By Zephyria 
“Mianmian is so damn cool!!”
Red Hair walked back to his room, secretly thrilled and even a little unsatisfied: “Thought our rookie was meek and easy to tease, but they got owned instead.”
Both Jing Mian and Song Xianyang were new faces on the team this year and had both played as starting members. Anyone who had watched even a bit of the previous national tournament livestreams could guess who Sheep was, even if they hadn’t seen him in person.
So Shock’s opening line had carried a subtle hint of provocation.
“It’s my first time seeing Shock get shut down like that.”
“Usually, no one dares to mess with him. They say he has a bad temper, and besides, he’s the former national champion.”
Song Xianyang rubbed his chin, joining the discussion seriously: “Brother Mianmian was being conservative. He should’ve said world champion instead, after all, we’ve already secured our spot in the world tournament.”
As the team chatted animatedly, Xuan Rui followed behind, giving reminders one by one: “Everyone, get some rest early. No staying up late to play matches in your rooms these two days. There’s pre-match warm-ups and interviews tomorrow, and don’t forget to repost the Team’s official Weibo updates…”
Chen Xi walked beside Jing Mian, lowering her voice: “Mianmian, sorry about last time.”
Jing Mian paused, asking, “What for?”
Chen Xi looked a little embarrassed: “That time on the bus when I mistook Mr. Ren for Dawn. After seeing Dawn in person later, I realized my mistake.”
Jing Mian seemed to recall it only then and shook his head, replying softly, “It’s fine. He doesn’t mind.”
“…” Chen Xi hesitated.
Really, he doesn’t mind?
Perhaps Mianmian wasn’t the most perceptive, but in her eyes, Mr. Ren was far from indifferent—if anything, he harbored a cold, distant hostility toward Dawn.
Maybe it had to do with Dawn being Mianmian’s former gaming partner, or even the rumors that he had once pursued Sheep. Bringing up someone’s spouse’s past suitor in front of their current husband… no matter how you looked at it, it was rude.
Chen Xi turned slightly, her long hair cascading over her shoulder: “I have a gift for you two, as an apology.”
Jing Mian stopped walking, shaking his head more firmly this time: “No need for gifts. Neither Husband nor I mind, really.”
“It’s nothing extravagant,” Chen Xi smiled. “Just take a look? I’ve already prepared it.”
With that, the girl took out her phone from her backpack, unlocked it, and opened the app store. She typed something in, and a light purple app appeared in the search results.
Under Jing Mian’s puzzled gaze, Chen Xi lifted her phone for him to see.
The name of the only app in the search results was:
“Our Distance.”
“My brother’s side job is software development, so I asked him to make this app. You can download it on your phone,” Chen Xi explained with a smile. “Its function is to let you and Mr. Ren see each other’s location and the distance between you at any time, anywhere.”
“But it’s more accurate and real-time than regular tracking apps,” Chen Xi added. “If you start running even slightly faster than normal, the other person will notice.”
“—Because once you start running, your little icon will light up.”
“If you want privacy, you can turn it off anytime.”
Chen Xi used Jing Mian’s phone to find the app and tapped to download it, only to discover it required a password.
“The password is 0423. When you go back, tell Mr. Ren to download it on his phone using the same password, and it’ll work.”
Chen Xi blinked and said, “My brother not only set a password for download permissions but also limited the number of users.”
“It only belongs to two people.”
Jing Mian froze slightly, his face showing surprise.
“So, this is an app that only the two of you in the entire world can use.”
Chen Xi grinned. “Pretty cool gift, huh?”
Jing Mian: “But your brother…”
“Don’t feel awkward. My brother’s been out of practice these past two years and needs to take on projects to get back into the groove.”
At this point, the young man could no longer think of a way to refuse. He gave a faint smile and murmured, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And besides the functions I mentioned earlier, if you tap Mr. Ren’s icon…” Chen Xi guided Jing Mian’s finger to the gray circular icon representing Mr. Ren on the screen. “One tap means, ‘Are you there?'”
Sure enough, the moment his finger touched the screen, two words appeared beside Jing Mian’s icon: Are you there?
The boy’s eyes brightened slightly, his gaze fixed unwaveringly, as if captivated.
…So creative.
Chen Xi continued, “Two taps mean, ‘I miss you.'”
Jing Mian’s expression stiffened, suddenly sensing the conversation taking an odd turn. He was about to speak, but he couldn’t stop Chen Xi from softly uttering the third line—
“Three taps mean, ‘I love you.'”
Jing Mian: “…”
After Chen Xi finished speaking, the boy remained silent.
Puzzled, she glanced sideways and noticed Jing Mian’s lowered lashes. Though he said nothing, a faint flush crept visibly from his cheeks to the tips of his ears.
Chen Xi pressed her lips together silently.
Oh my god.
You’ve been married for almost half a year, and you still haven’t said that to Mr. Ren yet?
What kind of pure, sweet romance are you two even in??
Just then, Xuan Cheng’s voice rang out: “This is the floor.”
“Your room numbers match your keycards. Everyone, rest early tonight. Don’t snack too much, don’t stay up late. Tomorrow’s the final battle, persevere to the end, and victory will be ours!”
“Got it!”
…
Late at night.
Lying on the hotel bed, with Song Xianyang’s rhythmic snoring rising and falling nearby, Jing Mian picked up his phone and sent the app Chen Xi had given him to Mr. Ren, along with the four-digit password.
He briefly explained its purpose, that only the two of them could use it, but quietly omitted the three unspeakable functions.
Assuming the man was already asleep or would ignore his messages, Jing Mian was surprised when, a minute later, the download count for Our Distance changed to 2.
Jing Mian froze.
Staring at the screen for a few seconds, he rolled over, his heart pounding.
At the same time, Mr. Ren sent:
,[Why aren’t you asleep yet?]
Perhaps Mr. Ren hadn’t fully grasped the app’s functions, or maybe the man simply had no interest in sharing his location. His gray icon remained unlit.
Jing Mian couldn’t see his husband’s location, but even without checking, he guessed the man was likely at home—possibly even in their usual bedroom. In the darkness, Jing Mian squinted slightly from the screen’s glow. After hesitating for a few seconds, he didn’t turn on his own location either.
Jing Mian answered truthfully: [I’m a little restless.]
About ten seconds later.
Mr. Ren: [Image]
Jing Mian: “?”
He opened it in surprise, only to find it was the globe from his bedside.
At this moment, the globe emitted a soft glow, floating steadily as the oceans and continents rotated, its light dazzling yet gentle.
But why had he been sent a globe?
Mr. Ren: [Is this helpful?]
Jing Mian froze for a few seconds before chuckling, his eyes curving slightly.
His Husband had just endeared himself to him.
Jing Mian replied: [Yes.]
Though, if Husband were here, the help might be even greater.
Mr. Ren: [Nervous about the match?]
Jing Mian’s lashes trembled slightly. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t nervous.
The national championship was an arena representing honor and faith in every player’s heart. Moreover, they had already come this far, just one step away from that silver trophy. Tonight, few among ME.’s players would likely sleep peacefully.
Yet, with the competition looming, here he was casually chatting with his Husband.
[Yeah.]
[Today, I met the captain of another Team, Shock. He was last year’s national champion.]
Jing Mian thought for a moment. It was likely Mr. Ren didn’t know who Shock was, so he explained vividly: [Shock’s position in the esports circle is like Mr. Ren’s in the entertainment industry, really impressive.]
After a while, Husband replied:
[Not as impressive as the future champion.]
“…!” Jing Mian coughed lightly, nearly choking on his own saliva.
The words he had said earlier now echoed back to him from his Husband. He could almost picture the man’s indifferent, stern expression as he typed that.
Jing Mian’s lashes lowered slightly, the screen’s glow softening as he suddenly felt his eyelids grow heavy.
[Sleepy?]
The young man glanced at the clock, it was almost eleven.
Rubbing his eyes, Jing Mian replied: [Yeah.]
His fingers hovered midair for a few seconds before he suddenly remembered something and typed: [Why aren’t you asleep yet, Husband?]
Mr. Ren said:
[Keeping my little insomniac company.]