Chapter 57 [Group Owner] yux: It's good...

The group stage was tightly scheduled and was completed in just three days.

Angels successfully entered the knockout stage with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss. The BO1 they lost was against NJ, the runner-up of the Spring Split, while the other win was against WD, who were playing with one player against three opponents.

That same night after finishing WD, Song Baiyu sent Nan Zhiyi a short essay of several hundred words, accusing Yux of chasing after him with a necromancer and beating him up, while ignoring his main DPS character in front of him. He asked Yux to question Yux about what grudge he had against Yux.

Nan Zhiyi had no choice but to tell him the truth: "Actually, I made him do it this way because the others in your team aren't very capable. As long as they target you first and disrupt your rhythm, the other three will lose their composure without even targeting you."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, before a passionate voice message finally arrived: "Nan Zhiyi, you're so heartless!!!!"

On the other hand, the Little Bell team, also a winner of the Streamer Cup, was utterly crushed by lower-ranked league teams during the qualifying rounds, a situation comparable to playing against bots, and ultimately failed to even qualify for the group stage.

It wasn't until then that everyone finally realized that Angel Team had really thrown a huge slack in the Star Cup.

Overall, it is easier for Group B to advance than for Group A.

After entering the knockout stage, Angels will face HYG, the second-place team in Group A, in their first-round match.

The winner between the two teams advances to the next round, while the loser is eliminated.

Although the first round of the knockout stage was only a best-of-three series, the difficulty was significantly higher than that of the group stage. The more games a match has, the more complex the strategies required, which in turn necessitates a stronger training and management team to support the team.

Although Yu Xin boasted that he would lead them to victory, Nan Zhiyi knew in her heart that this task was no less difficult than a completely new team winning the regional championship in the first year of the league.

While it may seem like a pipe dream, it's not an impossible event with a zero probability. What they need to do now is try their best to win every single match.

-

The team's next match is on Sunday, May 11, with a five-day rest period in between.

On the 7th, early in the morning, Nan Zhiyi received several messages from Song Baiyu.

Song Baiyu mysteriously forwarded two posts to him. The title of the first post was: "[yux's Weibo membership has expired, and now his old Weibo posts can be viewed. Does anyone know what this Weibo post from February 2022 means?]" The title of the second post was: "[There are still too many new fans. To prevent the history books from being written, let's popularize the dating scandal that yux broke in early 2022.]"

[Pigeon: Wow, look at this! I saw it in your CP's supertopic. They seem to think it's true. Is it real or fake? Our little travel god has actually dated? How did he hide it so well??]

Nan Zhiyi's gaze fell on the second post that the other party had forwarded to him. For a moment, he felt as if he had been stabbed by a certain word in the title.

Is Yux in a relationship with...?

A strange feeling welled up inside him, like opening a bottle of treasured beverage only to find that the contents had long since spoiled and expired.

However, it didn't take long for his emotions to dissipate after he opened two posts and read their contents.

The two posts that Song Baiyu forwarded to him were very logical. The first post's author, after discovering that You Xin's Weibo account had lost its membership and the six-month invisibility setting had disappeared, scrolled back to find a Weibo post he made in February 2022.

Throughout 2022, apart from the official CG cast announcement at the end of the year and a series of necessary promotional Weibo posts, he only posted this one message.

The message was very simple, just two words: "Goodbye".

In the post, Yux's fans had various opinions. Some said that you could tell from the comments section of that Weibo post that it was a timeline where he had just left the youth training system and entered the second-tier league, and that posting this Weibo was just to say goodbye to the past. Others said that the two-word Weibo post was just a casual post and there was no need to interpret it.

Some even speculated that Yux was actually a Nova fan, and at that time, rumors had just circulated that Nova would retire after all the competitions this year.

At first, everyone speculated and didn't take it seriously, until 2 a.m., when an account with a default profile picture and ID replied to a comment in the post—

[It seems everyone in this thread is a new fan. Doesn't anyone know that he posted that Weibo post because his relationship was exposed and he broke up with his then-girlfriend?]

Having read this far, Nan Zhiyi already knew what the second post was about without needing to click on it.

Back on WeChat, he originally wanted to ask Song Baiyu why he got up so early, but when he looked at the message time, it was 4 a.m.

"…………" It seems they were gossiping until the wee hours of the morning.

After hesitating for a while, Nan Zhiyi replied: "Is it true?"

Nan Zhiyi didn't have time to care how those two posts ended up; her most important task right now was training for the Contenders Cup.

However, that very evening, after the team's training session, You Xin told him another piece of news.

"They caught that person."

Nan Zhiyi didn't immediately understand what he was saying: "Who?"

“The person who was following you,” You Xin said, “hadn’t given me any information before, so I tried to provoke him a little. I didn’t expect him to actually fall for it.”

Nan Zhiyi was taken aback, recalling that this morning when You Xin had suddenly asked him out of the blue, "Can I post your photos in my fan group?" He couldn't help but ask, "...What did you do?"

You Xin: "Yes."

He handed over his phone. Nan Zhiyi looked closely and saw that You Xin had sent a picture of his sleeping face to the [yux official fan group 1] using his main QQ account... a picture that even he himself didn't know when the other party had taken.

[Group Owner] yux: Is it good?

Yux's fans were also very genuine. Without knowing the inside story, they collectively typed question marks in the group chat. Some said it was good, some exclaimed that he must be crazy, and some seriously asked him, "Yux, just give us a straight answer, are you gay or not? If you are, we'll find a time and place to hold a wedding for you two."

It seems that not only that stalker, but also his own fans are being driven crazy by him.

“They told me before that they hadn’t been able to find that person,” You Xin said. “After I posted this in the group this morning, the property management messaged me tonight saying that they found him again in the surveillance footage and have now taken him to the police station… Do you want to go and see him now?”

Nan Zhiyi: "…………"

Is he really a genius?

He glanced at the time; it was ten o'clock, not too late. "Let's do it now."

“Okay.” You Xin turned to grab her coat from the sofa. “I’ll go with you.”

-

Nam Ji-yi finally met her crazed fan in the mediation room.

The other person was huddled in the chair, his body slightly hunched, his hair disheveled and greasy, looking like it hadn't been washed in a while. He wore thick black-rimmed glasses, and his clothes were from a well-known, expensive brand, so he didn't seem like someone from a poor or unfortunate family.

Hearing the door open, the boy eagerly looked up, peering at the faces of the people coming from outside.

However, when he saw that the person who came in first was You Xin, his expression changed instantly.

"Didn't they say the angel was coming? What's he doing here?!" the boy yelled, looking like he was about to jump up from his chair.

The police officer standing nearby quickly grabbed him and shouted sternly, "Mr. You is the one who called the police, and you broke into their shared residence. It's perfectly reasonable for him to be here!!"

As if provoked by a certain word in the other person's words, for a moment, the boy's expression became extremely terrifying and distorted.

His gaze then fell on Nan Zhiyi, who had just entered the room.

Nan Zhiyi was startled by his expression and almost took a step back, but a strong arm supported her from behind—You Xin wrapped his arms around her and gently patted her back to show her that she was alright.

Nan Zhiyi walked into the room, sat at the other end of the long table, and swallowed with some difficulty.

He didn't really know how to face someone who held such extreme views about him, but he knew that he couldn't show weakness now, so he could only try to speak in a calm voice: "...You are 'zywvc'."

He was referring to the other person's Weibo username.

Upon hearing this, the boy's eyes lit up, revealing an almost joyful expression: "You saw it all? You saw what I sent you, right?"

Nan Zhiyi wasn't quite sure what the other person had left him, but he vaguely remembered that someone in the room management group had cursed him, saying that it was some inappropriate content.

"There's no need to bring up such disgusting things," You Xin said coldly. "Let's get down to business."

Upon seeing this, the man actually chuckled as if he found it quite amusing, turning his gaze away from Nan Zhiyi and towards You Xin beside him: "Disgusting?"

"Disgusting?" A strange smile curled at the corner of his lips as he stared directly into You Xin's eyes. "And what about you, Little Wanderer—aren't your thoughts disgusting?"

The air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment, but the other person continued: "Do you dare say it out loud? In front of everyone here? Do you dare say that I'm the only one who finds it disgusting? Do you dare say that the way you look at him is so innocent—"

"when"!

Seeing that things were not going well, the police officer slammed his hand on the table, interrupting the boy.

You Xin's hand, resting on the table, was clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He didn't move or speak; he simply sat there, like a beast with all its muscles tense, ready to pounce and attack at any moment.

Then, he felt his sleeve being gently tugged at by the hand he was holding at his side.

You Xin's eyes slowly moved. He saw Nan Zhiyi pull him under the table and shake her head slightly, as if to say "no".

After a while, the tension in his body relaxed.

The police were there to mediate, and eventually they brought the situation under control. They then addressed the boy's inappropriate behavior, demanding that he apologize to Nan Zhiyi and You Xin, delete the photos he had secretly taken while stalking Nan Zhiyi, delete the content on his Weibo account, and promise never to do it again.

The boy kept his head down and looked listless while deleting things on his phone. His voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible, and he seemed unwilling all over.

The police were also helpless in this situation. After all, this person's behavior did not actually cause any serious consequences, and it was difficult to restrain his behavior with the relevant laws and regulations. At most, they could give him a verbal warning and detain him for a few days. But as soon as he left the police station, these people would revert to their original behavior in no time.

The mediation lasted nearly an hour and finally came to an end. Although it may not have had much effect in practice, Nam Ji-yi still expressed her gratitude to the police officer who worked late into the night.

He got up and walked out of the mediation room, with You Xin following behind him.

But at that moment, the boy who had been keeping his head down suddenly spoke.

"Actually, I still have some photos of you all, I guess you could call them group photos? They're on my USB drive," he said softly. "Xiaoyi, what do you think people's reactions would be if I posted these photos online?"

You Xin stopped in his tracks instantly.

The next second, his fist was already right in front of the boy.

The boy was startled, clearly not expecting You Xin to attack him so suddenly. He instinctively screamed and closed his eyes—but the expected pain didn't land on his face. He trembled and opened one eye, finding that the other's fist had stopped just in front of him.

Nan Zhiyi didn't know where he got such strength. You Xin was half a head taller than him and often went to the gym, so he was much stronger than him. But this time, You Xin had anticipated this and reacted very quickly, hugging him tightly from behind.

The body in her arms stiffened for a moment, and Nan Zhiyi seized the opportunity to push him behind her, then stepped between the two of them: "No...don't!"

The boy was stunned when he saw this.

Then, almost bursting out laughing, he said, "I see you're nothing special! You think you can provoke me by posting two photos? I can say a few words and you'll fly into a rage too, won't you? You little wanderer, what's the difference between you and me anyway?"

A venomous malice gleamed in his eyes: "I'll say it again. Since you say I'm disgusting, then you're just as disgusting as I am."

Nan Zhiyi had no intention of listening to a single word he said. Seeing that the boy was just huddled in his seat and didn't seem to be trying to fight, she quickly turned around and practically pushed and hugged You Xin towards the door, completely separating him from the other boy.

Behind them came the angry shouts of the police officers. Nan Zhiyi pushed You Xin out the door and walked all the way until they reached a large banyan tree at the corner before stopping.

His palms were sweating with nervousness, fearing that he had lost control of the other person and let him fight with someone else right under the police's noses, which would be a serious disaster.

Panting, Nan Zhiyi released the other person and whispered, "Are you crazy? That's in the police station!!"

You Xin's face was expressionless, but his constantly heaving chest betrayed his emotions.

After a long silence, he said in a tone that was almost hateful, "He shouldn't have used the photos to threaten you."

"I..." The words she was about to say suddenly caught in her throat. Nan Zhiyi stared blankly at the person in front of her.

After a long silence, he lowered his head and said, "But you can't... do that. Do you know how scared I was just now?"

You Xin lowered his eyes slightly.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You don't need to apologize to me." Nan Zhiyi's thoughts were still in turmoil. "Don't worry, he can't threaten me... What photos could he possibly have? What could he threaten me with? Threaten me to let others know that you live with me?"

"To put it another way, I could have just sent out the photos before him, any random photos... No, that's not what I meant. I... He just thinks I'm afraid of this, right? I can tell you clearly, I'm not afraid... But what you just did, You Xin. That's what really scares me."

Nan Zhiyi raised his head again. Under the moonlight, he gazed into You Xin's deep black eyes.

“Let’s just let this go. The police will teach this lawbreaker a lesson,” he said. “Promise me, okay? Don’t do anything so impulsive for someone insignificant. I don’t want to see ‘yux hitting someone’ trending on social media one day.”

You Xin looked back at him quietly without saying a word.

Nan Zhiyi felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and suddenly realized that she had been too eager just now. She was now standing almost right in front of him, so she wanted to step back a little.

But at that moment, You Xin reached out without warning and touched his cheek directly.

It was an almost caressing motion—the cool fingertips first hesitated before touching his forehead, tracing his eyebrows, and then moving downwards, with the thumb suddenly brushing against his lips with a somewhat uncontrolled force.

You Xin cupped his face in her hands and silently moved closer to him.

The distance seemed to shrink infinitely with each passing moment. Nan Zhiyi froze, his mind blank. His instincts weren't enough to guide his next move—to push the other away or simply run away. He instinctively held his breath, his eyelashes almost closing together—

The next moment, my shoulder suddenly felt heavy.

You Xin finally turned his head away, pressing his entire forehead against his shoulder, his heavy breathing hitting his ear, stirring up an uncontrollable shiver.

The moonlight silently enveloped them. For a moment, no one spoke.

...That kiss, which ended without a trace, barely crossed my imagination and ultimately failed to materialize.

But Nan Zhiyi felt something penetrate his body, and it was making a loud noise.

After a while, he realized that it was his own heartbeat.

So quiet, yet so deafening.

-

Perhaps it was because he had exhausted his emotions tonight, but on the way back, You Xin was unusually quiet.

Nan Zhiyi absentmindedly fiddled with her phone for a while, synced her messages with Sister Li, and then scrolled back to her earlier chat with Song Baiyu.

When he came to his senses, he realized that he had clicked on the second post that he hadn't read during the day.

Nan Zhiyi stared at the title for a while, then exited the post again.

After fiddling with his phone's home screen for a while, he finally tapped on the "camera."

Outside the car window, the night view was dazzling and bustling with activity.

"Um," Nan Zhiyi said softly, noticing You Xin, who was gazing out the window, turn around.

He pointed to his phone: "Can I... post a picture of you in the fan group?"

-----------------------

Author's Note: Suspected high attack, low defense