Online Game: I'm Not Worthy

Chapter 36 - Senlan Technological University's Swimming Complex

Senlan Technological University was the newest addition to the college town. Their facilities were of course the newest ones as well, and the modern design of places like the swimming complex was also the most luxurious out of all five schools.
Compared to Senlan's indoor standard eight-lane pool, Yanshan's swimming pool looked like it was a random outdoor hole.
Even Luoming Sport Institution's open-air swimming complex was slightly better than Yanshan's. In this matter, Yanshan, with a hundred years of history, was the loser.
Therefore, most of the inter-school competitions were mostly held in Senlan, and occasionally in the sports school as well.
　　
Today was Senlan's internal swimming qualifiers for the college town's competition.
The qualifiers were not open to public. There was only a notice that the swimming pool was not available for use, so there were not many people watching the competition. Most of them were friends and family like Xu Xian.
　　
When Xu Xian and the others arrived at the swimming complex, the competition had yet to start. The competitors were all warming up.
Upon entering, Ling Yang suddenly felt that this trip was very fruitful.
Such a beautiful place, why did he always refuse to enter?
Swimmers' physiques were the best out of all athletes... At least, this was Ling Yang's opinion.
Broad shoulders, muscular biceps, supple pecs, perfect abs, firm thighs and smooth calf lines, they all called out to Ling Yang.
Also, as they were often submerged in water, their skin tended to be very good. Looking at them really gave people the urge to touch them.
Ling Yang felt that if he continued looking, he was about to get a nosebleed.
　　
Xu Xian silently tugged Bai Long away to stand at a slight distance from the boy-crazy Ling Yang. He was determined to not let people think that they were there together.
He confidently brought them to the spot that Ye Lang usually used. As expected, Ye Lang's bag was there.
This childhood friend of his, because of his family background, tend to be quite particular about his clothes and dressing. He was pretty fashionable, but his fasion sense was more low-key. Most people would not be able to identify the brands he wore.
But his external appearance did not match his inner self. He was single-minded and conservative, and once he chose a spot, he would only sit there. Nothing could move him.
　　
His first love was Little Dragon Girl, and nothing more could be said about this. Things like placing Little Dragon Girl stickers on his pencil case when he was young were forbidden as topics. If one mentioned any of this in front of him, one would die.
In college, when everyone else was dating, he had an online relationship instead. It had lasted for half a year already, and they still had yet to meet each other...
Xu Xian did not oppose Ling Yang's interest in his own childhood friend out of selfishness. It was because he doubted that such a person, who was so resistant to change, having been straight for twenty years, could become gay so easily.
Although Xu Xian had not known Ling Yang for a very long time, their friendship was so close as though they had known each other for ever. His affection for Ling Yang were no less than that for Ye Lang, so he did not want to see his good friend walking into this dead-end street.
　　
Ling Yang looked around and finally found Ye Lang. As he was wearing a swimming cap and swimming goggles, he was not easily recognisable.
Ye Lang was wearing speedos, and Ling Yang cried internally. Upon entering, he had discovered that most people were wearing full-suit sharkskins — You might as well go skiing if you're wearing so much, why are you still swimming?
Luckily, his Ye Lang did not disappoint him.
After seeing him, he suddenly felt that all those handsome guys he saw just now were just clouds passing in the sky.
Looking at that figure, he clicked his tongue.
He did not know which stroke was Ye Lang's main focus. It would be the best if it was the butterfly stroke, as people who trained in the butterfly stroke had great power in their waists.
　　
Bai Long appeared next to him ominously. "You've been talking out loud."
"What?!"
"I'm lying."
"..."
"One look and people would know that you're having filthy thoughts."
"Fuck!"
　　
"Yangyang, Bai Long said that you used to swim."
"Yes, I'm very good at swimming. Did he tell you that I looked like a mermaid when I swim?"
"Then why would you start fainting when you get close to water?"
"Because I accidentally ate a devil fruit!"
"... So what special ability did you get?"
Ling Yang covered his face mournfully, "I ate a human-human fruit, other than becoming unable to swim, thankfully there's nothing else."
Xu Xian: =_,=
　　
Ye Lang's event was about to start. As this was an internal competition, everyone had to participate in many events, then selecting the most suitable events, they would enter the later competitions. Ye Lang's main event was freestyle, along with a relay and a mixed competition.
Since young, Xu Xian felt that Ye Lang looked the best while swimming. Especially during the freestyle, his movements were smooth and elegant, a combination of hard and soft strokes, it was indescribably pleasant to the eyes.
He thought that Ling Yang would definitely take to opportunity to go crazy over him, but instead he was only watching silently, surprisingly quiet.
Xu Xian nearly thought Ling Yang had a personality change, until...
　　
"Why must the design of the swimming trunks be briefs instead of thongs?" Ling Yang pondered seriously.
He was a little loud when asking this question. The swimming complex was huge, and the crowd was small. Ling Yang's voice was pretty much amplified, and even its echo could be heard clearly. Many people around them heard him, causing laughter around them.
Bai Long pulled a card out of somewhere, and there were five words on it. "We're unfamiliar with each other." This was clearly written for the crowd.
Xu Xian looked at him, startled. "Where did you get this card from?"
Bai Long threw the card behind him. "My personal dimension."
　　
Ye Lang was always in the water talking to his coach. After noticing the disturbance, he swam towards them. Diving into the water from a distance of over ten metres, he quickly came up near them, his arms resting on the wall.
Lifting his goggles onto his forehead, he said, "Xiao Xian, pass me the key in the bag."
Xu Xian groped around Ye Lang's waterproof bag and pulled out a key attached to a rubber band. "This one?"
"Yes."
　　
Xu Xian was about to move forward, but his hand was caught by Bai Long. The key was snatched away as well and thrown to Ling Yang. "You go."
Ling Yang stared at him, unhappy.
"Just admit it if you're scared."
Ling Yang grabbed the key and headed to the pool.
"Thanks."
Ye Lang took the key and placed it around his wrist, swimming towards the changing room. Ling Yang continued standing there. He looked down at the pool, thinking about something.
　　
He suddenly felt someone pushing him from the back. Without any preparation, Ling Yang fell into the water.
Ye Lang heard the commotion behind him. Turning around, he saw Ling Yang falling into the water.
　　
Weirder was, whether a person knew how to swim or not, they would reflexively struggle when falling into the water. However, Ling Yang was strangely motionless, and his still body sank.
Ye Lang quickly headed back, lifting Ling Yang who had already curled up into a ball at the bottom of the pool up. Bai Long and Xu Xian were already standing by the pool, helping Ye Lang to lift him out.
The rescue was very fast. In principle, Ling Yang should not have any symptoms of drowning. At most he would have just choked on water, but at that moment his face was white, his eyes tightly closed, and his breathing almost non-existent.
　　
Ye Lang had never seen this situation before, but with so much training he was still able to react immediately.
He first clasped his hands and pressed against Ling Yang's chest. Pumping three times, he then bent down, ready to provide the kiss of life.
Just as he was about to come in contact with his lips, Ling Yang suddenly lifted his hand up, placing it between the two of them. Ye Lang's lips landed on the other person's palm.
LingYang's eyes slowly opened, water droplets still trapped between his eyelashes.
The two of them looked at each other for a long time in such a close distance. Ye Lang then realised something was not right, and hurriedly straightened his body.
　　
"I didn't choke on water," Ling Yang placed his hand down, speaking slowly, without even a sign of a cough.
"You only wanted to suffocate," Bai Long replied next to him.
Ling Yang closed his eyes, ignoring him. He was trying to overcome the sudden overwhelming nausea, and he did not even want to say a single word.
"You get dizzy near water?" Ye Lang's voice drifted down. There was even a change in his tone.
Ling Yang screamed oh no internally. He struggled to open his eyes. As expected, he saw Ye Lang studying him with a complex look.
　　
He managed to suppress his nausea. Sitting up with a lot of effort, he looekd direclty at Ye Lang.
"Is it very embarrassing to get dizzy near water?"
"That's not what I meant..."
"Science has shown that there's 1 out of 98 people who would feel a sense of dizziness when near water. This has something to do with a person's retinal sensitivity, I know many people like this."
"... Really?"
Ye Lang's expression clearly showed that he did not believe him, but Ling Yang no longer had the energy to explain any further. He only wanted to leave quickly, keeping as much of a distance away from water as possible, and it no longer mattered to him if his identity was exposed.
　　
"Where are you going?" Ye Lang called out to him.
Ling Yang looked back. "I'm going back to change my clothes."
"You're going back like this?" Ye Lang frowned, looking at him dripping with water.
Ling Yang also looked down at himself. "If not?"
Ye Lang walked to his bag, taking a set of keys out and throwing them to Xu Xian. "Go to my dorm room and grab a set of clothes."
Then he turned back to Ling Yang. "Go and take a shower. There's chlorine in the water, it's no good if your hair dries like this."
"It's a public bathroom?" Ling Yang shook his head. "I'm not going."
"Why?"
Ling Yang looked at his two associates helplessly, but their faces had an expression of "We understand, we want to help you but we're unable to do anything."
　　
"It's our internal qualifiers today, so there shouldn't be anyone in the bathroom now." Although Ye Lang did not understand, he still tried to explain.
"Aren't you somebody?" Just now, when Ye Lang took the key he was clearly about to leave.
Ye Lang thought, why is this person so shy?
"I'm also not an outsider."
　　
Finally, Ling Yang still obediently followed Ye Lang. Xu Xian then glared at Bai Long unhappily.
"You know that he faints near water, but you still pushed him in?"
Bai Long maintained his indifferent attitude. "This illness of his, it has to be cured."
　　
Ling Yang chose a shower that was the furthest away from Ye Lang.
Ye Lang studied him from afar. The last time they met each other, this person still held onto his hand without letting go. Now he was hiding from him, and it really baffled him.
However, the thing that Ye Lang was paying the most attention to, was that both Ling Yang and Bell, had injured their fingers, and both of them get dizzy near water. This could no longer be explained by saying it was a coincidence.
At this moment, Ye Lang could nearly confirm his hypothesis...
　　
After Ye Lang was done showering, he grabbed a towel to dry his hair and walked towards Ling Yang.
He had only brought a set of toiletriesm and just now, Ling Yang requested for his towel. Now, Ling Yang saw that Ye Lang had shut off his water, so he also quickly finished showering, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around his shoulders.
"Xiao Xian should be waiting in the changing room," Ye Lang said.
LingYang nodded, and he took the opportunity to head out first. He did not want to have any awkward surprise waiting for him.
Too bad, it backfired. Ye Lang, who was following behind him, accidentally slipped on the bubbles on the floor and fell onto Ling Yang.
Luckily LingY ang's reaction was fast enough, and he managed to grab the tap closest to him. The both of them did not fall onto the floor, preventing the cliche of an accidental contact.
But with this accident, the towel on Ling Yang's back was yanked down by Ye Lang, and his back was completely exposed to him.
Ye Lang was stunned for a moment. Unconsciously, he reached his hand out to touch it.
　　
Ling Yang turned around and slapped YeLang's wolf paw away. "What are you touching?"
"What's up with your scar?" Ye Lang could not help but ask.
"My dad hit me."
"He's so harsh?" Ye Lang was shocked.
Also, that injury did not look like it was from a beating, but like cuts from something sharp.
Ye Lang did not believe that any father was fierce enough to use a knife on a son's back, unless they were not blood-related.
"Does it have anything to do with you?"
"Is this why you refuse to enter public bathrooms?"
Ling Yang did not say anymore. He picked up the towel and wrapped it around himself tightly again.
　　
Xu Xian and Bai Long were already waiting in the changing room. They had taken a few sets of Ye Lang's clothes for LingYang to choose from, not forgetting to bring a pair of flip-flops. Ling Yang stopped upon seeing one of the shirts, and after some hesitation, he grabbed it.
Xu Xian was also quite surprised. The other clothes were selected by him, and that was the only one that was chosen by Bai Long. But that shirt did not look like it was special. it was an ordinary black long-sleeve shirt, with a gold eagle was stitched on the left, and a few lines of english words that he did not understand at the bottom. Finally there were four big digits, across the shirt — 1923. Ye Lang bought this shirt in high school, and he had seen Ye Lang wore it a few times.
Ye Lang was only slightly taller than Ling Yang, but he was more muscular than him, especially in his upper body. So, Ling Yang could not fill out his clothes.
"If I continued swimming, I could also have this figure now," Ling Yang spoke in front of the mirror, dissatisfied.
"So, you're going to swim?" Bai Long provoked him.
"I'll return it to you when I get back," Ling Yang pointed at the clothes, telling Ye Lang.
"It's up to you."
Ling Yang ignored the other two. He stored his wet clothes in a bag and left immediately.
　　
Ye Lang could not help but ask Xu Xian, "Ling Yang is part of the underworld?"
Xu Xian was unsure why he would suddenly ask this question and got a fright. "It can't be, isn't he from a military family?"
"So why is there a scar on his back, it's about this length." Ye Lang used his thumb and index finger to show the size. "It looked like a cut?"
Xu Xian had lived with Ling Yang for a few months and had never discover this. Bewildered, he turned towards Bai Long. "There's a scar on Yangyang's back?"
BaiLong nodded. "In our second year of high school, we went to the beach to swim during the school break. The weather changed suddenly and waves appeared, and he was cut by something unknown then."
Xu Xian suddenly realised. "This is the reason for his dizziness when he's near water?"
"Correct."
Xu Xian then thought of something else. "And also the reason he faints when seeing blood?"
This, Bai Long had never heard about it, "Maybe. When he was rescued, he was bleeding a lot."
"Then why does he faint on planes?"
Bai Long raised his brow. "He faints on planes? What else did he say he faint on seeing? I've told you already, you can't believe everything Ling Yang says."
　　
"Right, Xiao Xian," Ye Lang suddenly spoke, "the last time, you told me Ling Yang's finger was broken. Which finger was it?"
"Why are you asking this?"
"I'm just curious."
"Let me think, the one he injured was..." Xu Xian raised his left hand, slowly kneading his fingers and recalling. "The left hand's..."
　　

　　
Author's Note:
　　
Thank you everyone for your messages and support, many of them are very interesting, but because I've been taking care of a patient so I didn't have time to reply to everyone of them, please excuse me.
　　
Everyone seem to be paying attention to the same thing, I'll take this opportunity to reply:
　　
Xiao Ge: This is a new supporting character, Qi Feng's 3V3 partner. He's just a slightly more important passerby, and there's no need to pay attention to him.
　　
Bai Long: He's a playboy on the outside, and a loyal dog on the inside, LingYang had mentioned before. Actually, there's many people like this in real life. Guys full of dirty jokes tend to be more decent on the inside, so there's no need to feel that he's of a poor character because of his flirtatious words online. You cannot judge a book by it's cover, and Little White Dragon is also not a Paperman.
　　
Ye Lang: According to Ye Lang's character, once he falls in love he would definitely fall deeply. No matter what the other person says, he would believe it. That's right, what I'm implying is, I know that you all think he's stupid enough already, but there's more room for him to be even more stupid.
　　
Ling Yang: To readers, he might be starting from zero, but to Ling Yang, he's a loser whose confession to his childhood friend of 16 years was just rejected. How much courage do you think he has to once again confess to a straight guy that he is his wife? He's currently somewhat tangled in this web, but I think that this entanglement is reasonable. If he directly confessed his identity this would then be out of character, because he cannot afford to lose this gamble again. It's fun to remove the antelope skin, but even with the antelope skin on he can still enjoy some romance.
　　
If you don't want to see two idiots falling in love, and only want to see two crazies rolling on the bed, why don't you come back later? The author doesn't draw RMB, so there's no way of satisfying everybody (You think everyone would be satisfied with the RMB you draw!)