DSF Chapter 10

When Lei Ming returned, he had a gloomy expression on his face. He walked up to Yan Yibing, veins pulsing on his forehead, and said through gritted teeth, “Captain, I didn’t perform well.”

Yan Yibing remained silent for a few seconds, then chuckled softly, “Take it easy.”

The next match was a doubles game. Yan Yibing got up and exchanged a glance with Song Tang, and the two of them adjusted their team uniforms before heading to the preparation room.

Lei Ming watched Yan Yibing’s back, struggling to find the right words. It was Cheng Bin who casually patted his shoulder and said,

“It’s okay, buddy. Losing to Han Mo isn’t embarrassing. You can try harder next time.”

Lei Ming shot Cheng Bin an intense glare, his frustration boiling over. “Why isn’t it embarrassing?”

Cheng Bin was taken aback and withdrew his hand. He felt a bit confused, wondering what was wrong with what he had said.

After all, Han Mo had been widely acknowledged as the most outstanding newcomer in the past two years. He had achieved numerous victories with Prince, although not godlike, but defeating Lei Ming was expected.

Lei Ming angrily retorted, “If you think like that, you’ll never make it to the main team in your entire life.”

Cheng Bin scratched his head, and muttered softly, “I don’t even want to join the main team. My talent is what it is. Being in the second team is fine; I earn enough, and I can even do live streaming.”

Lei Ming couldn’t be bothered to continue the conversation and found a corner to sit down.

As they left the lounge, Song Tang whispered to Yan Yibing, “I think Lei Ming’s mentality is crumbling.”

Yan Yibing, hands in his pockets, replied casually, “It’s not like he only broke down today.”

Song Tang was puzzled, “What do you mean?”

Yan Yibing gave him a meaningful glance and said, “Who do you think reported Han Mo’s situation back then?”

Song Tang was stunned for a moment, taking a sharp intake of breath, “Damn, was it Lei Ming?”

Yan Yibing narrowed his almond-shaped eyes and said in a hushed tone, “Han Mo isn’t a fool. If it weren’t for someone close selling him out, who would’ve known he was a reserve for Zero.”

Song Tang fell into silence, understanding the implications.

In their line of work, even though skill determined everything, there were still some dirty tricks.

In the past, there had been instances of tampering with network cables, drugging, account boosting¹account boosting: a practice where a highly skilled player (often referred to as a “booster”) plays on someone else’s gaming account to increase its rank or skill level, typically for monetary compensation., bribery, and even collusion with event organizers to lock certain teams out.

But when it happened around you, it still felt unpleasant.

If it hadn’t been for the betrayal, Han Mo wouldn’t have had to leave in the first place.

Yet, even though Yan Yibing was aware of Lei Ming’s unscrupulous actions, he chose to keep him on the team.

As the captain of Team Zero, Yan Yibing had strong principles. No matter how much he liked Han Mo, he wouldn’t hesitate to kick him out without mercy. Similarly, despite disliking Lei Ming, he wouldn’t treat him differently just because he reported a teammate.

He maintained a perfect facade, but only he knew the bitterness he felt inside.

There were a total of seventy-two participants in the doubles match, and the preparation room quickly became crowded. Since this match involved random team assignments, the seating arrangement was also random. To prevent cheating, there was a half-meter gap between each seat.

Yan Yibing’s seat was the last one on the left, while Song Tang occupied the first seat on the right. So, as they entered the room, they went their separate ways.

Yan Yibing moved carefully through the crowded space, aiming for the less crowded areas. However, those less crowded areas were often tangled with cables, making it challenging to navigate.

He carefully stepped over the network cables and was nearing the last row. Suddenly, someone following him on the same path lost their footing, and stumbled over a cable, falling forward towards him.

Yan Yibing was unprepared and was forcefully pushed from behind. The immense momentum caused his body to involuntarily tilt forward, with his feet caught in the cables, he couldn’t adjust his balance in time.

He thought, “Damn it.”

He closed his eyes, believing he was about to fall. To protect his hands, he’d rather let his knees hit the ground first.

In the next moment, a strong arm swiftly reached around his waist, stopping him from falling forward entirely.

It should have been quite a burden for the person helping him.

However, Yan Yibing had no time to think about it. He immediately pushed to the side with his left hand, preventing himself from falling flat on the ground.

However, he felt that his palm was pressing against an unusual place.

It was soft, covered by fabric, and it transmitted a warmth slightly higher than body temperature.

The sensation was oddly familiar.

Every lonely night, while indulging in his own pleasure, his left hand would diligently recall this feeling.

Yan Yibing raised his head and met Han Mo’s slightly furrowed brows.

Han Mo’s cold, pale skin appeared even icier against the deep blue of their team uniforms, with even the slightest hint of a black mole on his earlobe resembling frost.

Yan Yibing felt like he was going to crack.

He stiffened his body, his brain spinning rapidly to find a way to resolve the awkward situation without losing his dignity.

Finding such a solution was quite challenging, to the point that his usually sharp mind temporarily stalled.

Yan Yibing closed his eyes and gave in to despair.

When all else failed, he decided to resort to assassination.

“How does it feel, Master?” Han Mo, with his arm wrapped around Yan Yibing’s waist, inquired with a deep voice while gazing at Yan Yibing’s slender and fair fingers.

Yan Yibing’s earlobes warmed up and slowly turned into a light shade of pink. He paused for a few seconds, then withdrew his hand from Han Mo’s sensitive area. He stood up gracefully, wearing a relaxed smile, and said, “I couldn’t feel anything. Maybe it’s too small.”

Han Mo’s Adam’s apple rolled dangerously, and he lightly scoffed, “Is that so? It’s okay, I’m still young; I can grow.”

Yan Yibing’s eyelids twitched, and the sensation from earlier seemed imprinted on his palm, refusing to fade away. His pores tingled with shyness, contracting to produce a thin layer of sweat.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, it seemed quite substantial.

The player from Firefly, who had just crawled out of the tangled cables, realized that he had pushed Yan Yibing and affected Han Mo.

He had offended two of the Four Major Powerhouses in an instant.

He broke out in a cold sweat, quickly bowing and apologizing to Yan Yibing, “I’m sorry, Bing Shen. I didn’t mean to do that. I tripped and fell, are you okay?”

He then turned to Han Mo, saying, “I’m sorry, Han Shen. Is everything okay with you?”

Right before the match, one must avoid any unnecessary contact, especially between players from different teams. It’s hard not to assume foul play when such incidents occur.

The player from Firefly was eager to clear his name and raised his hand, addressing the referee, “Referee, I accidentally bumped into Bing Shen, but his hand is fine, and Han Shen caught him in time.”

With that, the entire audience turned their attention to Yan Yibing and Han Mo, curious about the situation.

Yan Yibing felt the fear of social death creeping over him.

The referee also asked, “Is everything alright? It won’t affect the match, will it?”

Yan Yibing lowered his head, shook it, and then pretended to nonchalantly adjust his sports attire. He quickly left the scene of the incident.

After he left, Han Mo raised the hand that had been around Yan Yibing’s waist and lightly sniffed it.

Yan Yibing didn’t use cologne, so he didn’t have a distinct scent.

But Han Mo sensed something different.

There was a faint, sweet, and soft fragrance on his palm.

With many star players participating in the doubles competition, the organizers had been broadcasting live from the preparation room all along.

The audience in the arena had a clear view of the situation.

A male commentator playfully said, “Wow, Bing Shen almost fell, but fortunately, Han Shen was there. It seems like their master-disciple relationship is quite harmonious. The legend of irreconcilable differences doesn’t seem true.”

The female broadcaster chimed in, “Bing Shen’s face is all red. This doesn’t seem like irreconcilable differences; it seems more like a secret alliance.”

The fans of both teams immediately exploded.

“Huh? Yan Yibing did it on purpose. Is he trying to break Han Shen’s arm? He’s so scheming.”

“Prince fans, shut your mouths! Didn’t Han Mo extend his arm voluntarily?”

“Zero fans, don’t know how to be grateful, huh? If it weren’t for Han Shen, your captain would be eating dirt right now.”

“Prince realized he was in the wrong and started desperately lashing out, huh? Why don’t you dare to come out and confront us?”

“Sure, I’ll confront you, you idiot!”

The slightest friction backstage was enough to drive the fervent fans to irrationality.

Security personnel intervened to try and calm things down, but the fans were growing in number, making it increasingly challenging.

“Damn, Bing Shen is owning Han Dog in the doubles match!”

“Your words are nonsense! Let the power of justice blast Yan Yibing into the sky.”

“I hope your team gets sold out as soon as it enters the circle.”

“I hope your Team Sunset Glory’s shooting skills land flat on the ground.”

“Are you willing to bet? The loser will do anything.”

“Your dad is going to plant loquat trees today.”

All the players were ready in the preparation room, and the servers were connected as the doubles match officially began matchmaking.

A few seconds later, the players dropped into the square.

Yan Yibing raised his eyes and saw the name of his matched teammate—

Prince-momo.

Yan Yibing: “…”

His mom had forgotten to make a pilgrimage to Wutai Mountain to fulfill her vows this year, and it seemed like a huge misfortune had befallen him.

He believed it.

Male commentator: “Oh!”

Female commentator: “I suspect the organizers have been bribed; how do they understand the audience’s hearts so well?”

Fans: “Dog league, NMSL.”²NMSL: is an internet slang abbreviation that stands for “你妈死了” (Nǐ mā sǐ le) in Chinese. The full phrase is profane and offensive, as it translates to “Your mother died.” It’s often used as an offensive insult online.

There’ll be another update tomorrow as well 😊

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• 1
  account boosting: a practice where a highly skilled player (often referred to as a “booster”) plays on someone else’s gaming account to increase its rank or skill level, typically for monetary compensation.
• 2
  NMSL: is an internet slang abbreviation that stands for “你妈死了” (Nǐ mā sǐ le) in Chinese. The full phrase is profane and offensive, as it translates to “Your mother died.” It’s often used as an offensive insult online.