Chapter 26 – What Are You Thinking About
“Hi, uh, hello.”
Chen Lu was naturally sociable. He picked up a large skewer of grilled meat and handed it to Shi Cha.
“Brother Shi, try this. Don’t worry, this one isn’t… you know, ‘supplementing.’”
Shi Cha didn’t quite understand what he meant by “supplementing,” but he still reached out to take it.
“Thanks.”
Chen Lu had a personality similar to Du Yan’s. Although Shi Cha wasn’t quite used to this kind of enthusiasm, after four years of Du Yan’s subtle influence, he was now fairly comfortable with people like Chen Lu.
Chen Lu and the three others were the remaining all-star players selected from the Huaguo region. On the final day, they would be teaming up with Lin Ran for the group match.
Shi Cha wasn’t very good at socializing, but fortunately, occasions like this didn’t require him to talk much.
While Lin Ran chatted casually with Chen Lu and the others, he still kept an eye on Shi Cha, occasionally bringing up topics that Shi Cha could join in on, making sure he didn’t feel left out.
Most of their conversation revolved around the esports scene. Even though Shi Cha wasn’t deeply involved in the community, he knew about the various players, so all in all, the barbecue went quite smoothly.
Meanwhile, the others were chatting away while also secretly gossiping in their heads.
They were incredibly curious. After all, Lin Ran had been active for three years without a single girlfriend or boyfriend — not even a rumored fling.
So… was this rumored boyfriend real?
If not, why was Lin Ran treating him so well? He even brought him out to meet them?
Could this be the classic “introducing the significant other to friends”? Were they about to make it official?
The group ate and drank until after ten before they wrapped things up.
Shi Cha was full, and the others were also stuffed — mostly with food and gossip. They left feeling a little overwhelmed.
As soon as they parted ways, Chen Lu popped up in the WeChat group.
[World’s #1 Top Laner (Chen Lu)]: I saw our sister-in-law today! Too bad the rest of you missed it. @Everyone
[…]
[Sister-in-law? What sister-in-law? Whose sister-in-law?]
[Sister-in-law? What sister-in-law? Whose sister-in-law?]
[…]
[World’s #1 Top Laner (Chen Lu)]: I’m not lying — Li You and the others saw him too. Ask them if you don’t believe me.
[@YoYoYo @HeartbrokenBoy @ImageCrashed — did you guys really meet Ran Shen today? And did you really see Ran Shen’s wife?!]
Li You and the others were gossipy too, but they weren’t like Chen Lu. Chen Lu had been Lin Ran’s longtime teammate and always spoke casually.
Seeing the flood of @mentions, the three of them hesitated for a long time before one finally responded.
[I’m not sure either. You’ll see for yourselves when the time comes.]
And after that, none of them said another word.
The group responded with another flurry of question marks and quickly turned back to interrogate Chen Lu.
Chen Lu, however, was perfectly confident posting in the group like that — because if Lin Ran really didn’t like it, he would’ve killed him with a single glance during dinner.
But when he called him “sister-in-law” earlier, he could clearly tell that Brother Ran was actually happy about it.
And even now, while Chen Lu was shipping the two of them openly in the group chat, Brother Ran hadn’t stopped him.
Which meant…
This was totally viable!
…
Saturday morning, 7:30 AM — half an hour before the match started.
Shi Cha, wearing a black mask, followed behind Lin Ran through the players’ tunnel toward the venue of this year’s All-Star event.
Besides Lin Ran and the other four players from the Huaguo region, over fifty players from major regions around the world were also participating in this All-Star match.
The players’ tunnel was already bustling with other competitors, as well as coaches, managers, and accompanying staff.
Naturally, some of those present were old rivals who had once faced off against Lin Ran on the international stage.
Among them was Bieber, the jungler from the European region. The moment he spotted Lin Ran, he strode over immediately.
“Lin, long time no see! I didn’t think I’d get another chance to GANK you on stage. This time, you’re not getting away! Haha.”
The other players saw Bieber trash-talking Lin Ran and all stopped walking, clearly looking forward to some drama.
Most of them had entered the venue with teammates from their respective regions. Lin Ran, however, wasn’t walking with Chen Lu and the others — just a small boy in a black mask.
The boy didn’t look familiar to anyone in the esports world, so he was assumed to be an outsider.
Back when Lin Ran was active, he had been recognized by players from every region as a true “Final Boss.” Now, with the retired Boss back in action, plenty of people were itching to test themselves — hoping to finally experience the thrill of “slaying the demon king.”
After all, whenever Lin Ran had competed in the past, they’d never won a championship. But now, he’d been retired for a year — no longer training intensely — surely he wasn’t the same unstoppable force. Surely they could finally beat him.
Shi Cha had originally intended to blend into the background, walking quietly behind Lin Ran amid the flow of people.
But when Bieber started mouthing off, a spark inside him flared up.
He immediately stepped forward and blocked Lin Ran, pulling down his mask slightly, lifting his chin, and staring coldly at the tall, blond, six-foot-three European in front of him. His voice was sharp and arrogant.
“You’ve competed in two World Championships and one Olympic tournament. Across twenty-three matches against Lin Ran, you’ve GANKed him 319 times.”
Shi Cha paused slightly, then delivered the final blow.
“Out of those 319 attempts, not once did you succeed. What makes you think this time will be any different?”
And just in case Bieber didn’t understand, Shi Cha repeated the entire thing in fluent German.
Bieber’s expression went from stunned to red with fury.
“You…”
Bieber didn’t finish his sentence—because he suddenly remembered what Lin Ran had said when he announced his retirement:
“I’ve already stood at the very peak of the ‘summit.’ There’s nothing left here that excites me anymore. So, I hereby announce my retirement.”
Bieber had almost forgotten: Lin Ran, despite his mild appearance, had always looked down on everyone from above.
Shi Cha’s sharp retort had been like a knife to Bieber’s chest—but every word was true. He couldn’t argue back. In the end, all he could do was spit out, “See you on the stage,” and walk off with a few of his teammates into the venue.
Only after Bieber left did Shi Cha withdraw his fierce gaze. He pulled his mask back up and discreetly glanced at the surrounding players who were still staring at him.
Then, without a word, he moved to Lin Ran’s other side, using Lin Ran’s body to block everyone’s line of sight.
Lin Ran watched his subtle movements with a smile but didn’t say anything.
The other players, seeing the two of them walk off, couldn’t help but start whispering among themselves.
“Who was that kid just now? He’s pretty good-looking. Doesn’t seem like a pro though.”
“He knew Lin Ran and Bieber’s match data so well—he must be a hardcore fan. No, not just hardcore. Obsessive. Who else would memorize someone else’s head-to-head record and number of GANKs? He’s not a walking computer.”
Once most of the crowd had dispersed, Lin Ran finally smiled and praised him.
“Well done.”
For some reason, Shi Cha’s right ear instantly warmed up. The words also sounded oddly familiar.
That time Lin Ran praised his gameplay, he’d said, “Nice mechanics.”
Shi Cha sneaked a glance at Lin Ran’s profile, then quickly looked away.
Does Brother Lin Ran praise everyone like this?
Who else has he said that to? Chen Lu, maybe?
As Shi Cha was spacing out, Lin Ran suddenly grabbed his right hand and gave it a gentle tug.
Shi Cha’s heart skipped a beat. He looked up sharply—only to see Lin Ran smiling, clearly unable to hide it anymore.
“What were you thinking about? You weren’t even watching where you were going—you almost walked into a pillar.”
Shi Cha replied silently in his heart: Huh? I was thinking about you.
Author’s note:
Baby Shi Cha fiercely protecting his man—gah gah gah.