GTRSH Chapter 77

“This pot is too big. Standing here, I really feel like a cafeteria worker.” Yu Xinche said, stirring the third dish with a spatula. He Ci said he hadn’t eaten lunch either, so Yu Xinche decided to stir-fry one more dish.

He Ci’s cooking skills were nil, so he couldn’t be of much help and just stood by and watched. Hearing this, he smiled and said, “You’re the first member of the team who can cook.”

“When I was little, my parents were busy with work and sometimes couldn’t take care of me, so they would give me money to eat out. But I got tired of eating out after a while, and I didn’t want to eat out alone, so I started learning to cook for myself.”

“Mm.”

He turned off the heat, and the stir-fried vegetables were ready. He Ci carried the plate out, and Yu Xinche followed behind him, saying, “…I didn’t mean to lie to you. I don’t think it’s a serious matter. Telling you would only make you worry about me, so there’s no need.”

He Ci hummed in response but didn’t reply. He then took the bowl and chopsticks and asked if there was enough rice.

Yu Xinche: “That’s enough, I’ve made more than enough.”

He was planning to make fried rice for dinner.

“Let’s eat first.”

Yu Xinche looked at He ci’s face, which was expressionless, and couldn’t guess what he was thinking.

Yu Xinche felt he was in the wrong, so he couldn’t hold back and forced the topic back on track: “Are you angry?”

“…” He Ci put the bowl down again. “No.”

“Really? Then why are you avoiding the topic?”

He Ci remained silent, a little unsure of himself.

He Ci didn’t look at Yu Xinche, and sighed: “At first I was a little angry, but I calmed down quickly. It’s only natural that you don’t want to talk about it, I understand. So I don’t want to keep asking.”

He paused for a moment, looked at Yu Xinche, and said, “Similarly, I won’t leave you here alone, and you have to understand that too.”

The implication was that he wanted to take Yu Xinche back home for the Chinese New Year.

Yu Xinche lowered his head and considered it for a while.

He Ci spoke so resolutely, and he made a special trip today for this very reason.

He’s put in so much effort, it would be too hurtful for Yu Xinche to refuse again.

“I understand.” Yu Xinche nodded, then hesitated before saying “thank you” again.

“You’re too polite.” He Ci smiled. “I know what you’re hesitating about. My family is very friendly, and they won’t be unwelcoming to you. Besides, Brother CONTROL has visited my home before during the Spring Festival. It’s really nothing.”

“Really?” Yu Xinche was not very convinced. Brother CONTROL had mentioned before that he would visit his family every year.

“Really, you can ask him if you don’t believe me.”

“…No need for that.” If He Ci said that, then it must be true, and Yu Xinche believed him.

Since Brother CONTROL had already been there and He Ci’s family already had experience dealing with his teammates, so Yu Xinche’s visit this time shouldn’t cause them too much trouble.

He felt a little relieved. After the two had lunch, Yu Xinche packed his luggage, locked the base, and left with He Ci.

The car was parked at the entrance, and He Ci walked over while explaining, “I drove here this morning. The driver will be here soon, I just called Uncle Chen.”

“Okay. How long will the journey take?”

“Almost three hours,” He Ci explained. “If I drive any longer, I’ll be too fatigued.”

“Three hours?” Yu Xinche was stunned. Sitting for three hours is tiring enough, let alone driving for three hours. He frowned, feeling a little guilty.

“Well, the base and home are diagonally opposite each other, so they’re far apart.” He Ci opened the car trunk to put in the luggage.

Seeing that Yu Xinche was silent, he thought for a moment and then said, “Actually, we have a small plane, but I haven’t inherited the family business yet, so I’m not qualified to use it.”

He Ci rarely boasted about his wealth, and he wasn’t trying to brag about it now. Yu Xinche understood that he was just trying to joke and lighten the mood.

So he smiled and said, “Then I troubled you to come pick me up, young master.”

He then stepped closer and leaned in towards He Ci: “Thank you so much.”

He Ci glanced at him before opening the car door, a half-smile on his face: “After all that thanking, you didn’t even call me ‘brother’.”

“…”

Yu Xinche pretended not to hear him.

Yu Xinche wasn’t used to having a driver, and he became more reserved when talking to He Ci in the car.

Fortunately, his biological clock from his lunch break kicked in; he hadn’t slept at noon, and now he was getting sleepier and sleepier in the car.

He chatted with He Ci casually, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

When he woke up again, he found himself leaning on He Ci’s shoulder.

Yu Xinche quietly got up, noticing He Ci’s gaze, and gently patted He Ci’s shoulder twice as a comforting gesture.

“We’re almost there,” He Ci said.

“Okay, okay.” Yu Xinche didn’t go back to sleep. He thought for a moment, opened his phone, and asked CONTROL for advice – if there was anything he needed to be careful about while spending the New Year at He Ci’s house.

CONTROL was probably busy and didn’t reply immediately.

Upon arriving at the destination, Yu Xinche looked at the four-story detached house in front of him and the winding mountain road beneath his feet, lost in thought.

The suburbs that He Ci mentioned seemed to be different from what he imagined.

He thought it was one of those luxurious residential communities in the remote suburbs, but he didn’t expect that their family actually lived on a small mountain, with a villa built on the top of the mountain.

Suddenly he realized that the joke about He Ci “playing professionally affected the Crown Prince’s inheritance of the family fortune,” was actually true.

This family business probably really needs to find someone to inherit it.

After not seeing him for half a day, two dogs in the backyard rushed straight at He Ci as soon as he entered the house. He Ci held one dog down with each hand, loosely leashed them, and let Yu Xinche play with them.

“I can just pet them anywhere?”

He Ci smiled and said, “Mm.”

Both large dogs are black and white, well-trained, and do not bark or jump on strangers.

However, the Border Collie did indeed behave more intelligently. As soon as Yu Xinche squatted down and reached out his hand, the Border Collie strolled over and let him pet it.

Yu Xinche stroked its head down to its back, and just as he was about to pet it again, the Border Collie made a small maneuver, twisted and slowly walked away.

“Huh?” Yu Xinche was both amused and exasperated. “Why only let me touch him once?”

He Ci chuckled, and Yu Xinche, hearing him laugh, glanced up at him and said, “Just as arrogant as you.”

During the competition period, they only travlled between the train station and the competition venue, making it difficult to encounter dogs. Now that he has finally met one, Yu Xinche was very happy and had even become more talkative.

“Don’t drag me into this.” He Ci ruffled his hair. He Ci was more relaxed and carefree at home than usual.

Just then, the husky arrived. This one wasn’t as composed; it sniffed and nuzzled Yu Xinche as soon as it got close, even rubbing against him.

But when Yu Xinche reached out his hand, it was surprisingly quiet, standing still as he petted it for a while.

“It feels both silly and cute.” Yu Xinche got more and more absorbed while petting it, and simply used both hands at the same time. “And the fur is much harder than that of a Border Collie.”

“They’re different breeds.” He Ci looked down at him, a smile always on his lips.

“What’s their names?”

“This one is called Woof Woof.” He nodded at the husky with his chin, then squatted down, put one arm around the Border Collie, and brought the dog to Yu Xinche so he could play with it. “This one is called Meow Meow.”

“Ah??”

Yu Xinche was shocked. How could these names be so half-assed? “Woof Woof” was understandable, but what did “Meow Meow” mean? Was it calling a dog as a cat?

That’s what he thought, and asked. He Ci wasn’t surprised at all after hearing it, probably because he had been asked it many times before. He said, “My mother named it that way, so I’d have both a cat and a dog.”

“…” Yu Xinche couldn’t help but laugh out loud, the joke was so bad it was a bit cold.

But then he thought about it again and felt that it was quite interesting: “Auntie is so funny.”

“We can say that to her in person later,” He Ci smiled. “Our whole family enjoys being flattered.”

Speaking of this, Yu Xinche remembered asking Brother CONTROL about it on the way. He took out his phone and saw that Brother Kong had replied:

-I spent the Lunar New Year at his house – is that what He Ci said?

-I just had lunch on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and then went back to the base in the afternoon.

-They’re all easy to get along with, but I don’t know anything more specific.

“?”

Yu Xinche read his message several times to make sure it didn’t have any other meaning, then asked He Ci, “You said Brother CONTROL spent the New Year at your house?”

He Ci stood up and put a little distance between himself and him: “Yes. He came to pay his respects for the New Year, so it can be considered that he has celebrated the New Year here.”

Despite He Ci knowing that he was in the wrong, he showed no remorse whatsoever. In fact, he laughed even more heartily when Yu Xinche questioned him, as if he had accomplished a wicked plan.

Yu Xinche pouted at him. He believed He Ci as soon as he said it. He wasn’t sure which of them was more to blame.

“You lied.” Yu Xinche wasn’t really angry; he couldn’t think of a suitable word to curse at him.

He looked at He Ci, who had been holding back for a long time, and finally uttered the three words that were often used in the barrage of comments with no offensive intent: “He. Ci. bad.”

“I don’t care,” He Ci smiled down at him, “As long as the goal is achieved.”

Yu Xinche squatted on the ground, no longer petting the dog, his hands behind his back, looking sullen.

He Ci sighed, bent down and helped him up: “Let’s not talk about this anymore, come with me to say hello to the elders.”

“Alright.” Yu Xinche slowly got up, and when he stood up and walked to He Ci, he suddenly raised his hand and sprinkled two handfuls of snow on He Ci’s face and neck.

Yu Xinche snorted and deliberately mimicked him childishly: “You don’t care~”

He Ci was startled by his sudden movement and didn’t say anything. He blinked, shook the snow off his eyelashes, and then looked at Yu Xinche, struggling to suppress his laughter.

Yu Xinche sensed that something was off about He Ci’s expression; normally, he should have retaliated at this point.

“What are you laughing at?” Yu Xinche found it increasingly strange.

He Ci pinched Yu Xinche’s chin and turned his head to the right, laughing as he spoke: “This is my mother, say hello.”

Yu Xinche was completely stunned when he saw the woman walking towards him. If possible, he would have liked to leave and go back to the base right now.

However, that’s impossible.

He dropped his playful expression and became serious in a second: “Ah, hello Auntie.”
 

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