Chapter 16 – Sharing a Room
Perhaps it was because the mentality of the opposing team had completely collapsed, but within the next few minutes, Shi Cha and his team managed to push up to the enemy’s high ground with little effort.
Wu Heze was still basking in the joy of their recent victory.
“I’ve been playing this game for over ten years, and this is the first time I’ve felt such happiness. Hey, Little Shi Cha, how about becoming my permanent duo partner from now on? You be the jungler and I’ll be the support—let’s dominate the battlefield together!”
Shi Cha: “…”
Before Shi Cha could come up with a way to turn him down, Zhong Jiarong spoke up teasingly.
“I don’t really understand the game, but I got the gist of that. You only won this time thanks to Shi Cha and Lin Ran. If Little Shi Cha’s going to team up with anyone, it should be Lin Ran. Teaming up with you, a half-baked player? That wouldn’t be dominating—it’d be carrying dead weight.”
Zhong Jiarong’s comment made Wu Heze laugh, but he immediately protested.
“Come on, Brother Rong, don’t ruin this for me! I genuinely want a jungler who’ll take hits for me.”
He clutched his chest. “Even my thirty-something-year-old youthful heart is moved.”
Lin Ran, who had been silent the whole time, glanced at the amused Wu Heze and ruthlessly stabbed him with a verbal jab.
“If someone’s taking the damage, it’s the support shielding the jungler, not the other way around.”
In other words, even if you pair with a jungler, don’t expect him to protect you.
What Lin Ran said was also true. In team fights, it’s usually the support’s job to take damage and protect their team’s damage dealers.
Wu Heze: “…” Don’t be like this!
Zhou Caizhe joined in with a chuckle and added another jab, “Honestly, I think Shi Cha plays at Lin Ran’s level. Brother Ze, do you really think you can keep up with Shi Cha’s game sense?”
Wu Heze: “…” Am I really that bad?
He glanced at his rank, which was still stuck at Gold. Forget it—maybe he was just delusional!
Just as the enemy’s base crystal exploded, Lin Ran turned to Shi Cha and asked, “Xiao Shi, can we be duo partners? Mid-jungle synergy…”
Before Lin Ran could finish, Shi Cha abruptly shoved his keyboard away and stood up.
Lin Ran looked up at him in confusion. Shi Cha hesitated for a second, then braced himself and said, “I—I’m going to the bathroom.”
With that, he ran off without looking back.
Lin Ran had spoken softly, so no one else had caught what he said.
But Shi Cha’s “going to the bathroom” had been loud and clear.
By the time everyone else looked up, Shi Cha was already gone.
Wu Heze, confused, asked, “Was it that urgent?”
Shi Cha rushed into the bathroom, quickly shut the door, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water on his face.
His cheeks felt like they were on fire, burning hot in waves.
What exactly did Lin Ran mean by what he said just now?
Does he treat everyone that way?
Or…
Is it just me?
Shi Cha bit his lip and looked up at his reflection in the mirror.
His originally rosy lips had been bitten pale. His lashes trembled slightly, and crystal-clear droplets slid down from the corners of his eyes, traced along his cheeks, and finally dripped from his chin one by one to the floor—strangely and beautifully sensual.
He lowered his gaze again, tugged the corners of his mouth, and murmured softly, almost mockingly, “A gentle person like Brother Lin Ran… how could he possibly like someone like me?”
Shi Cha stayed in the bathroom for a full ten minutes.
By the time he came out, the computers in the living room had already been packed away, and Zhong Jiarong and the others were drinking tea and chatting.
Seeing him return, Wu Heze called out, “Little Shi Cha, there are only three rooms, so we went ahead and split them up. You’ll be rooming with Lin Ran. Caizhe and Lecheng are in one room, and Brother Rong and I—since we both snore—we’ll share a room so we don’t bother you guys.”
Shi Cha hadn’t expected that in the short ten minutes he was gone, even the room assignments had been settled.
He turned to glance at Lin Ran, who was sipping tea with his head down—only for Lin Ran to look up at the same moment.
Their eyes met, and Lin Ran smiled.
“Xiao Shi, you’re not going to mind sharing with me, are you?”
Shi Cha quickly averted his gaze. The thought of spending the night alone in a room with Lin Ran made his heart race, though his face remained calm.
“No, I don’t mind.”
After chatting a bit longer, everyone headed to their rooms to rest.
Lin Ran walked confidently into the room, set his luggage by the bed, and took out a set of pajamas.
He turned and asked Shi Cha, who was lingering awkwardly at the door, “Are you showering first?”
Shi Cha was startled by the sudden question, but upon seeing the pajamas in Lin Ran’s hand, he immediately understood.
“You go first. You can shower first.”
Lin Ran raised an eyebrow, then picked up a white towel and walked over to the room’s camera.
He waved at it. “Good night, everyone. See you tomorrow.”
Then he covered the camera and unplugged the power cable altogether.
As the screen went black, the livestream chat erupted in protest.
[“I didn’t even get to see Ran-shen after his shower! Why’d it end so fast?!”]
[“Ahhh, I saw the bathroom’s inside the room! Even if we can’t see inside, at least let us hear the sound!”]
[“LinShi CP sharing a room? I’m declaring this a cohabitation arc!”]
[“So bold! Careful you don’t get banned!”]
After covering the camera, Lin Ran picked up his pajamas again. When he passed by Shi Cha, he paused.
“Then I’ll shower first.”
“Ah, okay. Sure.”
At that moment, Shi Cha felt like he couldn’t stand, couldn’t sit—his whole body felt like it was covered in spikes. No matter what he did, he was uncomfortable.
As soon as Lin Ran entered the bathroom, Shi Cha collapsed onto the bed, gasping for air.
He felt like Lin Ran’s presence—and the pressure he brought—was growing stronger and stronger. Was he only feeling this way because he had a guilty conscience?
He forced himself to breathe in and out, trying to appear calm and composed.
But just as he finally managed to steady himself, the sound of running water from the bathroom broke his concentration.
The sound of water splashing echoed clearly in Shi Cha’s ears.
He twisted his fingers nervously.
It was obvious—Lin Ran hadn’t even closed the bathroom door when he went in to shower!
Realizing this, Shi Cha’s imagination began involuntarily conjuring up images of what might be happening in the bathroom.
The moment his thoughts went there, he immediately punched himself in the head.
No! No! Stop imagining things!
Taking another deep breath, he shut his eyes tightly and began silently reciting the Heart Sutra.
“Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva… form is not different from emptiness, and emptiness is not different from form…”
By the second round of chanting, the sound of water had stopped—but then Lin Ran’s voice rang out.
“Xiao Shi, can you grab a towel for your big brother?”
Shi Cha, who had finally found some inner peace, suddenly opened his eyes wide in disbelief and looked toward the bathroom.
Lin Ran waited a moment, didn’t hear a reply, and called out again.
“I forgot to bring one in. Could you help me out? It’s in my open suitcase—a blue towel.”
Shi Cha glanced at the suitcase, and sure enough, there was a blue towel inside. Lin Ran really had forgotten it.
He hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked over to the suitcase.
The towel was tucked under a few pieces of black clothing.
Shi Cha crouched down and began moving the clothes aside. But just as he picked up the second item, he froze—like he’d been struck by lightning.
Between his fingertips was a perfectly folded pair of boxer briefs… and the noticeable bulge at the front was facing directly at him.
Shi Cha stood there, utterly spellbound, staring at the item in his hand with disbelief.
In the chaotic storm that was his mind, he had no idea what exactly he was thinking in that instant.
It was something along the lines of—
‘I can’t believe Brother Lin Ran actually likes this kind of underwear!’