Shen Kuangye realized he might have said something that could be misunderstood, so he tried to explain: "This expense might be really high, I—"
"Brother, you knew it could be a huge burden, and yet you chose not to tell me?"
Lu Xiangyang asked back.
Shen Kuangye was speechless, cornered by him, and chose to remain silent.
"If I hadn't asked the doctor today, were you planning to just pretend to be some anonymous benefactor donating for Xu Wen?"
Shen Kuangye lowered his eyes, listening seriously to Lu Xiangyang's scolding.
After a while, he peeked up secretly and was startled to see Lu Xiangyang still staring at him, his eyes red.
Lately, it seemed he always ended up making Lu Xiangyang cry.
Shen Kuangye immediately panicked a little. He lifted a hand to wipe the corner of Lu Xiangyang's eyes, speaking awkwardly: "I'm sorry, baby."
"I was wrong. Don't cry."
Lu Xiangyang lowered his head and wiped his eyes, slowly shaking his head. "You don't need to apologize to me, brother. You haven't done anything wrong."
He just felt useless, even doubting himself—was he too unreliable, so that Shen Kuangye didn't want to tell him these things?
Shen Kuangye was about to comfort him when Lu Xiangyang suddenly reached out and hugged him, burying his face in his shoulder.
"Brother, hold me," he mumbled.
Shen Kuangye's hand hovered in midair, hesitated, and finally rested on his back, patting him lightly to soothe him.
Neither of them spoke after that. Shen Kuangye held him, feeling the fabric of his shoulder damp.
It took Lu Xiangyang a long time to calm down. When he finally let go, the only sign left was the redness around his eyes.
"I'm sorry, brother," he said softly. "I wasn't speaking very nicely tonight."
"I was wrong too," Shen Kuangye said. He had reflected deeply just now and realized some things needed to be said early: "I didn't mean to separate your life from mine. I just wanted you to do what you love without being burdened by my decisions."
He knew that if he spoke, Lu Xiangyang would probably take out all his savings to give to him.
But Lu Xiangyang was only eighteen. He had many things he loved—maybe spending on games, buying skins he liked, or traveling. Shen Kuangye wanted, within his means, for Lu Xiangyang to be happy and carefree. If the worst came and the illness became uncontrollable, Shen Kuangye would bear the consequences alone.
In short, he didn't want Lu Xiangyang to follow in his footsteps.
He didn't want him to feel burdened with debt, or experience the same helpless look he had seen when Lu Xiangyang learned about Lu Ning needing 60,000 yuan for medical expenses… not again.
"Do what I love."
Lu Xiangyang repeated it, as if thinking, then came to a conclusion: "But it seems like I've already achieved everything I love."
Shen Kuangye lowered his eyes, not understanding him at first.
Lu Xiangyang explained seriously: "I only like two things. One is playing games—I've already become an esports player. The other…"
He lifted those peach-blossom eyes to look at Shen Kuangye, a bit embarrassed: "Seems like I've already achieved that too."
Shen Kuangye froze, then slowly realized what Lu Xiangyang meant, his ears and neck instantly turning red.
"So, brother, you don't need to worry about these things."
Lu Xiangyang looked at him earnestly. "I don't want to always be protected by you. I also want to be someone who can share the burden with you."
Shen Kuangye's dark eyes met his, and he murmured, "Mm."
"That's better," Lu Xiangyang said with a smile.
He seemed to have an idea, ran to the bedside cabinet, and took out his small shoulder bag.
Shen Kuangye watched him rummage, and when he returned, he held a card in his hand.
"This is my salary card," Lu Xiangyang said, a slight blush on his face, handing it to Shen Kuangye. "The password is our birthday."
"I don't really need to use money. I already make about 30,000–40,000 a month from streaming and wages, all for you."
He was telling the truth. He didn't like greasy takeout; the club's Uncle Li cooked healthy, delicious meals. EAR even had a snack room, so he didn't need to buy anything outside. Lu Xiangyang's personal expenses were minimal—just daily necessities and occasionally a 6-yuan game card.
Shen Kuangye initially didn't accept it. Lu Xiangyang gently placed the card in his palm.
He withdrew his hand and cleared his throat discreetly. "Brother, you don't need to give me money anymore. Keep it for yourself."
After all, this was his "dowry" for Shen Kuangye.
As he spoke, his blush deepened.
Shen Kuangye didn't fully understand the deeper meaning, only knew that if he didn't accept, Lu Xiangyang would be truly upset.
So he put the card into his pocket.
Seeing him accept it, Lu Xiangyang quietly exhaled.
"So, are we good now?" Shen Kuangye asked.
Lu Xiangyang squinted at him, puzzled: "We didn't fight. We were just communicating."
He thought for a moment, then added: "Besides, I wasn't even mad at you earlier."
He just felt heartbroken. Shen Kuangye was about the same age, yet he always habitually shouldered so much. He also felt frustrated by his own helplessness.
"Brother, you can distrust everyone else, but please trust me, okay?"
Shen Kuangye lowered his eyes at Lu Xiangyang, and after a long moment, smiled: "Okay."
His features were handsome, but he usually wore a serious expression. A sudden smile made him even more attractive.
"…It's almost midnight. Go to sleep—we have a match tomorrow."
Lu Xiangyang couldn't bear to look at him and quickly turned, finding an excuse to urge him.
Later, lying in bed, Lu Xiangyang stared into the darkness, his face cooled.
Unable to sleep, he decided to treat himself: "But brother, you broke our agreement today, so points will be deducted."
Shen Kuangye tilted his head, thinking, and asked: "Can points be added back?"
This was exactly what Lu Xiangyang wanted to hear.
He pretended to be impartial: "Alright, fine. I'll reluctantly give you a chance."
He even leaned slightly toward Shen Kuangye.
Shen Kuangye found him so cute he bent down and kissed him on the face, paused a few seconds, then kissed him lightly again. "Is that okay?"
Receiving the two kisses unexpectedly, Lu Xiangyang's heart felt warm, though he pretended to act reluctantly: "Barely passing, I guess."
——
At 1 PM, a few figures appeared at the back entrance of the Guangzhou Identity V regular match arena.
Leading were Pei Xunan and Cheng Rang, with Li Shu, Jiang Chixin, and Yi Shui in the middle. Lu Xiangyang and Shen Kuangye were at the end, still chatting.
After almost five years on the same team, Shen Kuangye knew Ella's tactics inside and out.
During recent team training, he had suggested to Yi Shui some drills against their tactics, but Lu Xiangyang lacked experience in big matches, so he could easily be at a disadvantage against a seasoned team like Ella. Shen Kuangye pointed out a few key points.
Lu Xiangyang listened while sharing his own thoughts, and Shen Kuangye quietly analyzed them.
The two teams' preparation rooms were next to each other. At the entrance, Shen Kuangye happened to make eye contact with Ella's players, whose eyes were full of mockery and disdain.
Shen Kuangye ignored them and walked straight into the prep room, sitting down to focus on the first match.
Both teams fully displayed their strengths. In one match, the Chair-wielding Hunter teleported back to his chair immediately.
Commentators, audience, and prep room all exclaimed in unison: "Ah?"
Even Shen Kuangye raised an eyebrow in surprise.
The commentators scrambled to explain, but the Survivors made a mistake with the machine, and the Acrobat was taken out in front of the Perfumer. The match shifted back to the Perfumer's control.
Zui Ying forced a professional smile, trying to save face: "Uh, we can see both sides are playing strategically… starting early has its reason… uh, for example… uh…"
Unable to come up with a reason, he gave up and switched topics: "Okay, we can now see the Perfumer heading to the Moon Gate. The timing seems insufficient."
The following matches were equally absurd.
For example, the Cheerleader was stunned by the Fisherman at the start and weirdly completed three loops; the Fire Investigator performed an action before leaving and was immediately struck by the Night Watcher's gust; the Eternal Explorer used a magnet to repel the Hunter at the graveyard cellar, but got hit by a tram; there were also sudden rescues, skill dodges, and whirlwind attacks…
The reversals were so extreme that the commentators gave up trying to explain, their eyes seeming to lose light.
Fans in the audience looked tense, as if doing sit-ups in an ICU.
In the end, Cleo narrowly won the match with a small point advantage.
When it was EAR's turn, a pre-match shout-out was arranged.
Leah from Ella slowly stepped forward with a mic, smirking provocatively: "Hope you can run today."
His tone was dripping with mockery and arrogance.
EAR sent out Shen Kuangye. He remained calm and wasn't provoked by Leah, replying evenly: "We'll see."
Zui Ying smiled: "It's clear both of today's players are confident in themselves and their teams. EAR has improved greatly this season, currently ranking 9th in the regular season. Ella has consistently ranked high in each season and is a strong IVL team. Everyone must be eager to see the exciting plays today—let's focus on the player seats!"
Today was EAR's home match, and they chose Survivors first to gain a big point advantage and reduce pressure on Lu Xiangyang.
Hearing the commentators, Pei Xunan and others put on their jackets and headed to the arena. Lu Xiangyang, as Shen Kuangye was about to enter, leaned close to his ear and whispered: "Good luck, brother."
Shen Kuangye tilted his head to glance at him, checked the surroundings to make sure no cameras were on them, and whispered back: "Thanks, baby."