Chapter 15 – Comb Hair
Wake up –
Cheng Che put on his clothes, washed his face, and brushed his teeth in front of the mirror in the bathroom.
Lin Xingling stood behind him and secretly made two rabbit ears with his fingers behind his head.
Their eyes met in the mirror, and they smiled at each other.
Cheng Che spat out the mouthwash he had been gargling. “Captain, brush, brush your teeth.”
“Okay.” Lin Xingling picked up his red toothbrush and imitated Cheng Che, gargling with mouthwash and spitting it out. Then he squeezed out toothpaste. “Brush your teeth.”
…He bit the toothbrush like a hamster.
Cheng Che’s face turned slightly red. He quickly finished everything, tidied up, and was about to turn and leave, but he was stopped by Lin Xingling.
“Mmm…”
He still had the toothbrush in his mouth, so his words came out muffled.
“Okay, I’ll wait… for you.” Cheng Che thought he was supposed to wait for him together and obediently stood next to him.
“Mmm…” Lin Xingling rinsed his mouth with mouthwash, rinsed the toothbrush and cup under the faucet, and explained to him, “I’ll tidy up your hair for you.”
Saying that, he dried his hands with a towel and picked up the comb from the washstand. Lin Xingling motioned for him to come closer with a beckoning hand. “Come.”
Cheng Che obediently lowered his head for him to groom.
Mom, Stars combed my hair. I’m making progress!
“If it hurts, let me know.” Lin Xingling combed gently, afraid that the child would endure the pain without saying anything.
“It… doesn’t hurt.”
Cheng Che’s hairstyle was messy, but Lin Xingling managed to make it neat, resembling a round-shaped pot lid.
After combing, Cheng Che looked up at his reflection in the mirror. “…Ugh.”
So tacky… Can I refuse? I never want Lin to comb my hair again in this lifetime, or the next lifetime, or the one after that.
I just fixed my idol’s broken filter last night, and now it’s broken again.
You…
Lin Xingling didn’t know what the child was thinking at this moment, but this hairstyle truly matched his aesthetics – obedient.
“You look very handsome. This hairstyle suits you.”
Chatting under the blanket with the lights off at midnight – talking nonsense.
“Let’s go, don’t keep everyone waiting outside.”
“…”
They left.
Seeing everyone in the team sitting around the big round table as if celebrating the New Year, Cheng Che followed behind Lin Xingling with embarrassment. “S-Sorry for the wait.”
As soon as Brother Feng saw him, he smiled. “Your hair…”
The first thing everyone noticed was Clear’s extremely obedient hairstyle.
“Hahaha!” Wu You burst into laughter, holding Phantom’s arm to straighten himself. “Clear, this hairstyle was done by Dad Star, right? Well done, but don’t do it again in the future.”
Cheng Che looked at Lin Xingling. “…”
Liu Ying came over from the small kitchen with a basin of rice porridge and, seeing Cheng Che, first paused and then asked, “Causing trouble for someone again?”
“What trouble? Don’t talk nonsense.” Lin Xingling hurriedly went over, took the basin from him, and placed it in the middle of the table, inviting Cheng Che to sit next to him. “It looks really good, don’t listen to them.”
Cheng Che: Now I want to know why he said “again.”
Someone will answer this question without being asked.
Wu You smoothed the small braid on the back of his head. “You said the same thing when you combed my hair last time, and then I got mocked by the viewers during the live stream for looking like Watermelon Tarou.”
Liu Ying: “They said I looked like Cherry Maruko…”
Wu You: “Hahaha, you’re truly our Yang Mei.”
So he also combs other people’s hair…
After hearing Wu You and the others, Cheng Che quietly reached up and messed up his well-groomed hair again.
Phantom, being observant, quickly touched Lin Xingling’s arm to remind him.
Why does Clear seem a bit upset?
But Lin Xingling was carefree. “You don’t like this hairstyle… It’s okay, next time I’ll give you a cooler one.”
Cheng Che: “…Okay.”
“No next time! Absolutely not! Stop thinking about it!”
“Alright, let’s eat. We’ll talk about business later,” Brother Feng handed out bowls and chopsticks to everyone and passed the ladle to Lin Xingling. “Start serving the porridge first. We’ll begin the meal when Liu Ying brings the steamed buns over.”
Lin Xingling filled a small bowl with rice porridge and placed it in front of Cheng Che. Then he carried the bowl to serve the other team members, casually asking, “Does Clear want sugar?”
“Yes.”
Seeing that Phantom listened to him, he got up and brought over a can of white sugar for Cheng Che. Cheng Che quickly accepted it and said thank you.
Phantom: “It’s just a small favor.”
Wu You smirked, “We’re all on the same team now, so why be so polite?”
Lin Xingling nodded, “Yeah, no need to be so polite.”
While talking, he placed the filled porridge bowl in front of Feng Ge.
Brother Feng pushed the bowl back to him, saying, “Don’t keep worrying like an old dad all the time. You drink it yourself… Also, don’t serve Wu You and the others. Let them serve themselves.”
“Okay.” Lin Xingling finally handed over the spoon.
Then he turned to Cheng Che, “Can’t open the sugar jar lid, right? Here, let me do it. How much sugar do you want?”
Brother Feng:…
Cheng Che:…
Stars really loves taking care of others, huh?
Wu You laughed, “Don’t mind Dad Star. It’s his professional habit of being a dad.”
Lin Xingling smiled without confirming or denying it.
When he was the captain of the SYG team, he always liked taking care of his team members like his own children. It was a long-standing habit that he couldn’t change.
“The steamed buns are here!”
As they were speaking, Liu Ying quickly walked to the table with a large basket of steamed buns and placed it down, saying, “Dig in, they won’t taste good when they get cold.”
Feeling Cheng Che’s gaze on him, he smiled gently.
Lin Xingling added a few spoons of sugar to Cheng Che’s bowl. Seeing the child lost in thought, he suddenly remembered something important, “Did I forget to heat up my dish for you?”
Am I going to be stuck with your ham and scrambled eggs for the rest of my life?
Cheng Che snapped out of his daze and shook his head, honestly answering, “No.”
“Then let me heat it up for you.”
Lin Xingling got up.
“No need.” Brother Feng pressed him back to his seat.
Brother Feng frowned and pretended to sternly criticize him, “Are you giving the child leftovers to eat? Don’t you know eating leftovers won’t make you grow taller?”
Where did this argument come from… Lin Xingling was about to retort but was silenced by Feng Ge’s words, “If you want to eat, heat it up yourself.”
“It’s the golden rule: treat others as you would like to be treated.”
Wu You also chimed in, nudging Phantom with his arm, “Xiao Pei, isn’t that right?”
Phantom: “Mm.”
Ah, yes, everything you said is correct.
“I didn’t mean that,” Lin Xingling finally settled down and quietly added sugar to Cheng Che’s bowl with a small spoon.
I just wanted Clear to eat the food I made… Why does it feel like I’m a bad person who abuses children?
Everyone: “Understood, understood, we shouldn’t waste food~”
Lin Xingling: “…Tsk.”
I can see that you all don’t understand at all!
Cheng Che, who had been quiet throughout, silently breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, realizing that he had escaped a disaster.
He looked up and saw Liu Ying.
Liu Ying smiled again.
So gentle and sweet, it can melt anyone’s heart.
Cheng Che, with a cold expression, said, “I never saw you smile so sweetly during our two years as partners in my past life.”
Brother Feng responded, “Alright, enough with the nonsense. You guys eat first and shut up, listen to what I have to say.”
Everyone nodded and started eating buns and porridge.
What’s the matter? Cheng Che scooped a spoonful of rice porridge into his mouth with a small porcelain spoon and instantly couldn’t say a word because it was too sweet.
“How much sugar did Stars put in this…”
He turned to look at Lin Xingling, who couldn’t understand what he was thinking and made a scissor gesture.
“Dad Star… You’re really, really cute… I surrender.”
Cheng Che put down the small porcelain spoon, picked up a bun with chopsticks, took a small bite, and glanced at Brother Feng, indicating that he was listening attentively.
What Brother Feng was about to say was almost the same as what he wanted to tell Lin Xingling last night, which was about the Weibo post from the TG team regarding Clear’s contract.
“…According to their implied meaning, Clear’s contract hasn’t expired yet, and he still belongs to the TG team. He must go back; otherwise, it will be considered a breach of contract.”
“Breach of contract it is!”
Lin Xingling, who had been quiet for a while, got angry, slapped the table, and stood up, saying, “I must keep him. No contract is binding.”
He knew from his past life how ruthless the TG management was. In this life, how could he possibly send the child who came to find him back to a place where they wouldn’t even give him food?
His outburst startled everyone, and Liu Ying quickly patted his back, saying, “Don’t be angry, don’t be angry…”
Wu You also quickly responded, “Dad Star, don’t be angry. Anger is bad for your health.”
For the past six months, they had never seen Stars get so angry. Even Phantom, who was naturally introverted and didn’t speak much, said a few words to calm him down and find a solution together.
Meanwhile, Cheng Che, who should have been concerned, didn’t pay much attention to his idol’s emotional outburst. He looked at Brother Feng with a calm expression.
Because he knew very well that the coach would never send him back, absolutely not.
Setting aside the fact that the DCT team needed a marksman, based on his own skills, he was more than capable of replacing the previous marksman.
“Don’t get so worked up, listen to me,” Brother Feng waved his hand, not disappointing Cheng Che’s expectations. “We will definitely keep Clear. Everyone can rest assured.”
Cheng Che nodded, showing a “just as I expected” expression.
Lin Xingling, still confused, was pressed back to his seat by Brother Feng as if he were playing Whac-A-Mole. “Hmm?”
“Don’t get so worked up when it comes to your child. Your lumbar disc doesn’t stand out that much.”
Everyone covered their mouths and chuckled.
Brother Feng pursed his lips and continued, “Everyone knows Clear’s level. Since he’s willing to come to us, we should pay whatever penalty fee it takes to bring him back.”
“Can’t we let Clear go back first and wait for his contract with TG to end before he transfers to our team?” Liu Ying asked.
“This… probably won’t work.”
Author’s note:
[Mini Theater]
Hamster Xingling: Come here, wife, let me groom your fur!
Cat Cat Che Che: D-don’t groom me… I’ll… I’ll scratch you!!!
Hamster Xingling: ???
Cat Cat Che Che: Don’t think I, I don’t know… you, you also groomed… groomed other… other little brothers’ fur!!!
Hamster Xingling:… Then… can I rub your belly for you?
Cat Cat Che Che:… Okay!