This chapter is brought to you by Fatima, thanks for the ko-fi! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ
Chapter 56 – Puppy.
The fabric of the qipao1 was exquisite—smooth and form-fitting, like a second layer of luxurious skin.
Beneath the slender neckline was a low mandarin collar with decorative knotted buttons. The row of fastenings curved diagonally downward, tracing the delicate contour of the front before weaving under the arm and continuing along the side. The fitted silhouette tapered at the waist, curving inward before rising into a gentle arch at the back, only to return to a sleek, straight-cut front. The beauty of the qipao’s design lay in its unforced elegance—dignified and graceful, yet undeniably alluring due to the subtle undulations of the concealed figure beneath.
Though Tan Mo couldn’t see, his hands carefully and respectfully traced the garment’s shape, familiarizing himself with its design and cut. He moved over every inch, front and back, until his fingertips reached the high slit at the side. There, his fingers hovered momentarily before pulling away.
Sang Ye slowly loosened his grip on the man’s clothes.
But in the next second, the gentleman’s hand returned—this time, slipping along the edge of the slit and probing inward.
Darkness drained all the strength from Sang Ye’s body. He released his lower lip, which he had been biting, letting it part dazedly. He felt as if he were melting.
…
When Tan Mo left, he didn’t turn on the lights, nor did he say a single word. The only thing he left behind was the sharp sound of the door slamming shut—hurried, as if he couldn’t let go fast enough.
Sang Ye crouched against the wall, pretending to be a tiny mushroom, and stayed utterly silent for a long, long time.
By the time it was nearly bedtime, he had showered and changed into loose pajamas. Freed from the constraining embrace of the qipao, he finally let out a deep breath. But on his face, his neck, and even the small portion of his exposed arms, a faint, lingering blush still refused to fade.
Sang Ye picked up his phone and glanced at it.
Tan Mo hadn’t messaged him on WeChat.
Though his heart still fluttered with unease, he tossed the phone aside, burrowed into his blanket, and swore to himself that he would never take the initiative to contact Tan Mo again.
Because he had lost all dignity!
Wrapped up in his blanket, the boy rolled from side to side, his face a deep shade of red, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
When he had heard Tan Mo say over the phone that he was coming back, Sang Ye had been overjoyed and wanted to reciprocate in kind. After much deliberation, he had remembered that Tan Mo wanted to see him in women’s clothing—so he decided to wear it for him.
Besides, it was Talk’s birthday. He just wanted to make Talk happy…
But after all, this was Sang Ye’s first time trying it. He couldn’t shake off the embarrassment in his heart and was afraid that it would look bad on him—afraid that Tan Mo would laugh at him. So he stubbornly refused to turn on the lights, thinking that feeling it with his hands would be the same.
Wasn’t that how a blind man touches an elephant?
But when Tan Mo actually did touch him, things became… strange.
He just felt so hot—his mind burning, unable to think. His whole body felt like toffee, about to melt away.
Especially when Tan Mo’s hand touched the inside of his thigh—he couldn’t control himself and actually made that kind of sound…
Thinking about it now, Sang Ye was so embarrassed he could scream. He quickly pulled the blanket over his face.
What the hell was going on?!
Why did he react so weirdly?
So annoying!
Talk must’ve been scared off by him!
Talk definitely thought he was being lewd!
Just as Sang Ye was tangled in his own thoughts, his phone vibrated next to his pillow.
Crying inside, he reached for it—only to see a message from the very person he couldn’t stop thinking about.
The content was somewhat unexpected.
T.: [From now on, you’re not allowed to introduce me to any girlfriends.]
Sang Ye bit his fingernail in grievance, confused as to why Talk was suddenly bringing this up. It even felt like he was holding a grudge.
S.: [Didn’t you say you weren’t mad?]
Tan Mo had originally been sitting on the edge of his bed, but upon seeing the reply, he fell back, lying flat with his arm resting over his eyes.
He wasn’t angry.
But he was absolutely devastated.
Just then, his phone vibrated.
Tan Mo picked it up to check.
S.: [I won’t introduce anyone to you anymore. Not only that—if someone else tries to, I’ll be the first to object.]
Tan Mo chuckled.
T.: [Jumping up to object?]
S.: [Flying up to object.]
T.: [😂]
Sang Ye had only said something playful—he didn’t understand what Tan Mo was so happy about.
But since Tan Mo was happy, he was happy too. Even the earlier awkwardness and embarrassment seemed to fade away, and he slowly loosened his grip on the blanket.
T.: [Thanks for the birthday gift today. It was a real surprise.]
“……”
Sang Ye instinctively shrank his neck back and dove under the covers again.
He was about to type “You’re welcome”, but realizing something, he hurriedly deleted it.
After typing and deleting for a long time, his face felt burning hot.
S.: [You’re not allowed to mention this ever again! Hurry up and forget it! Forget it!]
The next second, Tan Mo directly called him.
Sang Ye swallowed twice, his fingers trembling as he tapped to accept. His voice was soft and sweet, barely above a whisper:
“Hello…”
Tan Mo’s tone lifted playfully:
“Weren’t you the one who purposely pulled me into that little dark room and let me feel you? Now you’re regretting it?”
“!”
Sang Ye panicked.
That wasn’t how it went at all!
He desperately wanted to refute with “That’s because I never expected to actually feel something!”
But how could he possibly say that out loud?
It felt like he had completely lost the upper hand.
Sang Ye furrowed his brows, looking troubled. He let out a little huff and burrowed into the blanket like an ostrich.
“Say that again? Say it one more time… If you do, I’ll hang up.”
Tan Mo actually stopped. Clearing his throat, he asked, “When will you wear it for me?”
“……” Sang Ye froze. “Huh?”
It wasn’t over yet?
Tan Mo: “I didn’t get to see it today.”
Sang Ye: “But… but that’s enough, right? You… you should more or less know what it looks like by now.”
“I don’t know.”
“……”
“I wasn’t planning on looking at first. But after feeling it, I’m even more curious now.”
“……”
“Are you going to take responsibility?”
“…………”
“Sang Ye, answer me.”
“I-I’m really sleepy.”
After a long pause, Tan Mo said, “Just wait and see.”
Sang Ye’s face instantly flushed red.
For some reason, Tan Mo’s tone felt a little different from usual. He had always been so gentle and refined, but now… now he seemed just a little bit dangerous.
Sang Ye rubbed his face against the pillow, his heart trembling.
“I’m not talking to you anymore! I’m going to sleep!”
“Sleep well. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight…”
Tan Mo hung up the phone but remained lying there.
He was fully aware that he was playing with fire.
Not Sang Ye.
It was himself—he was the one playing with fire, climbing higher and higher on a pile of dry branches.
Sang Ye had said he was straight.
Tan Mo was unwilling to accept it, fantasizing about whether he could be the exception.
But then he had heard it with his own ears—Sang Ye said that his feelings were only admiration, that he had never been a “wife fan” at all.
Tan Mo thought it was time to let go of his feelings and face Sang Ye with a normal mindset—just like how he treated Xiao Pai and Shine. So, he deliberately reduced their contact.
But tonight, Sang Ye said he missed him.
— “Chunshan is with me… It’s being really good… It misses you.”
— “If only I could tell you this in person…”
— “If you show up right now, I’ll give you a surprise.”
Tan Mo knew that the deeper he got, the harder it would be to pull himself out. He should cut his losses before it was too late.
But the moment Sang Ye sent him even the slightest hint of ambiguity, he couldn’t help himself—he kept climbing higher, struggling against the inevitable.
Tan Mo moved his hand away from his eyes and looked at his long fingers under the light. It felt as if they still carried the lingering sensation of something warm and supple.
Sang Ye was lean but well-proportioned—slim where he should be, firm where it counted. He seemed completely unaware of how enticing he was, yet he had boldly pulled Tan Mo’s hand along for a reckless exploration. And when it became too real, he had gasped softly right beside his ear…
How dare he…
Tan Mo suddenly became aware of something. He glanced downward, frowning slightly, then decisively got up and headed toward the bathroom.
He reached for the light switch on the wall, flicked it on, and shut the door behind him.
D*mn little straight boy…
Tan Mo bit his lip in frustration, a faint redness creeping up his neck.
If this kept up, he was going to be completely drained sooner or later.
…
The next morning, when Sang Ye woke up and saw Tan Mo’s message, he realized he had already left.
He must have left early—probably had something to do.
The bright sunlight illuminated the windowsill, making it look spotless. Sang Ye stayed in bed for a while, rolling around with unspoken emotions in his heart. He still felt a little embarrassed about last night, but as he lay there quietly, the feeling gradually settled into a lingering melancholy.
He really wished he could see Talk every day…
When Sang Ye went downstairs, he happened to run into Xiao Pai and Hufu.
Xiao Pai was chatting with Hufu, but when he saw Sang Ye, he let out a surprised “Eh?” before saying, “Bai Mao, did you know my brother came back last night?”
Sang Ye felt a pang of guilt, afraid someone might find out that Tan Mo had been in his room. He quickly shook his head with a blank expression. “What?”
“Oh, so you didn’t know either… It was really late, almost eleven. I got back and ran into him in the hallway—he looked like he was about to head out again.” Xiao Pai sighed dramatically and added, “Such a pity. You should’ve gotten up earlier. He’s already gone again; otherwise, you two could’ve seen each other and eased some of your lovesickness.”
Sang Ye’s face burned. Feeling that Xiao Pai deserved a beating, he immediately raised his foot to kick him. “Say that again?”
Xiao Pai twisted and dodged nimbly, maneuvering around Hufu. “But seriously, aren’t you guys curious about why my brother came back?”
— “Yeah, kind of.”
— “Not at all!”
Hu Fu and Sang Ye spoke at the same time.
One nodded thoughtfully.
The other blushed and looked down, kicking a small stone.
Hu Fu gave Sang Ye a puzzled look.
Xiao Pai let out a knowing chuckle. “You, the die-hard fan? My brother so much as steps out for a glass of water, and you’re staring at the door like it’s a live broadcast. Now he’s been gone for days, suddenly comes back, and you expect me to believe you’re not curious? … Oh, wait. Did he secretly message you about it? Is there some unspeakable secret you’re helping him keep?”
Sang Ye remained silent. “…………”
Xiao Pai was starting to convince even himself. He looped back around to Sang Ye and clung to his arm.
“Come on, tell me! What did my brother come back for? We’re practically family—I swear I won’t tell anyone.”
“……”
Yeah, right. Who would believe that?
Sang Ye shook off Xiao Pai’s hand, stiffly retorting, “Why do you care so much about Talk? He must have had his own reasons for coming back. If he didn’t say anything, that means he doesn’t want people to know. Can’t you just respect that?”
Xiao Pai scrutinized Sang Ye for a moment, then smirked. “Huh. You’re talking a lot today—and getting all righteous about it too.”
“……”
Sang Ye pressed his lips together, too lazy to argue.
He thought he had dodged a bullet.
When they arrived at the practice room, Xiao Pai scrolled through Weibo for a while before suddenly slamming the table.
“Damn it! White Hair! You lied to me! My brother came back last night just for you!”
Sang Ye’s hand trembled, nearly squeezing yogurt all over his face.
…
Last night, after Sang Ye ended his livestream, #CouplePhoneHotline# briefly trended on the hot search list.
A fan had recorded the phone call between Sang Ye and Tan Mo, capturing every detail of the forgotten live broadcast—how the boy went from teary-eyed sadness to breaking into a smile, and finally, to blushing shyness.
At that time, Sang Ye had been busy struggling into a qipao, completely unaware.
However, for some unknown reason, the entire hashtag later disappeared.
When netizens tried to re-upload the video, they found that it had been completely blocked. Only when someone cropped out the visuals and left just the voices did the clip manage to survive in a loophole, climbing back onto the trending list once again.
[AWSL, this is too good! The romance vibes are getting stronger and stronger.]
[Ahhhh! Song is so good at acting cute! The way he behaves when he’s alone with Talk—it’s just like he’s seeking comfort and reassurance.]
[Fu Gui has always been great at acting spoiled, and Tan Shen totally falls for it.]
[Are they accidentally turning their fake CP into a real one? Watching Song’s video, he was definitely talking like someone on the phone with his boyfriend.]
[Come on, guys, it’s really not a big deal. Just saying ‘Happy Birthday’ between bros is totally normal. Plus, as a fan, of course Song would want to wish his idol in person.]
[Right? My dorm mate asks if I miss him all the time. It’s just how guys talk to each other, no big deal.]
[Brother, you and your dorm mate definitely have a story in the making.]
[Am I the only one curious about what surprise Song gave Tan Shen? Tan Shen went back to the base last night, right? Right? Right?!]
Inside the WLG practice room.
Xiao Pai’s sharp gaze swept over Sang Ye’s face.
“My brother came back last night because you asked him to, didn’t he?”
Sang Ye’s eyes flickered slightly, avoiding the question. “Didn’t you hear the video? …Talk suggested it himself.”
“Wasn’t it because you acted all cute, saying you wanted to wish him a happy birthday in person?”
“…What nonsense are you spouting? Acting cute? I never act cute.”
Xiao Pai eyed Sang Ye’s stubborn denial. He hadn’t been that curious at first, but remembering how hesitant and evasive Sang Ye had been earlier, he fired off a rapid series of questions:
“What exactly was the surprise you gave my brother?”
“Did he go to your room last night when he left so late?”
“What were you two doing in there, sneaking around behind everyone’s back?”
“And why did you lie this morning about not knowing he came back? Did you two do something indecent?”
Sang Ye’s face grew hotter and hotter, but his voice remained firm as he slapped the armrest of his chair.
“Stop making false accusations! We’re both decent people!”
“Hmph!”
Xiao Pai turned back to his computer, sulking. That betrayed by my best brother and my own brother feeling crept up again, fueling his determination to get to the bottom of this.
“If you won’t tell me, I’ll ask Tan Shen myself!”
He started furiously typing on the keyboard.
Sang Ye rubbed his thighs nervously, craning his neck to sneak a peek at the screen.
3.1415926: [Brother, you there?]
For once, Tan Mo replied instantly.
T.: [Check my desk for me—did I leave my wallet there?]
Xiao Pai glanced back at the desk.
3.1415926: [Yeah, it’s here.]
3.1415926: [Why?]
T.: [No reason.]
Xiao Pai refocused on his original mission, typing rapidly again.
3.1415926: [You and Bai Mao made the trending list again, did you know? You went to his room last night, didn’t you? What were you two doing in there, just the two of you? What surprise?]
There was a pause before a new message popped up.
T.: [He bought some new clothes and wanted my opinion.]
Xiao Pai knew Sang Ye was vain, always buying ridiculous amounts of clothes—seven or eight boxes at a time—so the explanation made sense. He didn’t doubt it.
3.1415926: [What kind of clothes?]
Then he turned back to Sang Ye.
“Bai Mao, what clothes did you ask my brother to check out?”
Sang Ye, who had been peeking at their chat from across the room, saw everything crystal clear. Panicking that Tan Mo might actually spill the truth about the qipao, he couldn’t sit still anymore. Dropping the act, he rushed over and hovered over Xiao Pai’s computer, stammering:
“A… a shirt.”
Then another message popped up.
T.: [No idea.]
Xiao Pai sucked in a sharp breath.
Wait a minute—these two aren’t saying the same thing.
He narrowed his eyes at Sang Ye and sent another message.
3.1415926: [What do you mean you don’t know?]
T.: [He only let me touch, not look. I ended up looking at nothing.]
Xiao Pai: “???”
Sang Ye: “……”
“Touch what?”
“Touch the clothes!”
They spoke almost at the same time.
Xiao Pai wouldn’t let it go. “You call that a surprise?”
Sang Ye’s face turned red as he stubbornly held his ground. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
Xiao Pai scoffed. “You made my brother look at nothing—I don’t see any surprise, but I do see his frustration.”
Sang Ye frowned, his dark eyes flickering with emotion as a wave of frustration welled up inside him.
Why would Talk be frustrated?
Didn’t he seem… pretty happy touching it last night?
Unconvinced, Sang Ye shot back at Xiao Pai. “I’ll wear it for him next time!”
Just then—
Xiao Pai’s gaze flicked toward the door, eyes widening in surprise. “Brother, why are you back again?”
Sang Ye’s back stiffened. He froze for a second before slowly turning around.
There, standing at the entrance of the practice room, was Tan Mo. His expression was neutral, gaze calmly scanning the room. In one hand, he held his phone, as if he had just finished replying to a message.
Feeling awkward, Sang Ye straightened up from where he had been leaning over Xiao Pai’s computer.
Tan Mo strolled in casually, walked over to the desk, and picked up his wallet from the corner of a storage box. He gave it a small shake and said, “I came by this morning before heading out. Left it here.”
Xiao Pai nodded. “Oh, oh.”
But Sang Ye… the moment he saw Tan Mo, memories of last night flooded back, making his face flush instantly. He instinctively lowered his head, silently praying that Tan Mo hadn’t overheard his conversation with Xiao Pai just now.
But after picking up his wallet, Tan Mo didn’t leave. Instead, he stopped and asked, “What do you mean by ‘wear it for me next time’?”
“!!?”
Caught off guard, Sang Ye nearly lost his balance and had to grab the edge of the table for support. He stammered, “N-nothing…”
But before he could finish, Xiao Pai, ever the loudmouth, responded even faster than him. “Oh, just that piece of clothing you let him touch but not see last night. Right before you walked in, he was swearing up and down that he’d wear it for you next time.”
“…” Sang Ye gritted his teeth. He really hated Xiao Pai right now.
Tan Mo turned to Sang Ye, raising an eyebrow slightly. “Is that so?”
Under the pressure of Xiao Pai’s presence, Sang Ye had no choice but to nod stiffly. Then, trying to escape, he quickly turned to leave.
But Tan Mo casually stepped to the side, subtly blocking his path. His long lashes lowered slightly as he glanced at the boy’s flushed face. Tilting his head, he asked, “Was it the one from last night?”
A fresh wave of heat rushed to Sang Ye’s face. His eyes darted around, avoiding Tan Mo’s gaze entirely.
He had a strong suspicion that Tan Mo was doing this on purpose, deliberately bringing it up in front of others.
Sang Ye didn’t dare lash out, but he also refused to answer. He just felt like he was about to die from embarrassment.
Then Tan Mo pressed further. “Hmm? Was it?”
And, as if he wasn’t teasing enough already, he added in a slow, deliberate tone, “Sang Ye?”
Sang Ye bit his lip. He had no way out. In a barely audible whisper, he mumbled, “…Yes.”
Tan Mo tapped him lightly on the head with his wallet. “Alright, I’ll be waiting, Sang Ye.” Then, with a smirk, he added, “Whoever lies is a little puppy.”
Sang Ye blinked, feeling a little sulky. But… he couldn’t deny that light tap struck something in his heart.
Tan Mo left.
Sang Ye returned to his seat, cupping his burning face with both hands.
He wasn’t even going to wear that cheongsam a second time. And he definitely wasn’t going to agree to Tan Mo’s request.
This was all Xiao Pai’s fault! All Xiao Pai’s fault!
Fuming, Sang Ye stomped his foot in frustration.
But just then, Xiao Pai seemed to finally catch on. Sitting at his desk, he mumbled to himself, “Wait… what kind of clothing was it? Only touching, no looking? And why is he only wearing it for Tan Shen…?”
Sang Ye jolted in panic. Without hesitation, he lunged at the computer, slapped on his headphones, and pretended to be completely absorbed in training.
Two days later, Tan Mo finished his business and rejoined the team.
The coach gathered everyone for a meeting. “Several teams from Korea’s PKL have scheduled scrim matches with our PCL teams. We’ll be playing them for an afternoon to get a feel for each other’s playstyles. During practice, pay attention to roll points. I’ll review them, we’ll discuss, and then we’ll submit our choices.”
Since all the participating teams were preparing for the intercontinental tournament, the scrims were structured and focused on practice rather than an all-out fight to the death. Once roll points were decided, teams weren’t allowed to contest them or change their landing spots at will. If adjustments were necessary, they could only relocate to an unoccupied area.
Xiao Pai commented, “The Korean teams are really enthusiastic, huh? A bunch of tryhards.”
The coach shot back, “What, you think everyone’s as lazy as you?”
Xiao Pai, who was used to getting scolded daily, pouted.
The coach continued, “This is actually beneficial for both sides—it’s also a good warm-up for the intercontinental tournament. After all, in the East Asia region, PCL’s biggest rival is PKL. So take this seriously and play well.”
Tan Mo suddenly asked, “Is BTF participating?”
“They are,” the coach replied. “BTF is still at the top of PKL and remains highly competitive. They’ve been proactive too—otherwise, they wouldn’t have flown to Shanghai early for training. In fact, this China-Korea friendly scrim was their idea, and since all the teams responded positively, I decided to sign us up.”
Tan Mo fell silent.
The coach looked at him. “What’s wrong?”
Tan Mo thought for a moment before replying, “Unless they’ve had a complete change of heart, they’re not the type of team that enjoys ‘friendly exchanges.’”
Hu Fu scoffed and nodded in agreement. “Especially aggressive.”
Xiao Pai rubbed his head: “You made me remember that, they also like to bully… In the last Busan Invitational, their captain Gal used a Google Translator to mock me for being short. I was beaten by the team several times when I was eating in the cafeteria at noon. He was the kind of person who worked out, and he directly bumped into me. Go to the corner.”
“And he’s the gym-rat type too. One time, he straight-up shoved me into a wall.”
Hu Fu was surprised. “How did I not know about this? You never told us.”
Xiao Pai shrugged. “Well, it was a year ago, okay? I had just debuted back then, and my skin was thinner than an eggshell. I didn’t dare say anything.”
Sang Ye looked at him. “Hard to imagine.”
“What?” Xiao Pai asked. “Me getting bullied? Pfft, that was a year ago. If he tried that now—”
Sang Ye poked his own cheek with a finger. “Thinner than an eggshell.”
Xiao Pai: “…”
This white-haired brat could really get on his nerves sometimes.
The coach clapped his hands to cut off the conversation. “Alright, enough chit-chat. No matter what, we’ve already signed up, and backing out now isn’t an option. Let’s get ready.”
Meeting adjourned.
The first and second teams quickly packed up and got ready to go eat.
Amid the noisy chatter…
Tan Mo slowly closed his notebook, his eyelashes lowered as he said, “Puppy, are you nervous?”
“…” Sang Ye’s back stiffened.
Because last night, Tan Mo had asked to see him in women’s clothing, and he had refused.
So now, from the moment he arrived this morning, he just couldn’t shake off the nickname Puppy.
Feeling guilty, Sang Ye glanced around. Luckily, no one seemed to be paying attention. Only then did he reluctantly reply, “Not nervous. A training match is the same no matter where it is.”
“Good mindset…” Tan Mo stood up. “I’m going to drop my stuff off first. Wait for me in the cafeteria.”
Sang Ye responded with a casual “Oh.”
But just as Tan Mo took a few steps away, he suddenly turned back, leaned down close to Sang Ye’s ear, and added—
“Puppy.”
“…”
Note :
- A qipao (旗袍), also known as a cheongsam, is a traditional Chinese dress known for its elegant, body-hugging silhouette. ↩︎