Chapter 46 - Love Song on Ice 3
Love Song on Ice 3
It was already mealtime, so there were already a lot of people gathered in the locker room.
The moment Chi Xiaochi stepped inside, his vision was filled with long, shiny, pale legs.
The people in the dressing room only spared Chi Xiaochi, who’d just entered, a quick, sweeping glance before going on with their discussion about which one of the girls on the team looked the best, their debate on whether A’s attractiveness or B’s attractiveness was more worthy of an 8 in full swing.
Guided by Dong Ge’s memories, Chi Xiaochi found his locker.
To a child, this should be his most secret place.
After opening it up, Chi Xiaochi carefully examined the simple objects inside.
Dong Ge’s locker was really only used to store his clothes, shoes and socks. There weren’t any posters of sports stars, no hidden porn stash, no electronics like mp3 players, there wasn’t even a keychain. The keys in his jacket were simply held together by a little metal ring, distressingly simple.
Chi Xiaochi stripped out of the tight-fitting clothes on his body, and sighed, “……No wonder.”
061 knew what he wanted to say.
The original host Dong Ge was impeccable professionally, but his personal world was truly too closed up and barren.
No wonder when he saw just the tiniest hint of light, he rushed to it like a moth to a flame.
But right now, 061 wasn’t too concerned about the original host. He was more concerned about Chi Xiaochi’s mental state.
Just now, when He Changsheng had let out that “Lou-ge”, he noticed the terrible state Chi Xiaochi had been thrown into.
He asked, “Are you alright?”
Chi Xiaochi put on a down jacket. As he was tidying up his sleeves, he spoke, “……That person is a lot like Lou-ge. But he’s absolutely not Lou-ge.”
061 didn’t quite know whether to laugh or cry.
He said, “I wasn’t asking about Lou Ying. I was asking about you.”
“When I was young I was also bullied like this,” Chi Xiaochi didn’t answer his question. He spoke very quickly, “That trick just now was taught to me by Lou-ge. Lou-ge even taught me that if I was locked by someone in a tight space, it would be easier to escape by kicking the door close to the lock; if that person were him, he definitely wouldn’t help speak for Xue Yibo’s group, if it was him……”
061 gently but firmly interrupted him, “……Xiaochi.”
Chi Xiaochi closed his eyes. He reached for the locker and grabbed the tin door, his fingertips turning white from the force.
After a while, he finally wrested back control over his emotions, “Sorry. What did you say just now?”
061 didn’t ask, “I said we should go eat.”
Chi Xiaochi zipped up his down jacket. “Let’s go, then.”
As he followed the crowd to the canteen, Chi Xiaochi re-adjusted his mood, looking much more normal.
As he picked up the cutlery and stood in line for the dishes, he looked around, helping Dong Ge study the faces of each and every acquaintance.
From the accent of the cook serving them food, he seemed to be someone from Sichuan. He was particularly friendly, speaking one or two lines to everyone.
Children of this age never knew to care about other people’s emotions. The person standing in front of Dong Ge was constantly chatting with his friends. As he received his dishes, “this” and “that” were flying everywhere with his pointing finger. No one cared about the old man who was wearing a mask but was exceptionally eager to start up a conversation.
Soon, it was Chi Xiaochi’s turn.
The cook chatted with him, “Whatcher want today? Dis old man will get it for yer.”
Chi Xiaochi said, “I want a cut o’ ground meat, less peppah please.”
The cook’s eyes lit up. He gave him a big spoonful of eggplants with less juice and more vegetables, an ample portion.
“Kiddo, you’re from Sichuan too?”
“Native.”
The cook gave him a thumbs-up, “That’s a good accent.”
Chi Xiaochi said, “The Sichuan dialect is so vivid.”
061 couldn’t stop laughing.
Chi Xiaochi said, “Whatchu laughing at.”
061 felt like Chi Xiaochi was especially cute, but praising a big man for being cute would always be a little weird.
So he said, “Your Sichuan dialect sounds very natural.”
Chi Xiaochi said, “It’s simple, isn’t it all Chinese?”
……That was true.
According to 061’s observations, Chi Xiaochi’s social skills and his ability to learn were terrifyingly strong.
Before Chi Xiaochi entered the system, he had appeared on a variety show as a flyby guest. The variety show was located in Changsha. While doing his task, after just offhandedly hearing a few lines of the local dialect, he could chat with the people there in the local dialect.
The most amazing part was, up until they finished the task, both the locals helping out thought he was a native.
However, it was strange that such an interesting person ran his life so cleanly and simply, never willing to climb the social ladder by forming friendly relations with anyone else in the circle.
His meal tray in his hands, Chi Xiaochi looked around left and right, saw Xue Yibo and his little group who had just changed clothes and made a beeline over to them, placing his tray next to Xue Yibo’s.
Xue Yibo’s face had received quite a heavy beating. His cheeks were slightly swollen, making him look like a groundhog.
Upon noticing who was approaching, Xue Yibo’s eyes bulged out of their sockets, “What are you doing sitting here?”
Chi Xiaochi picked up his chopsticks. “Is there anyone sitting here?”
Xue Yibo, “……No.”
Chi Xiaochi, “En.”
After that, he began to eat, minding his own business, not paying any attention to the people around him that were staring at each other in bewilderment.
Xue Yibo and his group exchanged looks for a while. Through eye contact, they unanimously agreed, that Dong Ge wasn’t at all scared of them and if they turned and ran, it would be them losing their share.
So they each gritted their teeth and began to eat, but would occasionally glance over at Dong Ge from the corners of their eyes.
After a while, Xue Yibo truly couldn’t take this silence anymore and tentatively asked, “Dong Ge, how do you know Fan-ge?”
To them, this group of kids, Lou Sifan was like an idol.
And the Dong Ge who Lou Sifan knew, in their eyes, also gained a slight legendary air.
Chi Xiaochi took a bite of eggplant.
In the original host, Dong Ge’s memories, after he had been soaked, Lou Sifan appeared and before this group of bear children, took Dong Ge away. He hadn’t brought up the fact that they knew each other.
Afterwards, this group of bear children became uneasy and got Dong Ge’s roommate to ask Dong Ge, what kind of relationship did he have with Lou Sifan.
At that time, Dong Ge answered honestly, “We aren’t familiar.”
This sentence put Xue Yibo and the rest’s hearts at ease, and let them confirm that Dong Ge had no background.He just had the fortune of being saved by Lou Sifan by a stroke of good dog’s luck.
From then on, Dong Ge was once again subjected to a lot of bullying by them, both in the dark and in broad daylight.
This time, Chi Xiaochi, who had taken over Dong Ge’s body, said, “You’re talking about Lou Sifan, huh.”
Xue Yibo sucked in a breath of cold air.
……He actually dared to call Fan-ge by his full name?
After arousing their appetite, Chi Xiaochi lightly added a sentence, “……We aren’t familiar.”
An answer that was exactly the same as in the past timeline, but which received an entirely different result.
Xue Yibo and the rest immediately let out looks of deep veneration.
Xue Yibo said, “What do you mean not familiar? Fan-ge even remembers your name.”
Chi Xiaochi said, “It’s not like my name is hard to remember.”
To a group of schoolchildren who’d just graduated and come to this closed-off place, the power of authority was overwhelming. The instructors were number one, followed by the seniors.
For instance, for this line of “my name’s not hard to remember”, under normal circumstances, Chi Xiaochi would be scolded for “not knowing how to appreciate others’ kindness” and “arguing for the sake of arguing”. But now, with Lou Sifan’s support, it instantly gave him a hint of elegant indifference.
To Chi Xiaochi, scaring this group of bear children was easy.
They all shut their mouths, directing reverent gazes towards Chi Xiaochi.
After successfully curing their brattiness, Chi Xiaochi said to 061, “Send me the rest of this world’s information.”
061, “Okay.”
The next half of Dong Ge’s life passed like a carousel of paper horses on a rotating lantern before his eyes.
Before seeing what had happened, Chi Xiaochi had already made numerous assumptions based on the existing information, such as Dong Ge’s unrequited love for Lou Sifan, such as Lou Sifan being a pervert who liked to groom young shotas.
However, even Chi Xiaochi hadn’t imagined that the future matters would be like this.
Because of the strong expectations and persistence in his heart, Dong Ge set a new record for the youngest player to move from the youth division to the adult division.
At 15 years and 4 months, he was five months younger than what Lou Sifan was when he joined the adult team.
On the day he was told he could enter the adult division, Dong Ge hid in the toilet, both crying and smiling.
When he was 11 years old, Lou-ge had saved Dong Ge at his most helpless, but he had nothing and could only repay him through his achievements.
Now, he’d finally caught up to him.
After entering the adult team, he and Lou Sifan lived together, practiced together, and trained for the same difficult maneuvers together.
Although the distance between them was getting shorter and shorter, to the point where he already had the slight potential to surpass him, Dong Ge was still used to looking up to Lou Sifan.
But since his body had started to mature, he began thinking more and his desire became stronger.
Dong Ge wasn’t good at expressing his feelings through words, so he could only do so through actions.
He helped Lou Sifan wash his shoes and socks, helped him buy meals and bring them to his dorm, showed him his training notes, and brought him along to watch the competitions of his favourite skaters.
Dong Ge, who had never been sensitive to his emotions, didn’t know what it was he was feeling. He just did what his heart told him to do, sharing his life with him.
Lou Sifan, kind and gentle as always, never refused him and even often encouraged and praised him.
“Thanks Xiao Ge~”
“The food is delicious, but if next time I could try your own cooking, that would be even better.”
“Xiao Ge, your handwriting is beautiful.”
“You also like him? That’s great, our hearts really are linked as one.”
He even dragged along He Changsheng, joking around with him in front of Dong Ge, “Xiao Ge is so virtuous, in the future, sister-in-law will surely live a happy and prosperous life.”
He Changsheng glanced at Dong Ge. “He’s not bad.”
Dong Ge didn’t really like He Changsheng.
To talk about it in detail, the reason was a little childish.
—— Lou Sifan’s eyes always lit up whenever he looked at He Changsheng, but He Changsheng was always indifferent towards Lou Sifan, with a slight hint of ‘a gentleman’s friendship was as mild as water’.
Dong Ge felt like this kind of relationship was far too unequal and very unfair to Lou Sifan.
But he didn’t have the right to comment on the friendship between the two. He could only stand off to the side, silently watching.
He used to think he would spend the rest of his life as just an unknown admirer.
He never thought that an accident would occur, pulling him into the rushing torrents of fate.
The year Dong Ge turned 19, Lou Sifan and Dong Ge participated in a National Grand Prix together.
Because of a mistake, Lou Sifan was begrudgingly defeated, only getting third place, while first place fell into Dong Ge’s hands.
But at the celebration banquet, there was a very strange scene: The champion kept blocking drinks for third place, accepting every person that came for him, not refusing even once.
……This was just because that day, before the banquet, he’d heard Lou Sifan tell He Changsheng that he had a bit of a stomach ache.
This was Dong Ge’s first time drinking alcohol. He didn’t know his limits, stubbornly helping Lou Sifan block three whole bottles of Chinese liquor and one whole bottle of foreign wine.
Only halfway through the banquet, Dong Ge, without any suspense, collapsed.
After the celebration banquet ended, he hazily felt himself being picked up by another person who was also stinking of alcohol and brought back to his dorm.
Due to becoming too old, Dong Ge’s roommate had retired and moved, so there was no one else staying in Dong Ge’s dorm room.
He leaned into that person’s chest, hugging him tightly, unwilling to let go. In a small voice, he called out, “Lou-ge, Lou-ge.”
That person had also had quite a few drinks, and under Dong Ge’s subconscious movements, his body also started to heat up.
That night, muddled and confused under the influence of alcohol, Dong Ge only felt himself being split in half from the middle.
When he came to his senses and saw Lou Sifan, his naked body entangled with his, his entire person was struck dumb.
There were more boys and fewer girls in the sports school, and Dong Ge had also heard a few anecdotes about two boys kissing in the woods, but he never thought that when it came to him, he would actually directly hit a home run.
Unexpectedly, he didn’t feel upset about this situation, only scared that Lou Sifan would distance himself because of this.
Under Dong Ge’s unwavering stare, Lou Sifan soon followed in waking up.
Seeing Dong Ge, his entire body covered in mottled green and purple marks, Lou Sifan realised what had happened. For a moment, his expression sank to a frightening depth.
He got off of the bed, and asked, unable to look him in the eye, “……You’re alright, right?”
This was Dong Ge’s first time, and Lou Sifan hadn’t made any sufficient preparations. It was especially painful, so painful that he couldn’t stand straight, but he still forced out a smile. “I’m alright, I’m alright.”
Lou Sifan got up and went out to the balcony. He lit a cigarette.
Dong Ge curled up on the bed for a long time before being able to muster up some strength and get up. He pretended to be very experienced in making beds, folding up the sheets stained with blood and cum, thinking about whether to throw them away or clean them.
He tried his best to distract himself with those kinds of trivial matters, because he didn’t dare to think about what Lou Sifan was going to think about him.
Although he had always been warm and gentle to him, did he really like men?
Would he be disgusted by him? Or would he……
When he was enveloped in a warm embrace from behind, Dong Ge, who had been lost in his thoughts, stiffened.
Lou Sifan whispered into his ear, saying, “Why’d you get up?”
Dong Ge breathed through his nose. He suppressed his emotions, then spoke, “……I’m tidying the bed.”
Lou Sifan said tenderly, “Leave it. I’ll do it.”
Dong Ge, “Lou-ge……”
“Shh, shh,” Lou Sifan said, “I was the one who was wrong. I shouldn’t have been so rough with you. Taking care of you is what I should be doing.”
Dong Ge immediately said, “No, I was willing.”
Lou Sifan laughed. The almost imperceptible smell of smoke on the corner of his lips made Dong Ge shiver.
He said, “Then how do you know that I wasn’t willing.”
Dong Ge was stunned for a moment, then his heart filled with an enormous sense of joy. “……Lou-ge……”
Lou Sifan changed the topic, “I know how you feel, but the coach asked me not to get into a relationship. So, we won’t be able to make it public. I’m afraid I’ll have to wrong you.”
Because of his first-class appearance and a high approachability, Lou Sifan had a very good public image. He had many young female fans confess to him, saying that they wanted to marry him.
Lou Sifan said these words in a soft, slow voice, so how could Dong Ge dare to not listen?
He nodded. “En, I understand.”
Lou Sifan patted him on the head, and laughed, “Good boy.”
Since then, Dong Ge became Lou Sifan’s secret little lover.
He was a cold beauty on the ice, only willing to bloom in Lou Sifan’s embrace.
On countless nights, Dong Ge would wake up from his endless pain and fatigue, caress the back of the person lying before him, and tremble with happiness.
This was the back he had been constantly chasing.
Now, he was right by his side. With just a stretch of his hand, he could reach him.
Was there anything happier than this?
Lou Sifan was good in every way. The only thorn in Dong Ge’s heart was that “Changsheng”, whose name, after becoming familiar with him, often fell from his lips.
“Changsheng practiced his basics for more than three hours today, how long did you practice?”
“You should eat a little more of this, Changsheng really likes it.”
“In the past, Changsheng also practiced single skating, later on……”
Lou Sifan talked about He Changsheng as casually as he ate or drank water.
Dong Ge had a proud temperament, and originally never liked being compared to anyone. After bearing with it a couple times, he asked Lou Sifan, “Lou-ge, who do you think is better, me or He-ge?”
Lou Sifan had just finished up with training and was resting and drinking some water on the sidelines. He was rather surprised by this sudden question of Dong Ge’s. “Why are you asking this?”
“I……”
Lou Sifan said sternly, “I don’t want you to compare yourself to other people.”
Dong Ge didn’t say anything, but his heart felt both sweet and sour, his mood incredibly complex.
The sour part was, it was clearly always Lou Sifan often comparing the two of them, and making it seem like he couldn’t compare to He Changsheng in any way.
The sweet part was, Lou Sifan still cared for him, not wanting him to undervalue himself.
But, only after a long time did Dong Ge finally find out, the person Lou Sifan really cared about in that sentence, wasn’t “you”, but was rather “other people”.
Chi Xiaochi read through all of Dong Ge’s memories once. Just as he was planning on taking a moment to sort out all the main points, he saw the coach walk into the canteen, and beckon him over.
Chi Xiaochi came over.
The coach said, “Your mother called.”
Chi Xiaochi started slightly, “What? What happened?”
In Dong Ge’s memories, it was clear that his mother seldom contacted him after he entered the school.
First Lou Sifan mentioned previously seeing him feed a small yellow dog, now Dong Ge’s mother suddenly called. None of these incidents had occurred in Dong Ge’s original memories.
……Too many anomalies had appeared today.
As Chi Xiaochi pondered over this, he followed the coach to his office and picked up that unexpected phone call.
The contents of which were even more unexpected.
“……Little uncle?”
“Yeah,” Madam Dong said, “You’re already so old, how are you still so insensitive? I already told you to go find your uncle if you have any trouble. You said okay, but then you didn’t even call once. Your uncle contacted your dad today, saying that you’ve been in Binzhou for so long, but haven’t gone to find him once, and he was even quite worried. Tonight, he’s going to take you home for a meal, you two have a good talk. I already asked your coach to excuse you, don’t tell me that you don’t want to go.”
Chi Xiaochi was silent for a moment, preserving the setting of the Dong Ge whose words were as valuable as gold. “En, okay.”
He searched through Dong Ge’s memories, but couldn’t find even a single hint of this “uncle”.
He asked 061, “Who is this?”
061 said, “Probably an NPC.”
Chi Xiaochi thought for a moment. He felt like there was something a little off.
No matter how alienated Dong Ge’s parents were from him, in the end, he was still their own child. It didn’t make any sense for them to be not in the least concerned for him. If they had relatives in Binzhou who could help out, why was it that when the original host was alive, he had never seen this “uncle” appear even once?