Following half a night of various medical checks, Yan Shu took his medicine, his emotions stabilized, and he drifted into sleep with a slight sense of exhaustion.
This sleep was unexpectedly deep, likely due to the sedative ingredients in the medication.
When Yan Shu woke up the next day, the sun was already hanging high in the middle of the sky.
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw a plump little hand resting on the safety rail of the hospital bed. Immediately afterward, a small child poked his head out, staring at Yan Shu with wide, watery eyes before quickly breaking into an innocent and adorable smile.
“Brother, Brother!” The child grinned, his smile exceptionally sweet.
“Little Peanut, that’s your uncle, don’t call him random things.” A woman’s voice came from the other side of the bed.
Shifting his gaze, Yan Shu saw a mature and sophisticated woman sitting on the other side of the bed. Her long brown hair was coiled on top of her head, and she wore exquisite makeup. Though young, she used her cosmetics to project a more senior, mature aura.
“Sister-in-law?” Yan Shu had not returned to the country for many years, so he felt a bit uncertain.
Even upon returning, Yan Shu had lacked the face to contact his remaining few relatives.
Dong You handed a peeled apple to Yan Shu. “Xiao Shu, have some fruit first.”
“I…” Yan Shu had thousands of words he wanted to say, but when the moment actually came, he couldn’t force out even half a syllable. Looking at the offered apple, he momentarily hallucinated that the person sitting there was his older brother.
“Xiao Shu, why didn’t you say anything when you came back?”
The faces of his brother and sister-in-law overlapped, their voices gradually fusing into one.
“I’m sorry.”
Dong You let out a long sigh, sliced off a piece of apple with a fruit knife, and pressed it directly to Yan Shu’s lips. “Stop saying sorry. If your brother were still here, seeing you like this would break his heart.”
Mentioning his brother made Yan Shu think of the drastic upheaval that struck his family after the conclusion of the second World Championship. His nose stung as tears nearly fell, but he forced himself upright, took the apple from his sister-in-law’s hand, and bit into it piece by piece.
Dong You wiped her hand with a wet wipe, casually flicking a strand of hair behind her ear, and asked with concern, “You came back to play professional gaming again? Is your money enough? With your physical and mental state, how come none of your teammates are here keeping you company?”
Yan Shu remained silent.
Having navigated the business world for so many years, Dong You possessed exceptional observational skills. Without Yan Shu saying a word, she could roughly guess his current treatment within his new team.
“When you played professionally back then, you were flourishing until people grew jealous and plotted against you behind the scenes. You couldn’t clear your name, so even starting over, your teammates probably aren’t willing to welcome you. Xiao Shu, if things truly don’t work out, come back to the family business. Although I manage your assets, they belong to you in the end. As long as you come back…”
“Sister-in-law, I’ve already made you lose my brother. Let those assets count as my compensation to you. I know those shares can’t make up for even a fraction of my brother, and managing them all this time has been exhausting for you. If you’re truly tired, sell them, I won’t say a word.”
Yan Shu came from a wealthy background, serving as a pampered crown prince since childhood. Had it not been for his passion for esports, he should have returned long ago to inherit the family empire.
“How can I sell them? Those represent the lifeblood of your uncle and aunt,” Dong You said.
Yan Shu covered his face, burying his grief-stricken expression behind his palms. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t made them come watch the match back then, they wouldn’t have been in a speeding car accident. It’s all my fault, and to think I even said those things. I’ve failed everyone, but Sister-in-law, I have no other choice. The reason I keep persisting with mental health treatment and came back to play professional gaming is because the letter my mother left behind told me to fulfill my dream.”
He refused to fail at everything.
If he returned to manage the family enterprise, what could someone who knew nothing besides playing video games possibly manage well?
He could only do his utmost to bring his dream to reality.
My child, you shine the brightest when pursuing your dreams. Your father and I have talked it through, and we will support you forever. Keep walking forward, and your dreams will come true, my child.
Even closing his eyes, Yan Shu could vividly recall the letter retrieved from the pool of blood. It was supposed to be handed to him by his mother in person after winning a championship, but it ultimately became a suicide note.
At that thought, Yan Shu’s breathing grew ragged once again.
Noticing Yan Shu’s abnormal breathing, Dong You quickly stepped forward to press the call button on the wall, then sat beside him, gently patting his back to soothe him.
Realizing his uncle was in distress, Little Peanut crawled over to the edge of the bed and held up his toy. “Uncle, Uncle don’t cry, you can play with this.”
At barely four years old, Little Peanut could see right through Yan Shu’s fragile state.
Yan Shu wasn’t crying, but his expression slipped completely out of control, hovering on the verge of tears.
“Alright, alright, Xiao Shu, everything is in the past, don’t dwell on it. Blame me, blame your Sister-in-law for bringing up such things in front of you.” Knowing Yan Shu currently lacked parents and had no one close by to offer warmth and care, Dong You could only step into a maternal role, holding Yan Shu and comforting him as if he were a child.
A doctor and two nurses quickly entered the room. Seeing Yan Shu’s condition, the doctor stepped forward to examine him immediately.
After running a round of routine checks in the room, the doctor shook his head. “It’s still psychological illness. Feed him some anti-stress medication. In his state, he can only self-soothe. Family member, step outside with me for a moment.”
Out in the hallway, the doctor spoke in detail to Dong You. “His psychological condition appears to have been treated abroad previously; his illness might have improved compared to its initial stages, but his stress response remains severe. Strangely enough, he shows zero inclination toward ending his life, indicating he possesses a strong willpower to accomplish something specific.”
Dong You frowned. “Doctor, you mean…”
“It looks like he’s an athlete of some sort, right? Perhaps his psychological illness stems from his passion, but to completely cure the root of his illness, he must confront it. Family member, whatever he wants to do, let him do it. Once his wish is fulfilled, his illness will heal itself.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
Glancing down at the medical chart in his hand, the doctor added, “If he remains stable, he can rest for the night and be discharged tomorrow.”
Expressing her gratitude repeatedly, Dong You returned to the hospital room.
Yan Shu felt much better after taking his medication, staring blankly out the window from his hospital bed. He was far too thin, wearing his unchanged team uniform, making him look as frail as a sheet of paper. His face carried a sickly pallor; while his natural lip color wasn’t light, the poor circulation turned his lips a pale pink, and the small black mole beneath his lower lip appeared even more somber.
“Xiao Shu, if you want to play matches, go ahead. I’ll handle everything else,” Dong You said with heartache.
Little Peanut, playing with toys on the bed, also looked up and hugged Yan Shu with open arms. “Uncle, Little Peanut likes Uncle, Uncle needs to be healthy.”
Yan Shu’s heart softened as he lowered his head to embrace Little Peanut. “Mm, I’ll definitely be fine, I’ll definitely bring the championship back.”
Having returned to the league for such a short time, how could he collapse in despair over two lost matches?
Dong You stayed with Yan Shu until evening, watching him eat properly and fall asleep before finally feeling secure enough to leave him alone in the ward.
That night, Yan Shu fell asleep early, drifting into a rare, pleasant dream upon closing his eyes.
Waking up the next morning, Yan Shu felt an uncanny sense of calm. He completed his discharge procedures early, and upon settling the bill, discovered that his emergency and treatment fees had been paid by two different people.
The treatment fees were most likely covered by Dong You, but who paid the emergency fees?
The handsome guy who brought you in…
Yan Shu recalled the doctor’s remark.
Aside from Zhuoyue, no one else from the team fit the description of a handsome guy.
Noting down the emergency expenses, Yan Shu left the hospital and hailed a taxi back to the SR esports club.
He arrived at the club around six in the morning. With plenty of time before training, Yan Shu glanced down at his clothes and decided to take a shower and change into a fresh team uniform.
Upon returning to the dorm, he found Qi Le fast asleep with zero intention of waking up.
As Yan Shu opened the wardrobe to search for items, a groggy Qi Le stirred awake.
“Moon God? You’re back? Are you alright?” Qi Le’s voice remained hoarse, thick with morning vocal fry.
Yan Shu nodded. “I’m fine, I’ll go train after a shower.”
“Huh? Moon God, Captain Zhuo said we get two days off, today is still a holiday.” Qi Le rubbed his eyes and yawned.
Yan Shu found it strange. Logically speaking, someone like Zhuoyue wasn’t the type to grant consecutive days off to the team.
“Moon God, I’ll sleep a bit longer, you rest after your shower too, I heard you were sick.” Too sleepy to keep his eyes open, Qi Le curled back up to sleep.
“Mm.” Yan Shu grabbed his change of clothes and headed out.
The early morning bathhouse was completely empty, so Yan Shu picked a corner stall to shower.
Rinsing off the hospital’s disinfectant smell, Yan Shu wrapped a towel around his waist, wiping his hair as he walked out.
Just as he reached the lockers, Yan Shu heard footsteps at the entrance of the bathhouse.
Lifting his gaze, Yan Shu locked eyes with a shirtless Zhuoyue. Exchanging a glance, an eerie awkwardness settled between them.
Zhuoyue habitually went for morning jogs, always heading straight to the first-floor bathhouse to rinse off afterward before returning upstairs. Assuming today’s holiday meant nobody would use the bathhouse at dawn, he had stripped off his soaked top in advance. He never expected to run directly into Yan Shu.
“Back?” Zhuoyue asked casually, masking his surprise.
Yan Shu paused mid-wipe, his eyes darting away unsurely. Proper etiquette dictated maintaining eye contact during conversation, but with both of them dressed in a state of undress, direct eye contact was impossible.
“I didn’t get a chance to request leave from the club while at the hospital, so I had to come back early. I’m completely fine.”
“Completely fine? You didn’t look fine when you had that panic attack.” Zhuoyue paused. “What illness?”
“Nothing.”
Yan Shu had zero intention of disclosing his condition; explaining everything thoroughly would only invite unnecessary trouble.
“You have to hide something like that?” Zhuoyue turned back in dissatisfaction, catching Yan Shu unguarded as he dropped his towel to dry his body.
A fair neck, a slender waist, rounded hips…
Damn.
Taking in that sight, Zhuoyue’s Adam’s apple tightened instantly.
Long ago, he had harbored wild fantasies about Yan Shu. Yet, constrained by the secrets surrounding Yan Shu, he had temporarily buried those feelings. He never expected that, even now, he would still react this way toward Yan Shu.
Fearing that lingering any longer would betray his abnormality, Zhuoyue quietly slipped away.
Unaware of Zhuoyue’s internal turmoil, Yan Shu finished drying off and changing clothes as usual. When he turned back after dressing, he found Zhuoyue already gone.
“I really am fine. By the way, you covered my emergency fee, how should I…”
The sound of water spraying from a showerhead echoed through the bathhouse.
At that moment, Zhuoyue was taking a cold shower.