Chapter 145

At ten o’clock in the morning, the base was quiet as if everyone was still asleep. Mo Yin descended alone and took milk from the fridge while the auntie was tidying up. She hurriedly said, “Xiao Mo, wait a moment, your sandwich will be ready soon.”

“Thank you.”

Mo Yin’s team was a long-established veteran in esports. Everyone from the cooking auntie to the team manager was a seasoned professional.

The sandwich was served, and Mo Yin quickly finished it before heading to the base gym.

Esports athletes differ significantly from traditional sports players in many ways, but they often suffer from injuries and strains to varying degrees.

To mitigate these issues, Mo Yin consistently maintained a regimen of exercise and care.

Mastering the game required not only innate talent but also strong willpower, discipline, and endurance.

Mo Yin was extremely obsessive about the game, dedicating his entire being to it—it had become his everything.

Defeating the game’s bosses in such a manner was perhaps the greatest reward for the protagonist.

After his final bench press, Mo Yin sat up drenched in sweat and drank water.

As he walked towards the gym door, people halted at the sight of Mo Yin’s figure. After finishing his water and tightening the bottle cap, he left with his water bottle and phone in hand.

Passing by face to face, Tang Qi leaned half against the door, quietly saying, “Morning.”

Mo Yin nodded as he walked away.

Tang Qi held his breath, exhaling slowly only after Mo Yin had left—Mai Bao’s presence was truly formidable.

When Mo Yin first appeared, he used his initials “MY” as his game ID. Initially, commentators pronounced each letter in English or used Mo Yin’s full name. However, as Mo Yin’s performances became increasingly astonishing, during one English commentary after an incredible pentakill, the commentator excitedly shouted, “Do you now know why my ID is MY? Because this is my game!!!”

This double entendre in the commentary, combining MY’s seemingly ordinary ID with Mo Yin’s terrifying performance, was edited into a sensational video that went viral with millions of views, firmly establishing the official pronunciation of MY. Subsequently, all commentators began pronouncing it in English as “my” when referring to Mo Yin.

Although it sounded thrilling and explosive, it didn’t prevent domestic fans from starting to play with homophonic puns.

When Mo Yin performed well, the barrage was filled with “Mai Bao,” but if he made a mistake, the screen was flooded with “Sell News Brothers” from haters. Over time, both “Ma” and “Sell” became synonyms for Mo Yin in the esports community.

Tang Qi was a pure fan of Mai Bao, a die-hard supporter. A significant reason he joined the DSG team was because of Mo Yin.

They say you shouldn’t get too close to your idols, as you might be disillusioned.

However, after becoming teammates with Mo Yin, Tang Qi wasn’t disillusioned at all; in fact, he idolized Mo Yin even more.

Mo Yin himself was exactly as Tang Qi had imagined, even more exaggerated.

Incredibly strong.

For gamers, even professional ones, who can maintain a routine of sleeping at 2 AM and waking at 10 AM, having breakfast, exercising, receiving therapy, playing games, having lunch, training matches, playing games, having dinner, training matches, reviewing, and playing games every single day—

Mo Yin’s daily schedule hardly ever varied.

Apart from daily matches, interviews, and business events, Mo Yin’s life was like a copy-paste routine.

Calling him a robot wouldn’t be an exaggeration!

Even robots have malfunctions, right? However, in the month Tang Qi had been teammates with Mo Yin, he had never seen Mo Yin lose control.

More badass than a robot!

There was an indescribable beauty in their separation from the ordinary.

It felt like they weren’t even the same species.

To get closer to his idol, Tang Qi made a great effort today—getting up early at 11 AM, hastily eating a few bites, and rushing to meet his idol at the gym.

He saw his idol’s chest muscles!

It wasn’t in vain to get up early!

Even though his idol was covered in sweat, he maintained his cool demeanor and appearance, without speaking any unnecessary words to him.

Truly worthy of being Mommy’s Mai Bao!

It was also a bit sad to mention that after over a month of being teammates, Tang Qi still hadn’t added Mo Yin on WeChat… he casually mentioned adding friends to his bot lane ADC, Ding Wenquan.

“Ding Wenquan said, ‘Forget about it, only two people in our base have his WeChat.'”

Tang Qi listened, feeling both relieved and jealous.

He felt relieved upon hearing that even Ding Wenquan, who seemed to have been teammates with Mo Yin for two years, didn’t have his WeChat. Yet he was jealous—just who were those two brats in the base who had Mai Bao’s WeChat?! Mai Bao’s mom was furious! Who, exactly, was it? Was it that jungle dog who sticks to the mid-lane like a lapdog, or the baby top laner who only knows how to leech off mid-lane advantages?

Blame his wrong career choice in playing professionally!

“He only added Want Want and Tube?” Tang Qi said sarcastically.

“No,” Ding Wenquan replied without looking up from his operation, “He added the manager and the cooking auntie.”

Tang Qi: “…”

It wasn’t about choosing the wrong path; it was his professional choice that was flawed!

So when Chen Dong said Mo Yin would exchange signatures with Ye Chi after today’s match, Tang Qi could only say, “Kill me, resurrect me, and kill me again, I still won’t believe it.”

After showering, Mo Yin returned to the training room to play the game.

System: “Coordinator, don’t be nervous, you won this match.”

Mo Yin: “Stop talking nonsense.”

System: “…”

While queuing for the game, Mo Yin noticed a flaw in the system’s language.

“What do you mean by ‘this time I won’?” Mo Yin asked, “Isn’t it supposed to be ‘I win every time’?”

The system was shocked.

“Coordinator, you’re the antagonist, how could you always win?”

Mo Yin casually replied, “Guess why those collapsed worlds happened?”

System: “…”

After a few minutes, the system reconstructed its worldview. “You mean, you defeated the protagonist in the previous few worlds, causing them to collapse?”

“If so, it makes sense because you essentially destroyed the entire timeline. However…” The system couldn’t reconcile it, “The energy of the timelines is so strong, and while your power is significant, once you enter a small world, your energy will be greatly reduced. In short, it cannot exceed the energy limit of this world. I don’t know what you experienced in the previous small worlds, but based on my calculations, you cannot defeat the protagonist in this world.”

The system finished speaking and waited for silence.

Unpleasant truths, even for a system like this, understood the harsh reality faced with such a deteriorated character.

After waiting for a while, the system didn’t get the prompt for silence it was expecting. Tentatively, it asked, “Coordinator, did you hear what I said?”

The game showed the opponent had already surrendered.

Mo Yin closed the window and said, “Did you just speak?”

System: “…”

Gradually, the team members woke up. During lunchtime, apart from Mo Yin, the starting lineup, substitute coach, and team leader were all eating together in the dining hall.

Mo Yin’s schedule and lifestyle differed from theirs, but everyone was accustomed to it.

In a team game, the most crucial figure in the team was detached from the rest. Apart from training matches, meetings, and reviews, Mo Yin hardly interacted with anyone in the base. However, this didn’t affect DSG’s absolute dominance in the league.

In stark contrast was REAL, a newly promoted team this year. Unlike DSG with its strong financial backing and highly professional management, REAL was the opposite. The team’s owner ran a chain of hotpot restaurants, and the team was formed because his younger brother wanted to play professionally—a comical start. Initially, the team’s skill levels were uneven, resulting in screens full of “good food, appetizing, getting better…”

After Ye Chi joined the team and they recruited some new members, the team gradually improved. They became an unexpected dark horse in the spring season.

Ye Chi was handsome, had excellent skills, and had a dreamlike backstory. He entered the competition as a teenager burdened with high debts, progressing step by step from the lowest level matches until he faced his first major challenge.

In their previous six consecutive victories, REAL had only defeated one strong third-ranked team, leading to doubts about the value of these wins.

Facing DSG, a traditional top-tier powerhouse, audiences believed this match would truly test REAL’s strength, especially Ye Chi, the highly anticipated new mid-laner.

You see, in the early matches when REAL first entered the league and lost, Ye Chi’s performance was still noteworthy, outshining everyone with his amazing output. Discussions about him always went, “The Hotpot Team lost, but Ye Chi didn’t.”

Since Mo Yin started two years ago, he’s been sweeping mid-lane players worldwide. While audiences find it thrilling, it can get a bit boring. In competitive gaming, underdogs rising to the top is always what viewers look forward to.

So, can Ye Chi, this super rookie, really defeat Mo Yin, the towering mountain standing before all mid-lane players?

The anticipation for this pivotal match could be seen from outside the arena.

Zhang Hanyu pulled open the bus curtains and smiled, “There are so many people outside, we can’t even drive in.” He turned to the person resting with closed eyes, “Be careful when you get off later, I’m afraid you’ll get hit by a mineral water bottle.”

Chen Dong also leaned over to look, “Damn, there are so many people. I see MY’s banners—”

“Do they have our banners?” Jungle player Sun Yuanyang asked.

“Haha, haven’t seen them yet.”

“Damn, where are Crazy’s fans?” Top laner Lian Cheng also pulled back the curtain, “Crazy, you have so many fans. Getting cold feet?”

Ye Chi, with a half-smile, replied, “It’s about knowing the situation.”

“Weren’t you confident last night about winning? Now this is knowing the situation?”

“In gaming, it’s not about who has more fans,” Ye Chi opened his eyes, “Acknowledging others have more fans isn’t shameful.”

“Well, it’s true. There’s no one in the league who dares to compare their fan base with Mai Bao,” Chen Dong scratched his neck, “It’s going to be a slaughter.”

“Are we going to be slaughtered on the field today too?”

“Stop talking, I can already picture it…”

Ye Chi watched his teammates bantering.

He knew everyone was actually nervous; they were just using this banter to relieve tension.

Facing a powerhouse like DSG and a superstar like Mo Yin, it was impossible for their small workshop-like team not to be nervous.

Last night, during tactical discussions, everyone laughed it off, saying as long as they didn’t lose too badly, it’d be fine. But Ye Chi could tell their thoughts were the same as his.

The bus stopped at the arena entrance, and everyone got off. DSG fans on the roadside cast strange glances. Perhaps it was because they were offline, the atmosphere was a bit awkward. If it had been online, they probably would have launched a full-scale attack and sent Ye Chi into orbit.

But it was comforting that REAL still had a few old fans who came to cheer them on.

The players nodded their thanks and entered the arena.

Inside the venue, there was a lot of excitement. The logos of the two teams stood on opposite sides—one red and one blue. The booths for support items faced each other, and there was a signing wall nearby for fans to leave messages.

Chen Dong joked, “Today, will our board be filled with ‘Good job’ and ‘Good luck, wish you success’?”

Ye Chi smiled, “Possibly.” His footsteps stopped at DSG’s booth.

DSG fans looked him up and down with some disdain.

Ye Chi looked at a stack of fans with Mo Yin’s cartoon image, “Can I have one?”

The fans, unimpressed with this new mid-lane king, who hadn’t won many games but loved to compare himself to MY since his debut, acted as if today’s match was still suspenseful. Please, he could beat MY only if the sun rose from the west this morning.

The fans lowered their heads and continued playing with their phones. Indifferently, they said, “Sorry, getting support items requires a certain level of fan activity or signing at live events, and no exceptions are made.”

Several players felt a bit embarrassed.

Ye Chi touched his nose, quite calm, and apologized.

The group arrived at the lounge. As soon as Chen Dong sat down on the sofa, he suddenly burst into laughter, startling everyone who was a bit tense.

“What are you laughing at, gone crazy.”

Chen Dong laughed so hard his face turned red, directly pressing his phone screen against Zhang Hanyu’s face.

Zhang Hanyu leaned back, reading the words on the screen one by one.

“Sisters, it’s really disgusting. Brother Tea just asked us for Mai Bao’s… support…”

Zhang Hanyu silently looked at Ye Chi who was putting his bag aside.

Ye Chi also heard it, “Brother Tea?”

Chen Dong was nearly dying of laughter.

The group gathered around Chen Dong to look at the phone.

Group name—Mai Bao Mai Bao Mama’s Bao MY Fans Group①

“Sisters, do you know who I just bumped into? Such bad luck.”

“Who? Don’t tell me it’s Brother Cha?”

“It’s him!”

“Sisters, it’s really disgusting. Brother Cha actually asked us for Mai Bao’s support…”

“Brother Cha… truly deserving…”

Chen Dong stifled his laughter as he scrolled through the flood of messages. Below were more comments flooding in:

“Good job, I wish him success.”

“Good job, I wish him success.”

“… … …”

“He acts all sweet and then stands aloof, so disgusting.”

“Why does he love to tag along so much? Today, Mai Bao needs to be thoroughly defeated.”

“The league is dead, pulling in any random scrub, just because they think Mai Bao is easy to persuade.”

“Yeah, Mai Bao even said he didn’t know who he was, yet he still tries so hard.”

While their own nervousness was difficult to dispel, seeing their Teammates being Chased, they all chose to laugh together in solidarity.

Aside from that, Ye Chi pointed at Chen Dong’s phone screen, “Why am I Brother Cha?”

Chen Dong, suppressing his laughter, said, “Because they think you’re very ‘green Cha.'”

“Green tea?”

“It means… how should I put it, it means you’re quite cunning, you know?”

Ye Chi: “…”

Everyone had a look of curiosity. Chen Dong explained, “There was a time during Mai Bao’s livestream when he accidentally showed a friend request for a second, and someone took a screenshot and found you were in it… Mate, love is about restraint. Why would you add someone as a friend when you know Mai Bao never adds anyone?”

Ye Chi also laughed. He wasn’t angry; he just found it amusing. “Is wanting to add a friend considered cunning?”

“Not really, it’s mainly because of this match. The publicity is too much, and they think you’re too good at riding on the league’s promotion, boosting your own profile.”

“Boosting my profile?”

“Boosting your profile means… you’re taking yourself too seriously.”

Ye Chi chuckled, “Alright, that’s fine. I wish myself success then.”

Playing on his own jokes left others with nothing to play on.

Inside the lounge, the atmosphere was unusually relaxed. Everyone was joking around. Sun Yuanyang, with sharp eyes, saw something on Chen Dong’s screen, “Mai Bao is here!”

“Oh damn, spamming already, let me scroll up…”

Chen Dong was flustered.

Ye Chi stood behind the sofa, and when he saw the photo on the phone screen, he instinctively bent down.

The person taking the photo was probably too excited and shaky.

Mo Yin was getting off the car, headphones hanging around his neck. He lowered his head, and his messy bangs lifted slightly backward. The halo of light caught on his profile, looking cold and devoid of any emotions.

Ye Chi was slightly taken aback.

He used to only focus on technique, but now he seemed to notice Mo Yin…

“Mai Bao is so handsome…”

His Teammates murmured in admiration.

Well, Ye Chi smiled to himself. Indeed, he was handsome.