Chapter 24 – Treat me as a person
Sang Ye plugged the twisted cables back into the computer before crawling out from under the desk and turning it on.
“I’m going to stream the scrimmage,” Talk suddenly said. “Do you mind?”
“N-no, I don’t mind. Whatever works for you…” Sang Ye quickly glanced at Talk, then just as quickly looked away. “But… will I be a distraction?”
Talk’s gaze lowered, lingering for a few seconds on the soft, faintly pink skin of the boy’s neck.
“There’s no need to be so nervous,” Talk said, his voice calm and low, with a hint of coldness. “I’m just a person.”
Sang Ye instantly felt exposed, as if Talk had seen right through him. Frustrated at his own anxiety, his face flushed bright red, and he bit his lip before finally blurting out, “No… you’re not just a person.”
Talk raised an eyebrow, slightly offended. “…???”
But to Sang Ye, [Talk] symbolized something godlike. That image had persisted for so long that now, with Talk sitting right next to him, he didn’t dare look at him directly.
Sang Ye felt the need to explain: “You—”
“Talk! Your son is here to see you!” came Xiao Pai’s loud, playful voice from outside the room.
Sang Ye shut his mouth and, in a moment of shock, paled.
Son?
“Secret marriage,” “illegitimate child,” “young father”—sensational headlines adorned with imaginary embellishments crashed into Sang Ye’s mind like meteors.
But before he could fully process this strange mix of numbness and panic—
“Huff… huff… huff…”
The sound of heavy breathing and the patter of footsteps grew closer. Suddenly, a shiny bundle of golden fur rounded the divider and entered Sang Ye’s peripheral vision.
He looked over and locked eyes with a goofy, grinning golden retriever.
“…”
The moment the golden retriever saw Sang Ye, it wagged its tail even more excitedly, letting out high-pitched, happy squeals.
It trotted eagerly towards him, but before it could get too close, a large hand grabbed the loose skin on its neck, and with a soft “whimper,” the dog sank to the ground, kneeling in submission.
After a moment of silently chastising himself, Sang Ye recognized the golden retriever. “Tan Chunshan?”
“Yeah,” Talk replied, firmly holding the dog’s head in place. He lifted his gaze. “Are you afraid of dogs?”
The awkward tension between the two eased slightly, but as soon as Sang Ye met those attractive, fan-shaped peach blossom eyes, he still felt a little embarrassed.
Lowering his lashes, he said, “No, I’m not.”
There were plenty of dogs in the courtyards back in his hometown.
Even though Talk was holding Tan Chunshan down, the dog kept trying to nuzzle against Sang Ye’s pants.
Sang Ye pulled his leg back slightly. “Why does he get so excited when he sees strangers?”
“He doesn’t act like this with other people,” Talk said, patting the dog’s head, his tone indifferent. “He’s got a thing for good looks, just like me.”
Sang Ye froze for half a second, quickly glancing at Talk, his face blooming into a deep shade of red.
“Brother Shan just went to the first team’s training room to look for you. Since you’ve moved upstairs, I thought I’d bring him here to help him get familiar with the place,” Xiao Pai said as he walked over. “Whoa, you two are sitting together? Bai Mao must be thrilled, huh?”
Whenever Sang Ye saw Xiao Pai, he got annoyed. His face flushed even redder as he snapped back, “Mind your own business!”
Xiao Pai glanced at the golden retriever, then at Sang Ye, his gaze flicking back and forth before he laughed, “I was wondering why you and Brother Shan look so alike. Turns out you have the exact same hair color.”
Sang Ye gritted his teeth. “You—!”
But when he looked at the golden retriever, its creamy white fur… there was no denying that it matched his hair perfectly. Not just close, but an exact match.
“…” Sang Ye grabbed a handful of his hair, looking visibly frustrated.
Talk stifled a laugh and turned to Xiao Pai. “Leave Chunshan here. I’ll take him with me after we’re done. You can head downstairs.”
“Chasing me off, huh? Fine, I’m obviously not needed here,” Xiao Pai pouted stubbornly, but as he left, he glanced back every few steps. “I’ll miss you, Dad Talk.”
“Don’t slack off,” Talk said, lifting his eyelids slightly. “I’ll be keeping an eye on your performance.”
Without turning back, Xiao Pai scurried away.
With about ten minutes left until the scrimmage, Talk started his livestream but didn’t bother turning off the camera or the chat.
Sang Ye, knowing that he hadn’t been officially announced as part of the team yet and his contract wasn’t finalized, didn’t want to risk showing his face and causing any PR issues for the team manager. So, he sat quietly to the side and logged into the game using a team account.
On the computer next to him, the livestream chat was bustling with activity. The sharp-eyed fans quickly noticed that Talk was sitting with his back against the wall as soon as the stream started.
“I’m at the base,” Talk responded to the questions scrolling through the chat. “There’ve been some changes in team personnel, so I adjusted my seating for easier training later on… Will I be sitting here permanently? We’ll see, probably not for long.”
Sang Ye’s fingers paused, and a hollow feeling swept over him for a moment.
Just as he zoned out briefly, he felt something cool and wet against his wrist.
Looking down, he saw a damp, black dog nose.
—At some point, Tan Chunshan had slipped out of his collar and snuck over, tugging at his sleeve with its small white teeth, trying to get him to play.
Sang Ye didn’t want to make a noise, so he pressed the dog’s head down to resist, engaging in a playful tug-of-war. But this one-year-old golden retriever was surprisingly strong, and as they pulled back and forth, its chubby backside sank, yanking Sang Ye right out of his chair.
Talk felt something bump against his leg and looked down, only to see Sang Ye awkwardly pushing himself off the floor, while Tan Chunshan eagerly sniffed him.
Annoyed and flustered, Sang Ye grabbed the dog’s mouth, glaring at it fiercely.
His methods were a bit rough, but his expression was more cute than intimidating.
Talk didn’t look at the dog, only at Sang Ye. “You okay?”
Sang Ye’s heart skipped a beat, worried that Talk might think he was mistreating his “son.” He quickly switched tactics, gently holding the golden retriever’s head with both hands and giving it exaggerated, forced pets.
His face flushed red as he remembered the livestream, biting his lower lip and silently shaking his head at Talk.
Talk’s gaze shifted slightly, brushing over the teenager’s lip—white teeth gently sinking into it, as if the next squeeze would release a rush of nectar.
Talk’s eyes darkened slightly before he turned back to his computer.
Meanwhile, the chat exploded with gossip.
[“Is someone sitting next to Talk Shen?”]
[“Judging by Talk’s angle just now, I’d guess that person is less than 0.5 meters tall.”]
[“The angle is a bit odd. I’m guessing they’re either squatting or kneeling, and they’re right at Talk’s feet. Oh no! My mind just went somewhere bad, I’m blushing.”]
“He’s squatting by my feet,” Talk said bluntly.
Sang Ye was still crouched down petting the dog. Hearing that, he paused and looked at Tan Chunshan.
The dog was squatting too.
The chat went wild, scrolling even faster.
[“So what exactly are they doing squatting there?! Don’t tell me it’s just fixing the computer! I! Won’t! Believe it!”]
[“Is it someone from WLG? Can we get a face reveal? Please don’t tell me it’s Hu Fu, I’ll lose all motivation immediately.”]
[“Why is everyone in the chat so excited? Unless it’s Song squatting there, I honestly don’t care at all. Okay, pants off, now hurry and bring Song out!”]
[“Who is it?! Stop torturing me!”]
“I’ll give you a hint… Anyone who still can’t guess can be dragged out.” Talk was unusually playful, engaging with the audience. “Their hair is milky white.”
Sang Ye glanced at the dog in front of him—its fur was a light, flawless shade of cream, pure as can be.
Talk continued, “Their eyes are dark and bright, very pure.”
Sang Ye looked into the little golden retriever’s beady eyes—they were gazing at him affectionately.
Talk added, “And their face is pretty.”
Sang Ye adjusted the puppy’s head, inspecting it—its short snout made its little round face look especially cute. It really was a fine-looking dog.
By the time Talk gave his first hint, the chat had already figured it out.
[“Hahahahaha! It’s Chunshan!”]
[“Quick, let me get my dose of Chunshan! It’s been months since I last saw him!”]
[“I took my pants off for this?!”]
[“Alright, alright, stop showing off. We all know your dog is the cutest in the world.”]
A faint smile flickered in Talk’s eyes, and he finished with, “The most important thing is that they’re soft and perfect for petting.”
Sang Ye continued to enthusiastically rub Tan Chunshan’s fluffy face, lost in the silky, dense texture. Even though he found the dog annoyingly persistent, he couldn’t help but admit—it really was incredibly soft.
The next moment, a large hand landed on Sang Ye’s head, gently ruffling his hair.
Sang Ye blinked in confusion, his heart skipping a beat. Everything around him seemed to fade into the background, leaving only the warmth of the touch on his head.
Talk, with one hand still under the desk and the other clicking his mouse, spoke in a low voice, “We’re starting the scrim soon. No more looking at chat.”
With that, he even turned off the webcam.
…
Before long, two other members from the second team arrived— [Wind] and [Grass].
They were old friends who had joined the team together.
As soon as they entered the room and saw Talk, they froze in shock. Knowing the scrim was about to start, they quickly jogged over.
Standing behind the partition, both of them stood straight, hands pressed against the seams of their pants. “T-Talk… Talk Shen.”
Talk glanced up, his expression indifferent. “There are three minutes left. Can you boot up, log into the game, and check your settings in time?”
Wind and Grass shivered. Although Talk’s tone was relatively calm, they were more terrified than if they’d been scolded.
Wind, his face turning red, forced himself to respond, “Enough… We should be able to.”
Before sitting down, the two couldn’t resist sneaking a glance at the new teammate sitting next to Talk. They all knew this was the infamous “Talk’s number one fan.”
The boy’s face was even redder than theirs, staring somewhat blankly at the computer screen.
Even while they were getting a mild scolding, the boy hadn’t looked their way once.
Wind and Grass quickly logged into the game, still managing to exchange a few messages on Steam.
Wind: [What’s up with him???]
Grass: [His face is that red, must’ve gotten chewed out by Talk Shen.]
Wind: [Tsk… Looks like he’s worse off than us.]
Soon, the scrim began.
The second team and first team were facing the same opponents, all top-tier domestic teams.
In the first game, Sang Ye was downed during a team fight at the five-minute mark, slowing down under fire.
Wind braved a hail of bullets to throw smoke and revive him. At the seven-minute mark, during a rush into a building, Sang Ye went down again and couldn’t be saved. After that, he spent the rest of the match in spectator mode, watching his teammates.
In the second round, Sang Ye missed the information about the side position when charging into Longmen Inn, and got ambushed. Forced into close combat, he fired his gun early but didn’t aim properly, turning himself into easy loot.
Once again, Sang Ye found himself watching his teammates from an observer’s perspective, his mood becoming increasingly gloomy.
In the third round, the second team was pinned down by NSN while trying to enter the safe zone. Wind and Grass were both killed. Talk knocked down Kay and, with a sliver of health, managed to eliminate Lulu before his own health ran out.
Sang Ye quickly took down two enemies inside the building, jumped out the window, and rushed to revive Talk in the open field.
However, at that moment, Talk took off his headset and tossed it onto the table. “Stop playing.”
Sang Ye’s fingers froze in mid-air. He stared at the screen, his face paling.
Talk turned his head towards him and repeated, “Stop playing.”
Just then, an enemy squad rushed in and killed both of them while they were standing still. The sudden sound of gunfire startled Sang Ye, making him flinch, his eyes turning a bit red.
Sang Ye slowly removed his headset, head drooping, saying nothing.
Talk had turned off the voice chat in the live stream before the scrim started, so the viewers could only hear the in-game sound effects but not their conversation. As a result, everyone in the chat started spamming question marks.
[“??? Is Talk playing with the second team today? The person next to him doesn’t seem to be from Darkflow, so who is it?”]
[“A newbie? Too bad at this.”]
[“If he’s skilled, then why so many rookie mistakes? But if he’s not, how did he take down two NSN players earlier? He had some flashy plays in the previous rounds too. Is he one of those players with inconsistent form?”]
[“……”]
[“Report! The newbie is Song! Don’t ask how I know, Xiao Pai accidentally revealed it during his stream.”]
The chat, which had been buzzing with discussion, paused for a moment before coming to a unanimous conclusion:
[“Song Fugui? Oh, then no worries. He’ll be fine once Talk isn’t around.”]
[“Wait a second! Am I the only one who noticed the key details? Milk-white hair, black and shiny eyes, a pretty face—doesn’t Song match all those descriptions? Were they doing some dirty play in the training room just now?”]
Wind and Grass had long sensed that the atmosphere wasn’t right. Seeing that the game had ended and it looked like the captain was about to start scolding someone, they exchanged a nervous glance.
Anyway, the scrims for tonight were over, and there was some downtime coming up. It wouldn’t hurt if they didn’t come back.
“Talk Shen… we’re going to the bathroom.”
The two stood up, quickly made an excuse, and rushed off, escaping to the bathroom.
Now, only Talk, Sang Ye, and Tan Chunshan, who was napping in the corner, remained in the training room.
The bright lights overhead illuminated the empty room. Sang Ye fidgeted with his fingers, his eyes growing increasingly sore.
On one hand, he knew he hadn’t performed well and felt ashamed.
On the other hand, Talk’s scolding made him feel incredibly upset, as if a cold emptiness was sinking into his chest, pulling him down into the deep sea.
Even though he knew he deserved it, the feeling still hurt. The frustration built up inside him, and he was on the verge of tears.
At that moment, Talk turned around in his gaming chair, holding his phone and setting a timer. “For the next ten minutes, look at me and don’t look away.”
“!”
Sang Ye quickly held back his tears and wiped the corner of his eyes, thinking he had misheard. “What?”
Hearing the boy’s obviously hoarse voice, Talk looked up in surprise and saw his tearful face.
Talk opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything for a moment. After a pause, he bit his lip and turned Sang Ye’s chair to face him.
“I didn’t mean to upset you, and I’m not mad… Do you think I was too harsh?”
Sang Ye felt a bit of sadness resurface, but noticing the change in Talk’s tone, a warm, shy feeling replaced it.
He lowered his head and shook it, too embarrassed to admit how he felt.
“When I told you to stop, I meant it literally,” Talk explained, licking the corner of his lips. He rarely explained this much to anyone. “You missed a lot of moves and details during the scrim, and you tried to revive someone in an open area with no cover. You never make these mistakes in ranked games, so this can only mean your focus was off. We both know why. If we don’t fix that, continuing to play won’t do any good, and the rest of the scrims won’t matter. That’s why I stopped you.”
Sang Ye’s face grew redder, and he lowered his head even more. He wasn’t upset anymore, just overwhelmed with embarrassment.
He felt utterly hopeless.
With his idol right beside him, his thoughts kept wandering, and even the faint, icy scent coming from Talk was enough to distract him.
“It’s my fault…” Sang Ye stammered, “but I don’t think you’re very harsh…”
The last sentence felt insincere, as Talk seemed to be even more remorseful than he was.
Talk nodded. “What you need to do now is get used to my presence. Can you maintain eye contact for ten minutes?”
Sang Ye’s heart skipped a beat at the thought, and it felt overwhelming.
He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, swallowing hard. “No… let’s not do that.”
“The online competition starts in just a few days,” Talk said, looking down. “If I’m a distraction and can’t help you perform at your best… then maybe someone else should take my place. I can talk to the coach and have Hu Fu come…”
“No, no, no!” Sang Ye suddenly changed his previous hesitation. He grabbed Talk’s wrist, staring at him with determination, and said, “Ten minutes, let’s do it!”
“…”
Talk glanced at the delicate fingers clinging to his wrist and, inappropriately, thought of the phrase “startled awake from a dying illness.”
…
As soon as the scrim ended, Xiao Pai quickly checked the second team’s performance and then laughed carefree. “I told you, the white-haired guy would definitely mess things up. With Talk here, he must be holding back most of his power. They shouldn’t have put them in the same group.”
Only after finishing his sentence did Xiao Pai remember the livestream was still on. He cleared his throat, pretending nothing had happened.
After exiting the game, Xiao Pai planned to head upstairs to provoke the white-haired guy but encountered Ji Feng and Jin Cao coming down the stairs.
“Don’t go,” Ji Feng kindly warned. “Talk is scolding someone… it’s that Song.”
Xiao Pai was confused. “Huh?”
How could that be?
Jin Cao chimed in, “It’s absolutely true.”
At this moment, the training room of the second team was silent, with only two slightly tense breaths breaking the stillness.
Sang Ye and Talk locked eyes, not blinking.
As Sang Ye gazed into the man’s eyes, his heart raced as if it were about to burst, tormenting him to the point of pain.
Just when Sang Ye felt he could barely breathe, he finally let out a whimper, turning his face away and leaning back in his chair.
Talk turned his head to the side, glancing at his phone.
Twenty seconds.
That was Sang Ye’s limit.
Talk’s hands were still resting on the armrests of Sang Ye’s chair, and he shrugged one shoulder, slowly rubbing against Sang Ye’s cheek.
Twenty seconds.
…that was his limit too.
Sang Ye pulled up the collar of his hoodie to cover half his face, his eyes refusing to wander. His voice came out muffled and soft, “C-can we schedule another time next time…?”
After a long pause.
“Okay,” Talk replied, maintaining his posture and looking down. “Next time.”
Before leaving the training room, Talk added, “Remember to treat me like a person.”
Sang Ye felt his mind was about to turn to mush and dazedly responded, “…Oh.”
Once Talk led Tan Chunshan out, three heads cautiously peeked around the doorframe, all looking toward the corner of the training room.
Thus, Xiao Pai, Ji Feng, and Jin Cao witnessed the scene— the blushing boy pulled up the hoodie’s hood, covering his head of white hair. With one hand on each side, he grabbed the elastic band and, with a force that could strangle himself, desperately pulled it to the sides.
The opening of the hood suddenly tightened, completely hiding his pretty face inside.
“…”
The three looked on with sympathetic expressions.
Look at that; the fanboy was so scolded that he had withdrawn into himself.
The misunderstandings 😮💨