Fu Yidong was on break and came to stay overnight at Yu Nuo’s place.
Yu Nuo sat hugging her legs, chin resting on her knees, lost in thought as she curled up by the bed.
After showering, Fu Yidong rolled around on the bed twice, hugging the shark plushie Yu Nuo bought from IKEA the other day. “Come on, what do you want to tell me? Just say it! You’ve been hesitating for half an hour, I’m getting anxious just watching you.”
Yu Nuo sat facing Fu Yidong, biting her lip. “Well… remember when I told you before that I liked someone?”
“Oh yeah.” Fu Yidong remembered and asked eagerly, “How are things going with that?”
“I’m thinking… maybe I should pick a day to confess to him…”
Fu Yidong was about to die from Yu Nuo’s lukewarm personality. “Just go for it! What are you waiting for?”
“It’ll be these few days, but before I confess, I still want to tell you and get your opinion.”
Fu Yidong was curious: “Tell me what?”
Yu Nuo found it difficult to begin, mentally arranging her words.
All along, Fu Yidong had never hidden her admiration and worship for Chen Yuzheng in front of her. But since Fu Yidong had a boyfriend, when Yu Nuo realized she liked Chen Yuzheng, she didn’t struggle too much and just let herself fall for him.
But initially, Yu Nuo only met Chen Yuzheng because of Fu Yidong, and only gradually developed some interaction with him later.
So Yu Nuo wasn’t very sure if pursuing Chen Yuzheng would make Fu Yidong uncomfortable. Whether the confession succeeded or not, she wanted to tell Fu Yidong beforehand.
Yu Nuo slowly began: “Well… the person I like.”
“Mm.” Fu Yidong waited for her to continue.
“He… you know him too.”
Fu Yidong was a bit surprised: “I know him?? Who is it??”
Yu Nuo didn’t dare look at her expression, lowering her eyes, and with one burst of courage, said the name, “Chen Yuzheng.”
The room was dead silent for a full minute. The impact of this name was like an atomic bomb, leaving Fu Yidong’s mind blank for a moment.
Seeing her reaction, Yu Nuo quickly said: “Dongdong, if you mind, or don’t understand, or can’t accept it, I can wait a while longer, until you’re not angry anymore before I say anything.”
Fu Yidong: “…………”
She couldn’t quite understand: “No, why are you only telling me this now?”
Yu Nuo felt very guilty and apologized quietly: “I’m sorry…”
She knew she had been selfish about this. Afraid of facing opposition from the start, she deliberately hid from Fu Yidong that the “brother” was Chen Yuzheng, thinking to delay it a bit longer.
However, after returning from Paris, Yu Nuo was completely certain that she had fallen for Chen Yuzheng.
Not just liked him, but… she wanted to possess him.
Maybe Yu Nuo was too greedy. Before, she thought that being able to watch Chen Yuzheng from afar was better than confessing and being rejected, after which they would become strangers.
She didn’t know when it started, but her feelings for Chen Yuzheng had gradually changed. What she wanted was much more than she had thought.
Fu Yidong lay on the shark pillow for a while, slowly digesting this explosive news. Seeing Yu Nuo’s dejected expression, she realized her reaction had been too extreme and quickly said: “Um, Nuo Nuo, I’m not blaming you, I’m just shocked. Why do you like him? When did it start?”
Yu Nuo shook her head: “I don’t know either…”
Maybe it was from when Chen Yuzheng took her to watch the sunset, or even earlier, when he quietly accompanied her while she cried outside the bathroom… By the time Yu Nuo realized it, she had already fallen for him.
Fu Yidong mumbled: “My best friend wants to date my idol, this world is too surreal…”
Yu Nuo said carefully: “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”
“What are you sorry for? I like Chen Yuzheng, but not in a romantic way.” Fu Yidong didn’t know how to evaluate this situation. “But you’re quite brave. Chen Yuzheng seems really difficult to deal with, are you confident?”
Yu Nuo was also worried, staring blankly ahead, “Confidence… I don’t really have any…”
“And you’re kind of colleagues now, if it doesn’t work out, won’t it be awkward seeing each other every day!”
“My trial period at TG is only three months, it’s almost been two months now. I was originally just helping my roommate, and actually after I officially graduate, I’m not sure if I’ll keep working there, especially since my brother isn’t very supportive…”
“Yeah, and your brother.” Fu Yidong suddenly thought of this. “If your brother finds out you’ve been caught by Chen Yuzheng, won’t he go blow up TG’s headquarters!”
Yu Nuo smiled bitterly: “How could it be that dramatic?”
Fu Yidong asked: “So are you going to tell your brother beforehand that you like Chen Yuzheng?”
The road ahead was unclear, Yu Nuo hadn’t thought that far, and asked: “Do you think I should tell him?”
Fu Yidong slapped her thigh and sat up quickly from the bed, “Of course not, would your brother ever agree??”
She analyzed it carefully for Yu Nuo: “First, Chen Yuzheng is currently your brother’s biggest rival, plus he already dislikes Chen Yuzheng, and even just you dating in general, he might not agree to.” Yu Nuo felt this made sense, but was still troubled: “Even if I don’t tell him now, he’ll definitely find out later.”
“Why are you thinking so far ahead?” Fu Yidong knocked on her wooden head. “First focus on how to win Chen Yuzheng over, that’s the main thing. You can deal with the rest later when things are stable.”
Yu Nuo had another worry, “Do you think having a girlfriend would affect a pro player’s performance? Would it be distracting…?”
This question made Fu Yidong think for a moment.
She knew some people, so she had inside knowledge, and assured Yu Nuo confidently: “As long as Chen Yuzheng focuses during practice, dating during rest time shouldn’t be a problem, right? Does TG have rules against players dating?”
Yu Nuo thought about it, “I don’t think so.”
“Then it’s fine, besides, doesn’t Van have a girlfriend? And you don’t see his performance suffering.”
After sharing their heart-to-heart, late at night, Fu Yidong pulled Yu Nuo to watch a movie in bed.
The movie starred Han Geng, and in the story, the female lead, on her wedding day, suddenly took the host’s microphone and confessed to someone she had secretly loved for ten years in front of everyone.
That person was the best man at the wedding.
The whole venue was in shock1.
Fu Yidong wiped her tears and told Yu Nuo: “See, the female lead hesitated too much, and hesitation leads to defeat. If you don’t confess your feelings early, you’ll regret it for life.”
Yu Nuo deeply agreed and nodded.
—
The next day, TG’s art team finished editing the Rift Rivals documentary.
To avoid criticism, they had to cut out most of Chen Yuzheng’s inhuman interview responses, but to create some entertainment value, they kept the segment about Zhou Dang’s girlfriend in the post-credits scene.
As expected, within half an hour of TG’s official Weibo post, various esports accounts specifically clipped Chen Yuzheng’s provocative comments about Zhou Dang from the post-credits scene.
Before this, the most talked-about story in the circle was the fairy tale romance between Zhou Dang and Shu Jia. When their marriage was announced, almost all League of Legends commentators, players, and hosts sent their blessings.
Unexpectedly, after so long, this topic could be brought up again, making Weibo extremely lively. What brought this feast to its peak was at 7 PM, when Zhou Dang himself, who rarely posted on Weibo, actually reposted TG’s official post.
@WR.Wan: ?//@TG Esports Club: Rift Rivals documentary is here~ There’s an interview easter egg at the end #throwing flowers#
Then, Shu Jia commented below with a crying face emoji.
The comments below exploded:
[I get it, LPL ADCs throughout the years have consistent taste]
[Dang: I think you might work too]
[Dang: wtf]
[lol, this crossover is amazing, feeling nostalgic]
[Zhou Dang look what you started! Now all LPL ADCs want to date older sisters!]
[Conquer: I’ll also find a girlfriend three years older, will this help me win Worlds?]
[Dang!! Actually interacting with Shu Jia! Getting sweet content again ahhh CP fans partying tonight!!]
—
The previous night, Fu Yidong and Yu Nuo had chatted until dawn, sleeping until past 6 PM.
After waking up, the two lounged in the living room, ordered takeout, and naturally came across these Weibo posts while browsing their phones.
Having just pulled an all-nighter, Yu Nuo was a bit drowsy and didn’t react at first, until Fu Yidong bumped her shoulder: “Was Chen Yuzheng talking about you?”
Yu Nuo was still reading the comments under Zhou Dang’s Weibo, looking confused: “What?”
“Are you stupid? Chen Yuzheng obviously wasn’t just talking nonsense, he was hinting at you!! Get it??”
“Hinting at me?” Yu Nuo was slow to react, pointing at herself.
“Of course!” Fu Yidong held back her heartbreak and reminded her: “Think about it, how many years older are you than him?”
“Three years…” Yu Nuo realized, suddenly widening her eyes, still not quite believing it, “Really? What if he was just saying it casually…”
Fu Yidong rolled her eyes so hard at Yu Nuo’s density that they almost rolled to the sky, waving her hand: “Fine, let me go cry in a corner first, I’m here anxious for you when I should be worried about myself.”
…
…
Yu Nuo opened Chen Yuzheng’s interview video and listened to it again.
Fu Yidong looked at the forum for a while, then suddenly suggested: “Why don’t you just confess to him now?”
Yu Nuo was stunned, “Now?”
She hadn’t mentally prepared for this at all.
“Well, dragging it out isn’t helping either, right? Didn’t you tell me yesterday you were planning to confess in the next couple days? Since Chen Yuzheng already said that, just go for it, better to die quickly than suffer slowly!”
Seeing Yu Nuo still hesitating, Fu Yidong reached out, “Give me your phone, I’ll help you send it.”
Yu Nuo quickly said: “No need, no need, I should do this myself.”
“Then hurry up.”
Another hour dragged by, Yu Nuo imagined a million scenarios of confessing to Chen Yuzheng in her head, and also thought about the consequences of rejection. She held her phone, unable to click on his profile picture.
Fu Yidong was almost dying from frustration, “Is it that hard? It’s just a confession, what’s the big deal!”
Shanghai’s summer was very hot, they hadn’t even turned on the air conditioning, but Yu Nuo felt her hands and feet were ice cold. After thinking for a long time, she asked Fu Yidong again: “Should I really send it now?”
Fu Yidong nodded firmly, showing her phone, “I just checked a matchmaking website, looked at your horoscope, it says today is your lucky day, you must seize this opportunity.”
Yu Nuo: “……”
She read the horoscope’s interpretation several times, somewhat swayed by Fu Yidong’s words. In a moment of impulse, she steeled herself and sent Chen Yuzheng a message:
Yu Nuo: [Are you there?]
Conquer: [1]
Yu Nuo struggled for a long time: [Have you had dinner?]
He replied quickly.
Conquer: [Yes]
Yu Nuo: [What are you doing now?]
Conquer: [Chatting]
Yu Nuo: [With who?]
Conquer: [You]
Yu Nuo deflated again, really couldn’t think of how to start, turned to Fu Yidong and said: “Maybe we should forget about today, let me think for a few more days.”
Fu Yidong opened NetEase Music and played “Good Days,” “With this BGM, go for it!”
Seeing no response from her side, Chen Yuzheng sent another message:
Conquer: [Did you need something?]
Yu Nuo felt she might be crazy, but steeled herself and sent him the message: [Um… I saw your interview….]
Conquer: [?]
Conquer: [Which interview]
Yu Nuo shamefully, under Fu Yidong’s repeated urging, told him: [The one where you said you admire Zhou Dang for finding a girlfriend three years older than him…?]
The other side showed “typing” but didn’t reply for a long time.
Her heart was beating so hard it felt like it would jump out of her chest. Yu Nuo looked to Fu Yidong for help: “It’s over, saying this, am I being too presumptuous?”
Fu Yidong didn’t understand: “What’s presumptuous? Any normal person would think that way, especially since you two already have some chemistry, I think he was being pretty obvious.”
Yu Nuo was still worried: “What if… we’re overthinking it?”
“Nonsense!” Fu Yidong said angrily, “Three years older, how many coincidences like that can there be?”
Yu Nuo looked at her phone, feeling desperate, “He still hasn’t replied…”
Fu Yidong guessed: “Maybe he’s secretly happy over there.”
Just as she finished speaking, Yu Nuo’s WeChat video call screen lit up. Fu Yidong’s sharp eyes quickly noticed, “Hey hey, it’s Chen Yuzheng’s call, answer it!!”
Yu Nuo suddenly stood up from the sofa, holding her phone, helplessly saying: “Should I answer?”
“Answer it quickly!”
While they were talking, the WeChat call ended. Immediately after, the phone rang again with Chen Yuzheng’s number.
Yu Nuo didn’t even put on her slippers, anxiously pacing barefoot like an ant on a hot pan, “Oh no, what should I say to him later?”
Fu Yidong grabbed her phone, swiped to answer, and held it to her ear.
Both sides were silent.
He didn’t speak, and Yu Nuo was even more at a loss for how to start.
After a long while, Chen Yuzheng laughed softly, seeming a bit curious: “Jiejie, were you trying to hint at something just now?”
“Huh? Not hinting…”
Yu Nuo’s hands and feet had been ice cold earlier, but now her whole body was burning up, her face red enough to drip blood, steam coming from her head.
Fu Yidong jumped on the sofa, gesturing wildly, mouthing to her: “Say it! Say, I, like, you.”
Yu Nuo made a shushing gesture at her.
In this situation, the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released. After gathering her thoughts for several seconds, Yu Nuo closed her eyes and said in one breath: “Well… if you also want to find a girlfriend three years older than you, I still have a few days until my birthday, so I’m still 22 now, exactly three years older than you. If possible, could you consider me?”
After she finished, the whole world went quiet.
Chen Yuzheng probably hadn’t expected her to be so direct, and remained silent. Yu Nuo was afraid of rejection and quickly said: “You can think about it carefully, you don’t have to reply now, you can tell me when you’ve decided.”
After saying this, without waiting for Chen Yuzheng’s reaction, she immediately hung up. Her hands were shaking as she took a deep breath to calm down for a moment. Fu Yidong gave her a thumbs up: “You finally broke through! How was it, what was his reaction?”
Yu Nuo: “I don’t know, he seemed speechless, so I hung up.”
Fu Yidong: “……..”
Just then, the phone rang again, and Yu Nuo frantically pressed reject.
Fu Yidong got anxious: “Tch, why did you hang up again?”
“I, I stutter when I’m nervous.” Yu Nuo was a bit flustered. “I’m afraid my voice will shake too much and I’ll embarrass myself.”
On WeChat.
Conquer: [?]
Yu Nuo: [I’m sorry, I’m a bit busy right now… can you just text me instead?]
Conquer: [Oh, I thought you regretted it]
Yu Nuo typed very carefully: [No regrets, I thought it through before coming to you]
Conquer: [You like me?]
Seeing there was no turning back now, Yu Nuo looked at these four characters and could only honestly admit: [Yes, I like you.]
Conquer: [How much do you like me? Tell me]
How should she say this?
For a moment, Yu Nuo was stumped. She wasn’t good with flowery words to begin with, and now her mind was completely blank, her thoughts in chaos.
She turned to ask Fu Yidong: “How should I reply?”
Fu Yidong, a veteran of many romantic encounters, could see right through Chen Yuzheng’s scheme. Only Yu Nuo, the little fool, was still anxiously struggling.
Out of respect for Chen Yuzheng being her idol, Fu Yidong decided to be kind and not spoil his fun. She sighed and told Yu Nuo: “Just express yourself freely, you can do it.”
Yu Nuo crouched in the corner, thinking hard for a long time before dryly replying:
[Well, I like you a lot… I don’t know how to explain it, but being with you makes me very happy.]
After sending this message, Yu Nuo felt so nervous she could almost throw up. Her eyes were glued to her phone, afraid of missing anything.
The time in the top left corner ticked by minute by minute, until finally the other side slowly sent back a message—
Conquer: [Since you like me so much, I’ll give you some time tomorrow.]
Yu Nuo: [What?]
Conquer: [Think of a way yourself, how to win me over.]
- Pretty sure the movie is The Ex-File 3: The Return of The Exes (2017). ↩︎
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