Chapter 27 – LinShi CP Is Real
“Nothing, really. I was just thinking about your 5v5 match schedule tomorrow. Your match with Bieber is the third one. I haven’t been following Pinnacle much this past year, so I’m going to go through all the match videos of Bieber’s team tonight—see what tactics we can use against them.”
Faced with the topic of Lin Ran, Shi Cha suddenly became much more talkative.
Lin Ran chuckled and ruffled his messy hair. “No need to work so hard. I’ve got it under control.”
“But…” Shi Cha still wanted to say more.
“Don’t forget I’m the boss of LL. All the match videos from the past year—not just the coaching team needs to watch them, I need to as well.”
Only then did Shi Cha realize that even though Lin Ran had retired, his attention toward Pinnacle had never waned.
With so many teams and so many matches, the coaching team had to spend a long time watching and analyzing them. Lin Ran had clearly invested a lot of time and effort into it as well.
He looked up at Lin Ran with a heartache-filled gaze. “So being a boss is this hard too. You’ve really had it rough.”
Lin Ran: “…”
Lin Ran found it even funnier. Anyone who didn’t know Shi Cha would think he was being sarcastic.
He ruffled Shi Cha’s hair again. “Let’s go.”
“You can get to the audience seating from here. This is your ticket. At the opening, I need to go on stage with the other players. Once I’m done on my end, I’ll come find you.”
Shi Cha took the ticket and nodded obediently. “Okay.”
…
8:00 sharp.
The popular heroes of Pinnacle descended one after another from the dome of the sky onto the battlefield, dodging and weaving as they landed.
At the same time, the entire arena flickered with light as a massive 3D Pinnacle map appeared before everyone’s eyes—enveloping them all within it.
Then, each hero’s dazzling ultimate skill lit up the entire map in a blaze of brilliance.
Only those in the live audience could truly feel the awe of being one with the Pinnacle heroes.
Even Shi Cha, who was only interested in Lin Ran’s performance in Pinnacle, had to admit—there was a moment when his blood boiled with excitement.
Suddenly, the lights in the venue dimmed.
All the heroes and the massive map instantly transformed into a sky full of stardust and vanished above the arena.
Everyone was stunned.
The entire hall fell silent. Then, one by one, the players’ photos appeared on the giant stage screen—along with the heroes they had chosen as their favorites.
The host also appeared at that moment, introducing each player’s stats with passionate energy.
Lin Ran, as the only retired player, was saved for last.
He was also the only one whose photo was set against a pitch-black background—unlike the others, he had no signature hero displayed behind him.
“Some of you might be wondering why Ran Shen’s background is completely black. It’s not because our event team got lazy. When we asked Ran Shen which hero he wanted as his background, his response was, ‘Any of them is fine.’
Friends, that really put our event team in a tough spot. They kept trying to choose, but every hero seemed both suitable and not quite right. So, in the end, they decided to use a pure black background—symbolizing that Ran Shen’s hero pool is as vast and unfathomable as the sea.
Now then, please welcome our Ran Shen—Lin Ran!”
As the host finished speaking, the entire venue erupted in thunderous cheers and applause.
It had been a full year since the audience last saw Lin Ran on an official stage.
Even though Shi Cha was seated in the VIP section, he could still feel the electric energy from the crowd.
He swept his gaze over the sea of waving glow sticks in the audience, then looked back up at Lin Ran standing tall and proud on the stage.
He pressed his lips together and smiled—utterly content and overjoyed.
Brother Lin Ran will always be the best!
On stage, Lin Ran waved to greet the crowd below, but Shi Cha could still feel Lin Ran’s intense gaze directed toward his area.
Because of that, some people nearby followed Lin Ran’s line of sight and looked over toward Shi Cha. But the dim lighting made it hard to see clearly.
With the added attention, Shi Cha had no choice but to pull up his mask higher, trying to shield himself from curious glances.
The host continued to speak with fervor on stage, stirring up the crowd’s excitement, then announced that the 1v1 matches were about to begin.
Soon after, only the players participating in the 1v1 matches remained on the stage—everyone else temporarily exited.
Shi Cha hadn’t waited long before he saw Lin Ran walking over, low-key with his mask on, and sitting down next to him.
At that moment, the players on stage were drawing lots to determine their matchups, so the audience’s attention was focused there—no one noticed what was happening off-stage.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I passed a vending machine and grabbed one for you.”
Lin Ran sat down, opened the bottle cap of a drink, and handed it to Shi Cha.
Shi Cha took it and said, “Thanks.” He pulled his mask down with one hand, but during the process, his fingernail accidentally scraped the right side of his chin, causing him to let out a small “ouch.”
Apparently, he’d gotten a large pimple on his chin—probably from all the spicy skewers he had eaten the night before—and his nail had caught it just as it was beginning to surface.
Hearing the sound, Lin Ran immediately asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”
Shi Cha covered his chin. “It’s nothing.”
But Lin Ran didn’t believe him. He gently held Shi Cha’s chin with one hand and turned his face toward him. Since the pimple was further back, Lin Ran leaned in to take a closer look.
The two of them were sitting very close—so close that Lin Ran’s soft breaths brushed against the exposed skin on Shi Cha’s neck.
Being held by the person he liked like that, Shi Cha’s ears turned red with embarrassment. He bit his lip, his voice starting to stutter, “R-really, it’s nothing.”
Lin Ran saw that it was just a pimple and realized he had overreacted a bit.
However, just as he was about to sit up, the entire arena suddenly erupted into deafening screams.
Since the All-Star match was being broadcast live, viewers watching online let out the same ear-piercing “groundhog screeches” as the ones at the venue.
This was a moment of universal shock—except for the LinShi CP fans, who were screaming with joy.
There was an odd number of players registered for the 1v1 match. After drawing lots and pairing off, one person was left without an opponent. Logically, that person would automatically advance to the next round, a stroke of good luck.
But the one who got the bye was Bieber. In a moment of hot-headedness, he made a request to the host: he wanted to challenge someone for his first match to keep things fair for the others.
When the organizers heard that he wanted to challenge Lin Ran, they were, of course, all for it. Although Lin Ran had retired, his popularity remained unmatched among all the players. They couldn’t force Lin Ran to participate in the 1v1 match, but if someone challenged him—why would they say no?
After receiving Bieber’s request, the organizers decided to cut to Lin Ran in the audience to ask whether he would accept the challenge.
And that’s when the camera captured Lin Ran gently holding someone’s chin, leaning in close while the person was pressed back in their seat.
What’s more, this image was broadcast in full clarity across three enormous screens above the stage.
From any angle, it looked like… a kiss. No—maybe even a forced kiss!
Everyone’s mind went straight to one thought:
#LinRan’sRelationshipExposedLive
The moment the entire venue burst into chaos, Lin Ran and Shi Cha realized something was wrong.
Lin Ran calmly released Shi Cha and straightened up in his seat. But the big screen in front of them was still showing a split image—Lin Ran looking composed, while Shi Cha looked completely stunned.
Before Shi Cha could even react, the crowd had already recognized his identity, and they quickly noticed his bright red ears and flushed lips, which had been bitten by himself in nervousness.
Everyone: Holy crap, his lips are literally kiss-swollen!
#LinRanForceKissesShiCha Relationship Confirmed#
LinShi CP shippers were crying tears of joy and spreading the news like wildfire.
#Mom, LinShi CP is REAL#