The sound of the front stage’s audio system faintly drifted into the public hallway of the lounge. 

Yu Ge wore a thin sports jacket, the zipper left open to reveal his red-and-white team jersey underneath.

His face was as calm and devastatingly handsome as ever. 

Behind him trailed the members of OG, their expressions a mix of curiosity and bewilderment. 

Xu Yitong’s back stiffened, her face instantly flushing red. 

The siblings, who had been bickering nonstop just moments ago, fell silent in perfect, synchronized harmony. 

Awen and the others still had some impression of Xu Yitong.

From a distance, they saw her entangled in the hallway with TG’s infamous troublemaker AD, arguing about something, and couldn’t help but feel a bit stunned. 

Just what was this girl’s deal… 

She forced a smile in their direction, a feeble attempt at a greeting. 

It had only been a few days, but Xu Yitong thought Yu Ge looked a little thinner. 

Her face burned. 

Embarrassed, she averted her gaze, only to sneak another glance at him a few seconds later. 

She just couldn’t bring herself to look away. 

After an internal struggle, Xu Yitong finally gave in to the urge to keep staring at him, locking her eyes on him with unwavering intensity… 

Yu Ge, caught off guard by her scorching gaze, faltered mid-step. 

Chen Yucheng, who had been leaning lazily against the wall, glanced at Yu Ge, then silently straightened up, pushing himself off the wall. 

Uncharacteristically, his usually relaxed demeanor showed a hint of unease. 

Just then, a staff member hurried past. 

Puzzled by the strange, tense atmosphere, they couldn’t help but glance back.

Witnessing this standoff, they thought to themselves,

Ah, so this is what they mean by “when enemies meet, they see red.”

Fish and Conquer really don’t get along offstage.

Chen Yucheng cleared his throat, rubbed his nose, and tugged Xu Yitong aside to make way for the OG team. 

Xu Yitong stumbled from the sudden pull and shot him a glare. 

Yu Ge averted his gaze and walked past them without a word, his expression unreadable. 

Awen and Will followed closely behind, their faces tense as they gave the pair a cursory nod. 

Once they were farther away, Xiao C couldn’t resist looking back and whispered, “Hey, what’s up with Conquer today? Did he eat something weird? Why does he seem kinda guilty?” 

Will replied solemnly, “I remember that girl was Fish’s fan, right? Conquer’s poaching her right in front of him—of course he’d feel guilty…” 

…… 

Watching their retreating figures, Xu Yitong’s emotions took a long time to settle.

She asked belatedly, “Do you think they heard us?” 

Chen Yucheng replied flatly, “You were practically shouting. How could they not?” 

“I wasn’t that loud, was I?” Xu Yitong clung to a sliver of hope.

“And it’s pretty noisy here anyway. They weren’t that close.” 

The two locked eyes. 

As she replayed the scene in her head, Xu Yitong suddenly grew anxious.

“Oh no, oh no. Yu Ge won’t misunderstand, will he?” 

“Misunderstand what?” Chen Yucheng asked, baffled. 

“Misunderstand that there’s something between us! You were pulling me around in public just now—how uncouth!” Xu Yitong groaned.

“I don’t even know if Yi Yi or Xiao Nuo mentioned to him that I’m your cousin…” 

Chen Yucheng scoffed.

“As if anyone cares.”  

“……” 

Xu Yitong took a deep breath. 

“Forget it. Maybe it’s better if he doesn’t know.”

She said calmly, “You’re so rude, I wouldn’t dare let people know we’re related.” 

* 

The siblings returned to the TG lounge with matching gloomy expressions. 

They sat on opposite ends of the sofa, putting as much distance between them as possible. 

Yu Nuomin, ever observant, handed Xu Yitong a bottle of water and asked soothingly, “What’s wrong? Did you two argue?” 

Xu Yitong forced a smile. “No.” 

“Then what happened?” 

Soothed slightly by Yu Nuomin’s gentle tone, Xu Yitong explained, “We were just discussing whether your brother knows that Chen Yucheng and I are related.” 

“Oh… that.” Yu Nuomin thought for a moment.

“When you came over for dinner that time, he asked me who you were, and I told him.” 

“I see…” Xu Yitong felt a little relieved. 

After a pause, she sighed wistfully, as if suddenly understanding something.

“So that’s why.” 

“Why what?” 

Xu Yitong grimaced, her tone melancholic.

“No wonder he’s been so indifferent to me.” 

“Ignoring you is perfectly normal,” Chen Yucheng interjected. 

Xu Yitong didn’t retort, swallowing her anger as she glanced at him.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” 

Chen Yucheng smirked, dragging out his words.

“Because we pro gamers… are just naturally rude.” 

Xu Yitong: “……” 

Ignoring him, Xu Yitong turned to Yu Nuomin after a moment.

“With a brother like Yu Ge as a comparison, dating someone as obnoxious as him must be exhausting for you.” 

Seeing the two about to start bickering again, Yu Nuomin quickly said, “No, no, Chen Yucheng treats me very well.” 

They exchanged glances, snorted, and finally called a truce. 

* 

The match was about to begin.

The five TG players gathered their gear and headed to the stage to set up. 

The lounge TV was broadcasting a replay of OG’s last match.

One of TG’s substitute junglers munched on a meat pie and mumbled, “Fish’s Caitlyn and Aphelios are guaranteed at least two bans.” 

The data analyst sighed. “Aphelios is too strong late-game in this patch.

Conquer hasn’t mastered him yet—it’s a huge disadvantage in drafts.” 

As they discussed, Yu Nuomin and Xu Yitong quietly watched from the sofa. 

After the highlights ended, the camera cut to the live audience. 

The screen panned across the venue—a sea of people packed into every seat, despite it being just a regular-season match. 

During the pre-game hype, the male commentator joked, “Today’s match is going to be exciting—it’s a showdown between two of our region’s most popular players.” 

The director promptly split the screen, showing close-ups of Yu Ge and Chen Yucheng side by side. 

Almost instantly, the crowd erupted into deafening cheers, even without audio enhancement. 

Xu Yitong, like the fans, slapped her thigh in excitement. 

Her eyes were glued to Yu Ge. 

A blond coach stood behind him, hand on his shoulder, speaking rapidly.

Yu Ge had his headset half-off, draped around his neck.

His eyes remained fixed ahead as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, fingers tapping slowly against his forearm. 

So handsome.

Xu Yitong stared, spellbound, momentarily forgetting where she was. 

This might have been the first time she’d properly watched Yu Ge play. 

It felt unfamiliar, distant. 

It was as if she’d discovered another side of him. 

The term “pro gamer,” as defined by Baidu, suddenly took on a tangible form. 

His natural calm and aloofness only added to his charm. 

…… 

…… 

The regular-season match was a best-of-three.

Unexpectedly, the first game ended quickly—OG crushed TG in just 25 minutes. 

At halftime, the TG players returned to the lounge, their expressions grim. 

Xu Yitong shrank into a corner as the coach berated them. 

Killer groaned, “I had a good laning phase early on, but that teleport bot ruined everything. The wave state was completely messed up. A champ like Ahri does no damage—how are you supposed to play from behind?” 

The head coach roared, “If you’re going to teleport bot to help, at least do it faster! By the time you got there, they were already dead—were you just going to collect their bodies? I don’t even know how you managed to deal only 5,000 damage.” 

“And you.”

The coach turned to Chen Yucheng.

“I just don’t get it. I gave you Kog’Maw and told you a million times to wait for late-game team fights. What part of that didn’t you understand? What were you trying to prove against Fish early on?” 

“They dove me at level four. Who’s the one trying to prove something?” Chen Yucheng shot back. 

“Can’t you just farm under tower? I don’t get it—what champ was Fish playing, and what champ were you on? So what if they dove you early? Was that last minion worth dying for? Proud of giving Fish MVP honors, are you?” 

The torrent of criticism echoed through the lounge. 

Everyone fell silent. 

Xu Yitong was stunned by the yelling.

She glanced at Chen Yucheng, her heart aching for him, but she didn’t dare speak up, opting to make herself as small as possible. 

Halftime ended. 

As the players returned to the stage, Xu Yitong whispered to Yu Nuomin, “If they lose this match, will it be a big deal?” 

Hearing the worry in her voice, Yu Nuomin reassured her, “It’s fine. OG is just really strong.

Losing one regular-season match won’t affect their standings much. Playoffs are still far off.” 

“Oh, okay. That’s good.” 

The second game began soon after.  

The coaches chatted briefly at first, but as the match progressed, they fell silent, huddled around the TV with grim expressions. 

“Sigh.” The assistant coach shook his head. “Fish is playing way too aggressively today. We shouldn’t have let Caitlyn through.” 

The game ended with little suspense. 

2:0—TG was swept by OG. 

The lounge was dead silent. 

…… 

Xu Yitong wisely slipped out early. 

The losing team didn’t have to stay for post-match interviews.

They just had to sit through the handshake line, pack up their gear, and make a quick exit. 

Xu Yitong waited anxiously in the hallway for Chen Yucheng. 

When the others entered the lounge, she pulled him aside, her eyes full of concern.

“Xiao Zheng, are you okay?” 

Chen Yucheng glanced at her.

“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s just one loss—it’s not the end of the world. What, do you think I’m a kid?” 

“You are a kid. In front of your big sister, you’ll always be a kid.”

Xu Yitong said earnestly, “Don’t worry. If people start flaming you online again, I’ll have Cai Yishi hire more water armies.” 

Chen Yucheng chuckled and patted her shoulder.

“Alright, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I’m heading in.” 

* 

After watching her brother disappear inside, Xu Yitong couldn’t shake her unease.

She paced outside the door, waiting. 

Suddenly, a muffled thud came from inside the lounge. 

Xu Yitong jumped and pressed her ear to the door, trying to hear what was happening. 

Their family had never been one for harsh discipline.

Even during Chen Yucheng’s rebellious phase in middle school, when he ran away from home, Yu Yiyun couldn’t bring herself to hit him—she just grounded him for a week.

If their parents knew he was being yelled at like this, they’d be heartbroken… 

Xu Yitong worriedly wondered if this coach had some kind of anger issues… 

Her cheek was going numb from pressing against the door, so she switched ears, practically plastering herself against it. 

Just as she was fully engrossed in eavesdropping, a male voice suddenly spoke beside her. 

“Xu Yitong.” 

She jolted and spun around. 

Then, she froze. 

The man responsible for her brother’s scolding was standing right in front of her. 

…… 

The OG team, carrying their gear, quickly averted their eyes and hurried past, pretending not to notice. 

Xiao C whispered excitedly, “Holy crap, what’s Fish doing… He actually initiated a conversation with a girl!” 

Awen mused solemnly, “Male pride, I guess? Trying to win back his fan?”