HL 44

After a long absence, Xu Nanxiao returned to the club where he had been a professional boxer.

The manager helped him open the door to the storage room, kicking aside wooden planks underfoot as he said, “Take a look for yourself. All your stuff from the dorms is in here. I didn’t throw away those trophies and medals from before—I know you said they were an eyesore, but competitions with that much prestige, it’d be a shame to toss them.”

“Alright,” Xu Nanxiao nodded, turning sideways to squeeze into the cramped storage space.

The manager watched him rummage through things with his head down and couldn’t help asking, “So why the sudden interest in getting all this back?”

“I want to put them up in my club. Set the tone, you know.”

“I heard you opened your own club. That’s great. Even if you can’t fight anymore, don’t waste your boxing talent.” He paused, then continued, “Sorry I couldn’t do anything to help back then.”

“Don’t say that. You already helped me a ton. If you hadn’t brought me into boxing, I’d still be sleeping in a basement.”

Hearing this, the manager paused. He slowly straightened up, gave Xu Nanxiao a once-over, and suddenly said, “You know, you seem different from before.”

“Hm?”

“You’ve gotten better at saying nice things.”

Xu Nanxiao’s movements froze.

Xu Nanxiao had always hated empty pleasantries and flattery, which was why at his previous workplace, even though he had the strongest skills, he was always ostracized.

For his own sake, he could refuse to do things he didn’t like. But now, there was a bunch of brothers relying on him to put food on the table, and he had gradually grown accustomed to the civilities of adult life. And perhaps that kind of civility wasn’t as detestable as he had once imagined.

“Take your time looking. I’ve got other things to do, so I’ll leave you to it.”

“Mm.”

After the manager left, Xu Nanxiao placed the medals and trophies from the plastic bags into his backpack one by one. UFC, MMA, Professional Boxing Championship… every honor a boxer could dream of, you could find it all here.

Just as he was almost done packing, a small velvet box suddenly fell out of the torn plastic bag.

Xu Nanxiao immediately opened it and saw that there was indeed a gold ring inside. He had searched for it for a long time without finding it—it had been left here all along. Perhaps because the box was so inconspicuous and had been buried at the very bottom of the plastic bag, no one had taken it.

Memories of this ring instantly flooded into his mind.

[This was left to me by your grandmother. Keep it, and give it to your wife someday.]

[Your mother never had anything valuable in her life, but this one—this one actually looks like something.]

[Don’t end up like me. Find someone you can truly build a life with, and be happy together for the rest of your days.]

“…”

Really, such pointless memories.

Xu Nanxiao thought to himself, regardless, gold is innocent. He wiped the ring on a scrap of cloth, then tucked it into his pocket.

He didn’t like that woman.

He knew that clearly.

But for some reason, even during his lowest points when he could only afford steamed buns and thin gruel three times a day, he had never once thought of selling this ring.

While hanging out with the brothers from the club, Xu Nanxiao was still fingering the ring in his pocket, his fingertips lightly tracing the uneven patterns on its surface.

“Boss, stop spacing out,” Wang Heng reminded him. “The game’s about to start.”

Xu Nanxiao snapped out of it.

Wang Heng cleared his throat twice and announced, “Night falls, close your eyes. Werewolves, open your eyes.”

In this round, Xu Nanxiao, Ying Yusheng, and Lingling were the werewolves. Ying Yusheng winked at him, and Xu Nanxiao gave a light snort, looking away and ignoring him.

Midway through the game, Tengzi revealed himself as the Seer and announced one good person he had verified.

Unexpectedly, Lingling then jumped out and claimed she was the Seer instead. “I checked the boss, and the boss is good.”

Regardless of who the real werewolf was, the purpose of a fake Seer claim was to confuse the good side, compete with the true Seer for control, and ultimately get the real Seer voted out.

Everyone immediately erupted into heated debate. But Lingling was an experienced Werewolf player after all, and her rhetoric was sharper; she shot down Tengzi’s arguments one after another.

The good side gradually leaned toward Lingling and Xu Nanxiao. Just as the real Seer was about to be voted out by a narrow margin, Ying Yusheng suddenly revealed himself as the White Wolf King and took Lingling out with him.

“Brother Yusheng!” Lingling stared at Ying Yusheng, her eyes silently complaining, Did you forget we’re on the same side?!

Ying Yusheng just blinked and let out a light laugh. “Sorry, but I couldn’t let the Seer keep talking.”

Xu Nanxiao had initially thought Ying Yusheng didn’t understand the rules and was just messing around. But he quickly realized things weren’t that simple.

His own identity was now incredibly solid, because with the White Wolf King Ying Yusheng’s sacrifice, Lingling’s “true Seer” status was completely cemented.

The good side would firmly believe: Lingling must be the Seer—otherwise, why would the White Wolf King sacrifice himself just to take her out? This also ensured that the real Seer, Tengzi, would be voted out by the good side next.

The final result was that the wolf team, at the cost of one White Wolf King and one fake Seer, had secured Xu Nanxiao as an invincible “good person” identity, and successfully eliminated the real Seer. For the werewolves, this was an incredibly good deal.

This kid… was this really his first time playing Werewolf?

Xu Nanxiao looked at Ying Yusheng’s smiling face and felt a chill run down his spine.

By the time the other players also realized what had happened, it was too late. The wolf team cruised to victory. The crowd erupted in groans, shouting things like “Brother Sheng plays dirty!”, “Liar, big liar—not a single truthful word from his mouth!”, “How can his heart be so dark?!”

Xu Nanxiao couldn’t help saying, “I told you all not to bring him into the game. This kid can read your minds just by looking at your expressions.”

Someone egged him on: “Then boss, does that mean you wouldn’t dare lie in front of Brother Sheng?”

“Who says I wouldn’t dare! I’m always one step ahead of him!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Finally, Lingling said, “As punishment, Brother Sheng, you’re on grill duty for the kitchen crew.” And with that, she sent Ying Yusheng off.

By the time the second round of Werewolf was almost over, dinner was just about ready, and Ying Yusheng came out to call everyone to eat.

Coincidentally, in this round Xu Nanxiao was the moderator. He rested his chin on his hand and recited lazily from the script: “Witch, close your eyes.”

Ying Yusheng curled his lips and silently circled behind Xu Nanxiao. Xu Nanxiao suddenly felt a gaze from above and instinctively looked up—only to have his chin lifted and his lips kissed.

In the middle of the game, while everyone else had their eyes shut, the two of them kissed in silence.

Ying Yusheng held Xu Nanxiao’s chin with one hand and gripped his bent neck with the other, immobilizing him so he couldn’t resist. But when Ying Yusheng’s tongue pushed into Xu Nanxiao’s mouth and swept through, Xu Nanxiao’s eyes flew wide open. He struggled and shoved Ying Yusheng away.

“What’s up, boss? Why is it dark for so long tonight? Is it because it’s winter?”

“Coming right up.” Xu Nanxiao bared his teeth at Ying Yusheng, but Ying Yusheng just smiled as if nothing had happened.

“Alright, day breaks, open your eyes.”

Everyone opened their eyes to see Xu Nanxiao with his face bright red, head lowered. Ying Yusheng stood beside him and said gently, “Dinner’s ready. Come eat after this round.”

The grill glowed red-hot, and fat dripped onto the charcoal with a sizzling hiss. The aroma of meat mingled with cumin, spreading warmly through the yard, intoxicating even the evening breeze.

“Cheers!!!”

Glass clinked against glass in a crisp, clattering sound. Someone’s cold beer foam spilled over, and they hurriedly licked it up, drawing another round of good-natured laughter.

While everyone was busy eating the grilled meat, Wang Heng noticed a plate of cut pineapple on the table. He popped a piece into his mouth to cut the grease, but it was so sour he nearly spat it out.

“There’s pineapple too,” Lingling said, eyes wide. “Is it good?”

Wang Heng immediately smoothed out his scrunched-up face, turned around, and said with a perfectly straight face, “It’s super sweet.”

Lingling couldn’t wait to try a piece—and it was so sour she cursed out loud.

Then she got a mischievous idea. She carried the plate over to Ying Yusheng and said, “Brother Sheng, have a taste. The pineapple we got today is so sweet.”

“Really?”

“Really. Ask Wang Heng if you don’t believe me.”

“It’s definitely sweet,” Wang Heng chimed in. “Lingling and I already ate several pieces.”

With such earnest urging, Ying Yusheng took a bite. Just as Wang Heng and Lingling were about to exchange triumphant grins, Ying Yusheng’s eyes suddenly lit up. He blinked and said, “It really is sweet. Who bought this? They have good taste.”

Wang Heng and Lingling both froze.

Ying Yusheng then speared another piece, eating it as he said, “I’ll have one more, and then save some for Nan Xiao later.”

Seeing Ying Yusheng’s satisfied expression, the two couldn’t help doubting themselves—maybe they’d just been unlucky enough to get the sour ones?

So Wang Heng and Lingling each ate another piece—and promptly yowled in agony from the sourness. Then they saw Ying Yusheng let out a soft laugh and spit out the unchewed pineapple in his mouth onto a napkin.

“Damn, you’re too ruthless, Brother Sheng!”

“You’re inhuman! Ptooey, ptooey—so sour!”

Having witnessed the whole thing, Xu Nanxiao looked utterly exasperated. He thought to himself, I told you not to bring him into the game, but you just wouldn’t listen.

Just then, Qin Ping suddenly sat down beside him, fidgeting as if she had something to say.

After receiving Xu Nanxiao’s nod, she lowered her voice and said, “Boss, I’d like to ask for three days off.”

“What’s up?”

“I just found out my mom had major surgery, and I’m really worried. I’ve been drifting around all these years and haven’t been back to my hometown much. I want to go home and be with her for a bit.”

Xu Nanxiao felt a pang in his chest, tightened his grip on the glass, and fell silent.

Qin Ping asked timidly, “Is that not okay?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing—it’s no big deal.” Coming back to himself, Xu Nanxiao shook his head. “It’s only right for you to go back and spend time with your family. Take good care of her, and send my regards to your mom.”

“That’s great! Boss, you’re so kind!” Qin Ping excitedly threw her arms around Xu Nanxiao.

Am I kind? Xu Nanxiao gave Qin Ping’s back a resigned pat, signaling her to let go.

He thought, I’m not kind at all.

The BBQ ended late, and Xu Nanxiao and Ying Yusheng walked home together.

The path stretched along a gentle slope, lined on both sides with heavy camphor trees. Streetlight filtered through the interlaced branches, spilling down in patches, scattering wet, amber puddles across the asphalt.

Ying Yusheng glanced at Xu Nanxiao. Xu Nanxiao, sensitive to the cold, had his hands in his pockets and most of his face buried in his upturned collar, revealing only a pair of unhappy eyes.

This posture made him look smaller, and quite adorable. It made sense—kittens get cold too.

But Ying Yusheng didn’t say that out loud, because both “adorable” and “kitten” would be enough to make Xu Nanxiao bristle.

At that thought, Ying Yusheng smiled. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt deeply content.

Their footsteps fell one ahead of the other, always half a step apart, yet their rhythms unconsciously aligned. At their closest, sleeves brushed against sleeves, making the faintest rustling sound—yet neither pulled away.

Ying Yusheng looked up. Without quite knowing why, he unconsciously murmured, “The moon is really beautiful tonight.”

After he said it, even he was taken aback.

Then, to his own surprise, Ying Yusheng actually felt a rare wave of embarrassment. At his age, how could he have blurted out something so sentimental?

He glanced at Xu Nanxiao almost imperceptibly, but thankfully the other showed no reaction at all, just kept trudging along with his head down.

Sure enough, he probably didn’t understand.

Before Ying Yusheng could fully relax, Xu Nanxiao’s muffled voice suddenly came through—

“Coward. Then don’t just look.”

After saying that, Xu Nanxiao’s ears turned visibly red.

Ying Yusheng’s eyes widened slightly.

Neither of them remembered how they got home, who pinned whom against the door, who grabbed whose collar to kiss, who started unbuttoning whose buttons…

By the time Ying Yusheng was fully inside him, only one thought remained in Xu Nanxiao’s mind—

Holy shit, I actually had sex with a man!

Perhaps annoyed that Xu Nanxiao was distracted, Ying Yusheng suddenly lifted him up and sat him on his thighs. He grabbed Xu Nanxiao’s legs and pushed them down, and that searing iron rod seemed to split him open from end to end, nearly driving straight into Xu Nanxiao’s brain.