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Chapter 28 – The Disguise Is Off

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Shi Cha had no idea that others had misunderstood the situation, nor did he realize why everyone was reacting so dramatically. He thought about it and figured it must be because the camera had focused on Lin Ran-ge, which was why everyone got so excited.

Meanwhile, the host on stage, as well as Bieber, were both thrown off by the unexpected turn of events.

With a cue from the director, the host finally remembered the question he’d meant to ask earlier, and so he asked Lin Ran again whether he would accept Bieber’s 1v1 challenge.

Perhaps it’s a trait of male creatures to want to show off in front of someone they like—Lin Ran stood up, gave a slight nod, and accepted the challenge.

Seeing Lin Ran getting ready to go on stage, Shi Cha clenched his fist and gave him a cheering gesture.

Lin Ran, noticing it, turned slightly and ruffled Shi Cha’s hair with a smile. “I won’t let you down,” he said.

Although the audience couldn’t hear what Lin Ran said, watching the interaction between the two only solidified their belief that these two were definitely a couple—

A couple who openly showed affection without any hesitation!

Lin Ran didn’t exchange many words with Shi Cha after that and quickly returned to the competition stage.

From the moment the big screen showed footage of Lin Ran and Shi Cha, a girl sitting beside Shi Cha had been staring at him. Even after Lin Ran left, she still hadn’t taken her eyes off him.

Shi Cha, feeling overwhelmed by her intense gaze, finally turned to her and politely asked, “Excuse me, is there something I can help you with?”

The girl’s eyes lit up with excitement the moment Shi Cha addressed her.

“I didn’t expect you to look even better in person than on camera! With your looks, not joining the entertainment industry is honestly such a waste.”

Shi Cha felt a little embarrassed by her praise. Maintaining his usual sense of detachment, he thanked her politely. Not good at these kinds of interactions, he planned to turn back around and continue watching the match.

The first round of the 1v1 had already begun. Although it wasn’t a contestant Shi Cha was particularly interested in, watching the game alone was still better than having a socially awkward conversation with a stranger.

However, the girl had no intention of letting him off the hook. While rummaging through her bag, she said, “Shi Cha, can you give me an autograph?”

Before Shi Cha could refuse, she had already handed him an open notebook and pen.

Shi Cha: “……”

“I… I’m not a celebrity or a contestant. Isn’t this a bit much?”

But the girl stubbornly held the notebook and pen out to him. “But I like you.”

Caught off guard by this sudden fan confession, Shi Cha’s face turned redder by the second.

The girl’s gaze was intense as she muttered softly, “So cute. No wonder God Ran likes him.”

She didn’t care whether Shi Cha had heard her or not and continued, “I’m a fan of God Ran. This already has his signature. Could I trouble you to sign next to his name?”

Only then did Shi Cha notice that the notebook was a piece of fan merchandise from Team LL, given out during a past event. On the first page was a photo of Lin Ran sitting behind a computer, looking up at the camera.

Shi Cha actually had the same piece of merchandise himself.

Back when the first batch of fans received this merch, they had the chance to get autographs from the team members. At the time, Shi Cha had also secretly gone to the event and collected quite a bit of merchandise—but he hadn’t dared to ask Lin Ran for a signature.

As a result, all of the rare LL team merchandise in Shi Cha’s possession had no signatures from any of the team members.

Looking at the bold, sweeping “Lin Ran” written under the photo, Shi Cha felt a wave of emotion he couldn’t quite describe. Why hadn’t he been braver back then?

“Shi Cha? Is that okay?”

The girl asked again, pulling him back to the present.

Shi Cha came to his senses. His fair, slender fingers reached out and took the notebook and pen from her hand.

He was just about to sign his name far away from Lin Ran’s when the girl suddenly stopped him.

With a mischievous grin, she pointed to the spot right next to Lin Ran’s name. “Sign here.”

Shi Cha didn’t understand her intention, but the idea of signing next to Lin Ran still made him feel secretly happy.

His handwriting was completely different from Lin Ran’s, but just as bold and confident. The two characters for “Shi Cha” landed on the page.

The girl’s eyes crinkled with delight. Then she pointed beneath both their names. “Write this sentence: ‘A match made in heaven, no doubts between them.’”

Shi Cha stared at her, wide-eyed: “???”

Seeing how shocked he was, the girl quickly explained, “It’s a blessing—for me! You don’t need to write ‘To [someone],’ just write ‘A match made in heaven, no doubts between them’ and that’s enough!”

Shi Cha had never followed celebrities, nor had he ever been on the receiving end of a fan’s enthusiasm. Her explanation made him think he’d misunderstood, so he did as she asked and wrote the five characters: “A match made in heaven, no doubts between them.”

“Thank you, Shi Cha!”

The girl happily took the signed notebook, then—right in front of Shi Cha—drew a small red heart between the two names.

Shi Cha: “???”

Why did he suddenly feel like he’d been tricked?

The girl even took out her phone and snapped a picture of the two signatures side by side. Then she edited it and posted it in a trending topic thread.

Shi Cha watched her actions unfold in stunned silence. Only then did he slowly realize—she was a CP fan of him and Lin Ran!

“???”

How was her setup so elaborate?

Since the 1v1 match format is relatively simple—just a single lane—the rules are straightforward: the first to kill the opponent, destroy their turret, or reach 100 minion kills wins.

Because of this, matches are usually short. If one side makes a mistake, the game can be over in just two or three minutes.

Soon, it was time for the match between Lin Ran and Bieber.

Lin Ran was a legendary player at his peak. Even though he had retired, many current players still saw him as someone to look up to. But Bieber was the only one bold enough to challenge him directly.

Before the match began, each player had the chance to ban three of the opponent’s heroes.

Right away, Bieber didn’t hesitate to ban Lin Ran’s three most-used mid-lane heroes.

Surprisingly, Lin Ran didn’t ban any of Bieber’s signature jungle heroes—or even strong solo picks for this mode. Instead, he also banned three mid-lane heroes.

This essentially meant that Lin Ran banned three of his own playable heroes.

The move left the audience completely puzzled. Even the commentators were at a loss for how to explain Lin Ran’s decision.

Once the bans were locked in, the players moved on to selecting their heroes. Unlike in team matches, where players pick alternately, solo matches use a blind pick system—neither side knows what the other has chosen until the match begins.

Although the players couldn’t see each other’s selections, the audience could see them on the big screen.

When Lin Ran locked in his champion, the entire arena erupted. The noise was even louder than the earlier uproar when Lin Ran kissed someone in public.

The roar from the crowd was so loud it penetrated Bieber’s noise-canceling headphones and reached his ears. It made him second-guess himself—had Lin Ran pulled off another shocking move even after six of his mid-lane heroes were banned?

Bieber mentally reviewed all the possibilities and reassured himself that no matter what Lin Ran picked, he still had at least a 50% chance of winning.

However, when the map loaded and Bieber saw Lin Ran’s chosen hero, he had to admit—he’d underestimated him.

Lin Ran hadn’t chosen a mid-laner at all. Instead, he picked the same jungle hero as Bieber.

The hero Lin Ran selected was called Beast Spirit Caller—an incredibly niche pick, so rare it was almost never seen in major tournaments. Most pro players didn’t even bother training with it.

But in solo matches, this hero had a significant advantage.

Of course, the most important detail was that this was the jungle hero Shi Cha and Lin Ran had used the very first time they played as teammates.

If the earlier excitement was a celebration for the LinShi CP (Lin Ran × Chi Sha), then now the LinYao CP (Lin Ran × streamer Cun Yao) fans had emerged, crying tears of joy while “shipping” again.

To them, Lin Ran choosing the same hero that streamer Cun Yao had once used during their first match together marked it as their “fated game”—a moment of special significance.

However, because the LinYao CP had now resurfaced, fans of the LinShi CP (Lin Ran × Shi Cha) naturally wouldn’t accept it quietly.

After all, LinYao CP was something the fans had pieced together themselves. Lin Ran and Cun Yao may have had a friendly relationship, but there was never any solid evidence that they were a couple. In contrast, Lin Ran and Shi Cha’s interaction just now had been public, undeniable, and witnessed by everyone.

Who was real and who was imagined—it was plain as day.

While Shi Cha remained unaware, fans on both sides began digging for clues, analyzing details, and hunting for any evidence to support their ship. LinYao fans, in particular, were determined to prove that their ship wasn’t just built on fantasy.

The match on stage ended in under five minutes.

Naturally, Bieber lost. But he didn’t seem too disappointed—he sincerely praised Lin Ran’s skills, saying he was just as strong as in his prime.

Although Lin Ran had won, he chose not to continue in the tournament. After all, he hadn’t officially registered for the 1v1 bracket, and stepping in at the last minute would be unfair to the other contestants.

The organizers had already gotten the publicity they wanted. And since this was the All-Star event—meant to be more about entertainment than competition—they accepted Lin Ran’s withdrawal without issue.

All in all, it was a win for everyone… except Bieber, who had effectively eliminated himself.

Still, Bieber wasn’t too concerned about winning the solo championship. He’d only entered because his coach had forced him to sign up. To him, being able to play a one-on-one match against the retired Lin Ran was more valuable than any title.

Over the following days, regardless of whether Lin Ran had matches or not, Shi Cha stayed by his side. If Lin Ran was competing, Shi Cha watched from the audience.

When there were no matches, the two of them explored Hai City together. Lin Ran even arranged some meals with fellow pro players from clubs based in Hai City.

By this point, everyone had caught on. The “sister-in-law” Chen Lu had been gossiping about in the group chat earlier—was clearly Shi Cha, the one Lin Ran had been keeping close all this time.

Everyone tacitly accepted it, treating Shi Cha as their sister-in-law—though they still respectfully called him “Brother Shi” out loud.

Three days later, the All-Star tournament came to an end.

As Lin Ran and Shi Cha parted ways—one heading home, the other to Kyoto for work—an unassuming data post began circulating online.

#Both LinShi CP and LinYao CP fans, please pause: I irresponsibly suspect that Shi Cha is streamer Cun Yao#

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Author’s note:

This is a short story and will be wrapping up soon!

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Chapter 27 – LinShi CP Is Real

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“Nothing, really. I was just thinking about your 5v5 match schedule tomorrow. Your match with Bieber is the third one. I haven’t been following Pinnacle much this past year, so I’m going to go through all the match videos of Bieber’s team tonight—see what tactics we can use against them.”

Faced with the topic of Lin Ran, Shi Cha suddenly became much more talkative.

Lin Ran chuckled and ruffled his messy hair. “No need to work so hard. I’ve got it under control.”

“But…” Shi Cha still wanted to say more.

“Don’t forget I’m the boss of LL. All the match videos from the past year—not just the coaching team needs to watch them, I need to as well.”

Only then did Shi Cha realize that even though Lin Ran had retired, his attention toward Pinnacle had never waned.

With so many teams and so many matches, the coaching team had to spend a long time watching and analyzing them. Lin Ran had clearly invested a lot of time and effort into it as well.

He looked up at Lin Ran with a heartache-filled gaze. “So being a boss is this hard too. You’ve really had it rough.”

Lin Ran: “…”

Lin Ran found it even funnier. Anyone who didn’t know Shi Cha would think he was being sarcastic.

He ruffled Shi Cha’s hair again. “Let’s go.”

“You can get to the audience seating from here. This is your ticket. At the opening, I need to go on stage with the other players. Once I’m done on my end, I’ll come find you.”

Shi Cha took the ticket and nodded obediently. “Okay.”

…

8:00 sharp.

The popular heroes of Pinnacle descended one after another from the dome of the sky onto the battlefield, dodging and weaving as they landed.

At the same time, the entire arena flickered with light as a massive 3D Pinnacle map appeared before everyone’s eyes—enveloping them all within it.

Then, each hero’s dazzling ultimate skill lit up the entire map in a blaze of brilliance.

Only those in the live audience could truly feel the awe of being one with the Pinnacle heroes.

Even Shi Cha, who was only interested in Lin Ran’s performance in Pinnacle, had to admit—there was a moment when his blood boiled with excitement.

Suddenly, the lights in the venue dimmed.

All the heroes and the massive map instantly transformed into a sky full of stardust and vanished above the arena.

Everyone was stunned.

The entire hall fell silent. Then, one by one, the players’ photos appeared on the giant stage screen—along with the heroes they had chosen as their favorites.

The host also appeared at that moment, introducing each player’s stats with passionate energy.

Lin Ran, as the only retired player, was saved for last.

He was also the only one whose photo was set against a pitch-black background—unlike the others, he had no signature hero displayed behind him.

“Some of you might be wondering why Ran Shen’s background is completely black. It’s not because our event team got lazy. When we asked Ran Shen which hero he wanted as his background, his response was, ‘Any of them is fine.’

Friends, that really put our event team in a tough spot. They kept trying to choose, but every hero seemed both suitable and not quite right. So, in the end, they decided to use a pure black background—symbolizing that Ran Shen’s hero pool is as vast and unfathomable as the sea.

Now then, please welcome our Ran Shen—Lin Ran!”

As the host finished speaking, the entire venue erupted in thunderous cheers and applause.

It had been a full year since the audience last saw Lin Ran on an official stage.

Even though Shi Cha was seated in the VIP section, he could still feel the electric energy from the crowd.

He swept his gaze over the sea of waving glow sticks in the audience, then looked back up at Lin Ran standing tall and proud on the stage.

He pressed his lips together and smiled—utterly content and overjoyed.

Brother Lin Ran will always be the best!

On stage, Lin Ran waved to greet the crowd below, but Shi Cha could still feel Lin Ran’s intense gaze directed toward his area.

Because of that, some people nearby followed Lin Ran’s line of sight and looked over toward Shi Cha. But the dim lighting made it hard to see clearly.

With the added attention, Shi Cha had no choice but to pull up his mask higher, trying to shield himself from curious glances.

The host continued to speak with fervor on stage, stirring up the crowd’s excitement, then announced that the 1v1 matches were about to begin.

Soon after, only the players participating in the 1v1 matches remained on the stage—everyone else temporarily exited.

Shi Cha hadn’t waited long before he saw Lin Ran walking over, low-key with his mask on, and sitting down next to him.

At that moment, the players on stage were drawing lots to determine their matchups, so the audience’s attention was focused there—no one noticed what was happening off-stage.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I passed a vending machine and grabbed one for you.”

Lin Ran sat down, opened the bottle cap of a drink, and handed it to Shi Cha.

Shi Cha took it and said, “Thanks.” He pulled his mask down with one hand, but during the process, his fingernail accidentally scraped the right side of his chin, causing him to let out a small “ouch.”

Apparently, he’d gotten a large pimple on his chin—probably from all the spicy skewers he had eaten the night before—and his nail had caught it just as it was beginning to surface.

Hearing the sound, Lin Ran immediately asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”

Shi Cha covered his chin. “It’s nothing.”

But Lin Ran didn’t believe him. He gently held Shi Cha’s chin with one hand and turned his face toward him. Since the pimple was further back, Lin Ran leaned in to take a closer look.

The two of them were sitting very close—so close that Lin Ran’s soft breaths brushed against the exposed skin on Shi Cha’s neck.

Being held by the person he liked like that, Shi Cha’s ears turned red with embarrassment. He bit his lip, his voice starting to stutter, “R-really, it’s nothing.”

Lin Ran saw that it was just a pimple and realized he had overreacted a bit.

However, just as he was about to sit up, the entire arena suddenly erupted into deafening screams.

Since the All-Star match was being broadcast live, viewers watching online let out the same ear-piercing “groundhog screeches” as the ones at the venue.

This was a moment of universal shock—except for the LinShi CP fans, who were screaming with joy.

There was an odd number of players registered for the 1v1 match. After drawing lots and pairing off, one person was left without an opponent. Logically, that person would automatically advance to the next round, a stroke of good luck.

But the one who got the bye was Bieber. In a moment of hot-headedness, he made a request to the host: he wanted to challenge someone for his first match to keep things fair for the others.

When the organizers heard that he wanted to challenge Lin Ran, they were, of course, all for it. Although Lin Ran had retired, his popularity remained unmatched among all the players. They couldn’t force Lin Ran to participate in the 1v1 match, but if someone challenged him—why would they say no?

After receiving Bieber’s request, the organizers decided to cut to Lin Ran in the audience to ask whether he would accept the challenge.

And that’s when the camera captured Lin Ran gently holding someone’s chin, leaning in close while the person was pressed back in their seat.

What’s more, this image was broadcast in full clarity across three enormous screens above the stage.

From any angle, it looked like… a kiss. No—maybe even a forced kiss!

Everyone’s mind went straight to one thought:

#LinRan’sRelationshipExposedLive

The moment the entire venue burst into chaos, Lin Ran and Shi Cha realized something was wrong.

Lin Ran calmly released Shi Cha and straightened up in his seat. But the big screen in front of them was still showing a split image—Lin Ran looking composed, while Shi Cha looked completely stunned.

Before Shi Cha could even react, the crowd had already recognized his identity, and they quickly noticed his bright red ears and flushed lips, which had been bitten by himself in nervousness.

Everyone: Holy crap, his lips are literally kiss-swollen!

#LinRanForceKissesShiCha Relationship Confirmed#

LinShi CP shippers were crying tears of joy and spreading the news like wildfire.

#Mom, LinShi CP is REAL#

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Chapter 26 – What Are You Thinking About

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“Hi, uh, hello.”

Chen Lu was naturally sociable. He picked up a large skewer of grilled meat and handed it to Shi Cha.

“Brother Shi, try this. Don’t worry, this one isn’t… you know, ‘supplementing.’”

Shi Cha didn’t quite understand what he meant by “supplementing,” but he still reached out to take it.

“Thanks.”

Chen Lu had a personality similar to Du Yan’s. Although Shi Cha wasn’t quite used to this kind of enthusiasm, after four years of Du Yan’s subtle influence, he was now fairly comfortable with people like Chen Lu.

Chen Lu and the three others were the remaining all-star players selected from the Huaguo region. On the final day, they would be teaming up with Lin Ran for the group match.

Shi Cha wasn’t very good at socializing, but fortunately, occasions like this didn’t require him to talk much.

While Lin Ran chatted casually with Chen Lu and the others, he still kept an eye on Shi Cha, occasionally bringing up topics that Shi Cha could join in on, making sure he didn’t feel left out.

Most of their conversation revolved around the esports scene. Even though Shi Cha wasn’t deeply involved in the community, he knew about the various players, so all in all, the barbecue went quite smoothly.

Meanwhile, the others were chatting away while also secretly gossiping in their heads.

They were incredibly curious. After all, Lin Ran had been active for three years without a single girlfriend or boyfriend — not even a rumored fling.

So… was this rumored boyfriend real?

If not, why was Lin Ran treating him so well? He even brought him out to meet them?

Could this be the classic “introducing the significant other to friends”? Were they about to make it official?

The group ate and drank until after ten before they wrapped things up.

Shi Cha was full, and the others were also stuffed — mostly with food and gossip. They left feeling a little overwhelmed.

As soon as they parted ways, Chen Lu popped up in the WeChat group.

[World’s #1 Top Laner (Chen Lu)]: I saw our sister-in-law today! Too bad the rest of you missed it. @Everyone

[…]

[Sister-in-law? What sister-in-law? Whose sister-in-law?]

[Sister-in-law? What sister-in-law? Whose sister-in-law?]

[…]

[World’s #1 Top Laner (Chen Lu)]: I’m not lying — Li You and the others saw him too. Ask them if you don’t believe me.

[@YoYoYo @HeartbrokenBoy @ImageCrashed — did you guys really meet Ran Shen today? And did you really see Ran Shen’s wife?!]

Li You and the others were gossipy too, but they weren’t like Chen Lu. Chen Lu had been Lin Ran’s longtime teammate and always spoke casually.

Seeing the flood of @mentions, the three of them hesitated for a long time before one finally responded.

[I’m not sure either. You’ll see for yourselves when the time comes.]

And after that, none of them said another word.

The group responded with another flurry of question marks and quickly turned back to interrogate Chen Lu.

Chen Lu, however, was perfectly confident posting in the group like that — because if Lin Ran really didn’t like it, he would’ve killed him with a single glance during dinner.

But when he called him “sister-in-law” earlier, he could clearly tell that Brother Ran was actually happy about it.

And even now, while Chen Lu was shipping the two of them openly in the group chat, Brother Ran hadn’t stopped him.

Which meant…

This was totally viable!

…

Saturday morning, 7:30 AM — half an hour before the match started.

Shi Cha, wearing a black mask, followed behind Lin Ran through the players’ tunnel toward the venue of this year’s All-Star event.

Besides Lin Ran and the other four players from the Huaguo region, over fifty players from major regions around the world were also participating in this All-Star match.

The players’ tunnel was already bustling with other competitors, as well as coaches, managers, and accompanying staff.

Naturally, some of those present were old rivals who had once faced off against Lin Ran on the international stage.

Among them was Bieber, the jungler from the European region. The moment he spotted Lin Ran, he strode over immediately.

“Lin, long time no see! I didn’t think I’d get another chance to GANK you on stage. This time, you’re not getting away! Haha.”

The other players saw Bieber trash-talking Lin Ran and all stopped walking, clearly looking forward to some drama.

Most of them had entered the venue with teammates from their respective regions. Lin Ran, however, wasn’t walking with Chen Lu and the others — just a small boy in a black mask.

The boy didn’t look familiar to anyone in the esports world, so he was assumed to be an outsider.

Back when Lin Ran was active, he had been recognized by players from every region as a true “Final Boss.” Now, with the retired Boss back in action, plenty of people were itching to test themselves — hoping to finally experience the thrill of “slaying the demon king.”

After all, whenever Lin Ran had competed in the past, they’d never won a championship. But now, he’d been retired for a year — no longer training intensely — surely he wasn’t the same unstoppable force. Surely they could finally beat him.

Shi Cha had originally intended to blend into the background, walking quietly behind Lin Ran amid the flow of people.

But when Bieber started mouthing off, a spark inside him flared up.

He immediately stepped forward and blocked Lin Ran, pulling down his mask slightly, lifting his chin, and staring coldly at the tall, blond, six-foot-three European in front of him. His voice was sharp and arrogant.

“You’ve competed in two World Championships and one Olympic tournament. Across twenty-three matches against Lin Ran, you’ve GANKed him 319 times.”

Shi Cha paused slightly, then delivered the final blow.

“Out of those 319 attempts, not once did you succeed. What makes you think this time will be any different?”

And just in case Bieber didn’t understand, Shi Cha repeated the entire thing in fluent German.

Bieber’s expression went from stunned to red with fury.

“You…”

Bieber didn’t finish his sentence—because he suddenly remembered what Lin Ran had said when he announced his retirement:

“I’ve already stood at the very peak of the ‘summit.’ There’s nothing left here that excites me anymore. So, I hereby announce my retirement.”

Bieber had almost forgotten: Lin Ran, despite his mild appearance, had always looked down on everyone from above.

Shi Cha’s sharp retort had been like a knife to Bieber’s chest—but every word was true. He couldn’t argue back. In the end, all he could do was spit out, “See you on the stage,” and walk off with a few of his teammates into the venue.

Only after Bieber left did Shi Cha withdraw his fierce gaze. He pulled his mask back up and discreetly glanced at the surrounding players who were still staring at him.

Then, without a word, he moved to Lin Ran’s other side, using Lin Ran’s body to block everyone’s line of sight.

Lin Ran watched his subtle movements with a smile but didn’t say anything.

The other players, seeing the two of them walk off, couldn’t help but start whispering among themselves.

“Who was that kid just now? He’s pretty good-looking. Doesn’t seem like a pro though.”

“He knew Lin Ran and Bieber’s match data so well—he must be a hardcore fan. No, not just hardcore. Obsessive. Who else would memorize someone else’s head-to-head record and number of GANKs? He’s not a walking computer.”

Once most of the crowd had dispersed, Lin Ran finally smiled and praised him.

“Well done.”

For some reason, Shi Cha’s right ear instantly warmed up. The words also sounded oddly familiar.

That time Lin Ran praised his gameplay, he’d said, “Nice mechanics.”

Shi Cha sneaked a glance at Lin Ran’s profile, then quickly looked away.

Does Brother Lin Ran praise everyone like this?

Who else has he said that to? Chen Lu, maybe?

As Shi Cha was spacing out, Lin Ran suddenly grabbed his right hand and gave it a gentle tug.

Shi Cha’s heart skipped a beat. He looked up sharply—only to see Lin Ran smiling, clearly unable to hide it anymore.

“What were you thinking about? You weren’t even watching where you were going—you almost walked into a pillar.”

Shi Cha replied silently in his heart: Huh? I was thinking about you.

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Author’s note:

Baby Shi Cha fiercely protecting his man—gah gah gah.

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Chapter 25 – Hello, Brother Shi

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Seeing that it was almost time, Shi Cha got ready to change his clothes and go find Lin Ran.

He casually pulled out the outfit he wore most often from the wardrobe. Just as he was about to close the door, his eyes inadvertently landed on another set of clothes that his family had picked out for him.

He paused for two seconds and thought for a moment. Then he put the clothes in his hand back and reached for the other set instead.

When Lin Ran opened the door, he immediately noticed that Shi Cha looked especially youthful and handsome today. The color of Shi Cha’s outfit, in particular, was very similar to what he himself was wearing.

“Come on in,” Lin Ran ushered Shi Cha inside. “Give me a sec—I just need to send this file, then we can head out.”

As he fiddled with his phone, Lin Ran asked, “I’m not too familiar with this area. Shi Cha, do you have any places you’d recommend?”

Knowing Shi Cha’s personality, his first choice would definitely be staying home and cooking for himself. But since Lin Ran had invited him out, Shi Cha couldn’t help but feel a little pleased.

There was one time when Du Yan came to visit and mentioned he’d found a restaurant nearby that was perfect for a romantic date. He’d said he was definitely bringing his girlfriend there someday.

At the time, Shi Cha thought Du Yan was being ridiculous. But now, he really wanted to take Lin Ran there. Luckily, he had a good memory. Even though he hadn’t been interested at the time, he remembered the name of the restaurant after Du Yan said it once.

“I heard from a friend that there’s a really good restaurant nearby. Here’s the address.”

As he spoke, Shi Cha showed Lin Ran the location he’d found on his phone.

It wasn’t far—about a twenty-minute drive.

A few minutes later, Shi Cha was driving with Lin Ran in the passenger seat.

Lin Ran glanced around the car.

Shi Cha probably didn’t use this car often—the interior didn’t match his style at all. Everything screamed flashy and over-the-top.

“This your brother’s car?”

Shi Cha kept his eyes on the road, looking especially focused. Even when Lin Ran spoke, he didn’t turn his head.

“Yeah, he said he didn’t like the color anymore and wanted a new one, so he gave me this one.”

Lin Ran nodded. “This bright red? Definitely his taste.”

Shi Cha: “……”

They soon arrived at their destination. Just as Lin Ran was about to get out of the car, Shi Cha suddenly stopped him.

“Do you want to wear a mask? What if someone recognizes you?”

Although he had little interest in the entertainment industry, Shi Cha still knew that celebrities always wore masks when they went out to hide their faces.

Lin Ran looked at Shi Cha’s serious expression, then reached out and tousled the soft hair on his head.

“Not wearing one might not draw attention. But the moment I put on a black mask, everyone will be curious—‘Who is it under there?’”

Shi Cha: “……” Really?

Whether he believed it or not, Lin Ran had already gotten out of the car, so Shi Cha had no choice but to follow.

Following the directions, the two of them found the restaurant Shi Cha had mentioned.

The restaurant was tucked away in a rather hidden location, but the interior was surprisingly spacious.

There were no private rooms, but each table was separated by screens and plants, giving a decent level of privacy.

After sitting down, Lin Ran glanced around casually. “Looks like all the tables here are for couples?”

Shi Cha froze mid-flip of the menu. He didn’t dare look up and mumbled, “I didn’t notice. My friend just said the food here was good.”

Lin Ran chuckled. “So, what dishes are good?”

Shi Cha: “……” Du Yan never said anything like that!

Lin Ran propped his chin on one hand, watching as Shi Cha almost buried his face in the menu. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. But he didn’t tease him any further and instead turned to the nearby waiter.

“Do you have any recommendations?”

The waiter had already recognized Lin Ran and was discreetly eyeing Shi Cha. Startled by Lin Ran’s question, she panicked for a second, thinking she was about to be scolded for being unprofessional.

Realizing it was just a question about the menu, she immediately rattled off several signature dishes.

Lin Ran nodded and turned to Shi Cha. “How about we try these first?”

Shi Cha was just about to agree when the waiter, wanting to reassure them of her recommendations, added brightly: “Don’t worry, these are our most popular dishes among couples—you’re both sure to love them!”

Shi Cha: “……”

His hand paused as he was closing the menu, and his fingers began to unconsciously scratch at the cover.

Thankfully, the waiter had some awareness and quickly bowed before leaving.

“The dishes will be out soon. If you need anything else, please feel free to call me.”

Shortly after, a post on the fan forum for the temporary CP (couple pairing) suddenly went viral:

#Lin Ran and Shi Cha spotted on a date at a couple’s restaurant#

[I couldn’t take photos, and I can’t say which restaurant it is exactly, but they’re real. I swear, I just witnessed actual sugar [fan term for romantic interaction] right in front of me!

Shi Cha is so soft in real life, nothing like his cold image from variety shows. And Lin Ran was doting the entire time—he didn’t take his eyes off Shi Cha once!

OP, your IP is showing! From what I know, Lin Ran and Shi Cha really are in your city right now. So you’re telling us… they’re actually on a date?!

Aaaahhh, why are there no photos?! I want to see too!]

Meanwhile, fans of the Linyao CP (Lin Ran × Chun Yao) who had been lurking in the temporary CP thread rushed back to their own corner of the internet to bump the screenshots and clips from the two playing games together an hour earlier.

[[GIF] Look at this! Ran-shen lowered the enemy’s HP to nearly zero and just waited for our YaoYao [Shi Cha] to take the kill. If this isn’t true love, then what is?!]

[No pics, no proof? Here—[screenshot.jpg] This was an hour ago. Screenshot from the game—our Lingyao CP forever!]

Fans of the two different CPs (couple pairings) had set up camp in their own corners of the internet and were now battling it out, each determined to prove that their ship was the real deal.

But that’s a story for later.

Over the next few days, whenever Lin Ran had free time outside of work, he would invite Shi Cha out for meals, or join him for gaming during Shi Cha’s livestreams. He even invited Shi Cha to attend the “Pinnacle” All-Star Tournament being held in Haidu.

Since the tournament was scheduled to start at 8:00 AM on Saturday, Lin Ran and Shi Cha arrived in Haidu on Friday night.

By the time they got there, it was already 8 PM.

Lin Ran’s agent, Li Xin’an, knew that Lin Ran was trying to court Shi Cha. Upon learning that he was bringing Shi Cha to the tournament, he booked the presidential suite for Lin Ran without hesitation.

Shi Cha showed no discomfort with the arrangement. After all, he’d already shared a room with Lin Ran before. Now, they were simply staying in the same suite—with separate bedrooms.

While they were unpacking, Lin Ran’s phone—resting on the bed—wouldn’t stop buzzing.

In the Pinnacle group chat, messages were popping off nonstop.

[World’s #1 Top Laner (Chen Lu)]: @LR, Ran Shen, I heard from Brother Li that you’ve arrived in Haidu. Come out and eat with us!

[HeartbrokenBoy]: Chen Lu, are you asking Ran Shen to come eat, or are you hoping he’ll foot the bill?

[World’s #1 Top Laner (Chen Lu)]: Of course it’s about bonding! Otherwise, I’m afraid Ran Shen’s got a new love and will forget all about me.

[PicBroken]: New love? What new love? 👀

[YoYoYo]: New love? What new love? 👀

[…]

With that one message from Chen Lu, the previously silent group exploded. Within seconds, over a hundred messages flooded in—all demanding gossip from Chen Lu.

Chen Lu was nearly traumatized by the sight of the phrase new love.

[World’s #1 Top Laner (Chen Lu)]: You guys call yourselves pro players, but your gossip senses are way too dull. Don’t you people surf the web on 5G? Ran Shen has two trending CPs right now. Hehe, I follow both—and both are actually super sweet.

Everyone else: … Who on earth follows other people’s CPs for fun?!

[HeartbrokenBoy]: Weird—why are you following Ran Shen’s CPs?

[World’s #1 Top Laner (Chen Lu)]: Oh, the first CP I followed was actually me and Ran Shen. So this time, I just figured I’d follow the rest too.

[YoYoYo]: Your taste is way too extreme!

[PicBroken]: I’m broken…

[HeartbrokenBoy]: Ran Shen’s been tainted…

[???]

Chen Lu ignored everyone’s roasting and kept tagging Lin Ran in the group chat.

Lin Ran skimmed through the messages and replied directly to Chen Lu:

[LR]: Send me the address.

Half an hour later, Lin Ran showed up at the BBQ stall with Shi Cha and saw Chen Lu already sitting with three others, munching on skewers.

The table was piled high with uneaten skewers—and an even larger pile of empty sticks.

“I’m telling you, these fans are insane at editing. My heart was literally pounding watching those CP clips—”

Before Chen Lu could finish, he noticed Li You across the table giving him a warning look.

He turned around—and immediately locked eyes with Lin Ran standing behind him, gaze calm but full of subtle threat, and Shi Cha, who looked completely out of the loop.

Chen Lu quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin, jumped up with a grin, and greeted them enthusiastically.

“Brother Ran, you’re here! Quick, sit down, sit down. I already ordered a bunch of food for you. This one’s specially picked just for you—good for nourishment.”

Shi Cha looked confused and turned to Lin Ran, “What’s wrong? What do you need to nourish?”

Lin Ran: “……”

Even though he hadn’t eaten any yet, just one glance told him what kind of dish Chen Lu had ordered.

“I don’t need it. Keep it for yourself.”

Shi Cha: “???” What kind of cryptic conversation is this?

The other three players also stood up, respectfully greeted Lin Ran with a “Brother Ran,” switched seats, and subtly distanced themselves from the reckless Chen Lu.

Although they were all hotshot pro players now, back during their training camp days, they had all been under Lin Ran’s management. He might be easygoing in daily life, but when it came to trainees, he had been famously strict.

Even now, the three of them were still a bit afraid of him.

Only Chen Lu kept up his cheeky smile. “Okay, okay, I’ll eat it myself later.”

As he said that, he pulled out chairs for Lin Ran and Shi Cha with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Shi Cha still felt a bit uneasy facing the scene and looked to Lin Ran for help.

Lin Ran nudged the chair that Chen Lu had pulled out and gestured to Shi Cha, “Sit here—away from those four, so they don’t corrupt you.”

Chen Lu laughed, “Aw, Brother Ran, come on—we’re all good boys here.”

Then, without thinking, he turned to Shi Cha and said, “Sis-in-law, please sit.”

Shi Cha froze on the spot—awkward and unsure whether to sit or stand.

Lin Ran shot Chen Lu a glare, then turned to Shi Cha and said gently, “Don’t mind him. He has no filter.”

Chen Lu even slapped his own mouth in mock punishment.

“Hey, I picked that up from the fans! I’ll fix it, I’ll fix it right away. Brother Shi, please sit.”

Chen Lu was clearly older than Shi Cha, yet he was calling him brother, which only made Shi Cha feel more uncomfortable.

He sat down awkwardly and accepted the skewer Lin Ran handed over.

As soon as he finished one, Lin Ran immediately passed him another, and even poured a drink, placing it right by Shi Cha’s hand.

While Lin Ran was taking care of Shi Cha, the three guys across the table looked like they’d just seen a ghost. Since when did Ran God personally take care of someone else’s food and drink?

Unless the sky was about to rain blood…

Could it be that Chen Lu’s nonsense earlier—was actually true?

Were they witnessing the front row of a real-life CP reveal?

Lin Ran ignored the gossipy expressions across the table and pointed at Chen Lu to introduce him.

“This is Chen Lu, top laner and captain of LL team.”

“This is Li You, jungler for WG team. That’s Zhou Lie and Zheng Quan—ADC and support for LG team.”

Actually, Shi Cha already knew who they were. He had followed Pinnacle tournaments for several years now.

He knew the personal style, preferred tactics, and best heroes of every pro player in Pinnacle. As for their personalities in private? That he had no idea—after all, besides Lin Ran, he had no interest in anyone’s personal life.

After the intros, Lin Ran casually pulled Shi Cha close and said to the four players, “This is my kid, Shi Cha. From now on, you guys can call him—”

Before Lin Ran could finish, all four of them lit up and shouted in unison, “Hello, Brother Shi!”

Shi Cha was startled by their sudden cheer: “……”

Why did it suddenly feel like the six of them were part of some underground gang?

---

---

Chapter 24 – In the Same Frame

---

After Lin Ran finished washing all the dishes and dried his hands, for a moment, he didn’t really have a reason to stay at Shi Cha’s place any longer.

Fortunately, the two of them lived right across the hall from each other now—if they wanted to meet, there was always an excuse.

“You get back to work. I’ll head home now.”

Shi Cha reluctantly walked him to the door. His lips moved several times, but in the end, he couldn’t think of anything to say.

Seeing the pitiful look in his eyes, Lin Ran couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle his hair. “Let’s have lunch together.”

Shi Cha’s eyes lit up immediately, and he nodded enthusiastically.

After watching Lin Ran open his door and wave back at him before going in, Shi Cha finally closed his own door, satisfied.

Then, happily, he went to his study, turned on his computer, and started a livestream.

Within two minutes of going live, a flood of viewers poured into the stream.

[“Why is the streamer, who always starts at 9 sharp, going live early today?”]

Shi Cha adjusted his mic, then said cheerfully:

“I’ve got something to do around noon, so I’m streaming a bit early—and ending a bit early too.”

[“Huh? I thought you were going to stream longer today!”]

[“You haven’t streamed in days, please go a bit longer! Even an hour? Half an hour? Please?”]

While waiting for the game to update, Shi Cha noticed that comment and replied with a smile:

“Nope, not even a minute longer. I started fifteen minutes early today, and I’m ending fifteen minutes early too. Nobody can make me work overtime, even by a minute.”

[“You’ve become so heartless! You’re not that sweet little brother anymore.”]

[“Ahhh, Yao Yao is live! I wonder if we’ll get any CP crumbs with Linyao today. Rubbing my hands in anticipation!”]

[“Can the CP shippers please keep it to themselves? You’re really affecting others, you know?”]

[“Exactly! I like Yao Yao too, but let’s be real—Ran Shen is so busy. How could he always have time to game with Yao Yao? Didn’t he just finish recording a variety show yesterday? Who knows where he’s rushing to today.”]

[“Yao Yao, let’s go! Who needs men anyway? Are men more important than games? Are men more fun than games?”]

The rest of Yao Yao’s fans quickly drowned out the CP fans’ comments. The CP fans knew their messages could be annoying, so they stopped sending more.

This made Shi Cha a bit sad.

He really wanted to say, You guys might not ship us, but I do! I’m totally satisfied!

Besides, who says men aren’t as fun as games?

Shi Cha’s face flushed again. He had so much fun playing with Lin Ran!

Meanwhile, Lin Ran had also gotten a notification that Shi Cha had gone live.

Ever since discovering that Shi Cha was “Chun Yao,” Lin Ran had followed the streamer.

Just as Shi Cha logged into the game and prepared to solo queue, a message popped up in his friends list.

Ding ding ding ding~

Shi Cha swiped over to check—and saw a very familiar avatar!

His mouse paused for a moment, then he nervously clicked the message open.

[Cha Buduo]: Long time no see. Want to queue together?

Would Shi Cha reject this invitation?

Of course not!

He was secretly delighted—Lin Ran had just left his place, and now they were bumping into each other in the game.

They really were fated!

[LR is the Best]: Queue.

He ended the sentence with a period to make himself seem a little less overly excited.

Shi Cha gave himself a mental thumbs-up for the subtle touch.

[LR is the Best]: I’m streaming right now—is that okay with you?

Out of courtesy, Shi Cha let him know about the livestream. Lin Ran was a public figure, after all, and although this was just his alt account, many netizens had already figured it out. If Lin Ran didn’t realize the stream was live and accidentally said something that got clipped and circulated, it could become a hassle for him.

Even though Shi Cha didn’t think Lin Ran would say anything problematic, it was still better to give a heads-up—just in case.

[Cha Buduo]: No problem.

[Cha Buduo]: Can we use voice chat?

Shi Cha paused for a second, then started typing:

[LR is the Best]: Sure.

He quickly put on his headphones, and a moment later, Lin Ran’s calm, deep voice came through them.

“Can you hear me?”

Before Shi Cha could reply, the chat exploded.

[“We can hear you! We can hear you! We can hear you!!! Aaaaahhhh!”]

[“Ssshhh ssshhh, recording has started—if you want sweet CP moments, follow the LinYao CP thread!”]

[“Hahaha! I knew my ship was real!”]

Shi Cha glanced at the CP-shipping comments, and a blush crept up his face. Unconsciously, his voice softened too.

The gentle voice of a young man replied, “Mm, I can hear you.”

But not everyone in the chat was pleased with that voice.

[“Yao Yao, I want to hear that fake cutesy voice you used the first time you queued with Ran Shen!”]

[“Signed by ten thousand fans in blood—please bring back the classic!”]

[“Bring back the classic! Please!!”]

[…]

Shi Cha: “…” These people really just want to stir the pot.

But it had been a while since Shi Cha had let loose online.

And having just seen Lin Ran today had him in a really good mood. Taking advantage of the fact that Lin Ran didn’t know his real identity, the impulse to stir up trouble began to rise.

He glanced at the chat. The high-pitched girly voice he used before was definitely off the table now.

Shi Cha cleared his throat. “Ran Shen, my viewers in the stream are asking me to switch personas, so from here on, my voice might sound a little different.”

Lin Ran: “…Okay.”

So the livestream audience—and Lin Ran—soon heard the voice of a young boy.

“Brother Ran~ I’m gonna start queuing now~”

It was clean and crisp, sweetly naive, and hard to tell if it was male or female—sounding like a child of about seven or eight.

Lin Ran’s body stiffened slightly. Suddenly, a memory flashed in his mind—of a seven-year-old calling him, “Brother Lin Ran~.”

But that voice back then was a little colder than this soft, playful tone.

Back then…

“Brother Ran~ the game’s started, why aren’t you moving?”

Shi Cha’s voice pulled Lin Ran out of the memory.

“…Alright, I’m coming.”

“Brother Ran~ I’ll go jungle first. Once I hit level three, I’ll help you gank mid.”

“…Okay.”

Meanwhile, a flood of Lin Ran’s fans were also flocking to the stream as word got out.

Since Lin Ran wasn’t streaming, if fans wanted to watch him play, they had no choice but to come to Shi Cha’s stream.

[“What a joke. Does Ran Shen even need jungle support? He can dominate his lane solo. This streamer clearly has no idea what he’s doing.”]

However, in-game, Lin Ran didn’t crush his opponent as his fans expected.

Instead, he calmly farmed the minion wave, trading blows with his lane opponent in a slow-paced back-and-forth, showing no signs of overwhelming aggression.

Only after Shi Cha hit level three did they coordinate a gank and send the enemy mid-laner back to base—Lin Ran even gave the first kill to Shi Cha.

Shi Cha happily commented, “I’ll take this one for now. The next kill is for Brother Ran~”

The chat burst into laughter.

[Enemy team]: Do you guys even take us seriously? Are we just your walking piggy banks now?!

But with strong synergy between mid and jungle, they easily supported the top and bottom lanes too—steadily expanding their lead and turning the enemy jungle into their own XP farm.

Unsurprisingly, Shi Cha and Lin Ran led the team straight to victory, pushing all the way to the enemy’s base.

After that, Shi Cha played a few more games with Lin Ran, until it reached the end of his promised stream time. Only then did he reluctantly say goodbye to Lin Ran.

But the first thing Shi Cha did after ending the stream was open the “Lingao CP” supertopic on Weibo.

Sure enough, a new post had already been made.

Scrolling through on his phone, Shi Cha grinned from ear to ear.

If you want content, you’ve got to make it yourself!

Then he used his alt account—the one with Lin Ran added on WeChat—to send him a message:

“Thanks for letting me take so many kills today, Brother Ran. Next time, I’ll let you take just as many. No—more than that.”

On Lin Ran’s end, his phone pinged with a WeChat notification.

He glanced over—and saw the message came from Shi Cha’s alt account.

The corners of Lin Ran’s lips lifted into a smile. He really keeps his main and alt accounts well separated.

He thought of what Shi Jian had said earlier—that Shi Cha had been in a much better state these past three months.

And he had looked into it—this streamer named “Chun Yao” had only started streaming three months ago.

The online persona of Chun Yao was very different from the real Shi Cha.

Chun Yao was cheerful and outgoing, happily indulging fans with harmless requests and frequently pulling silly antics for entertainment.

But the real Shi Cha was quiet, reserved, and anxious about social interaction.

Thinking about that, the smile on Lin Ran’s face faded just a little.

Of course, he couldn’t expose Shi Cha’s identity, so he replied on WeChat:

“Alright, I’ll remember that. Don’t go back on your word.”

As soon as Shi Cha heard the ding~ from his phone, he quickly opened the message and replied with a smile:

“I definitely won’t forget!”

He tossed his phone aside, hugged a pillow tightly, and rubbed his face against it, suddenly realizing that interacting with Lin Ran online felt much easier than dealing with him in real life.

---

---

Chapter 23 – Meeting

---

Shi Cha lay sprawled on the bed, scrolling through posts in two fan forums again. Finally, feeling content, he got up to start making breakfast.

But just as he passed the dining room, he suddenly heard a knock at the door.

Startled, Shi Cha looked toward the entrance.

That morning, his older brother, Shi Jian, had messaged him saying he was coming over. But just ten minutes ago, he had sent another message saying something had come up and he couldn’t make it.

The three polite knocks definitely didn’t belong to Du Yan either. If it had been Du Yan, he would already be shouting at the door by now.

Another three knocks came. Shi Cha pressed his lips together, picked up the kitchen knife he had casually left on the table the night before, and slowly walked to the door.

He peered through the peephole.

The person outside was currently turned away from the door, phone pressed to their ear as if on a call, and in the other hand, they were holding a neat, square-shaped black bag.

Shi Cha tightened his grip on the knife, latched the door chain from the inside, and gently cracked the door open.

Just as he did, the person hung up the phone and turned around.

Shi Cha’s pupils dilated, his voice full of surprise and delight. “Brother Lin Ran?!”

He couldn’t comprehend it. Just yesterday, he had resigned himself to the idea that he wouldn’t be seeing Lin Ran for a long time. Who would’ve thought that the very next morning, Lin Ran would show up at his door?

Had heaven heard his wish and sent him this miracle?

Lin Ran looked at the stunned Shi Cha and gave him a smile.

That smile was like a bright moon falling into one’s arms—it dazzled Shi Cha so much that his eyes went a little blurry.

However, when Lin Ran’s gaze shifted downward and caught sight of the knife in Shi Cha’s hand through the narrow gap in the door, that smile nearly froze on his face.

Following his gaze, Shi Cha also noticed the kitchen knife he had grabbed for self-defense.

He quickly hid the knife behind his back and, with one hand, unhooked the door chain.

As the door opened, Shi Cha immediately turned sideways, firmly preventing Lin Ran from seeing the knife behind him.

Lin Ran pretended not to notice and walked in, placing the bag he was holding onto the dining table.

“I just moved in yesterday and thought I’d bring something to the neighbor next door. Didn’t expect to run into your brother on his way to deliver porridge to you. That’s when I found out… the neighbor next door is actually you, little Shi Cha. Your brother had to leave in a hurry, so he asked me to bring the porridge over for him.”

Shi Cha watched as Lin Ran, like it was the most natural thing in the world, went into the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks, and oddly enough, didn’t feel anything was out of place.

What he was confused about was: “Didn’t a young woman move in next door last night?”

Lin Ran walked out of the kitchen with the utensils. Hearing this, he realized Shi Cha had misunderstood, and smiled as he explained, “That must have been my personal assistant. She was helping me move in last night.”

As if afraid Shi Cha might still be mistaken, he clarified again:

“She was in the car yesterday too, sitting in the very back row, wearing black-rimmed glasses.”

Shi Cha thought for a moment. There had been a girl wearing black-rimmed glasses in the last row of the van yesterday. But the one directing the movers next door last night—he’d only heard her voice and never saw her.

So at first, he hadn’t connected the two.

The thermal container had done its job well—the porridge was still warm even after all this time.

Unfortunately, the other breakfast items Lin Ran had brought had gone completely cold while he was chatting with Time.

“Sorry, I was talking with your brother earlier and didn’t notice the food had gone cold,” Lin Ran said apologetically.

“Huh? Oh, I’ll go heat it up,” Shi Cha replied, grabbing the bag off the table and heading into the kitchen—returning the kitchen knife he’d been hiding along the way.

Shi Cha moved quickly, and within a few minutes, everything was reheated.

With the table now full of steaming food, Shi Cha and Lin Ran each had a bowl of seafood porridge, sitting across from each other.

Shi Cha kept his head down, eating spoonful after spoonful of porridge, feeling like the atmosphere was a little strange. He didn’t quite dare to look up at the person sitting across from him.

Lin Ran picked up a soup dumpling and placed it on the small plate in front of Shi Cha.

“Don’t just drink porridge—try some of the others too.”

The porridge, from the taste alone, was clearly homemade—probably by his mother. As for the other items, judging by the packaging, Shi Cha figured Lin Ran must’ve bought them himself that morning, especially since a few of the shops didn’t offer delivery.

Since it was a kind gesture from Lin Ran, Shi Cha wasn’t about to refuse.

He picked up the soup dumpling and gently bit into it. The scalding hot broth inside spilled out through the tear and burned his tongue.

“Hiss~” He let out a small cry of pain.

Lin Ran immediately put down his chopsticks and stood up in concern.

Leaning over the table, he reached out and gently lifted Shi Cha’s chin.

“Let me see your tongue,” he said, voice low and serious.

Shi Cha looked up at Lin Ran looming over him and obediently stuck out his tongue.

Seeing Lin Ran still staring at it, Shi Cha, tongue still out, mumbled, “It’s fine, doesn’t hurt anymore.”

But as Lin Ran lightly touched the tip of his tongue with his fingertip, Shi Cha gasped again.

Lin Ran lowered his hand. “Still saying it doesn’t hurt?”

With that, he turned around, went into the kitchen, and poured a glass of cool boiled water, handing it to Shi Cha.

“Hold this in your mouth to cool your tongue. Until it’s healed, no spicy food.”

Shi Cha glanced at Lin Ran, then obediently held a mouthful of cool water to help lower the temperature on his tongue.

After a few rounds of this, the burning sensation finally began to fade. Shi Cha timidly asked, “Can I eat now?”

Lin Ran picked up a soup dumpling and tasted it. It really wasn’t hot anymore.

Only then did he pick up another dumpling and place it on Shi Cha’s plate. At the same time, he took the dumpling Shi Cha had bitten into earlier and moved it to his own plate.

Shi Cha stole a glance at Lin Ran and noticed that he seemed a little unhappy.

He stirred his porridge with a spoon and mumbled an apology, “Sorry.”

Lin Ran suddenly looked up. “Why are you apologizing?”

Still keeping his head down, Shi Cha poked at his bowl with the spoon. “Because you’re upset.”

Lin Ran sighed. This little one was too sensitive.

He set his chopsticks down. “Look at me.”

Shi Cha lifted his head at the sound of his voice, only to see Lin Ran gazing at him seriously.

“I am a bit upset—but not at you. I’m upset with myself. I don’t have much experience taking care of people, and that’s why you ended up getting burned. I wasn’t angry just now—I was just thinking about what I need to do better in the future so I can take proper care of you.”

Shi Cha’s lips parted slightly. He wanted to ask, Why do you want to take care of me?

But then it occurred to him—Lin Ran was his brother’s friend, now living next door. His brother had just run into Lin Ran earlier this morning, so it was likely he’d asked Lin Ran to look after him.

It must be because of his brother that Lin Ran was being so kind.

Shi Cha gave a small nod. “Oh. I see.”

Lin Ran: “???”

I was talking about taking care of you—what exactly did you just ‘see’?

Lin Ran picked up his chopsticks again and ate the half-bitten soup dumpling Shi Cha had been burned by.

Then he reminded him, “It’s not hot anymore. Eat while it’s warm—once it gets cold, it won’t taste good.”

Shi Cha’s ears turned red, and his chest warmed. He obediently nibbled at the dumpling in small bites, a flicker of sweetness and delight fluttering in his heart.

Even if Lin Ran was only taking care of him because of his brother’s request, he still didn’t mind that Shi Cha had taken a bite of the food. Just like yesterday on the show—so it hadn’t been for show after all.

Even if he was only being treated like a friend’s younger brother, Shi Cha was still very happy.

With his lashes lowered, he hid his expression from Lin Ran. In his eyes, unseen from across the table, was the shy joy of a boy falling in love.

The meal dragged on slowly. Though both of them had thoughts in their hearts, neither wanted their time together to end too soon.

But as soon as the clock hit 8:30, Shi Cha’s phone alarm went off.

He had promised his livestream viewers yesterday that he would be on time today.

Now, holding his phone, he hesitated. If he started the stream, Lin Ran definitely couldn’t stay. But if he didn’t, he’d be going back on his word.

Lin Ran noticed his inner struggle and asked, “You’ve got something to do, don’t you?”

Shi Cha pressed his lips together. As expected, Lin Ran was thoughtful and understanding. He gave a small nod.

Seeing that, Lin Ran stood up.

Shi Cha immediately thought Lin Ran was about to leave, and quickly added, “There’s still half an hour left.”

Lin Ran curved his lips into a smile. “I’m not leaving yet. I’ve got to clean up this whole table first, don’t I?”

Shi Cha’s attempt to make him stay had clearly been seen through, which only made him feel more embarrassed. Bracing himself, he stood up as well. “I can clean it up myself.”

But Lin Ran stopped him. “Didn’t you just burn your tongue? Sit down—I’ve got it.”

Shi Cha didn’t quite understand.

He’d burned his tongue, not his hands, so why couldn’t he clean up? Besides, his tongue didn’t even hurt anymore.

But Lin Ran firmly pushed him back down into the chair, so Shi Cha could only watch as Lin Ran rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt and began clearing everything from the table. He took the bowls, utensils, and plates into the kitchen sink.

Through the clear glass door, Shi Cha could see Lin Ran washing the dishes in the kitchen.

Water soaked the well-defined muscles of Lin Ran’s arms, and droplets trailed down his forearms as he moved.

Shi Cha glanced over, then quickly turned his head away, blushing, unable to keep watching.

It was the first time he realized that having someone else in his home didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.

In fact, he found himself wishing that he could see this person—and this scene—every single day.

Shi Cha shook his head, beginning to suspect something was wrong with him.

He hadn’t even been thinking too hard lately, yet now he was indulging in completely unrealistic fantasies.

He rolled up his own sleeve and looked at his forearm.

Because he spent so much time indoors and didn’t exercise, his arms were slim, pale, and lacking any muscle—completely different from Lin Ran’s toned and defined forearms.

Shi Cha pressed his lips together.

Would Brother Lin Ran think I’m too weak and skinny?

Should I start working out?

---

Author’s note:

Xiao Shi Cha lifted his head and stuck out his tongue, looking at Lin Ran in confusion. “Mmmph… it doesn’t hurt.”

Lin Ran’s gaze deepened. He leaned over the table and gently took that reddened little tongue tip into his mouth. “This way, it won’t hurt.”

Xiao Shi Cha: “Mmmph… mmhh~”

---

---

Chapter 22 – Two Super Topics

---

Although he had gone to sleep at 1 a.m. the night before, Lin Ran woke up at six in the morning.

After exercising for an hour, he remembered the plan his agent, Li Xin’an, had suggested yesterday.

Although he didn’t think Li Xin’an was very reliable, he didn’t have a better idea for how to pursue someone, so he decided to follow the advice and personally buy breakfast to bring to Shi Cha.

After changing into a fresh outfit and picking up the assorted breakfast he’d bought, Lin Ran walked over to knock on the door across the hall.

Just then, the elevator chimed with a ding.

A man stepped out of the elevator, holding an insulated food container in his left hand while tapping on his phone with his right.

When the man looked up, he saw Lin Ran standing at the door.

“Huh? When did you move in here? I forgot to tell you—my little brother is living in my place now.”

The newcomer was none other than Shi Cha’s older brother, Shi Jian.

Seeing Lin Ran at the door, Shi Jian casually walked over to the door next to it and started knocking, explaining as he did:

“My brother changed the lock, so now even I can’t get in. He has to open the door for me. Oh, right, it’s been a while since you saw Shi Cha, hasn’t it? Let’s all have breakfast together.”

However, after knocking, there was no response from inside.

He frowned—he’d just messaged Shi Cha to say he was here.

Shi Jian habitually took a step back and glanced up at the apartment number.

2001.

Huh? 2001?

Shi Jian turned to Lin Ran with a suspicious look. “Why are you standing in front of my door? Did you get the wrong apartment?”

Lin Ran really wanted to say, Nope, I didn’t. I’m here to visit your place.

If it were just an old friend, he would’ve joked about it casually. But now that this person was his potential future brother-in-law, he suddenly didn’t know how to explain.

Lin Ran paused, then said abruptly, “I have something to talk to you about.”

Without giving Shi Jian a chance to respond, he grabbed him by the arm and steered him into his own apartment.

He then placed both the food he’d bought and Shi Jian’s insulated container onto the table.

Shi Jian, now seated on the sofa, picked up a bottle of water from the table, unscrewed it, took a sip, and looked confused.

“What are you doing? Why all the mystery?”

Lin Ran gently rubbed his thumb and index finger together. “There’s something I need to tell you. Prepare yourself mentally.”

Shi Jian looked puzzled. “What could you possibly say that I need to mentally prepare for?”

“It’s a bit sudden, but I think I still need to let you know first.”

Shi Jian grew impatient. “Just spit it out, will you? If you’ve got something to say, say it. If not, I’m leaving. That insulated container has porridge my mom made especially for Shi Cha. If it gets cold, it won’t taste good anymore.”

“I’m planning to pursue Shi Cha!”

Shi Jian choked on a breath and immediately spat it out. He couldn’t believe his ears and his voice shot up. “What?!”

Lin Ran repeated sincerely, “I’m planning to pursue Shi Cha.”

Then, as if afraid it hadn’t sunk in—or perhaps on purpose—he added again for emphasis:

“That’s your biological little brother. Shi Cha.”

Shi Jian picked up the tissue box from the table and threw it at Lin Ran. “Are you out of your mind? I treat you like a brother, and you… you want to become my… whatever. Forget it. Let me tell you—don’t try your entertainment industry tricks on my little brother. He’s not like those people.”

When the tissue box hit him, Lin Ran didn’t dodge. Luckily, it was a soft box and didn’t break his head.

That at least showed that Shi Jian had held back.

“I’m serious,” Lin Ran said. “And I know exactly what I’m doing.”

Shi Jian took a few deep gulps of water.

The two had been friends since middle school—over ten years now. He knew Lin Ran’s character well. And all these years, he had never seen Lin Ran with a girlfriend—not even a boyfriend, for that matter.

It had never crossed his mind that Lin Ran would fall for his younger brother.

He didn’t want to ask when Lin Ran started having these feelings. Since Lin Ran was telling him now, that meant he’d seriously thought it through.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Lin Ran waited, wondering whether Shi Jian would challenge him or set any conditions.

Shi Jian held the water bottle for a long while, tightened his grip, cleared his throat, and finally spoke.

“There’s something I need to make clear too. What was said yesterday on the variety show—about Shi Cha having social anxiety —he’s actually never been cured. And with current medical technology, there’s no way to completely cure it.”

Lin Ran lowered his head. Based on how Shi Cha had behaved yesterday, he had already started to suspect something. After all, Shi Cha’s demeanor at the end had been very different from how he first appeared.

“I remember you told me a long time ago that Shi Cha had gotten a lot better.”

Shi Jian nodded.

“At that time, our whole family thought he was getting better. During middle and high school, he even asked to skip grades himself. He eventually got into A University and started actively studying things he hadn’t cared much about before.”

“Although Shi Cha has social anxiety, he showed an exceptional memory and talent in art and music—he’s what people usually call a ‘genius.’ But that kind of gift also made him different from other kids.”

As he spoke, Shi Jian let out a self-deprecating laugh. For others, “genius” might be a compliment, but for their family, it was synonymous with pain.

Shi Cha had once suffered from severe insomnia and nervous exhaustion because of his overwhelming memory.

Shi Jian continued:

“Later on, when Shi Cha wanted to enter the acting department, none of us opposed him. At the time, we thought he had improved a lot. We believed it was a good sign that he was willing to engage with the outside world.”

“But in his junior year, he suddenly spiraled into self-destructive behavior. He completely shut himself off, refusing to be around people—not even me or our parents.”

“The only person he would talk to was a friend from school.”

“I think it was because that person didn’t know about his social anxiety, so they became a kind of bridge—a way for him to stay connected to the outside world.”

Lin Ran didn’t know what had happened to Shi Cha back then, but just hearing this made his chest tighten painfully.

“And after that?” he asked.

“Later, just before he graduated, he suddenly came home one day and told us that he liked men, that he wanted to live alone from now on, and asked us not to bother him unless necessary.”

“So, I gave him this apartment to live in and occasionally drop by to check if he needs anything. I’m not sure what he’s been doing these past three months, but I can clearly feel that his emotions have become much more stable.”

“But during the end of yesterday’s program, his behavior wasn’t right. I think he had completely immersed himself in a role—not as himself.”

“That’s why I wanted to come over today to check on him.”

After saying all this, Shi Jian let out a deep sigh and looked at Lin Ran, who had been sitting quietly with his head down.

“Even knowing all this, would you still be willing to be with someone like Shi Cha?”

Upon hearing that, Lin Ran suddenly looked up—his eyes were already red, full of deep sorrow and compassion for Shi Cha.

Without hesitation, he said firmly, “I’m willing!”

“But Shi Cha may not accept you…” Shi Jian still hesitated.

Lin Ran suddenly smiled, “I think I still have a chance. Giving up without even trying—that’s not how I do things.”

Seeing he couldn’t stop him, Shi Jian gave up trying to talk him out of it. If Lin Ran could truly be with Shi Cha, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.

“Alright then.”

…

While Shi Jian was talking with Lin Ran, Shi Cha was lying on his bed scrolling through Weibo.

What Shi Jian said wasn’t wrong—his social anxiety hadn’t been cured, but it had improved quite a bit recently.

Using the internet to communicate while wearing a kind of “mask” had genuinely helped ease his symptoms.

Shi Cha wasn’t someone who used Weibo to document his daily life. His account served only one purpose: to follow Lin Ran and stay updated on everything related to him.

He only followed one person.

But today, he suddenly discovered a “Super Topic” called ‘LinShi CP’, and to his surprise, it was about Lin Ran and himself.

Shi Cha blushed but resisted the urge to click immediately—then quietly tapped in.

Then he was surprised to discover that the entire topic was filled with posts about him and Lin Ran.

He clicked through them one by one—many were clips from variety shows featuring him and Lin Ran, and there were even fanfics about the two of them.

Shi Cha: “???”

They can really go this far?

It was like a whole new world had opened up for him. He watched with great interest and even gave a thumbs-up to the particularly well-written fanfics.

When he finally exited the topic, he quietly followed the “LinShi CP” super topic.

But just as he left the “LinShi CP” thread, the algorithm recommended another one: the “LinYao CP” super topic.

At first, he hadn’t intended to click on it, but while scrolling, he accidentally tapped into it.

To his surprise, the posts were all about Lin Ran and the streamer Cun Yao.

All the video edits were from the games he and Lin Ran had played together. After seeing the compilations, Shi Cha realized for the first time just how well the two of them had worked together.

Delighted, he rolled around his bed a couple of times.

Suddenly, a post titled “Brother Lin Ran” got bumped to the top again.

Curious, Shi Cha clicked it, thinking it was just some fan sharing photos of Lin Ran. But to his surprise, it was an edited video.

The moment it started playing, he realized it was from the very first game he had ever played with Lin Ran. This version, however, had cut out all his voice lines and overlaid them with expressive subtitles and effects.

“Brother, come here~”

“Brother, let’s gank top together~”

“Brother, we can gank bot lane too~”

“Brother, take this blue buff. A mage’s mana is like a man’s kidney—you can’t go into battle without bullets~”

By that point, Shi Cha fumbled to shut the video off in a panic.

The comment section was full of things like:

[Hahahahahaha]

[Green-tea baby wife x silent boss—this CP is too good to not ship!]

Shi Cha buried his face in the pillow like an ostrich.

But the downside of having an excellent memory quickly made itself known—even though he’d turned the video off, every line he had said replayed vividly in his mind.

Aaaahhh!! Why did I have to be such a flirt back then?!

And now it was immortalized online, playing over and over again for people to laugh at.

And those fans… how could they even ship this CP?

So cursed!

…That said, after being an ostrich for a while, Shi Cha’s face still burning, he reopened his phone and quietly followed the “LinYao CP” super topic too.

---

---

Chapter 21 – Could It Be a Thief?

---

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow, watching Shi Cha—who suddenly seemed like a completely different person—start roasting Lu Lecheng mercilessly. Lin Ran chuckled and joined in.

“In that case, I have a regret too. During those three years of competing, I only ever won championship trophies. I still don’t know what the silver and bronze medals feel like.”

Everyone else: “???”

You too? Why have you started showing off too?

But with Lin Ran chiming in like that, Shi Cha’s earlier comments didn’t come off as overly aggressive anymore. The atmosphere at the scene became much more relaxed.

Zhong Jiarong picked up the thread. “If we’re talking regrets, I have one too. Sigh, I’ve performed at the Spring Festival Gala six years in a row. At this point, I’ve completely forgotten what it feels like to watch it from home.”

His comment had everyone laughing, and the others began sharing their own “Versailles” moments from their respective fields.

Throughout the rest of the conversation, Shi Cha held his own perfectly—engaging, articulate, and completely at ease.

The show wrapped up quickly amidst the warm and cheerful atmosphere.

Afterward, Shi Cha waved goodbye to the others and politely declined the ride arranged by the production team. He stood alone by the roadside, preparing to hail a taxi to the station.

But once he was away from the others, the hand reaching for his phone began to tremble. He tapped the ride-hailing app several times, but couldn’t open it.

A black van pulled up silently in front of him.

Then, the door opened—and Lin Ran stepped out.

He walked over to Shi Cha and, seeing how pale his face was, felt as if a giant hand was squeezing his heart.

Gently, he straightened Shi Cha’s coat. Then, placing his warm palm over Shi Cha’s trembling hand clutching the phone, he said in a soft and steady voice, “I’ll take you home.”

To Shi Cha, that livestream had merely been an impromptu acting class—an exercise in temporarily distancing himself from the emotional impact of Lu Lecheng’s words.

He had slipped into a role: someone who was composed, witty, and not above tossing a few playful jabs.

By now, he had just stepped out of the role he had been playing. His true self—the real Shi Cha—started to resurface. His head spun in waves, and his hands and feet grew icy cold, no longer obeying his commands.

“I…” Using Lin Ran’s hand for support, he tried to refuse being sent home.

But after uttering just one word, Lin Ran pushed him into the van, leaving no room for refusal.

“I’m a good friend of your brother’s. I can’t just leave you here alone. Come on.”

Shi Cha struggled to steady his emotions, determined not to lose face in front of Lin Ran.

Once inside the car, his phone rang.

It was his close friend Du Yan calling.

“Shi Cha, where are you? Don’t run off. I’m your temporary manager now and I’m coming to pick you up.”

Shi Cha glanced at Lin Ran, who was sitting to his right, and quietly declined Du Yan’s offer.

“I’ve got a friend giving me a ride. No need to trouble you.”

Du Yan was surprised. “Wait, you actually have friends besides me?”

Shi Cha: “…”

Then Du Yan added, “Don’t tell me it’s a girlfriend?”

His loud voice carried every word perfectly through the phone speaker.

Shi Cha secretly glanced at Lin Ran, wondering if he had heard Du Yan’s nonsense.

“I—I’m already on my way back. You don’t need to come.”

Fearing that Du Yan might say something even more ridiculous, Shi Cha sped through his words and hung up decisively.

Thanks to Du Yan’s interruption, Shi Cha gradually pulled himself out of his panic.

Lin Ran rested his head on his hand, turned toward Shi Cha, and quietly asked, “You have a girlfriend?”

Shi Cha’s heart skipped a beat. Unsure whether Lin Ran had caught the first part of the call, he quickly denied, “No, I don’t.”

After speaking, he turned his gaze to the window.

No, it wasn’t really a denial—he was telling the truth.

On the glass window, Lin Ran’s shadow was still looking toward Shi Cha.

Their eyes met in the reflection, and Shi Cha awkwardly looked away.

Because the manager and assistant were also in the car, Lin Ran understood that Shi Cha wasn’t comfortable in this environment, so he didn’t push the conversation. He only occasionally threw out a casual comment or two.

An hour later, the car entered Shi Cha’s city.

“Where do you live? I can drop you off on the way.”

Shi Cha didn’t understand—Lin Ran didn’t even know where he lived, so how could it be “on the way”? But he pressed his lips together and still gave his address.

After all, after this, the two probably wouldn’t see each other again.

Selfishly, he wanted to spend a little more time with Lin Ran, even though they hadn’t said much.

When Lin Ran heard the name of the residential complex, he raised an eyebrow. “Is that the place your brother Shi Jian lives?”

Shi Cha nodded. “Yeah. After I graduated, I moved there.”

As for why he moved out, he didn’t say, and Lin Ran didn’t ask.

Shi Cha asked, “How did you know that was my brother’s place? Have you been there before?”

As far as he knew, Shi Jian hadn’t actually lived there.

“That house was designed and decorated by me,” Lin Ran said.

Shi Cha nodded. “Oh.”

So that must be why Lin Ran knew where his brother’s house was—because he helped decorate it.

What Lin Ran didn’t say was that he had never actually been inside Shi Jian’s place. The design plans were originally for his own home, but Shi Jian had seen them, liked them, and ended up having the exact same setup installed.

Half an hour later, the car pulled up at the entrance to the complex. Shi Cha quickly said, “You can just drop me off here. I’ll walk the rest of the way.”

Lin Ran didn’t insist and told the driver to pull over.

Shi Cha opened the door, grabbed his luggage, and stood outside, waving to Lin Ran who rolled down his window.

Only after Lin Ran’s car had driven far away did Shi Cha slowly drag his suitcase toward home.

Lu Lecheng’s earlier words had indeed affected him, but over the years, he had learned to regulate his emotions.

Right now, his heart and mind were full of Lin Ran.

Just as Shi Cha was about to enter the complex gate, someone suddenly jumped out and crossed his arms, blocking his way.

It was Du Yan.

Squinting, Du Yan looked him over like a spy. “Who just brought you back?”

Du Yan had been waiting for Shi Cha in the security guard’s room. The person who brought Shi Cha back was a bit far away, so he hadn’t seen clearly.

Shi Cha pursed his lips but didn’t try to hide it. “Lin Ran.”

“What? Lin Ran? The Lin Ran—the one who’s hot right now?”

After his surprise, Du Yan scrutinized Shi Cha again. “What’s your relationship with him? Why did he bring you back?”

Shi Cha was too tired to answer and simply walked around Du Yan toward home.

“You definitely haven’t watched the livestreams these past couple of days.”

Feeling a bit guilty, Du Yan rubbed his nose. He really hadn’t watched the livestream.

“I’ve been crazy busy these past few days—picked up a bunch of new clients. I’ve barely had time to rest or even go home. Just as I finished up, I thought of you. I was worried you wouldn’t have a ride back, so I was planning to drive out and pick you up.”

Du Yan rambled on the whole way, while Shi Cha only occasionally responded with a brief “Mm.”

When Du Yan came inside, he suddenly felt something was off.

“Why do I feel like you came back from recording some variety show and that you’re in a much better mood? Did something fun happen?”

Shi Cha ignored him completely, simply pulling dirty clothes from his suitcase and stuffing them into the washing machine.

Du Yan followed, still gossiping. “Or… did you meet someone who made you happy?”

Shi Cha’s hand paused on the washing machine controls, but he resumed pressing buttons casually and replied, “No, stop guessing.”

Du Yan slapped his thigh. “Then there is something!”

He rolled his eyes. “Could it be Lin Ran?”

Shi Cha just happened to be by the sofa and threw a pillow at Du Yan.

“Don’t say nonsense. Lin Ran and I don’t have anything.”

“Oh, Lin Ran, huh?”

Du Yan caught the pillow easily and hugged it. “Shi Cha, you might not realize this, but you only deny like that when you’re lying. Usually, you just ignore me!”

Shi Cha: “…”

Du Yan, sitting cross-legged with the pillow, had already started analyzing.

“Lin Ran’s a former Peak champion. Even retired, he’s an idol to esports fans. And since you love Peak so much, you’re probably a fan too. Fans getting personally escorted home by their idol—that’s definitely something to be happy about.”

Du Yan nodded at his own reasoning, convinced he was right.

Shi Cha: “…”

Well, if you want to interpret it that way, fine.

…

Inside the van.

Manager Li Xin’an was reviewing the earlier livestream footage. After watching it, he turned to Lin Ran and asked,

“You said you were going to promote your movie, right? But I looked through it all, and you never mentioned it once.”

He quickly added, “Don’t tell me you forgot. Don’t blame me for dragging you onto Qi Jing’s show.”

Lin Ran hadn’t forgotten. When he saw Shi Cha yesterday, he changed his mind on the spot.

He didn’t reply to Li Xin’an but gave another instruction: “Help me pack my stuff today. I’m moving tonight.”

“Moving? Where to?”

“To that residential complex we just passed. I have an apartment there. Didn’t you say someone found my current address before? It’ll be better if I change places.”

Li Xin’an looked at him with suspicion in his eyes.

“I saw the hot topics about you online these past couple of days. You’re not seriously interested in that kid, are you? Let me warn you—right now you’re at the peak of your fame. Stirring up a fake relationship for hype is one thing, but if a real romance breaks out now, that won’t be good. You’ll lose a ton of fans.”

Lin Ran didn’t care at all. “Let them drop. I’m planning to be a director in the future and basically won’t take acting jobs anymore. No need to maintain a single status just to keep fans loyal.”

Li Xin’an was shocked and turned around in disbelief. “Dude, you’re joking, right? You’re really going to date that kid?”

Lin Ran chuckled lightly. “Date? I haven’t even gotten him yet!”

“Whoa—” Li Xin’an gasped, then hurriedly told the assistant and driver, “Pretend you didn’t hear any of this!”

He then leaned toward Lin Ran with a serious face. “Are you really sure?”

Lin Ran nodded. “Of course.”

Li Xin’an bit back his frustration and could only warn, “Just keep it low-key while you’re chasing him.”

Lin Ran: “…”

Li Xin’an thought for a moment, then asked, “So, now that you’re moving there, how do you plan to woo him?”

“I’ll give you some advice. You can bring him food and drinks every day, invite him to watch movies. Actually, no—that’s too obvious. You guys need to be discreet, not wandering around. Forget it, just watch movies at home.”

Lin Ran: “…”

He lifted his eyelids slightly and looked at the chatty Li Xin’an.

“Let me remind you—You’ve been chasing this guy for almost ten years and still haven’t won him over. If I listened to you, would I ever have a chance to get out of being single?”

Li Xin’an: “…”

I try to help you with ideas, and you hit me like that!

I shouldn’t have said anything!

He turned away angrily, deciding not to talk to Lin Ran anymore today.

Five minutes later.

“The Peak All-Star Tournament this time is being held right here in our Seaport City. It lasts four days in total, but we’re not participating in all the matches, so we don’t have to go every day. Also…”

Li Xin’an went through all the details of the All-Star Tournament on his tablet in a smooth and detailed manner.

Lin Ran had taken part in several All-Star tournaments before, so even without Li Xin’an explaining, he was familiar with everything.

At the end, he suddenly said, “Later, get in touch with the club and help me prepare two Super VIP tickets.”

“Huh?” Li Xin’an was puzzled. Lin Ran himself was a player, and he had a special player’s seat.

“Two tickets? For whom?”

“What, you want to come too? If you guys want to go, prepare a few more tickets separately—don’t put them next to mine.”

Li Xin’an: “…”

“Don’t tell me you want to bring your crush along?”

By this time, the car had arrived at the company building. Lin Ran didn’t answer Li Xin’an’s question but his expression clearly told him: You guessed right.

Li Xin’an: “!!!”

After getting out of the car, Lin Ran reminded his assistant to start packing his stuff and said he’d move out once he finished his work.

That night, just past ten, Shi Cha was already lying in bed.

As he was about to sleep, he suddenly heard quite a bit of noise outside his door.

He had lived here for three months and never heard any noise outside before. Now suddenly there was a commotion.

Could it be a burglar?

Wearing his pajamas, he quietly went to the kitchen, grabbed a kitchen knife, then carefully crept to the door and looked through the peephole.

Outside, there were no burglars—just movers in company uniforms carrying large and small packages into the neighboring apartment.

Inside the apartment, a girl was directing where to place the items. Though from Shi Cha’s vantage point, he couldn’t see her clearly.

Shi Cha thought to himself: So the girl across the hall just moved in recently—no wonder I hadn’t seen anyone before.

Though the noise was somewhat loud, it wasn’t enough to disturb the neighbors and was still within a tolerable range.

Seeing that there was no threat, Shi Cha relaxed, put the knife down on the table, then found a pair of earplugs and put them in. He returned to bed and soon fell asleep.

---

---

Chapter 20 – I Have Regrets Too

---

The video began to play, and music started to flow.

Shi Cha watched the characters’ lip movements on screen and fluently delivered all their lines.

One moment he was a handsome prince, the next an elderly servant, then a group of beautiful princesses, and finally a few small animals watching the ball unfold.

Each character’s voice and emotion were distinctly different.

Though Shi Cha’s expression remained cold, the emotions in his lines matched each character with striking accuracy. Even the opera parts were sung using classical bel canto technique.

The reactions of those present at the scene were one thing—but in the livestream chat, question marks flooded the entire screen.

[“？？？？？？”]

[“？？？？？？”]

[“Is he even human? How can a person make so many different voices?”]

[“Although… in ancient China, there was a performance art called kouji (vocal mimicry), so I guess it’s not that unbelievable for Shi Cha to be this skilled.”]

[“Emmm… I get all that. I’m not jealous of his voice tricks or anything. I just want to know—where can I get that photographic memory? Exams are coming up, and I desperately need that skill!”]

[“Sure, he can match the voices and lip movements—but how can you be sure his French is legit? That huge chunk of French dialogue could be totally made up!”]

[“I’m a French major who just passed the TEM-8 (Test for English Majors, Band 8), and I can say with confidence that Shi Cha’s French is extremely accurate—at least at the C1 level.”]

[“Pfft, is C1 even that impressive? Why not say he’s got an A1 level while you’re at it?”]

[“The scary thing about haters isn’t that they exist—it’s that some of them are completely uneducated. You think it’s like a driver’s license where A is hard and C is easy? In language proficiency, A1 is the lowest level and C2 is the highest. C1 is equivalent to advanced professional fluency.”]

This bit of online knowledge-sharing shut up many of the haters who were attacking just for the sake of it.

Among the people on site, aside from Lin Ran and Lu Lecheng, everyone looked shocked, repeatedly exclaiming in surprise.

Lin Ran’s face was full of pride, like a parent watching their child win an award after performing on stage.

Lu Lecheng, on the other hand, could barely maintain his fake smile. He knew Shi Cha was talented—but not this talented.

Back when they were in school, Shi Cha had always kept a low profile. He never seemed to enjoy the spotlight this much.

His face pale, Lu Lecheng turned to Lin Ran, who looked like he was basking in reflected glory.

If not for Lin Ran’s suggestion, Shi Cha never would’ve asked to redub the film.

And without Shi Cha, Lu Lecheng would have undoubtedly been the star of the day. The company had already bought press releases in advance, but now Shi Cha had swooped in and ruined everything!

When he saw Shi Cha walking over, a surge of anger rushed through Lu Lecheng, and he blurted out:

“Shi Cha, I heard the school only allowed you to live off-campus because you used to self-harm due to autism. I didn’t expect your autistic condition to have improved this much.”

Shi Cha’s past self-harming behavior due to autism was something Lü Lecheng had overheard once, in a conversation between the student advisor and a teacher.

He had never imagined that one day he’d expose this information—especially not during a live variety show. But in that moment, driven by the ugliest parts of human nature, he simply couldn’t bear being overshadowed by Shi Cha anymore, always playing second fiddle, never getting his moment in the sun.

He wanted to destroy Shi Cha—he wanted a future where this person no longer existed in his world.

As soon as Lu Lecheng spoke, everyone’s expression changed.

Zhong Jiarong and the others quickly turned to look at Shi Cha.

Although Shi Cha hadn’t officially entered the entertainment industry yet, just being a graduate of A University—and with that face alone—meant that if he wanted to, he could easily establish himself in the industry.

But now, with Lu Lecheng suddenly exposing his past involving autism and self-harm, it was like planting a landmine right before Shi Cha could take his first step into showbiz.

Lin Ran immediately stepped forward, shielding Shi Cha and blocking the camera from filming his face any further.

Zhong Jiarong quickly tried to steer the conversation away. “Rumors, you know—they always get more ridiculous the more they spread. Maybe he just cut his finger while peeling fruit. One time when I was chopping vegetables, I had a nosebleed from the heat, got blood all over my face and hands. My wife saw me holding a knife and bleeding, thought I’d slit my wrists or something!”

But Lu Lecheng had no intention of letting it go. At this point, he had already played the villain. If he didn’t deal a real blow to Shi Cha, then all his earlier cruelty would’ve been for nothing.

He looked toward Shi Cha, who was now hiding behind Lin Ran with only the back of his head visible, and put on an expression of false concern.

“Shi Cha, seeing how far you’ve come really makes me happy. I hope you’ll be able to enter the entertainment world someday—not live in fear whenever you’re around people.”

“That’s enough!”

Lin Ran, who had previously maintained a calm and gentle demeanor, now turned ice-cold, his entire presence sharp and unrelenting. His gaze sliced across Lu Lecheng like a blade.

“His life is none of your business. Just worry about your own.”

Lu Lecheng looked full of grievance.

“Brother Lin Ran, I’m sorry, I misspoke—please don’t be angry.”

Then he turned to face the livestream camera.

“I’m sorry, everyone. I wasn’t thinking and said something inappropriate. I truly apologize.”

As he spoke, he bowed a full ninety degrees to the camera, appearing deeply sincere.

Qi Jing’s expression wasn’t looking good either—she hadn’t expected Lu Lecheng to suddenly pull something like this. The livestream was about to end, so she couldn’t just shut it off abruptly.

She looked at Lin Ran, silently asking with her eyes how Shi Cha was doing.

If possible, she still hoped Shi Cha could step forward and clarify a few things, so they wouldn’t be flooded with a wave of negative headlines tomorrow.

Lin Ran turned around to face Shi Cha, slightly adjusting his coat to shield him from view.

From everyone else’s angle, it looked like Lin Ran had wrapped Shi Cha entirely in his embrace.

“Are you okay?”

Shi Cha, who had just moments ago seemed lost and abandoned by the whole world, lifted his head slightly when he heard the voice.

His gaze slowly came into focus, and the confusion and helplessness in his eyes began to fade.

[I…]

He was just about to say I’m fine, when he realized his throat felt blocked—he couldn’t get a single word out.

Trying to force himself to speak, he started coughing—but the more he coughed, the worse it got, until he was doubled over and dry heaving.

Qi Jing quickly signaled the camera crew to shift to another part of the set to film the remaining shots.

Lin Ran brought over a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Shi Cha.

Shi Cha drank several gulps before he could breathe properly again.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

His voice, unlike the cool and aloof tone he had intentionally used earlier, now sounded soft, sweet, and weak.

Lin Ran looked at Shi Cha, whose face was still pale, and suggested gently, “Why don’t we go back to the room and rest for a bit?”

But to his surprise, Shi Cha shook his head and asked a different question.

“Do you think my brother and parents will watch this show?”

He didn’t wait for Lin Ran to answer. Instead, he started talking to himself, analyzing the situation.

“Qi Jing was my mom’s student. She probably told her I’d be on this show. So… they might watch it. I shouldn’t have let them see me like this.”

As he spoke, he began nervously biting his thumb—a habit he had whenever he was anxious.

“I promised them I could live well on my own.”

With that, he straightened up and began walking toward the next filming location.

After taking a dozen or so steps, he suddenly stopped, turned to look at Lin Ran, who was following closely behind—and in that moment, it was as if he’d become someone else entirely.

Gentle, composed, with a calm and confident smile.

Lin Ran was slightly taken aback—this version of Shi Cha didn’t feel like the same person.

Shi Cha smiled faintly and looked at Lin Ran.

“Come on, the show should be ending soon. I’m still waiting to collect my paycheck.”

At the time, Zhong Jiarong and the others were chatting casually.

Well—“casually”—some were trying to build rapport, while others were taking the chance to promote their latest works or upcoming schedules.

For example, Zhou Caizhe was sharing some behind-the-scenes stories from a drama he’d filmed, which had already been scheduled to air in half a month on three major platforms.

Lu Lecheng also used the opportunity to announce that his group was about to hold a concert.

As the conversation continued, Shi Cha and Lin Ran walked over.

Zhong Jiarong glanced at Lin Ran first. Seeing no particular expression on his face, he figured Shi Cha was probably fine.

He quickly waved them over to sit down, and Wu Heze cooperatively made space for them.

“Just now, Heze was telling us your ‘Summit’ All-Star match is about to start. Lin Ran, you’re still ranked first. Looks like even after retirement, the audience hasn’t forgotten you.”

Not knowing how to bring up Shi Cha right away, he steered the topic toward Lin Ran instead.

Lin Ran responded openly, “Voting was supposed to end this morning. I haven’t had a chance to check the results yet.”

Wu Heze laughed. “I just secretly checked on my phone—you’ve made it in. And you had the highest support rate among all the players.”

Lin Ran took the opportunity to thank the fans watching the livestream.

Meanwhile, Shi Cha—no longer putting on the aloof “wallpaper” persona—actually joined in to tease Lin Ran a little.

Seeing that he seemed perfectly normal, Wu Heze and the others finally relaxed.

Only Lu Lecheng shot Shi Cha a strange look before speaking in a worried tone, “Shi Cha, you were throwing up just now. Are you really okay? Do you want to rest a bit longer?”

Though his words sounded caring, everyone present couldn’t help frowning.

Did he really think they couldn’t hear the passive-aggressiveness behind it? This was textbook green tea behavior.

Shi Cha replied with a calm smile, showing no sign of irritation.

“Thanks for your concern, I’m fine. I probably just overate this morning and felt a bit stuffed.”

Then he casually brought up the earlier incident.

“By the way, about what you mentioned earlier—I’ll admit, I was a little withdrawn as a kid. But that was all before I was seven or eight. Otherwise, how could I have skipped two grades and still gotten into A University as the top-ranked student? I even found time to study painting, music, calligraphy, astronomy—and learned ten foreign languages on the side.”

Everyone: “…”

Where did this sudden humblebrag come from?

“As for the self-harm you mentioned—it was probably this.”

As Shi Cha spoke, he rolled up his sleeve and revealed a five-centimeter-long scar on his forearm, near the wrist. But it ran along the length of the arm—not across it.

When Lin Ran saw the scar on Shi Cha’s arm, he froze.

He hadn’t realized this scar might be mistaken by others as a sign of self-harm.

“This scar is from when I accidentally cut myself as a kid. Maybe someone saw it and just misunderstood.”

Shi Cha smoothly explained the self-harm rumors. His tone was open and candid—nothing about it felt like a lie.

Zhong Jiarong chuckled, half-joking, half-serious: “I knew it had to be a misunderstanding. Xiao Lu, you really can’t believe everything you hear, you know? Haha.”

He hadn’t thought much of Lu Lecheng before, but after today’s behavior, he found him rather off-putting.

Being called out by an industry senior, Lu Lecheng’s face flushed red and then pale. Still, he didn’t believe Shi Cha’s explanation one bit.

Shi Cha had always been withdrawn and socially anxious at school, barely interacting with classmates. There was no way, in his mind, that Shi Cha’s condition had magically improved.

Just as he was about to speak again, Shi Cha cut him off.

“Lecheng, remember when Professor Wu recommended me to interview at Huashi? I had something going on at the time, so I declined. Didn’t you volunteer to go in my place after that?”

Lu Lecheng blinked, caught off guard by the sudden topic change.

“Huashi only recruits two students from our school each year. Did you not pass the interview?”

Lu Lecheng: “…” I…

Shi Cha gave him a sympathetic look. “That’s really a shame.”

Before Lu Lecheng could react, Shi Cha continued: “But it’s fine! You’re now the captain of… uh… ‘TOP0’, right? That’s great too. Idol groups these days can stay popular for two whole years.”

“…”

Lu Lecheng’s lips twitched. He wanted to curse. What’s that supposed to mean? Are you cursing me to flop?

Zhou Caizhe couldn’t hold back and gently corrected him from the side, “It’s ‘TOPONE.’”

Shi Cha immediately apologized, sounding completely sincere.

“Sorry, I didn’t watch the show and got the name wrong. I thought your group aimed to be better than first place! But ‘TOPONE’ is a great name too. I hope that in places where I’m not around, you can keep rising—and finally stop finishing second.”

“After all, back in school, you never did get first place, right? I imagine that must still sting a little.”

It took every ounce of Lu Lecheng’s willpower not to storm off right then and there.

But Shi Cha wasn’t done. He sighed dramatically.

“Speaking of regrets—I’ve got one too. I’ve never gotten second place in anything all these years.”

Lu Lecheng: “!!!” What the actual hell—

Everyone else: “???” Did he just reach enlightenment or something!?

---

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Chapter 19 – He’s So Arrogant!

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Not long after dinner, Qi Jing announced a new game.

When they heard what the game was, both Zhong Jiarong and Wu Heze were momentarily stunned.

The two of them were regular guests on the show. Usually, any game segment would be mentioned to them in advance.

But this voice acting game had never been discussed by the director before—it was clearly a last-minute addition.

Everyone there was sharp enough to figure out what was going on. A little thought made it obvious that someone had asked the director to add this segment at the last minute.

And among the group, the only one who had anything to do with voice acting—and the power to influence the director—was likely the investor backing Lu Lecheng.

But nobody was particularly surprised by this kind of thing.

Every guest who comes on a variety show has an agenda. As the leader of a newly debuted boy group formed through a talent competition, Lu Lecheng was in urgent need of new fans and greater exposure to lay the groundwork for his future career.

They had also heard that yesterday, Lu Lecheng had been completely overshadowed by Shi Cha. It was understandable that the investors would step in and request a game segment today that highlighted Lu Lecheng.

There was no right or wrong in these matters.

Qi Jing brought out three voice acting clips that had been sent over last night.

The first clip was from a classic comedy sketch. It was clearly chosen for Zhong Jiarong and Wu Heze, the two comedians.

This not only avoided putting the two comedy veterans in a difficult spot but also helped liven up the atmosphere on set.

Both the director and the two actors were satisfied with the selection.

The second clip was from a patriotic film and was prepared for Zhou Caizhe and Lin Ran.

Zhou Caizhe, known for idol dramas, had never acted in patriotic films or shows. While he could probably manage the voice acting technically, he might struggle to fully convey the emotional depth.

Lin Ran, though currently a top-tier celebrity, had only guest-starred in a minor role since switching from the e-sports scene to the entertainment industry a year ago. He hadn’t taken on any major acting projects yet.

So, while the movie clip allowed the two to complete the task smoothly, it also ensured they wouldn’t steal too much of the spotlight.

The third clip, however, was more challenging—it was the English-dubbed version of a cartoon.

In just five minutes of footage, ten different characters appeared.

The director assigned this final clip to Lu Lecheng and Shi Cha.

Of course, they wouldn’t need to voice all ten characters.

On the task sheet, Lu Lecheng was assigned the protagonist and an elderly supporting character, while Shi Cha was given a small rabbit with only two lines of dialogue.

As soon as Lu Lecheng heard it was a voice acting game, he couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Shi Cha, who sat silently beside him with a cold expression.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, after being overshadowed by Shi Cha for four years, he knew deep down that he didn’t stand a chance against him.

He was worried that Shi Cha might suddenly interfere and ruin the opportunity the company had worked so hard to secure for him.

But when he heard that Shi Cha had only been assigned two lines, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

No matter how skilled Shi Cha was, with just two short lines, there was no way he could steal the spotlight.

The first two voice acting segments began quickly.

Zhong Jiarong and Wu Heze worked in perfect sync, their gestures and expressions almost identical to those in the original comedy sketch. The live stream viewers burst out laughing.

But since both were already professional comedians, the audience wasn’t particularly surprised by their performance.

Lin Ran and Zhou Caizhe performed a rousing patriotic speech from a film.

This segment allowed the audience to see a different side of both Zhou Caizhe and Lin Ran.

Many viewers commented that directors of patriotic films should invite the two into their productions immediately.

When it was Lü Lecheng and Shi Cha’s turn, they hadn’t even started yet before the live chat was flooded with comments—so much so that people began to suspect hired commenters were involved.

[“Chengcheng graduated from the Voice Acting Program at A University! He even won a gold medal in a voice acting competition during college! Can’t wait to see his performance!”]

[“Same here—super excited!”]

[…]

[“Wasn’t Shi Cha in the same class as Lu Lecheng? He can’t be that bad, right?”]

[“Not sure, but I’ve only ever seen Chengcheng win awards. That Shi Cha guy never showed up in any voice acting competitions. Probably not that skilled.”]

[…]

The new fans Shi Cha had just gained didn’t dare speak up in his defense. Some hadn’t had the chance to learn more about him yet, and others had stayed up all night trying to dig up information—only to find virtually nothing online.

That made it hard not to believe what people were saying about his lack of professional ability.

After all, if he really was talented, it should’ve been easy for him to enter a competition and win something. The fact that he hadn’t suggested he wasn’t very good.

Shi Cha’s fans could only comfort themselves: It’s fine, we’re here for the looks!

As for Shi Cha himself, he had no complaints about the segment assigned by the show.

Two lines? Then two lines it is.

He even wondered if Director Qi Jing knew he didn’t like to talk and had deliberately favored him by giving him fewer lines.

After all, everyone else had long chunks of dialogue, while his part was easy and effortless.

If Lu Lecheng knew what he was thinking, he’d probably be furious.

As the music began, Lu Lecheng glanced at the script and then began voice acting directly over the scene on screen—without even reading from the page.

His pronunciation was clear, his emotions on point, and his voice matched the original dub in the movie perfectly. If you didn’t listen closely, you couldn’t even tell the difference.

Once he finished his lines, it was Shi Cha’s turn.

Shi Cha didn’t look at the script either—after all, with only two lines, there was no need.

Unlike the others, who all performed with animated facial expressions, Shi Cha delivered his two soft, adorably cute lines with an almost completely blank face.

It was the voice of a little girl—sweet, innocent, and endearingly playful.

As soon as he finished his lines, the clip ended.

Aside from Lu Lecheng and Lin Ran, everyone else was visibly surprised.

Wu Heze covered his eyes, laughing and crying at the same time.

“Listening to Shi Cha’s voice, I imagined an adorable little girl, but his face looked like a cold-blooded assassin.”

Zhong Jiarong couldn’t help but add,

“The contrast is way too jarring.”

The live chat exploded with laughter as well:

[“If you just listen to those two lines, it’s an insanely cute bunny waifu—instant heart-melter. But once you match it with that face… sorry, I can’t unsee it.”]

Even though Shi Cha’s performance had strong gap moe (adorable contrast), the live comments were still mostly flooded with praise for Lü Lecheng, showering him with compliments.

Just as everyone was applauding, Lin Ran suddenly asked,

“Director Qi, if I remember correctly, wasn’t the original audio of this animated film in French? The English dub was added later when it was released in the Americas.”

Qi Jing, standing behind the live camera, glanced at Lin Ran and nodded.

“Yes, the original audio is indeed in French.”

Lin Ran, hearing the confirmation, turned back to the guests and asked Shi Cha,

“Xiao Shi, you speak French, right? Want to try dubbing it in French?”

His voice wasn’t quiet—every guest present heard it clearly, and so did all the viewers in the livestream.

[“Is Brother Ran trying to make things harder for Shi Cha?”]

[“Wow… is Lin Ran trying to sabotage him? And you guys still ship these two? Prepare for that ship to sink fast.”]

[“Ship all you want, none of your business.”]

[…]

Shi Cha nodded.

“I do speak a little, but I haven’t seen the French version before.”

Lin Ran immediately turned to the director.

“Director Qi, do you have the French version?”

At this point, Qi Jing understood what Lin Ran was trying to do. But from her perspective, it didn’t really matter—she had already followed the investor’s requests. The final outcome wasn’t something she, as the director, could control.

“Yes, I do. Let me show it to you.”

Soon, the French version of the same clip was played.

It only lasted a few minutes and passed by quickly.

Lin Ran asked Shi Cha, “Can you dub it?”

Shi Cha nodded.

“I can.”

Then he walked over to the microphone that hadn’t yet been removed and made a hand gesture to Director Qi Jing, indicating that he was ready to begin.

Wu Heze, standing right next to Lin Ran, said, “He only listened to it once, didn’t even look at the script—and he’s just going to dub it like that?”

Lin Ran replied with full confidence and pride, “Xiao Shi isn’t like regular people. He’s had a photographic memory since he was a kid.”

Wu Heze: “…”

Apparently, being a normal person just isn’t good enough.

Before playing the clip, Qi Jing still asked, “Which character do you want to dub? I’ll have the team mute the others live.”

Shi Cha leaned toward the microphone and said, “No need to go through the trouble. Just mute all the voices—leave only the background sounds.”

“…”

[“That’s ten characters! Male and female, young and old—there’s even an opera segment! How does he even dare?!”]

[“Wuwu, he’s so wild!”]

[“Wuwu, I’m so in love!”]

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