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After the draw was announced, a murmur of discussion erupted from the crowd—the fact that WIN and VI were in the same group was undoubtedly the biggest highlight of this group stage. After all, the two teams had a long-standing grudge, and coupled with Li Zhao's provocation, this match was destined to be turbulent.
Shen Qingyu pulled out her phone and quickly flipped through the recent match footage of Team VI. While Team VI wasn't exactly top-tier, their playstyle was quite aggressive, especially their jungler, who excelled at sudden, single-player raids, often unexpectedly disrupting their opponent's rhythm. She was watching intently when she felt a gentle touch on her wrist—Yu Wang handed her a bottle of warm water.
"Thank you." Shen Qingyu took the water and felt a warm feeling in her heart. She looked up to say thank you, but saw that Yu Wang had turned his head and looked at the stage again, as if his previous action was just a casual move.
After the ceremony, everyone prepared to return to the base. As soon as they walked out of the exhibition center, they were surrounded by a group of reporters, and the microphones were handed to Shen Qingyu and Yu Wang.
"Manager Shen, what are your thoughts on Team WIN and Team VI being in the same group? Was the argument between you and Manager Li Zhao just now due to an old grudge between the two teams?"
"Cat God, facing Manager Li's provocation, will you adjust your mindset before the game? Are you confident in the group stage?"
Shen Qingyu took the microphone with a proper smile on her face: "First of all, the WIN team is confident in every game. No matter who the opponent is, we will go all out. Secondly, it was just a small misunderstanding just now. I believe that Manager Li was just unintentional. I hope everyone will not over-interpret it and focus more on the game itself."
Her answer was flawless, avoiding any further conflict and demonstrating the team's confidence. The reporters wanted to ask further questions, but Yu Wang stepped forward, calmly standing in front of Shen Qingyu, and said in a cold tone, "Sorry, we have to get back to training. The interview ends here."
After saying that, he naturally took the bag from Shen Qingyu's hand and protected her as she walked towards the bus. Chen Chenchen and the others also hurriedly followed, blocking the reporters who surrounded them.
On the bus, Fatty and Little Y were still excitedly talking about the scene where Shen Qingyu had just "torn apart" Li Zhao.
Ji Feng leaned back in his seat, looking out the window, and suddenly said, "That Li Zhao guy won't give up. He might even do something tricky before the game."
Chen Chenchen nodded. "Yes, he's always been a shady guy. We need to prepare in advance, especially the training content. We need to encrypt it recently to prevent it from being leaked."
Hulu also turned serious. "I'll tell the base's security to tighten management and prevent unauthorized personnel from entering or leaving. Qingyu, you should also pay more attention here. If there is anything unusual, please let us know immediately."
"Okay, I understand." Shen Qingyu nodded, but she was a little worried in her heart - Li Zhaolian was able to do such a thing as "leaking tactics", who knows what other tricks he would use.
Yu Wang saw her worry and said softly, "Don't worry, I'm here."
Shen Qingyu turned to look at him. He was looking down at his phone. His tone was calm, but it carried a reassuring power. She couldn't help but smile, and the anxiety in her heart dissipated a lot.
After returning to the base, everyone immediately threw themselves into training. Shen Qingyu sat nearby, organizing the team's information while observing their training. Yu Wang's operation was still sharp, and every movement and every team battle output was astonishingly accurate.
"Manager Shen, what are you daydreaming about?" The fat man's voice suddenly came. He took off his headphones and stretched. "Want to play a game together? Xiao Y said he's wanted to team up with you for a long time."
Shen Qingyu came back to his senses, smiled and shook his head: "No, you guys concentrate on training, I still have information to organize. By the way, what do you want to eat for the welcome party tonight? I'll book a restaurant."
"Hot pot!" Fatty and Little Y said in unison.
Ji Feng and Chen Chenchen also nodded: "The hot pot is good and lively."
Yu Wang didn't say anything, but just glanced at her with a hint of anticipation in his eyes. Shen Qingyu's heart moved, and she said with a smile: "Okay, then let's eat hot pot. I'll order a restaurant with a good reputation."
That evening, everyone arrived at the hot pot restaurant. The atmosphere in the private room was lively. Fatty and Little Y were busy taking orders, Ji Feng and Chen Chenchen were discussing the upcoming training plan, and Hulu was discussing the team's future plans with Shen Qingyu. Yu Wang sat next to Shen Qingyu, quietly helping her simmer her tripe, occasionally adding a piece to her bowl.
"Manager Shen, were you and Brother Yu really together before?" Little Y suddenly asked curiously, "Brother Yu is so nice to you, he even helps you clean the tripe."
Shen Qingyu's face flushed instantly. Just as she was about to explain, Yu Wang spoke first: "It was before, but not now."
The box instantly fell silent, and everyone looked at them. Shen Qingyu coughed awkwardly twice and changed the subject: "Eat quickly, the tripe is about to be overcooked."
Seeing this, everyone tactfully stopped asking questions and the atmosphere became lively again. However, Shen Qingyu had no appetite, as if something was blocking her heart. She thought she had let it go, but when she heard Yu Wang admit in person that "it was like that before, but not anymore", she still felt sad.
After dinner, Yu Wang offered to take Shen Qingyu back to the base. On the way, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere was a little awkward. When they were almost at the base, Shen Qingyu suddenly said, "Just now...thank you for helping me with the tripe."
Yu Wang turned to look at her. The light from the street lamp shone on his face, softening his cold and hard features. "You're welcome. It's what friends should do."
The word "friend" was like a needle, piercing Shen Qingyu's heart. She lowered her head and whispered, "Yes, friend."
After returning to the base, Shen Qingyu was about to go back to her room when she received a WeChat message from Qu Shengsheng: Sister, I don’t have any work arrangements tomorrow afternoon, so I came to see you and visit my little brother Y at your base!
Chen Qingyu smiled and replied "OK", and the depression in her heart dissipated a little - having friends around might allow her to temporarily forget the awkwardness between her and Yu Wang.
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The next afternoon, Qu Shengsheng rushed into the WIN base, carrying bags of snacks. Before Shen Qingyu could speak, her eyes locked onto Little Y, who was practicing his reflexes in the living room. Her eyes lit up like stars. "Little Y! I finally see him in person! He's even more handsome than in the live stream, and his skin is so good!"
Little Y was startled by this sudden enthusiasm, the tips of her ears turned red, and she scratched the back of her head and whispered, "Sister, you are beautiful too."
Shen Qingyu leaned against the door frame and smiled. Just as she was about to tease Qu Shengsheng about "forgetting friends when seeing a beautiful woman," her phone suddenly rang—it was an unfamiliar number. She gestured to Qu Shengsheng to chat with Xiao Y first, and she went to the balcony to answer the phone: "Hello."
"Excuse me, is this Team WIN's manager, Shen Qingyu?" the voice on the other end of the line was quick and low. "I'm a freelance reporter in the esports world. I have something urgent to tell you—Li Zhao is trying to stir up trouble!"
Shen Qingyu's heart sank suddenly: "Tell me clearly, what's going on?"
"He privately contacted several marketing accounts yesterday, preparing to release fabricated information, claiming Yu Wang used cheats in the match and that your team's tactics were stolen from VI!" the reporter spoke rapidly. "He also fabricated 'evidence', hoping to launch a surprise attack at tomorrow's pre-match press conference and completely destroy you! I can't stand these despicable tactics, so I'm secretly informing you. I'll send you the evidence on WeChat right now."
After hanging up the phone, Shen Qingyu looked at the chat screenshots and recordings on her phone, her fingertips feeling cold. Li Zhao was actually capable of such a dirty trick. She took a deep breath, turned around to discuss with Hulu and Yu Wang, but bumped into a solid chest.
"Did you hear everything?" Shen Qingyu raised her head and met Yu Wang's calm eyes. There was no emotion in his eyes, but it made her feel inexplicably at ease.
Yu Wang nodded: "Don't panic, we can solve it together."
When the two found Hulu and Chen Chenchen, they were studying the VI team's game video in the training room. Seeing Shen Qingyu's solemn expression, Hulu was the first to put down the mouse: "What's wrong? What happened?"
Shen Qingyu handed over the reporter's information and evidence. The more Chen Chenchen read, the tighter his brows frowned, and he tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "He wants to cut off our path."
"I'll contact the official side," Yu Wang suddenly said with a firm tone. "I'll demonstrate the operation live at the press conference tomorrow. We'll know if there are any cheats. As for tactics, we've compiled the training logs from the past three months. They're all original data, which can prove that they are original."
Shen Qingyu immediately added: "I will contact the official review to prevent them from deliberately delaying. In addition, I will find a public relations team to suppress the marketing account to prevent the spread of false information."
Qu Shengsheng suddenly appeared at the door, half a bag of potato chips clutched in his hand. "I know the best PR team in the entertainment industry. They're the best at dealing with this kind of rumor-mongering. I guarantee they'll make the marketing account delete the post and apologize!"
Everyone had a clear division of labor, and by the evening, things had come to a head. After receiving the evidence, the official launched an overnight review and confirmed that Li Zhao had forged the materials. After the marketing accounts were warned by the public relations team, they deleted the content they were about to publish. Qu Shengsheng also contacted several big Vs in the e-sports circle to lay the groundwork for the topic of "looking at the game rationally and refusing to spread rumors" in advance.
After finishing all this, Shen Qingyu collapsed on the sofa. Qu Shengsheng came over and handed her a bottle of Coke: "Take a break. You look so busy and sweaty. By the way..."
Before she finished speaking, the door of the training room opened, and Chen Chenchen came out to get some water, just in time to meet Qu Shengsheng's gaze. They were both stunned - Chen Chenchen hadn't expected that Shen Qingyu's friend was actually her.
The air suddenly became quiet. Little Y and Fatty were still chattering nearby, unaware of the strange atmosphere. Shen Qingyu coughed lightly and was about to smooth things over when Qu Shengsheng spoke first, his tone as natural as an ordinary friend: "Long time no see, Mr. Chen."
Chen Chenchen tightened his grip on the water cup, his Adam's apple moving: "Long time no see, Miss Qu."
"I didn't expect you to become a professional player now," Qu Shengsheng smiled, his eyes calm. "When you said you wanted to play professionally, I thought you were just saying it casually."
"I'm lucky to have good teammates." Chen Chenchen lowered his voice, his eyes fixed on her with a complicated expression. "You're a director now? I've seen the movies you made. They're great."
"Thank you." Qu Shengsheng picked up the potato chips and took a bite. "I didn't expect you to pay attention to movies."
The two chatted casually, their tone was flat, but no one mentioned their "online love" and "breakup" back then.
After Chen Chenchen returned to the training room, Qu Shengsheng leaned close to Shen Qingyu's ear and whispered, "Don't worry, I forgot about it a long time ago. I just felt a little emotional. I didn't expect to see you again in this way."
Shen Qingyu patted her hands: "It's all in the past, look forward."
At the pre-match press conference the next day, Li Zhao arrived with fabricated "evidence" and a threatening message. Before he could even begin, the official team released a statement clearing the WIN team and warning Li Zhao against "malicious smear campaigns." Li Zhao paled, dropped the "evidence" in his hand, and was unable to utter a single word in defense.
In the second half of the press conference, Yu Wang demonstrated his operations on the spot - he could accurately last-hit with his eyes closed, move smoothly in team battles, and predict the opponent's skills to an exact degree. The fans and reporters in the audience were amazed and cheered one after another.
Shen Qingyu stood in the audience, looking at Yu Wang under the spotlight, and couldn't help but raise the corner of her mouth. Yu Wang seemed to feel her gaze and suddenly looked in her direction, with a smile in his eyes, and secretly made a "V" gesture.
On the day of the group stage, Team WIN faced Team VI and easily won 2-0. Yu Wang's ADC played exceptionally well, and Chen Chenchen's jungler also delivered numerous precise ganks, helping the team establish an advantage.
When the game ended, the camera swept to the audience. Qu Shengsheng was holding a sign that read "WIN" and waving it vigorously. The fans next to her, Xiao Y, thought she was a loyal fan of the team and high-fived her.
In the backstage lounge, Chen Chenchen handed a bottle of water to Qu Shengsheng: "Thank you for coming today to cheer me up."
"As you should," Qu Shengsheng took the water and said with a smile, "Next time there's a competition, I'll come and cheer you on—but mainly for little brother Y."
Chen Chenchen was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Okay, welcome."
Shen Qingyu watched the two of them interacting easily, then turned to look at Yu Wang. He was leaning against the wall, looking at her with a gentle smile in his eyes. Shen Qingyu's heart skipped a beat, and she walked towards him: "You played really well today."
"That's right," Yu Wang raised his eyebrows, his tone a little proud, "otherwise how can you be worthy of the support of our Manager Shen?"
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