DSF Chapter 89

The main purpose of today’s meal is to celebrate winning the East Asia Championship.

Mama Yan smiled and said, “You’ve all worked hard during this time, but it’s great. I see a lot of praise for you online, and even in my classes at school, many students are discussing it.”

Papa Yan also agreed, taking a sip of red wine and shaking his head, “I didn’t expect senior lawyers from our law firm to also follow your matches. It almost delayed some deadlines, but for the sake of my son’s face, I turned a blind eye and didn’t pursue it.”

Yan Yibing modestly refrained from boasting, showing no signs of embarrassment throughout.

He ate very seriously, his lips turning red from the spiciness. Occasionally, he stuck out his tongue, sucking in a breath of cool air.

Han Mo couldn’t handle spicy food very well, so he had been eating tomato hot pot. Fortunately, Papa Yan also liked tomato hot pot, which made him feel a bit less restrained.

Yan Yibing thought Han Mo wasn’t eating enough, so he specially rinsed a piece of tripe and threw it into Han Mo’s bowl.

“This is still delicious in the spicy hotpot. Try it.”

Han Mo’s gaze paused slightly, staring at the tripe covered in red oil. He hesitated for a moment, then pursed his lips.

He hadn’t tasted many spicy dishes since he was young; eating too much would upset his stomach.

Nevertheless, he obediently picked up the tripe, dipped it in some sesame oil, and cautiously fed it into his mouth, wrinkling his brow in discomfort.

Mama Yan lightly patted Yan Yibing, saying, “Momo can’t handle spicy food. What are you feeding him? Not everyone has the same taste as you.”

Han Mo reluctantly ate the oily tripe, coughing lightly from the spiciness. He didn’t dare let it linger on his tongue for too long, quickly swallowing after a couple of chews.

Enduring the heat in his mouth, he forced out, “It’s okay, I like everything Master gives me to eat.”

Yan Yibing, engrossed in his meal, felt a sense of satisfaction hearing this and licked his lips coyly, saying, “See, he likes it.”

Mama Yan scolded him with a glare.

Papa Yan shook his head slightly, “It’s still your mother who spoils you too much, letting you be so willful at this age.”

Mama Yan shot a glance over, “Is it my fault alone? What do you mean by spoiling?”

Papa Yan paused for a moment, pushed his glasses up, and corrected himself seriously, “It’s my lack of parenting experience that has been a hindrance to my wife.”

Yan Yibing couldn’t stand it anymore and complained, “Alright, you two, who are you showing off to?”

Mama Yan rested her chin on her hand, leaning in, “Who said you can’t show off? You can also show off; it’s just that you don’t cooperate.”

Then she looked at Papa Yan, “I haven’t told you yet, your son doesn’t want to interact with Yayun anymore, but she actually quite likes him. How do you expect me to explain this? Isn’t this offending people?”

Han Mo’s chopsticks paused for a moment. After a few seconds, he naturally picked up another piece of vegetable.

He wasn’t planning to dwell on one thing and let it bother him. Besides, in the afternoon, Master had already tried his best to coax him.

Yan Yibing sighed, “Don’t worry about my matters, and you won’t offend anyone. How can a girl I’ve never met like me? You and Dad also had a free choice in love, didn’t you.”

Mama Yan took a deep breath, feeling frustrated, “You clearly said you liked someone in competitive sports, so I arranged for you to get closer. Now you’re denying it.”

Han Mo glanced at Yan Yibing in surprise.

Yan Yibing, biting into a piece of beef, felt his ears heat up at her words.

Back then, he hadn’t fully understood his feelings for Han Mo, but for some reason, he thought someone in competitive sports were pretty good.

Now, with his mom saying this, Han Mo understood that Yan Yibing had been harboring feelings for him for a long time.

Yan Yibing murmured, “I said I liked someone in competitive sports, I didn’t say I like figure skating.”

Mama Yan was puzzled, “Then what kind of competitive sports do you like?”

Yan Yibing choked for a moment, feeling uncomfortable. “It’s just a concept, representing the possibility of having more common ground.”

Mama Yan retorted, “Then you might as well find it within your esports circle.”

Yan Yibing smoothly continued, “Then I’ll look for it within the esports circle.” Anyway, he had already found it.

Mama Yan: “…”

Seeing Mama Yan at a loss for words, Papa Yan stepped in to ease the situation, “I see. But don’t be too stubborn. Actually, Yayun is a nice girl. Your mom and I both like her. She’s not only successful in her career and has a good family background but also looks good.”

Mama Yan added, “Yes, Yayun’s big eyes are so beautiful.”

Yan Yibing picked up another slice of spicy beef, hesitated for a few seconds, and then put it into Han Mo’s bowl. “I don’t like double eyelids. I prefer single eyelids.”

Han Mo lowered his eyes, lips slightly curved, silently eating the spicy beef Yan Yibing handed him.

Mama Yan gave a thumbs up. “Alright, you’re quite something. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were choosing a consort with so many requirements.”

Yan Yibing raised an eyebrow playfully, “I won’t choose a consort. If someone volunteers themselves, that’s fine.” He paused, then added, “But even if someone volunteers, I still have to find them acceptable.”

Han Mo glanced at him meaningfully and whispered, “Spicy, pour me some cola.”

The cola bottle was on Mama Yan’s side, but Yan Yibing looked around and couldn’t find it, so he directly handed his own cup to Han Mo.

Han Mo didn’t mind, took it, and drank it all in one go.

Mama Yan sighed deeply, “I can’t be bothered with you anymore. Anyway, people in big cities get married late. Just stay single until you’re thirty.”

After venting, she couldn’t let it go and said, “I just think, you gave up going to college, and you don’t even have the chance to meet girls your age. You’re so old now, you haven’t enjoyed a single relationship, and you’ve spent all of your heart into that team of yours, don’t you feel like you’re missing out? Look at Yu Yan, he settled for a girlfriend at the age of sixteen.”

Yan Yibing thought to himself, the person beside me was already preparing to volunteer at fifteen.

But he couldn’t say that now. His parents might not accept his relationship with Han Mo all at once; it had to seep in gradually.

“Okay, okay, I got it.”

—

After the East Asia Championship, there was another period of rest.

Every day, Yan Yibing spent three hours training and also helped Sun Tianjiao interview new players.

The transfer window was coming up in November.

Mu Xiang from the second team planned to join a smaller team as their core player and had discussed it with Sun Tianjiao two months in advance.

Sun Tianjiao was supportive.

Mu Xiang was already twenty-two, and it seemed unlikely for him to enter the first team at Zero. The core position in the second team was also taken by Cheng Bin, making it difficult for him to secure a leading role.

The more famous the club, the more money they earned, the better the benefits, and the more valuable the title.

However, because of fierce competition, many players remained unknown throughout their careers.

Some people cared more about the name of Zero, while others were eager to leave a mark in esports history, and both were valid.

But with Mu Xiang leaving, Sun Tianjiao had to either recruit new players or buy them from other teams.

The club had already organized a youth training camp once this year, and there wasn’t time for another.

This time, Sun Tianjiao decided to openly recruit.

Talented streamers who hadn’t entered the professional circle yet but had good skills were welcome to try out.

But this time, there’s a threshold, and the requirements are higher. It’s not like the youth training camp where we can slowly develop. It focused more on selecting those with potential, and it’s okay if they’re a bit inexperienced at first.

After the announcement was posted on the official website, in just a short week, they received over three hundred resumes.

Sun Tianjiao asked Yan Yibing to help with the selection process.

Among these three hundred resumes, some were already quite famous, being top stars on streaming platforms, and earning more money from streaming than many professional players.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re skilled.

Gleefully, Sun Tianjiao joked with Yan Yibing, “Don’t you have any friends from other teams planning to transfer? Any thoughts of coming to Zero?”

Yan Yibing, engrossed in reading on the sofa, glanced at him upon hearing this, stayed silent for a moment, and then said slowly, “Are you sure you want me to recommend someone? My judgment has never been good.”

Sun Tianjiao laughed, “Well, that’s true. Your skill points in this area are indeed too low.”

Yan Yibing shifted his gaze back to the book in his hands.

Sun Tianjiao came over and leaned on the back of the sofa beside him, leisurely saying, “Hey, do you know how Lei Ming is doing now?”

Yan Yibing turned a page in his book, and grunted softly, “I don’t care.”

Sun Tianjiao scoffed, “Come on, I heard Lei Ming isn’t doing too well at Puxin. Because he was the best at Puxin, and he left Zero with some popularity, the captain of Puxin, Liu Sui, didn’t like him and, along with two other teammates, made things difficult for him. Lei Ming is in a tough spot, but jumping from a Zero to a mediocre team is easy; wanting to jump from a mediocre team to a great one is difficult. He doesn’t have many options now.”

Yan Yibing’s gaze paused on a line of text, murmuring, “Does Puxin really have these kinds of things?”

Sun Tianjiao replied, “What do you think? Small teams don’t focus on teamwork and skill development; their minds can only go elsewhere.”

Yan Yibing contemplated, no wonder after Liang Hefeng went to Puxin, his skills seemed to be getting worse.

“Well, it’s Lei Ming’s choice, and he’s earned quite a bit of money too.”

Sun Tianjiao sighed, “That’s true. If he manages his finances well, he’s basically financially independent. But he doesn’t seem like someone who knows how to manage money well. Many players don’t, so I always advise them to give the money to their parents instead of holding onto it themselves and spending it recklessly.”

Yan Yibing remarked lightly, “You didn’t graduate from the finance department, don’t you want to open a class for everyone to train?”

Sun Tianjiao retorted, “Good idea, I hope they run out of money so they’ll practice harder and play better. If they have too much money, they’ll become lazy.”

Yan Yibing chuckled.

Sun Tianjiao patted Yan Yibing’s shoulder, proudly saying, “I recently attended a class reunion. After so many years, my classmates are involved in various fields. There’s even one who runs a specialized online store selling esports peripherals, asking me for help.”

Yan Yibing turned his head, “You went to other people’s house again?”

Sun Tianjiao didn’t deny it, gleefully saying, “I borrowed an Aston Martin from President Bian this time. It’s said that there are only two hundred in the world. Let me tell you, President Bian is generous; he just gave me the car keys directly and said I could return them whenever I wanted.”

Ever since Yan Yibing got together with Han Mo, his sensitivity in certain aspects has greatly increased. He subtly hinted, “President Bian is treating you better than he would a girlfriend.”

Sun Tianjiao modestly waved his hand, smiling, “You can’t say that. President Bian doesn’t have a girlfriend yet. Who knows how he’d treat a girlfriend.”

Yan Yibing remarked, “Thirty years old and still haven’t had a girlfriend, you’ve all had crushes on your college classmates, right?”

Sun Tianjiao pondered for a moment, muttering, “Well, I don’t know about that. I’m too lazy to pry into a sponsor’s privacy.” But he quickly snapped back, steering the conversation, “Why talk about President Bian? I want to talk about my classmate who runs an online store. He has a wide variety of peripherals, including action figures of various players. But our club hasn’t authorized action figures yet. I think, with your great image, we should make one.”

Yan Yibing thought for a moment, “Sure, if you want to do it, let’s do it.”

Sun Tianjiao said, “I liked the styling you did for the exhibition match before. Let’s make a prototype first and see if it’s suitable before releasing it.”

Yan Yibing frowned, thinking about that confident and charming makeup artist, “Won’t that styling be too delicate?”

Esports players should be simple and cool.

Sun Tianjiao said, “With a handsome face like yours, what are you afraid of? I have big ambitions. Our audience isn’t necessarily esports fans; young fangirls who chase stars prefer delicate looks.”

Yan Yibing retorted, “Come on, those who chase stars go after actual celebrities. Who cares about esports players?”

Sun Tianjiao said, “Maybe they didn’t before, but winning the East Asia Championship might change that. It’s bringing glory to the country, and mainstream media is heavily promoting it. It even trended five or six times on Weibo. Weibo is the hometown of fangirls, and now your popularity has greatly increased. It’s the perfect time to release action figures.”

Yan Yibing still trusted Sun Tianjiao’s business acumen, so he agreed, “Alright, show me when it’s done.”

Sun Tianjiao said, “Sure, sure, I’ll definitely need your approval.”

Yan Yibing forgot about this matter after discussing it.

Unexpectedly, in early December, Sun Tianjiao actually brought the action figure over.

The action figure was meticulously crafted, standing at approximately twenty centimeters tall, dressed in the classic battle skin from PUBG, carrying an AWM on its shoulder, wearing combat fingerless gloves, and a tornado tactical gun holster on its leg. The black top had “ICE” written in reflective material on the left shoulder.

The hardcore combat gear and delicate braids surprisingly formed a subtle balance, looking harmonious and heroic.

Yan Yibing quite liked it, so he specifically brought this item back home to show Han Mo.

During this period, he often told his parents that he would be training at the club until very late but would sneak over to Han Mo’s house.

He sat cross-legged on the carpet, took out the action figure from his bag, and played with it in front of Han Mo, saying, “Sun Tianjiao made this action figure. What do you think? We’re thinking of releasing it around New Year.”

Han Mo’s gaze fell on the action figure, examining it carefully.

“This styling is…”

Yan Yibing replied, “I actually didn’t like it during that exhibition match. It was too showbiz for me, but Sun Tianjiao and the others liked it, and it turned out fine.”

Han Mo took the action figure, rubbing it with his fingertips a couple of times.

Of course, he remembered this styling.

When they ran into Zero head-on back then, he almost froze, not knowing what to say for a moment.

If it weren’t for Lei Ming suddenly jumping out to provoke him, he might have shown a bit of panic in front of Yan Yibing.

“This set of skins, should we get one for ourselves sometime?,” Han Mo said meaningfully.

Yan Yibing was taken aback. “What? These basic skins, doesn’t everyone have them? Prince doesn’t provide you with a complete set of skins?”

Han Mo held the action figure, chuckled lightly, then knelt down on one knee, leaning close to Yan Yibing’s ear, and whispered in a low voice, “Of course, I mean to buy a real set, for Master to wear at home for me to see.”

Yan Yibing realized that, no matter how much time passed or what they went through, he could still be teased by Han Mo.

Yan Yibing’s breath quickened as he pushed him away. “Since when did you develop this hobby?”

Han Mo held Yan Yibing’s wrist, lightly kissing his lips. “I didn’t have it before, but I do now.”

Author’s Message:

Much later, many real-life skins set appeared in Han Mo’s home. Yan Yibing rubbed his waist and decided not to go to his place for the time being.

Thank you for reading!