Chapter 38 – Blushing Cheeks Beneath the Rising Fireworks
Jiang Ranan, startled, jumped up and clamped a hand over Tangyuan’s mouth. He and Zhuang Bai worked together to drag Tangyuan out of the danger zone where his life could very well be at risk.
Only the little Avatar, who was utterly fascinated by Chinese culture, remained behind. He affectionately took Yang Sa and Captain Xinghai’s hands, clasping all three palms together. “Bow to Heaven and Earth—first bow to Heaven and Earth, second bow to the high… high… high…” he chanted, waving to his bros behind him to join in. But his friends, who had slightly better Chinese skills, swiftly knocked him down and carried him off.
Little Blue, dragged off like a sack of potatoes, flailed his four limbs in the air and struggled hard, cluelessly calling out to his distant friend for help: “Sa, save me—save me, Sa…”
Just moments ago, Little Blue had shouted out “Bow to Heaven and Earth!” with such force from his diaphragm that it shocked the entire room.
At the time, Yang Sa had wanted to take off his socks and stuff them in his mouth. Now, he pretended not to hear the cries for help.
As he retracted his hand, he casually said, “Sorry, my friend’s Chinese isn’t very good.” His tone was relaxed, his face carefully composed to look unconcerned.
Still in his team uniform, Shao Zhan withdrew the hand he had just shaken and quietly clenched it into a fist in his pocket. “It’s fine,” he said. “Your friend’s Chinese is… quite good.”
The celebration banquet wrapped up early. Given how the match had gone, no one really had the mood to continue.
The out-of-town teams had to catch flights. After exchanging contact info with the Jiangling team, they left the hotel early.
Team Xinghai stayed until the end. Part of it was out of respect for their brother team; the other part was that chubby Tangyuan and his newly acknowledged bro, Little Blue, had really hit it off. The two round heads were huddled together, chatting non-stop—it looked like they might kiss from a distance.
There was nothing to be done. The LAP team hung around awkwardly nearby, doing four rounds of radio calisthenics out of sheer boredom.
Jiang Ranan, who loved sweets, had tried every single cake. He tugged on Zhuang Bai and muttered, “When’s this gonna end? If I eat any more, I’m gonna throw up.”
As if hearing his thoughts, Tangyuan came strolling over with his arm around his new brother blue’s shoulder, all fired up. “The food here’s cold—let’s go get some barbecue!” he announced. Then he pulled out his phone to comfort Qin Chuan, who’d left early due to a stomachache, telling him to rest well at the base. While he was at it, he even requested leave for the entire team.
Shao Zhan had just finished talking with the Silver Emperor’s team manager. As he walked out of the hotel, he saw Fat Tangyuan hugging his new brother and enthusiastically calling him to get in the car.
Shao Zhan glanced at the people already packed inside. “You know how to count? One more person and it’ll be overloaded.” He tossed out, “I’ll take a cab,” shut the car door, and tapped the window to signal the driver to go.
After all that, he flagged down a taxi, opened the door, and stood there waiting for someone nearby who was still on the phone.
Yang Sa noticed and hung up, strolling over with a shake of his hand, signaling that he had no intention of tagging along for more fun.
Shao Zhan didn’t say much—just nodded slightly and bent down to get into the cab.
Yang Sa turned to leave but was stopped by a voice from behind.
“If your friend gets too drunk, where should I drop him off?”
Turning back, Yang Sa saw Shao Zhan leaning out of the car window. His chestnut-colored eyes gleamed under the streetlight, bright and mischievous.
“Their Chinese,” the man in the car added, sounding a little troubled, “doesn’t seem all that… fluent.”
Who was the one praising their Chinese at the banquet again?
He didn’t look like the type to play dumb—but he clearly was.
Yang Sa couldn’t be bothered to argue. Faced with the choice of giving him the address of the rental villa or going along himself to babysit a few troublesome guys, he picked the latter.
He gave a brief explanation over the phone, then opened the door and got into the front passenger seat.
After giving the address of the barbecue place, Shao Zhan asked while Yang Sa was fastening his seatbelt, “Anyone waiting at home?” He’d overheard Yang Sa on the phone saying he’d be back late.
The fingers pressing down on the buckle instinctively moved to shake their head—but then paused. The person on the phone had been Max, asking them to bring back some late-night snacks. Since the team acquisition was still under wraps, Max hadn’t been showing up at LAP events.
Yang Sa’s movements froze for a second. Then, catching the look in Shao Zhan’s eyes through the rearview mirror, he gave a small nod and replied with quiet certainty.
“Alright,” Shao Zhan leaned back in the seat, letting the cool evening breeze wash over him. Early autumn felt far chillier this year than in the past.
He promised Yang Sa that he’d make sure the LAP crew returned early. After that, he sank into the shadowy stillness of the night, saying nothing more.
In the silent car, only the flashing colors from roadside billboards cast shifting lights inside, flickering rapidly with the car’s speed.
Shao Zhan quietly watched the strands of black hair fluttering beside the headrest, stirred by the wind. He recalled the faint ticklish feeling of those same strands brushing against the crook of his arm—and suddenly, a tightness gripped his chest.
He rolled the window all the way down and gazed up at the vast, endless night sky, his expression dark.
Yang Sa’s fingers remained pressed tightly to the seatbelt buckle, knuckles pale, his emotions carefully reined in.
The taxi slowed to a stop. In the back seat, Shao Zhan watched Yang Sa scan the QR code with practiced ease to pay. He began quietly calculating how much longer Yang Sa would be staying in the country.
As soon as they stepped into the smoke-filled barbecue joint, they were greeted by Tangyuan’s unmistakably loud voice:
“Boss! Fifty chicken wings, fifty ribs, fifty skewers, two plates of beef tendon, two of prime cut, one leg of lamb—just bring whatever sides you think work!”
“Got it!” the boss lady replied, enthusiastically bringing over drinks.
“Two more plates of clams, two of oysters, scallops…”
Now on his home turf, Tangyuan puckered his chubby lips and rattled off the orders like a machine gun. At the end, he held up four fingers and whispered like he was sneaking contraband, “Four pitchers of draft beer.”
Shao Zhan smacked him on the head without mercy. “Beer, my a*s. Drink water. The second I take my eyes off you, you cause chaos.”
Tangyuan wasn’t fazed at all. He hugged his head with a grin, then cheerfully went off to grill meat for his younger bros.
They had ordered a ton, and the kitchen staff couldn’t keep up. So Tangyuan got his hands on some seasoning, pinched up cumin and chili powder and sprinkled it generously over the skewers. The skewers flipped and turned with incredible skill in his plump hands—his technique was truly impressive.
“Not to brag, but this fat bro’s technique is family heirloom stuff,” Tangyuan said, wiping nonexistent sweat from his brow and rolling up his sleeves. “If the team didn’t need me so bad, I’d have opened a BBQ chain overseas by now.”
His showmanship left a bunch of the foreign guys wide-eyed and speechless.
Jiang Ranan, gnawing on a squid tentacle, didn’t hesitate to call him out: “Yeah right. You’re from a seaside town—your family’s been fishing for generations.”
“So what if we fish?” Tangyuan puffed up shamelessly. “Haven’t you read The Old Man and the Sea? That’s a story about battling fate. Who says a fisherman’s son can’t have big dreams? Can’t open a BBQ restaurant?”
“You’re fat, so you’re right, huh? Got it.” Jiang Ranan urged him, “Flip the eggplant already.”
“Small body, picky mouth,” Tangyuan muttered, sprinkling chopped green onions over the eggplant. Then, making a big show of it, he brought the foil tray right over to Little Blue, right in front of Jiang Ranan.
Moved to tears, Little Blue’s big blue eyes filled with two shimmering droplets: “Sweet, you’re the absolute best brother in the whole wide world.”
“Don’t mention it.” Tangyuan puffed out his chest and thumped it with barbecue tongs. “Brother Fat spoils you and you alone.”