'So, what do you think?'
Yu Qingyu was sitting on a bench, trying to catch a breath after the intense training. They had a match 3 on 3, and he was in the team going against Ye Chaodan, meaning he had to run around all the time, giving it his all, trying hard to keep up. Despite his efforts, he still suffered a crushing defeat. Ye Chaodan was a pro, after all.
[It's difficult to tell. Ye Chaodan has been much stricter and harsher than usual, but it could be attributed to his bad mood. Other than that, there's nothing particularly odd about his behavior. He has been properly leading the training as always.] 520 judgment of the situation was still very much unclear.
Yu Qingyu nodded his head lightly, staring into space. He's been thinking the same thing. Maybe there wasn't anything to worry about after all? It was still too early for him to relax though.
[It is still possible that he is the host of 748, but his mission might be similar to yours, considering how he led the training well. Or at least, it shouldn't be conflicting. However, I recommend Host to continue observing him, just in case. Perhaps suggest spending time together outside of the training. For example, going out for drinks with the whole team. Aside from observing the suspect, it could also increase the bond between the members, encouraging the team spirit.] 520 added.
'Hmm… That sounds like a good idea,' Yu Qingyu smiled, glancing at the rest of the team members, who were all just getting changed without talking to each other at all. It's been a while since they graduated from high school, and most of them drifted apart throughout the years. They could certainly use some socializing.
He took a sip of water and cleared his throat. "Hey, I've been thinking…" he started, breaking the silence.
The rest of the team threw him casual glances, without interrupting what they were currently doing. Ye Chaodan, however, stopped tying his shoes, his head immediately snapped up, his unreadable eyes piercing Yu Qingyu.
Yu Qingyu returned the look with a cheerful smile, and continued, completely unperturbed. "Does everyone have time next Friday evening? I've been thinking of going for some drinks together! It's been ages since we hung out, just for fun!"
"Sounds great!" Xiao Guan, another of his teammates, responded enthusiastically. "I've been wanting to catch up with you guys!"
"Yeah, it will be kinda like good old times, when we used to go grab a bite after the training!" Tang Zixin immediately agreed. Wang Yun just nodded his head, to show that he is interested as well.
Thankfully, Fu Zhiren was well-liked by everyone. He's been much quieter than his best friend, Jiang Lu, but at the same time, incomparably more friendly and sociable. People naturally gravitated toward him, finding his company enjoyable.
In fact, despite the whole rematch thing being Jiang Lu's idea, it was Fu Zhiren who brought the team back together, trying to support his friend. Otherwise, the teammates probably would have been less inclined to spend their free time training hard for a tournament they didn't really care about…
"Jiang Lu? Ye Chaodan? What about you two?" Yu Qingyu turned to the two members who were yet to respond to his suggestion.
Jiang Lu shrugged his shoulders. "It's alright, I guess. I think I should have time… But I'll let you know later." He gave Yu Qingyu a slightly sour smile. "Just make sure you pick a nice place. Recently, we had a company dinner in this one restaurant Su Yongkan recommended… And it was absolutely horrendous!"
"Yes, of course, I'll consult it with you before I decide. Let me know once you know if you can make it," Yu Qingyu smiled back at Jiang Lu. He knew that Jiang Lu definitely had time, and was just pretending to be a busy person in front of the rest, but he just played along. There was no need to point that out and embarrass him.
He glanced back to Ye Chaodan, who was still observing him with his cold eyes, without saying a word. "Ye Chaodan?" he asked carefully, feeling slightly nervous about the continued silence. What if his main target couldn't make it? Or wasn't willing to come? That would be quite a shame…
However, Ye Chaodan smiled brightly, his dark eyes turning into crescents. "Yeah, of course I'll come. I've been wanting to talk to you more…"
Yu Qingyu raised his eyebrows. Talk to him more? Does that mean he realized that he is…
"All of you, of course," Ye Chaodan corrected himself, as if contradicting Yu Qingyu's thoughts. "We're teammates, after all!"
Yu Qingyu smiled at him in response. His cheeks were starting to hurt from forcing himself to smile so much. "That's great then! I'll send the details in the group chat later!"
"Oh, well…" Ye Chaodan looked to the side with uneasiness written all over his face, hesitating a bit before continuing to speak. "Can you give me a call instead? I've been quite busy recently, so I tend to ignore all notifications… If you just message me, I might miss it…"
Yu Qingyu furrowed his brows, confused. Even if he ignored all notifications, as long as he knew they were supposed to hang out on Friday, all he needed to do was to check the group chat on Friday afternoon to learn the details. It's not like he needed to react to the message immediately or anything.
He found it a bit odd, but he wasn't about to point that out. What was the point of questioning Ye Chaodan on something like that? Giving him a call didn't trouble Yu Qingyu at all.
"Yeah, sure. I'll call you once the place and the time are decided. If you want, I can also call you on Friday, just to remind you?" he suggested instead.
Ye Chaodan gave him a small smile. "Yeah, that would be great."
"Alright!" Yu Qingyu got up from the bench, stretching his back. "I'm gonna go home now," he said with a yawn. He just wanted to have a quick shower, and jump back into bed, to get some more well-deserved sleep.
"See you next training!" Tang Zixin called after him.
Yu Qingyu swept everyone with his eyes the last time, pausing for a bit at Ye Chaodan, and left the gym first.
He didn't see Ye Chaodan's expression turn dark and cold again, as he stared at the door, lost deep in thought.