After staying in H city for nearly twenty days, Chi Yu publicly acknowledged his relationship with Jiang Mo. They were no longer secretive about it, and about half of the crew knew that Chi, the movie star, had someone hidden in his room.
Chi Yu wasn’t working with Director Qin for the first time. In the past, he was never the first to leave the set. Now, as soon as the director called it a day, Chi Yu was always the first to leave. After several times, everyone knew that Chi, the movie star, was in a hurry to get back to see his boyfriend.
The assistant director teased him, suggesting that Chi Yu should bring Jiang Mo to the set to hang out, as it wasn’t a big deal, and other actors had brought their family members to the set before. However, Chi Yu refused.
Firstly, Jiang Mo was quite introverted, and if he brought Jiang Mo to the set, there would definitely be a crowd of people around them. He didn’t want to scare Jiang Mo, who was no longer part of the entertainment industry. There was no need to complicate his relationship with his partner.
Secondly, Jiang Mo was rarely available, almost glued to his seat. On rare occasions, it was Jiang Mo who initiated going out for a meal.
There was one thing that Chi Yu was somewhat concerned about. Even though he considered Jiang Mo’s feelings and hadn’t taken him to the set, Jiang Mo didn’t seem to care at all. He had never brought it up or expressed any curiosity about how Chi Yu looked while filming.
Wasn’t Jiang Mo his fan? Why wasn’t he curious about him at all?
On this evening when there was no night shoot, Chi Yu voiced the curiosity in his heart.
Jiang Mo lifted his head from the computer and explained earnestly, “I, I wanted to leave some anticipation for myself.”
“Hmm?”
“If I watched it in advance, there would be no sense of mystery left. I want to see you on the big screen,” Jiang Mo pursed his lips a few times, his voice gradually lowering, “I’ve seen what you look like when you act before…”
Before entering the world of the novel, Chi Yu had been filming a movie near their base. Jiang Mo had heard the news, dropped his game in the middle of a match, and hurriedly went to the shooting location, observing the filming from a distance for half an hour.
At that time, Chi Yu was filming a crime thriller, wearing a special police uniform in the summer heat. Jiang Mo hadn’t brought an umbrella and nearly suffered from heatstroke. What had stunned him even more was Chi Yu’s tightly cinched waist, his long and straight legs hidden in black trousers, and the military boots binding his ankles.
Knowing that Chi Yu was watching another actor in the same production, due to the angle, Jiang Mo narcissistically imagined himself as the actor acting alongside Chi Yu. He was being seriously observed by Chi Yu, who had a raised corner of his mouth, raised eyebrows, and the dense eyelashes casting shadows on his face when he lowered his gaze. When he opened his eyes, his shadow seemed to be etched into Chi Yu’s memory…
On that day, Jiang Mo was fined ten thousand yuan by the league’s disciplinary team for going AFK in his game. He, who was usually very thrifty, paid the fine without feeling the least bit heartache. To catch a glimpse of Chi Yu, this money was well worth it.
Chi Yu didn’t suspect anything; after all, he had worked with Jiang Mo before, so Jiang Mo had seen him act.
Sensing that Jiang Mo had something on his mind, he got up and sat down in the seat next to Jiang Mo.
“And then?” he asked.
Jiang Mo replied, “What I mean is, I’ve seen you act before, so I don’t need to see it again.”
“Seeing it just once, and you don’t want to see it again? Is my appeal to you that low?” Chi Yu said sadly.
“It’s not like that,” Jiang Mo hurriedly grabbed Chi Yu’s sleeve.
Chi Yu drooped his eyebrows and revealed a sad expression, lowering his head. From Jiang Mo’s perspective, he could clearly see all of Chi Yu’s sadness.
His heart skipped a beat.Without thinking too much, Jiang Mo laid it all out, “Because, when you’re acting, you look so handsome and focused that I… I can’t help myself.”
“Can’t help yourself with what?” Chi Yu’s lips curled slightly.
Jiang Mo avoided Chi Yu’s gaze and said, “I can’t help but want to hug you.”
Chi Yu chuckled softly. His deep and husky voice was seductive as he said, “Tell me, where do you want to kiss?”
Jiang Mo was enchanted by him, closed his eyes, but his kiss landed slightly off target on the corner of Chi Yu’s lips.
“Is that it?” Chi Yu was somewhat dissatisfied.
Jiang Mo shook his head and said, “There’s more.”
With that, this time he found the right direction, and their lips met perfectly.”Is there more?” Chi Yu asked.
Jiang Mo seemed satisfied and replied, “No, no more.”
“Then it’s my turn,” Chi Yu said as he lifted Jiang Mo into his arms.
Guessing where Chi Yu wanted to take him, Jiang Mo shyly buried his face in Chi Yu’s shoulder, holding onto Chi Yu’s arm tightly. He obediently didn’t resist.
…
The spring season playoffs were coming to an end, and with the previous year’s runner-up title, the SVP team’s matches garnered a lot of attention. Every match had twice the viewership of other teams, and videos of SVP players on various websites had several times more views than other professional players.
The more attention they received, the greater the pressure became.
SVP’s journey through the playoffs seemed easy on the surface, but those with keen eyes could tell that their teamwork this year was not as good as last year’s.
With each new game patch, the heroes played in matches differed from the previous year, but their playing style remained the same. Their tactics had been thoroughly researched by other teams, and as they gained more popularity, they attracted more controversies and set the pace for others.
SVP’s first team consisted of only five members. When they went to competitions, they would bring two members from the second team as substitutes. Under normal circumstances, substitutes wouldn’t play; they were there just in case or to prevent unexpected situations.
Everyone knew that the weak points of the SVP team were the mid-lane and jungle positions. Last year, with better synergy between these positions, they might have won the championship. But there were no ifs.
After returning to China, SVP’s coach, A’kang, and manager, Datian, had been providing psychological support to the mid-lane and jungle players.
Losing a match had nothing to do with them. Regain your form, and next year, win back the lost championship at the World Championships.
These two young players were both quite young; the jungle player was only 19 this year. Their mental states were fragile at their age. Datian emphasized several times that they shouldn’t check Weibo or read forums before matches. They couldn’t resist their curiosity, and if they did, they would ultimately be the ones to suffer.
In the playoff match of the top four, the mid-lane and jungle players made mistakes again, but luckily, they managed to win against the RAG team with a score of 3:2.
Although they won, the online community was filled with ridicule
…
[This time, thanks to Xie Ning and the bot lane duo, these two big dads carried the team. If it were me, I could also make it to the finals.]
[What was Taozi doing in the fourth game? Daydreaming the whole time? How many times did Gao Ze roam? What were you doing?]
[Hehe, I saw it during the preseason. In those three games of the preseason, Taozi couldn’t beat Gao Ze. I really feel sorry for Gao Ze. Dragging four teammates, the top laner is retiring, the new jungle is useless, SVP also needs to thank Xu Ta. If it weren’t for Xu Ta setting the pace, you would have been eliminated long ago.]
[I really don’t understand, why did RAG sign Xu Ta in the first place?]
[If only we could swap Gao Ze to SVP and pick up a good jungler from another team, SVP would have a stable championship team this year.]
Xie Ning entered the training room carrying a plate of washed cherries. Their seats were arranged in the same order as during matches. He playfully slapped the head of their jungler, Xia Zeyu, and said, “Didn’t the coach tell you to stop looking at these things?”
“Ouch, are you crazy?” Xia Zeyu’s face clearly said, “I’m annoyed right now, you better not provoke me.”
Xie Ning saw it and pretended to be blind, giving Xia Zeyu another pat on the head before quickly retreating to his own seat before Xia Zeyu could get angry.
“We’ve already won the game, why do you care so much?” Xie Ning put the plate on the table and invited Xia Zeyu to eat.
Xia Zeyu wasn’t in the mood to eat. He said with frustration, “Today was my fault. If it weren’t for me, we wouldn’t have played a full five games.”
The playoffs followed a BO5 format, with three wins and two losses. They won two games but then lost two in a row. If it weren’t for Xie Ning’s heroic effort in the last game, they would have lost.
“So, you should thank me even more. When we win the Spring Championship, you’ll have to treat me to something delicious. How about that new French restaurant on Donghu Street? I want to eat the best and most expensive dishes.”
“Get lost!”
“I know,” after a moment of silence, Xia Zeyu suddenly looked despondent. “I overheard the coach and manager talking earlier. They want to find a new jungler from the second team or the youth training camp to replace my position.”
Xie Ning chewed on cherries nonchalantly and said, “That’s true. They’re also thinking about finding a substitute for Taozi.”
Taozi was SVP’s mid-laner.
Xia Zeyu asked, “You knew this already?”
Xie Ning replied, “Everyone knows, even Taozi knows about it.”
Xia Zeyu: “…”
“Moreover, I recommended my good buddy to the manager earlier. He’s an amazing jungler. If he joins, we can have excellent jungle synergy. Hahaha.”
Xia Zeyu hit Xie Ning’s shoulder a few times out of anger but didn’t actually get upset. Xie Ning had this carefree personality.
People who didn’t know Xie Ning might get angry because of his words, but Xia Zeyu knew better.
Getting angry with Xie Ning was just asking for trouble
.Xie Ning talked about that jungler, and Xia Zeyu had heard of him too. Xie Ning bragged about his buddy in their gamers’ group chat every day, and it was hard not to know. Xie Ning’s solo video where he got solo-killed by the opponent was even on the front page of the League of Legends video website, with over four million views.
Losing to a random player, Xie Ning not only didn’t feel ashamed but also became friends with the opponent. Despite being a top-tier player, he had no airs of a pro. Xia Zeyu couldn’t adopt this mindset no matter how hard he tried.
Xie Ning folded his playful demeanor and said, “However, the manager rejected him. The manager said not just anyone can join SVP’s first team. My buddy is an incredible jungler, and the fact that the manager turned him down means you’re pretty amazing, right?”
Xia Zeyu: “…”
He didn’t know if Xie Ning was trying to console him or annoy him with these words, but talking to Xie Ning was a waste of breath.
However, he knew that Xie Ning was comforting him in his own unique and annoying way.
Xia Zeyu asked, “If the coach wanted to replace your starting position, would you be upset?”
“As long as I play well and nobody can take away your spot. If it really becomes a possibility, then let it be. We can’t do anything if our skills don’t match. In esports, being bad is the original sin.”
Xie Ning popped a cherry into his mouth and continued, “But I won’t let anyone take my spot. So, you should listen to the coach and manager, don’t pay attention to what others say about you. Taozi has a more open mindset than you. Although he doesn’t say it out loud, he’s been looking for me to duo queue together in private.”
Xia Zeyu responded with a sullen “Hmm.”
Seeing Xia Zeyu’s expression, it was clear he hadn’t taken Xie Ning’s words to heart.
Honestly, Xia Zeyu’s skill was really good. He performed well when he first debuted last year, without so much criticism. As his reputation grew, he became more cautious during matches, unable to let loose, afraid of making mistakes, and vulnerable to others’ insults.
Were others’ opinions really that important?
Xie Ning scratched his head and didn’t want to say too much. The coach and manager had already talked to him, but Xia Zeyu couldn’t correct his attitude. It seemed that, as the coach had said, someone needed to give Xia Zeyu a wake-up call. He needed to feel the pressure to perform better.
…
Xie Ning opened his long-neglected livestream. As soon as he started broadcasting, he received many congratulations from fans. There were certainly some who came to stir up trouble, but Xie Ning ignored them.Just after finishing the game, Xie Ning didn’t want to jump into ranked games right away. He hadn’t contacted Jiang Mo in about a week. At that time, Jiang Mo had told him that he had reached the King rank and was pushing for higher ranks.
In just a few days, Jiang Mo’s LP (League Points) had reached 1805, only 7 points away from surpassing the top-ranked player on the Korean server, Park Eun-kyung, who had led the EK team to win two world championships and was currently the world’s number one jungler.
[SVP·Lemon: It’s only been a few days, and you’ve been playing day and night. Haven’t you dropped dead yet?]
Jiang Mo said he would prove it to Manager Datian and, at the same time, not disappoint his trust by reaching the top 100 on the Korean server.
However, Jiang Mo hadn’t told him that his ultimate goal was to become number one on the Korean server. He thought that being in the top 100 would be enough to prove himself.
Who would have thought that Jiang Mo would be so determined?
It was a bit frightening.
How long had he been playing?
Xie Ning checked Jiang Mo’s game record. It was full of wins, of course, but there were also losses.
Jiang Mo had played until 6 PM before Chi Yu took him out for dinner. Right after he returned, he received a message from Xie Ning.
[Moo: ==]
[SVP·Lemon: For the last game, do you want me to duo queue with you?]
[Moo: No need.]
[SVP·Lemon: Are you looking down on me because I’m bad?]
[Moo: No.]
He didn’t think Xie Ning was bad, and he didn’t duo queue with Xie Ning for another reason:
Since he had decided to prove himself with his own strength, he believed that he could do it alone. He didn’t need strong teammates to help him; he could win on his own.
Knowing that this match was crucial for Jiang Mo, Chi Yu took Jiang Mo out for dinner and they went for a walk outside to help him relax before allowing him to return.
Having a good mindset was essential to unleash one’s true potential.
After coming back, Chi Yu quietly sat next to Jiang Mo without saying a word.
[“Damn, am I seeing things? Did I read that right? How did this Xiao Jieba account get so many points in King rank?”]
[“Back when I started following this streamer, I never thought this streamer could reach second place on the Korean server… I’ve struck gold!”]
[“Waaah, do I have to curse out Little Cat TV again? If I hadn’t joined Xiao Jieba‘s livestream, I would have missed out on witnessing Xiao Jieba’s journey to the top!”]
[“Am I not going to witness Xiao Jieba reaching first place on the Korean server? Xie Ning, team up with Xiao Jieba quickly, let’s witness it together!”]
“No,” Xie Ning wasn’t as excited as the viewers, and he didn’t seem as disappointed by Jiang Mo’s refusal as he was at the beginning.
“It’s better to be a bystander than to be involved.”
About five minutes into Jiang Mo’s game, Xie Ning clicked to spectate and waited during the loading screen. Along with the viewers, he entered Jiang Mo’s King-ranked match.
[“Damn, the opponent’s Foyego is Park Eun-kyung. This is too coincidental!”]
[“No way QAQ, it had to be this game. If he loses this one, doesn’t Xiao Jieba have to play several more games to reach first place?”]
[“Do you guys have to underestimate him so much? What if he beats Park Eun-kyung?”]
[“Hey, that’s Park Eun-kyung, the world’s number one jungler!”]
[“Can you stop hyping up your ‘Korean dad’? So what if he’s the world’s number one jungler? Xiao Jieba might not necessarily be worse than him.”]
“Ugh, could you all stop arguing in my livestream? I’ve said it before, if you’re here to provoke, you’ll be banned immediately,” Xie Ning said confidently as he chewed on a cherry.
“Shut up and watch quietly. This is the debut of the future world’s number one jungler. When you come back to rewatch this video in the future, I won’t believe you if you don’t say ‘GG’.”
Author’s Note:
Xie Ning (raising a glow stick): Ahhh, go, Moo, little brother! Crazy for you, mad for you, banging my head against the wall for you!!!
Jiang Mo: ==
The pressure is intense. I’ve never felt this kind of pressure even in a match.In terms of gaming skill and understanding, there are limitations. The game version used is the author’s own version and is fictional, taking place before Jiang Mo’s book-transmigrating in the S13 season and after the book-transmigration in the current S10 season. Some heroes might not align with the season and release dates. Please don’t delve too deeply into it! Thank you!