Chapter 28
After leaving the restaurant, when Shen He took a taxi back to the base, Chen Yuchuan shamelessly followed him, clearly not intending to leave.
What are you doing following me?
“The central control system in my room is broken,” Chen Yuchuan said matter-of-factly, leaning against the car door. “The air conditioner isn’t working, and there’s no hot water in the bathroom. It’s really uninhabitable.”
Shen He glanced at him.
Chen Yuchuan immediately retorted, "Am I really that hated by everyone?"
"He's quite self-aware." Shen He rarely praised him.
On the way back to the base, Chen Yuchuan started complaining again downstairs: "Your access control system is too troublesome. I have to register no matter how many times I come."
Shen He ignored him and went straight upstairs, but was stopped halfway by the manager, who was obviously waiting for him on purpose.
In the office, the manager opened his mouth, seemingly considering his words.
"What is it?" Shen He asked first, seeing his hesitant expression.
"You played well today."
“Indeed.” Shen He’s tone was flat, clearly indicating that he did not intend to elaborate on this topic.
The manager looked at him and finally just sighed: "Don't miss this debriefing."
"Um."
"I've already registered your live stream room. I'll send you the account information later. You just finished a match, so take a day off first. You'll start streaming on Tuesday. What do you think?"
“Okay.” Shen He nodded.
"The operations team suggests finding a teammate to duo queue with," the manager tentatively suggested. "That would improve the atmosphere."
"There's no need." Shen He refused decisively. Putting aside the fact that he wasn't familiar with his teammates, if they were actually in the same frame, he would be subjected to all sorts of random shipping.
The manager didn't try to persuade them any further: "Then you can make your own arrangements. Your assistant will handle any problems that arise during the live stream."
Shen He hummed in agreement, then added, "Arrange the meal before the next match." With that, he walked out of the office.
As soon as he stepped out, Chen Yuchuan immediately came over and asked, "What were you talking about for so long? Did he scold you?"
"It's nothing," Shen He said calmly. "I just mentioned that I would be doing a live stream."
Chen Yuchuan immediately became interested: "You're going to start a live broadcast? Aren't you going to invite me to be a guest broadcaster?"
Back in the room, Shen He leaned back in her chair and asked him, "Are you never going to stop creating these CP pairings? Don't you already have a mysterious sister-in-law?"
Seeing his expression, Chen Yuchuan couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, alright, I'll secretly watch then."
The room quieted down. Shen He turned on his computer and looked at his notes for a while. The screen reflected off his face. Chen Yuchuan stared at him for a long time. Seeing that he wasn't paying attention to him, he tried to make conversation. "You're already a professional player, why are you still studying? Go back to studying after you've had your fun."
"What do you know?" Shen He didn't even look up. "If you don't study more, you'll end up like someone who does nothing all day and stays in other people's houses."
Chen Yuchuan sneered: "Keep pretending. You've been playing around a lot when you should be studying."
Shen He finally looked up at him, his expression blank, but his tone was slightly amused: "You, a high school graduate, play video games all day, practically illiterate, it's normal that you don't understand."
Chen Yuchuan clicked his tongue: "You didn't finish college either, so you're practically illiterate. We're brothers in the same boat, so let's not talk the other way around."
Shen He nodded: "That's true, but the difference is that I know I'm illiterate."
“I’ve been wondering,” Chen Yuchuan leaned closer, his tone not so much a question as something he’d been thinking about for a long time, “Didn’t you say back then that you’d come to play professionally if you couldn’t continue studying? Now that you’re here, why are you still staring at these academic papers and documents?”
Shen He asked, "I just said it offhand, how come you still remember it?"
"You just said it offhand?" Chen Yuchuan chuckled, his tone unreadable. "Back then, you acted like you hadn't truly lived unless you were a professional gamer. You'd say you wanted to go pro when you were happy, and you'd say you wanted to go pro when you were unhappy, even using it as an excuse to skip exams. And now you're telling me you just said it offhand?"
Shen He was silent for a moment. He had indeed said it casually, but Chen Yuchuan had remembered it for so long and spoke with such certainty. Shen He couldn't describe the feeling for a moment, only that it was a little strange.
Moreover, from the time they met again until now, Chen Yuchuan's various attitudes made Shen He feel that... something was off. But he just couldn't figure it out.
On Tuesday evening, Shenhe logged into his account right on time.
Gift effects flooded the screen, with colorful animations overwhelming the entire screen, and the comments were too fast to see behind the effects.
Shenhe paused on the keyboard for a moment, then immediately ended the live stream.
"Turn off the gift function." He turned to his assistant and said, "It was agreed when we signed the contract that the live stream was mainly for affiliateing with the team and generating some buzz, and there was no requirement to make a profit."
He paused, as if explaining to his assistant, "The contract doesn't require a share of the gifts. I just play ranked matches during my streams, so I don't need to open any gift slots."
Ten minutes later, the live stream went live again.
The live stream interface is unchanged, except that the gift button in the upper right corner is now grayed out.
"Just watch the live stream, don't send gifts," Shen He said briefly.
The live chat quickly exploded:
[Bro, you're not short of money, are you?]
[Who is icevein? He spent over 100,000 yuan in just a few minutes; a die-hard fan.]
Why isn't the camera on? I want to see your face.
[The God of ADCs has descended!!]
[Can you post more updates, brother? Posting some glimpses of the base would be great! (sparkling eyes)]
[Huh, why is it a solo livestream? I thought it would be more entertaining.]
What is the background of icevein?
It's normal for Styx to have wealthy fans, what's the big deal?
[I also want to ask why they didn't queue with their teammates; it would have generated some buzz.]
[Yes, yes, and Chen Yuchuan too, didn't we hang out together last time?]
[Ugh, Styx can play with whoever he wants.]
[Yes, just focus on Styx. Don't think others can't see through some people's little schemes.]
[Hehe, I feel like not turning on the camera is because I'm shy.]
[Styx, please talk to me!]
[Brother, please talk to us!]
Shen He glanced at the comments and sent Chen Yuchuan a message: "Why are you spamming so much? Don't go crazy."
Then, after switching to the queue interface and thinking for a moment, I said, "I'll play solo today. I prefer playing by myself."
Seeing that the comments were still flooding the screen, he added, "Tell me which heroes you want to see, and I'll pick the ones you want to play."
The phrase "play what everyone wants to see" sounds a bit too sweet, doesn't it...?
[Cooking Bo's voice is cold, but so gentle TvT.]
[I've suddenly started hoping Styx will sing...it would definitely sound amazing.]
Honestly, it's fine without the camera on. Just listening to music and watching gameplay is great!
Indeed, it's clear that Styx has always been the type to quietly play ranked games.
[5555 He doesn't want us to send him gifts, he even lets us buy heroes.]
The chat started spamming "heroes" like crazy:
【Windstring Hunter!! My Faith!】
[Angel, angel, angel! You looked so cool playing the angel the other day!]
[Let's play something less common, how about the Cat Spirit Witch! The snail from the last game is also good!]
Try Shadowblade! I rarely see you playing this!
Once in the game, Shenhe read the comments for a while, then opened the hero pool: "I haven't played Fengxian in a long time... I'll just practice a bit, and then I'll play something else later."
The live stream lasted for nearly two hours. The chat remained lively, yet it maintained an unusual calm. There were very few arguments or spamming, and those who tried to cause trouble were ignored.
Shen He focused on the game, occasionally chatting with everyone. He wasn't overly enthusiastic, but he wasn't perfunctory either. If someone asked about hero combos or control settings, he would elaborate. Gao Mingyuan and Zhou Yifan also came to say hello. Although it wasn't particularly entertaining, it made people feel very comfortable.
After the final game, he leaned back in his chair and said, "That's enough for today."
The comments section exploded instantly.
Ahhh, I can't get enough of this!!
[Bro, could you stream a little longer?]
[Could you show your hands during the next stream? I feel like watching your gameplay that way creates a more immersive experience.]
It feels like sitting next to a pro player and watching them play.
[Styx, please start streaming ranked games from now on. You don't even need to use a microphone; we'll just want to watch your first-person perspective gameplay.]
[I've finished watching it, I'm so happy, sob sob.]
Please, please increase your business and livestreams!
[More business and more live streams +1]
...
Shen He glanced at the still-scrolling comments, chuckled, and said, "I'll try my best."
The chat exploded with comments because of his laugh, but Shen He didn't bother watching anymore and simply closed the live stream.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a few minutes before picking up his phone again. Several messages popped up on the lock screen; he lazily swiped them open, the top one from Chen Yuchuan:
"I just want to be the top contributor among my brothers, but I still can't do it?"
Shen He glanced at him but didn't want to pay him any attention.
The next message is from the administrator:
"They said you can decide the time, and it's convenient for them."
Shen He frowned as he looked at this.
He replied with:
"Tomorrow."
A minute later, the other party pressed further:
"Around what time?"
Chen He was speechless, staring at the screen for two seconds:
"Dinner will be fine in the evening."
The management continued to ask:
"What would you like to eat? So I can prepare in advance."
Shen He was truly no longer going to mince words, and his tone was very clear:
"I can't be bothered with it, whatever."
He tossed his phone to the side of the bed, lay flat on the sofa, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
The next afternoon, Shen He had just finished a training match when the manager called him to the car.
"The location was chosen by the other party," the manager continued talking along the way. "They said you don't like noise and commotion, so they wanted to find a quiet place to eat. They're very thoughtful; they even asked you several times what kind of food you like to eat at the base."
Shen He leaned against the car window and didn't say anything.
“Don’t feel pressured,” the manager continued. “He was worried you might feel awkward eating with just the two of you, so he specifically asked me and my assistant to come along. With the three of us, we can just eat and drink whatever we want, and you won’t feel too embarrassed.”
"I really think this person is a good guy. He's down-to-earth, speaks politely, is very supportive of our team, and cares a lot about you."
Shen He hummed in response but did not reply further.
But deep down, I still had a strange feeling.
He couldn't quite explain it; it was just a gut feeling. The person hadn't done anything rude and acted politely and considerately, but it was precisely this thoughtfulness and meticulousness that made him seem a bit over the top, unlike a "normal fan."
Shenhe didn't like this feeling.
The drive wasn't long; after about twenty minutes, we arrived at a rather unassuming private kitchen restaurant. The signboard was simple, but just by looking at the decor, you could tell it was expensive.
Upon arriving at the private room, the assistant knocked twice, and a voice inside responded, "Come in." The manager pushed the door open and greeted them with a smile, "We're here. Have you been waiting long?"
The man sitting inside stood up upon hearing the sound. He was tall and slender, dressed in a low-key and sophisticated dark gray shirt, buttoned up to the collar. A pair of thin-rimmed glasses sat on his nose. He had regular features, a stern expression, and a smile on his face, with a gentle and friendly curve at the corner of his mouth.
“No,” he said in a low, restrained voice, yet very measured, “I just arrived recently.”
When Shen He saw him clearly, he raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. The other person had already walked around the table and reached out his hand to Shen He.
It sank into the river and didn't move.
The man's hand hovered in mid-air for a moment, but he didn't show any embarrassment. He just smiled gently and said, "Long time no see."
His tone was familiar, and without saying much, he withdrew his hand and naturally gave a polite hug, which ended quickly.
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