DSF Chapter 30

That night, Cheng Bin from the second team was awakened by the urge to pee and went out to the bathroom.

As he reached the staircase, a cool breeze blew in, making him shiver.

He sniffed, squinted his eyes, and glanced towards the entrance of the first-floor hall.

Outside the glass door, two figures were vaguely standing, one on the steps, and one below.

The person on the steps had lowered their head, getting close. The moonlight dragged their silhouettes together. From Cheng Bin’s perspective, it looked like an intimate moment.

Cheng Bin noticed that the door was slightly open.

No wonder the wind was blowing in; the whole corridor was filled with the scent of night fog.

In a hurry to use the bathroom, he didn’t pay much attention, muttered a sentence, and passed by the staircase.

When he came out of the bathroom, somewhat more awake, he looked towards the staircase, but the people were gone.

The door was locked tightly again.

Cheng Bin scratched his head, pondered for a moment, then went back to sleep.

The next afternoon, Song Tang, holding a bag of cashews, walked towards the training room while eating.

He opened the door and, to liven up the atmosphere, started a conversation.

“Just now, Cheng Bin said someone from our team sneaked out at night for a romantic rendezvous.”

Yan Yibing wasn’t wearing headphones. With the recent game version update, there were some changes in the performance of a few guns.

Although the PCL competition would still use the old version, as the team captain, he still needed to be informed in advance.

He was doing rapid-fire comparisons in the training ground. Upon hearing Song Tang’s words, he casually commented, “Who has such abundant energy? Check the surveillance and find out. Tomorrow, add two more hours of practice.”

Song Tang took out two cashews and playfully fed them to Yan Yibing as if trying to please him, “Come on, Captain, don’t envy and hate others just because you don’t have a girlfriend.”

Yan Yibing glanced at Song Tang’s hand with his peripheral vision, looked at the two salted cashews, and disdainfully said, “Did you touch them with the same hand you were eating from earlier?”

Song Tang glanced at his moist fingertip, feeling guilty, “…Well, I didn’t lick the palm of my hand.”

Yan Yibing was slightly mysophobia and said disgustedly, “Take it away, I won’t eat it.”

Song Tang said, “Captain, men should be more casual. Being too picky puts pressure on girls. Girls wouldn’t want to date you.”

Even though the topic had already shifted, Xu Rui brought it back, “The academy trainees are all gone. I haven’t heard of any player in our team having a girlfriend. Could it be ‘that’ person?”

Professional players seldom encounter girls they are interested in. Most of the time, they interact with female commentators and streamers, mostly through the internet. Moreover, These female streamers also tend to avoid dating to maintain their popularity.

Sometimes, to satisfy their physiological needs, some players would find someone to make an appointment with. After all, at this age, desires are strong.

The club turns a blind eye, as long as the players’ competitive level is acceptable. After all, professional players aren’t celebrities; they just need to perform well in the game.

Song Tang stuffed the two cashews that Yan Yibing didn’t want into Xu Rui’s mouth and said, “What are you thinking? Do you think everyone is thinking about that lower part of the body? Cheng Bin said they were just being affectionate in front of the base’s entrance, like innocent college students.”

Although Song Tang didn’t go to college, his sister graduated from a prestigious university. He had seen the scenes of couples hugging and kissing in front of the female dormitory building.

Those scenes were quite shocking.

Xu Rui, surprised, said, “Damn, that’s a proper love affair. They can’t resist meeting up at the base’s entrance. But Captain, our training has indeed been a bit intense lately. Everyone has lost their personal lives.”

Due to a recent decline in performance, Xu Rui has been under the watchful eyes of Yan Yibing and the coach for training, and he’s been playing so much every day that he’s about to throw up.

Yan Yibing fired a few shots, looked at the row of bullet holes on the wall, and vaguely felt something was wrong.

Affectionate in front of the base’s entrance?

At night?

He also went out yesterday; how come he didn’t see anything?

Xu Rui: “The key is, why didn’t this person invite his girlfriend in? Our base isn’t that strict.”

Song Tang shrugged, “Who knows? Cheng Bin only saw it once. He went to the toilet at night and happened to catch a glimpse. It was past two in the morning, and he was too sleepy to catch them in the act.”

Fu Haifeng joined the group chat, casually saying, “Not cool at all. We agreed that whoever gets a girlfriend first treats everyone to a meal. Quickly, check the surveillance and expose this person.”

Yan Yibing’s temples throbbed, silently cursed in his heart.

Past two in the morning, it must be him and Han Mo.

But they weren’t being intimate; they were just applying band-aids.

How could he explain this?

Han Mo suddenly went crazy, practiced calligraphy at dawn, accidentally scratched his arm, didn’t go to the convenience store, and came to ask him for band-aids.

As for why he asked Yan Yibing for band-aids, it was because Han Mo had injured his hand before when he helped him. Touched by the gesture, Yan Yibing personally took Han Mo to buy them. Now, Han Mo had become attached to this box of band-aids.

Could anyone believe this if he said it out loud?

Song Tang and Xu Rui were already excited to check the surveillance. Yan Yibing pushed the table, his face cold, and said in a deep voice, “What time is it? Stop chatting and get on the game.”

Xu Rui was startled, just as he lifted his butt off the chair, he sat back down.

He stammered, “Captain, I noticed you’ve been a bit anxious lately. Are you afraid we won’t perform well in PCL?”

Yan Yibing raised his almond-shaped eyes, stared at Xu Rui, and shifted the blame, “Isn’t it anxious because of you? Look at your solo rankings these past few days.”

Xu Rui stuck out his tongue, not daring to speak.

Yan Yibing rarely criticized them so severely; it seemed he was genuinely worried.

Shrinking his neck, Xu Rui hurriedly started the game and put on his headphones.

At the same time, he felt a bit wronged. The suggestion to check the surveillance was clearly made by the captain, and the excitement was added by Fu Haifeng. He had inexplicably walked into the line of fire.

Seeing Yan Yibing so anxious, Song Tang didn’t dare to bring up the catching adulterer topic again. He silently sat down, put the cashews aside, and carefully peeled them.

Yan Yibing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If it’s hard to explain, just don’t explain it. After all, no one saw it clearly.

He stood up, seeing a team of the three other people entering the game for matches one by one. So, he turned and left the room.

The hall was very quiet. Since the academy trainees left, the base had become considerably quieter.

At this time in the afternoon, all the team members were in training. The coach was holding a review meeting for Team 2, Sun Tianjiao went out for business, and leaving only the cleaning lady engrossed in cleaning.

Yan Yibing quietly slipped into the surveillance room, telling the security guard, “Uncle, take a walk outside first; I’m looking for something.”

The security guard knew that Yan Yibing was a golden signboard for Zero, so he didn’t doubt him. He gave the chair to Yan Yibing and went for a walk.

Yan Yibing quickly pulled up the surveillance from the early morning at two o’clock.

In the surveillance footage, he and Han Mo were indeed very close, especially when he applied the band-aid. Han Mo didn’t lower his head at all, continuously maintaining eye contact, and his nose seemed to brush against the ends of Yan Yibing’s hair.

No wonder Cheng Bin misunderstood; if he didn’t know it was himself in the footage, he might also think these two were in love.

Yan Yibing frowned, quickly captured this ten-minute video, deleted it with a single click, and then emptied the recycle bin.

He was afraid that other team members, with nothing better to do, might come and look at the surveillance again.

With the video deleted, he felt relieved and went back to the training room to practice.

As the PCL League approached, Yan Yibing changed his hand massage routine from once every three days to daily. His training sessions were getting longer, sometimes even skipping dinner, and the strain on his hands was increasing.

But there was no choice; this was the inevitable path for every player before a tournament.

Fortunately, he was lucky, with minimal bodily damage, and he could still endure.

However, at some point, he found it increasingly challenging to persevere. He had initially planned to retire gloriously, leaving a legendary mark on the professional scene.

But…talented players were hard to come by, and the kids left from the youth training camp couldn’t yet carry the weight.

Two days before the competition, Yu Yan approached him for a private chat.

Yu Yan: “After the competition, there’s a cruise from Magic City to Osaka, Japan, for seven days. Our tickets can be used, and no need for a visa.”

Yan Yibing was surprised, “CNG is so confident in this round? The competition hasn’t even started, and they’re already thinking about playing? You old folks have evolved into lunatics?”

Yu Yan: “Chen Chi didn’t say it directly, but I managed to get it out of him. Chen Yan is retiring, and AXE has already found a replacement from South Korea. They’ll probably announce it before the Autumn Tournament.”

Yan Yibing looked at the message on his phone, falling silent.

Chen Yan was also a veteran of AXE, seamlessly cooperating with Captain Chen Chi, jointly holding up AXE’s sky.

Yan Yibing had entered the scene early, watching Chen Yan grow from a green youth to the vice-captain of a prestigious team.

Chen Yan, at twenty-three this year, had joked when they drank together last year that when Yan Yibing retired, they would arrange a cruise for him.

Unexpectedly, this year, it was Chen Yan who would leave first.

The cruise plan hadn’t changed; it was just that the one being bid farewell wasn’t him, but someone younger, with a shorter peak than him.

Yan Yibing sighed, a subtle pain in his heart.

But this industry was like this—old players retired, new ones shone, heroes exited the stage, fading into silence.

Chen Yan was relatively lucky; at least, his name would forever be a part of AXE’s history. When esports fans reminisce someday, they would remember the emotions Chen Yan brought.

And then there were many others, players who never had a peak, swept up in the torrents of time, silently fading away.

No one remembered their names, and no one bid them farewell.

Like his childhood friend, Liang Hefeng.

Yu Yan said, “Don’t be sentimental. Chen Yan has achieved success, retired at his peak, and is now coaching at AXE. It’s good for him.”

Yan Yibing chuckled, tapping the keyboard, “That’s true. Unlike me, after retirement, I’ll be forced by my mom to go back to brushing up on my education.”

Yu Yan: “It’s still early for you. Don’t let your dad hear news of your retirement.”

Yan Yibing: “Rest assured, I won’t retire until I’ve knocked CNG flat on the ground.”

Yu Yan: “What’s going on between you and Han Mo? Dad hasn’t asked you yet. Did you guys make up?”

Yan Yibing frowned, pondering for a moment. He and Han Mo couldn’t go back to the way they were before, so he replied, “Not exactly. It’s just… not as tense as before.”

Yu Yan: “Did he initiate it, or did you? Don’t embarrass Dad; you’re his senior, it’s not your place to make concessions.”

Yan Yibing: “No one initiated it. We just don’t want our grievances to cause trouble for the team.”

Yu Yan: “Alright, then this time, Dad won’t reserve a spot for you during the pre-match group interview. I’ll go sit with my girlfriend.”

Yan Yibing: “You were just waiting to say that, huh? No humanity when there’s an opposite gender, let’s end our friendship.”

Yu Yan: “You haven’t been in a relationship; you don’t know how precious girlfriends are. Dad won’t blame you.”

Yan Yibing: “Get lost. Dad can fall in love this year.”

Yu Yan: “Haha.”

Before major tournaments like the PCL, there would be various interviews and documentary recordings.

Interviews included internal team interviews, mutual team interviews, and player group interviews.

Player group interviews had a bit of a hierarchy; popular players sat in the front, while lesser-known ones sat at the back.

Naturally, the captains of the four major teams sat in the front row during player group interviews.

Every time there was a group interview, Yu Yan and Chen Chi would intentionally keep Yan Yibing and Han Mo apart to avoid awkwardness.

However, this time, Yu Yan’s ex-girlfriend Ding Luo had also entered the professional scene, so Yu Yan would definitely go sit with her.

Chen Yan was also retiring, and Chen Chi, being sentimental, would probably stay by Chen Yan’s side. The center of attention seemed to be left on him and Han Mo.

On the day of the competition, Sun Tianjiao was dressed flamboyantly, engaging in lively conversations with major sponsors.

While chatting, he pulled Yan Yibing into the business.

“Isn’t this Manager Chen? It’s me, Jiao Jiao. You’re really forgetful. Have you found a spokesperson for the cherry-red mechanical keyboard next year?”

“Oh my, not to boast, but your keyboard’s aesthetics are too high, only our Bing Shen can match it. Look at our Bing Shen’s face; it could easily fit into the entertainment industry, right?”

“Bing Shen retiring? That’s a joke, who spread the rumors? When did our Bing Shen’s performance decline? Do you know what the eternal light of the esports circle is? He is the one you are talking about.”

“Our lineup will definitely remain unchanged, and the endorsement is very reliable. Look at these logos on our jerseys; we’ve been cooperating for two years.”

“Alright, alright, let’s catch up later. We’re busy too.”

After they left, Sun Tianjiao complained to Yan Yibing, “These old guys, tricky as monkeys, just want someone influential but with a low endorsement fee. What nonsense.”

Yan Yibing couldn’t help but yawn, rubbing his stiff face.

“You keep entertaining them. I’m done; I’m going to the tea room to find something to eat.”

Sun Tianjiao pulled his hand, speaking seriously, “Be careful and don’t eat random things. I brought some snacks.”

Yan Yibing smiled, “What era is it? I’ll be fine. I’ll just have some fruit.”

The backstage was chaotic, with players from brother teams chatting over tea, and former teammates meeting to reminisce after transfers. The interviews were not ready yet, the audience hadn’t entered, and it was currently the players’ free time.

Yan Yibing walked through the crowd, casually grabbing a branded baseball hat and putting it on his head. He didn’t plan to greet anyone.

He was quite famous, still an idol in the hearts of many professional players. Every time there was such an occasion, he was always pestered and couldn’t escape.

Being complimented too much was also annoying, so he decided to hide.

The Follow PD recording the documentary closely followed him, the camera almost sticking to his face. However, Yan Yibing had a good temper and understood the need for their work, so he only frowned slightly without saying anything.

He walked all the way to the tea room.

Inside the tea room, various pastries, fruits, and beverages were available for players and staff to taste.

Every fifteen minutes, there would be a rotation, and the food underwent strict inspections to ensure there would be no issues.

Yan Yibing particularly liked oranges, especially the refreshing scent emitted by their peels.

Upon reaching the tea room, he lowered his head, hands in his pockets, heading straight for the fruit table.

Indeed, there were oranges on the fruit table, but the good ones were already taken, leaving only the misshapen ones, dripping with juice.

He reached out, hesitated for two seconds, then withdrew his hand.

He decided to wait; anyway, they would be replaced soon. He’d grab a well-presented one then.

Xu Rui and Song Tang were also in the tea room.

Song Tang was drinking coffee, and Xu Rui happened to be peeling an orange.

Seeing Yan Yibing heading for the oranges, he quickly stood up, peeled an orange in half, shook off the squeezed orange juice, and prepared to offer it to Yan Yibing.

Song Tang pulled him back, and said disdainfully, “Stupid, captain is a mysophobic. Can he eat the one you peeled?”

Xu Rui suddenly realized and sat back down, whispering, “I almost forgot; he didn’t eat the cashews you gave him.”

Just as Yan Yibing was about to leave the fruit table, a hand extended in front of him, holding a slice of orange.

It was a cleanly peeled orange segment, without any white strings, the yellow fruit full of juice, luscious and appealing.

Yan Yibing’s gaze lifted slightly, looking at the owner of the hand.

Han Mo was wearing the Prince team jersey, the collar half-open, revealing a black shirt underneath.

The shirt didn’t have a high collar, exposing his collarbone. In the hollow of the collarbone, there was a hint of ink.

There were no unnecessary expressions on his face; his eyelids were slightly lowered, his gaze resting on the brim of Yan Yibing’s cap. In his pitch-black pupils, there was a focused look.

In such a noisy environment, Han Mo preferred tranquility. The more noisy it was, the colder his expression became.

But today, it seemed… not so cold?

Yan Yibing’s gaze returned to the orange slice in his hand.

This wasn’t the first time Han Mo had peeled an orange for him. Back in the training camp, Han Mo often did it for him.

He disliked the fibrous parts in the orange, as well as the juice being squeezed out. In his mother’s words, he has quite the princess disease.

However, Han Mo could peel it exceptionally perfectly every time, removing all the threads without breaking the thin inner skin.

At first, he felt a bit embarrassed, thinking it was too much to have someone peel an orange for him.

But Han Mo insisted, and he accepted.

As a gesture of gratitude, he would bring back some foreign specialties for Han Mo whenever he could.

How long had it been since he last ate an orange peeled by Han Mo?

Yan Yibing’s feelings were complicated.

But given their current relationship, it wasn’t quite the point where he could openly enjoy the fruits of Han Mo’s labor.

Yan Yibing pretended to decline, “Han Shen, no need to be so polite. My hands are dirty; you should eat it yourself.”

He heard Han Mo sigh as if a bit helpless.

Then, Han Mo frowned slightly, lifted his hand, picked up a slice of orange, and directly fed it to Yan Yibing’s mouth.

Caught off guard, Yan Yibing bit down on the orange, stunned.

Han Mo’s gaze fell on Yan Yibing’s lips, tightly gripping the orange. Yan Yibing’s lips were moist, a bit pale from the pressure of the orange, appearing soft and innocent.

Under the brim of the cap, Yan Yibing’s almond-shaped eyes widened, the scattered hair sticking to the corners of his eyes, seemingly still not recovering from the shock.

But his tongue had already reached the cool orange slice, challenging his senses with its fresh and sweet fragrance.

Only then did Han Mo realize.

Yan Yibing had mysophobia, and his previous actions seemed a bit impulsive.

The orange had already been taken by him, and Han Mo automatically peeled it the way he used to.

He had eaten many, leaving only this slice.

Seeing Yan Yibing lingering in front of the plate of oranges, Han Mo knew he was being finicky and didn’t think much about it. He simply handed over the peeled orange.

Otherwise, if Yan Yibing did it himself, who knows how long it would take before he could eat.

Han Mo’s pupils slightly contracted; his lips tightened. He spoke softly, “If you don’t want to eat, just spit it out…”

However, Yan Yibing moved his lips, chewed the orange, and swallowed.

After swallowing, he casually licked the corner of his lips and pretended to be calm, saying, “Not sweet.”

The brim of the cap covered his eyes, avoiding the gaze and the trembling eyelashes. After uttering those words, Yan Yibing turned his head in the opposite direction from Han Mo, only to unexpectedly bump into the lens of the Follow PD.

All his emotions, reactions, and the secret under the cap were recorded by the camera.

Yan Yibing: “…”

Which surveillance room should he go to delete this?

Author’s Message:

Han Mo: Not sweet?

Yan Yibing: Sweet, and also, troubles seen automatically erase from memory.

Thank you for reading!