Chapter 48

【SF Captain 103 promises fans: If we win the championship, I will livestream with my girlfriend】—this huge news headline occupied the top spot in the esports section for an entire day and night.

The fans were extremely excited. After receiving a personal promise from Yu Linran, a girl who recorded the video posted it on Weibo. Originally, it was just an interaction between Yu Linran and his fans, but due to the current critical stage of the World Championship, it inevitably became news fodder for various media outlets.

This year’s championship will be decided between SF and N1T. The term “civil war” at this time not only doesn’t evoke any heartache but, for the domestic league, it serves as proof of strength and a source of pride.

All gaming fans, whether or not they support these two teams, were fired up, waiting for the final peak battle to arrive.

The criticism SF faced was not insignificant, but the public opinion started to diversify.

When SF defeated N1T in the Summer Split, while receiving some praise, many believed that their victory was merely a stroke of luck and did not fully recognize their strength. In most people’s eyes, N1T, despite their unexpected loss, was still considered the stronger team. After all, they were a prestigious and powerful team, and the authority they accumulated over the years couldn’t be shaken by just one or two losses.

As the World Championship progressed, with each match, SF gained more and more recognition. Even though, in this final showdown, most people still leaned toward N1T and subconsciously believed that they had a better chance of winning, there was still a bit of anticipation for SF to break N1T’s dynasty and rise to prominence.

No matter what, this was bound to be a classic battle.

Under the esports section’s headline news, fans from all sides passionately discussed the upcoming match.

Some felt it was arrogant:

[They haven’t even won the championship yet, and they’re already thinking about what they’ll do after winning. With that kind of mindset, they won’t last long—it’s only a matter of time before they fail!]

Others found it reasonable:

[There’s nothing wrong with what was said. Who doesn’t want to win the championship? Ask anyone from SF or N1T, and if someone says they don’t want to win, watch them get roasted. Forget the anti-fans—even their own fans would curse them out! Besides, in competitive gaming, if you’re a professional and don’t want to win the championship, you might as well pack up and go home!]

There were also people who felt the media was stirring up unnecessary drama, others who were annoyed that every little thing about Yu Linran’s love life made headlines, some who thought Yu Linran and his girlfriend were sweet, and some who believed that those criticizing Yu Linran were just bitter “lemon spirits,” sour from head to toe… In short, there were all kinds of opinions.

The members of SF just treated it all as a joke and didn’t bother to engage. Bo Can, who was the type to block out anything unrelated to the game, was completely unaware of any of it.

As for Yu Linran and Ying Nian, being the people involved, they had long since learned to stay calm and composed.

Still, they did take some action regarding this “promise.”

Ying Nian and Yu Linran returned to the base. They had initially only come back for a short break, while the rest of the team had already gone ahead to the restaurant, planning to have a group dinner. However, Yi Shen accidentally knocked over an entire bottle of drink, soaking most of his clothes.

Yi Shen quickly grabbed a change of clothes from his room and dashed into the bathroom, repeatedly reminding them, “Wait for me! You guys have to wait for me! I’ll take a quick shower, don’t leave me here! Wait for me, and we’ll go together!”

Yu Linran and Ying Nian, feeling bored while waiting, had the computer on. Ying Nian asked, “Want to play a game?”

“Are you sure?” Yu Linran was quite surprised, as it had been a while since she had asked to play a game and risked losing.

“You’ve already said those things to your fans, so if I don’t hurry and practice my skills, won’t I just get completely destroyed by you when the time comes?” Ying Nian pouted, casting him a half-annoyed glance.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to stream with him, but thinking about how she always got beaten up by him in the game left her feeling a bit frustrated!

The two sat down, with Yu Linran using a teammate’s computer and Ying Nian using his. Without saying a word, they went straight into a solo match.

As a professional player, Yu Linran had to maintain his integrity, and he firmly stuck to his principles, mercilessly launching attacks against Ying Nian. The whole room was filled with the sound of Ying Nian’s constant cries of defeat.

“Ah!! Don’t auto-attack me! Don’t! Go away—”

“……”

“Yu Linran, I’m going all out against you!”

“……”

“Take it easy! Take it easy! Take it easy ahhh!”

“……”

Ying Nian was shouting louder than anyone else. If victory were based on volume, she would undoubtedly be the top player in the entire server. Toward the end, her voice even took on a sobbing tone as she pitifully wailed, yet her boyfriend continued his relentless and merciless attacks with utmost seriousness, showing no signs of holding back.

“Yu Linran-” Ying Nian howled, “Stop killing me! Stop attacking, ah! Stop it-“

She was so anxious that her eyebrows were furrowed tightly, her mouse flung wildly as she frantically clicked, her left hand pressing the skill keys repeatedly. In the end, when she couldn’t take it anymore, she simply threw the mouse aside and lunged at Yu Linran, wrapping her arms around his to stop him.

With his left hand being held, Yu Linran couldn’t use his skills.

“……” He lowered his gaze, looking at his girlfriend hanging onto him with a tearful expression. “If you keep doing this, neither of us will die, and we’ll be stuck in this game until tomorrow morning.”

“I don’t care, I don’t want to die!”

“……”

Not only was she shamelessly acting spoiled, but she also had the nerve to make an unreasonable demand: “Let me have one of your hands!”

Yu Linran raised his eyebrow. “Left hand or right hand?”

“Left hand! No, wait, you can still move with your right hand, and I still won’t be able to hit you… Right hand! No, maybe the left hand… Ah, forget it, how about both hands—” She looked up at him expectantly.

Yu Linran, with a faint smile, asked, “Should I just stand still and let you kill me?”

“Actually, that works too…”

He flicked her forehead with his finger, full of exasperation. “Can you try to be a little more ambitious?”

Ying Nian tightened her grip on his arm even more, “I won’t…”

“Sit properly, come on.”

“No. I won’t get up unless you let me win.”

“I don’t do things without benefits,” Yu Linran refused.

Ying Nian’s eyes shifted, and suddenly, she sat up straight and kissed him on the cheek. “Please!”

“…” Yu Linran, with a stern face, kept his eyes on the computer and still refused to look at her. “Don’t try that, it won’t work.”

Frustrated, Ying Nian bit down on his arm through his sleeve, then let go, trying to act quickly before he could react and kill his character. But as soon as her hand touched the mouse, the screen went gray, and large letters appeared, indicating that her character had died.

“Yu Linran—”

Ying Nian lunged at him, while he had a faint smile on his lips, letting her throw a little tantrum in his arms.

“Bro, Ying—”

Yi Shen, freshly showered and changed, stepped out and saw the two of them all lovey-dovey. He awkwardly froze in place, unsure what to do next.

Yu Linran glanced at Yi Shen but didn’t say much. He gently took hold of Ying Nian’s hand and spoke softly, “Alright, it’s time to go.”

In the next second, with a smile, he gave Ying Nian a quick kiss on her flushed, angry face.

Yi Shen stood there, utterly dumbfounded at the sight.

…

The final battle between SF and N1T could be described as a match that probably had all professional players worldwide glued to their screens. These two teams represented the highest level of competition this season. N1T was determined to redeem themselves from their loss in the Summer Split, while SF aimed to establish themselves as a new powerhouse. Both teams were bound to give it their all.

Even long after, Ying Nian could still recall the emotions she felt while watching that match.

It was a pivotal moment in Yu Linran’s professional career.

In the final deciding match point, the moment SF’s five players destroyed the last sliver of N1T’s base crystal, Ying Nian, sitting in the audience, covered her face and burst into tears.

Three years ago, when she watched SF’s first match, their audience section was barely filled, while their opponent’s fans loudly chanted slogans, making SF seem so insignificant by comparison.

She had screamed herself hoarse cheering for SF, waved support sticks for them, and held up support banners and light signs. She had celebrated every one of their victories with joy and felt heartbroken over their losses.

She had seen SF light signs abandoned in the pouring rain and heard the overwhelming cheers for this team that filled entire arenas.

Like other fans, she had accompanied them through their lowest points, helping them carve out a path that belonged to them.

The words “Go forward bravely” echoed throughout the entire venue, as golden confetti rained down from above. On stage, they held up the trophy that every professional player dreams of.

The moment of glory was right in front of them.

Unafraid of insults and slander, they had faced all the controversies and made it to this day.

Tonight, their name was “The Champion.”

Amidst the cheers, Ying Nian bent down, burying her face in her knees, unable to control her tears.

…

Bo Can had consistently performed outstandingly throughout the season. Even before the finals, he had secured a significant percentage of the votes in the All-Star poll. When the results were announced, he, along with N1T’s jungler, was selected to represent their region in the All-Star event.

With the World Championship over, the professional players entered their rest period. Though Bo Can was absent from the SF base, the atmosphere didn’t quiet down. In fact, his absence gave his teammates even more opportunities for playful pranks and mischief.

Yi Shen was the first to “act out.” While Bo Can was away, Yi Shen brazenly wore his jacket and livestreamed himself playing games in front of the camera. Fans in the comments immediately recognized the jacket as Bo Can’s personal clothing, and Yi Shen confidently declared, “He had it coming! I asked Bo Can to bring me some local specialties yesterday, and that brat rudely refused! Now I’m making sure his jacket is filled with my scent—let’s see if he doesn’t go crazy when he gets back!”

His fierce words of “revenge” only made the “Bo Yi” CP fans ecstatic, showering the stream with excitement as they felt they were getting a treat from their favorite pairing.

Cheng Run and Lin Shan also occasionally teased Bo Can, turning him into a running joke. Fans found it both amusing and endearing: “He just went to participate in the All-Star event, and when he comes back, the whole world has changed. Poor Cancan! He’s probably going to lose it when he returns to the base…”

The loving interactions between SF teammates were something the fans could never get enough of. But what drew even more attention and excitement was the highly anticipated livestream where Yu Linran would fulfill his promise.

Yu Linran had never livestreamed before, and considering his temperament, SF gave him special treatment. When they signed with a streaming platform, they only included four team members in the contract, meaning only those four were required to meet the streaming hour quotas—Yu Linran wasn’t one of them.

This time, he used Lin Shan’s streaming account and announced it a day in advance. By the time the stream started, so many people tuned in that the chatroom almost crashed from the influx.

At the beginning, Ying Nian didn’t appear on camera. The screen only showed Yu Linran’s serious face, and she remained silent throughout, quietly playing games. Yu Linran didn’t talk much either, and for the first two rounds, he played relatively “gently.”

Long-time fans already knew that Ying Nian wasn’t very skilled at gaming, but for the new fans, this was their first time witnessing it—especially at such a “close distance.” Soon, the chat was flooded with teasing comments. Yu Linran, being particularly “blunt,” didn’t hold back at all. He played even more aggressively against her in the solo matches than he did during actual competitions.

The fans were absolutely delighted.

[Captain, are you going to have to kneel on the keyboard after the stream ends?]

[Stop hiding, let us see where you’re keeping the durian.]

[The Dragon King really got a girlfriend purely because of his looks.]

[Domestic violence happening right before our eyes, absolutely brutal.]

[Hahaha, I’m dying! That speed of dying is on par with mine. Sister-in-law is so real!]

…

As the stream went on, Ying Nian couldn’t hold it in anymore. She was sitting right next to Yu Linran, trying her best to stay quiet, but she just couldn’t suppress it.

In yet another solo match, Yu Linran unleashed his ultimate ability right on top of her, and Ying Nian let out a scream: “Ahhhh—!!!”

Within seconds, Cheng Run, sitting nearby, laughed and said, “With that scream, the chat’s probably blowing up.”

Ying Nian didn’t care about that; her mind was completely focused on the frustration Yu Linran was stirring up in her. As she kept playing, she forgot they were even livestreaming and slipped back into her usual solo mode with him.

So, Cheng Run, Lin Shan, Yi Shen, and all the fans watching the stream together witnessed this incredibly “passionate” match.

“Yu Linran! Stop moving around so flashily—ah, take it easy, will you—”

“……”

“Get away, get away, get away! Don’t come near me!!”

“……”

“Don’t kill me! Yu Linran, don’t kill me! I’m begging you! Captain! Don’t kill me… ahhhh, don’t kill me!!”

“……”

Ying Nian couldn’t see the chat, so she had no idea that the fans in the stream were having the time of their lives, practically as joyful as celebrating the New Year:

[This is too funny, hahaha, I’m gonna die laughing, oh my god!]

[His girlfriend is screaming so pitifully, and the captain’s face is so serious as he shows no mercy. I’m honestly impressed by how straight this guy is…]

[I can’t take it anymore. Sister-in-law, please beat him up after the stream! He’s way too cocky!]

[Sincere advice to the Dragon King: keep a close eye on your girlfriend. I doubt he’ll ever be able to find another one after this…]

[Wasn’t it you leaning on my shoulder? Wasn’t it you tying my hair? Weren’t you the one calling me girlfriend? Hello?? — Hahaha, someone please calculate how traumatized Sister-in-law must be feeling!]

[Yu Qu DaDa, if you can ditch this boyfriend, you really should…]

Amidst all the laughter and joy, the livestream came to a successful conclusion. Judging by the reactions, it was an overwhelmingly successful stream.