Brother, you smell good - 14

 

| BYSG | Baby is Awesome | 14

Solving something on your own is definitely different from having someone else help you.

Cheng Mofei thought about it carefully.

But if Shen Yu needed help, he’d be happy to offer it. Mainly, It was because he thought Shen Yu's reaction would be quite amusing.

He realized that Shen Yu, being from the south, was always a bit shy. Every time he entered the bathroom, he would lock the door. 

After showering, he would make sure to dress completely before coming out. Forget about being shirtless; even his underwear had to be covered with pajama pants.

After knowing each other for this long, they'd never even gone to the bathroom together… They’d never “seen each other plainly,” so how could they call themselves good brothers?

So, Cheng Mofei slowly spoke up: “It is indeed a bit different.”

The tension in Shen Yu’s chest finally eased a little.

But unexpectedly, Cheng Mofei’s next sentence was: “But if you really need help… I don’t mind.”

As he spoke, without waiting for Shen Yu to react, he flashed a mischievous smile and reached for Shen Yu’s pants.

Shen Yu’s eyes instantly filled with panic. He instinctively grabbed Cheng Mofei’s hand, but his strength wasn’t a match for Cheng Mofei’s. He soon lost ground. 

However, he knew Cheng Mofei’s weak points and immediately started tickling him, managing to shift the situation a little.

The movie’s credits had already finished, and the two were now playfully tangled up on the couch.

In the end, Shen Yu was still defeated. Cheng Mofei pinned both of his hands down, and he could no longer tickle him.

Shen Yu lay there like a salted fish that had given up on resisting, with Cheng Mofei on top of him.

Cheng Mofei sat on him, in a good mood, and asked with a smile, “Do you admit defeat?”

Shen Yu: "..."

He had really had enough of these "straight man" games.

Shen Yu gave in, saying, “I admit defeat, go ahead.”

He wasn’t actually opposed to Cheng Mofei’s touch; his earlier resistance was just a reflex, a subconscious reaction. 

What he didn’t expect was that Cheng Mofei got even more excited, and they started “fighting” in a playful way.

But Cheng Mofei, upon hearing this, released his hold and got off him, saying calmly, “These kinds of things need to be mutually consensual.”

Consent my foot…

Shen Yu: “I’m very willing.”

Cheng Mofei gave him a look that clearly said, “Do you think I believe you?” Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he said, “You’re from the South, you’ve probably never been to a bathhouse in the North, right?”

Shen Yu sat up from the couch and smoothed out his wrinkled clothes, saying, “No.”

That was indeed true.

Even in his past life, after living in Yancheng City for so many years, he had never been.

It wasn’t because he didn’t want to, but because after they got together, Cheng Mofei didn’t let him go. He even bought special bath tools at home and personally gave him a scrub.

After all, in a bathhouse, everyone was straightforward, and Shen Yu didn’t mind it. But Cheng Mofei, on the other hand, always seemed to get inexplicably jealous.

Though he had heard that during a proper scrub, they would clean every part of the body, very thoroughly—inside and out, from top to bottom—and sometimes it even caused a reaction.

No wonder Cheng Mofei didn’t feel much about mutual help between good brothers. He probably associated it with the similar touches in the bathhouse.

He had miscalculated.

Cheng Mofei grinned. “Next time, I’ll take you to get scrubbed. You won’t be so shy then. We’re all grown men; there’s nothing we can’t touch.”

Shen Yu couldn’t help but scoff inwardly, but he just said, “Alright.”

With the topic so abruptly diverted, it was impossible to return to the earlier discussion about the second and third male leads in the movie.

Cheng Mofei turned off the projector while opening the door to the movie room. He glanced back at Shen Yu, who was still standing in place, and suddenly said, “Are you a little unhappy?”

He spoke in a very short, straightforward way, which was unusual for him.

Shen Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

Had Cheng Mofei noticed something?

But Cheng Mofei naturally walked behind him, gave his shoulders a playful squeeze, and gently nudged him toward the door, saying, “Don’t be unhappy, next time I’ll let you have a turn.”

Shen Yu: "..."

Now, he was truly unhappy.

When it came to stirring up his emotions, Cheng Mofei was always a master.

Stepping from the darkness of the movie room into the sunlit hallway, Shen Yu squinted slightly as the brightness hit him, and he could feel the hands behind him guiding him forward even more clearly.

It wasn’t rushed, just in sync with his pace and steps, pushing him onward.

It felt just like in his past life when Cheng Mofei had gently guided him step by step from the darkness into the light.

When he turned around, the person was always there.

As his eyes gradually adjusted to the daylight, Cheng Mofei led him into the familiar bedroom.

While Shen Yu took a moment to observe, Cheng Mofei opened his laptop, handed him a controller, and asked, “Want to play something?”

The games on the screen were ones Shen Yu had almost all played before—games Cheng Mofei had introduced him to in his past life.

Shen Yu selected a two-player PvP game, one he was particularly good at, intending to take his revenge in the game.

However, after such a long time without playing, he was a bit rusty and lost the first round.

Luckily, after warming up in that round, he won the second round against Cheng Mofei.

He won the third round too.

Though it was a close win, Shen Yu felt much more at ease inside.

Playing the same game for too long got boring, so Shen Yu chose a different one.

Cheng Mofei sat beside him, watching as Shen Yu selected a game, and casually remarked, “You’re pretty good, have you played this before?”

Shen Yu gave a light hum and answered casually, “Someone taught me.”

To Shen Yu's surprise, Cheng Mofei began probing deeper, asking, “Who? A friend?”

Shen Yu blinked, paused for a second, and replied, “Mm, a very good friend.”

Cheng Mofei opened his mouth, seemingly about to ask something else, but then saw that Shen Yu had already selected a new game and was ready to start.

The new game was a cooperative one, requiring two people to work together to clear levels. They teamed up well and breezed through the levels, breaking several records.

Cheng Mofei had played cooperative games with others before, but he had never cooperated so well with anyone as he did with Shen Yu.

Shen Yu murmured, “Why can’t we get the perfect clearance on this level? I used to get it in one go.”

Used to... get the perfect clearance with that friend?

He hadn’t gotten it with him.

For some reason, Cheng Mofei felt an inexplicable lump in his chest. His competitive spirit sparked into a small flame, and he pressed the ready button, saying, “Let’s try again.”

“Okay.”

Finally, on the third try, the two of them managed to achieve the perfect clearance.

Shen Yu was really happy.

In his past life, they had probably gotten the perfect clearance on the first try because Cheng Mofei had played through the game once himself, then played it with him, so it had gone smoothly.

This time, Cheng Mofei had never played it before, and they truly cleared it together for the first time. The experience was entirely different.

But Cheng Mofei still seemed a little down. He asked, “Is there any game you haven’t played?”

Shen Yu searched for a while, then shook his head, “Seems like I’ve played them all.”

They were all from Cheng Mofei’s game library. They had been together for seven years, and over time, they had tried almost all of them, more or less.

"Then..." Cheng Mofei suddenly picked up his phone, "What about mobile games? PUBG, Honor of Kings, have you played those?"

The two most popular mobile games at the moment were PUBG and Honor of Kings.

Shen Yu was about to say he'd played them, but then remembered it was actually Cheng Mofei who had introduced him to those games in his past life. 

Right now, he didn’t even have a game account set up, and his cracked, old phone wasn’t convenient for playing. 

So, he told a small lie: "No, but I’ve seen others play and know a little about them."

Cheng Mofei leaned his phone against him and asked, "Which one do you want to play? I’ll call Xiao Xiong and Xinghe and get them online to play three-player squads. I’ll teach you."

Shen Yu thought for a moment. "Honor of Kings."

PUBG required wearing headphones to hear nearby sounds, which wasn’t very convenient for the two of them. Plus, he felt a little dizzy with 3D games.

"Okay." Cheng Mofei immediately went into the group chat to gather people.

It was Sunday, so there were no classes. Plus, it was around three or four in the afternoon, and everyone was likely awake.

As soon as Cheng Mofei typed in the group chat, everyone quickly responded when they heard he was bringing Shen Yu to play.

People were always interested in helping a newbie, probably due to some "teacher's gene" or a desire to guide others.

Cheng Mofei logged into his own account, handed his phone to Shen Yu, and casually leaned in. He rested his chin lightly on Shen Yu’s shoulder.

Since it was the middle of the season, all of their accounts were at a high rank. With the intention of teaching someone new, they didn’t start ranked matches and instead opened a normal matchmaking room.

As soon as they entered the room, Sun Xinghe spoke up, “Hold on, let me bring my girlfriend in too. She’s logging in now, and she’s a newbie as well. It’s a good chance to teach her together.”

"Okay," Xiao Xiong replied, "When are you coming back tonight? If you’re back early, could you bring me dinner?"

Sun Xinghe, who was clearly still out with his girlfriend, answered, "We’ll grab dinner and then take a walk back, probably around six or seven. She has something to do later. Let me know what you want to eat, and I’ll pick it up."

"Got it."

While waiting, Cheng Mofei took the opportunity to give Shen Yu a brief introduction to the game, explaining the map, the lanes, and the gameplay.

Soon, Sun Xinghe's account, marked with a couple's avatar, entered the room. The microphone wasn’t on, but Shen Yu could hear faint sounds of the girl’s voice on Sun Xinghe's side.

"Everyone's here, let's start," Sun Xinghe said.

The match began, and they entered the hero selection phase.

Sun Xinghe picked the jungler, and his girlfriend selected a mage. The random players picked the top lane, leaving only the marksman and support positions open.

Xiao Xiong didn’t pick immediately. Instead, he asked, "Does Xiao Shen want to play marksman or support? I’m fine with either, I can just fill the role."

Shen Yu replied, "Support."

"Any hero you want to play?" Cheng Mofei asked.

Without thinking, Shen Yu instinctively said, "Yao..."

Before he finished speaking, he quickly corrected himself, "Maybe a support that can heal."

His heart started to race quietly.

Luckily, when Shen Yu opened the support list, he quickly scanned it and didn’t see the familiar pink hero icon. He remembered that it was 2018, and the hero Yao, who could ride on teammates' heads, hadn’t been released yet.

Fortunately, Cheng Mofei didn’t notice anything odd and said, “Then go with Cai Wenji. The one in green, she’s a healer and can restore health.”

“Alright.” Shen Yu quickly selected her.

Since this was a teaching match, it was, of course, full of instruction.

There were two newbies on the team, and Sun Xinghe’s girlfriend was naturally under his guidance.

Because of this, everyone occasionally heard the sweet, affectionate voice of Sun Xinghe over the mic:

"Baby, don’t hide in this bush, you don’t have flash, the enemy jungler will gank and you won’t be able to escape."

"Careful, baby, someone’s coming."

"You can use your skill to check the bush first. If there’s no one there, go ahead. Yeah, that’s it."

"Got a kill! Baby, you’re amazing."

...

Xiao Xiong was on the other end of the line, laughing so hard his mouth almost split from ear to ear.

When Sun Xinghe comes back tonight, Shen Yu is sure that Xiao Xiong will be calling him "baby" all night just to tease him.

Both Shen Yu and Cheng Mofei were smiling.

Watching others in love was truly amusing.

Suddenly, Shen Yu heard a voice by his ear: "There’s someone in the bush, baby, hurry up and move."

Shen Yu’s hand twitched, and he turned a quarter of a circle on the spot. The three enemies lying in the bush caught him off guard and executed a combo, taking him down instantly.

Shen Yu: "…"

He stared blankly at his character's corpse on the screen for a few seconds, then finally realized what had happened. He glared at the person who had casually rested his chin on his shoulder and was grinning mischievously.

His heart, which had secretly sped up, was loudly proclaiming something.

That "baby" had been Cheng Mofei speaking to him.

"Damn, it’s still our Cheng Mofei who’s the most flirty," Xiao Xiong burst out laughing on the mic, and without realizing it, he was also killed by the three enemies under the tower.

Xiao Xiong: "…"

Sun Xinghe also heard Cheng Mofei mimicking him, calling Shen Yu "baby." He glanced at his girlfriend, sitting across from him, and noticed that she was also trying to hold back her laughter, without any signs of feeling embarrassed. 

So, he didn’t comment.

The better the relationship between people, the more playful and mischievous they tend to be. Sun Xinghe had long since introduced his girlfriend to his roommates, and if they had the chance, he planned to have a meal together. 

Getting comfortable with each other beforehand wouldn’t hurt.

With no one stopping him, Cheng Mofei became even bolder.

When Shen Yu accidentally secured a kill with a basic attack, Cheng Mofei said, "Baby got a kill, so impressive."

When Shen Yu used his second skill to scout the bush and successfully led Xiao Xiong to avoid the enemy’s ambush, Cheng Mofei said, "Baby’s awareness is amazing."

When Shen Yu used his ultimate to heal a teammate with only a sliver of health left, Cheng Mofei said, "Baby’s the number one healer in the server."

...

Shen Yu endured again and again, but finally, he couldn’t take it any longer. As soon as his hero died, he tossed the phone into Cheng Mofei’s lap, quickly stood up, and said, "I’m done. I’m going to the bathroom."

Cheng Mofei, grinning, picked up the phone, but when he looked up again, Shen Yu had already marched into the bathroom, slammed the door shut, and locked it.

Shen Yu, from the safety of the bathroom, couldn’t help but feel his ears burning with embarrassment, a clear giveaway that he was flustered. 

He saw his reflection in the mirror, noting how red his ears had become. He quickly splashed cold water on his face, trying to cool them down, but his heart was still racing.

His eyelashes fluttered nervously.

He knew Cheng Mofei was just teasing him for fun. But he couldn't shake the feeling that his response was too noticeable, that it might raise some suspicions.

Despite knowing this, he couldn’t seem to control his body. Perhaps it was because of some absence of parental affection in his childhood that he found himself unusually fond of terms of endearment like "baby." 

He liked it, especially when Cheng Mofei said it to him.

Each time Cheng Mofei called him "baby," his heart nearly skipped a beat. It was getting harder to ignore the effect it had on him.

If this kept up, Shen Yu feared things might spiral out of control, so he had to escape—temporarily—by locking himself in the bathroom.

Shen Yu knew he couldn't hide in the bathroom for too long—it would seem strange. He took a deep breath, adjusted his hair to cover his still-warm ears, and stepped out of the bathroom.

As he emerged, he overheard Cheng Mofei on the phone with one of his roommates, talking about the upcoming National Day holidays.

"National Day? I might not be able to make it to the dinner. My parents have already planned to take me abroad. My mom wants to see a musical, and we’ll be traveling for seven days. If everything goes well, we’ll be back on the night of the 7th, but if there are any delays, I might need to ask for leave on the 8th."

The mention of the holiday immediately eased the heat that had surged in Shen Yu’s chest. He pursed his lips tightly and walked over to sit beside Cheng Mofei.

Cheng Mofei noticed him and turned, grinning apologetically. "I won't tease you anymore. Go ahead and play, I'll keep teaching you."

But Shen Yu shook his head, clearly disinterested. "You play. I'll just watch."

Seeing that Shen Yu wasn't in the mood to play, Cheng Mofei didn’t push him. He casually picked a lane and started a new match, choosing the solo lane for himself.

Shen Yu found himself absentmindedly staring at the screen, his mind drifting back to the conversation he'd just overheard. This wasn’t the first time he'd heard about his National Day plans.

Just now, when Cheng Mofei mentioned going abroad for a trip, he suddenly remembered something.

In his previous life, Cheng Mofei had a scar about ten centimeters long on his right arm, which was left after an accident when he was traveling abroad during the National Day holiday in university. 

At the time, he was so focused on feeling sorry for himself that he didn’t pay attention to the fact that it happened during the National Day trip in his senior year, but Cheng Mofei had mentioned that it occurred on the way back after watching a musical. 

It was highly likely that this was the same trip.

The scar had left particularly visible stitch marks even after so many years, which made it clear how painful it must have been when he was hit.

Shen Yu quickly glanced at Cheng Mofei’s current right arm. It was muscular, the skin was smooth, and there were no scars at all.

He had to prevent this accident from happening.

As Shen Yu was lost in thought, the phone in his hand rang with consecutive “Double Kill,” “Quadra Kill,” “Penta Kill,” and “Ace” notifications.

The person holding the phone suddenly turned and spoke with a hint of unabashed pride in his voice, “Pretty awesome, right? Aren’t you going to praise me?”

Shen Yu quickly realized that Cheng Mofei had gotten a pentakill and wiped out the opposing team.

Shen Yu chuckled lightly, remembering how he had been teased earlier, and replied, “Baby, you’re amazing.”

Shen Yu's lips were thin, slightly curled, and so close that they parted and pressed together with each movement.

Cheng Mofei turned back with a smile, contentedly pushing down the opposing crystal and securing the victory.

He really held a grudge.

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