Outside, celebrations of every kind swept across the country. Several major esports cities even made special exceptions to set off fireworks!
Far away in coastal Shanghai, PNG's home base, the giant screens in the central business district had been rented out entirely, broadcasting the same message twenty-four hours a day—
[Congratulations to World Champions PNG!]
[Congratulations to World Champions PNG!]
Universities across the country hung enormous banners congratulating PNG on their victory.
And this was only on the day they won. Offline celebrations were already this wild—online was even more unbelievable.
Excited netizens crashed Weibo's servers four or five times in a row. The number of simultaneous users was simply too high. Under the overwhelming load, the site completely collapsed every ten minutes or so.
The programmers spent the entire night doing nothing except emergency server repairs.
The Little Shark streaming platform was even worse. Fans merely sending gifts simultaneously across various livestreams managed to crash the entire platform.
The viewers who were suddenly kicked out of their streams were completely dumbfounded.
[??????]
[Seriously? You can actually crash a server by throwing too much money at it???]
[I'm dying. This has to be the first streaming platform in history to get gifted into a server crash!!]
[Holy crap, how much money did people spend??]
[Couldn't really tell. The smaller gifts were already impossible to count. The big spenders were all aiming for seven-figure totals!]
[Everyone's happy tonight. The rich guys deserve to celebrate too!]
[LMAO, I just met a guy in ranked who spent over ten million. He said he couldn't send gifts because the platform was down, so he queued ranked instead and got absolutely destroyed. For the record, I'm Silver. This is the closest I've ever been to ten million yuan.]
[Damn you, Little Shark! You don't even know how to make money?! Why is fixing a livestream room this hard?!]
The platform's managers were dragged out one by one and roasted by furious netizens.
After cursing the managers, they cursed the servers. Then the offices. Then the potted plants. Then the floor tiles.
Before long, another wave of angry viewers who couldn't get into livestreams flooded Weibo. Topics began trending at breakneck speed.
And then Weibo crashed again.
The livestream platform crashed too.
The fans: ...
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! ARE YOU TRYING TO DIE?!
Are your servers made of potatoes?! Why are they so fragile?!
The platform operators were helpless. Five years of pent-up expectations. A World Championship Finals watched by millions. Then, finally, a championship victory. The traffic explosion was simply beyond imagination.
Even though they had prepared countless contingency plans beforehand, the actual traffic during the trophy presentation and FMVP ceremony still far exceeded their highest estimates.
At this moment, they were suffering and delighted at the same time.
——
Back home, netizens stayed awake all night. In Paris, the audience was equally excited and unwilling to leave. Even after PNG bowed and exited the stage, the crowd lingered for a long time.
Under the guidance of staff members, PNG carried the championship trophy backstage.
Chen Chen walked at the front, holding the trophy. Lin Zhaoxu followed beside him, nearly vibrating with excitement.
His eyes fixed on the trophy. They darted around mischievously. Then he quietly reached out a hand—
Touch. He got it.
"Hehehehe... hehehehe... the trophy..."
Seeing this, Wei Ye also reached out and traced the raised patterns on the trophy's surface. An equally bizarre grin spread across his face.
The top laner and marksman exchanged a glance. Then began synchronizing their creepy little chuckles.
Cheng Su was speechless.
If possible, he genuinely did not want to walk beside these two idiots.
Unfortunately, what lay behind him was a world he couldn't participate in either—
Sui Ning and Ji Yunyu trailed far behind the group. Ji Yunyu had completely lost his mind from happiness.
Every few steps, he would wrap an arm around Sui Ning's waist, lift him up, and spin him around while shouting nonsense. "We actually won the championship together! Ningning, you're the FMVP——"
"I know, I know. Put me down already..."
"My mid laner is the best in the entire world. What about you? Isn't your jungler the best too?"
"Yes. Yes, he is——"
"Mm."
Satisfied, Ji Yunyu lowered his gaze and carefully studied the faint blush on Sui Ning's cheeks. Then he leaned down and kissed him.
His presence was aggressive. But the kiss itself was gentle.
The tenderness and affection behind it made Sui Ning momentarily lose focus. The other's warm breath brushed lovingly across the tip of his nose. Their soft lips met—
Wait a second!!
Sui Ning snapped back to his senses. Realizing where he was, he immediately pressed his back against the wall and nervously glanced toward his teammates.
Crap. If the coach and the others saw this...
He looked over anxiously—
Only to find that the coach and all his teammates had very tactfully turned their backs to them, as though the mid-jungle duo had already been expelled from the team.
No matter what noises came from behind them, they absolutely refused to turn around.
Lin Zhaoxu had just started to turn his head. “Feng-bao, come look at this—awoooo—”
Cheng Su grabbed Lin Zhaoxu's face from the left and forcibly stopped him from turning around. On the other side, Wei Ye hooked an arm around his neck and marched him forward, making sure he could only look straight ahead.
Lin Zhaoxu: ???
Cheng Su kept his eyes straight ahead. The man who had incredible map vision on the battlefield now seemed as though he could only see the tiny patch of ground right in front of him.
Without looking away, Cheng Su coldly asked, “Don't you know how to walk? Who walks forward while turning their head backward?”
I was just looking back once!!
Lin Zhaoxu felt wronged beyond words—Dou E herself wasn't as wronged as he was.
He wasn't a three-year-old child. How could looking back once possibly make him trip and die?
“Coach, mmph—” Temporarily forgetting about his mid and jungle teammates, Lin Zhaoxu immediately tried to report the injustice. “The support is bullying me—”
Chen Chen didn't even turn around. Pretending not to hear, he muttered to himself, “Hmm... where should I put it when we get back? Maybe we should order a new display cabinet? The old one sat empty for so long. Feels kind of unlucky, doesn't it?”
Coach???
Lin Zhaoxu froze. Struggling desperately, he cried, “Coach, save—”
Wei Ye slapped a hand over his mouth. “Stop yelling. Aren't I saving you right now, bro?”
“???”
He sighed dramatically. “You have no idea how hard it is to save someone from two top-tier assassins. It's terrifying.”
His grip didn't loosen in the slightest. “Especially one certain AP assassin. Best in the world. Killing a squishy AD like you is easier than killing a minion. The pressure I'm under is enormous.”
Lin Zhaoxu suddenly felt as though he were listening to some incomprehensible scripture.
Wei Ye sighed again. “Don't believe me? Ask your support whether the pressure's huge or not.”
Instinctively, Lin Zhaoxu rolled his eyes toward Cheng Su, sending out pitiful SOS signals.
Cheng Su rolled his eyes.
Behind them.
Sui Ning, who had witnessed everything: ...
Leaning against the wall with one hand, Ji Yunyu found his teammates' coordinated performance rather amusing.
When he noticed the faint blush on Sui Ning's ears, he raised an eyebrow. “So... can I kiss you now?”
Sui Ning immediately turned around and glared at him. “This is all your fault.”
His reputation… The reputation of both his lives...!
He, Sui Ning, a model professional player. In his previous life, he'd been the industry's benchmark for staying completely detached from romance. Yet in this life, he was secretly dating someone and had nearly let the entire team find out.
Even the coach knew!
Sui Ning lightly bit his lip. His face remained composed, but inside, a screaming prairie dog was desperately trying to claw its way out.
“My fault.”
Ji Yunyu answered with a smile. Lowering his head, he stepped closer and enclosed Sui Ning within the small world formed by his arms.
He first bent down and affectionately rubbed his nose against the side of Sui Ning's neck. Then he lifted his head slightly and, without allowing any refusal, kissed him deeply.
——
Overjoyed by their championship victory, Chen Chen led PNG's celebration late into the night. By the time it ended, everyone was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed.
Seeing how tired Sui Ning was, even Ji Yunyu had no choice but to postpone certain evil plans of his.
The next afternoon, the hotel prepared lunch for PNG. Among the drinks provided was bitter melon juice.
As Ji Yunyu walked past, he happened to catch the faintly amused expression on Chen Chen's face and immediately ordered a glass.
Bitter. Children who couldn't get any meat were the bitterest of all. Even bitter melon wasn't as bitter as he was.
He took a sip of the juice. Sitting across from him, Sui Ning quietly said, “My parents are here. Do you want to meet them?”
Ji Yunyu: “Pffft—!”
What parents? What did you just say?
Could bitter melon juice cause auditory hallucinations now?
Ji Yunyu stared blankly at Sui Ning, his expression so empty it was almost cute.
Sui Ning: ...
Helplessly, he handed Ji Yunyu some tissues and repeated himself.
This time, Ji Yunyu knocked over the remaining half-glass of bitter melon juice as well.
……
Since the team had not yet officially been dismissed, the players were not allowed to leave freely. As a result, Xu Hexuan simply brought Father Sui and Mother Sui directly to the Peninsula Hotel and took the opportunity to have a meal together.
Sui Ning felt nervous. At first, he wanted to suggest meeting at a nearby caf, but Xu Hexuan had thought things through more carefully.
Right now, who knew how many eyes around the world were fixed on PNG? Even with the official Glory organizers helping shield them, going out to a caf would inevitably attract paparazzi photos.
By comparison, getting into the hotel to meet players required registration, ID verification, and multiple security checks. In terms of privacy and safety, it was far better than going outside.
So, with Chen Chen's help, the arrangements were finalized.
Because of tournament regulations, the meeting could only be brief. But both Sui Ning and Ji Yunyu were extremely nervous.
Ji Yunyu was nervous because he felt he was meeting his future in-laws far too soon!
—He admitted he had plenty of nerve, but even in his wildest imagination, he'd never expected the day of meeting the parents to arrive this quickly!!
Yet when he turned his head, he discovered Sui Ning looked even more anxious than he did.
Instantly, Ji Yunyu straightened up again. Remembering Sui Ning's previous conflicts with his family, he said comfortingly, "It's okay. I'm here."
If the meeting went badly and his boyfriend ended up arguing with his parents, he would unquestionably stand on Sui Ning's side.
The thought filled him with a profound sense of responsibility as a boyfriend.
Sui Ning: ...
One glance was enough for him to realize Ji Yunyu had completely misunderstood.
His anxiety wasn't because he'd had any unpleasant history with his family.
Or rather, if there was someone who had experienced unhappiness, it wasn't him.
...And the fact that it wasn't him was exactly what made him anxious.
On the very first day after transmigrating, Sui Ning had thought about how he should face this body's parents. Should he tell them the truth? How could he explain—
In the end, he had arrived at only one answer: There was no answer.
Training and competition had temporarily pushed those worries aside. But now, he could no longer avoid facing them.
——
The two arrived at the restaurant with nerves stretched taut.
Reality, however, turned out to be completely different from either of their expectations. The meeting was bizarre.
At first, Sui Ning didn't know what to say. Ji Yunyu was tongue-tied as well. During his self-introduction, he managed only: "I am Ning—uh, Sui Ning's teammate..." before Madam Sui interrupted him with a meaningful look.
Raising an eyebrow, she looked at Ji Yunyu. The expression on her face was astonishingly similar to Sui Ning's expression on stage. "—A teammate?"
Smiling, she said regretfully, "I thought you were Ningning's boyfriend. Ah, if only you were. It'd be wonderful if someone were taking care of him. I'd feel much more at ease."
Upon hearing that, Ji Yunyu immediately blurted out: "Yes, Auntie, I am!"
Then he instantly poured her tea with all the eagerness of an obedient son-in-law.
Sui Ning couldn't help pressing a hand to his forehead.
Madam Sui's lips curved upward in satisfaction as she nodded.
What happened afterward, however, completely exceeded Sui Ning's expectations.
For almost the entire conversation, Madam Sui was the one asking after his well-being, while Sui Ning stumbled through his answers.
Occasionally, Father Sui would add a few comments, looking at Sui Ning with eyes full of admiration and encouragement.
By the end, Sui Ning had practically recounted everything that had happened from the day he left Idol Gas Station all the way to winning the world championship.
His throat was dry from talking. Madam Sui handed him a cup of warm water. He accepted it automatically. "...Thank you."
"...No need to thank me." Madam Sui smiled. "My son is so polite now."
Sui Ning froze.
Madam Sui acted as though she hadn't noticed. After listening to all of his stories, she clasped his hand tightly, as if trying to pass strength and a sense of belonging directly into him.
Slowly, she said, "You need to live well from now on, understand?"
"When you have time, come home more often. No matter where you are, we'll always be your strongest support."
There were tears hidden in her eyes as she pointed to herself and then to Father Sui.
At once, Sui Ning felt his nose sting.
After the meeting ended, he leaned against Ji Yunyu's shoulder and remained silent for a very, very long time.
He felt there had been deeper meaning hidden within Madam Sui's words. How could a mother fail to recognize her own child?
And yet her attitude left him uncertain. How could a mother be so gentle toward a sudden "outsider"?
Whenever he met those strong, tolerant eyes, he felt an overwhelming urge to reveal every secret he had been carrying.
...And he had no idea what to do with that feeling.
Sui Ning closed his eyes and sighed soundlessly.
Perhaps one day, time itself would give him the answer.
----------
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