When Wen Zhe started his livestream, the other members of AFG naturally wouldn’t miss this chance to rack up some streaming hours.
Greetings to the fans came one after another. Wen Zhe waved at the camera and said, “Good evening, everyone.”
【Good evening, Captain Zhe! We’re the champions!】
【Congratulations on winning the championship! Everyone, eat well tonight!】
【Defeating the match-fixing team—so satisfying!!】
“Alright, we’ll eat well.” Wen Zhe glanced at Jian Yao, who was sitting quite far from him. “Yao, move closer. They’ll be serving the dishes over there.”
“Ah, okay.” Jian Yao dragged his chair closer to Wen Zhe. Xu Xu reached out as if wanting to say something but held back, letting out a helpless sigh.
“Brother Xu, what’s wrong?” Su Ze cast a “concerned” look, his whole body buzzing with excitement as he swayed his upper half. “We won the championship—we should be happy!”
“I am happy, I just felt a bit down earlier.” Xu Xu took a sip of the sparkling water, letting out a sigh like an old drinker. “Ah, refreshing.”
“Huh? Who was it earlier?” Su Ze turned to Zhong Yuyi with a confused expression. “Xiao Yi, do you know?”
“No idea.” Zhong Yuyi replied with a casual, indifferent tone.
【Hahahahaha, Xiao Yi, you’re just spoiling him!】
【Smelling the aroma of drama, taking a bite.】
【Good drama, good drama!!! /digging in】
【There’s enough for everyone! Don’t fight! Save some for me!】
Not only were Zhong Yuyi and Su Ze’s livestreams feasting on the drama, but Wen Zhe’s stream was no different.
【What! YAO is really here too!】
【Zhe and Yao shining bright, activate!】
【Captain Zhe, can you ask our YAO if he can show his face? /pleading.jpge】
【Supporting the above! Also, could you ask Wen Zhe to see if YAO can start streaming too~】
“Alright, I’ll ask for you.” Wen Zhe leaned toward Jian Yao. “YAO, they want me to ask if you’ll stream.”
Jian Yao felt Wen Zhe’s breath brush against him and tightened his grip on his chopsticks. “I won’t stream!”
“Okay.” Wen Zhe nodded, pulling back and looking at the camera. “He said he won’t stream.”
【Aww, what a shame. Can’t see YAO live.】
【So jealous Wen Zhe gets to see him.】
“Then do me a favor and show your face.” Wen Zhe raised an eyebrow, leaning toward Jian Yao again. “Okay?”
The sound of chopsticks clattering and dishes falling was insignificant in the noisy environment.
But it was Wen Zhe’s heart that was affected by the sound.
“I’ll go get you a new pair.” Wen Zhe placed his phone on the table, quickly pushed back his chair, and stood up.
“Then I…” Watching Wen Zhe’s retreating figure, Jian Yao’s next few words were almost whispered against his throat. “I’ll stream for you for a bit…”
Jian Yao picked up the neglected phone. When his face appeared on the screen, he instinctively wanted to cover his mouth with his hand. In the end, he adjusted the camera to only show his eyes, finally feeling comfortable. “Good evening, everyone.”
【Good evening, YAO! Ahhh! Missed you so much!!】
【Once again marveling—such beautiful eyes /sobbing.】
【YAO, when will you stream again!】
“When will I stream again?” Jian Yao frowned, thinking carefully. “It’s only been a day, hasn’t it? No need to miss me that much.”
【We’re just worried you’ll be tricked away by someone else. It would break our hearts.】
“Worried I’ll be tricked away?” Jian Yao found it somewhat amusing. “You all…”
Before he could finish, Wen Zhe’s figure appeared on the screen.
“Don’t worry, everyone. With me here, no one can trick Yao away.”
Wen Zhe placed the new chopsticks on Jian Yao’s bowl. Hearing Jian Yao’s thanks, a faint smile surfaced in his eyes as he glanced at the screen. “If anyone’s getting abducted, it’d probably be me doing the abducting.”
Maybe it was Jian Yao’s imagination, but he felt Wen Zhe’s gaze through the screen was so intense it made him want to flee…
The sound of something shattering came again, this time audible only to Wen Zhe himself.
“Just kidding. Thanks for streaming for me. Besides, Yao isn’t foolish enough to get abducted.” Wen Zhe took the phone from Jian Yao’s hand. The moment his thumb brushed against it, Jian Yao quickly released the phone but unconsciously tugged lightly at the sleeve of Wen Zhe’s team jacket as he withdrew his hand.
“I did it willingly.”
“What’s wrong?” Wen Zhe turned his head to ask.
Jian Yao looked at his own trembling hand gripping Wen Zhe’s sleeve, as if steeling himself, and met Wen Zhe’s gaze. “I said, I did it willingly.”
Seeing that look in Jian Yao’s eyes, Wen Zhe understood.
Wen Zhe covered his mouth with his right hand and chuckled softly, leaving Jian Yao momentarily stunned. “What’s so funny…?”
“No, it’s not funny. It’s just that you’re adorable,” Wen Zhe restrained his laughter and ruffled Jian Yao’s hair. “Why is this little guy so cute?”
Cute…
Jian Yao carefully considered this word that would never be used to describe him, his face flushing bright red without him realizing it. In protest, he slapped the large hand resting on his head.
He hadn’t expected that one slap would cause the hand to press against his forehead, sending another jolt through him. Jian Yao felt his head go dizzy all at once.
“Hey, my little fool.” Wen Zhe quickly set down his phone and pulled Jian Yao closer, pressing his palm gently against his head and rubbing softly. “What if you hit yourself silly and forgot all about me?”
“Stop talking nonsense…”
Wen Zhe froze. This was the first time Jian Yao had said something to him that wasn’t just “polite.”
For the first time, he felt this happy.
No less happy than winning a championship.
“Buzz—buzz—”
The vibration of a phone shattered the moment.
Wen Zhe glanced at the caller ID displayed on the screen, and his good mood vanished instantly. His expression revealed undisguised disgust—
He hung up the call impatiently, but moments later, the darkened screen lit up again.
[Call back.]
“Tch.” He opened the missed call log, struggling to control his anger. The intense resistance in his expression didn’t escape Jian Yao’s notice.
When the call connected, Wen Zhe adopted a carefree, almost flippant tone. “Well, well, look who found time to call me. That’s not like you.”
The person on the other end paused before speaking. “Congratulations.”
“You didn’t call just to say congratulations, did you?”
His fingers, which had been tapping on the table, stilled. He quickly masked his emotions, forcing a smile as he replied sarcastically.
“It sounds lively over there.”
Wen Zhe lowered his gaze, understanding the implication behind the other’s words, and stood up to walk toward the bathroom. “What’s so important that you’re going to all this trouble?”
“My stance remains the same. Come back.”
“Impossible.” Wen Zhe blurted out. “If I go back, won’t I just be in your way?”
His eyes darkened, his words devoid of emotion as he searched his memories for even a trace of warmth.
But no matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t find a single thing worth remembering about the person on the other end of the call.
The only thing that left a deep impression on Wen Zhe was the memory of a door slamming shut and a retreating back, calm and utterly emotionless. “Have you forgotten everything you said back then… Brother.”
“What I’m doing now is exactly what you wanted to see, isn’t it? So why are you pretending now?” Wen Zhe clenched his fists, hands hanging at his sides. “Just keep playing your ‘living immortal’ role and leave me alone.”
He stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror—familiar yet strange.
After giving himself a few minutes to collect his emotions, he opened his phone, edited a message to Weimo, and sent it.
[Something urgent came up, can’t continue streaming. Will make it up to everyone later.]
“Beep—beep—”
Hearing the dial tone, Wen Yu put down his phone and looked out the window. The person who had entered from outside had already walked to his side.
“Even someone as strong-willed as Brother Yu couldn’t bring himself to say it when faced with this kind of situation.” The man beside him raised a hand to stroke Wen Yu’s cheek, his thumb gently brushing against it. “Let’s take it slow. No rush.”
Wen Yu lifted his hand to hold the man’s, placing it against his chest, then leaned his head against the man’s shoulder. “Alright, Lu Xuan… I won’t rush. I’ll take it slow.”
Frustrated, Wen Zhe ran his hands through his hair, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water on his face. Droplets trailed down his cheeks—only the shock of the cold water could make him forget those memories.
His fingertips, braced against the sink, had long since turned pale. Gradually, a dark haze clouded his vision. He closed his eyes, imagining himself drawing closer to the abyss.
Only when his head struck the glass with a dull thud did the pain bring him back to his senses.
He had been in there too long.
Any longer, and the sensitive ones would start to worry.
“Captain! You didn’t even drink—you’re not throwing up, are you?” Xu Xu slung an arm over Wen Zhe’s shoulder, already somewhat drunk, his hands wandering without restraint until Wen Zhe stopped him.
Wen Zhe glanced at the rowdy group and then at Jian Yao, whose gaze remained fixed on him. Suddenly, he felt as if a sliver of light had pierced through that dark haze, giving him the motivation to reach for it.
For AFG, the transfer period brought no major changes.
The only difference was that Wen Zhe consciously encouraged Jian Yao to visit the club from time to time to interact with the team.
The man’s way of getting familiar was simple.
Just play a few rounds of the game together especially with someone who played well and had great synergy.
Eventually, Jian Yao grew close to everyone. He no longer needed Wen Zhe by his side and could team up with other members during his own streams.
“Hey, hey, hey! Xiao Yao, save me!”
In the final circle of the “Serendipity” map, Su Ze was bound by an enemy archer’s rope-arrow as the opponent leaped down from a tree. “Damn this mage, ambushing me!”
[Hahahaha, I’m dying of laughter!]
[Truly the comedian—Ze!]
[Save my baby!]
[Play stupid games, win stupid prizes…]
[Play stupid games, win stupid prizes… *999]
“Seriously, are you all really my family in this stream? Are there really no ‘villains’ from other teams sneaking in to mess with my head?” Su Ze squinted at the camera, and the chat immediately shifted toward “heartwarming” support.
[How could that be? We love Su Ze the most!]
[Baby is everything! Love Ze-bao!]
[Su Ze, fly bravely! If something happens, handle it yourself!]
The “Serendipity” map essentially had no fixed “attackers” or “defenders.” Teams were limited to four players, and anyone encountered could engage in combat until one side was eliminated. The player with the highest points at the end won. During the match, player IDs were hidden, only revealed on the opponent’s results screen after the game ended.
Jian Yao maneuvered his character to flash beside Su Ze. The jade whip had already transformed into a sword, slicing through the vines binding Su Ze in one swift strike. He quickly turned toward the enemy archer: “You’re not focused enough.”
The opponent calmly erected a protective barrier around himself. Jian Yao raised his sword and slashed at the barrier.
Since the archer’s bowstring was made of vines, thorns burst forth from the ground, aiming straight for his heart.
He hastily flicked his mouse aside to dodge, but behind him, thorns that had been lying in “ambush” revealed themselves, grazing Jian Yao’s back—
Health bar reduced by 5%.
“Wow, this archer’s skills are pretty good,” Su Ze exclaimed in amazement, quickly casting a protective shield over Jian Yao.
The thorns seemed to read Jian Yao’s intentions; wherever he jumped, they would always arrive a step ahead, catching him off guard.