Chapter 96 2/2

He randomly chose a highly-ranked Japanese song playlist, almost all of which had light and fast-paced beats, perfect for running and uplifting the mood.

As he ran deeper into the park, the number of pedestrians gradually decreased. Song Fuzhi quickened his pace, adjusted his breathing, ran past a grove, and circled around a flower bed. In the dense woods ahead, it seemed like there were some people.

Beyond the songs playing in his headphones, Song Fuzhi keenly caught another piece of music, seemingly coming from the outside.

Song Fuzhi took off his headphones, and the music suddenly became clear—a lively and sweet rhythm. He had just heard this song on his headphones.

“So sorry for being so cute,” a recent popular Japanese song full of cover dances and covers, is very energetic and cute.

In the quiet park, someone was playing a Japanese song that young people liked.

Song Fuzhi suddenly thought of what people said online: that when the second-dimensional enthusiasts grew old, the square dance songs they would dance to would be those with onion-cutting lines. It made him laugh.

Maybe he would really see a group of elderly second-dimensional enthusiasts in the future.

This song was too catchy, especially the most famous line: “Chu, I’m sorry, I’m so cute.”

Song Fuzhi ran with a relaxed body and mind and couldn’t help but hum along.

Chu, sorry, I’m so cute~

Chu, sorry, I live in this era~

He followed the path forward through the flower bushes, winding and turning, the sound of the song gradually getting louder.

Running out of the jungle, with willows dim and flowers bright, a broad, open square appeared before the eyes.

Someone shouted, “Stop, that move is wrong,” and the song abruptly stopped playing on the Bluetooth speaker.

But Song Fuzhi hadn’t stopped yet, humming and singing, “Sorry, I’m so cute.”

Although the voice was not very loud, the man’s singing echoed brightly in the suddenly quiet square.

I’m so cute.

It was strange—an old man acting cute; there was an indescribable sense of contrast; and it sounded quite good.

The next second, Song Fuzhi slammed on the brakes.

Because in the small square, a group of familiar students stood unexpectedly; they were students from his own class.

his own, in-class, students.

They were confused, and so was Song Fuzhi.

Fan Tong even maintained the “chirp” dance move and folded his knees, throwing a flying kiss.

This flying kiss drew a shaky parabola in the air and landed lightly on Teacher Song’s head with a bang.

Both sides stood still, petrified, for a long time, and someone whispered, “Teacher Song?”

Song Fuzhi’s face was expressionless. “Hmm.”

Song Fuzhi took a deep breath. “Rehearsing for the opening ceremony?”

“Yes, rehearsing for the opening ceremony. This is after-school hours, teacher.”

After saying this, they fell silent again.

In the student lineup, a suppressed burst of laughter came from somewhere, suddenly like a spark, spreading wildly, and the laughter gradually became unrestrained.

A total of more than ten people burst into earth-shattering laughter.

Tan Chen casually replied, handing Sheng Quan a glass of water. As they had known each other for a longer time, he also noticed that Sheng Quan liked drinking water.

This water included all kinds of fruit drinks.

Whenever there was or wasn’t anything happening, Sheng Dong would hold various drinks. Even her young and beautiful housekeeper learned to make various drinks for her.

This way, like a snail noodle factory, it was healthy and safe, allowing Sheng Dong to consume it without worries.

Sheng Quan took the water and asked, “Can you handle it?”

Tan Chen smiled. “I’m used to it. Which esports player doesn’t get criticized?”

After saying that, he clicked into the forum to check the latest news. He was about to skillfully skip his name and only read the information he wanted when he still caught a glimpse.

Just that one glance, but what he saw was not the expected insult.

Tan Chen was surprised for a moment, hesitated for half a second, and still clicked on it.

No insults.

No resistance.

People were just discussing his injury situation, and his fans were enthusiastically introducing his previous achievements and glory.

They… accepted him like this?

Drinking water, Sheng Dong looked at Tan Chen, who was staring blankly at the computer, and asked, “Why do you look so dazed?”

Tan Chen slowly lifted his head, his eyes shining as he looked at her. “No one is cursing me!”

Sheng Dong: It’s evident that esports players getting criticized is normal.

Seeing Tan Chen excited, the calm and indifferent expression that seemed to see through everything instantly collapsed, as if he had discovered some treasure.

Sheng Dong looked at him with a smile and asked, “Isn’t it good?”

Tan Chen: How can no one be cursing me?

He said that as he stared at Sheng Dong again, who was back on the screen.

Being observed, Sheng Dong said, “Alright, it’s my doing.”

In fact, achieving this wasn’t very difficult. On the one hand, esports in Huaxia had been struggling for victory for a long time, and esports fans didn’t want to attack Broken Water, the only surviving “seedling” at this time.

Of course, some people didn’t care about this.

So, Sheng Dong simply and straightforwardly… bought the gaming forum where these Broken Water members frequented.

Surprisingly, she had never paid attention to it before. The forum could actually be bought and sold, and Sheng Quan felt like she had opened the door to a new world.

Tan Chen guessed that it was like this. He opened his mouth, wanting to thank her, but thinking that he had thanked Sheng Dong countless times before, he felt that such thanks were too light.

Tan Chen hesitated for a while before saying in a low voice, “You should know that if I get cursed all over the internet now, it will make our Broken Water more famous.”

Black is still a kind of red.

Moreover, once he achieves results in the finals, the past curses will instantly turn into flowers and applause.

Tan Chen knew that Sheng Dong understood this. He once again realized that Sheng Dong had used this promotion method to promote Broken Water. The effect was significant, and after Broken Water reached the semi-finals, the official fan count had already reached a terrifying level.

And now, obviously, Sheng Dong only needed to go with the flow.

She didn’t even need to employ online troops to question her own club, like she did last time.

Tan Chen didn’t understand why Sheng Dong chose to stop this “suppress first, promote later” situation.

Sheng Dong, seeing Tan Chen’s daze, calmly gave the answer, “No one is happy to be cursed. Before, the promotion was for the entire club, so it didn’t matter. But if I let you be cursed for a few months for the sake of gaining traffic, I think it’s not right.”

“Not right?”

Tan Chen fell silent.

Sheng Dong was right; no one liked being cursed.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have exchanged insults with anti-fans. If he truly didn’t care, he wouldn’t bother with what the anti-fans said.

It was precisely because he understood the feeling of being disliked, having gone through countless sleepless nights, that Tan Chen would immediately shoulder the responsibility when Bai Xiangyuan made a mistake.

He always told himself that it was okay, that he was used to it, and that it was just a few curses. It wouldn’t cost him a chunk of flesh.

And now, Sheng Dong was telling him that he shouldn’t endure all this.

Sheng Dong noticed Tan Chen’s silence, but she acted as if she hadn’t seen it, continuing, “And if you can win the championship this time, the popularity will explode in an instant.”

Sheng Dong asked again, “Tan Team, do you think we can win this time?”

Tan Chen took a slow, deep breath. At this moment, he seemed to see the first meeting with Sheng Dong on the personal competition stage.

Can we win?

He gently grasped his right wrist, where the bandages used to relieve pain were no longer there. Even after extensive treatment, these hands still couldn’t return to their peak state.

But when he raised his eyes again, the familiar bold ambition returned to his usually dark and steady gaze.

“Of course,” he declared. “I guarantee you, we will win.”

His words came true.

After Tan Chen replaced the attacking position on the Broken Water team, the fans’ concerns about a significant drop in strength were unfounded. Instead, it was as if he had instantly gained wings like a tiger.

Victory was no longer a distant hope but a concrete achievement recorded in the annals of Chinese esports.

As Broken Water continued to win, esports in China experienced a rejuvenation, with more and more people joining in, eagerly anticipating the final showdown.

Fans were excited, and the Golden Orange platform, which secured the broadcasting rights, was even more ecstatic.

Cheers erupted with the first-round victory.

Celebrations ensued with the second-round win.

As Broken Water triumphed in the third round, all that remained was silent prayer.

Their collective thought was simple: Win! Win! We must win!

In reality, it wasn’t just the fans who thought this way; even the national teams set to face Broken Water in the final shared the sentiment.

“The Broken Water team’s substitute has an injury, and I saw him touching his wrist before entering the arena.”

“I heard he retired originally due to injuries, and only after extensive treatment and rehabilitation did he return to the competition scene. Can he handle the intensity of this match?”

The audience’s discussions were not baseless. From the large screen, it was evident that Tan Chen was under tremendous pressure due to the high-intensity gameplay.

Wearing a blindfold and unable to see the expressions, his face visibly paled, and cold sweat trickled down his cheeks.

Soon, audiences who were aware of the situation realized Tan Chen’s injury had relapsed.

This was normal. Even if an esports player’s injury was treated, continuing to play matches, especially in intense competition, carried a high risk of a relapse.

However, no one expected his injury to flare up in the final match.

The audience was in an uproar.

Some hoped he could endure it.

Some hoped he couldn’t.

On the live screen, Broken Water seemed to be suppressed.

The game seemed to be decided.

Until the last moment, in a chaotic team fight, Tan Chen suddenly emerged from where he was supposed to be, shocking everyone. The moment he appeared, the rest of the team immediately followed, coordinating seamlessly.

One hit!

Two hits!

Three hits!

Kills and coordination so fast that it was almost impossible to react.

In just three seconds, the situation reversed.

On the Golden Orange platform, the commentator recommended by Sheng Quan, the former in-game parrot-looking commentator, watched the screen and shouted excitedly, almost tearing his throat:

“Congratulations to our Chinese Broken Water team!”

“Victory!!!!!!!!!!”