Ch12 - Birthday

“Not bad, Xiaokui. You were steady when in close combat with Sugi. You even blew his head off once. There is progress, there is progress.”

“Not at all, Captain. It was because Bloodhound commanded us well. And besides, Brother Handyman was even more difficult to deal with after he was revived.” Xiaokui replied. “And we still didn’t win against MW in the end…” 

The final match against MW in the afternoon ended.

After the post-game interview, they had received the runner-up trophy of the rookies’ competition. Aside from Li Zhongchen, the rest of the SVG members got ready to return to the base amidst the residual heat of the discussion.

“But the performance exceeded expectations. The audience was also very addicted!” Yao Tong encouraged everyone. “This time, the overall play was right. The harrassing play of Wraith in stealth mode as she moved back and forth the void space. It annoyed Sugi and it was enough to disrupt their tactics. 

Having been pushed into the third place in the national competition for the past two consecutive years, it was a rare occasion that SVG was able to redeem themselves into being one of the key players once again. 

Although the round-robin tournament was cancelled this time, the four teams were randomly assigned. Only two winning teams entered the finals to compete for first place, which seemed unfair. However, the following rankings were ranked according to the teams’ battlefield points. Even as a commercial competition, the judging criteria were up to standard.

“We already did really well! Lifeline killed two enemies with one magazine in the match this morning, we even got critical hit bonus points!”

“Yeah, OPW’s rookie team is actually average. Even if they were matched to play with us, SVG would only win.”

“Everyone has worked hard, I’ll treat you to a big meal tonight!”

“Wu wu wu captain is so nice!”

“I love captain Yao!”

For the older ones, their focus was placed on the post-game celebration. At this time, there was a younger member that spoke up. “Is God Zhong not going anymore? He didn’t go back with us, it looked like he had some urgent matters.”

Before Zheng Xiaokui could speak, Yao Tong responded. “Today is a little special. It’ll be his treat next time. Let’s go, let’s go.” 

……Special day?

Zheng Xiaokui racked her brains. What exactly did Xiao Qiao Gege mean when he had me pass on those words “today is not anything that special”?

About ten minutes later.

Qiao Yi stepped out of the elevator and walked into the dimly lit underground parking lot. 

Today, he wore a pair of shiny oxford leather boots, the hem of his dark jeans rolled up slightly. A suit jacket with a loose fit was draped over his shoulders, and it made him look taller and more slender.

The MW team uniform was hung over his arm, and in his hands were a cup of coffee and a take out bag from KFC. His entire person gave off a lazy temperament.

Qiao Yi walked towards the spot where his car was parked, and the headlights flashed when he pressed the unlock button from a distance.

Only up until then did he notice a person standing next to the black Ford Mustang that was parked. The person was very tall, and it was difficult to see their face clearly. It gave off a very oppressive aura. 

“……” Qiao Yi’s breath caught. The inexplicable sense of nervousness made him feel at a loss.

His lover of the past stood before his eyes. Even after a long period of absence from one another, the endless sorrow that surged from the bottom of his heart could only be experienced by himself. But it was probably because of his personality and appearance that he was able to face the other expressionlessly, not revealing any abnormalities.

As for why Li Zhongchen wanted to seek him out, he thought it was most likely because he had something he wanted to ask.

Only when Qiao Yi approached did Li Zhongchen lift his gaze, their line of sight colliding. “You’re only eating that for dinner?” 

Qiao Yi responded in a low voice. “I don’t have much of an appetite.”

Qiao Yi was around seven or eight centimeters shorter than Li Zhongchen. His build was slender and well-proportioned.

In the past, whenever they met up for a date, Li Zhongchen would always lean in closer and lower his head for a kiss out of habit. Yet today, despite being in close proximity to one another, he felt that the distance between them was as far as the horizon.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

“Didn’t I already let that young lady pass on the message to you?” Qiao Yi said tonelessly. “I don’t celebrate birthdays anymore.” 

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That year when he was adopted, the date of birth that was registered in the records of the orphanage was wrong, which led them making the best out of the mistake. Everyone, including his teammates, did not actually know that the actual date of his birthday was on the 17th day in the 9th month of the lunar calendar. 

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The faint sense of pressure made Qiao Yi unable to catch his breath. 

Qiao Yi had a slender frame. He was disadvantaged when it came to a match of the two of them staring each other down. It was as though if Li Zhongchen had the intention to suppress him, it would be something that was too easy for him to do.

But Li Zhongchen took a step forward and narrowed the distance between them.

Qiao Yi had his gaze lowered. In the empty underground parking lot, he suddenly noticed that the tips of Li Zhongchen’s fingers were trembling slightly. It was so subtle that it made him uneasy.

Qiao Yi felt a feeling of sourness in his heart. “I’ve already eaten. Let’s talk in the car.” 

It seemed as though everything was peaceful. Even the calm that came before storms was not comparable to this.

But just as Qiao Yi was about to turn away to step into the car, Li Zhongchen’s strong frame pressed him against the door of the car, gathering his wrists together tightly and forcing him to look directly at him. In that moment, it seemed as though the layers and layers of thoughts he had kept to himself were about to break out.

“……” Qiao Yi was so stunned that it did not even register to him to push him away.

“Why did you come back again?” Li Zhongchen asked. 

Qiao Yi took a deep breath, using every last bit of his strength to calm his emotions down.

He glanced at Li Zhongchen and gave an irrelevant answer. “The car almost broke down. It won’t start.”

This SUV was a vehicle that Li Zhongchen bought under the name of his younger brother.

Both of them each had a key. The reason they had bought the car was for the convenience of travel when they wanted to go to surrounding cities to play or have a picnic in the suburbs. It was commonly known as the result of the stupidly in-love brain. 

It was parked in the neighbourhood garage. Unless there was a necessity, Li Zhongchen would only use it once every half a year.

Li Zhongchen was stunned. “……If I had known you were coming back, I would have sent it for regular maintenance.”

Qiao Yi: “So you’re blaming me?”

Li Zhongchen: “……” 

Both of them were breathing heavily.

If Li Zhongchen bent down slightly, he would be able to kiss Qiao Yi, suckle those thin lips, and block off all the cold words that came from the other’s mouth.

But he could only ask helplessly, “where have I provoked you?”

“Cleaning up the mess that the little sister from your rookie team caused, should I be happy?” 

“……Then that kid from your team is not at fault?” Li Zhongchen rebuked him. “As a person, you should be humble, do you understand? Why did he have to undermine the self-esteem of those in the same field? Isn’t that rather malicious?”

Qiao Yi raised his voice. “Alright, if you’re weak, you are in the right.”

Li Zhongchen: “Weak, my ass. Do you want to look through the recordings of Zheng Xiaokui’s livestreams in the last month? What kind of improvements she has made from the crappy foundations she had back then.”

They both stared at one another, neither wanting to give in. 

Anyone could tell that they were making excuses by arguing with one another. The two children were simply mentioned to be made scapegoats.

However, both parties who were involved believed that they were justified and were merely stating the facts.

“Li Zhongchen, did you have nothing better to do than to argue with me? Have we not argued enough in the past?”

Qiao Yi was too beautiful. His thick and long eyelashes quivered slightly. When he glared up at him, the mole at the corner of his eye became visible to Li Zhongchen. 

Everything about his appearance was his type.

Even if their current status was awkward, it still made Li Zhongchen want to throw all his rationality out the window, press him on the ground and fuck him. Everything else could be discussed after.

But he was not a scoundrel like that.

Li Zhongchen’s brows furrowed. “How am I wanting to argue with you?” 

These words seemed to be a compromise.

As a result, Qiao Yi pushed him away with all his might, his breathing unsteady as he got into the car first, obviously flustered.

“……” Li Zhongchen was in a daze, and he opened the car door as well.

He got into the familiar car and seated himself in the passenger seat. 

The pair of fortune cats, the safety amulet, and even the brand of air diffuser that was familiar to him – all of it remained the same, yet everything had changed.

With the two of them speechless, Qiao Yi stepped lightly on the accelerator.

It was originally a good birthday. But because of Li Zhongchen, he was riled up once again. It was inevitable for him to feel frustrated.

But the endless amount of heartache was only known to himself. A year and a half was not considered a long period of time, but it was not short either. It felt as though there was a sense of unfamiliarity in a familiar environment. 

Both of them had changed a lot, but as past lovers, it was too difficult to simply forget everything.

On the surface, they seemed distanced, yet their hearts were united. Was Li Zhongchen not that way?

He glanced sideways only because of how eye-catching Qiao Yi’s blond hair was. It made the other’s pale skin stand out. In addition to the fact that they had not seen each other for a long time, it was inevitable for him to fall into a trance, feeling as though the person next to him was not Qiao Yi; to the point where he felt like he was cheating.

……He even had to lie to himself. What cheating, Laozi already fucking broke up with Qiao Yi long ago. I’m a now. 

The high-end car drove towards the city’s roads.

As it was the rush hour, the traffic was heavy, and the car drove on very slowly.

In order to ease up the atmosphere, Li Zhongchen spoke. “Even if you’re not celebrating your birthday, at least have a nice meal. You could choose any other time to eat these kinds of deep-fried junk food, why must you choose to eat it today?”

Qiao Yi’s tone sounded petulant. “I’m not celebrating it.” 

“……” Li Zhongchen silently swallowed the words ‘I’ll take you to a restaurant’ that he was about to say and asked softly. “Then what are you going to do for the next few days? Now that the rookies’ competition has ended, are you going to stay in MW?”

Qiao Yi looked straight ahead. “How does that concern you?”

“Qiao Yi,” Li Zhongchen grew frustrated again. “Can’t the both of us have a proper conversation?”

Beep beep— 

His words were greeted by Qiao Yi single-handedly pressing down on the horn, adding to the irritation and frustration of the traffic jam.

Li Zhongchen inevitably got shocked and frowned. He leaned back against the backrest, unwilling to speak any further.

Qiao Yi was calm, yet exhausted.

His words and disposition were filled with serious rejection, sourness burning in his nose. “I have nothing to say to you. I have already said it all clearly back then.” 

Even at that time, it had always been this way.

Qiao Yi appeared cold on the surface, but his heart was softer than anything else that it was not even comparable to when one referred to “a knife-like tongue and heart of tofu”.

In fact, what he had said was actually not as lethal. “Li Zhongchen, whatever your business is, it has nothing to do with me. The same goes with mine, you don’t have to concern yourself with my business. Next time, you don’t have to specially come looking for me and create a hassle for yourself, alright?”

But as he received those words, what his younger brother said to him suddenly sounded in Li Zhongchen’s mind: It’s impossible for Xiao Qiao Ge to forget you. Otherwise, why would he choose to come back? 

That’s right. Then why did you come back?

The technology configurations and teammates in the clubs in America were top-notch. It would only benefit him more to stay there. If it was because he was not able to let go of his old club, then why did he return yet not renew his contract with them?

But given both their current states, it was difficult for them to discuss this calmly.

Qiao Yi was usually calm, and it was rare to see him in a rage. As for why he had lost his temper, Li Zhongchen could think of the reason no matter how stupid he was. But in the end, he still wanted to explain it out loud. 

“Isn’t this all because you saw me hugging that little girl? I don’t even like women, how could you not know that?”

Li Zhongchen’s mentality was simply too much like a straight man.

It was a pity that this was something that he would never realize. In the past, he was this way. He was still the same now.

Qiao Yi’s nose soured and he said nothing. 

The differences in their personalities have caused too many problems. Even if he said more, it would not be any more helpful. Both of them were clear about this.

His thoughts drifted back to seven years ago.

That year, Li Zhongchen was still in the SVG youth training team, and Qiao Yi was already an invincible star player. He had a promising future, his entire person was radiating with light.

On the day that SVG officially announced their team’s debut was the day of Qiao Yi’s birthday. 

Perhaps it was from that moment on that things began to develop in a direction that was out of their control. Li Zhongchen wanted to speak out, but his throat became impossibly hoarse–

The author has something to say:

Author: Babies, please stop arguing aaaa QAQ
Qiao: T T Wasn’t it you who made us argue?
Echo: I don’t want to argue either, can I have a change of lines.
Author: ……Why not this, Mummy will let the two of you enjoy a little sweetness in the next chapter, then let you both return to reality so you can clearly see the cruelties of the world QvQ