Shen Huai was hunched over the toilet, vomiting as if the world was spinning, his eyebrows tightly knit together. The sound he made was as if he was about to throw up his intestines, making anyone who heard it feel a pang of sympathy.
Song Xueyang wrapped a towel around himself, squatted down, and patted Shen Huai’s back.
Shen Huai turned his head, his eyes dazed as he looked at Song Xueyang. Realizing that Song Xueyang was still bare-chested, he immediately stood up and took two steps back.
Song Xueyang found his reaction amusing. His gaze flickered, and he sneaked a glance at his own lower body wrapped in the towel, then quickly turned his head away as if shocked, revealing a slightly reddened ear.
Seeing that Shen Huai was a bit shy, Song Xueyang resisted the urge to tease him, handed him a glass of water, and fetched some hangover medicine from the cabinet.
“Hangover medicine. Take it and get some sleep. You’ll feel better tomorrow.”
Without any doubt, Shen Huai swallowed it and then sat dumbly on the edge of the bed, his hands hanging down. After a while, he started swaying again.
Song Xueyang stood by and watched. He was used to taking care of drunk people, but Shen Huai was undoubtedly the easiest one to handle.
He didn’t make a fuss, didn’t talk, and was as quiet as a cat nestled in one’s arms.
After swaying for a bit, Shen Huai finally couldn’t sit still and flopped onto the bed.
Even in his sleep, he was very quiet. His hair softly lay against his forehead, his eyes gently closed, without even a frown, and his breathing was shallow.
Song Xueyang suddenly thought of Cang Yu, who was also quiet and not fond of talking. If they could meet in real life, he would probably be the type who wouldn’t make a fuss even when drunk, right?
Song Xueyang shook his head, thinking he must be crazy about wanting to recruit Cang Yu into the team, seeing Cang Yu in everyone he met.
He carried Shen Huai onto the bed, tucked him in, and spent the night curled up on the sofa in the living room.
The next morning, when Song Xueyang woke up, Shen Huai was still asleep. He quietly went to the bathroom to wash up, and just as he was dressed, there was a knock on the door.
Haixing and the others stood outside, their faces full of hesitation.
Song Xueyang smiled, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame, “Since when do you guys wake up so early after a hangover? Didn’t you always sleep until the afternoon?”
Haixing pushed past him and entered the room, “Is Shen Huai here with you?”
He pushed open Song Xueyang’s bedroom door, and sure enough, there was someone curled up on the bed, covered with Song Xueyang’s blanket, looking just like a hidden treasure.
Fan Jingming mused, “Looks like I didn’t drink too much yesterday after all.”
Haixing was still shocked, “There’s actually a big star sleeping in the captain’s bed!”
Song Xueyang: “…”
What was a normal situation now seemed awkward after you said that.
The group fell silent, staring at Shen Huai, looking like the seven dwarfs surrounding a sleeping Snow White.
Shen Huai lay on his side at the edge of the bed, hugging the blanket, his whole body curled up, with one arm hanging off the bed. His long, flawless fingers looked beautiful no matter how you looked at them.
Song Xueyang suddenly thought that if these hands were used to type on a keyboard, it would surely be a pleasing sight.
Perhaps their gazes were too intense, as Shen Huai slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the people around him, then sat up expressionlessly and yawned.
“Uh, Shen, Shen…” Haixing started stuttering again.
At this moment, it was up to Vice Captain Zhou to step in, “How are you feeling?”
Zhou Ning had a neutral appearance, with soft features and semi-long curly hair tied at the back, looking like an artist.
Shen Huai replied, “Thank you, I’m much better.”
Fan Jingming leaned on the back of a chair, “No problem, it’s quite thrilling to help a big star out of a jam.”
Haixing’s curiosity was piqued, “Shen Huai, why were you being chased by reporters? Where’s your assistant?”
Song Xueyang tugged at Haixing, changing the subject, “Are you hungry? Want to have lunch?”
Shen Huai didn’t refuse, “Sure.”
Inviting a big star to a meal wasn’t simple. First, they couldn’t take him outside, as Song Xueyang guessed there were probably reporters lurking outside the club. Secondly, they couldn’t take him to the cafeteria either.
After some thought, Song Xueyang instructed, “Go to the cafeteria kitchen and ask Uncle Zhao for some ingredients. We’ll cook ourselves.”
Shen Huai looked at him in surprise, “You’re going to cook?”
Song Xueyang smiled, “Don’t worry, I’m pretty good at it.”
Shen Huai wanted to say he misunderstood, that he was just curious about Song Xueyang’s cooking skills, but then Song Xueyang added, “But compared to the meal you treated us to yesterday, it might be a bit lacking.”
Shen Huai: “…”
Indeed, nothing escapes this old fox.
Haixing and the others went downstairs to get the ingredients, and Shen Huai took the opportunity to take a shower. Song Xueyang sat on the sofa, scrolling through Weibo.
As expected, last night’s events had exploded online, with news everywhere about Shen Huai quitting the entertainment industry. Under this trending topic, there was another about Shen Huai being surrounded by reporters and jumping into the Maple Moon Team’s car in desperation…
Song Xueyang’s Weibo had gained 200,000 followers overnight, with netizens flooding his page.
Weibo’s real-time trending topics—
#Shen Huai Quits, Terminates Contract with Promise Company#
#Shen Huai Jumps into Song Xueyang’s Car#
#Song Xueyang’s Weibo Overrun#
…
Song Xueyang wanted to say, the car belongs to the team, and he wasn’t the only one in it. Just because he’s the captain, does he have to take the blame?
【E-sports and entertainment are inseparable. Hubby, when did you meet Shen Huai?!!】
Not long ago, just last night.
【I’ve always said Song Xueyang has connections. My friend is a high-level executive at Promise Company, and the inside scoop is that Captain Song has shares in Shen’s company!】
Haha, then he must be really rich.
【Stop making random connections! Captain Song was just celebrating his birthday yesterday and happened to be at the same restaurant as Shen Huai! From the video, it was clearly Shen Huai shamelessly squeezing into Captain Song’s car! Our Captain Song has nothing to do with that vase!】
Sorry, “that vase” is currently in my room taking a shower.
On WeChat, the “City of Despair Gossip Group” formed by various professional teams was buzzing non-stop.
Tang Wenlang: Didn’t expect Captain Song to be a fan of Shen Huai!
Zhang Jiayan: Song Xueyang, you’re going to lose next year!
Liang Minghui: Captain… Captain Song can see this…
Si Qianjin: Haha, is Captain Song planning to recruit Shen Huai into the team? An all-star lineup! Scary!
Song Xueyang turned off his phone, not expecting that Shen Huai was being chased by reporters because he was quitting the industry.
He had seen a few of Shen Huai’s movies, all quite famous, but the credit for their fame mostly went to the other actors in the films. If it weren’t for his internationally renowned superstar father, he probably wouldn’t have landed such good roles.
Shen Huai came out after his shower, wearing a set of Song Xueyang’s clothes. They were about the same height and build, so the clothes fit well. In a simple white shirt and jeans, he looked less like a star and more like an ordinary college student.
Song Xueyang remembered that although Shen Huai had been in the industry for a while, he was only 21 this year.
At 21, it’s still not too late to change careers.
Song Xueyang helped him connect his phone to the wifi, “The security at Maple Moon Club is tight, those reporters can’t get in. You can stay here for a couple of days.”
Shen Huai noticed how thorough Song Xueyang was in his considerations, “I’ve rescheduled my flight to Xi’an for tomorrow noon.”
“That’s fine, choosing a time when there are more people makes it less likely for reporters to notice.” Song Xueyang quickly understood his intention, “Your luggage is still at the hotel, right? Going to pick it up tomorrow?”
Shen Huai shook his head. The reporters had probably already found out which hotel he was staying at and would be staking it out for the next few days, “I’ll call the hotel and have them mail it to me.”
When everyone returned with the ingredients, Song Xueyang and Zhou Ning headed to the kitchen, while Haixing and Fan Jingming stayed with Shen Huai.
The three of them sat on the sofa in silence, the atmosphere quite awkward.
Haixing had a lot he wanted to ask, but Zhou Ning had just told him not to pry into Shen Huai’s privacy, so he could only make small talk, “Shen Huai, I’ve seen a lot of your movies!”
Shen Huai nodded, and Haixing continued, “I think you act really well! Especially Wen Xi in ‘Wutong’!”
This was one of Shen Huai’s more acclaimed roles, Wen Xi, a mute who couldn’t speak…
Fan Jingming quickly tugged on Haixing’s sleeve, you compliment someone’s acting, but you choose to praise their role as a mute.
Haixing realized his mistake, stammering, “I didn’t mean it like that, actually, you’re great in everything you do. I’ve loved watching your movies since I was a kid!”
Shen Huai, who debuted as a child star: “…”
Haixing: QAQ
Everything I say is wrong, Captain, please stop cooking and come save the day!
When Song Xueyang brought the dishes into the room, he found the three of them sitting silently on the sofa, Haixing with his head down, looking like he had done something wrong.
“I didn’t have much time, so I didn’t make a lot. Just make do with this.”
Song Xueyang was being modest. In such a short time, he had prepared a plate of braised prawns, Kung Pao chicken, stir-fried lotus root and broccoli, and a winter melon meatball soup. The dishes were laid out on the table, looking and smelling delicious, especially the bright red braised prawns, which looked very appetizing.
Haixing finally found a topic, “Try it, our captain’s cooking is really good!”
The way he was boasting made Song Xueyang wonder if he had actually cooked the dishes himself.
Shen Huai picked up a prawn, and it tasted really good. He hadn’t expected that besides being good at games, Song Xueyang was also skilled in cooking.
He said lightly, “It’s delicious.”
Everyone: “…”
Then show some expression that says “it’s delicious”!
Shen Huai’s eating manner was very elegant, clearly showing he had received excellent upbringing, not even making a sound when his chopsticks touched the bowl, making it a pleasing sight.
Haixing sneaked a glance at him, “Shen Huai, are you really not going to act anymore?”
They had all seen the Weibo posts, and the result was quite surprising to them.
Shen Huai put down his chopsticks, “I’m not acting anymore.”
Fan Jingming curiously asked, “What are you planning to do then?”
“You’ll find out next year.” At next year’s professional league.
Fan Jingming thought he was just being secretive and didn’t press further.
Haixing, however, felt it was a pity, “Shen Huai, you’ve acted for so many years, and you’re so handsome. Why suddenly stop? I get criticized all the time too. If I play well, I get scolded by the opponent’s fans. If I don’t play well, I get scolded by my own fans. Some even tell me to quit and go farm!”
Shen Huai seemed interested in this topic, “And then?”
Haixing got excited, “Of course, I scold them back!”
The remaining three teammates collectively shook their heads and sighed.
“If they tell me to quit, should I just quit? Why? Even if I do quit, I’ll do it after winning the championship trophy!”
Shen Huai’s gaze changed as he looked at the determined Haixing, “You want to win the championship?”
“Of course! Why else would I play professionally? We train just as hard as any other team. If others can win the trophy, we can too!”
Shen Huai fell silent. He had always thought that the Maple Moon Team wasn’t particularly passionate about winning the championship. Just like not every professional player competes for the trophy, not every actor’s career goal is to win an Oscar. Those who stand at the pinnacle are always rare, and for most people, just becoming famous is enough.
Shen Huai didn’t want to join a team like that. He simply wanted to win, to prove himself, to hold up the championship trophy and tell everyone—this is the path Shen Huai has chosen!
So even from this perspective, Maple Moon wasn’t the best destination.
But now, seeing the determination in Haixing’s eyes, he suddenly felt uncertain.
Haixing, completely unaware, continued excitedly, “And this year, Cang Yu will be joining our team. Next year’s championship is definitely ours! Oh right, Shen Huai, do you know Cang Yu?”
Not only does he know, but he also came up with that name.
Shen Huai remained noncommittal, “Has he already joined Maple Moon?”
Haixing was unconcerned, “With the captain here, Cang Yu will join the team sooner or later!”
Shen Huai gave Song Xueyang a meaningful glance, Fox, you’re quite confident, aren’t you?
Being looked at like that by Shen Huai, Song Xueyang felt inexplicably guilty, “Since you’re feeling so energetic, you can start training this afternoon.”
“So soon?” Fan Jingming quickly looked up.
“Is this soon? You’ve already had a ten-day break. If you don’t start training, forget about the championship, it’ll be hard to even make the top eight next year.”
Fan Jingming silently shed tears; he had planned to watch a movie this afternoon.