| Marry Me, I'm Super Well-Behaved [Esports] (MARRY ME) |
In reality, he didn't sleep well either—the previous scenario repeated itself.
The other man seemed to have grown accustomed to it, kissing him with complete naturalness. Being highly sensitive, such a kiss was utterly overwhelming.
He struggled to break free from Chi Yu's embrace, but as the other sensed the comfort slipping away, he only bit down harder and teeth grinding against his tongue, making him unable to suppress a muffled groan.
Only when the other fell into deep sleep could he barely manage to break away.
He had classes the next morning, so he had no choice but to sit at the dining table for breakfast.
Ning Nanzhou looked at the completely unaware Chi Yu, worried he might notice something, and tried hard to keep his ears from turning red.
Instead, it was Chi Yu who suddenly spoke up: "Do you use the computer often?"
Computer???
Of course, fear always attracts what you dread. Remembering how the other had stared at his computer the night before, he feigned calmness and took a bite of a cranberry cookie.
"Our major often uses SnapGene to run programs, and we check CNKI a lot. At most, we slack off playing Gold Miner."
After saying this, he began to reflect—was that last line too contrived?
As he pondered how to salvage the situation, the other let out a faint "oh" and dropped the subject. He could only calmly finish the last cookie and head to school.
Or at least, appear calm!
The whole way, he couldn't stop wondering if Chi Yu had discovered something. He couldn't resist calling Chen Dongdong: "Let me ask you a question."
"You still haven't answered my last question! What kind of person is he? Should I send you some lube?"
"If you send any more weird stuff, we're done." Ning Nanzhou refused expressionlessly. "What would you do if you found out your husband was a pervert?"
"Depends on our relationship." The voice on the other end pondered seriously. "If we're just so-so and he's a pervert, I'd pack my bags and flee on the next train out of the country. But if we're close, all I can say is—go harder!"
Ning Nanzhou: "..."
He must have been half-asleep to ask this childhood friend.
Hanging up the phone, he felt much calmer. Not only did he lack evidence, but even if Chi Yu had discovered something, panicking would only make things worse.
Suppressing his unease, he went to class and ran into Xu Ye in the classroom. The two awkwardly avoided speaking.
After class, he headed home to compete. As he left the school gate, he caught sight of the Julong Internet Cafe across the street and considered whether to stream from there.
But thinking about the private room cost of sixty yuan per hour—five hours of streaming would be three hundred yuan—the one who never hesitated to buy merchandise resolutely walked straight ahead without a second glance.
He returned home and logged onto the website. The first match of the day was against a semi-streamer and semi-professional team, whose captain was Zhu Yao's former teammate Sparkle.
The Star Cup wasn't a very formal competition—official tournaments wouldn't be held online. In-game chat wasn't restricted, so both sides exchanged trash talk.
【Sparkle】What's the plan for this match? Whoever loses is a dog?
【Zhu Yao】Haven't you always been a dog? Don't bark if you lose.
【Sparkle】Damn it! Who are you calling a dog? Believe me, I'll unplug the internet cable!
【Zhu Yao】If you unplug it, you won't have internet either.
...
Ning Nanzhou watched as the two argued for over a hundred pages about who was the dog, then calmly typed in the public chat.
【South】Puppies, it's time for the match.
The two, who had been arguing fiercely, immediately quieted down and focused on the game.
Sparkle had signed up for the tournament with streamer friends, and the others weren't skilled streamers either. The skill gap between the two teams was significant, and they easily advanced to the next round.
The livestream room was full of sarcastic comments.
[It took them an hour to beat a team like that, while the Lion team finished in forty minutes.]
[Last time the Lion team played them, they didn't field their full roster, otherwise they would've won easily.]
[Waiting for the finals to see them get crushed.]
The second match was in the evening, with opponents determined by the afternoon's results. After finishing the match, Ning Nanzhou left his room.
As he went upstairs, he heard the sound of a door opening—probably Chi Yu returning from training.
He quickened his pace up the stairs but slowed down as he neared the stairwell exit.
Chi Yu entered carrying a bag loosely, his dark long hair half-tied up. A sharp shadow cut across his brow bone, and his eyes held a distant, icy aloofness.
Curious about what was in the bag, Ning Nanzhou was about to ask when the other spoke first: "The brand sent over a laptop. It's quite suitable for academic work. See if you like it?"
Is it for me...
Ning Nanzhou recalled the other's gaze from last night. He had thought Chi Yu suspected him, but it turned out he just thought his computer was too old.
The feeling from yesterday's meal resurfaced. He opened his lips to speak but closed them again.
Chi Yu unwrapped the packaging for him. Truthfully, he didn't need to open it to know he would like the gift—because no matter what Chi Yu gave him, he would love it.
Chi Yu watched as the boy lowered his head to take the box, his fair ears hidden beneath his hair, and asked calmly, "What kind of gifts do you like?"
Chi Yu had heard from Yang Ji that the boy was hard to please. Glancing toward the bedroom, he thought it wasn't so much that he was hard to please, but that he wasn't good at accepting kindness from others.
They were standing close, the boy's scent lingering around his nose. Adjusting the gold-rimmed glasses on his face, he said, "Perfume."
Ning Nanzhou ordered perfume online. Worried that showering after the match would disturb the other's rest, he placed the gift in his room, picked up his pajamas, and went to the bathroom to shower.
He turned on the shower, warm water flowing from his hair down to his neck. Unconsciously, he narrowed his eyes. After rinsing for a while, he pressed the body wash dispenser but found nothing came out.
He pressed it again.
Still can't squeeze any out.
Empty???
Ning Nanzhou's good mood instantly vanished. The shower gel ran out while he was bathing—what should he do now?
When Chi Yu walked into the bedroom, he saw a damp head peeking out from behind the bathroom door: "Hello, could you help me get the new shower gel?"
The boy's silver hair was completely soaked, clinging softly to his head like a sticky rice ball floundering in water.
He quietly handed over the new shower gel. Ning Nanzhou calmly took the bottle and left.
As Ning Nanzhou walked toward the shower with the gel, he comforted himself that it was no big deal. Yesterday, he had changed clothes in front of Chi Yu, and the other hadn't reacted at all, merely treating him like a child.
Meanwhile, Chi Yu remained standing in place. The other had left too quickly and forgotten to close the door. From his angle, he could catch a glimpse of the boy showering sideways under the spray.
Steam drifted through the air to the doorway. Chi Yu lowered his narrow eyes.
After finishing his shower and turning off the water, Ning Nanzhou sneezed and hurriedly put on his warm pajamas.
But when he carried his changed clothes to the washing machine, he realized his intimate pants were missing.
With a match scheduled for tonight, he didn't have time to search for the missing pants. After washing the clothes, he went to the livestream room—the name he had given to the downstairs room.
The boy booted up the new Aurora computer. The screen's clarity was entirely different from the old one. Watching dust particles settle on the display, he carefully wiped it with a tissue, feeling a pang of concern.
Tonight's match was considered the third round. Before the start, no one knew who they would be facing. According to Zhu Yao, who had participated in the Star Cup the most times, it was likely they would be up against a second-tier team.
Once the groupings were announced, the livestream room exploded.
[The grouping results are out]
[How could it be the Lion team!!!]
[I thought we'd only meet in the finals, so we could learn from a couple more rounds of experience]
[So sudden]
[Completely unprepared ahhhh]
Ning Nanzhou hadn't expected to face the Lion team so soon either. However, just as they could learn from the experience, the Lion team could too. It didn't matter when they encountered them.
But misfortunes never come singly. Ren Xingzhou sent a message saying he had a team event tonight and couldn't participate in the match.
The livestream room wailed even louder.
[Without Captain Ren, who's going to call the shots!!!]
[Xuanji's second-team Support is pretty good]
[Still tough against the Lion team though. Their Support won a continental championship, right?]
[Nani?!]
Each team had one substitute slot. Ren Xingzhou had mentioned earlier that he couldn't participate fully, so everyone had been scouting for substitute players.
【Ren Xingzhou】There's a kid in the second team who plays Void really well.
【Oliver】But the opposing Support plays it too, and even better. Let me think if I can get my captain Qiao to come, though his mechanics aren't great.
【Zhu Yao】...Is that something you should say? Captain Xu is just a bit slow on reactions, but his combat awareness is strong. Fox is strong in this patch, maybe find someone who's good with Fox?
Ning Nanzhou looked at the messages and sent one to the Nine-tailed Fox from his last Ranked Match.
When Xiao Qiao received South's message, he had just returned to the dorm. He almost laughed out loud seeing it—finally remembered your daddy, huh?!
He initially wanted to play hard to get for once, but afraid South might turn to someone else, he quickly agreed.
After agreeing, he realized it was a hot potato. Previously, playing in group queues was fine—the small streamer's livestream room had few viewers, so no one would suspect his identity.
Although the Star Cup wasn't an official competition, it had been running for seven years with livestream viewership surpassing a million. This time, they were facing the Lion team.
If people found out that a champion was playing as a Support for a small streamer, and that he had even cross-dressed as a woman to get the position, his career in the League would be over!
Xiao Qiao thought it over and decided to keep a low profile while hiding his true strength, then dazzle the little streamer at a critical moment!
The match officially began at 9 PM. Without a coach, the ban/pick phase was entirely discussed by the team.
"Fuck! The enemy banned Dragonborn and Qin Shi," Oliver complained. "Why didn't they ban my Fred from last time? Wasn't my 7-0 score good enough?"
"It's not that it wasn't good," Zhu Yao said, then realized they were getting off track. "The Lion team plays jungle-centric. Let's ban Thunder God and Hanged Man. Why was Fox banned too?"
Everyone chattered away in discussion, while Xiao Qiao remained silent throughout, thinking he'd just pick any hero casually. But then the team's Jungler sent a message.
【Snake】Support play Dark Elf.
How did this person know he could play Dark Elf?
He didn't overthink it and started the match. As the Support with the most honors in the League, he actually felt somewhat superior.
However, the match progressed unexpectedly.
He had already witnessed South's skills in Ranked Matches—the young man's arrogance was justified, as even Qin Yong at his peak during South's age didn't possess such technique.
But today, South was so strong it seemed like he was cheating, his mechanics elevated to another level, pressuring the Lion team's Top Laner under their tower!
That was a top-tier league player!
Yet that wasn't what surprised him most. What astonished him was how often the Jungler went top. Many Junglers tended to leave their solo laners to fend for themselves, but these moves seemed almost like...
A bold idea crossed Xiao Qiao's mind, but seeing the other's standard play, he suppressed the thought.
The Lion team was once a powerhouse, but as their results declined year by year, they fell from elite status to a regular top-tier team. Still, no ordinary team could compare to them.
The Lion team's Team Fights were the strongest he had ever seen—like a pride of lions led by Qin Yubai, targeting the weakest link and tearing through the thinnest part of the iron plate.
Just as Zhu Yao was about to be caught, South swiftly broke through the Lion team's formation. Unfortunately, it was a step too late—Qin Yubai's fist strike came crashing down heavily.
Just when he thought South would die, the Jungler's ultimate skill trajectory shifted imperceptibly, "coincidentally" pushing South away from his original position.
Micro-management so precise it was insane!
Qin Yubai's ultimate missed, and the battle shifted from that moment. South turned back to the fight and directly secured two kills!
Four kills!
Five kills!
Xiao Qiao couldn't see the live chat, but he was sure the Livestream room had fallen silent. South was already incredible before—how could he be even better now?
After winning the match, he sent a question mark to the Jungler. After a while, the other replied.
【Snake】.
？？？？！！！
Xiao Qiao's mind spun in disbelief. He swore he was just casually asking—why was his captain actually in this team!!!
―
The victory came more easily than expected. Ning Nanzhou poured himself a glass of water and leisurely opened the official livestream.
He hadn't watched before because he couldn't be bothered arguing with idiots, but now he definitely wanted to see those idiots lose their minds.
[Didn’t Lion team field their full roster? How could they lose!!!]
[Did the other side cheat?]
[The Star Cup’s anti-cheat system is top-notch. It’s not that you can’t cheat, but are you willing to spend millions to cheat?]
[But it’s still hard to believe. The other side only has two pro players, and one of them didn’t even make it to the playoffs. How could such a team defeat Lion team?]
[Their jungler and support look pretty average. If they hadn’t gotten lucky and pushed South, who knows who would’ve won?]
However, BO1 matches have a lot of randomness, and the two jungler and support players might just be one-trick wonders. Everyone was just surprised.
Ning Nanzhou’s Livestream room usually had a Popularity of around five thousand, but after the match, it skyrocketed to one hundred thousand!
He casually turned on his headset: "How could such a team defeat Lion team? Isn’t it normal for a father to beat his son?"
[Do you really want Qin Yubai to call you dad? Look at yourself in the mirror first.]
[The Streamer has such a smug look on his face.]
[Why are there weird people in the Livestream room again? Qin Yubai accused South of cheating first, and now using skill to prove himself is called being smug?]
[Where was the Streamer when Qin Yubai was representing the country? No one said you can’t prove yourself with skill, but you shouldn’t choose such an insulting way.]
Ning Nanzhou didn’t even look up, but he blinked at the last comment: "Representing the country? You mean during the S5 World Championship?"
"Just play esports, don’t make it sound like you’re carrying a bomb into battle. And even during the S5 World Championship, Lion team was eliminated in the semifinals. The champion was my Husband."
He said the word "Husband" with utter confidence, almost as if he were saying "my Husband is a civil servant."
And he wasn’t wrong. Even during Lion team’s peak, they never won an international tournament. Once, they even lost to a wildcard team.
[Shameless!!!]
[Son is still awesome though.]
[You call this shameless? I suggest you leave the Livestream room quickly, or you’ll be scared unconscious by South’s savage remarks.]
Qin Yubai’s fans kept arguing in the Livestream room, trying to frame his defense of his rights as smugness. He didn’t have much hope that Qin Yubai would honor the bet voluntarily and considered changing his Livestream room name to "Qin Yubai’s Old Man."
The next second, he received a message in the game.
A man with a stiff voice righteously called out: "Dad."
Not only that—
Qin Yubai also apologized in his own Livestream, telling his fans not to harass Ning Nanzhou. Compared to Qin Yong’s fans who had been silent before, Ning Nanzhou’s impression of Qin Yubai improved slightly.
But given the relationship between Lion team and FKW, it was only a slight improvement.
He shut down the computer and went to bed.
Since he had showered before the match, he just washed up and got into bed.
To avoid being kissed again, he deliberately turned his back to Chi Yu.
They shared a blanket, and his back was stiffly upright. Cold air seeped in from behind, blowing through his not-so-thick Pajamas, making his skin shiver instantly.
He was actually someone who feared the cold, but he’d rather wrap himself tightly in the blanket than get his lips swollen from kissing.
He tried to snuggle deeper into the down comforter, his eyelids growing heavy. Suddenly, the person behind him moved closer.
The other person seemed to be asleep, his warm breath brushing against Ning Nanzhou’s neck. His cool lips unconsciously grazed Ning Nanzhou’s earlobe, as if searching for something, then stopped when he didn’t find it.
Ning Nanzhou gradually relaxed. Maybe he could sleep peacefully tonight after all.
Before he could even finish that sigh of relief, the other party found the treasure the very next second.
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