Handing Over His Paycheck Card Afterward

When Ye Ruan woke again, he found himself somewhere completely unfamiliar.

The room was simply furnished: a large bed, a Beanbag Chair against the wall, and a bookcase and desk near the window.

Ye Ruan sat up, looking bewildered.

His clothes had been changed into a loose, soft sweater and gray casual pants lined with short fleece.

They carried the scent unique to Big Gray Wolf.

It was like the natural, delicate plant scent of trees deep in a forest.

Ye Ruan opened the door and went out, rubbing his eyes before leaning over the railing to look downstairs.

A group of First Team members were watering the little flowers and loosening the soil in the flower bed below.

"Little Ye Ruan!"

The moment Yu Jingjing opened her door and spotted the bunny, she let out a meow and threw herself at him.

Ye Ruan instinctively reached out to catch her, forgetting that he was still weak and groggy from sleep.

The Black Cat slammed into him so hard that his knees buckled, and he nearly fell.

A strong arm braced his back.

"Careful. Don't fall." Fang Ci's gentle voice reached him.

Ye Ruan turned around in delighted surprise, but when he saw Fang Ci still sitting in his wheelchair, he said disappointedly:

"Fang Ci, I thought you were better."

"Almost. I can have the splint taken off tomorrow."

Seeing Ye Ruan visibly relax, Fang Ci couldn't help laughing.

"Why are you more nervous than I am?"

"I'm worried about you. We went through life and death together so many times in City H. We're friends, and we're comrades too." Ye Ruan flashed a brilliant smile.

Fang Ci stared at Ye Ruan for a few seconds, and suddenly let go of a great deal.

Like an older brother, he affectionately ruffled Ye Ruan's hair.

It finally dawned on him.

He didn't necessarily have to cling to romantic love.

Trusting someone to watch your back in danger was another of the world's closest, most trusting bonds.

He Zhou came out of a nearby room, yawned, and complained:

"You people are insane. You won my entire paycheck for this month!"

Li Rang burst out laughing. "Whose fault is it that you suck at cards?"

Yu Jingjing clasped her hands in thanks. "Much obliged for your generous donation, brother. My snack money for this month is sorted."

"He Zhou's even worse than Old Li. I don't need the money, but when a buddy insists on giving it away, it'd be rude not to take it," Lu Jiayi said with a grin.

He Zhou immediately held out his hand. "Then give it back. I was counting on that money to buy cigarettes."

Ye Ruan listened in utter confusion.

Fang Ci kindly explained, "They played Fight the Landlord all night. He Zhou lost so much that his whole paycheck is gone."

"Captain!" He Zhou pulled a miserable face. "You have to reimburse me for this. They dragged me here because I was helping you hold off the First Team Captain!"

Fang Ci smiled. "Ask our captain. He's loaded."

"He'll give it to me if I ask?" He Zhou asked.

"If you humor him and call him brother-in-law a few times, you'll probably get not only last night's losses back, but a big cash gift too."

"That's an option?" He Zhou exclaimed.

Gu Cheng, who happened to be coming upstairs with breakfast, heard every word.

"If you can get everyone on the Third Team to call me that, I'll give you an enormous cash gift."

He Zhou wavered, even tempted to jump straight downstairs and round everyone up.

Ye Ruan reminded him helplessly, "I'm a few months younger than you... Shouldn't you be calling him your younger brother's husband...?"

Ye Ruan's voice grew quieter as he spoke.

Gu Cheng chuckled and put an arm around him, steering him back into the room. "Your younger brother's husband, your younger sister's husband-either works."

He Zhou knew how to play along. "No need to be so precise. Brother-in-law sounds better. Hello, brother-in-law!"

Ye Ruan: "..."

The Third Team had a serious weakness for money.

From their captain right down to their members.

"Eat a little more. You've still got a fight coming up."

Thick-skinned as ever, Gu Cheng didn't care how many people were watching. He simply held the bowl and brought a spoonful to Ye Ruan's lips.

After finishing a bowl of plain congee, Ye Ruan said, "No more. Eating too much will affect my performance."

"Worst case, I'll fight. You can just sit there and watch."

"It doesn't really matter whether you win. The First Team is already yours. If I win, the Third Team's designation will start with an A, and our pay will triple."

Ye Ruan spoke with a smile, looking a little proud.

Gu Cheng tipped his chin up with a finger.

"So it's for the money? I've saved plenty. You can have it all."

He Zhou took a bite of his fried dough stick and, utterly oblivious, shattered the sweet atmosphere between them:

"We're not greedy. It's about pride. Those two teams keep calling us weak, but the truth is, we were just too young a few years ago!"

Gu Cheng took out his paycheck card and tucked it into Ye Ruan's pocket.

"I still have cash in my wallet. All my wages and bonuses from these past few years are on this card. Spend whatever you like."

"Oh, would you look at that!" Yu Jingjing clutched a cup of soy milk, grimacing at the sickening sweetness.

"Spend whatever you like."

Lu Jiayi said, "Captain, you really do put romance before friendship. Last time I asked to borrow money, you said you were too broke to afford food, and your card was completely empty!"

Gu Cheng said sincerely, "I was broke. My meal card had no money on it. I couldn't afford food."

Lu Jiayi: "..."

Yu Jingjing said, "Forget it, Sixth Brother. Why insist on hurting yourself all over again? It's not the first time he's put romance before friendship."

"All right, it's time. Let's go watch the show."

Gu Cheng tapped the table, then picked up the paper bag beside him and handed it to Ye Ruan.

"A team uniform. Black. The Management Department just had a batch made this morning, and I snagged a set."

The little bunny had fair skin. A black team uniform would look even better on him.

When they reached the Training Ground, Cai Hao was the only superior officer who had arrived early.

The sight of Ye Ruan appearing together with Gu Cheng and his group nearly made all three teams' jaws drop!

Gu Cheng, shamelessly flaunting it, walked at the front holding Ye Ruan's hand. He looked as laid-back as ever, now with an added air of smugness.

The others behind them looked like guards protecting the love between their captain and his husband, each putting on quite a show.

Only Fang Ci, who had insisted on coming to watch and now sat looking rather lonely in the wheelchair Lu Jiayi was pushing, suffered another devastating blow.

Even Cai Hao couldn't hold back. "Holy shit."

His face was dark. He had long since made it clear that Special People weren't allowed to have same-sex relationships with one another.

Gu Cheng was clearly an exception, though. As the First Team Captain, he wasn't someone many people dared give trouble.

"Gu Cheng, let go..." Ye Ruan turned to look at him, reluctant to let go himself.

"Let's stand here. Are you tired? Does your back still hurt? Want me to hold you?"

Gu Cheng led Ye Ruan straight over to stand in front of the First Team members. He didn't speak loudly, but the two rows behind them could hear him perfectly.

They were all Special People, with excellent hearing.

"Captain, you work fast!"

He had still been teasing the guy yesterday, and today he'd already won him over.

A team member farther back joked, "Can you share some tips? We'd like to stop being single too!"

Gu Cheng laughed and scolded them. "Get lost, all of you! Don't scare my husband away!"

Blushing, Ye Ruan pulled his hand free and returned to the Third Team's position without a word.

Most of the hundred-odd people there kept glancing his way. Ye Ruan wished he could dig a hole in the ground and dive headfirst into it.

"Captain..." Even Tang Tang was stunned.

"Why were you two holding hands?"

He Zhou walked over. "Our captain fooled us all. I was playing cards with Yu Jingjing and the others last night, and they said he was already dating Gu Cheng back in City H."

"They were hugging and holding each other every day, showing off how in love they were."

"He Zhou?" Ye Ruan shot him a glance.

He Zhou chuckled. "I'll shut up. I'll shut up."