Only his heartbeat was particularly strong.
Mobo knew Ash.
He still needed to arrange for the two of them to meet at the company tomorrow.
Jing Mian felt his mind was a bit muddled.
It was as if he had endured a long passage of time and waiting, a belief almost imprinted on his soul, something he could only look up to like the stars in the sky—an existence forever out of reach.
And now someone was telling him that he could pluck this star down.
So, aside from surprise, Jing Mian felt more of a bewildered confusion.
And an unbelievable sense of unreality.
Unconsciously, Jing Mian noticed that his fingertips were cold, and the chat history on the screen still lingered from three minutes ago.
He hesitated for a moment, just about to reply with “Okay.”
But his actions suddenly halted.
Jing Mian thought, if it were in the past, he could have gone to meet Ash without a second thought, but in this past month, everything around him had changed drastically, even his own identity was completely different from before.
For instance, he was no longer single.
Now, he was Mr. Ren’s lover.
To meet a professional gamer he had admired for many years, someone who was almost like an idol to him, and to hear Mobo refer to him as “he” only confirmed that Ash was also a man.
Jing Mian wondered if he should inform Mr. Ren about meeting his idol alone.
Should he consult his lover’s opinion before deciding to agree?
So Jing Mian hesitated and typed to Mobo:
【Because I’m not sure if there’s anything happening at school, can I give you a reply tomorrow morning?】
【If it’s inconvenient, you can cancel this meeting, thank you anyway.】
Mobo seemed to be waiting for his reply, and as soon as Jing Mian sent it, new messages quickly came in from the other side:
【No problem, just let me know tomorrow.】
【And don’t feel pressured, because I know how hard it is to get Ash’s Shadow Guard, so I thought you might really like Ash, and would want to meet him, so I just asked.】
【Ash should be around all day tomorrow, so you can come and meet him whenever you want.】
Jing Mian was stunned.
Although he always thought Mobo was a really nice person, not only a senior but also one of the legendary figures in Glory, he always spoke with a smile, looking very friendly, and even took the initiative to add his contact information, even though he was just an obscure little streamer.
He never expected that late at night, remembering that Ash was coming to the Glory headquarters tomorrow, Mobo would specifically message him to ask if he wanted to meet his idol.
And now, sending him three consecutive messages that weren’t short at all.
For a relationship that still felt like they were in the stranger phase, Jing Mian felt that Mobo seemed a bit… overly enthusiastic.
As if he was very eager to facilitate a meeting between him and Ash.
Jing Mian thought it might have something to do with Ash being his Shadow Guard.
So the young man politely replied to Mobo.
Then he glanced at the clock.
—23:10.
At this time, Ren Xingwan had probably already gone to bed.
How should he explain to Mr. Ren?
I want to meet a professional gamer I’ve admired for many years, would you mind?
“……”
Jing Mian silently dismissed that thought.
After all, he was also a professional gamer himself, saying it like that would definitely lead to misunderstandings.
Then he could say he was going to meet his idol?
Jing Mian thought that when a person has an idol, they develop feelings similar to those of chasing stars, liking the other person for some extremely dazzling quality, and afterward, they would involuntarily want to know more about him.
Wanting to know his life story, following all his updates, wanting to understand the ups and downs he had experienced.
But Ash was not like that for Jing Mian.
Ash was only vividly alive in the game, a spiritual pillar that supported him.
Even after all these years, Jing Mian had never followed any information or news about Ash in real life, to the point that he only learned from Xuan Cheng that Ash had once joined the Me. club for a year.
So when Mobo suggested that he meet Ash, Jing Mian’s first reaction was more inclined toward confusion and bewilderment than excitement and thrill.
Compared to an idol, Ash felt more like a belief that had supported him for many years.
Although it wasn’t entirely accurate to describe him as an idol, it was the closest meaning Ash held for him.
At the same time, it wouldn’t cause Mr. Ren unnecessary misunderstandings.
Jing Mian thought that Mr. Ren seemed very busy in the morning; after breakfast, the man would get ready and leave seamlessly, as could be seen from this morning’s schedule.
…He didn’t seem to have time to chat with him.
Jing Mian tossed and turned.
Should he explain it to Mr. Ren tonight?
A short disturbance to Mr. Ren’s sleep would be better than bringing it up tomorrow, risking the chance of ruining the man’s good mood before he left.
So, Jing Mian decisively got out of bed.
He put on his slippers, thinking he would need to walk through the dark corridor, but unexpectedly, a small light was on in the corner of the hallway—not bright, but just enough to avoid walking in complete darkness.
The door to the guest room was slightly ajar.
Jing Mian vaguely saw a glimmer of light, somewhat surprised; it turned out Mr. Ren hadn’t gone to sleep yet. Just a moment ago, he was still hesitating whether to knock on the door.
Jing Mian slightly turned to the side, peeking his head through the crack in the door, and softly asked, “Are you asleep?”
The air was silent.
The person in the bedroom did not respond.
Jing Mian hesitated for a moment, gently pushed the door open, trying not to disturb the room’s occupant, his slippers barely making a sound as he walked lightly toward Ren Xingwan’s bed.
Jing Mian crouched down slightly and softly called out, “Mr. Ren.”
Perhaps his voice was too soft; the man still did not respond.
Jing Mian began to doubt that Mr. Ren might really be asleep.
Then where did that faint light come from?
The young man turned his head and discovered it was Mr. Ren’s phone, indicating that it was fully charged.
Jing Mian: “……”
That was reckless.
Jing Mian thought that if Mr. Ren woke up and found him crouching by the bed, the motive could be questionable, not to mention that in this pitch-black state, he would definitely be startled.
Jing Mian suddenly felt like he was in a difficult position.
So, he reached out and gently tugged at the corner of Mr. Ren’s blanket, trying to lower his voice: “Mr. Ren?”
This time, Jing Mian felt that the other party seemed to have heard his voice.
Because the man not only stirred but also made a sound in the darkness.
It wasn’t the hazy confusion of being woken up; on the contrary, it was very clear, giving the impression that the man had been awake all along:
“MianMian?”
Jing Mian was taken aback, instinctively responding with a soft “Mm.”
Unlike his usual voice, the man’s tone was slow, slightly deep, but warm and clear, the cold and indifferent atmosphere vanished, replaced by a… gentle sound that made Jing Mian involuntarily think of his brother.
“……”
That call of “MianMian” sent a shiver down Jing Mian’s spine; he rubbed his earlobe, feeling a spark of electricity crawl through him, his throat barely moving.
His heartbeat inexplicably quickened.
That voice just now was simply too captivating.
From this detail, Jing Mian was somewhat certain that Mr. Ren had indeed been asleep just now, only to be awakened by him.
Crouching by the bed, only his shoulders and head were visible, his arms resting lightly on the edge of the bed, taking up almost no space on the bed itself.
He spoke: “Sorry for waking you up.”
Jing Mian said, “You don’t need to get up; I just wanted to ask your opinion on something.”
Ren Xingwan: “What?”
Jing Mian maintained his previous position, trying to minimize his unusual presence by Mr. Ren’s bed, and softly said, “I don’t have class tomorrow, and I want to meet a professional gamer I’ve admired for many years. Would you mind?”
Ren Xingwan repeated, “Admired?”
Jing Mian’s throat moved slightly as he explained, “It’s the kind of admiration for an idol, similar to chasing stars, different from what we have.”
Jing Mian felt overwhelmed.
He had clearly rehearsed his wording in his mind just now, but when it came to the actual moment, the words that came out were all versions he had just dismissed.
Mr. Ren’s voice seemed to deepen: “What kind of relationship do we have?”
“……”
Jing Mian seemed to think seriously for a moment and replied, “A legal one, with a certificate.”
“It’s a relationship protected by law.”
Ren Xingwan: “……”
The light from the phone screen had already gone out, and the view fell back into darkness; Jing Mian couldn’t see the man’s expression.
Although his breathing and voice remained unchanged, he vaguely sensed that Mr. Ren seemed to be… suppressing a smile, but it vanished in an instant, making the young man doubt whether he was imagining things.
Jing Mian: “?”
Just as Jing Mian was feeling confused, he heard Mr. Ren’s voice say, “For matters like this, you don’t need to consult my opinion.”
“As long as you don’t do anything illegal, it’s fine.”
Jing Mian was taken aback; even though he didn’t fully grasp the situation, he could tell something was off this time.
The young man pressed his thin lips together, and for some reason, his ears gradually grew warm.
Jing Mian swallowed and said, “Okay, then you can continue sleeping; I’ll head back now.”
“Jing Mian.”
Mr. Ren suddenly called out to him.
Jing Mian was about to get up but paused again: “Mm?”
“I saw that you added a few groups.” Mr. Ren said.
Jing Mian’s brows slightly furrowed; he realized that the groups Mr. Ren was referring to were probably the ones he was added to today before heading home, the ones for the residents and the supermarket?
Jing Mian nodded, seemingly not understanding why Mr. Ren would bring this up: “I thought I might need them in the future, so I added a few.”
Mr. Ren: “Eleven of them.”
Jing Mian was a bit surprised: “Um… it seems like there are that many; I didn’t count.”
The man seemed to fall silent for a moment.
Mr. Ren said, “It was someone with the username ‘Strive to make money to buy Porsche for the boss’ who added you.”
Jing Mian: “……”
He hadn’t noticed before that the security guard’s username was so wild and down-to-earth.
The key point was that Mr. Ren recited it so seriously.
Jing Mian felt embarrassed: “Um… yes, is there a problem?”
Ren Xingwan: “Who is he?”
Jing Mian thought that even if Ren Xingwan was in the group, he probably didn’t pay much attention to the members of these groups on a daily basis, or he might not be interested at all, only using them very practically to receive important notifications or buy groceries, which was why he had never set any notes, and even if he saw the username, he wouldn’t recognize it.
Jing Mian explained, “He’s the security guard in our community; I happened to chat with him today, and he added me to a few groups for convenience in receiving notifications and buying things.”
Mr. Ren seemed to fall silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke: “I’m also in the group.”
Jing Mian: “?”
Under the young man’s somewhat confused and surprised gaze, Mr. Ren’s voice seemed to lower:
“If you wanted to join the group, why didn’t you ask me?”