Chapter 42

Playoff elimination means the end of the entire season, and no one wants to relax at this point. Shenhe has performed well in the last few games, with several aggressive and daring plays prompting forum users to exclaim that the original Styx is back. Zhou Yifan has shouldered the responsibility of being the core player, but he often picks unexpected heroes.

ASG secured another victory, advancing to the semifinals. When Shenhe returned to the dormitory, he was stopped by the management staff again. There was a pile of lunch boxes on the table, and a small medicine bag next to them.

There was no message, but you knew who it was without even thinking.

He opened a box, ate a little, and casually started browsing the forum.

Someone posted that Chen Yuchuan has been present at almost every ASG match recently, watching and then leaving.

The comments section is buzzing with lovey-dovey banter again:

"Chuan Gou really comes to every game. I saw him again today, sitting in the corner. He left after ASG won."

"They were there for the last few games of the regular season too..."

"Holy crap, I did the math, there have been at least six matches in a row!!!"

"This heart-wrenching, abusive love story is so moving, I'm crying my eyes out (sobbing)"

"Why are you all crying? It's just watching a friend's game, what are you all overthinking?"

"Trump has his own matches to play, why does he have to come to watch Styx? Can't he just watch the live stream?"

"So what happened? Waaah, I have to be okay during my delivery..."

Thinking back to the time he felt someone was following him at the venue, but when he turned around there was nothing there, it was obviously Chen Yuchuan again.

Shen He sighed. Chen Yuchuan was so attentive that he knew Shen He's eyes were uncomfortable just from seeing him rub them twice during the competition. But this feeling of being liked and taken care of so meticulously was a little cheesy.

Shenhe didn't like this feeling.

He turned off the light, lay down on the bed, and needed to rest.

In the semifinals, based on the regular season points, ASG will face VLG, who are in first place. The rest area was too noisy, so Chenhe went around to the back corridor for some peace and quiet.

It was drizzling outside the venue, and the wind was blowing in gusts. This spot was actually quite nice.

The next second, someone gently hugged him from behind.

The person was a little cool, as if they had just come in from outside. They didn't say anything, but just quietly hugged him, their noses brushing against his cheeks.

That feeling was strange.

Cool, with a dangerous intimacy, like...like a snake.

Before Shenhe could react, he felt this person inexplicably smelling him, the tip of their nose touching the skin on the side of his neck, and then his hair.

Chen He was speechless.

He pushed the person away expressionlessly, turned around, and sure enough, saw Chen Yuchuan.

The opposing team wore a black jacket over their uniform, their hair was a bit messy, and their features appeared particularly sharp in the corridor lighting. Their eyes were fixed on him, filled with intense emotion.

"Are you a dog?" Shen He asked calmly. "You start sniffing around as soon as we meet."

Chen Yuchuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, then said in a low voice, "I already said I am, but you wouldn't let me continue."

Shen He was speechless for a moment, too lazy to pay attention to him, and said directly, "You're really sick."

Chen Yuchuan wasn't angry after being pushed away; he simply stood there, maintaining a respectful distance. He raised his hand and gently touched Chen He's eye with his fingertips.

"Are you still feeling unwell?" Chen Yuchuan's voice was low and a little hoarse.

Shen He didn't answer, but simply turned her head away to avoid his hand.

Chen Yuchuan paused, his finger hovering in the air for a few seconds before finally retracting it. He hesitated for a moment, then spoke in an unusual, even cautious, tone:

"Can you please stop being angry with me?"

Shen He felt that this matter was completely impossible to explain: "I'm not angry with you."

"I know I did something wrong," Chen Yuchuan said, his voice unusually tinged with a hint of compromise. "I shouldn't have let you find out that I like you."

He paused for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts, "We shouldn't do things that go beyond the bounds of friendship."

Shen He raised an eyebrow but didn't reply.

Chen Yuchuan stared at him, his gaze gradually becoming more direct.

“But I don’t regret it,” he suddenly said. “What I regret is making you angry.”

Chen He: "..."

Why did this person bring the topic back again? Shen He felt powerless and sighed, "I'll say it again, don't overthink it, I'm not angry with you."

He added, "You haven't been in good form lately. Play well in today's game. Although we're not matched up against each other, you can still be considered my opponent."

I don't want to get flamed on the forum again.

Chen Yuchuan didn't respond, and the corridor fell silent.

Shen He took a deep breath, turned around and left: "Let's go back, don't delay the pre-match meeting."

Shenhe doesn't have much hope for this match.

VLG and Chen Yuchuan play aggressively and maturely. Although Zhou Yifan has been in excellent form recently, he ultimately lacks experience in major tournaments. Shen He himself isn't in particularly good form either, unable to perform as comprehensively as he did in the first match. The best approach in this match is to play it safe and break through the opponent's defense.

But when he sat down at the competition table, put on his headphones, and saw Chen Yuchuan pick a strong jungler hero as his first pick on the screen, that idea suddenly wavered.

Enter the game.

Chen Yuchuan's jungling strategy was unusually aggressive, almost abandoning the normal jungle clearing rhythm and frequently putting pressure on the bottom lane.

Three minutes later, the first gank.

Shen He had just finished pushing the minion wave and was preparing to replenish his health when Chen Yuchuan suddenly appeared from the bushes. The opponent's skill was very decisive; if Shen He hadn't reacted quickly and skillfully, he would have been dead.

Shen He didn't say anything, he just stared at the mini-map, this person still had to come.

Sure enough, at five and a half minutes, the second gank.

This time, Chen Yuchuan didn't even use any skills; he simply appeared in the field of vision to intimidate the enemy. But that was enough to cause Shenhe to lose experience from several soldiers.

"Someone's starting again?" The chat in the live stream started flooding with comments.

"Hilarious, another opening battle, huh? Last time they were also ganking like crazy."

"The first person I met who sculpted my nemesis was a genius. What else could this be but a love-hate relationship?"

"Hahaha, help! I told you this dog would be like a dog finding a bone when it encounters Styx."

"Last time it was to attract attention, but this time his gloomy face seems more like a deliberate act of revenge."

"Who will build up the Sichuan dog's unrequited love and subsequent hate, leading to its insane targeting of Styx literature?"

On the commentary stage, the two commentators were also joking around:

"I feel like I can already guess everything that's going to happen next."

"The classic version is a copycat, where one side mindlessly ganks the bottom lane while the other mindlessly attacks the top half of the map."

"However, judging from the current situation, River is smarter than last time. I wonder how Styx will deal with it?"

Shenhe truly felt that almost pathological targeting; it was as if the opponent was determined to shut him down in the bottom lane, appearing again and again, forcing him to be on edge at all times.

Strangely, Shenhe did not feel speechless or annoyed as he had last time.

On the contrary, he was unexpectedly inspired with a long-lost enthusiasm.

This feeling... is like meeting a worthy opponent. Chen Yuchuan knows his limits and how he will respond, so every gank is timed perfectly. This isn't just simple targeting, but a deeper level of competition, because Chen Yuchuan understands his playstyle and habits better than any other jungler.

As an AD carry, it's quite interesting to compete against a top-tier jungler like Chen Yuchuan.

Shen He's expression was serious as his eyes rapidly scanned every detail on the screen. He began to adjust his positioning, started pushing the lane more aggressively, and began to test Chen Yuchuan's limits in the bottom lane with more risky tactics.

A small-scale team fight broke out in the bottom lane. Chen Yuchuan led the mid laner to dive the tower directly. Shenhe's perfect dodge and Gao Mingyuan's perfect coordination resulted in the elimination of VLG's mid laner.

But Chen Yuchuan didn't stop, constantly compressing the vision and resources in the bottom lane, gradually shrinking Shenhe's space to maneuver. Zhou Yifan was completely outmaneuvered, and several attempts to provide support were blocked by VLG's mid-jungle synergy.

Every gank was timed precisely when ASG's other teammates were unable to provide support.

VLG's overall rhythm did not collapse. Although Chen Yuchuan focused a lot of energy on the bottom lane, he allocated his jungle resources to other lanes, and the other lanes also tried their best to cooperate with him.

This is what a truly top-tier team should look like.

Despite facing adversity in three consecutive games, Shenhe remained remarkably calm. He moved aggressively without giving the enemy any openings, unleashed devastating damage with low health, and executed counter-kills while his skills were on cooldown. His textbook-perfect team fight execution thrilled the entire audience, and the highlights were released even before the match ended.

But in the end they still lost.

1:2, a narrow defeat.

Chen He took off his headphones, leaned back in his chair, feeling a little tired but quite refreshed.

He cannot control whether he wins or loses, but he has done his best in his current state.

My passion for games and competitions seems to have returned a little.

The post-match interview still featured Chen Yuchuan.

He stood there expressionless, hands in his pockets, his whole being screaming "Don't mess with me."

The host asked with a smile:

"Kawakami's performance today was fantastic. How does it feel to win the game?"

Chen Yuchuan replied expressionlessly, "So-so."

"Uh..." The host paused for a moment, then continued, "We noticed that you've been focusing on the bottom lane today. Is there some special tactical plan?"

“I said this last time,” Chen Yuchuan said. “We’re targeting the bottom lane because it’s crucial, and Styx is very strong. If we don’t target him, he can find any opportunity to take over the game.”

The host was a little embarrassed, but still forced himself to continue:

"You hit really hard today, is it... a love-hate relationship with Styx? Aren't you afraid Styx will get angry?"

His intention was simply to make a joke to please the fans and lighten the mood. After all, the "Dead Face" CP (couple pairing) has been very popular recently, and this kind of question often piques the audience's interest.

Chen Yuchuan's expression suddenly turned irritable: "Do you know who Shen He is?"

Her tone was even tinged with anger: "No matter who the opponent is, he will respect the game and do his best. He will not lose in a frustrating way, nor will he want to win in a cowardly way. He is here to compete, not to create a CP (couple pairing) with me."

The host had absolutely no idea how to respond.

Chen Yuchuan sneered and continued, "Also, Styx lost not because I targeted him, nor because he was bad."

He paused for a moment, his eyes growing even more disdainful:

"I'm playing harder so you can see that his teammates are mediocre, lacking ideas and rhythm, and the ASG coaching staff is even worse."

After saying that, Chen Yuchuan turned and left, not giving the host a chance to ask any more questions.

The scene was deathly silent.

The barrage of comments exploded instantly:

"What the hell is this bastard doing?"

"Who exactly is Maya, that he directly criticized the entire ASG team?"

"Who is this person? Acting so pretentious during a live interview???"

Is this even human behavior?

"But to be honest... if it weren't for Styx, ASG would have been crushed long ago..."

"Anyone with eyes can see that Styx is not at the same level as ASG. Why didn't he go to a better team back then? It's a pity."

"Actually, it's not bad. He made it to the semi-finals on his first appearance in the competition. He's still young and has a lot of potential for future development."

"Although, I feel sorry for the host and ASG. The Trump supporters have such low manners..."

"He's really sick in the head. Does he think he can do whatever he wants just because he's won a few championships?"

"It's really speechless, especially since this kind of person has so many fans. It's hard to understand..."

"So what? I just like people with low moral character."

"A complete cancer... Who even remembers the last time he flamed someone in ranked..."

Shen He looked at those comments and felt a headache coming on.

Chen Yuchuan has such a bad temper; he can never speak properly. Now, he's going to be trending again as a typical example for criticism.

But Shen He stared at Chen Yuchuan's expression in the video for a long time, and then felt that... this kind of emotional behavior was like a lion whose territory had been invaded, or a wolf protecting its cubs, completely disregarding the consequences and just making an aggressive reaction based on instinct.

Chen Yuchuan probably didn't care how much trouble this would cause him; he simply felt that the question offended Shen He, so he retorted without hesitation.

Shen He recalled his cautious embrace a few hours earlier. When Chen Yuchuan was with him, he was actually very gentle.

Shen He sighed, looking somewhat troubled.

Three days later, ASG finally won the battle for third and fourth place.

The moment the main crystal exploded, the arena and locker room erupted in cheers. This was ASG's best result since the team's inception, and third place in the playoffs was enough to make everyone proud.

The team members stood up from their seats and hugged each other in celebration. Shen He was surrounded by his teammates, his face expressionless, but his eyes held a rare hint of relaxation; the season was finally over.

After the ceremony, Zhou Yifan participated in a post-race interview.

He played well today, and his timely support allowed Shenhe to continuously output damage in team fights, which was the key to victory.

The host was also caught up in the atmosphere and his voice became very excited:

"First of all, congratulations to ASG for achieving third place in the playoffs! This is a historic breakthrough for ASG. Can you tell us how you feel right now?"

"I'm very happy. This is my best result in many years. I'm very grateful to my teammates." Zhou Yifan took a deep breath and smiled sincerely.

"You've improved a lot this season. What do you think is the biggest reason for that?"

Zhou Yifan was silent for a few seconds, then his expression became serious: "Because I talked to Styx a few times."

The host laughed: "It seems you two have a good relationship in private."

Zhou Yifan said earnestly, "Although Styx doesn't talk much, he gave me a lot of advice, which helped me stop getting stuck on things and allowed me to play more freely."

"I have... not played very well lately."

The host did not interrupt him.

"There are a lot of problems. I lack ideas, I'm not smart enough, and I play very haphazardly. You can't just rely on mechanics in a competition; you have to use your brain. Many times, I get carried away and charge in headfirst, but I don't create any opportunities and end up being led around by the nose."

He paused for a moment, his gaze fixed, and instead he straightened his back.

"I know that my current skill level is not good enough for my teammates, let alone a top ADC like Styx."

The scene erupted in chaos for a moment.

“But thankfully,” he said, “my teammates have always been tolerant of me and have covered for me.”

He said jokingly, "Especially Styx, when he plays ADC, all the junglers can rest assured."

"If the team gets third place, the manager has to give my brother Styx a bonus. Without him, we wouldn't even make it to the quarterfinals."

The discussions in the bullet comments and forums never stopped:

"Damn, I cried. Even though we've only played together for one season, these are true teammates!"

"Our ASG's two players are absolutely amazing!"

"He is neither humble nor arrogant, and he acknowledges the gap. Who still remembers that he used to be a spoiled, childish jungler who threw tantrums every day? He has really grown up."

"This directly caught up with that sarcastic remark from Trump."

"The vision is too grand. In contrast, that cancerous tumor of Trump's... I don't want to comment."

"Another jungler who's been feeding Styx? Interesting."

"What is it about Styx that makes him so appealing? He always has a deadpan expression, but his teammates and opponents all defend him."

"Who wouldn't love someone who's good at playing games and handsome? (drooling)"

"What is this? A succubus-type ADC? I'm kind of falling for it too (drooling)."

"Brother, hehe, brother."

Let's clean up the mess.

In the lounge, Shen He was packing his things. He took off his team uniform and put on his own hoodie.

The door was suddenly pushed open.

Zhou Yifan walked in, paused for a moment, and then walked over.

“Brother Chenhe”.

Shen He looked up: "Hmm?"

"I just..." Zhou Yifan hesitated for a moment, "You don't mind what I said in the interview just now, do you?"

Shen He looked at him, somewhat puzzled: "What do you mind?"

“I’m afraid you’ll think I’m just trying to ride the wave of popularity and create a CP (couple pairing) effect,” Zhou Yifan said. “Because I’m serious. You are indeed very strong, and I still have a long way to go.”

Shen He replied dismissively, "You're still young, you can be fooled in the future, don't underestimate a young man's potential."

Zhou Yifan laughed and picked up on the joke: "Respect for the dead is paramount."

Shen He smiled but didn't say anything, and zipped up his backpack.

Zhou Yifan stood there, watching his retreating figure, and suddenly asked, "Do you think Chen Yuchuan is right?"

The sinking motion paused for a moment.

"You don't want to play a humiliating match," Zhou Yifan said softly. "Is that true?"

Shen He turned his head and looked at Zhou Yifan, his eyes filled with helplessness.

“Nonsense,” he finally said.

Zhou Yifan laughed: "I knew it."

"I will continue to work hard next season, and strive to beat VLG without feeling frustrated or humiliated."

Shen He looked at him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, and patted him on the shoulder: "Fight well."

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and prepared to leave the lounge.

Someone called out to him at the door; it was a staff member carrying a large bouquet of flowers, along with a rather elaborately packaged cake box.

"Someone asked me to pass it on."

The flowers were all white roses, neatly tied. The cake wasn't large, but it looked exquisite, the kind of cake Shenhe used to like. There was also a card with a short note that read: "Congratulations on your victory, you played very well."

Shen He glanced down, holding the flowers, picked up the cake box with one hand, and left the venue without attending the celebration.