IROAWTMTFL Chapter 33

It was 4 PM, still half an hour away from the end of the workday. Zhuang Yiyun was idly watching Orange’s livestream. To avoid being disturbed, he had even locked the office door. Ke Mingcheng saw this and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He had to first think about whether to approach Zhuang Yiyun as his boss or his old classmate.

Inside the livestream, Orange, who teased Yan Yan for not understanding jungler-support duo queuing, chose Li Bai for jungler. He was on the third floor while Yan Yan was on the fourth. A random player on the fifth floor questioned their performance with a row of question marks when the jungler’s record was displayed. Orange didn’t pay any attention to the poor statistics and signaled, “I’ll carry.”

The player on the fifth floor was dissatisfied and clearly thought he could carry himself. Perhaps he was there to carry a girl and was initially planning to show off but then the jungler role was taken. In short, he was ready to pick a fight from the very beginning.

When Orange invaded the enemy jungle the moment the game restarted, the player taunted him for being overconfident and offering himself as easy prey. However, Orange secured first blood in seconds. This was a big slap in the face and their teammates were all posting “NICE.” The troublemaker immediately went silent. After awhile, he realized that Orange’s rhythm was impeccable and he couldn’t exploit any mistakes, so he immediately shifted his attention to Yan Yan, the support.

“Where’s the support? Strolling in the jungle? Are you a marksman?” The player’s harsh and raspy voice made Orange frown slightly.

He had his webcam on in the livestream, and as soon as the fans saw this, the barrage started flooding in.

[Orange is mad, you’re dead!]

[You dare to insult Orange’s husband, you’ve got guts!]

Zhuang Yiyun was quick to react and reported the comment saying “husband” as false information.

In the game, no one responded to the grumpy player’s rant and his insults escalated.

“F**k! How am I supposed to play 1v2? Where’s the damn support? Did you go stupid? Can’t you see we’re fighting at the bottom lane? Don’t you know how to gank when we’re fighting?”

After taking down the dragon, Orange had to deal with the enemy interference coming his way. He, along with Yan Yan, took on a 2v3 challenge, showcasing his exceptional positioning and micro-control. Before the enemy mage could come to their aid, they had already secured three kills.

“Support, stick with me,” the grumpy player respawned and yelled again.

Orange, who hadn’t used voice chat all this while, couldn’t take it anymore and got into a heated argument with the opponent.

“Just by looking at the mini-map, it’s obvious that your aggressive positioning as a marksman is too forward. You always want to tower-dive and kill the enemy marksman, but your execution isn’t good enough. Who will get counter-killed if not you? You say the support doesn’t stick with you, but the enemy support is also roaming. When you’re facing the enemy marksman one-on-one, it’s more often than when it’s two-on-one. Besides, does two-on-one even work? I’m taking the support to the bottom lane to gank, and you just keep pressuring the enemy tower without letting them out. You…”

Orange was a rational technical streamer, and his way of arguing was like reviewing an esports match, continually pointing out the opponent’s mistakes. However, the guy on the other side was clearly both inexperienced and looking for trouble. As Orange spoke, the guy responded with incoherent insults.

Upon hearing this, Orange became even more furious, and you could see his face turning red on the camera.

Seeing that he was about to continue, Yan Yan, knowing that he couldn’t win this argument, spoke up to stop him.

“Focus on your game, you only need to destroy the enemy. Leave this idiot to gege.”

Hearing Yan Yan call himself “gege” sent a shiver from Zhuang Yiyun’s heart to his fingertips and his hand holding the phone trembled.

But that wasn’t all. The barrage in the chatroom was always more explosive than the main conversation. Words like “boyfriend power,” “you’re the only one who knows how to pamper,” “you’re killing me,” and similar phrases filled the chat. Unable to bear it, Zhuang Yiyun clenched his teeth and turned off the barrage.

There was a second of tranquility in the world, but in the next second, Yan Yan’s deliberately lowered voice came through.

“You want to support? Are you worthy?”

Yan Yan sneered. Before the grumpy guy could retort, he changed the subject, “Which sister is duo queuing with him? Join our team for the next match, and the two geges will guide you. Did you see us earlier? Supportive and aggressive from the beginning to the end. Orange fights and I’ll keep you company. How about that?”

The grumpy guy cursed, “Fuck you, support!”

[Hahaha! He’s here! He’s here! He’s a master at stealing the enemy’s resources!]

[Orange: We agreed to “Happy Duo”? Now you want to make it a trio? Did I agree?]

Just as the barrage discussed this, Yan Yan asked, “Right, Orange?”

“No problem, as long as the support follows me, the enemy jungle becomes my territory.”

There was a low, pleasing chuckle, and Yan Yan replied with a simple “okay.”

The girl on the grumpy guy’s team was thus snatched away by Yan Yan, leaving him fuming. He immediately started trolling and even went offline. When the match ended, the livestream audience saw Orange fervently reporting the grumpy guy, who was then promptly banned.

From a duo, it had become a trio, and Zhuang Yiyun was glad this was no longer a “Happy Duo”. Who knew that when the new girl opened her mouth, his recently settled heart was once again thrown into turmoil.

“Brother Yan, Orange, I’m your CP fan! Although I really want to experience the CP live, I’m afraid I’ll pass out from all the impressive gameplay. I won’t join for now; I’ll watch your livestream instead.”

“Thank you.”

“Orange, keep it up!” The girl shouted as she left the team.

In the livestream, Orange’s face, which had just calmed down, turned red again. Evidently, he understood what the fan meant, and Yan Yan laughed over the team chat. Zhuang Yiyun, who initially didn’t understand, now got it too.

‘This wretched livestream!’ Zhuang Yiyun closed the livestream and transformed back into a workaholic. He thought that if he didn’t do something now, he might just rush over to Yan Yan’s place.

Yan Yan and Orange had fun, and even played a few more games after dinner. Unexpectedly, around nine in the evening, Zhuang Yiyun sent another message.

Zhuang Yiyun: [The medication from the hospital stops today. You can start drinking milk now, but avoid cold milk.]

Zhuang Yiyun: [Should I warm it up for you?]

Yan Yan stared at the message, his mind momentarily blank.

What did this mean? Why was he suddenly acting like a good Samaritan, saying he’d warm up milk?

On the other end, Zhuang Yiyun was holding his phone with his heart in his throat. His fingers crossed and uncrossed, repeatedly locking and unlocking the screen. He anxiously awaited Yan Yan’s reply.

He had tried to distract himself with work the whole evening, skipped dinner, and still couldn’t concentrate. With the Lunar New Year approaching, their project progress had slowed down. The entire team had already left for the day, and he found it impossible to focus alone. The method of shifting his attention had utterly failed, and his mind was filled with the teasing between Yan Yan and the other anchor.

Yan Yan’s reply came several minutes later, and Zhuang Yiyun had already folded two paper airplanes while waiting.

Yan Yan: [Vice President Ke?]

Zhuang Yiyun’s hand trembled, and his phone fell onto the desk. What… how was he supposed to respond? What did Yan Yan mean by mentioning Ke Mingcheng? Unable to comprehend, Zhuang Yiyun thought for a moment, then took a screenshot and sent it to Ke Mingcheng.

Ke Mingcheng initially responded with a row of laughing emoji and then said, [You have your days too.]

If it were a normal situation, he might have blocked Ke Mingcheng for awhile, but now, Dr. Zhuang had a favor to ask and he humbly made a call.

“What does he mean?”

Ke Mingcheng stopped laughing, cleared his throat and said, “His meaning is pretty straightforward. He’s saying that these aren’t words he’d expect to hear from you. But…”

“But what?”

“But, your meaning is a bit hard to understand. Why are you suddenly trying to get closer to him?”

“He had a severe bout of acute gastroenteritis last time, and I’m afraid he won’t take care of himself.”

Ke Mingcheng heard his explanation and almost burst out laughing. He pretended to agree, “Indeed, he should be careful. If he doesn’t take care, acute might become chronic. The stomach is like that, easy to upset but hard to mend.”

“Mmm…” Even though that was what he meant, Zhuang Yiyun felt that something was off when he listened.

“Especially for young people like Yan Yan, who love to drink and play, how can you feel at ease if you don’t watch over him? If you take your eyes off him, he’ll immediately overindulge.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“So, where are you now?”

He hadn’t expected that one day he would play this role. He was attending a dinner party when he received a call from Zhuang Yiyun seeking advice on emotional matters. The guy was not enlightened, and based on their previous communication, being too direct didn’t work. It was better to follow his train of thought.

“In the office.”

“Then why aren’t you watching over him? Dr. Zhuang, as one of your bosses, I really don’t need you to be so dedicated. You’d better go back and see if Yan Yan is at home.”

Ke Mingcheng took a sip of his wine, rejecting the people who came up to toast him. He saw some figures in the garden and quickly made his way down from the terrace.

Zhuang Yiyun hung up the phone, and Ke Mingcheng had more pressing matters to attend to.

In the garden, a malicious voice rang out. The speaker kept his volume restrained, but Ke Mingcheng’s sharp ears allowed him to hear before he even approached, “Do you think that he took you seriously when he brought you here today? Ke Mingcheng enjoys playing with people, he doesn’t care about you. He’ll drop you like a hat at any time!”

Hearing this, Ke Mingcheng quickened his steps, almost breaking into a jog. His suit jacket, now unbuttoned, fluttered in the wind, and a subtle men’s fragrance wafted through the air.

“I… I have nothing to do with him,” another voice chimed in. The voice that was once clear, now sounded slurred.

“Nothing to do with him? He’s been with you the whole time, afraid you’d slip away with just one glance, right?!”

“He… he’s my boss.” The person could hardly stand, swaying dangerously and seemingly on the verge of stumbling into the nearby bushes.

Just as the person was about to collapse, Ke Mingcheng, who had swiftly covered the distance in a few strides, caught them in his arms.

The person on the other side misunderstood, and was still scolding, “Ke Mingcheng has really hit a new low, playing the sugar daddy game now…” But in the next moment, the true focus of their attention arrived.

Ke Mingcheng didn’t have time to deal with the other person yet. He gently patted the face of the one in his arms and called softly, “Luan Qing, Luan Qing, can you hear me?”

“Um, Mr… Mr. Ke…” Recognizing a familiar voice, Luan Qing felt a sense of security and buried his head even deeper in Ke Mingcheng’s embrace. His body felt weak, unable to exert any force, and he let himself rest entirely on the man.

Luan Qing’s symptoms seemed to be mere drunkenness, and there were no unusual smells. Ke Mingcheng felt slightly relieved. It had been less than half an hour since he had talked to Luan Qing and taken a call; how had the man ended up in such a state?

“It’s me.” Ke Mingcheng adjusted his position, holding Luan Qing more securely in his arms. Only then did he pay attention to the person on the opposite side.

He had a brief history with this person. Right from the start, he had made it clear that their relationship was based on mutual needs, but the other party had taken it upon themselves to be a boyfriend. Annoyed, he had broken it off, but he hadn’t expected that the man would somehow involve Luan Qing in all of this.

Ke Mingcheng looked over and saw that the man was already intimidated. While the man had appeared arrogant in front of Luan Qing, he seemed to completely change his attitude when facing Ke Mingcheng.

“I didn’t force him to drink anything. He was so bold that he dared to try anything.”

What a headache. Ke Mingcheng remembered that when he had encountered Luan Qing at the Yunnan restaurant, the man had been in a similar drunken stupor, crying and clinging to the waiter. He had to have his assistant dig up his employee file overnight just to get his address and send him back home.

Just a little while ago, Zhuang Yiyun had been clueless on the phone, and now there was this drunk person. Ke Mingcheng was starting to feel annoyed… Luan Qing was the one who offered to show his gratitude for past help and asked what he could do, which led to the arrangement of accompanying him to the banquet. But now, he stepped away for a moment, and this person got drunk? Whose reputation is being tarnished by this behavior?

Ke Mingcheng suppressed his frustration and asked, “Who made him drink?”

“Oh, are you suddenly concerned, huh?”

“Don’t ask about things that are not your business. Speak!”

“You…” The person on the other side surrendered under Ke Mingcheng’s impatient gaze. “Many people were eyeing on him. Don’t glare at me. He didn’t know how to refuse himself. If I hadn’t taken him out, the Li family young masters wouldn’t have hesitated to take him away. But you, Young Master Ke, probably wouldn’t mind either way. Once a plaything is worn out, you’ll just find a new one.”

“Get lost.”

“Humph!” The person huffed and left in anger.

Ke Mingcheng looked down at the person in his arms and fell silent for a moment. Originally, this invitation was just to tease Luan Qing a little, and besides, the person they were supposed to meet today was also a scholar from Yunnan. But who would have thought that the other party would suddenly not attend, and it would result in Luan Qing getting misunderstood like this.

This person had experienced the quagmire of poverty and hardship, reached the peak of academic achievement, but lacked social experience, especially when dealing with the young masters of society. Whether it was his “grateful” attitude or his gullibility toward the Li family’s young heirs, it was all unexpected.

“Why did you drink their alcohol?” Ke Mingcheng mumbled to himself. Just when he thought Luan Qing had already fallen asleep, the person in his arms suddenly replied, “I couldn’t refuse… they said they were your friends.”

It felt like someone had scratched the palm of his hand. He knew this person was doing it out of a sense of “repayment.” Perhaps he genuinely believed that he(Ke Mingcheng) needed him to accompany him through social obligations.

The driver had been waiting, thinking he would be working late tonight, but unexpectedly, the boss came out a little after 9 PM and cradling Dr. Luan.

“Should I take Dr. Luan home first?”

“No need, go to Jinghe.”

Jinghe was the villa where Ke Mingcheng often stayed. The driver was a bit surprised, but he didn’t say anything. When it came to the boss’s personal matters, it was best not to ask questions.

Last time, when Ke Mingcheng found this drunkard, he had sent him home out of basic concern for his subordinates, especially since he was drunk because of his old classmate. But sending him back didn’t mean he had cared beyond that. However, this time, it was because of him that this person had ended up like this.

On the other hand, Zhuang Yiyun wanted to bring Yan Yan back to his place. He called Yan Yan, but Yan Yan was in the middle of a shower and missed the call. When Yan Yan finished his shower and saw the missed call, he didn’t return it. This man had been acting strangely all day, and he decided it was best not to indulge him. Playing hard to get was his specialty, after all.

Zhuang Yiyun opened Orange’s livestream. Orange was still playing games, but Yan Yan was no longer with him. Some viewers asked about Yan Yan’s whereabouts, and someone replied that he was tired and had logged off.

So Zhuang Yiyun didn’t call again. Yan Yan was probably already asleep. The livestream continued on his phone, but he felt even more powerless than before. When did it start that he had to go to someone else’s livestream to find Yan Yan’s whereabouts? And this anchor was just a young boy who had recently come of age. He felt awkward harboring any hostility.

Author’s Note:

Zhuang Yiyun: You little brat, I’m embarrassed to consider you my rival.

Orange: He didn’t even answer your call, do you think you’re qualified to be my rival?

Zhuang Yiyun: …

By the way, you guys don’t really hate Dr. Luan, right? Luan Qing just liked Dr. Zhuang; he’s not a bad person.