TCWSITD – Chapter 33.3

Chapter 33.3 – Whether It’s You or KUG

Lin Jiang found a quiet corner and lit up two cigarettes one after the other.

Making it to the playoffs should have been cause for celebration, but Shen Ju’s question earlier had snapped him back to reality.

OT had already tried their best to get third place, but it was still not good enough to go to the World Championship. Lin Jiang didn’t believe OT could help him fulfill his dream.

Once the World Championship was over, he would definitely choose another team.

No matter how much Shen Ju and the others begged him to stay, Lin Jiang knew he would make that painful choice to chase what he truly wanted.

It was cruel, but there was no other way.

One couldn’t live forever in their comfort zone; they had to push themselves out eventually.

Lin Jiang finished his cigarette, tossed it aside, and walked alone on the desolate road.

A car was parked by the roadside, seemingly having been there for a long time.

Leaning against the car was a familiar figure, surrounded by discarded cigarette butts.

Lin Jiang barely glanced over.

A sudden click broke the silence. In the dim light of the lighter, Lin Jiang caught sight of the person’s wristwatch. The elegant dial glowed with a subtle blue hue against the backdrop of the night.

Lin Jiang stopped in his tracks, staring at the person.

The man took two slow drags from his cigarette, then flicked it aside and extinguished it with a quiet press of his foot. He opened the car door and looked up at Lin Jiang.

“Come up and chat,” he said softly. “I’ve been waiting for you for a while.”

Lin Jiang didn’t know what there was to talk about. Whether it was business or personal, there was nothing between them anymore.

“It’s late. Young Master He should head home.”

He turned to leave, only to hear He Gu’s voice behind him. “What are you afraid of? Don’t you already have a girlfriend?”

The words hung in the air, and Lin Jiang froze.

Back in those reckless, passionate days, their mutual admiration had naturally crossed lines.

It was He Gu who had taught him the meaning of wishful thinking. That lesson had cut deep—so deep that Lin Jiang had told everyone he had a girlfriend, just to silence the whispers.

Of course He Gu knew. He had always known. And yet now, he turned that knowledge into a blade, twisting it against Lin Jiang.

Lin Jiang stopped in his tracks, suddenly at a loss for words.

He was good-tempered and well-mannered, but right now,every nerve in his body screamed to flick his cigarette straight into He Gu’s face.

“Didn’t I tell you not to come looking for me again?”

He turned around, his gaze sharp in the darkness. “Whether it’s you or KUG, I’ve cut all ties.”

It was indeed a clean break.

So clean that He Gu couldn’t even begin to pick up the pieces anymore.

Back then, a single “We’re just ordinary friends,” from He Gu had been enough to make Lin Jiang behave himself—never crossing the line again.

Back then, it had hurt—a little. But He Gu hadn’t yet understood what he truly wanted. So he let the turmoil inside him rage while maintaining an outward calm, even as it slowly eroded him.

He thought, since Lin Jiang could let go, then so could he.

So he went abroad, cutting off all contact—as if trying to win some unspoken competition between them.

And he truly believed he’d come out on top. In the business world, he was untouchable—a strategist, always two steps ahead. No one read people better than he did.

Even after hearing the news that Lin Jiang had left, he still refused to admit defeat.

But yesterday, standing at the edge of the stage, Lin Jiang had said just one thing: “I’ve never had any regrets.”

He Gu’s eyes reddened slightly.

He turned toward the wind, hoping it might carry away some of the emotions pressing down on him.

Words never came easily to him—or maybe it was just that, around Lin Jiang, he always lost his composure.

“When you said in the interview today that you’ve never had any regrets—were you talking about me, or about KUG?”

Lin Jiang hadn’t expected He Gu to come all this way—just for that one sentence.

He almost laughed.

He Gu, so proud, so unyielding—Lin Jiang had once believed this man would go his whole life without ever bowing his head to anyone.

But he didn’t want to get tangled in the past again. So his answer was simple.

“Both.”

Back in their naive youth, he had indeed harbored some misguided feelings.

But once everything settled into its rightful place, he realized—it hadn’t been so bad after all.

He Gu had always been a good friend. And that, too, was enough.

He was generous and respectful, always ready to stand up for him or give him encouragement when needed.

At least, before the whole Alike thing happened, He Gu seemed like a decent friend.

But that was where it ended.

Realizing there was truly nothing left to say, Lin Jiang turned to leave again—only for He Gu to instinctively reach for his hand.

Just then, the light above flickered, as if sending a silent signal.

Before He Gu’s hand could touch Lin Jiang’s, someone suddenly stepped between them, catching Lin Jiang’s hand and gripping it tightly, fingers intertwined.

Shen Ju arrived in a hurry, his forehead glistening with sweat as he swiftly pulled Lin Jiang behind as if to protect him.

“What are you trying to do?” Shen Ju’s expression resembled that of a fierce wolf. If anyone dared to step into his territory, pulling Lin Jiang protectively behind him.

No matter how much he pretended to be obedient around Lin Jiang, his true nature couldn’t be disguised.

He Gu saw right through him at a glance.

A man of composure, He Gu calmly withdrew. “Lin Jiang and I were just catching up.”

Shen Ju didn’t know him, but he guessed he was someone sent by KUG.

He tightened his grip on Lin Jiang’s hand. “Lin Jiang’s done with KUG. He’s my captain now.”

He Gu let out a derisive chuckle. As a powerhouse in the business world, he never once saw Shen Ju as a worthy opponent.

His gaze pierced straight through Shen Ju. “He’s your team’s captain, but you don’t own him.”

Without waiting to see the shift in Shen Ju’s expression, He Gu looked past his shoulders at Lin Jiang behind him. “Say hello to your girlfriend for me. She should have returned to the country a few days ago, right?”

With that, he turned on his heel and drove off.

The presence he carried was unmistakably that of someone far from ordinary. Shen Ju seemed to catch on and called after him, “Is he the boss of KUG?”

Lin Jiang nodded. “Yeah.”

Then he patted Shen Ju’s shoulder, signaling him to let go.

Shen Ju instinctively tightened his grip instead. “So… he said you have a girlfriend. Is that true?”

Lin Jiang was embarrassed. How was he supposed to explain that he’d roped in his second sister as a fake girlfriend back then to quash the rumors about him and He Gu?

He Gu had known all along.

Lin Jiang had no idea why he’d suddenly brought it up now.

Afraid Shen Ju might dig deeper into his relationship with He Gu, Lin Jiang decided to skip over the topic altogether. “It’s not important, not important. Let’s just go back.”

But Shen Ju didn’t let go of his hand, still holding onto him as if afraid he’d run away, pulling him along as they walked back.

The alcohol hadn’t fully worn off on either of them, and the cold wind left them lightheaded, their steps gradually unsteady.

Shen Ju, walking ahead, had grown taller, his strength evident. His refined features had sharpened into a striking, almost dazzling handsomeness.

How to describe it? It’s a bit like a rose growing in the wild.

Beautiful, but with thorns that could prick you if you reached out to touch it.

Lin Jiang caught himself entertaining odd thoughts and yanked his hand back forcefully. Shen Ju reflexively tightened his grip before immediately letting go, as if remembering something.

His gaze dropped to the ground where their shadows stretched out—long, distant, never touching. Like two parallel lines—forever apart.

Didn’t he already know Lin Jiang had a girlfriend? Didn’t he already prepare himself for the fact that he would leave eventually?

So why did it still hurt so much…

The next morning, Shen Ju didn’t come downstairs.

Lin Jiang thought he had overslept and asked Song Zhixu to go call him down.

Song Zhixu went up, then came back down clutching his butt with a pained expression, “I called him, then got kicked.”

Lin Jiang: ?

Is this rebellion?

He went upstairs himself—the door was open.

Lin Jiang pushed it open and entered, only to see Shen Ju completely wrapped in his blanket like a caterpillar.

“Shen Ju, aren’t you going to play the training match?”

He sat on the edge of the bed and reached out, only for Shen Ju to grab his hand forcefully and pull it under the covers.

Lin Jiang touched something burning hot and frowned, “Do you have a fever?”

Shen Ju made a small sound like a puppy, his voice thick with congestion, “Captain, I’m sick. I can’t play in the training match.”

Lin Jiang sighed and pulled his hand back, already messaging Fang Luxing to cancel the training match.

Then he peeled back the blanket—only to find Shen Ju red all over, like a steamed shrimp.

His heart ached slightly as he touched Shen Ju’s forehead, “Have you taken any medicine?”

“I have.”

Lin Jiang picked up the pill bottle on the table and gave it a glance—expired. By half a year. No wonder it hadn’t worked.

He yanked Shen Ju up from the bed, “Come on. We’re going to the hospital.”

With Shen Ju sick, the entire training schedule came to a halt. Lin Jiang briefly explained things to Song Zhixu, then called Ryan to help take Shen Ju to the hospital.

At the hospital, the doctor said his fever was at 40°C. Any higher and he wouldn’t need an IV drip, but a neurologist.

Lin Jiang really wanted to shake Shen Ju and give him a beating. He looked quite smart, how could he have absolutely no basic life skills?

He was about to scold Shen Ju when he turned and saw him lying pitifully on the hospital bed, weakly hooking his fingers around Lin Jiang’s hand like a kitten pawing.

His heart instantly softened. Lin Jiang held Shen Ju’s hand and tucked it under the blanket, “Just rest, okay?”

Shen Ju nodded, nestling his head into the covers, his little finger still hooked around Lin Jiang’s like he couldn’t bear to let go.

He really looks like an insecure little puppy that didn’t know how to feel safe.

Lin Jiang stayed with him during the IV drip.

Ryan went to handle the hospitalization procedures. Seeing how busy she was, Lin Jiang told her, “I’ll stay here. You go back and rest.”

She nodded and left.

Meanwhile, the team group chat was buzzing.

[Lin Jiang: He’s on an IV. We’ll be back tonight.]

[A’Deng: Thanks for your hard work, Captain.]

[Zhou Wen: Take care of yourselves.]

[Xiao Yu: We’re all training properly.]

Only Song Zhixu’s message stood out—

[Song Zhixu: If I get sick, can the captain take care of me too? Wuwuwu I wanna be sick too…]

Lin Jiang: ???

He truly had no idea what went through Song Zhixu’s head every day.

Just then, something warm tugged at his palm. Shen Ju’s fingers curled around his, gently pulling his hand, inch by inch, under the blanket.

Lin Jiang’s fingertips brushed against something burning hot.

It was Shen Ju’s face.

Lin Jiang froze.

Why was he pulling his hand to touch his face?

He instinctively tried to pull away, but Shen Ju clung tightly. A muffled voice came from under the blanket, “When I was little and got sick, my brother stayed with me like this too.”

Lin Jiang’s heart softened again, “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay with you.”

Fingers are the most sensitive part of the body. Every brush, every graze—felt down to the nerve.

Shen Ju’s face was burning hot and soft—like a freshly boiled egg, smooth and impossibly warm.

Lin Jiang pinched it lightly and sighed.

Truly the son of a capitalist, raised with such delicate skin.

But then Shen Ju kept running his fingers over his palm—light, lazy strokes.

It tickled. A lot.

“Puppy Shen, if you’re gonna sleep, sleep. Quit messing with my hand.”

“Mmm…” came the groggy reply.

Shen Ju fell into a deep sleep with his head pillowed on Lin Jiang’s arm.

His body curled into a ball, yet he still felt cold. He clung tightly to Lin Jiang’s hand, letting affection grow unchecked.

He was sick, after all.

He’d indulge himself just this once.

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