Chapter 20 - Are you coming out of the closet?
From the moment where Bai Yao was swapped out and until the end, the opposing side’s rampant arrogance petered out into thick silence. As You Liangxing was controlling the bouncing Da Ji to shatter the enemy’s crystal nexus, Liao Su did not forget to point out the irony of the situation.
— (All): Why aren’t you speaking?
— (All): Weren’t you asking us to surrender?
Against all odds, they had turned defeat into victory, and the sensation of being able to unburden himself of his resentment and vent out his anger was not something words could properly describe. But the gist of it was that it was like being freed of his inhibitions, and once the game ended, Liao Su quickly gave You Liangxing a thumbs up in game to praise him, and he continued to chatter away.
“Brother Liang, that last play was truly handsome. Since you’re idle and you have nothing to do anyway, let’s get together and play a few rounds tonight. Plus, other than me, you don’t have anyone else who is at your rank to be your teammate, so what I’m saying is that Brother Liang…”
When You Liangxing exited the game, Liao Su’s voice was swept away cleanly in a split second. However, before the interface disappeared, You Liangxing clearly saw that w.a.n.g Zhaojun, the teammate who had previously scolded Bai Yao in game, gave him a praise as well.
After seeing You Liangxing’s later performance, the player had turned from a foe to a friend.
Subtle.
You Liangxing glanced at Bai Yao and asked: “Are you still playing?”
There were a lot of people that have always resisted playing games like King’s Glory and a large part of the reason was because of teammates. They were afraid of being rebuked by their teammates and they were afraid of pulling their teammate’s hindlegs. There were other kinds of mentalities as well, and while they wished to play, they never took the final step. But Bai Yao was different from these people; even if the scolding happened to her person, she would not hesitate to scold back.
She hummed: “Playing! I definitely entering King’s division in this game.”
Bai Yao was a person who stood by her words; if she said she was going to reach the King’s division, it meant that she was going to climb all the way up the in-game ladder. She handed Yao Miaomiao her mobile phone and with an extremely serious att.i.tude, she declared: “Download King’s Glory for me, I’m going to burn the midnight oil.”
Yao Miaomiao nodded as she took it. Bai Yao hugged You Liangxing’s arm and said: “Ah Liang, demonstrate a few more rounds for me.”
Rejection was nigh impossible. Thus, You Liangxing settled down and played several games one after another. Prior to this, Liao Su had carried Bai Yao to attain successive victories, and after dozens of minutes later, a prompt emerged from the game:
— Ten Consecutive Wins.
Bai Yao might still be a novice, but it did not prevent her from seeing how overbearing You Liangxing’s mechanics were from his hand speed. “You’re still the same,” Bai Yao’s tone held a tinge of praise and pride. “You have always been proficient in whatever you did.”
You Liangxing polished off the match, “Do you still want to watch?”
Bai Yao was already satisfied, “Nope, I want to eat some fruits now.”
When Bai Yao said she wanted to eat fruits, it meant that she wanted the fruits cut by You Liangxing. You Liangxing lowered his eyes helplessly, but the way he raised his body was extremely smooth.
… There was no way out of it, and he was used to it.
Just as You Liangxing stood up, a prompt appeared on the King’s Glory interface. Someone had invited him to queue together.
The person’s in-game name was calledk3010;don’t want to movek3011;and when You Liangxing ran it through his mind, he had no impression of it. Personally, he hadn’t added anyone he met in game, so it was probably Bai Yao’s doing.
You Liangxing refused, and simultaneously, a WeChat notification from Liao Su arrived.
[It’s Liao Su Not Plastic]: — Brother Liang! Brother Liang! What happened to you just now!
For him to only ask now, it conformed to the speed of Liao Su’s reflex arc. Not bothering to hide anything, You Liangxing replied: — It wasn’t me.
Once he realised that it was not You Liangxing, Liao Su was filled with excitement.
[It’s Liao Su Not Plastic]: — No wonder! I was just thinking how you suddenly became… Wait a minute! If it wasn’t you, who was allowed to touch your account! Who!? Male or female! It’s female! It’s definitely a female! Am I right! Is it your girlfriend! Ah! Don’t tell me it’s Liang Chuhan! You moved so fast?
You Liangxing’s eyebrows raised, and he was utterly incapable of holding down Liao Su’s flights and fancies. Thus, he said in a straightforward manner: — Stop being a bother, it was my older sister.
[It’s Liao Su Not Plastic]: — !!?? You have an older sister? Why have you never told me this before? Are you a brother-in-arms! Having an older sister is such an important matter and yet you didn’t even share it with me!
You Liangxing: — Do you still need anything?
The indifferent manner of speaking preordained the end of a conversation. Liao Su stilled, and ceased his laughter and frolicking before replying seriously: — Yes!
[It’s Liao Su Not Plastic]: — How old is she ah! Is she pretty! What kind of girl is she?
You Liangxing: — ……
The air was quiet.
According to Liao Su’s understanding of You Liangxing, if he had been by his side, his stomach would have already taken a blow. When he thought about it like this, he realised that vacation did provide for some advantages. Unfortunately, it also meant that he could not pester You Liangxing until he said something. To be very honest, just thinking about You Liangxing’s sister gave rise to an unbearable curiosity. Since she was related to You Liangxing by blood, just how beautiful would she be!
Curious and curiouser; Liao Su was aware that You Liangxing would not divulge any information to him. However, to his surprise, this was one of the rare instances where You Liangxing chose to open his mouth.
You Liangxing: — She is the type of person…
You Liangxing: — Who would make you lose any fancy you have towards other women.
Liao Su: …..
Liao Su was in a turmoil because he could not parcel out what he meant by that. Trembling a little, he asked: — I say, Brother Liang, this can’t be you… Coming out of the closet to me, right?
You Liangxing: ….
Abruptly, You Liangxing exited the chat interface and chopped down with the knife in his hand. It slammed with a resounding thud and the crispy red apple divided from one into two, wobbling like a pendulum sway before it came to a stop on the cutting board.
At that moment, the apple was no longer an apple.
It was Liao Su’s head.
* * *
After dinner, You Liangxing reorganised Bai Yao’s luggage. While this was Yao Miaomiao’s job, You Liangxing lent her a helping hand while she was at it.
Furthermore, he did things faster than Yao Miaomiao; whether it was sorting or tidying, he did it with more finesse than a female like Yao Miaomiao. Throughout the process, Yao Miaomiao’s eyes were akin to LED lights, shining and full of admiration.
Watching as he finished everything, Bai Yao smiled with crinkled eyes: “Ah Liang, why are you suddenly being so considerate?”
You Liangxing bluntly said: “I’m afraid you’ll find excuses to not leave.”
Bai Yao’s visage became anxious, as if she was a resentful wife that had been jilted by her lover, even attempting to shed some crocodile tears only to fail. Disappointed, she adjusted her mood, and leaned over to say: “I already said that I would definitely leave in the morning, but…”
You Liangxing stilled, suddenly alert. “… But what?”
Mysteriously, Bai Yao hooked up her lips. She opened the calendar on her phone and stabbed it into You Liangxing’s vision. “But you can’t stay either.”
On the calendar, the first of July was marked with a special effect. A lightbulb went off in You Liangxing’s head and he revealed a complicated expression. After he and Bai Yao stared at each other for a long time, he finally sighed, got up and went back to his room.
Gaze lingering on his disappointed silhouette, Bai Yao let out a high-pitched laugh: “Ah Liang~ Remember to wake up early tomorrow, I booked an eight o’ clock flight.”
You Liangxing closed the door behind him, and You Miaomiao stepped forward and queried: “Sister Yaoyao, will he be going to Beijing with us?”
In a good mood, Bai Yao responded: “En.”
Yao Miaomiao wondered: “Why?”
Bai Yao stared at the position that the first of July claimed on her calendar carefully and before she spoke, she blinked: “Because in a few days, there is a special day.”
Looking at Bai Yao’s expression, she was clearly waiting for Yao Miaomiao to continue dishing out questions. Yao Miaomiao fought against the impulse in her heart because she did not want to cooperate with Bai Yao’s performance. The young little a.s.sistant paused, studying Bai Yao as she beamed with happiness before she said heartily: “Sister Yaoyao, in the legends there is a person with a brother complex, and that’s you.”
Bai Yao’s smile dropped and she blinked owlishly, her expression taking a turn for unprecedented seriousness. Then, with the att.i.tude of someone who was trying to prove their innocence with their utmost effort, Bai Yao strictly enforced: “I’m not! I don’t have that! Don’t speak of nonsense!”
However, while she was trying to justify herself, she got stuck half-way. Soon after, she yelled: “Ah Liang is outstanding, cute and perfect, why is it my fault that I like him! You tell me! How is it my fault!”
Yao Miaomiao: “…..”
Uh, en, ah.
A wooden-faced Yao Miaomiao: “…. No, we should blame him for being too charming.”
* * *
The next morning, Bai Yao woke up very early and she was in a good mood.
Before Yao Miaomiao could wake her up, she had chosen her clothes and makeup and stepped into ten-centimetres high heels before she went to knock on You Liangxing’s door.
After waiting for a few seconds, there was still no response. Yao Miaomiao could not help but say: “Perhaps he hasn’t risen yet?”
Bai Yao knocked on the door again. In spite of the noise, there was still no movement. Suddenly, Bai Yao’s complexion changed, and she opened the door to rush in.
The room was empty and without an inhabitant. You Liangxing had disappeared.
Yao Miaomiao’s face went blank. “Isn’t he supposed to go to Beijing with us?”
Pursing her lips, Bai Yao’s expression was extremely complex. After a bit, Bai Yao threw herself into Yao Miaomiao’s embrace while crying out: “You Liangxing, you unfaithful man without a conscience!! It’s obvious that I love him a lot! Yet, once I look away, he runs away again!”
Even though Yao Miaomiao was patting Bai Yao’s back, her heart understood: … If it was me, I would have ran too.
* * *
Indeed, You Liangxing had left.
While he had to go to Beijing, no one dictated that he had to go with Bai Yao.
Thus, taking advantage that it was four in the morning, You Liangxing left the house quietly and went straight to the train station. While there was still time before it was July 1, after taking in consideration that Bai Yao would be around, You Liangxing decided that it was better to leave early.
The roar of the train was getting closer and closer. Following the flow of the commuters, You Liangxing dragged his luggage and boarded the train.
Since this was the period of time where university was let out for vacation, the train station had its fair number of university students. You Liangxing had lucked out and he managed to buy a ticket for a sleeper bunk.
Once he found his bunk bed, You Liangxing pushed his luggage underneath the bed. When he was standing up, suddenly a male’s voice sounded. “Hey—!”
T/N: We’re 1/7 through to LHBARH, what even