Chapter 83 Song Baiyu suddenly felt that he had...
"The feeling of sitting in the audience during the finals is really different from watching the game here... it's quite different."
The contestants took their seats on the stage, and the training team followed them from the backstage lounge to the spectator room.
Nan Zhiyi sat in front of the big screen, and for a moment she was in a daze.
A year ago, a similar scene unfolded, with two similar teams (or perhaps just players), and he was sitting in the audience, only able to watch helplessly as the people on stage lost the game in the most powerless way.
He still remembers Yux's tense body, his hands hanging limply by his side, and the helplessness when the screen in front of him turned black and white forever.
But now everything is different.
Now that he's sitting here, he has the power to change the course of the battle, to change everything.
Old Xu was so anxious he couldn't sit still, pacing back and forth in the room. Hearing this, he looked up and asked, "Did you go to the finals last year?"
Nan Zhiyi nodded: "The tickets were from Pigeon."
“I know Pigeon went... I think I saw him during the live stream. But I don’t remember you going?”
Nan Zhiyi recalled her outfit at the time, and then suddenly remembered the scene where she bumped into You Xin backstage and accidentally got a terrifying fan banner that was seen by him... She suddenly shivered.
"I was keeping a low profile back then," he mumbled, trying to brush it off, thinking to himself that it was best if no one ever knew what he had actually done.
On the big screen, the map has been selected, and the business planning (BP) phase has begun.
It was early winter, and the venue's air conditioning wasn't set too high, but Nan Zhiyi was still so nervous that she broke out in a cold sweat.
He watched as HYG locked in their picks on the screen... The team composition was excellent, and their choice of professional players gave them a clear advantage...
The match began, and both sides' characters left the respawn point and started moving... Yux ran well, quickly securing a good high ground vantage point and firing an arrow at the enemy trying to push up...
Resources were well managed, and the pace was steady... Lemon made a small mistake, but Milk, as an experienced veteran, covered for him...
OTG made it all the way to the finals and are the defending champions from last year, so their strength should not be underestimated. Even when they were at a disadvantage in the match, they showed great resilience.
At 27 minutes, they killed three members of HYG, nearly turning the tide of the game completely.
Nan Zhiyi's heart was in her throat. She only breathed a sigh of relief after Yux used the resurrection point to quickly move away and ran so fast that the three people behind him couldn't catch up with her.
At 35 minutes, HYG, who had a slight advantage in the early game, were evenly matched in the mid-game, and finally gained complete control of the situation in the late game, managed to win the first game with difficulty.
There was a brief cheer in the spectator room, but everyone quickly calmed down.
"No rush, no rush. It's not over yet..." Old Xu muttered to himself. It was clear that last year's comeback from 0-2 down to win 3-2 had left him with considerable psychological trauma.
The team members returned to the rest room, and Nan Zhiyi gave everyone energy bars. Mike was nervously reviewing the previous game with them at a very fast pace, and when he was in a hurry, he even blurted out a word or two in his native language.
The break was only a very short ten minutes. After the stage was cleaned up, the two players switched sides and went back on stage.
The second map was Sky City. However, HYG's performance on this map was not as smooth as in the first game.
The problem lies with Lemon, a young player who made it to the finals in his first World Championship appearance.
Perhaps due to excessive tension, he made a fatal mistake during the operation, falling straight off the bridge while at low health. Although he eventually landed on the bottom layer of the bridge, he was still killed by the fall damage, which disrupted HYG's defensive rhythm and completely cost them the initiative in the second game.
OTG tied the score at 1-1, and the home crowd in the stands cheered.
Some people even unfurled a giant banner depicting OTG's five players winning the championship.
The four members of HYG returned to the lounge. Although Mike, who is usually strict, did not criticize any of them today, and Lao Xu also chimed in, "Just treat it as another BO3 match," the atmosphere in the room was still somewhat low.
Nan Zhiyi noticed that Lemon had his hands behind his back and was still trembling uncontrollably, so she went over and gently comforted him.
When they turned around again, they found that You Xin had broken away from the group and was standing in a corner of the room with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the hand that he had just taken from behind Lemon's back.
Seeing him looking over, You Xin pointed to himself.
Nan Zhiyi: "...?"
He walked over and heard You Xin say in a not-so-lowered voice, "Why don't you hug me?"
Nan Zhiyi subconsciously looked back. The official photographers behind her had obviously heard something and immediately turned around, pointing their black lenses at them: "..."
He whispered, "They're still filming here."
You Xin lifted her eyelids, glanced at the photographer who was staring at her with shining eyes, and said nonchalantly, "Anyway, they already know."
Nan Zhiyi: "..."
Unable to refuse the other party, he could only give the main carry player, whose performance in the previous match was as positive as could be, who had already achieved a 9.9 rating in XX, and who said "I tried my best, but my teammates were like bots," the exact same hug.
You Xin finally gave up and was willing to walk over to his teammates to listen to their discussion of the strategy for the next game.
Before heading to the World Invitational Tournament venue, Nan Zhiyi accompanied him to see the same psychologist from years ago.
The other party assessed You Xin's condition and gave very positive feedback: his current condition is unexpectedly good, and he is no different from an ordinary person. He does not need any medication to maintain a stable condition.
On the one hand, he benefited from the fact that the illness itself was not too serious and the high-intensity exposure over the years helped him desensitize a lot. On the other hand, he probably finally adjusted his mindset and stopped letting excessive anxiety about gains and losses endlessly consume his positive emotions.
After You Xin left, Mike came over and patted Nan Zhiyi on the shoulder.
"Are you confident for the next round?" he asked.
Nan Zhiyi nodded: "Yes."
Several days ago, they had already agreed on their strategy for the finals, and if any points were lost, they would immediately change coaches to take over the drafting and banning (BP) phase.
HYG's two coaches have different ideas, but the players have been able to adapt well in scrims. However, they are not so easy to deal with for opponents who want to press their advantage. After all, different ideas translate into completely different playstyles in the game, which helps HYG break free from repeatedly falling into the opponent's rhythm.
The third game began, and players from both sides took to the court one after another.
Nan Zhiyi followed her teammates out of the dressing room. She clearly felt that the moment she appeared on the stage, the audience was quiet for a moment, and then a loud cheer erupted.
The director pointed the camera at him, and he cooperated by raising his hand and waving to the camera. After hearing a noticeable change in the cheers from below, he realized that he was raising his right hand, which was wrapped in gauze, so he quickly switched to his good left hand and waved again.
At this moment, in the main live stream, the Chinese commentators couldn't help but discuss: "Wow, HYG changed the coaching staff members who went on stage for the draft... Angel's hand looks a bit serious? What happened?"
"According to feedback from HYG staff, he was injured during an overnight data testing session." Another commentator seemed to have a wider network of connections.
Commentator 1: "Isn't this a bit too much? It feels like he wants to win even more than the players on the field!"
The second commentator immediately became alert: "What are you implying, Mr. Huang? Is someone on stage not willing to win the game?"
"No, no, no, I absolutely didn't mean that..."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Song Baiyu, who was "unemployed at home," also started a live broadcast.
Logically speaking, having just been eliminated in the quarterfinals not long ago, he should be staying at the base like a coward, trying to protect his parents and next year's salary.
But after holding it in for so many days, and with the parties involved in the gossip busy with the competition, he couldn't hold it in any longer and had to get it off his chest. So he started a live stream, and after watching the barrage of comments harshly criticizing the couple for dating behind everyone's back and not treating their fans like family, he felt much better and generously revealed all the gossip he knew: "Nan Zhiyi's hand? It seems like his old injury has flared up again."
"He was very good back then, even during the youth training. You all know how good CG's youth training is, like the Whampoa Military Academy, right? He was the best student there."
"Well, later on, I got injured and had to retire. There was nothing I could do. I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but at the time, there was only one league spot available for the coaching position. WD originally wanted to buy him, but after he left, it was my turn. So you could say I picked up what was left..."
"He's just too low-key, you know? If I were an entertainment streamer, since I used to play in youth training, I would definitely have something like 'CG Youth Training Player' in my stream title every day, and I wouldn't even let us say it."
"But I'm going to expose him today anyway. Who told him not to treat me like a brother?!"
As he spoke, he recalled the bits and pieces of the past few days, and the fire that had just been extinguished burned fiercely in Song Baiyu's heart again.
Just then, he caught a glimpse of a comment asking, "Why doesn't he treat you like a brother anymore? Tell me!" He sneered inwardly, but didn't rush to answer the question. Instead, he casually continued his previous topic, saying, "But back then, we weren't that close. Yeah, back then, he was always hanging around Yux. You know, those two were so lovey-dovey! They even drank from the same bubble tea cup!"
After Song Baiyu finished revealing the secret, looking at the screen full of 【?????????】 and all sorts of gossip comments such as 【Holy crap, there's such a past】, 【Isn't this guy really that sweet?】, 【Please, bro, can you tell me a couple more cents】, he immediately felt a sense of relief and gave the camera a satisfied smile.
-----------------------
Author's note: I will update another eight or nine thousand words tomorrow (or today?). I will release the parts that I have finished writing first, and I will stay up all night to write the rest!
Thank you everyone for your support and understanding!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com