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01
When Bao Rongxing arrived in Switzerland, he was alone.
Ye Xiu picked him up and took him to the Chinese national team’s training room, and the pro players were quite astonished by the presence of this unexpected guest.
Huang Shaotian walked over, very naturally looped an arm around Ye Xiu’s neck, and asked, “Who’s this?”
Bao Rongxing was still dragging around a bunch of luggage. When he saw Huang Shaotian touch Ye Xiu, he immediately shouted, “Let go, who’re you? Don’t you know your place? You think that someone like you can put your arm around our boss’s shoulders?
Huang Shaotian: “...”
He felt like Bao Rongxing’s “who’re you” was a truly honest inquiry about who he actually was.
02
At this time, Bao Rongxing’s teammates received the right to speak. Fang Rui asked, “Bao Zi, why’re you here?”
Bao Rongxing put down the luggage in his hand and retrieved a well-known pack of cigarettes from a bag. “Because Boss said he wanted to smoke these.”
Everyone’s line of sight pierced towards Ye Xiu, as if expressing their contempt for his abuse of an ex-captain’s power.
Ye Xiu coughed lightly. “Bao Zi, I wasn’t seriously asking you to bring me them.”
Yesterday, he had indeed said in the Happy group chat that he should have brought more Zhonghua, since the cigarettes over here didn’t suit his palate.
Yet Bao Rongxing said earnestly, “But I listen to every word that Boss says.”
Ye Xiu: “...”
Chu Yunxiu stroked her chin. “Strange, I’ve known Ye Xiu for so many years, but this is the first time I’ve seen him look so sheepish.”
03
Ye Xiu helped Bao Rongxing get a hotel room using Ye Qiu’s credit card. Not five minutes later, Ye Qiu called and while clearly repressing his anger, said, “Who did you get a room with? You went to compete and you still need to get a room?”
Ye Xiu: “???”
04
It took until the post-training dinner for Ye Xiu to start asking about details. “Bao Zi, you came alone.”
Bao Rongxing had white rice stuffed in his mouth, so all he could do was nod emphatically.
“Did you tell Boss and the rest of them?”
Bao Rongxing nodded and then swallowed. “Yup.”
Su Mucheng blinked. “But I just asked Guoguo, and she seemed really surprised. She had no idea that you’d come.”
Bao Rongxing was even more surprised. “Didn’t I say it yesterday in the group chat?”
Fang Rui thought for a moment. “Are you talking about when Old Ye said he wanted to smoke those cigarettes and you said you’d bring him some...that part?”
Bao Rongxing replied confidently, “Yeah.”
“...”
The dinner table was silenced.
Xiao Shiqin adjusted his glasses. “Normal people would take that as a joke, right?”
Bao Rongxing insisted, “Not at all, how could I go back on a promise to Boss? Plus Boss said yesterday that he would wait for me.”
Ye Xiu was clueless. “Did I?”
Su Mucheng swiped through the chat history. “Yup. Your exact words were ‘waiting for you muah.’”
Alright, this was great. Now everyone was looking at Ye Xiu like they’d look at a deadbeat man who’d promised to elope with his mistress but just ended up moving on and leaving her in the dirt.
“And with a ‘muah,’ too.” Wang Jiexi side-eyed Ye Xiu. “Your team’s internal atmosphere needs correcting.”
Ye Xiu quietly made a derisive noise at him. “You think every ‘correct’ team is like your Tiny Herb? So young and already so strict and righteous.”
Wang Jiexi: “So it’d be better if we were as unprincipled as your team?”
Ye Xiu: “When were we unprincipled? You even blew up the map once. Next, let my good friend Huang Shaotian come reason this out.”
Huang Shaotian: “Shit, you only remember that I’m your good friend in times like these.”
05
Wei Chen, representing Happy, made a call to Switzerland.
“Bao Zi really went over to your guys’ place?”
Ye Xiu: “You guessed it?”
Wei Chen: “Make Bao Zi come talk on the phone.”
It only took Bao Rongxing a couple of seconds to come over, causing alarms to ring in Wei Chen’s head. “Isn’t it 10:30 PM where you guys are at? How did you get here immediately after Ye Xiu called?”
Bao Rongxing: “I’m in Boss’s room.”
Wei Chen: “What are you doing in his room?”
Bao Rongxing: “Playing.”
Wei Chen: “Playing what?”
Bao Rongxing was confused. “Old Wei, why’re you so long-winded today?”
“Ah, not that you weren’t long-winded before. Today you’re just extremely long-winded.”
“...”
Wei Chen took two deep breaths and then changed the subject. “Bao Zi, why didn’t you tell us anything before going to find Old Ye? If you’d said something earlier, we would’ve all gone, the whole family all neat and tidy.”
Bao Rongxing: “Because I wanted to come find Boss on my own. I’m all grown up now; I don’t need to rely on family members anymore.”
Wei Chen: “...”
06
Happy had already made up a large portion of the national team. So now with Bao Rongxing here, the Happy members would often group together, causing the other national team players to have many objections.
Today, the four Happy teammates went out to eat again. After eating, they still had some free time, and Bao Rongxing suddenly had the urge to sing a song or two. Seeing Bao Rongxing look like a dog rapidly wagging his tail, Ye Xiu silently acquiesced to his demand.
By now, one Chinese brand of roadside KTV had already entered the international market. One little kiosk, two chairs, and the relevant machines and materials made up a simple KTV room.
Su Mucheng didn’t want to get involved. “You guys with an average height of 5’11” can go squeeze in there. I won’t this time.”
Ye Xiu readily acknowledged that he brought down the group’s average height. Fang Rui refused to admit the same.
The first performer Fang Rui sang a song called “He Loves Me Not.”
“I’ve seen into his heart / And it’s filled with his and his story / He doesn’t love me~~~But, he still won my heart~~~”
Bao Rongxing commented, “Why are these lyrics so weird?”
Fang Rui asked, “How’re they weird?”
Bao Rongxing: “He doesn’t love you, so he didn’t win your heart. You forced him to take it. He probably doesn’t really want it, right?”
Fang Rui sighed, “You don’t understand. It’s that he stole my heart away.”
Bao Rongxing didn’t care. “Then after he’s done using it, remember to make him return it, or else it’s against the law.”
Fang Rui: “...”
Can you please attach at least some importance to any of your teammates other than Ye Xiu? At any rate, we’ve all eaten together and lived together for an entire year now, right, sweetie?
07
Bao Rongxing had barely been there for two days before causing trouble. He’d been loitering around where the contestants gathered and had cheerfully provoked the German team’s captain. Bao Rongxing proceeded to play a couple rounds with him and managed to lose every single one.
After losing, he didn’t get mad. In fact, he was even more happy.
“I’m gonna get my boss to come take you out!”
Normal people would use a flustered or furious tone to say those words, but when they came out of Bao Rongxing’s mouth, the best adjective to describe them would be “proud.”
He ecstatically raced back to the Chinese national team, pulled Ye Xiu away, and then ran.
And as he ran, he smugly announced, “Boss, let me tell you: I found a really strong opponent for you, super strong. I’m not a match for him at all. Boss, you have to avenge me.”
Ye Xiu, who had no idea what was going on: “???”
08
Ye Xiu figured out what was going on. While looking at this rebellious child, he didn’t know how to feel.
But Bao Rongxing didn’t empathize with him at all; he was practically delighted. “Boss, that’s the guy. That guy beat me up really badly.”
Ye Xiu: “...”
Bao Rongxing: “But he’s not at all as strong as Boss. He’ll probably just be able to amuse Boss a little.”
The German team had just lost to the Chinese team in the last match and was returning to their home base. As such, there was a Chinese translator present, who subsequently related what Bao Rongxing had said to the German team members.
The translator asked, “So what you’re saying is that this...coach is very strong?”
Bao Rongxing: “What d’you mean ‘very strong.’ He’s the strongest.”
Translator: “And the reason he’s the strongest is?”
The German team had originally been in low spirits after losing to the Chinese team. Now that this coach had popped up out of nowhere, they couldn’t help but think, “How strong could he be? He’s just a coach.”
Of course, in the end they lost quite tragically.
After Ye Xiu finished rubbing their faces into the dirt, he also pressed down his kid’s head and made him apologize.
Ye Xiu: “He doesn’t have bad intentions; he just speaks rather bluntly.”
Translator: “...”
Are you sure you aren’t mocking us?
09
Since Bao Rongxing was already with the national team, Ye Xiu would train him a bit when he had the time.
And he would occasionally be rendered helpless by Bao Rongxing’s eccentricity.
Ye Xiu: “What’s wrong with you? Why are you more noobish than Tang Hao?”
Bao Rongxing accepted this timidly, looking like an abandoned puppy. “Sorry, Boss.”
Tang Hao was about to flip his lid. “The hell do you mean?”
Ye Xiu rephrased, “Not as noobish as you, not as noobish as you, alright?”
Tang Hao: “...”
Chu Yunxiu: “In some ways, Bao Rongxing and Ye Xiu really are cut from the same cloth.”