Ch6 - Candy Jar

　　When Li Zhongchen stepped out of the bathroom, he only had a bath towel tied under his waist. His upper body was exposed in the misty, hot air. He had a sturdy figure, tight six-pack abs, and stood at a height of 1.87 meters, which made people mistake that he was from the north.

　　But in actual fact, his hometown was on the southern coast. It was a remote town near the forest and sea.
　　
　　Li Zhongchen’s semi-wet hair was swept backwards, his facial contours were deep with high nose bridge; when he was silent, there was a different kind of sexiness to him. He had the perfect qualities of a man and was intimidating at the same time.
　　
　　The room was a single room that was not too big in size. Ever since the day he officially joined SVG, he had shared his life with this space, accumulating the blood and sweat of his youth he had shed day and night for seven whole years.

　　This year, he would turn twenty four after his birthday.
　　
　　His thought paused there. Out of habit, Li Zhongchen’s gaze shifted to the numerous bottles and jars on top of the mini fridge on the floor.
　　There were dozens of foreign branded soft and hard candies. They were colorful, and the bottom of the jars of candies that he ate most often were already visible. He had not touched the ones that did not suit his tastes; but at the same time, he could not bear to throw them away.
　　
　　These were all things that Qiao Yi had bought for him once. He had thrown them away, and could only go through painstaking efforts to find them again.
　　
　　In the past when they went abroad to compete, Qiao Yi would always bring back jars of candies that he found from local markets from different countries. They were all uncommon, non-imported snacks. Even if you engaged a purchasing agent, you may not be able to buy them.
　　Children who grew up abroad would always have an obsession with candies: sweet as honey, it was believed that they would gain happiness and bliss.
　　
　　What did he do with those jars of candies back then? Li Zhongchen thought to himself dazedly. It seemed like he had all tossed it to his younger brother, or placed it in an inconspicuous corner where he would not notice even if it expired.
　　
　　He used to be severely addicted to tobacco and alcohol. Even the place he frequented most was a bar. When he was desperate, he would only sleep four hours a day. He was young and arrogant. He loved Qiao Yi, but was never able to understand the reason why the other was so persistent in giving him jars of candies.
　　And yet the him of the present drank warm water with wolfberries, depended on candies to quit smoking and drinking, maintained his fitness, and did not stay up late often.
　　
　　Some people had thought that his body could not handle his lifestyle habits from before, yet it was not completely true. It was only when Qiao Yi had left him that he did not want or dare to touch those things again.
　　
　　“Why is it that you always make promises to me whenever I tell you something, yet you forget about it as soon as you turn around?” During the argument they had right before they separated, Qiao Yi’s eyes had been red. As he exhaled the cigarette smoke, his emotions had been on the brink of collapse. “You said you love me, said that you know it’s all for your own good. Are you even aware that if you continue competing in the national championships, your hand will really become injured beyond repair?”
　　
　　”Li Zhongchen, do you really still love me? Or is it because you’ve gotten too used to it that you are unable to break up with me?”
　　
　　At that time, Li Zhongchen’s eyes flashed in panic. His chest throbbed with ache, thinking to himself: how could I not love you, baby?

　　Since the day I met you when I was fifteen, to us reuniting again and you finally becoming mine, my dad had been in a coma for nearly ten years. From the nose-piercing scent of disinfectant, to the last moment before his passing, the person who had stayed by my side was also you.

　　You, who would act coquettishly before me. You, who would put your arms around me, puckering your lips and demanding for a kiss. Anything I want, you are willing to give to me. All this time, the only person I have is you. How could I not love you?
　　
　　That was what he clearly thought to himself, but the words he said were filled with nonchalance. “Think whatever you want.”
　　
　　As soon as he said that, the expression on that good-looking face became aggrieved and full of sorrow. 

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.

　　His rippling gaze complemented by brows with the color of distant mountains gave his features a suppleness and his face a distinct feeling of grace and beauty. That was the lover that Li Zhongchen was too fond to let go, a person so precious that would crumble upon a light touch. But because of what he had said, large droplets of tears flowed down that face and fell to the ground.
　　
　　He said, “What others say has nothing to do with me. I just don’t want to argue with you anymore. Really, it’s tiring.”
　　
　　He even said, “Since we can’t love each other properly, we should just let each other go.”
　　
　　At that time, he was really exhausted.
　　The accumulation of various external and internal stressors had long reached his limits, not only because of a couple of inconsequential matters like these. His relationship with Qiao Yi was filled with the scent of gunpowder. The amount of times they had fought made them both physically and mentally exhausted to the point that Li Zhongchen did not even say a word to redeem himself, and Qiao Yi had chosen to pull himself out from it and left.
　　
　　After that, he was in a daze for a long time. He had to smoke two or three packs of cigarettes every day. He would drink until he vomited, to the point that he would have tears in his eyes. Yet, he insisted on continuing to drink. Those around him were afraid of him, and were even worried that he would behave rashly after taking things too hard.

　　It was only when he sobered up did he realize the moment he had completely lost Qiao Yi——
　　
　　Li Zhongchen decided to let himself go.
　　
　　.
　　
　　19:52.
　　Zheng Xiaokui hugged a laptop to her chest, rushed over and knocked on the door. “Master, Master! It’s me, I’m here!”
　　
　　”…” Li Zhongchen opened the door. He had just casually put on a hoodie, thinking that his little disciple would take a little longer before she got here. He glanced condescendingly at Zheng Xiaokui, who was out of breath, looking as though she was here to conduct a secretive exchange. “Did you bring what I asked?”
　　
　　”I’ve brought it!” Zheng Xiaokui stuffed the computer bag in his arms. “Please rest assured, the log in security pin has been disabled. I’ve already written the account and password required to access Xiao Qiao Gege’s live broadcast room on the post-it; it’s one account per person. I, your disciple, have entrusted all my love to you!”
　　
　　”??” Li Zhongchen asked her to speak properly, “You are only lending your love for him to me temporarily. Be careful of what you say.”
　　
　　Zheng Xiaokui’s gaze became dodgy and hesistant. “Uh, uh ah…That’s what I meant! My linguistic skills aren’t very good;, but my mathematics, physics, and chemistry results can be ranked in the top 100.”
　　
　　”That’s praiseworthy. Now go back to practice.” As soon as he had gotten what he wanted, Li Zhongchen wanted to send her away.
　　
　　“Alright! I would not make it for the live broadcast after training anyway. I can only wait for the recorded broadcast.” Zheng Xiaokui had no complaints. “By the way, Master, I still have several thousand in my account, you can brush some yachts or rockets for Xiao Qiao Gege. Remember to brush some on my behalf later on! I want to spend money on Xiao Qiao Gege!”
　　
　　“…” Qiao Yi does not lack your few thousand yuan, Li Zhongchen thought to himself. You should just save it for yourself to buy some snacks or makeup. All you care about is nagging about it. “Don’t worry, once the broadcast starts, I’ll brush it for you.”
　　
　　Saying that, he shut the door to the room.
　　The sound of footsteps gradually disappeared. His head was hurting from Zheng Xiaokui’s loud voice earlier on.
　　
　　Li Zhongchen realized belatedly that he should have had that little sister kept her voice down. There would be trouble if the person next door had overheard them.
　　Yao Tong and the rest were still waiting for a good show. He still had a sense of shame.
　　
　　Hell, one could not get into tonight’s live broadcast without an official MW fan membership. Li Zhongchen could not understand what the rationale for this was.
　　
　　He opened a box of freshly sliced fruits and sat cross-legged on a soft floor mat, the laptop resting on his lap. After entering the account number and password, he logged in to the live broadcast room——
　　The legend selection interface was already displayed on the game screen, he was probably in the middle of calibrating settings.
　　
　　”Can you hear me?”
　　
　　Qiao Yi did not show his face for the time being. Only his hands that were as pale as porcelain and had slender bone structure were visible. 
　　
　　[Wu wu wu wu wu Qiao Qiao qwq!! Miss you miss you miss me! My blonde Qiao Qiao!! ]
　　
　　[Xiao Qiao Gege~ It’s been awhile~]
　　
　　[Welcome back, Xiao Qiao Gege!! Finally, you’re not speaking in English!]
　　
　　[Drink plenty of water, Baby Qiao Qiao. Your voice sounds a little hoarse.]
　　
　　The barrage scrolled by too quickly, the words shaking so much that he became dizzy watching it. Had it been Li Zhongchen starting a broadcast himself, it would have lacked a feeling like this.
　　What was even more frightening was that Zheng Xiaokui’s thick and heavy laptop was rather old, the screen freezing.
　　
　　At this time, Qiao Yan spoke once again.
　　His voice was crystal clear. “I missed everyone too. I didn’t think that there would be so many people.”
　　
　　[QAQ Impossible! In this life, It’s impossible for me not to watch Xiao Qiao Gege’s live broadcast! ]
　　
　　[Weakly suggesting, can we not have the special host today? Of course, it’s just a small suggestion~]
　　
　　[When will Xiao Qiao show his face, the fanboys can’t wait ^^]
　　
　　It was all soft and caring messages from fans. It was worlds apart from Li Zhongchen’s miserable live broadcast room. The benefits of setting up permissions for entry to the live broadcast room were demonstrated here.
　　Li Zhongchen forked another slice of cantaloupe expressionlessly and put it in his mouth.
　　
　　At this time, the unknown netizen who claimed to be a fanboy brushed fifty-two rockets in one go.
　　Rockets streaked across the screen, the graphics of it making people dizzy. It was an unexpected surprise that made those who were not from wealthy families feel even worse. The sudden accident made the otherwise wealthy family even worse. The lagging webpage was on the verge of collapse.
　　
　　The ID even shone with attention: [Joe’s Dear Husband].
　　
　　”…” Li Zhongchen blurted. “Fuck.”
　　
　　[The number one fanboy has appeared! ]
　　
　　[Sure enough, it’s Brother Number One! Generous! Ten thousand RMB in one go!]
　　
　　[Wu wu wu don’t snatch Xiao Qiao Gege from us fangirls, I’m also going to brush some rockets and cruises!]
　　
　　Li Zhongchen’s face was so gloomy that it was frightening. He felt irritable after having watched all that.
　　He retaliated and swiped a wave of rockets and cruises, casually clicking on the option with the highest value. He firmly believed that it was his revenge for causing the site to lag. At this time, the gift ranking list suddenly changed——
　　
　　[kk Girl Loves Qiao A Lifetime OvO]: A glorious ascension to the top of the list, tossing that fanboy a few streets back.
　　
　　[Wow, what kind of rich fangirl is this???]
　　
　　[Crying, why do I not have money]
　　
　　[It’s over, this sister Girlfriend Fan, can you also sponsor me? I don’t know much, but I can praise God Qiao’s rainbow farts with you! I can say it as much as you want to listen!]
　　
　　Li Zhongchen was going to vomit. Earlier on, he had been worried that Zheng Xiaokui’s balance was insufficient, so he went ahead and charged hundreds of thousands in it.
　　But how did he not notice how shameful and suffocating this ID was?
　　
　　At this time, the camera was properly adjusted, and Qiao Yan’s icy face suddenly appeared in the lower right corner of the screen.
　　There was gentleness in his features, eyes upturned yet containing no maliciousness, the mole akin to a teardrop under it seductive and alluring. If one claimed that this appearance belonged to a top idol in the entertainment industry or an acting god with a cold image, many people would have believed it.
　　
　　Qiao Yi was simply taking a casual glance at the screen, but on Li Zhongchen’s end, their eyes met dead on. The latter could not help but freeze in surprise, his breath quickening, desire shattering his sense of reason.
　　
　　It’s true that I resent you, but it is also true that I want to press you under myself until you can do nothing but cry. But there is nothing I can do but watch you stealthily from a corner. 

　　You and I were once the most intimate of lovers, but look at where we’ve ended up.
　　
　　And on the other side of the screen——

　　Qiao Yi clicked on the option to begin matching, and the game started loading.
　　
　　”Thank you, everyone, but don’t spend any more money on gifts,” Qiao Yi’s eyes narrowed. “After the broadcast ends, I will refund your gifts if the account indicates that you are a minor.”
　　
　　Listening to what was said, Li Zhongchen watched as the other entered a game. As usual, he played the combat medic, Lifeline, that he used most often.

　　He was in a daze for a long time before he finally let out a long sigh of resignation.