Chapter 25 – Hello, Brother Shi
Seeing that it was almost time, Shi Cha got ready to change his clothes and go find Lin Ran.
He casually pulled out the outfit he wore most often from the wardrobe. Just as he was about to close the door, his eyes inadvertently landed on another set of clothes that his family had picked out for him.
He paused for two seconds and thought for a moment. Then he put the clothes in his hand back and reached for the other set instead.
When Lin Ran opened the door, he immediately noticed that Shi Cha looked especially youthful and handsome today. The color of Shi Cha’s outfit, in particular, was very similar to what he himself was wearing.
“Come on in,” Lin Ran ushered Shi Cha inside. “Give me a sec—I just need to send this file, then we can head out.”
As he fiddled with his phone, Lin Ran asked, “I’m not too familiar with this area. Shi Cha, do you have any places you’d recommend?”
Knowing Shi Cha’s personality, his first choice would definitely be staying home and cooking for himself. But since Lin Ran had invited him out, Shi Cha couldn’t help but feel a little pleased.
There was one time when Du Yan came to visit and mentioned he’d found a restaurant nearby that was perfect for a romantic date. He’d said he was definitely bringing his girlfriend there someday.
At the time, Shi Cha thought Du Yan was being ridiculous. But now, he really wanted to take Lin Ran there. Luckily, he had a good memory. Even though he hadn’t been interested at the time, he remembered the name of the restaurant after Du Yan said it once.
“I heard from a friend that there’s a really good restaurant nearby. Here’s the address.”
As he spoke, Shi Cha showed Lin Ran the location he’d found on his phone.
It wasn’t far—about a twenty-minute drive.
A few minutes later, Shi Cha was driving with Lin Ran in the passenger seat.
Lin Ran glanced around the car.
Shi Cha probably didn’t use this car often—the interior didn’t match his style at all. Everything screamed flashy and over-the-top.
“This your brother’s car?”
Shi Cha kept his eyes on the road, looking especially focused. Even when Lin Ran spoke, he didn’t turn his head.
“Yeah, he said he didn’t like the color anymore and wanted a new one, so he gave me this one.”
Lin Ran nodded. “This bright red? Definitely his taste.”
Shi Cha: “……”
They soon arrived at their destination. Just as Lin Ran was about to get out of the car, Shi Cha suddenly stopped him.
“Do you want to wear a mask? What if someone recognizes you?”
Although he had little interest in the entertainment industry, Shi Cha still knew that celebrities always wore masks when they went out to hide their faces.
Lin Ran looked at Shi Cha’s serious expression, then reached out and tousled the soft hair on his head.
“Not wearing one might not draw attention. But the moment I put on a black mask, everyone will be curious—‘Who is it under there?’”
Shi Cha: “……” Really?
Whether he believed it or not, Lin Ran had already gotten out of the car, so Shi Cha had no choice but to follow.
Following the directions, the two of them found the restaurant Shi Cha had mentioned.
The restaurant was tucked away in a rather hidden location, but the interior was surprisingly spacious.
There were no private rooms, but each table was separated by screens and plants, giving a decent level of privacy.
After sitting down, Lin Ran glanced around casually. “Looks like all the tables here are for couples?”
Shi Cha froze mid-flip of the menu. He didn’t dare look up and mumbled, “I didn’t notice. My friend just said the food here was good.”
Lin Ran chuckled. “So, what dishes are good?”
Shi Cha: “……” Du Yan never said anything like that!
Lin Ran propped his chin on one hand, watching as Shi Cha almost buried his face in the menu. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. But he didn’t tease him any further and instead turned to the nearby waiter.
“Do you have any recommendations?”
The waiter had already recognized Lin Ran and was discreetly eyeing Shi Cha. Startled by Lin Ran’s question, she panicked for a second, thinking she was about to be scolded for being unprofessional.
Realizing it was just a question about the menu, she immediately rattled off several signature dishes.
Lin Ran nodded and turned to Shi Cha. “How about we try these first?”
Shi Cha was just about to agree when the waiter, wanting to reassure them of her recommendations, added brightly: “Don’t worry, these are our most popular dishes among couples—you’re both sure to love them!”
Shi Cha: “……”
His hand paused as he was closing the menu, and his fingers began to unconsciously scratch at the cover.
Thankfully, the waiter had some awareness and quickly bowed before leaving.
“The dishes will be out soon. If you need anything else, please feel free to call me.”
Shortly after, a post on the fan forum for the temporary CP (couple pairing) suddenly went viral:
#Lin Ran and Shi Cha spotted on a date at a couple’s restaurant#
[I couldn’t take photos, and I can’t say which restaurant it is exactly, but they’re real. I swear, I just witnessed actual sugar [fan term for romantic interaction] right in front of me!
Shi Cha is so soft in real life, nothing like his cold image from variety shows. And Lin Ran was doting the entire time—he didn’t take his eyes off Shi Cha once!
OP, your IP is showing! From what I know, Lin Ran and Shi Cha really are in your city right now. So you’re telling us… they’re actually on a date?!
Aaaahhh, why are there no photos?! I want to see too!]
Meanwhile, fans of the Linyao CP (Lin Ran × Chun Yao) who had been lurking in the temporary CP thread rushed back to their own corner of the internet to bump the screenshots and clips from the two playing games together an hour earlier.
[[GIF] Look at this! Ran-shen lowered the enemy’s HP to nearly zero and just waited for our YaoYao [Shi Cha] to take the kill. If this isn’t true love, then what is?!]
[No pics, no proof? Here—[screenshot.jpg] This was an hour ago. Screenshot from the game—our Lingyao CP forever!]
Fans of the two different CPs (couple pairings) had set up camp in their own corners of the internet and were now battling it out, each determined to prove that their ship was the real deal.
But that’s a story for later.
Over the next few days, whenever Lin Ran had free time outside of work, he would invite Shi Cha out for meals, or join him for gaming during Shi Cha’s livestreams. He even invited Shi Cha to attend the “Pinnacle” All-Star Tournament being held in Haidu.
Since the tournament was scheduled to start at 8:00 AM on Saturday, Lin Ran and Shi Cha arrived in Haidu on Friday night.
By the time they got there, it was already 8 PM.
Lin Ran’s agent, Li Xin’an, knew that Lin Ran was trying to court Shi Cha. Upon learning that he was bringing Shi Cha to the tournament, he booked the presidential suite for Lin Ran without hesitation.
Shi Cha showed no discomfort with the arrangement. After all, he’d already shared a room with Lin Ran before. Now, they were simply staying in the same suite—with separate bedrooms.
While they were unpacking, Lin Ran’s phone—resting on the bed—wouldn’t stop buzzing.
In the Pinnacle group chat, messages were popping off nonstop.
[World’s #1 Top Laner (Chen Lu)]: @LR, Ran Shen, I heard from Brother Li that you’ve arrived in Haidu. Come out and eat with us!
[HeartbrokenBoy]: Chen Lu, are you asking Ran Shen to come eat, or are you hoping he’ll foot the bill?
[World’s #1 Top Laner (Chen Lu)]: Of course it’s about bonding! Otherwise, I’m afraid Ran Shen’s got a new love and will forget all about me.
[PicBroken]: New love? What new love? 👀
[YoYoYo]: New love? What new love? 👀
[…]
With that one message from Chen Lu, the previously silent group exploded. Within seconds, over a hundred messages flooded in—all demanding gossip from Chen Lu.
Chen Lu was nearly traumatized by the sight of the phrase new love.
[World’s #1 Top Laner (Chen Lu)]: You guys call yourselves pro players, but your gossip senses are way too dull. Don’t you people surf the web on 5G? Ran Shen has two trending CPs right now. Hehe, I follow both—and both are actually super sweet.
Everyone else: … Who on earth follows other people’s CPs for fun?!
[HeartbrokenBoy]: Weird—why are you following Ran Shen’s CPs?
[World’s #1 Top Laner (Chen Lu)]: Oh, the first CP I followed was actually me and Ran Shen. So this time, I just figured I’d follow the rest too.
[YoYoYo]: Your taste is way too extreme!
[PicBroken]: I’m broken…
[HeartbrokenBoy]: Ran Shen’s been tainted…
[???]
Chen Lu ignored everyone’s roasting and kept tagging Lin Ran in the group chat.
Lin Ran skimmed through the messages and replied directly to Chen Lu:
[LR]: Send me the address.
Half an hour later, Lin Ran showed up at the BBQ stall with Shi Cha and saw Chen Lu already sitting with three others, munching on skewers.
The table was piled high with uneaten skewers—and an even larger pile of empty sticks.
“I’m telling you, these fans are insane at editing. My heart was literally pounding watching those CP clips—”
Before Chen Lu could finish, he noticed Li You across the table giving him a warning look.
He turned around—and immediately locked eyes with Lin Ran standing behind him, gaze calm but full of subtle threat, and Shi Cha, who looked completely out of the loop.
Chen Lu quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin, jumped up with a grin, and greeted them enthusiastically.
“Brother Ran, you’re here! Quick, sit down, sit down. I already ordered a bunch of food for you. This one’s specially picked just for you—good for nourishment.”
Shi Cha looked confused and turned to Lin Ran, “What’s wrong? What do you need to nourish?”
Lin Ran: “……”
Even though he hadn’t eaten any yet, just one glance told him what kind of dish Chen Lu had ordered.
“I don’t need it. Keep it for yourself.”
Shi Cha: “???” What kind of cryptic conversation is this?
The other three players also stood up, respectfully greeted Lin Ran with a “Brother Ran,” switched seats, and subtly distanced themselves from the reckless Chen Lu.
Although they were all hotshot pro players now, back during their training camp days, they had all been under Lin Ran’s management. He might be easygoing in daily life, but when it came to trainees, he had been famously strict.
Even now, the three of them were still a bit afraid of him.
Only Chen Lu kept up his cheeky smile. “Okay, okay, I’ll eat it myself later.”
As he said that, he pulled out chairs for Lin Ran and Shi Cha with exaggerated enthusiasm.
Shi Cha still felt a bit uneasy facing the scene and looked to Lin Ran for help.
Lin Ran nudged the chair that Chen Lu had pulled out and gestured to Shi Cha, “Sit here—away from those four, so they don’t corrupt you.”
Chen Lu laughed, “Aw, Brother Ran, come on—we’re all good boys here.”
Then, without thinking, he turned to Shi Cha and said, “Sis-in-law, please sit.”
Shi Cha froze on the spot—awkward and unsure whether to sit or stand.
Lin Ran shot Chen Lu a glare, then turned to Shi Cha and said gently, “Don’t mind him. He has no filter.”
Chen Lu even slapped his own mouth in mock punishment.
“Hey, I picked that up from the fans! I’ll fix it, I’ll fix it right away. Brother Shi, please sit.”
Chen Lu was clearly older than Shi Cha, yet he was calling him brother, which only made Shi Cha feel more uncomfortable.
He sat down awkwardly and accepted the skewer Lin Ran handed over.
As soon as he finished one, Lin Ran immediately passed him another, and even poured a drink, placing it right by Shi Cha’s hand.
While Lin Ran was taking care of Shi Cha, the three guys across the table looked like they’d just seen a ghost. Since when did Ran God personally take care of someone else’s food and drink?
Unless the sky was about to rain blood…
Could it be that Chen Lu’s nonsense earlier—was actually true?
Were they witnessing the front row of a real-life CP reveal?
Lin Ran ignored the gossipy expressions across the table and pointed at Chen Lu to introduce him.
“This is Chen Lu, top laner and captain of LL team.”
“This is Li You, jungler for WG team. That’s Zhou Lie and Zheng Quan—ADC and support for LG team.”
Actually, Shi Cha already knew who they were. He had followed Pinnacle tournaments for several years now.
He knew the personal style, preferred tactics, and best heroes of every pro player in Pinnacle. As for their personalities in private? That he had no idea—after all, besides Lin Ran, he had no interest in anyone’s personal life.
After the intros, Lin Ran casually pulled Shi Cha close and said to the four players, “This is my kid, Shi Cha. From now on, you guys can call him—”
Before Lin Ran could finish, all four of them lit up and shouted in unison, “Hello, Brother Shi!”
Shi Cha was startled by their sudden cheer: “……”
Why did it suddenly feel like the six of them were part of some underground gang?