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The hotel corridor is empty when Xiao Shiqin catches up with him and spits out, “You messed with my room assignment. Don’t try to deny it, I know how you think. Just change it back.”
The accusation is accompanied by a fierce glare—a level ten catastrophic event, on a normal day—but is rendered ineffective by the dark circles under Xiao Shiqin's eyes and the way his unstyled hair flops over his forehead. If Yu Wenzhou wasn’t so exhausted by his own bout of jet lag, he’d happily throw himself into the banter. Particularly the part where Xiao Shiqin should be pleased about his roommate assignment, not upset.
Instead, he breaks out his secret weapon: the mild smile he uses for the press when they get uppity. “Why don’t you get some rest and we’ll discuss this later.”
Xiao Shiqin steps between Yu Wenzhou and his planned escape route. “Do you really think that trick will work on me?”
The mild smile shifts to an innocent smile. Underhanded, but necessary in the face of a skilled opponent. “There’s no trick. I just want you to be well-rested before our first tactics session.”
“We both know if I lay down in that room, I’m all but accepting that it’s mine.” The humor drains from Xiao Shiqin’s face. “I mean it, Wenzhou. Fix this.”
Yu Wenzhou takes a moment to study his old friend. The harsh set of Xiao Shiqin’s jaw and the way his hands clench into fists at his sides. Whatever’s happening, it isn’t good. Something is wrong, and no matter which angle he studies the clues from, Yu Wenzhou can't figure out what it is. Luckily, he only knows one way to deal with a hidden problem. Find it and solve it.
He adjusts his posture. Shoulders relaxed, palms open, a friendly smile on his face. And asks, “What’s your real objection?”
Xiao Shiqin fiddles with the zipper of his hoodie. Nervous energy practically pours off him, and that more than anything tells Yu Wenzhou that whatever he’s about to say is the truth. “It’s just… Me and him, together. It’s not appropriate.”
The answer is so unexpected that at first Yu Wenzhou doesn’t say anything at all, just stands there with his mouth hanging open before he pulls himself together. It takes a lot to truly surprise him, but here in this cramped hotel hallway, his mind races to process this new information.
“Are you saying a captain and vice-captain can’t room together?” Yu Wenzhou hopes his raised eyebrow conveys exactly what he thinks about that statement. It should. He’s practiced this exact expression in front of a mirror in preparation for difficult interviews.
It works like a charm. Xiao Shiqin’s stony exterior cracks open. “Please stop. I don’t want to think about you and Huang Shaotian naked.”
The opening is too perfect to pass up. “How about you and Sun Xiang naked?”
Direct hit. Xiao Shiqin buries his head in his hands. A muffled, “It’s inappropriate,” slips out between his palms. “I was his mentor! Not officially, but… you know.”
Yu Wenzhou does know. He paid attention to the Challenger League even before Xiao Shiqin transferred to Excellent Era. Sun Xiang had strutted into his captaincy oozing arrogance, a caricature of the type of player everyone dreads working with. And yet he ended the season with grace, making decisions that put his team before his ego. Yu Wenzhou has no doubt who guided him through his newfound maturity.
All of a sudden, Xiao Shiqin’s hesitance makes more sense. Still, it doesn’t mean Yu Wenzhou agrees.
“You were his vice-captain, not his father. He’s an adult who can make his own decisions.”
“I was his mentor. And he’s been flirting with me since we all got to Beijing for group training.” Xiao Shiqin whispers the word flirting like it’s something scandalous. Something too dangerous to approach. Finally, he looks up from his hands and adds, louder, “And so I’m asking you as my captain to please undo whatever tampering you did and switch the rooms."
His captain. Xiao Shiqin was pulling out the big guns.
Yu Wenzhou can tease him as his friend, try to nudge Xiao Shiqin into accepting what he actually wants, but he can’t ignore his responsibility as captain of the national team. Already, he’s mentally reviewing the room assignments, trying to figure out who he can shift around, when a new voice joins the conversation.
“What’s wrong with the room?” Sun Xiang demands, striding down the hallway like an approaching whirlwind.
He’s draped in his overly dramatic red coat, his face set in a stony mask that in all fairness is probably just jet lag. The combination makes him look like the arrogant rookie he used to be. And then he glances at Xiao Shiqin and his expression transforms into a blinding smile.
Yu Wenzhou pretends not to notice the way Xiao Shiqin tries to step forward and backward at the same time. Instead, he keeps his eyes on Sun Xiang, whose hair has somehow survived the international flight looking as neatly styled as when they departed. Yu Wenzhou is more than a little jealous. His own hair feels greasy, his skin tight and dry. All he wants is a scalding hot shower and for someone to rub lotion into his entire body.
As if the universe was reading his mind, yet another person turns the corner into their section of hallway. Yu Wenzhou can’t help the smile that spreads across his face.
Huang Shaotian scurries towards the three of them with a bag of vending machine snacks in one hand, the other flinging a pointed finger at Xiao Shiqin. “Xiao Shiqin, I heard that! Don’t you know I have great hearing, the best hearing! How dare you accuse my captain of tampering with the rooms! Slander! Libel! Lies, lies lies! My captain would never cheat, he’s the most honest captain there is!” He pauses with his hands on his hips, like some kind of animated action hero. One with snacks instead of weapons.
“Libel is written,” Xiao Shiqin mumbles under his breath.
“Wait, what’s wrong with our room?” Sun Xiang asks again. His nose wrinkles. “Are there bugs? That’s gross.”
“No, it’s not that,” Xiao Shiqin says. “It’s just…” he trails off, and Yu Wenzhou is delighted to see a flush of red peeking out above his shirt collar.
“Just what?” Sun Xiang puts a hand on Xiao Shiqin’s shoulder, looking concerned. “Are you getting sick, you feel a little warm.” He presses the back of his hand to Xiao Shiqin’s forehead, frowning aggressively.
Yu Wenzhou catches Huang Shaotian’s eye. They’ve been partners long enough that there’s no need for words or gestures. Moving in tandem, they both slowly retreat toward the other end of the hallway.
Xiao Shiqin flashes Yu Wenzhou one last dirty look before he’s herded in the opposite direction, Sun Xiang’s voice echoing faintly across the hallway as they leave together. “Get some rest before you get sick. Don’t argue with me, you’ll run yourself into the ground if someone doesn’t stop you. It’s a good thing we’re sharing a room.”
Yu Wenzhou reaches his own room, but doesn’t open the door just yet. If Xiao Shiqin turns around and insists on changing rooms, Yu Wenzhou will honor it. But nothing of the sort happens. Xiao Shiqin merely says something back to Sun Xiang, and whatever it is gets swallowed by empty air as they turn a corner and disappear.
Alone in the hallway, Yu Wenzhou glances at Huang Shaotian’s far too smug face. “I didn’t tamper with the room assignments,” Yu Wenzhou says, tilting his head to add, “I wanted to but I didn’t. What a coincidence that those two ended up sharing in the end.”
“Captain, what are you implying? Of course it’s a coincidence, the biggest coincidence. Isn’t it so funny that Little Sun has been following Xiao Shiqin around like a lost puppy for the past week, and now they’re rooming together.” He laughs, high-pitched and nervous.
It’s the most obvious lie Yu Wenzhou has ever heard, and his heart softens. “Do you think Sun Xiang will sway him?”
Huang Shaotian whips around to stare at Yu Wenzhou, like he can’t believe he’s getting away with his meddling. He isn’t, of course, but Yu Wenzhou will deal with that later. For now, he genuinely wants to hear Huang Shaotian’s analysis. He has an uncanny ability to read people’s intentions.
Huang Shaotian purses his lips in thought. “I think he will. Xiao Shiqin likes him back, he just doesn’t think he’s allowed to.”
“That season in Excellent Era, there was a fire in him that I haven’t seen in a long time,” Yu Wenzhou says. “They make a good team.”
“And he’s happier since then,” Huang Shaotian adds. Yu Wenzhou doesn’t disagree. He doesn’t know how much was due to Sun Xiang influence, or if it was simply the change in scenery from leading a different team, but the results are unmistakable. Xiao Shiqin returned to Thunderclap more vibrant than ever.
The door gives a faint mechanical hum as the lock disengages. They both enter, still chatting as the door clicks shut behind them.
Yu Wenzhou shrugs out of his jacket. As captain of the national team, he was given the option of having a room to himself, but inside are two sets of suitcases. Shedding his sweaty airplane clothes, he steps into the shower and promptly forgets about anyone else’s love life but his own.