Chapter 32 – Off-White Cashmere Scarf
“Huh?” Jiang Jiang looked momentarily dazed. “Captain, what did you say?”
Pei Ming glanced at him. “I said… he is a little disobedient.”
Jiang Jiang: “?”
Jiang Jiang had only been thinking that having more people on his side would strengthen his argument. He never expected his own captain to switch sides—especially considering how much attention Pei Ming paid to his younger brother. It was practically comparable to pining after a long-time unattainable crush.
So hearing Pei Ming say that completely caught him off guard.
Normally, Pei Ming would never bother responding to him, but with Qi Qiao here today, something definitely felt off.
Jiang Jiang looked at Qi Qiao, who was quietly eating tangyuan, sucked in a breath, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
“Hey, Captain… don’t tell me you’re treating Qi Qiao so favorably everywhere just because he looks like your little brother?”
The moment those words came out, not only did Qi Qiao freeze, even Pei Ming unexpectedly stopped what he was doing and looked up at him.
Seeing this reaction, Jiang Jiang became even more convinced of his theory. Smacking his lips, he turned to Qi Qiao.
“Xiao Qiao, let me tell you something. That day after we came out of the All-Star tournament and got in the car, I showed Captain your livestream. I asked him whether he thought you were good-looking, and Captain actually said, ‘Yeah, pretty good-looking.’”
“Later, when I went back and thought about it, I realized something wasn’t right. Since when has Captain ever complimented anyone on their looks? All those pretty girl streamers I showed him before—he’d just wave me away immediately.”
Jiang Jiang clicked his tongue.
“So when you think about it… other than his little brother, you’re the first one.”
As Qi Qiao listened, his mind drifted back to that night of the All-Star tournament.
It seemed like that was when he had said a few things about Pei Ming during his stream, and afterward everything spiraled completely out of control.
Everything that happened later had started from that night.
Jiang Jiang continued, “Right! And later when Brother Rong showed Captain the candidates for mid-laner, Captain picked you without even hesitating. It has to be because Xiao Qiao here looks like Captain’s younger brother.”
Qi Qiao: “……”
Honestly, he had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that.
Pei Ming, however, spoke first.
“Mm. A little similar.”
Qi Qiao only paused for a second before continuing to eat his tangyuan.
Fine. As long as these things weren’t directed at him too directly, it was manageable.
Jiang Jiang ordered himself another bowl of tangyuan and clapped his hands.
“See? What did I tell you? Love me, love my dog!”
Qi Qiao thought to himself, This really is the literal definition of ‘love me, love my dog.’
After chatting about that topic for a while, Jiang Jiang once again entered his endless cycle of pestering Pei Ming to show him “photos of his beautiful little brother.” After failing yet again, he could only change the subject.
Jiang Jiang said, “Alright, fine, we won’t talk about your brother anymore. So how about we talk about Cup? Brother Rong isn’t here today anyway.”
Qi Qiao quietly ate while listening. It wasn’t until he heard Cup’s ID that he looked up at the two of them.
He had heard a little about Cup signing directly with a European team after the season ended.
There were definitely a lot of suspicious details surrounding the whole thing, but everyone at Faith had kept their mouths tightly shut and hadn’t revealed much.
Pei Ming seemed a little distracted.
“What about Cup?”
Jiang Jiang said, “Come on, Captain. After last season ended, Cup transferred to Europe without saying a word. Brother Rong and the others never gave any explanation either. Weren’t you and Cup the closest? Don’t tell me you don’t know anything either?”
Pei Ming and Cup had the best relationship?
Qi Qiao looked up at Pei Ming in confusion.
Before this, he had only heard Pei Ming mention some of his teammates, but he had never heard him say he was particularly close to anyone.
Although…
Qi Qiao lowered his head, staring at the peanut soup in his bowl.
He had seen some videos before. While gossip channels weren’t exactly trustworthy, Jiang Jiang was saying the same thing now…
Pei Ming said, “Cup and I only have a normal relationship.”
Jiang Jiang clicked his tongue.
“Maybe you don’t think much of it, Captain, but Cup always liked sticking to you.”
Cup always liked sticking to you.
Qi Qiao suddenly felt like the sesame-filled tangyuan no longer tasted quite as sweet.
Pei Ming’s gaze drifted toward Qi Qiao as if intentionally, yet casually. Seeing that Qi Qiao had his head lowered over his bowl, half-hidden behind the mist rising from the hot soup, it was impossible to make out his expression clearly.
“That doesn’t mean we were close,” Pei Ming said in an even tone, impossible to read emotionally. “We were just ordinary teammates.”
Qi Qiao’s chewing slowed for a moment. His eyes lowered slightly as he looked toward Pei Ming.
Pei Ming happened to be looking at him too, the two of them separated by two steaming bowls of tangyuan.
Was he… explaining himself to him?
Jiang Jiang cautiously probed, “So what you’re saying is… your relationship with Cup wasn’t even as close as yours with me?”
Pei Ming neither confirmed nor denied it.
Jiang Jiang sighed.
“Fine, I guess that’s obvious enough. Captain, you always seem pretty indifferent toward everyone.”
As he spoke, Jiang Jiang added another sentence.
“Except for our newly arrived Xiao Qiao.”
Qi Qiao got unexpectedly dragged into the conversation again, but by now he had already developed nerves of steel. He calmly continued eating his tangyuan as steady as a mountain.
Pei Ming said, “You said it yourself—he’s new. Looking out for him a little more isn’t a big deal.”
Jiang Jiang smacked his lips.
“Oh, please. Back when we first joined, I definitely don’t remember you treating us like this. Anyway, back to Cup. Why exactly did he leave the team?”
After finishing his tangyuan, Pei Ming reached over and pulled out two tissues.
“There wasn’t any particular reason. You could say it was because of personal circumstances.”
Jiang Jiang was just about to complain again with What do you mean so many ‘personal circumstances’? when suddenly his stomach betrayed him with a loud gurgle.
But this time, it wasn’t because he was hungry.
“Ow, ow, ow…”
Just as Jiang Jiang was about to speak, his face suddenly turned pale, his expression twisting in pain.
Even Qi Qiao, who had been focused entirely on eating his tangyuan, was startled by the sudden commotion.
Pei Ming raised an eyebrow.
“What’s wrong?”
Jiang Jiang sucked in a sharp breath.
“Hiss… stomachache.”
Pei Ming looked at the two large bowls of tangyuan on the table that had been completely wiped clean, and immediately understood the cause.
“Know your limits. Who told you to eat so much this late at night?”
Jiang Jiang’s face instantly fell, and he shook his head miserably.
“Well, it’s been ages since I’ve had any. And coming out in this freezing winter isn’t exactly easy, so I just ate a little more…”
Foods like tangyuan, being rich in starch, were already hard to digest to begin with.
Not to mention Jiang Jiang already had a weak stomach.
Pei Ming had arrived late earlier and hadn’t paid much attention, but now he could only pull out his phone, preparing to make a call.
Pei Ming didn’t seem to have any intention of dwelling on that topic with him. After a moment, he spoke again.
“This year, Mom and Dad will probably come back for Spring Festival. Will you be coming home then?”
Qi Qiao’s movements froze.
If their parents were coming back, then if he didn’t go home, they would definitely ask questions.
And if they asked… how was he supposed to answer?
The truth was, even after thinking about it for so long, he still couldn’t come up with a clear explanation for everything that had happened.
Qi Qiao forced himself to finish the last tangyuan despite the stiffness in his body. Only then did he nod as if nothing was wrong.
“If Mom and Dad come back, then I’ll go home for the New Year.”
After speaking, he pulled out a tissue and wiped his mouth.
Pei Ming glanced at him but said nothing. He stood up and went to pay the bill.
Qi Qiao walked over to the shop entrance.
Outside, fine snow had begun drifting down.
His heart sank.
When he had come out with Jiang Jiang earlier, the weather had looked perfectly clear. He hadn’t thought to bring an umbrella, which meant all his winter gear had been left back at the base.
Just then, Pei Ming finished paying and walked over beside him.
He was holding an umbrella in one hand and carrying a paper bag in the other.
Qi Qiao looked at him in confusion.
He clearly remembered that when Pei Ming had arrived earlier, he hadn’t been carrying an umbrella.
As if noticing his gaze, Pei Ming lightly shook the umbrella in his hand.
“Borrowed it from the shop owner.”
Only then did Qi Qiao nod.
He was just about to step outside when suddenly a hand pressed against his shoulder.
“Wait. Put this on.”
Qi Qiao froze.
The next second, he saw Pei Ming hand him the paper bag he had been carrying earlier.
It was a paper bag, and inside was a scarf.
A hand-knitted cashmere scarf in soft cream-white.
It was the birthday gift Pei Ming had given him two years ago.
“Do you want me to put it on for you?”
Seeing that he wasn’t responding, Pei Ming suddenly asked in a calm voice.
Qi Qiao’s mind was still blank with surprise. He had just been about to wave his hand and say no—
when something soft and warm was suddenly draped around his neck.
Instinctively, Qi Qiao tried to pull away.
But Pei Ming lightly caught the back of his neck.
His fingers brushed slowly against Qi Qiao’s skin, instantly sending a shiver through his body.
“Don’t move.”
With practiced ease, Pei Ming wrapped the cream-white cashmere scarf around Qi Qiao’s neck and tied it into a neat, beautiful knot.
Even after Pei Ming stepped back, Qi Qiao remained frozen in place.
Pei Ming’s expression softened slightly.
Then his finger lightly brushed against Qi Qiao’s earlobe.
Qi Qiao heard him murmur quietly—
“From now on, don’t forget to wear it when you go out.”
Author’s Note:
I’m here~ Sending kisses to all my babies~