After the first group match, Zero had four days of rest, but the four days of anxious waiting made everyone particularly uncomfortable.
During the group stage, in a relatively weak group, they ended up with a crappy result. Anyone would want to salvage their pride, but unfortunately, they had to wait for four days no matter how anxious they were.
Sun Tianjiao sat in the car on the way back, holding a tablet, grumbling, “Damn it, the forums are full of idiots! And telling us not to contest PYP’s drop spots? As if we intentionally contested them. Bluehole is blaming us, saying we manipulated the maps and everything. It’s too damn ridiculous! I’m gonna contact the officials right away. From now on, let’s avoid everyone and just find a hilltop to cultivate immortality. What’s the point of fighting and killing? Let PUBG players do that. Let’s all switch to playing Swords of Legends together.”
Yan Yibing raised an eyebrow in confusion. “You play Swords of Legends?”
Sun Tianjiao immediately shook his head. “No, I don’t!”
The coach said lightly, “He does. He plays as a Tiance, and he even had a crush on a little Qixiu girl. He bought skins and equipment for the little girl. Turns out, she was only in the second grade of elementary school, and her brother usually played for her. One day, the girl accidentally revealed it herself while logged in, and Tianjiao was so angry, he quit the game on the spot.”
Yan Yibing looked disgusted. “…You earn so much money, what’s wrong with buying a few sets of skins for a kid? I should just cut you off.”
Sun Tianjiao was speechless. “I was in college at the time, still a poor student! I saved up that money from my dumpling budget!”
Yan Yibing sighed. “So, are you willing to spend money on your online girlfriends now?”
Sun Tianjiao shook his head. “Nope.”
Yan Yibing: “…”
Sun Tianjiao continued, “It’s not just about money. What’s the point of chatting with a elementary schooler? The problem is her brother, damn it. Her brother managed her online persona, and I thought I was talking to a Ivy League graduate with an MBA. She sounded so professional that even a plain old finance major like me was impressed. I was even considering studying abroad to meet her. Geez. Anyway, let’s not talk about it anymore. Looks like fate led me to the esports circle to make money.”
“Online relationships are really unreliable,” Yan Yibing sighed and raised his hand to push his cap down, reclining his seat slightly to rest for a while. “There still needs to be a process of getting to know each other.”
Suddenly, Sun Tianjiao remembered something and glanced at Yan Yibing with a strange expression.
“Zuzong, have you and Han Mo returned to how you were before?” Yan Yibing half-closed his eyes, paused slightly, and replied vaguely, “What?”
Sun Tianjiao clarified, “Like during the youth training camp.”
Yan Yibing’s eyes under the brim of his cap trembled slightly, but fortunately, most of his emotions were hidden.
“Not exactly.”
It was much deeper than during the youth training camp. Now, they had a relationship that had rolled around in bed together.
Song Tang, being more naive, chimed in, “Actually, I can understand. Han Mo must feel like he went too far back then and wants to make it up to the captain. If he had been this sensible earlier, things wouldn’t have escalated to this point today.”
Yan Yibing coughed, “I’m going to take a nap, I’m tired.”
The coach added, “Let’s rest today. We won’t review the matches tomorrow either. Let’s watch the matches from Group B properly.”
The conversation in the car gradually quieted down, and Yan Yibing closed his eyes, soon drifting off to sleep.
The car traveled along the somewhat congested Manhattan Avenue, swaying gently as it rolled over the asphalt road. The wind outside rustled through, while the aroma of grilled rice bowls wafted from the roadside stalls lit by small light bulbs.
Everything seemed like the prelude to a lullaby, coaxing people into a deep slumber.
Song Tang and the others were exhausted too, one by one slumping onto their seats and drifting off to sleep.
The end of the group stage was just the first step of a long journey.
After a full fifty-minute drive, they arrived outside the hotel. Yan Yibing was awakened, reluctantly opening his eyes, bloodshot and dry.
Truth be told, he hadn’t slept particularly well last night. Despite the advice to conserve energy, knowing there was a match tomorrow still kept him somewhat excited. Now that the pressure was off, fatigue hit him all at once.
Yan Yibing hadn’t even eaten dinner. Upon returning to the hotel, he collapsed onto the bed, silenced his phone, and drifted off to sleep.
He slept straight through until five in the morning.
As the sky grew brighter, Yan Yibing climbed out of bed, reaching for his phone first.
Han Mo had sent him several messages—
“Master, don’t be upset. Clashing at the drop point is normal. Eat something good tonight. We’re still having tactical discussions.”
“The yogurt I bought is all solidified, too dry. Seems like they only have this kind here. Did you go to the supermarket?”
“Are you asleep?”
“Rest well, baby.”
Yan Yibing chuckled.
He knew Han Mo probably hadn’t woken up yet. If he sent a message now, he might wake him up. So Yan Yibing got out of bed and started taking a shower first.
Breakfast at the hotel started at six. After showering, he finally felt hungry, so he went to the restaurant alone and had some toast and pasta.
Seeing that it was almost time, he sent a message to Han Mo.
“Good luck in the match, little brother.”
Han Mo: “This kind of encouragement won’t do.”
Yan Yibing was waiting for the elevator, raised an eyebrow after reading, “Then how do you want to be encouraged?”
Han Mo: “Let me bully you a bit.”
Yan Yibing’s tongue swept across his cheek slightly, squinting his eyes. His finger paused for a second on a somewhat suggestive emoji, but he didn’t press it. Instead, he put his phone away.
After experiencing that three-hour night, he had a pretty good idea of how interested Han Mo was in him. If he pushed it too far with a flirtatious remark, he was afraid tonight wouldn’t end well.
At eight-thirty, Sun Tianjiao called for them to come downstairs in the group chat.
The match started at ten, and they were just spectators today, so they weren’t as nervous.
Still, Yan Yibing was the first one to get on the bus.
He wanted to have a chat with Han Mo before the match.
Fortunately, the driver took a different route today, so it wasn’t as congested, and they arrived at the venue in less than forty minutes.
The players were getting ready to adjust their peripherals, and Yan Yibing made it just before they left the lounge.
Yu Yan, Chen Chi, and Han Mo all looked serious, with the other team members behind them also wearing tense expressions. The atmosphere in the lounge was completely different from yesterday.
Yan Yibing could understand. In Group B, there were seven players with a KD ratio exceeding 2, and Gavy had a terrifying 2.34. This was practically the level of entering the finals in advance.
It was really uncertain who would win or lose. If luck wasn’t on his side like this, the possibility of being relegated to the elimination round was still quite high.
Yan Yibing walked over and patted Yu Yan and Chen Chi on the shoulder.
“I won’t be babysitting you this time. Play your best.”
Yu Yan snorted, “Can you even babysat dad? The group stage is a piece of cake.”
Yan Yibing said seriously, “I advise you to be a bit superstitious. Saying that before the match might backfire.”
Chen Chi said, “Stop teasing, we’re leaving first.”
Only then did Yan Yibing glance at Han Mo, hesitating slightly, and spoke softly, “You too… do your best. I hope none of you drop out in the finals.”
Han Mo replied, “Master, need to use the restroom?”
Yan Yibing froze, “Huh?”
Han Mo continued, “I’m going too. Let’s go together.”
Yan Yibing: “…”
What else could he say?
Han Mo turned to Xiao Nuo, “You guys go to the venue first.”
Before the match, there were plenty of players heading to the restroom, and the closer it got to the match, the more people went.
But fortunately, the restroom was particularly large, definitely enough for everyone.
Yan Yibing stood at the door, “Actually, I don’t want to go in. You go ahead, I’ll wait for you.”
Han Mo focused on him for a few seconds, then murmured softly, “I’m feeling a bit nervous.”
His narrow eyes blinked non-stop, his face still as fair as ever, and his lips had their natural color, showing no signs of nervousness or paleness.
But Yan Yibing still felt a tremor in his heart at his words.
He involuntarily switched to his role as Master and jokingly remarked, “It’s just a group stage, what’s there to be nervous about? Plus, with Zero leading the way, even if you guys get unlucky and end up in the elimination rounds, the online criticism won’t be any harsher.”
After a moment of thought, he felt like his words weren’t consoling enough, so he added, “With your skills, advancing to the next stage is a matter of course. Were you surprised by those rhythm threads opened for us on the forum yesterday?”
Han Mo pursed his lips tightly, leaned slightly, and whispered in Yan Yibing’s ear, “Master, give me some encouragement.”
“Isn’t that what I’m doing?” Yan Yibing blinked his almond-shaped eyes.
Han Mo chuckled softly, then, seeing no one around, he suddenly reached out, pulling Yan Yibing into an empty stall.
Yan Yibing was startled, almost blurting out a curse.
Han Mo swiftly locked the door, and with a click of the lock, the enclosed space instantly felt crowded.
Yan Yibing squinted, feeling a slight sense of unease.
Han Mo reached out, boldly pulled him into his arms, his hand pressing against Yan Yibing’s lower back, and his tongue probing into his lips.
“Damn it, you’re tricking me again!” Yan Yibing felt a wave of despair.
Kissing in the bathroom was not a good experience, although it was very clean and had a hint of lavender scent.
But Han Mo didn’t give him a chance to refuse. His agile tongue plundered into Yan Yibing’s mouth, his teeth lightly grazing his soft lips, and his fingers naturally slipped into Zero’s team uniform.
Wait, team uniform?
Yan Yibing opened his eyes in a daze and could see, on Han Mo’s team uniform, the logo of the Prince team was hand-embroidered, and the sponsor’s logo was below that logo.
And of course, he was wearing the Zero team uniform.
They were wearing each other’s team uniforms, kissing and hugging in the secluded bathroom cubicle, as if breaking through some taboo, and strangely, there was a sense of exhilaration in it.
Yan Yibing finally felt a kind of excitement, and he even thought that maybe he could try wearing the team uniform in the future.
With this thought, he indirectly indulged Han Mo’s loss of control.
Twenty minutes later.
Yan Yibing sneaked out of the bathroom, his lips slightly swollen, his face flushed, his ears hot, and a few faint red handprints on his waist.
Han Mo licked his lips contentedly, straightened Yan Yibing’s wrinkled team uniform, and said, “Master’s encouragement is really powerful. I’ll play well.”
He said it in a teasing tone, just wanting to see Yan Yibing’s embarrassed expression.
Yan Yibing: “…” Heh heh.
Han Mo went to the stage, took his backpack, and skillfully set up his peripherals.
Xiao Nuo asked, “Captain, is the bathroom crowded?”
Han Mo replied, “Not really.”
Xiao Nuo hesitated for a moment before asking, “Then why… did you take so long?”
Han Mo said, “I went to refuel.”
Xiao Nuo was puzzled, “Huh? Refuel what?”
Han Mo asked, “What did you have for breakfast this morning?”
Xiao Nuo: “…Bread.”
The topic change seemed a bit forced, didn’t it?
Han Mo nodded, “Eat well and play well.”
A twitch appeared at the corner of Xiao Nuo’s mouth.
Yan Yibing returned to the spectator seats.
As soon as he sat down, he felt uncomfortable, pursing his lips, trying to hide the abnormal flush on his lips.
Sun Tianjiao glanced at him, her gaze lingering on his lips for a few seconds with a puzzled look.
“Are you and Han Mo like middle school girls, holding hands to the restroom?”
Yan Yibing’s eyes flickered, swiftly changing the subject and chatting about the players.
“Since Kyle joined Break, they have two players with a KD ratio over 2.”
Sun Tianjiao was indeed distracted by his change of topic.
“Ah, Break is indeed strong, with Alan’s outstanding performance and Sano’s perfect coordination. Even in Miramar, they’re extremely stable.”
Yan Yibing: “Today’s definitely not going to be easy.”
Indeed, it won’t be easy, but the Chinese team’s luck seemed to be holding up today.
In the first round, the Indian team clashed with Break. These guys were very confident, adopting the strategy of yesterday’s clash between PYP and Zero, rushing in with guns blazing.
Break’s rhythm was completely disrupted. Although they managed to eliminate the Indian team with a 2-for-4 exchange, they were clearly disoriented.
Losing two players was not conducive to gathering information for the later stages.
Break’s usual style is to have one player take a high position and provide cover fire while the rest rush into the circle. They particularly like to play along the circle edge, controlling the largest field of view.
In previous matches, Susan was usually the one providing cover fire. Therefore, Susan was the most likely to be sacrificed, and indeed, there was a considerable gap in KD compared to Gavy. That’s why some people say Susan is the only one in the team who’s holding them back.
Next, Break collided with their protégé, the NNTC team, and the European WAA team.
Despite having Gavy, they found it difficult to contend with the combined forces of NNTC and WAA, and the world’s number one team, Break, ended up being nibbled away by them.
So, strength isn’t the only factor determining the outcome of the match.
Operations, strategy, rhythm, and on-the-spot judgment are often more important.
With Kyle on board, Break is obviously more arrogant than before.
Yan Yibing clicked his tongue, “NNTC is such a traitor. They usually put in their best performances in training matches, but when it comes to official matches, it’s no longer the same routine. They’ve screwed their father up so badly.”
The camera shifted to Yu Yan.
Yu Yan was concealed on the rooftop, scoped in, and took out an enemy with a headshot.
Yan Yibing: “Yu Gou is still steady, it’s just that this circle isn’t too friendly.”
P City was already bustling with action, and Han Mo was in P City.
Yan Yibing squinted, “Is it Xin Chen playing for Prince this time?”
Sun Tianjiao nodded, “Maybe Chen Zefeng is playing for Miramar. He’s really good on Miramar.”
Yan Yibing: “Well, Captain Han got a lot of heads.”
Sun Tianjiao shrugged awkwardly, “It’s nothing special.”
Yan Yibing: “That’s enough, don’t you see who the opponents are?”
In the second round.
Break’s rhythm finally picked up, and they were unstoppable all the way.
They encountered Prince while looting the slope, and Xin Chen’s helmet was immediately shot off by Kyle as soon as he peeked.
Yan Yibing frowned, “No, why is Xin Chen so fragile?”
Fortunately, Han Mo quickly stabilized the situation and engaged in a difficult firefight with Gavy on the slope.
Yan Yibing nodded slightly, “Han Mo is quite rational, not rushing things.”
Sun Tianjiao glanced at him again.
In the third round, Break won the chicken dinner and ranked first in points.
All Chinese teams were in the top eight, with no risk of falling into the elimination rounds for now.
But Xin Chen’s performance was indeed not very impressive. Since being knocked down by Kyle, he seemed a bit off, hesitating like a free man as the first entry fragger, slow to react where he should be decisive.
Yan Yibing: “Kids are still kids, their mentality is so fragile. Unlike Han Mo, who can shoulder the responsibility even before turning seventeen.”
Sun Tianjiao quietly took out his phone and pressed the record button.
In the fourth round, Xin Chen was replaced by Chen Zefeng.
Having frequently practiced together, their coordination was much stronger than that between Xin Chen and Han Mo. Prince’s performance immediately improved.
Yan Yibing: “Now in fourth place, can Chen Zefeng push for one more?”
Sun Tianjiao: “The point difference is a bit too big. It’ll be tough to climb up, just holding on will do. There’s no need to push so hard in the group stage.”
Yan Yibing: “You don’t understand Han Mo’s personality, he’s definitely going to push. Fourth and third place have different meanings.”
Sun Tianjiao: “…”
He suddenly felt like the cabbage he had been nurturing for eight years was rolling out of his own hands.
Author’s Message:
Han Mo: I’ve put on my team uniform, just waiting for Master to join me in bed.
Thank you for reading! 
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