Chapter 59

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For a time, Yao Sen’s mind replayed what Shao Han had told him the night before. Right this moment, he and his team were preparing for their fourth round match against Finland, a team that had finished 25th in the qualifiers. If nothing goes wrong, they should be able to bring their score to 3-1.

“Yao Sen, did you watch the online interview NL did with Esports’s official media?” Wang Yuxi asked Yao Sen after he returned from the bathroom.

“Nope. What’s the matter?”

“They asked Cheng Rui which player he admired the most in the industry, and he said it was you.”

“I know. He can at least be considered a fan of mine, right?”

“No, the point here is when they asked him which of your matches left the deepest impression on him. The average person would answer with our decisive Asia championship match, right? Because, after all, that’s the match where you made a name for yourself—” Wang Yuxi reflected. “But Cheng Rui mentioned a domestic cup you competed in before the Asian regionals. You weren’t even a member of the main team at the time, were you?”

Yao Sen would have long forgotten about the domestic cup if Wang Yuxi hadn’t brought it up. That specific esports championship had been held solely for entertainment purposes; there had been no champion or runner-up, only the title of star player and prize money.

As for whether or not that competition meant anything to Yao Sen… Following that championship, Coach Gou took an official decision to defy the rules and allow Yao Sen to be promoted to the main team ahead of time.

Back then, Coach Gou had told him that he recognised in Yao Sen’s games the explosiveness and drive that the Titans’s main team sorely lacked. He believed that Yao Sen was qualified to be a member of the main team and even possessed the leadership qualities of a captain.

Wang Yuxi wrung his hands. “Why does it feel like he’s deliberately trying to get your attention? I’m getting bad vibes from the guy… He can’t be some kind of pervert, can he?”

Yao Sen was also somewhat surprised, but not to the point that he’d have these strange notions as a result of reading too many novels.“I’d only pay attention to him if he’s the real deal,” Yao Sen said flatly. “If he’s really that good, then I’ll give him the attention he deserves.”

Wang Yuxi: “…Damn. Bro, you’re a real A. I gotta bow down.”

“A? What’s an A?”

Wang Yuxi, the seasoned fandom-goer, grinned and explained that he was only complimenting him.

The match against Finland proceeded incredibly well, with Titans successfully bringing their score to 3-1. Noah’s Ark also won this round. Presently, a look at the teams with 3-1 scores yielded many familiar faces; in addition to their two teams, Odins and Cobra were also present.

The first stage was officially over after the morning matches, and the thirty-two teams were separated into several scoring blocks; four teams each with 3-0 and 0-3 scores, six teams with 3-1 and 1-3 scores, and twelve teams with a tied 2-2 score. The teams would be divided into three large groups based on their scores to compete in a two-on-two knockout match, with the 3-0 teams facing off against the 0-3 teams, and so on, with the finalists to be determined this evening.

After leaving the stadium, the Titans drove to the airport as Bai Yue’s plane was about to land; this evening’s knockout match would be his first battle since rejoining the team.

As Bai Yue exited the arrivals hall, Wang Yuxi cried, “I’VE MISSED THE HELL OUT OF YOU, BRO!” He jumped into Bai Yue’s arms, nearly knocking him ass-first to the ground.

Bai Yue strangled Wang Yuxi under an elbow and pressed him into his suitcase. In the face of shocked nearby foreigners’ incessant questions of ‘Is that Kung Fu?’ Bai Yue felt incredibly embarrassed. “Okay, enough of that. Save me some face.”

In light of Bai Yue currently having one organ less than the regular person, Wang Yuxi relented. He ‘hehe’-ed, then asked, “Did you watch our matches?”

“’Course I did. Why were you so noob-ish against the Germans?”

“How was I ‘noob-ish’?! They blocked the hell out of our plays!”

The two bickered for a while until Zhou Ziyu threw himself into Bai Yue’s embrace. He raised his head and looked at Bai Yue excitedly, his eyes shining and turning a faint red around the edges. “Yue ge! You’re finally back! I’ve missed you so much!”

Bai Yue felt an inexplicable sense of fatherhood pride, and he patted Zhou Ziyu’s back affectionately while praising the latter, “You did amazing these last few games.”

Wang Yuxi chipped in, “Right! Ziyu, leave the next matches to us da-ges, ‘kay?”

Zhou Ziyu let go of Bai Yue and nodded firmly.

Song Mingzhe hooked an arm around Bai Yue’s shoulders. His voice was filled with brotherhood spirit as he said, “Welcome back to the team, Lao-Bai.”

Smiling, Bai Yue bumped his shoulder against Song Mingzhe before his gaze finally fell on Yao Sen. For a split second, Bai Yue’s eyes stung somewhat; he had never thought of himself as a mushy guy, but after no more than eight or nine days, he felt as though he hadn’t seen his teammates in ages.

He extended a hand and fist-bumped Yao Sen, saying, “I’m back.”

Yao Sen grinned and said, “You sure kept us waiting.”

Wang Yuxi: “All right! To celebrate Bai Yue’s return! We’re going to have a huge feast tonight!”

Bai Yue: “Damn, Lao-Wang, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? I’m still on a congee diet! The doctors told me to stay on it for another week!”

Wang Yuxi: “That’s fine. You have congee, we’ll eat the rest.”

Bai Yue: “……”

A few minutes later, Yao Sen updated his Weibo with a newly taken picture of the five of them at the airport.

@Titans_Sen: Welcome back to the team, our gold-medal support [photo]

@Titans_Yue: My dear subjects, you may rise [doge]

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH Yue ge is finally back!!!!]

[Congrats on your return Yue ge!!!!]

[Fuck me, this picture really moved me as an old fan. The Titans are finally whole]

[Yueyue!! Look at me!! I, your beloved concubine!! Wishes your imperial body good health!!!!]

[Titans will definitely win!! Fight on!!!]

[@NA_Left: Welcome back]

[*dies* Everyone in Titans is ridiculously hot]

@Titans_Xi: Poor Lao-Bai, he can’t eat fried chicken

[@Titans_Yue: Don’t expect my assists tonight]

[Everyone out! Xi ge’s starting to act sao again]

[hahahahahahahahahaha Xi ge please let Yue ge off!]

[Beat him up, Yue ge]

[Yue ge: Wang Yuxi? Who’s that? I don’t know him]

[It feels so nice to finally be able to see YueXi’s banter again]

[@Titans_Xi replied: ?? Hey, pal? That’s XiYue to you, thank you]

The return of Titans’s gold-medal support sparked another round of buzz in the domestic esports community. Bai Yue was one of the strongest players on the international supports list, and since the qualifiers, many of their opponents have taken advantage of their powerhouse’s absence to play catch up and dug them many holes—

Now that Bai Yue was back on the team, it was time to show them what it meant to face genuine might, and that no petty schemes would be of use.

After returning to the hotel, Coach Gou dropped by to hold a brief team meeting. Because Bai Yue had just returned, he needed a little more time to get used to the arena. The team spent the afternoon extensively analysing each opponent they had encountered prior so that Bai Yue could get into shape as quickly as possible.

At eight o’clock in the evening, the WCAD’s single-elimination round officially commenced.

Each team drew their opponent on the spot, and Titans’s opponent was a team from New Zealand. After entering the arena, Bai Yue sat in the No. 3 seat, and took a deep breath as he stared at the wide screen in front of him.

He twisted his fingers. “I’m ready.”

Wang Yuxi: “…No, how come you all look like you’re going to beat someone up? What’s the harm in a little peace and friendship?”

Bai Yue: “What’s wrong? Aren’t you the one who’s usually shouting ‘let’s fuck them up’ at our enemies the loudest?”

The game went smoothly and was over in less than twenty-five minutes. Within the circle, Bai Yue and Wang Yuxi were recognised as ‘gold medal partners’, and the former’s return to the team not only increased the team’s average strength, he also reinforced the link between each member. The spectating masses reached a boiling point, and even the commentators couldn’t stop exclaiming, “Amazing!’”

Following the end of every match, the sixteen finalists were finally announced. Regardless of how they would perform from here on out, making the top 16 meant they had cemented a spot in the highly prestigious world rankings, earning them the well-deserved label of powerhouse team.

The sixteen teams comprised seven Asian teams, three North American teams, and four European teams, with the remaining two teams from South America and Australia.

This year’s asian teams, especially the Chinese teams, had performed spectacularly well, with the pinnacle of Asia’s strength, Titans, and other veteran teams like Cobra, Noah’s Ark, and a few other teams standing tall, as well as strong rising stars like NL.

Although first and second place was still occupied by Western teams, in the face of the Asian teams’ momentum, it was impossible to determine the end result of this year’s competition. The Chinese esports scene in particular was a frenzy of passionate fans.

@Esport News Frontier: The first round of the WCAD Alarm Dawn Pro League World Championship has come to an end on July 12th, 9 p.m. North American time, and the top 16 teams have officially been announced. Congratulations to @Team Titans @Pro Team Cobra @Noah’s Ark Club @Pro Team Black Diamond @Northern Lights NL Esports Club for advancing to the top 16 finals!

[Everyone was so awesome!!! This year’s competition is super exciting!!!]

[Titans fans, give me a show of hands]

[Team Noah fan here!]

[Good luck on the finals Cobra!!!]

[The little jiejies in Black Diamond are so beautiful!! Please wife me up!!]

[Newly established NL fan support here~ Welcoming all who’ve fallen for our Northern Lights!]

With the top 16 finals starting the next afternoon, Titans and Noah’s Ark gathered in one of their hotel rooms to celebrate their advancement together.

Wang Yuxi was fawning over the official team photos, claiming that they made him look especially tall and that this was his true height.

Wang Yuxi: “This missy from the Black Diamonds is really pretty. I’m so jealous—why can’t our club recruit more young misses?”

Bai Yue: “It’s not like they’ll fall for you if we do.”

Wang Yuxi: “You can’t say that for sure. Our team’s number one bachelor is taken now! This is our chance!”

At this moment, Titans’s number one bachelor in question was camped out on the balcony and chatting with the one who took him off the market. Shao Han, who was in an excellent mood, was in a rarely relaxed state; taking advantage of the fact that everyone else was inside chatting and eating, and no one was paying attention to them, he lay down with Yao Sen on the sofa.

The sofa was pretty large, so the two didn’t feel crammed. Shao Han talked about the final match of the night; he talked and talked until he felt sleepy, eventually dozing off on top of Yao Sen’s chest.

Yao Sen, on the other hand, remained awake. He wrapped an arm around Shao Han, softly laid his chin on Shao Han’s head, and discreetly snapped a picture of Shao Han’s sleeping face with his phone. With a light touch, he poked at the soft bulge of Shao Han’s cheek that was nestled against his chest, then brushed away the strands of hair on Shao Han’s forehead.

Yao Sen typed up a message to the group chat with one hand: Can someone get a blanket and come to the balcony

Wang Yuxi: Yao Sen’s crippled, will he still be playing tomorrow?

Yao Sen: Shao Han’s asleep, he’s lying on top of me

Wang Yuxi: ……

Wang Yuxi: [Look at my knife, I’ll give you another chance to rephrase your words.jpg]

Yao Sen: Hurry up. If Shao Han gets cold, I’ll be settling the score with you later

Wang Yuxi: Okay, okay, okay. I’ll do as my leader says

Wang Yuxi grabbed a blanket from the bed and quietly opened the balcony door so as not to rouse Shao ge. But of course, he tossed the blanket at Yao Sen’s face.

☆ ☆ ☆

t/n – thank you to Somebody for the kofi!

Chapter 58 | TOC | Chapter 60

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