The next day, the four of them practiced intensively for more than eight hours. Even Xin Chen couldn’t keep up and found an excuse to slip away after about five hours.
After completing the eight-hour session, both coaches stared lifelessly out of the window. Holding a cup of fragrant tea, they sipped and blew, feeling as if their endless lives were nearing an end.
Yan Yibing slumped in his chair, his neck tilted, his face flushed with heat, and the veins on the back of his hand unconsciously pulsating.
But he didn’t even have the energy to rub his neck. He lazily lifted his eyes, glanced at the computer screen, and turned his head away the next second with closed eyes.
Yu Yan laid his head on the desk, one arm serving as a pillow, the other hanging limply.
He weakly said, “To be honest, seeing the three of you right now makes me want to puke.”
Chen Chi, wearing an eye mask to relieve the soreness of his eyes, grunted, “Me too.”
Yan Yibing quickly raised his hand to cover his ears. “Damn it! Don’t talk. I can’t stand the sound of you guys right now! It’s like a swarm of hornets buzzing around my ears.”
Han Mo glanced at them, saved the valuable screen recordings, sent them to the shared mailbox, and then shut down the computer.
“Aren’t you guys planning to go eat?”
No one spoke.
Only Yan Yibing’s breath seemed to deepen, as if he wanted to hum a little.
Han Mo said, “I’ve sent the information the coach mentioned to the mailbox. You guys should review it tomorrow. Also, review the replays of the NNTC team’s matches in Korea. It’s quite informative. Their coach won two championships when he was a player, and he’s quite familiar with the playstyles of the three of you.”
The NNTC team was a strong contender for the championship in this competition.
This East Asia competition was somewhat unique.
Although it was a national-level competition, because Korea was the host, they had two participating teams.
These two teams were also selected from the strongest players, and one of the teams included three members and a coach from NNTC. They hardly needed to practice coordination.
Apart from that, the reorganized Japanese team ANK was also formidable.
It was evident that the selection of players for this team was carefully researched, almost entirely complementing each other.
The reason Han Mo mentioned that NNTC’s coach was familiar with Yan Yibing, Yu Yan, and Chen Chi was that they had faced him head-on in the previous World Championship.
Moreover, it was almost a one-on-one exchange, without gaining any advantage.
But by the time Han Mo started playing esports, that coach had already retired to become a coach.
So, only Han Mo hadn’t faced him.
Yu Yan said in agony, “I’ll try not to let one ear in and one ear out.”
Chen Chi said, “Being young is good. We, the elderly, have forgotten what NNTC is.”
Yan Yibing, sitting up with difficulty, yawned, “Who are you calling old?”
The coach put down his fragrant tea and calmly said, “And let me tell you some bad news we recently found out. NNTC’s practice drop point overlaps significantly with ours… Well, if you don’t want to avoid conflict in the early game, it’s a matter of life and death.”
Yu Yan cursed, “Damn! Why are we so unlucky?”
He had just said he felt nauseous, but as soon as he heard that the drop points overlapped, he immediately lost interest in complaining.
Early-game confrontation between strong teams was entirely laborious without any benefit.
Because there weren’t enough teams in the East Asia competition, the organizers would select fifty professional players from around the world to participate in the competition, acting as NPC-like figures.
These people couldn’t harm each other, but they delivered indiscriminate attacks to the participants.
So, compared to regular matches, participants not only have to escape the threat of the safe zone but also avoid being surrounded by NPCs.
This is a true battle royale, where maintaining a full squad is crucial for the highest chances of surviving until the end to secure the chicken dinner.
If they encounter NNTC in the early game, casualties are inevitable.
Chen Chi sighed, “The competition is about to start. Do we have to change our drop point?”
Han Mo said, “Why?”
Yan Yibing added, “Why?”
Yu Yan chimed in, “Why?”
Chen Chi pondered, “…Let’s go home for dinner!”
Countdown: fifteen days.
Yan Yibing received a WeChat message from Sun Tianjiao.
【Poor Salaryman Little Pitiful: Zuzong! The team emblem has been embroidered on your sports jacket, right below the national flag. It looks especially good. When are you coming to try it on?】
【Yan Yibing: ??? Who are you?】
【Poor Salaryman Little Pitiful: I’m sad QAQ.】
【Yan Yibing: What kind of ridiculous name is this? I almost deleted you.】
【Poor Salaryman Little Pitiful: This is a way to make money. You wouldn’t understand.】
【Yan Yibing: Are you short of money?】
【Poor Salaryman Little Pitiful: Yes, I’m really short of money. Is it a crime to have too much money?】
【Yan Yibing: Aren’t you afraid of going out with this ID and embarrassing Zero? People might think Zero is in trouble.】
【Poor Salaryman Little Pitiful: Hey! Don’t laugh. Boss Bian really thinks Zero is in trouble. A few days ago, I played PUBG with him, and he gave me a 500 yuan red packet after he screwed me over!】
【Yan Yibing: ??? You still have room to be scammed with your skill level?】
【Poor Salaryman Little Pitiful: You can’t imagine how bad Boss Bian is. If you guys played with him, I might have had a heart attack on the spot. But, you know, I never imagined that having a trash teammate could bring me so much joy.】
【Yan Yibing: Don’t you find it strange? If he’s so bad and you’re so bad, why does he still play with you? Wouldn’t it be better to find a professional player to carry him?】
【Poor Salaryman Little Pitiful: What’s wrong with me carrying? I can highlight that he’s not so bad, and his badness is understandable and reasonable. You don’t understand the mindset of us ordinary players at all! You’re just jealous that Boss Bian is handsome, kind, and willing to give me money!】
【Yan Yibing: …Goodbye.】
Countdown: thirteen days.
Yan Yibing contacted the owner of the streaming company he had recommended Liang Hefeng to through Yu Yan.
Xie Feng: “Hahaha, Bing Shen, I didn’t expect to receive a call from you. Good luck in the competition!”
Yan Yibing smiled, “Thank you. I heard that your company is in charge of the domestic commentary for the East Asia Championship?”
Xie Feng: “It’s not just us in charge. After all, it’s a national-level competition, and the commentary is a competitive position. Our top picks went through a PK with the popular candidates from several other major streaming companies and fortunately made it through.”
Yan Yibing: “Congratulations.”
Xie Feng: “Thank you, thank you!”
Yan Yibing: “Is Liang Hefeng still at your company?”
Xie Feng: “Yes, he’s still here. His skills are pretty good, thanks to Bing Shen’s recommendation.”
Yan Yibing: “Too polite, I should thank you.”
Xie Feng: “But Liang Hefeng definitely won’t be doing commentary for the East Asia Championship this time. I’m afraid he lacks experience. I’ll personally handle it this time.”
Yan Yibing: “That’s understandable.”
Xie Feng: “Mm-hmm, he did commentary for the city tournament before, and it was quite good. In this line of work, it’s about accumulating experience. Player experience might be useful, but it might not be as useful. You still need to know how to speak, pass the Mandarin proficiency exam, and have a foundation in broadcasting and hosting.”
Yan Yibing: “Got it.”
Xie Feng: “Another year or two of practice, and if he gets all the certifications, he should be able to take on more significant roles.”
The unspoken meaning in Xie Feng’s words, for Yan Yibing’s sake, he could let Liang Hefeng commentate on city tournaments, but for large-scale competitions, it was definitely not possible.
Liang Hefeng was from the southern part of the country, and he tended to mix LN sounds. When excited, he easily switched to speaking dialects, which might be fine for online streaming but would be a significant issue on a professional commentary platform.
But Yan Yibing knew that for Liang Hefeng, passing exams to get certificates was more challenging than winning championships in matches.
If Liang Hefeng were good at exams, he wouldn’t have resorted to betting everything on esports.
But Xie Feng’s request was reasonable. He couldn’t do everything for Liang Hefeng. Liang Hefeng’s future path was his own business.
Since the last time, he hadn’t received a WeChat message from Liang Hefeng for a long time.
At first, Liang Hefeng complained to him about Xie Feng not being good, not righteous, and too picky. Seeing that he wasn’t willing to respond, he stopped talking about it.
Yan Yibing looked at the silent chat box, not knowing what to say. In the end, he didn’t send anything.
Countdown: ten days.
In addition to training, they also had to do styling, take makeup photos, record trash talk, and pre-match declarations.
And interviews with magazines like “Esports Home.”
During the makeup photo shoot, to appear more imposing, everyone had to keep a stern face, as if the camera owed them millions.
Han Mo, being self-taught, had an especially smooth shoot.
Yu Yan, known for his sarcastic expressions, naturally had an advantage.
Chen Chi, a good-natured person, and Yan Yibing, who looked relatively gentle, struggled during their shoot.
The photographer was quite demanding.
“Bing Shen, please let the corners of your eyes droop a bit, and give a contemptuous look.”
“I didn’t ask for a deep, affectionate gaze. It should be elusive, with a feeling of disdain for all living things.”
“Not natural enough. Be more natural, imagine your opponents are right in front of you, and you’re about to knock them out in the next second.”
Yan Yibing: “…”
He was practically crossing his eyes to achieve the elusive look, but the photographer was still unsatisfied.
The photographer sighed, “Maybe your appearance is just too gentle, and your eyes are too round. It doesn’t convey the sense of mockery and indifference.”
Yan Yibing: “That should be close enough.”
The photographer: “No, it won’t work. Your team’s sports uniforms are already inconsistent enough. If the expressions aren’t uniform either, I’ll get criticized when these photos are released.”
Yan Yibing sighed, losing a bit of patience.
Han Mo stood next to the photographer, hands in his pockets, carefully observing for a while.
Even though Yan Yibing’s photos weren’t sarcastic or mocking, they all looked stunning, worth secretly storing on one’s phone.
However, now was not the time to linger here.
He lifted his head, looking at Yan Yibing.
Under his straightforward gaze, Yan Yibing subconsciously glanced back.
Han Mo’s lips moved slightly, silently mouthing to Yan Yibing, “Dressed like this, I want to fuck you so badly.”
Yan Yibing frowned, squinted, and fiercely glared back.
In that second, the photographer took three shots in a row, pleasantly surprised, “This expression is perfect! Angry and aloof, finally matches the overall style!”
Yan Yibing: “Damn…”
Han Mo smirked, silently retreating to the wall, lazily leaning against it.
Yu Yan glanced at Han Mo with a strange expression and asked, “What did you mouth to him?”
Han Mo pursed his lips and casually replied, “A sincere confession.”
Yu Yan raised an eyebrow, deeply inspired.
Next was Chen Chi’s turn.
The photographer started being picky again.
“Too honest, won’t work.”
“Don’t smile, pull the corners of your mouth down, lips slightly pursed, eyes slanting, chin slightly raised.”
“Still not quite right, let’s try again.”
Yu Yan: “Chen Chi, you’re too stupid.”
Chen Chi: “???”
Yu Yan: “The high-quality black chocolate you brought back from France was fed to the monkey by Yan Yibing. The monkey licked it once and vomited. It’s more bitter than Huanglian.”1Huanglian: traditional chinese medicine
Chen Chi glared at Yan Yibing angrily, gritting his teeth, “You bastard!”
Yan Yibing stared at Yu Yan, “Damn! Who told you to betray Dad!”
The photographer made an OK gesture, “This expression will do, barely!”
Yu Yan smacked his lips, and raised his hand to pat Han Mo’s shoulder, “Not bad, your method works really well.”
Han Mo, expressionless, replied, “…Yeah.” You might have misunderstood something.
After taking promotional photos, the next step was an interview with “Esports Home.”
Yu Yan and Chen Chi walked ahead, while Han Mo and Yan Yibing followed.
Yan Yibing remembered Han Mo’s mouth shape comparison with him just now and couldn’t help glancing at him.
He muttered softly, “Although I know you’re helping the photographer, can you not be so scary?”
Han Mo’s eyes flickered, and he lowered his head, lightly smiling. “Who said I did it to help the photographer? I was telling the truth.”
Taking advantage of Yu Yan and Chen Chi not paying attention, he slightly tilted his head, leaned close to Yan Yibing’s ear, and said, “Master looks great being manipulated in front of the camera. If it weren’t for the upcoming interview, I’d really want to take Master into the bathroom.”
Into the bath! Room!
Yan Yibing’s Adam’s apple rolled as he imagined many indescribable scenes.
He didn’t even know that his limited experience in watching certain content could provide him with so much valuable information.
Yan Yibing’s ears felt a bit warm, lowering his voice, he said, “Dream on.”
He shook off Han Mo, catching up with Yu Yan and Chen Chi, making an effort to clear any thoughts of bathroom-related activities from his mind.
He hooked his arms around Yu Yan and Chen Chi’s shoulders, sighing, “Yu Gou, recently, I feel like you’re not much of a dog.”
Yu Yan: “Heh, need to visit the bathroom before the interview, huh?”
Yan Yibing shrugged off his shoulder, firmly refusing, “No need!”
Yu Yan turned his head in surprise, “What are you yelling for? Expecting me to praise your kidneys?”
Yan Yibing, annoyed, muttered, “Damn… nothing.”
He had developed bathroom-related PTSD from Han Mo’s teasing.
Han Mo, listening from behind, finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
The interview was straightforward, as it was a written interview, and the players didn’t need to appear on camera.
The questions asked were ones they had answered countless times before, highly standardized.
However, each person’s answers had their own personal style.
Han Mo was concise, using one word instead of two whenever possible. If the host didn’t push, he wouldn’t provide any useful information.
Yan Yibing was a bit smoother, smiling and avoiding offending anyone. Among the four, he was the most tight-lipped.
Chen Chi was simple and honest, providing the most information.
Yu Yan was bold, occasionally mocking, sometimes even making the host wish they could shut him up.
After the interview, the host looked at the hastily written Word document.
Well!
Everything Han Mo said was less than what others said in one sentence.
Unsatisfied, the host finally prompted Han Mo again, “Heard that Han Shen has been working out? I’ve been exercising lately too, quite tiring.”
Han Mo: “No.”
Host: “Hahaha, why do I see online messages saying your abs have been well-maintained? It’s not easy for an esports player to keep a healthy physique.”
Han Mo: “Everyone is healthy.”
The host forced a smile, “Right, Han Shen, can you say a few more words? Besides training, what do you eat or do to maintain your physique in your free time?”
Han Mo: “Not maintaining, young.”
Host: “Tsk tsk, saying this, Bing Shen and Chi Shen might get upset.”
Yan Yibing lightly scoffed, “I’m used to it, what to be upset about.”
Host: “Can I ask for a benefit for the fans on our side? For example, if our magazine sells ten thousand copies, can Han Shen take a photo of his abs and post it on Weibo?”
Han Mo: “No.”
The host changed the topic, “Are you shy? But Prince does have a lot of female fans.”
If they didn’t bring this up, the interview would be lackluster. If it came out like this, Han Mo’s answers of just “yes” and “no” would disappoint the fans who spent money on the magazine.
Han Mo: “The person I like doesn’t want me to show off.”
Yan Yibing quickly sat up straight, retorting, “Who said that! If you want to show, just show!”
Han Mo squinted, lightly saying, “I don’t.”
Yu Yan knocked on Yan Yibing’s thigh, “There you go again. Didn’t Dad tell you to take care of yourself?”
Yan Yibing: “…Get lost.”
Countdown: five days.
The magazine was printed, and the fans of Zero and Prince inevitably started arguing.
【Oh, Yan Yibing is so provocative. What’s with instigating Han Shen to reveal his muscles? What’s the mentality? Isn’t esports about strength?】
【Fuck your mom, isn’t Bing Shen providing benefits for you idiot P fans? Don’t you want to see your team captain’s abs?】
【We, as grown men, don’t give a damn about abs; we care about skills!】
【Hilarious! How many female fans does your team have? Can you represent them all? Han Mo is really playing both sides, don’t know what he relies on to attract women?】
【Z Fans are so bitter, does your captain even have visible abs? Oh, your captain’s training duration can’t match ours, and his muscles can’t either.】
【Just now, P fans were talking about esports being about skill, and now they’re talking about abs. 666, your team captain is like a jumping clown.】
【Working with Zero is really unfortunate. Sitting next to him, Han Shen is uncomfortable all over.】
【Mutual, if Han Gou doesn’t drag down Bing Shen, we’re thankful. Bing Shen is reluctantly doing business with you, barely managing.】
【Hmm, your team is the best at doing business, talking the most nonsense.】
【So funny, if you don’t do business, what kind of captain are you? No professionalism?】
The forum was chaotic, and Yan Yibing was pinned to the sofa by Han Mo, unable to break free.
Han Mo lightly nibbled on his collarbone while saying sourly, “Master isn’t jealous? It doesn’t matter if I show my abs to others?”
Yan Yibing, supporting himself with one hand on the sofa, panted, “If you leave visible marks on me, you’re dead.”
Han Mo took a hold of Yan Yibing’s thin skin, rubbed it for a moment, then let go and pinched it with his lips, saying, “Is Master jealous?”
Yan Yibing pushed him awkwardly, protecting his delicate collarbone, and muttered softly, “I am, okay?”
Author’s Message:
Yan Yibing: Not jealous, not jealous, not jealous, not jealous, not jealous! Others can look but not touch.
Thank you for reading! 
Hope you enjoy the rest of your day 🍀
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