You’re Causing Chaos Again

For quite some time, He Changkong had felt that Shen Yanming was somewhat different from the person he knew. He couldn’t figure out where these differences came from and could only tell himself that not everything would necessarily unfold as he had initially thought. Now, hearing Shen Yanming’s confession, which would certainly sound strange to others, He Changkong vaguely started to understand.

Everything seemed to make sense now. Why Shen Yanming, who was supposed to join CTG long ago, became a streamer this time, and why he pretended to be a noob but couldn’t resist revealing his true strength when encountering Aji and even beating him up… All these things seemed to have answers now.

But he needed to confirm this answer for himself.

So, he asked, “It wasn’t just a dream, right?”

It didn’t matter what the answer was. Whether it was a truly unimaginable prophetic dream or if Shen Yanming, like him, was someone who lived a second life against common sense, he would tell him that even if the outcome appeared predestined, they could still change the future together.

But after asking, He Changkong felt that it was a bit abrupt. He had thrown the question out with little consideration, without thinking if Shen Yanming would be frightened by it.

Or perhaps Shen Yanming had just casually mentioned it as an example, and his way of asking made him seem crazy.

Indeed, Shen Yanming was startled.

He turned towards He Changkong, slightly tilting his face, and a trace of panic was evident in the light of the streetlamp. It seemed like he had a lot to say, but didn’t know where to start. Finally, among all the things he wanted to say, he picked one, “…Why are you asking this?”
Shen Yanming had no way to explain the strange phenomenon of rebirth. However, he wanted to convey the reason for his unease, which inevitably involved mentioning his experiences. So, he decided to use the dream as a pretext.

When he had just said that the reason for his unease was due to a dream, Shen Yanming worried that He Changkong might think he was crazy. What kind of glass-hearted and fragile shark couldn’t distinguish between dreams and reality, to the point of giving up on something because of a dream?

But then, He Changkong asked if it wasn’t just a dream.

He almost blurted out, “Yes, yes!”

However, normally, He Changkong asking this question couldn’t possibly mean what he thought it did, right?

Like a cautious snail, he extended a little antenna to test the waters.

He Changkong said directly, “It’s something you’ve experienced, isn’t it?”

Shen Yanming: “!!!”

Shen Yanming bit his lip. Even so, he still didn’t dare to confirm that He Changkong was just like him. What if He Changkong meant—whether he had experienced setbacks in a youth training camp or something similar?

Although he hadn’t joined any club’s youth training camp in this timeline, it was normal for He Changkong not to know about these things, since they weren’t close before.

Shen Yanming hesitated and finally nodded, “…But it might not be what you’re thinking.”

Before He Changkong could respond, Shen Yanming continued, “How about we use a secret code?”

“Hmm.”

Shen Yanming thought for a moment and used an event that should happen soon as the coded message, discreetly saying, “Pudding’s shoulder.”

If He Changkong asked him what was wrong with Pudding’s shoulder, then there was no need to continue this topic.

However, after a long silence, He Changkong calmly replied, “Injured. Our team lost.”

“Oh, f***!” Shen Yanming clutched his hair, momentarily losing his ability to articulate, only able to repeat some expletives to express his feelings. “F***, f***, f***…”

He Changkong just stood there, waiting for Shen Yanming to calm down.

Shen Yanming then grabbed He Changkong’s wrist again, “Ge, is it true? Is it really true?”

He Changkong replied, “It should be true…”

Neither of them explicitly stated the details, but the sequence of events had been laid out before them, and they understood without further explanation.

Shen Yanming looked like he was about to cry, “Then, how did you die?”

He Changkong shook his head, “I didn’t die. I fell asleep and woke up three years in the past. At first, I thought it was just a dream…”

Shen Yanming interrupted, “In that case, it should be called transmigration, or maybe you just disappeared in your sleep. But as long as it’s painless death, it’s still a happy occasion…”

He Changkong: “…”

Originally, they were going to have a serious discussion about dreams and aspirations, but the topic suddenly turned to “how did you die.”

It was quite absurd. Would normal living people really discuss this together?

While this analogy might not be appropriate, Shen Yanming could somewhat understand the feeling of seeing a fellow villager and wanting to cry. Previously, he and He Changkong felt separated by a thin layer of mist, but now, the mist was blown away by the wind. Shen Yanming wanted to tell He Changkong so many things he had been holding back, “I really died miserably. I got hit by a car, you know? I used to like going out a lot, but when I first came back, I had an overreaction when I saw the roads outside. I stayed at home for a long time before adjusting. I don’t dare to talk about these things with others, afraid they’ll think I’m crazy.”

Shen Yanming’s words were all jumbled up, “I really don’t understand. Why can those web novel protagonists be so powerful after being reborn? They are really so strong. I struggled for a long time just to cross the road normally again… Damn, and I only went back three years. If I went back ten years, I would’ve asked my parents to buy a house in the suburbs. The housing prices have skyrocketed now, and they probably wouldn’t listen to a kid like me… sigh, I haven’t even won the lottery, otherwise, I’d be rich now. But it seems like all the random events can change. Last time, the draw for the exhibition match was different from before, so even if I picked the right lottery tickets, it wouldn’t have worked…”

He said all this as if joking around, speaking a lot of nonsense, but from his disjointed and slightly trembling words, He Changkong could sense a profound sense of unease.

He Changkong could somewhat empathize with this feeling. Waking up from a dream to find that everything had returned to the past, the people around him seemed the same, but they didn’t have the memories of what came after. Some things couldn’t be said anymore. It seemed like they had been given another chance, but in reality, it wasn’t that simple, and the things they could do were still limited.

Moreover, He Changkong and Shen Yanming were different.

Shen Yanming died in such a tragic accident. If he were truly dead, that would be the end of it. But now, with memories of that moment still preserved, it must be painful.

Besides, he encountered so many things at that time and was falsely accused… because of that, he couldn’t continue his professional career, and it would be difficult for him to trust others again.

Furthermore, he didn’t even have someone to confide in, and despite experiencing so much, he had to pretend as though nothing had happened and relive life again.

Finally, knowing that there’s someone just like himself, he feels so excited, just like a puppy seeing its owner come home.

Truly, pathetic.

He Changkong rubbed Shen Yanming’s head.

Shen Yanming lowered his head, his voice slightly nasal, “…Ge, did you come after I died?”

He Changkong nodded, “Yes.”

“Then, is Moonlight still playing?”

“He is.”

“Did he make it to the World Championship?”

He Changkong thought for a moment. “He made it to the semifinals with his team on his best attempt.”

“Damn,” Shen Yanming cursed, “So what about him and his little boyfriend? Did they break up, or are they still together?”

He Changkong didn’t quite understand, “Little boyfriend?”

Seeing He Changkong’s reaction, Shen Yanming already knew. It seemed that they had successfully hidden the fact that they were gay, and maybe they were living a happy life together, enjoying success both in their careers and love life.

Shen Yanming asked again, “What about my situation? Has anyone brought it up again?”

“…Umm,” He Changkong replied, “Many people who liked you actually don’t believe it.”

They didn’t believe it, but it was merely wishful thinking not to believe. With He Changkong’s words, Shen Yanming understood that there would be no follow-up to that matter.

Previously, Shen Yanming had always told himself not to dwell on these things anymore. He was gone, and he had no way of knowing what happened afterward. Besides, his life had started anew, and he didn’t want to hold grudges anymore; it wasn’t necessary. It wasn’t like he could seek revenge on the people in this timeline who hadn’t done anything to him; that would be crazy. The best solution he could think of was to distance himself from those deceitful people.

But now he had a chance to know what happened afterward, and he couldn’t help but be curious.

He didn’t wish for others to have a bad life, but he had indeed fantasized about those people realizing their wrongdoings and clearing his name, or having someone else clarify the matter for him.

But nothing like that happened.

The guilty party gained more, and he had lost everything.

He thought that if he hadn’t died back then, he might have found a way to clear his name. But he missed the best opportunity from the start.

In addition to his best friend giving false testimony, Shen Yanming’s heart softened because of what that little gay guy said before—his mother tried to commit suicide after finding out he was gay. He was afraid she might have another accident, so he pretended to “change for the better.” Shen Yanming was still compassionate, not wanting to reveal someone else’s sexuality, hoping to find other evidence to defend himself.

If he had been more ruthless back then, things might not have turned out like this.

Maybe he would have been disgusted by those people, but he probably would have found another team to compete with after resolving his current situation, as there were quite a few teams interested in recruiting him.

In the past, during every transfer window, someone would approach him, but he rejected them all. He was grateful to CTG for recognizing his potential, and he fought side by side with his teammates. He couldn’t just leave after gaining fame.

Now, looking back, he realized he was really foolish.

In the end, what did he gain?

Shen Yanming looked up, “Ge, I want to compete. I want to crush Moonlight, so he won’t even make it to the semifinals. I want to keep him out of the World Championship.”

He was furious, what gives him the right?

He Changkong was somewhat surprised, “You’ve decided so quickly?”

Just now, Shen Yanming was so conflicted, talking about losing his dream once…

It seemed that to awaken Little White Wolf’s fierceness, he couldn’t bring up any heart-wrenching matters.

He Changkong playfully teased him, “But…”

Before, He Changkong had invited him to join, and he had been hesitant, but now that He Changkong seemed to be having second thoughts, Shen Yanming became anxious, “But what? Didn’t you say you’d be my exclusive healer? I haven’t even had a sip of milk yet, and you’re breaking your promise, qoq?”

Author’s Message:

Kong: So, you’re actually a little trickster o_o

Luan luanzi: No, I’m not! Don’t use these tactics on me!

Little White Wolf, charge!

Thank you for reading! 

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