Disguised as a Man, She Has Eight Men Fighting Over Her - Chapter 62 - Confusion

The hand that had meant to push him away lost its strength and rested uselessly against his chest.

His heart thudded beneath it, his skin burning hot.

As though he had discovered some secret reward, Yan Ci grew bolder. He caught her wrist and guided her hand under the hem of his shirt.

Lin Cheng’s fingertips met firm, scorching skin. The lines of his abdomen stood taut and distinct beneath her palm.

Startled, she tried to snatch her hand back, but he pressed it more firmly against him, forcing it upward along the defined contours, over his tense stomach and onto his rising chest.

Beneath her palm, his heartbeat was just as uncontrolled, pounding against her senses.

The unfamiliar, aggressively masculine feel of him sent a shudder through her.

Between the crush of his lips and tongue, a muffled whimper escaped her throat.

“Qin Rang…”

Murmured like that, the name sounded so much like Qingrang.

A muscle jumped at Yan Ci’s temple. He paused for two seconds, then locked his arm tighter around her waist and kissed her more roughly.

Beneath his thick lashes, his eyes were dark as bottomless pools.

And, shamelessly, he answered, “Mm.”

Only after a long while did he finally draw back, their noses touching, her wrist still cupped in his hand.

Lin Cheng gave his firm chest a vindictive squeeze—not quite gentle, not quite hard.

A suppressed groan escaped him, but he kept his lips pressed shut and said nothing.

She pulled her hand free. Her voice trembled. “Why won’t you talk? Are you mute?”

The arm around her waist tightened a little. He hummed in agreement.

“…Mm.”

Lin Cheng had no words.

“Then don’t ever talk to me again!”

“Take me back to bed.”

This time, his answering “Mm” was light, almost pleased.

He guided her to the bedroom door. Holding the frame, Lin Cheng turned toward him and muttered, “Why did you take the chest chain off…?”

She had actually liked it quite a lot.

—

Two days later, Lin Cheng’s eyes had recovered. The group ended their break and returned to the villa that served as their base.

As soon as they entered the living room, they found Ji Hanzhou on the sofa. He had clearly been waiting a while.

“There’s a new project—a celebrity esports show called Peak Showdown. It’s centered on League of Legends, and the platform specifically wants five of us.”

At the mention of League of Legends, Lin Cheng unconsciously straightened. Her newly recovered eyes sparkled.

Now that was a game she could play with confidence.

The small change did not escape Shen Qingrang, whose attention had been on her all along.

He leaned slightly closer and asked, low enough for only the two of them to hear, “Want to play?”

Lin Cheng acted as though she hadn’t heard. She even deliberately turned her head away, treating him as invisible.

Behind his lenses, his gaze darkened. A faint, bewildered ache crossed his chest.

Ever since they had returned from the hospital—

No. More precisely, ever since that night, she hadn’t given him a single friendly look.

He had gone over every detail, but still couldn’t work out what he had done wrong.

Ji Hanzhou continued. “Xie Zhi is still filming, so his schedule clashes. Five of the six of you will play.”

His gaze passed over everyone present.

“Your opponents are Blaze. They’ve been getting a lot of attention lately, and they’re genuinely good.”

He stressed those last words. His meaning was clear.

“What’s more…” Ji Hanzhou leaned back slightly. “They’ve already announced that they’re going to take Wild7 down on the competitive stage. This time, you’ll have to earn your own bragging rights.”

“Blaze?” Pei Jinye scoffed, a cocky edge entering his expression. “That second-rate group that’s better at generating hype than playing games? Big talk.”

Ji Hanzhou let that pass.

“The empty room at the end of the first-floor hall has been turned into a gaming room. You’ll be livestreaming your practice. Since they’ve talked themselves up, we’ll answer with skill, on camera.”

“Set up a match in a bit. See what they’ve got.”

The moment Ji Hanzhou left, Pei Jinye strode over, perched on the sofa arm beside Lin Cheng, and leaned in.

“Hey. You play League?”

She nodded modestly. “A little.”

He raised an eyebrow, a roguish grin tugging at his mouth. “Oh? What role?”

“Mid.”

Shi Yu came over too. “What champions do you usually play, Little Chen?”

“Any AP champion,” she answered without hesitation.

“Nice!” Pei Jinye’s eyes lit up. He reached down and hauled her off the sofa like a little chick. “Come on. One-on-one. Let your big brother see what you can do!”

Shen Qingrang watched him half wrap an arm around Lin Cheng and pull her up. She didn’t resist; she readily went with him.

She didn’t spare Shen Qingrang so much as a glance. His expression darkened.

Without a word, he followed them into the gaming room.

The room had been fitted out in a cyber-inspired gaming style. Five computers stood in a row, with a sixth tucked into the corner.

Pei Jinye eagerly pushed Lin Cheng into a chair.

“Come on, come on. Mid-lane solo. First blood wins. I’ll even let you pick first!”

Lin Cheng accepted and picked LeBlanc. Pei Jinye grinned and instantly locked in Zed.

“Oh, going for the flashy plays? Perfect. Putting show-offs in their place is my specialty.”

Less than two minutes into the lane—

“First Blood.”

Pei Jinye froze.

“Holy shit, Lin Chen! How fast are your hands?”

He stared at his suddenly gray screen and yelled in disbelief.

His Zed had just tried to swap with his shadow for a quick trade when Lin Cheng’s LeBlanc erased him with a Q-W combo, Ignite, and Electrocute. He hadn’t even managed to Flash.

Fuck. This little bastard!

Stung, Pei Jinye turned and called to Jiang Si, who had just come in.

“Si, your turn. There’s something wrong with this kid. You deal with him.”

Jiang Si walked to another computer and sat down without much expression.

“Invite me.”

Lin Cheng thought for a moment, then changed champions and selected Zoe.

Jiang Si instantly picked LeBlanc—the champion she had used in the last game.

The lane began.

His play was genuinely seasoned. From his awareness to his last-hitting, he forced Lin Cheng to give him her full attention.

After several trades in which she gained no advantage, she had to admit he was very good.

Jiang Si used W to dash forward and deliver a combo, then returned to his starting point as usual.

This time, Lin Cheng’s gaze sharpened. Predicting his return, she sent a Sleepy Trouble Bubble toward that spot at maximum range, almost at the exact moment LeBlanc blinked back.

Pop!

A hit!

Jiang Si stepped straight into the bubble and fell asleep.

“Nice! Yes!”

The words burst out of Lin Cheng, her clear voice full of triumph.

“I got to sleep with the captain!”