SMS CHAPTER 5

Most people believed that Mianli was Yan Chengfeng’s signature hero due to the many brilliant plays he had made with her on the professional stage.

Yan Chengfeng himself never hesitated to express his love for this hero, whether during matches or livestreams. From his official super account to his competition player account and even his side streaming account, Mianli always had fully maxed-out skins. He had even collected every chroma variation available.

But few knew that, four years ago, during his youth training days, Yan Chengfeng had been too frugal to spend extravagantly on skins.

Mianli debuted on the Asian server of Forest of the Full Moon four years ago. At the time, Yan Chengfeng was just 17, earning about 5,000 yuan a month from the youth training program.

The first Mianli skin he ever owned was actually a gift from Zhen Ning.

Back then, the shop didn’t offer first-week discounts, and Mianli’s release price was a hefty 9,900 points.

At the time, Zhen Ning had said to him, “Just try her out for a game.”

“Why are you wasting your money like this?” Yan Chengfeng grumbled, reluctantly pressing the button to accept the gift. “First of all, this new hero is a marksman, so you’re the one who should be practicing her, not me. Secondly, her stats are so bad she’ll never see competitive play. So I advise you not to bother practicing her…”

Then Yan Chengfeng suddenly realized something. “Wait, you mean you want me to use her as a support?”

Zhen Ning simply replied, “Just give it a try.”

After one ranked match, Yan Chengfeng fell into deep thought.

For a long while, he couldn’t say anything. If he had to say something, it would only be that Zhen Ning knew him far too well.

As a marksman, this little squirrel hero was terrible in every conceivable way. But as a support, she was perfect in every sense—whether in mechanics or feel. She was precisely the type of hero that suited Yan Chengfeng’s playstyle.

Without a doubt, this was his destined main hero.

That summer, Yan Chengfeng dragged Zhen Ning into ranked games over and over again, tirelessly researching new strategies and combinations for Mianli.

What he was least satisfied with, however, were Mianli’s skins. He complained endlessly in Zhen Ning’s ear, “Why does the Jungle Guardian skin only throw fruit and flower petals? There’s no sense of life in it at all. If I ever win the World Championship and get to design a skin, I’ll make Mianli wear a chef’s outfit and throw garlic cloves…”

That day, Zhen Ning was so annoyed by his chatter that he ignored him for the entire afternoon. Then again, Zhen Ning was a man of few words anyway, so Yan Chengfeng didn’t think much of it.

At the time, Yan Chengfeng had never even played in a real competitive match. Yet, that afternoon, he kept rambling to Zhen Ning about his ideas for designing a championship skin in the future.

No matter what, the hero Mianli carried far too many memories for them. She symbolized that humid, sweltering summer and countless drowsy afternoons spent together in the training room, accompanied by the sound of cicadas in the background.

But now, to the present-day Yan Chengfeng, those memories felt laughable and ironic.

Yan Chengfeng had no idea what Zhen Ning was thinking when he picked Mianli for this match. Whether it was to mess with Lei Tao’s mentality or simply to disgust him, Zhen Ning’s choice was so brilliant that Yan Chengfeng almost wanted to stand up and applaud.

His gaze darkened as he stared at Zhen Ning’s profile.

The match began, and both sides entered the farming phase.

“Both players have solid last-hitting skills,” Xu Minghe commented. “Lei Tao is pushing the lane faster, so it looks like he plans to play more aggressively.”

The strategy for a MOBA game like Forest of the Full Moon was straightforward: it was all about farming gold and fighting.

You earned gold by killing enemies, clearing minion waves, and securing jungle resources. More gold meant better equipment, and better equipment increased your chances of winning fights. Winning fights allowed you to destroy the opponent’s defensive towers, and ultimately, if you took down their Heart of the Forest—commonly referred to as the Green Crystal—you won the game.

It might sound complex, but at its core, success came down to which side executed their strategy better.

KYM was one of the top-tier clubs in the country, so everyone in that training room was already among the best of the best.

While skill differences existed between professional players, the gaps weren’t massive. This 1v1 match would come down to micro-movements, positioning, and, most importantly, a deep understanding of the game and its heroes.

After the two players selected their heroes, the others quickly noticed a significant imbalance in the matchup.

Sure enough, once the game began, Lei Tao’s Afro dominated the lane. It didn’t take long before he forced Zhen Ning’s Mianli back under the tower.

But as the game progressed, Lei Tao’s expression grew increasingly grim.

Even though his Afro had plenty of damage and his items were far ahead of Zhen Ning’s, five minutes into the game, Lei Tao encountered a serious problem—

He couldn’t even touch a single strand of Zhen Ning’s hair.

From the sidelines, Tao Luo muttered, “…What a disgusting little squirrel. If it were me, I’d already be fuming.”

Here, “disgusting” was actually a compliment, referring to how Zhen Ning always maintained an incredibly precise and safe distance from Lei Tao.

Even when the minion wave was under the tower, the little squirrel in the pink skirt stayed safely behind the turret, calmly tossing small fruits from her basket to kite¹kiting=attacking an enemy while maintaining a safe distance Lei Tao.

It was an exasperating feeling—like wielding an exceptionally sharp weapon, only to have your opponent refuse to engage head-on, occasionally sneaking in to poke at you.

After five minutes, Tao Luo muttered, “…I’m getting a little sleepy.”

Xu Minghe looked equally frustrated. “Lei Tao can’t keep dragging this out. He needs to make a move and start a fight.”

Lei Tao was indeed running out of patience. He rarely played such frustrating games. By the ten-minute mark, he returned to base, upgraded his equipment, and resolved to seize an opportunity to initiate a fight.

Then, a surprising turn of events caught Lei Tao’s attention.

Perhaps to close the gap in their gold difference, Zhen Ning took advantage of Lei Tao’s trip back to base, stepping out from the safety of his tower to farm the small jungle monsters near the river.

Without turret protection in the river, Zhen Ning stood no chance against Lei Tao with his current items. It was the perfect opportunity, and Lei Tao was determined to capitalize on it.

Tao Luo: “…Oh no.”

In everyone’s eyes, Zhen Ning was completely exposed in the open while Lei Tao remained hidden in the shadows. Lei Tao was already lying in ambush in the river’s grass, and with Zhen Ning completely unaware, he was about to walk straight into Lei Tao’s trap.

Everyone’s attention was on Lei Tao’s play, except for Yan Chengfeng, whose eyes remained fixed on Zhen Ning’s face.

Only Yan Chengfeng knew that there was no way Zhen Ning would lose here.

He understood Zhen Ning’s playstyle too well and knew Mianli inside and out. In fact, the moment Zhen Ning moved toward the monster, Yan Chengfeng already knew exactly what he was planning.

Lei Tao crouched in the bush, ready to strike.

The instant Zhen Ning finished farming the jungle monster, Lei Tao teleported out of the bush with a Flash²a spell used to teleport instantly, unleashing his ultimate on the seemingly unsuspecting Mianli in the river.

However, just as Lei Tao emerged, Zhen Ning’s Mianli seemed to predict his move. With a sly flick of her tail, she used Flash to retreat back under the tower a split second before Lei Tao could land his attack!

Lei Tao: “…?!”

Afro’s ultimate locks onto a target, dealing massive damage while leaping onto them. In theory, Lei Tao’s ambush and execution were flawless—assuming Zhen Ning hadn’t used Flash first.

But with Zhen Ning’s perfectly timed Flash, Lei Tao’s supposedly lethal leap turned into a disaster. Due to the ultimate’s forced-follow mechanic, he ended up diving straight into Zhen Ning’s turret!

The moment Afro landed, Zhen Ning began his counterattack.

Although Mianli’s damage was minimal, her crowd control abilities were exceptional. A basketful of fruits and petals rained down on Afro’s head, completely immobilizing Lei Tao. Combined with the turret’s damage, his health bar vanished in an instant—

Lei Tao’s screen turned gray.

The game took a completely absurd turn. The situation reversed in the blink of an eye, and before anyone could process what had happened, the match ended in dramatic fashion.

Tao Luo let out a bewildered, “Huh?”

Lei Tao turned to Zhen Ning, disbelief written all over his face. “How did you predict I would Flash? Did you see me hiding in that bush?”

Zhen Ning replied, “I didn’t have vision on you.”

“That’s impossible.” Lei Tao was so agitated that he stood up from his chair. “From the moment I stepped out of the bush to the moment I attacked, it was less than two seconds. How could you possibly react in time?”

“He didn’t have vision of the bush, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t know you were there.”

Lei Tao froze. He turned his head to look at Yan Chengfeng, who was standing behind him.

Yan Chengfeng asked, “He stayed under his turret the entire early game. Why do you think he suddenly decided to go to the river to kill that monster?”

Lei Tao was stunned, but then realization dawned on him.

Zhen Ning hadn’t gone to the river for the monster. He didn’t care about that trivial bit of gold. He had baited Lei Tao into initiating the fight!

Zhen Ning had calculated every step Lei Tao would take—predicting that Lei Tao would hide in the bush, that he would lose patience and Flash, and that Afro’s ultimate, with its forced-follow mechanic, would backfire.

He had even accounted for Mianli’s crowd control duration and the turret’s damage. As long as Lei Tao made the move, his defeat was inevitable.

Lei Tao had lost because he used Flash to initiate, while Zhen Ning had won by using Flash to evade. In the end, the match was decided by a single gamble over their use of Flash.

Lei Tao slumped back into his chair in defeat.

Meanwhile, Zhen Ning, the victor, silently reopened the settings menu, adjusted his mouse sensitivity back to its original value, and stood up.

Everyone thought he might say something, but instead, he quietly glanced around the room before finally fixing his gaze on Yan Chengfeng. He blinked once.

Yan Chengfeng slowly walked up to Zhen Ning.

“In your hero pool, there are countless heroes that could easily counter Afro.”

Yan Chengfeng kept a warm smile on his face but leaned in close to Zhen Ning’s ear, whispering through clenched teeth, “You could’ve won this game so easily. Why did you insist on choosing Mianli?”

The two of them were very close.

After being apart for so long, Yan Chengfeng was still adjusting to the height difference between them.

Realizing that he could now look down at Zhen Ning, Yan Chengfeng was initially surprised but felt a subtle, inexplicable thrill.

It was as though, in some way, he had gained the upper hand—a small, physical advantage.

This difference greatly boosted Yan Chengfeng’s self-esteem. Now, when he tilted his head down, the first thing he saw was the back of Zhen Ning’s neck.

Zhen Ning was thin but always stood impeccably straight.

Normally, such proximity between two alphas would feel odd, but Yan Chengfeng’s eyes instinctively lingered on the pale skin at the back of Zhen Ning’s neck.

Yan Chengfeng suddenly frowned.

For all adult and differentiated players, the club required them to wear blocker patches during daily training and matches. After all, in today’s civilized society, which values personal privacy, openly exposing one’s pheromones was basically the same as running around naked.

However, the so-called blocker patches were merely physical barriers, capable of blocking at most 70% of pheromones and couldn’t isolate them completely.

Zhen Ning had applied a patch, but due to their close proximity, Yan Chengfeng still caught a faint trace of his scent.

The fragrance was so subtle it was almost imperceptible, but Yan Chengfeng noticed it. It seemed… slightly sweet.

Before he could analyze it further, he suddenly felt a subtle, indescribable flutter in his heart.

He frowned, staring at Zhen Ning’s delicate side profile. An instinctive feeling told him that something wasn’t right. Before he could lean closer to investigate, Zhen Ning sensed it and furrowed his brows.

“Winning is winning.”

The next second, Zhen Ning turned his face away and quietly put some distance between them. “You lent me your seat and account, so I used your favorite hero to win this match.”

“Just adding a bit of glory to your main hero. Consider it a fair exchange,” he said.

Yan Chengfeng was momentarily stunned, then let out a laugh tinged with anger.

“You don’t actually think a single solo match proves anything, do you?”

He sneered. “Lei Tao might be a hothead, but he’s been playing solidly for a year now. When it comes to real competition experience, he’s miles ahead of you. He’s also better at handling public pressure. Who do you think you are? Don’t tell me you actually believe you’re better than him in any way right now.”

After three years apart, Zhen Ning still knew exactly which hero could throw Yan Chengfeng off balance, even as a spectator. Likewise, Yan Chengfeng knew exactly which hurtful words to say to counterattack Zhen Ning.

They had once understood each other too well. This understanding had given them unparalleled synergy in matches. But now, it had become a weapon they used to hurt each other, enabling them to provoke one another with maximum efficiency and speed.

Zhen Ning’s face paled slightly.

He didn’t reply, just glanced briefly at the clock on the wall.

It was then that Yan Chengfeng remembered Zhen Ning’s words to Lei Tao before the match: that he “had something else to do.”

“This match today was something you asked me to play.” After a moment, Zhen Ning finally spoke. “And I’ve played it for you. If the result isn’t what you wanted to see, then I’m sorry.”

“But don’t worry. I’m just a substitute for the spring split. Lei Tao will still be the one playing alongside you. I’ll gain experience and learn everything step by step from scratch.”

He looked directly into Yan Chengfeng’s eyes and asked softly, “May I leave now, old friend?”

• 1
  kiting=attacking an enemy while maintaining a safe distance
• 2
  a spell used to teleport instantly