“Ever since I found out you came back to China, I’ve been wanting to talk to you,” Xiang Lang said, leaning back on the sofa, his eyes full of excitement. “You probably don’t know, ever since you won that award and made the news at eleven, more and more people have been following you. You’re practically the darling of the sports media! Over the years, we must’ve reported on you at least nine hundred times out of a thousand!”
Huo Weiran’s gaze swept over the clock on the wall, then toward the window.
“I know your family situation is… complicated,” Xiang Lang continued, concern in his eyes. “That accident, it was pretty serious. I can totally understand if you don’t want to talk about it.”
“I honestly thought it’d take you much longer to recover, at least mentally. But seeing you doing so well so soon, I’m really relieved.”
Huo Weiran looked silently at his childhood friend.
Recovered?
“Well, I should get going. Anyway, I’m just glad you reached out.”
Xiang Lang noticed how his friend kept glancing at the clock and outside, it was clear he wanted to send him off, just politely.
Huo Weiran stood up to see him out, then shut the door the moment Xiang Lang stepped outside.
As Xiang Lang jingled his car keys and drove out of the complex, he spotted someone parking a shared green bike at the gate.
“Hey!” Xiang Lang called, lowering the car window to greet Nian Le.
Nian Le scanned the code to lock the bike, then turned to see Huo Weiran’s friend about to leave.
“Leaving already? You don’t want to stay for dinner?” Nian Le asked warmly, a polite smile on his face.
“No, no, it’s fine,” Xiang Lang waved his hands quickly. Seeing the gentle young man, and remembering he’d just helped his friend get rid of him, he suddenly felt guilty.
“You must be hungry after staying so long. I just bought some cream puffs, try a few.” Nian Le opened a paper bag, used a napkin to pick out two flavors, and handed them over.
Xiang Lang looked at the two fragrant pastries, then at the young man’s earnest expression. His conscience pricked, so he accepted and took a bite. The taste of rich peach and a hint of oolong tea filled his mouth.
It was really good.
His guilt instantly intensified.
“If you like them, take a few more,” Nian Le offered, opening a large paper bag his aunt had given him. Xiang Lang waved his hands again, feeling even worse.
“Uh…” Xiang Lang looked at Nian Le, holding the cream puff with a complicated expression.
“If there’s a chance, I’ll introduce you to a nice, well-mannered rich second-generation,” he said.
“Huh?” Nian Le blinked, wondering when this man had started a matchmaking business.
“I’m off! Bye!” Xiang Lang fled, stepping on the gas.
Nian Le stood there watching the car disappear, quickly sealing the pastry bag.
When he returned to the villa, he didn’t even need to check the time to know he was later than yesterday. But today, Huo Weiran had clearly learned his lesson, he simply sat in the living room waiting, not interfering.
“Have some cream puffs first,” Nian Le said, setting them down in front of him. Without waiting for a response, he tried one himself.
The chocolate was rich with a faint bitterness of coffee, the pastry crisp with a buttery aroma. Sweetness filled his mouth, pure satisfaction.
He exhaled deeply, replenished with energy, and went to the kitchen to start cooking. Halfway through, he suddenly remembered that Huo Weiran didn’t like overly sweet food. Just as he turned to put the rest in the fridge, he saw his brother already quietly eating one in the living room.
Must be starving.
Dinner passed in peaceful silence. Afterward, while his brother cleaned up, Nian Le washed his hands and sat in the living room to review today’s Go game.
The crisp sound of stones hitting the board echoed softly. As Huo Weiran finished tidying up and headed upstairs, he caught sight of the young man sitting alone in the living room, his posture straight, fingers delicately holding a white stone, faintly pink under the light, like a piece of art.
His skin was smooth and pale, his movements graceful and precise. The long fingers gleamed slightly as they held the white stones. When replaced with black stones, the contrast was striking—elegant in a quiet, refined way.
His mother’s taste had always been impeccable.
But the person before him wasn’t a piece of clothing or a car, something you could force onto someone and expect satisfaction on both sides.
Huo Weiran silently watched, his gaze lingering on the young man’s profile.
Just as Nian Le finished reviewing the game and was about to study a few new variations, his phone vibrated for new messages.
Huo Huohuo: “Little Nian Nian, are you settling in okay these past few days?”
Nian Le pulled his attention away from the game, about to reply to his roommate when he distinctly felt someone’s gaze from beside him.
Nian Le turned his head slightly and saw Huo Weiran standing on the stairs.
“Something wrong?”
Before he even finished speaking, Huo Weiran quickly went upstairs, as if he had only stopped there for a brief moment.
Watching his retreating figure, Nian Le’s expression remained calm as his fingers moved lightly over the phone screen.
[I’m already used to it.]
Huo Huohuo: “Little Nian Nian, has Huo Weiran eaten yet?” Huo Huohuo glanced guiltily at his mother, who was sitting beside him with a face mask on.
[I didn’t mean to keep you in the dark about his habits before it’s just that I really have a bad memory.]
[He ate.] Nian Le replied. He already had a good grasp of Huo Huohuo’s forgetfulness. [Normally, three meals a day. Sometimes he skips one.]
Seeing Nian Le’s reply instantly lifted Huo Huohuo’s spirits.
[Not bad, Little Nian Nian! You really know how to handle people!]
Only he knew how worried he’d been, afraid that Huo Weiran might have gone another day refusing to eat or drink like before. He hadn’t expected his good buddy to have such a way with him, three full meals a day!
[Oh right, Little Nian Nian,] he added cheerfully, [even though all the servants are on leave, my mom still hired a part-time cleaner from a housekeeping company. She’s coming tomorrow around noon.]
After seeing Nian Le’s “OK” sticker reply, Huo Huohuo put his phone down only to find his mother had peeled off her face mask, amusement flickering in her eyes.
“Who are you chatting with? Smiling like that for free.”
“With my roommate!” Huo Huohuo replied openly, showing her the screen. “Didn’t I tell you before? Our dorm used to have four people, one left to chase his dream of getting into a military academy. Of the three of us left, the one I’m closest to is that handsome guy who’s staying at our house for the competition.”
At the mention of “our house,” Mrs. Huo’s expression turned uneasy. “Did something happen to Weiran?”
“Mom!” Huo Huohuo quickly stopped her wild imagination. “Weiran’s fine! He’s staying with my roommate, and he’s been eating three full meals a day!”
“What?” Mrs. Huo was stunned.
She knew all too well after learning that his arm injury was permanent, Weiran had gone through a long period of numbness, unable to eat at all, relying only on nutrient fluids to survive.
Even after therapy helped him slowly accept reality, the clarity of his despair had left deeper scars. Just over a month ago, he’d even broken his own arm again, forcing another surgery.
So hearing that he was now eating three meals a day to Mrs. Huo, that sounded more unbelievable than Gucci raining down from the sky.
“You have no idea, Mom, my roommate’s practically flawless,” Huo Huohuo said proudly, pointing to himself. “I’m always forgetting stuff at school, and he’s the one who bails me out. Sometimes he’s more thoughtful about my life than I am. The three of us have lived together for years, and we’ve never once fought, it’s all thanks to him.”
As Mrs. Huo listened to her son’s lively praise and thought of her younger son finally eating properly, her curiosity toward this young man grew.
The villa was massive, hundreds of square meters and though Nian Le had planned to clean it himself on his rest day two days later, Mrs. Huo had already arranged everything. The part-time cleaner would save him plenty of trouble.
That afternoon, during dinner, Nian Le mentioned the matter to Huo Weiran, so someone could open the door for the cleaner if he wasn’t home. Huo Weiran gave a faint acknowledgment, showing no particular awareness of the house’s cleanliness.
The next morning, at the competition venue, Nian Le found his table and had just sat down when he noticed a familiar figure shuffling over reluctantly to take the seat across from him.
It was the boy who’d caused trouble at the cream puff shop yesterday. Fate really loved coincidences—today, they’d been matched as opponents.
The boy’s chin was bruisedcl, early his “boss” had hit him. Nian Le watched him silently; the boy kept his head down, not daring to speak.
“Well, isn’t this a coincidence,” a voice drawled. The gang leader from yesterday strode down the aisle, dragging the boy over with a smirk. The mark from being hit by a chair was still visible on his face.
“You’ve got guts,” he sneered. “Not only did you hit me, but you even got my guys to walk out on me. You must really underestimate our bond.”
Nian Le lifted his gaze and met his eyes calmly.
“Whether it’s loyalty or manipulation,” he said evenly, “you should know better than I do.”
“I’m not here to argue.” The leader’s smirk deepened. “I already figured you out. Yesterday, the reason you refused to play us in the shop wasn’t because you didn’t want to—it was because you knew you couldn’t beat us. So you picked what you’re better at……violence.”
Nian Le stayed silent, watching him quietly.
“But heaven’s fair, isn’t it?” the leader continued smugly. “Now fate’s set it up so you’re playing my guy today.” He puffed his chest with pride. “Let me tell you, my boys follow me not because I’m a good fighter, but because my Go skills are leagues above theirs. That’s why they respect me.”
The boy across from Nian Le nodded quickly in agreement.
“Last year, I was just one spot away from qualifying as a professional player,” the leader declared. “This year, I’ll make it for sure. You’re lucky you didn’t get matched with me today, you only drew my junior. But he’s not weak. If he wins, you’ll delete that recording in front of us. If you don’t, we’ll make sure you can’t play in any more matches.”
Nian Le’s gaze cooled.
“Of course, if you win,” the leader added, “then it just means he’s not worthy of being my follower.”
He shot a sharp look at his junior and patted his cheek. “Win. No excuses. Got it?”
“Got it, Cheng-ge!” the boy replied seriously, fire in his eyes as he looked at Nian Le.
“Come on!” he said fiercely. “Today I’ll show you the difference between a pro and an amateur!”
As the referee announced the start, Nian Le, holding black, placed his first stone with a calm, focused expression.
Xue Qi was concentrating on her own match when, barely half an hour in, she suddenly heard faint sobbing nearby.
Many players turned to look, only to see the bruised boy staring at his board, covering his mouth as tears streamed down his face.
The boy held a white stone above the board, his hand trembling like a sieve. His body twitched uncontrollably, and his eyes were filled with deep despair.
Sitting across from him, the young man didn’t even bother to look at the board. He simply watched his opponent quietly, his back straight, his expression devoid of emotion. His gaze, calm yet overpowering, carried a silent dominance that seemed to freeze the very air around them.
With just one glance, the little girl knew, it was a complete and utter defeat. This would likely become an unforgettable scar in the boy’s memory, so much so that every time he touched a Go stone in the future, he would recall this crushing loss.
The sound of sobbing continued, and even the referee, noticing the situation, hurried over.
[mfn] If you enjoy my translations, you can show your support by leaving a comment or donating to my Ko-fi. It will be much appreciated. Thank you! [/mfn]
