TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 48

“Wow!!” Xia Tong immediately believed it without question. He crossed his fingers into a fist, his eyes sparkling. “Brother, you’re definitely the best in Team P!”

Let’s be honest—who could resist feeling pleased when praised by the Omega they like? Lin Mingfei was no exception. “Of course,” he said, smugly. His vanity as an Alpha was thoroughly satisfied. “So, if you have any problems, come to me, don’t go to Shi Ya.”

Xia Tong thoughtfully hummed in acknowledgment. “Got it.”

Lin Mingfei’s encouragement always felt like a calming medicine that made him feel at ease.

“Then, brother, how should I practice walking A?” Xia Tong asked. Solving this problem was still his top priority.

“Walking A is really just about flexibility and multitasking,” Lin Mingfei explained. “Take it one step at a time. First, focus on improving your physical fitness.”

“Then I’ll join you for morning runs tomorrow!” Xia Tong said, suddenly full of determination, his eyes bright.

“Alright,” Lin Mingfei smiled. “Tomorrow at 6 AM, we’ll meet on time. No sleeping in.”

“Okay!” Xia Tong nodded eagerly.

–

The walk with Lin Mingfei, which felt like a rather long journey, ended up being much shorter than expected. In the blink of an eye, the glowing sign of the base appeared in the distance, shining brighter than the stars in the night sky. Lin Mingfei took a step forward and opened the door for Xia Tong, waiting for him to go in before following him inside. The two walked toward the bedroom, exchanging a knowing glance. Xia Tong waved and smiled at Lin Mingfei. “I’m going to sleep now! See you tomorrow morning!”

“Mm,” Lin Mingfei replied softly. “Goodnight.”

The two doors closed at the same time.

After entering the bedroom, Xia Tong suddenly pressed his back against the door. He was afraid that the noise he made would be heard by Lin Mingfei next door, so he stayed still for a while, only daring to take deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart.

He felt reluctant. How did they get back to the base so quickly?

He didn’t know when it had started, but being alone with Lin Mingfei had become such an exciting and thrilling experience. Just staring at Lin Mingfei’s face felt so happy. Lin Mingfei must be the most handsome Alpha in the world! Xia Tong cupped his slightly flushed face and thought to himself that he really wished he could be a button or some other accessory, always hanging around Lin Mingfei, inseparable.

After a moment, he flopped onto the bed and rolled around a few times, but sleep eluded him. His mind kept replaying the conversation he’d had with Lin Mingfei while walking.

He reached under his pillow and pulled out his phone, noticing that Shi Ya had sent him several messages.

Shi Ya was indeed a very thoughtful person. He must have noticed during the game that Xia Tong had been mentally affected, so even though the game was over, he still made sure to send a message to check on him.

Xia Tong responded with a few animal stickers to show that he was fine, but then he felt a little awkward, wondering if he had disturbed Shi Ya’s sleep. To his surprise, Shi Ya hadn’t gone to bed yet and quickly replied.

Polaris_Timer: [It’s good to know you’re okay. Winning or losing is just part of the game. Let’s continue playing 2v2 tomorrow. With more practice, you’ll get sharper.]

Xia Tong was a bit surprised and replied, Xia Tong: [Shi Ya, you’re still awake?]

Polaris_Timer: [I got used to being a night owl during my freelance days, and my internal clock hasn’t adjusted yet, so I can’t sleep easily.]

Xia Tong: [Can you get up at 6 AM tomorrow morning?]

Polaris_Timer: [You have to get up, even if you don’t want to. It’s a club rule and must be followed. But I’m quite self-disciplined and usually manage to wake up. Zhou Yanjun, though, is another story.]

Xia Tong thought for a moment and typed: “Zero told me a lot about your past today.”

Polaris_Timer: [Oh? What did he say? Tell me everything, and I’ll see if he exaggerated or talked bad about us.]

Xia Tong relayed all the bizarre and interesting stories Lin Mingfei had shared with him tonight to Shi Ya.

Xia Xiaotong: [He said you used to play as an aggressive damage-dealer elf, ignoring your teammates and focusing only on the enemies, charging in first and dying the fastest, leaving your team without heals.]

Polaris_Timer: […]

Xia Xiaotong: [He also said that Fatty would lose his mind during a losing game, ranting so much that his teammates had to take off their headphones to achieve inner peace.]

Polaris_Timer: […]

Xia Xiaotong: [And he said Xiao Bao is a nostalgia player, who chose the axe warrior to honor his late grandfather, making outsiders think Team P paid for a punching bag and got scammed.]

Polaris_Timer: […]

Shi Ya stayed silent for a long time, not responding.

Xia Xiaotong cautiously followed up: [Was Zero wrong?]

Polaris_Timer: [No.] Shi Ya replied painfully. [The problem is that everything he said is too true—so true it’s impossible to refute.]

Xia Xiaotong: [You’re all so funny! It must not have been easy for you to come together and play professionally.]

Polaris_Timer: [Yeah, I think it’s pretty amazing too. Maybe it’s the power of money. If not for the paycheck, this group of weirdos would’ve fought each other to death at the base. The fact that we could win championships? Unthinkable.]

Shi Ya joked but then paused, sensing something off: [Wait a minute, why did Zero only talk about us and not himself?]

A little bell seemed to chime in Xia Tong’s heart.

Xia Xiaotong: [Nope, Zero said he has no dark history and has never been bad at the game!]

Polaris_Timer: [Ha! That sneaky fox! As expected, he loves to make others look bad to make himself shine. Let me tell you, the fact that Lin Mingfei could lead this group of misfits and become captain means he’s the one with the biggest issues!]

Xia Xiaotong: [Shi Ya-ge, tell me more about Zero! I really want to know!]

He wanted to know everything about Lin Mingfei—good or bad. The more he learned, the closer he felt to him. By now, he could vaguely sense Lin Mingfei’s inner thoughts. The Alpha seemed to care deeply about even the smallest of his feelings, afraid of leaving a bad impression, so he always clumsily and deliberately tried to hide his awkwardness.

How adorably silly he was.

Silly Zero was just too cute!

Xia Tong thought to himself, happily.

Polaris_Timer: [Don’t be fooled by Zero’s godlike looks. Deep down, he’s just a brute. The difference between him and Zhou Yanjun is that Zhou Yanjun is outwardly rough, while Zero hides it inside. You know he used to level up by ambushing players, right?]

Xia Xiaotong: [I’ve heard Fatty complain about it a bit.]

Polaris_Timer: [Let’s not even get into the details. Here’s the funniest story: back in his rookie days—though to be fair, there’s probably no such thing as a “rookie” phase for Zero. He’s a gaming genius who picks things up quickly and becomes a top-tier player in no time. At the time, he joined a team, and the captain’s sister fell for his looks—]

Xia Tong felt a sour, unpleasant sensation in his heart, like a few drops of juice squeezed from a green orange. He pressed his lips into a line.

Xia Xiaotong: [And then?]

Shi Ya paused for a moment before his “typing” status reappeared.

Polaris_Timer: [Tsk, I can’t badmouth Zero in front of you. I have to stay neutral, or I’ll look like a petty Alpha.]

Xia Xiaotong: [What neutral? And what’s a “petty Alpha”?]

Polaris_Timer: [Hmm… go ask Zhou Yanjun. He’s definitely awake at this hour, and he knows everything I do. If he hesitates, just give him this keyword: “Zero, teaching a disciple.”]

Xia Xiaotong: [Oh, okay!]

And so, Xia Tong cluelessly opened Polaris_Fire’s chat.

Xia Xiaotong nudged Polaris_Fire and said: “You’ve lost so much weight today!”

Polaris_Fire: [What do you want, shorty?]

Xia Xiaotong: [Hey, Fatty! Zero, teaching a disciple!]

Polaris_Fire: […Why do I feel like you’re using me as an AI assistant?]

Xia Xiaotong: [Hehe! Do you know about this? Tell me!]

Polaris_Fire: [Damn! I have so much dirt on Zero! Especially since he made me run 20 kilometers this morning!]

Polaris_Fire: [Did you know Zero once joined a casual player team? The captain’s sister, blinded by pig oil, fell for his fake looks!]

Xia Xiaotong: [I know that part already… then what?]

Polaris_Fire: [Well, that girl made a hunter character and insisted on being his apprentice. Teaching a girl to play games is such a delightful thing, right? They follow you around with adoring eyes, cheer for you, and even if it’s a bit of a time-waster, it’s no big deal, right?]

Xia Xiaotong: [Umm… you’re right.]

Polaris_Fire: [And then guess what? That straight-A captain turned her into target practice! Can you believe that’s how he “taught” someone?]

Xia Xiaotong: [Uh… well…]

Polaris_Fire: [And after shooting her down, he’d wait outside the respawn point and seriously tell her: “You see, you’re not suited to be a hunter. No, with your aptitude, you’re not suited for competitive gaming at all. You should try holographic dress-up games instead. That might be more fun.”]

Xia Xiaotong: […And then what happened?]

Polaris_Fire: [Then? The girl got so mad she cried and quit the game. Zero ended up on the squad’s kill-on-sight list and got himself plastered on the forums. People kept putting bounties on him for months.]

Xia Xiaotong: […]

Polaris_Fire: [I mean, wasn’t it totally deserved? The guy’s a total maniac! Do you think someone like that deserves to have a partner? No way! Unless their eyes don’t work, how could any Omega fall for him?]

Xia Xiaotong: […]

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