Chapter 19

Ying Nian didn’t understand why Yu Linran suddenly refused to give her an autograph. Her lips parted slightly, and her eyes, full of bewilderment, blinked repeatedly.

Yu Linran had already put away his pen.

She finally remembered to speak: “Wh-why next time?” She looked down at her outfit, unsure of what was wrong. “Is there something wrong with my clothes…?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Then…”

Just a moment ago, he was so composed and mature at the table, not even joking around with them, but now he seemed a bit “playful,” almost as if he was teasing her on purpose. Yu Linran raised his eyebrow. “I said next time, so it will be next time.”

With that, he returned the pen to the front desk, unwilling to argue further with her over this.

Ying Nian stood in place, fuming as she watched him walk away. This guy! He was just taking advantage of the fact that she liked him and wasn’t at all afraid of losing fans!

She really wanted to show some backbone and unfollow him right on the spot, but unfortunately, she didn’t have the resolve.

She returned to the restaurant shortly after, and chatted with Yi Shen and the others for a while. Yu Linran returned to his seat as if nothing had happened, barely even glancing at Ying Nian.

When the gathering finally ended, Ying Nian thanked everyone, especially expressing her gratitude to Yi Shen for inviting her to such a rare late-night meal. Just as she was about to get on the elevator, a staff member came running over and called out to Ying Nian.

The person introduced themselves, and only then did Ying Nian realize that they were the team leader of SF.

“Is there something you need?”

“He asked me to give this to you,” the team leader said.

Ying Nian’s surprise was written all over her face, but she quickly hid it.

“What does Captain Yu want to give me?”

“Here.” The team leader handed her a piece of paper with a string of numbers written on it. “This is my number. You can reach me anytime by calling this number.”

She was puzzled. “What’s this for?”

“If you come to watch SF’s matches in person next time, you can call this number after the game to find me. Linran said he’ll give you an autograph then.”

Only then did Ying Nian understand. When Yu Linran said he’d give her an autograph next time, he hadn’t been brushing her off. He had even arranged for someone who could take her backstage.

“Keep it safe, and feel free to contact me the next time you come by,” the team leader said, nodding slightly to Ying Nian before turning and running back to the restaurant.

SF’s members hadn’t left yet, and since Ying Nian wasn’t one of them, she decided to say her goodbyes and leave when she saw they were about to wrap up.

Now, holding the piece of paper with the team leader’s phone number, Ying Nian couldn’t calm her emotions.

It was as if a breeze had swept across the lake of her heart, gently stirring the surface, causing ripples that spread out in waves, unable to stop.

…

Ever since she got the team leader’s phone number, Ying Nian found herself often in a daze. Back at home, whenever she had some free time, she would take out her phone and stare at the string of numbers. To prevent losing the slip of paper and forgetting the number, she immediately saved it in her phone.

The more Ying Nian interacted with Yu Linran, the more she found him difficult to fathom. She still liked him, but beyond those fresh, impulsive, and initial feelings, she also felt an increasing desire to get to know him more deeply.

After two days of pondering without any answers, Ying Nian had no choice but to seek help from Yi Shen.

The number in her phone labeled “Y Shen” felt like her lucky card. Since feeling Yi Shen’s kindness toward her during their last dinner, Ying Nian felt that the sense of distance between them had lessened significantly.

After all, Yi Shen was only eighteen, lively and spirited, which made him seem more like someone her age.

After reading a foreign novel translation for a while, Ying Nian lay on her soft bedroom bed and sent a message to “Y Shen”:

[Are you busy?]

[Are you in training?]

[I have something I’d like to ask you about.]

After a short wait, the response came quickly:

[Not busy.]

[Go ahead.]

As Ying Nian typed, she couldn’t help but silently complain once more about how Yi Shen was much less lively online compared to in real life. It seemed that being outgoing didn’t necessarily mean one could fully grasp the essentials and joys of internet surfing.

She shook her head and sent a message:

[It’s about the captain.]

[Well… I just wanted to ask, what’s the captain’s usual personality like?]

“Y Shen” replied, [What you see is what he’s like.]

…Isn’t it because I couldn’t understand what I saw that I came to ask him!

Ying Nian rolled on the bed a couple of times and sighed. She had no choice but to steer the conversation in a different direction.

She gave a heads-up first:

[I’m going to ask a somewhat personal question, so if it’s inconvenient, it’s okay not to answer.]

Then, she got straight to the point:

[Has the captain ever been in a relationship before?]

“Y Shen” was even more straightforward than her, responding concisely: [No.]

—[What kind of girls does the captain like?]

[No specific preferences, not necessarily any type.]

—[Does the captain have any hobbies besides playing games?]

[No.]

—[What does the captain usually do when he’s not competing or training?]

[Reading, exercising, resting.]

Seeing Yi Shen so cooperative in sharing information, Ying Nian praised him in her heart a thousand times over, almost considering him one of her own now!

Looking at Yi Shen’s responses, she rubbed her chin in thought. Opportunities like this didn’t come often; if she didn’t make the most of it now, what if Yi Shen didn’t want to chat next time she asked? Right! She needed to seize the opportunity to learn as much as she could while she could.

So, the Q&A continued enthusiastically.

—[If a girl is really bad at playing games, would that be a turn-off for the captain?]

[Depends on the situation.]

—[Uh, what do you mean?]

[It means it depends on the person.]

Ying Nian: …

She asked again, [Does the captain usually check his private messages on Weibo?]

The response came: [No.]

What a pity. She had been thinking about sending Yu Linran a private message.

At this point, Ying Nian paused briefly, gathered her courage, and asked a slightly embarrassing and shy question.

—[What does the captain think of me? Is it more on the positive side or the negative?]

She clutched her phone anxiously, waiting. Time ticked by, second by second, in sync with her heartbeat. She stared nervously at the screen, not daring to blink.

After a long wait, she finally received a response:

[You guess.]

What the heck!!

Ying Nian suddenly sat up, and with a loud “thump,” she threw her phone hard onto the thin blanket.

Her expression was utterly twisted and grim.

At such a crucial moment, Yi Shen had the nerve to pull this on her!

Ying Nian was so frustrated that she kept patting her chest. Now she understood—this is what happens when the relationship isn’t close enough. Next time she had the chance, she’d make sure to really get closer to Yi Shen!

Ying Nian instantly lost the interest to keep asking questions. She collapsed limply onto the thin blanket, pouting and poking her screen non-stop with her fingers.

She didn’t care that the person on the other side was a guy or that he was Yu Linran’s teammate. She poured out her thoughts like dumping tofu from a bamboo tube. After all, Yi Shen knew her Weibo ID, and there was no need to hide her fondness for Yu Linran from him.

Likewise, she truly treated Yi Shen as a peer, like a friend or classmate of the same age.

The screen was filled with her heartfelt confessions:

[Ah… what should I do? I can’t get the captain out of my head.]

[I don’t even know why I like the captain. At first, it was just from watching an interview video, and for some reason, I just wanted to follow him.]

[And now, whenever I have free time, I go watch matches. I don’t even feel like hanging out with friends anymore.]

[I’m not lying; if I miss just one match or catch one less glimpse of the captain, I feel like I’m losing out big time!]

[How can the captain be so amazing?]

[He’s just excessively outstanding.]

[So frustrating!]

Ying Nian pounded the bed and wailed in distress, not forgetting to convey this feeling to “Y Shen”:

[I really, really like the captain…]