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After watching the first match at the South Korean home ground, everyone was distracted during their evening training session. Cheese took advantage of any free moment to surf the internet. On Weibo, topics such as “Busan Cobra vs. Guangzhou ZC,” “Cobra Only Kills, Doesn’t Capture Points,” and “Blind Korean Referees” had already taken over their homepage.
[I’m not surprised that Cobra would do something like this. It’s South Korea’s home ground, brothers, it’s not normal if there are no tricks]
[It’s not the first time they’ve only killed and not captured points. With such a great cultural heritage, I suggest applying for World Heritage]
[I feel sorry for ZC’s coach. Exhausted from coming up with strategies, how did it become ‘dirty’? Your mom is dirty, not me]
[The officials aren’t taking any action? Are they busy arranging funerals for their family members?]
However, the tone on the South Korean platform was completely different. Shi Du’s translation machine randomly selected a few lucky viewers to translate their comments.
[Esports, being bad is an original sin. If you’re bad, you should be killed. Is it hard to understand?]
[The referee didn’t stop, proving that Cobra didn’t commit any foul, I don’t know what complaints Chinese teams have]
[I’m a South Korean fan, and I also think Cobra went too far. On behalf of all South Korean fans, I apologize to ZC. I hope fans from other countries won’t direct their anger towards other South Korean teams because of one club, may China-Korean friendship last forever]
After listening to the last comment, Cheese was a bit touched. “I didn’t expect South Korea to have such reasonable fans. Look at this international friend, even though other South Korean fans are insulting ZC, they’re apologizing to them.”
Qi Xian asked Shi Du, “Who said the last comment?”
Shi Du said, “It was a user with the ID ‘q’.”
“Oh, that’s my alternate account.”
Cheese: “…Huh?!”
“Nice job, Brother Xian,” Shi Du chuckled. “This has a much bigger impact than just arguing with them.”
Cheese suddenly realized, “I want to be a reverse loyalist too!”
Lu Youshan was too busy studying the trap tactics Alligator used in the Castle map, so he didn’t pay them any attention. Seeing that his teammates were not into training, Yu Zhaohan decided to dismiss them early and let them vent their frustrations online.
Back in the room, Shi Du started up his gaming laptop and headed for a shower. After finishing his shower, he found that Yu Zhaohan had already taken over the only desk and chair in the room. Shi Du, still with some steam on him, walked up behind him and saw that he was using a tablet to review tonight’s match.
Shi Du said: “I want to solo for a few rounds, so Yuyu review the match on the bed.”
“No,” Yu Zhaohan replied, “Shi Du, go play solo on the bed.”
While you could review the match with the tablet on the bed, playing games without a comfortable position significantly affected performance. Not wanting to give in to Yu Zhaohan even though he knew he was in the right, Shi Du lifted him from the esports chair and headed towards the bed.
“What are you doing… No,” Yu Zhaohan learned to use the swear words Shi Du taught him, “what the hell are you doing.”
“It’s ‘what the fuck are you doing’.” Shi Du put Yu Zhaohan on the bed, “I’m going to practice playing Crystal Maiden for a bit, give me some room.”
Yu Zhaohan was puzzled, “Why are you practicing Crystal Maiden?”
Crystal Maiden, like Demolition Expert, was a niche support hero in the game. She used an ice gun for close-range continuous output, which froze enemies for three seconds. After that, she could switch to her ice cone to deal a headshot to immobile enemies. Crystal Maiden’s output mechanism was time-consuming in fast-paced team fights and didn’t match the high mobility and killing ability of other heroes like the Ninja. Therefore, her usage rate was low in high-tier games.
Shi Du sat down on the esports chair, deep in thought, “I’m thinking if Demolition Expert can be used, maybe Crystal Maiden can too.”
Yu Zhaohan rarely saw Shi Du play Crystal Maiden. Sitting on the bed with Shi Du blocking the screen, he couldn’t see clearly, so he got off the bed and stood next to him to watch.
Yu Zhaohan quickly caught on, “Are you playing Crystal Maiden to practice a new lineup or just to annoy people?”
Shi Du chuckled, “Just watch.”
Yu Zhaohan became unhappy after watching two games, saying, “Standing is tiring.”
Shi Du was about to suggest grabbing the chair from Cheese’s room next door when he heard Yu Zhaohan ask, “Can I sit on your lap?”
Shi Du’s throat tightened, and he held back the words at his lips, “If you want to sit, go ahead.”
Facing the screen, Yu Zhaohan sat on Shi Du’s lap with his back to him, slightly leaning to the side so Shi Du could see the screen.
Shi Du had his arms around Yu Zhaohan’s sides, one hand holding the mouse, the other operating the keyboard. As Crystal Maiden circled around enemies with her ice gun and froze them, before she could switch to her ice cone for a headshot, she was killed by a mech charging from the opposite tank.
Yu Zhaohan said “Eeek” and covered his eyes: “What an ugly operation.”
Shi Du chuckled in exasperation, and took Yu Zhahan’s hand from his face, saying, “And you’re the one to talk about ugly moves. Look at you, so pleased with yourself. You wanted to sit on my lap, and I let you. But what about you?” Shi Du sneered, “I wanted to give you a kiss, and you took so long to decide. How stingy.”
Yu Zhaohan had imagined being kissed by Shi Du on the cheek and forehead, and he felt that he should be able to handle it. But if Shi Du wants to kiss his mouth… his little ears will definitely be burned off.
“Sorry, if it were another place, I wouldn’t have taken so long.” Yu Zhaohan said sincerely, “But if you want to kiss, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold back and it will affect the subsequent training and competition.”
Shi Du was taken aback, and exclaimed, “Are you saying that now I can kiss your face and forehead anytime?”
Without even thinking about it, Yu Zhaohan said, “For you, yes. Do you want to kiss me? If you do, I’ll go wash my face.”
There was silence for about ten seconds, and then Shi Du managed to squeeze out, “Why the fuck didn’t you say that earlier?”
Yu Zhaohan retorted, “You didn’t ask me.”
At that moment, urgent footsteps were heard outside the door. Before they could react, the door burst open. A breathless Lu Yaoshan appeared at the doorway, while Yu Zhaohan was still seated on Shi Du’s lap.
People would not dare to barge into Yu Zhaohan’s room without permission under normal circumstances. However, in his ecstatic and uncontrollable state, Lu Yaoshan was deviating from the norm.
Lu Yaoshan was absorbed in his own world, seemingly oblivious, “Alligator, I’ve got him figured out!”
In just a few seconds, Shi Du had thought of several ways to diffuse the situation. Yet, Yu Zhaohan calmly got up from his lap and spoke with a composed tone, “You forgot to knock.”
“There’s no time for knocking!” Lu Yaoshan rushed up to Yu Zhaohan, “I’ve replayed the Castle’s map over and over, and the more I watch, the more I realize that Alligator is truly a genius. How the hell did he come up with this move… Shine, we must recruit him to R.H. We still lack an assistant coach. My mindset isn’t up to par, and he could be the perfect complement.”
Shi Du leaned against his gaming chair and remarked, “Although ZC is subpar, Alligator is their sole head coach, and the players are willing to collaborate with his strategies. If he joins R.H., he’d be just an assistant coach, subject to the restrictions of the head coach. It’s not that exciting.”
Lu Yaoshan replied, “The zc team owner is deliberately underperforming; how much can the head coach’s salary be there? An assistant coach at R.H. earns more than their head coach. Alligator is merely squandering his talents at zc. Why wouldn’t he come to R.H.?”
Shi Du made a casual guess, “Because going from second-to-last to second place is also a form of enjoyment.”
“Impossible,” Lu Yaoshan asserted, “The zc players have a limited foundation, and their potential is too low. Even with Alligator’s talent, he can only elevate ZC to a mid-tier team at best.”
Yu Zhaohan pondered, “I’ll consider this matter. You can leave for now.”
Lu Youshan walked out of Yu Zhaohan and Shi Du’s room, vaguely feeling that something was wrong as if he had overlooked something, but he couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He looked back at the closed door, scratched his head, and left in a daze.
Alligator was one of the few coaches who could evoke favorable feelings from Yu Zhaohan. Game understanding and innovative thinking were one aspect, and Alligator had several similarities in this regard with Lu Yaoshan. What set Alligator apart was his mindset. If it had been Lu Yaoshan leading a team that had not won a single game for half a season, he would have been admitted to the ICU with a heart monitor by now.
If Alligator were willing to join R.H, it would undoubtedly be a boon for the team. Yet, just like Shi Du, Yu Zhaohan also believed that Alligator might not be willing to leave ZC.
Yu Zhaohan sent Old Tan a WeChat message: [Do you know where Guangzhou ZC is staying?]
At nine o’clock the next morning, when Shi Du was still in a deep sleep, YYu Zhaohan climbed onto his bed and grabbed his arm, shaking him, “Shi Du, Shi Du…”
Shi Du’s eyelids twitched from the shaking, he opened his eyes with difficulty and closed them again when he saw that it was Yu Zhaohan.
Not getting annoyed when disturbed by your wife was the greatest tenderness he could think of.
Yu Zhaohan tried to lift the blanket off Shi Du, “Wake up, Shi Du, let’s get some work done.”
With his eyes still closed, Shi Du tugged the blanket back and asked, “What do you want to do?”
“I want to wake you up.”
“You’ve already woken me up.”
“I’m sorry,” Yu Zhaohan said, “Old Tan found out where ZC is staying. I plan to go see Alligator. But I don’t speak Korean, and it’s inconvenient to take a taxi. Would you like to accompany me?”
“I want to,” Shi Du rolled over, “but I want to sleep more.”
Yu Zhaohan leaned down and seduced Shi Du in his ear: “You accompany me, I will give you extra points.”
Shi Du barely opened his eyes, looking at Yu Zhaohan with sleepiness and teasing: “You don’t even know what the points are for, and you’re adding them?”
“Anyway, you won’t refuse me,” Yu Zhaohan said confidently, “You like sweet-tempered beauties who act spoiled. I’ve perfectly hopped onto your kink. So, do you like me now?”
Shi Du was hit directly in the heart by his straightforwardness, choked up a bit, and retorted, “You’re already one meter eighty; you’re not a little beauty.”
“There’s not much difference between a little beauty and a big beauty,” Yu Zhaohan comforted, “Just make do with it.”
Shi Du lay down and laughed at him: “The point is, big beauties don’t act spoiled, right?”
Yu Zhaohan had been hunched over for too long and felt tired. He decided to lie down next to Shi Du and whispered, “I’ve washed my face, do you want to kiss my cheek?”
Shi Du looked at him. The two looked at each other closely for a while, and Shi Du suddenly smiled: Suddenly, Shi Du chuckled, “You’re willing to go to such lengths of selling your own face to make me accompany you. Aren’t you embarrassed?”
Of course, Yu Zhaohan was embarrassed. He had been slightly embarrassed before, but now, with Shi Du’s remark, his face turned even redder, “Then, I’ll give you money. If you accompany me on this trip, I’ll give you five thousand yuan.”
“Silly wife,” Shi Du pulled him close, kissed his forehead, and then casually uncovered the blanket, “Wait for me, I’m going to wash up.”
Yu Zhaohan, who had been left on the bed, slowly touched his forehead. The last time he was kissed like this was when he was in elementary school.
Yu Zhaohan said: “My mother kissed my forehead like this when I was young.”
Shi Du almost slammed into the bathroom door: “…Can you please stop talking?”
“But when my mom kissed my forehead, I didn’t feel tingly.”
Shi Du paused for a moment, turned around, and asked, “Do you feel tingly now?”
Yu Zhaohan nodded slightly, “Tingly… Are your lips tingly?”
Shi Du smiled, “How’s that possible? Kissing a forehead can’t make your lips tingle. Do you think everyone is as spineless as you?”
Yu Zhaohan admired, “You’re amazing! How do you do it?”
“Calm heart leads to a calm demeanor,” Shi Du turned back, took a couple of steps, and then abruptly collided with the bathroom door.
“Shi Du!” Yu Zhaohan hurriedly jumped out of bed, “Are you alright?”
Covering his nose, the young man squatted down slowly, his voice muffled, “I’m fine.”
“Even kissing my forehead made you nervous. Why pretend?” Yu Zhaohan pitied, “You really are… your mouth is so stiff that even if you turned into ashes, your lips would still be stiff.”
Shi Du: “…”
So, as the two of them left, there was an extra band-aid on Shi Du’s nose bridge.