Chapter 9

Shen He watched Chen Yuchuan eat with unusual focus, taking bite after bite almost without stopping. He raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone inquisitive: "Why are you so hungry?"

Chen Yuchuan paused for a moment, then looked up and smiled nonchalantly: "I was just thinking about some things from the past."

Shen He relaxed his body, leaned back in his chair, and didn't interrupt him.

"You remember, right? F County." Chen Yuchuan said casually, his tone light, but it was tinged with a hint of nostalgia. "That shop looked spacious and the lights were bright, but when you stepped in it, your shoes would stick. There was a thick layer of grease on the table. We were starving, and you ate like crazy, and I ate like crazy too. In the end, I took you straight to the hospital in the middle of the night."

F County is very remote. Due to a mistake, the two arrived close to midnight and were starving.

“My attack happened late, and I even wanted to be your caregiver.” Chen Yuchuan couldn’t help but laugh as he said this, as if lost in memories, “but the doctor caught me and arranged for me to be hospitalized with you.”

He paused for a moment, then added, "I saw you lying in the hospital bed trying not to laugh."

Shen He's gaze fell on him. The person opposite him also leaned casually against the back of his chair, his shoulders relaxed, his features naturally aggressive, and his eyes usually held contempt and oppression when he looked at people.

But those eyes were fixed on him at that moment.

The light reflected into his eyes, softening the originally cold and sharp edge, and unexpectedly giving rise to a kind of gentleness. Shen He could almost feel that the sharpness had not been smoothed out, but rather the edge had been retracted.

Their eyes met, and in that instant, Shen He saw through those eyes Chen Yuchuan, who sat by his bedside with a livid face. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead, and his teeth were clenched tightly. This was completely different from his usual arrogant demeanor, which seemed to want to trample everyone underfoot. It was a forced act that was easy to see through. He was very embarrassed and ashamed when the doctor took him away, but Shen He didn't tell him that at the time.

He couldn't help but let a slight smile curl up at the corners of his lips.

Chen Yuchuan was taken aback.

It wasn't the kind of fake smile that comes through the director's camera and carries a hint of detachment, nor was it the laughter that just spills out in the game's voice chat. Those laughs were light and airy, as if they were coming through a layer of mist.

This moment is different.

Shen He sat opposite him, her eyebrows slightly curved, her smile genuine, carrying a hint of joy and relaxation stirred by memories. There was no barrier, no pretense; this smile was truly seen by him, a smile that had been absent for a long time.

After finishing their meal, the two walked out of the restaurant, their shadows cast side by side by the streetlights.

Chen Yuchuan twirled the car keys between his fingers, his tone as casual as ever: "Let's go, I'll take you home."

It was just a casual remark, but it didn't give Shen He a chance to refuse; it simply opened the car door for him.

Shen He casually reclined his seat a little, closed his eyes, and leaned back. Chen Yuchuan didn't say much the whole way; the car was so quiet that only the engine could be heard. As they approached the hotel, Chen Yuchuan suddenly seemed to remember something and chuckled, "Did you change your number or something?"

Shen He knew what he meant, his expression remained unchanged, and he glanced at his phone: "Hmm."

When the car stopped at a red light, Chen Yuchuan rested one hand on the steering wheel and reached out the other hand, as if casually suggesting, "At least add each other back on WeChat, so I don't have to go through so many detours to find you in the future."

His tone was indifferent, as if he didn't care at all, but his eyes were fixed on her intently.

Shen He turned his head to look at him, smiled again, and handed over the phone. Chen Yuchuan took it and his fingers flew across the screen, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

"Okay." He handed the phone back and started the car again as if nothing had happened.

Shen He put away his phone without saying anything. He pressed the screen with his fingertip, and a friend request message appeared on the screen.

His name is simply River. His profile picture is a side view; the street is dilapidated, the streetlights are dim, it's F County. His hair is ruffled by the night wind, his clothes are fluttering, and his figure is the handsome and upright one unique to young people, but his face is not clearly visible.

Others might mistake it for the old Chen Yuchuan, but Shen He only glanced at it and recognized that it was actually himself.

He paused his finger on the screen for two seconds, then casually tapped into the other person's Moments. It was empty, except for one post.

It's an old photo.

In Z City, the snow was dazzlingly bright in winter. Huge signs were covered with unreadable foreign languages. Two boys of similar build stood side by side on the slope, their skis casually placed at their feet. They looked to be no more than sixteen or seventeen years old.

Chen Yuchuan wasn't wearing a hat, but goggles were hanging around his neck. His eyebrows were raised, and he laughed freely, casually putting his arm around the shoulder of the person next to him. The person next to him had most of their face covered by equipment, but you could tell they were laughing very happily.

The photo was clearly not taken intentionally; the angle was crooked, and the edges were blurry—the marks left by a casual press of the shutter. Even though it was only taken a few years ago, Shen He couldn't help but zoom in on the photo, reaching out to touch his face, which once wore a satisfied smile.

Back at the hotel, Shen He didn't start the game again. After washing up, he leaned against the headboard and scrolled through his phone. Sure enough, their duo matches had been ganked by the enemy team. There were related discussion threads on forums and video sites, but only a few discussed the game itself.

The first trending post had a very straightforward title: [Pro player River verbally abuses random player]

The content consisted of game screenshots, with some people posting screenshots of the public chat where they were insulted: "Can you shut up?", "Stop barking like a dog," and other vulgar exchanges. The thread was filled with insults, and many people strongly demanded that the official team take action.

The second post was probably from a righteous random teammate: "[He was 2-9, ignored the signals and fed the enemy, attacked all his teammates, and first set the tone to tell Styx, who was 11-4, to get lost. He did all sorts of bad things and still managed to win. How dare he take a screenshot and then accuse the villain first?]" The replies were all lamenting the terrible game environment.

The third post was relatively more moderate: "Are all professional players this rich? He actually gave each of his teammates 5000 V (virtual currency) after losing?"

Some people said that when Styx was matched with someone else in a duo queue, the jungler insisted on switching positions and even boasted, "Whoever jungles gets 5000 Vs." But after entering the game, he was incredibly bad at the game, and only after checking his profile did they realize that he was River.

The original poster provided a screenshot of the transfer, with the amount clearly visible. Someone then asked, "Is it real?"

The original poster replied: "It's a genuine bro. After I lost, he immediately messaged me privately and asked me to add him on WeChat to transfer the money to him. I almost thought he was a scammer."

I also attached chat logs with other teammates, showing that not only the teammates in the same position received the transfers.

Fourth post: [Styx's first ranked game after going pro, River played support for four or five games]

The screenshots of the results are there; almost every game was won by two people.

The comments section was buzzing with activity:

Why would Chen Gou personally descend to earth to act as a bodyguard?

"A champion jungler going to be a support for some unknown ADC?"

"Six hundred and sixty-six, Styx has become an unknown ADC."

"I want to ride Styx's coattails to climb the ranks."

"Hilarious, a world champion needs to suck up to a big shot?"

"Why doesn't the world champion go to the top of the ladder? Is it because they don't want to?"

"Comparing ranked matches to tournaments, bro, you're really out of this world."

With war imminent, other discussions were relatively more harmonious.

"I'm more curious whether these two people know each other, otherwise why would they have played seven or eight rounds in a row?"

"That's normal. After the match, if you think the other player played well, you can rank up together. River even played a game with Mori the day before."

"You guys can check his match history yourselves, when has he ever played support before?"

"These two rarely even duo queued before, which is even stranger."

Chenhe swiped through a few pages, too lazy to even lift his eyelids.

In online forums, people throw their emotions out like garbage—random speculations, sarcastic remarks, and jeering—but there are also genuine expressions of liking, appreciation, and blessings.

Some people analyze clues with great seriousness, while others treat their imagination as fact, as if a screenshot and a few interviews can reveal the whole picture of someone.

There is no less discussion about him now than about Chen Yuchuan, but it does not bring him even a little joy or anger.

He swiped the screen casually and then deleted the forum as well.

The team returned to the base early the next morning, and the coaching staff quickly convened a meeting after reviewing the previous day's performance.

Despite losing the opening match, the overall atmosphere was still quite lively. After all, the opponent was one of the top teams in the league, and everyone knew the gap between them, so everyone gave it their all.

The head coach began by giving positive feedback: "The overall operation was fine, the necessary decisions were made, and there were players willing to take the crucial shots. The top laner's support in the jungle was very effective, and the jungler and other lanes created advantages through several small-scale ganks. The bot lane had excellent teamwork and showed great attention to detail in the laning phase."

After the words were spoken, the expressions of the group relaxed slightly. After all, being acknowledged first was better than being directly criticized.

The coach changed the subject. "But your communication problems are too obvious. No one is responding when pushing the bottom lane, and the mid laner is constantly moving around, but the communication between the top and bottom lanes is severely disconnected, which means we are always a step behind when it comes to resource points. The most serious problem is that everyone is fighting their own way during team fights, and the jungler is not fulfilling his role as the team's commander. Our formation falls apart as soon as we charge in."

The coach paused, then turned to the next page of the tactics board: "Currently, our coaching staff is discussing the issue of tactical focus. The top and jungle can drive the early game and ensure advantageous team fights, while the bot lane as the core can ensure stability in the mid and late game. Both approaches are viable, but there must be a clearer bias."

He glanced at the team members and said, "In the upcoming scrimmages, we'll be trying out both of these strategies. You need to work together and execute the details flawlessly. The data team will track the results and decide on the draft picks for the next few matches."

Shen He sat to one side, without saying a word or showing any emotion.

The coach then began a more detailed analysis and summary, with the game footage switching back and forth on the screen. His eyes followed the transitions, but he wasn't really listening.

In his view, these discussions had nothing to do with him.

No matter what the coaching staff asks him to do, he will ultimately only play according to his own ideas.

Whether others want to surround him or not makes little difference to him.

He had absolutely no interest in what his teammates thought. He neither wanted to persuade others nor cared what they thought.

The results they cared about, he didn't care much about either. Whether the team ultimately won or finished last, it made no real difference to him.

He didn't come here to stand in the spotlight and be praised, nor did he come to achieve a goal or obtain a result to show off.

Cutting off contact, taking a break from school, leaving his family, giving up a promising future to do things that could be considered unproductive—what others might see as regrettable labels—was simply a form of detachment for him.

This professional arena, which many people see as a waste of time, is a stage for dreams and a place to prove oneself for some. However, for Shen He, it is just an outlet.

He chose ASG not because the team was strong, nor to prove himself, but simply because it was a good fit and matched Shenhe's current state of mind.

Without star players who attract widespread attention, without a powerful and authoritative coaching team, and without ironclad rules that force people to submit, the team's performance has been mediocre and it hasn't garnered much attention.

This is not climbing, it's moving away.