After the game
As is customary, the winner is interviewed first. The bright white light in the interview room shines on the table. Chen Yuchuan leans back in his chair, his long legs casually stretched out, and he casually sips water from a water bottle in his palm.
The reporters kept throwing out questions.
What were your thoughts on today's match before it started?
He seemed to be thinking, a smile playing on his lips, as if he were just saying casually, "It's about meeting an old friend."
This answer clearly surprised the reporter for a moment, but then he thought that the two teams had played in the top league for so many years and could indeed be considered old friends, so he quickly wrote down the answer on his tablet.
How do you feel about securing your first victory?
"generally."
It was an obvious perfunctory response, but most of the people there were old acquaintances and were already used to it.
When pressed on how he would rate his performance, he stared down at the water bottle label, prying off a small piece of plastic with his fingertip: "Just average."
The conversation shifted to tactics, and the reporter asked, "Why did you target the bottom lane so many times during the match?"
He raised his eyes slightly, his brow bone casting a shadow under the light, but his tone remained nonchalant: "The bottom lane is a key position."
As for his teammates' performance, he only said, "So-so, they were all pretty normal."
Decisive, but with an air of impatience.
To ease the tension, the issue began to become more relaxed.
"Some viewers asked if you were a Styx fan? Today's match felt like going to a fan meeting in the Rift."
He chuckled softly, looked up and said, "It's normal for Styx to have fans, isn't it?"
Another reporter added, "What about [Zhu Yue]? Some fans feel that you are retaliating."
He sharply commented, "This hero would be better played by someone else."
The interview room fell silent for a moment. The sound of camera shutters clicked intermittently, and no one spoke.
So he added, "Or this person could play a different hero."
Fearing he might make another outrageous statement, the reporter quickly threw out one last question: "So, what's your opinion of Styx?"
All the pen tips stopped. The camera's red lights all lit up at once.
Chen Yuchuan finally looked away and sat up straight, the water bottle in his hand stopping its spinning motion. He smiled, but his words were straightforward: "Of course he's strong, is there any need to ask?"
A burst of laughter erupted from the press section, as if they had been struck by his unexpected bluntness. The sound of camera shutters clicked incessantly; some were already eager to publish this statement as a headline.
The next interview will be with the ASG coaching staff and Shen He, who is making his first appearance. The interview room has been rearranged, and the lighting has been changed.
Shenhe sat down quietly, took off his headset and placed it on the corner of the table, his hands naturally crossed in front of him.
The reporter asked, "You won the first game, but lost the second and third. How do you feel now?"
He said in a flat tone, "It's normal. There will be wins and losses."
How do you feel about your performance?
He thought for half a second and said, "It's alright."
The reporter pressed further: "You managed to get a lane kill against the champion AD in your very first match. What's your take on that play?"
Shen He lowered his eyes, his voice clear: "If there's an opportunity, then we'll take it."
The atmosphere became a bit awkward, so the reporter changed the subject: "Are you satisfied with the team's overall performance today?"
"Both are good." His tone was flat, revealing no hint of praise or criticism.
What's your opinion on River's mindless targeting?
He almost blurted out the words "I'm sick," but barely managed to hold them back, turning them into "ADC's current situation."
Until the last question.
"Many people are discussing your clash with River. What are your thoughts on that?"
Shen He raised his eyes, his expression remaining calm. After a brief silence, he said, "He is a very strong opponent."
After a brief pause, he added, "But it doesn't matter to me who the opponent is."
The interview room was silent for two seconds before the reporters put their pens down again.
After the interviews were published by multiple media outlets, they were quickly edited into various short videos.
In the footage, Chen Yuchuan leans back in his chair with a lazy smile, his words barbed; Shen He stands upright, his answers concise and to the point.
Within hours, the discussion forum exploded:
River: They're all pretty average. Styx: They're all okay.
"Two of them are just pretending, one is acting like a big shot, and the other is acting aloof."
Some people directly nitpicked:
"Isn't this how River always is? His teammates are all 'so-so,' and his opponents aren't even good enough to play with. Isn't he afraid that people will turn against him?"
"He played well, but his mouth is really foul. He's just using the champion's filter to protect himself."
"But to be honest, VLG is really strong in the jungle right now, and the other positions are really not as good as him."
Even the haters didn't let Shenhe off the hook:
"The 'King of the Streets' is just so-so. He can't handle the pressure in big games. You could see in the last two games that he was being led by the nose by the opponent."
"It's good to keep a cool face, just in case it backfires and the company dies one day."
But many people spoke up for him:
"To perform like this in the first match is already very impressive. Styx showed absolutely no stage fright like a rookie."
"They really dared to fight and take risks. They didn't lose in the bot lane matchup and were able to withstand the pressure from River. That's already a pleasant surprise."
"It's not his fault that his teammates messed up. ASG really doesn't deserve such a top-tier ADC."
The official video is much clearer, with close-up high-definition shots that have everyone incredibly excited.
"When will the official interview photos be released? His face and condition are amazing."
"It's rare to find two esports players who are both skilled and entertaining, and they're a perfect match..."
"Chen Yuchuan keeps running down the lane, and in the interview he even said something about a 'key position,' I'm just spreading rumors."
"Stop eating nonsense... Okay, I'll just have a small bite first."
Haters weren't idle either:
"You're already swooning? Esports is all about looks, not skill?"
"Don't overdo it and your true colors will be revealed in the next few rounds."
"What else can female fans do besides ship them? With Trump's rotten temper and Styx's deadpan face, only you guys can like them."
Someone quickly retorted:
"Shut up. Who you like is none of your business. If you don't like it, then don't look."
"Female fans also pay for tickets to watch the game and play the game. What's wrong with this game? Is it yours?"
"If you're good-looking and play well, why would they ship you, who's bad, ugly, and sour?"
Rational supporters tried to steer the situation back on track:
"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Styx's debut performance was already strong enough, and VLG is truly top-notch. The upcoming matches will be even more exciting, let's see how the results speak for themselves."
Finally, all three trending topics simultaneously topped the charts:
#RiverCivility#
#Styx's Professional Debut#
#Styx vs. River: A Visually Striking Showdown#
Shen He sat in a corner waiting for the coaching staff interview to end. His phone lit up for a moment, and a trending search title flashed across the screen.
After the interview, Shen He came out through the back door. The corridor there was much quieter, with few reporters and mostly venue staff.
He put away his phone and walked towards the lounge, but stopped at the corner.
Chen Yuchuan leaned against the wall, wearing his team uniform with the buttons undone, looking relaxed with one hand in his pocket. When he saw him, he slowly raised an eyebrow.
"what?"
"I'll wait for you," he said matter-of-factly. "Why does your team's interview take so long? Can you be faster next time?"
Shen He walked past him and continued forward. Chen Yuchuan quickened his pace to catch up, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, and then turned to look at him again.
Did you read the comments?
"I didn't see it," Shen He said calmly.
“The comments under the official video,” Chen Yuchuan said casually, “are all sorts of things, they’re almost coming to blows. Some people even said your expression during the interview was too cold and pretentious, and they’re going to screenshot you and make memes out of it.”
The journey to the river has not stopped.
Chen Yuchuan chuckled and added, "I took a screenshot too."
"..."
Then, feigning nonchalance, she said, "They also said that we're a perfect match, one cold and one warm."
"..."
Shen He raised his hand and pulled up the sleeve of his team uniform that was hanging down. The movement was slow, but somewhat perfunctory.
Seeing his "I can't be bothered with you" attitude, Chen Yuchuan's smile widened, and he lowered his voice:
“I even went out of my way to see it when you interviewed me.”
"Oh." Shen He's tone was flat. "Finished reading?"
"I've finished watching it," he replied lazily. "His face is indeed quite striking, and he and I do look good together."
Shen He finally turned his head, his gaze landing on his face, his expression not pleasant: "Can you shut your mouth?"
"I can't close it." Chen Yuchuan shrugged. "You know me."
Shenhe turned around and continued walking forward.
Chen Yuchuan followed a couple of steps behind and asked again, "You really didn't read the comments?"
Shen He finally spoke: "I've seen it."
After a brief pause of just one word, he added, "So what?"
His tone was calm, with no inflection, but his hand was already on the doorknob of the lounge.
Chen Yuchuan continued, "During the interview, you said something like 'the opponent doesn't matter who it is'..."
The door was opened and closed by Chenhe, slamming shut with a loud bang.
Chen Yuchuan stood there, staring at the door, feeling somewhat annoyed.
The competition had just ended not long ago, but starting with some editor, fan-made videos quietly began to appear.
The most popular video is a short clip titled "[Cold-faced Genius × Arrogant Mad Dog]", which has already garnered nearly 100,000 views in less than 20 minutes. The cover features a selection of close-up photos of the subject, and it's already showing signs of going viral.
The film opens with a close-up of Shen He's calm demeanor during the operation, followed by a cut to the moment Chen Yuchuan's lips curl up after being counter-killed. Shen He remains unmoved in the face of Chen Yuchuan's tower dive, while Chen Yuchuan's frustrated expression after the failed tower dive is captured by the background music, which creates a great atmosphere. The subtitles are also perfectly placed.
The scene then shifts to a post-match handshake.
Finally, there's the interview footage: the frame where Shen He says "any opponent is fine" is slowed down, the image freezes on the moment when his eyebrows are downcast and his expression is indifferent; then Chen Yuchuan says seriously, "He is very strong," with the caption: "You don't care, but he's always watching you."
It's clearly pieced together, clearly fabricated, clearly nothing happened, yet every frame feels like something is happening.
Everyone in the comments section was laughing hysterically:
"Was that handshake just my imagination? It felt so real..."
"I know rationally that it's a forced match, but emotionally I'm already shipping it after marriage."
"Stop acting, you two! Show me the script!"
"With a face like that, it would be a loss not to ship them."
Some people said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "After watching the video, I started looking for candy, only to find out that the two had just met."
Some people bluntly stated: "I don't even know the person, so I don't care if it's real or fake, as long as it looks good, that's all that matters."
In the corner of the lounge, Chen Yuchuan leaned back on the sofa, one hand supporting his forehead, the other holding a phone with the screen lit up.
I've watched the video at least ten times.
The editing was indeed very well done, especially the handshake shot, which appeared quite ambiguous after being slowed down. He stared at Shen He's profile on the screen, a cold, expressionless face, but in reality, the other person's eyes narrowed as he glanced at him, a sign that Shen He was getting impatient.
The live chat was even more lively than the comment section.
"It's not a rumor, the handshake was real, everyone else just touched it lightly."
"That hand-pinching scene...something's wrong with me."
"Who will build the best pair in the history of the canyon?"
He gave a lazy smile, clicked share, and entered the WeChat interface.
When I reached the "Special" section, my hand stopped.
Empty.
It's been empty for a long time.
He slid his thumb inch by inch across the chat, from A to Z, from acquaintances to group chats, but that familiar name never appeared.
He forgot that Shenhe had deleted him long ago.
It wasn't an argument, just a quiet deletion, blocking all contact information, and the person moved to another city, like removing a superfluous, unsightly object from life.
Chen Yuchuan looked down at the screen, remained silent for a few seconds, then exited the chat interface, reopened the video, and continued playing.
This time, I didn't read the comments; I just stared at Chen He's expression frame by frame—
He suddenly realized that those comments in the comments section saying "This person has so few expressions" weren't quite right either.
Shen He actually has a lot of subtle expressions, but he hasn't looked at them closely in a long time.
The atmosphere in the ASG lounge had eased considerably, with several people scrolling through their phones while waiting to return home.
Li Anze laughed as he scrolled through the video: "Wow, this is so fast! Someone's already starting to edit the video."
"What video?" Gao Mingyuan peeked out.
“River and Styx,” Li Anze said as he opened the video. “It’s edited to create quite a mood.”
Gao Mingyuan glanced at it and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "These people are really geniuses, they can make a joke out of anyone..."
Shen He was scrolling through his phone when he heard this and turned his head slightly.
Li Anze casually remarked, "These fans are quite amusing."
Shen He grunted in response, but it was unclear what he meant.
The atmosphere faded away, and no one asked any further questions.
Gao Mingyuan glanced at Chen He, who remained expressionless as always, except for a fleeting smirk at the corner of his mouth.
Gao Mingyuan paused, then looked down at his phone again. He realized he was probably overthinking things.
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