SITS Ch13

Chapter 13: Who Are You?

The coach only came to teach after ACE was reorganized, but everyone in HCC knew about the hostile relationship between ACE and TKR. It was said that TKR’s mid-laner had a serious falling out with Shen Man back in the day.

Later, when ACE was reorganized and their performance worsened, the gap between the two teams became even larger. They didn’t even bother to greet each other during training matches. However, it was always Shen Man who couldn’t be bothered, while the coach saw Qin Yixing repeatedly trying to get close to Shen Man, only to be met with indifference… No one really knew what Qin Yixing was thinking.

Shen Man didn’t have time to care about the coach’s inner thoughts. His gaze was fixed on the chili pepper and didn’t move away. He wanted to eat more, but suddenly, a pair of hands moved the plate away.

“Captain,” Xu Zhouye’s voice was soft, “It’s almost time.”

Shen Man turned his head and locked eyes with Xu Zhouye.

Their gazes met, and Xu Zhouye’s eyes were gentle, his eyelids slightly curved as he faced Shen Man’s eyes, not shying away in the slightest.

Shen Man was a bit surprised. He had thought Xu Zhouye would look away.

“Your throat still isn’t better,” Xu Zhouye said, “What if you eat too much and start coughing again?”

Shen Man said, “I think I…” He wanted to say that he thought he was already better, but before he could finish, an itch rose in his throat. “Cough, cough, cough, cough.” He couldn’t hold it in and started coughing.

Xu Zhouye chuckled, “See? Coughing is like liking something, you can’t control it.”

Shen Man: “Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough…”

Xu Zhouye shrugged, looking as if to say, “What did I tell you?”

Shen Man felt guilty and could only watch as Xu Zhouye took away the dipping dish.

“When you’re better, I’ll eat with you until you’re full,” Xu Zhouye promised with a smile.

Shen Man: “…” Sigh, being sick really makes you feel inferior.

It was the end of June, deep into summer.

The bright sunlight was accompanied by the noisy sound of cicadas.

On Saturday, the base had half a day off in the afternoon. Shen Man stayed in his room playing games, an ice pop in his mouth, crunching noisily.

The phone suddenly rang. Shen Man glanced at the screen, hesitated for a moment, and then picked up.

Xu Zhouye, who was watching game videos, suddenly heard Shen Man’s voice.

The voice came from the balcony. They lived in a villa, and the balcony led to a small garden.

Xu Zhouye looked outside and saw Shen Man standing in the garden, wearing a T-shirt and shorts, talking on the phone. His face still had little expression, but Xu Zhouye could sense some frustration and displeasure from him.

It was too far for Xu Zhouye to hear what Shen Man was saying, but he saw Shen Man holding the phone in one hand and the ice pop in the other. The heat was making the ice pop melt quickly, and sweet syrup dripped down Shen Man’s fair and slender fingers, running to his forearm.

The sticky feeling seemed to make Shen Man a little annoyed, and his voice became louder. Xu Zhouye could vaguely make out some words, something about going abroad or returning home…

After about ten more minutes, the heat was unbearable. Shen Man’s forehead and the tip of his nose were covered in fine sweat, and an unnatural flush appeared on his pale face, making it look as if he were about to faint from the heat.

Xu Zhouye was wondering if he should go out and call out to Shen Man when he saw Shen Man hang up the phone.

Shen Man held the phone, his lips pressed into a tight line. He looked irritably at the nearly melted ice pop in his other hand, then lowered his eyes and extended his tongue to lick the sticky syrup off his fingers…

Xu Zhouye: “…”

He casually tossed the remaining ice pop stick into the trash, and Shen Man turned and went back inside.

A refreshing coolness greeted him, but he didn’t feel cold. Instead, he felt a little hot and used his hand to adjust the collar of his shirt. The stickiness on his fingers made him feel uncomfortable, so Shen Man went to the bathroom, carefully washed off the sugar stains, and splashed some water on his face.

Knock, knock, knock. The door was knocked on.

Shen Man asked who it was, and Xu Zhouye’s voice came through: “It’s me, Captain.”

Shen Man: “Is there something wrong?” 

He felt a bit uncomfortable, leaning against the bathroom wall and not opening the door.

“Auntie just made some tremella soup,” Xu Zhouye said, “She asked me to bring it to you.”

Shen Man chuckled at this. Xu Zhouye had been at the base for a short time and probably didn’t know his personality. Everyone else at the base knew, so it was rare for anyone to bring him food from the kitchen.

He should have habitually refused, but he suddenly remembered the bowl of porridge that Xu Zhouye had brought to him the night he was sick. Xu Zhouye had been cautiously careful, as if taking care of him habitually. This younger kid, three years younger than him, seemed to always look after him. Shen Man couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. After a brief hesitation, he walked toward the door.

The door in front of Xu Zhouye creaked open, revealing Shen Man, who had just washed his face. Water droplets still hung on his face, and the heat hadn’t fully dissipated. His cheeks and lips were tinged with an unusual redness, which contrasted beautifully with his pale skin. His face, which was especially striking, was paired with an indifferent, cold expression in his eyes.

Xu Zhouye was momentarily stunned but quickly smiled and handed over the bowl: “I added sugar. You can see if it’s sweet enough.”

“Thanks,” Shen Man said.

“No need to thank me,” Xu Zhouye said. “The coach said the training match is tomorrow afternoon, against TKR.”

“Alright.” Shen Man nodded.

“By the way, Captain,” Xu Zhouye said, “The doctor said you should take the medicine for one more day, just to be sure, in case the cough comes back.”

“Okay.” Shen Man said.

“Then I’ll go,” Xu Zhouye said, turning to leave.

Shen Man closed the door and returned to his desk, placing the tremella soup down.

The soup was at the perfect temperature—not too hot and not too cold. Shen Man stared at it for a moment before scooping up a spoonful.

It was sweet but not overly so, refreshing and smooth. It tasted good. Shen Man thought, Xu Zhouye, thank you.

—

The training match against TKR was on Saturday afternoon.

Shen Man stood by the window at the end of the corridor, smoking. There was no air conditioning in the hallway, and the air felt stuffy. He fiddled with his phone while smoking absently.

Messages kept coming into the WeChat group. Shen Man glanced at them but didn’t open them.

They were probably discussing the afternoon’s training match.

In the morning, the coach had held a meeting, saying he wanted to test the strength of a new lineup against TKR and asked if anyone had any thoughts. When he said this, his gaze fell on Shen Man, clearly asking for his opinion.

Shen Man understood the coach’s meaning. Testing a new lineup meant they wouldn’t use their best setup, and they were most likely going to lose.

This was a normal tactic—few teams would use their strongest lineup in a practice match. Most teams experimented with different configurations.

In the past two years, ACE had only beaten TKR once, last Monday. Everyone was feeling frustrated, and Shen Man was probably no different.

But perhaps no one would believe it, he actually didn’t care that much.

Shen Man remembered the night Qin Yixing left, when he came to find him. The two of them sat silently, Qin Yixing hesitating to speak. Shen Man sat across from him, looking down at his phone, not even glancing at him.

Finally, Qin Yixing stood up and walked in front of him, calling out his name.

“Shen Man.”

Shen Man didn’t look up. “Hmm?”

Qin Yixing said, “I’m leaving, and you can’t even look at me once?”

Shen Man replied, “You’re leaving, whether I look or not, it doesn’t change anything.”

Qin Yixing was both angry and amused. He said, “You’ve never looked at me.”

When Shen Man heard this, he finally lifted his head. His black eyes were vacant, like beautiful glass beads, cold and unmoving. He tilted his head slightly, speaking slowly and with a hint of confusion. “Qin Yixing, you don’t actually like me, do you?”

Qin Yixing fled in panic.

His hurried back turned gave Shen Man his answer, but compared to Qin Yixing’s sudden flight, Shen Man’s calm response was as casual as asking what was for dinner that night.

There was nothing surprising about it. Shen Man had known since he was young that he was good-looking. From the astonished gazes of others to the special treatment he received, he knew he was more attractive than most people.

Many people liked him, and Qin Yixing was just one of them. Shen Man didn’t feel special because of it.

Perhaps Qin Yixing was hurt by Shen Man’s response that day and later became especially ruthless during their matches. Shen Man thought this guy was really strange, making it seem like he had used him and discarded him. But in reality, they were just ordinary teammates. If Qin Yixing wanted to leave, so be it. There was no need to make it seem like they were rivals, making the atmosphere awkward.

But it seemed like only Shen Man thought this way. Everyone else—fans, coaches, even Zhao Rui—felt that Shen Man should have some resentment towards Qin Yixing.

However, Shen Man didn’t feel any hatred. He simply thought that Qin Yixing had chosen the path he wanted to take, so their separation was a natural thing. Wasn’t that just part of life?

Life is a solitary journey, and everyone walks their own path—this was a very common thing.

As for what truly troubled Shen Man, it was something else.

His mother was coming back, next week, flying back from Europe. And not only that, but she also wanted to meet him.

Shen Man didn’t see any reason for them to meet.

His parents had been divorced for many years. His father remarried, and his mother traveled abroad all the time. He lived with his grandmother, and when he was in his teens, his grandmother passed away. He didn’t have much emotional attachment to his family. Although he hadn’t received much love from his parents, he had never lacked anything financially. When he was younger, he might have resented it, but as he grew up, he realized it was pointless to keep dwelling on something he would never get, so he let it go.

Now, his mother suddenly wanted to come back and visit him at the base. He had no idea how to interact with her.

He might even struggle to call her “Mom.”

Shen Man felt a little irritated, coughing as he lit up the third cigarette. From the far end of the corridor, he saw Xu Zhouye appear and walk toward him.

Feeling inexplicably guilty, Shen Man turned around, put out the cigarette, and planned to walk toward the training room as if nothing had happened.

He hadn’t walked two steps before Xu Zhouye blocked his way.

“Captain?” The eighteen-year-old boy was half a head taller than him, standing in front of him like a wall.

Shen Man knew he was in the wrong, raising both hands. “I only smoked one.”

Xu Zhouye said, “Chinese people don’t lie to each other.”

Shen Man replied, “…Three.”

Xu Zhouye: “…”

The look of accusation and reproach in his eyes was too much to bear. Shen Man finally surrendered, “I’m sorry, I won’t smoke until I’m better.”

Xu Zhouye obviously didn’t believe him, still looking at Shen Man.

Shen Man helplessly said, “Chinese people don’t lie to each other.”

Those words carried weight, and Xu Zhouye believed him. He smiled and stepped aside. “Good luck in the afternoon’s training match, Captain.”

Shen Man sighed, “Good luck.”