DSF Chapter 90

In the November transfer window.

Sun Tianjiao managed to sign a new player, and quite coincidentally, it was An Xinghuo from Team Aurora.

Yan Yibing’s impression of him still lingered from the time he wanted to take 5 kills from him in free sniping.

After nearly a year of tempering, An Xinghuo had matured a lot. When he saw Yan Yibing, his face reddened at first, then he deeply bowed his head.

He had participated in exhibition matches, city tournaments, PCL, and the nationwide YouYou Cup with Team Aurora.

After so many matches, he finally understood how amazing the top players of powerhouse teams were and how foolish his arrogance had been.

Yan Yibing wasn’t one to hold grudges. He chuckled lightly and teased, “I’m still waiting to snatch the 100,000 yuan red envelope from your livestream room.”

An Xinghuo’s head hung even lower, his face red as he ran his fingers through his hair, murmuring softly, “Bing Shen, I’m sorry for before.”

Yan Yibing patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t overthink it. You’re a teammate now.”

An Xinghuo was deeply moved by his gentle tone, feeling emotional. He started making bold declarations.

“Bing Shen, before I entered the scene, I watched many of your matches, so I really wanted to surpass you. But I realized how big the gap between us was after thinking I was so great before. Coming to Zero, I want to learn from you guys and improve my skills. Bing Shen, rest assured, I’ll work hard and crush Han Shen in sniping as soon as possible!”

Yan Yibing raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”

An Xinghuo clenched his fist, full of ambition. “I won’t let the humiliating defeat in the exhibition match happen again. I must take down Han Shen in official matches.”

Perhaps he had been deeply wounded by Han Mo, as he couldn’t seem to shake off the shadow of being single-handedly crushed by Han Mo in the sniper arena.

Moreover, with Zero and Prince being rivals, since he had just arrived, naturally, he wanted to make a statement by targeting Prince.

After a slight stiffness in expression, Yan Yibing still smiled kindly. “It’s good to have ambition.”

A bit awkward.

From a personal standpoint, of course, he hoped Han Mo would improve, but from the captain’s perspective, he certainly liked An Xinghuo bringing results for Zero.

Sun Tianjiao, however, was quite pleased, grinning widely. “Ah, young people should have ambition and aspirations. Honestly, when you challenged my zuzong back then, I remembered you. I felt you were different and destined for greatness. As expected, now we have a chance to cooperate, you should work hard at Zero. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can always ask Bing Shen. He’ll be happy to help.” An Xinghuo looked up, his starry eyes turning to Yan Yibing.

“Please guide me more in the future, Bing Shen.”

Yan Yibing: “…”

An Xinghuo’s imaginary enemy had shifted from him to Han Mo, and he didn’t seem to have any happy feelings about it.

But now that he understood Han Mo’s feelings for him, he seemed to grasp the reason why Han Mo had pursued An Xinghuo so aggressively back then.

Yan Yibing felt like laughing.

What a naive little puppy.

Because An Xinghuo had taunted him, he almost made An Xinghuo retreat into self-isolation.

Thinking back on these trivial expressions now, his tongue tingled with sweetness.

After a simple meeting ceremony, Sun Tianjiao pulled Yan Yibing aside and whispered, “What do you think of An Xinghuo?”

Yan Yibing replied seriously, “He’s pretty good, young, and has potential for growth. He used to be a bit arrogant, but he’s much better now.”

Sun Tianjiao was still most concerned about Yan Yibing’s feelings. “You don’t feel upset about what happened before, right?”

Yan Yibing chuckled. “Am I such a petty person?”

Sun Tianjiao relaxed, nodding. “As long as you’re not unhappy. I screened a few, but An Xinghuo still fits the requirements the best. He’s quick to learn and has good potential. But compared to Prince’s Xin Chen, it seems to be a bit difficult to match up. However, who knows, maybe he’ll have an epiphany after training with us for a while.”

Yan Yibing: “Xin Chen’s talent is not bad, but he’s currently in the same adolescent phase as An Xinghuo was back then. If we play more steadily and mature our tactics, Xin Chen won’t be a threat.”

Sun Tianjiao sighed, “Well, let’s not talk about Xin Chen for now. Anyway, he’s not old enough yet. The key is they still have Han Mo. The most dangerous thing is that Han Mo can still play for a few more years at least.”

Yan Yibing nodded earnestly. “Hmm.”

With Han Mo’s current state, barring any unexpected circumstances, he should still have about three years of his peak performance.

He probably wouldn’t wait three years to retire; no one could stay in professional gaming past twenty-five.

He used to feel a bit anxious, but now he was gradually calming down.

Sooner or later, he will choose a suitable time to leave the e-sports stage and leave opportunities to the endless stream of newcomers.

That day shouldn’t be too far off.

Sun Tianjiao seemed to sense something, suddenly pounced on him, and hugged Yan Yibing tightly, somewhat sentimentally saying, “Zuzong, you can’t leave me, or I’ll hang myself in my mansion in the city center.”

Yan Yibing helplessly bit his lip, then quickly suppressed his emotions and pushed him away expressionlessly, saying, “…Get lost.”

He was initially annoyed at Sun Tianjiao for dragging him into this circle to compete.

Now, they had unexpectedly become friends fighting side by side, with Yan Yibing spending eight years at Zero.

Time flew by quickly during these years. He had grown a lot tactically, but in life, it seemed like he had always lived carefree without much progress.

His family and friends had always protected him well.

Yan Yibing swung by Han Mo’s house in the evening, bringing a braised fish dish made by his family’s housekeeper.

Han Mo had training at the club until 9 p.m. and hadn’t even eaten dinner.

Normally, he’d just stay at the club.

But because of Yan Yibing, he started the routine of clocking in and out.

Han Mo put the braised fish in the microwave to heat it up, then quickly cooked a bowl of noodles and brought it to the coffee table.

He sat directly on the carpet, tossing his coat onto the sofa, took a piece of fish, and fed it to Yan Yibing first.

Yan Yibing shook his head. “This was specially brought for you. I’m already full.”

Recently, he had been trying to subtly hint to his mom that his relationship with Han Mo was not ordinary.

Just bringing meals, he had brought them seven or eight times in just a month.

Every time the housekeeper cooked something delicious, he would tell her in front of his mom, “Auntie, make a bit more next time. I’ll bring some for Han Mo to try.”

While initially his mom might have been pleased with the improvement in his relationship with Han Mo, over time, doubts would inevitably arise.

He hoped his mom would be suspicious for a while longer, so when faced with the reality in the future, the impact would be smaller.

Han Mo wasn’t polite either, lowered his head, and started eating.

The braised fish was fragrant, the broth dripping onto the fish, thick and delicate. The chopped scallions and crushed mint adorned the fish, removing any hint of fishiness.

He separated the fish skin with chopsticks, revealing the tender, white meat inside with hardly any bones.

He swallowed it with the noodles, giving a thumbs-up.

“Prince has been working hard lately,” Yan Yibing remarked casually.

Han Mo paused with his chopsticks and looked over, chuckling softly. “Hmm, haven’t we always been known for our hard work?”

He didn’t deny that Prince had been putting in extra practice lately.

Yan Yibing nodded thoughtfully. “Looks like I need to put some pressure on Song Tang and the others. Do you want to arrange a practice match sometime? Let’s bring along the second team too.”

Han Mo stared at Yan Yibing for a few seconds, squinting meaningfully and curling his lips. “Master wants to see the training level of our second team’s newcomers?”

Yan Yibing felt embarrassed by being caught in his thoughts, so he preemptively retorted, “What, are you trying to hide something?”

Putting down his chopsticks, Han Mo reached out to hook Yan Yibing’s waist. “No, I just happen to want to see how skilled the new recruits at Zero are and whether they can pose a threat to Prince.”

Yan Yibing held Han Mo’s wrist to prevent his fingers from wandering and raised an eyebrow with a smile. “Ding Jun’s information spreads fast. We haven’t even made an official announcement yet.”

Han Mo replied, “The circle is small. How could any team member leaving go unnoticed?”

Yan Yibing clicked his tongue. “When the little friend An Xinghuo arrived, he said he wanted to crush you, take your head in the competition, and wipe out past shame.”

Han Mo remained indifferent, running his fingers along Yan Yibing’s waist, murmuring softly, “Let him try.”

Yan Yibing’s eyelashes fluttered, and he lifted his hand to tilt Han Mo’s chin. “What’s with this attitude, Han Shen? Looking down on the newbies at Zero?”

Han Mo’s fingers slipped under Yan Yibing’s shirt, sourly saying. “Then why did you call him ‘little friend’?”

Yan Yibing was taken aback. “He’s younger than me. What else should I call him?”

Han Mo: “Change the way you address ordinary colleagues, anything will do.”

Yan Yibing dodged Han Mo’s hand and scoffed lightly, “Tsk, Han Shen, you have a small tolerance. I haven’t even complained about your ‘Rising Star,’ Xin Chen.”

Han Mo said innocently, “You’re the one who called him the ‘Rising Star.’ I never did.”

Yan Yibing moved a bit away from him, sitting on the edge of the sofa with a petulant tone. “Fine, just eat your meal quickly and stop picking fights for no reason.”

Han Mo said seriously, “But next year’s World Invitational, Xin Chen will be old enough to compete and will become a substitute for the first team.”

Yan Yibing was taken aback. “Oh, he’ll be a substitute?”

Han Mo nodded. “Yeah, Mo Bei also renewed his contract. Ding Ge just couldn’t bear to let him go. But although he’s said to be a substitute, Xin Chen will definitely get to play.”

Yan Yibing lightly pressed his thumb against his knuckle, casually saying, “I’m not afraid of him.”

After a moment of silence, Yan Yibing laughed again, a meaningful smile on his face. “We’ll be opponents in the World Invitational Tournament.”

Han Mo looked up, excitement gleaming in his dark, shiny eyes. “Yes, we will change tactics again.”

Yan Yibing knew that Han Mo would be excited.

Whether they were teammates or opponents, as long as they could compete on the same stage, it was the best aphrodisiac for them.

Because they are evenly matched.

Being influenced by Han Mo, Yan Yibing also felt his blood boiling, tiny bumps rising on his arms, adrenaline soaring.

This kind of subtle stimulation and excitement were probably something other couples would never experience.

With just a glance, they understood each other’s thoughts.

They wanted to defeat each other, but more importantly, they wanted to possess each other.

As they chatted, Yan Yibing felt his phone vibrating against his back.

He picked it up and saw that it was Han Mo’s phone, with Han Mo’s alarm ringing.

“Your alarm,” Yan Yibing said.

Han Mo nodded. “Master, help me turn it off.”

“Okay.” Yan Yibing agreed, then swiped to turn off the alarm, leaving the phone screen still lit.

The startup background on Han Mo’s phone was the default starry sky image.

He was a simple person in everything he did, and his phone was no different, without any fancy settings.

Yan Yibing held it for a moment, gently tapping the screen, and the phone prompted for a password.

He quickly snapped out of it, feeling a bit embarrassed.

He actually subconsciously wanted to see what was inside Han Mo’s phone.

But before he could put it down, Han Mo suddenly spoke up: “0712.”

Yan Yibing raised his almond-shaped eyes. “Hmm?”

Han Mo repeated, “Master, do you remember what 0712 stands for?”

Yan Yibing hadn’t expected that turning off an alarm would turn into a quiz.

Furrowing his brows, he racked his brain. “What holiday? Xiao Shu?”¹Xiao Shu: 小暑(Xiǎoshǔ) one of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar. It marks the midpoint of summer, usually falling around July 7th or 8th in the Gregorian calendar. It signifies the gradual increase in temperature and is associated with the ripening of crops and the arrival of hotter weather.

Han Mo focused on him for a few seconds, then lowered his head, took a big bite of noodles, and casually said, “It’s the first day I went to Zero’s youth training camp and the first day I met you.”

Yan Yibing was momentarily stunned, his heart melting into a puddle.

“You…”

That first day had been just an ordinary day in his life, when he happened to have time and leisure to stroll around the youth training camp.

And then he happened to meet this group of people, including Han Mo.

But initially, he hadn’t paid attention to Han Mo or intended to disrupt the coach’s instructions.

He just pulled up a chair, lazily sat beside them, and smiled as he watched the newcomers.

He knew many eyes were looking at him, including Han Mo’s.

He hadn’t expected this day to be so special, so worthy of commemoration in Han Mo’s heart.

Yan Yibing entered 0712 on the keyboard.

Sure enough, he successfully entered Han Mo’s phone.

Over the years, he had never thought of peeking into Han Mo’s phone or trying his password.

Perhaps if he had been curious earlier and asked, he would have known sooner about Han Mo’s feelings for him.

Han Mo continued, “All four-digit passwords are 0712, and if it’s six digits, it’s 071212, if there are letters, it’s icemomo. If it’s numbers plus letters, it’s a combination of these two. My QQ, WeChat, email, credit card, and Alipay passwords are all these.”

Yan Yibing’s tongue swept over his lower lip, implying deeply, “You told me all this?”

He understood that unlocking the phone represented some form of permission.

A complete and open permission that was undoubtedly extended to him.

“Yeah,” Han Mo calmly replied, then added, “Master, don’t you want to check my phone?”

That light and airy tone was like a little hook, constantly teasing Yan Yibing’s curiosity.

“Childish, why would I need to check your phone?” Yan Yibing grumbled, but he didn’t put down Han Mo’s phone.

It wasn’t about checking.

A phone could reveal many things and give insight into someone’s private and hidden aspects.

But this involved privacy, and Yan Yibing wouldn’t easily violate that boundary.

Han Mo took a few sips of mineral water to rinse his mouth, wiped his lips clean, and said softly, “Master can check to see who I added as friends, who I talked to, what I posted on Moments, and whether I did anything to upset you.”

Yan Yibing subconsciously swallowed. “I can check your WeChat?”

Han Mo nodded. “Anytime.”

With the conversation reaching this point, Yan Yibing felt that not taking a look would be unfair to Han Mo’s teasing.

He withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes, and entered the password again to unlock Han Mo’s phone, hesitated for two seconds, and then opened Han Mo’s WeChat.

As a top professional player, Han Mo had quite a few friends on WeChat.

But most of them were business partners, club members, and various staff members, such as the auntie in the cafeteria, the IT department for computer repairs, and the logistics supervisor.

In the list of new friends, there was a long list of names, and his finger almost couldn’t scroll to the end. These were people Han Mo hadn’t accepted, various alluring and glamorous profile pictures of beautiful women.

Well, he wasn’t short of them either.

Yan Yibing cleared his throat and sighed, “So many people want to be accepted. Captain Han, you sure are popular among young girls.”

Han Mo replied, “I haven’t even seen it.”

Yan Yibing nodded, his voice as light as a feather skimming over a lake, “Oh.”

Yan Yibing asked, “Can I also see your Moments?”

Han Mo responded, “Our Moments should overlap.”

Yan Yibing thought to himself, who would want to see those people’s Moments anyway?

What he wanted to see was whether Han Mo, this reserved guy, had learned to group his messages and sent them to someone else besides him.

He casually selected a chat box, clicked on Han Mo’s profile picture, and entered Han Mo’s Moments.

To any outsider, Han Mo’s Moments appeared to be strictly business, and half a year’s worth of posts easily turned into a blank slate.

But through Han Mo’s account, one could discover that he had actually recorded quite a bit.

September 17th.

“Likes cherries, light red, sweet, but hurts a bit, be gentler next time.”

Yan Yibing’s earlobes immediately flushed with color, unable to refrain from cursing inwardly.

September 10th.

“Victory! The best day, better than winning the championship, Master.”

The blush on Yan Yibing’s ears subsided slightly, and his gaze softened a bit.

August 15th.

“Master really likes ice cream. It’s my first time to go to Disneyland, although I’m not a kid anymore, still very good.”

Yan Yibing thought to himself, who said he wasn’t a kid anymore? Hiding from parents under the Toy Story section wasn’t quite mature.

June 20th.

“He got sick, mumps. For the first time, I’m glad I got it as a child, so I can take care of him.”

Yan Yibing raised an eyebrow. So Han Mo had it before, no wonder he wasn’t getting infected, poor guy had been worried for so many days.

June 18th.

“Couldn’t resist kissing him. Forget it, won’t pretend anymore.”

Yan Yibing wanted to laugh.

Han Mo’s emotional journey was quite straightforward. He quickly realized pretending was pointless, then promptly went from being an iceberg to a little beast.

June 2nd.

“He got drunk and said a lot of things. He probably won’t remember them, but it’s okay, I’ll remember.”

Yan Yibing thought for a moment. That should have been the first day on the cruise. He did get drunk, but what exactly did he say?

April 20th.

“Don’t like it when he goes on blind dates, I’m angry.”

Yan Yibing pursed his lips.

Alas, the shadow is not small.

…

April 3rd.

“I got off the blacklist. Ha, it’s like a dream.”

Yan Yibing sighed softly, noticing that his previous Moments seemed a lot stiffer.

March 24th.

“His styling looks really good, I was almost stunned. Who does that newcomer from Team Aurora think he is, provoking him?”

Yan Yibing shook his head.

Han Mo was really awkward before. He was so cold that he didn’t even raise his eyes when he saw him.

February 17th.

“Found an excuse to see him once, his hands… still don’t know how to take care of himself.”

Yan Yibing felt a little dazed.

Han Mo really is attentive.

He quickly scrolled a few more times.

The records went even further back.

September.

“Lost the match, but it’s not bad that he won.”

July.

“I miss him so much, but I’ve been blocked and there’s no reason to see him, ha. I miss him and I’m angry at the same time.”

February.

“Bing Shen… why don’t you pursue it?”

February.

“Birthday, well, turned 18, but he’s no longer here.”

…

Records from two years ago.

June.

“Mom, goodbye.”

Yan Yibing’s heart clenched with pain.

March.

“Sorry, Master.”

February.

“Sorry, Master.”

January.

“Sorry, Master.”

…

July 12th of the year before last.

“You are so beautiful, I like you, Bing Shen.”

Thank you for reading! 

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  Xiao Shu: 小暑(Xiǎoshǔ) one of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar. It marks the midpoint of summer, usually falling around July 7th or 8th in the Gregorian calendar. It signifies the gradual increase in temperature and is associated with the ripening of crops and the arrival of hotter weather.