“Me?” Wen Zhe still did not turn around to meet Jian Yao’s gaze.
“You’re clearly so capable, so why did you choose AFG back then? At that time, AFG obviously shouldn’t have been your choice…” Jian Yao’s eyes seemed to pierce through Wen Zhe. “Why…”
“So eager to know why?”
Seeing Wen Zhe finally turn around, Jian Yao’s large hand covered his own mouth and nose. The scene before his eyes overlapped with the memories in his mind, the shattered fragments piecing themselves back together at this moment.
“Captain!” Xu Xu’s voice came from the end of the hallway, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps. Wen Zhe’s lips moved slightly, his voice very soft, and Jian Yao couldn’t make out the words clearly: “I… you.”
The person before him had already lowered his hand, turning his back to him. “What is it?”
“I was looking for you. How did you disappear all of a sudden? Let’s discuss something,” Xu Xu slung an arm over Wen Zhe’s shoulder. “Hey, Jian Yao, you wander around on your own for a bit. I’m borrowing him for a while.”
“Okay…” Jian Yao hadn’t yet recovered from the intensity of the moment.
As Wen Zhe was being pulled away, he turned his head. “I’ll have Su Ze come over.”
Su Ze moved quickly, immediately running over from the training room. “Hey, Xiao Yao, let me take you to AFG’s secret base.”
“Secret base?”
“Yeah, it’s upstairs. Let’s go.”
The two walked side by side up the stairs. The higher they went, the more youthful the photos displayed became.
“Look,” Su Ze pointed at a photo with a smile. “Look at this picture of Captain Zhe when he first came to the club. He was still a kid with bangs covering his forehead back then.”
Jian Yao laughed, but his eyes grew slightly moist.
“Right? It’s hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing when I first saw it too.”
Jian Yao’s nose tingled with emotion. Even though he hadn’t heard Wen Zhe’s words clearly, at this moment, he perhaps understood what Wen Zhe had said—
I found you.
I found you too, senior.
“So, this is the face hidden beneath those bangs.” Jian Yao extended his index finger, his fingertip carefully touching the cheek of the person in the photo.
“Yeah, he went from a total shut-in to a male god,” Su Ze teased.
Hearing this, Jian Yao said, “Well, not exactly a shut-in. He did like to wander around quite a bit.”
“Really?” Su Ze propped his chin in thought. “I always thought the captain was super reclusive. Or rather than reclusive, more like secretly passionate. You never know what sharp remark that handsome face is going to throw at you next. It’s infuriating.”
Su Ze clenched his fist, pretending to be wronged. Jian Yao patted his back in consolation. “It’s okay. As long as you’ve survived until now.”
Su Ze was startled, looking at Jian Yao in surprise before finally laughing and patting his shoulder. “Great! The familiar, sharp-tongued YAO is back!”
Jian Yao looked puzzled. Su Ze continued, “At first, you seemed a bit reserved. I didn’t know what to do about it back then, worried you might not fit in.”
“Ahem, it’s not that I was reserved…” Jian Yao’s mind flashed with an image of Wen Zhe.
“Ah, I know! You’re our fan, right? On the surface, you’re calm as water when meeting your idol, but inside, you must be super excited, right?” Su Ze’s expression of “I totally get it” made Jian Yao too embarrassed to shatter his illusion, so he could only nod silently.
“Don’t be too formal. Just relax~” Su Ze continued to show Jian Yao around, and Jian Yao became more familiar with AFG’s layout.
“I won’t let that happen.”
Not far away, a woman’s voice reached Jian Yao’s ears—the familiar tone belonged to Li Yan, the founder of AFG.
Li Yan sounded somewhat angry, though it was unclear what the matter was. Seeing the situation, the two exchanged a knowing glance and quietly slipped away.
As they headed downstairs, they happened to run into Wen Zhe and Xu Xu coming out of the training room. Su Ze took the opportunity to lead Xu Xu away, leaving Jian Yao and Wen Zhe alone.
“How was the tour?” Wen Zhe’s gaze lingered on the slight upward curve of Jian Yao’s lips. “Why are you holding back a smile?”
Caught in the act, Jian Yao simply laughed out loud. “It’s nothing, really. I just saw someone familiar.”
Wen Zhe motioned for Jian Yao to continue, though he seemed to already understand what he meant.
“So, this is what you look like with your bangs covering your face…” Jian Yao drew out his words, his eyes fixed intently on Wen Zhe. “Senior.”
“Took you long enough to recognize me.” Wen Zhe didn’t shy away, raising his hand to rest it on Jian Yao’s head. “And this is what your face looks like behind a mask, Junior?”
Jian Yao nodded, his gaze involuntarily drifting elsewhere. “So, when did you recognize me?”
“Not calling me ‘senior’ anymore?” Wen Zhe raised an eyebrow, watching as Jian Yao’s face slowly flushed red, and gently pinched his cheek.
Jian Yao shook his head. “No more. I only called you that before because I didn’t know. Now that I do, I’ll just call you by your name. You won’t hear ‘senior’ from me again…”
“That’s a bit of a shame,” Wen Zhe said, lightly ruffling Jian Yao’s hair. “But I do prefer it when you call me by my name.”
“Got it, Wen Zhe.” Jian Yao suddenly realized something. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
Wen Zhe deliberately wanted to tease him, leaning close to Jian Yao’s ear. “All you need to know is that I found you first. That’s enough.”
Jian Yao lowered his gaze. “If there’s a next time, I’ll find you first.”
“You don’t have to be so competitive. Let’s just say you let me win this time, okay?” Wen Zhe chuckled. “And you’re already thinking about a next time?”
If there really was a next time, he wasn’t sure he could handle it.
“No, that’s not what I meant…” Jian Yao waved his hands in a flustered attempt to explain but couldn’t find the right words.
“Silly, I was just teasing you. How are you so easy to fool? As compensation…” Wen Zhe took a staff pass from his pocket. “The finals ticket I promised you.”
!
Jian Yao was stunned, looking at Wen Zhe in disbelief.
“What, don’t want it?” Wen Zhe waved the pass in front of him.
“I do!”
Jian Yao snatched it over, and the words on the pass caught his eye—Family of Contestant.
His heart skipped a beat…
On the day of the finals, Jian Yao, wearing a black mask, arrived at the venue an hour before the match.
Fans had already crowded around the entrance, some lining up, others taking photos.
This was Jian Yao’s first time attending an offline competition.
He didn’t like crowded places, but seeing so many fans wearing AFG badges and holding support items, he felt a slight itch in his heart.
Maybe these things weren’t so bad after all.
He glanced around, waiting until the crowd in front of the large screen gradually thinned before mustering the courage to step forward.
When he opened the front camera, he froze—what pose should he strike? Which angle was best?
Hmm… this should do.
He pressed the shutter button and opened the photo album, quite satisfied with the picture he had taken. Quickly, he posted it online.
Jyao: Tell me who’s the champion tonight? [photo.jpg]
Comments quickly flooded in as Jian Yao scrolled through and replied:
【OnlyYAOyou: YAO, are you at the venue?! What about the family in tonight’s livestream?!】
【Jyao replied to OnlyYAOyou: Get used to me not being around sometimes.】
【YAOdon’tstop: I’m coming to catch you right now!】
【ZHEsoYAOeye: I’m nearby! I’ll be there soon!】
Jian Yao’s fingers paused over the keyboard, his mind racing with just one thought—
Run!
Breathing heavily, he made his way indoors, pulling up the hood of his sweatshirt, now fully embodying the vibe of someone trying to stay under the radar.
If it weren’t for the security staff noticing the work pass hanging around his neck, they would have already been coordinating a capture plan over the walkie-talkies.
Inside the exhibition hall, players were personally handing out fan support items. Jian Yao joined the end of the long line, glancing back toward SG’s booth—they seemed pretty relaxed.
The line behind him grew longer and longer. He peered toward the front but didn’t see Wen Zhe anywhere.
I wonder if I can wish him good luck in person before the match…
Suddenly, Jian Yao felt a light tap on his arm. Turning around, he locked eyes with a girl behind him. Struggling to keep her voice down, she whispered, “Excuse me, are you YAO?”
Jian Yao tightened his grip on his phone. “Yes.”
“Could I take a photo with you? Just one…” Her pleading tone made it hard for Jian Yao to refuse.
“Okay.”
He crouched slightly to match her height, faced the camera, and awkwardly flashed a peace sign.
“Thank you!”
The girl thanked him politely and, even while standing behind him, kept a respectful distance.
But unconsciously, Jian Yao began to notice more and more eyes occasionally drifting toward him. Some even pretended to casually pass by him.
What in the world is going on?
The noise in the exhibition hall was overwhelming, making it impossible for Jian Yao to hear the murmurs from people nearby.
It wasn’t until he opened his phone and saw a photo under a topic related to himself—a zoomed-in shot of his selfie, focusing on the words on his work pass.
And the comments underneath were all discussing the four words: “Player’s Family Member.”
【Netizen 1: Who gave him that pass?! I’ve barely ever seen those four words before!】
【Netizen 2: Yeah, family members usually don’t even need an actual pass!】
【Netizen 3: It’s usually labeled as ‘staff.’ First time seeing ‘Player’s Family Member’…】
【Netizen 4: Just a passerby, what’s the big deal? It’s just a pass.】
【Netizen 5: You don’t get it, upstairs. To put it simply—it’s like announcing to the world ‘this one’s taken.’】
Jian Yao took a deep breath, put down his phone, and picked up the work pass that suddenly felt as heavy as lead—
The line ahead began to move steadily. Su Ze, who was handing out gifts, immediately spotted the “eye-catching” Jian Yao. Signaling Zhong Yuyi to take over, he stepped out from the side.
Amid the screams, Jian Yao barely had time to react before he was pulled aside. “Xiao Yao, why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Su Ze’s voice was loud, snapping Jian Yao back to reality.
“I was afraid you guys were busy.”
“What’s there to be busy about? Come with me.”
Su Ze wrapped an arm around Jian Yao and led him toward the backstage area. Jian Yao quickly waved to Zhong Yuyi as they passed by.
People recording the scene immediately started posting their videos—
[Netizen 1: Case solved, it’s Su Ze who gave the sign
[video.MP4]]
[Netizen 2: Ah, then it’s fine.]
[Netizen 3: I thought there was some big gossip, but if it’s Su Ze, then it’s fine.]
[Netizen 4: You guys are so weird, why is it suddenly fine when it’s Su Ze?]
[Netizen 5: Because—our Su Ze and Zhong Yuyi are locked together forever!]
“Captain! Captain, I brought Xiao Yao!” Su Ze pushed open the door to the lounge and called out as he walked in.
Jian Yao hesitated for a moment behind Su Ze, first poking his head through the doorway. Su Ze noticed he hadn’t followed yet, turned around, and laughed: “Xiao Yao, you look exactly like—a turtle peeking out.”
“Su Ze!” Jian Yao widened his eyes, straightened up, and quickly walked inside. “I’m not a turtle at all.”
And this amusing scene happened to be witnessed by Wen Zhe, who had just finished fixing his hair, through the mirror.