Chapter 701
Charity Trip
After a three-hour flight and more than four hours of bumpy mountain roads, the bus finally arrived at the primary school surrounded by mountains at 2 p.m.
As soon as the car door opened, a cool and fresh mountain breeze rushed in.
"My God, this road is so convoluted, I feel like I'm going to throw up." Xiaohu, pale-faced, got out of the car, his legs trembling. He usually spent his time at the base playing ranked games and sleeping, so he couldn't handle this kind of long and bumpy ride.
Su Mo walked behind him, her expression unchanged. He was wearing a dark gray windbreaker and carrying a simple backpack. With one hand, he unscrewed a black thermos, poured a small cup of warm mint water, and handed it to him: "Drink something warm to calm down. I've told you to stay up less and exercise more; your constitution is too weak."
"Brother Mo, do you think everyone is like you, not even breaking a sweat in a best-of-five series?" Xiaohu smiled wryly, took the cup, and took a sip. His stomach, which had been churning violently, immediately felt much better.
On the playground ahead, the principal led dozens of simply dressed children, their cheeks red from the cold, in a welcoming line. Official cameras were already set up, ready to capture this heartwarming scene.
However, when the camera panned over, Su Mo naturally stepped half a step to the side, giving the center position to Xiaohu, who was greeting the children, and the two female hosts. He then turned and walked towards the large truck parked on the other side of the playground.
The main task of this charity trip was to donate and install thirty brand-new computers at the school to build a multimedia computer lab.
"Master, let me lend a hand." Su Mo walked to the back of the truck and said gently to the workers who were unloading the goods.
Without wearing gloves, he lifted two heavy cardboard boxes full of monitors and walked steadily toward the computer lab on the second floor of the teaching building. The cuffs of his windbreaker were slightly rolled up, revealing the strong, well-defined lines of his forearms.
The stairs were a bit narrow, and Su Mo carried the load back and forth more than a dozen times, gradually forming a fine layer of sweat on his forehead.
The official paparazzi keenly captured this scene, quietly focusing their lens on Su Mo, who was working silently in the corner. Without any showmanship or words, this world's number one top laner, whose value is immeasurable, was just like an ordinary porter, skillfully unpacking packages, squatting on the ground, assembling computer cases with screwdrivers, and connecting various complex cables.
"Mozi, take a break."
A soft sound of footsteps approached. Yu Shuang had entered the server room sometime earlier. Today she was wearing a simple white down jacket, her long hair tied in a neat ponytail, and she was carrying a pack of tissues and a bottle of mineral water.
She knelt down beside Su Mo, naturally took out a tissue, and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead and temples. A faint, sweet fragrance lingered around Su Mo's nose.
"It's alright, it'll be installed soon. The kids can use it tomorrow, Monday." Su Mo didn't flinch, letting her carefully wipe it clean, her hands still deftly tightening screws. "Why weren't you downstairs with me for the interview?"
“Xiran is downstairs playing games with the kids, and Xiaohu is over there being interviewed. I saw you carrying things here all day, so I came up to check on you.” Yu Shuang looked at his focused profile, her eyes full of tenderness and pride. “You, you’re clearly an official celebrity invited by the authorities, but you always prefer to hide behind the camera and do the hard work.”
"No matter how many nice words you say in front of the camera, it's not as practical as getting the kids a couple more computers." Su Mo stood up, dusted off his hands, took a sip of the mineral water Yu Shuang handed him, and said, "When you're working, you have to be down-to-earth."
Yu Shuang was amused by his unchanging "working theory," and the smile in her eyes deepened. She thoroughly enjoyed this quiet time without the flashing lights, just the two of them together.
By evening, the computer room was fully set up.
The temperature in the mountains plummeted, and the night wind was biting cold. The charity team was arranged to stay at a basic guesthouse in town. Because the heating system was old, the room was still somewhat chilly.
Around 9 PM, Xiran finished showering and, wearing a fluffy pink nightgown, sat on the edge of the bed rubbing her slightly cold hands. Yu Shuang was beside her, organizing tomorrow's schedule.
"Dong dong dong."
There was a gentle knock on the door.
hope Ran ran over and opened the door a crack, seeing Su Mo standing outside. He was holding two hot drinks in disposable paper cups, steaming gently.
"Brother Mo? You're still up so late?" hope Ran blinked in surprise.
“It’s damp in the mountains, and you girls are prone to catching a cold.” Su Mo handed over the two cups, her tone calm. “I just went downstairs to the kitchen and borrowed some ginger and brown sugar. I’ve been keeping them in a thermos for a while. Drink them while they’re hot before you go to sleep; we have to get up early tomorrow.”
hope Ran took the paper cup, the scalding heat warming her from her palm all the way to her heart. She looked up at Su Mo's handsome and gentle face in the dim light of the corridor, and her heart skipped a beat.
"Thank you, Brother Mo... You should get some rest." Her voice softened, filled with barely suppressed joy.
Su Mo nodded, didn't linger any longer, and turned back to his room. Watching his retreating figure, hope Ran held her ginger tea, her lips curving into a smile, as if even the simple, gloomy guesthouse had become exceptionally warm.
……
The three-day charity trip came to a successful conclusion, and the group flew back to Shanghai.
After resting for two days, Su Mo received a WeChat message from Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan: [Su Shen, are you done with your work lately? If you're free tomorrow afternoon, I've booked a teahouse on Changle Road. It's very quiet, and there won't be any paparazzi bothering you. Consider it keeping my promise from Sanya—I'll treat you to a cup of tea.]
Su Mo glanced at the schedule for tomorrow afternoon. The base had a half-day off, with no special arrangements. He tapped his finger and replied with a single word: "Okay."
The following afternoon, a light drizzle began to fall in Shanghai.
Hidden in a deep alley on Changle Road is a very unassuming private teahouse. There is no eye-catching sign, only an antique wooden door.
Su Mo, holding a black umbrella and wearing his usual black casual jacket, arrived at the appointment on time.
Led by the waiter, he entered a quiet private room called "Listening to the Rain".
As you push open the door, a delicate aroma of white tea wafts out.
Lin Xuan was sitting at the tea table. She wasn't wearing any celebrity makeup today, not even lipstick. She was wearing a soft, off-white cashmere sweater, and her long hair was casually tied back with a wooden hairpin. Shedding the cold and noble aura of the red carpet, she looked like a gentle and intellectual woman from Jiangnan.
"You've arrived." Lin Xuan looked up and saw Su Mo, a clear glint flashing in her cool eyes. She stood up and gestured for him to enter.
"Thank you for your trouble, Teacher Lin. This place is hard to find, but it is indeed a quiet oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle." Su Mo put away her umbrella outside the door and sat cross-legged on the futon opposite the tea table. "Don't call me Teacher Lin here, just call me Lin Xuan." She smiled slightly and skillfully used a bamboo tea scoop to put tea leaves into the purple clay teapot, then poured in boiling water. "I've had enough of those hypocritical pleasantries on set and at various social events. It's rare to have a friend with whom I can sit down quietly and have a cup of tea."
Su Mo did not refuse and nodded: "Okay, Lin Xuan."
Amidst the rising steam, the two sat across the tea table, listening to the patter of raindrops hitting the banana leaves outside the window.
Lin Xuan poured Su Mo a cup of clear tea and handed it to him with both hands. Looking at Su Mo's face, which always seemed calm and composed, she couldn't help but ask, "I'm very curious, you've won so many championships on the field, and the outside world has elevated you to a pedestal. Facing so much fervor and temptation every day, how do you manage to maintain this... meditative state?"
Su Mo picked up the teacup, gently blew away the foam, and took a small sip.
“Because I treat this as a job.” Su Mo put down his teacup, his voice deep and magnetic in the quiet tea room. “Whether you’re a celebrity or an e-sports player, the spotlight is given to you by others. When I take off my team uniform, I’m just an ordinary person who needs to eat and sleep. The higher you climb, the more you need to treat yourself as an ordinary person, so that when you stumble and fall, you won’t fall too badly.”
Lin Xuan was slightly taken aback upon hearing these words.
Having worked in the entertainment industry for so many years, she'd seen countless celebrities tear each other apart over billing order and resources, and countless young idols who became arrogant after gaining a little fame. But she'd never met someone like Su Mo, who, despite being at the peak, could so cleanly and thoroughly detach himself from his image.
“You are really special.” Lin Xuan looked at him, a hint of indescribable emotion in her eyes. “Sometimes I feel that there is an old soul that has experienced many vicissitudes living in your young body.”
Su Mo smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Just then, Lin Xuan reached for the cast iron kettle that was boiling water to refill it. Perhaps because she was distracted, her fingers accidentally touched the scalding hot kettle.
"hiss--"
Lin Xuan cried out in pain and instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but accidentally knocked over the teacup next to her, and the scalding tea was about to splash onto the back of her hand.
In the blink of an eye!
Su Mo's reaction speed demonstrated the terrifying reflexes of a world-class e-sports player!
Without even getting up, his right hand shot out like lightning, grabbing Lin Xuan's slender wrist and pulling her sharply backward to avoid the scalding hot tea. At the same time, his left hand swiftly grabbed a thick towel from the table and covered the surface that had been splashed with tea.
The whole movement was completed in one smooth motion, so fast that Lin Xuan didn't even have time to react.
When she came to her senses, her wrist was firmly held by a large, warm hand with distinct knuckles. The hand had thin calluses from years of using a mouse, and it felt firm and strong.
Lin Xuan's heart skipped a beat at that moment.
"Did you get burned?" Su Mo frowned slightly, his gaze falling on her slightly reddened fingertips, his tone filled with concern.
"It's...it's nothing serious, I just bumped into something." Lin Xuan's voice was unusually flustered. A barely perceptible blush crept onto her usually icy face.
After confirming that she wasn't burned, Su Mo immediately released her hand, maintaining an absolutely gentlemanly distance. He stood up, walked to the sink, wet a clean towel with cold water, wrung it out, and handed it to Lin Xuan.
"Apply it. When making tea, you don't need to be too fast; safety comes first." Su Mo's tone returned to its usual calmness, even carrying a rare hint of humor.
Lin Xuan took the cool, damp towel and held it to her fingertips, feeling the lingering warmth of his palm on her wrist. Looking at the man who had sat down again and was quietly tidying the tea set, she suddenly felt that the somewhat chilly tea room had become excessively warm.
On this secluded afternoon after the rain, a seed called "heartbeat" quietly sprouted in the heart of this aloof actress.
Shanghai's winter rain always carries a lingering damp chill. Looking out the car window, the neon lights cast a blurry shadow on the flooded road.
Lin Xuan sat in the back seat of the van, a cashmere blanket draped over her knees. The van was quiet, save for the rhythmic swishing of the windshield wipers. She lowered her head slightly, her gaze falling on her right hand.
The warmth of that man's palm still seemed to linger on her wrist. That firm and powerful touch, with its thin calluses, seemed to penetrate her skin, quietly leaving a mark on her heart that was not abrupt, but exceptionally clear.
She took out her phone and tapped the plain black profile picture in her WeChat contact list. The chat window was completely blank, containing only a system notification that the friend request had been successfully added.
Lin Xuan pursed her lips, her slender fingers tapping lightly on the screen, typing a line of text, then deleting it. After repeating this several times, she finally sent a very simple message.
Thank you for the towel today. My wrist is fine, and the tea was delicious. I heard you have the Demacia Cup next week; best of luck to EDG in advance!
After pressing send, Lin Xuan placed her phone face down on her lap, turned to look out the window, and felt her heart beat a beat faster than usual. A celebrity of her caliber usually gets countless instant replies to her posts. But facing this e-sports player from outside the industry, she felt a rare sense of unease.
About ten minutes later, the phone screen lit up.
Su Mo: [It's good that you're alright. The Demacia Cup is a stage for newcomers to hone their skills, so I won't be playing. There are many announcements at the end of the year, so take care of your voice and avoid cold drafts.]
Seeing this brief yet genuinely caring reply, Lin Xuan couldn't help but smile slightly. There were no polite greetings or flattering words, just that simple and unadorned "Take care of your voice."
"Sister Xuan, did something happy happen?" The assistant, sitting in the front row, saw Lin Xuan's smile in the rearview mirror and asked curiously. After all, with her boss's non-stop schedule these past few days, she had always maintained that aloof and unapproachable demeanor.
"It's nothing." Lin Xuan put away her phone, closed her eyes, leaned back in her chair, and said softly, "It's just that I suddenly feel that winter in Shanghai doesn't seem so cold anymore."
……
It's late December.
As the first major tournament after the end of the League of Legends winter transfer window, the Demacia Cup kicked off as scheduled. As is customary, most teams will send their academy players or substitutes to give them experience. EDG is no exception, fielding their academy prodigy Solok in the top lane.
Although he didn't have to play in matches, Su Mo still arrived at the training room at the base on time every day. He stood quietly behind Solok's gaming chair, holding a thermos, watching the young player battle it out in the Rift. Whenever Solok made a mistake in lane management or anti-gank awareness, Su Mo would always point out the key issue in the most concise way. (End of Chapter)