WCG Chapter 58

Thank you Puffball and e for the ko-fi donation! Enjoy this bonus update sponsored by the two of them~

 

After Xie Xu sent that message, the live chat seemed frozen, as if everyone was holding their breath. But the exposed tips of the ears peeking out from under the scarf grew increasingly red.  

Sensing that the person under the scarf might explode from embarrassment, Xie Xu sent another message.  

[Xu: I was catching up on sleep earlier and just got here. What’s wrong?]  

Jiang Shi’s stiff shoulders instantly sagged in relief.  

In just a few minutes, his emotions had gone through a rollercoaster.  

He might as well die on the spot if he got caught saying he wanted to get spanked in front of the person in question. 

Jiang Shi tugged down the scarf, took a deep breath of fresh air, and began typing.  

[Obedient Jiangjiang: Nothing, just asking.]  

See? He knew it. Xie Xu must’ve been napping earlier. How could he possibly have had time to watch his stream?  

Jiang Shi slowly came back to life. He put the viewers behind his mind, lowered his head to focus on chatting with Xie Xu.  

[Obedient Jiangjiang: Was the ride tiring? Are you hungry? Did you drink the milk I gave you?]  

Looking at the three questions, Xie Xu, finding the small chat window inconvenient, decided to log into Jiang Shi’s stream using his main account.  

[TLG-Xu: Not tired, drank the milk, not hungry.]  

Xie Xu’s comment, accompanied by a flashy special effect, was impossible to miss. Jiang Shi nodded when he saw it. “Alright then.”  

The two boys’ tone was casual, but the viewers were far from calm.  

[Wait, Xu, you didn’t see what this kid said earlier? How are you so calm?]  

[T Bao just said he wanted you to spank him! Aren’t you heading back to base to grant his wish?]  

[I suspect Xu knows this Little White Hair’s antics all too well by now. He’s either completely uninterested in the kid or intentionally spoiling him to save face.]  

[Agreed.]  

[So, when’s the spanking happening? Are you using your hand or a little whip? Either works for me, just hurry up.]  

Jiang Shi quickly set “spank” as a blocked keyword, his fingers flying over the keyboard.  

No sooner had he finished setting it up than Xie Xu’s comment, complete with another special effect, popped up on the screen.  

Seeing it made Jiang Shi’s heart skip a beat, but after reading the content, he froze for a moment.  

[TLG-Xu: Are you wearing socks?]  

Jiang Shi glanced down at his bare heels but looked up with a perfectly composed expression. “I am.”  

[Liar. This Little White Hair was barefoot when sitting cross-legged on the chair earlier.]  

[He’s lying through his teeth, this little lying liar who lies.]  

[Xu, don’t believe him!]  

The fans quickly pulled up screenshots of him sitting cross-legged earlier, circling his bare feet for emphasis.  

Jiang Shi: “Wait, how do you all find these so quickly?”  

Then it hit him, and his expression soured. “You’re not recording, are you?”  

[Duh. Of course we are. Ever since this unfilial son of mine stopped enabling stream replays after joining TLG, we’ve had to record every stream ourselves.]  

[By the way, I already sent the clip of you saying you wanted Xu to spank you directly to him. You’re welcome.]  

Jiang Shi: “…”  

Luckily, Xie Xu seemed oblivious to these comments.  

[TLG-Xu: Stop practicing and go get some sleep.]  

Jiang Shi, having just survived his emotional rollercoaster, felt wide awake. “I’m not sleepy. I’ll stream for a bit longer and leave this afternoon.”  

After all, the equipment and internet here were far superior to what he had in his old rented room.  

Xie Xu paused for a moment, then checked the central air conditioning system through his phone app. All the units were off.  

So, Jiang Shi was alone in the base, not wearing socks, refusing to sleep, and without the heat on.  

Xie Xu’s fingers moved slightly, turning on the air conditioning in the training room.  

The sound of a soft “beep” echoed from behind, and Jiang Shi’s eyes widened. “Fuck. Is this place haunted?”

In the past, the air conditioning was always on when they arrived at the training room, and he had never found the remote.  

He even ducked under the desk to check but instead spotted a bag of trash stuffed in the corner under Jiang Lele’s desk.  

…  

Speechless, Jiang Shi hooked the bag out with his foot and set it aside, intending to take it out later.  

The viewers in the livestream channel also heard the beeping sound. Seeing Jiang Shi looking around, they were losing it. 

[This Little White Hair didn’t even think there might be a thief inside the base?] 

[Does he not know air conditioners can be controlled via app?]  

[Did Xu see that this little idiot didn’t wear socks and refused to sleep, afraid he might have caught a cold, so he turned it on?]

[Silly T Bao~] 

[Anyone else feel like they’re being force-fed dog food? It’s this early in the morning, and I have followed this little idiot for so long. Alas, all I got now was seeing these two secretly showing their affection.]

[My heart hurts…] 

Realizing what had happened from the comments, Jiang Shi hesitantly asked Xie Xu, “Captain, did you just turn on the air conditioner?”  

Having never encountered such smart technology before, Jiang Shi was genuinely curious. In his old rented room, the air conditioner was a simple model, operated via a remote that often malfunctioned.  

Xie Xu replied quickly.

[TLG-Xu: Yes, it was me.]  

Jiang Shi sighed in relief. “Alright, then.”  

For a moment, he’d worried he’d forgotten to lock the door and someone had broken in. 

With so many valuable items in the base, any loss would’ve devastated him.  

The air conditioner’s warm air worked its magic, gradually thawing Jiang Shi’s cold hands and feet. He took off the scarf around his neck and loosened the collar of his down jacket.  

Having rushed out earlier in the morning, Jiang Shi was only wearing his simple bear-patterned pajamas underneath. As the jacket opened, it revealed his fair neck, which had a faint pinkish hue from being wrapped up tightly.  

[Wow, T Bao is really pale!]  

[That little collarbone, those little shoulders, hehe…] 

[This streamer looks so cute! Just woke up? Still in your pajamas? Want to exchange contacts and play with me?]  

[What kind of filthy thing mixed in this livestream?] 

[Hey, that freak over there, go back from whence you came. Do it now before I start swearing.] 

Previously, Jiang Shi had always worn team uniforms, with the collar zipped all the way up, hiding even a sliver of his neck. Unexpectedly, just loosening his jacket today had attracted a pervert. 

With a disgusted look, Jiang Shi was about to start fighting when he noticed Xie Xu’s ID in the viewer list.  

He swallowed his words and kept his composure, expression cold as he banned and blocked the user.  

[If pro players weren’t banned from swearing, T Bao would probably have chased them down and cursed them out for ten blocks.]  

[Not only that, he’d probably add their contact info just to keep scolding them to death.] 

[I heard that T Bao once arranged a real-life “appointment”. Don’t be fooled by his scrawny arms and legs, he’s actually very fierce.]  

[Wasn’t there a case where some old perv got hospitalized by T Bao’s punch when he was still a minor?]  

[That’s how the legend of T Bao’s super strength started.]  

Xie Xu’s gaze darkened slightly as he read the comments.  

[TLG-Xu: What perv?]  

Jiang Shi hadn’t expected Xie Xu to notice and quickly replied, “Don’t listen to them, it’s nothing.”  

A few years ago, when livestreaming wasn’t as regulated as it is now, even a minor like him could earn some money streaming. It was a very chaotic time. 

But that was all in the past.  

When Jiang Shi thought back to that period of time now, his mood was relatively calm.  

[TLG-Xu: You’ve worked hard.]  

[TLG-Xu: Pats your head.jpg]  

The emoji was a default one from Little Bear TV. It featured a white bear sitting dejectedly on the ground, while another bear reached out to pat its head.  

This emoji didn’t match Xie Xu’s image at all, yet Jiang Shi couldn’t help staring at it for a long time.  

“That guy said he liked my streams and wanted to sponsor me in person, so I went.” Jiang Shi suddenly said. “But when he started leading me into an alley, I realized he wasn’t a good person and I started to hit him with my backpack many times.” 

For some reason, Jiang Shi suddenly felt the urge to talk about it.  

When he saw the malice in that middle-aged man’s eyes and the disgusting smirk on his face, it was like all the blood in Jiang Shi’s body rushed to his head.  

He remembered feeling extremely angry at the time.  

Because the man was of a similar age and bore the same disgusting expression.  

He almost broke the guy’s head open. The man staggered away, too guilty to even call the police and demand compensation for his medical bills.  

Later, Jiang Shi had gone to several other meet-ups, but those were mainly to fight people who said inappropriate things.  

He never suffered a loss. 

But after talking for a while, Xie Xu hadn’t replied. Just as Jiang Shi was about to ping him on WeChat, Xie Xu’s message appeared.  

[TLG-Xu: That won’t happen again in the future.]  

It was a statement, but also a promise.  

Jiang Shi smiled. “I know.”  

Since joining TLG, he hadn’t suffered any grievances.  

Across the screen, Jiang Shi chatted casually with Xie Xu for a bit longer.  

The warm air from the heater was blowing steadily, and the drowsiness he had suppressed earlier crept back. Jiang Shi couldn’t help but yawn.  

But since he had just claimed he wouldn’t sleep, that yawn felt a little embarrassing.  

So, midway through the yawn, Jiang Shi forced himself to stop. He closed his mouth tightly and widened his eyes, putting on a serious expression as if to say, “I’m full of energy and definitely didn’t just yawn.”

Xie Xu saw through Jiang Shi’s act immediately, a trace of helplessness flickering in his eyes.  

[TLG-Xu: I’m tired too. Let’s make up some sleep together?] 

When Jiang Shi saw the message, he rubbed his ear.  

Xie Xu was inviting him to sleep together?  

Jiang Shi, with his less-than-pure thoughts, immediately started overthinking.  

[No, it’s just making up sleep together. Why are you acting shy?]

[Stop covering your ears. It’s embarrassing.]

[He’s suggesting you sleep at the same time, not in the same bed. Why are you so excited!]

[Even if it were the same bed, nothing romantic would happen.]

[What a coward!]

Jiang Shi: “…”  

Will these people die if they didn’t comment? 

The little pink bubble of daydreams in Jiang Shi’s mind popped.  

He muted the few people making fun of him for five minutes and finally replied to Xie Xu: [Captain, if you’re tired, go ahead and sleep first. I’ll nap a bit later.] 

He wanted to spend more time “chatting” with these cheeky viewers.  

After saying that, though, the top ID in the viewer list remained lit.  

[TLG-Xu: Then I’ll wait for you.]  

Jiang Shi quickly hummed and turned back to the chat.  

The live chat was full of wails, accusing Jiang Shi of murdering people.

Ten minutes later, after his petty streak flared and he muted everyone who had mocked him, he checked the viewer list again. Sure enough, Xie Xu was still there.  

Jiang Shi started to wonder if it was just his imagination, but every time he went live, Xie Xu’s ID was always lit.  

When they were in the training room together, Xie Xu joining his stream made sense—it helped promote TLG’s new shooter. But even when Xie Xu wasn’t at the base, he was always there during Jiang Shi’s streams.  

Jiang Shi couldn’t help asking, “Captain, why are you always in my streams?”  

It didn’t take long for Xie Xu to respond.  

[TLG-Xu: I set you as a special follow. I get notified whenever you go live.]  

A regular follow would only send notifications when the app was opened. But with a special follow, it would push a direct notification, making it much more obvious.  

Jiang Shi blinked at this message, then slowly covered his ears.  

After a moment, he thought of something, opened the streaming platform’s settings, and set Xie Xu as a special follow.  

This is a give-and-take. 

[I want to ask, what’s the difference between you two and those young couples who show off their relationship!] 

[Is your live chat of thousands of people part of your roleplay?]

[It’s too early in the morning for this much PDA. I can’t take it anymore!]

[Thanks, I’m full. (kicks over the dog food bowl in front of me)]

Xie Xu’s simple message made Jiang Shi lose all sleepiness.  

He stared at the lit-up ID in the background, thinking, Maybe I should just stream like this all day. That wouldn’t be bad either.  

Although they had agreed to nap, Jiang Shi didn’t make any moves, instead procrastinating while hovering his mouse over Xie Xu’s ID.  

When Xie Xu sent 100 virtual starships at the start of the stream, he secured the number one spot in the rankings. His title in Jiang Shi’s stream was one that Jiang Shi had set: “Time’s Captain.”  

Now it seems a bit too plain. 

Jiang Shi thought of several new titles, but they were either too over-the-top or just as uninspired as before.  

Finally, an idea struck him, and his eyes lit up.  

Jiang Shi coughed lightly and said, “Captain, the current title feels a bit odd. I’ll delete it, okay?”  

Before Xie Xu could reply, the chat exploded.  

[If you delete it, won’t it revert to the default?]

[I remember the level 100 default title was ‘Time’s Dad’. What, Xu is too hard to conquer, so you’re settling for a father-son dynamic?]

[Little idiot, is this all you want?] 

[Weren’t you just talking about sleeping together? Now you’re chickening out?]

[I bet T Bao is plotting something. Xu, don’t agree to this!]

Amid the chaotic chat, Xie Xu calmly replied:  

[TLG-Xu: Whatever you want.]  

Jiang Shi’s stream was his own domain.  

Jiang Shi blinked, suppressing the satisfied smirk threatening to appear, and deleted the last two characters of the title. Then, somehow, his arm bumped into the table, and the mouse cursor landed precisely on the confirm button. He accidentally clicked it.

“…I slipped,” Jiang Shi said, his expression dazed. “But now I have to wait a month before I can change it again. Captain, what should I do?”  

Xie Xu glanced at his new title:  

[Time’s]

He couldn’t hold back and let out a soft laugh.  

In the backseat of the car, Jiang Lele, half-asleep, opened his eyes and saw Xie Xu chuckling at Jiang Shi’s stream.  

Jiang Lele: “?”  

He must’ve been dreaming. Xie Xu, laughing at Jiang Shi’s notoriously sarcastic stream? No way.  

He shut his eyes again, leaning against Yu Hui’s shoulder, and fell back into a deep sleep.  

Xie Xu typed a reply.  

[TLG-Xu: Then change it in a month.]  

[……]  

[I used to think Xu had the best vision in the league, and he is able to land perfect initiations from extreme distances. But now I suspect he’s severely nearsighted.]

[Go get your eyes checked, Xu. I’m worried this Little White Hair is secretly drugging you.]

[T Bao’s grin is about to reach the sky. Don’t tell me Xu can’t see it.]

[T Bao is so pretentious.]

[I detect a hint of green tea.]

[Xu’s just indulging T Bao’s nonsense!] 

[Fine, fine, I’ll eat this bowl of dog food first!]

Jiang Shi pretended not to see those comments, his eyes lingering on Xie Xu’s new title.  

He was very satisfied.  

Who knew if he’d even remember this in a month~

 Besides, who knew what their relationship might be by then? Maybe he could use the “Time’s Husband” title he’s been thinking about?

Xie Xu watched Jiang Shi, who was so happy that his eyes were squinting, even bouncing his legs in excitement.  

[TLG-Xu: Enough playing around. Go to sleep.]  

Jiang Shi grumbled, “Oh…” but didn’t end the stream.  

Clearly, he wasn’t done having fun yet.  

Xie Xu paused, then sent another message.  

[TLG-Xu: Be good.]  

Even though it was just text, Jiang Shi felt like he could hear Xie Xu’s indulgent yet exasperated voice.  

Jiang Shi’s cheeks, which had just cooled down, flushed red again.  

He hurriedly grabbed a scarf from the table, covering his face. After coughing twice, he said seriously, “I’m not a kid. I’m an adult. Don’t use that tone with me.”  

He quickly ended the stream, but not before sending Xie Xu a WeChat message to report his plans.  

[Obedient Jiangjiang: I’m going to sleep now!]