a few minutes, he was desperately flipping through the manual.
Finally, when Lin Wangye put the manual down and started his second attempt, Shi Yuan, having finished helping the other customers, came over.
He pulled up a chair and sat next to Lin Wangye. Seeing the oddly shaped clay spinning on the wheel, he immediately knew that Lin Wangye had no clue what he was doing.
Lin Wangye tried to put on a confident face, reshaping the clay into a lump.
Shi Yuan didn’t call him out on his embarrassment, instead smiling and asking, “Haven’t figured out what to make yet?”
“Hmm.” Lin Wangye cleared his throat, then said, “I was thinking of making a vase, but it doesn’t seem that practical. Maybe a cup instead.”
Shi Yuan just smiled without saying anything, “Mm.”
After this, Lin Wangye subtly glanced at him, but when Shi Yuan caught him looking, Lin Wangye couldn’t keep his composure. With a forceful push, he flattened the lump of clay on the wheel and sighed in frustration, “I don’t know how to do this… I just don’t get it… It’s so hard! What’s the simplest shape?”
Shi Yuan gently rubbed the clay on Lin Wangye’s chin that he’d accidentally smeared there. However, since it had dried a bit, it didn’t come off easily. So, he pulled out a wet wipe from his pocket and carefully wiped it off, speaking softly, “The simplest shape should be an ashtray. It’s relatively easy to shape.”
“But you don’t smoke.” Lin Wangye pouted and sighed, “Let’s just make a cup. You teach me how to make a cup. You’ve been teaching others for so long, it’s about time you teach me…”
“Alright.” Shi Yuan moved his chair closer, rolled up his sleeves, and said, “Actually, making a cup is quite simple too. I’ve been watching you. You’re too eager when pulling the clay, trying to get it done all at once. You can’t rush this; you need to take it slowly, step by step.”
Lin Wangye nodded, “Maybe I was thinking too simply about it.”
Shi Yuan formed a standard lump of clay and placed it in the center of the wheel. He told him, “Try again. I’ll watch you.”
“Okay.”
Following Shi Yuan’s instructions, Lin Wangye dipped his fingers in water and carefully held the clay. As the wheel spun steadily, the clay slowly started to rise from the center.
At a certain height, Shi Yuan spoke up to stop him.
“Stop. At this point, you need to dig a hole in the center. Be careful with the pressure, and leave a solid bottom. Don’t dig all the way through.”
Lin Wangye nodded, ready to begin, when suddenly, his hand was grabbed.
Shi Yuan took his hand and placed his fingers in the nearby water bowl, softly saying, “When working with clay, you need to keep your hands moist. It’s hard to work if it’s too dry.”
“Okay.”
Lin Wangye obediently nodded and soaked his hands in the water, then continued with the same operation.
With Shi Yuan’s previous reminder, Lin Wangye wasn’t in a hurry this time.
He carefully dug a hole in the center of the clay. As the wheel turned and his fingers guided it, the clay quickly took on a hollow cylindrical shape, starting to look like a cup.
“Good job,” Shi Yuan encouraged him. “Now, keep pulling the clay, adjusting the diameter and height as you like.”
After multiple failed attempts, Lin Wangye knew that this part was the hardest.
He adjusted his sitting position and was about to push ahead when his peripheral vision caught a couple sitting at a nearby table, working with clay while sweetly leaning against each other.
Two seconds later, Lin Wangye pulled his gaze back to the clay and tried to shape it with both hands. As the wheel spun quickly, at one moment, the clay suddenly tilted and ‘plopped’ onto Lin Wangye’s hands.
“Ah…” Lin Wangye scooped up the clay, “Another failure…”
Shi Yuan gently reassured him, “It’s fine, try again.”
“You don’t think I’m dumb, do you?” Lin Wangye dejectedly glanced at the nearby table and said, “Even the little kid is almost done and looks like they know what they’re doing.”
“No, you’re the smartest.” Shi Yuan’s voice was firm, encouraging him.
After that, Lin Wangye tried several more times, but each time he failed when it came to shaping the clay. Frustrated, after one of his attempts failed, he threw the clay aside and slumped his shoulders, complaining with a dejected look on his face.
“Am I really this dumb, or is this lump of clay bullying me?!”
Seeing that he was genuinely upset, Shi Yuan quickly picked up the clay and reshaped it on the wheel, saying slowly, “What kind of cup do you want to make? How about I help with pulling the clay, and you can glaze it later?”
Lin Wangye pursed his lips. “I just want to make a mug, this high, this round, and paint a little dog on it. If you do it, I won’t feel like I participated at all…”
As he spoke, Lin Wangye deliberately sighed deeply.
“I’ll try one last time. If I fail again, I won’t play anymore.”
Saying that, he skillfully formed a short, round cylinder from the clay, then dug a perfectly sized hole in the middle to create the basic shape. As he reached the stage of shaping the clay, his arm extended slowly, inching closer to the clay, hesitating several times before gently withdrawing his hand. His fingers trembled slightly, as if unsure to apply pressure.
Seeing this, Shi Yuan dipped his hand in the water again.
Then, he opened his arms and pulled Lin Wangye into an embrace, gently covering the back of his hands, aligning each finger precisely.
Both of their hands were covered in clay, water dripping down their fingers.
In this sudden, intimate contact, combined with the natural warmth of their skin, the sensation of the slightly damp, sticky touch became especially prominent.
Lin Wangye’s heart skipped a beat.
He felt Shi Yuan’s hands controlling his fingers, applying just the right amount of pressure, and his clear, soothing voice reached his ears: “Follow my lead.”
Having worked at the pottery studio for so long, Shi Yuan was already very skilled with the simple process. Each of his joints was perfectly aligned with Lin Wangye’s, so the pressure he applied transferred through Lin Wangye’s hand directly to the clay.
Not long after, the clay obediently took the form of a cup.
“Alright, we’re done. Now, let’s shape the handle.”
With that, Shi Yuan pulled his hands back and turned to Lin Wangye, only to find him with his lips tightly pressed together, but his smile unmistakably wide, his eyes crinkling into joyful crescents, unable to hide his delight.
Shi Yuan reached up and smudged his dirty little face with more clay, smiling as he asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you so happy all of a sudden?”
Lin Wangye poked a bit of clay onto his nose, then huffed and turned his head away.
“Don’t teach others like this.”
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
