"...Did the cat bite your sleeve or cling to your leg to stop you from leaving?" Xiao Rui looked utterly confused.
"Both," Lu Sicheng answered succinctly. After a moment's thought, he added, "If Su Luo wants to come to the team headquarters, let her. It's better to settle things at the entrance anyway—saves me the trouble of driving out. Just washed the car. Too much hassle."
"Yeah, esports leaves no room for romance," Xiao Rui nodded. "Our goal is the Season 6 championship."
Lu Sicheng shot him a glance and muttered, "What does that have to do with anything?" before standing up from the couch. As Xiao Rui teased, "Oho, what's that supposed to mean, Captain? Are you actually planning to dive into some rosy, spontaneous relationship?" the man returned to his computer. Meanwhile, Da Bing—who had been pinned against Tong Yao's face—finally grew impatient, struggled free, and disdainfully stomped on Tong Yao's face twice with its paws before darting toward Xiao Rui. Lately, Xiao Rui had been opening cans for Da Bing every day, effectively becoming the little beast's new dad.
Now, Xiao Rui bent down to pick it up, ready to open another can.
"Stop feeding it so many cans. If it gets picky, I'm going to bill the club for its canned food during the holidays—you're committing a crime here."
Tong Yao sat up on the couch, wiping her face as she spoke. Her voice wavered slightly, and she kept sneaking glances at Lu Sicheng—the man was hunched over his computer, either playing some mini-game or replying to someone's QQ message...
Tong Yao averted her gaze.
"Speaking of crimes, I once saw You Bing committing one late at night," Xiao Rui whispered conspiratorially to Tong Yao. "One night, when the captain went to the bathroom, You Bing immediately jumped onto his desk to fish for goldfish. It left paw prints and water everywhere, and the fish tank was full of cat hair. When the captain came back, I thought he was going to kill the cat—I even had my phone ready to call the police. But all he did was pick Da Bing up, set it on the floor, silently change the fish tank water, and clean up... Didn't say a word."
Tong Yao: "..."
Her heart pounded as she listened. She grabbed Da Bing's paws and smacked them hard a couple of times.
Da Bing let out an aggrieved "meow."
Tong Yao looked horrified. "What are you whining about? You almost died!"
"Little Fatty once overfed Cheng Ge's goldfish, and two of them died from bloating. For an entire week during scrims, Cheng Ge didn't give him a single Heal (*a Summoner spell typically carried by the ADC to restore HP, capable of saving lives in dire situations)... He just watched his support die, then turned and walked away without a second glance. Heartbreaking, truly tear-jerking," Xiao Ruo chimed in before pausing abruptly. "So why do you think Cheng Ge suddenly became so compassionate?"
Tong Yao released Da Bing's paws and looked up. "Huh?"
Xiao Rui: "Da Bing. Cheng Ge has been unusually patient with Da Bing."
Tong Yao hesitated. "Oh? Maybe it's because our Da Bing is just that pretty."
Xiao Rui: "No matter how pretty, wasn't it just 'that furry little beast' this and that before... Hey, Bing'er, why'd you suddenly become so important?"
Da Bing sneezed.
Tong Yao: "..."
As Xiao Rui lifted Da Bing to nuzzle its face affectionately, Tong Yao stood from the couch, rubbed her burning ears, and returned to her computer, ready to play a couple of Ranked Games to calm down. When Lu Sicheng noticed her sitting down beside him, he stood up and headed for the bathroom...At that moment, Xiao Rui shouted from the living room, "Tong Yao, send me Cheng Ge’s monthly Ranked Games data assessment file from his desktop via QQ. It’s that thrilling time of the month again—salary deduction time!"
Tong Yao responded with an "Oh" and leaned sideways to grab Lu Sicheng’s mouse. After finally hooking it, she looked up and saw that the computer screen displayed Lu Sicheng’s chat window with the Top laner from Team CK—
[Good Luck Coming, That Good Luck Coming: ...Cheng Ge, did you deliberately lose that solo match this morning?]
[...: Why would I deliberately lose?]
[Good Luck Coming, That Good Luck Coming: Yang Shen said so.]
[Good Luck Coming, That Good Luck Coming: Then why did you lose?!]
[...: Do I really need to explain why I failed? Should I also write an 800-word self-reflection and face the wall in repentance?]
[Good Luck Coming, That Good Luck Coming: Ugh, you’re so mean! The whole world thinks you lost on purpose!]
[...: No.]
[...: I miscalculated the minion wave distance, and she seized the opportunity.]
[Good Luck Coming, That Good Luck Coming: That doesn’t sound like a mistake you’d make.]
[...: I’m not a god who never makes mistakes. Besides, why would I deliberately lose to her?]
[Good Luck Coming, That Good Luck Coming: ……………………Who knows about you, but I’m only that gentle when I’m trying to impress a girl.]
[...: Our Mid Laner wouldn’t understand such sophisticated tactics. After beating me, her mind was probably filled with nothing but how to overthrow me and take over the Operator Team. Being gentle to her is being cruel to myself.]
Tong Yao: "..."
The chat log ended there.
Just then, a calm male voice sounded behind her: "Seen enough?"
Tong Yao shuddered, tossed Lu Sicheng’s mouse aside, and bolted upright into her own seat. Pressing her back against the armrest of her gaming chair, she stammered, "Xiao Rui told me to send the file—the one about salary deductions—said it was on your computer. He asked me to send it..."
She watched as Lu Sicheng bent down, took hold of the mouse, minimized the chat window, and located the file Xiao Rui had mentioned on the desktop. During this, Tong Yao hesitated before asking, "So... did you lose on purpose this morning?"
Lu Sicheng dragged the file into his chat with Xiao Rui. As the file began transferring, he turned his head and replied flatly, "What do you think?"
Tong Yao thought for a moment. "I don’t think so."
Lu Sicheng gave a noncommittal "Hmm." "You’re not some little girl who needs to be coddled like that."
Tong Yao muttered an "Oh," lowering her head as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear—her lips curling upward uncontrollably.
Lu Sicheng: "As if you’d understand such tactics anyway. It’d be like casting pearls before swine."
Tong Yao: "..."
The upward curve of her lips twitched before flattening again.
Tong Yao: "I do understand. I have a girly heart."
Lu Sicheng: "The hell you do."
Tong Yao: "..."
Tong Yao queued up for a Ranked match and played two games, imagining every Champion the enemy Mid Laner picked as Lu Sicheng’s face. She effortlessly crushed the high-ranked opponents into oblivion... After finishing, she glanced at her stable position as a Korean server king, pushed her keyboard away, stretched, and decided to take a nap.Back in her room before bed, Tong Yao checked the Forum, which was flooded with reports and gossip about her solo match with Lu Sicheng that morning. Most people believed Lu Sicheng had intentionally lost, while a minority disagreed. Their reasoning was quite straightforward: Why would Lu Sicheng go easy on her?
A handful who recognized Lu Sicheng’s misplays and praised her skills were unfortunately drowned out in the sea of voices.
Tong Yao skimmed through it for a while, found it uninteresting, tossed her phone aside, and went to sleep.
She dozed off for a few hours before being jolted awake by a text from Little Fatty. When she opened her eyes, it was already dark outside. The message read: That woman is here.
Tong Yao shuddered and sat up abruptly, only to collapse back onto the bed with a soft thud from dizziness after sleeping too long. Three seconds later, she remembered that her window overlooked the entrance of the team headquarters. Struggling up again, she pushed the window open like a thief and peeked down—sure enough, the long-legged beauty was standing downstairs. At that moment, Lu Sicheng stood with his back to the building, facing her. They seemed to be talking about something.
Tong Yao could only see the faint glow of his cigarette—
She couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen him smoke.
She leaned against the window, watching for a while, until the two turned and started walking away. She let out a quiet ah , thinking, Don’t leave! Where are you going? Then she caught herself— Why should I care where they go? Pressing her lips together, she closed the window.
……
Meanwhile.
In the courtyard.
Lu Sicheng made it clear to the person in front of him that they weren’t compatible and suggested that since it was late, he could escort her back. Su Luo, seeing that he had no intention of further conversation, reluctantly mentioned that she had driven here and parked outside the neighborhood. After a brief pause, Lu Sicheng simply said, “Then I’ll walk you to the gate.”
Su Luo felt genuinely frustrated: This man is perfect in every way—how could he not be mine?
She knew the path from the ZGDX esports team headquarters to the parking lot at the villa’s entrance was her last chance.
“Lu Sicheng, are you upset because I went to watch your match last time and drew too much attention?” Su Luo asked. “I really didn’t mean to. I just answered whatever they asked—I didn’t expect you to be so famous, or for them to analyze my words so deeply…”
“…” Lu Sicheng paused. “That’s not the issue.”
“Your fans went crazy. I’m really sorry,” Su Luo said, frowning. “Some even found my Weibo and left nasty comments, saying I was shamelessly pretending to be your girlfriend—”
“I apologize.”
“Why are you apologizing? It’s not your fault—it’s your fans…” She hesitated. “I don’t fully understand the dynamics of your gaming world, but if we could develop something, I’d be willing to learn—”
“That’s not it,” Lu Sicheng stubbed out his cigarette—he hadn’t taken more than a few puffs before tossing it into the trash. “I don’t know if Lu Yue fed you some nonsense about ‘rules’ in this circle, but you can ignore him. The truth is, if I wanted someone, I’d protect her. She wouldn’t need to learn anything.”
He paused. “So that’s not the problem.”
“Then… are you worried about upsetting your fans?”"It's not the entertainment industry. I'm into esports, not joining a monastery."
"Then what exactly—"
"Not suitable." Lu Sicheng was succinct.
By now, the two had reached the outskirts of the residential complex. Perhaps because both were tall with long legs, they had moved quickly... Outside was a bustling street, the faint sound of music from a bar drifting over. Under the streetlights, Su Luo turned to look at the man beside her, who was only slightly taller than her. His profile was half-hidden in the shadows cast by the complex behind them, with unshaven stubble on his chin—yet none of this detracted from the fact that he was undeniably handsome.
The way he had casually declared, "She doesn’t need to learn anything," was enough to make anyone’s heart skip a beat.
"How are we not suitable? Looks? Intelligence? Family background? Or height?" Su Luo laughed, gesturing with her chin toward a couple near the bar entrance. "They can be together."
Lu Sicheng glanced over and saw a towering young man lifting a petite girl—who barely reached his armpit—onto a heavy motorcycle. The girl was still in her school uniform, while he wore a tank top, his muscular arms covered in intricate tattoos. He ruffled her hair and handed her a helmet that looked comically small in his large hands, fitting it onto her head as she sat behind him on the bike.
The girl grinned, stretching her arms to loop around his neck and pull him down, pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips before obediently letting him secure the helmet.
Su Luo remarked, "That girl could pass as his daughter."
Lu Sicheng looked away. "Isn’t that fine?"
Su Luo paused, shooting him a strange glance.
"What kind of person do you even like?" she asked.
Lu Sicheng: "...Someone who’s better at gaming than me."
Su Luo laughed. "Isn’t that just a publicity stunt?"
Lu Sicheng: "No."
Su Luo: "But does someone like that even exist? People say you’re insanely good—no one could be better than you."
"Doesn’t have to be League of Legends. Beating me at Tetris works too. Though if it’s League, I’d marry them on the spot," Lu Sicheng said flatly. "Goodbye."
Su Luo: "..."
In the end, Su Luo left without managing to sway him. She apologized; he said there was no need. She promised to adapt to the esports scene’s rules; he told her not to bother. She insisted they were perfectly matched from head to toe; he remained indifferent—
He was like a boulder even lightning couldn’t crack.
Fuming, Su Luo drove off. As she passed the entrance of the complex they had just left, she vaguely saw Lu Sicheng still standing there. She rolled down her window, about to wave goodbye, but by then, the man had already turned away, his gaze fixed silently on something inside the complex.
Su Luo hesitated, sensing he was looking at someone.
But she had already driven past, so in the end, she saw nothing.
...
Lu Sicheng watched as a figure gradually emerged from the dim light of the complex, panting heavily as they stopped in front of him, completely out of breath... His lips parted slightly as he observed this person—who, when standing straight, only reached his shoulders, and now, bent over, looked like they could be accidentally crushed underfoot if he wasn’t careful. Just as he was about to speak, they raised a hand, signaling for him to shut up.
Then, bracing their hands on their knees, they gasped for air like a dog."Did you ever pass PE in high school?"
"A girl who's good at gaming, cute, and has a great personality is already one in a thousand, and you still have the nerve to demand she passes PE?" Tong Yao tugged at her collar, wiping the sweat off her chin. "Don't push your luck."
"Out of all those conditions you listed, which one applies to you besides 'good at gaming'?"
"..."
"Why'd you come out here?"
"Little Fatty said he's hungry," Tong Yao straightened up, "and sent me to hurry you up about buying crayfish."
"Couldn't he call?"
"My phone's dead." Tong Yao glanced behind Lu Sicheng. "Where's your blind date?"
"Left." Lu Sicheng pulled his car keys from his pocket and patted the person beside him on the head. "Let's go get some late-night snacks."
"And walk all the way back!"
"No one told you to chase after me."
Lu Sicheng turned to leave, but after a couple of steps, he paused when he realized she wasn't following. Looking back, he found her frozen in place, staring into the distance—his gaze followed hers to where the middle school girl and the tattooed man were still whispering to each other, heads close. The tattooed man, delighted, lifted her off the bike like she was a toy...
Tong Yao watched for a moment before turning to Lu Sicheng, her eyes sparkling. "Adorable."
"..." Lu Sicheng scoffed. "Is your sense of 'adorable' broken?"
Tong Yao spun around and jogged a few steps to catch up with him. "Isn't it nice?"
"Nice how?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Oh."
Under the streetlights in the neighborhood, their shadows stretched long behind them... When Tong Yao walked behind Lu Sicheng, his shadow completely enveloped hers.
She looked up at his broad shoulders, her eyes holding unspoken words.
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