The cold white fluorescent lights fell on Shen Kuangye's face. They should have felt icy and distant, but Lu Xiangyang found them unusually gentle.
Shen Kuangye's words left him a little stunned.
"What do you mean, from now on I can only call you 'brother'?"
Shen Kuangye looked at him, seeing the slightly dazed expression on his face, and couldn't help but smile a little. He teased, "You don't want to?"
"I do!"
Lu Xiangyang immediately answered, afraid that if he hesitated, Shen Kuangye would take back what he had just said.
Unsatisfied with his first response, he repeated it, making sure to sound sincere:
"…I do."
This was way too easy for someone to take advantage of.
Shen Kuangye thought calmly.
Not only that, a subtle irritation flared in his chest. He couldn't help but wonder: if in the future someone else said the same thing, would Lu Xiangyang obediently agree just like this?
"Really?"
Shen Kuangye said softly. "Then say it once now, let me hear it."
He lowered his gaze, quietly watching Lu Xiangyang, not realizing that the corners of his lips had already curved up slightly.
Lu Xiangyang lifted his head slightly to look at him. His cheeks slowly flushed, and he clenched his hands tightly, summoning all his courage to quietly say, "Brother."
The boy's voice was clean and pleasant, obedient in a way that made Shen Kuangye's heart skip irregularly, uncontrollably.
He felt his throat go dry.
After saying it, Lu Xiangyang felt his face burning. To hide his embarrassment, he quickly lowered his head and muttered a vague excuse: "It's time for ranked matches. I'll go play now."
Shen Kuangye instinctively replied with an "Mm." After Lu Xiangyang walked away, he slowly reached out to touch his own chest.
It was still pounding intensely.
What was wrong with him?
Shen Kuangye frowned. He thought he should get his heart checked sometime—surely there couldn't be a problem with this body too, right?
When Shen Kuangye went downstairs, the lounge was almost empty. It was the off-season, and everyone preferred staying in their rooms playing other games.
There was a saying in IVL: You can encounter Identity V professional players in any game other than Identity V itself.
Only Lu Xiangyang was sitting in his dedicated training chair, focused on ranked matches.
Even though it was the end of the season, he still almost never skipped a day.
Shen Kuangye opened the in-game leaderboard and checked his rank, giving the second-place player a star or two.
He then naturally sat in the training chair next to Lu Xiangyang, their seats were always side by side.
At that moment, Lu Xiangyang was at the most intense part of the match—three full-health Hunters standing at the gate—and his expression was exceptionally focused.
Shen Kuangye didn't speak, just tilted his head, observing how Lu Xiangyang would handle it.
The opposing Survivors were skilled, too. Shen Kuangye recognized the IDs—they were old familiar names from past professional leagues.
In the end, Lu Xiangyang secured a three-kill victory.
He let out a relaxed breath, only then noticing that Shen Kuangye was right beside him, so close that if he tilted his head, their noses could almost touch.
Shen Kuangye didn't think the proximity was a problem, but he observed Lu Xiangyang's reaction—his eyes widened slightly, as if startled, and he shifted to the side, looking like he might topple over any second.
Fearing he might fall, Shen Kuangye quickly reached out to steady his waist, righting him.
"Did I scare you?" Shen Kuangye asked. "I'm sorry."
"No, no, you didn't scare me. I just…" Lu Xiangyang's mind raced, finally finding an excuse: "My legs just went numb. I wasn't sitting properly."
That was true. Lu Xiangyang often sat cross-legged in his chair, which made his legs go numb easily.
"I see."
Shen Kuangye thought for a moment and asked, "Do you want me to massage them?"
He reached out, but Lu Xiangyang stopped him.
"No, no, it'll be fine soon," he said, his voice tinged with nervousness.
Shen Kuangye could only withdraw his hand.
Lu Xiangyang wanted to say more, but his phone buzzed, he had found a match. He had to focus on banning characters first.
Shen Kuangye, with nothing else to do, opened a match as well.
The matchmaking was fast for a top-tier human. After a few games, Shen Kuangye got into the rhythm, even performing best in several rounds.
After one match, a mercenary asked him, "You're really good. Can we be friends?"
Shen Kuangye replied, "No."
The mercenary: "Waaah. [Jack frustrated.jpg]"
Cheerleader: "So cold… Feels like Maodou might break."
Composer: "Poor Maodou."
Noisy player: "Poor Maodou."
(T/N: "Maoduo" (毛豆) literally means edamame or soybean, used here as a cute nickname—like calling someone "Little Bean.")
Shen Kuangye didn't linger. Another ranked match began.
Then he heard a small "Mm" from beside him.
He glanced and, as luck would have it, they had matched together.
Shen Kuangye, or rather the original owner of the ID, used a slightly poetic name: The Curse of Narcissus.
He sometimes wondered what the ID meant, though not enough to look it up.
In his eyes, it wasn't worth spending time on.
Shen Kuangye didn't even pay attention to Lu Xiangyang's character choice—firstly, it felt unethical, and secondly… he could probably guess anyway. No one knew Lu Xiangyang better than he did.
This time, the mercenary from before persisted: "Really, can't I add you? You even turned off friend requests."
Explorer: "Same, I'm the top-tier Priest, also want to add, your skill is so good."
Mechanic: "?"
Shen Kuangye couldn't ignore them, so he made an excuse: "Friends list is full."
Mercenary: "Fine (leaves sadly)."
Explorer: "Fine (leaves sadly, leans on Maodou's shoulder)."
Shen Kuangye: "..."
This match was on Moonlit River.
The Mechanic was immediately found and downed by Red Butterfly.
The mercenary rescued them but got double-downed after a network lag.
The Explorer observed the last cipher machine but gave up because the machine was insufficient.
Three Survivors at the gate, Shen Kuangye's Acrobat was trapped near the second slide by Red Butterfly, right next to the basement.
It should have been a balanced game, but from Lu Xiangyang's positioning, Shen Kuangye knew he was planning to send his Acrobat to the basement.
Once his teammates left, he quickly clicked surrender.
He still had a spinning wheel and a red orb to gamble with, but Lu Xiangyang had been winning all night; one crushing defeat might dampen his morale, so Shen Kuangye refrained.
After the match, the mercenary still whined, wanting to add him. Shen Kuangye politely declined.
While waiting for the car, Lu Xiangyang watched Shen Kuangye play, his gaze inevitably lingering on Shen Kuangye's fair, long hands.
When his phone buzzed, he returned his attention to the screen.
He saw the map: Lakeview Village. He quickly banned the mercenary and Priest.
At the end of the season, he wanted to relax, so he rewarded himself with a Red Butterfly pick.
Once the bans were set, he noticed the Survivors and subconsciously glanced at Shen Kuangye, who was focused on swapping characters.
They matched again with Shen Kuangye and the mercenary.
Since the mercenary was banned, Lu Xiangyang chose the Forward instead. He didn't ask to be friends this time, just sent a sad, whining emoji.
Shen Kuangye seemed to notice his gaze, confirmed the match, and slightly turned his head.
Though a small motion, it startled Lu Xiangyang, and he hurriedly returned his eyes to his phone, flustered.
The game began.
Lu Xiangyang's Red Butterfly spawned near the main gate. He aimed for Shen Kuangye's Acrobat, tossing a butterfly immediately.
The Acrobat started kiting the Hunter. Lu Xiangyang hesitated for a split second… he didn't really want to chase Shen Kuangye's Acrobat.
But the next moment, he decisively pushed the thought away.
He forced himself to focus on the game.
Lu Xiangyang's Red Butterfly proficiency was very high. Even Shen Kuangye couldn't capitalize much, and he got hit by a health-swapping knife, retreating to the boat.
But Red Butterfly's movement speed was terrifying. She dashed instantly, knocking down the Acrobat.
By the time the Acrobat got on the chair, only slightly over two cipher machines were decoded.
The Forward finishing the last cipher headed to the double-chair.
Lu Xiangyang moved back and forth pressuring the Forward, feeling guilty as he applied cute stickers to Shen Kuangye's Acrobat—his favorite adorable stickers.
The Acrobat also gave him a sticker—a cute little character.
Lu Xiangyang's only thought at that moment: Sticker success!
When the Forward approached, he grew alert, carefully watching their path and thinking ahead.
The Forward took a cautious approach, took one hit, and partially rescued the Acrobat.
The Seer and Explorer were working on ciphers, roughly halfway through.
The Forward only needed to buy time.
Ultimately, under the Survivors' strategy, all three escaped.
Red Butterfly could have intercepted and knocked down the Acrobat before the gate opened, but Lu Xiangyang just stood nearby, watching him leave.
From Shen Kuangye's perspective, it looked pitiful.
Lu Xiangyang thought Shen Kuangye would leave after opening the gate—but unexpectedly, the Acrobat ran back around him, circling and applying stickers.
Lu Xiangyang: ?!
The next second, the Acrobat surrendered.
After the match, no teammates complained about Shen Kuangye's surrender; it was clear Red Butterfly could have held back.
The Forward commented post-match: "Idol, was I cool? Can I get a friend slot?"
Shen Kuangye: .
He really didn't have the habit of adding friends.
Then he heard Lu Xiangyang carefully ask, "Kuangye, are all your friend slots full?"
He suggested: "Why don't you remove me and add him instead?"
After all, that Forward really seemed to want to add Shen Kuangye.
Although Lu Xiangyang also wanted to stay in Shen Kuangye's friend list, he felt a strong sense of empathy for that Forward.
Besides, Shen Kuangye played games with him every day—what did it matter if he didn't have other friends in the game?
Shen Kuangye raised an eyebrow, his voice calm and even: "Alright."
Lu Xiangyang felt a pang of disappointment.
"Delete them for me." Shen Kuangye handed him his phone.
"Huh? Me?"
Lu Xiangyang suddenly felt an inexplicable sadness, and he also sensed that Shen Kuangye seemed a little upset. But when he saw the contents on the screen clearly, he was momentarily speechless.
Because Shen Kuangye's friends list had only him.
And even though it was just him, Lu Xiangyang was still pinned at the top.
Other than that… there was no one else.
"Still going to delete them?"
Shen Kuangye glanced at him.
Lu Xiangyang never expected this result. He stammered, "N-no, I won't delete them."
When people feel awkward, they often say stupid things: "Then… why don't you want to add them?"
At that time, such a question wouldn't have been a problem for him.
But now, as an observer, Shen Kuangye could see clearly.
Lu Xiangyang's sense of unworthiness was just too strong. He was the type to sacrifice his own feelings to please others, then quietly feel sad about it.
This overly mature, too-understanding side of Lu Xiangyang was not what Shen Kuangye wanted to see.
He'd rather him be a little selfish.
"Because I don't want to."
Shen Kuangye replied calmly.
He put the phone away and looked at Lu Xiangyang. Slowly, he said:
"If my friends list were really full, you'd remove yourself and let a stranger take your place, right?"
Lu Xiangyang instinctively nodded.
He'd been taught since childhood to be considerate, to not cause trouble, to give things to others to make them happy.
"Why?" Shen Kuangye asked. "Does that make you happy?"
Of course not.
But Lu Xiangyang had been conditioned to do this, giving away what he liked to earn praise from elders.
He had gotten used to not keeping things for himself.
Lu Xiangyang wanted to defend himself, but Shen Kuangye said softly, "Be honest."
Those three words stopped him cold.
He lowered his gaze, voice tinged with sadness:
"…Not happy."
"Mm," Shen Kuangye said. "Good."
Lu Xiangyang looked up at him, seemingly not understanding why he said that.
"I don't add them because I'm not interested. I won't remove you for a stranger. You will always be my top priority. Got it?"
Shen Kuangye's gaze was steady as he looked at him:
"Lu Xiangyang, be confident."
And, if possible, a little selfish.
His gaze was so intent that Lu Xiangyang hastily looked away: "I-I understand."
His eyes welled up. All his life, his mother had taught him to be considerate, to give up, because their family couldn't afford much. What wasn't his naturally, others could have.
This was the first time someone so directly, firmly told him: You are important.
"Then tell me, if something like this happens again, what should you do?" Shen Kuangye asked.
After a long pause, Lu Xiangyang whispered:
"No."
"This is mine. I won't give it to you."
Shen Kuangye smiled, ruffling his head. "That's right."