Honey Stewed Squid

“How… did you get in here?” she uttered woodenly, not quite daring to believe this was true.

If he wanted to get in, it was very simple, wasn’t it?

Most of the video game developers in this gaming and anime expo were well acquainted with him. He had only needed to go with them, and with just two or three sentences from them, the staff members of the expo had let him through. And if he wanted to cut in line, it didn’t seem like it would be a difficult either, eh? Of course straight out telling this to the kid would be no fun.

He directly ignored this question, his fingers brushing over the back of her hand as he said, “You carry on. I’ll just walk around.”

A wave of tingling ran over the back of her hand, and she nearly lost her hold on her pen.

He straightened, acting as if nothing had happened.

And walked away…

Behind him, the marketing directors of several different video games followed close and came up beside him to discuss future commercial endors.e.m.e.nt events as well as some marketing campaigns where they needed the support of K&K eSports Club… Within the line, several young girls pulled out their mobile phones to try to surrept.i.tiously take a photograph, but they were all stopped by staff members. The signing events of this dada always prohibited the taking and distribution of unauthorized photographs, so the staff members naturally a.s.sumed that photos of this dada’s “loved one” (?) must not be allowed as well.

And over at the autographing table, she was still sitting there in a daze…

“Your Highness.” Beside her, the little leader of her fan club was so excited her face was flushed, so excited she was tugging on Tong Nian’s sleeve and crying, “Your Highness, so handsome! Your man is sooooooo handsome!”

“Mm-hmm…” she agreed shamelessly.

Honestly, so handsome.

And then, she dropped her head back down and began to crazily sign, sign, sign, sign, sign, sign…

Hurry and finish autographing, hurry and finish autographing.

……

On the other side of the exhibition hall, many gamers had already realized that K&K eSports Club’s boss had made an appearance at the expo. After all, he normally very rarely even showed his presence with the rest of the team at any of the commercial events, and hence, everyone was now looking on enthusiastically. However, any requests for photographs with him were turned down, so people could only pull out their phones and secretly snap a few.

In the end, he grew bored of the aimless wandering. Sitting down in the Tempest of the Sealed Chamber work area, he played on his mobile phone with lowered head while, at the same time, listening to the various marketing directors of other video games blabber on about their future plans.

“Oh!” Something suddenly flashed across the mind of the director for Tempest of the Sealed Chamber. “I was saying, how come I kept having this feeling that your girlfriend looked really familiar? I think someone recommended her to be one of the official cosplay models.”

Gun’s finger paused. “What is that?”

“Just, we will be producing official cosplays of the game characters, you know, for promotional purposes.” The marketing director pulled out his mobile phone and flipped through some of the audition photos to show him. “Like these—” Video game cosplays such as this all took the direction of flaunting long legs and big b.r.e.a.s.t.s, especially shooter games, where the cosplays of female game characters were practically synonymous with the word, s.e.xy.

That person was flipping and flipping through when he discovered—

Uh-oh…

The person hastily put away his phone.

Gun’s face was extremely surly, and he did not bother to provide a response. He did not want even to give a single word of opinion. What the heck was all this? Normally, he did not pay attention to things like these, so now that he actually took a look, why were they all so revealing? He frowned. He did not know when the kid had gotten hooked on this whole thing of dressing up as a character, but once he mentally a.s.sociated it with those socks as well as tops with the big bows that she liked to wear…

“I’m good now!” Gasping for breath, the kid was hugging her bag as she ran over. “Do you still have things you need to discuss?”

He picked up his duffel bag and threw it on his shoulder, across his back. “Let’s go.”

“Oh, okay.” She obediently followed after him.

And while she was at it, peeped furtively at him.

What was the matter?

As a result, all those fans who had not so long ago managed to successfully get the autograph of the oh-oh-so-popular Fish Playing in Sealed Chambers now all watched helplessly as their dada, with her head down, followed after that ridiculously super hot guy in front of her in a half-jog to keep up with his pace. Eh? Dada is reaching out her hand to take his! Grab it! Come on, grab it! She couldn’t grab it?

Dammit! Why is he treating our dada like that?!

Eh? He’s stopping, he’s stopping. Woohoo! He’s grabbed her wrist now!

Eh? …

Dada is too short…

She normally doesn’t seem so short…

Why does it feel like she’s being picked up and hauled away? …

After Tong Nian had been hauled (?) into the car and was sitting in the front pa.s.senger seat, she still rubbed at her own wrist. The main reason for this was that she had been wearing something on it, so when it pressed into her wrist, it had been too painful. She stole a few glances at Gun, but there was not much expression on his face.

He tossed his car keys somewhere beside him. Unlock ignition. Start engine.

Release hand brake.

And, with a stomp on the accelerator, out of there.

This quiet was maintained until the two had returned to K&K’s China head office. Stepping through the door, she followed him all the way, pa.s.sing through the meeting and training areas and heading straight into the living quarters, to the first room at the very end of the hall… His room? With her eyes going blink-blink and her ears burning hot, she rather slowly walked in after him…

The first time she came in here, the lights had been off, and moreover…

The two of them had been “cuddling” up against the wall, although, in the end, she had been thrown onto the bed and then very quickly pa.s.sed out in sleep.

She did not know at all what his apartment in K&K actually looked like.

Her eyes swept a circle around the room.

The main colour scheme was still dark blue and black, but this room was much simpler than the bedroom in his home. Against one wall was a single-size bed with lots of clothing tossed on it in a mess, while beside the wall directly across were four computers lined up in a row. There was no rug, no decorations. There were, however, many game consoles, controllers, and magazines.

Arbitrarily tossing his duffel bag into a corner, Gun pulled the swivel chair over, sat down, and patted his leg at her.

Tong Nian nibbled on her lip as she set her backpack in front of the monitors on the computer desk and walked over to him. Right when she was in a position where she was about to sit, he set his hands on her shoulders and firmly pressed down.

……

She wriggled slightly, trying to find a comfortable angle.

But this type of movement—

Gun’s eyes narrowed slightly. Something instinctive was being revived in him. The desire to get close to her, to be intimate with her was awakening. His hands tightened around her waist, and his face moved in closer. “Go ahead, say it.”

……

Did she really have to say it?

“I’ll keep count for you,” he added.

The kid on his lap continued to squirm, trying to ease her anxiousness. He leaned back, his entire body relaxing into the chair as he lay against it, pulling her waist into his embrace as well. Close the eyes for a rest.

Warmth of breath very soon appeared in that spot at his collarbone…

“I…”

“Mm.”

“… like you.” Her face burned up.

“Keep going.” His hand slipped down her back, and with one arm, he lifted her body a little higher.

“I like you, Han Shangyan…”

Tong Nian’s body felt a little hot, a little restless, and also a little weak. “I like you…”

“Mm.” Applying a slight force to his legs, he slid the chair backwards and, reaching behind, drew the curtains shut with a swoosh.

The room fell dim.

These last several days, his mood had been quite edgy, and he was on the threshold of erupting.

The laidback air and teasing he had shown at the exhibition hall when he saw her had been a mask, merely a superficial display.

Lifting her up into his arms and striding over to the bed, he bent over, set her down, and then chucked the few articles of clothing that had previously been randomly thrown on top into a corner. “Carry on.” When Tong Nian lay down, she sank into the bed slightly. Anxiously, she stiffened her back, having long forgotten that she still had another ninety-seven times of repeating… “I like you.”

“What are you nervous about?” His hand slid underneath her back, pulled out a black, short-sleeved shirt, and tossed it to the foot of the bed.

Okay, all tidy now.

A single-size bed. Very cramped.

He took her into his arms beneath himself and lowered himself on top of her. Cramped was actually quite nice.

Underneath him, the kid’s entire body was stiff, and she wore the expression of someone heroically going to her death but standing firm for the cause… He could not hold back a low laugh. “What are you thinking? I was just tired from sitting, so I’m lying down for a bit.”

That’s not true. Your hands are obviously being improper…

He chuckled, leaning his head into the curve of her neck. In this way, treating her like a pillow, he lay there. Quiet. Motionless.

Jumpily, she waited for a long time. Waiting and waiting. And then, she sensed that the sound of his breathing had become slow and soft.

Asleep?

……

No way 0.0? She wanted to have a look at him, but his face was on her shoulder and not visible.

“Not asleep.” His voice was rather deep.

“Are you… unhappy about something?” she asked gently.

He did not answer.

Reaching her hand out, she stroked his cheek. “Han Shangyan?”

Still, he did not utter a sound.

She rolled over, not perceiving at all where she had placed her leg. “And here you just said you hadn’t fallen asleep…”

Her voice cut off abruptly.

He had suddenly slipped his hand inside.

……

In Sanya, he had gotten into a huge quarrel with those friends from the past. Yes, with this return, he had wanted to find everyone from their former team, had wanted to give them a reliable and secure future. If, back then, on that day when the team disbanded, he had not acted impulsively on his emotions and left China, even with only him alone, he still could have slowly led and brought forth a new team…

To continuously compete. To achieve glory and honour. To allow all the names of his fellow teammates to be inscribed onto the trophy.

Having his own name go down in history or whatever, that was something he did not care at all about. Whether anyone in the world remembered the name, Gun, did not matter. It was not that he had not known how much hopeful expectation had been held in the hearts of those kids, whom back then he had given tongue-lashings to every day. It was precisely because he knew, and that was why every day, he would berate, berate, and berate, wishing that every person could be better than him…

But—

He bit down. The kid let out a slight whimper.

If SP could not take good care of them, why couldn’t that responsibility be given to K&K?

Unable to hold back. Desiring. Wanting…

He grabbed those two slender wrists and held them down above her head, gripping them tightly. Every part of him was still and quiet as he gazed down at her. Her top had long since been pulled open by him and now lay disheveled. The sights that could be seen, all of them… He tried hard to calm his breathing—

Suddenly, releasing his hold, he rolled off of her and threw himself heavily onto the wooden floor.

Face up, he lay staring at the giant K&K logo on the ceiling, his bare back directly against the cold floor. For half a minute, he breathed heavily before jumping to his feet, not daring to even look at the scene upon his bed.

Grabbing his own top, he flung open the door and left.