“Want some sliced blackfish?” 

A question came from beside her.

Xu Yitong propped her chin on her hand, her gaze distant, reflexively murmuring, “Huh? Fish? What fish…” 

Yi Yi nudged her lightly and whispered, “Stop staring at Fish. You’re starting to talk nonsense. Order first—what do you want to eat?” 

“Ah!” Xu Yitong took the menu in surprise, using it to shield herself slightly. 

She asked quietly and guiltily, “Was I really that obvious?” 

She thought she’d hidden it well. 

Yi Yi was utterly exasperated. 

“You might as well have squatted right next to Fish.” 

“Hehe.” 

Xu Yitong randomly circled a few vegetarian dishes and passed the menu to the next person. 

“I just feel happy looking at him. It’s hard to resist.” 

Yi Yi glanced at her and couldn’t help but whisper, “Any progress?” 

Xu Yitong thought about it. 

And as she thought, her mind drifted back to what had happened in the car earlier. 

That pencil sketch—she hadn’t expected any reaction from him at all. 

Yet he’d signed his name on it. 

Right under that little fish… 

Had Yu Ge done it on purpose? 

Her thoughts swirled, but she didn’t answer. 

After a moment, she said, “Maybe?” 

As she spoke, her gaze wandered back to Yu Ge. 

He was leaning slightly to the side, chatting idly with someone next to him, his words sparse. 

He held a glass of water, absently swirling it a couple of times. 

Someone offered him a cigarette. 

Yu Ge shook his head and declined. 

Xu Yitong: “Yu Ge doesn’t smoke?” 

Yi Yi thought about it carefully. 

“Rarely, if ever. I’ve hardly seen him do it.” 

Xu Yitong said dreamily, “Wow, then he must smell really nice.” 

Yi Yi couldn’t help but laugh, whispering, “You’ve chased Fish for so long without giving up, and now you’re even having dinner with him. You’ve already surpassed ninety-nine percent of his admirers.” 

Xu Yitong: “Hearing you say that makes me realize I have a lot of rivals.” 

“Not really.” 

Yi Yi unwrapped a set of utensils. 

“Most of the girls I’ve met through gaming these past two years are either like Wan or Fish. But Wan’s already taken, and Fish…” 

“What?” Xu Yitong pressed. 

“He’s like the cold, aloof senior brother of the Path of No Emotion. You get it.” 

Yi Yi gave her a knowing look. 

“He looks at everyone like they’re trash, regardless of gender. Being a fan is fine, but if you have any… improper thoughts about him… well, a hundred hearts wouldn’t be enough to withstand the damage.” 

“Really?” 

Xu Yitong didn’t think so. 

Even though everyone around Yu Ge—even people online—described him this way, Xu Yitong couldn’t help but remember that day when he’d sat on a bench, quietly nursing his sorrows with a beer and a few packets of crackers. 

Or at the hospital, facing such vile insults without losing his temper, just calmly shielding his little sister behind him. 

So Yu Ge definitely wasn’t the kind of person who’d casually hurt others. 

He was actually really gentle inside. 

Why hadn’t anyone else noticed? 

Xu Yitong fell into deep thought. 

…… 

The hot pot place didn’t have private rooms, just a large hall divided into sections, noisy as hell. 

There were so many people from OG that they’d split into three tables. 

Xiao C, clutching his wallet, had repeatedly emphasized that he was only treating one table. 

Naturally, Xu Yitong ended up sitting with them. 

The restaurant seemed popular. 

According to the team leader, since LPL regular matches were usually held at the nearby arena, this place was convenient and tasty. 

Many teams would come here to eat after matches. 

The moment she heard this, Xu Yitong’s heart skipped a beat. 

What if Chen Yuzheng and his team showed up? 

Her eyes darted around, but she didn’t see any familiar faces. 

She relaxed slightly. 

The guys ate and drank boisterously, the atmosphere rowdy. 

This was Xu Yitong’s first time getting such a close look at Yu Ge’s circle, and she wanted to learn more. 

She was so engrossed in listening to their conversations that she barely touched her food. 

They were all hilarious, their banter endlessly entertaining. 

Even though she didn’t understand much about gaming, she couldn’t help but laugh along. 

As the meal reached its peak, Brother Hui called the waiter over and ordered a crate of beer. 

He stood up, skipping the girls, and started pouring drinks for everyone. 

Yu Ge blocked his cup, signaling that he’d stick to water. 

Brother Hui asked. 

“Just one glass. It’s fine.” 

Seeing this, Xu Yitong immediately spoke up. 

“He doesn’t handle alcohol well! Let me drink for him. I can hold my liquor!” 

Yu Ge glanced at her. 

Brother Hui paused. 

“You even know that?” 

Xu Yitong chuckled openly. 

“Of course! I’m his fan. It’s my duty to shield my idol from alcohol!” 

Brother Hui hesitated, clearly torn. “That’s… not really appropriate.” 

“It’s fine.” 

Back when she used to party at clubs with friends, she could outdrink an entire table of men. 

This little bit? 

Piece of cake. 

Though… 

Xu Yitong peeked at Yu Ge, a sly thought crossing her mind. 

If he was here, she might just get drunk off a single sip of beer. 

“Really drinking?” Brother Hui confirmed. 

Xu Yitong nodded, downing her Coke in one go. “Pour it.” 

“Alright.” 

They were all adults, and since the beauty was so insistent, Brother Hui didn’t hesitate further. 

But as soon as he took two steps, the bottle was plucked from his hand. 

The table fell into a wordless understanding, everyone exchanging meaningful looks. 

Brother Hui turned back to look. 

Yu Ge, who hadn’t said a word this whole time, took a new empty glass and filled it halfway. 

Seeing his attitude, Awen spoke up. 

“Alright, stop trying to get the female fan drunk. Wouldn’t look good if word got out.” 

“Exactly, girls should stick to Coke,” Xiao C chimed in. 

Xu Yitong bit her lip, struggling to keep her expression neutral. 

She said meekly, “Then I won’t drink.” 

In those few seconds, her heart felt like it had been squeezed violently. 

She lowered her head, not daring to look too closely at Yu Ge’s expression. 

Plenty of people—men and women alike—had tried to stop her from drinking before. 

But never once had she felt this… shy. 

Even though he hadn’t said a word, and it wasn’t necessarily about shielding her specifically, Xu Yitong’s heart raced uncontrollably. 

It felt like all her efforts over this time had been worth it. 

The little incident passed quickly. 

Whether from the heat of the atmosphere, Xu Yitong’s face stayed flushed despite not touching a drop of alcohol. 

She buried herself in eating, unusually quiet. 

The table carried on, the guys taking turns toasting each other. 

Yu Ge joined in for a couple of drinks. 

The topic eventually turned to Roy and Yi Yi’s relationship. 

Will reminisced about how, when they’d first met, Yi Yi could only play support. 

The guys had been roped into carrying her in the flex queue, only to run into a premade team in a solo queue. 

Their bot lane got stomped, and Roy, mid-game, got taunted relentlessly by the enemy ADC and support. 

He’d ended up begging Yu Ge to take over… 

Xu Yitong listened while nibbling her chopsticks, secretly resolving to reinstall League of Legends when she got home. 

She really wanted to play games with Yu Ge too… 

After a few rounds of drinks, Awen suddenly said, “My old boss asked me about Fish’s contract again yesterday.” 

“Zuo Yuming?” Brother Hui was instantly alert. 

“He still hasn’t given up?” 

Awen: “The transfer window is coming up. Seems like YLD is planning to rebuild next year.” 

“Tell him to drop it.” 

Brother Hui snorted. 

“There’s no way the boss would list Fish for transfer.” 

When it came to poaching during the transfer window, they all seemed to recall something simultaneously, exchanging amused glances. 

“Being pretty really has its perks,” Roy mused vaguely. 

“Everyone wants to buy our Fish.” 

Yu Ge, as taciturn as ever, showed no reaction to the gossip about him. 

Curious but lost, Xu Yitong could only ask Yi Yi, “What are they talking about?” 

As an OG insider, Yi Yi naturally knew plenty of untold stories. 

She cleared her throat and began recounting. 

This had happened many years ago. 

Back then, Yu Ge had just been promoted from the training team. 

The LPL was still dominated by WR, and OG wasn’t the top-tier club it was today. 

Even as a starter, he’d only made occasional appearances on stage, with barely any fans. 

The two whispered between themselves. 

“Roy told me there was this daughter of an official—she liked Fish. She was only a few years older, just dressed more maturely.” 

“And then?” 

Yi Yi: “According to Roy, the girl was fine otherwise, even pretty. Just… a little tactless. She barged into the OG base to confess to Yu Ge—though I’m not sure if it even counted as a confession.” 

Xu Yitong’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued. 

“What did she say?” 

Yi Yi mimicked the tone: “Little pretty boy, I heard your family’s poor. How about you come with me from now on?” 

“……” 

Xu Yitong pressed, “And Yu Ge didn’t react?” 

Oh, he’d reacted. 

He just hadn’t understood what she was saying. 

But with so much time passed, people had spun different versions. 

The only thing everyone agreed on was this: 

The young girl had delivered her confession with all the arrogance of a little swan, chin held high. 

She just hadn’t expected someone to out-arrogance her. 

The boy, whose face was usually the picture of indifference, as though nothing could faze him, now wore genuine confusion. 

Auntie, the transfer window hasn’t opened yet. 

Which team are you from? 

“Pfft.” 

After hearing the story, Xu Yitong couldn’t help but laugh. 

“He’s so cute.” 

Yi Yi looked troubled. 

This was the first time anyone had ever described Yu Ge that way. 

Unthinkable. The word cute applied to him was… terrifying. 

Yi Yi repeated hesitantly, “Cute?” 

“Yeah.” 

Xu Yitong nodded like a chick pecking at rice. 

Super cute, okay? 

She loved Yu Ge’s cold, aloof, don’t-talk-to-me vibe. 

That world-weary aura made him seem so, so adorable to her. 

“…….” 

Yi Yi was at a loss. “Your filter is way too strong.” 

“Not really?” 

Xu Yitong didn’t know how to explain. 

If she had to put it into words, she’d liked Yu Ge at first sight. 

But it wasn’t blind adoration. 

It was just that, the more she got to know him, the more he felt like a special gift to her. 

Every part she’d unwrapped so far had delighted her. 

* 

The hot pot feast lasted nearly an hour. 

The group clearly couldn’t hold their liquor—just a few crates of beer had them all tipsy. 

As the others laughed and clinked glasses, Xu Yitong’s attention never left Yu Ge. 

So the moment he stood up, she noticed. 

Yu Ge walked through the hall toward the exit. 

Something seemed off. 

After a brief hesitation, Xu Yitong immediately got up. 

She hurried after him, catching up near the entrance. 

Outside, the summer night’s heat rolled over them. 

The street was alive with the bustle of a night market. 

Yu Ge stopped at the steps, his gaze shifting from the distance to her face. 

He frowned coldly. 

“Stop following me.” 

“It’s not that…” Xu Yitong defended weakly. “You drank so much…” 

She studied him. 

Under the bright neon sign, Yu Ge’s ears were flushed red, the color spreading down to his collarbones. 

She didn’t dare imagine how far it went. 

His voice, slightly hoarse from the alcohol, drifted down. “So?” 

Xu Yitong’s ears tingled. 

That voice was downright criminal… 

She mumbled, “I was worried something might happen…” 

At this distance, under this light, she suddenly noticed how delicate his features were—soft, clean, and utterly beautiful. 

Staring at him, a thought popped into her head. 

If I grabbed his collar and kissed him while he’s drunk… would that be illegal?