["Tell me a joke: The LPL's first seed team pulls off an insane 10k gold reverse sweep against a Wild Card! This year is our most hopeful one yet!"
"Is the Mid Laner playing Support a Champion pool issue or a vision problem... Can that damn fatty come back tomorrow?"
"Guy above, Cheng Ge wants to ask the same thing—Little Fatty: After all these years, you finally realize my worth? This peasant is finally singing in triumph!"
"Giving Old K the MVP this match isn’t wrong. Without that Baron steal, they probably wouldn’t have reversed it? Lu Yue also played decently—that Annie ult was perfectly timed..."
"Optimistically controlling the score? With this form, can they even handle Taiwan’s Team C tomorrow?"
"……………………Seriously, Smiling’s Support play is just painful to watch. Are she and Lu Sicheng even a couple? Their synergy is absolute zero—I was scared they’d throw their headsets mid-game and start fighting!"
"Guy above, how many love-hate duos have parted ways in the bot lane of Summoner’s Rift? The fact these two have lasted this long is probably because they’ve never been in the same lane LOLOLOLOL!"
"If Cheng Ge’s sexuality ever wavers, consider me. I’m 181cm, 68kg, main Support, Grandmaster on server one, senior year... Wait, never mind, I won’t fight for this hot commodity."]
Today, ZGDX’s official Weibo was especially lively.
Tong Yao skimmed through the comments and summarized: Because Lu Sicheng had spoken recklessly during an international tournament interview as if he were still in China, her love rivals now included not only the already massive number of fangirls but also a bunch of dudes—and on a global scale.
Ugh.
But she had indeed played horribly today. It wasn’t her mechanics—it was her vision control. She was clearly worse than Little Fatty. A baseline Support knows where to ward based on the team’s next objective, and Tong Yao fell into that category. But at the World Championship, that level wasn’t enough. Little Fatty’s warding was strategic; his wards often set up plays or rotations five or six minutes later that seemed spontaneous.
Old Cat’s most frequent remark was: "Whenever I need to TP, I find at least one to three ward options on the map. It’s torture for indecisive people, but it’s reassuring to have choices."
Today’s vision control was a disaster.
There were no choices. Sometimes, after teleporting from halfway across the map for a teamfight, he still had to run a long distance. The worst was when Old Cat arrived just as the fight ended...
On the ride back, Tong Yao reviewed the match replay the entire way—
From an observer’s perspective, her usual analytical mindset returned, and the confusion faded. The more she watched, the more her Support play looked like a brain-dead Silver player from the boonies. With a pen in hand and a notebook on her lap, she hunched over, meticulously jotting down every mistake she’d made today.
Her phone vibrated repeatedly in her pocket with incoming messages, but she paid no attention, fully absorbed in her review.
—So absorbed that she even forgot what day it was.
...After dinner, instead of returning to the hotel, Tong Yao and the others went to visit Little Fatty in his hospital room around eight o'clock. There, they received some bad news—Little Fatty's condition hadn't improved much; he was still running a low fever and suffering from diarrhea. So, tomorrow's match would have to proceed with today's lineup.
The first thought that crossed Tong Yao's mind upon hearing this was that she might just lose her boyfriend in this "blessed land" of San Francisco.
Xiao Rui was so angry he pounded his chest: "You guys are really out to get me, huh? Every World Championship, you just have to pull some crazy stunt—do you think I live too long or something?"
Little Fatty lay pale-faced, his small, squinty eyes shimmering with guilt... He had watched today's match too—that unbelievable reverse sweep against the Wild Card team... Thank goodness they pulled it off. If they had lost, the Operator Team's headquarters back home would probably have been bombed into oblivion by now.
Seeing the pitiful look in Little Fatty's tiny, glistening eyes, Tong Yao couldn't bring herself to blame him for "turning her boyfriend gay." She plopped down on the chair by the bed and tried to cheer him up: "Always scheming and jumping around trying to climb the ranks, and who knew all it took was missing one match to make the captain go gay... Just like a romance novel—the male lead only realizes his true love after losing the one he—"
Before she could finish, a large hand clamped over her mouth from behind—so large, in fact, that it covered her nose as well.
Tong Yao leaned back, her head resting against the man's abdomen as a deep, deadpan voice sounded above her: "That's called BL, not romance."
Tong Yao yanked his hand away: "Be nicer to your support!"
Lu Sicheng: "You mean the one lying in bed or the one sitting by the bed?"
Tong Yao: "Who do you want to be nice to?"
Lu Sicheng: "I want to throw both of you out the window."
Tong Yao: "..."
Little Fatty: "I'm hungry."
Xiao Rui: "You're still eating?!"
Little Fatty rolled around dramatically: "Hospital food isn't enough to fill the gaps between my teeth! Damn it, at this rate, I'll starve to death before I recover—are you guys really okay with carrying this Silver-tier support all the way through the World Championship?! Can't I just have a pack of crackers? Crackers aren't illegal, right? Buy me some crackers!!!!"
Little Fatty's situation was admittedly terrifying to consider. Even Tong Yao couldn't bring herself to fuss over everyone calling her a "Silver-tier support"—she missed her mid-lane so much it ached deep in her organs... She turned to glance pitifully at the man behind her, her hesitant gaze making Lu Sicheng pause: "What?"
"I'm not saying this to criticize you, but you're actually a pretty good AD..."
"...I've been a pro for three years, topped the domestic and Korean servers countless times, won multiple league championships, and all I get from you is 'pretty good'? I don't need a thank you, but seriously?"
Tong Yao grabbed his hands and rubbed them between hers ingratiatingly: "Can we buy Little Fatty some crackers? Seeing him so hungry breaks my heart."
She said it with such earnestness, as if afraid Lu Sicheng might impulsively smother her right there in the hospital... After a moment locked in a stare with those deep brown eyes, Lu Sicheng finally succumbed to the combined force of her and Little Fatty's "puppy-dog eyes" attack. With a sigh, he bent down and pulled her wallet from her pocket.
Tong Yao: "What are you doing?"
Lu Sicheng took out a card from his own pocket: "I didn't bring my wallet. What do you think? You want me to pay for crackers with a card?"Tong Yao let out an "Oh" and watched as Lu Sicheng went to buy cookies for Little Fatty... The others found seats and chatted about the match for a while before helping Tong Yao and Little Fatty analyze the game. After all, they still had a match tomorrow, and if they performed like today against Team C, it would be disastrous—last-minute cramming might not make them sharp, but it would at least polish their skills.
Tong Yao took notes while reviewing the match with Little Fatty, who kept rambling, "You didn’t need to ward here," or "The jungler was spotted by Old Cat’s ward moving down, so you should’ve placed a protective ward for Lu Yue while Cheng Ge pushed the lane." Just then, Tong Yao’s phone rang. Seeing it was Lu Sicheng, she answered with a casual "Hello."
But Lu Sicheng said he suddenly remembered something urgent and had to return to the hotel, so he left directly.
Tong Yao was momentarily stunned, holding her phone. When she shared the news, Little Fatty’s first reaction was, "What about my cookies? My cookies? Can’t even get a bite without playing a match now?"
Tong Yao absentmindedly replied, "Ask Xiao Rui to buy them for you," then glanced at her phone and realized Jin Yang had sent over a dozen messages asking where she was, what she ate for dinner, how she planned to celebrate her birthday, and if she needed company... After reading them all, she opened WeChat and replied:
[I Play Support for the Wolf Dog: …Little Fatty can’t play tomorrow either. I’m at the hospital cramming support knowledge. We pulled off a crazy reverse sweep against the Wild Card team today, but tomorrow might be a disaster. Who cares about a damn birthday now?]
After sending the message, she stuffed her phone into her pocket and checked the time—8:50 PM in the U.S., meaning it was already the next day back home.
Hmm.
Her boyfriend’s birthday wish to her was: I feel like my sexual orientation is subtly wavering.
By now, Tong Yao had accepted that her twentieth birthday would be spent in this bizarre, chaotic rhythm.
…
Putting aside thoughts of her birthday, Tong Yao didn’t find it particularly upsetting. She focused on discussing warding positions and safe techniques with Little Fatty late into the night. Around 10:30 PM, nearing 11, Lu Sicheng returned—Tong Yao recognized his footsteps the moment he reached the door. She didn’t look up immediately when the door opened, instead continuing to mark a red dot on the rough Summoner’s Rift map she’d drawn in her notebook under Little Fatty’s guidance, indicating "a ward should be placed here."
Then she noticed Little Fatty, who had been muttering, "Whether ahead or behind, if this spot isn’t warded by 25 minutes, the game’s over—and it’s the support’s fault," had suddenly fallen silent. Puzzled, she looked up to see Little Fatty staring dumbfounded at the person who had just entered. Blinking, she turned her head while saying, "Why are you back so—"
The words stuck in her throat after the first four syllables.
The man at the door must have run back.
The neatly buttoned team uniform shirt was now undone at the collar, wrinkled and slightly trembling with his heaving chest… His gaze remained as indifferent as ever.The striking contrast was formed with the large bouquet of eye-piercingly red roses in his hand—imagine someone placing a bunch of fiery red roses big enough to bury a person next to a coffin, and how eerie that scene would be. That was exactly how eerie Lu Sicheng looked right now... "What's this?" Little Fatty was dumbfounded. "A fierce heart sniffing roses?"
Lu Sicheng didn't even glance at him, pausing for a moment before walking into the hospital room—only then did Tong Yao notice the enormous cake box in his other hand. He strode straight toward her, placed the cake box on her lap, and shoved the roses into her arms: "Happy twentieth birthday. Now no one can say I'm abducting an underage girl."
Everyone: "..."
Tong Yao: "..."
The room fell into silence for a few seconds.
Little Fatty was the first to break the dead silence with a "Whoa," his eyes wide, probably thinking that trading cookies for a cake wasn't a bad deal... Meanwhile, Tong Yao was momentarily dazed by the overwhelming scent of the roses. She looked up at the man's face behind the flowers, her tongue tied: "H-how did you know?"
Lu Sicheng bent down, squeezing past the roses to plant a kiss on her lips: "Your ID was in your wallet. Couldn't resist taking a peek to see how ugly your photo was."
Tong Yao: "........................................"
Tong Yao hugged the flowers, completely stunned.
Lu Sicheng seized the moment to kiss her again: "Happy birthday."
The warmth pressed against her lips was slightly cool, but the man's presence was scorching, still unsteady from his recent sprint... Tong Yao blinked, finally realizing that Lu Sicheng hadn't gone back to the hotel—he'd rushed out to buy all this random stuff for her after seeing her ID.
Amid the teammates' belated realization and their rising chorus of birthday wishes for their temporary substitute support, Lu Sicheng moved the flowers aside and opened the cake for Tong Yao: "Lucky I ran fast, or the shops would've closed—"
Before he could finish, the person on the other side of the cake reached out, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her warm, soft lips to his... Lu Sicheng froze for a split second before a faint smile cracked his usually expressionless face, his eyes softening as he deepened the kiss—"Make a wish, make a wish!"
"Cut the cake, cut the cake!"
"Should we sing 'Happy Birthday'... Ah! Xiao Rui, hold the cake steady, don't drop it!"
"Excuse me, but are you two done being mushy? I'm actually kinda hungry—I wanna eat cake."
...
Amid the chaotic laughter, Tong Yao pulled away, her face flushed... The man gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, looked at her, and chuckled: "Crying again?"
"I wasn't even planning to celebrate. It's already the next day back home..." Tong Yao babbled incoherently. "It's not a big deal, celebrating or not, but now I think it's nice to celebrate after all."
"Time zones go by where you are." His rough thumb brushed the corner of her eye. "Happy birthday."
"Yeah."
Tong Yao nodded, her nose tinged red, grinning foolishly along with him.Sitting on the chair with a smile, watching Little Fatty and the others cheerfully cut the cake, she held the man's hand the entire time without letting go—Tong Yao's mind was filled with thoughts like "How is he so perfect?" and "What kind of good karma did I accumulate in my past life?"... Just then, she felt something cool against her neck. Startled, she lowered her head and realized that while she was lost in thought, the man had somehow pulled out a pale blue box from his pocket. From it, he took out a simple silver necklace with a pendant shaped like a gently curved arc and fastened it around her neck...
Little Fatty: "What's that?"
Lu Sicheng: "A necklace."
Little Fatty: "..."
Tong Yao examined the shape of the pendant: "A horseshoe?"
Lu Sicheng: "Why are you so uncultured too?"
Tong Yao: "...Watch your tone. It's my birthday."
After adjusting the necklace, Lu Sicheng patted her head, crouched down slightly to inspect the newly adorned girl, then nodded in satisfaction: "Looks good."
Tong Yao stood up to find a mirror, and Lu Sicheng trailed behind her, wandering around the room in search of one. As he strolled, he drawled, "For your twentieth birthday, a necklace. Next year, when you're twenty-one, we'll upgrade to a diamond ring—with a marriage certificate included."
Just as he said this, Tong Yao finally found a mirror. Holding it up, she tilted her head left and right, then looked up at the man behind her: "Does it look good?"
The man leaned down and kissed her forehead: "Beautiful."
Tong Yao giggled.
She had reached a conclusion.
In her past life, forget saving the galaxy—she must have single-handedly built the Matchmaker's Temple brick by brick, molding the clay herself.
...
Later, Tong Yao learned that Lu Sicheng's remark—"Why are you so uncultured too?"—was truly heartfelt. In just that one hour of preparation, he had not only arranged the standard roses and cake but also managed to pick out the most suitable necklace for her from a jewelry store. It couldn't have been easy.
From Jin Yang, Tong Yao found out that this seemingly simple necklace was actually quite famous.
It even shared the same name as her gaming ID—
Smiling.
Author's Note: The new contemporary romance novel Moonlight Serenade will be posted tomorrow at 10 AM sharp.
OpenNovel