Chapter 182

“The smell of gunpowder on set was strong.

The script alliance had been given; it was just the usual confrontations, and eye contact scenes. Despite the players facing off in the arena, their relationships offstage were actually good. They were required to act out as if they harbored deep-seated grudges for the promotional video, which posed a significant acting challenge for professional players. There were frequent outbursts of laughter on set.

Since both teams revolved around their mid-lane players, the league intentionally created an atmosphere where two genius mid-laners led their teams into a showdown.

Mo Yin and Ye Chi stood facing each other, arms crossed.

Normally, staff would shout from the sidelines, ‘Don’t laugh, hold it in, three seconds, good, look more fierce…’ to aid the shoot.

Today, none of that was needed.

The expressions on the two players were electric.

“Good, next shot, have the mid-laners bump fists, grip tighter, and use less force.”

They clenched their fists together.

Their gazes continued to lock intensely.

“Very good, excellent, change angles, maintain that expressions are perfect.”

The promotional video only needed about 30 seconds of footage, and the efficiency of the shoot was surprisingly high. It finished in about half an hour, an hour earlier than scheduled.

It was just in time for lunch, with a table full of junk food takeout. Players stood or sat around, eating quietly.

Ye Chi occasionally glanced at Mo Yin out of the corner of his eye.

Mo Yin replied to his WeChat.

Just two letters.

“SB.”

Ye Chi immediately broke into a smile that matched ‘SB’ perfectly. Even now, just thinking about it made him want to laugh.

Without looking at Ye Chi directly, Mo Yin could feel Ye Chi’s fiery gaze on him from time to time. He sipped on his ice drink through a straw, his youthful face showing a hint of indifference.

Chen Dong was eating a burger when he suddenly noticed the captain staring at MY. He lightly kicked Ye Chi’s foot, but Ye Chi kept his face turned towards Mo Yin.

“Cough—”

Chen Dong coughed heavily.

Members of the DSG team started packing up.

Ye Chi turned to Chen Dong, “Is the burger getting stuck in your throat too?”

Chen Dong: “…”

On the way back, Chen Dong couldn’t help but ask Ye Chi quietly, “Captain, do you think MY is still mad at us?”

“Is he mad?”

Chen Dong thought Ye Chi was mocking them and awkwardly replied, “We didn’t mean to.”

“Focus on playing well.”

Ye Chi said, gazing out the window. “He wouldn’t get upset over something like that; he only cares about the game.”

When the new promotional video was released the following week, it immediately garnered over a thousand comments and shares.

The collision between the two undefeated teams naturally sparked strong anticipation among viewers. Forum posts analyzed the win rates of the two teams in advance, with the spotlight naturally on Mo Yin and Ye Chi. Their performances and various statistics were compared, leading to the conclusion of a close contest. Even the odds on gambling websites hovered evenly.

Since the last time the system accidentally leaked something major, it had been completely silent.

Mo Yin suspected the system might have been forcibly disconnected from this world for revealing overly crucial information, but he could still sense its presence mentally.

In the summer season regulars, who would win or lose in this top-of-the-table battle between him and Ye Chi? The system didn’t jump out to speak, probably having learned its lesson, knowing that saying more would lead to more mistakes than benefits.

In the game, Mo Yin managed a rather reluctant solo kill, but his health bar was also dangerously low.

“I think,” Ye Chi sounded a bit helpless over voice chat, “this solo kill isn’t worth it; you’re going to lose minions.”

“Mm.”

Mo Yin didn’t argue; when it came to the game, he never let personal emotions get in the way. Ye Chi was right, and he admitted it.

Mo Yin calmly said, “Just for fun, not for the match.”

Ye Chi chuckled softly.

When chatting with Mo Yin over voice, he often laughed, whether Mo Yin solo killed him or flashed a comically weak expression. Sometimes Mo Yin wanted to scold him but couldn’t be bothered. He’d curse Ye Chi as an ‘SB’ in-game while Ye Chi laughed.

Was this considered being in love?

Ye Chi didn’t know; he just couldn’t help but want to laugh all the time.

“Today, it rained heavily all day until evening when it finally stopped. Ye Chi was worried on his way here if Mo Yin would still come out for a run.

Every time, he would text Mo Yin one-sidedly saying he was coming, but Mo Yin never replied.

After a day of heavy rain, the lakeside running track was all wet. Ye Chi ran over, stepping on numerous puddles of various depths.

Sure enough, Mo Yin wasn’t out for a run.

He was in team attire, hands in his pockets, standing by the lake railing, looking down at the lake. He seemed to be purely appreciating the post-rain scenery, not waiting for anyone.

Ye Chi slowly stopped in his tracks, his heart pounding as if it might leap out of his chest.

Mo Yin seemed to sense something and turned his face towards Ye Chi’s direction.

At the moment their gazes met, Ye Chi smiled, and he kept smiling throughout the entire evening.

*

Saturday, the battle for first place.

Fans had gathered early both inside and outside the venue, with many holding banners and signs.

Tang Qi sat by the window and widened his eyes upon seeing the banners outside. He nudged Ding Wenquan beside him, gesturing for him to look out the window. Ding Wenquan leaned over, and the first thing that caught his eye was their old friend “Mo Ya Tian Xia Wu Di,” but what was “Chi Gen Tian Dao Zhu Ya”?

The pressure of training for the match was immense, and Ding Wenquan hadn’t surfed the internet for a long time. Fortunately, this wasn’t classified information; a quick search on Weibo cleared things up.

Ding Wenquan typed directly on his phone’s notes and handed it to Tang Qi.

– CP fans

– ?

– Whose?

– Mo Yin and Ye Chi

– Isn’t it Mo Ya?

– Close enough

Tang Qi searched himself and felt that updates came too quickly. He just couldn’t keep up.

Who knew there were such fine distinctions between CP fans, and they even fought each other?

Tang Qi’s face alternated between red and green as he glanced forward.

Fortunately, Mo Yin didn’t care about these things.

He really couldn’t understand; just reading those gossips made him jittery. Yet fans could still fantasize like that. Come to think of it, he really admired those fans…

The DSG vs. REAL match was scheduled for prime time at 7 p.m. tonight.

Teams that arrived early at the venue either rested in the lounge or watched the match, ate takeout, and waited for the game to start.

Mo Yin sat alone on a sofa, looking at his phone.

Ye Chi was busy posting on his Moments again.

Leaving home had to be photographed.

The scenery on the way had to be photographed.

Even arriving at the venue had to be photographed.

– “The flowers in the flower bed are so vibrant.”

Mo Yin pursed his lips, a faint smile in his eyes. He picked up the water cup on the table and took a sip to hide the slight upturn of his mouth.

After these few worlds, from calculating with emotions at the beginning, gradually, his feelings towards him became simpler and purer. The joy brought about by their relationship was equally simple, a joy that natural people couldn’t experience in the league no matter what they did.

When REAL arrived at the venue, Ye Chi suddenly stopped on the stairs and smiled.

Chen Dong didn’t notice and almost bumped into Ye Chi’s back. He saw Ye Chi’s smile and was a little creepy: “Captain, what are you laughing at?”

Ye Chi immediately put away his smile and said casually, “Nothing,” then said to the teammates, “I’m going to buy a drink. Does anyone want anything?”

“Isn’t there water in the lounge?”

“What drink do you want? I’ll buy it for you.”

The team leader was very enthusiastic.

Ye Chi said, “No, I’ll be back soon.” With that, he ran downstairs with his shoulder bag.

The teammates all turned their heads together.

“In love.”

The teammates all looked up together again.

The only top laner in the team with a girlfriend, Lian Cheng, looked profound, “Definitely in love.”

Chen Dong: “Makes sense. So what’s the connection between being in love and buying drinks?”

Lian Cheng shrugged, “Talking to his girlfriend on the phone.”

Sun Yuanyang: “How come I never catch you talking to your girlfriend behind my back? You’re chatting away every day in the dorm.”

“It’s different. I’m open about it. The captain’s the one with the secret romance.”

“Nonsense. He’s not a big star. Why would he sneak around dating someone?”

“Wanna bet?”

“On what?”

“His wife’s definitely watching the game live downstairs today.”

“Come on, what wife? I’m two years older than Crazy Brother.”

…

As teammates chatted on their way upstairs, Ye Chi had already reached the lobby’s north end on the first floor.

From the floor-to-ceiling windows here, you could see the venue’s north gate and flower beds. Unlike the bustling southern entrance and exit, it was quiet here, with a unique view.

Mo Yin held a canned coffee, leaning against the glass window.

Ye Chi walked over and also ordered a canned coffee from the vending machine.

“Dong—” The coffee can clinked as it rolled out.

Ye Chi bent down to pick up the coffee. “It’s the first time I’ve seen you post on Moments.”

It was just a simple photo taken through the glass window. Ye Chi immediately ran over upon seeing it.

Mo Yin took a sip of his coffee. “Can’t I post?”

Ye Chi pulled open the can and took a sip as well. Suppressing a smile, he said, “You can.” Then he added, “This coffee is so sweet, like it’s got a lot of sugar.”

Mo Yin glanced at him and raised his coffee can, tapping the “unsweetened black coffee” label with his pinky.

Ye Chi continued smiling, his eyes bright as they met Mo Yin’s. He really wanted to kiss Mo Yin right now, but even though there were rarely any staff around here, it still wasn’t certain, so he could only keep drinking the bitter coffee while unable to stop laughing.

Mo Yin tilted his head slightly, in a relaxed and casual posture. Occasionally, his gaze met Ye Chi’s and then drifted away, but whenever he looked at Ye Chi, Ye Chi was always looking at him.

“Good luck in today’s match,” Ye Chi said, his tone unusually gentle, no longer hiding his feelings. He believed Mo Yin knew his intentions.

Mo Yin slowly finished the small can of coffee, drank the last drop, threw away the can, and straightened up against the glass window. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely crush you.”

Ye Chi turned around to watch Mo Yin’s departing figure, a bright and unrestrained smile on his face.

“Good luck—”

The echo reverberated in the spacious space.

Up ahead, Mo Yin’s steps paused slightly, his face slightly turned.

In the distance, Ye Chi seemed to see a slight upward curve at the corner of Mo Yin’s mouth.

At 7 o’clock, both teams entered the stage, greeted by a more frenzied roar than in the spring season. Compared to the overwhelming number of DSG fans last time, many REAL fans were here today, evident from the banners and signs below.

In just a short season, attracting so many fans, the REAL team could be considered a miracle as well.

“There are so many people.”

Qin Kunlun sighed.

“Hey, uh…”

Qin Kunlun pointed in the direction of a conspicuous sign, “What does ‘gingival’ mean? ‘Sweet to tooth decay’? What’s that? A toothpaste sponsor?”

Jungle Guan Ming leaned over, “No way, it should be some kind of CP… Ding Wenquan?”

Ding Wenquan: “I don’t know.”

Tang Qi quickly followed up, “I don’t know either!”

Support immediately glanced at the assistant with a nervous expression, and they immediately understood who it was probably about, so they both turned their gaze to Mo Yin.

Mo Yin crossed his hands in front of his abdomen, glanced lightly.

Support casually withdrew his gaze.

“The match is about to begin. Please prepare.”

The referee’s prompt made the players’ relaxed attitudes subside, and each became serious.

“I just ran into Ye Chi downstairs.”

Mo Yin’s indifferent voice sounded through the headset.

Teammates looked at each other, unable to hide their curiosity.

“I said I would crush him,” Mo Yin sat in the mid-lane position, the center of the five, and said lightly, “He told me to do my best.”

Teammates: “…”

Qin Kunlun directly exclaimed, “Damn, he dares to be so arrogant?!”

Guan Ming shook his head, sneering, “Win a few games and float like you’ve forgotten your last name.”

“Good,” Ding Wenquan, always calm, said calmly, “Then let’s do our best.”

Tang Qi couldn’t help but add, “MY, rest assured, we will definitely win today!”

Mo Yin lightly “Hmm’d,” picked up his water cup, and took a sip.

There you have it, cohesion achieved. Simple.