Before leaving, Tong Yao snatched Lu Sicheng's writing board and took it with her.
As she chased after him, she felt a bit unsure herself—she wasn't particularly close with Greedy Wolf, having only exchanged a few words with him occasionally. Normally, the second-team kids stayed in their training room, which was located in a small open area on the second floor of the team headquarters, directly opposite the rooms of the first-team members. Aside from scheduled practice matches twice a week, interactions between the two teams were minimal.
Occasionally, when there was a power outage or connection issues, Little Fatty would yell, "Hey, kids upstairs! Did you guys disconnect too?!"
Other than that, the only interactions were the rare moments when they stepped out of their rooms and happened to lock eyes with a second-team member sitting directly across from them.
Tong Yao and Greedy Wolf were one such pair.
Over time, they had grown somewhat familiar, exchanging smiles and greetings from a distance. Greedy Wolf's rank hovered between Diamond I and Grandmaster on the Korean server, and Tong Yao had occasionally run into him during ranked matches. She knew he was actually pretty good with Kalista, though he rarely played her.
After chasing outside, it didn’t take long for Tong Yao to spot Greedy Wolf squatting outside the team headquarters. Despite the sweltering heat and the recent rain, which left the air thick with humidity and swarming with mosquitoes, he was crouched there, a cigarette pinched between his fingers.
Tong Yao had a younger brother—though not much younger—so she was no stranger to the antics of rebellious teenagers.
She walked over, plucked the cigarette from his hand, and tossed it into the trash. "Kids shouldn’t pick up these bad habits."
Greedy Wolf blinked, turning to look at her. In the darkness, his expression was hard to read, but his voice—still caught in that awkward adolescent phase—was unmistakably lazy. "Oh, it's you."
The tone was a far cry from the flustered, water-spilling mess he’d been in the training room earlier.
He was in a bad mood.
Tong Yao tucked the writing board under her arm and crouched beside him. After a moment’s thought, she said, "Winning and losing in scrims is normal. Obsidian might not be the strongest, but they fought their way through the Spring Split relegation matches and stayed in the LPL by beating the second-place team from the LSPL. Losing to them isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Don’t beat yourself up."
Greedy Wolf let out a noncommittal "Oh." Then he added, "Before today’s scrim... when you and Cheng Ge weren’t back yet, Ming Shen said that after A Lu replaced the new Mid Laner, our team should be mid-tier in the LPL."
Tong Yao: "..."
Greedy Wolf: "It’s my fault we lost—I know. No need to comfort me. I also know we would’ve won if I’d picked Kalista."
Tong Yao pulled the writing board from under her arm.
Greedy Wolf frowned, his voice turning defensive. "But I just didn’t want to play her."
Tong Yao paused, then firmly wedged the board back between her chest and thigh.
Hugging her knees, she said quietly, "...I know you hate being called 'Little Chessman.'"
Greedy Wolf didn’t respond.Tong Yao thought for a moment: "It's like when Cheng Ge first started his pro career as a trainee in Korea, being a substitute and seen as Pope's shadow—he wasn't happy about it back then either. Surrounded by Koreans, the label 'Pope's shadow' probably didn't carry the same connotation as being called 'Little Chessman' here. At least most people see the latter as somewhat complimentary."
Greedy Wolf let out a light chuckle, his tone laced with disdain.
"Later, Cheng Ge turned the narrative around through his own efforts—from 'Pope's shadow' to 'Look, that's the man who stands as Pope's equal,' 'the shadow that can outshine the light.' Kalista was a signature Champion for both him and Pope, but he never avoided picking her because of that." Tong Yao pulled out her notepad, glancing at it under the dim hallway light behind her before reading aloud: "11 minutes 12 seconds, miscalculated skill damage. At level six, Jinx's base damage is 79 (including rune damage). Correct calculation could have secured the enemy AD's Summoner Spells. 12 minutes 13 seconds, missed last hits. Needs more practice on Champion damage control for better farming..."
Greedy Wolf turned to look at Tong Yao, who handed him the notepad. "Even though Cheng Ge is harsh and intimidating, at least he genuinely wants to groom you as his successor... Think about his time in Korea—he probably didn't have it this good."
"That's not my concern. All I know is that as long as he's around, I'll never get to play in official matches."
"You could lead a team up from the LSPL yourself."
"Impossible. The new Mid Laner we have now can't keep up unless Lu Yue joins or Cheng Ge retires and I get promoted to the main roster," Greedy Wolf took the notepad and scoffed. "So when's he retiring anyway?"
"..." Tong Yao remained crouched, looking up at him. "Xiao Lang, aren't you being a bit too impatient?"
Greedy Wolf stared down at her for a long moment without responding.
After a while, he said slowly, "Playing Ranked Games with you always ends in wins. It feels smooth."
Tong Yao: "Oh? Thanks—"
Greedy Wolf: "I want a Mid Laner as strong as you, not the weakling in our team who gets carried to victory."
Tong Yao stood up, brushing nonexistent dust off her knees, unsure how to respond. She should have been happy about the compliment, but she couldn't bring herself to feel that way. The kid beside her was too desperate to win, too eager to climb—every word, every expression radiated an impatience that was palpable...
Tong Yao frowned.
Greedy Wolf simply smiled and said, "I envy Cheng Ge. Fame, money, good teammates—he has everything I want."
...
Team headquarters.
Xiao Rui was sprawled on the sofa, his face pressed against the window as he mumbled, "Cheng Ge, it suddenly feels like we haven't been paying enough attention to the secondary team, huh?"
The man reviewing the Scrims footage on the sofa remained silent."Why is it that Greedy Wolf can chat and laugh with Tong Yao, but he's not like that with the rest of the team? He doesn't even act that way when management talks to him. Why?" Xiao Rui's face was squished against the window like a flattened pancake. After a long pause, he came up with a wildly imaginative conclusion: "………………Could there be something between them?!"
The person sitting on the sofa reviewing the Scrims footage remained silent, only picking up a pen to jot down some data on the nearby notepad. It wasn't until Xiao Rui's butt was practically sticking up in the air from impatience that he finally spoke without looking up: "Something like what?"
"Tong Yao's room is directly opposite Greedy Wolf's computer. Every day when the girl opens her door, the first thing she sees is his eyes peering over the monitor. They exchange shy smiles, greet each other, and eventually, from spending so much time under the same roof, deep feelings develop… sparking a secret May-December romance between the young wolf and the clueless maiden."
Lu Sicheng let out an "Oh," then lowered his head to scribble on the notepad.
Xiao Rui: "They actually look pretty good together. Greedy Wolf is already over 1.7 meters tall and still growing—he might even match your height eventually."
Xiao Rui: "You're getting older too. Once you retire, Greedy Wolf will take over as the team's starting ADC, forming a Double Carry duo with Tong Yao—a perfect match of talent and beauty."
Xiao Rui: "Damn, I can't reel this imagination back in—you already know the whole 'no internal relationships' rule is just for show anyway. With a bunch of guys around, what's there to 'digest'? If you all insist on this same-gender 'digestion' that everyone seems so thrilled about, who am I to stop you…"
Xiao Rui: "But as captain, you should keep an eye on these two kids. Make sure they don't get too caught up in romance and neglect training or performance."
Lu Sicheng: "…"
Lu Sicheng reached out and pressed the pause button on his tablet.
Put down the pen.
And replied with a smile: "Got it."
...
Before bed, Tong Yao tidied up her desk to make space for the substitute Mid Laner (who, despite not playing in matches, still took a seat). After saying goodbye to the substitute players sitting nearby, she clattered upstairs. Glancing at the first-team members now crammed unhappily on the second floor, she walked over to the substitute Mid Laner's spot and set her things down.
"Yep, we got banished to the second floor. No matches, no human rights," Little Fatty was streaming and chatting with fans. "The lighting's dimmer up here… What? The beauty camera's too strong today? That's Po Jun's camera—go laugh at him instead. This fat man ain't taking the blame."
As Tong Yao passed behind Little Fatty, she saw his screen flooded with "233333" spam.
"Can't even stretch my legs," Old K grumbled. "Second floor's a bit cramped."
"Never thought I'd be this close to you in my life," Old Cat, sitting right next to Old K, added. "Feels like back when you'd just stealth-farm the jungle's F4—close enough to reach out and smack your Dog Head."
Old K: "…"
Lu Sicheng was adjusting in-game settings for Greedy Wolf to match his own preferences.
Tong Yao set her things down and noticed it was almost midnight. She figured she'd just say goodnight and head to her room to shower and sleep—but as she turned, she saw Lu Sicheng close the game. Two steps later, she noticed his chair scoot back. By the time she reached her door, Lu Sicheng had stood up from his seat.
Tong Yao closed the door.About a minute and a half later, her door was pushed open from the outside. At the time, Tong Yao was standing behind the door as if she had anticipated something. The person who entered first handed her a bottle of mineral water, then without a word, lifted her—along with the bottle—and pinned her against the wall.
Tong Yao: “…”
Tong Yao: “What are you doing?”
The man’s arm wrapped around her waist, while his other hand cushioned the back of her head against the wall. He bent slightly, his cool lips brushing against her earlobe—each time he spoke, there was an unintentional, feather-light touch, his warm breath grazing the shell of her ear.
“Today, the team manager mentioned that our starting Mid Laner seems to have developed an improper relationship with the substitute AD kid—one that goes beyond just teammates,” Lu Sicheng’s voice was deep and steady. “The manager reminded me that, as the captain, I should strictly supervise such matters. Can’t let you little brats focus only on romance and neglect performance.”
“…………………………………………”
When the man’s lips shamelessly pressed against her neck…
Tong Yao’s legs weakened slightly.
“Xiao Rui’s imagination is so wild it’s practically leaking…”
She felt his lips, which had initially just rested lightly against her neck, gradually begin to move… The increasingly heavy warmth of his breath was almost scalding. His tongue flicked out, tracing the delicate blue veins beneath her pale skin.
Tong Yao’s back was completely pressed against the wall. By now, she could feel the large hand around her waist deliberately—or perhaps unconsciously—beginning to roam. One of his fingers slid downward, gripping her waist while his pinky hooked the hem of her shirt, lifting it slightly…
The moment that small patch of skin touched skin, heat surged between them.
Tong Yao instinctively held her breath.
Her fingers tightened around the man’s arm, her gaze flickering nervously before she raised a hand to push at him. “Stop messing around, stop… That kid Xiao Lang just has a really competitive streak—ah!”
She was caught off guard when he bit her. Slapping his shoulder hard, she covered her neck and glared at him. “What was that for?”
“Following the manager’s orders—strictly supervising the team’s conduct.”
His deep brown eyes, now darkened with something more, seemed even more intense than usual.
“This is how you supervise?”
“Yes,” Lu Sicheng chuckled, pulling her hand away to inspect the red mark he’d left on her neck. With a smug tone, he added, “And conveniently, stealing what I’m supposed to guard.”
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