This chapter is brought to you by Fatima, thanks for the ko-fi! ( ˘ ³˘)♥

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Chapter 47 – Talent-based player.

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With a crisp ka! sound, Sang Ye, with a hand speed that might have been the fastest in his 18 years, faster than any stunning gun-drawing moment in a match, pressed the long button on the right side of his phone, his face flushed with embarrassment to the point where he almost broke a sweat, and protested, “How come you sit down and make no noise!?”

Tan Mo quietly stared at him for two seconds, blinked slowly, and asked, “Does my presence need to be proven by sound?”

Sang Ye: “…………”

Talk’s occasional playful actions always caught him off guard.

But it’s true; Tan Mo was the kind of man who radiated light wherever he went, always at the center of everyone’s attention, his presence so strong it was undeniable.

But this couldn’t include the times when he was seriously immersed in a CP fandom and didn’t have the focus to pay attention to his surroundings!

Sang Ye fidgeted, rubbing his pants with both hands: “I wasn’t watching anything, just scrolling randomly… you, what did you see just now?”

Tan Mo lowered his lashes and said, “I didn’t mean to look, but I had a pretty good idea you were browsing Weibo.”

Sang Ye exhaled in relief.

“But seeing your reaction, I thought it might have something to do with me.”

“…………” Sang Ye straightened his posture, barely daring to breathe.

In the strange silence, Tan Mo looked at him for a moment, then said, “I see.”

“What is it…?”

“It’s related to me.”

“…………”

Sang Ye had a guilty expression, who wouldn’t be suspicious?

“What were you looking at?” This time, Tan Mo’s tone carried more confidence.

Seeing he couldn’t hide it, Sang Ye lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, then blushed and muttered, “Super topic…”

Tan Mo immediately understood: “You mean the CP super topic?”

Sang Ye buried his head even lower.

Unexpectedly, Tan Mo smiled faintly and almost indulgently pinched his cheek. “What’s there to hide? Watching a super topic makes you this shy? Haven’t you ever seen the fanfiction on LOFTER?”

Sang Ye looked up in confusion. “Lao…Lao Fu Te?”

“LOFTER.” Tan Mo, seeing that he didn’t understand, spelled it out for him, “L-O-F-T-E—wait…” He suddenly paused halfway through, then stopped and asked, “Has a fan ever messaged you about this stuff?”

Sang Ye almost never checked his private messages, so he shook his head. “No, I haven’t.”

Faced with the boy’s innocent, harmless dark eyes, Tan Mo instinctively straightened up, licked the corner of his lips, and lowered his gaze, uncharacteristically showing a slightly awkward look.

“Is this really something I can talk about…?”

Boom—! A loud sound echoed.

Sang Ye felt as though Tan Mo had opened a door to an entirely unknown world for him, a world glowing with golden light, the brilliance shining directly on his face.

…

“If you don’t know, then forget it.” Before leaving, Tan Mo added, “No need to search for it specifically, it’s all pretty boring stuff.”

“Oh, okay.” Sang Ye shifted his gaze, his voice clear and calm, “I can’t look at that kind of thing… I get sleepy if I read more than five hundred words.”

Knowing the boy’s peculiar trait, Tan Mo suppressed a smile, nodded, and left.

Sang Ye quickly turned his head to check the phone lying on the sofa behind him.

LOFTER download progress—

65%.

Sang Ye clenched his fist, silently screaming inside.

Hurry up!!!

…

The second half was about to begin, and all the players were waiting to enter.

Among the crowd, Sang Ye noticed something and followed his instinct to look. He saw NSN’s Li Junxian talking to Lu Qikai with his head tilted, but his gaze was directed toward WLG. His usual smiling expression was gone, and he seemed to be gearing up for the upcoming match.

At this moment, Fang Fang walked over, casually resting her elbow on Tan Mo’s shoulder, a touch of schadenfreude in her expression: “What’s going on? Did your little friend get caught by the Koreans?”

“Is he too comfortable in P city?” Tan Mo retorted, “Or should we re-roll for this round?”

Fang Fang gave a cold laugh, tossing out, “You’re ruthless,” before walking away.

“Don’t listen to him, he can’t say anything nice,” Tan Mo looked at Sang Ye and said, “For the second half, let’s swap positions. You take the first assault role, so you can stay within my sight.”

In previous rounds, Sang Ye played the second assault role, mainly providing support and covering Tan Mo from behind. However, when facing an opponent like Li Junxian, who clearly aimed to harass, Sang Ye often got caught off guard and positioned poorly, which frustrated the entire team.

Sang Ye stared at NSN’s direction. In the dim lighting, his eyes were somewhat gloomy as he said, “He can’t actually deal with you.”

Tan Mo was momentarily confused: “Who?”

“That Korean,” Sang Ye replied, having realized this after the first half of the game. “He said he could easily handle Talk and Song, but in reality, he never really faced you head-on.”

“Ah, you’re right!” Xiao Pai exclaimed, slapping his forehead, “In fact, JunX is just picking on our Xiao Bai Mao, but when Tan Mo makes a move, he either sends his teammates ahead or avoids the fight. NSN’s ranking has been good these past couple of days, so it’s created the illusion that our two ace players are being beaten down, but the truth is, only Bai Mao is getting wrecked!”

“Looking for trouble!” Sang Ye stepped forward aggressively.

The next second, Tan Mo wrapped his arm around his shoulders and pulled him back.

Xiao Pai hid behind Hu Fu’s large back, weakly clutching his chest, “Giegie¹~ I’m so scared…”

But as soon as his eyes met Tan Mo’s, he fell silent.

Sang Ye also quieted down, noticing that Tan Mo’s arm was across his collarbone, almost pulling him entirely into his embrace from behind. He could feel the warmth of the man’s broad chest against his back. The intimacy of the touch made his face flush, and he lowered his head, forgetting the earlier playful banter with Xiao Pai.

The music for the upcoming match played, and everyone began walking forward in a noisy crowd.

Sang Ye bit his lower lip, looked ahead, but didn’t move.

Because Tan Mo behind him hadn’t moved, still holding him with his arm as they stood in place.

After most people had left.

The man’s magnetic voice rang out from above, deliberately lowered, asking, “Can you let me inhale?”

A warm feeling rolled through Sang Ye’s chest, and he quickly blinked, looking flustered. Without thinking, he answered, “Y-yeah, sure!”

“Let me inhale” was almost becoming their common secret phrase.

It was a secret only the two of them knew…

But then Sang Ye recalled Tan Mo’s pained expression at the end of the second round in the first half. His thoughts darkened, and he immediately pushed aside the distraction, becoming serious.

He even stood on tiptoe, afraid he wasn’t tall enough, to make it easier for Tan Mo to inhale the strands of his hair. “Here you go!”

Tan Mo noticed his small movement and lowered his gaze to the pale Bai Mao below him. His eyes held a smile as he said, “Thank you.”

After thanking him in a gentlemanly manner, the man bent his back, hiding his face in the boy’s shoulder. His broad back slowly rose, and his arms gently tightened around him.

Sang Ye felt the sensitive, vulnerable skin be covered in warm, humid breath, causing a ticklish sensation and an unfamiliar shiver running up from his spine to his tailbone.

His cheeks flushed, reaching all the way to his neck. His hands, clenched in his coat pockets, tightened as he bowed his head, silently enduring, though he couldn’t help but exhale erratically.

…

The fourth match of the second half officially began.

After the first circle contracted, M City was on the edge of the blue zone. Tan Mo wasn’t in a rush, knowing that two other teams from the south would likely be moving into the city, so he stayed in place to guard.

Meanwhile, NSN, also in M City, immediately got into a car and moved toward the center of the circle.

Commentator A: “It’s clear that JunX is playing with a distinct BTF style. Their strategy is to occupy advantageous positions within the circle as soon as possible, finding a spot that can extend in all directions. They might take a lot of hits early on, but in the late game, they have a good chance of winning with a favorable circle.”

Commentator B: “Yes, on the other hand, WLG tends to focus more on earning points and not missing any opportunities for kills. They play slowly according to the circle’s shift. If they hit a spot, they stay put; if they need to relocate, they’re calm and not afraid of engaging in team fights. Even though they haven’t won as many chicken dinners as NSN in the last two days, their points are still close. Their average kill count is the highest among all teams right now, with an average of eight kills per match, which is pretty terrifying.”

Commentator A: “If Song hadn’t been taken out so early, their average would be even more frightening.”

As they were talking, WLG had already collected two waves of supplies, gaining a good amount of resources.

When they drove towards the school, they saw the kill notification.

Catch22 got a two-for-three trade, leaving only JunX from NSN.

Based on the gunfire sounds and the surrounding team compositions, Tan Mo deduced, “If 22 didn’t catch the lone wolf, he can only run toward the school. There are no teams blocking the way there.”

Crack! A sharp sound echoed.

Xiao Pai reacted quickly: “What was that sound?”

“It’s me,” Sang Ye said flatly. “I pulled the bolt early.”

“…………”

Hu Fu chuckled.

Tan Mo stifled a laugh.

“Brother! It’s still three kilometers to go!” Xiao Pai was a little confused. “You’re pulling the bolt way too early!”

“Don’t mind me.”

Outside the game, Commentator A: “JunX chose not to engage Aster directly. After all, Aster is a long-range sniper, and it seems JunX didn’t feel confident. So he decided to drive toward the school. From a strategic perspective, JunX knows when to avoid difficult opponents. Well, in terms of competitive spirit, it’s not the most heroic choice, but there’s no harm in playing safe and keeping yourself alive.”

Commentator B: “Speaking of tough opponents, Song is quite tough too. But Song and JunX are both close-combat players, and no matter how good their shooting is, positioning still matters. It’s hard to do well in this situation. I’m starting to worry about Song. It looks like WLG is also heading toward the school. If JunX sets an ambush and waits for WLG to clash with the teams inside the school, he might strike during the chaos…”

Commentator A: “Look! JunX has chosen the corner of a broken wall. This cover looks good. He seems to be preparing to stay put.”

As WLG entered the swimming pool area, they were warmly greeted by the locals.

Sang Ye quickly moved behind a nearby tree and initiated the fight, but suddenly, his gaze flickered, and he noticed a shadow move behind the broken wall at an angle.

Thankfully, Sang Ye’s eyesight was exceptional—most professional players wouldn’t have noticed it.

“Talk, cover me.”

While speaking, Sang Ye had already shifted direction and fired a preemptive shot behind the wall.

The person quickly retreated, losing only a little health.

Tan Mo smoothly took over Sang Ye’s opponent and knocked the person down with a single shot, ensuring that Sang Ye wasn’t harmed.

Commentator A was excited: “Oh? Oh? Oh? Song spotted JunX in advance! Beautiful! He avoided getting his side shot!”

Commentator B: “But the situation is still grim. His teammates are engaged in a standoff with the other team, and Song is exposed on the front lines with no one to help him. With JunX’s control of the terrain, it looks like he’s about to take down the young player.”

Tan Mo knew the person lying in wait outside the battlefield was Li Junxian, but his position didn’t allow him to see what was happening on the other side. He lowered his gun and prepared to move: “You cover with smoke, I’ll move in.”

Sang Ye replied, “No need.”

Xiao Pai was being suppressed by another team’s sniper behind a car, holding a level 2 helmet, and anxiously shouted, “Bai Mao, don’t act rashly! It’ll be the same with Tan Mo on the front lines! Get back from the front, we can’t do this without you!”

Sang Ye, observing the calm ruins through an 8x scope, coolly replied, “I know this.”

The next second, a glint appeared from the left side of the wall. As Sang Ye took a bullet, he immediately fired a preemptive shot at the gap on the right.

Almost simultaneously, the edge of a green helmet appeared from the right gap, only to be struck by a 98K bullet, causing the person to recoil in pain.

Sang Ye quickly reloaded, shifted his gun, and fired to the left.

Another head appeared, meeting the bullet.

Sang Ye continued to fire in short bursts.

— JunX peeked out.

Burst shot.

— JunX peeked out again.

Then he quickly pulled back, and the last shot went back to the right gap.

The system displayed the message:

[WLG-Song used 98K to headshot and eliminate NSN-JunX]

All of this happened within just a second or two.

The entire arena erupted, and the audience in the back row stood up and clapped.

The coach clapped in front of the TV screen, just as excited as a middle-aged man watching a sports game: “Well done, Fu Gui!”

Commentator A’s voice soared: “It’s crazy! Crazy! Song used a 98K for a head-on headshot—this is absurd! And he only used four bullets, each shot landing perfectly! He predicted every position JunX would take! How did he do that!?”

It was precisely because every move Li Junxian made was predicted by Sang Ye that the scene looked like Sang Ye was casually shooting, with Li Junxian running into each bullet head-on. Each shot landed perfectly, which was a bit comical and thrilling for the viewers.

Commentator B spoke with a smile in his voice: “That was absolutely brilliant! And the accuracy—just phenomenal. Song always brings us unexpected surprises. It seems all our previous concerns were unnecessary. Even against an international-level player like JunX, he managed to turn the tables. Let’s give a round of applause for our 18-year-old rising star!”

With Sang Ye taking down JunX, NSN was now completely eliminated and failed to earn any placement points this round.

On the other side, the battle had also settled down. Xiao Pai was so shocked that he forgot to heal: “Bai Mao, how did you do that?”

The noise from the audience suddenly grew louder. Sang Ye adjusted his headset and said, “2020 Seoul Invitational, Day 3; 2021 PKL Spring Split, Final Week; and the first day of the Intercontinental Championship—every time, Li Junxian would position himself near cover that allowed quick lateral movement. He’d fire a shot first to obscure his opponent’s vision, then sidestep in the opposite direction for a sneak attack. Left, right, right, right—he’d create directional inertia in his opponent’s mind, making them expect him to move right again. Then, at the last moment, he’d switch back to the left for the final shot. Without fail, this method worked every time. In a post-match interview during the Spring Split, he even proudly named this technique the ‘Li-Style Shooting.'” Sang Ye let out a disdainful scoff. “Tch, just another gimmick…”

Hu Fu was genuinely impressed: “Song, you’re a legend!”

Xiao Pai shivered and rubbed his arms. “D*mn, Bai Mao, that was insane. You really put in the work on Li Junxian —you’ve basically dissected his entire playstyle.”

Sang Ye gritted out through his teeth, “That Korean guy is seriously annoying…”

“Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles,” Tan Mo chuckled. “Well done.”

Sang Ye cleared his throat and suddenly adopted a scholarly demeanor. “Yes, I often read Confucius’ teachings.”

Tan Mo fell silent upon hearing that.

Xiao Pai interjected, “Brother, that was Sun Tzu², not Confucius.”

Sang Ye’s face turned crimson in an instant. He stomped his foot, making his gaming chair shake. “You’re so annoying!!!”

Hu Fu burst into laughter. “Hahahahahaha!”

Amidst the laughter, WLG made it into the final circle. As the only full-squad team remaining, they secured an easy victory.

On the leaderboard, WLG was now just 10 points behind NSN.

During the mid-game break, NSN huddled together for discussion, their expressions tense. After reaching a conclusion, Li JunX glanced toward WLG’s glass room, his face tinged with displeasure.

Round Five.

After looting, NSN didn’t immediately rotate with their vehicles. Instead, they encircled M City, clearly intent on continuing their harassment tactics from previous rounds. Even if they couldn’t wipe out the entire WLG squad, picking off one or two players would still be a huge advantage.

Three teammates moved forward to draw fire, while Li Junxian found a favorable position amidst the chaos, setting up outside a window to hold down the players inside.

As soon as someone inside adjusted their positioning to avoid the incoming fire, they momentarily exposed themselves—exactly what Li Junxian was waiting for. He pulled the trigger.

But the moment his bullet connected, the player inside snapped around and fired back.

A storm of SMG bullets rained down on Li Junxian. However, he remained unfazed. He had already spotted a nearby vehicle—one jump onto its roof would let him climb onto the second-floor balcony.

He sprinted forward.

The next second—

The screen dimmed.

[WLG-Talk used Beryl M762 to eliminate NSN-JunX]

Li Junxian: “……”

He had expected that the person inside the building might be Talk, but he hadn’t anticipated that this man’s marksmanship had not only remained sharp over the past six months but had actually improved significantly.

After all, the news he received in Korea suggested that Talk had not participated in training matches for a long time—possibly due to a hand injury—and was preparing to retire.

Commentator A chuckled: “Against God Tan, all flashy movements are just for show. Li Junxian picked the wrong target this time.”

In the sixth match, it came down to a showdown between NSN, WLG, and Catch22. These three teams had performed steadily so far, and whoever won this round would claim the top spot on today’s leaderboard.

Twenty minutes later, the match entered the seventh circle.

Due to an unfavorable position, WLG was forced apart by Catch22, splitting across the highway.

Sang Ye and Xiao Pai were on one side, while Tan Mo was on the other.

To make matters worse, NSN’s remaining two players took advantage of the chaos to escape from the blue zone, catching Xiaopai from behind.

Xiao Pai fought with all his might alongside Sang Ye, managing to take down Shine. When the smoke cleared, only Sang Ye and Li Junxian remained on this side of the battlefield.

Commentator A: “Fate brings them together again! But can Song break through JunX’s suppression this time?”

Commentator B let out an exclamation and noted: “Oh no, oh no! Song is running low on ammo—he barely has enough for two sprays!”

Xiao Pai’s loot box was not far away, but Sang Ye had no way of retrieving his fallen teammate’s supplies. If he moved from behind the car, he would expose his position to Li Junxian.

How could he hold off the opponent’s firepower and counterattack with such limited ammunition?

Sang Ye pressed his lips together, gripping a grenade in his hand, feeling completely unsure of his next move.

The blue zone was about to close in—he needed to come up with a plan fast.

Or… he could simply stall Li Junxian until they both succumbed to the zone’s damage, going down together.

But he didn’t want to end it like that. On the battlefield, you fight until the very last moment.

Just as Sang Ye was growing increasingly anxious, a scene from the 2021 Intercontinental Championship flashed through his mind.

Talk and JunX had faced off, each taking cover behind a Jeep, with no other shelter around.

Talk threw a smoke grenade to the left side of his vehicle, creating the illusion that he was retreating in that direction. JunX, being highly cautious, dropped prone and peeked through the gap between the car’s undercarriage and the ground to check if Talk had already left. However, at the very moment he threw the smoke, Talk had also gone prone. What awaited JunX was three clean and precise headshots.

But there was also a chance that JunX had learned his lesson. This time, if he saw the smoke, he might charge in directly. If that happened, Sang Ye could end up getting caught off guard, unable to react in time and lift his aim properly.

Taking a deep breath, Sang Ye swapped his grenade for a smoke bomb, tossed it to the left, and quickly switched to his gun, dropping prone.

He watched as JunX’s legs moved back and forth a few times.

Now was not the time to fire. Shots to the limbs wouldn’t be enough to deal fatal damage, and shooting too soon would expose his position and accelerate the opponent’s attack.

So he waited. Four seconds passed. Then, JunX decisively moved toward the left.

Sang Ye’s heart rate spiked past 130 in an instant.

But in the next moment, his opponent pulled back, knelt down, and lowered his body, peeking out from beside the car’s tire.

Sang Ye’s heart rate dropped just as quickly. A subtle smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Hello there.

He pulled the trigger.

Three shots landed on the head, and the final bullet struck the foot.

JunX’s perspective tilted upward, his screen fading to gray.

The crowd erupted into another explosive cheer, applause echoing throughout the venue.

Commentator A slammed the table, momentarily at a loss for words: “Song God!!!”

Commentator B laughed: “This scene looks a little familiar, doesn’t it? If I’m not mistaken, isn’t this the same feint that Tan Shen pulled off in last year’s Intercontinental Championship? Ah—wait! Now I remember! The opponent back then was also JunX! You see, JunX dodged Talk this time, only to get taken out by ‘Little Talk’ using the exact same move. Isn’t that fate? Come on, Li, learn from your mistakes!”

Sang Ye delivered a stellar performance in this round, but in the end, Catch22 secured the win.

At the conclusion of the second day, the top three teams were invited for post-match interviews.

Based on the rankings, Catch22 went up first, followed by WLG, and finally, NSN.

Before today’s matches, NSN had been basking in the spotlight during the pre-game interviews. But now, as they stepped onto the stage after WLG, their heads were slightly lowered.

Fans in the livestream chat were desperately making excuses, saying that after six rounds, the players were simply too exhausted.

Immediately, others fired back, telling them to look at WLG—who had played the same six rounds—yet their players were still relaxed and having fun.

The host went around, handing the microphone to each team captain, asking them to evaluate their team’s performance for the day.

When it was Tan Mo’s turn, he said, “Everyone performed exceptionally well today, especially Song. Despite constant interference, he managed to stay composed and fight back, showcasing WLG’s unwavering spirit to our opponents. That’s something worth praising.”

As for what exactly this “constant interference” referred to, who was interfering, and who “the opponents” were—well, the audience had already lost it, spamming the chat with [savage shade] comments.

So when the microphone was passed to Lu Qikai next, the atmosphere turned incredibly awkward.

Lu Qikai brushed off the question with a couple of perfunctory sentences.

The host then moved on to individual interviews. Smiling, she turned to Sang Ye:

“Song, this is your first time playing in the playoffs, and you’ve already earned praise from your captain. Did you prepare for this for a long time? Yesterday, you didn’t seem too happy with your performance, but today, you made a complete comeback. You must’ve put in a lot of work behind the scenes, right?”

At the mention of “captain,” Sang Ye’s face heated up slightly, but he didn’t let it show. Maintaining his usual cool and aloof demeanor, he replied in a cold, indifferent tone:

“Didn’t put in any work. Just played casually.”

Hu Fu let out a loud “Pfft—” in laughter.

Xiao Pai also struggled to keep a straight face.

This Bai Mao brat was talking absolute nonsense.

Everyone in WLG knew that Sang Ye had stayed up late watching game footage the night before. To take down that Korean player, he had put in far more effort than just “a little.” And during the match, he had given it everything he had.

Yet here he was, casually brushing it off as if he had just winged it—like those students who, after acing an exam, smugly claim “I didn’t even study, just took it casually.”

But no one exposed his little ego boost. They just let him talk his big game.

The host chuckled: “Wow, then you must be a naturally gifted player.”

“I guess.” Sang Ye blinked indifferently and added coolly, “The coach told us not to go all out too early, or we’d burn out later in the tournament. So I was only using about 30% of my strength.”

After a brief pause, he casually tacked on:

“No wonder some people think the PCL region is easy. It’s only the second day, after all. Everyone’s still feeling pretty relaxed.”

Except for NSN, nearly everyone in the room lowered their heads, stifling laughter.

Even within NSN, someone’s shoulders were trembling—Shine, who had turned away to hide his amusement.

Meanwhile, the livestream chat had completely lost it, exploding in laughter.

[“Hahahahahahaha! Song is so bold—throwing shade right to their faces!”]

[“Song is making the all-Chinese team proud! Sending support!”]

[“Koreans right now: This is really some next-level BS.”]

The host, struggling to hold back laughter, quickly turned the microphone in another direction: “What about you, Aster?”

Caught off guard, Xing Xing was momentarily flustered. Scratching his pink hair a little sheepishly, he took the microphone and said playfully:

“I was only using 20% of my strength.”

At that moment—

Sang Ye suddenly leaned over, tugged on Xing Xing’s sleeve, and borrowed his microphone:

“You got it wrong. I only used 10%.”

Xing Xing: “……….”

[“Aaaaaahhh! Song is so cute! I love him!”]

[“Song gets competitive way too easily, I’m crying from laughter.”]

Meanwhile, on the other side, a translator was whispering everything into Li Junxian’s ear.

Because the translator’s collar had a small mic clipped to it, the moment Li Junxian looked up, his expression darkened—and forgetting to lower his voice, he suddenly blurted out:

“Motherf—…”

The entire venue fell silent. The awkwardness was palpable.

Only Sang Ye, still holding the microphone, glanced over and fearlessly quipped:

“Hey, Korean player over there, weren’t you the one who said you didn’t speak Chinese?”

Li Junxian: “……….”

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Note :

1. Giegie” (戟戟) is a playful or affectionate term, often used in Chinese internet slang. It’s a term of endearment or playfulness, similar to calling someone “baby” or “dear” in English, but often with a more cute or vulnerable connotation. ↩︎
2. n the conversation you provided, Sang Ye mistakenly attributed a famous Sun Tzu quote—”知己知彼，百战不殆” (“Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles”)—to Confucius, leading to a humorous moment. ↩︎

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Chapter 46 – Reverse The Situation.

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By the time they returned to the hotel in the evening, it was nearly eleven o’clock. Based on the performance in today’s match, it was clear that the coach was very satisfied, so he only gave a brief comment before dismissing everyone. “The playoffs are a battle of attrition. This is only the first day, so everyone must keep a steady mindset. Don’t be arrogant in victory, don’t be discouraged in defeat. Who laughs last is still uncertain. Alright, go back to your rooms and rest up for tomorrow’s match.”

Sang Ye left the conference room but didn’t head directly toward the elevator. Instead, he turned toward the practice room.

“Hey! Bai Mao!” Xiao Pai called out behind him. “Aren’t you going back?”

Sang Ye waved his hand without turning around.

“What’s bothering you?” Xiao Pai muttered. “Don’t tell me you want to play a few more rounds? When did White Hair become so diligent? Isn’t he just a happy-go-lucky, brainless fanboy?”

“Maybe it’s because he was mocked by the Koreans. Although the Weibo post was taken down, the hurt has already been done,” Hu Fu sighed and said. “Also, during the match, it was clear that he couldn’t match JunX’s aim, so he’s probably bothered by it.”

“Oh, that makes sense…” Xiao Pai shrugged. “Although Xiao Bai Mao doesn’t seem as serious as ELan, he’s actually quite proud. In the whole esports world, he probably only respects my brother. As for everyone else—hah! Whoever beats him, he’ll definitely hold a grudge and won’t let it go until he gets his revenge.”

“Spirit is commendable,” Hu Fu gave a thumbs-up and said. “But the boy might find it a bit difficult to defeat JunX in a short time. He’ll have to take it slow.”

After Sang Ye sat down in the practice room, he didn’t start the game. Instead, he typed “2020-2022 PKL match recordings” in the search bar, selected a video from the results, and sat down in front of the computer, hands in his pockets, watching it.

After taking a shower, Tan Mo sent Sang Ye a message, as usual.

But there was no reply from that side for a long time. He thought the other person must have fallen asleep, so he didn’t bother them further.

Perhaps the pressure of the playoffs was greater than that of the previous matches, as Tan Mo had a dream in the night. Accompanied by the sound of a gunshot in the depths of the dream, he suddenly opened his eyes. The faint color of fear still lingered in his pupils as he stared at half of the ceiling illuminated by the soft glow of the night light. He couldn’t move for a long time.

It was unclear how much time had passed before he turned over, sat on the edge of the bed, and deeply lowered his back.

The moon-shaped night lamp, suspended on the nightstand, spun quietly, casting the man’s silhouette onto the wall. With the shifting light, the shadow’s blurred edges flickered in and out of view, like firelight trembling in the wind.

Twenty minutes later.

Tan Mo used his mental training to dispel the lingering chill and, exhausted, reached for his phone to check the time.

It was 3:07 AM.

Just an hour ago, there were still messages in the WLG team’s group chat.

Tan Mo swiped open the notification bar.

YuNiHuanXi: [Everyone, please take a moment to fill out this official information collection form.]

NotChangingMyNameUntilILose10kg: […….xlsx]

3.1415926: […….xlsx]

[……]

YuNiHuanXi:[@T. @S. Where are yours?]

3.1415926: [Bai Mao hasn’t returned yet. He’s still in the practice room, maybe hasn’t seen the message. You can collect it from him tomorrow morning.]

Tan Mo raised an eyebrow slightly.

Still not back in his room by 2 AM?

Tan Mo opened the chat with Sang Ye, about to ask, but when he glanced at the time, his fingers paused. He closed his phone and stood up to go to the bathroom.

…

The hotel corridor remained lit throughout the night, the champagne-colored light casting its glow on the passing man, masking some of the sickly pale hue on his face.

Tan Mo, with the mindset of “I can’t sleep anyway, might as well come down and take a look,” pushed open the practice room door.

The lights in the room were off, except for the glow of a monitor by the window, and the boy sitting in front of it had already dozed off with his head tilted.

The boy’s slender body was curled up in the gaming chair, his feet resting on the chair. His even breathing was calm as his eyelids gently shut, hiding the usual cold sharpness.

Tan Mo walked over to Sang Ye, glanced at his computer, and noticed the voice of a commentator still playing from the speakers. It was in Korean, and the title displayed a certain season of the LCK, featuring the BTF team, the one where Li Junxian had spent two years.

Tan Mo pressed the spacebar to pause the video, and using the light from the screen, he saw a piece of paper laid out on the desk. It was covered in messy handwriting with difficult-to-understand symbols and some brief notes.

Tan Mo placed his finger on the paper, bent down to study it for a moment, and realized that Sang Ye had written an analysis of Li Junxian’s gameplay.

As for why Tan Mo knew it was about Li Junxian, it was because the top left corner had “JunX” written on it, with several circles drawn around it, and an “X” boldly marked in the middle.

Tan Mo could only smile at Sang Ye’s childish behavior.

He certainly couldn’t let the boy curl up on the chair all night. But when he saw Sang Ye’s peaceful, innocent sleeping face, anyone would feel reluctant to disturb him.

Tan Mo gently pulled the gaming chair out, one hand wrapping around the boy’s back, the other sliding under his knees.

Just as he was about to lift the boy horizontally, Tan Mo paused.

His eyes lowered, and he saw the screen’s light softly illuminate Sang Ye’s small face, which had a healthy flush.

From his angle, Sang Ye’s long eyelashes and delicate, fair skin made him look fresh and dewy, as always. His petal-like lips, slightly parted, gave off a relaxed, serene beauty… and yet, there was a subtle, almost seductive allure in it.

The room was silent. A strange warmth stirred in Tan Mo’s chest.

He slowly lowered his head, but as he was about to come close to Sang Ye’s face, he stopped once more, lingering for a second or two.

He exhaled deeply, turned his face, and gently buried his nose in the boy’s soft, fluffy hair, inhaling deeply before exhaling again to calm the strange emotions rising within him.

The next day.

Sang Ye sat up from the bed, his hair sticking up in odd directions. He looked around in confusion and asked, “How did I get back here?”

“Are you asking me?” Xiao Pai, who was fixing his hair in front of the mirror, turned around. “I woke up, and you were already lying there. You didn’t sleepwalk back here, did you?”

Sang Ye thought for a moment. It was possible. After all, he had experienced amnesia from being too tired before. He stopped dwelling on it and quickly got out of bed to shower. There were still many videos he hadn’t finished watching.

In the afternoon, when the WLG team arrived, they happened to see NSN doing a pre-match interview.

No one seemed particularly interested, but they still took a glance as they passed by.

The host was just handing the microphone to Li Junxian, asking, “In yesterday’s official match, JunX, you seemed to be in great form. Now that you’ve experienced the first day, how do you feel about it?”

Li Junxian smiled with squinted eyes and spoke in Korean.

The translator, standing beside him, repeated in Chinese, “As I said before, it’s too easy. There’s no sense of pressure, it feels like a vacation. At the same time, I’m puzzled by my most anticipated opponents, WLG. Is that all their strength? Whether it’s Talk or Song, the two players who are said to frighten the PCL, I dealt with them easily. I almost feel like it’s not right.”

Shine and Lulu both had their hands behind their backs, their heads lowered. It seemed they thought this Korean player was too much of a hate magnet, and neither of them wanted to have their faces shown on camera.

Lu Qikai was the quickest to respond, jokingly adding, “It’s okay to talk trash before the match, right? No problem, right?”

The host forced a laugh and nodded.

But the online audience didn’t like this kind of trash talk segment. They were irritable, angry, and frustrated.

[This guy is too arrogant!]

[Some comments are useless; there’s no sportsmanship in esports. Winning means everything. The Koreans dare to say this because NSN won 3 out of 6 matches on Day 1. If we can’t produce results, we just have to swallow it.]

[Go, all-Chinese team! WLG! 22! XXY! Charge forward!]

Sang Ye glanced at the stage one last time, expressionless, then put his earphones back in and continued walking forward.

At 6 PM, the Day 2 matches officially began.

Previously, XXY had approached WLG privately to discuss rotating the P City position for one person per day, to avoid the two teams fighting each other too early.

Tan Mo had said at the time, “I don’t think WLG will be beaten down.”

Fang Fang gritted his teeth and asked, “…So, can we do this or not?”

Tan Mo didn’t make things difficult for him and agreed.

As a result, today WLG switched up their drop point, landing near M City, which was close to NSN but not in the same area.

In the first phase, the safe zone appeared on the west side, centered around P City.

Xiao Pai immediately commented, “Fang Fang’s lucky, that scoundrel.”

“Let them have it, I don’t mind,” Tan Mo replied calmly. “Go around the school.”

However, NSN’s and WLG’s paths crossed, and the two teams met and engaged in a battle in the east part of M City.

Tan Mo was playing position one, with Sang Ye covering him. Tan Mo quickly downed Shine, but Sang Ye was caught off guard from a side angle. When he tried to counterattack, his aim didn’t align with the position, and he was immediately headshot and eliminated.

Looking at the kill feed, the shooter was JunX.

However, after Li Junxian knocked down Sang Ye in the house, he didn’t stick around to fight. The NSN team quickly retreated from behind the wall.

As a result, this battle ended with a one-for-one exchange.

Commentator A: “WLG lost out more in this one, losing Song. Saying their combat power dropped by 30% wouldn’t be an exaggeration. JunX still has a sharp strategic mind. His clear goal was to ambush Song, to take out Tan Mo’s right-hand man, making it much harder for Tan Mo to play afterward.”

Commentator B: “Yes, it seems JunX is very focused on Song, repeatedly harassing him on the battlefield. It’s a real mind game for the players. And we could see yesterday that compared to JunX, Song lacks experience in movement and positioning, with his combat power completely suppressed by the international opponent. Let’s hope our young player can hold steady.”

Sang Ye pursed his lips but didn’t feel as frustrated as yesterday. He managed to steady himself and didn’t lose focus.

WLG lost an important player, which put them at a disadvantage. But in the fifth phase, the circle came back to cover them, giving them a brief opportunity to breathe. When the game ended, they secured fourth place.

First place went to catch22.

In the second match, WLG took a counter-slope position when entering the safe zone, with NSN positioned above them.

Fighting from a lower point against opponents higher up put them at a natural disadvantage, but Sang Ye still managed to land a perfect shot on Lu Qikai with his exceptional gun-swipe speed. Almost in the same instant, someone from the slope quickly peeked out and knocked Sang Ye down.

Xiao Pai, who was nearby, quickly provided fire support and then deployed smoke.

A grenade rolled down the slope.

Sang Ye told Xiao Pai to move out of the way, but it was too late. After the explosion, Sang Ye was eliminated, and Xiao Pai was left badly damaged.

Tan Mo’s position was locked down by Lulu, but after resolving that threat quickly, he skipped the scope and directly fired at Li Junxian.

Li Junxian was left with very little health, but using the cover of the slope, he quickly lay down and rolled down the other side of the hill, narrowly escaping.

WLG didn’t make it to the final circle in this match.

After being eliminated early, Xiao Pai took off his headset and threw it aside, muttering two words: “It’s tough.”

Hu Fu also chimed in, “That Korean guy is too good at ambushing, like he’s playing guerrilla warfare. You just can’t shake him off.”

Only Sang Ye didn’t say a word and remained unusually calm.

Tan Mo stood up and softly said, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Sang Ye noticed the hint of restraint in his voice and looked up at him.

Sure enough, Tan Mo’s face had turned pale.

This time, Sang Ye lost his composure and tried to get up to follow, but Tan Mo, passing by, placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him from moving.

Sang Ye anxiously waited through the break, and just before the third round started, Tan Mo returned.

It was clear that he had washed his face, his bangs still damp.

Before Sang Ye could speak, Tan Mo gave him a reassuring smile and said, “It’s not a big deal.” He added, “Don’t worry.”

The third round was about to begin, so Sang Ye had no choice but to suppress his own unease and continue the game.

In the break room, Yu Haotian noticed something through the camera’s fleeting shot and furrowed his brows, saying, “Tan Mo’s not going downhill again, is he?”

The coach looked less optimistic, “In the latter half of the last round, his rhythm was a bit off. He might have been affected by something.”

Yu Haotian glanced at the scoreboard, his anxiety growing. “We’re falling further behind NSN, and it looks like catch22 is closing in. Tan Mo’s not in good form, and Song is being targeted by that Korean guy. If we rely only on Xiao Pai and Hu Fu, the whole team’s performance might not be promising. Should we sub someone in?”

The coach replied irritably, “If Tan Mo doesn’t want to, can a substitute even make a difference?”

Yu Haotian sighed deeply, but no matter how much he worried, the third round had already started.

At the tenth minute, the P City building where WLG was located was on the edge of the circle. They were about to split resources and then relocate.

Tan Mo heard a strange sound coming from the left and suddenly said, “Don’t move, someone’s coming.”

Hu Fu, who had an idea of the nearby teams and their positions, speculated, “It should be NSN.”

“D*mn, they’re back,” Xiao Pai said nervously, quickly adding, “Bai Mao, hide! Don’t let that Korean guy catch you again.”

Sang Ye furrowed his brow, clearly offended. “Get lost!” He then adjusted his attachments and said, “I’m going to assist.”

“Don’t move,” Tan Mo replied. “Xiao Pai and I will take the first move here, you guys stay behind in the building and cover us.”

Sang Ye furrowed his brow again, not happy. “I can—”

“Be quiet,” Tan Mo said, already aiming through his scope, waiting at the window. His words were short and to the point, “It’ll hurt too much if you’re downed.”

Sang Ye felt a tingle in his ears. Before he could react, his face had already turned red.

“What’s that supposed to mean, brother?” Xiao Pai said angrily. “So it won’t hurt if I’m downed? I don’t matter to the team, right? Sacrificing me is fine, huh?”

“Shh…” Tan Mo lowered his voice. “You’re too loud. I can’t hear their footsteps.”

Listening carefully, he realized there were only two sets of footsteps.

At the same time…

Sang Ye looked toward the door. “Someone’s coming here too.”

Tan Mo almost immediately realized what was happening, clicking his tongue in slight frustration.

Hu Fu also understood and quickly reminded, “Song, you need to get out of that building. NSN’s been using tactics all game, trying to separate you. They’ll isolate you, and if they get you, it won’t be good for us. They’re clearly targeting you. If you jump out of the window, you’ll make it. Quick, I’ll cover you.”

“Could it be JunX again?” Xiao Pai was shocked. “He’s really relentless today.”

At this moment, on-site…

Commentator A raised his voice: “We can see that JunX and Lulu have sneaked into the building. Are they going to ambush Song again? It’s already tough for Song to fight against JunX! Oh my, with Lulu added, there’s no way out for him! Can Song hear the footsteps? If he reacts quickly, he could jump out of the window and abandon the building!”

However, from the audience’s perspective, Sang Ye didn’t move at all. He remained completely still.

Commentator B was puzzled: “What’s going on?”

Sang Ye was assessing his surroundings. He was in a room on the second floor, with a window on the left and a door on the right. Stepping out of the door, he could see the stairs ahead, the position where the enemy was about to ascend.

In the past, he wouldn’t have been afraid to face anyone from NSN, but now, Li Junxian was too crafty. It wasn’t just about a direct gunfight—Li Junxian could use his movement to gain a significant advantage.

Plus, the enemy had an extra helper now. If he was smart, he’d retreat and meet up with Talk and the others.

Weighing the pros and cons, Sang Ye thought it through. With a quick flick, he pulled the bolt and said to the others, “I’m familiar with this. I’ll handle it.”

Xiao Pai was stunned: “What!”

Sang Ye quickly side-stepped, using the door frame as a boundary. He peeked halfway out, without pre-aiming or zooming in, almost relying purely on his instincts. He swiftly moved the gun upward with a sharp, flexible motion and fired a bullet.

[WLG-Song uses Beryl M762 to headshot and knock out NSN-Lulu]

The entire venue gasped!

That shot was too swift and lethal.

The moment Sang Ye fired, he was already back inside the door and quickly jumped out of the window from the other side of the building.

So, when Li Junxian fired, he missed entirely, with all his shots hitting the door frame.

Commentator A: “That shot from Song was really clever! Before escaping, he even took one of them down. Now, not only did JunX fail to ambush someone, but he also has to help his teammate. And look—Tan Mo’s team is in combat too! JunX doesn’t have time to assist! You could say Song just bought the team a full eight seconds!”

Commentator B suddenly realized something: “Wait! Wait! Song wasn’t planning to escape at all! He entered the building again through the back door below the window. The situation has flipped! Song’s got both of them trapped upstairs! This positioning is so agile!”

Li Junxian had crouched down, intending to revive Lulu, but upon hearing footsteps from below the stairs, he immediately stood up, aimed his gun, and took position, ready to face the stairs.

Commentator A found it a bit amusing: “Well, now JunX is in a more awkward position. If he crouches down to revive Lulu, he’s worried that Song might rush up and ambush him from behind. But if he doesn’t help, he’ll easily run into a gun barrel when coming down the stairs, and Lulu doesn’t have much time left either.”

Sang Ye lingered at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor, letting out many audible footsteps, creating significant mental pressure on Li Junxian, but he didn’t rush upstairs, instead playing leisurely as if he were a cat toying with a mouse.

In this silent tug-of-war, Lulu was left without help and was eventually eliminated, falling to the ground.

Commentator A: “Now, Song only has to deal with JunX. But if he goes upstairs now, the height advantage might make the gunfight harder… Huh? What? He’s leaving?”

Yes, Sang Ye was leaving.

He lowered his gun.

“See you never.”

In the break room.

The coach was grinning widely: “Finally playing carefully, not just rushing forward. If there’s no chance, we retreat. In this favorable situation, there’s no need to engage too much with the enemy. It would only hurt us to risk it.”

Sang Ye managed to enter the building where his teammates were before Li Junxian could appear at any of the second-floor windows.

Since his teammates were all knocked out, Li Junxian had no choice but to retreat through the back door without risking a direct confrontation.

The round ended with WLG securing their first victory of the day.

“Nice job, nice job, Bai Mao!” Xiao Pai said. “How did you manage to retreat from Li Junxian unscathed and even eliminate Lulu? I was so worried about you, afraid our little white-haired one was going to get knocked out again.”

“Sh*t up,” Sang Ye said as he took off his headphones. Then he added, “2020 Han City Invitational, Day 2, Round 5. Li Junxian used the advantage of the second-floor window and back door, taking out one player first, jumping out of the window, then re-entering the building. He used this tactic to bypass a Chinese team and ended up wiping them out.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the glass room fell silent for two seconds.

Xiao Pai mumbled, “So you stayed up late last night studying Li Junxian’s playstyle and tactics?”

Hu Fu chimed in, “And today, you’ve been holding your phone, watching too.”

Both of them simultaneously exclaimed, “D*mn!”

Xiao Pai took a deep breath, respectfully saying, “Bai Mao, when you’re in study mode, you’re really something.”

Sang Ye shot back, “You’re the one who’s not human.”

Tan Mo commented, “Use the enemy’s tactics to defeat them.”

Sang Ye, unable to retort, awkwardly said, “Wh… What?”

Tan Mo smiled and, with practiced ease, patted his head. “You’re very smart.”

Sang Ye lowered his lashes, starting to feel a little flustered again.

…

The halftime break after the third round was quite long, almost half an hour.

Back in the break room, after Sang Ye received the coach’s mysterious smile of approval, he collapsed onto the couch and picked up his phone to check messages. Bored, he ended up clicking into the rap fan club.

To avoid leaving any traces, he carefully used his secondary account while browsing the fan club.

User A:

[The rap duo’s teamwork on the field today was as smooth as always~ Talk voluntarily gave up the team leader position for Song, to help him make it into the final circle, getting resources, covering gun lines, and even doing the dirty work that used to be unnecessary for him. So pampered and sweet~]

— Below is a highlight video of the game, showing the operations that Tan Mo and Sang Ye worked together on today.

Sang Ye liked the post.

User B:

[Every moment of the rap duo on screen today was like a painting, and they contributed many adorable couple moments, [heart] [heart] [heart] take your pick, family!]

— The post included three sets of avatars, all taken from the game.

Sang Ye liked the post and saved them one by one.

[Did JunX call Song a little kitten last night? And today he’s chasing him down with a sniper, it’s got that love-hate relationship vibe, so cute, don’t fight me, I think this pair really has potential as a couple~]

Sang Ye furrowed his brows tightly, quickly typing with his phone in hand:

[Do not ship this! Reject the ship! Shipping us as an official couple in the fan club? What are you even doing here? Get off our turf! Kindly delete it and show some respect!]

Sang Ye let out a frustrated breath. Just the thought of people pairing him with that guy made him feel unclean.

— “What’s got you so worked up?”

Sang Ye froze, snapping out of his trance from obsessing over the ship. He turned his head and met Tan Mo’s gaze.

Then, Tan Mo’s gaze dropped to his phone screen.

“Mm?”

---

---

Chapter 45 – Rap yyds

---

The All-Star tournament, which lasted an entire afternoon, ended in an incredibly lively and cheerful atmosphere. In the end, the championship did not belong to any high-profile celebrity player but was instead claimed by a relatively unknown team.

Netizens took this result in stride. In fact, a well-known esports blogger summed up the tournament after it ended, perfectly capturing the sentiments of thousands of viewers and earning widespread approval.

Eat Chicken, Noob Chicken V:

[The unfortunate ones: Fool and Fang Fang, stuck with Talk. The rookie Aster, stuck with Song.

And an international player, JunX? Oh, he had it even worse—he lost his in-game experience card just for offending Talk.

So, what were the two rap stars, the sources of all this misfortune, doing?

[smile] [smile] [smile]

Don’t ask. If you must ask, they were too busy feeding us dog food with no time to play with you single folks.

#IWasn’tWatchingThePCLSummerAllStarGame IWasWatchingAPUBGPublicExecutionOfSingles#]

Since the audience could hear the players’ in-game voice chat, this year’s All-Star event was packed with viral moments. Many highlight reels quickly emerged in the gaming section of Bilibili, with the most popular one being Talk’s now-iconic line: “Crowdfund me a washboard.”

By the time the tournament ended, the well-known content creator “Meme Guide” had already updated their dictionary entry:

[Crowdfund a washboard]:

[Originating from the 2022 PCL Summer All-Star tournament, this phrase was spoken by the popular player Talk as a threat to his teammates.

After Talk landed three headshots on Song in the second match, he seemed internally conflicted. For the rest of the tournament, he went out of his way to avoid conflict with Song. However, his teammates were eager to keep pushing forward, leading to a dispute. In the heat of the moment, he blurted out this tough (yet secretly fearful) statement.

The extended meaning is: My wife is very angry right now, and you’re doing this to make me suffer, please stop immediately.

Although Talk may not have meant it this way, we firmly believe that the pure brotherhood between professional players will never be shaken. Still, for those under the thumb of their wives, this phrase is highly effective and can be used with excellent results.]

The comments below were flooded with [Hahahaha] responses, indicating the content creator had nailed the essence of the situation.

When they exited the esports venue, it was still daylight.

Several teams waited for their ride at the same exit, chatting and laughing.

Sang Ye didn’t join the conversation, instead holding his phone and scrolling through it. The more he scrolled, the redder his face became, and his mood became more agitated.

The comments from the netizens were shameless and over the top, discussing how he and Talk were already secretly an item in their eyes, like a real-life couple.

However, Sang Ye’s flushed face and racing heart were not because he took any of this seriously. He knew full well that he and Talk were completely innocent and had nothing between them.

He had never been interested in shipping CPs and had always been indifferent to rap fandoms, but today, as he scrolled through the comments and saw the clues netizens had dug up with a magnifying glass, he suddenly found… he was starting to ship the CP.

Some netizens even said that because Li Junxian had teased him during an interview, Talk had angrily headshot him in the next match. Sang Ye knew that couldn’t be true, but the way the netizens presented it made it seem so real, and despite the lack of logic, it felt sweet.

Is this the joy of shipping a CP?

As Sang Ye scrolled halfway, he suddenly realized he was surrounded by people. A wave of embarrassment washed over him.

Shipping a CP wasn’t something that should be done in public—it’s something you do in the privacy of your bed at night, where it’s hidden and easy to squirm in excitement.

Blushing, Sang Ye put his phone away. When he looked up, he saw Talk and Shine in a far corner, away from the crowd, talking comfortably about something.

Sang Ye furrowed his brow lightly, a small prickling sensation passing through his heart, but it was gone in an instant. He couldn’t help but feel a wary thought creeping into his mind.

—Is Xia Zhiyan thinking of switching teams back?

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shine, avoiding the crowd, asked, “Brother, that… is it fine now?”

Talk understood what he was referring to and answered truthfully, “Not yet, but it’s being controlled.”

“Oh.” Shine lowered his head in slight disappointment and said, “I saw that you had been competing for a whole week before, and today, you seemed to be in much better form—not as tense as you were during the spring season. I thought you…”

“It’s nothing.” Tan Mo appeared indifferent. Changing the topic, he asked, “That Korean player doesn’t speak Chinese. How do you communicate during matches?”

Shine replied, “We speak English. Everyone knows some basic English, and it’s enough.”

Tan Mo asked again, “Are you adjusting well after joining NSN?”

Shine opened his mouth slightly but then closed it again. After a moment, he forced a smile. “It’s fine. No matter where I am, I’m just playing matches.”

Tan Mo nodded. “That’s good. I’ve always trusted you.”

Shine felt a pang in his heart. A fleeting thought crossed his mind, and he almost blurted out, “Brother, I…”

Tan Mo looked at him.

But in the very next instant, Shine regained his composure.

How could he even have the audacity to say such things?

He had left WLG when they were at their lowest point. If he now brought up the idea of returning, everyone would think he was only doing so because WLG had a chance to reclaim their former glory—that he was betraying his current team at the last minute.

But the truth was, he wasn’t happy at NSN. It wasn’t until he left that he realized just how precious WLG had been. The people he had spent every day with weren’t just his coach, captain, or teammates; they were like close-knit partners, even family.

But he had realized it too late.

He knew that if he asked, he could definitely go back. But even if he returned, WLG no longer had a place for him.

Shine pressed his lips together and gazed into the distance. After a long silence, he suddenly said, “I really envy Song. Not because of his achievements or his position now, but because of his courage and unwavering devotion.”

When the temple was on the verge of collapse, Shine had chosen to escape, while Sang Ye had chosen to stay. Fate rewards the brave.

Hearing that name, even Tan Mo’s expression softened. He let out a light chuckle. “He…”

“He keeps looking this way.” Shine retracted his gaze, sounding somewhat helpless. “It’s like he’s afraid I’m going to steal you away. Is he a sheepdog or something? He’s watching over his captain way too closely.”

Tan Mo raised an eyebrow and glanced back, but Sang Ye wasn’t looking in their direction. Instead, he had his head down, hands tucked into his jacket pockets, absentmindedly kicking the pavement. “Is he?”

“He’s pretending.” Shine jerked his chin in Sang Ye’s direction. “The moment I caught him, he started acting like he was just looking around.”

Tan Mo bit his lip, holding back a laugh.

On the other side, Sang Ye was inwardly grumbling in frustration.

Why does Xia Zhiyan keep staring at him?

Is he guarding against him or something?

What can’t they say in front of him?

So annoying…

He stole another glance in their direction, only to realize that the two of them had disappeared.

Sang Ye froze for a second, then glanced around.

At that moment, a tall figure silently appeared beside him.

“What are you looking for?”

Sang Ye’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t turn his head immediately but instead stretched his neck, peering toward the end of the street. “Has the car not arrived yet?”

Tan Mo followed his gaze and pointed out, “This is a one-way street. No cars will come from that direction.”

“……”

Sang Ye’s face turned bright red. Embarrassed at being seen through so easily, he quickly withdrew his neck.

Tan Mo asked again, “What are you looking for?”

Sang Ye glanced at the person beside him and saw Tan Mo casually carrying a bag over one shoulder, his white team jacket looking crisp and effortlessly stylish on him.

Thanks to his height advantage, Tan Mo was currently looking down at Sang Ye, his dark lashes casting shadows like crow feathers. This made his peach-blossom eyes take on a hazy, veil-like charm. The warm pink-orange hues of the setting sun brushed over the bridge of his sharp nose, and the corner of his lips curved into a faint, teasing smile.

Sang Ye felt a little embarrassed, but realizing that Tan Mo was doing it on purpose, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed as well. Either way, he couldn’t stay here any longer. He turned his head and walked off. “I’m going to find Xiao Pai!”

However, he had barely taken two steps when a hand grabbed the back collar of his jacket and pulled him back.

Tan Mo lifted Sang Ye like he was picking up a rabbit, his scrutinizing gaze carrying the same amusement as if he were inspecting one. After a moment, he lowered his voice and asked, “I can’t even talk to someone for a little while?”

A rush of heat spread across Sang Ye’s face, and the little deer in his heart was practically bouncing itself to death. He didn’t even know why he was flustered, fumbling over his words in a panicked attempt to explain: “No! No! You can, of course you can—who’s stopping you… I-I didn’t do anything, you don’t…”

“There you two are! I’ve been looking all over for you.”

At that moment, Xiao Pai walked toward them.

Tan Mo let go, and Sang Ye quickly turned his head away, rubbing his burning face.

Xiao Pai said, “Let’s go into the city for dinner. Grandpa Yu¹ already agreed. We’ll head back to the hotel first, then take a car together. Any thoughts on what to eat?”

Still sulking, Sang Ye mumbled, “Whatever.”

“Alright, I’ll check.” Xiao Pai lowered his head to browse his phone. “If you guys think of anything good, let me know.”

Tan Mo remained silent on the side.

Sang Ye suddenly realized—Tan Mo hadn’t said whether he was going or not.

…He wouldn’t refuse, would he?

That thought made his heart uneasy. Unable to resist, he snuck a glance to the side and saw that Tan Mo was looking down at his phone.

Just then, Tan Mo happened to glance back at him.

Their eyes met.

Tan Mo seemed to be pondering something. “Song.”

Sang Ye immediately straightened up, adopting a serious and formal tone. “Hm?”

Tan Mo narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, “Are you the jealous type?”

“………”

Sang Ye’s face flushed bright red—he felt like he was about to explode!

Again?!

A mix of panic, guilt, embarrassment, and frustration surged through him. He couldn’t take it anymore. Stepping forward, he lifted his chin and practically shoved his face right up to Tan Mo’s.

“I never said you couldn’t talk to other people! And I’m not jealous! Why would I be so childish that I’d get jealous just because you had a short conversation with someone? You could talk to ten Shines for a thousand hours, and I wouldn’t care! It’s not like I was watching you on purpose—I just happened to notice you standing there, so I looked a couple of times! There was absolutely no other meaning behind it, and I am definitely not that petty! What on earth are you thinking?!”

As Sang Ye unleashed his furious outburst, Xiao Pai was so stunned that he lifted his head, too scared to move, his gaze darting back and forth between the two of them.

However, Tan Mo simply looked at Sang Ye with a calm expression.

Just as Sang Ye stood there, hands on his hips, chest rising and falling as he panted heavily—

Tan Mo slowly raised his phone, tilting it toward Sang Ye’s direction. Then, unhurriedly, he said, “I was just thinking… if you like vinegar so much, maybe we should have noodle soup tonight? Xu Ji’s red vinegar is pretty famous. Want to give it a try?”

Sang Ye froze in place, his breath catching in his throat as he blankly stared at the phone in front of him.

“……”

It was a restaurant review page, displaying a photo of a steaming bowl of fat intestines noodle soup, looking juicy and incredibly appetizing.

Sang Ye stood still for a moment before lowering his hands from his hips. His gaze flickered left, then right. He licked his lips, lowered his eyelids, and his fair cheeks flushed an even deeper red. His voice was barely louder than a mosquito’s hum.

“…Okay.”

Tan Mo turned to Xiao Pai. “I’ll send you the address—”

Before he could finish, Xiao Pai suddenly hushed him with a sharp “Shh!” Then, cautiously glancing at Sang Ye, he whispered to Tan Mo, “Brother, don’t talk to me. I’m scared.”

“……”

Sang Ye lowered his head and clenched his teeth hard.

That little brat Xiao Pai—he’s doing this on purpose!

By the time their car arrived at the restaurant, it was right at dinnertime, and the place was so popular that they had to wait in line.

They had all changed into casual clothes and were wearing masks, so under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t be easily recognized. However, Sang Ye’s striking white hair was impossible to miss.

A few young men and women kept glancing in their direction, eyes gleaming with excitement. They had already guessed who they were, but in the end, they chose not to approach, opting instead to respect their favorite players’ personal space.

After waiting for about half an hour, their number was finally called, and they settled into a corner table.

Once the noodles arrived, Sang Ye went wild, pouring vinegar into his bowl with such enthusiasm that even Hu Fu was stunned. “D*mn, Little Shanxi, how do you handle that much vinegar?”

“He just loves vinegar.” Xiao Pai, oblivious to his own survival, grinned mischievously. “My brother knows all about it.”

Sang Ye slammed his plate onto the table and shot Xiao Pai a cold glare. “I’m gonna chop you up.”

Xiao Pai immediately stopped laughing. “……”

What kind of species is this? Why so aggressive?

Tan Mo took a pair of chopsticks, sterilized them, and naturally placed them on the edge of Sang Ye’s bowl. Then he said to the others, “We’re all hungry—let’s eat.”

Sang Ye was indeed starving, so he buried his head in his bowl and devoured his food.

Meanwhile, Hu Fu scrolled through his phone as he ate. After a moment, he suddenly chuckled. “Oh wow, the Korean forums are going crazy.”

“They’re always hyping themselves up,” Xiao Pai said. “What is it this time?”

Hu Fu tapped his screen a couple of times. “Sent it to the group chat.”

Sang Ye picked up his phone to take a look.

It was a post from the Mop Forum, where the original poster had compiled screenshots of comments from Korean social media, arranging them into a long image. Each comment had a Chinese translation beside it.

Sang Ye scrolled down and started reading.

[Saw Li’s interview at the China All-Star event—respect for his ambition to dominate the PCL.]

[Korea is the true powerhouse of PUBG. Our players can become the top 1 in any region.]

[WLG, tremble. Talk, tremble. That man, like a war god, is coming for you. This time, he will leave nothing but destruction in his wake.]

[Looks like PCL is already running out of talent and needs to import top-tier players from PKL. Forget about the Summer Split trophy—who will the Intercontinental trophy belong to after that?]

[…]

Sang Ye let out a quiet scoff.

It really did seem like they were just hyping themselves up.

Xiao Pai, on the other hand, was getting annoyed. “How long has it been? And they’re still running their mouths about my brother?”

Hu Fu shook his head helplessly and said, “Li Junxian came from BTF. Any BTF fan automatically sees Tan Shen as an enemy, so whenever they get the chance, they drag him down.”

Sang Ye looked up in confusion.

“You probably don’t know this,” Xiao Pai explained. “When my brother competed in Korea, he was cyberbullied. Some people even mailed a dead chicken’s corpse to his hotel.”

Sang Ye froze for a second. “When did this happen?”

“Just last year, at the Intercontinental tournament,” Xiao Pai replied. “The event was held in Busan, right in Korea’s backyard. Maybe they were overconfident, convinced they’d win. Their fans probably thought the same. But in the end, we took the championship—the one and only time PCL ever surpassed PKL and won an intercontinental title. Some extreme fans couldn’t handle it.

“They started calling my brother a thief, saying he ‘stole’ their trophy. They even created special hashtags and spread them like wildfire. Then, they pushed this conspiracy that the Chinese teams were colluding in the final circle, deliberately teaming up to eliminate BTF and rob them of the title. The rumors were as ridiculous as they sound.

“For a while, my brother couldn’t even step out of the hotel without running into crazy fans—the kind that carried knives…”

“Are you still eating?” Tan Mo suddenly asked.

Xiao Pai: “Huh?”

Tan Mo said, “If you’re done, let’s leave. There are still a lot of people waiting outside.”

Xiao Pai huffed in frustration but didn’t say anything else. He just kept eating his noodles.

Hu Fu scrolled through his phone a couple more times before setting it down on the table. “If NSN really wins the Summer Split championship this time, I wonder if Li Junxian will start thinking of himself as some kind of savior. But the Korean media will definitely mock him. They always say, ‘Home is where the heart is,’ yet Li Junxian refuses to even speak Chinese. His stance is clear—he won’t assimilate. No idea what NSN was thinking, bringing in someone so ambitious and disloyal.”

“NSN won’t win.”

A clear, youthful voice suddenly cut in.

Hu Fu paused for a moment, then laughed. “Alright, alright, if Song himself says so, then they don’t stand a chance.”

Xiao Pai, itching to stir things up, deliberately asked, “And how do you know?”

Sang Ye slurped up his last noodle, tossed his chopsticks into the bowl, and declared arrogantly, “Wanna bet?”

“Oh ho! Of course, I don’t want NSN to win,” Xiao Pai perked up, ready to take the challenge. “So what’s the wager?”

Sang Ye licked his lips, then slammed his palm onto the table with the conviction of someone staking his very life: “Crossdressing!”

“……”

The dinner table fell silent for two seconds.

Then Hu Fu suddenly let out a snort and burst into laughter.

“I swear,” Xiao Pai clicked his tongue and shook his head. “This has become your go-to trick, hasn’t it? I’m not betting with you, okay? I also think NSN is doomed to lose. We can’t let them win—otherwise, the dignity of an all-Chinese roster will be gone.”

Sang Ye shot Xiao Pai a look, as if to say “Now that’s more like it,” then grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth.

“By the way,” Tan Mo, who had just set down his chopsticks, suddenly spoke as if something had come to mind.

Sang Ye: “Hm?”

Tan Mo took a sip from his tea cup, his indifferent gaze sweeping over Sang Ye. Then he put the cup down and asked:

“When are you going to repay your fans by crossdressing?”

Sang Ye: “……”

“Pfft—!”

It was Hu Fu—he had just sprayed his noodles everywhere.

…

A few days after the All-Star Game, the playoffs officially began.

This marked the final stage of the Summer Split, where sixteen teams that had advanced from the regular season would compete in five consecutive days of matches—six games per day, totaling thirty games. The format was a points-based ranking system, with the team accumulating the highest points crowned champion. The top eight teams would qualify for the upcoming intercontinental tournament.

Since playoff teams could carry over 10% of their weekly finals points, the standings after the first match showed Catch22, WLG, and NSN in the top three, with a point difference of less than 10 between them—essentially starting on even ground.

In the first match, NSN secured a stronghold in the fourth phase of the circle, gaining a strategic geographic advantage and comfortably holding their ground.

WLG, on the other hand, got caught in a bad spot when entering the final circle. Catch22’s grenades wiped out two of their players, and the last remaining lone wolf was picked off soon after, leaving them in fourth place.

In the end, NSN claimed the chicken dinner.

In the second match, everyone watched as NSN took control of a housing area near Bald Mountain in the first circle. From that point onward, every subsequent safe zone landed right on top of them. By the time the eighth circle formed around Meihua Stacks, they were still positioned dead center.

Commentator A: “This is insane! The safe zone is literally chasing after them! NSN hasn’t moved from their spot the entire game!”

Commentator B sighed. “I have to say, Koreans really seem to have some kind of circle luck. If you look at their performances in global tournaments, they’ve had plenty of games where they won by sitting in the perfect zone. But then again, it might just be that their rotations and macro play are incredibly refined. Now I understand why NSN decided to bring in Korean imports.”

Commentator A: “Yeah, their advantage is massive! It feels like NSN has completely transformed!”

During the earlier skirmish, Tan Mo had drawn fire to create space, sacrificing himself to ensure Sang Ye made it into the final circle. Only Hu Fu remained nearby as support.

Sang Ye flanked around the wall, carefully adjusting his angle. The moment he spotted an enemy silhouette peeking through a window, he opened fire. However, the opponent was incredibly quick—dodging just in time. Sang Ye was about to push forward when a shot was suddenly fired at him from another window. Reacting instinctively, he tried to counter, but the enemy had already vanished again.

This frustrating game of cat and mouse was getting under his skin.

“Watch your right—”

Tan Mo, observing from the OB (observer) view, started to warn him. But before he could finish, Sang Ye was hit by a brutal ambush—his health bar instantly drained to zero.

Grey screen.

Commentator A: “Unfortunate, but Song really did his best. JunX is incredibly mobile—give him even the slightest positional advantage or a complex building to maneuver in, and he’ll maximize his terrain control. Strategically, he just had the upper hand here.”

WLG secured second place, while NSN claimed another chicken dinner.

As the endgame music played, Tan Mo removed his headset and said, “That was already really good.”

But Sang Ye, still staring at his now-darkened screen, was clearly frustrated—his mind caught in a spiral of self-criticism.

Suddenly, a large hand covered his own, resting on the mouse.

Sang Ye snapped back to reality.

Tan Mo looked at him and repeated, “I told you, it was already really good.”

Sang Ye pressed his lips together, lowered his head, and mumbled a faint “Mm.”

On the first day, NSN made a strong push, with three out of six matches falling in their favor with the Destiny Circle, giving them a huge advantage, and temporarily taking first place.

WLG, with their high kill count, had solid scores in every match and remained firmly in second.

On their way back to the backstage area, WLG ran into the NSN team.

Li Junxian winked at Sang Ye through the crowd, smiling.

That glance made Sang Ye’s throat tighten, and he felt uncomfortable all over.

Sometimes Talk would wink at him too, but Talk did it with such freshness and ease, making it look good while exuding a commanding charm.

Li Junxian, however, just came across as greasy.

Sang Ye frowned and averted his gaze, feeling annoyed but said nothing to anyone.

While in the car, Sang Ye received a notification on Weibo, and many people had shared a post. His notifications quickly spiked.

Sang Ye opened the message.

It turned out that Li Junxian had tagged him in a post.

However, it was all in English.

But Sang Ye wasn’t bothered; he simply hit the translate button, and the Chinese version popped up.

NSNJunX V:

[Little kitty, did I make you cry today? [Tongue out] @wlg-Song]

Sang Ye frowned, thinking, What the hell is this? Who’s he calling a little kitty?

Frustrated, a curse was about to slip out.

—“D*mn it.”

A low curse came from beside him.

Sang Ye froze, wondering when his mouth had been replaced. He turned his head to see Tan Mo, whose phone was showing the same Weibo post.

Tan Mo, rarely showing any sign of irritation, operated his phone without looking up, casually saying to Sang Ye, “Don’t mind him. I’ll have Yu Haotian take care of it. It’ll be dealt with soon.”

In that moment, Sang Ye didn’t have time to feel the warmth bubbling up inside him. His mind suddenly jolted as he remembered something from the video he had seen earlier.

Everyone had said that during the All-Star match, Talk was only targeting Li Junxian because of him.

Sang Ye leaned closer to the car window, biting the zipper of his jacket as his long eyelashes drooped, lost in thought.

Why did Talk seem more annoyed than him when he saw that Weibo post?

Was it simply because he couldn’t stand seeing his teammate being provoked?

Or…

Because the person being provoked is Song…

Once he had this thought, a strange shudder could not help but surge up in Sangye’s heart. It had nothing to do with him, but a kind of…

The boy knocked his milky white head against the window glass, looked at the street lights passing by the window, and slightly raised the corner of his lips.

So sweet.

Rap yyds.

---

The author has something to say:

Song: No love, only CP.

---

Note :

1. Yu Haotian ↩︎

---

---

Chapter 44 – A Gentle Strike

---

The ‘My Husband’ team’s two jeeps turned 180 degrees and left the city center. This time, the commentator wasn’t surprised at all—instead, he wore a face of smug amusement.

“Well… how should I put it?” Commentator A said, his mouth curving wildly upward. “When it comes to meetings—or rather, when it comes to Talk—I’m really surprised. How did Talk ever give the impression of being doomed to loneliness? I can’t recall anything about his past at all! And if anyone ever tells me that Talk is just a typical, aloof straight man, I’m not having it.”

“In the last round, everyone was engaging in close-quarters combat and exchanging blows with abandon, right? Just three shots and the wife-fan got headshot down.” Commentator B smiled mysteriously. “This round, though, they’re fighting all cautiously and politely, not even daring to get close. I’m not sure what happened in between, but the incredible will to survive and self-awareness that Talk displayed is something many of our male compatriots could learn from.”

Commentator A added, “Right—especially for some of those single folks watching. Think about why you don’t have a wife while others do.”

Commentator B laughed, “Haha! A single word makes all the difference; it’s clearly the wife-fans, isn’t it?”

Commentator A retorted, “Get real! Who in their right mind would kneel with a washboard for the wife-fans?”

The live audience erupted, shouting in unison, “Rap! Rap! Rap! —”

Sang Ye vaguely sensed the noise from the crowd below, but his professional noise-canceling headphones kept him oblivious to what was happening—and he didn’t even notice that Tan Mo had come by and left.

Meanwhile, the four teammates were dividing up supplies in the open area.

Sang Ye glanced at the circle formation and said, “Team, let’s take the weak flank¹ route into the circle.”

“Playing so conservatively?” Miracle asked in astonishment. “That’s not like you, Song—and besides, hardly anyone’s really operating seriously, you know…”

Sang Ye went “click, click, click” as he attached a flash hider, a sighting accessory, and other attachments to his gun, configuring a fully-equipped M762. He scanned his rifle and, in a low, thoughtful voice, said, “I want to be the last man standing…”

“What’s up?” Miracle, unaccustomed to this sudden change, asked. “Why did you suddenly get so fired up?”

Sang Ye pressed his lips together, his tone biting as he declared fiercely, “Without him, I’d still be just fine!”

His teammates all turned to look at him: “…………”

“Ha?” Miracle asked, utterly confused. “Who?”

Sang Ye realized he’d lost his composure and continued in a cold tone, “None of your business.”

By now, even the teammates could tell that “Boss” was seriously angry—and the consequences were bound to be severe.

Fueled by an endless reservoir of resentment and a rare intensity among all the players, Sang Ye led his team into the sixth circle.

Strangely, as the map shrank, he didn’t encounter the My Husband team again until a series of system messages suddenly popped up in the upper right corner. The messages revealed that the My Husband team hadn’t managed to enter the circle; they had been wiped out on the north side by two other teams.

“What a shame, I was really looking forward to exchanging a couple of shots with the captains,” Nanbei sighed. Then, shifting his tone, he added, “Hey, why don’t they come from our side? Over there, not only is the wuli team waiting, but a few other strong teams are too. And here, there are fewer people. If the four of them go up against us, how could they possibly win? Song, don’t you agree with my analysis?”

“Not only that…” Miracle jumped in, seizing the moment with a cheeky smile, “Song can even kill with a light touch. Isn’t that way better than going the other route?”

Nanbei found the joke amusing and was just about to agree when—

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“……”

At the sound of the boy’s ice-cold voice, both fell silent in an instant.

Then, Sang Ye coldly clarified, “I’m a killer. I have no feelings.”

“…………”

After a brief silence, the teammates all looked away, barely managing to stifle their laughter.

Even Xing Xing—such a socially anxious kid—let out a little “pfft.”

When Boss delivered his flat declaration of being a killer, there was an oddly endearing quality in it that made him instantly less frightening.

Meanwhile, just across the stage from the Wife Fans team, a row of four people waited boredly for the round to end.

Fang Fang patted his mouse, clearly frustrated, and couldn’t hold back his complaining:
“Tan Mo, you’ve gone too far—what kind of ridiculous route are you taking us on? If you don’t command properly next round, I’m kicking you out.”

Tan Mo grabbed the water bottle on the table with one hand, his eyes peering through the gaps in his equipment as he looked across. After a moment, in the dim light, he squinted.

The boy on the other side was intently focused on his computer, though his expression remained as cold as ever. Even though he had managed to avoid a direct confrontation, it didn’t seem to have pleased his counterpart.

Tan Mo sighed, lowered his head, and slumped back in his chair.

—This kid’s thoughts are really hard to read.

“Heh,” Fang Fang remarked as he saw Tan Mo lower his head in remorse. Feeling a surge of victorious satisfaction, he sneered, “So you realize you were wrong, huh? Then make sure you fight properly next round.”

Tan Mo sat up and began packing his things. Not even glancing at Fang Fang, he said in a flat tone, “I don’t feel like dealing with you.”

Fang Fang: “??? Is this man always so unpredictable???”

On the field, as the circle shrank smaller and smaller, Sang Ye and Xing Xing managed to break into the final circle. There were four teams remaining, two of which were at full strength.

Sang Ye kept moving back and forth along the reverse slope, scanning for an opening to break through, planning to take down the team positioned on the hill. The enemy team on the slope began aiming and spraying bullets toward his side. Fortunately, there was cover, and the fragments scattered as they struck the rocks.

Sang Ye timed his move perfectly—listening for the sound of the enemy switching weapons, he shifted his position to the side and cleanly landed a headshot on one of them.

However, with the enemy outnumbering him, Sang Ye immediately saw two more targets emerging along the hillside’s line of sight. Given his current position and state, the best outcome would have been to retreat, but the situation didn’t allow him time to think. As soon as he fixed on a target, he dropped his scope and unleashed a burst of fire.

But the anticipated heavy firepower never arrived. Instead, one adversary fired just a single shot at Sang Ye; after merely grazing him, that shooter was then hit in the head by a bullet still thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Sang Ye paused briefly.

Tan Mo wasn’t around, and Sang Ye almost forgot he had a teammate behind him.

Sang Ye stepped forward and secured the kill with a follow-up shot.

Xing Xing poked his head out from behind a car at the edge of the circle, still holding his sniper rifle.

Sang Ye administered a quick compliment to himself, “Your shooting is on point.”

Xing Xing let out a small “Mm-hmm,” adding, “You’re pretty steady yourself.”

[“These two little guys complimenting each other—so adorable, it’s making all the moms in the audience melt.”]

[“One’s got white hair and the other’s got pink hair, and they’re about the same age. Perfect for a duo.”]

[“What duo? A “scream and shout” team, maybe?”]

[“Hahahahahaha, the guy who mentioned “scream and shout” earlier, don’t leave!”]

Commentator A enthusiastically remarked, “These two making it to the final circle is really something. Compared to those old pros, they’re like underage part-timers.”

Commentator B laughed warmly, “Haha, but it’s also quite touching to see these young guns. Song is WLG’s newest assault player, nicknamed ‘Little Talk,’ and Aster, the sniper for catch22, is also a rookie this year. Their performance on the field is impressive, and it signals a refreshing generational shift.”

Commentator A continued, “Exactly, these two youngsters have a promising future. Now, looking at the current battlefield, there are three groups left. The wuli team is locked in a fierce battle with Xiao Pai’s squad, so they haven’t had time to worry about Song and Aster. Maybe this is their perfect chance to advance…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a gun trace from an oblique angle emerged and knocked Xing Xing to the ground.

Commentator B exclaimed, “Oh no! JunX launched a sneak attack on the two young ones! Song’s reaction was lightning-fast—he didn’t have time to take cover and had to return fire! JunX is frantically peeking out from behind a tree and outputting damage… they… oh!”

The screen in front of Sang Ye went dark, and the entire engagement lasted less than three seconds.

Sang Ye felt a twinge of regret, but he had to admit the opponents were strong.

When he removed his headphones, he happened to hear the announcer’s voice echoing through the venue.

“After joining the international players, it feels like the Summer Tournament is about to get fierce. Wow… I’m really looking forward to seeing JunX’s performance in the main event in a week. With players from the former intercontinental champions and runners-up coming together, who knows what amazing moments will spark?”

“JunX has always played in the assault role—his agility and game sense are world-class. I remember that in last year’s Intercontinental Tournament, JunX nearly replaced Tan Shen to win the championship, though WLG eventually won by a razor-thin margin…”

Sang Ye couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.

Although that guy was strong, how could he possibly replace Talk?

At that moment, a faint voice from beside him spoke up:

“I thought you’d cry…”

Hearing this, Sang Ye turned his face and asked, “What?”

Xing Xing, his fingertips partially tucked into his sleeve, raised a hand to scratch his pink hair and, looking down, said, “I thought you’d cry, but you didn’t… so you must not be someone who can’t handle losing.”

Sang Ye frowned slightly, finding the kid’s remark inexplicable. “Who said I can’t handle losing?”

Xing Xing gave him a quick glance and, speaking bluntly, added, “When Talk hit you, you looked like you were about to cry… you seemed a bit unable to accept defeat.”

Stung by the comment, Sang Ye’s face flushed, and he instinctively retorted, “I was—”

The truth was, his emotions weren’t stirred by Talk hitting him; it was because Talk was helping someone else hit him—and those two feelings are completely different.

However, Sang Ye would never casually share his inner thoughts with someone else. That’s not something a “cool guy” does. Besides…

He himself couldn’t even sort out or explain that overwhelming sense of imbalance.

At that moment, facing Xing Xing’s inquisitive gaze, Sang Ye frowned impatiently and coldly snapped, “Do I look like someone who cries? Mind your own business.”

Xing Xing pursed his lips and managed a somewhat forced smile. He remembered clearly how, in the previous round, tears had shimmered in Sang Ye’s eyes.

Sure enough, youth love to act cool.

Sang Ye then seemed to recall something Xing Xing had hinted at; his gaze drifted toward the seats across from him—only to find that team had already left.

A round had just ended when staff hurried in to call for Sang Ye, informing him that during the halftime break he needed to do an interview and asking him to come along.

The All-Star Game’s interview segment featured the most popular players, and Sang Ye was among them—indeed, he was the only new face.

He arrived at the studio and, sure enough, saw Tan Mo. However, there were several people around Tan Mo, chatting away; they all seemed to have already completed their interviews.

Sang Ye glanced in that direction from a distance, then leaned against the wall by himself.

Next, the player who entered the green studio for his interview was NSN’s Li Junxian, who even brought along a translator. The people waiting outside could watch the interview process on the display mounted on the wall.

“JunX has already checked in to the NSN base, right?” the female host asked with a warm, engaging smile. “Could you show us a sentence in Chinese?”

The translator leaned in close to Li Junxian’s ear and whispered a few words. After listening, Li Junxian let out a soft “Oh~,” smiled with narrowed eyes, gestured with his hand, and replied in Korean.

The translator then explained his response: “I’m really sorry, I can’t speak Chinese.”

The female host’s smile stiffened slightly, clearly revealing her embarrassment.

Among the players sitting outside, two of them’s expressions changed—lips slightly parted in silence, clearly not about to say anything kind.

It was obvious they were unimpressed by this insincere foreigner. He was asked to show a bit of Chinese—not to speak perfectly like a news anchor; a simple “ni hao” would have sufficed—but he stubbornly kept his dignity and refused to speak.

“F*cking hell…” Sang Ye muttered under his breath. He didn’t want to watch any longer and reached for his phone—only to freeze when he remembered that he’d come straight over after the match ended and hadn’t had a chance to go back to the lounge to grab it.

Sang Ye awkwardly clenched his empty hand.

At that moment, someone stood beside him.

Sang Ye glanced over and saw it was Tan Mo. He straightened his posture slightly, clearly feeling awkward, but he quickly recalled that he was still angry—after the earlier unpleasant incident, he couldn’t just greet him casually like before; at least, not now.

Consequently, the air between them became tense and a bit awkward.

Yet Tan Mo remained unfazed. He seemed to have chosen this spot because it was relatively empty, deliberately staying away from the crowd.

There he stood, leaning casually against the wall with one hand in his pocket, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the television screen ahead.

Sang Ye’s eyes wandered, troubled.

What’s he supposed to mean by this…?

Is he ignoring me?

Standing next to you and not even saying a word?

The boy’s mouth was full of silent anger, and one side of his smooth, pale cheek puffed up slightly. After a moment’s thought, he turned toward the wall and began picking at a patch of peeling paint with his finger.

Just then, the gentle voice of the female host rang out again:
“This All-Star Game must be your first experience with a PCL event, right? They say first experiences are always unforgettable. May I ask, what are your impressions after stepping onto the PCL stage for the first time?”

Li Junxian chuckled briefly, then restrained himself and replied in a short sentence in Korean.

The translator then said, “It was so easy that it felt a little disconcerting.”

The female host’s expression once again turned awkward.

On the live chat, streams of “???” began to fly by, and many viewers demanded that this player speak properly.

Sang Ye couldn’t help but cast his eyes back to the display screen.

The female host asked, hesitantly, “W-what does that mean?”

Li Junxian didn’t seem to think anything was amiss—or perhaps he was just feigning cluelessness due to his language barrier. Lost in his memories, he replied in Korean:

“When I first saw the player Talk, I was pleasantly surprised—I thought he epitomized the strength of the PCL division. But later I realized that Talk is at the very top; after him, there’s a gap, and no one can ever surpass him. Today, by coming to this match, I experienced it firsthand. That’s exactly how it is—yes, my hunch was right. Although everyone played very casually today, when it came to direct confrontations with other players, they hardly imposed any pressure on me. That is the biggest difference compared to what I experienced in the PKL division… You know, in PKL there are many top players who hardly give you any breathing room.”

The live chat had devolved into a profanity-filled mess.

Outside, several players were huffing in annoyance.

One couldn’t hold back and shouted, “If you don’t like it here, then get the hell out and go home!”

A nearby staff member gave him a shushing gesture with a wry smile, clearly trying to avoid any trouble.

The female host quickly changed the subject, saying, “So, that means you still have quite a strong impression of Talk, right? Sharing the stage with him today must have been a lot of fun, wasn’t it?”

But Li Junxian merely sighed regretfully.

The host’s eyelid twitched as she got a bad feeling.

Sure enough, the Korean continued, “I’m not impressed by him—I still regret missing out on the Intercontinental Championship and the World Championship. I’ve always thought that if someone had Talk’s kind of luck, even if their skill was inferior to mine, they could win the title effortlessly. I haven’t had the best of luck over the past two years, ended up with a subpar team for various reasons, and now I’m here at NSN. This Summer Tournament is my first stop, and I’m glad to have encountered Talk again—sooner than I expected. I believe I can start replacing him from here, setting a new TOP standard for the PCL division.”

Everyone was stunned. It became clear that this guy wasn’t here to support the PCL—he was here to shake things up. He was determined to win this Summer Tournament, his criticism of Talk was unabashed, and he was bursting with confidence; otherwise, he wouldn’t dare say such things openly in an interview.

Some people looked over at Tan Mo, but he remained as calm as ever, as if Li Junxian’s words had nothing to do with him.

Since Tan Mo was right beside him, Sang Ye pursed his lips without saying a word, but his gaze toward the people on the display changed.

It was a look that clearly said he wanted to knife someone.

The female host had already quickened her pace and hurriedly asked the final question, “Besides that, were there any other players in this tournament who left a deep impression on you?”

Li Junxian looked at the translator uncertainly and hesitantly uttered a name: “Song?”

The female host responded, “Song? WLG’s Song? What about him?”

Sang Ye watched intently, also curious about what this was all about.

After confirming, Li Junxian flashed that unreadable smile again, squinting slightly as he spoke a long string of Korean.

Sang Ye couldn’t understand a single word.

The translator didn’t provide an immediate translation into Chinese either.

However, whether it was just his imagination or not, Sang Ye noticed that Tan Mo’s expression had shifted. The air around him grew heavier, his aura exuding an increasingly oppressive intensity.

Li Junxian finished speaking with a cheerful grin.

Yet the translator hesitated, looking slightly troubled before finally saying, “He looks forward to meeting him again on the battlefield.”

That was it?

Sang Ye clearly didn’t buy it. That Korean guy had practically delivered a thousand-word essay just now.

He cast a quick glance to the side, his heart skipping a beat. Taking this as an opportunity to start a conversation, he asked, “What did he actually say?”

But Tan Mo, still wearing a cold expression, simply replied, “Nothing important.”

Sang Ye’s breath caught for a moment. He looked at Tan Mo and gradually furrowed his brows, the emotions flickering in his eyes a mix of frustration and hurt.

Oh!

So now he won’t even talk to me properly?

He’s starting to get impatient with me!

Aside from Tan Mo, there were few people in the studio who could understand Korean. However, the internet was a different story.

[“I noticed his tone was kind of weird. He kept repeating how “pretty” Song was—this is basically sexual harassment, right? Same-gender harassment is still harassment.”]

[“What exactly did he say? Anyone in the chat who can translate?”]

[“Korean major here, reporting for duty. JunX’s exact words: (referring to Song) “He’s really pretty, exactly my type of cute boy. Honestly, you don’t see someone this beautiful every day. The competitive scene doesn’t suit him—he should consider becoming a trainee instead. I’d definitely support him, even spend a lot of money as a fan. I’m really looking forward to facing him again in this match. Just seeing him puts me in a great mood. But I can’t promise I won’t make him cry~ Haha. If he does cry, I bet he’d look even prettier. That would probably make me even happier. I’d love to see him beg me not to kill him.”]

[“Uhh… this is straight-up fantasy territory.”]

At that moment, Li Junxian casually walked out of the studio as if no one else existed, ignoring everyone—except when he saw Sang Ye. He flashed him a smile and winked.

Sang Ye, unsurprisingly, wasn’t in the mood to return the gesture.

Tan Mo watched Li Junxian leave with cold eyes.

Just then, a staff member called Sang Ye into the recording studio.

Tan Mo had initially wanted to clarify that Li Junxian’s words were meaningless and not worth paying attention to. But seeing Sang Ye walk away, he had no choice but to let it go for now.

Suppressing his frustration, Sang Ye took a seat across from the host.

The female host let out a deep breath of relief before quickly regaining her bright and enthusiastic smile.

However, as soon as the interview started, she skipped the usual introductions and eagerly pulled out her phone.

“Song, I have a few questions from the audience for you. Everyone’s dying to know.”

Sang Ye maintained his usual cool, indifferent demeanor. “Mm.”

“First off,” the host glanced up from her phone, her eyes gleaming with unusual excitement, “is making Talk kneel on a washboard a habit you’ve trained him into?”

Sang Ye, seated on the tall stool, nearly tipped forward. He quickly planted his feet on the ground to steady himself, staring at her in disbelief.

“…What?”

…

By the time Sang Ye finished his interview, everyone outside had already left.

He hurried back to the stage and sat down in his seat. Before settling in, he quickly glanced across the room, then just as quickly ducked behind his monitor, his eyes darting away. His face remained flushed, burning hot.

Miracle asked, “How was the interview?”

Sang Ye put on his headset. His voice was a little muffled, but his tone had softened compared to before. “Not great…”

The entire livestream had basically been just him blushing and stammering.

Even now, he still hadn’t fully calmed down.

Before long, the fourth match began.

The “My Husband” team and the “Wuli” team both landed at Saint Mountain. Unlike his usual laid-back attitude in the previous rounds, Tan Mo moved with lightning-fast reflexes, grabbing a shotgun and shooting Li Junxian out of the sky before he even touched the ground.

Right as the director switched the camera to Tan Mo’s perspective, his deep, magnetic voice rang out with refined elegance:

“D*mn, too much nonsense.”

A collective “Awooo!” erupted from the chat.

[“That shot was totally for Song!”]

[“I’m exhausted, but rap god forever.”]

[“Hahaha! Talk actually got mad—what a rare sight.”]

For the rest of the match, Tan Mo deliberately avoided Sang Ye’s team.

The only time they did cross paths in a chaotic skirmish, Sang Ye had a clear chance to ambush Tan Mo’s squad—but Tan Mo intentionally let him go.

Because of this unspoken truce, by the time the final zone closed in, they were the only two players left.

Commentator A, visibly excited, exclaimed, “What do we call this? Fate has brought them together! The last two lone wolves—wife and husband—are about to face off in a 1v1 duel! Let’s see who will come out on top!”

In the forest, they each took cover behind a large tree.

Sang Ye took a deep breath and swiftly pulled back the bolt of his gun. However, the man was even faster—his bullet flew toward him at lightning speed, shattering his armor. Instead of gaining the upper hand, Sang Ye was left with just a sliver of health. He quickly ducked behind a rock ahead to regain his composure.

Commentator A: “What a shame—Song is out of healing items. If he had just one, he could patch himself up and make a final push.”

Commentator B: “This match is pretty much decided. Now it’s just a matter of when Talk decides to finish him off.”

Crouching behind the rock, Sang Ye’s heart pounded out of rhythm. Now that Talk was facing him in a solo fight, he didn’t feel upset—just exhilarated.

It was only now that he realized Talk had been avoiding his position throughout the match, deliberately steering clear to accommodate his emotions. The thought made Sang Ye’s face heat up, and a hint of guilt crept in. Maybe he had been overreacting.

Hearing footsteps rustling through the grass, Sang Ye knew that Tan Mo was closing in. Even though he had no real chance of winning, he was determined to land one final, solid shot.

—This is a competition.

He timed the footsteps, calculated the distance, then moved in a smooth sequence—sidestep, aim, pull back the bolt. His finger was about to squeeze the trigger out of instinct when he abruptly stopped himself.

In his scope, he saw Tan Mo approaching, gun in hand, but with the barrel pointed downward—he had no intention of shooting.

Sang Ye’s lips parted in confusion as he watched Tan Mo walk right up to him. Lowering his own gun, he tilted his head up to look at the man.

Tan Mo dropped a medkit at his feet.

—For healing.

“……”

Sang Ye instantly understood, and his face flushed crimson.

The audience erupted into deafening screams.

Commentator A slammed the desk. “HE’S NOT EVEN KILLING HIM?! HE’S HEALING HIM?! This is hands-down the most outrageous thing I’ve ever seen in a PCL match! Talk, Song—are you two really committing to ‘friendship first’ all the way to the end?!”

After a faint rustling sound, Tan Mo switched on the all-channel voice chat and spoke in an indifferent tone, “Still want to keep playing?”

Now, not only could everyone hear their voices, but the camera had also zoomed in on just the two of them.

Sang Ye’s usually fair face was now flushed an unmistakable shade of red, his shyness practically spilling out of the screen.

He didn’t pick up the medkit on the ground. Instead, he shook his head and whispered almost inaudibly, “It’s fine… Just shoot.”

Tan Mo wasn’t convinced. “You’re sure?”

Sang Ye was well aware that millions of viewers were watching this match unfold. He just wanted it to end as soon as possible. Nearly burying his face, his voice grew even smaller, “Mhm.”

But Tan Mo asked again, “Really? You want me to shoot?”

Sang Ye clenched his teeth, starting to feel restless. “Yes!”

Tan Mo raised his gun but gave a casual warning first. “Then don’t come sulking at me later.”

“……”

A sudden explosion of high-pitched screams erupted from the audience, loud enough that even Sang Ye, wearing headphones, could hear them.

Mortified, he bit his lip, so flustered that for the first time in his life, he just wanted to get it over with. His voice even carried a faint quiver, as if he was holding back tears. “Just hurry up already!”

Tan Mo steadied his aim and pulled back the bolt—but just a second before firing, he lowered the gun again.

Sang Ye thought, Now what?!

Tan Mo calmly took out a suppressor, attached it to his gun, and once more raised his sights.

With a short, muffled gunshot, he delivered the gentlest final blow.

---

Note :

1. “weak flank” is simply an area with fewer people, so you don’t have to cluster with other teams, making the competition less fierce. ↩︎

---

---

Chapter 43 – He Hit Me

---

In official matches, players cannot use all-channel voice chat, but in the All-Star game, anything goes. As long as it’s within the rules, even players from different teams can communicate with each other.

Not only that, but to make the event more entertaining, the broadcast director will occasionally randomly reveal a team’s in-game footage and voice chat, allowing the audience to see a lesser-known side of professional players during matches. Last year’s All-Star game produced many hilarious viral moments from the voice chat, leaving fans in stitches.

At the start of the first match, the cabin was as chaotic as a chicken coop—everyone was shouting and messing with each other’s mentality.

“If you’ve got the guts, aim for my head instead of just trash-talking…”

“Are you insane? I didn’t even do anything to you! Just get out of here, dumbass!”

“Being invincible is so lonely… 1v5, Dragon Gate Inn—come on, if you’ve got the guts, bring it on!”

Two seconds later, the broadcast director swiftly cut the voice chat.

Commentator A: “Ahem… This is probably the charm of Mandarin’s natural expressiveness. Just by listening to the players talk, you can feel their excitement. I wonder, though, do international players find this overwhelming?”

Commentator B: “Oh, I see what you mean! Speaking of which, let me introduce a foreign player in this All-Star game—his name is Li Junxian. He’s well-known in Korea’s PKL league and has achieved impressive results in intercontinental tournaments. He was recruited by NSN as an import player and has now secured a spot in the playoffs.”

Commentator A: “Looks like NSN is dead set on winning this summer championship. Recruiting a Korean import means they’re not just aiming to qualify—they’re going for the title!”

Commentator B: “That may be true, but I think NSN might have been provoked by Tan Shen’s return. This time, they’re really going all in.”

The broadcast camera roamed across the map before focusing on Tan Mo’s “death group.”

On the big screen, Tan Mo appeared calm and expressionless as he looted equipment, repeatedly asking:
“Got a SCAR? A flash hider? A stock? A compensator…?”

XXY’s captain, Fang Fang, replied impatiently, “What do you have?”

Tan Mo shamelessly answered, “A crowbar.”

“Get lost!” Fang Fang snapped, exasperated.

Commentator A: “Hahaha! Tan Shen is trolling! In a hastily assembled team like this, it’s all about fair trades—everyone gives something, and he pulls out a crowbar? No wonder Fang Fang doesn’t want to play along.”

The audience burst into laughter.

The broadcast then seamlessly switched to Sang Ye’s team.

Among the four Gen Z players, two weren’t talkative, and since it was still early in the game, the entire team remained relatively quiet.

Just then, gunshots rang out across the battlefield, and a kill notification popped up in the upper right corner.

Miracle was surprised. “JunX? NSN’s new player? Why does this ID look so familiar?”

Sang Ye glanced at the notification and, without much interest, said, “Isn’t that just that Xiao Xi—” His tongue suddenly tripped over the word, and he awkwardly corrected himself mid-sentence, “—the cheerful Korean guy?”

Miracle: “…Oh yeah, now I remember.”

Meanwhile, the live chat was already exploding with laughter.

[“HHHHHHHHHHHHHH~ Rich and adorable!”]

[“Just call him Xiao Xi, we all know what’s up. 🤭🐶🐶🐶”]

[“That reaction speed is insane.”]

[“Look at how scared he is—he can’t even talk properly.”]

The game continued. Looking at the big picture, most veteran players were having a blast—some were experimenting with mortars and accidentally blowing themselves up, some were using drones to scout out prone campers, and others were simply running around causing chaos and drawing aggro.

Tan Mo’s team was having the roughest time—wherever they went, they ran into squads blocking their way. But with three experienced captains and a rising star on their side, they managed to escape death multiple times.

Although Sang Ye was the captain of his own team, he had other plans in mind. Throughout every rotation, he kept a close eye on the kill feed, solely focused on tracking Tan Mo’s position.

Finally, on the fifth circle shrink, he found him.

Unfortunately, My Husband’s Team¹ was already battered and bruised, caught in a chaotic fight near a seaside house against a fully stacked enemy team.

Commentator A: “Alright, Song has arrived—he must have a plan. Given their positioning, they can first team up with ‘Braving the World’ squad to wipe out Tan Shen’s weakened team, then turn around and finish off the remaining enemies while they’re still recovering. Genius!”

Miracle rushed to a vantage point near the seaside house, crouched behind a broken wall, and aimed toward the east. “Cover me! Hurry! Someone’s down inside!”

Sang Ye jumped out of the car, pulled out his shotgun, and fired several shots to the south, eliminating one player from Braving the World.

Miracle hesitated. “Song?”

Commentator A’s voice shot up in pitch: “Huhhh~~~???”

Commentator B immediately laughed: “Unexpected, but… somehow not surprising at all.”

Sang Ye reloaded and continued sniping, but his tone was slightly awkward: “Doesn’t matter which side we shoot first—they’re all ours in the end.”

Miracle sighed—what else could he do? He turned his gun around. “Alright, you’re the boss.”

After a chaotic battle, Braving the World was ultimately taken down by the combined efforts of two teams. Tan Mo, who had been fighting on the front lines the entire time, finally couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed with low health. However, he wasn’t eliminated yet, meaning he still had a teammate who could revive him.

Commentator A teased: “Oh? Look at this—what a coincidence! We’ve got a ‘Wife Team’ and a My Husband team on the battlefield. This scene reminds me of an old saying… what was it again?”

Commentator B played along: “Oh, you mean that one? ‘When a couple works together, they can break through anything.'”

[“Hahaha! That’s the one!”]

The livestream chat went wild, with viewers laughing and rolling on the floor.

[“Whoever came up with these team names deserves a medal—this is too perfect!”]

[“Braving the World probably didn’t even realize they lost to love in the end. HHHHH~”]

[“If cross-team alliances were allowed, I bet Song would’ve already rushed over to revive Talk.”]

Right on cue, the broadcast switched to Sang Ye’s first-person perspective.

Through the crystal-clear 8x scope, his crosshair was locked onto the man kneeling on the open ground in front of the buildings.

The silver-haired boy remained motionless, his face cold and unreadable as he held his gun steady.

The chat was caught off guard:

[“Oh my god! The couple has turned against each other!”]

At that moment, the broadcast director pulled up Tan Mo’s camera feed and placed it on the other side of the big screen.

“Come on, Xiao Yu.” Tan Mo was trying his best to lure his teammate into saving him through the team chat. “Just come over, throw a smoke—I’ll be fine.”

“You can’t tell they’re baiting us?” Fool was still calmly looting their fallen teammate’s crate inside the building. “The moment I step out, they’ll all rush in. You’re dead, and I’ll be dead too.”

Tan Mo continued his shameless persuasion: “It’s just four enemies. You got this.”

Fool, heartless as ever: “No, I don’t.”

Realizing there was no hope of rescue, Tan Mo’s tone instantly changed. “Stupid Yu, just die.”

The audience burst into laughter: [“HAHAHAHAHAHA—!”]

Meanwhile, Sang Ye had been holding his sniper, waiting patiently for nearly thirty seconds.

Commentator A clapped his hands: “For someone so young, he’s got incredible patience. Song still hasn’t finished off Talk—he’s waiting to bait Fool into making a move. But what he doesn’t know is… Fool has already given up on his only teammate.”

If he didn’t shoot soon, the revive timer would expire, and Tan Mo would be automatically eliminated. That meant Sang Ye’s team would miss out on the kill point.

All eyes were on the silver-haired boy. His expression remained calm, his dark pupils deep and unreadable. His gaze, locked onto his target, was as cold and ruthless as ever.

Fans frantically took screenshots:

[“I’m about to pass out—he’s too stunning! 💖”]

Then, the sound of a bolt being pulled echoed.

Just as everyone held their breath, the boy’s eyelashes quivered ever so slightly. The icy look on his beautiful face softened as he turned to Xing Xing beside him and said,

“You do it instead.”

Everyone: “……”

Xing Xing had no hesitation. He swiftly switched to a Kar98k, aimed, and lined up the shot in no time.

Sang Ye was still watching from the side. His voice, barely audible yet tense, was picked up by the microphone:

“Go easy on the kill…”

The chat collectively lost their minds—not a single survivor.

“WHO CAN SURVIVE THIS?!” The commentator nearly coughed up blood, slamming the desk. “My wife is killing me!!!”

…

The first match wrapped up in a heartwarming and hilarious atmosphere, and soon, the second round began.

Sang Ye understood that even though this was an entertainment match, it was still a competition. He had to respect his teammates and play seriously. But when it came to going all out against his idol, he simply couldn’t do it. So, for this round, he decided not to focus on Talk at all—he even hoped their teams wouldn’t run into each other.

But this time, they met much sooner.

During the third phase of the circle rotation, Wife Team was stuck in a forest near the edge of the blue and white zone. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, knocking Miracle down.

The moment Sang Ye saw the enemy’s ID, he had already started firing back in the right direction.

The shooter was Shine. Sang Ye unloaded nearly ten bullets against a tree trunk, and bright green blood splattered behind it—clear evidence of a hit.

Just as Sang Ye was confident he could take Shine down, shots came from another direction. A series of precise, single-tap bullets struck him in the head.

In an instant, Sang Ye lost all combat ability and collapsed to the ground.

[husband-WLGTalk used Beryl M762 to headshot and knock down wife-WLGSong]

Sang Ye was momentarily stunned, caught off guard. A few seconds later, he furrowed his brows, an expression of discomfort flickering across his face.

Tan Mo, having counted the gunshots, holstered his M762 after firing. He didn’t take another shot to finish the kill. Instead, he led his team away.

The chat exploded:

[“Ohhh! This is getting intense!”]

[“Aaaaa I’m shipping them so hard! Talk didn’t fire a single extra shot—if he had, Song would’ve been eliminated! He even counted the bullets perfectly!”]

[“They’re totally going easy on each other.”]

But Sang Ye didn’t notice any of that.

He gripped his mouse, his heart tightening bit by bit. Only a few words echoed in his mind.

—He shot me.

—He actually shot me… for Shine.

Sang Ye pressed his lips together, blinking rapidly to suppress the stinging mist threatening to cloud his eyes.

Just then, another squad crept closer and launched a fierce attack on their team at the edge of the circle.

System Notification:

[wuli-NSNJunX used M416 to eliminate you]

Wife Team was completely wiped out.

As the second match ended, Sang Ye left the competition area without a word.

Back in the lounge, Tan Mo looked around but didn’t see him.

“Where’s Song?“ he asked.

“No idea.” Yu Haotian looked confused. “He hasn’t been back. Why? He’s not on stage?”

Tan Mo didn’t say anything else. He didn’t enter the room either—just quietly closed the door again.

At that moment, Sang Ye stood at the end of the hallway by the window, facing outside. He pulled out a roll of toilet paper he had taken from the restroom and wiped his face. His delicate skin quickly turned a faint shade of red from the rough friction.

Sang Ye understood the logic.

In a competition, you’re supposed to uphold the spirit of the game. Since they were on opposing teams, there was no room for hesitation—it was a battle, and the only rule was to pull the trigger first. As a team captain, if your teammates were under attack, you had to step up. Doing nothing would have been too much.

He knew that.

But emotionally… he still felt a bitter ache in his chest.

Oh! I was nice enough to let you loot before the match, and now you’re turning around and shooting me?

One shot wasn’t enough? Three shots? Three whole shots?!

Why not just finish me off completely?!

Sang Ye held his breath, nearly on the verge of frustration-induced tears.

And then he thought about Shine.

Shine had better luck than him. One year by Talk’s side wasn’t enough—he even ended up on the same team again.

Even his in-game ID, Xia Zhiyan, was personally chosen by Talk. Unlike Sang Ye, who had to rely on Baidu to come up with a name.

The more he thought about it, the more his heart twisted into knots, like a piece of over-salted pickled radish.

What Sang Ye didn’t realize was that this unfamiliar emotion—possessiveness—had already begun to creep in.

All these insignificant, trivial things suddenly felt connected, looping together in a spiral of overthinking. Lost in his thoughts, he absentmindedly shredded the tissue in his hands into tiny pieces.

“Why aren’t you going back?”

The sudden voice startled Sang Ye, causing him to quickly pull his hand from behind his back. He turned around to find Tan Mo walking toward him.

Sang Ye’s face flickered with surprise, but he pushed a strong, stubborn feeling down inside him, so he lowered his head and rubbed his eyes.

Tan Mo approached, easily noticing the shift in the young boy’s emotions. He lowered his voice, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Sang Ye put his hands down, shook his head, and pressed his lips together without speaking.

Tan Mo thought for a moment and guessed, “Is it because the last match didn’t go well?”

Sang Ye furrowed his brows slightly, stayed silent for a while, and then said, “No.”

Tan Mo patiently asked, “Then what happened?”

Sang Ye took a deep breath, looked up, and spoke in a deliberately casual tone, “Nothing happened. Why would something happen? I’m totally fine.”

“…………”

Fine.

It was clear there was something going on.

Tan Mo’s gaze casually scanned Sang Ye’s face.

The boy’s eyes were clear and sharp, filled with stubbornness. His small face still carried a faint blush from his earlier frustration, looking vivid and bright.

Tan Mo asked, “Is it because of what happened just now…?”

Sang Ye stiffened his neck, insisting, “Captain, I’m fine.”

“…………”

He’s even calling me captain now.

At just that moment, the music signaling the start of the event played from the front.

Sang Ye glanced back and said, “I’ll go ahead.”

Tan Mo stayed in place, watching the boy’s retreating figure, feeling uncertain for the first time.

He sighed and called out, asking, “If I run into you again, should I fight or not?”

Sang Ye paused, turned around, lifted his white head high, and, while backing away, said seriously, “Of course you should fight!”

Tan Mo opened his mouth, about to say something.

Sang Ye continued calling out to him, frowning, “Fight me to the death, don’t leave me any chance to survive!”

“…………”

Tan Mo stood there, hands on his hips, watching the boy proudly walk away. He bit his lip, wanting to laugh, but clearly feeling more frustrated.

The third round began.

Sang Ye landed, grabbed a gun, and immediately sprayed down the people in the building next door.

His teammate stared in disbelief, “What the hell, what did you just do? Did you eat explosives or something?”

“Search quickly,” Sang Ye said indifferently, too lazy to talk, “Search and get out.”

While one team was looting in the city, two cars arrived from outside the city.

Commentator A, excited, said, “Whoa! Looks like husband and wife are destined for a life-or-death showdown today!”

The audience was particularly eager to see this, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.

The jeep…

“They just wiped out a team, and now they’re loaded with supplies.” Fang Fang turned the steering wheel, saying, “Tsk, the kid’s still too green… We’ll flank from both sides and rob them.”

“Forget it, forget it.” Tan Mo, looking a bit tired, said, “Let’s go.”

Fang Fang’s eyes twinkled mischievously as she smiled. “What’s the matter? Are you afraid of the wife fans? I’ve heard he’s not easy to deal with, but you shouldn’t be that scared, right?”

“Which way are we going?” Yu Zhe, still driving behind them, asked. “Are we going for this team or not?”

“Cross the bridge, head to Y City.” Tan Mo pointed to a route.

“Hey, don’t!” Fang Fang, who loved stirring up trouble, teasingly said, “Stop right here, let’s take out the team of kids inside first.”

Unexpectedly, Tan Mo turned his head toward her, his voice turning cold and his tone firm:

“Either you crowdfund to buy me a washboard right now, or you drive this d*mn car out of here.”

Teammates: “…………”

As luck would have it, at this very moment, the director was showing their team’s internal footage and voice chat.

Five minutes later, the hashtag #Let’sCrowdfundForTalkAWashboard# trended.

---

Note :

1. Tan Mo’s squad ↩︎

---

---

Chapter 42 – Pre-Game Trash Talk

---

Since his “Wife” vs. “Wi-Fi” blunder in the live stream, Sang Ye had resolved to improve his English. That very night, he downloaded an English dictionary app on his phone.

With just a scan, the app would display the word’s pronunciation and Chinese meaning, making it incredibly convenient.

Over the next two days, Sang Ye was diligent, scanning any word that caught his eye—whether it was the flyer at the hotel’s front desk, the glowing green signs on walls, or the friendly reminders on the restroom doors.

He was determined never to be stumped by his lack of language knowledge again!

The night before the All-Star match, in the dead of night…

Sang Ye casually mentioned that he was hungry during a conversation.

Talk replied immediately.

T.: [Want to go out for a bite?]

Sang Ye’s lips curled up. Even though he knew they had an early day ahead and needed rest, he couldn’t pass up a chance to spend time alone with his idol.

He sat up in bed and typed.

S.: [Let’s go to the convenience store for something quick. Walking distance.]

T.: [Ok!]

Sang Ye quietly climbed out of bed. Since it was late, he didn’t bother changing—dressing up would just look odd—so he simply leaned toward the mirror by the desk to tidy his hair a bit.

Xiao Pai, lounging against the bedhead with his phone, looked up. “Heading out?”

“Yeah,” Sang Ye replied casually, “just grabbing a snack at the convenience store. Don’t wait up.”

“Huh?” Unexpectedly, Xiao Pai began to sit up. “I’m starving too. Count me in!”

Sang Ye replied quickly, “I’ll get it for you! Just stay in bed!”

“…”

Xiao Pai shrank back, clutching his blanket, bewildered by the urgency.

Sang Ye left the room and was about to knock on Talk’s door, but as he looked up, he saw the man already leaning against the wall at the end of the hall, busy on his phone.

Talk hadn’t changed either. In a loose white cotton T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops, he looked more laid-back and approachable than his usual polished, model-like self.

Sang Ye walked over lightly, hands behind his back, leaning forward slightly. “Let’s go!”

Talk lifted his gaze, meeting those bright, lively dark eyes. Sang Ye’s face looked fresh and almost boyish, his loose T-shirt shifting with his movements, and just faintly revealing two distinct collarbones.

Talk put away his phone and asked, “Did you put on bug spray?”

“Nope.” Sang Ye was used to being rough around the edges.

Talk pulled a small spray bottle from his pocket. “There are mosquitoes outside.”

Sang Ye acknowledged, took the bottle, and sprayed his slender arms casually. The scent was mild, not harsh. He then bent down to spray his bare calves. His legs were straight and slim, without any pronounced muscle definition. Both his arms and legs had the same smooth, fair tone, his skin soft and almost translucent without any noticeable variation.

Talk’s gaze lingered on Sang Ye’s calves, tracing their outline a couple of times.

Just then, Sang Ye straightened up, and Talk blinked, calmly shifting his gaze elsewhere.

There was no 24-hour convenience store nearby. Checking the map, the closest one was a couple of blocks away, past two intersections. But neither of them suggested taking a cab, and they naturally set off on foot.

At the store, even though it was late at night, several workers on overtime occupied the seating area, front desk, and microwaves, responding to messages on their phones.

Beneath the glittering surface of the bustling city, you only had to peek a little to see countless young people working themselves to the bone.

Sang Ye moved through the shelves, picking out several flavors of rice balls, along with snacks, candy, and yogurt. He also ordered a cup of oden from the service counter.

He piled everything onto the counter.

Talk casually grabbed a pack of gum from the shelf and placed it alongside Sang Ye’s items.

After scanning everything, the cashier’s excitement was barely contained as she said in a cheerful voice, “That’ll be one hundred twelve yuan and fifty cents.”

Sang Ye pulled out his phone to open the payment code, but beside him, there was a beep—Talk had already scanned the items with his phone.

Sang Ye was momentarily stunned. “But I bought these… I’ll transfer you the money on WeChat.”

Talk replied coolly, “There’s no need to keep it so separate with me.”

Sang Ye opened his mouth, but ultimately, he couldn’t withstand his embarrassment and lowered his eyes. “Thank you…”

The cashier exchanged glances between the two, suppressing a giddy smile as she picked up Sang Ye’s rice balls and went to heat them up.

While waiting, Sang Ye idly scanned the shelves beside the counter and noticed a bag of candy with bold, bright English lettering on the packaging.

That same relentless spirit of self-improvement surged within him again. He opened his dictionary app, bent down, and aimed the “scan” frame at the candy packaging. However, his phone had already captured a word from a box above him before he could.

The next second, the quiet convenience store was filled with a thunderous mechanical female voice:

“Durex—”

“Durex was established in 1929. Its product line covers condoms, lubricants, and more, known for being long-lasting, reliable, and of excellent quality…”

With a loud “whoosh,” all eyes in the convenience store turned toward the front counter.

Sang Ye froze in place, still bent over with his phone held up to the shelf, creating a scene that was both ridiculous and somewhat… inappropriate.

A few people pointed and whispered to each other, but it was clear there was no malice in their amusement.

Talk glanced over at the petrified boy beside him and reached out to turn off the continuing broadcast from the female voice.

Only then did Sang Ye straighten up, acting as if nothing had happened, although his head was nearly buried in his chest. He pressed on his phone, and his face quickly flushed with embarrassment.

Seeing his reaction, Talk stepped closer and spoke in a lowered voice with a hint of coaxing, “How about we wait outside instead?”

Sang Ye instantly broke down, feeling both frustrated and angry—angry with himself, he kept his head down and stubbornly said no.

Talk responded, “I’ll come find you when it’s ready.”

“Absolutely not!”

Sang Ye furrowed his brows in annoyance, his voice becoming sharp and high-pitched. Yet, he stepped closer and buried his flushed face against the man’s broad chest, trying to shield himself from the curious gazes around him.

Talk suppressed a laugh. Unable to help himself, he gently pressed down on the boy’s head and rubbed it comfortingly.

With his face deeply buried in the man’s T-shirt, Sang Ye panted heavily.

How embarrassing!!!

The female cashier returned with the rice balls and, upon seeing the man and the boy at the counter, her eyes lit up like a thousand-watt bulb, sparkling brightly.

What a divine couple this is!!

Both of them were good-looking, fit, and had exceptional charm. Their physiques were strikingly attractive, resembling characters straight out of a Japanese anime!

It was the middle of the night, and the older partner took the younger one out to buy condoms. The younger partner publicly revealed his intentions, too shy to lift his head as he hid in the older partner’s embrace, while the older one looked indulgent, helping him carry the items. When they got home, it was bound to lead to all sorts of activities…

In her mind, the cashier instantly envisioned a thousand-word steamy scenario. When she lifted her eyes and met the man’s gaze, she immediately looked down, “slurped” up nonexistent saliva, and quickly bagged the items.

Talk took the bag, and with one hand still on Sang Ye, he awkwardly lifted the cup of oden with the same hand.

The cashier couldn’t help herself, leaning on the counter with both hands. She glanced at the boy and smiled warmly at Sang Ye, saying, “It seems your boyfriend is a bit angry, but he’s really cute~”

Sang Ye heard this and faltered, flustered by embarrassment. Forgetting to maintain a distance, he buried his face back into Talk’s embrace.

He’s not my boyfriend…

However, Talk didn’t offer any explanation. He merely nodded distantly at the cashier and started to leave.

At that moment, the cashier lowered her voice and pointed discreetly to a shelf nearby, whispering, “You don’t have to feel shy; you can take a box with you.”

Talk glanced in the direction she was indicating.

Sang Ye also peeked out from between Talk’s T-shirt, looking over.

A row of Durex condoms.

“…”

The girl said, “Two boxes are on sale.”

As she spoke, it became more absurd. Sang Ye’s ears felt like they were about to smoke, and he quickly pulled Tan Mo away. “We don’t need those.”

The girl gasped in shock.

Sang Ye turned back to look at her.

He could see her expression clearly reflected the words: “You! Guys! Are! Wild!”

“……”

Wait, what’s the misunderstanding here?

…

Once they exited the convenience store, Sang Ye calmed his wounded heart by devouring six sticks of oden.

“Don’t you find it strange?”

“Strange about what?”

At the end of July, Guangzhou’s summer was unbearably hot. Luckily, it was deep in the night, and the heat of the earth was gradually dissipating, but it still felt a bit uncomfortable right after leaving the store.

Sang Ye tossed the cup into a trash bin by the roadside, and suddenly thought of something. His face turned a bit red, and his voice dropped. “How could anyone think that two guys are a couple…”

Tan Mo was holding the convenience bag for him and paused for two seconds. “I don’t think it’s strange.”

Something in Sang Ye’s heart jolted, and he looked stunned. “…Huh?”

Tan Mo tilted his head to look at him and asked back, “What do you think?”

Sang Ye stared at Tan Mo but found himself momentarily at a loss.

The man’s charming peach blossom eyes looked different under the night’s haze; they were infused with a blurry, ambiguous quality.

Just the mere act of looking into each other’s eyes made Sang Ye feel his heartstrings tremble. However, when Tan Mo asked, the spark in his eyes was persistent and determined, even a bit aggressive, as if he wanted to delve into Sang Ye’s deepest thoughts.

Sang Ye inexplicably felt parched. He had merely brought it up casually and had never really considered the question seriously. Tan Mo’s answer surprised him; he had expected Tan Mo to agree, not to counter…

For a moment, Sang Ye wanted to look away. Just then, the quiet street was broken by the sound of a ringing phone.

He fumbled to pull out his phone.

It was Xiao Pai, dragging out his tone as he shouted, “Bai Mao—where are you? If you don’t come back soon, I’m going to starve to death, ahhh—”

“Then just starve.” Sang Ye replied irritably, “I’m almost there.”

After hanging up, Sang Ye reached for the convenience bag in Tan Mo’s hand. “Xiao Pai is rushing us… Let me take that.”

“It’s fine,” Tan Mo didn’t hand it over and said, “It’s not heavy… not doing anything but still rushing you. You should tell him off when we get back.”

The previously ambiguous atmosphere was dispersed by the phone call, and neither of them resumed the previous topic.

Sang Ye let out a sigh of relief, but as he gradually returned to his senses, he also felt an indescribable sense of regret.

…

The next day was the All-Star Game.

Since it was a fun, exhibition match, the results wouldn’t affect the summer season standings, and the players weren’t really after the small prize pool. Everything was focused on entertainment value, so everyone was very relaxed, almost as if heading out on a group outing when they boarded the bus.

The four members of WLG were each assigned to different teams.

Xiao Pai was trash-talking everyone around, saying things like, “I’m not holding back, just so you know,” and “If you see Pai around, better walk the other way.”

Yet, apart from Hu Fu, everyone pretty much ignored his performance.

Upon arriving at the venue, all players were instructed to go to the backstage hall to find their teammates and wait for their turn to go on stage in groups.

Sang Ye met up with his teammates in a corner.

The two XXY team members were just as friendly as they were in the group chat.

Xing Xing, with his pink hair, looked around nervously, his fingers tucked into his jacket sleeves, showing signs of slight social anxiety.

Miracle surveyed the entire hall and sighed, “So many strong players… But it’s all about fun today, so let’s not take it too seriously. Song, no pressure on you either—just give any commands you like.”

Sang Ye was looking in the other direction of the hall and responded coolly, “I never give random commands.”

“…”

With one sentence, he successfully killed the conversation.

The little guy in the group chat, always using squiggly lines, felt much more approachable.

“What are you looking at?” Nan Bei followed his gaze and said, “Tan Shen? Ugh! That team is like a death group—three captains and Shine. Let’s hope they show mercy and don’t go all out, or nobody stands a chance.”

Tan Mo stood quietly among the crowd not far away, occasionally pulling the corner of his lips into a faint smile, responding to his teammates with a few words.

Sang Ye’s gaze shifted to Shine, standing beside Tan Mo. Shine had ended up grouped with the former captain, seeming relaxed and smiling more often than usual.

Sang Ye’s eyes were full of envy as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, shoulders lifting slightly as he took a deep breath, only to sigh and let them drop.

How nice it would be to be on Talk’s team…

But then, a frown crossed Sang Ye’s face as a thought came to mind.

Given Talk’s current condition, would that flashback symptom act up again?

He felt a bit concerned, but there wasn’t much he could do.

Just then, a surge of energizing music filled the front area, and a staff member waved a notebook, calling out, “Attention, everyone! It’s time to go onstage!”

As the music started, Tan Mo glanced toward the front, pressing his fingertips into his palm with a slight stiffness to his expression, though he hid it well from those around him.

The hall bustled as everyone lined up in order.

Sang Ye followed at the end of the line, moving forward when he felt a light tug on his sleeve from behind.

He barely noticed it, and then it happened again.

This time, Sang Ye turned around.

And saw Tan Mo.

Sang Ye blinked. “What’s up?”

Tan Mo licked his lips, showing a rare hint of awkwardness as he looked down. “I’m feeling a bit… uh… you know.”

Sang Ye looked confused at first, then his expression grew serious. He glanced around and asked quietly, “What should we do?”

Tan Mo furrowed his brow slightly, squeezing Sang Ye’s hand.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around and the corner had a column for cover, Sang Ye boldly pulled open his collar.

“I mean…”

“Do you want me to…help?”

Both spoke at the same time and then went completely silent.

Tan Mo lowered his gaze, noticing that Sang Ye had pulled his collar so far it nearly exposed his shoulder.

…The kid was really being hard on himself.

At the same time, Sang Ye realized from Tan Mo’s reaction that the man probably didn’t mean what he had assumed. Embarrassment seeped through the cracks in his expression.

Tan Mo bit his lip, maintaining his composure as he gently adjusted Sang Ye’s collar back in place.

Sang Ye’s delicate face flushed red. He pressed his lips together, and after a silent pause, suddenly let out a frustrated sound:

“Oh, come on! Stop laughing at me!!”

“Pfft—”

Tan Mo finally couldn’t hold back, lowering his head as his shoulders shook with laughter.

Sang Ye pressed his lips tightly, looking thoroughly indignant.

Tan Mo placed a hand on the back of Sang Ye’s head and leaned close to his ear. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

The man’s low, gentle voice sent a warm flush to Sang Ye’s ears, intensifying his embarrassment over his earlier eagerness.

Just then, Tan Mo ruffled the boy’s hair again, moving closer to lightly nuzzle his head into Sang Ye’s milk-white locks, taking a gentle breath.

—The scent was full of Sang Ye’s natural sweetness, a calming fragrance that dispelled Tan Mo’s restlessness and anxiety, transforming it into a moment of peace and satisfaction.

Sang Ye sensed what Tan Mo was doing and froze, too stunned to move.

“I’m all better now…” Tan Mo murmured with a slight smile, “Thank you.”

As Tan Mo rejoined the lineup, Sang Ye stood there, still in a daze, as if half his soul had been whisked away by Tan Mo. It took him a while to turn around, press his face into the wall, and cover it, his two exposed ears glowing red.

…

Amid the announcer’s lively introductions, sixteen teams made their way onto the stage and seated themselves in designated areas.

When Tan Mo and Sang Ye’s turns came, the crowd erupted into particularly loud cheers, and from one section, rhythmic chanting began: “Rap! Rap! Rap!…”

It was only then that Sang Ye realized Tan Mo’s team was called “My Husband,” with the English team name simply, “Husband.”

Sang Ye fidgeted uncomfortably, curling his fingers, instinctively wanting to pull out his phone to look something up. But phones weren’t allowed on stage.

He cleared his throat, too curious to hold back his discomfort, and asked the person next to him, Xing Xing, “What does it mean?”

Xing Xing looked at him. “Husband.”

Sang Ye frowned, eyeing him warily. “What did you say?”

Xing Xing pointed at the banner across the table: “Husband. It means ‘hubby’.”

Sang Ye scratched his eyebrow. “…Oh.”

He’d nearly misunderstood again.

But a moment later, it hit him—Talk’s team name practically matched his own team name.

—“We have ‘wife’ fans.”

—“My Husband.”

—Wife.

—Husband.

What the heck.

Who came up with this?

Was it this intentional?

Just then, Miracle chimed in with a smug smile and a look of pride: “What do you think? Both team names were thought up by us at XXY. Creative, right?”

“…”

Right. He remembered that XXY’s captain was in Talk’s group.

Sang Ye pursed his lips, mildly annoyed.

Some clever names you came up with.

This time, the player seating was set up face-to-face, with over a meter’s distance between, with two rows of people on each side.

Sang Ye’s team and Tan Mo’s team ended up sitting directly across from each other.

When Sang Ye lifted his gaze, he could still see Tan Mo over the top of his computer screen.

This spot somewhat eased his long-standing frustration about not being able to team up with him.

As the players were just about done setting up their equipment, the host started moving around, encouraging everyone to throw out some casual trash talk—lines like “We’re going to wipe the floor with you,” “Try and roll a point, and we’ll crush you,” or “I’ve wanted a shot to go against you forever—thank you, All-Star event!”

The crowd was loving it, roaring with laughter.

Then, the mic was passed to Sang Ye.

He looked at it and, keeping his cool, pointed to the person next to him instead.

The host laughed awkwardly and handed the mic to Miracle.

Miracle aimed his comments at the other team’s position, cleared his throat, and said excitedly, “I’d like to tell my ‘Husband’ team to watch where they’re going—if we run into you, well, we may all be post-2000s, but we definitely don’t have the habit of respecting our elders.”

The audience burst into laughter and cheers.

Miracle’s jab was clearly poking fun at the fact that the “Husband” team had three veteran captains.

“Oh~ shots fired!” the host chuckled, passing the mic over to the opposite table, “So, Talk, how do you want to respond to the ‘Wife Fans’ team’s remarks?”

Tan Mo raised his head from his computer, took a glance across the table, and calmly responded with just two words, “Is that so?”

Then, his gaze shifted to the team name on the opposing team’s banner, his expression detached and faintly mocking:

“Are ‘wife fans’ even yours?”

“Aaahhhhhh—!”

The crowd erupted into wild, roof-raising screams.

Meanwhile, the official livestream’s chat was scrolling so fast it was practically lagging.

[“Tan Mo! You’re a legend! Even now, he’s asserting his territory!”]

[“I think I detect a hint of jealousy here—my grin’s reaching my ears!”]

[“Is it real? Say it is, say it is!”]

Right then, the broadcast director smartly zoomed in on Sang Ye, capturing his reaction for the audience.

Everyone saw the white-haired young man hiding behind his computer, hands on his forehead, his face a deep red with an expression that was both bashful and helpless. The next second, his head dropped as he flopped forward onto his arms with a soft “thud,” giving off an air of utter surrender.

Fans were in hysterics, and the shippers were overjoyed.

[“Fu Gui: Listen to me, thank you.”]

[“Mom! He’s so adorable!!!”]

[“In response to his “husband’s” constant PDA, Song says he’s already used to it.”]

Amid the loud, bustling sounds of the venue, Sang Ye still lay resting on his arms, rolling his head slightly to sneak a glance through the gap above his computer toward the other side.

Unexpectedly, Tan Mo was already looking his way, and their gazes met effortlessly.

Sang Ye’s heart gave a little jolt—part embarrassment, part irritation—as he stuck out his bright red tongue and made a face at the man.

Tan Mo’s lips curled into a faint smile, and that unmistakably directed smile was caught by the camera, setting off yet another wave of excited screams.

---

---

Chapter 41 – Wife

---

After the third week of the weekly finals, WLG’s total points ranked just at fifth place. They had been catching up fast, but there was still a significant gap between them and the top three. Ahead of them were not only veteran teams like NSN, but also a rising dark horse this season—Catch22.

The coach displayed information about the team on the projector.

Tan Mo casually explained to Sang Ye, “It’s named after the novel by Joseph Heller. Later, it became synonymous with an insurmountable obstacle.”

Sang Ye glanced up. Tan Mo was still looking straight ahead, though he had turned slightly closer as he spoke. The projection’s light outlined sharp features on his brows and nose, and Sang Ye could even see his Adam’s apple subtly moving with his words.

Sang Ye hurriedly averted his gaze, nodding, with the tips of his ears turning red. “I… I wouldn’t have known if you didn’t tell me.”

Sang Ye had been following Tan Mo since he was thirteen or fourteen. Back then, Tan Mo was still abroad, balancing his studies while being an online game content creator. Part of the reason Sang Ye became his fan was because of Tan Mo’s “top student” aura, which fascinated Sang Ye, who struggled academically.

Now, being taught directly by his idol, Sang Ye felt as though he was basking in a holy glow of knowledge. It was like a small feather was tickling his heart.

“Hey! Bai Mao!” Xiao Pai called from the other side.

With a “pop,” that halo vanished.

Sang Ye’s expression shifted to one of mild annoyance as he turned his face with a two-faced look. “What?”

Xiao Pai propped his head on his hand, teasingly, “Do you know what WLG stands for?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Say it.” Xiao Pai watched him eagerly.

Sang Ye lifted his chin slightly, “It’s… We… We’re… We’re Dead Last…”

Xiao Pai covered his mouth, eyes twinkling with mischievous glee.

Sang Ye pursed his lips, furrowing his brows, and refused to speak any further.

On his first day at technical school, the teacher pointed to “ABCD” on the blackboard and asked him to read it.

He confidently blurted out, “Ah, Bo, Tz, Duh.”

The teacher looked at him with a sorrowful expression for two seconds, shook their head, and said, “This is an English class.”

Amidst the laughter of the entire class, Sang Ye realized that English would be his lifelong nemesis.

“Why aren’t you saying anything now?” Xiao Pai teased him mockingly, “What’s that ‘We’re Dead Last’ thing?”

Sang Ye turned his head to look at the notebook in front of him, refusing to acknowledge him.

A packet of tissues hit Xiao Pai’s head.

“Ouch!” Xiao Pai rubbed his head and gave Tan Mo a resentful glance.

It didn’t hurt, but it did feel a bit insulting.

“Wasteland Lord Gaming,” Tan Mo said clearly and precisely, explaining to Sang Ye, “No need to explain ‘Gaming,’ it refers to the esports club. ‘Wasteland Lord’ means a lord of the wasteland, a god in ancient Greek mythology who mastered archery.”

“I know, I know!”

As a hardcore fan, how could Sang Ye not know?

Eager to prove he wasn’t completely clueless, he quickly uncapped his pen, bowed his head, and scribbled in his notebook, “I can’t say it, but I can write it.”

After writing, Sang Ye eagerly held out his notebook to Tan Mo like he was showing off a treasure, “Look!”

Tan Mo took the notebook and glanced at it. The twisted handwriting looked like a bunch of worms wriggling across the page.

[Westland Nord Geming]

Tan Mo bit his lower lip, trying to hold back his expression.

Then he looked at Sang Ye, whose eyes were shining with pride, his small face full of uncontainable satisfaction.

Tan Mo couldn’t resist and reached out to ruffle his fluffy white hair, nodding slightly, “Mm, you definitely can.”

Sang Ye was so happy he was practically floating. He turned toward Xiao Pai, gritting his teeth as he emphasized his words with a mock fierce expression, “I can!”

Seeing his triumphant look, Xiao Pai was not impressed and reached out, “Let me see.”

But Tan Mo quickly closed the notebook, putting it away. “Coach is watching.”

The coach was standing in front of the projector, speaking:

“We’re currently in the top eight, so half of our goal for the summer tournament is completed. But just to be safe, let’s familiarize ourselves with the strong teams. We don’t need to talk about NSN since we’ve faced them so many times that everyone knows their tactics, but 22 is a team with real potential. They could be strong contenders for the championship.”

“Their captain is [Fool], who debuted the same year as Tan Mo. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the right opportunities and was stuck in small teams for two years. But now he’s back on the PCL stage and scored eight kills in the first game of the day. He’s in great shape.”

“They also have a new member, called Xingxing. He’s about the same age as Song, Elan, and Pai, and he’s pretty skilled with a sniper. Hey, Hu Fu, didn’t he snipe you a few times?”

Hu Fu shrank his neck a little and made a fist gesture toward the photo projected on the screen. “New talents emerge with each generation, and the younger ones always surpass the older. He’s pretty impressive.”

Sang Ye studied the photo. The player named Xingxing had pink hair and looked a bit shy in front of the camera, his brows and eyes slightly smiling—he seemed like an introverted type.

After a moment, Sang Ye slightly turned his head and asked Xiao Pai, “How old are you?”

“Nineteen, but technically eighteen. I’m probably just a few months older than you. Why?” Xiao Pai replied naturally, then noticed the strange expression on Sang Ye’s face and chuckled. “Oh, are you impressed by my mature aura? I started as a youth trainee very early, even before PUBG came out. By the time the age restriction for minors was introduced, I had just turned eighteen, so having more competition experience is only natural.”

Sang Ye shook his head and looked away, “Doesn’t seem like it.”

“What doesn’t seem like it?”

“I always thought you were the same age as Hu Fu.”

Hu Fu was twenty-three.

“…………”

Xiao Pai went silent, forcing a stiff smile.

That level of insult was too much.

He might as well have been kicked out of the post-2000 generation entirely.

….

The coach’s intuition was right. At the end of the final day of the four-week regular season, WLG ranked second.

First place went to catch22.

After the match that day, the players left their glass booths and exchanged handshakes as a show of sportsmanship.

Fool, the captain, was a very thin man—the kind of thin that anyone would notice. His dark circles were so prominent they had become his trademark.

If Sang Ye had an air of detached indifference, this man simply seemed tired and listless.

He brought his new team members over to WLG’s side and shook hands with Tan Mo.

The two seemed quite familiar with each other. Tan Mo bumped shoulders with Fool, gave him a pat on the back, and congratulated him.

Sang Ye shifted his gaze away, only to notice the pink-haired player watching him.

Caught staring, the pink-haired player hurriedly lowered his head. After a moment, like a robot, he extended his hand, “Hello, my name is Xingxing, ID: [Aster].”

Sang Ye glanced at the outstretched hand, gave it a quick pat, and simply responded, “Song.”

After the regular season ended, the players who made it to the top sixteen were preparing for the playoffs. But before that, there was a day dedicated to the All-Star game.

The All-Star game was mostly for fun, a rare chance for professional players to let loose, with more varied and entertaining gameplay.

What made it even more exciting was that all the teams would be shuffled and randomly reorganized. That meant teammates could become opponents, and enemies could become allies—a big team-building event for the PCL teams.

Upon hearing about the random team assignments, Sang Ye got extremely anxious and subtly asked Xiao Pai, “Is there a chance you could end up with your own teammates?”

Xiao Pai replied, “Yeah, it’s possible! Last year in the All-Star game, I ended up on the same team as my brother. We even won eight thousand yuan in prize money.”

Sang Ye’s eyes lit up, “How can I make sure I’m on the same team?”

Xiao Pai pondered seriously and said, “Well, it depends.”

Sang Ye asked, “Depends on what?”

Xiao Pai answered, “Depends on luck.”

“………”

Sang Ye was so frustrated that he downed six cups of yogurt after dinner that day.

If he could, he’d be willing to spend eight thousand yuan to bribe the organizers to rig the teams, so he could be placed with Talk, or buy a spot from whoever ended up on Talk’s team.

However, this wasn’t something money could solve, and Sang Ye had no choice but to wait for the team assignments.

Though the All-Star game was still five days away, the coach didn’t let them return home, in order to maximize training time.

When Sang Ye heard the news, he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

After dinner, while waiting for the training session to start, he lay in front of his computer and flipped through the photos on his phone.

Every picture was of a little cream-colored golden retriever.

There were pictures of it smiling, running wildly, frowning at the rain, and even stealing potato chips.

—“How much do you feed it in private?”

A voice suddenly spoke from behind him, startling Sang Ye into sitting up straight. He turned around to see who it was.

It was Tan Mo.

Tan Mo pulled out his chair and sat down, looking at him: “Hmm?”

Sang Ye felt guilty and stuttered: “Just… a few times, I saw it looked so pitiful, I couldn’t help it…”

Xiao Pai heard it and knew that he was talking about Tan Chunshan, turned his head and smiled at Sang Ye with a “hiahia!” grin.

You’re done, Bai Mao!

Forget potato chips, my brother is afraid that his baby son will lose hair, so he can’t touch any salt or oil!

Tan Mo then asked: “Do you miss it?”

Sang Ye nodded. “Mm.”

“………….” The atmosphere was unexpectedly peaceful. Xiao Pai leaned over and, in a fawning manner, reminded Tan Mo, “Hey, brother, remember that time last year when I fed Chunshan some buns, and you scolded me really badly?”

Before Xiao Pai could finish, Tan Mo let out a long “Hissss—,” frowning. “I’d almost forgotten about that. Why bring it up now? Has it been three days since I last yelled at you or something?”

Xiao Pai shut his mouth, his attempt to ingratiate himself backfiring, and he turned back to play his game.

Fine, I’ll leave then.

Sang Ye pressed his lips together, a small smirk just beginning to form, but he quickly suppressed it when Tan Mo turned back around.

“I’m going to video call Aunt Lu tonight,” Tan Mo said. “Want to come to my room?”

Aunt Lu was the housekeeper at the base. When Tan Mo went out of town, he would leave Chunshan, his dog, in Aunt Lu’s care.

Sang Ye’s heart fluttered—not just because Talk had invited him to join the video call, but also because it meant he’d get to go to Talk’s room.

“Sure…”

“I’m Chunshan’s uncle too! And I’ve never bought him any dog food!” Xiao Pai protested loudly, clearly feeling left out. “This is unfair, bro. Why exclude me from the video call?”

Sang Ye immediately shot a look at Xiao Pai, almost stomping his feet in frustration, barely managing to keep from showing “Don’t come!” on his face.

At that moment, Hu Fu joined in, turning around in his gaming chair and adding, “Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Chunshan. I miss him—count me in too.”

Tan Mo, resigned, turned to his computer. “Fine, I’ll start the video call now.”

Sang Ye instantly deflated, slumping face-down on the table, radiating an aura of gloom.

But soon enough, his frustration was cured by the sight of the little golden retriever.

As soon as the video call started, the golden retriever, hearing Tan Mo’s voice, began whimpering and wagging its tail furiously, spinning in circles in excitement.

Tan Mo moved over to make some space and gestured for Sang Ye to come closer.

Sang Ye scooted his chair forward, faced the computer screen, and tried calling softly, “Chunshan.”

The little golden retriever, curled up like a donut, froze for a second, its brows raised, and then whimpered even more urgently. Standing on its hind legs, it placed its front paws on Aunt Lu’s arm, glancing at the camera and then back at Aunt Lu, as if begging her to pull the person out of the phone.

Sang Ye felt his heart melt. He used to find the dog’s clinginess annoying, but after just a month together, he was surprised by how much he missed it.

Since Aunt Lu couldn’t pull anyone from the phone, Tan Chunshan tried to nudge the camera with its creamy-white head, as if attempting to dive through the screen.

Watching this, Sang Ye couldn’t help but smile, his eyes curving slightly.

Through the video call screen, Tan Mo caught a glimpse of the boy’s smiling eyes, his naturally beautiful face softened by an unusual warmth, something different than his usual innocence.

Tan Mo paused for a moment, tilting his head slightly to look beside him.

Just then—

Hu Fu leaned toward Tan Mo with a playful “flying mountain strike,” while Xiao Pai pounced toward Sang Ye, both crowding into the narrow frame, enthusiastically greeting the screen. “Hi! Hi! Hi! Chunshan! Miss me?”

Sang Ye and Tan Mo, squeezed into the middle, bumped shoulders, their faces nearly brushing.

They glanced at each other, heads tilted.

Sang Ye’s eyes quivered slightly, and, realizing what happened, he looked down, a bit uncomfortable.

With Xiao Pai still pressing against him, he couldn’t move away.

At such close proximity, that familiar, clean, slightly damp, and icy scent from Tan Mo again unsettled him.

Tan Mo, on his end, was just as crowded with Hu Fu pressed against him, probably in an even worse position.

Meanwhile, Xiao Pai and Hu Fu continued chatting with the golden retriever, calling it “precious,” “miss you,” “love you,” with as much sentiment as they could muster.

At that moment, Tan Mo wrapped an arm around Sang Ye’s shoulder, managing to free up some more space in the cramped area.

Sang Ye’s breath hitched, and as he looked up, he saw Tan Mo’s expression remained calm, focused on the video call.

Perfectly natural.

Sang Ye relaxed a little and continued watching the computer.

Aunt Lu was reporting on how the little golden retriever had been doing recently.

Tan Chunshan, having calmed down from his initial excitement, lay on the floor. His beady eyes gazed out at the night beyond the window. He raised his head and sniffed the air before turning his eyes back to the phone.

That earnest yet pitiful look seemed to say, “I’ve watched the sunset 20 times already, when are you coming back?”

Sang Ye felt a wave of affection and immediately took out his phone, opened Taobao, and searched for dog food cans.

Now he finally understood why so many people, even if they don’t buy meat for themselves, still get little treats for their cats and dogs.

Because these little creatures just make you want to spoil them!

…

Two days later, the official team groupings were announced.

Yu Haotian tossed the document into the group chat.

At that time, Sang Ye hadn’t woken up yet. The noise disturbed him, and after rubbing his eyes, he checked the group chat messages. The next second, he shot upright in bed like a mummy.

His heart was racing, and the cool air from the AC made his fingers feel cold as he anxiously opened the PDF file.

All the players had been grouped into teams of four. Sang Ye’s hand shook as he scrolled down, swallowing nervously, searching for his and Talk’s names.

When he reached the tenth row, he saw Tan Mo’s ID. His teammates were Fool, Shine, and someone named XXY, but his own name wasn’t there.

Sang Ye’s mind buzzed, his finger mechanically swiping further down.

Then, just one row below, he found himself. His teammates were Aster from Catch22, and the other two were both from XXY.

Sang Ye collapsed back onto the bed.

It was over.

Xiao Pai, having been woken by the noise, raised his head and asked, “What’s wrong, Bai Mao?”

Sang Ye lay there for a moment, then flipped onto his side, his long legs kicking the blanket. He furrowed his brow, his face flushing as he bit into the corner of the blanket.

“Is there really no way to bribe them?”

“…”

Xiao Pai, still half-asleep, just stared at him, confused. He had no idea what Sang Ye was talking about.

When Xiao Bai Mao blushed, it was no wonder so many people online kept calling him adorable and saying they wanted to date him.

That morning, Sang Ye was added to the group chat by his new teammates.

Aster: [Hello everyone~.jpg]

Not a Thing: [Hello, hello! Hi everyone, it’s an honor to be on a team with you.]

Miracle Nikki: [Wow, it’s Song! I got a bit traumatized from our first scrimmage when you wiped the floor with us, haha. I’m pretty excited to be teammates.]

Sang Ye had met Aster before. The others, one named Not a Thing and the other Miracle, were both from XXY. He’d only interacted with them in the game.

Feeling unenthusiastic, Sang Ye casually sent a neutral emoji to the group, not showing much emotion.

Miracle Nikki: [Who’s going to be team captain this time? How about Song? You’ve gotten MVP so many times. Not a Thing and I both think it’d be fitting. What do you think, Aster?]

Aster: [No problem at all~.jpg]

Miracle Nikki: [What about you, Song?]

S.: [Whatever.]

Not a Thing: [Song doesn’t seem very enthusiastic… [wiping sweat emoji] Are you disappointed to be on a team with us?]

Sang Ye took a deep breath.

It’s just that, without Talk, everything felt empty.

S.: [Not really.]

[“S.” retracted a message]

S.: [Not at all~]

Miracle Nikki: [Haha, glad to hear it!]

Not a Thing: [By the way, there’s one thing we need to settle quickly—each team needs to come up with a team name and report it to the tournament organizers by 2 p.m. today. Any ideas for a name?]

S.: “Whatever works~”

Aster: [Anything’s fine~.jpg]

Miracle Nikki: “So should Nanbei and I just pick one?”

S.: “Sure~”

Aster: [Sounds good~.jpg]

Miracle Nikki: “I’ll post it here once we’ve chosen so you can take a look, alright?”

S.: [No need~]

S.: [You guys decide~]

Aster: [All good~.jpg]

Not a Thing: [Alright, we’ll come up with something and submit it directly.]

Sang Ye put his phone aside, casually running a hand through his freshly washed and dried hair, not at all concerned about the team name.

Talk then looked up from his phone and asked, “What’s your team name?”

“Huh?” Sang Ye straightened up slightly and replied, “My teammates are picking it; I left it up to them.”

Talk kept typing as he responded, “Got it. I left it to my team too.”

But by evening, Sang Ye started to regret his casual attitude from earlier.

That night, Sang Ye went live for the first time in a while, and as soon as the stream started, fake fans flooded him with the usual question:

[“Where are the women’s clothes?”]

An age-old opening line that never seemed to go away.

Sang Ye had become an expert at ignoring it.

Women’s clothes?

Doesn’t exist.

He was a solid, respectable man, seven-and-a-half feet tall, with an iron will; there was absolutely no way he’d ever wear a skirt.

But the chat was already buzzing with suggestions for different outfits, as if they were making requests.

[“Nurse outfit.”]

[“Sailor uniform.”]

[“JK uniform¹.”]

[“Tight dress with black stockings.”]

Sang Ye glanced over and replied coolly, “Enough already, it’s not happening…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a figure appeared behind him, standing beside his gaming chair. The camera only caught the man’s neck and below, but just by the distinct look of his hand holding a cup, everyone knew who it was—there was no mistaking those long, graceful fingers.

[“Ahhh! We caught a wild Tan Shen!”]

Sang Ye turned immediately, pulling off his headset.

Tan Mo was still looking at his screen. After a moment, he shook his head. “None of these suit you.”

Sang Ye looked puzzled. “Huh?”

Tan Mo took a sip from his cup, his calm gaze sweeping up and down over Sang Ye from behind the rim. Sang Ye shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

Placing the cup down, Tan Mo said casually, “You’d suit something more refined.”

Sang Ye froze, his face instantly turning red. “No…I didn’t…”

Refined or not, he had no intention of wearing women’s clothing at all!

Tan Mo then took a seat beside him and opened his laptop. “Mind if I watch your stream?”

“…Uh, no…no, I don’t mind…”

With no other choice, Sang Ye could only cast a frustrated glance at his fake fans in the chat.

And they were absolutely thrilled.

[“Hahaha! Just go along with it, Fu Gui! Your man says you’d suit something refined!”]

[“Tan Shen’s offering advice here, huh? Haha, all men have ulterior motives!”]

[“I’d bet my life Tan wants to see Fu Gui in women’s clothing. From that look, he’s probably imagining him in a hundred different outfits already.”]

[“No, I think in Tan’s mind, Fu Gui isn’t wearing anything at all.”]

What nonsense!

Sang Ye’s face grew redder, and to avoid the moderators flagging his stream, he had to delete a few comments.

Just then—

A notification popped up on his computer for WeChat.

He casually clicked to open it, and it turned out to be a message from the All-Stars group chat.

Not a Thing: [Team name has been submitted!]

Not a Thing:[File]

Song opened the file.

Team name for Group 12: We Have Wife Fans Squad.

S.: [?]

Below that was the English team name—simply and boldly, “Wife.”

Song was utterly baffled, staring at it in confusion. “What on earth? ‘Wi-fi’? Isn’t Wi-fi wireless internet? What does it have to do with that…”

Talk reached over and gently covered Song’s mouth.

Silenced in an instant, Song could only glance to the side, his eyes filled with a mixture of emotions.

Looking at him, Talk said, “Wife.”

Thud! In that moment, it felt as if a hammer had slammed onto Song’s head, leaving him speechless and unable to think straight.

Talk let go of his hand.

Song looked completely dazed, as if unable to snap out of it.

Talk merely kept his gaze fixed on Song, and repeated, “Wife.”

This time, Song’s face turned beet red. His eyes sparkled with a hint of light, and after hesitating for a moment, he whispered, voice dropping a little, “Why are you…”

Talk took hold of Song’s mouse and circled the English team name on the screen twice. “This word—it means wife.”

“……………”

Song’s breath hitched, and his heart skipped a beat.

[“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—oh my god, I’m losing it!!!”]

[“Oh, sweetheart! Wi-Fi is wireless internet! Wife means wife!”]

[“Did you think Talk was calling you his wife?”]

[“He even responded with a ‘Why’… (smirk)”]

[“SOS! His embarrassment is radiating through the screen! Someone help him!”]

Song adjusted his slightly askew headphones, cleared his throat, and faced the computer, pretending to remain composed. “Oh… got it.”

But his usually fair skin was so red that no matter how much he tried to act indifferent, he couldn’t hide his steadily growing panic and embarrassment.

Leaning forward into his screen, he moved the mouse left, then right, closed the game, opened it again, clicked through to his stream, scrolled through the comments, then closed the game again.

With all this clicking, it wasn’t clear what he was actually trying to do.

Talk seemed to catch on, and ignoring the fact that they were still streaming, he turned Song’s gaming chair toward him. “I didn’t mean to laugh at you.”

Song’s lashes lowered, and his face turned increasingly quiet as he took off his headphones.

Talk lifted his chin gently with one finger. “Come on, don’t be mad, okay?”

Song frowned, his mouth tightened, and unable to hold back, he dove into Talk’s chest, his muffled voice filled with both frustration and a bit of helplessness.

“Ugh! This is all your fault! All your fault!”

Talk was solidly hit, yet he laughed with obvious delight, spreading his hand over the back of the young man’s head.

The stream chat, having witnessed the entire scene, practically exploded.

---

Note :

1. “JK” stands for joshi kōsei (女子高生), meaning “high school girl” in Japanese. This uniform style often includes a pleated skirt, a sailor-style collar, and a ribbon or tie. ↩︎

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This chapter is brought to you by Fatima, thanks for the ko-fi!  ♡ ～(‘▽^人)

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Chapter 40 – Feeding Kills

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The next day, the WLG team hurried to the hotel’s buffet before it closed for breakfast.

Yu Haotian noticed Sang Ye constantly yawning and glanced at the time on his phone.

It was already 10 a.m., and he still looked half-asleep.

“What did you do last night?” he asked.

Sang Ye rubbed his eyes, which were still a little red at the corners. He said nothing, just kept pouring vinegar into his wonton noodles.

Xiao Pai, who always had a loose tongue, seized the opportunity to tattle, “Last night, he was hiding under the covers playing on his phone, tossing and turning and refusing to sleep. Later, when I was already dozing off, he actually got out of bed and did a few sets of squats! In the middle of the night, can you believe that—midnight squats!”

Sang Ye shot him a cold glare, his voice even colder. “I’m not sharing a room with a surveillance camera.”

“Huh?” Xiao Pai protested. “You’re the one doing who-knows-what, all excited and refusing to sleep, and now you’re acting all innocent?”

“Ah, youth,” Yu Haotian sighed, then reminded Sang Ye, “But you should also watch the time. Lately, we all need to make sure we get enough sleep. Take Tan Shen, the guy you admire—he normally sleeps very little, but during big tournaments, he makes sure to get at least ten hours of sleep every night. That’s how he keeps his energy up…”

Just as he was saying this, a tall figure appeared at the restaurant entrance.

Yu Haotian looked over and saw that it was Tan Mo.

The man, usually so composed, now had his head drooping. His face was pale from lack of sleep, and he walked sluggishly, like a wilted flower, as he made his way over to them.

He didn’t look energetic at all—if anything, you could call him downright exhausted.

“…” As Tan Mo sat down next to them, Yu Haotian turned his head to glance at Sang Ye, trying to salvage the situation. “But, uh, there are exceptions to everything. Nothing in life is absolute.”

From the moment Tan Mo appeared, Sang Ye suddenly felt wide awake. He quickly stole a glance at the man, his face inexplicably flushing. He buried his head in his wontons, but the meat filling slipped out, leaving him with a mouthful of thin skin.

“Brother, what’s wrong with you?” Xiao Pai looked him over curiously. “You look like you’re totally drained. Don’t tell me you were doing squats last night too?”

As soon as Xiao Pai finished speaking, Tan Mo grabbed a nearby napkin and threw it at him, while Sang Ye reached over to pinch Xiao Pai’s arm.

Being simultaneously attacked by both, Xiao Pai clutched his arm in confusion. “What the heck, you two…”

Sang Ye and Tan Mo exchanged a quick glance, an awkward expression flickering across their faces before they quickly looked away in unison.

Sang Ye, still blushing, stuffed more wonton skin into his mouth.

Tan Mo waved to call over the waiter and ordered a bowl of noodles.

Next to him, Hu Fu chuckled softly and asked, “How did you manage to offend both of them at once?”

Xiao Pai, looking innocent and confused, was on the verge of tears. “What did I say? Are you two teaming up to bully me?”

But no one responded to him.

Sang Ye, deep in thought, was reflecting on the fact that Talk hadn’t slept well either… But it definitely wasn’t because of him. What made him feel guilty was delivering the body wash to Talk last night.

As he was doing squats in the middle of the night, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed wrong. If he could, he really wanted to take the body wash back to prevent Tan Mo from realizing later on.

And then… thinking that he was trying to flirt with him.

At this thought, Sang Ye almost buried his face in the bowl.

Noticing this, Hu Fu suddenly exclaimed, “Whoa! Song, your face is tiny—smaller than the rim of that bowl!”

“…”

Sang Ye clenched his teeth.

Stop talking.

Just stop talking!

At that moment, Yu Haotian seemed to have realized something and leaned closer to Tan Mo, sniffing like a dog. Understanding dawned on his face, and he teased, “You smell like someone else’s perfume. What’s up with that? Did you sneak off to the bar on the fifth floor last night?”

Sang Ye’s hand, gripping the spoon, froze, and his heart sank halfway down.

Tan Mo stirred his noodles in the soup, glanced at the young man across from him, and responded coolly, “Why don’t you ask him?”

Everyone at the table turned their gazes toward Sang Ye.

Caught off guard, Sang Ye suddenly realized something.

That wasn’t perfume—it was the scent of the body wash!

Cough…! He almost spat out his wonton skin.

“Huh?” Xiao Pai looked utterly confused, a puzzled expression on his face. “Brother, you went bar-hopping and brought Bai Mao guy along?”

“Why don’t you let your imagination run a little wilder?” Tan Mo picked up a chopstick full of noodles and said coolly, “Why not say I was bar-hopping with him?”

Sang Ye suddenly shot to his feet, clutching his bowl, and quickly stepped over his chair like he was escaping. “I—I’m going to get more wontons!”

“Alright, let’s stop here,” Yu Haotian clicked his tongue twice and shook his head. “Song is way too shy, too innocent. No more borderline topics like this. You’ll scare the kid away.”

“Tch,” Xiao Pai scoffed. “At his age, I’d already mastered flirting techniques. Don’t worry, give me some time and I’ll subtly influence him.”

With a “ding,” Tan Mo tapped his chopsticks on the edge of his bowl and said, “Take care of yourself first.”

Xiao Pai shrugged and stuck out his tongue.

Tan Mo glanced at the slim figure standing by the buffet, lowered his eyes, and softly added, “He’s better at flirting than you.”

…

After breakfast, everyone went back to their rooms to grab their equipment and prepare for pre-game practice.

Sang Ye and Tan Mo’s rooms were on the same floor, so they went up together.

Sang Ye and Xiao Pai passed by Tan Mo’s room first.

Tan Mo opened the door and turned his head slightly. “Song, wait a moment.”

Sang Ye, confused, stopped at the door.

Seeing that they had something to discuss, Xiao Pai waved goodbye and headed back to his own room.

Tan Mo entered his bathroom, and after a short while, came back out holding the bottle of body wash. He handed it to Sang Ye. “Stop using the sample size, take this and use it.”

Sang Ye took it, pressed his lips together, and softly asked, “You don’t like it…?”

The corridor lights above were still on, and as the boy lowered his head, the light cast a faint shadow of disappointment over his fair, clean face.

Tan Mo replied, “No, I like it very much, but…”

He stopped mid-sentence, looked at Sang Ye for a moment, opened his mouth as if to continue, then sighed deeply.

—‘You have no idea what it feels like to be completely drained.’

Tan Mo gave Sang Ye a slightly tired but reassuring smile and insisted, “But you should take it back and use it.”

…

In the mid-afternoon, everyone had an early meal, then headed to the competition venue at their usual time.

By around 6 p.m., all the players were seated in their respective glass booths.

When the lights on the stage came on, the entire audience erupted into applause and cheers, seeming even more lively than any previous match.

The commentators first addressed the audience.

Commentator A: “Whoa! Did you notice? There are especially a lot of people here today, I heard it’s completely sold out.”

Commentator B: “Definitely. I think a big part of the crowd is here for Tan Shen. Didn’t Talk’s return make it to the trending topics last night?”

There was no doubt about that. In previous weeks, the finals sometimes had trouble selling out, but ever since Tan Mo’s appearance yesterday, all the remaining tickets on the official site sold out within seconds.

Commentator A: “The fans are really passionate. Just by looking at all the light signs, you can see how big of a section WLG occupies.”

Commentator B: “And the way everyone’s calling out to Talk is quite interesting.”

Commentator A: “Speaking of that, it reminds me—so far, the most outrageous one was Song’s fan sign during the spring tournament.”

Sang Ye was sitting in his booth, adjusting the DPI on his mouse. He vaguely heard his name mentioned and, unsure of what they were saying, pulled his headset halfway down.

Commentator B: “What was it?”

Commentator A: “It said ‘Face me head-on!'”

Commentator B: “Hahahahahaha!”

The entire crowd erupted in laughter.

“………”

Sang Ye pressed his lips together.

Guess I’ll never live that one down, huh?

Looks like “Face me head-on” is going to stay with him for life.

Commentator A: “But I have to say, the cheers for WLG today are really heartwarming. After all, WLG has been through some tough times, and during that period, we’ve seen the resilience of this team.”

Commentator B: “Yes, the fans are like little angels. Oh? Here comes another one—it’s about Song.”

Sang Ye’s heart stirred. He hadn’t really paid attention to the fan signs during his matches before.

In the past, he was the one sitting in the audience holding a sign. Now that he was a professional player, naturally, he wanted to see those encouraging and heartwarming messages.

Sang Ye turned his head to the big screen on the side of the stage.

On camera, a girl was holding a sketchbook to cover her face. On the white page, she had written in large, clear letters:

[Good luck, Fu Gui.]

Even though it was just a simple four-character message, at that moment, Sang Ye felt an unfamiliar warmth flood his heart, a surge of energy from the gesture.

No wonder they say fans are like a cozy, close-knit jacket.

Sang Ye’s lips curved up slightly. Though he knew the girl couldn’t see him, he still raised his hand and made an “OK” sign.

The next second.

The girl flipped to the next page:

[When are you going to repay us by wearing the dress you owe us?]

“…”

The three teammates beside him all burst into laughter.

The audience also erupted in laughter.

Sang Ye’s hand, which was still making the “OK” sign, froze mid-air, his face stiffened.

Never expect too much from fake fans.

None of his “cozy jackets” were without holes.

Commentator A, with an excited tone: “Oh? Oh? Oh? Seems like there’s something going on here! So, Song has a deal with his fans? When’s the livestream? I want to watch too!”

“Hey! Bai Mao!” Xiao Pai leaned forward to look at Sang Ye, laughing heartily. “Didn’t know you went so wild when you were streaming!”

Sang Ye frowned and snapped, “Shut up!”

Tan Mo picked up the bottle of water from the table, took a swig, and after screwing the cap back on, asked, “Do you like wearing dresses?”

“!!!” Sang Ye nearly jumped up, his face quickly turning red. He stared at Tan Mo. “W-What are you even thinking?!”

No way!!

Tan Mo looked Sang Ye up and down and smiled, “I’m imagining what you’d look like in a dress.”

Sang Ye: “…”

“Alright, enough from you two!” Xiao Pai warned.

After enjoying the light-hearted pre-match banter, the official game soon began.

Since WLG had missed one week of the weekly finals, when the scoreboard was displayed, they were still at 35 points, sitting at the bottom of the team rankings, in 16th place.

The first round’s flight path went from north to south, passing over the airfield but too far from P City, so Tan Mo decisively gave up on it.

“Jump to the airfield,” Tan Mo said. “The circle will likely be around the drainage area. Stick to the usual plan—clear K Building first, split into two groups, one covering high ground and the other low. Pai and Hu Fu, cover the view from the three warehouses. Song, stay with me and push forward.”

While Hu Fu was parachuting, he noticed four teams had already landed at the airfield, and one of them had also gone for K Building. Judging by their moves, they were most likely NSN.

From previous matches, they knew that K Building was one of NSN’s preferred drop points.

When Miao Sen led the team before, he focused on P City and a few points in the northern zones, so they had never contested the airfield before. This meant WLG and NSN had never clashed at the start of a game.

The audience’s excitement grew, knowing that when two strong teams faced off, it would be a fight to the death.

Commentator A: “Look at the current standings—one team is at the top, the other at the bottom. This is getting exciting! NSN has been dominating the airfield all season, and WLG challenging them right from the start seems pretty bold.”

Commentator B: “Now, check out their positions. NSN’s whole team has landed at K Building, while WLG is a bit spread out. Tan Shen and Song are close together, which makes them easy targets for NSN to surround. This position is dangerous—they’ll have to wait for their teammates to come help.”

However, the audience didn’t see any sign of team support. Instead, they watched as Sang Ye picked up a Mini rifle and two grenades, put on his helmet and armor, and decisively jumped out of the second-floor window, making his way towards the next building.

“That fast?” Commentator A was surprised. “I noticed Song processes information incredibly quickly. From his position, at most, he could have heard that one probing shot Kay fired at Xiao Pai, but there’s still someone on the second floor! How is he charging in?”

As they spoke, Sang Ye tossed a Molotov into the second-floor window of the building.

Lu Qikai barely dodged it and sneered amidst the smoke. “Does he think this is a break-in match? Rushing in without thinking? He’s asking to die… Shine, go to the balcony and get a flanking shot.”

Following orders, Shine ran to the balcony, positioning himself by the doorframe and opening his scope. As soon as Sang Ye showed himself along the wall, Shine opened fire.

But Sang Ye didn’t dodge. Instead, he returned two shots, forcing Shine back onto the balcony. As he did, Sang Ye caught a glimpse of another player peeking out from the upstairs window. He quickly shifted his aim and unleashed a burst of bullets.

“Kay’s health is down to the wire, forcing him to retreat! Sang Ye quickly switched his aim back and took down Shine! Now he’s turning left—two shots to the head! Song takes on two players at once!” Commentator A’s voice was full of excitement.

Commentator B chimed in quickly: “Song has taken advantage of this building’s corner, pulling his shots back and forth, his speed is insane! Every shot is landing in critical areas—this is terrifying! We can see Lulu trying to come for backup, but just as he passes by the window, he’s instantly eliminated by Talk’s godlike accuracy. Meanwhile, Hu Fu, who was holding the angle at the first warehouse, has also engaged, pinning down NSN’s sniper. WLG is dominating, both in individual skill and team strategy!”

Sang Ye tossed another grenade upstairs, and the explosion notification confirmed Lu Qikai’s death. He shrugged and calmly healed himself downstairs, even throwing out a sarcastic comment, “Why hasn’t Lu Qikai improved at all?”

Xiao Pai laughed and cursed, “D*mn! You’re too cocky! I’m just glad I’m on your team, otherwise, if I saw someone like you, I’d avoid you at all costs.”

“It’s not that he hasn’t improved,” Tan Mo said, suppressing a laugh as he came downstairs to meet Sang Ye, “it’s that you’ve gotten better.”

Sang Ye’s ears turned a little warm. Although Tan Mo occasionally praised him, every time he heard compliments, it still felt fresh, and it always made him feel a bit euphoric.

Sang Ye went back upstairs to clean up the remaining loot, stripping Lu Qikai of all his valuable gear.

NSN started the game with zero points, and the atmosphere in the team was unbearably tense.

Lulu grumbled, “Were they targeting you, Kay?”

Lu Qikai snapped, “How would I know!”

Lulu, oblivious, continued, “I don’t want to end up like FP’s team, making a fool of ourselves… Should we avoid them in the next round?”

“Avoid your mother! Why should we avoid anyone?” Lu Qikai cursed, ignoring the presence of the staff. “Do you think we can just give up our landing spot like that?”

The team fell into silence.

Lu Qikai, his face cold, said, “Shine, you didn’t finish off Song right away, and that gave them the opening. After that, we couldn’t play well.”

Shine frowned slightly, took off his headset, and muttered, “Yeah.”

Even now, he still wasn’t used to NSN’s team culture. It was nothing like his time in WLG.

In WLG, if someone played poorly, the teammates would encourage and comfort each other. But here, Lu Qikai was always determined to find someone to blame.

After a moment of calming down, Lu Qikai tapped his mouse and suddenly changed his tone: “Let’s drop P City next round. WLG must be desperate for kills, focusing on their points. If they like the military base so much, let them have it. P City will be better for us to gear up.”

Lulu curled his lip, knowing that Lu Qikai had chickened out.

The first round ended with WLG taking third place, but they had the most kills, causing their ranking to rise.

At the start of the second round, the flight path was similar to the previous one, running from north to south over the military base, though slightly more to the left.

Tan Mo looked at the map, estimated the distance, and marked a spot in a housing area: “P City.”

P City was a spot they had focused on during training, and unless the flight path was too far off, they would always land there because they were more familiar with the environment, which gave them an advantage in combat.

When NSN floated down to land on the rooftops, they noticed another team in P City. But they assumed it was XXY, not realizing it was WLG.

That is, until Lu Qikai, while looking for a vehicle, had his Level 2 helmet blown off by a burst of bullets, and the kill notification appeared.

[WLG-Song used M416 to headshot and knock you down.]

“…………”

Lu Qikai’s mouth twitched.

At this point, he was convinced that Song had it out for him.

For a moment, he didn’t want to live anymore.

Song leaned out of the window, putting away his gun, and frowned. “Why is it him again? Is he chasing after me?”

Hu Fu laughed so hard he spat. “I don’t think any normal person would enjoy chasing after you.”

The online chat was buzzing with comments.

[“Kay seems to fall apart every time he faces Talk. What’s going on? Two rounds, and he got killed by Song both times. Don’t call him ‘Drop Before Talk’ anymore, call him ‘Drop Before Grandpa.'”]

[“New PCL tradition—don’t stream pre-game to provoke WLG, because they’ve got ‘wife fans,’ and their ‘wife fans’ are fierce. They won’t stop chasing you, even from the military base to P City.”]

However, after this round, WLG and NSN didn’t encounter each other at the start, and both teams developed safely.

After nearly four hours, the first day of the third week’s finals came to an end. WLG made it to the final circle in three out of six games, winning two chicken dinners. With consistently high kill counts, they scored 70 points in one day, jumping to 9th place in the rankings.

If they could maintain this form, they might even break into the top five tomorrow.

NSN dropped two places in the rankings. After the match, they declined the post-game interview and left with gloomy expressions.

After a short rest in the lounge, WLG was escorted by staff to another hall for their interview.

The four of them stood in front of the sponsor’s backdrop. As soon as Sang Ye and Tan Mo stood together, the livestream comments exploded.

[“Cutest height difference!!!”]

[“First time seeing them stand next to each other—they actually look so good together!”]

[“Song, can you stand a little closer to hubby? I want to take a screenshot.”]

At this moment, it seemed like the photographer from below the stage asked them to stand closer.

Before Sang Ye could react, Tan Mo reached out, wrapped an arm around his waist, and pulled him closer.

Sang Ye stumbled a couple of steps, falling slightly against Tan Mo before steadying himself. His face quickly flushed bright red, looking as cute and delicate as ever.

The livestream comments burst out with a collective [“Aww!”] as they were unexpectedly hit with a dose of sweetness.

Spotlights occasionally flashed from the audience as a beautiful host held a microphone and began asking questions.

Tan Mo gave a brief yet clear analysis of the team’s performance.

The host’s eyes twinkled as she leaned toward the white-haired boy, her tone soft and sweet, as if talking to a child: “Song, your performance today was as impressive as ever, with an average of four kills per game, making you the undisputed MVP. How do you feel about that?”

“Am I the MVP?” Sang Ye looked confused for a moment.

He had gone straight back to the lounge after the game and hadn’t paid attention to the results on stage.

Tan Mo reminded him that he indeed was.

Sang Ye took the microphone handed to him, calmed himself, lowered his eyes slightly, giving off an unexpectedly obedient vibe: “Actually, I didn’t really earn this MVP… it was handed to me through free kills.”

The whole room froze for a moment. There was a brief two seconds of silence.

Even the host seemed a bit at a loss.

Meanwhile, the livestream comments exploded with excitement:

[“Fu Gui! What are you talking about? You are the MVP! You absolutely deserve it! We’ve never doubted you!”]

[“D*mn it, Kay talking nonsense again. The kid actually took it to heart.”]

[“Sweetheart, there’s no such thing as ‘feeding’ kills for an MVP, okay? Even if they tried, it wouldn’t get someone an MVP. Don’t let certain people influence you, you were amazing!”]

Tan Mo furrowed his brows slightly and turned his head to glance at Sang Ye.

At that moment, Sang Ye looked up and, facing the camera, said: “Thanks to NSN for feeding me kills, especially Kay. In six matches, he gave me six points. Truly living up to being a brother team. A quarter of my MVP is thanks to Kay.”

The livestream comments stalled for a few seconds, and then suddenly—

[“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”]

Xiao Pai and Hu Fu turned their heads away, shoulders shaking with laughter.

Tan Mo licked his lips and looked down, making sure his expression wasn’t caught on camera.

Yu Haotian, standing below the stage, took a deep breath, almost rolling his eyes.

On stage, Sang Ye playfully tilted his head, extending his finger to form a “finger gun,” the corner of his lips curving upward:

“Please take care of me the same way tomorrow.”

“…………”

At this time, on a bus, Lu Qikai turned off his phone and kicked the seat in front of him.

“D*mn!”

Let the earth be destroyed tomorrow!

---

This chapter is brought to you by Fatima, thanks for the ko-fi!  ♡ ～(‘▽^人)

---

Chapter 39 – My Scent

---

Even though WLG achieved an overwhelming victory in the breakout match, they couldn’t afford to relax for a moment. Tomorrow was the weekly finals, the real challenge.

With Talk’s return, fans were ecstatic, and casual viewers eagerly discussed it. Meanwhile, the top-tier teams felt a chill creeping up their spines.

— They hadn’t even reached the stage for the weekly finals, yet the fear that Tan Mo inspired had already returned.

Lu Qikai had been riding a wave of popularity recently, having streamed several times in a row. Tonight was no exception. He was playing ranked matches, and the chat was bombarding him with questions.

[“Are you scared now that Talk is back?”]

[“Will we see another ‘Silent Fall’?”]

[“Since WLG’s former striker has returned, do you think this summer tournament will break the curse?”

[“Song’s form has improved. I think NSN shouldn’t have recruited Shine. They should’ve signed Song instead because keeping him and Talk apart is key. Together, they’re an unstoppable duo.”]

Lu Qikai missed a shot, clicked his tongue in frustration, and looked visibly irritated.

“I’m happy for my old friend’s return, but he hasn’t trained in almost a month. Who knows if he’s still in form. Hopefully, he is. As for Song’s performance this week… emmm… well, NSN prefers players with consistent results. If a player’s success hinges too much on their teammates, well… you can figure that out yourselves. I’ll stop here. Some people are just hard to deal with, and I don’t want to get flamed online again.”

[“But he’s the MVP, both in the first day of the training match and today’s breakout match.”]

Lu Qikai ramped up his game, chuckled dismissively, and said, “the training match don’t count. Everyone plays casually, no one takes it seriously. But as for the breakout match, outsiders can’t see it, but there were shots that Talk could’ve covered, yet they went to Song. He got the MVP… well, those who know, know. It was basically feeding him kills.”

[“Exactly! Some people just blindly praise anyone with an MVP title. It’s ridiculous.”]

[“Song has high commercial value. WLG has to prop him up. Even Talk has to make way for him.”]

Seeing that the annoying comments had subsided and the fans were getting more worked up, Lu Qikai started to feel uneasy.

Some things are fine for a casual stream, but you don’t want them spreading, especially when WLG’s reputation is on the rise.

After mulling it over briefly, Lu Qikai was about to calm his fans down and move past the topic when suddenly, a loud, extravagant sound effect rang out in the stream.

Lu Qikai’s eyes lit up. He didn’t even need to look. He knew someone had just sent a Super Battleship gift.

Instantly, his mood settled. It seemed throwing subtle shade at Song helped with the stream’s engagement. People loved drama.

Heh.

It wasn’t his fault for being chatty; it was the newcomer’s bad character that was to blame.

Lu Qikai had just finished a match, and with a bright smile, he minimized the game and opened his stream chat. Following the notification, he began to read, “Thank you for the Super Battleship, thank you wlgSo—”

He froze mid-sentence, and his face stiffened, his expression slipping out of control.

Following the gift notification was a long message, its large font taking up half the stream window, glowing in flashy golden effects that couldn’t be ignored.

WLG-Song’s message:

[“My MVP was fed to me with kills?”]

[“Alright, see you tomorrow.”]

A cold sweat broke out on the back of Lu Qikai’s neck.

That “alright” didn’t seem alright at all! What the hell, why is he watching my stream? That’s terrifying!

[“Ahhhhhh! It’s Song! The man himself just showed up! So bold!”]

[“Our rich boy has never backed down, thank you very much.”]

[“Isn’t a Battleship like 10,000 bucks? Flexing his wealth, hahaha, Song’s seriously loaded!”]

“Pffft—!”

Xiao Pai couldn’t hold back a laugh. Sitting in the meeting room with his phone and earphones in, he turned to Sang Ye and discreetly gave him a thumbs-up. “Bai Mao, you’re a legend!”

Sang Ye ignored him, while Yu Haotian threw a pack of tissues at Xiao Pai and sharply asked, “What are you watching?”

Xiao Pai wiped his face with a blank expression. “Nothing.”

“We’re about to start the meeting, and you’re over here laughing? You waiting for the coach to sort you out?” Yu Haotian slid over on his chair and leaned in to look at Xiao Pai’s phone. “Let me see!”

Xiao Pai tried to hide it but couldn’t.

Yu Haotian glanced at the screen for a few seconds, then turned to Sang Ye, extending his hand and wiggling his fingers, waiting silently.

Sang Ye locked his phone, intending to quietly put it back in his pocket, but after meeting Yu Haotian’s gaze, he pursed his lips, reluctantly pulled it out, and pushed it across the table.

Lu Qikai, having just received what felt like an intercontinental missile of a gift, felt uneasy but decided to act confident, relying on the fact that it was his stream and he had plenty of fans. He feigned confusion, saying, “What do you mean? I’m in the middle of a stream, chatting with my fans, and you suddenly interrupt. What’s the deal? If you’ve got a problem, say it to my face, or should I just invite you to join the call?”

After that, there was no response from Sang Ye.

Even the VIP section in the chat was empty.

Lu Qikai sighed in relief, then let out a sneering laugh.

As expected, he chickened out.

At that moment, in the hotel meeting room.

“Song, you seriously…” Yu Haotian was fuming, gritting his teeth. “It wasn’t enough to argue with netizens, now you’re picking fights in livestreams? That’s too much! I can’t stand Lu Qikai either, but WLG has to show class. Don’t get caught up in petty stuff like this. Look around—does anyone else in the club explode over the smallest things like you do? And you just had to take it to his face…”

Xiao Pai quietly muttered, “Holy crap!”

Yu Haotian immediately glanced at his phone screen.

Lu Qikai’s livestream had just lit up again with another dazzling display of golden effects.

The system notification read:

[Esteemed platinum user wlg-Talk has gifted you 1 Super Battleship.]

“…………”

Everyone, both on and off the screen, fell into a stunned silence.

WLG-Talk left a message:

[“See you tomorrow.”]

The chat went wild, flooding with “rap battle” comments, filling the screen.

Lu Qikai gulped a few times, gripping his mouse and waving it around in panic. His voice grew rushed and unsteady as he pretended not to notice. “Alright, time’s up for today. I’ve got something to do later, so I’m logging off.”

If Sang Ye’s “see you tomorrow” felt like a threat letter, then Tan Mo’s “see you tomorrow” was basically a death warrant!

Lu Qikai couldn’t take it anymore. He slammed his keyboard against his head in frustration.

These two, one delivering and the other backing him up—it was terrifying, ahhhh!

Sang Ye, now without his phone, had no idea what had just happened. All he noticed was that Yu Haotian had suddenly gone silent.

At that moment, the coach walked in.

The coach briefly explained Miao Sen’s current condition. Since Miao had been the captain from the Spring season to the Summer season, the pressure on him had become overwhelming, and he needed to take a break.

However, when the coach brought up tomorrow’s lineup, he paused for two seconds, leaning on the table. “We’ve tentatively decided to have Hu Fu take the command position, and after that, Elan…”

Before he could finish, Tan Mo interrupted, “Let’s talk about the others first.”

The coach glanced disapprovingly at Tan Mo.

But Tan Mo didn’t meet his gaze, remaining indifferent as if it had nothing to do with him.

Unable to argue with him, the coach moved on to review today’s match.

By the end of the meeting, the coach didn’t mention the lineup again. Instead, he asked Tan Mo to stay behind, while the others were dismissed.

Sang Ye knew that the coach initially wanted to put Elan in the lineup and replace Talk, likely because of concerns over Talk’s mental state.

Even though Sang Ye understood that giving Talk a break was probably for the best, the thought of it still made his heart sink. As he left, he couldn’t help but glance back.

Tan Mo seemed to notice his gaze. He looked up, his expression as indifferent as always. But as their eyes met, he suddenly winked at Sang Ye.

Sang Ye stumbled over his own feet and quickly grabbed the doorframe to steady himself as he exited.

Once everyone had left, the coach spoke seriously:

“I don’t want you risking your health. Until you’re fully recovered, your symptoms could flare up at any moment. You were lucky to get through today. But what about tomorrow? What about when we reach the finals?”

“The more pressure you’re under, the harder it is for you to cope. I want results, but more than that, I want everyone in the club to be well,” the coach said.

“You can play if you want, but we need the team doctor here. I won’t feel comfortable otherwise. If something happens to you, none of us here can save you.”

Tan Mo remained silent throughout, patiently waiting for the coach to finish. When he finally spoke, his tone was calm, “I’ve already been saved once.”

The coach furrowed his brow, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Someone can save me,” Tan Mo looked up and said, “I found my safe harbor.”

…

When Tan Mo returned to his room upstairs, he found a familiar figure squatting at his door—Sang Ye.

Hearing footsteps, Sang Ye looked up, saw who it was, and quickly jumped to his feet. He awkwardly patted the back of his pants, as if brushing off imaginary dust.

Tan Mo stopped at the door and asked, “Looking for me?”

Sang Ye fumbled with his phone, a bit flustered. “I-I didn’t know you sent gifts too… I just didn’t like him and wanted to annoy him. You didn’t have to send anything. I’ll pay you back. Do you have a card number or an Alipay account?”

Tan Mo was silent for a moment, then asked, “Why do you always want to pay me back?”

“Huh?” Sang Ye looked up, confused.

It wasn’t like he was always thinking about it… just this one time.

Tan Mo lowered his gaze slightly and said in a quiet voice, “No need. I wanted to send the gift myself.” After a pause, he added, “From the heart.”

“…”

Sang Ye didn’t know what to say.

He just felt a bit guilty since this whole thing had started because of him. It was clear Talk had done it to help him deal with Lu Qikai.

Scratching his head, Sang Ye exuded a youthful awkwardness, a bit embarrassed. “Well, okay… thanks.”

Tan Mo leaned against the doorframe, watching him without saying a word.

Sang Ye glanced at him a few times, unsure why, but just being watched by Tan Mo made his face flush and his heart warm. It was a sensation that had only started happening recently.

Raising a hand to cover his cheek, Sang Ye asked, “You’re not playing tomorrow, right?”

Tan Mo replied, “It’s still me.”

Sang Ye’s eyes lit up, and his joy was evident in his expression, though he couldn’t help but still worry. “But don’t you have that thing… what’s it called, PDD?”

English had always been his weak point, and he could never remember it right.

Tan Mo, however, shook his head and said, “I don’t have Pinduoduo, I only have Taobao.”

“…”

Sang Ye’s face turned bright red as he looked down, gently kicking the carpet with his toes.

Tan Mo chuckled, tilting his head to rest against the doorframe. “I found a way to manage it.”

“What is it?” Sang Ye looked up at him.

Tan Mo narrowed his eyes slightly, deciding to be honest: “Your scent.”

Sang Ye froze for a couple of seconds. “What?”

Seeing the boy’s pretty face gradually turn red, Tan Mo felt warmth spread in his own heart as well. He lowered his gaze to the floral pattern on the carpet and said softly, “I hope this doesn’t offend you… but when I hold you and smell your scent, it helps me calm down. Maybe this is what the doctor meant by finding something familiar and reliable.”

Sang Ye swallowed hard, the sound so loud he felt like the whole hallway could hear it. He quickly lowered his gaze, his mouth slightly agape, still a bit dazed. “I don’t feel offended, just… didn’t expect it to be like that.”

Then, he grabbed his shirt collar and sniffed it, pulling it forward and asking, “Is this the smell?”

Tan Mo blinked and lifted his gaze. The sight of Sang Ye’s delicate, pale collarbone suddenly came into view. Since his collar was pulled open, a wide expanse of smooth, fair skin was revealed, and below that, something barely visible…

Tan Mo, feeling like he had been pricked, quickly shifted his eyes away, his expression slightly tense as he unconsciously straightened up.

But Sang Ye didn’t notice anything unusual. His dark eyes were clear, full of trust, as he stepped closer, still holding onto his collar. “Is it? Smell it.”

Tan Mo quickly grabbed his hand and pushed it down. “Yes.”

Sang Ye protested, “You didn’t even smell it…”

To prevent him from dwelling on it further, Tan Mo changed the subject. “Want to come into my room for a bit?”

Sang Ye immediately shut his mouth, but couldn’t stop his eyes from darting quickly to the door beside them. He’d never been inside Talk’s room before.

Sang Ye knew he should be polite and refuse, but he didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so, with a flushed face, he whispered, “Then…”

“Bai Mao!”

The door at the other end of the hallway suddenly swung open.

Sang Ye took a step back, forcing Tan Mo to let go of his hand.

Xiao Pai poked his head out and shouted loudly, “I’m done with my shower. Hurry up and take yours!”

Sang Ye gritted his teeth in frustration.

“Hey, brother!” Xiao Pai noticed Tan Mo and raised his hand in greeting. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow? You still playing?”

Tan Mo nodded slightly, then turned to Sang Ye. “And you…”

Sang Ye, with his head hanging low, didn’t say much more. “I’ll head back now…”

Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly remembered something and lifted his head. “Wait for me!”

Tan Mo stood there, watching as Sang Ye hurried back to his room, squeezing past Xiao Pai at the door.

Xiao Pai grumbled in annoyance, “Watch where you’re going… Hey brother, I’ll head inside first. Get some rest tonight.”

Tan Mo nodded slightly in farewell.

A moment later, Sang Ye came running back, holding a brightly decorated bottle in his hand.

Tan Mo took it and glanced at the label, which seemed to be in Italian—clearly an imported product.

“My aunt gave it to me,” Sang Ye explained. “I always use this brand. You should use it for your shower.”

Tan Mo paused, uncertain about what Sang Ye meant, and looked at him.

“My scent, of course,” Sang Ye pointed to the bottle of body wash, explaining as if it were the most obvious thing. “If you use it, you’ll smell just like me.”

“…” Tan Mo held the bottle, feeling a bit disoriented.

To Tan Mo, scent was something delicate, something tied to memory. Like how the smell of rain could evoke childhood memories. If this memory was associated with a person, he wouldn’t feel like he smelled like that person after using the same product. Instead, it would make him constantly think of that person, as if they were right beside him, their scent lingering on his skin…

But Sang Ye didn’t understand any of this.

Which only made the feeling more complex.

Tan Mo stood there, quietly calming himself for a while. He glanced at the body wash again and asked, “And what about you?”

Sang Ye stepped back, waving his hand. “I have a travel-sized bottle. You use this one.”

Tan Mo licked his lips, his expression complicated for a brief moment, then finally squeezed out, “Thanks.”

…

Late at night, after taking a shower, Sang Ye crawled into bed. Checking the time, he figured it was about time to sleep, but he couldn’t resist sending a message to poke at Tan Mo.

These days, if Sang Ye didn’t chat with his idol on WeChat at least once a day, he felt like something was off.

S: [Are you asleep?]

Less than a minute later, a reply popped up.

T: [Just got into bed.]

Sang Ye, excited, started typing. The screen’s glow reflected in his dark eyes, making them sparkle.

S: [Did you use the body wash?]

T: [Yes.]

S: [How was it?]

In another room where the lights were already off, Tan Mo stared at the screen. Even though he knew Sang Ye didn’t mean anything by it, he still felt a mix of mild frustration and helplessness at the question, like “how can you even ask that?”

After a moment, a thought of playful revenge crossed his mind. Biting his lower lip, he typed back.

T: [My whole bed smells like you.]

Sang Ye had been waiting eagerly, his eyes curved in a happy grin. But when that message popped up, the light in his eyes froze.

He licked his lips, curling up entirely under his blanket. His pretty face quickly flushed with a deep red, and his heart started racing.

‘How could my scent end up in Talk’s bed?’

It was only now that Sang Ye realized that giving the body wash to Tan Mo carried a subtle, indescribable meaning… A sudden thought flashed through his mind.

—’Does Talk feel like I’m lying in his bed?’

The idea was so abrupt and bold that Sang Ye bit his fist, rolling back and forth under the covers, muffled, faint sounds of barely suppressed squeals escaping his throat as he tried to hold back a scream.

“Bai Mao, are you in heat or something?!” Xiao Pai grumbled as he turned over heavily, his back facing Sang Ye’s bed. Annoyed, he shouted, “Keep making noise and I’ll call my brother to come get you!”

Sang Ye had no choice but to stop rolling around. He lay flat under the covers, hands covering his burning face, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

‘What do I do? What do I do? What do I do…?’

‘How could I even have that kind of thought?’

‘So dirty!!!’

The only thing Sang Ye could be thankful for right now was that Tan Mo didn’t seem to think too much about it. Otherwise, he’d definitely think Sang Ye was up to something!

In the other room, Tan Mo waited for a while but didn’t get a reply. He didn’t mind, figuring Sang Ye must have fallen asleep.

He turned off his phone, placed it on the nightstand, and pulled the blanket up a bit more, closing his eyes to rest.

Tan Mo hadn’t lied—after using the body wash Sang Ye gave him, the scent had indeed quickly filled his bed. But there was one thing he was aware of: that scent wasn’t exactly the same as Sang Ye’s.

The body wash was just artificial fragrance, but there was something natural about the boy—an underlying milky sweetness.

Tan Mo turned onto his side, his nose brushing against his wrist, where the scent was even more pronounced.

Even though he knew it wasn’t a perfect match, the fragrance still made him think of Sang Ye.

First, the boy’s innocent face as he tugged on his collar, asking him to smell it. As Tan Mo’s gaze had drifted lower, he’d seen Sang Ye’s slender neck, the elegant curve of his collarbone, and the snow-white skin of his chest…

His eyelids twitched, and in the darkness, Tan Mo opened his eyes. After a while, he suddenly flipped onto his back and threw off the covers, muttering a low curse.

“D*mn it.”

It was getting hot.

---

Author’s Note:

Song, after accidentally keeping his hubby awake: ‘Phew, thank goodness, he didn’t think too much about it.’

Talk, currently sleepless: ‘I’ve thought about everything I should and shouldn’t be thinking about.’

---

This chapter is brought to you by Fatima, thanks for the ko-fi!  ♡ ～(‘▽^人)

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Chapter 38 – From now on

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In the cramped, narrow compartment, Sang Ye’s hands stiffened in midair. After a moment of confusion, he finally felt the tight, painful grip from his back and waist. But that wasn’t why he couldn’t breathe—it was because his heart was being mercilessly wrenched.

Sang Ye didn’t know what Tan Mo had been through, but whatever it was, it must have carried an unbearable weight of pain that he couldn’t fully comprehend. So much so that even now, Tan Mo exuded such an intense aura of despair.

Sang Ye’s eyes quivered, tears welling up.

He didn’t know what to do. He felt anxious and powerless, but more than anything, he felt deep sorrow and compassion.

What should I do?

How can I save you?

How can I keep fear and sorrow away from you?

Outside, the sound of footsteps and casual chatter echoed through the hallway, like the lively noise after a final exam. There was a sense of carefree joy. Soon, groups of people entered the restroom, and the noise broke through the thin barrier, drawing closer.

The arms around his back tightened a little.

Tan Mo buried his face in Sang Ye’s collar, pressing hard, trying to muffle the sound of his trembling sobs.

Now Sang Ye really found it hard to breathe, but he didn’t mind. His hands hovered uncertainly in the air for a moment before finally resting on Tan Mo’s back. One arm awkwardly wrapped around the man, while the other gently covered the back of his head.

“D*mn, that last hit drained my energy—I couldn’t dodge it!”

“Are we heading straight back after this match?”

“If I don’t make it to the finals, the coach will kill me…”

Sang Ye glanced at the door and furrowed his brows slightly. His slender, pale fingers threaded through Tan Mo’s clean-cut hair, sliding to his ears, and covered them.

Tan Mo’s breath hitched for a moment, then slowly, bit by bit, his body began to relax.

The surroundings grew quiet. He could smell the faint, dry fragrance from the fibers of the boy’s clothes, mingled with a subtle, sweet milky scent on his skin. Wrapped in the unique scent that belonged to Sang Ye, Tan Mo felt an unprecedented sense of warmth and safety. The cold chill behind him was driven away, and the lingering dark images in his mind gradually faded.

Before long, Tan Mo’s sobs softened, and his breathing began to steady, though his arms still clung tightly to Sang Ye, unwilling to let go or lift his head from Sang Ye’s embrace.

After a while, someone outside noticed the innermost stall had been closed for some time. Curious, they approached and knocked on the door.

The man in Sang Ye’s arms trembled, a reaction Sang Ye could feel clearly.

He pressed his hands harder, covering Tan Mo’s ears even more tightly, feeling irritated and angry at the interruption.

The person outside didn’t leave, knocking again. “Is someone in there?”

Sang Ye turned his head and snapped, “Get lost!”

The young man outside recoiled half a step, annoyed. “What the…”

A companion recognized the voice and quickly pulled him back, whispering, “Don’t bother. That’s WLG in there… You don’t want to mess with him.”

Even that name wasn’t uttered in full.

People came and went from the restroom, but eventually, it quieted down again.

In the silence, Sang Ye noticed Tan Mo’s ears peeking out from the crook of his arm, so close he could see the fine, translucent hairs on them.

So soft…

He was about to lower his head to get a closer look when the arms around his waist loosened.

In that instant, Sang Ye snapped out of his daze, releasing Tan Mo even faster, feeling slightly flustered.

Tan Mo, now fully relaxed, leaned back against the partition. His pale, damp face was flushed unnaturally, as if the color had been forced out. He looked drained, weary, and almost sickly.

He blinked, lifted his eyes, and asked, “Did I scare you?”

Sang Ye shook his head. “No.”

Tan Mo pointed under his own eye, teasing him with a smile, “You’re about to cry.”

Sang Ye immediately lowered his head to hide his expression and reached for the nearby roll of toilet paper.

Tan Mo, in no rush, took out a packet of tissues from his pocket and handed one to him.

Sang Ye’s hand froze mid-reach, then released as he accepted the scented tissue, muttering, “Thanks…”

‘Tan Mo is the kind of guy who always carries tissues with him, unlike me’ Sang Ye thought.

“I should be the one thanking you.”

As Sang Ye wiped his face haphazardly, Tan Mo leaned in and pinched his cheek.

The affectionate gesture made Sang Ye freeze in discomfort, then he frowned slightly, feeling as if something deep inside him had crumbled.

Just a moment ago, he hadn’t thought much of it, but now, reflecting on it made him uneasy. He sniffled, and unable to resist, grabbed the front of Tan Mo’s jacket. His voice was laced with frustration and hurt as he finally voiced his long-standing confusion: “What’s wrong with you? I don’t know anything…”

Tan Mo saw that his eyes had reddened again, with traces of moisture clinging to his fluttering eyelashes, and even the tip of his nose was tinged with pink. His worried expression was so moving, and his delicate face looked both pitiful and adorable.

Tan Mo’s heart softened. He gently ruffled the boy’s hair. Words that had once been so hard to say now came out without burden, perhaps only because it was Sang Ye. “PTSD.”

Sang Ye blinked, but his brow furrowed even more, his fingers twisting the fabric of Tan Mo’s jacket. “I don’t understand…”

“It’s a condition where people experience flashbacks after trauma,” Tan Mo explained, glancing down at Sang Ye’s slender fingers that were nervously crumpling his clothes, a smile flickering in his eyes. “When I was little, someone shot me with a handgun. Later, when I remembered the details, similar situations would trigger flashbacks.”

Tan Mo said it lightly, but Sang Ye’s heart trembled as he listened.

Things were more dangerous than he had thought.

Tan Mo loosened one side of his collar: “This position.”

Sang Ye followed his movements and saw a glaring red scar on the smooth and cold white skin at the junction of Tan Mo’s shoulder and neck, dragging a flame-like tail.

Sang Ye took a small breath.

Tan Mo was afraid that he would not be able to hold back his tears again, and did not want to scare the child, so he pulled his collar back up.

But Sang Ye came closer at this time, opened his collar again, put his index finger on the wound and rubbed it, frowning and muttering: “It hurts so much…”

But it seemed to be a sensitive spot, Tan Mo’s angular jawline suddenly tightened, and the side of his slender and straight neck turned light red. He looked at Sang Ye and hesitated for a moment, then looked away.

Until he couldn’t stand being touched, he touched Sang Ye’s wrist and gently blocked it, whispering: “Let’s go, Yu Haotian and the others should be worried… I’m fine now.”

“Oh, okay.” Sang Ye pressed his lips together, his restless index finger curling slightly before clenching into his palm. When he looked up, he noticed Tan Mo hadn’t moved.

—Tan Mo was staring at him.

Sang Ye’s heart skipped a beat under that intense gaze, and it suddenly dawned on him that the atmosphere felt… off.

He was still kneeling there, his hands awkwardly rubbing against his pants. Thinking back to the intimate moments they’d just shared, he realized he hadn’t noticed at the time, but now, in the calm aftermath, a wave of delayed embarrassment washed over him like a flood.

His face turned visibly red, and his dark eyes flickered with shyness. Yet, he stubbornly held Tan Mo’s gaze, pretending everything was fine and refusing to look away.

But the space was too small, and the thick, unspoken tension between them grew heavier, wrapping around them. Sang Ye’s thoughts briefly wandered, and his gaze quickly flicked to Tan Mo’s pale lips before darting away. His hands clenched his pants, and his heartbeat grew louder and faster.

‘Is Tan Mo waiting for something?‘ If this continued, something was bound to happen…

Sang Ye wasn’t sure if he was resisting or anticipating it—he only knew his brain felt like it was turning to mush.

Tan Mo cleared his throat, leaned in slightly, and spoke in a low, husky voice, “Song.”

A shiver ran down Sang Ye’s back as he instinctively straightened up, his eyes bright. “Yes?”

Tan Mo said, “You’re kneeling on my shoe.”

Sang Ye’s scalp tingled this time. “…Oh, right.”

Tan Mo left the stall and washed his face at the sink outside.

He shook the water droplets from his hands, and when he looked up, he saw Sang Ye in the corner, scratching the wall.

Tan Mo: “……..”

…

Halftime was longer than usual.

Back in the break room, Yu Haotian was about to head out to look for someone, clearly restless.

As they bumped into each other at the door, Yu Haotian noticed Tan Mo’s pale face, and his expression darkened. “Did you just…”

Seeing the room full of people, he cut himself off midway, his sharp eyes narrowing at Tan Mo.

Tan Mo brushed past him with a bland expression. “I’m fine.”

“Come outside with me,” Yu Haotian said, pulling the door open.

But Tan Mo casually sat down on the sofa. “Let me rest for a bit.”

Seeing that their captain was acting as usual, both Xiao Pai and Hu Fu finally relaxed.

Hu Fu sighed in relief, “You scared me to death earlier. When you left in the middle of the match, it freaked me out.”

This comment brought Yu Haotian’s vigilance back. “Why did your heart rate hit 160 in the middle of the game?”

Tan Mo looked at Yu Haotian for a few seconds, then shifted his gaze to Sang Ye. “Ask him.”

Sang Ye, who had just closed the door and was suddenly called out, froze on the spot. “…?”

“What’s Song got to do with it?” Yu Haotian asked, puzzled.

Sang Ye waved his hand, signaling that he hadn’t done anything.

“Flawless marksmanship. One shot, one kill,” Tan Mo said with a smirk. “Playing that well, who wouldn’t have their heart racing?”

“…”

Sang Ye’s face flushed red.

It was impossible to even get mad at being blamed like that.

“C’mon!” Hu Fu laughed as he rolled off to the side.

“Give me a break!” Xiao Pai groaned dramatically, pleading loudly, “Please, brother, spare me!”

Without any evidence to back up his suspicions, Yu Haotian could only let it go for now.

But Sang Ye knew what was really going on, and the closer it got to the start of the second half, the more nervous he became.

As they were about to go back on the field, Sang Ye tugged on Tan Mo’s sleeve at the entrance.

Tan Mo stopped in his tracks, turning to look back at Sang Ye, raising his eyebrows slightly, as if asking what was the matter.

But Sang Ye didn’t speak, nor did he let go of his sleeve. He just stared at Tan Mo with his bright, lively eyes.

Tan Mo licked the corner of his lips, took a step closer, glanced at the dark entrance to the stage passage, and lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear. “One day, I’ll return to the arena. So, one day, I’ll have to overcome this. If I can’t today, then next time… I’m not afraid of disappointing you. I did think about giving up before…”

Suddenly, he lowered his eyes and didn’t continue.

Sang Ye felt warmth spread in his chest. He knew that Tan Mo possessed an indomitable spirit, and it was this very spirit that had been inspiring him all along.

Sang Ye waited, hoping Tan Mo would say more.

Tan Mo glanced at his wrist, then gently took hold of Sang Ye’s hand, which was clutching his sleeve. “Let’s go. I have to give it a try.”

…

By the middle of the sixth round, WLG found themselves once again in a three-way standoff.

When the broadcast showed the players’ video windows, a small box below each player displayed their heart rate, marked by a red heart and fluctuating numbers.

Yu Haotian noticed that Tan Mo’s heart rate monitor was once again spiking out of control.

Biting his thumb, his tension rose with each jump in the numbers. He mumbled useless instructions as if they could reach Tan Mo from afar, “Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths…”

On the battlefield, Tan Mo used the brief moment of bandaging to regulate his breathing, trying to ward off the waves of dizziness darkening his vision.

The words of the team doctor echoed in his mind.

—“Breathe deeply, stay calm, focus your mind on the task at hand.”

A grenade rolled to the side. Tan Mo leaped over the cover, immediately locking onto an enemy and firing. A split second later, a deafening explosion erupted in his headset.

134.

148.

151.

Yu Haotian pounded his thigh: “Tan Mo, if you go up any more, I will call an ambulance with a stretcher waiting for you next to the stage.”

——“Keep reminding yourself of the current situation and consolidate your confidence.”

Tan Mo’s forehead was already covered with a layer of cold sweat, his ears were buzzing, his hands were trembling, and he was trying hard to kill the last enemy.

When the scene in front of him was about to be swallowed by the forest, Sang Ye’s voice seeped in: “There are footsteps above your head in the south, give me cover… Talk, I’m on it now… Talk?”

——“Find your safe island, anchor the certainty in uncertainty, and use it to distinguish illusion from reality.”

159.

152.

143.

135.

Yu Haotian’s eyes lit up: “It’s done!”

“Here.” Tan Mo set up a heavy machine gun behind the wall and said to Sang Ye, “Go, leave this to me.”

Sang Ye no longer had any concerns, and he went forward with his gun to smash the last team.

When the chicken-eating prompt popped up, the whole audience applauded.

In the standings, WLG ranked first.

Xiao Pai and Hu Fu breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, took off their headphones, and clapped their hands in the air.

The noise at the scene was so loud that it almost drowned out the conversation between the two of them.

Sang Ye was about to take off his headphones when a voice suddenly rang out in the team channel.

——”Sang Ye.”

“…”

It was not “Song” or “little friend”, but a name that could not be formal anymore, and it seemed too unfamiliar when spoken by Tan Mo.

Sang Ye looked at the audience seats in front of him with floating figures, and suddenly felt something unusual, and blinked: “Hmm?”

Tan Mo closed the game interface, and without shifting his gaze, he slowly spoke:

“From now on, can you also sit next to me?”

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