SMS CHAPTER 49

Speaking of Kong Xian, even Yan Chengfeng himself felt puzzled by the situation.

Although he didn’t think things were as ambiguous as Tao Luo described, he had to admit that Kong Xian’s attitude toward him was… a bit different.

Kong Xian was an omega player with countless awards to his name, known for his proud and picky nature. Aside from facing Yan Chengfeng in matches, they had no connection. Yet after last year’s game, Kong Xian went out of his way to find him in the lounge.

At the time, Kong Xian sized him up, scanning him from head to toe with a thoughtful expression.

“Yan Chengfeng, right?”

Typically, unless players were close teammates, they used each other’s in-game IDs rather than full names. This was especially true for someone like Kong Xian, who was from the NA server and had no prior connection with him. On top of that, last year’s World Championship was the first time Yan Chengfeng had ever faced him in person.

What no one expected was that Kong Xian not only sought Yan Chengfeng out in the rest area but also addressed him by his full name in front of everyone.

Yan Chengfeng at that moment: “…?”

“…You’re quite tall.” Kong Xian continued scanning him sharply, then wrinkled his nose with a trace of interest. “Your pheromones… what kind of floral or grassy scent is that?”

Nearby, Tao Luo and Xu Hao, who were eavesdropping, stared in shock.

Yan Chengfeng himself froze for a moment.

For an omega to directly ask an alpha about their pheromones was already incredibly suggestive. Given Kong Xian’s notorious disdain for alphas, the implications were even more surprising.

Most alphas, faced with such a situation, would have let their imaginations run wild.

But not Yan Chengfeng, the epitome of straight alpha cancer. His only reaction was annoyance at Kong Xian’s description of his pheromone scent as “floral.”

He stiffly corrected him: “…It’s white tea.”

“Oh, I see.”

Kong Xian’s scrutiny finally ended. His expression remained thoughtful, but he offered no explanation. Instead, he asked, “Can I take a photo with you?”

In the end, Yan Chengfeng found himself somewhat bewilderedly taking a few pictures with him.

When Kong Xian left, his demeanor was still as arrogant as ever. He gave Yan Chengfeng a few more glances, raised an eyebrow, and departed without further explanation.

They didn’t discuss the game. They didn’t talk about anything else.

At the time, Yan Chengfeng was utterly confused. However, most of his mind was preoccupied with the frustration of not making it past the semifinals, so he didn’t dwell on it too much, and the matter simply passed.

“…I really don’t get it.”

In the training room, Tao Luo continued muttering bitterly, “I still don’t understand—what makes white tea better than strawberry? How can an omega’s attitude shift so drastically over something like this…”

Yan Chengfeng instinctively glanced at Zhen Ning, who was next to him.

“Enough already.” He coughed heavily. “Maybe it’s just because we’re both support players and there’s some mutual understanding. It’s not as complicated as you think… Now hurry up and get back to training.”

This incident was nothing more than a brief interlude. As Joe entered the training room, the team’s focus quickly shifted back to practice.

Still, Yan Chengfeng couldn’t shake a lingering sense of unease.

At lunchtime, as everyone left the training room and walked toward the cafeteria, Yan Chengfeng deliberately positioned himself next to Zhen Ning. Seemingly offhandedly, he brought it up again—

“By the way, about me and Kong Xian… we’re really not close. Don’t listen to Tao Luo’s nonsense.”

He added, “That girl actually wanted to ask Kong Xian for an autograph last year when we went to the United States. But getting rejected like that really stung, and she still hasn’t let it go.”

Zhen Ning didn’t respond.

Staring at Zhen Ning’s profile, Yan Chengfeng suddenly felt a strange sensation welling up inside him.

Could it be… that Zhen Ning cared about his relationships with other omegas?

Yan Chengfeng was clearly explaining himself, and he knew full well that he had no connection with Kong Xian. But for some inexplicable reason, he couldn’t help but hope that Zhen Ning would press him further—hoping that, even just once more, the other would ask, “Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you two?”

However, Zhen Ning simply looked at him quietly for a moment before softly replying, “Mm.”

Yan Chengfeng froze. “…?”

That was it?

Just an “Mm”? He wasn’t going to ask anything else? How could… he be so calm about it?

“I-I didn’t mean anything else by it.” Yan Chengfeng tried to act nonchalant. “It’s just that you weren’t around last year… so I thought I’d clarify things.”

Zhen Ning’s expression remained unperturbed. After a moment, he simply nodded and said, “I know.”

Yan Chengfeng clenched his jaw and, after a brief pause, dryly muttered, “Oh.”

The Ji Ming Cup had been held in China two years ago, with last year’s venue in Vietnam. This year, the tournament was set in Japan.

The group stage of this friendly competition followed a BO1 format, allowing teams to compete against players from various countries in a relatively relaxed rhythm. Scheduled between the Spring and Summer Splits, it gave players a chance to catch their breath. This was why spectators often joked that the Ji Ming Cup was nothing more than a “company-sponsored vacation.”

The team arrived in Japan two days before the official start of the group stage.

On the way to the hotel, Tao Luo exclaimed, “Wow! Look at those beautiful cherry blossom trees!”

And then again, “Whoa! That shrine is so tall!”

It was still Tao Luo: “Wow, wow, wow! Look at the size of that conveyor belt sushi restaurant!”

Tao Luo: “Why… why aren’t any of you saying anything?”

The original plan was for everyone to fly over together two days before the competition officially started. However, Xu Minghe’s father had suddenly fallen ill, so Xu Minghe would be arriving a day later.

Meanwhile, time management master Xu Hao had been busy from the moment they got off the plane, calling one romantic interest while texting another.

This left just two people: the ever-quiet Zhen Ning and the expressionless Yan Chengfeng.

“Why can’t you two give me even a little reaction?”

Tao Luo stared at their faces and sighed dejectedly. “If I’d known, I would’ve flown with Lao Xu instead. You two are such a cold and indifferent pair of humans.”

“If you’re not going to talk, then I won’t talk either. Let’s see who can outdo the other in being aloof!”

Standing in front of the hotel room doors, Tao Luo huffed. “Anyway, I’m going out for sushi at six tonight. If you want to come, come. If not, I’ll eat by myself! Goodbye!”

With that, Tao Luo slammed his hotel room door shut.

For a moment, the air froze. In the hallway, only Yan Chengfeng and Zhen Ning remained. Their eyes met briefly before they both silently looked away.

Yan Chengfeng had been acting incredibly awkward these past two days.

He trained with a stiff expression, marked territories with a stiff expression, and even kissed with a stiff expression. Not that anyone really noticed anything unusual—after all, he always looked like he wasn’t in the best mood anyway.

Yan Chengfeng’s unhappiness was always written plainly on his face. He was certain Zhen Ning must have noticed something was off. And yet, despite this, Zhen Ning hadn’t asked him about it. Not even once.

Yan Chengfeng knew he was a complicated person.

He didn’t want Zhen Ning to misunderstand his relationship with other omegas, yet Zhen Ning’s complete lack of reaction left him feeling unsettled.

Could it be that this person didn’t care about him at all… not even a little? Yan Chengfeng thought irritably.

Taking a deep breath, his voice came out hoarse as he asked, “Are you going to eat sushi with Tao Luo later?”

Zhen Ning was silent for a moment before replying, “I didn’t sleep on the plane, so I’m feeling a bit tired.”

Yan Chengfeng paused.

After a while, he muttered an “Oh” and stared down at the reflective surface of the doorknob in front of him. Awkwardly, he added, “Do whatever you want. I was just—”

“I’ll probably sleep for two hours.” Zhen Ning’s voice was gentle. “If you’re not too hungry by then, could you wait for me? We can eat something together.”

Yan Chengfeng’s hand froze on the doorknob.

After a long moment, he replied, “…Whatever you want.”

That was his way of agreeing.

They didn’t exchange any more words. Both swiped their room cards, opened their respective doors, and stepped inside.

The hotel hallway fell silent once more.

Ten minutes later, one of the doors reopened.

Zhen Ning stepped back out.

Glancing at the time on his phone, he turned and took the elevator downstairs. He headed straight to the hotel lobby’s afternoon tea area.

There, a young omega sat wearing sunglasses, resting his chin on one hand while using the other to poke at the salad in front of him with visible distaste.

When he saw Zhen Ning approaching, the omega immediately removed his sunglasses, revealing a flamboyant yet delicate face. He waved enthusiastically.

“You’re finally here.”

Kong Xian said, “Hey, look at the ham in this salad. It’s not fresh at all. Honestly, your club could’ve picked a better hotel for you guys, don’t you think?”

“This place is close to the venue,” Zhen Ning replied flatly. “Put the fork down.”

Kong Xian blinked at him.

Five minutes later.

Kong Xian looked innocent. “What was I supposed to do back then? The only interaction the two of us had was on the field, so of course, I had to go find him afterward. I couldn’t just secretly take photos, could I? I had to come up with an excuse to take a picture with him…”

“I only asked you to take a look at him for me,” Zhen Ning said coldly. “I didn’t tell you to take photos, or to ask him for a picture, much less to ask about the scent of his pheromones.”

Kong Xian froze for a moment.

He stared at Zhen Ning’s face for a while before suddenly bursting into laughter. Pinching his nose as he laughed, he said, “Oh my, what’s with the air in here…? It’s so full of jealousy, I can barely breathe.”

Zhen Ning said nothing.

Kong Xian blinked. “Alright, alright. Taking the group photo was my idea, and it was unnecessary. I just wanted something concrete to hold onto.”

“But later, who was it that took my phone and spent an entire afternoon flipping through those photos over and over again?” he asked, leisurely raising an eyebrow.

Zhen Ning’s body trembled slightly.

“Alright, fine, I’ll admit I was a bit petty too. After all these years of competing, it’s always been other AD players or teams begging for me to support them.”

Kong Xian took Zhen Ning’s hand and said pitifully, “Who would’ve thought that the one time in my life I actively invited an AD to play with me, I’d be mercilessly rejected?”

“And then to find out the reason for the rejection was… because he wanted to save his first on-field game for someone else?”

Kong Xian clicked his tongue. “Of course, I was curious. I just had to see what this alpha looked like, so I couldn’t help but ask a few extra questions.”

Zhen Ning said, “You—”

“Alright, alright, I get it.”

Kong Xian raised both hands in surrender as he watched Zhen Ning’s expression. He sighed helplessly. “It’s clear as day now that you really… do like him.”