My Romance With The Cold-Blooded Heartthrob - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Me? Wen Shu pointed at himself, looking confused. What’s so interesting about me? he asked, genuinely puzzled. He wasn’t a happy pill like Xia Yang, nor was he as straightforward as Lin Fei; he felt he was just awkward and dull.

I don’t know. Pei Xian lowered his head, staring at the floor with an unreadable expression. At the very beginning, it was simply that seeing Wen Shu in the heat of summer made his heart feel cool and still. Later, every time he encountered Wen Shu, his body would uncontrollably want to get closer—closer and closer. After learning about Wen Shu’s past, he felt a localized ache in his chest, a type of distress he had never experienced before. It felt like pity or heartache.In Wen Shu’s presence, everything else seemed less important. But he didn’t understand this emotion, because he had never won anything emotionally in his life, so he had no frame of reference.

A silence fell over the kitchen. After a long while, Pei Xian spoke up. The food is about ready. Let’s eat. He picked up the dishes from the counter.

Pei Xian! Wen Shu called out, blocking his path. He gave a small smile. Since you don’t know yet, then until you find the answer, smoke less and drink less.” He hesitated for a moment before adding, And… stick close to me more often.

With that, he took the dishes from Pei Xian’s hands and walked out. Come on! If the food gets cold, it won’t taste good.

Pei Xian froze in place. Then, he scrambled after him. Xiao Shu! Xiao Shu! Did you just tell me to stick close to you?!

Get lost—

Time passed steadily under the rhythm of daily training, and soon the day of the competition arrived. Seeing the results of the draw, Lin Fei let out a visible sigh of relief. Heyuan University.

Phew— Xia Yang leaned back against his chair, relaxing. At least it’s not Jingxi. If we ran into them in the opening round, that would be some rotten luck.

The topic is: Does understanding require empathy?’ We are the negative side Lin Fei continued. As for the lineup for this round, I’ll let Captain Wu announce it.

Oho, look at you, creating suspense, Wu Yue teased. However, he then looked seriously at his notes and glanced at the nervous Xia Yang and Song Shiyu. Noticing that Pei Xian actually looked the most relaxed, he paused and continued: My recommendation is Xia Yang as first speaker, Lin Fei as second, Pei Xian as third, and Wen Shu as fourth.

For the first qualifying match, he wanted to lead with those who had the most stable mindsets. During training, he had observed that Su Yang and Song Shiyu had great chemistry, and the original trio of Wen Shu, Xia Yang, and Lin Fei went without saying—a year together had made them incredibly familiar. Pei Xian, curiously, fit into that trio perfectly. After much deliberation, he decided these four would take the first match.

Upon hearing this, Su Yang and Song Shiyu shared a look and then relaxed. They knew their own standing and accepted the arrangement without protest. Song Shiyu patted Pei Xian on the shoulder. Good luck, Brother Pei. Take down this first round.

The recent training had significantly improved the relationship between the three of them. They gradually realized that Pei Xian wasn’t the person they had imagined him to be; he was actually quite easygoing. Recently, he didn’t even smell like smoke; instead, he was always chewing on candy, looking like he was in the middle of quitting.

Pei Xian gazed at Wen Shu’s back, feeling content. He could finally stand by Wen Shu’s side. He was the third speaker, right next to Wen Shu; he could see him just by turning his head. He answered distractedly, Got it. Don’t worry.

What! Brother Pei, you’re worried? That won’t do, you need to have confidence! Su Yang, standing nearby, couldn’t take it anymore. Little Song! Fix your ears!

Wen Shu watched Pei Xian interacting harmoniously with the others, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He had noticed Pei Xian smoking less lately, and he no longer kept his distance from the group; he finally looked like a real teammate. They had all become much closer. He hoped this meant Pei Xian’s condition was slowly getting better.

Wen Shu? What are you looking at? Xia Yang followed Wen Shu’s gaze but only saw the three of them messing around. You have that look of a proud father.

Xia Yang’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He silently withdrew his gaze and ignored the comment. Let’s start preparing today. Let’s hash out the definitions and arguments.

Hey, hey! Wen Shu is ignoring me! Xia Yang wailed. Lin Fei, in perfect sync, ignored him too, nodding in agreement with Wen Shu. It is time to start. The match starts this weekend.

Come here, you three, Wu Yue beckoned Pei Xian and the others. Let’s do a huddle. It’s our ritual before we start.

Wu Yue placed his hand at the bottom, and Wen Shu followed. Though Pei Xian didn’t quite grasp the concept, he moved first to place his hand on top. Their hands clustered together. Qualifying match—victory is ours!

Late that night in the training room, the whiteboard was covered in dense writing—some parts crossed out, others supplemented with new viewpoints and various critiques. Wen Shu stood up and circled three points on the board. So, these are our three main arguments.

Finally. Xia Yang stretched his arms and checked the time. Wow, it’s only the first day and we’ve already stayed this late.

Time is limited. We all have classes tomorrow, so we can only carve out time in the evenings. Lin Fei summarized the content and sent it to the group chat. Let’s call it a night. Everyone go back and get some rest. We’ll be in this room again tomorrow night.

Wen Shu glanced at Pei Xian and deliberately slowed down his packing to walk out of the training room with him. He didn’t smell of smoke; instead, there was a faint scent of grape candy. Quitting smoking?

Pei Xian hadn’t expected Wen Shu to initiate conversation. Surprised, he replied, Yeah. Didn’t you say it was bad for my health? I want to smoke less. He had researched it: you only tell someone to stop smoking if you care about them. This meant he must be important to Wen Shu, so he had to listen to him.

Seeing Pei Xian look like he was afraid he wouldn’t be believed—pulling out a piece of candy from his pocket like a trophy—Wen Shu sighed inwardly. He looked just like a golden retriever proving himself to his master and asking for a pat. At that thought, Wen Shu couldn’t help but reach out. He stood slightly on his tiptoes and hesitantly patted Pei Xian’s head. Good job.

He saw Pei Xian stiffen for a second, but he didn’t pull away. Wen Shu patted him again. The soft blonde hair was such a contrast to Pei Xian’s outward appearance. He finally understood why Wu Yue always wanted to pat people’s heads—it really did feel nice!

After his initial stiffness, Pei Xian eventually nuzzled slightly into the hand on his head, speaking with a hint of pride. I’ve started quitting drinking too. And I haven’t been to a bar in days; I’ve been focused on preparing for the match! Although Chang Xu and the others had called him several times, he had refused because training was every evening—the same time they usually drank.

Pei Xian’s gaze darkened for a moment. He had wanted to find time to talk to Chang Xu and the others, but since their schedules didn’t align, he hadn’t found the chance. He’d find time to see them after the competition. For now, he would just enjoy this. Pei Xian let his mind go blank.

What are you two doing? Let’s go. Xia Yang stopped and looked back at the two trailing behind. I want to pat Xiao Pei’s head too!

Pei Xian nimbly dodged Xia Yang’s hand. Forget it, Captain Xia.

Amidst the playful bickering, they all headed toward the dorms.