Chapter 6: In Short

DSG attended a corporate event organized by their management, which would normally have been a routine affair. However, some longtime fans, disgruntled that Jian Boyi had replaced their original support player, confronted him on the spot.

 

A mineral water bottle thrown from the crowd struck Jian Boyi squarely in the face. Others in the audience fueled the flames, shouting insults about him coming from an unknown team and lacking real talent.

 

Jian Yanzhi saw the news on Weibo while applying a face mask at home. “Holy shit! He got beat up?”

 

She shot up from her bed, tore off the mask, and immediately called Jian Boyi.

 

The phone rang for a long time before someone finally answered. “Hello?”

 

Jian Yanzhi froze. It wasn’t Jian Boyi—it was Shen Yuan.

 

“Shen Yuan?”

 

“Mm.”

 

“…I saw the news. How’s my brother?”

 

There was a pause. “He’s fine. Just a swollen head.”

 

*Just* a swollen head.

 

Jian Yanzhi felt a flicker of relief. Before she could say anything else, Jian Boyi’s booming voice erupted from the other end of the line: “Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Be gentler!”

 

“Stop whining. What kind of grown man acts like that?” Lao Yao snapped back.

 

“Try getting hit yourself! It’s infuriating! They say I lack the skills? Hah! Just wait until the spring tournament next year! I’ll show those blind fools what I’m made of!”

 

“Did you hear that?” He Yuan’s calm voice came through the phone. “He’s fine.”

 

Jian Yanzhi chuckled softly. “Mm, thank you.”

 

“Who said I’m fine?” Jian Boyi protested indignantly. “Eldest, I got injured under your command! I insist on compensation!”

 

*Shameless*, Jian Yanzhi thought, her disdain radiating through the phone line.

 

He Yuan hadn’t hung up, so Jian Yanzhi heard him ask lazily, yet indulgently, “What kind of compensation? Out with it.”

 

“Hmm…” Jian Boyi paused to consider. “Late-night snacks! French cuisine—the most extravagant kind!”

 

“Hey, I’m on board with that,” Lao Yao chimed in from the background. “Eldest, Ninth Brother’s injury counts as work-related. He deserves some consolation.”

 

“Tch,” He Yuan scoffed coldly. “So because he joined a trash team, played a few terrible matches, and got flamed online, it’s somehow my fault?”

 

Jian Boyi sputtered. “…That’s a low blow.”

 

“Whatever. I happen to be a little hungry anyway,” He Yuan said, turning to pick up his car keys from the coffee table. “Consider yourself lucky. Let’s go.”

 

Hang Wenjie chuckled. “Ah, you rich folks are different. You treat without hesitation!”

 

He Yuan glanced at him. “Sell that flashy car of yours, and you could treat us to French cuisine without hesitation either.”

 

Hang Wenjie waved his hands frantically. “No way, no way! I can’t afford that. You guys eat like pigs!”

 

“Hey, let’s call Xiao Yanzhi,” Lin Mao said, pointing to the phone in He Yuan’s hand. “Her own brother’s injured. She must be worried sick.”

 

Jian Yanzhi, listening on the other end of the line, had heard everything clearly. She paused, feeling an inexplicable nervousness.

 

After a few seconds, she heard He Yuan’s emotionless voice through the receiver: “Hello, you…”

 

“I’m worried about my brother! I’ll be there right away! Wait for me!”

 

With that, she hung up.

 

He Yuan stared at the disconnected phone, speechless.

 

Twenty minutes later, Jian Yanzhi emerged from the door to find the opposing team’s members already waiting in their team van across the street.

 

“What took you so long? We were dying of boredom,” Jian Boyi grumbled, shaking his head disapprovingly as she approached.

 

“Girls need time to get ready,” Jian Yanzhi retorted, sliding into the seat Lin Mao had saved for her. She rolled her eyes at the back of Jian Boyi’s head.

 

“So you actually bothered to dress up just to go out with me?” Jian Boyi remarked, sounding like he’d seen it all before.

 

*Jian Yanzhi thought: “Damn it! You’re not the only one here!”*

 

“Jian Yanzhi, I advise you to wipe that stuff off your face. Otherwise, even grabbing a midnight snack will turn into a spectacle.”

 

Jian Yanzhi took a deep breath, her voice tight with restrained anger. “If anyone recognizes me, that’s my problem, not yours.”

 

“Better hope so.”

 

The siblings exchanged veiled barbs, while He Yuan glanced at Jian Yanzhi in the rearview mirror, raising an eyebrow slightly.

 

*So much for coming to check on your dear older brother?*

 

Lao Yao drove, and He Yuan had made the restaurant reservation.

 

Before getting out of the car, Jian Yanzhi pulled on her hat and mask. Jian Boyi was used to this, but the others found it novel. Lin Mao, in particular, transformed into a self-appointed guardian of secrecy, darting furtive glances around as if Jian Yanzhi’s exposure would be his personal failure.

 

“Mr. He, this way,” the waiter said, clearly familiar with He Yuan, and led them to their reserved private room.

 

Everyone settled into their seats.

 

“Ladies first,” Hang Wenjie said with a genial smile. “You order first.”

 

“No, no, you go ahead,” Jian Yanzhi replied.

 

“Don’t stand on ceremony with her,” Jian Boyi said, grabbing the menu. “I’ll take care of it.”

 

Hang Wenjie chuckled. “What’s it like having a celebrity sister, Jian Boyi? You don’t know how to appreciate what you’ve got, do you?”

 

“You should ask what it’s like having my entire family in the spotlight,” Jian Boyi replied nonchalantly. “You just get used to it.”

 

He glanced at Jian Yanzhi beside him. “Besides, don’t let her current act fool you. In private…”

 

“I’m exactly like this in private,” Jian Yanzhi interrupted, clamping her hand over Jian Boyi’s mouth and kicking him hard under the table. As his eyes widened in shock, she hissed in a low voice, “Say another word against me, and I’ll castrate you.”

 

Jian Boyi fell silent, speechless.

 

The food arrived quickly. Staring at the table laden with French cuisine, Jian Yanzhi’s lips twitched. “Do we really need this much for a late-night snack?”

 

“Of course! Eldest is treating, so we can’t possibly hold back.”

 

Jian Yanzhi sighed in mock exasperation. “I’m impressed. This is the first time I’ve seen someone attack French cuisine like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet.”

 

“That’s just how men are,” Jian Boyi declared, his face practically screaming, “You’re so clueless!”

 

Jian Yanzhi scoffed, but her gaze drifted silently to He Yuan, who was seated diagonally to her left.

 

He, too, had a pile of dishes in front of him—mostly items that others had insisted on placing there when their own tables were full. With a knife and fork in hand, he meticulously sliced into the plate of foie gras before him.

 

Simply dressed, he had removed his jacket to reveal a clean, crewneck sweater that, inexplicably, radiated an aristocratic air in this chaotic setting.

 

His hands were striking—long-fingered, with well-defined knuckles, and strikingly pale. *These are the hands that wrote a legendary chapter in League of Legends history,* Jian Yanzhi thought. *And these are the same hands Lu Xue keeps begging to touch.*

 

“Does mine look tastier?” He Yuan’s slightly lowered eyes suddenly lifted to meet hers. Caught off guard, Jian Yanzhi hastily averted her gaze. “Ah? No, not at all.”

 

“Oh,” He Yuan said, spearing a piece of foie gras with his fork. “Your eyes seemed to be craving it.”

 

“How could that be…?” *How could he read my eyes like that?*

 

“Hey, Eldest, I suggest you drop the ‘de’ from ‘Eldest’s’,” Lao Yao said, sidling up with a mischievous grin.

 

Jian Yanzhi and He Yuan froze simultaneously.

 

*He looks like he wants to devour me whole.*

 

Snapping out of her reverie, Jian Yanzhi waved her hands frantically. “Hey, hey, don’t say such things!”

 

“Relax, it’s nothing,” Lao Yao said with a shrug. “Our Eldest is so handsome, he’s like Tang Monk’s flesh—plenty of women out there want a piece of him. No wonder you’re eyeing him.”

 

Jian Yanzhi stared at him, speechless.

 

“Tsk, too bad Eldest isn’t into that,” Lao Yao drawled, raising an eyebrow suggestively. “How about you consider me instead?”

 

“Not into that?” Jian Yanzhi’s attention snagged on those words, completely ignoring Lao Yao’s suggestive follow-up. She blinked and whispered, “What do you mean?”

 

“I mean he’s not interested in women,” Lao Yao said with an exaggerated expression of mock pity, as if lamenting a tragic waste. “Haven’t you seen the rumors online? They say Shen Yuan isn’t interested in women.”

 

Jian Yanzhi choked. She had seen those rumors online, of course, but they stemmed from He Yuan’s lack of girlfriends over the years and his aloof attitude toward female fans. That’s what fueled the speculation about his unconventional sexual orientation.

 

Jian Yanzhi had never believed such rumors, but now that even Lao Yao was spouting them, she couldn’t help but reconsider her impression of He Yuan.

 

“Shut up,” He Yuan retorted rudely, flinging a piece of meat at Lao Yao’s face with an expression that clearly said, “You’re such an idiot.”

 

Lao Yao grinned, made a zipping-his-lips gesture, and settled back down to eat properly.

 

Jian Yanzhi, however, remained distracted by Lao Yao’s earlier remark about He Yuan not being interested in women. *Tsk, what a waste,* she thought. *Lu Xue would be devastated to hear that…*

 

Later, as the dinner party grew livelier, the bottles of red wine quickly emptied. Jian Yanzhi had politely taken a couple of glasses herself, feeling a slight buzz. But mindful of her idol’s presence, she maintained her composure.

 

“I’m going to the restroom,” she announced, rising from her seat. Having also consumed a fair amount of soft drinks, she slipped out the door, shutting out the boisterous men behind her.

 

*Whew…* Only after stepping outside did Jian Yanzhi realize she had forgotten her mask. But with an urgent biological need looming, she couldn’t afford to worry about it and hurried toward the restroom.

 

Their private room was upstairs, while the restroom was downstairs. Thanks to the dim lighting, Jian Yanzhi managed to find it without incident and take care of business.

 

However, as she emerged, she ran into a group of young people heading her way, clearly just there for a meal. Jian Yanzhi averted her gaze, considering retreating back into the restroom.

 

But when she glanced back, she saw several girls walking out arm-in-arm. She froze, realizing she was trapped between two groups.

 

Being recognized here wouldn’t be the end of the world, but the problem was that it was late, she was alone, and she reeked of alcohol. If photos of this ended up online, her manager would surely have her head.

 

Jian Yanzhi faced the wall and took a deep breath. *Screw it, I’ll just walk past them. If I get yelled at, I get yelled at!*

 

With the resolve of someone facing certain doom, she turned around.

 

*Whoosh!*

 

The moment she turned, darkness suddenly enveloped her. Jian Yanzhi gasped softly as a garment, seemingly materializing from nowhere, landed squarely over her head.

 

Then, through the fabric barrier, she heard a slightly low voice, laced with amusement and a hint of swagger. “Where’s your mask, Miss Superstar?”