Chapter 21

Xiao Qiao, drowsy from the meeting, rubbed his eyes and saw for the first time such a subtle expression on their captain’s face.

Ning Nanzhou, having received a "no need" from the little jungler, couldn't help but doubt the other person's status as a fellow fan. He had joined plenty of fan groups, and no matter how chaotic they got, the moment someone mentioned giving away Chi Yu’s merchandise, everyone would chime in with, "I’m a student, give it to me." How could a fan not want signed merchandise?

Ning Nanzhou feigned indifference to test the waters.

【South】If you don't want it, fine. I still have a set of S7 limited-edition signed posters. That was the year FKW returned to the World Championship after two years away, and God Chi took home the most MVPs in the league.

The first half of his sentence was true; the beleaguered FKW had indeed made it to Worlds under Chi Yu’s leadership, but the second half was incorrect. He expected the little jungler to get tripped up, but the other person corrected him with certainty.

【Snake】Su Zhe took the most that year.

Ning Nanzhou had always considered himself a fanatic, having watched every one of Chi Yu’s matches and memorized every one of his accolades. If Chi Yu wore a brilliant crown, he was but one of the thousands of rays of light reflected by it. Even so, he only knew Chi Yu was second; he hadn't realized Su Zhe was first. To remember such details so clearly—not only was he less dedicated than the other person, but he had actually doubted their identity?

He pushed the matter to the back of his mind and officially accepted the other person as a fellow fan.

Ning Nanzhou closed his phone and resumed streaming. He could have stopped ranking, but he enjoyed watching Qin Yong’s fans lose their composure.

"What is this? Number one on the Chinese server. What is this? Number one on the Chinese server. What is this? Number one on the Chinese server." He arched his elegant eyebrows. "I have so many 'sons' out there—are they all mutes, or did they die young?"

[I can't take it anymore!]
[Whoever made the bet, come out and call him 'Daddy'. Sacrifice yourself to benefit the masses!]
[I think he deleted his account. What a disgrace to our lot!]

Ning Nanzhou clicked his tongue in regret; he had wanted to hear that guy call him 'Daddy'.

The afternoon was for lab work. After the instructor emphasized the safety rules, he put on his lab coat and entered the lab. They were tasked with the large-scale extraction and transformation of plasmid DNA. The high-concentration, high-quality plasmid DNA obtained could be used for enzyme mapping, sequencing, and probe preparation.

Even after treatment with RNAase, the DNA extracted via the alkaline method still contained trace amounts of RNA. While the other students were still working on the experiment, he used Sepharose 4B for further purification.

Beside him, Xu Ye was having trouble with the solution preparation and was still at the mixing stage. "Xiao Zhou, you’re moving way too fast. Don't you play games all day?"

Ning Nanzhou raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it just a matter of having hands?"

Xu Ye looked at the innocent-looking teenager. "You’d better stop, or I’m not going to save a seat for you anymore."

Ning Nanzhou stopped goading Xu Ye. While waiting for the centrifuge, his phone, resting on the table, rang.

【Chen Dongdong】Next month is your nineteenth birthday! Congrats to our Brother Ning on growing another year older. How do you plan to spend it?

The centrifugation was just about done, so he vacuum-dried the liquid precipitate and redissolved it in sterile water. Ning Nanzhou took off his gloves and replied.

【Did You Study Today】What’s there to celebrate? It’s the same every year.

【Chen Dongdong】It’s different!!! This is your first birthday as an adult! Spend it however you want. It’s a shame our university doesn't break for break until after Christmas, otherwise, I could spend it with you.

【Chen Dongdong】But I’ve prepared the best birthday gift for you! Believe me, you’ll love it!

Ning Nanzhou didn't hold high hopes for Chen Dongdong’s gift, as long as he didn't send women’s clothing. Staring at the words "first birthday as an adult," he suddenly wanted to ask if Chi Yu had any time next month.

With a nonchalant air, he swiped to his pinned contact and quickly opened the chat box. His fingertips flew across the keyboard, typing out two hundred words in an instant, and then—

As expected, he deleted it all.

How on earth does one ask someone out!

Although he and Chi Yu were getting along well, he rarely initiated conversations, and Chi Yu wasn't much of a chatterbox either. Their last conversation had been about the wedding. He took a deep breath and consoled himself that there was no harm in being cautious.

***

Perhaps his luck was just that bad. He had barely spent two minutes agonizing over it when the other person sent a message.

【Chi Yu】What’s wrong?

He must have noticed that he was typing!

Ning Nanzhou lowered his head deeply, only lifting it after a while; it wasn't the first time, anyway. He hadn't known how to start the conversation, and now he knew even less. He sent a dry, awkward message.

【Did You Study Today】Thank you for the snacks you sent. The cranberry cookies were delicious. Also, thank you for letting me work at the club.

He knew Chi Yu was a polite and courteous person who would usually just say "it was nothing" in response to his gratitude. However, the other person suddenly typed out his name.

【Chi Yu】Ningning.

Typing a name was different from saying it to someone's face. Even though it was a nickname, there was an indescribable sense of solemnity to it. Before he could ask what was wrong, the other person sent another message.

【Chi Yu】You only need to be so polite with friends. You don't need to be with your husband.

His heart thumped wildly upon seeing the message. He wanted to say something but didn't know what. When Xu Ye turned his head, he saw the silver-haired teenager holding his phone, his ears flushed red. In his white lab coat, the boy’s frame looked slender, making the red on his earlobes appear even more vivid.

After the lab class ended, Xu Ye chased after the boy as he walked out of the building. "Xiao Zhou, be honest with me. Are you dating someone?"

Ning Nanzhou didn't know how Xu Ye had figured it out, but he knew he couldn't hide it from this old fox, so he just walked forward and hummed in confirmation.

Xu Ye’s expression turned peculiar. "A guy?"

He thought of Chi Yu’s face and pursed his lips, nodding.

"Didn't you used to say you were straight?" Xu Ye asked urgently. "Back then, even when I bumped into you, you’d say you weren't used to physical contact. How long has it been, and you’re already dating someone else?"

Ning Nanzhou felt that Xu Ye had been acting strange these past two days, so he ignored him and kept walking.

To his surprise, Xu Ye blocked him in the stairwell, pressing his entire body against him. "How far have you gone with him? Has he kissed you? Has he touched your nipples? Has he touched your legs?"

A feeling of discomfort washed over him. He grabbed Xu Ye’s collar and threw him straight to the ground. "Are you fucking sick?"

There were some wooden boards piled on the floor. Xu Ye’s hand scraped against them, drawing blood on the jagged edges. His frantic expression calmed down. "Sorry, Xiao Zhou. I didn't mean to say those things. I just couldn't help myself."

Ning Nanzhou looked at Xu Ye expressionlessly.

A bitter smile appeared on Xu Ye’s face. "Xiao Zhou, didn't you realize I like you?"

He came from a well-off family; his university education was less about gaining knowledge and more about building connections. He didn't need to wake up early for class every day; he did so to see Ning Nanzhou. He had no interest in esports either, but to spend time with the boy, he had pretended to be interested, watching match after match.

He knew Ning Nanzhou was straight and had no intention of trying to change him, content to just be a close friend by the boy’s side. But upon hearing that Ning Nanzhou had a boyfriend, he couldn't hold back. He couldn't imagine Ning Nanzhou, who repelled physical contact, dating a boy. Would the other person’s hands touch the boy’s face? Would he kiss those full lips? Would he crave the boy just as he himself did in his fantasies?

At first, Ning Nanzhou thought Xu Ye was just joking around too much—after all, the guy had teased him before about how he would look good in women’s clothes—but he was stunned by the man's words.

Xu Ye liked him? He had always treated Xu Ye as a buddy and never imagined anything happening between them.

Xu Ye didn't miss the confusion in the teenager’s eyes; it seemed he hadn't noticed at all. He propped himself up with his bleeding hand and climbed off the floor. "I’ve been holding this in for a long time. Now that it’s out, I feel better. You don't need to feel any psychological burden. If you find it disgusting,