My Former Colleague Wants to Fake a BL Comeback Again - Chapter 4

The livestream camera zoomed in on Cen Jing and Ye Hancheng’s faces at just the right moment.

【Hiss… honestly, the Film Emperor is handsome, but you guys know what I’m about to say, right?】

【The Film Emperor is a powerhouse actor; that’s beyond doubt.】

【Sigh… time is a merciless butcher’s knife…】

【To be fair, you can’t really blame the Film Emperor. It’s Cen Jing’s fault for being 27 but still looking like he’s 20.】

【They actually look like brothers. In multi-child families nowadays, a ten-year gap between the first and second child is totally normal. [Nods]】

【Pay attention to the person above, the Film Emperor said they were brothers without much of an age gap.】

【Haha, the Film Emperor is so old yet still loves to joke around. So mischievous.】

【Film Emperor (gritting his teeth): Everyone, keep your dog eyes wide open and take a good look.】

“Pfft…” Lin Shen raised a hand to lightly cover his mouth, his mood visibly improving. “I don’t have the heart to tell the truth anymore.”

Receiving the “gentle attack,” Ye Hancheng’s expression stiffened. He quickly let go of Cen Jing, took two steps back, and turned around to look again.

Cen Jing didn’t dare speak up rashly, so he simply stood there quietly, accepting Ye Hancheng’s scrutiny.

The first thing Ye Hancheng noticed were his eyes.

The inner corners hooked down slightly while the outer corners upturned, looking like they held a clear spring as if telling a story of his own innocence. His skin was clean, his forehead full, and his nose bridge was high, casting sharp shadows under the lights. The fabric of his shirt traced the lines of broad shoulders and a narrow waist, possessing both the slenderness of a youth and the sense of power of a mature man.

The slight unpleasantness in Ye Hancheng’s heart instantly drifted away.

He rubbed his nose somewhat awkwardly and, pretending nothing had happened, asked, “How old are you this year?”

Cen Jing answered honestly, “27.”

“I’m only 11 years older than you. How do you maintain your looks?”

Lin Shen interjected with a sarcastic remark: “If the hardware isn’t up to par, no amount of maintenance will help.”

“I have my own self-created skincare routine. Tonight, why don’t I lead Brother Ye through a session?” With a smile at the corner of his mouth, Cen Jing leaned half a step closer to Ye Hancheng in a familiar tone. “As long as Brother Ye doesn’t find it too much trouble.”

“Right? This stuff is just a hassle,” Ye Hancheng grunted, complaining with a smile. “I just hate the trouble. Besides, men should be a bit rugged.”

“Mm-hmm.” Cen Jing nodded in deep agreement, then looked at Lin Shen, speaking somewhat shyly: “I brought Teacher Lin’s book with me. Could I please ask for an autograph?”

His eyes were sparkling, filled with unmistakable anticipation.

“Ahem…” Lin Shen looked away, saying somewhat awkwardly, “You call him ‘Brother Ye,’ so calling me ‘Teacher Lin’ isn’t quite right, is it?”

“Lin—”

“Wait.” In the blink of an eye, Lin Shen changed his mind. “Don’t use ‘Brother.’ Call me ‘Uncle’ instead.”

“Damn it, you old thief, are you trying to take advantage of me?” Ye Hancheng reacted instantly.

“That won’t do. Calling you ‘Brother’ feels closer,” Cen Jing spoke up before Lin Shen could snap back. “Is that okay? Brother Lin.”

“…Fine.” Lin Shen put on an act of reluctantly agreeing. “If you want to call me ‘Brother’ that badly, then suit yourself.”

【Old man, stop pretending. You look like you’re enjoying this.】

【Don’t look at how old these two are; their behavior and language are totally elementary school level…】

【Coaxing this one, then that one—Cen Jing is basically a preschool teacher.】

【Our ‘Brother’ definitely has high EQ.】

As the situation here stabilized, the livestream camera quietly shifted to the other side.

“That was just an ordinary regular-season match. And it was an ordinary regular-season match from four years ago. Who would remember what hero I used back then?” Jiang Xun sprawled on the sofa, a silver lighter flipping back and forth between his fingertips.

“Makes sense. That’s why I don’t remember either.”

Chen Shu was sitting upright, but his furrowed brows betrayed his current mood.

“The production crew is indeed being a bit unreasonable.” Chu Xingyun sat on a staff member’s small stool, taking the two test papers to look them over. “However, the questions that appear on here must have a special meaning… Four years ago, was that shortly after you two had your falling out?”

Chen Shu lowered his eyes and gave a soft “Mm.”

“Then tell me, why would a regular-season match on this specific date be singled out?”

“Ghost knows.” Jiang Xun’s patience had reached its limit.

If he hadn’t signed a contract before coming, one that stated he couldn’t quit or else pay ten times the liquidated damages, he would have stormed out long ago.

“I haven’t watched your matches, but I’m guessing.” Chu Xingyun drawled, “This should be the first time you stood on the field as opponents after you separated, right?”

Back when he had just “severed all ties” with Cen Jing, he once had a fantasy.

That was… they would appear at the same awards ceremony as competitors in the same field. He would stand on stage in infinite glory, meeting Cen Jing’s gaze that had no choice but to look at him.

He wanted Cen Jing to regret leaving him.

But a fantasy remains a fantasy.

Cen Jing didn’t attend various awards ceremonies, nor was he bathed in infinite glory. They weren’t like Jiang Xun and Chen Shu, who had occasions where they were forced to meet as rivals.

“…Probably.” After thinking for about ten seconds, Chen Shu gave a somewhat uncertain answer.

“So, what if it is?” Jiang Xun suddenly sat bolt upright, his face still sour. “Did you think adding a qualifier would make me remember?”

“Give it to me.” Chen Shu reached out toward Chu Xingyun. “I remember now.”

Jiang Xun immediately turned to look. “What did you remember?”

Ignoring Jiang Xun, Chen Shu took the test paper and leaned over to start writing.

“I’m asking you a question.” Jiang Xun’s voice dropped a bit as he tucked the lighter back into his pocket and leaned his head over to look.

Once he saw the answers written there, he questioned again: “Are you sure it’s these two? In that game version back then, these two weren’t strong at all, right?”

“Didn’t you just guess based on ‘meta-strength’ and get it wrong?” Chen Shu didn’t look up, but he explained anyway: “These were our most used bot-lane duo.”

【A sudden knife to the heart for us E-sports fans…】

【Once fighting side-by-side, meeting again as enemies. The pain, it’s too much!】

【Education for outsiders: It’s actually normal for players to transfer teams. It’s just that these two were so close back then and the fallout was so ugly later that everyone finds it especially hard to let go.】

【Completing the ‘Golden Road’ together within a year—that’s a brilliant stroke in the history of E-sports.】

Jiang Xun curled his lip. “Now I don’t even play them once in half a year.”

Games are always like that: “Each patch has its gods.” A hero at the top of the win-rate charts in one patch being nerfed into the gutter in the next is nothing new.

Ordinary players can ignore the patch and just play what they love, but pro players definitely can’t otherwise, they’re just waiting to be schooled by their opponents.

Chen Shu rolled his eyes without reservation. “Who asked you?”

Chu Xingyun propped his chin on his hand, watching the two of them with great interest.

“Damn, didn’t your manager tell you to be polite to me?” Jiang Xun raised his hand to flip the bird, then silently put it back down.

Chen Shu gave Jiang Xun a sideways glance. “Our manager only told me not to curse.”

“Haha!!” Jiang Xun was instantly energized. “Didn’t you just curse? You’ll get fined, right? How much? Cursing while streaming a game is 2,000. For a reality show like this, it must be at least ten times that, right? I don’t even need to report—”

Chen Shu interrupted Jiang Xun’s babbling: “Are you even human?”

Jiang Xun: “I f—ing…”

“Hey—” Chu Xingyun spoke up to stop them. “Stay civilized.”

Jiang Xun: “…”

He felt incredibly stifled.

Next, with Chu Xingyun’s assistance, Jiang Xun and Chen Shu’s guesswork, and some leniency from the production crew, this group finally finished answering the questions.

The three of them came out of the small room and walked to the entrance of the villa. They could see the other three already seated on the living room sofa, each with a cup of tea in front of them, chatting about something.

Cen Jing noticed them immediately.

He said a few words to Lin Shen, then stood up to greet them.

“Jiang Xun, Chen Shu.” He looked at both of them and said their names. “Hello, I’m Cen Jing. Teacher Lin Shen and Teacher Ye Hancheng are both drinking tea. What would you like to drink?”

Chu Xingyun raised an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you ask me?”

“We’ll just have tea too.” Jiang Xun wasn’t polite at all.

Cen Jing asked again, “What kind of tea? The production crew prepared quite a variety.”

Jiang Xun: “Iced black tea.”

【So sophisticated.】

【I’m begging you, stop.】

【Jiang Xun, you’ve lost all face for us E-sports fans.】

【Well… iced black tea IS tea. Is there anything wrong with that? Nope.】

【Teacher Cen, if you want to laugh, you can just laugh. You don’t have to keep up appearances like this. [Tears]】

Cen Jing did laugh, but it wasn’t an awkward laugh. It was the kind of helpless yet doting smile one gives when seeing their own child blurt out something naive.

“What brand?” he asked.

Jiang Xun’s eyes widened. “…This stuff has brands?”

“Stupid dog.” Chen Shu couldn’t take it anymore and unceremoniously pushed him aside. “Whatever is convenient for us to drink is fine, thank you.”

Jiang Xun stumbled for two steps before steadying himself. He turned his face toward Chu Xingyun and said, “He’s bullying me so openly. Is no one going to do anything?”

Chu Xingyun blinked, his tone innocent: “You didn’t resist at all. I could only assume you were enjoying it.”

Jiang Xun opened his mouth, but couldn’t think of a rebuttal. He said resentfully, “A good man doesn’t fight with a bad man.”

…

After some busywork, the six guests of Long Time No See appeared in the same frame for the first time.

The PD briefly introduced them to each other and then moved to the scheduled process. “Today is the first day of recording. Can everyone share their feelings upon seeing the other person?”

Lin Shen was the first to speak, saying succinctly: “Bad luck.”

Ye Hancheng was not to be outdone: “Disgusting.”

Jiang Xun’s eyes lit up. He immediately wanted to use a similar word to attack Chen Shu, but because of his limited vocabulary, he instantly lost steam and acted as if nothing had happened.

Chen Shu: “Ugly.”

Jiang Xun: “…”

Cen Jing cleared his throat, subtly breaking the pattern. “…It feels like another lifetime.”

Chu Xingyun: “Finally.”