Chapter 31

After the qualifying matches and group stage ended, the S Tournament entered the point of no return—the knockout stage.

SF lost to a strong European team, regrettably stopping at the quarterfinals.

On the day of that match, it happened to coincide with the midterms, so Ying Nian couldn’t make it to the scene. After finishing her exams and learning that SF had lost, she didn’t even eat dinner that night.

She hesitated for a long time. It wasn’t until the official Weibo account posted an update that she cautiously sent a message to Yu Linran.

She didn’t dare bring up the main topic or touch on his wound, so she could only beat around the bush: [The weather is getting colder. Captain, remember to wear more clothes.]

Yu Linran replied with just two words: [Got it.]

Seeing that he wasn’t so down that he was isolating himself in frustration, Ying Nian tried to lighten the mood by sharing one of her embarrassing moments: [I had an exam today, and during the test, my pen suddenly ran out of ink. I was so anxious that I shook it frantically, almost splashing ink all over my face!]

How could Yu Linran not understand her intentions? Two minutes later, he replied directly: [I’m not as fragile as you think.]

Ying Nian, caught in her attempt, felt a bit embarrassed but also relieved. She simply came out and said it: [Captain, don’t feel bad. We’ll come back next year.]

[Mm,] he said, [I know.]

Then, immediately changing the subject, he began lecturing her: [As for you, if you knew you had an exam, why didn’t you bring a few extra pens? Things can go wrong at any time, and having a plan B is very important.]

Ying Nian brought trouble upon herself. Considering Yu Linran’s mood, she didn’t dare to retort as usual and obediently said, [Oh, I’ll be more prepared next time.]

Actually, today was just an exception—she usually always brings extra exam supplies.

Knowing that Yu Linran wasn’t affected by the defeat, Ying Nian felt relieved.

Before she knew it, October was coming to an end.

The school started to fill with a Halloween atmosphere, but Ying Nian was slow to notice. It wasn’t until she received candy before evening self-study that she realized it.

It was first Guo Li, who, with a stern face, approached Ying Nian like she owed her money, and placed a beautifully wrapped bag of candy on her desk.

“I bought some candy and can’t finish it… so I’m giving it to you!”

Ying Nian was stunned. “Why are you giving me candy?”

Guo Li’s face immediately turned red. “I’m just giving it to you, why ask so much! I bought it for myself for Halloween but accidentally bought too much! Believe it or not!”

After saying that, she stormed off, leaving Ying Nian completely confused.

Then Ding Yi came.

The young girl stood awkwardly by the door, too shy to call out to Ying Nian and too afraid to ask someone else to pass a message. She stood there for a long time, and it wasn’t until just before class started that Ying Nian finally noticed her.

As soon as she saw her, Ying Nian knew Ding Yi was there to find her. She got up and walked over, asking, “What’s up?”

Ding Yi shook her head, then nodded, her face slightly flushed. She lowered her eyes and handed over a box in her hands. “For you…”

“What is it?”

“Candy,” Ding Yi said shyly. “It’s Halloween today, after all.”

Only then did Ying Nian remember what day it was and smiled. “Isn’t Halloween about asking for candy? Why are people giving it instead?”

Ding Yi replied, “I don’t know, but everyone’s been exchanging candy, so I thought I’d give you some too…”

She glanced at Ying Nian briefly before quickly looking away.

Ying Nian had long been accustomed to Ding Yi’s timid demeanor. After accepting her kind gesture, she smiled and gently patted Ding Yi’s head. “Thank you.”

Ding Yi’s face reddened even more. “N-no need to thank me!”

With that, she quickly turned and ran off.

Ying Nian really hadn’t known that her classmates had turned Halloween into a day for giving candy. In just a short while, she had already received two batches.

And it wasn’t over yet. Throughout the evening, a steady stream of people came to her. Some thanked her for helping with cleaning duties, some for lending practice books and study materials, and others for various other reasons…

By the end of it, as she looked at the pile of candy filling her desk, Ying Nian suddenly realized something—all the people who gave her candy were girls!

There were boys too—like Jiang Jiashu. During the break after the second class, he ran over, holding a bag of candy. Thinking he was being considerate but actually just annoyingly smug, he said, “I bet no one gave you candy. With that temper of yours, it’s a wonder people don’t punch you, let alone give you anything. But don’t worry, your big bro here is giving you candy! How’s that, thoughtful enough for you?”

Ying Nian rolled her eyes at him. “I’ve already received enough candy to fill a whole desk.”

“…Impossible!”

“Wanna come in and see?”

Seeing her so open and straightforward, Jiang Jiashu knew she wasn’t lying, and he was left speechless.

Ying Nian then asked, “Did you get any candy?” She raised her eyebrow, deliberately trying to provoke him. “Got more than me?”

After successfully driving Jiang Jiashu away, he came back again after school, confidently shoving the candy into her hands. “This is for you. I forgot to give it to you earlier!”

“Did you get any candy yourself?”

Jiang Jiashu looked smug. “Of course! I beat up my buddy, and he gave me all his candy!”

Ying Nian: “…”

Ying Nian pulled Jiang Jiashu over, took a picture of the candy he gave her, and then posted it to her Moments on her way home:

【Everyone’s suddenly giving out candy today, and I didn’t prepare anything, so I feel a bit embarrassed. I received so much candy tonight, thank you to all my darlings~ PS. Look at Jiang Jiashu, this idiot, only got one. Hahaha, he’s probably going to be single for life!】

She paired the picture with the candy she had received and Jiang Jiashu’s single “lonely” piece.

When she got home and checked her Moments, it was livelier than usual, with dozens of comments, all from familiar classmates and friends.

Some were laughing, some were teasing, and especially Jiang Jiashu, who, feeling mocked, angrily yelled in the comments, [There’s even some candy I gave you in that pile! Can you be a decent person for once?!]

Ying Nian replied to the comments, cracking jokes, bantering, and rolling around in bed with laughter.

Yu Linran’s sudden appearance was a bit unexpected. Seeing his comment made her jolt—he had joined the fun: [None for me?]

Ying Nian quickly messaged him privately: [Captain, why are you still up so late?]

He countered, [Have you ever seen a pro gamer go to bed before midnight?]

Ying Nian was left speechless. That was true—if they weren’t busy training, they were likely immersed in playing various games. Going to bed early was indeed a rare occurrence for them.

Yu Linran then said, [Wanna play a few games?]

It had been a long time since Yu Linran had asked her for a solo match, and Ying Nian had grown somewhat unused to not being beaten by him for so long.

Cursing herself for being a glutton for punishment, Ying Nian agreed, [Sure!]

Swiftly getting out of bed, still dressed in her thick pajamas, she sat in her bedroom, warmed by the heater, turned on her computer, and met Yu Linran in the virtual arena.

[Captain, go easy on me,] Ying Nian, who had already been beaten enough to gain some experience, pleaded. [Let me survive a bit longer; the game loading takes too much time.]

Yu Linran responded, [Then try harder to stay alive.]

[If you hit me a few less times, I’d last longer!]

[You’ve got some nerve.]

[Of course!]

Ying Nian grinned at her screen. Sometimes, you just had to be a bit thick-skinned—like the old saying goes, caring too much about face leads to needless suffering.

At first, Yu Linran went easy on her, not hitting too hard, and Ying Nian managed to set a personal record for the longest time she had ever survived.

She typed in the chat box, [Captain! I can’t believe I’ve lasted this long without dying, it’s a new record!]

Yu Linran didn’t mock her for keeping track of such things, simply replying with a single word: [Oh.]

The next second, he immediately killed the hero Ying Nian was controlling.

Ying Nian: …

[Captain!!!] she exclaimed in frustration. [What was that for? I worked so hard to survive this long!]

[Do you remember what day it is today?] The line he typed felt like it carried the calm tone he would have if he said it aloud.

Ying Nian paused for a moment. [What?]

[Halloween,] he replied. [Haven’t you heard—‘Trick or treat.’ No candy, then I’ll cause trouble.]

Ying Nian: [???]

After sending a string of question marks, her fingers flew across the keyboard to type a response, but before she could finish, the chat box lit up with another message from him.

Yu Linran: [Stop talking and just take the beating.]

[…]

Ying Nian nearly pried a key off her keyboard.

What other idol could be this aggravating? Only him!

What other fan could have such a good temper? Only her!

What other star-fan dynamic could be this infuriating? Only the two of them!

Ying Nian huffed angrily, but she still had to keep playing with Yu Linran. For every match they played, she got killed just as many times.

It was yet another round where she was beaten to the point of having no fight left in her. Yu Linran really wasn’t afraid of losing fans!

In the final round, Yu Linran suddenly had a change of heart. When Ying Nian’s health bar was down to its last sliver, he unexpectedly stopped moving.

Ying Nian: [??] Come on, just finish me off already! Why are you stalling?

Yu Linran: [You attack.]

[Me?]

[Yes.]

[What am I supposed to attack for? The moment you fight back, I’m done for.]

He said, [I won’t fight back.]

Ying Nian couldn’t believe it. [For real?]

He didn’t waste words: [Attack.]

Ying Nian, feeling like she might as well give it a try, cautiously moved her hero closer to him—

She hit him once. No counterattack.

She hit him again. Still no counterattack.

She kept hitting! Still no response.

Hit after hit after hit… until he finally died.

It was Ying Nian’s first time winning a solo match against Yu Linran, and she couldn’t contain her excitement, quickly taking a screenshot to save the moment.

Yu Linran asked, [Feel good now?]

His words made it clear that he had anticipated her thoughts all along. Feeling a little embarrassed, Ying Nian sent a laughing emoji.

[Go to sleep,] he said. [It’s late.]

Ying Nian, still smiling, replied, [Alright.]

Just as she was about to say goodnight, he sent another message: [No candy for Halloween, so I gave you your first kill and first win instead. Consider that your treat.]

Ying Nian froze for a moment.

He had let her kill him and win—just for this?

After all the frustration of being beaten earlier, that final moment when she managed to take him down… she had to admit, it was incredibly satisfying.

Not to mention anything else, just the thoughtfulness behind his gesture…

It was sweeter than candy.

The feeling was better than all the candy she had received that night.

Ying Nian wanted to say something more to him, but Yu Linran didn’t give her the chance.

[Logging off.]

With those two words, his profile icon immediately turned gray.

Ying Nian didn’t have time to stop him. She took out her phone, opened his WeChat, stared at it for a long time, but in the end, she didn’t send a single word.

…

At SF training base.

Cheng Run, Lin Shan, and Yi Shen, the three night owls, were still battling it out in-game, while Bo Can, who had a regular routine, was already in the bathroom washing up. Two computers were turned off, one of which belonged to Yu Linran, who was resting on the sofa with a cup of hot water.

As midnight approached, an unexpected delivery arrived. The delivery guy specifically mentioned it was for Yu Linran.

The others assumed it was food Yu Linran had ordered, but only Yu Linran knew that he hadn’t bought anything.

Who would send him something at this hour?

The slight frown on Yu Linran’s face relaxed as a certain person came to mind. He took the box back to the sofa, opened it, and found a blue tin box inside. It was moderately heavy, not too light or too heavy.

He lifted the lid and saw—

A box full of candy, vibrant and colorful, wrapped in candy wrappers that couldn’t hide the sweet aroma.

On top of the candy was a card, with handwriting that appeared to be done by the store at the request of the customer who placed the order.

Yu Linran picked up the card. Its background was pure white, adorned with blue patterns around the edges, and it contained only one sentence:

【Ah Qu has come to deliver candy to 103!

—From Ah Qu, the first kill, first win champion.】

“103” was his official in-game ID, the one he used during competitions.

As for “Qu,” it came from Ying Nian’s game ID, where the “Qu” referred to the word in “Yu Linran marry me” (喻凜然娶我(yù lǐnrán qǔwǒ).)

It was obvious who had sent the gift.

…

All SF fans knew that their captain rarely posted on Weibo, and his homepage content was strictly business—nothing personal at all.

So when fans, who were still awake before midnight on Halloween, saw that their captain had posted on Weibo, their first reaction was to think his account had been hacked.

After waiting and waiting, with no official explanation from the team’s account, fans finally realized it wasn’t a hack—Captain Yu Linran had finally remembered that Weibo had a feature for posting updates!

Amidst a flood of ecstatic, tearful reactions, many fans eagerly took screenshots of what was the first personal post in Yu Linran’s Weibo history.

The post had no caption, just a single image.

The picture showed a tin full of candy, tightly packed to the brim, vibrant and colorful.