HCILH Extra 2

Chapter 140: Extras – Speed Limit ^[1]

Sang Xian was born a pessimist, yet he encountered a boy so optimistic it bordered on foolishness.

He started to notice this boy, and gradually, he fell for him.

He wanted to win this boy over, and from the moment he decided to pursue him to the moment he succeeded, there weren’t many obstacles. He even felt a bit pleased with himself.

Little did he know, the true trials would begin after they started dating…

Being in a relationship with this boy was like enduring a grueling ordeal.

Yet, Sang Xian had to admit—this boy brought light into his life.

And because of that, he would never let go.

*

At first, Sang Xian didn’t pay much attention to Ran Shu.

In his eyes, Ran Shu was a noisy whirlwind, always chattering away with his slight stutter, endlessly loud.

Ran Shu seemed to spend all his time with Sui Houyu or mingling effortlessly with groups of girls. Despite being the only boy, he never looked out of place and was strangely popular.

Ran Shu wasn’t effeminate, but he wasn’t overly masculine either. He struck a delicate balance—a refined boy.

The kind of boy people either adored or couldn’t stand.

Especially with his unpredictable personality, he wasn’t easy for just anyone to handle.

The first time Sang Xian noticed Ran Shu was during an afternoon self-study session that Ran Shu decided to skip. He crouched outside the tennis court, hiding suspiciously behind the iron fence, sneakily watching Sui Houyu train with the team.

At that time, Sui Houyu hadn’t officially joined the tennis team and was just practicing with them.

Sang Xian had gone out under the pretense of buying water but wandered aimlessly for a while before returning. That’s when he spotted Ran Shu crouching behind the fence, his posture so comical it was hard not to laugh.

The bottom half of the fence was a cement wall about 80 centimeters high, and Ran Shu was hiding behind it.

Sang Xian walked over, holding his water bottle, and stood behind Ran Shu, looking down at him.

Then his gaze lingered.

Everyone has their weak spot. For some, it’s hands; for others, legs.

For Sang Xian, it was the nape of the neck.

Looking down, he noticed that Ran Shu’s loosely buttoned school uniform revealed a slender, pale neck.

Ran Shu had a swan-like neck—long, delicate, and smooth. His shoulders were narrow yet graceful, with a hint of straight, angular lines.

From his hairline to the middle of his back, everything about Ran Shu seemed to match Sang Xian’s preferences.

Just then, Ran Shu tilted his head back to look at him and waved him off: “Don’t-don’t stand near me! What if Brother Yu sees me?”

“What are you doing here?” Sang Xian asked.

“I-I need to check if anyone’s bullying Brother Yu.”

“You could just go in. No one’s stopping you.”

“No way! Brother Yu would be annoyed.”

Sang Xian said nothing. He glanced down again, intending to admire Ran Shu’s neck, but before he could, Ran Shu suddenly stood up and moved behind him.

Ran Shu was so slender that he could completely hide behind Sang Xian without being seen. Standing there, he tugged on Sang Xian’s pants, telling him to close his legs.

Sang Xian complied and felt Ran Shu lightly pulling at the back of his shirt, the faint tug stirring a strange tickle in his chest.

Sui Houyu glanced over briefly, then continued training.

“Is he still practicing?” Ran Shu whispered from behind.

“No.”

“D-Don’t move!”

“Okay.”

When Ran Shu couldn’t hold back any longer, he peeked out to look at the court, finally seeing that Sui Houyu was still training.

Ran Shu shot Sang Xian an annoyed glare but didn’t scold him since they weren’t close yet.

Ran Shu crouched down again and waved him off. “G-go back inside already!”

Sang Xian didn’t linger. He walked back into the court and looked around before moving a sunshade to block the slanting sunlight, creating a shadow for Ran Shu to stay out of the heat while crouching outside.

*

Sang Xian and Ran Shu grew closer when they unexpectedly became doubles partners for a tennis match.

After noticing the scars on Sang Xian’s wrist, Ran Shu became oddly watchful. When it was just the two of them, Ran Shu would always follow him, no matter what he was doing.

One day, after a tiring match, Sang Xian heard that the artificial lake nearby had a beautiful night view. He changed into more comfortable clothes and planned to go for a night run.

He hadn’t gone far before hearing the slap of flip-flops behind him. Turning around, he saw Ran Shu sneaking along, trying to follow him unnoticed.

Sang Xian stopped, and Ran Shu pretended to admire the scenery, as if he was marveling at the moon rather than being caught red-handed.

“I’m going to keep running,” Sang Xian said, pointing to the path.

Ran Shu quickly hurried over, grabbing his sleeve. “I’ll run with you! Since we bumped into each other, anyway.”

Sang Xian hesitated, unsure if he was more surprised by Ran Shu’s sudden fluency or the way he was tugging at his sleeve. Then he glanced down at Ran Shu’s flip-flops—completely unsuitable for running.

He looked toward the small river nearby and felt a pang of irony. If he ever decided to drown himself here, the water was so shallow he’d have to lie flat on his back just to get his nose wet.

“Let’s just walk. The air here is nice,” Sang Xian said.

“Oh…” Ran Shu followed him, looking around cautiously as they walked.

The area was a small grove, quiet and secluded at night. With the wind rustling the trees and casting shadows, the two of them were entirely alone.

Probably scared, Ran Shu clung to Sang Xian’s sleeve so tightly that one side of his shirt sagged while the other was pulled taut.

“Could you hold my hand instead?” Sang Xian asked suddenly.

Ran Shu hesitated, glanced at his hand, and asked, “W-Wouldn’t that be… gross?”

“Then let go of my sleeve.”

Ran Shu let go quickly, and Sang Xian adjusted his shirt.

A while later, they heard rustling noises. Ran Shu instinctively reached for Sang Xian’s hand, clasping it tightly with both of his own. Nervously, he asked, “D-Do you think there are snakes here?”

“Snakes?”

“Yeah… I-I hate snakes, especially worms. The wriggly kind makes me sick just thinking about it.”

“Then let’s head back.”

“Okay!”

Sang Xian had no choice but to hold Ran Shu’s hand, half-pulling and half-dragging him back to the hotel.

Once back, Ran Shu seemed to revive instantly and began talking about their match: “Y-You must be the one who can see my progress the most clearly since we competed together! Haven’t I improved at a visible speed?”

“Uh…” Sang Xian pondered his response carefully before replying: “You do have a lot of room for improvement.”

“Right? I-I think I’m amazing! Every effective play I made was extraordinary! I must have a natural talent for this.”

Ran Shu’s blind confidence made Sang Xian turn to look at him, his face full of skepticism.

Yet Ran Shu grinned so brightly, as if waiting for him to offer praise.

Ran Shu had the kind of smile that could light up a room, his eyes sparkling like a clear spring, and his laughter bubbling like flowing water.

Sang Xian relented. “Mm, you’re very talented.”

Back in the hotel, Sang Xian went to discuss singles strategies with Coach Wang. When he returned and finished his shower, he came out towel-drying his hair and saw that Ran Shu was already asleep.

Ran Shu’s bed was closer to the door, and with the light from the bathroom, Sang Xian could clearly see him lying there, sleeping soundly.

Ran Shu didn’t have the best sleeping posture, clutching the entire blanket tightly to himself.

Sang Xian’s eyes lingered on Ran Shu’s nape, his slender back, and the faint outline of his waist.

Ran Shu’s pajamas were shorts, revealing his long legs wrapped around the blanket—thin and long, unexpectedly pleasing to the eye in a way Sang Xian found himself liking.

He stared for a while, suddenly feeling that Ran Shu seemed rather in line with his preferences when he was quiet.

*

Sang Xian didn’t have much patience for gaming.

He found it irritating and a waste of time—time better spent doing other things.

After disrupting Ran Shu’s romantic pursuits, Ran Shu unexpectedly latched onto him, often pestering him to play games together.

One Saturday afternoon, Sang Xian received a message from Ran Shu. He ignored it, and Ran Shu didn’t press him further.

An hour later, though, his phone exploded with notifications. Apparently, Ran Shu had been frustrated by his previous teammates, and his string of voice messages was full of complaints. Sang Xian listened briefly—it was all about how his teammates had been brainless, throwing themselves at the enemy and ruining the match. “A bunch of idiots, absolutely brain-dead!”

Finally, Ran Shu asked him if he wanted to play together.

Ran Shu: “Is it so hard to reply? CEO Sang.”

Xian: “Sorry, just finished listening to your messages.”

Ran Shu: “It took ten minutes to listen?”

Xian: “Check how many you sent.”

Ran Shu: “Can’t you transcribe them into text?”

Xian: “Good idea.”

In the end, Sang Xian logged into the game. Sitting on the couch with one leg crossed over the other, he ignored the fruit platter the housekeeper had brought him.

After playing for a while, Sang Xian couldn’t stand the terrible performance of his teammates. He opened his mic, said a few things, and then muted himself again.

Surprisingly, this drew a lot of attention from the team.

Teammate 1: “Ahhh! A dreamy voice!”

Teammate 2: “It’s a voice changer”

Teammate 3: God, please add me as a friend!

Sang Xian ignored them all.

Gradually, the tone of his teammates shifted. They started mocking him, suggesting he was showing off his voice on purpose. They insinuated that in real life, he was probably just a nobody pretending to be cool.

Ran Shu, who had been quiet, suddenly started typing furiously, launching a barrage of scathing insults.

The system filtered out offensive words, but Ran Shu’s insults were carefully crafted—sharp and precise, with nothing censored. His barbs were so cutting that the targets probably wished they could drop dead on the spot.

Teammate 1: “What’s your relationship with him? Why are you defending him so much?”

Playing a female character, Ran Shu cheekily replied: “I’m his girlfriend! No need for your delusions. In real life, he’s super handsome—190cm tall, with an eight-pack, and he spoils me to death. Now buzz off.”

Reading Ran Shu’s message, Sang Xian couldn’t help but laugh.

Suddenly, he wondered if Sui Houyu must feel quite lucky, having someone so fiercely protective of him. Would there ever come a day when this little firecracker would also defend him like this?

The argument continued, and Sang Xian noticed that everyone seemed more focused on fighting than playing the game. He ended up finishing the match on his own.

As the game ended, he typed one final line: “Sorry, my significant other is strict—I can’t add you as friends.”

The victory screen appeared, and the match was over.

Afterward, Ran Shu and Sang Xian connected on a private mic channel.

Once connected, Sang Xian could hear the sound of Ran Shu munching on chips: “These shameless people! They’re so bad at the game, yet when someone carries them, they still have the nerve to ask for friend requests. When rejected, they turn to insults. They’re just trash—same vibe as a septic tank.”

“Mm.”

“But seriously, with your voice and decent gameplay, you could easily find a partner if you played more.”

“Not interested.”

Ran Shu crunched on another chip before saying: “Of course, you’re a CEO. You don’t lack admirers.”

“No, I don’t have any.”

“Huh?”

“No one pursues me.”

“That’s impossible.”

“It’s true.”

“Are you too aloof?”

“They say I look like a player—like I’d not only have a girlfriend but several. In reality, I don’t even have one.”

Ran Shu laughed so hard he started choking and coughed for a while.

After recovering, he said, “Y-You’re probably easy to date. You’re decent at games, you look okay, and apart from being a bit greasy, you’re fine.”

“Being good at games is a dating criteria now?”

“At least, I-I like people who are good at games.”

“Oh…” Sang Xian replied softly.

Ran Shu suddenly got annoyed: “Damn! Your voice is giving me goosebumps. Can you talk normally?”

“I am talking normally.”

“Forget it. Let’s play another round.”

“Mm.”