At night, Longhu’s wealthy district was very quiet. The streetlight’s glow couldn’t slip through the curtains, so once the lights were off, the dorm was pitch dark. Now and then, a cool night breeze from Shanghai lifted the white sheer drapes, making a slow rustling sound.
Bzzz, bzzz—
Hearing the vibration, Sui Ning, who for once had trouble sleeping, turned over, silenced his phone alarm, and lowered his gaze to check the time.
[4:00]
It was the reminder he normally set to tell himself to stop late-night training and go to bed earlier, but tonight it had somehow become his wake-up call.
“…Sigh.”
The black-haired youth sighed soundlessly in his heart.
He rarely lost sleep over social problems. In his previous life, he got along well with all his teammates. Toward the end of his career, he had even mentored plenty of younger players, and he had never encountered someone like Ji Yunyu—
…Someone like, what exactly?
His thoughts stalled. He recalled again Ji Yunyu’s deep eyes—clear and pure like the boy himself.
But in the instant their gazes met, Sui Ning could see within them a smoldering indigo flame, as if it wanted to burn through his carefully held reserve, leaving even him—so adept at staying composed—momentarily speechless, unable to find words for that tangled mix of emotions.
Ji Yunyu had every right to be upset. Just because Sui Ning was used to being affectionate with rookies didn’t mean Ji Yunyu was. Maybe he should apologize…?
A messy tangle of thoughts filled his head. Sui Ning sat on the bed in a daze, letting the blanket slide down. His eyes, almost unconsciously, shifted toward the bed beside his own—only to find it empty.
——
First floor.
Four in the morning was an awkward time for PNG players. The night owls had already gone to sleep, and the early risers hadn’t woken yet. The spacious training room was silent, lit only by one computer monitor and a floor lamp.
“Sigh.” Ji Yunyu sat at the desk, sighing heavily. “The world’s biggest fool is me.”
Otherwise, how could a single line—“I want to get to know you better”—leave him still awake at four in the morning, painstakingly clipping Sui Ning a highlight reel of his own matches?
So stupid… might as well die of shame!
He scrubbed his hair in frustration, but his hands moved briskly, pulling out what he thought were the best clips, arranging them in chronological order.
Unable to stop himself, Ji Yunyu muttered resentfully to the empty air: “What’s the point… He doesn’t mean it that way. Who am I even doing this for? Wouldn’t it be better just to—”
“Better just to what?”
“—!”
Startled by the clear, cool voice, Ji Yunyu spun around—and met Sui Ning’s gaze.
The young man was holding a cup of milk, standing quietly by the lamp.
The warm orange light brushed his cheeks and hair, his jacket draped over his shoulders. His whole bearing seemed softened and gentle, like a pale moon orchid blooming at midnight.
Ji Yunyu’s heart skipped a beat.
It took him a long moment to find his voice, coming out dry and flat: “…Nothing.”
Sui Ning pressed his lips together, set the cup on the desk—right by Ji Yunyu’s hand.
Feeling its faint warmth against his skin, Ji Yunyu’s face darkened. “Where’d that come from?”
Tch. Only kids who can’t sleep drink warm milk.
So in his eyes, he was still just a little kid. Better to give up now… though of course, he should still finish editing the clips. Give up afterward—yeah, that wouldn’t be too late…
With his head in chaos, Ji Yunyu lowered his eyes to glance at the milk, but didn’t touch it.
“I brought it,” Suining said. “Just heated it up in the kitchenette.” Seeing Ji Yunyu like this, his usually cool, composed features betrayed a rare touch of uncertainty. He lifted a fist to his lips. “Cough…”
“Are you mad?”
So you do know?!
Ji Yunyu restrained his urge to pout, lifted his gaze to him instead, all icy and silent. The look made Sui Ning uneasy.
After a pause, the young man hesitated. “If you stay up this late, you’ll just end up sleeping until afternoon again. Drink this so your stomach won’t hurt.”
“…Oh.”
…What was he supposed to say next? Sui Ning looked troubled.
Ji Yunyu shot the milk a ferocious glare, then grabbed the cup and gulped it down in big swallows.
His black eyes locked onto Sui Ning the whole time, as if demanding: Don’t you have anything else to say?
When he was done, he slammed the cup down with a thud.
Even an idiot could tell he was upset. But why?
Maybe figuring out why wasn’t the point right now. Sui Ning drew in a long breath, his lashes trembling faintly. After a long silence, he finally spoke in a quiet voice.
“…Sorry.”
…Huh? Ji Yunyu froze, utterly unprepared for an apology. He sat stiffly in his chair.
“I’ve never thought of you as a child.” Sui Ning paused, as though weighing his words, the tips of his ears tinged faintly pink.
He had always been reserved, even when coaxing others, he had to use the most restrained lines.
“If I could become your teammate, I’d be really happy.”
“I… I actually like you quite a lot.”
After speaking, he lifted his gaze a little awkwardly to see Ji Yuny’s expression, only to find the other staring at him blankly, as if struck by lightning.
…Did he say something wrong again?
Sui Ning’s heartbeat sped up a few beats, flustering him. “Th-that time, saying those things was my fault. If you don’t like it, I—”
A warm hand gripped his wrist. The frantic, uneven heartbeat of the other seemed to pulse through the searing heat of that palm.
Ji Yunyu’s eyes flickered, his ears redder than Suining’s: “I don’t dislike it.”
“And… me too.”
More than anticipating anything, more than rejoicing at anything.
Even knowing clearly that the “like” Sui Ning spoke of wasn’t that kind of “like,” he couldn’t restrain his own useless heart from beating wildly.
I really am the biggest fool, Ji Yunyu lamented inwardly. Even my heartbeat can’t tell a lie.
Sui Ning’s eyes widened.
The boy’s face flushed with shyness, eyes glued stubbornly to the computer screen as if flowers might bloom on it, yet his hand still clutched Sui Ning’s wrist tightly—hot, burning, impossible to pull away.
——
The two returned to the dorm one after the other.
Lying back in bed, Sui Ning hesitated: “So… does this mean we’ve made up now?”
Ji Yunyu sounded a little helpless: “We were never not okay, were we?”
…W-wait, so just now wasn’t “not okay”?!
Sui Ning: I don’t understand, but I’m completely shocked.
The young man choked slightly: “Then that’s good.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“…We’ve still got a match tomorrow. Better rest.”
“Y-yeah, got it.”
Hearing the response, Sui Ning tried to gauge Ji Yunyu’s emotions from his tone. He didn’t sound upset at all—if anything, he seemed happy.
That was enough to set his mind at ease. Suining relaxed, finally showing a faint smile.
……
After a while, Ji Yunyu, tossing and turning sleeplessly, stared at the ceiling: “So… didn’t you say you wanted to watch my matches? To u-underst—cough.”
“Don’t watch those messy commentary versions, I already sorted them for you. Do you… want to see them now?”
“......”
“A-also, why did you even bring milk—?”
“......”
“…Sui Ning?”
Receiving no reply, Ji Yunyu turned his head, only to see the young man fast asleep, his back quiet and still.
Convinced he’d resolved a social crisis, Sui Ning slept soundly that night.
Ji Yunyu: …?
Damn it——!
How could he fall asleep so fast? Didn’t that just make Ji Yunyu, lying awake with insomnia, look like an idiot?!
And he even slept with his back turned!
Gnawing at his blanket, Ji Yunyu stared at Sui Ning’s peaceful back, raging silently inside.
——
The next day.
Suining slept nearly until noon. Rising refreshed, he looked up to meet Ji Yunyu’s gaze. The boy was already dressed, dark circles under his eyes, staring at him resentfully.
Sui Ning: “…Didn’t sleep well?”
“Slept great.”
The young man blinked, glanced at the dark circles, then swallowed down the words that might’ve sounded a bit insensitive.
When they entered the training room, everyone else had only just arrived, except Cheng Su, already grinding ranked. Lin Zhaoxu, still yawning and wiping tears, was booting up his machine. Seeing Sui Ning and Ji Yunyu, he lazily lifted a hand in greeting, clearly not fully awake.
It seemed everyone’s messed-up sleep schedule was pretty much aligned.
“Morning,” Lin Zhaoxu said weakly, his eyes lighting up a bit when they landed on Sui Ning. “Feng-bao, wanna duo queue?”
He’d been catching up on Sui Ning’s old streams lately and found the name “Feng-bao” amusing, though he couldn’t figure out why every time he called it out, he felt a chill down his back.
Ji Yunyus gaze sharpened like a blade, silently drilling into him: “What are you trying to do?”
“Climb ranks.”
“Climb ranks? Sure, let’s climb.” Ji Yunyu sneered. “I’ll carry you.”
“Climb? How many times have you carried me diving? If I play with you again, I’ll have to dream my way back to Diamond on my alt.”
Lin Zhaoxu scoffed, then looked at Sui Ning: “You coming? Tiger and Leopard double C bloodbath, slaughtering national-level champions like pigs.”
“Sure.” Sui Ning didn’t hesitate and agreed immediately.
Cheng Su added calmly, “His choice of names is always fine, just get used to it.”
That morning, the club had already prepared a few temporary seats in the training room. Playing a warm-up match with Lin Zhaoxu sounded good. The young man randomly picked a spot and started up his PC. Ji Yunyu sat beside him, acting like he was supervising the game.
Cheng Su glanced at his screen during a break and commented, “Not bad. Your son knows how to ask to be carried in such a subtle way—a real leap in cultural refinement.”
“…Damn it, play your own game! I’ll never duo queue with you before you get poisoned!” Lin Zhaoxu twitched at the corner of his mouth, fingers itching to yank all of Cheng Su’s hair.
Cheng Su’s face was cold. “Then you’ve got only two hours left. Later you’ll have to queue with me; the new combination isn’t practiced enough yet.”
Lin Zhaoxu: …
He felt like a reincarnated living Buddha. Otherwise, how could he endure not dueling the real Cheng Su?
“My name must be on HPL’s most-wanted marksman list for assassinating supports.” Lin Zhaoxu restrained his killing intent and sighed wistfully.
To avoid being “stalked by friends in spectator mode,” Lin Zhaoxu and Sui Ning tacitly activated invisibility upon entering the team room. In less than three minutes, they were queued.
Both put on their headsets. Lin Zhaoxu, on the first floor, asked, “Do you want me to pick for you?”
“I’m fine either way. If you don’t want to choose first, you can grab Aeria for me.”
“Okay. Who to ban?”
Only in Peak or above ranks does the “5-5” BP system from competitions apply. Below King rank, the 3-3 BP system is used.
Lin Zhaoxu played on a newly practiced Master-rank alt. At this rank, he didn’t fuss over bans or picks, usually asking teammates for input.
Sui Ning: “No counters to my mid lane. Any heroes you fear?”
“Doesn’t matter, it’s just Master.” Lin Zhaoxu scratched his head and typed in the team chat, “Are we… the so-called casual double C?”
[xu_is_die]: Who to ban?
No one responded.
Until the ban countdown reached the last 3 seconds, still no one spoke. Lin Zhaoxu had no choice but to randomly disable the first three heroes on the list: Shield Bearer, Three-Tailed Fox, Holy Healer, and then quickly grabbed Stellar Sprite to help Sui Ning.
The previously quiet teammates immediately sent a sincere “good afternoon” greeting.
[Heartless Solo Player]: ?????
[No Escape]: First floor, are you gone? What dumb heroes did you ban?
[Night Person]: Unbelievable. Already Master and still random banning?
[xu_is_die]: Asked you who to ban earlier, no answer. Now you cry? Chicken?
[Night Person]: LOL, who are you picking? First floor chooses Aeria, you think you’re Fenglan?
[Fenglan]: .
[Night Person]: ….What the hell?
[No Escape]: WTF WTF WTF? Feng-bao? I’m not going on TV, am I?
[Fenglan]: It’s me. He picked her for me.
[No Escape]: Group photo, group photo! Mom, did you see? I queued against a national first-tier player, sob sob sob!
[Night Person]: Crying, really embarrassing. Feng-bao s-h-s-h, my Feng-bao, s-h-s-h.
[Heartless Solo Player]: Just asking, is Stellar Sprite afraid of these heroes?
[Fenglan]: Not afraid. Banned a few useless ones so they wouldn’t ban our heroes.
[No Escape]: My baby, you’re so kind, hahaha!
Sui Ning’s heart skipped a beat at that line. The group’s attitude shifted so quickly, it was almost overwhelming—brothers overdoing the flattery, better rein it in!
Meanwhile, Lin Zhaoxu seemed fully absorbed. The purpose of his alt was to show off: pick an unreadable, obscure ID, jump in, kill a dozen or twenty, then drop a cold line: “Follow the streamer, search PNG_Mior on Little Shark Streaming platform,” and vanish—utterly cool.
Even before the match started, the team chat already had the subtle flavor of his favorite “face-slapping” literary style.
“Yo, getting fired up, eh!” Lin Zhaoxu said in a playful voice, picked his hero, and waited for the game to load.
Sui Ning shook his head with a smile.
Their commotion naturally drew the attention of the other tryout players.
The blond-haired youth, itching to ask, hesitated, then sidled to Ji Yunyu: “G-God C, can I trouble you with something?”
…Not asking me to duo, right? Not interested at all. Ji Yunyu pursed his lips, raised an eyebrow: “What is it?”
“W-Well…” the blond-haired youth stammered, growing slightly excited, “Now Feng-bao… uh, Brother Lan is playing Aeria, and we’re mid players, so…”
“…Exactly what are you trying to say?”
The blond-haired youth swallowed hard: “Uh… could you maybe move over a bit? We want to watch Feng-bao play Aeria up close.”
Ji Yunyu: ?
He looked up. The blond-haired youth was staring at him expectantly, with a flattering smile plastered on his face.
Ji Yunyu couldn’t help but show the expression of an old man on the subway watching phone, his gaze shifting past him—behind the blond-haired youth, the other trainees were also nodding frantically, heads bobbing so hard they looked like they might fly off to prove their loyalty.
The Aeria King gathered his courage: “W-we won’t make any noise, we just want to learn.”
“Yeah, yeah, just to learn, to learn.”
Sui Ning, who had been focused on laning, nearly burst out laughing at their antics: “It’s fine, you can watch.”
At his words, the group instantly leapt up like concubines favored by the emperor, crowding around Sui Ning’s side in a circle—careful not to touch him.
Someone whispered angrily: “Damn it, which idiot bumped me? Almost knocked into Feng-bao’s hand—if he missed a minion, could you afford that?!”
Sui Ning, embarrassed by their fawning: …
Ji Yunyu, pushed aside on the other end: …
So unfair!
——
[Red Team has destroyed an inhibitor!]
[Victory!]
The game ended quickly. As Lin Zhaoxu had said, it was a bloody stomp—15 minutes and they were already breaking high ground. The double carries were so strong that the others had nothing to do except spam “666.”
Only one foreigner on the enemy team kept flaming.
[Kenii] (All): fu** you Aria, noob cheater
[Thinking of You] (All): ?
[Light Singing] (All): insane
[No Escape] (All): Where’s my royal translator? Why’s this half-Chinese half-English mess?
[Night Person] (All): This beginner-level English, no way anyone can’t understand it, right? Calling my Fengbao a cheater—honestly sounds like stand-up comedy.
[Hearless Solo Player] (All): Foreign bro, you awake? The surgery went well, and Beijing’s Olympic bid succeeded too!
[Kenii] (All): suxkmydxxk, cheater Aeria
The insults were filthy. Sui Ning raised an eyebrow, not indulging him, then once again sniped the fleeing low-health target blind through fog.
[Fenglan] (All): bye, noob ^^.
“666, my Feng-bao is insane!” Lin Zhaoxu cried out like a pro commentator. “How’d you know he was there?”
“Guessed from his movement. He showed for a second by the second tower and didn’t notice.”
“Respect. I’m in awe.”
The onlookers all nodded in unison, faces full of enlightenment.
…Wait, something felt off.
The blond-haired youth suddenly realized, fuming: “Damn, that foreign idiot cursing at our Feng-bao—his mouth’s filthy, we’ve gotta report him!”
“Got his ID down?”
“Hell no, you know my English sucks. His name looks like gibberish.”
“Aren’t you called Ecas…?”
“That’s just a doujin artist’s ID, I borrowed it, okay?”
After a few grumbles, the group quietly shed tears inside.
They’d spectated the whole match—if Sui Ning were cheating, they’d know better than anyone. Of course, the guy was just skill-gapped into swearing.
…So when would they ever reach a level where their mechanics and game sense felt like cheating? Foreign bro, don’t flame Feng-bao—flame them, they could take it!
With that thought, they felt the dream of becoming a pro mid-laner slipping further and further away.
A bit later, Chen Chen and the analysts arrived after the morning meeting. The trial was divided into dozens of items: solo lanes, last-hitting with/without interference, hero pool, stress tests, psychological evaluations…
Some of the tests would continue tomorrow.
Finally, the schedule even included physical fitness checks: jump rope, long-distance running, sit-ups, push-ups… The non-athletic trainees looked like they were heading to their funerals.
The blond-haired youth clutched his chest, trembling: “I-is it too late to quit now?”
The Aeria King also shivered: “Humans really have limits. Take me, for example—I’ve never once passed a fitness test in my life…”
The more they talked, the sadder they got, trying to hide in a corner to cry.
By now, no one thought they had a shot at taking Sui Ning’s spot—unless PNG planned to recruit two players.
But clearly, they weren’t good enough for Chen Chen to want to force-sign them as subs either.
Ji Yunyu glanced around, then quietly leaned toward Sui Ning: “You gonna be okay with this?”
Sui Ning’s brows arched high, shooting him a sidelong look with a teasing smile: “You not okay with it?”
“Hell no, I’ve been working out all along!”
Matters of pride were at stake, and Ji Yunyu couldn’t tolerate this provocation. He immediately reached to grab Sui Ning’s wrist. “I’ve got abs, okay? Don’t believe me? Feel for yourself!”
Sui Ning was taken aback by his reaction. Before he could correct himself, his wrist was firmly gripped and guided forward by the boy.
Ji Yunyu’s eyes locked onto Sui Ning’s, his ears tinged red.
Just as he was about to touch him, Sui Nng’s pupils contracted. Like being shocked, he pulled his wrist back, and the back of his hand accidentally brushed against the smooth, defined muscles of Ji Yunyu’s abdomen through the soft black lining of his shirt. The hard, heated sensation, so different from fabric, instantly made his hand feel like it was on fire.
Sui Ning immediately clutched his hand as if burned.
Ji Yunyu froze as well.
The two stared at each other, eyes wide, silence stretching on.
Ji Yunyu seemed to finally realize how bold he had been. With a snap, he covered his face with his hand, letting out an embarrassed grunt. His exposed neck and ears were so red they seemed about to bleed.
Originally, Sui Ning had thought poking at his friend’s muscles before had been harmless and there was no reason to feel awkward over this small accident. But seeing Ji Yunyu’s reaction, his own heart rate quickened. He turned his gaze away, feeling a strange shyness.
Chen Chen, meanwhile, was going over instructions and noticed Ji Yunyu’s strange reaction. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing, coach.” Sui Ning hid the back of his hand behind him, heart pounding like a drum, feigning calm on his face. “He has a stomachache.”
“…If he has a stomachache, why’s he covering his face?”
Chen Chen had no idea what had just happened, looking confused.
Uh.
Even the usually articulate Sui Ning was momentarily speechless, cheeks flushing. He pressed his lips together: “…It might not hurt anymore now.”
Chen Chen: “…Okay. Did you remember the items I just mentioned for testing?”
Sui Ning nodded: “Remembered.”
He tried to calm his racing emotions, letting his fingertips brush his hand, still able to feel the warmth of the sun-soaked muscles beneath.
Ji Yunyu was more direct. He decided to keep his hand glued to his face for at least a day, unwilling to see anyone.
He closed his eyes, cursing the “Secret Crush Guide” he had looked at yesterday: Ahhh, who told me to use physical contact to get closer? Why did I ever believe this nonsense?!
The boy slowly crouched down.
Chen Chen glanced at Ji Yunyu like he was looking at a lunatic, then decided it was best not to interfere with the jungle player losing his mind, and distributed the forms.
Combined with yesterday’s performance, the detailed items on the form allowed the coaching team to quantify each player’s abilities more clearly. Any significant weakness would heavily impact the coaches’ evaluations, including mental health and physical fitness.
HPL’s regular season uses a BO3 format, but playoffs, mid-season tournaments, Worlds, the Olympics, and many smaller cups use BO5, which is an extreme test of players’ endurance and mental strength.
——
All tests were completed by the afternoon of the third day.
The later projects became increasingly professional, even bordering on “torture,” but they reflected PNG’s sincerity: the candidates, starters, and coaches weren’t just goofing off these past few days—they were all aiming for a contract.
Perhaps this was mutual effort.
Even if eliminated, PNG would provide a publicly shareable report filled with praise (with internal team details omitted), which could serve as a calling card for other clubs.
Finally, the results were ready, and the analysts called each candidate into the office one by one. Sui Ning was first.
The young man gently pushed open the door. PNG’s head coach was seated at the desk, waiting for him.
----------
No comments:
Post a Comment