Chapter 150

“Are they talking about you…?”

“It’s possible, or maybe they mean the AD.”

Chen Dong shook Ye Chi frantically. “Damn, Mai Bao called you a dumbass! How are you so lucky! I don’t believe it. I’ve queued into games with Mai Bao six times, six times, and he hasn’t even given me a punctuation mark like he did to you, you beast—”

“Stop shaking me, the game has started.”

Ye Chi peeled the obsessed person off him, bought items, and left the base. He subconsciously headed towards mid lane, took a few steps, then turned back and decided to stick to the mid lane after some thought.

It made sense for the support to help the mid laner secure the lane.

Chen Dong dragged a chair over and sat beside him, muttering incessantly, “Mai Bao actually responded to you. He called you a dumbass. Do you know how much anticipation those two English abbreviations condensed among the fans? You made the bridegroom, who doesn’t speak, curse at you!”

Ye Chi almost burst out laughing. Adjusting his glasses, he chuckled, “The bridegroom who doesn’t speak?”

“Damn it, never mention that in front of Mai Bao, or you really will be assassinated, I’m not kidding!”

“Don’t worry, I’m not that stupid.”

Ye Chi really didn’t know that “Ma… Mai Bao” couldn’t be mentioned in front of Mo Yin. Sometimes he watched Mo Yin’s livestreams, and the term “Mai Bao” filled the chat without anyone being banned. How did it become a taboo?

The hero was automatically selected. Ye Chi recently favored a small dwarf mage, whose walking style was quite ridiculous. Mo Yin chose a tall, elegant mage dressed in splendid attire. The small dwarf wandered not too far from the tall mage, creating a strange scene as if the small dwarf was awkwardly trying to impress the tall mage.

Ye Chi did have some of that intention.

He had queued into games with Mo Yin a few times before. Mo Yin was notorious for not interacting with people, and Ye Chi didn’t dare to initiate contact. Thanks to the excited AD in this game using “Mai Bao” as a baseline, Ye Chi summoned the courage to act familiar. He hadn’t expected it to backfire.

How should he express friendliness appropriately?

Ye Chi controlled the small dwarf to ward the brush in the river, preventing the enemy jungler from ambushing the mid lane.

Beside him, Chen Dong couldn’t help but praise, “Well done, very thoughtful.”

Ye Chi asked, “Are you planning to commentate the entire game here?”

“Of course, they’re all out playing. It’s just us two in the base now,” Chen Dong said, crossing his legs on the chair. “I knew Mai Bao would be livestreaming today, but I didn’t expect you to run into him, and on the same team. Your luck is something else. If I’d known, I would’ve gotten up earlier to come down and play.”

“You think you could’ve gotten up?”

As they spoke, the tall mage standing under the tower walked towards them.

Ye Chi and Chen Dong simultaneously stopped talking and stared at the tall mage on the screen.

The tall mage walked leisurely into the brush, while the small dwarf mage stood foolishly in place. The tall mage raised a hand and cast a spell on his own teammate, the small dwarf mage.

Ye Chi: “…”

Chen Dong: “…” He was so sour he could die.

In the livestream chat, fans collectively lost their minds. Starting with “S*B,” the chat was filled with question marks, and when Mo Yin cast a spell on Ye Chi, crying emojis flooded the screen.

For Mo Yin, who never interacted with anyone in-game, this counted as intimate interaction, albeit negative.

Chen Dong was too sour to speak. To make matters worse, Ye Chi asked, “Is he angry?”

Chen Dong: “…”

Chen Dong: “Yes.”

Ye Chi: “Do you think I should apologize?”

Chen Dong: “I think it’s best if you don’t speak for the whole game. Go bot lane, be good. Mai Bao is annoyed with you.”

Ye Chi took the advice from the senior fan, Chen Dong.

The small dwarf mage bounced down to the bot lane. Mo Yin watched the screen as the small, awkward dwarf left in embarrassment, a faint smile curling his lips.

The game proceeded smoothly. The small dwarf mage supported diligently, hopping around the rift’s three lanes like a short-legged jungle runner, even busier than the jungler. In the end, he earned the MVP title.

When the post-game screen appeared, Chen Dong was rendered speechless.

Damn, he even snagged MVP.

“Crazy.”

Chen Dong sighed deeply.

Ye Chi raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?” He hesitated for a moment, refraining from sending a friend request to Mo Yin. He felt Mo Yin wouldn’t accept it, so he just gave Mo Yin a thumbs-up.

Picking up his now heavily mushed-up noodles, Ye Chi took a big bite and asked Chen Dong, “What’s up? Did I do something wrong again?”

Chen Dong said, “Crazy. You’ve never had a girlfriend, have you?”

The topic shifted so suddenly that Ye Chi almost choked. He coughed, took off his glasses, and asked back, “Have you?”

Chen Dong shook his head. “Although we’re both iron-straight guys, I think you’re more straight than me.”

“That sounds like an insult.”

“Then it means you still have some sense.”

Chen Dong slapped Ye Chi on the shoulder, but Ye Chi pushed him away with both chair and body. “Get lost.”

When Ye Chi looked again, MY had already logged off from the game. He promptly quit the queue, picked up his half-finished noodles, and walked towards the kitchen. Chen Dong followed from behind. “You stole Ma Bao’s MVP!”

“It was determined by the system. What can I do? Didn’t I give him a thumbs-up?”

Leaning against the fridge, Chen Dong remarked, “Next time I run into Ma Bao in a game, should I call him Ma Bao too? Will he give me two friendly English letters as well?”

“He doesn’t like being called that by others, and you deliberately provoked him. Is that a good idea?” Ye Chi opened a can of cola with one hand, took a sip, then shook his head. “And to think you’re still his fan.”

Chen Dong was left speechless. After sizing up Ye Chi, he clicked his tongue in amazement. “Crazy, how do you manage to be both straightforward and tea? Teach me.”

Ye Chi laughed. “What nonsense are you talking? Just get lost.”

“Fine, fine, I have a date this afternoon,” Chen Dong said proudly.

“With DSG’s support?” Ye Chi asked.

“Yes, and KU’s bot lane. Hot pot and secret chamber. Are you coming?”

“I’m not. I’m heading to the training room to play games.”

“I really admire you. Even during holidays, you’re playing games all day,” Chen Dong paused. “In that respect, you’re quite like Ma Bao.”

Am I?

Ye Chi returned to his seat.

He chose the path of a professional player partly because he discovered his own talent and partly because he had no other way out. Mo Yin, on the other hand, likely chose this path purely out of love for the game. It was this passion that drove him to strive relentlessly and reach the pinnacle. In comparison, Mo Yin was purer in intent, perhaps one reason why he surpassed Ye Chi.

This short game from the livestream that afternoon was swiftly cut and uploaded by marketing accounts with the title “MY Quit and Collision Interaction.” Mo Yin’s fans experienced a massive shock during the livestream, and those who missed it caught up through these clips.

“… Is this really Ma Bao?”

“Can it be? It’s like the account got hacked.”

“Ahhh, why did Ma Bao curse him and not me? Just because I didn’t call him Ma Bao to his face? Okay, I dare not (crying.jpg).”

“Am I the only one who finds their interaction a bit sweet? I ship it (blush.jpg).”

“Enough upstairs, stop shipping.”

“Talking nonsense will only get you in trouble!!!”

“Don’t take Ma Bao away without an appointment, ah, this isn’t the entertainment circle, so it’s okay, don’t take him away, just keep playing (diggingnose.jpg).”

The comments section was in an uproar, with #MY Quit and Collision Interaction# briefly trending. Fans scolded the league for not buying this, saving money to burn paper for themselves.

This incident had no impact on Mo Yin whatsoever because he didn’t even know about it. It didn’t affect Ye Chi much either. He had many friends in the circle who sent “friendly” greetings, but Ye Chi didn’t pay much attention. He just found the marketing accounts boring and wondered if Mo Yin was really annoyed. If possible, he still wanted to be friends with Mo Yin.

After the holiday ended, the competition continued.

Losing to DSG’s REAL seemed to enlighten Ye Chi, who then won four consecutive games, all 2-0, very cleanly. Especially Ye Chi in the mid lane began to try out more styles and continued to expand his champion pool, showcasing many brilliant plays on the field.

Many mid laners who had faced Mo Yin would often experience a period of low morale after dealing with his immense pressure. In contrast, Ye Chi’s ability to adjust quickly and bounce back immediately, even better than before, was quite rare. Considering he was a newcomer, this adaptability was even more commendable.

This script of rebirth through fire garnered a lot of fans for both REAL and Ye Chi.

DSG continued to maintain a perfect winning streak without losing even a single match. REAL’s ranking continued to rise and had reached third place, just behind KU.

KU was also a veteran powerhouse team. Their support player in the bot lane had previously been on the same team as Chen Dong in the secondary league. DSG’s support, Tang Qi, had also played with Chen Dong on a team before both supports moved up to the main league. Chen Dong had struggled in the secondary league before being scouted and successfully recruited by REAL.

Chen Dong, with his extensive connections in the industry, was close with almost every team in the league. When REAL initially couldn’t find many practice matches, it was Chen Dong who used his connections shamelessly to bridge the gap. Now, with REAL’s strong momentum, they no longer had to worry about lacking practice matches.

“Training match with DSG tonight.”

The coach left this sentence casually in the training room and gracefully departed, leaving five players sitting motionless in their chairs.

Chen Dong was the first to burst out of the room.

The remaining players slid their chairs together.

“The coach said it’s a training match with DSG, right? I didn’t mishear that, did I?”

“Don’t give me that, how could you mishear that?”

“Coach’s connections are something else… Did he negotiate with PY, the coach from the other side?”

Ye Chi was in the middle of a game and didn’t approach. He calmly replied, “They’re first in the regular season, we’re third. It’s normal to have practice matches.”

“Come on, don’t act cool. Tell me, are you feeling pretty good about this?”

Sun Yuanyang suddenly came over and shook Ye Chi’s chair.

Ye Chi tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t help smiling.

Indeed, the training match had been initiated by REAL’s coach. DSG’s coach replied that they needed to check with the players first. REAL’s coach was surprised—asking the players about a training match? But then he thought, if it was MY they were referring to, it made sense.

DSG’s coach, formerly an analyst, was highly educated, surpassing all professional players in academic qualifications. However, his gaming skills were average. Nevertheless, expertise in coaching and playing were two different tracks.

Different paths didn’t hinder the coach’s slight fear of Mo Yin. Mo Yin was exceptionally strong, wielding unique influence within the team. Even a coach had little confidence advising him, knowing that any coach who rubbed him the wrong way would be swiftly dismissed. This made the coach even more reluctant to intervene.

The team won many matches, yet the coach’s role seemed minimal—truly a strange situation.

Moreover, as an esports player, Mo Yin slept late, woke early, and maintained a rigorous daily regimen of exercise and training. With such talent and dedication, how could one not admire him?

Esports AI wasn’t just talk.

The coach leaned against the gym door.

Mo Yin was doing mountain climbers, his arms crossed, upper body bending forward, exerting force from his concave waist to lift his upper body. His entire body was taut and straight, from calves to shoulders, forming a series of graceful yet powerful contours.

The coach patted his own round belly, feeling uneasy.

When Mo Yin finished his set and came down from the equipment, the coach finally approached.

“REAL wants to schedule a training match with us,” the coach, fearing Mo Yin might have forgotten, reminded him. “It’s that team with the decent mid laner.”

Mo Yin was drinking water, tilting his head back. His jawline glistened with sweat, his Adam’s apple rolling with each gulp. The coach held his breath nervously, waiting for Mo Yin’s response.

After finishing the water, Mo Yin said, “Decent?”

The coach hesitated. “…”

“Just average,” Mo Yin said.

Quick to adapt, the coach amended, “Right, that team with the pretty average mid laner.”

“With such an average mid laner, they can’t have much training intensity.”

The coach thought to himself, You’ve already beaten everyone once, who else needs training intensity with?

He dared not say this aloud and simply smiled. “They’ve climbed to third place in the regular season, progressing rapidly. It might be worth a try.”

Mo Yin appeared to be deep in thought. Suddenly, he shook his water bottle and took another sip. “Then let’s play and see how much they’ve improved.”