My Soulmate is A Libero
Chapter 146: Bitter Tea
Poland is a good place, and also it was where Chopin was born.
Coincidentally, there was a piano at the London airport. Lu Xuandong sat there and played a piece of “Nocturne in B Minor,” while Qin Chunxiao sat at the St. Petersburg airport, listening to the beautiful melody through his earphones.
Lu Xuandong wasn’t afraid of international call charges, so he put his phone on speaker and conveyed the tenderness, affection, and gentle vitality of Chopin’s music through a call.
Until applause came from the other side, Qin Chunxiao smiled and asked his phone, “It seems like there are many people who find the piano sound beautiful, just like me.”
Standing at the airport, several passengers who were filming with their phones showed expressions of astonishment. What does the clear and melodious voice of the youth on the phone have to do with this young man?
While Lu Xuandong’s expression remained calm, he secretly panicked and turned off the speaker. Holding his phone, he walked to the side, and a smile couldn’t help but tug at the corners of his mouth.
“It’s good that you like it. I just feel that since we’re going to Poland, I should play Chopin for you to set the mood.”
Lu Yunchen, wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a scarf, scanned the surroundings. He noticed that none of the passengers filming were Chinese, so the scenes of his brother playing the piano and conversing with a mysterious person shouldn’t be shared back in China. He lowered his head and continued to look at his phone.
Online, the accusations and criticisms against him still filled the air. Even though Lu Yunchen was a complete victim in this incident, as his brother had said, “You, Lu Yunchen, are just a newcomer from rural drama. The massive fanbase of the Best Actor and the Top Star is enough to drown out the truth and send you to hell. That’s why we must not withdraw the lawsuit, because only the law can clear your name.”
In understanding the ways of the world and people’s hearts, his brother was always so much stronger than him. But this insight and acumen came from enduring too much suffering. So, Lu Yunchen not only admired him, but also felt a bit envious.
Lost in thought, he wondered, what’s wrong with living a carefree and foolish life without overthinking? Thinking too much would only lead to getting hurt.
Since the incident, he had been subjected to so much abuse for the first time by so many people. Yet, he kept self-destructively reading those comments, constantly refuting them, tears streaming down. He couldn’t comprehend how one person could harbor so much malice towards another, until his brother took his phone away.
“This is the internet, this is public opinion. And as more and more people have internet access, irrational comments will become more and more common. So, the only thing you can do is ignore them and wait for the law to protect you!”
Then his brother immediately contacted the best lawyer and firmly told his younger brother that they had a high chance of winning this time. The police had discovered that the hospital involved was not innocent either. There were multiple fake soulmate examination reports, all targeted at wealthy families.
This was a professional fraud gang. Now, it wasn’t just a personal matter of whether the Lu family would withdraw the lawsuit. It had become a societal issue. If this gang wasn’t stopped, more people would fall victim.
From that moment on, Lu Yunchen developed an indescribable sense of trust in his brother. His brother saw the ugliness of those people so clearly, yet had no intention of backing down, wouldn’t be discouraged, remained calm and clear-headed, and immediately used the law to protect his family.
Ah, his brother, as a man, no, as a person, was truly reliable! Reliable to the point that Lu Yunchen began to idolize him.
After torturing himself by reading a few more Weibo posts, Lu Xuandong came over and took his phone away. “We’re about to board the plane.”
Lu Yunchen obediently got up. “Brother, who was that you were talking to?”
Lu Xuandong: “My best friend.”
Lu Yunchen: “Qin Chunxiao?”
Lu Xuandong stopped in his tracks and solemnly informed him, “You should call him Captain Qin. He’s the vice-captain of the Guangdong Provincial Team.”
Lu Yunchen: “Oh.”
But he was actually only one year older than Captain Qin. The two brothers from the Lu family had a rushed schedule this time. While Qin Chunxiao was busy competing against strong men’s volleyball teams in Europe, Lu Xuandong had to balance his university studies and return to China to help his younger brother find a lawyer to sue Bai Ming and prevent this foolish kid from being taken advantage of.
Special thanks should go to those factory aunties. If it wasn’t for their call to Lu Xuandong, he might not have known in time that Bai Ming had set his sights on his younger brother.
Lu Xuandong knew the methods of certain people in the entertainment industry. To achieve their goals, they would have a drink within three days of meeting, slip a pill, roll into a hotel, and by then, could Lu Yunchen, the naive and sweet fool, really not accept responsibility?
If he had returned to China later, this foolish kid might have fallen into the trap already. Luckily, this time, the factory aunties were keeping a close watch, preserving Lu Yunchen’s innocence.
And in order to keep Lu Yunchen away from the turmoil of public opinion in China, Lu Xuandong took him directly to London, because he also had exams to take.
After the exams were over, the Christmas holiday arrived, and the two of them didn’t need to return to their home country. They headed straight to Poland to watch the Men’s Volleyball Club World Championship.
Traveling at such a pace naturally put stress on their bodies. Constantly boarding and disembarking airplanes, adapting to new time zones and temperatures was quite challenging, especially in the cold of European December.
Lu Yunchen was still fine. He had been well-fed since childhood, coming from a wealthy family, and had always been involved in dancing. After leaving the food factory, his brother even demanded that he learn some self-defense techniques, so he begrudgingly trained in Chinese martial arts -Sanshou. His physique was quite solid.
As his Sanshou instructor put it, “Unless you strip Yunchen down to a single piece of clothing and throw him into an environment below freezing, he won’t get sick.”
Lu Xuandong thought to himself that his younger brother’s constitution was average at best. Xiaozai could wear just a T-shirt and engage in snowball fights at -20 degrees Celsius without any issues. However, Dongzai’s constitution, compared to his younger brother’s, was evidently weaker. So, not even half an hour after landing, he suddenly began to show symptoms of motion sickness, squatting by the roadside and vomiting for a while. It was quite an ordeal to get him back into the car. When Lu Yunchen touched his brother’s forehead, he felt a burning heat.
Lu Xuandong had a fever again. This was his first fever since June of this year. Given his constitution, falling ill only once in half a year was already quite fortunate.
Lu Yunchen didn’t understand Polish, but with some stumbling English because he was a bit panicking, he managed to find a pharmacy. Coincidentally, it was snowing outside, and he was shivering from the cold. He longed for the heated floors back at home.
However, when he returned to the hotel, he found that someone was already in his brother’s room.
On the bedside table were an empty glass and an open medicine box. There was even a set of cupping tools. His brother had changed clothes and was lying in bed peacefully, sleeping soundly.
And Qin Chunxiao, the athlete that Lu Xuandong admired and respected the most, was sitting on a lounge chair by the balcony, reading a collection of pancakes. That was Lu Xuandong’s reading material.
Seeing him up close, Lu Yunchen realized how ridiculous his statement about Qin Chunxiao needing to lose weight to maintain a youthful appearance was. Without his muscular and agile physique, this charming wild beauty would lose a few points of his charm, wouldn’t he?
After hesitating for a moment, Lu Yunchen lowered his voice and reminded, “He doesn’t like others touching his books.”
Qin Chunxiao looked up, nodded at him, and greeted, “I know. He said I could read this to pass the time. Now that you’re back, I’ll leave.”
He stood up, put on the woolen coat hanging on the sofa, and, with only a cotton long-sleeve shirt underneath, he looked quite unfazed by the current weather in Poland. To be honest, given Poland’s weather at the moment, it was quite unbelievable that Qin Chunxiao wasn’t wearing fur or down.
Yet, Qin Chunxiao very naturally tucked the book into his pocket, picked up the cupping tools, and headed out. Before leaving, he patted Lu Xuandong’s face, saying, “I’m leaving.”
With his eyes closed, Lu Xuandong acknowledged with a mumbled response.
Lu Yunchen saw him off to the door. Even after leaving the heated room, Qin Chunxiao seemed completely unaffected by the cold. That made sense though. Since he was used to playing volleyball in Russia, he must have adapted well to low temperatures.
Lu Yunchen was lost in thought for a moment before he realized there was a large thermos bag in the room. When he opened it, he found savory Polish dumplings – yes, Poland has both sweet and savory dumplings, potato pancakes, cabbage rolls, and apple pie, enough to satisfy four adult men. In addition, there were two large cups of 800ml milk tea, still warm to the touch.
Most importantly, there was a box of congee inside the bag, kept warm in a thermos. When he opened it, steam billowed out.
At some point, Lu Xuandong had already sat up, rubbing his eyes, and commanded his brother, “Put a newspaper on the blanket for me. I want to have dinner.”
With the teachings of the Lu family, eating in the bedroom, especially eating in bed, was absolutely forbidden. However, due to the respect for his older brother surpassing that of their father, they could temporarily disregard the family rules.
Lu Yunchen attentively set up dinner: “Brother, did you invite Qin Team over?”
Lu Xuandong replied, “Hmm? No, he said he dreamed that I was sick while he was sleeping on the plane, so he called me. My voice didn’t sound right, and he noticed, so he came to visit me.”
Lu Yunchen asked in surprise, “Dreamed?”
Lu Xuandong explained, “It’s the unspoken understanding between close friends. You wouldn’t understand.”
Indeed, Lu Yunchen didn’t understand, and his face showed confusion.
However, Lu Xuandong’s wind-cold flu was not too serious. After cupping and drinking some congee, he wrapped himself in a blanket and had a good sleep. He sweated it out, and by the next day, he was feeling much better.
Lu Yunchen could only conclude that Qin Team had a good way of taking care of patients.
Hearing this, his brother added, “Qin Team rarely gets sick himself, and his family members also have fewer illnesses. Mainly, it’s Li Ling who occasionally falls ill, so Qin Team takes care of him.”
Lu Yunchen responded, “Oh.”
The next day marked the official start of the World Club Championship. Eight men’s volleyball clubs from various continents gathered here, and fans from all over the world rushed in, all for the sake of witnessing this pinnacle showdown.
The eight teams were divided into two groups for the preliminary round, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals.
The Hamster Club was placed in Group B, which included them, the Barbecue Fork Club, the Lynx Club, and the Fugu Club.
This grouping… wasn’t too bad, after all. The world’s number one ENEL Club and last year’s Asian Cup runner-up Beluga Club had both been avoided. Plus, the Fugu Club was there as an easy target.
Don’t be surprised. Although the Fugu Club had become the strongest club in the Asian region this year, in the eyes of the Hamster team, this team was really not strong. It was unbelievable that the Fugu’s main players were You Ziyu and a Cuban player.
The Cuban player’s name was Terencio, and Qin Chunxiao also knew him. They had faced each other in the Youth World Championship. Cuba was also quite remarkable. Since the last century, the country had produced a large number of volleyball geniuses. Both the men’s and women’s teams were incredibly strong. Unfortunately, due to economic issues, their volleyball talents tended to transfer to other countries after making a name for themselves.
Terencio didn’t transfer, but he did accept a high salary from a foreign club to play during the club season. He needed the money to support his family.
As for the other group, it consisted of ENEL Club, Beluga Club, Beef Burger Club, and Quinn Club. It was a true battlefield of top teams from Italy, Russia, the United States, and Brazil.
On the first day of the World Club Championship, the Hamster Club from Group B was set to face the Barbecue Fork Club, while the Fugu Club would take on the local Polish Lynx Club.
The bus arrived at the entrance of the venue, and there were already fervent fans waiting there. The event organizers urgently dispatched staff to set up barriers on the sides of the road with billboards.
With a speechless expression, Lu Yunchen wore a hat and stood in the snow with his brother, waiting for the teams to arrive.
The first to arrive was the local Polish Lynx Club. As the players disembarked, the Polish fans in the crowd were already waving their flags and loudly calling out the players’ names.
Sebastian got out of the car and made a heart gesture to the crowd, even jumping a little, like a springtime teenage boy. It was puzzling; did he have such a good relationship with the fans?
Only Lu Yunchen noticed a blonde girl standing beside him rolling her eyes. She was a bit short, slightly plump, and wearing a light green down jacket with cartoon patterns. She looked like the kind of girl who would get lost in a crowd, very ordinary. She was wearing a mask and occasionally coughed a couple of times, making Lu Yunchen concerned. He thought his brother wasn’t feeling well, and he didn’t want him to catch any viruses.
After Sebastian finished his heart gesture, the blonde girl let out a long sigh, turned around, and left the crowd. She headed towards the passage that led into the stadium, as if she only wanted to see the Lynx Club and then go into the stadium to enjoy the warmth.
Huh? So there were other people who had already bought tickets but still came here to see the players? Lu Yunchen realized this point.
Next to arrive was the Barbecue Fork Club. This team, known as the “Scarlet River Warship,” truly lived up to its name. All the players who got out of the car were top-notch hunks. They were tall, strong, exuding a warm and powerful aura. Each one of them went against Lu Yunchen’s aesthetics, yet he strangely felt that this group of people had a lot of charm.
There were many male and female fans on the roadside, screaming. Judging from their reactions, it was clear how popular the Scarlet River Warship was.
And there were male fans shouting, “Beyang! Beyang!”
Lu Yunchen asked, “What’s ‘Beyang’? Are they calling him ‘Beyoncé’?”
The Hamster Club was the third team to arrive.
Qin Chunxiao carried his shoulder bag and was immediately surrounded by his teammates when he got off the bus.
Lu Yunchen tried to tiptoe but still couldn’t catch sight of Qin Team. He couldn’t help but comment, “Qin Team got swamped by his teammates.”
Lu Xuandong expressed regret, “Well, let’s go inside too.”
Lu Yunchen obediently agreed. At that moment, his gaze fell on the last person to disembark from the Hamster Club’s bus.
That guy had blue hair, eyes the same color as his hair, and he rolled up his sleeves in the chilly weather, revealing muscular arms. He had an unlit cigarette in his mouth and wore an impatient and irritable expression, as if he hadn’t fully woken up yet. He was about 188 centimeters tall, appearing somewhat short among the men’s volleyball team.
Li Ling came over and said a few words to him, and he burst into laughter. White people’s looks aged faster compared to asian after all. This guy looked youthful, but there were already laugh lines on his face.
In fact, when an older man’s face was too smooth, it was inevitably a bit “auntie-like,” which means not quite masculine or feminine, and even professional cosmetic surgeons advise male celebrities, “Don’t go in that direction.” On the contrary, a bit of wrinkles on a mature man’s face could add character. So, Dr. Yashenka was a handsome thirty-year-old guy who fit European and American aesthetics.
But unfortunately, Lu Yunchen, who favored the pale, slender type, didn’t find this type appealing.
Lu Yunchen: Tsk, where did this shady middle-aged guy come from?
Yashenka turned his head and inadvertently locked eyes with a fair-skinned young guy in the crowd. He thought, why does this fair-skinned kid look just like those my ex-boyfriends who dumped me? He gave off an unpleasant vibe.
The Lu brothers entered the stadium, but as soon as they sat down, Lu Yunchen shifted his weight and said to his brother, “I drank too much juice, I want to go to the restroom.”
Being a somewhat finicky young master, Lu Yunchen always referred to the toilet as the “restroom,” and going to the restroom as “excusing oneself for a moment.”
Lu Xuandong looked towards the direction of the court and said, “Sure, go ahead.”
Since Li Ling had only recently returned to training and was about to play in the intense World Club Championship, Qin Chunxiao was a bit concerned. He had asked Yashenka to check on Li Ling again before the match.
Yashenka still had that carefree and “I’m so cool” look, but he didn’t refuse the second young master’s request. He squatted down, pinched Li Ling’s calf, and was in the mood to play around with Li Ling’s name pun.
“His gazelle hooves are quite healthy.”
Li Ling smiled proudly. “Xiao, my recovery speed is fast too.”
Yashenka sneered, “That’s because you’ve been under my treatment lately. Try someone less skilled. They’ll give you all sorts of aftermath. Don’t think your injury is minor; take it easy during the match.”
With the confirmation of key player Li Ling’s health, Nikolai secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Yashenka stood up. “I’ll go take a leak and get some snow while I’m at it.”
As a team doctor, having items like ice packs ready for cooling down athletes’ muscles before a match was part of professional etiquette. Considering the high intensity of the game, he thought he’d gather some snow for backup.
It was all cold anyway, using a bag is the same.
At this moment, Fu Biyang and Qiao Mingming had already started warming up with their hunky teammates. The essence of this group was “high attack,” and when they spiked the volleyball, it slammed onto the ground with a startling sound.
Anyone would know that for the player responsible for wiping the floor, this match would be a huge challenge.
Qin Chunxiao looked towards the stands, found Lu Xuandong’s figure, and the two exchanged glances from a distance. Qin Chunxiao waved, and when Li Ling saw it, he also came over, shouting, “Hey! Dongzi! You’re here!”
Qin Chunxiao blinked and pulled Li Ling along. “Let’s go, warm up.”
While walking, Li Ling asked, “Oh, Xiao, didn’t you say Dongzi’s brother would also come? Why don’t I see him around?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “I don’t know, maybe he went to the restroom.”
In the midst of such a big competition, who had time to worry about Dongzi’s little brother? Anyway, Dongzi looked relaxed, which meant nothing major was going on.
Qin Chunxiao sat down and began stretching.
Li Ling flashed a victory sign beside him and gave a proud little expression, “Hey hey.”
Ten minutes later, their team doctor returned with an annoyed huff, carrying a bag filled with snow, muttering to himself, “Damn, are all the sweet and naive types these days so annoying?”
Nikolai raised an eyebrow, “Why did it take you so long?”
Yashenka opened the bag and stuffed the snow inside, grumbling, “Hell, are all the naive ones nowadays this irritating? Relatives knew I wanted someone open-minded, someone who wouldn’t mind having a soulmate of the same gender. So, they introduced me to this guy, but he looks down on women. He even made fun of my mom, saying she’s as fat as a bear. Broke up with him before coming here, and we had a fight on the phone in the restroom.”
Nikolai remarked, “Oh, arguing with an ex, that can be pretty frustrating.”
In fact, for Yashenka, what frustrated him the most was that after he had unleashed a string of bleeped-out curses in Russian to insult his ex’s entire family, a fair-skinned youngster walked into the restroom with a disdainful look.
What’s his problem? Is he bothered by me swearing in Russian?
If Yashenka had a better temper, he wouldn’t have earned a reputation among those who knew him as “that irritable guy.”
So, driven by anger, when that youngster was urinating, Yashenka bumped into him from behind and quickly ran away before the guy could react.
Thinking of this, Yashenka chuckled smugly.
On the other side, Lu Xuandong was puzzled about why his brother hadn’t returned yet. Just then, he received a text message. He lowered his head to read it.
Lu Yunchen: [Bro, can you bring me a pair of pants?]
Lu Xuandong: “…Where am I supposed to find pants for him?”
Could he have soiled his pants just from using the restroom? Is Lu Yunchen still in preschool?
Helpless, he decided to send a text message to Qin Chunxiao while the Hamster Club was still warming up.
Qin Chunxiao immediately asked Yashenka, who was of similar height to Lu Yunchen, for a pair of pants. Yashenka rummaged through his bag and pulled out a pair of camouflage pants lined with thick fur. He even added an unopened pack of bitter tea.
He waved his hand dismissively, “No need to return them.”
A team doctor with an annual salary of $500,000 wouldn’t be bothered by such a trivial matter.
Qin Chunxiao was very grateful, “Thank you, Yashenka.”
He stuffed the items into a plastic bag and tossed it to Lu Xuandong in the stands, who gestured a thank you and quickly dashed away. Eager to catch the match, he threw the bag onto his seat and hurried back to his spot.
Lu Yunchen quickly texted again, [Bro, the bitter tea is a bit tight, I need a larger size.]
Lu Xuandong replied, [Make do for now.]
The match had already started, and he didn’t have time to get his brother a bigger size of bitter tea.1
My Soulmate is A Libero
Chapter 146: Bitter Tea
Poland is a good place, and also it was where Chopin was born.
Coincidentally, there was a piano at the London airport. Lu Xuandong sat there and played a piece of “Nocturne in B Minor,” while Qin Chunxiao sat at the St. Petersburg airport, listening to the beautiful melody through his earphones.
Lu Xuandong wasn’t afraid of international call charges, so he put his phone on speaker and conveyed the tenderness, affection, and gentle vitality of Chopin’s music through a call.
Until applause came from the other side, Qin Chunxiao smiled and asked his phone, “It seems like there are many people who find the piano sound beautiful, just like me.”
Standing at the airport, several passengers who were filming with their phones showed expressions of astonishment. What does the clear and melodious voice of the youth on the phone have to do with this young man?
While Lu Xuandong’s expression remained calm, he secretly panicked and turned off the speaker. Holding his phone, he walked to the side, and a smile couldn’t help but tug at the corners of his mouth.
“It’s good that you like it. I just feel that since we’re going to Poland, I should play Chopin for you to set the mood.”
Lu Yunchen, wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a scarf, scanned the surroundings. He noticed that none of the passengers filming were Chinese, so the scenes of his brother playing the piano and conversing with a mysterious person shouldn’t be shared back in China. He lowered his head and continued to look at his phone.
Online, the accusations and criticisms against him still filled the air. Even though Lu Yunchen was a complete victim in this incident, as his brother had said, “You, Lu Yunchen, are just a newcomer from rural drama. The massive fanbase of the Best Actor and the Top Star is enough to drown out the truth and send you to hell. That’s why we must not withdraw the lawsuit, because only the law can clear your name.”
In understanding the ways of the world and people’s hearts, his brother was always so much stronger than him. But this insight and acumen came from enduring too much suffering. So, Lu Yunchen not only admired him, but also felt a bit envious.
Lost in thought, he wondered, what’s wrong with living a carefree and foolish life without overthinking? Thinking too much would only lead to getting hurt.
Since the incident, he had been subjected to so much abuse for the first time by so many people. Yet, he kept self-destructively reading those comments, constantly refuting them, tears streaming down. He couldn’t comprehend how one person could harbor so much malice towards another, until his brother took his phone away.
“This is the internet, this is public opinion. And as more and more people have internet access, irrational comments will become more and more common. So, the only thing you can do is ignore them and wait for the law to protect you!”
Then his brother immediately contacted the best lawyer and firmly told his younger brother that they had a high chance of winning this time. The police had discovered that the hospital involved was not innocent either. There were multiple fake soulmate examination reports, all targeted at wealthy families.
This was a professional fraud gang. Now, it wasn’t just a personal matter of whether the Lu family would withdraw the lawsuit. It had become a societal issue. If this gang wasn’t stopped, more people would fall victim.
From that moment on, Lu Yunchen developed an indescribable sense of trust in his brother. His brother saw the ugliness of those people so clearly, yet had no intention of backing down, wouldn’t be discouraged, remained calm and clear-headed, and immediately used the law to protect his family.
Ah, his brother, as a man, no, as a person, was truly reliable! Reliable to the point that Lu Yunchen began to idolize him.
After torturing himself by reading a few more Weibo posts, Lu Xuandong came over and took his phone away. “We’re about to board the plane.”
Lu Yunchen obediently got up. “Brother, who was that you were talking to?”
Lu Xuandong: “My best friend.”
Lu Yunchen: “Qin Chunxiao?”
Lu Xuandong stopped in his tracks and solemnly informed him, “You should call him Captain Qin. He’s the vice-captain of the Guangdong Provincial Team.”
Lu Yunchen: “Oh.”
But he was actually only one year older than Captain Qin. The two brothers from the Lu family had a rushed schedule this time. While Qin Chunxiao was busy competing against strong men’s volleyball teams in Europe, Lu Xuandong had to balance his university studies and return to China to help his younger brother find a lawyer to sue Bai Ming and prevent this foolish kid from being taken advantage of.
Special thanks should go to those factory aunties. If it wasn’t for their call to Lu Xuandong, he might not have known in time that Bai Ming had set his sights on his younger brother.
Lu Xuandong knew the methods of certain people in the entertainment industry. To achieve their goals, they would have a drink within three days of meeting, slip a pill, roll into a hotel, and by then, could Lu Yunchen, the naive and sweet fool, really not accept responsibility?
If he had returned to China later, this foolish kid might have fallen into the trap already. Luckily, this time, the factory aunties were keeping a close watch, preserving Lu Yunchen’s innocence.
And in order to keep Lu Yunchen away from the turmoil of public opinion in China, Lu Xuandong took him directly to London, because he also had exams to take.
After the exams were over, the Christmas holiday arrived, and the two of them didn’t need to return to their home country. They headed straight to Poland to watch the Men’s Volleyball Club World Championship.
Traveling at such a pace naturally put stress on their bodies. Constantly boarding and disembarking airplanes, adapting to new time zones and temperatures was quite challenging, especially in the cold of European December.
Lu Yunchen was still fine. He had been well-fed since childhood, coming from a wealthy family, and had always been involved in dancing. After leaving the food factory, his brother even demanded that he learn some self-defense techniques, so he begrudgingly trained in Chinese martial arts -Sanshou. His physique was quite solid.
As his Sanshou instructor put it, “Unless you strip Yunchen down to a single piece of clothing and throw him into an environment below freezing, he won’t get sick.”
Lu Xuandong thought to himself that his younger brother’s constitution was average at best. Xiaozai could wear just a T-shirt and engage in snowball fights at -20 degrees Celsius without any issues. However, Dongzai’s constitution, compared to his younger brother’s, was evidently weaker. So, not even half an hour after landing, he suddenly began to show symptoms of motion sickness, squatting by the roadside and vomiting for a while. It was quite an ordeal to get him back into the car. When Lu Yunchen touched his brother’s forehead, he felt a burning heat.
Lu Xuandong had a fever again. This was his first fever since June of this year. Given his constitution, falling ill only once in half a year was already quite fortunate.
Lu Yunchen didn’t understand Polish, but with some stumbling English because he was a bit panicking, he managed to find a pharmacy. Coincidentally, it was snowing outside, and he was shivering from the cold. He longed for the heated floors back at home.
However, when he returned to the hotel, he found that someone was already in his brother’s room.
On the bedside table were an empty glass and an open medicine box. There was even a set of cupping tools. His brother had changed clothes and was lying in bed peacefully, sleeping soundly.
And Qin Chunxiao, the athlete that Lu Xuandong admired and respected the most, was sitting on a lounge chair by the balcony, reading a collection of pancakes. That was Lu Xuandong’s reading material.
Seeing him up close, Lu Yunchen realized how ridiculous his statement about Qin Chunxiao needing to lose weight to maintain a youthful appearance was. Without his muscular and agile physique, this charming wild beauty would lose a few points of his charm, wouldn’t he?
After hesitating for a moment, Lu Yunchen lowered his voice and reminded, “He doesn’t like others touching his books.”
Qin Chunxiao looked up, nodded at him, and greeted, “I know. He said I could read this to pass the time. Now that you’re back, I’ll leave.”
He stood up, put on the woolen coat hanging on the sofa, and, with only a cotton long-sleeve shirt underneath, he looked quite unfazed by the current weather in Poland. To be honest, given Poland’s weather at the moment, it was quite unbelievable that Qin Chunxiao wasn’t wearing fur or down.
Yet, Qin Chunxiao very naturally tucked the book into his pocket, picked up the cupping tools, and headed out. Before leaving, he patted Lu Xuandong’s face, saying, “I’m leaving.”
With his eyes closed, Lu Xuandong acknowledged with a mumbled response.
Lu Yunchen saw him off to the door. Even after leaving the heated room, Qin Chunxiao seemed completely unaffected by the cold. That made sense though. Since he was used to playing volleyball in Russia, he must have adapted well to low temperatures.
Lu Yunchen was lost in thought for a moment before he realized there was a large thermos bag in the room. When he opened it, he found savory Polish dumplings – yes, Poland has both sweet and savory dumplings, potato pancakes, cabbage rolls, and apple pie, enough to satisfy four adult men. In addition, there were two large cups of 800ml milk tea, still warm to the touch.
Most importantly, there was a box of congee inside the bag, kept warm in a thermos. When he opened it, steam billowed out.
At some point, Lu Xuandong had already sat up, rubbing his eyes, and commanded his brother, “Put a newspaper on the blanket for me. I want to have dinner.”
With the teachings of the Lu family, eating in the bedroom, especially eating in bed, was absolutely forbidden. However, due to the respect for his older brother surpassing that of their father, they could temporarily disregard the family rules.
Lu Yunchen attentively set up dinner: “Brother, did you invite Qin Team over?”
Lu Xuandong replied, “Hmm? No, he said he dreamed that I was sick while he was sleeping on the plane, so he called me. My voice didn’t sound right, and he noticed, so he came to visit me.”
Lu Yunchen asked in surprise, “Dreamed?”
Lu Xuandong explained, “It’s the unspoken understanding between close friends. You wouldn’t understand.”
Indeed, Lu Yunchen didn’t understand, and his face showed confusion.
However, Lu Xuandong’s wind-cold flu was not too serious. After cupping and drinking some congee, he wrapped himself in a blanket and had a good sleep. He sweated it out, and by the next day, he was feeling much better.
Lu Yunchen could only conclude that Qin Team had a good way of taking care of patients.
Hearing this, his brother added, “Qin Team rarely gets sick himself, and his family members also have fewer illnesses. Mainly, it’s Li Ling who occasionally falls ill, so Qin Team takes care of him.”
Lu Yunchen responded, “Oh.”
The next day marked the official start of the World Club Championship. Eight men’s volleyball clubs from various continents gathered here, and fans from all over the world rushed in, all for the sake of witnessing this pinnacle showdown.
The eight teams were divided into two groups for the preliminary round, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals.
The Hamster Club was placed in Group B, which included them, the Barbecue Fork Club, the Lynx Club, and the Fugu Club.
This grouping… wasn’t too bad, after all. The world’s number one ENEL Club and last year’s Asian Cup runner-up Beluga Club had both been avoided. Plus, the Fugu Club was there as an easy target.
Don’t be surprised. Although the Fugu Club had become the strongest club in the Asian region this year, in the eyes of the Hamster team, this team was really not strong. It was unbelievable that the Fugu’s main players were You Ziyu and a Cuban player.
The Cuban player’s name was Terencio, and Qin Chunxiao also knew him. They had faced each other in the Youth World Championship. Cuba was also quite remarkable. Since the last century, the country had produced a large number of volleyball geniuses. Both the men’s and women’s teams were incredibly strong. Unfortunately, due to economic issues, their volleyball talents tended to transfer to other countries after making a name for themselves.
Terencio didn’t transfer, but he did accept a high salary from a foreign club to play during the club season. He needed the money to support his family.
As for the other group, it consisted of ENEL Club, Beluga Club, Beef Burger Club, and Quinn Club. It was a true battlefield of top teams from Italy, Russia, the United States, and Brazil.
On the first day of the World Club Championship, the Hamster Club from Group B was set to face the Barbecue Fork Club, while the Fugu Club would take on the local Polish Lynx Club.
The bus arrived at the entrance of the venue, and there were already fervent fans waiting there. The event organizers urgently dispatched staff to set up barriers on the sides of the road with billboards.
With a speechless expression, Lu Yunchen wore a hat and stood in the snow with his brother, waiting for the teams to arrive.
The first to arrive was the local Polish Lynx Club. As the players disembarked, the Polish fans in the crowd were already waving their flags and loudly calling out the players’ names.
Sebastian got out of the car and made a heart gesture to the crowd, even jumping a little, like a springtime teenage boy. It was puzzling; did he have such a good relationship with the fans?
Only Lu Yunchen noticed a blonde girl standing beside him rolling her eyes. She was a bit short, slightly plump, and wearing a light green down jacket with cartoon patterns. She looked like the kind of girl who would get lost in a crowd, very ordinary. She was wearing a mask and occasionally coughed a couple of times, making Lu Yunchen concerned. He thought his brother wasn’t feeling well, and he didn’t want him to catch any viruses.
After Sebastian finished his heart gesture, the blonde girl let out a long sigh, turned around, and left the crowd. She headed towards the passage that led into the stadium, as if she only wanted to see the Lynx Club and then go into the stadium to enjoy the warmth.
Huh? So there were other people who had already bought tickets but still came here to see the players? Lu Yunchen realized this point.
Next to arrive was the Barbecue Fork Club. This team, known as the “Scarlet River Warship,” truly lived up to its name. All the players who got out of the car were top-notch hunks. They were tall, strong, exuding a warm and powerful aura. Each one of them went against Lu Yunchen’s aesthetics, yet he strangely felt that this group of people had a lot of charm.
There were many male and female fans on the roadside, screaming. Judging from their reactions, it was clear how popular the Scarlet River Warship was.
And there were male fans shouting, “Beyang! Beyang!”
Lu Yunchen asked, “What’s ‘Beyang’? Are they calling him ‘Beyoncé’?”
The Hamster Club was the third team to arrive.
Qin Chunxiao carried his shoulder bag and was immediately surrounded by his teammates when he got off the bus.
Lu Yunchen tried to tiptoe but still couldn’t catch sight of Qin Team. He couldn’t help but comment, “Qin Team got swamped by his teammates.”
Lu Xuandong expressed regret, “Well, let’s go inside too.”
Lu Yunchen obediently agreed. At that moment, his gaze fell on the last person to disembark from the Hamster Club’s bus.
That guy had blue hair, eyes the same color as his hair, and he rolled up his sleeves in the chilly weather, revealing muscular arms. He had an unlit cigarette in his mouth and wore an impatient and irritable expression, as if he hadn’t fully woken up yet. He was about 188 centimeters tall, appearing somewhat short among the men’s volleyball team.
Li Ling came over and said a few words to him, and he burst into laughter. White people’s looks aged faster compared to asian after all. This guy looked youthful, but there were already laugh lines on his face.
In fact, when an older man’s face was too smooth, it was inevitably a bit “auntie-like,” which means not quite masculine or feminine, and even professional cosmetic surgeons advise male celebrities, “Don’t go in that direction.” On the contrary, a bit of wrinkles on a mature man’s face could add character. So, Dr. Yashenka was a handsome thirty-year-old guy who fit European and American aesthetics.
But unfortunately, Lu Yunchen, who favored the pale, slender type, didn’t find this type appealing.
Lu Yunchen: Tsk, where did this shady middle-aged guy come from?
Yashenka turned his head and inadvertently locked eyes with a fair-skinned young guy in the crowd. He thought, why does this fair-skinned kid look just like those my ex-boyfriends who dumped me? He gave off an unpleasant vibe.
The Lu brothers entered the stadium, but as soon as they sat down, Lu Yunchen shifted his weight and said to his brother, “I drank too much juice, I want to go to the restroom.”
Being a somewhat finicky young master, Lu Yunchen always referred to the toilet as the “restroom,” and going to the restroom as “excusing oneself for a moment.”
Lu Xuandong looked towards the direction of the court and said, “Sure, go ahead.”
Since Li Ling had only recently returned to training and was about to play in the intense World Club Championship, Qin Chunxiao was a bit concerned. He had asked Yashenka to check on Li Ling again before the match.
Yashenka still had that carefree and “I’m so cool” look, but he didn’t refuse the second young master’s request. He squatted down, pinched Li Ling’s calf, and was in the mood to play around with Li Ling’s name pun.
“His gazelle hooves are quite healthy.”
Li Ling smiled proudly. “Xiao, my recovery speed is fast too.”
Yashenka sneered, “That’s because you’ve been under my treatment lately. Try someone less skilled. They’ll give you all sorts of aftermath. Don’t think your injury is minor; take it easy during the match.”
With the confirmation of key player Li Ling’s health, Nikolai secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Yashenka stood up. “I’ll go take a leak and get some snow while I’m at it.”
As a team doctor, having items like ice packs ready for cooling down athletes’ muscles before a match was part of professional etiquette. Considering the high intensity of the game, he thought he’d gather some snow for backup.
It was all cold anyway, using a bag is the same.
At this moment, Fu Biyang and Qiao Mingming had already started warming up with their hunky teammates. The essence of this group was “high attack,” and when they spiked the volleyball, it slammed onto the ground with a startling sound.
Anyone would know that for the player responsible for wiping the floor, this match would be a huge challenge.
Qin Chunxiao looked towards the stands, found Lu Xuandong’s figure, and the two exchanged glances from a distance. Qin Chunxiao waved, and when Li Ling saw it, he also came over, shouting, “Hey! Dongzi! You’re here!”
Qin Chunxiao blinked and pulled Li Ling along. “Let’s go, warm up.”
While walking, Li Ling asked, “Oh, Xiao, didn’t you say Dongzi’s brother would also come? Why don’t I see him around?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “I don’t know, maybe he went to the restroom.”
In the midst of such a big competition, who had time to worry about Dongzi’s little brother? Anyway, Dongzi looked relaxed, which meant nothing major was going on.
Qin Chunxiao sat down and began stretching.
Li Ling flashed a victory sign beside him and gave a proud little expression, “Hey hey.”
Ten minutes later, their team doctor returned with an annoyed huff, carrying a bag filled with snow, muttering to himself, “Damn, are all the sweet and naive types these days so annoying?”
Nikolai raised an eyebrow, “Why did it take you so long?”
Yashenka opened the bag and stuffed the snow inside, grumbling, “Hell, are all the naive ones nowadays this irritating? Relatives knew I wanted someone open-minded, someone who wouldn’t mind having a soulmate of the same gender. So, they introduced me to this guy, but he looks down on women. He even made fun of my mom, saying she’s as fat as a bear. Broke up with him before coming here, and we had a fight on the phone in the restroom.”
Nikolai remarked, “Oh, arguing with an ex, that can be pretty frustrating.”
In fact, for Yashenka, what frustrated him the most was that after he had unleashed a string of bleeped-out curses in Russian to insult his ex’s entire family, a fair-skinned youngster walked into the restroom with a disdainful look.
What’s his problem? Is he bothered by me swearing in Russian?
If Yashenka had a better temper, he wouldn’t have earned a reputation among those who knew him as “that irritable guy.”
So, driven by anger, when that youngster was urinating, Yashenka bumped into him from behind and quickly ran away before the guy could react.
Thinking of this, Yashenka chuckled smugly.
On the other side, Lu Xuandong was puzzled about why his brother hadn’t returned yet. Just then, he received a text message. He lowered his head to read it.
Lu Yunchen: [Bro, can you bring me a pair of pants?]
Lu Xuandong: “…Where am I supposed to find pants for him?”
Could he have soiled his pants just from using the restroom? Is Lu Yunchen still in preschool?
Helpless, he decided to send a text message to Qin Chunxiao while the Hamster Club was still warming up.
Qin Chunxiao immediately asked Yashenka, who was of similar height to Lu Yunchen, for a pair of pants. Yashenka rummaged through his bag and pulled out a pair of camouflage pants lined with thick fur. He even added an unopened pack of bitter tea.
He waved his hand dismissively, “No need to return them.”
A team doctor with an annual salary of $500,000 wouldn’t be bothered by such a trivial matter.
Qin Chunxiao was very grateful, “Thank you, Yashenka.”
He stuffed the items into a plastic bag and tossed it to Lu Xuandong in the stands, who gestured a thank you and quickly dashed away. Eager to catch the match, he threw the bag onto his seat and hurried back to his spot.
Lu Yunchen quickly texted again, [Bro, the bitter tea is a bit tight, I need a larger size.]
Lu Xuandong replied, [Make do for now.]
The match had already started, and he didn’t have time to get his brother a bigger size of bitter tea.1
