Chapter 46
The stadium was packed with spectators for the first game of the new season.
Shen He and Chen Yuchuan walked onto the stage together, and the audience erupted in screams.
Shen He walked straight to his seat with an indifferent expression and started adjusting the equipment, while Chen Yuchuan looked at the audience with a provocative expression.
"Hilarious, Chen Yuchuan is such a shameless jerk."
My brain automatically plays: "My brother has a wife who loves me very much..."
"Does he think he's handsome???"
"He's really handsome, but he's kind of annoying."
"I owe my sister-in-law a good beating (drooling)."
"If you ask me, Styx is still better. That cold face of his makes me feel so uncomfortable."
"Brother stepped on me."
"My God, what are some people saying? This isn't a lawless place."
"I'm stunned! These two look so good together, they're such a perfect match!!!"
"VLG made a killing this time; outsiders are betting on the next game!"
The business proposal (BP) phase begins.
Before the coach could speak, Chen Yuchuan's voice rang out in the team's voice chat: "Today is Styx's first game with VLG. Give him the first pick and play around him."
The coach asked Shen He, "What do you think?"
Before Shenhe could answer, the mid-laner laughed and said, "Today is Styx's first time playing on our team, so we definitely have to let him have a good time."
"Exactly, Styx's skill level is undeniable; he could carry the team even with his bare feet."
The coach nodded, and the [Cat Spirit Witch] was locked on the first floor.
This is a strong hero who has benefited from the version adjustment. He has extremely strong early-game pressure, but he is slightly weak in the late game. The team needs to establish a large enough advantage in the early and mid-game, otherwise it will be difficult to fight in the late game.
Shen He stared at the hero on the screen, his finger pausing on the mouse.
He knew what Chen Yuchuan wanted to do: to let him enjoy playing games and rekindle his passion.
Although Shenhe felt it wasn't that easy.
The game begins.
The opponent's skill level was indeed average; Shenhe started pushing the lane as soon as the game began. Yi Yang assisted him from the side; although their teamwork wasn't perfect, they still had basic coordination.
Five minutes later, Shenhe got the first blood.
Ten minutes later, the bottom lane tower fell.
Chen Yuchuan launched a frenzied invasion of the jungle, putting immense pressure on the opposing jungler and securing the first dragon with the help of the bottom lane.
Only the top laner was forced to endure pressure, as the opposing team was clearly targeting him, trying to find a breakthrough, with the jungler frequently ganking top. However, Li Xiuyan was experienced and, despite being pressured, did not give away any kills.
In fifteen minutes, the economic gap had widened to five thousand.
Twenty-three minutes later, the score was tied in one fell swoop.
The match ended quickly, but Shenhe still managed to achieve a score of 10-0-6, a perfect performance.
In the second draft phase, the opposing team learned from their mistake and immediately banned all the strong bot lane champions, leaving only some conventional picks. They then immediately locked in a strong support champion as their first pick, clearly intending to focus on the bot lane.
When it was VLG's turn to make their second pick, they first secured a protective support for the top lane. Chen Yuchuan sat in his seat, constantly clicking the random button, the hero portraits rapidly switching on the screen.
Chen Yuchuan asked, "What do you want to play?"
Shenhe glanced at the remaining hero pool; they were all standard choices, not particularly effective in combat.
"casual."
Chen Yuchuan paused on the mouse for a moment, then actually clicked the random button.
The hero portraits on the screen spun rapidly, finally stopping on an unpopular hero.
【Shadowblade】is an assassin-type marksman who can switch between melee and ranged combat, possessing extremely high mobility, but is countered by most traditional marksmen. While weak in lane, she excels in late-game team fights, provided she can survive until then.
The live chat exploded instantly:
"What is Chen Yuchuan doing? Did he slip his hand?"
"Really???"
"Are you crazy? You're really good at framing your own brothers."
"How does Shadow Blade play against that enemy support in lane?"
"I'm at a disadvantage from the start, I admit defeat."
"I knew that dog was up to no good."
Yi Yang was also stunned, and turned to look at Chen Yuchuan: "Brother Chuan, why don't you use this to jungle? Aren't you just hurting Brother He?"
Shenhe didn't react much. He actually quite likes playing this hero, but he rarely has the opportunity to use it in professional matches.
"It's nothing," Shen He said.
The game begins.
Shenhe plays aggressively, completely deviating from the conventional marksman development strategy. He frequently switches forms, using his mobility to roam the lane and exploit weaknesses in health. Chen Yuchuan also coordinates very well, providing crucial support several times to help Shenhe gain an advantage.
Within ten minutes, the opposing bot lane had been down 20 CS.
At twelve minutes, the support provided vision, and Shenhe used his ultimate to solo kill the enemy's gunner whose ultimate was on cooldown.
Eighteen minutes later, the first major team fight broke out.
He flanked from behind and instantly killed the enemy mid laner, then used his mobility to retreat to a safe position, switched to ranged damage, and coordinated with his teammates to execute a perfect team fight.
Twenty-five minutes later, VLG scored another goal.
Shenhe's record is 8-1-12, and he's the MVP again.
The forum was in complete uproar.
"What the hell did I just see? Shadow Blade massacring a gunner???"
"Styx has such a deep champion pool, he can play anything?"
"It's not a matter of champion pool; it's also a matter of different game understanding. In ranked games, Shadow Blade players tend to avoid fights in the early game."
"If they lose, Chen Yuchuan will be roasted alive..."
"But we won! And we won beautifully!"
"VLG really hit the jackpot this time, Styx is in perfect form!"
"I declare that VLG is the champion of this season!"
"Stop bragging, the other team is obviously a weak team, they're just stomping on noobs."
"You need to be good at bullying newbies. If you're so good, then you do it."
"So, did Chen Yuchuan know that Shen He could play this hero? Or was it really random?"
"Who cares? Styx is awesome anyway."
The comments section was buzzing with discussion, but most of the comments were praise. Praise for wins, criticism for losses—this is the norm on the forum, regardless of whether the opponent is good or bad.
Shen He didn't want to pay attention to any of this, but Chen Yuchuan was watching with great interest and chimed in sarcastically, "The world's number one ADC is awesome."
Shen He ignored him, made some preparations, and went to participate in the post-match interview.
"Congratulations to VLG on securing their first win of the new season." The host asked, "Your choice of Shadow Blade in the second game was very bold. Could you explain your thinking at the time?"
"Chen Yuchuan made the choice," Shen He said.
The host paused for a moment: "When you saw this choice, did you feel a lot of pressure?"
"No," Shen He said. "You can play."
"Your performance in the first game was perfect. Can you tell us why you chose to join VLG?"
Shen He was stunned for a moment.
The first thing that popped into his mind was the reason he had already come up with: high pay, comfortable playing experience, and a reliable coach.
But then, Chen Yuchuan's face suddenly appeared in his mind.
Those things he overlooked, Chen Yuchuan accommodated time and time again. And before today's match, when Chen Yuchuan said "play around him" with that matter-of-fact tone, during the second draft phase, when Chen Yuchuan asked him what he wanted to play, he said anything, and Chen Yuchuan actually randomly picked a hero for him.
Shen He discovered that Chen Yuchuan had high expectations for him.
It's not that kind of utilitarian expectation, not hoping he'll achieve results and help the team win a championship. It's something purer: I hope he can be happy, and I hope he can find what he wants.
This made Shenhe feel a little reluctant.
Chen Yuchuan had done so much for him, yet he couldn't even offer the most basic response. He even felt somewhat unworthy of Chen Yuchuan's concern.
This is the part he has always ignored and didn't want to face, and it's also part of the reason he agreed to come to VLG.
Shen He remained silent for a few seconds before finally saying, "This is a personnel transfer that satisfies both sides."
The host smiled, didn't press further, and instead asked other questions.
After the interview, Shen He went outside, where Chen Yuchuan was already waiting.
Chen Yuchuan stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed: "Why is your answer so official?"
Shen He didn't speak, but glanced at Chen Yuchuan. His eyes were bright, and there was something in them that Shen He couldn't understand.
Chen Yuchuan suddenly spoke up: "I thought you came to VLG because of me."
Shenhe was stunned.
"Just kidding." Chen Yuchuan walked to his side. "Don't be angry."
Shen He smiled, and the two walked forward side by side. He put his hand on Chen Yuchuan's shoulder and told him, "Don't flatter yourself."
This was the first time since their reunion that Shenhe had taken the initiative to approach him and make such an intimate gesture.
Chen Yuchuan felt the weight of the hand on his shoulder, and his whole body stiffened, his heart pounding in his chest.
He suppressed the urge to pull her into his arms on the spot, reached out and put his arm around Chen He's waist, and said in a low voice, "Baby, why are you always so stubborn?"
Shen He felt a chill run down his spine and quickly took a few steps forward, distancing himself from him.
Chen Yuchuan couldn't help but laugh when he saw his strange expression.
"Don't have an episode with me," Shen He said.
"Okay, then come over here and let me kiss you first."
The team's accompanying photographer happened to be following behind and took several photos with his camera.
That evening, VLG's official Weibo account posted photos after the match.
One set of photos shows Shen He and Chen Yuchuan in a corridor. In the picture, Shen He walks forward with a speechless expression, while Chen Yuchuan watches him from behind and smiles. The distance between the two is neither too close nor too far, and they look very casual and natural.
The caption reads: "Good brothers, fighting side by side (struggling together)."
The comment section exploded instantly:
"Good bro? Operations, open your eyes and look at this, is this what you call a good bro???"
"Please, don't insult the word 'brother'."
"Operations team, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about your good buddies?"
"That's right, before the brothers went in, they all thought they were brothers."
"Could you elaborate on what 'brother' you're referring to?"
"Not brothers, but Jay!"
"Please don't let straight men take these pictures (hug)."
"But this is the first time I've seen Styx smile so naturally."
"Yeah! He usually acts like he's unapproachable."
"Styx actually tolerated that bastard Chen Yuchuan getting close to him???"
"Holy crap, this is really rare. When Styx was with ASG, he always walked alone..."
"Who understands? It feels like the Trump dogs succeeded..."
Shen He stared at his phone screen, not moving for a long time.
"What are you looking at?" Chen Yuchuan suddenly leaned closer.
Shen He's hand trembled, and he almost threw his phone away. He turned off the screen and looked up at Chen Yuchuan: "It's nothing."
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