Little Fish and Mint - Chapter 28

Thousands of meteors streaked across the city sky, leaving bright trails in their wake.

But the only “shooting star” that mattered to Xu Yitong was the small, glass fish pendant dangling from her hand.

They sat under the tree, he standing, she sitting, a quiet stillness between them.

Xu Yitong, pleased with her carefully orchestrated “magic trick,” watched his reaction intently.

He seemed momentarily stunned, his gaze unfocused.

Her arm was getting tired. “Do you like it?” she asked.

He blinked, then mumbled a short affirmation.

She smiled, then teased, “I’m going to let go now.”

He reached out, catching the pendant in mid-air.

She sat back down, hearing him murmur another “thank you.” She pouted playfully. “You’ve said that too many times today. I want to hear something else.”

“What else?”

“When someone gives you a gift, and you like it, you don’t just say ‘thank you,'” she said.

He looked at her. “What should I say?”

“You say… ‘I like it,'” she said, enunciating each word.

Like.

He’d never used that word, not in any context, at any age.

He hesitated, caught between refusal and acceptance, then, forcing out the unfamiliar word, said, “I… like… it.” His tone was almost serious, but it still sounded awkward, flat, devoid of emotion.

He coughed, masking a flicker of something in his eyes.

She’d rarely seen him show any emotion. “Aw, are you shy?” she teased, finding it endearing.

He looked away, a little embarrassed, but his expression remained neutral. “No.”

Satisfied, she smiled, no longer teasing him, and leaned back, gazing at the sky.

The dark blue canvas, sprinkled with stars, was a rare and beautiful sight in the bustling city.

She suddenly thought he resembled the night sky—

—like a pool of dark blue ink.

Quiet, reserved, calm, rational, and pure.

✧✧✧

The second time she was in his car, her phone automatically connected to the Bluetooth.

It was a busy night, the streets still crowded near midnight, traffic police directing cars at major intersections.

The AC had been running for ten minutes, the car cool and comfortable. Xu Yitong, relaxing in the passenger seat, untied her messy ponytail and ran her fingers through her hair.

They crawled through traffic. Scrolling through the photos she’d taken, she suddenly saw a screenshot she’d taken from Weibo, a list of LPL players’ nicknames.

She’d been confused by some of them at the time. Now, with an expert beside her, she asked, “Why do fans call you guys ’emperor,’ ‘saint,’ and other weird titles? Is your gaming hierarchy that serious?”

“They’re usually… insults,” he replied.

“Do people call you those names?” she asked, intrigued.

“A lot.”

“Why is Roy called ‘The Flash’?”

He thought for a moment. “He runs away quickly after every loss.”

She laughed at his serious explanation. “Why are you called ‘Grass Bro’?”

He didn’t answer.

“Because you’re the most handsome on the team!” she declared.

“No.”

“Then why?”

“I cursed on stream,” he said casually.

“You curse?!” she exclaimed, surprised.

He glanced at her. “What?” It wasn’t unusual.

“I thought you were… pure,” she mumbled.

He didn’t reply, wondering what had given her such a wrong impression.

They continued their casual conversation as the traffic eased. She continued scrolling through her photos when a WeChat message popped up.

-Yiyi: [Tongtong, are you asleep?]

-Zhenzhen: [Nope, still out.]

Her phone suddenly started playing music as Yiyi called.

“It’s Yiyi. I’ll take this,” she said.

“Mm,” he replied.

Since he knew Yiyi, she didn’t disconnect the Bluetooth, answering the call.

“Tongtong, can I ask you something?” Yiyi’s voice filled the car.

“Sure, what is it?”

“I heard Flechazo released a limited edition First Rain bracelet. Did you manage to get one?”

“No, they’re sold out in mainland China. Not sure about Hong Kong or Macau.”

“Let me know if you find a reseller.”

“Okay.”

“Are you out with friends?”

“Yep,” she glanced at Yu Ge.

“Watching the meteor shower?”

“Mmhmm.”

“I’m having a sleepover with friends. I wanted to invite you, but Roy couldn’t convince Fish to come, so…” Yiyi’s voice trailed off.

Roy, who was with her, chimed in, “Tong, not my fault. Your idol is antisocial, you know? You picked the wrong person to stan!”

Yu Ge frowned.

Thanks to his “Flash” nickname, Xu Yitong now found Roy’s voice amusing. “It’s okay, have fun.”

After the call ended, she paused, thinking, then said, “I thought you said no one invited you out tonight.”

“I didn’t see the message,” he said calmly, his expression unchanged. “I was sleeping.”

“Oh.”

Knowing he wasn’t good at lying, she believed him. “Is your hand okay? I can drive if it hurts.”

“It’s fine.”

“Good.” She yawned. “Driving at night is tiring. I’ll keep you company so you don’t fall asleep.”

“Just sleep if you’re tired.”

“No, I’ll stay awake.”

The navigation showed they were forty minutes away. The scenery outside was monotonous. She yawned again. “Are you sure you’re not tired?”

“I’m not tired.”

“Don’t push yourself.”

“I took a nap this afternoon.”

“Okay, I’ll just… rest my eyes for a bit. Wake me up if you get tired.”

“Just go to sleep.”

“No, I’m just resting. I’ll stay awake and talk to you,” she insisted.

“I know.”

She closed her eyes, but the seat was uncomfortable. She shifted around. “Can you adjust your seat?” she asked after a while.

“Yeah,” he glanced at her.

After some adjusting, she finally settled down.

He stopped at a red light.

When he looked over, she was fast asleep, her seat reclined.

Yu Ge: “…”

…

…

For the last kilometer, he checked his phone, memorizing the remaining directions, then turned off the navigation.

He slowed down, but she was still asleep when they arrived.

Not wanting to wake her, he sat there quietly.

Unlike his peers, he wasn’t interested in most forms of entertainment. He preferred quiet, mundane activities: watching fishing videos, playing Go…

Now he had a new one.

Watching Xu Yitong sleep.

It was… strangely fascinating.

Despite the seatbelt, she slept soundly, her posture as awkward as ever, her arms raised above her head in surrender, her fingers curled loosely.

Noticing her bare arms and legs, he leaned over and gently adjusted the air vent.

His gaze lingered.

Her summer dress was thin, and because of her sleeping position, her slip top had shifted, revealing the smooth, white skin of her shoulder, her hair spilling across it.

Like a cloud against the sky.

He quickly looked away, realizing the direction of his thoughts.

Staring at the dashboard, trying to distract himself, he felt a sudden emptiness, time stretching out slowly.

He looked at her again, his gaze carefully fixed on her face this time.

Her cheeks were flushed, her lips slightly parted.

He lingered on her lips for a moment, then looked away again.

✧✧✧

After waiting in the car for nearly an hour, Yu Ge finally arrived home around 4 AM.

After showering, he lay in bed, staring at the little fish pendant, wide awake.

As dawn broke, he got up and turned on his computer.

He played ranked games until noon, then ordered takeout and went to wake Yu Nuo.

“Ugh…” she mumbled, opening her door after he’d knocked several times, still half-asleep.

Rubbing her eyes, she yawned and sat down.

“What time did you get home last night?”

“Mm.”

“What time?” he repeated.

“Two or three? I don’t remember,” she mumbled, then added, “I knocked on your door when I got back, but you were already asleep.”

Yu Ge: “…”

Knowing his irregular sleep schedule, she asked, unwrapping her chopsticks, “Why were you sleeping so early?”

“What happened to your neck?” he changed the subject.

She froze, suddenly wide awake. “My neck? What about it?”

He frowned. “Is it an allergic reaction?”

“I… went to the mountains to watch the meteor shower… maybe it was mosquito bites…” she stammered.

Before he could ask more, she noticed the scrape on his arm. “Bro, what happened to your hand?”

“I… fell while taking out the trash,” he said, looking down.

“Oh?”

“Let’s eat. The food’s getting cold.”

The conversation ended abruptly. They ate in silence.

…

…

After a few days of rest and the Regional Qualifiers, the teams for Worlds were finalized. The Worlds send-off ceremony was scheduled for the weekend, followed by a banquet.

“Coming with me today?” Yu Ge asked, passing by the living room after changing into his team jersey.

Yu Nuo, having nothing better to do, got up from the sofa. “Sure.”

As they entered the large makeup room, Yu Ge was immediately ushered to a seat in front of a mirror.

With the increasing popularity of esports, the LPL had implemented stricter image guidelines. Players were expected to look presentable, not like stereotypical, unkempt gamers. Professional makeup artists were hired for every event.

Yu Ge sat patiently as the makeup artist worked, declining the usual eyebrow shaping and lipstick.

“Your skin is so good!” the makeup artist exclaimed.

He didn’t respond.

“Do you have a skincare routine?”

Will, used to this, chuckled. “Our Xiao Xi doesn’t do skincare.”

The makeup artist rolled her eyes. She’d heard about his aloofness, his unwillingness to talk. She’d been prepared, but he’d exceeded her expectations, not saying a word since he sat down. Such a waste of a handsome face, she thought. A mute heartthrob.

The silence at their station made the lively chatter at the next station even more noticeable.

Xiao Li, the most talkative of the female casters, was chatting with her makeup artist, their conversation naturally turning to makeup, bags, and jewelry.

She suddenly noticed Yu Ge looking at her in the mirror.

Coincidence, she thought.

In her two years as a caster, she’d met Yu Ge countless times backstage, but they’d barely spoken. While she was a casual fan, because of Mi Yin, she avoided interacting with him. 

[Mi Yin is likely the host from the “shipper” video.]

When he looked at her a third time, she decided to be friendly. “Fish God, looking good as always!”

“Good afternoon,” he replied, not quite remembering her name.

She thought that was the end of their conversation, then he surprised her by asking, “What was the name of that bracelet you mentioned?”

“Oh, I mentioned a few… Which one?”

“The one with the long English name.”

“Flechazo?” the makeup artist offered helpfully.

“How do you spell that?” Yu Ge asked, thinking for a moment.

“F-L-E…” Xiao Li told him the first few letters, then asked, “Buying it for your sister?”

“Thank you,” he said, writing it down, not answering her question.

✧✧✧

With her cousin and his wife busy with work, Xu Yitong was tasked with picking up their kids. She was also helping a college friend organize an art exhibition, running errands all day.

Dropping the kids off at her grandfather’s, she bumped into her aunt, Yu Yiyun. They chatted, and Xu Yitong learned Chen Yuzheng had been moping at home for days.

“He said his girlfriend’s brother doesn’t like him. They were keeping their relationship a secret, but they got caught, and now the girl is ignoring him,” Yu Yiyun sighed.

“They got caught already?” Xu Yitong was surprised.

“You knew about this?”

“I… knew something was going on,” she admitted. “I’m pretty close to her brother.”

“Can you talk to him? Explain things? Chen Yuzheng can be so… rebellious. It’s understandable if her brother thinks he’s unreliable. But he’s a good person at heart,” Yu Yiyun said, sighing.

Xu Yitong hesitated, then agreed.

…

…

Back home that night, Xu Yitong checked Chen Yuzheng’s Moments and saw he’d been posting sad songs every day:

Wry Smile, How Could You Bear to Hurt Me, I’m Really Hurt, Heartbreak

She felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.

What an idiot.

Knowing how close Yu Ge and Yu Nuo were, how protective he was of his sister, Xu Yitong wasn’t sure how to help.

Meanwhile, Chen Yuzheng, having gotten Yu Ge’s WeChat contact from TG’s manager, changed his own WeChat name to a period, worried Yu Ge wouldn’t accept his friend request.

✧✧✧

After a week’s vacation, Yu Ge returned home from the OG base, but only to sleep. He’d leave every afternoon.

Yu Nuo paced in the living room, then went to his room, knocking softly on the partially open door. “Bro.”

He was leaning against the headboard, looking at his phone. “What is it?” he looked up as she entered.

“Can we… talk?” she asked hesitantly.

“About what?”

“About… Chen Yuzheng…”

“Your relationship has nothing to do with me,” he said coldly.

Yu Nuo fell silent.

“Go to bed,” he glanced at her, then back at his phone.

After she left, he stared at the lengthy message Chen Yuzheng had sent, his expression unreadable. He felt nothing but annoyance.

He exited the chat. Another message had arrived.

-Xu Yitong: [You know about Chen Yuzheng and Yu Nuo, right?]

-Xu Yitong: [We’ll be family now! Isn’t that great?!]

He froze at the second message.

The word “family” irritated him more than Chen Yuzheng’s long, rambling message.

He and Xu Yitong could be friends, but never family.

Annoyed, but not understanding why, he went back to his chat list and, without hesitation, deleted Chen Yuzheng.