This chapter is brought to you by Fatima, thanks for the ko-fi! (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
Chapter 69 – Pick Up at The Airport.
The courtyard was so silent and suffocating that even the lifeless goose on the ground seemed like it wanted to crane its neck and let out a cry.
Sang Ye belatedly covered his mouth, his gaze darting around—first to his dad, then to his mom. In the end, he decided that the one holding the kitchen knife deserved the most attention.
“Mom…”
His voice trembled slightly.
The Sang family had raised him with care, in a democratic and open environment, so there was never any real barrier between him and his parents. But now, nervous and overwhelmed, everything just spilled out uncontrollably.
“Little pup?” Fang Yuerong called softly. She placed the knife down, picked up a cloth beside her, and wiped her hands at an unhurried pace. “What did you just say?”
Sang Ye scratched his head, then abruptly crouched down again, rubbing the tip of his nose against his knee. With his face flushed red, he mumbled, “I like him. I like my captain… I’ve liked him for a long time…”
Sang Huaxin, distracted, accidentally burned his finger with his cigarette, jolting in surprise. He glanced at his phone and let out an “Oh!”—a sound that suggested understanding, though his expression remained dazed.
“I… I thought the kids were just messing around. The internet is full of jokes these days. I didn’t expect…”
What started as a casual question had somehow unearthed a major revelation.
“……” Sang Ye slowly turned to look at his dad.
He felt like a werewolf who had just outed himself in a game of Mafia—betrayed by his own slip-up.
“Little pup… ahem, Sang Ye.” Fang Yuerong’s tone instantly shifted, every word pronounced with clarity.
Twenty years ago, she had been a local TV anchor. Even now, the moment she opened her mouth, her presence filled the space.
Sang Ye tensed up. Hugging his knees, he anxiously scooted closer to Sang Huaxin, dragging his toes against the ground. “What? I already confessed everything…”
Fang Yuerong turned around, leaning her hands against the chopping board.
“This is no trivial matter. We need to discuss it thoroughly. You’re still young, and since we let you go out so early, you don’t have anyone around to guide you. You say you like him, but are you certain about your feelings?”
“I’m sure! I’m sure!” Sang Ye stretched his neck and nodded vigorously, his eyes shining with conviction. “I’m not an idi*t!”
Fang Yuerong studied the boy’s utterly sincere expression for two seconds, then slowly averted her gaze and gave a small nod.
Behind her back, her right hand began to move.
Sang Ye followed her gaze.
In Fang Yuerong’s hand dangled half of a vertically sliced goose. Its thin neck and plump body swayed gently.
“……”
“You said you were going to Shanghai to pursue a professional career and chase your dreams.” Fang Yuerong’s expression grew increasingly menacing as she raised the goose high above her head. “And after half a year, you come back with a man instead?! SANG—YE—!!!”
Sang Ye shot three feet into the air on the spot, scrambling up and down the porch pillars like a startled cat. “Mom! Mom!”
“Stand still! You’ve really learned a lot, haven’t you?!” Fang Yuerong swung the half goose through the air with impressive force.
“Aiya! Aiya!” Sang Huaxin clutched his head, dizzy from watching the two of them chase each other in circles.
“Dad!” With nowhere else to hide, Sang Ye dove behind Sang Huaxin for cover.
“Move aside! Or I’ll hit you too!” Fang Yuerong, ferociously unstoppable, charged forward.
“Stop all this racket!”
Sang Huaxin grabbed hold of both his wife and son, dragging them into the house before the whole neighborhood could wake up and enjoy the spectacle the next morning.
—
Inside the living room, the three family members each occupied a different corner of the space, none of them speaking.
Sang Ye crouched beside the TV stand, hugging his head in silence.
Fang Yuerong sat in the center of the sofa, arms crossed. Suddenly, she cleared her throat.
Sang Ye flinched slightly at the sound and shuffled further into the corner.
“What does your captain mean by all this?” Fang Yuerong lifted her chin and asked.
Sang Ye drooped his head, his face turning red. He pressed his fingers against the little dog decoration on his slippers and muttered, “He also said he likes me…”
Fang Yuerong narrowed her eyes. “So you two…”
“But we’re not necessarily together!” Sang Ye hurriedly lifted his head to clarify.
Fang Yuerong looked confused. “Didn’t you just say you like him and he likes you?”
Sang Ye hesitated, unsure how to explain. Feeling awkward, he turned back toward the wall and mumbled, “This is my own business, Mom. Just leave it alone.”
“I really can’t do much about it… My son is grown now, I can’t keep him home.” Fang Yuerong sighed.
Then, suddenly, a trace of sorrow crept into her voice. “I had it all planned out—you’d make a living playing games, achieve something big, and in a couple of years, bring home a nice Southern daughter-in-law. And now… Now what am I supposed to do with all the heirloom gold and jewelry? Who do I pass them down to?”
Sang Ye quietly pressed his fingers into the little rubber dog on his slippers. After a brief pause, he murmured in a soft voice, “I can ask my captain if he wants them…”
It was a joke.
Sang Ye had no confidence in whether his relationship with Tan Mo would develop to that stage.
Fang Yuerong let out a half-amused, half-exasperated laugh and brushed back a strand of hair. Then, suddenly, a thought occurred to her. “Hey? Little puppy, your captain isn’t some unreliable person, right?”
After all, a nearly twenty-five-year-old man making a move on her just-turned-eighteen-year-old son—just the thought of it gave a bad impression.
“No, no, absolutely not!” Sang Ye couldn’t stand hearing such things and waved his hands so fast they left afterimages. “I’ve been chasing him for five years! He’s an amazing person! He’s been looking after me ever since I joined the club and throughout all my competitions!”
“Five years?” Fang Yuerong’s gaze toward Sang Ye suddenly turned unreadable. “At the start of the year, you said you were going to Shanghai to pursue your dreams. So… was he the dream?”
Sang Ye’s face instantly turned bright red. He twisted away and furiously pressed down on the little rubber dog on his slipper.
The more he said, the more mistakes he made—so it was best to just shut up.
Sang Huaxin, still looking at his phone, plopped down onto the couch beside Fang Yuerong. “The kid seems decent. Good-looking too. Doesn’t seem like someone with bad character.”
He handed his phone to Fang Yuerong, showing a saved screenshot from a promotional video—an image of Tan Mo.
Fang Yuerong examined the young man’s features.
She hadn’t paid much attention before, but now that this person was practically on the verge of becoming her son-in-law, she had to take a closer look.
Even with her notoriously high standards, after a thorough assessment, she couldn’t help but nod.
Acceptable.
This young man wasn’t like the stereotypical esports players she had imagined—either chubby or scrawny. He was well-proportioned, strikingly handsome, and carried himself with refined elegance. Not bad at all—not unworthy of her fair-skinned, delicate-looking son.
Then, Sang Huaxin swiped to the next image—a screenshot from that night’s livestream, showing Tan Mo sending virtual gifts, with the chat teasing that it was a dowry payment.
“Just this twenty grand…” Sang Huaxin pulled back his phone and studied it for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh. “I’m not too impressed. Everyone says Shanghai men are stingy…”
“Dad!”
Sang Ye turned around and called out, exasperated.
…
During the few days Sang Ye was home, Fang Yuerong treated him like royalty, making sure he had a steady rotation of chicken, duck, fish, and lamb.
The next time he’d be back would be for the Lunar New Year, and she was worried that he wouldn’t eat well once he left again.
Apart from sleeping, resting, and playing games, Sang Ye also made sure to keep up with the intercontinental tournaments of other regions. While they had their break during National Day, the Asia-Pacific, North American, and European regions had just started their matches. Bit by bit, the roster for this year’s World Championship was coming together.
Sang Ye was already familiar with the situation in East Asia. Catch22 had emerged as a dark horse, and BTF, after failing to secure the championship at the intercontinental level, would likely be putting all their effort into the World Championship.
Meanwhile, the veteran teams from North America and Europe remained as consistent as ever, securing their spots in the finals.
But for Sang Ye, it wasn’t his own region’s teams that concerned him the most—it was the top-tier teams from other regions. As a rookie, he had never faced them in an actual match before. Watching videos just wasn’t the same as playing against them firsthand.
Still, even though this was his first time competing in the World Invitational, Sang Ye wasn’t nervous. In fact, he had already set a firm and unwavering goal.
This time, no matter what, he was going to win the championship with his team.
—And not just because they had lost the intercontinental tournament.
Sang Ye had thought that staying home for so long would get boring, but it didn’t—because Tan Mo made time to play games with him every day.
Most of the time, they played just for fun, but occasionally, they would queue up for a few ranked matches.
That night, they had just finished a game, and it was exactly 10:30 PM. Sang Ye hit the ready button, but Tan Mo urged him to go to bed.
For the past few days, Tan Mo had been making sure Sang Ye didn’t stay up too late during his break, usually wrapping things up around 11 PM. But today, he was calling it quits a full half-hour earlier.
“What for?”
Sang Ye wasn’t satisfied. He only got this short window of time to spend with Tan Mo each day, and it was never enough.
“I’m not tired. I can play one more game.”
But Tan Mo had no intention of continuing. “One more game and it’ll be past 11. Then you’ll probably scroll on your phone for a bit. Are you planning to sleep at midnight?”
“I won’t be on my phone!” Sang Ye huffed, playing the brat. “Just one more game.”
“No,” Tan Mo said flatly.
Sang Ye’s voice took on a pleading note. “Just one more, please…”
Tan Mo’s hand, resting on the mouse, paused. He glanced at his secondary monitor.
The boy’s face was scrunched up slightly, unintentionally exuding a childish charm.
Tan Mo’s gaze swept over those soft lips—lips that could produce such a sweet voice—before shifting back to his own screen.
“Baby, you forgot to turn off your stream.”
“…………”
Sang Ye’s face turned bright red in an instant. His expression snapped back to neutral in under a second as he swiftly pulled up the streaming platform’s backend.
Sang Ye’s face flushed a deep red, but in an instant, he schooled his expression and pulled up the Maoya streaming platform’s backend.
[“Hahahahahaha! Song, do you have goldfish memory? This isn’t the first time, right?”]
[“Fu Gui’s spoiled act is really something else. Another day, another kill shot for God Tan.”]
[“AWSL! God Tan calling Song ‘baby’ is absolutely amazing! This is peak boyfriend energy!”]
[“I love this little couple so much! Please just get married already—”]
Sang Ye immediately cut the stream.
Just then, a faint voice came from Tan Mo’s side.
—“Is it over…?”
Tan Mo had probably taken off his headset because his voice sounded far away. “Almost…”
The voice was muffled and unclear, but Sang Ye could still tell—it was a woman’s.
And Tan Mo was currently in his own room.
Sang Ye canceled the ready button.
There was a rustling sound as Tan Mo put his headset back on.
Before he could say anything, Sang Ye spoke first. “You’re busy, right? I’m logging off. See you.”
Tan Mo raised an eyebrow slightly, but before he could react, the game’s queue showed that another player had left the team.
After exiting the game, Sang Ye remained seated at his desk, resting his cheek against the back of his hand, eyes downcast as he stared at the desktop. His lips were pressed tightly together.
No wonder Tan Mo had rushed him to bed—he had company.
Sang Ye recalled how many people had tried to set Tan Mo up on blind dates before. After all, Tan Mo was already at a suitable age for marriage, and the holiday season was prime matchmaking time.
Maybe someone had been invited over to his place tonight.
Then he thought about how he had just been pestering Tan Mo to play another round.
How ridiculous.
Sang Ye rubbed the corner of his eye with the back of his hand and muttered, “I just won’t sleep! I won’t sleep!”
As if he were deliberately going against Tan Mo.
Just then—
His phone lit up with an incoming video call.
Seeing Tan Mo’s name, Sang Ye was a little surprised, but he was still sulking. He hesitated for a couple of seconds before wiping his eyes and swiping to answer.
The screen lit up. Tan Mo was still sitting at his desk, wearing a casual sweatshirt, blending effortlessly with the clean and minimalist decor of his room. He looked relaxed, almost like a university student in his dorm.
Judging by his position on the screen, he was probably calling from his laptop.
Tan Mo asked, “Can you hear me?”
Sang Ye’s face was still stiff with displeasure. He gave a curt hum. “What else do you want?”
Tan Mo leaned back in his chair and stretched. “My dad’s watching a movie downstairs. That auntie who passed by my door just now asked if I wanted to go watch… You’ve seen her before—the one who picked me up from the base last time.”
Sang Ye’s gaze started to wander. “You… You don’t have to explain. It’s not like I’d misunderstand…”
The more he spoke, the more he felt like he was digging a hole for himself. Unable to take it anymore, he rolled to the side, burying himself in bed.
He rubbed his face against the blanket, then peeked out with one eye, staring at his phone. “Why’d you even call…?” he grumbled.
It made him feel like he was acting petty and throwing a tantrum.
Had he been that obvious?
“Am I not allowed to call?” Tan Mo countered. “I’m not afraid—go ahead and check up on me if you want.”
Sang Ye’s face instantly flushed red. He shot up, kneeling on the bed. “W-Who wants to check up on you?!”
“Whoever’s overthinking it is the one checking up,” Tan Mo said, shifting his posture and leaning closer to his desk, propping his head on one hand. His expression was amused, a teasing smirk playing on his lips as he gazed into the camera.
Sang Ye felt utterly exposed, like Tan Mo could see right through him. Embarrassed, he lowered his head. “Why didn’t you go downstairs to watch the movie?”
Tan Mo replied, “If you don’t want me to go, then I won’t.”
Sang Ye’s heart skipped a beat. “I never said that.”
“You’re at it again, little liar.” Tan Mo didn’t believe him at all. He glanced at his watch and said, “I’ll keep you company until eleven—fifteen more minutes.”
Sang Ye couldn’t stand, couldn’t sit, couldn’t roll around—no matter what, he couldn’t suppress the joy bubbling in his heart.
He grabbed a pillow, stuffed it into his arms, and flopped onto his stomach.
Tan Mo chuckled. “Do you have ADHD or something?”
Couldn’t even stay still for a moment.
Sang Ye’s messy tuft of hair stuck up in all directions. He lifted his chin proudly, like a little white lion. “I do not.”
The more Tan Mo looked at him, the more he felt a pang of longing. Resting his arms on the desk, he leaned closer to the screen. “When are you coming back?”
Sang Ye tapped his screen to check the date in the top right corner. “It’s already the fourth… The seventh is sold out, so I booked a flight for the sixth at noon. I should arrive by the evening.”
His gaze flickered as he asked, “What about you?”
Tan Mo glanced at the desk calendar with marked notes and answered honestly, “I have a classmate’s wedding on the seventh, so I’ll probably return on the morning of the eighth.”
Sang Ye gave a couple of “oh” before adding, “I’ll bring you some local specialties and leave them on your desk.”
“Oh? A souvenir from Datong?” Tan Mo raised an eyebrow. “If you’re referring to yourself, you can just deliver it straight to my room.”
“!!!”
Sang Ye yanked the blanket over his head.
Tan Mo remarked, “You definitely have ADHD.”
A muffled voice came from under the covers. “I do not!”
“Take off the blanket.”
“No!”
“What are you even showing me? The lovebirds printed on your duvet?”
“…You can look at whatever you want.”
Outside the door, Fang Yuerong stood holding a plate of fruit. She raised her hand to knock but hesitated, then sighed and walked away.
Ah… A grown son is like spilled water.
His body may be here, but his heart is elsewhere.
He finally came home for a visit, yet he spent all his time chatting with his boyfriend—couldn’t even sit downstairs with his parents for a while.
…
In the blink of an eye, the holiday was coming to an end. Starting from the fifth, coastal areas gradually saw the return of workers.
On the afternoon of the sixth, Tan Mo arrived back at the base with Tan Chunshan. As soon as he put his luggage away and stepped out of his room, he saw Xiao Pai wheeling his suitcase inside.
“Huh? Brother?” Xiao Pai was surprised. “Why are you back so early too?”
Tan Mo countered, “And you?”
Xiao Pai sighed. “My mom got sick of me being at home. If I stayed any longer, I might’ve started a full-blown family war.”
He wasn’t exaggerating.
Modern young adults are treated like precious guests when they first return home, but once they stay past three days, their parents start finding fault with everything they do.
Seeing Tan Mo close his door and holding his keys, Xiao Pai asked, “Huh? Got plans? You just got back, and you’re already heading out?”
Tan Mo nodded. “Going to pick someone up.”
Xiao Pai asked, “Brother, are you coming back for dinner tonight? Wanna eat together?”
Without turning around, Tan Mo waved a hand. “Don’t wait up.”
Xiao Pai shrugged and rolled his suitcase into his room.
Too lazy to unpack, he sat on his bed and was about to lie down for a quick rest—
When Tan Mo leaned against his doorway.
“Huh?” Xiao Pai was startled and immediately sat back up.
Tan Mo asked, “Got plans?”
Xiao Pai looked confused. “Nope.”
“Come on.” Tan Mo jingled his keys and straightened up. “Come with me to pick someone up. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”
Xiao Pai instantly jumped up. “Brother! Give me a sec!”
Meanwhile, at the baggage claim area, Sang Ye grabbed his suitcase and started heading outside when he received a message from the team manager, asking if he had arrived. The club had sent a car to pick him up.
Sang Ye thought to himself, ‘So this is what it’s like to be on a top-tier team, huh?’
He reached the airport exit and hadn’t even begun looking around when a loud voice called out—
“Bai Mao!”
“……”
So embarrassing.
Sang Ye followed the voice and saw Xiao Pai grinning like a sunflower, waving enthusiastically while jogging over.
As Xiao Pai got closer, Sang Ye asked, “You can drive now?”
Xiao Pai grabbed his suitcase and replied, “What? No way, my brother drove here.”
Sang Ye stood still, blinking.
A wave of joy surged uncontrollably in his heart.
Tan Mo was still sitting in the car, keeping an eye out for traffic police to avoid getting a parking ticket.
He plugged his phone into the car charger, then looked up—just in time to see a boy stepping out from the automatic doors in the distance.
His milky-white hair made him stand out in the crowd, and even from afar, his striking features were clear. He wore a loose, casual T-shirt, with his jacket draped over his arm, glancing around as soon as he stepped outside.
‘He was only home for a few days? Why does he look even better now?’
Tan Mo flashed the high beams twice.
Sang Ye’s eyes were drawn to the lights.
Through the windshield, Tan Mo saw a glimmer flash in the boy’s dark pupils before he lightly stepped forward, effortlessly leaving Xiao Pai behind.
Watching Sang Ye approach, Tan Mo’s thoughts drifted to the night before National Day.
He wasn’t sure what exactly had made Sang Ye bolt faster than a rabbit, but he could tell that the moment he invited him to dinner, an air of nervous tension surrounded him.
Sang Ye had been a little better when Xiao Pai was around, but the moment he left, the unease returned.
Especially when Tan Mo got close—Sang Ye’s anxiety practically peaked.
Originally, Tan Mo had planned to pick him up alone today, but since he ran into Xiao Pai, he decided to bring him along.
It didn’t matter before, but now, Sang Ye still wasn’t used to being alone with him.
Sang Ye walked up, pulled open the passenger door, and before getting in, bent down to ask, “Why are you back today? Weren’t you coming on the eighth?”
Tan Mo pressed the button to open the trunk and replied calmly, “The wedding was near the base anyway, so I figured I’d just come back first.”
Sang Ye responded with an “Oh” and naturally got into the car.
—— “Bai Mao, that’s my seat! You go sit in the back.”
With a thud, Xiao Pai slammed the trunk shut and marched toward the front passenger seat.
Sang Ye had one foot in the car, frowned, and stiffened his neck. “Why should I?”
“What do you mean ‘why’?” Xiao Pai, full of confidence, pointed at the storage compartment on the passenger side. “I was sitting in the front when we came.”
Sang Ye glanced over and saw an unfinished milk tea and a McDonald’s bag stuffed beside the door.
“……”
He swung his backpack onto his shoulder and reluctantly moved to the back seat. Before closing the door, he shot a glare at Xiao Pai from behind.
After getting in, Xiao Pai continued munching on his crispy chicken fillet and even turned to ask, “Bai Mao, want some?”
“No.”
Sitting alone in the spacious back seat, Sang Ye couldn’t stop sneaking glances at the driver. He shifted slightly to the left.
What he didn’t notice was that the driver was watching him through the overhead rearview mirror.
Xiao Pai crinkled the McDonald’s bag noisily, constantly finding something to say, keeping the conversation alive.
But Sang Ye, feeling a bit irritable, turned to stare out the window.
Today, Xiao Pai was a little…
In the way.
He had been holding back for a week, and there were so many things he wanted to say to Talk—though they were just meaningless, silly things, the kind of nonsense that only felt okay to say when Talk was around.
Since their reunion, they had only managed to exchange a single full sentence.
Meanwhile, Xiao Pai kept smacking his lips, chattering away as he chewed his chicken fillet.
Tan Mo, driving with one elbow resting on the car window, pressed his hand against his lips and finally lost patience. “If you dare drop crumbs in my car, you’re washing it.”
Xiao Pai’s eating posture instantly became much more refined, practically covering half his face with the paper bag. He mumbled, “I won’t, brother… nothing’s falling…”
Tan Mo’s car was a high-end Mercedes. A single trip to the car wash would cost Xiao Pai half a year’s worth of McDonald’s.
Finally, the car fell silent.
Sang Ye heard the low battery notification from his phone.
Apparently, Tan Mo heard it too. He said, “There’s a charger up front. You can unplug mine if you need it. There’s also a socket in the back.”
“Okay.” Sang Ye leaned forward between the two front seats, reaching for the charger. It was still connected to Tan Mo’s phone. “I’m unplugging it?”
“Yeah.”
Just then—
The car in front failed to catch the green light, its taillights flashing red as it suddenly slowed down. Tan Mo had no choice but to slam on the brakes.
Under the force of inertia, Sang Ye lurched forward and quickly grabbed onto the back of the driver’s seat to steady himself.
“Sh*t!” Xiao Pai nearly dropped his paper bag but managed to catch it just in time.
Tan Mo’s first instinct was to check on Sang Ye. “Are you okay—”
But as he turned his head, he almost brushed against the boy’s soft, rose-tinted lips.
In that instant, the sounds of traffic around them seemed to fade into the distance.
They were mere centimeters apart, their breaths mingling—growing uneven, tinged with a damp heat.
Sang Ye was still clutching the seatback. His lashes lowered briefly as he caught sight of Tan Mo’s pale lips before quickly looking up again. Unconsciously, he bit his own lip, a flicker of heat igniting in his stomach once more.
Tan Mo saw it all—those deep, dark eyes, gleaming with warmth, holding a mix of anticipation and something almost like temptation.
After a week apart, the thoughts he had been suppressing were surfacing—more intense than he had expected.
Xiao Pai suddenly blurted out, “D*mn, this road is packed! What’s the point of those license plate restrictions if traffic is still this bad?”
Outside the car, the congestion was slowly easing, the vehicles on both sides beginning to inch forward.
Tan Mo tilted his head just slightly, his lips ghosting past the soft skin at the corner of Sang Ye’s mouth as he asked, “Have you decided what you want for dinner?”
Sang Ye instantly released the seatback and collapsed onto the rear seat, hands covering half his face. His long legs curled up, feet lifting off the floor.