**Chapter 57**
The night before Yu Sui left for abroad, his former FS teammates threw him a birthday party to celebrate belatedly.
At that birthday party, Shi Luo lost a round of Truth or Dare and, by some twist of fate, kissed Yu Sui as his punishment.
Chen Huo had joked at the time that it was probably Yu Sui's first kiss, and Shi Luo had never quite believed him—until now.
Shi Luo's eyes flickered slightly. "That... that was really your... first kiss?"
"What else would it be?" A hint of helplessness flashed in Yu Sui's eyes. "If I actually had any romantic history, it would've been dug out long ago."
Shi Luo thought about it. Fair point.
Yu Sui was way too young before his debut to be dating anyone, and if he had gotten into a relationship after debuting... with those obsessive female fans of his, something like that would've been absolutely impossible to hide.
So that punishment kiss really had been Yu Sui's first kiss.
Shi Luo recalled that scene from two years ago and tugged at his white hair, throat tightening.
That was Yu Sui's first kiss.
What a waste.
Back then, so fired up by Chen Huo's provocation, Shi Luo genuinely couldn't remember what the kiss had felt like.
He looked up at Yu Sui, his ears warming slightly.
Regardless of whether he remembered it or not, this person's first kiss belonged to him.
Yu Sui's first kiss was his—not anyone else's.
Shi Luo's obsessive tendencies flared up again, and he couldn't help but quietly press further: "After that... you went to Germany, and in these two years..."
*Did you date anyone?*
Over in Europe, where Shi Luo had no connections or understanding, not everyone would be blind.
There were plenty of people who liked Yu Sui.
Two whole years—even if he hadn't dated anyone, could there have been someone who seized the opportunity through Truth or Dare or some similar scheme?
Shi Luo wanted to ask, but it was difficult to bring up.
What right did he have to interrogate Yu Sui about any of this?
He turned slightly, fished a cigarette from his pocket, and held it between his teeth without lighting it, avoiding Yu Sui's gaze as he fell silent.
Watching Shi Luo's movements and expression, Yu Sui could guess about seventy to eighty percent of what the little brat wanted to ask. He said directly, "No. I didn't date anyone, didn't have any physical contact with anyone. These two years..."
Yu Sui couldn't help but laugh a little. "Staying faithful, factory-sealed, untouched. Whatever I was like when I left, that's exactly what I'm like now."
Yu Sui was clearly talking about himself, yet Shi Luo felt like he was being flirted with. His ears burned red, and he stuttered around the cigarette, "I-I wasn't asking about that!"
"My bad." Yu Sui smiled faintly and leaned back slightly. "I thought your straight-guy act was acting up again. Either way, I've confessed—nothing. From start to finish, nothing."
Shi Luo's throat bobbed. For some reason, after Yu Sui said that, he felt even more nervous.
Yu Sui waited quietly for Shi Luo, then steered the conversation back: "So? You've already claimed the favor of my first kiss. What else do you want?"
Yu Sui was waiting for Shi Luo to say something.
Shi Luo looked up at Yu Sui, his heart racing faster and faster, lips trembling involuntarily.
The answer was right there on the tip of his tongue.
Yu Sui was far too complicated for Shi Luo.
He was both benefactor and adversary, both brother and team captain, both Shi Luo's professional goal and the teammate he wanted most. Multiple identities stood in the way ahead, while the emotional barriers from his traumatic childhood blocked the path behind.
In Shi Luo's short nineteen years of life, he'd suffered through every hardship imaginable—except for the taste of being loved. Lost in this maze of emotions, it was only at this moment that he finally understood.
The countless mountains and valleys in his heart collapsed all at once, leaving only one person: Yu Sui.
Shi Luo kept his head down, cigarette between his teeth, fighting desperately to keep himself composed.
Over the years, Shi Luo had gotten better and better at controlling his emotions. Give him just a little time, and he could sort through everything. He wanted to say what came next properly, directly to Yu Sui.
But Yu Sui simply wouldn't give him that time.
Sensing that Shi Luo's body was trembling slightly, Yu Sui下意识地 said, "Luoluo..."
The moment Yu Sui said those two words, Shi Luo's eyes went red.
The second half of Yu Sui's sentence—*"Give me a straightforward answer"*—got stuck in his throat.
Shi Luo couldn't hold it in anymore and wiped his face, voice hoarse: "Dammit."
He gritted his teeth. He didn't want to lose control either, but he just couldn't help it.
He couldn't stand Yu Sui calling him that.
Shi Luo removed the cigarette from his mouth, not wanting to waste a single second more. "I li—"
"Hmm."
Yu Sui covered Shi Luo's mouth with his hand.
Yu Sui looked straight into Shi Luo's eyes and said seriously, "I like you."
Shi Luo's heart seized with a sharp, sudden pain.
Everyone called Whisper a playboy, but only Shi Luo knew that no one could be gentler than Yu Sui.
Yu Sui released the hand covering Shi Luo's mouth and said softly, "Do you like me?"
Shi Luo dropped his head, throat churning violently, trying desperately not to let his tears fall.
His voice cracking, Shi Luo said, "Yeah."
"I do."
"I like you."
Inside the glass-walled room on the first floor, their teammates were still there—it really wasn't possible to do anything too over the line. Yu Sui took Shi Luo's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Yu Sui looked down at Shi Luo's hand and exhaled. "...Finally."
Shi Luo sniffled. His tangled emotions hadn't settled yet, but he suddenly picked up on something.
It didn't really matter to dwell on this right now, yet Shi Luo felt a vague sense of unease creeping in.
That "finally"—what did it mean?
He had only just realized his own feelings for Yu Sui a few minutes ago. But what about Yu Sui?
Shi Luo suddenly didn't dare think too deeply.
If he could, he hoped Yu Sui was just like him—that it had only just become clear to him too.
But Yu Sui clearly wasn't like that.
So when had he fallen in love?
A week ago?
Half a month ago?
A month ago?
Or...
Shi Luo looked up at Yu Sui, and the ache in his heart grew heavier by the moment.
This definitely wasn't the time to be hung up on such details, yet Shi Luo simply couldn't control himself.
As he came to understand Yu Sui's feelings, all sorts of doubts surfaced in his mind. Shi Luo didn't want to think about it, but his chest just ached more and more.
His eyes red, Shi Luo stared at Yu Sui, lips trembling. "When... when did you start liking me?"
Yu Sui clearly hadn't expected Shi Luo to suddenly ask this.
He laughed ruefully. "Luoluo, with the mood we're in right now... shouldn't we be talking about something else?"
Shi Luo kept his gaze locked on Yu Sui, pressing: "When?"
His stubborn persistence showed through. "When? You're not like me—you grew up normally, you interact with people normally. You probably understand love and liking better than I do. If you fell for someone, you'd know it yourself. When did you fall for me?"
Yu Sui smiled slightly, and without a word, tried to kiss Shi Luo. Shi Luo stepped back, his tone shifting: "When?!"
Yu Sui fell silent for a moment, then smiled.
"Tell me!" Afraid of drawing attention from the others, Shi Luo did his best to keep his voice low. "Tell me—when did you fall for me?"
Shi Luo was trembling all over. "Yu Sui, you've... you've always been so good to me, you..."
"If I had really been good to you," Yu Sui paused, then said with a soft smile, "I'd have to be a real playboy right now."
Shi Luo cut him off impatiently. "Just say it!!"
Yu Sui froze.
A moment later, Yu Sui spoke plainly: "It was at that internet cafe. When you were betting drinks against me."
Yu Sui avoided Shi Luo's gaze, looking down at his hand instead, voice light. "You can probably understand, right? That scene—no one could've stayed indifferent."
Yu Sui couldn't even look him in the eye to say it. Shi Luo couldn't bear it, grinding his teeth as he forced out each word: "The truth."
Yu Sui drew a breath.
Trying to fool Shi Luo was genuinely impossible.
From the moment he'd known Shi Luo, over the span of two-plus years, Yu Sui had only successfully kept one thing hidden from him.
And now it seemed even that was about to slip through.
Shi Luo had already gotten serious. Yu Sui knew—he couldn't hide it anymore.
He looked at Shi Luo, trying to keep his tone level: "It was when you were still streaming."
Shi Luo's eyes trembled. The tears he'd been holding back for so long came pouring down instantly.
Yu Sui had fallen for him back when he was still a no-name streamer.
Looking back on the countless confrontations from two years ago—everything, absolutely everything, took on a different meaning.
That year, Yu Sui was nineteen.
In a certain live-streaming platform's dance stream room, Yu Sui—who had been exposed by Shi Luo—said: *Luo, come to FS. I'll take care of you.*
After Shi Luo played his first regular season match and won MVP, Yu Sui pulled him aside away from everyone else and whispered: *Let me celebrate with you privately.* Then he drove all night long and brought Shi Luo back to his hometown.
At Shi Luo's hometown, outside the高考exam hall, while waiting for Shi Luo, Yu Sui casually went live, secretly telling everyone about the little boy in his heart.
Back at the FS base, after learning that Shi Luo had recklessly signed a five-year contract, Yu Sui's expression was complicated, words caught in his throat.
Yu Sui pressed Shi Luo about what he thought of him. After hearing Shi Luo's answer, Yu Sui fell silent.
On the eve of Yu Sui's departure from the country, Shi Luo threw harsh words at him: *If you don't take me with you today, never come looking for me again, ever.*
After Yu Sui had killed a rookie healer thirty-something times, he was informed that the player called Evil had originally gone by the username Luo.
...
The memories came flooding back, and Shi Luo's tears broke through like a dam—he couldn't stop them no matter what.
Every single moment of the past two years, Yu Sui had been loving him.
Every memory was now edged with knives. Shi Luo couldn't imagine how Yu Sui had managed to trudge through all of it.
"You..."
Tears streamed down Shi Luo's face. "How could you..."
He gripped Yu Sui's hand tightly, throat heaving violently, unable to form a single complete sentence.
"I couldn't tell you at the start because I was afraid you hadn't liked me yet." Yu Sui placed his hand on Shi Luo's head and ruffled his hair, voice rough. "And later I couldn't tell you because I was afraid you already had."
"What I said before was true. For twenty-one years, I've only liked you."
"Back then I was young, inexperienced. Wherever I placed you, I was afraid I'd hurt or bruise you."
"But even being this careful, I still ended up hurting you."