The first game of the semifinals officially ended in the morning. In the afternoon, the Black Rose team and the UG team were going to compete for the second ticket to the final.
Yan Duzhou did not return to the player lounge after the game. At this moment, it was obviously difficult for the team members to regain their calm. They had to completely expel this depressing atmosphere from their hearts on their own, rather than relying entirely on him to calm them down.
The empty corridor seemed deserted when Yan Duzhou spotted a figure from afar. His footsteps paused, and after a moment, he continued walking forward.
Lin Xiao leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets, looked sideways at the visitor, and smiled: “How do you feel?”
Yan Duzhou walked over, leaned against the wall, next to him, raised his head to look at the dazzling lights on the ceiling, and smiled, “Not bad.”
Lin Xiao, with a cigarette in his mouth, handed the cigarette case to him and said politely, “Wanna smoke?”
Yan Duzhou’s eyes fell on the cigarette box, he seemed to hesitate for a moment, then took it casually.
Watching this old comrade of his puffing away the smoke, it was Lin Xiao’s turn to be surprised. If it were in the past, let alone smoking, even taking a sip of beer, this man would never hesitate to refuse in order to always maintain his best condition.
Thinking of this, Lin Xiao’s eyes flickered.
Sure enough, he really is ready to officially retire…
Feeling a bit sentimental, he took a drag from the cigarette and asked, “What are you going to do next?”
“What can I do?” Yan Duzhou smiled and replied, “I should stay in the team and continue as a coach.”
“You are destined for e-sports in this life.” Lin Xiao also laughed and said in a teasing tone, “But, as a coach? You and that guy are really following the same path. Well, that’s good. This way, you can continue competing in the arena in a disguised manner.”
“Let’s talk about competitions later.” Yan Duzhou rested his entire weight on the wall behind him and closed his eyes. “I’m tired. I want to rest for a while. Since I’m in Korea now, I’ll take the opportunity to relax and see the sights.”
Lin Xiao clicked his tongue and said, “And it so happens that you will stay at Devin’s to freeload on food and accommodation?”
Yan Duzhou glanced at him and replied, “After he took my ticket to the finals, he got a pretty good deal, with just free food and accommodation.”
Lin Xiao shrugged, “Alright then. As long as you’re happy.”
The conversation stopped, and the surroundings suddenly fell silent again, leaving only the smoke lingering around the two men in a somewhat solemn atmosphere.
After a moment, Yan Duzhou spoke again, “You must do your best against the UG team this afternoon.”
“Of course,” Lin Xiao smiled, “I promised someone that I would win the championship. If I break my promise, it would be embarrassing.”
“Someone.” Yan Duzhou raised an eyebrow, “You Jing?”
Lin Xiao looked at him, “Speaking of which, didn’t I settle the score with you for pulling the rug under my feet that day?”
Yan Duzhou responded lightly, “Oh, as long as you win the championship, you can do as you please.”
Lin Xiao chuckled, “Winning the championship is a must, why else would I be back?”
Yan Duzhou looked at him and laughed as well, “You’d better.”
The faint sounds from outside gradually quieted down as the audience left the venue. After chatting casually for a while, the two finally bid farewell to each other and went on their separate paths.
Before even reaching the door, Lin Xiao had already seen a figure in the distance.
Seemingly sensing his gaze, You Jing also turned back, “Are you done talking to Captain Yan?”
“Well, we’re done.” Lin Xiao glanced at his flat expression and smiled faintly. He put his arm around his shoulders and started walking as he said, “Old Yan seems to be looking forward to us winning the championship. What do you think about this?”
You Jing was dragged forward by him, and after hearing this, he was silent for a moment and said, “Then let’s take it for him.”
This was the first time that Lin Xiao heard such big words from You Jing’s mouth. A look of surprise flashed across his face, and his smile became even brighter: “Yes, let’s win it for him!”
The two walked side by side in this way, and after a while, the rest of the team members could be seen vaguely, but Lin Xiao’s steps suddenly stopped.
You Jing turned to look at him in confusion but saw the other guy looking at him with a smile. When their eyes met, he seemed to see the vague tenderness in those eyes. He was momentarily stunned and asked: “What’s the matter?”
Lin Xiao, however, just looked at him, and after a while, he slowly said, “Jing Jing, if we really get the World Tournament trophy, how about you think of it as me giving you a dowry?”
You Jing: “…?”
Lin Xiao reached out and lightly touched his chin, “Since ancient times, isn’t this how official marriages have been done? If I don’t give you a proper marriage, what if you run off with someone else one day?”
You Jing, “… I won’t run.”
Lin Xiao had no intention of waiting for him to respond. He glanced at the guy’s slightly red ears and laughed heartily. Then he stopped looking at him and walked toward the teammates waiting outside the door as if nothing happened. Soon a bear pounced on Xiao Li’s back, and asked casually amidst the startled howling: “Is there a feast?! What’s good for lunch?”
At this time, You Jing seemed to have finally come to his senses. Looking at the man’s back, he smiled slightly.
Dowry? In fact, to him, winning the championship trophy with this man was much more important than anything else.
……
The news of the Apocalypse team’s defeat in the semi-finals swept across the country like a strong wind. Some people lamented, others grieved, but more attention fell on the only remaining domestic team, Black Rose.
Let’s win! We must win! In the afternoon, the semi-final match between the Black Rose team and the Korean UG team became the focus of Chinese fans around the world. As for the members of the Black Rose team, they also received an unprecedented warm reception on their way to the competition venue.
“Shit, I haven’t even competed in this game yet and I’m about to lose half my life!” Xu Yiming gasped and leaned on Xu Yichen’s shoulders. Thinking of the scene where he was surrounded by fanatics fans at the door just now, he still felt palpitations. “This was so damn scary!”
“Are you scared?” Xiao Li burst out laughing, obviously enjoying this feeling of reaching the stars, “These are the values I look for in my life!”
Liu Zeshen glanced at him, “The value of your life is to be worshipped by little girls?”
Xiao Li looked at him, “Why, do you think the value of my life should be to be worshipped by you?”
Liu Zeshen smiled, “Not in this life.”
“Okay, okay, the game is about to start, what are you guys doing…” Shen Changyu speechlessly stopped Xiao Li, who was about to make a move, turned to look at Lin Xiao, and asked, “How are you adjusting your condition?
Lin Xiao was playing with his cell phone with his head down at this time. Hearing this, he responded casually: “Don’t worry, I guarantee a good start.”
“You’ll be the first to open the round, what are you still playing here?” Xiao Li came up to take a look out of boredom, and suddenly screamed, “Holy shit!”
His loud shout caused the others to gather around to look at Lin Xiao’s mobile phone screen, and they were all dumbfounded.
On the screen was obviously the operating interface of Tetris, a classic fool’s game that everyone was familiar with, but the blocks were falling rapidly at a speed that was almost impossible to glimpse with the naked eye, and they disappeared instantly before one could react. This scene almost made people wonder if this was the same game they used to play before.
Looking at the points in the corner, a series of huge numbers that could hardly be counted hit the eye.
The hand speed… everyone felt dizzy just looking at this.
The screen of the mobile phone suddenly froze, not because the game was over, but because Lin Xiao finally chose to press the pause button under the crowd’s scrutiny. He turned his head suspiciously and asked, “Why are you all watching me warm up, huh? It’s almost time for the game. Cheer up!”
“…” Everyone twitched.
This was a fucking warm-up?!
Lin Xiao swept a glance at them and went on with his Tetris training.
About half an hour later, the staff knocked on the door of the Black Rose lounge, and the afternoon semi-finals were finally about to begin.
When they entered the arena, they were immediately swept away by the overwhelming cheers. This deafening cheer sounded like a clear sign, which made them all take a deep breath. At this moment, they were only one step away from the finals.
On the other side, UG team members also entered the stage one after another. The players from both sides shook hands in the center of the venue and then returned to their seats to wait for the official start of the game.
After a while, the list of individual competitors appeared in the center of the big screen.
Lin Xiao from the Black Rose team VS Captain Han Zongren from the UG team.
Kill them! Domestic fans used the ‘bullet screen’ to post like crazy as if they could directly blast the UG team to pieces in this way.
Lin Xiao naturally couldn’t see the enthusiasm of the domestic fans. At this moment, he rubbed his wrists and looked with great satisfaction at the opponent’s ID.
He still vividly remembered the captain of the UG team’s self-confidence and arrogance after defeating the Scattered Clouds team in the first round of the group stage. At present, his so-called “Korean team dominates the top three list” ambition was no longer valid. Now it was time to twist the knife.
Whoever could become the captain of one of the first three Korean teams was not a snowflake. Lin Xiao knew that Han Zongren was well-known in the Korean e-sports circle for his personal strength, but so what?
The competition, of course, would only be more interesting against a strong person.
