Chapter 71 [This is about divorced couples living together...]
In their first match of the new season, the reorganized HYG still struggled a bit.
Nan Zhiyi had anticipated this. He had followed the team throughout the training and matches for the past two weeks and could clearly feel that all four players were skilled. However, when they tried to exert their strength, it was like pulling on four knotted ropes in four different directions. After pulling for a long time, they would still be stuck in the same place when they looked back.
The players and the training team are well aware of the problems within the team, but every time they talk things out off the field, they lose their minds and their command becomes chaotic once they get on the field.
Fortunately, although the team was brainless, they were tough enough. After falling behind in the first game, they fought back and won two consecutive points, eventually reversing the situation and defeating the Spring Championship WD with a score of 2-1.
Song Baiyu returned to the door of the rest room. In the last ten minutes of the day, the team's two carries made a series of blunders. He sensed that there must be some conflict inside, so he made an excuse to go to the restroom and left in advance.
Upon arriving at the sanitation center, they found You Xin meticulously washing each of his fingers at the sink, as if he hadn't just gone on stage to compete, but rather had simply fished his way through a mud pit with his bare hands.
Song Baiyu couldn't help but strike up a conversation with him: "It feels so strange seeing you in this outfit."
You Xin focused on washing her hands and ignored him.
Song Baiyu was already used to being ignored by him. His gaze swept over You Xin's black and gold team uniform, and suddenly, as if struck by a flash of inspiration, he blurted out: "Speaking of which, do you know what happened with Xiao Yi's first love?"
You Xin stopped moving.
A moment later, without turning his head, he asked, "You want to know?"
Song Baiyu's eyes lit up instantly: "You really know something? Tell me, tell me!"
In the past, he would never have tried to get gossip out of this person, but now he couldn't care less: he had asked Nan Zhiyi many times, but Nan Zhiyi treated him like a thief and refused to reveal even the slightest bit of information.
"I heard she went to the same school as him? A campus romance?" Song Baiyu tried to throw out an idea.
You Xin: "Two years younger than him."
"Wow, a junior high school girl!" Song Baiyu immediately became excited. "What does she look like? Is she pretty? What's her personality like? Something that could make this guy unable to forget her for so many years..."
You Xin thought for a moment and answered his questions one by one: "He's quite good-looking. Taller than him. His personality is terrible."
“…Huh? Taller than him?” Song Baiyu was stunned, unable to imagine the image that came from this combination of words. “Never mind, maybe he just likes this kind of person.”
"Let me tell you! This guy met someone he liked, but he just wouldn't admit it. He was afraid of this and that. So I just told him, 'Just go for it!' See? What did I tell you? She definitely still has feelings for him! And that's how it happened, right?"
He got more and more excited as he talked, blurting out everything in one go.
Once the excitement subsided, they realized something was amiss—You Xin was currently wiping his hands, which was fine, but what was jarring was the smile playing on his lips.
Song Baiyu almost thought he was seeing things or hallucinating.
What are they laughing at?
You Xin wiped his hands clean and turned to throw the tissue into the wastebasket.
Then, raising his head and smiling—this time Song Baiyu was 100% certain it wasn't a hallucination—he said to the person in front of him, "Thank you."
You Xin politely thanked him, then turned and left, leaving Song Baiyu standing there, completely bewildered: "...Wait, why is he suddenly thanking me? Is he thanking me for giving away so many kills today?"
-
For the next two weeks or so, HYG was immersed in the busyness of the new season.
Despite some setbacks in the first three weeks of the season, they have won all six major matches and secured their position at the top of the standings.
Fans who suffered throughout the Spring Split are now feeling triumphant and smug. They're even starting to look smug about the recent "bromance incident" and are now giving everyone a clemency. They're saying that if the two of you can win a World Championship, they'll turn a blind eye to any more bromance and even if you get married.
Early in the morning after the third week of the competition ended, Nan Zhiyi received a call from Sister Li, saying that the brand had arranged for him to do a photoshoot on Wednesday.
— Not long ago, Sister Li suddenly approached him, saying that one of HYG's sponsors, a clothing brand, hoped to collaborate with him.
Since he only signed a training-related contract with HYG, while his financial contract was still with Stars, the brand directly approached Sister Li and explained their intention to cooperate.
Nan Zhiyi wasn't averse to these kinds of commercial endorsements; after all, why not make money if you can? But... now, when esports teams shoot endorsements, even the coaches have to get involved?
He was really puzzled, so he subtly inquired with Mike, only to find that the other party knew nothing about the matter.
But then I thought about it again. The sponsor is a suit brand, and the style that this person, who is over two meters tall, could wear would probably have to be custom-made. It's normal that he didn't contact them.
On Wednesday morning, Nan Zhiyi first went to the studio to meet up with Sister Li, and then they went to the filming location together.
The makeup artist spent more than an hour doing his hair and makeup, during which he overheard two staff members whispering to each other.
"...How did you convince him? Didn't you say his commercial contracts weren't in the club's hands?"
"He probably never signs any commercial contracts with the club. Does the young master look like he's short of money?"
"Right, he basically didn't do any endorsements for the past two years, except for those times when the whole team needed to be in the spotlight."
"There was one time when he was the only one in the team who didn't go. The fans even started arguing about it. The team fans said he wasn't united and was acting like a maverick, while his fans said the other members of the team were ostracizing him..."
"I'm mainly curious about how he was persuaded."
"I heard from Sister A that it's pretty simple. She just casually said... Hey, Sister, you're here?"
Nan Zhiyi was listening intently when she was suddenly interrupted, so she had to give up her eavesdropping.
The person who came was a representative of the brand. She looked Nan Zhiyi over with a friendly expression, then discussed it with the stylist. Finally, she decided to put a white suit that the brand was promoting recently on him, and had him pose for a few times. She nodded with satisfaction.
Upon leaving the dressing room and arriving at the filming location, Nan Zhiyi suddenly froze—
A person was already standing in front of the set, wearing a black suit of the same style as the one he was wearing, which was also the brand's main offering.
He could tell who someone was just by looking at their silhouette.
Hearing footsteps, You Xin turned around.
He smiled and said, "You've arrived."
Nan Zhiyi: "…………??!??"
He couldn't help but look around, scanning every corner of the scene with his eyes, and found that none of the other three members of HYG had come.
"Where are the others?" Nan Zhiyi asked blankly.
"What other people?" The brand representative looked at him with equal confusion. "Today is your and Yux's joint endorsement shoot. You... uh, didn't you know beforehand?"
Nan Zhiyi: "I don't know."
You Xin: "I know."
Nan Zhiyi: "".
But now that we've come this far, there's no reason for us to just turn around and leave.
Nan Zhiyi had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow the photographer and others' instructions, striking various poses with You Xin.
But the more I filmed, the more I felt something was wrong.
When the photographer somehow produced a huge bouquet of white roses and asked You Xin to hold them in his arms while the two of them made eye contact, Nan Zhiyi finally couldn't hold back anymore.
As the director yelled "Cut!", the two snapped out of their poses. While the others gathered around the camera, he whispered, "Isn't the whole team supposed to be filming today?"
“No, it’s for two,” You Xin said. “Didn’t your manager tell you?”
Nan Zhiyi thought for a moment: "...I don't remember. They might have said it, but I didn't listen carefully."
"Maybe they didn't say it. They were afraid that if they did, you wouldn't come."
Nan Zhiyi: "..."
"Are we really going to film this like this?" He looked at the brand representatives who were beaming and nodding repeatedly, and couldn't help but feel apprehensive. "How are we going to explain this to the fans? They'll say we're just pandering to their BL (Boys' Love) fandom again..."
Anyone with a discerning eye can see what kind of theme the brand wants for the photoshoot, and there will inevitably be a huge uproar online.
You Xin remained calm: "It's alright. No one will scold you."
"What if there is?"
"If I have the chance, I'll yell at him."
"..." Nan Zhiyi was so angry she almost laughed.
His thoughts raced, and he remembered the gossip he had overheard in the dressing room. Looking at the person in front of him, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly realized that the situation made sense.
"Didn't you never take on these kinds of commercial projects before?" Nan Zhiyi asked curiously. "How did they convince you to film this?"
Yu Xin thought for a moment: "When they told me that they wanted to shoot a couple-themed video with you, I immediately agreed."
"…………"
-
The brand acted quickly; a week later, HYG received the finished product images from the brand and posted them on Weibo that same day.
[@HYG Esports Club: The World Inside and Out | Twinline Series by @Yux1107 and @AngelYi...]
Nan Zhiyi logged into her alternate account in advance and nervously clicked into the comment section, which already had hundreds of comments.
However, the contents seemed... somewhat different from what he had imagined.
【…? ? ? Wait, who and who?】
[Hey guys, didn't we agree not to sell bromance? What's going on here?]
Who posted their wedding photos?
[Are you serious about getting married after just talking?]
[HYG Esports Club also did it]
Brands did it, everyone did it.
[Hahahaha, our Sister Youyi has infiltrated our ranks!! Let's see who dares to disobey us now!!!]
[Just watched the behind-the-scenes vlog, Xiaoyi seemed a little awkward, but she still smiled and finished filming the whole thing. Is this what they call a strong sense of conviction?]
[Xiao Yi: They gave us way too much.jpg]
I must say, the feeling of divorced couples living under the same roof is truly unique!
Nan Zhiyi: "...???"
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