From upstairs, Bai Yu happened to run into Lu Sheng coming up for a smoke.
Thinking of what Chen Shi'an said about not giving him a good face and keeping some distance for two days, Bai Yu deliberately avoided making eye contact and quickly walked past.
Lu Sheng didn’t seem to notice the distance. His eyes still followed Bai Yu and he asked seriously, "What time are you leaving tomorrow?"
Bai Yu paused.
Earlier that day, Chen Shi'an told him that Lu Sheng had been at the top too long, too comfortably, and lacked a proper sense of hierarchy or respect. When Lu Sheng first joined, Bai Yu had simply accepted him as someone who could play flexibly, so he had always treated him kindly. As a result, Lu Sheng never really experienced Bai Yu’s authority as a captain, unlike the others who knew when to fall in line.
Bai Yu glanced at Lu Sheng. He really did look as relaxed as if he were at home.
He stiffened his face. "Don’t ask about my private matters."
Lu Sheng didn’t notice the shift. He was the kind of person who would mistake even a slap from Bai Yu as a pat on the shoulder.
He remained calm. "Relax. I’m not going to show up uninvited. Just curious."
Bai Yu started wondering when Lu Sheng became so obedient. He used to be nothing like this.
Afraid he would give himself away, Bai Yu tried to leave quickly.
But Lu Sheng shifted sideways to block him, lowered his head slightly, and coaxed, "I really won’t show up. Just want to see you off. Two days without you, I’ll miss you."
Bai Yu nearly cracked, glancing at him before quickly looking away. "I said stop asking about the captain’s personal life. Can’t you show some respect?"
He had said it seriously, yet Lu Sheng only looked at him and replied coolly, "If I didn’t respect you, I would have kissed you already."
Bai Yu completely broke character. Even the back of his neck started heating up. He couldn’t keep up the act any longer.
He brushed past Lu Sheng, trying to walk away, only to be called back again.
"Seriously though, the break’s so boring. Can’t I come visit? I’ll just say I’m a teammate. It’s not like I’m going to eat you."
Without looking back, Bai Yu snapped, "Keep dreaming."
Lu Sheng rubbed his nose. Although the rejection was harsh, he didn’t take it seriously. Calmly heading upstairs, he sent a message to Chu Tianyou: "Go check out the car yourself tomorrow. I’ve got plans."
Chu Tianyou replied quickly: "What plans? I already asked Zhou Xunwen. Your team is on break."
Lu Sheng typed back: "Need to buy a cup."
Chu Tianyou had asked him to hang out multiple times before and was always refused. This time Lu Sheng had reluctantly agreed, so he was already suspicious.
A call came in moments later, Chu Tianyou barking on the other end, "Of all the dumb excuses, you’re buying a cup? I’m buying a whole car. Do you know how many times I’ve asked you for something since you came back? You either ghost me or decline. Not this time. Unless you’re going on a date, you better show up."
Lu Sheng replied calmly, "Yeah. I’m going on a date."
The other end went quiet, then exploded. "Date who? With what time? You’ve been in training all day. What, you’re dating your teammate now?"
"Yep," Lu Sheng said, opening the door with one hand.
Chu Tianyou was completely thrown off. He cussed him out, declared their 800th friendship breakup, and blocked him.
Lu Sheng didn’t mind. In two days, Chu Tianyou would cool off and unblock him like always.
Just then, he heard voices from the room next door. Zhou Xunwen was speaking with Bai Yu. "Let’s leave by eight tomorrow morning. We can make it for lunch. I already told my mom to cook our favorite dishes. Been craving her cooking."
Bai Yu exposed him, "You mean your favorite dishes. You always pretend it’s for me when you’re the one with cravings."
Zhou Xunwen laughed sheepishly. "Busted. It’s my mom’s fault. Every time I say I want something, she yells at me for being greedy. But if I say you want it, she’s all in, cooks up a storm just so you eat more. It’s like she thinks you’re the real son."
Back then, Zhou Xunwen was overweight and restricted from eating too much, while Bai Yu was underweight and needed to eat more. So the difference made sense.
Still, Bai Yu smiled. He was genuinely happy. "The main character got nerfed, so now they’re leveling an alt."
Zhou Xunwen laughed and put him in a headlock. "You’re asking for a beating."
They returned to the room, packing up. Lu Sheng quietly stood by the door, listening.
Zhou Xunwen mentioned the blanket he had gotten for Lu Sheng. "It’s just a blanket, but you almost killed me over it. I told Mom to buy you another."
Bai Yu paused a moment, then added, "Make that two."
Zhou Xunwen looked confused. "Why? We barely have space. You want to hoard blankets now?"
Bai Yu hesitated. "For someone else."
Zhou Xunwen squinted. "Who? Who else needs blankets? If you don’t tell me, how can I explain to my mom? Otherwise she’s going to assume you got a girlfriend."
Panicking, Bai Yu cut him off, "A teammate. It’s for a teammate."
Zhou Xunwen tried to think which one might need it, but gave up. Then he saw Bai Yu struggling with a suitcase and hurried over to help. "Don’t strain yourself. You know how your body is. What if something happens?"
"Enough," Bai Yu interrupted.
He glanced outside, relieved no one was around. "We’re leaving at eight. Set your own alarm. I’m not waking you."
Zhou Xunwen agreed, helped with the suitcase, chatted a bit more, then went downstairs to sleep.
Bai Yu didn’t have much to pack, mostly just work items. It was only a two-day trip anyway. Once done, he heard a soft click, the sound of a lighter.
He recognized it as the one he had given Lu Sheng. His face shifted slightly.
Walking to the window, he saw Lu Sheng downstairs.
Dressed in a black tank top, muscles clearly defined, casually leaning against the railing like it was his home. He looked up just as Bai Yu peered out.
Their eyes met.
Lu Sheng held out the cigarette. "Want one?"
Bai Yu rarely smoked. Unless something really bothered him, he considered it a waste of life.
But when Lu Sheng extended the offer, he couldn’t resist.
Lu Sheng smelled faintly of soap. Zhou Xunwen bought all their toiletries in bulk, so they used the same scent. Bai Yu mentally added another strike to Zhou Xunwen’s tally.
Lu Sheng seemed in a good mood. "I’ll message you a lot over the next two days."
After washing, his hair always fell softly across his forehead, hiding his sharp brows. It made him look strangely gentle.
Bai Yu glanced at him twice, trying not to engage. "You can skip training these two days, but don’t slack off completely. Don’t spend all your time playing."
Lu Sheng nodded. "Got it. I’ll be thinking of you too."
Bai Yu coughed violently, pretending not to hear, terrified of what might come next.
He took a drag, remembering what Chen Shi'an had said about keeping distance. But thinking about what Lu Sheng would soon go through, he couldn’t help softening.
"I’ll be gone tomorrow. Take care of yourself, alright? If anything makes you unhappy, call me."
Lu Sheng found that odd and stared at him. Then he smiled. "Are you worried about me?"
Bai Yu regretted saying it immediately. He should have known better. Lu Sheng was the kind of person who would stretch out his face if you tried to slap him.
He finished the cigarette in two puffs. "Get to bed."
Here is your polished English translation of the latest passage, as requested, with no em or en dashes, keeping it professional, natural, and emotionally faithful to the original:
Lu Sheng called out to him again. He actually seemed to be in a good mood. “I’m not going to look at cars with Chu Tianyou tomorrow. I’ll go find a cup for you instead. Can we video call?”
Bai Yu deliberately kept a cold face. “I don’t have time.”
But Lu Sheng simply nodded and took a drag from his cigarette. He didn’t look the least bit upset. “I know. You’re buying a blanket for me.”
Bai Yu almost broke character. Where the hell did this guy hear that?
Originally, he had thought that if Lu Sheng really got upset, he’d just buy a blanket as a peace offering. Who would have guessed he actually overheard it?
He quickly tried to deny it. “Who said it’s for you?”
Lu Sheng paused for a moment, turned his head slightly, his expression blank. “If it’s not, then it’s not. No need to be so mean. I wasn’t even expecting anything.”
He said he didn’t expect anything, and his reaction really was muted. But somehow, Bai Yu still got the sense that he was disappointed. He didn’t pout or complain, just looked strangely pitiful.
Bai Yu seriously wondered if he had lost his mind. Why on earth did he think Lu Sheng looked pitiful? No one else in the world would ever think that. This was truly messed up.
The next morning, Bai Yu ran into Lu Sheng as soon as he got up.
Normally, Lu Sheng would sleep in until nine or ten. But today, he was already awake bright and early, clearly having overheard the conversation Bai Yu had with Zhou Xunwen the night before.
Bai Yu purposely avoided him, doing everything he could not to start a conversation.
But all Lu Sheng did was casually raise a hand in greeting, then walked off with his hands in his pockets, completely at ease as he headed to the training room. It seemed he really had listened and wasn’t planning on slacking off.
Bai Yu had originally felt a little guilty about his decision. But when he looked at the training schedule he had written on the announcement board and remembered the resolve he had when building this team, he suddenly steeled his heart.
He sent a message to Chen Shi’an: I’m leaving. Lu Sheng is in your hands now.
Chen Shi’an replied with a smile emoji: Consider it done.
Bai Yu put away his phone and quickly dragged Zhou Xunwen out the door, afraid that even a moment’s hesitation would ruin everything.
At that same moment, Chen Shi’an, who had just received the message, was leisurely sipping his coffee as he strolled into the training room. Calmly, he sat down at the computer beside Lu Sheng’s.
Lu Sheng saw him and hesitated. “Didn’t you already go home yesterday?”
Chen Shi’an sat down without a care in the world, smiling brightly at him. Those eyes of his could probably look at a rock with the same gentle expression. “My brother has tutoring today. There’s nothing fun for me at home anyway. So I figured I’d stay and keep you company for the day. Touched?”
Lu Sheng: "......"
What the hell is there to be touched about?