Think

Xue Wei mumbled, and surprisingly, quickly calculated in his head: “A few… a few thousand meals.”

Wen Man said: “That’s right, just treat me slowly over time.”

Xue Wei was a bit anxious: “I don’t have money.”

“Treating me to the cafeteria is still treating. It’s covered by the team.” Wen Man took a sip of water, stood up from his seat, “No hurry, just treat me slowly.”

His tone was so self-assured that Xue Wei couldn’t think of how to retort for a moment.

He fell silent.

It was already very late.

By the time they were eating, the owner had already started cleaning up, and the other tables were all closed.

Stepping outside, the cold wind blew directly.

The esports park had been closed for a long time; the lights on the main road were out, and it was pitch black everywhere.

Wen Man said: “Accompany me to the mall.”

Xue Wei said: “Oh.”

He thought for a moment: “Is it far?”

“Not far, I’ll drive you,” Wen Man said.

Xue Wei said: “Oh.”

He had no objections.

He had slept through his afternoon nap and wasn’t sleepy, so he wasn’t in a hurry to go to bed.

“If it’s far, you won’t go?” Wen Man walked a few steps slowly, then suddenly asked.

His slightly deep voice scattered in the night wind, the only warmth remaining in the cold night.

Xue Wei lowered his head, his lips moved, and he was silent for a moment.

Wen Man’s voice was devoid of emotion.

He paused, as if waiting for an answer, yet also as if just asking a simple question.

Wen Man said: “Want to go for a ride on a motorcycle?”

They were walking towards the parking garage.

Knife had a small Harley flown in, and the keys were entrusted to him.

Their relationship was very good; borrowing it likely didn’t require asking.

Xue Wei thought again, then still said: “Oh.”

‘It just feels like it might be a bit cold.’

Going for a ride in this weather would probably be riding in the northwest wind.

He didn’t offer an opinion.

Wen Man led him to the underground parking garage.

He had a black business car, but it was too conspicuous and would attract followers if driven out.

Wen Man found Knife’s Harley motorcycle.

There was only one helmet, which he tossed to Xue Wei.

He had taken him for a motorcycle ride once before, a long time ago.

Xue Wei had forgotten what the occasion was.

At that time, he took him over ten kilometers across Nancheng, probably to a restaurant for a meal.

He sat in the front seat, Wen Man drove behind him, his arms wrapped around him, saying it was steadier that way.

He forgot what they ate in the end, only remembering that they rode for quite a long time, and his bottom hurt a lot, but he didn’t tell him.

He just stayed still in his embrace.

The underground parking garage lights were white and blue; tiny dust particles swirled upwards.

Wen Man fiddled with something at the front for a while, then straddled the motorcycle seat, telling him: “Get on.”

His legs were long; he looked uninhibited and suave sitting there.

Xue Wei climbed onto the back seat.

No sooner had he settled in than he heard the sound of a zipper from the front.

Wen Man took off his jacket, turned around, and handed it to him: “Put it on.”

Xue Wei was already dressed very warmly today; he was almost unable to put on any more layers.

Wen Man seemed to know what he was thinking: “Cover your head; you’ll get a headache from the wind.”

He was left wearing only a smoke-gray sweater.

Xue Wei said: “You’re cold.”

“I’m cold?” Wen Man turned forward, started the engine, his laugh sounding somewhat amused, “Touch me.”

Xue Wei didn’t touch him.

He saw that Wen Man indeed wasn’t cold; after walking this distance, there was a thin layer of sweat on the back of his neck.

He was very fit and healthy, the complete opposite of him, the little sickly person.

He sat in the back seat, initially gripping the seat.

But trying to cover his head with the jacket while also gripping the seat was quite difficult.

So he very carefully grabbed the edge of Wen Man’s sweater.

He thought Wen Man, being thickly dressed for winter, wouldn’t feel it.

His subtle movements in the back, tugging at the corner of the sweater, were like a small animal’s.

Wen Man arrived after driving for a short while.

The mall he took him to wasn’t far; a large, 24-hour mall located two kilometers east of the esports park.

There weren’t many people at this odd hour.

Xue Wei followed Wen Man out of the car, not knowing what he intended to do.

Wen Man took back his jacket, his steps unceasing: “Team procurement. Come on, you can say if there’s anything you like too.”

He went to the clothing section, several brand-name stores, with shockingly expensive prices.

A single down jacket cost tens of thousands, and no shoes were under five thousand.

The sales associate asked: “Are you buying for yourself, sir? What size?”

Wen Man looked at Xue Wei, thought for a moment, and reported a size: “Buying for him.”

He reported the exact size.

Xue Wei felt his ears get hot again.

He said: “It’s a bit expensive.”

Wen Man said: “It’s fine, I’ll expense it. Come here.”

Xue Wei then went over.

The sales associate brought many clothes for him to try on, matched with shoes and a wallet.

Wen Man said: “All of them are fine, buy them all.”

The sales associate asked: “Is this your younger brother? Both gentlemen are handsome, just don’t look very alike, haha.”

The sales associate was a bit older and didn’t recognize them.

Wen Man didn’t reply.

He sat down beside Xue Wei, watching him try on shoes.

The sales associate knelt on the ground to help him put them on.

Xue Wei slightly leaned forward to pull the back of the shoe, his cool tea-colored hair falling softly in a swirl.

He possessed a composed and elegant aura.

Even wearing his worn, faded, cheap down jacket and discolored sneakers, others did not slight him.

Finally, they bought seven items of clothing along with various accessories.

Wen Man went to pay, saying: “We won’t take them now; please deliver them to this address before 8 AM tomorrow.”

He gave the esports park address, then added: “For the last outfit, please get another size, and get me a dark red set.”

The last outfit was a men’s medium-length winter windbreaker, well-cut, available in black and red.

Xue Wei had chosen the black one.

Wen Man now asked for the dark red set.

The sales associates exchanged glances, as if realizing something: “Oh, oh, oh… Okay, sir, we’ll get it for you. Do you need to try it on?”

Wen Man said: “No need, just wrap it up.”

“So, matching outfits then, huh.” The sales associate ventured, smiling, “Also like couple’s outfits, hahahaha.”

Wen Man still didn’t reply.

Xue Wei was a bit restrained, shifting his feet.

“Remember to wear them,” Wen Man said, hands in his pockets.

“Oh,” Xue Wei said.

“Anything else you want to buy?” Wen Man asked.

Xue Wei looked up, his gaze slowly swept around, then landed on the small accessories shop next door.

This mall didn’t have any affordable brands; a small doll ornament cost a thousand yuan.

He glanced at it, then said: “Nothing else.”

Wen Man said: “Then let’s go downstairs.”

He and Wen Man went downstairs to get the car.

There was a mobile night market stall at the parking lot entrance.

Xue Wei walked past it, then paused.

The night market stall was lit by a white desk lamp, trying hard to make the cheap knock-offs sparkle.

There was no one else around at this hour, only some local university students wandering by.

Xue Wei saw a small dinosaur cloth charm.

Upstairs, there was a very similar one, but that one was an emerald brooch.

This one in front of him was made of ordinary fabric, with crude stitching, and felt fuzz hanging from the cotton cloth.

He stopped and asked the vendor: “How much is this?”

The vendor, holding a plastic bowl and eating late-night supper, said: “Just pay what you want. Whatever you think is fair.”

Xue Wei gave five yuan and took the little dinosaur.

Wen Man, a few steps away, said lightly: “You paid too much; two yuan at most.”

Xue Wei didn’t say anything.

He put the little dinosaur in his pocket and followed Wen Man into the car.

Wen Man said: “You’ve become very frugal now.”

Xue Wei only said: “Need to save money.”

When they returned, it was the same as when they came.

Xue Wei sat in the back seat, and Wen Man took off his jacket to wrap around him.

The winter wind whistled.

When they got out of the car, Wen Man took back his jacket.

Xue Wei accidentally touched his fingertips; they were very cold, red from the cold.

“You’re cold,” Xue Wei said, his dark eyes looking over.

Wen Man tucked his hand into his jacket pocket, casually saying: “Yeah, it is still a bit cold. So what should we do?”

‘It sounded like he expected him to compensate him.’

Xue Wei hesitated, still pondering.

Wen Man reached out, asking him: “Won’t you give me the little dinosaur? I’ll take care of it for a while.”

He took a very long time to think, slowly, and hadn’t yet thought of an answer when Wen Man said: “Don’t be stingy; you won’t even give me something worth two yuan.”

Xue Wei pulled out the little dinosaur. Before giving it to him, he said seriously: “It was five yuan.”

In the dark hallway, Wen Man’s lips curved into a smile: “Mm.”

They returned to the hotel and took the elevator together.

Wen Man looked down at his phone.

Xue Wei still gazed at the brass-colored mirror in the elevator.

He wasn’t thinking about anything else; his gaze simply shifted from himself to the side, and he saw Wen Man.

Wen Man looked up, meeting his eyes in the mirror. His eyes were dark.

But Wen Man only looked at him for a moment before averting his gaze.

The two didn’t say goodbye.

Separated by a corridor, Xue Wei quietly swiped his room card.

Before the door closed, he saw Wen Man standing at his door.

After seeing him enter, he turned his back, went into his own room, and inserted his card.

Xue Wei returned to bed.

He and Wanshi shared a room.

Wanshi was already in a deep sleep, snoring.

By his bed were the three flashing balloons.

They would flicker on and off in the dark with every slight movement.

After washing up, he accidentally touched one, and the balloon flashed, bling-bling, with full cool effect.

He quickly picked it up and stuffed it under the covers, so the light wouldn’t wake Wanshi.

The covers slowly warmed up; warm air enveloped him.

Xue Wei hugged the balloon.

His phone vibrated.

A new message appeared on the screen.

Micro: “I’m going to sleep. You rest well. Wish you good luck in tomorrow’s match.”

The image was taken by Wen Man in his own room.

The warm yellow light of a desk lamp scattered across the clean white bedsheets.

His small green cloth dinosaur was placed on the pillow.

Wen Man wasn’t in the shot, but the bedsheet in the camera’s view had collapsed slightly along the wrinkles, and at the edge, a large, well-defined hand was faintly visible.

Wen Man was supporting the bedsheet with one hand to take the picture for him.

Xue Wei was enlarging the image, looking for the hand, when Wen Man sent him another message.

Micro: [Recommended contact: Wen]

Micro: “My main account is more convenient. This account is for collecting skins.”

Xue Wei sent a friend request.

Wen Man quickly accepted.

This account was Wen Man’s main account, and it was a private one.

His activity had not been updated for eight hundred years.

To be precise, it hadn’t been updated in four years.

The last activity was four years ago, sharing a foreign song.

Xue Wei had just exited the page when he suddenly saw a red dot with Wen Man’s avatar appear in the activity notification.

He had just updated his status.

The accompanying image was the little dinosaur picture sent to him.

Xue Wei silently watched.

Immediately, various people rushed to appear below, likes crowding into a string.

[Alan]: “?? Is that you? Are you a zombie? Or hacked? You haven’t posted in four years, bro.”

[Pandora]: “Captain, not asleep yet?”

[National Team Head Coach]: “What the hell? Thinking what?? Don’t leave sentences unfinished.”