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Shi Du wasn’t particularly interested in going to the bar with Qi Xian, but having Yu Zhaohan as a companion made a difference. Besides, he also wanted to know the reason behind Qi Xian’s poor condition. So, the bar trip became a trio with R.H. Tank and Double C.
The three of them took a taxi to the bar. Qi Xian noticed that both of them were still wearing masks and smiled, saying, “It’s strange to wear masks in a bar. Don’t worry, little brother. The lighting in the bar isn’t that good, so it’s not easy to be recognized.”
Thinking that most gaming nerds would not come to places like bars, Shi Du took off his mask but kept his baseball cap: “Okay, I’ll trust you once.”
Soft and soothing music played in the bar as the resident singer held the microphone with an intoxicated expression. The lighting alternated between bright and dim, creating a mist of ambiguity.
Accustomed to taking the lead with his two teammates, Yu Zhaohan led Qi Xian and Shi Du straight toward the bar counter. He didn’t know why they had to go to the counter, but cool male leads usually went there to drink. Drinking at a private booth might not be as cool.
“Qi Xian! Over here!”
Qi Xian saw a friend at a table in the middle and waved, saying, “Captain, play with the little brother for a while. I’ll go greet my friend.”
Yu Zhaohan said, “Okay.”
The two of them sat down at the bar counter. Just like in Yu Zhaohan’s script, the waiter immediately approached and asked what they would like to drink.
Shi Du casually ordered a drink with a good-sounding name for himself. He asked Yu Zhaohan, “Do you want me to get you a glass of juice?”
Yu Zhaohan replied, “I’m already twenty years old. I don’t need you to order juice for me.”
Shi Du didn’t expect Yu Zhaohan to also want to drink. He knew that Yu Zhaohan only drank red wine at the base to show off, but the real Yu Zhaohan actually didn’t like drinking at all. Yuyu liked sweet drinks.
“No need to pretend in front of Brother Xian,” Shi Du said. “When he comes back, I’ll switch with you.”
Yu Zhaohan shook his head and said, “What I mean is, I can order juice myself.”
Shi Du chuckled and made a “go ahead” gesture.
But then, Yu Zhaohan changed his mind when speaking to the waiter and said, “Could you please bring me a glass of sweet milk instead?”
The waiter smiled professionally and said, “I’m sorry, but we don’t have the sweet milk you mentioned here.”
Yu Zhaohan asked, “Why not?”
He knew that the main focus in a bar is drinking alcohol, but if they could have non-alcoholic fruit juice, why couldn’t they have sweet milk?
Shi Du leaned closer to Yu Zhaohan’s ear and whispered, lowering his voice, “Yuyu, think about it. Most people who come to a bar to get drunk end up vomiting. If they drank too much milk, wouldn’t it be silly for them to vomit milk?”
Yu Zhaohan looked at Shi Du quietly for a while, and said, “I may be clumsy in daily life, but I’m not intellectually disabled. Do you think I would believe such an explanation from you?”
Shi Du coaxed him with a smile, saying, “I’ll buy you milk when we go back. For now, why don’t you have a glass of juice?”
Yu Zhaohan wasn’t someone who couldn’t be easily pacified, so he nodded and said, “Okay, but let’s have a chat with the bartender first.”
Shi Du asked, “Why?”
“It’s in the script,” Yu Zhaohan said. “While chatting, remember to casually shake your glass and speak with an indifferent tone. Then, some pretty girls will come and talk to us. We should act disinterested and try not to look at them directly… Actually, I find it a bit impolite to do so, but that’s how the script goes, and I can’t do anything about it.”
Shi Du said, “Forget about your script, be good.”
Qi Xian was worried about the captain and his little brother, so while sitting in the private booth, he occasionally glanced towards the bar counter. His friend handed him a cigarette and followed his gaze to see the two of them. He couldn’t help but say, “Do all the men in the E-sports circle look like them? They’re even more eye-catching than those in the entertainment industry.”
Qi Xian took out a cigarette, lit it, and smiled with the cigarette in his mouth, saying, “No, only they look like this.”
His friend eagerly asked, “Won’t you introduce them?”
Qi Xian briefly introduced, “The one wearing the black T-shirt is our Captain Yu, and the other one is the youngest brother in the team.”
The friend looked at the two and commented: “The captain has a strong presence and a refined yet cold appearance. Many girls like that type. The younger brother is youthful and handsome, definitely more attractive to sexy older sisters.”
As soon as the friend finished speaking, two girls took the initiative to approach and strike up a conversation with them. One had a pure and natural look, while the other exuded a sexy mature charm. They respectively sat next to Yu Zhaohan and Shi Du.
The friend patted his thigh and said triumphantly, “I told you!”
Qi Xian raised his glass in acknowledgment and said, “You indeed have a sharp eye.”
Faced with the approaches of the two girls, Yu Zhaohan exchanged a glance with Shi Du, signaling him to follow the script.
Shi Du responded with his eyes as if to say, ‘I won’t.’
Sitting next to Shi Du was a mature lady wearing a black strap dress, with long permed hair and fiery red lips. “Little brother, you look so young,” the curly-haired lady smiled like a thorny rose, “Are you twenty?”
Shi Du also smiled and replied, “No.”
“Then eighteen or nineteen?”
“Eighteen.”
The smile of the curly-haired lady became even more enchanting. “It’s quite dangerous for an eighteen-year-old boy to come to a place like this, especially if he’s handsome. How about letting sister protect you?”
“Thank you, sister, but I came here with my brother,” Shi Du rested his elbow on Yu Zhaohan’s shoulder, “He will take care of me, I don’t need anyone else.”
The curly-haired lady made an “oh” sound, and her tone had a perfectly subtle rise at the end. The girl sitting next to Yu Zhaohan took the opportunity to say, “Brother you also look very young…”
Yu Zhaohan raised his eyes slightly, his voice slightly cold, “Is there something?”
The girl was taken aback and awkwardly said, “N-nothing…”
“It’s nothing, we just wanted to make friends with you,” the curly-haired lady took out a card from her bag with contact information, imprinting a kiss on it. She placed the card under Shi Du’s glass, saying, “If the little brothers get bored, you can find us to have some fun. Well, we won’t disturb you anymore, goodbye.”
Yu Zhaohan said “sorry” to the girls’ retreating figures, then turned to Shi Du and said, “In the next scene, the bartender will come and ask us why we didn’t accept their invitation.”
“Those two girls were amazing,” the bartender cooperated well with Yu Zhaohan’s script. “Why didn’t you accept their invitation?”
Yu Zhao said coldly, “Not interested.”
Shi Du silently drank his alcohol, wondering if this world was bugged by Yu Zhaohan.
Qi Xian took quite a while with his greeting, and Shi Du had almost finished his drink by the time he returned. When Shi Du saw Qi Xian approaching them, he pushed his own drink toward Yu Zhaohan and exchanged it for Yu Zhaohan’s juice. “Brother Xian is back.”
“How’s it going?” Qi Xian leaned against the back of Yu Zhaohan’s chair, “Is the captain interested in the drinks here? And the little brother only drinks juice?”
Yu Zhaohan nodded towards the seat beside him, “Qi Xian, sit down.”
Qi Xian sat down next to him, asking, “Captain, do you have something to tell me?”
Yu Zhaohan asked bluntly, “What’s wrong with you today?”
“If it’s about that mistake, I’ve already explained it,” Qi Xian showed a helpless expression, “Captain, am I not allowed to have a slip of the hand?”
Yu Zhaohan stared at him, “Is it really just a slip of the hand?”
Qi Xian smiled, “What else could it be?”
Shi Du took a sip of his juice and said, “The captain just feels that even if it’s a slip of the hand, R.H wouldn’t make such a mistake.”
Qi Xian tightened his grip on the glass, smiling brightly, “Okay, okay, my hand is just a little uncomfortable. It’s just tenosynovitis, which professional player doesn’t have it? The captain must have it too, right?
Tenosynovitis was indeed one of the common occupational diseases among professional players. Yu Zhaohan would also experience discomfort in his wrist when he trained too hard. It was normal to lower the training intensity and rest for a few days to improve the situation.
But…
“If it really is nothing, you would have told me in advance,” Yu Zhaohan said, “The fact that you didn’t say anything proves that there’s something.”
Qi Xian continued to smile, “There’s really nothing. I didn’t say anything because I was afraid the captain would worry, and even more afraid of triggering the coach’s anxiety disorder.”
“What you say doesn’t count,” Yu Zhaohan said coldly, “Go with me to see a doctor when we go back. Only when the doctor says it’s fine, it’s fine.”
Qi Xian was silent for a moment, and sighed: “Captain, why are you always so insistence at such times?”
Yu Zhaohan paused and said, “Because I am your captain.”
Qi Xian smiled and shook his head in compromise, “I understand. I’ll listen to you. By the way, Captain, how do you feel now?” Qi Xian flicked his finger on the almost empty glass of alcohol in front of Yu Zhaohan. “This drink doesn’t give you an immediate sensation, but it has a strong aftereffect.”
Yu Zhaohan remained calm, “It’s fine. I have a high alcohol tolerance.”
Shi Du: “…”
Since it was rare for Qi Xian to gather with friends, and after receiving the assurance that he wouldn’t drink too much, Shi Du, who was gradually getting tipsy, returned to the hotel first. Qi Xian’s friend kindly offered to have their driver take them back.
Back at the hotel, Shi Du entered a slightly tipsy state. His mind was clear, but he felt lazy and didn’t want to move. After taking a shower, he lay on the bed and scrolled through Weibo. “Hmm… It seems like no one has recognized me for now. Has the curse been broken?”
Yu Zhaohan was sitting on another bed, drinking the sweet milk that Shi Du had just bought for him. He was thinking about Qi Xian’s hand, and he was not in the mood to think about the curse on Shi Du’s body: “Shi Du, do you think Qi Xian’s hand will be fine?”
Shi Du put down his phone, his voice becoming serious, “I don’t know. But Yuyu, you need to be prepared.”
His thoughts were the same as Yu Zhaohan’s. If Qi Xian’s condition was really nothing serious, there was no need to hide it.
Yu Zhaohan lowered his head and took a sip of milk, whispering, “I will.”
He had experienced the death of Wen Feng, his former boss’s poor management, and the successive departures of his teammates. He had become a mature Yuyu who could withstand pressure. Whatever happened, he could support the team and move forward.
The atmosphere became somewhat heavy. Shi Du quietly accompanied Yu Zhaohan for a long time, then suddenly laughed, “Yuyu, you looked so handsome when you ordered Brother Xian to see a doctor at the hotel. It was quite cool.”
Yu Zhaohan chuckled lightly, “Really?”
“Yes, really.” Shi Du noticed that he had diverted Yu Zhaohan’s attention and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. ” Brother Xian is not an ordinary person. I didn’t expect him to listen to you so obediently.”
Yu Zhaohan pondered, “But I feel like I didn’t handle the ‘no room for discussion’ tone well enough. I should have been more firm.”
Shi Du accidentally clicked into Shine’s fan group and unintentionally saw a screen full of “wife” comments. He squinted his eyes and said, “But no matter how firm you are, there are still people calling you ‘wife.'”
“Are you talking about my clay fans? They call me ‘wife’ based on looks alone, not on how firm or dominant I am.”
Shi Du ruffled his hair irritably, “Damn it, why? I haven’t even called you ‘wife,’ so why can they all do it?”
Yu Zhaohan didn’t expect Shi Du to still be concerned about this matter. “You can call me that if you want. I didn’t say you couldn’t.”
Shi Du looked at him, gritted his teeth, “I want to, but I can’t say it.”
Yu Zhaohan said expressionlessly, “Shi Du, you’re already drinking, and you still can’t say it? Are you really my clay fan? Maybe you’re a fake fan.”
Shi Du: “…”
After finishing the sweet milk, Yu Zhaohan got off the bed and brushed his teeth. Seeing that it was almost time to rest, he said, “Should I turn off the lights?”
Shi Du lay on his own bed, “Okay.”
Yu Zhaohan turned off the lights and got into bed in the darkness. “Let’s sleep, sleep. Tomorrow, when we’re back in Shanghai, I’ll take Qi Xian to see a doctor.”
“Okay,” Shi Du said, “Goodnight, wife.”
Yu Zhaohan was taken aback and it took him a while before a voice emerged from his throat, “…Goodnight, Shi Du.”
Upon hearing his response, Shi Du curved his lips, smiling with a tipsy and indulgent mood.
The boy continued to call him: “Wife?”
Yu Zhaohan: “…”
In the darkness, a crack appeared on Yu Zhaohan’s cold face as a faint blush spread through his cheeks, triggered by each “wife” from Shi Du. The “Rule of Pretending to Be Coercive” didn’t mention how to react when a handsome younger brother called you “wife.” He could only bury his face in the pillow, like always, and convey his true feelings to Shi Du: “Shi Du, please stop calling me that. My heart is racing so fast, and my ears are burning.”