SMS CHAPTER 11

During his coaching career in the United States, Joe became famous for his crazy decisions and tactics.

It was precisely this madness and unpredictability that had propelled KYM to the World Championship semifinals last year.

Yan Chengfeng admired Joe’s coaching style, but even he had to admit that sending Zhen Ning in at this moment was just…

Utterly reckless.

No team had ever subbed in a replacement player so abruptly without any prior indication. To make matters worse, Zhen Ning hadn’t been participating in their training matches. Making such a rash decision could lead to a loss, exposing the team to enormous risk and backlash.

Even Tao Luo, who was usually carefree, was starting to panic.

She fumbled for a long time but couldn’t come up with one of her usual jokes. When the match began, all she could manage was a weak, “Everyone… everyone, good luck.”

They entered the Ban & Pick phase—the critical moment where teams select their heroes and ban their opponents’ strongest ones.

BP is arguably the most strategic part of a match, where both teams try to counter and restrict each other’s options. DXG started by banning a few meta-dominant heroes, as well as Mianli, a hero frequently used by Yan Chengfeng.

Marksmen and junglers are the core of a team, so most teams prioritize securing strong heroes for these roles.

Joe asked, “Zhen Ning, want Star Lion?”

In the previous games, KYM’s strategy had always been to first-pick the overpowered Star Lion for Lei Tao. But Zhen Ning shook his head.

“Pick for Tao Luo first,” Zhen Ning suggested instead. “I can take Mooncard later.”

Everyone froze for a moment.

Joe hesitated briefly, then chuckled. “That works.”

Mooncard was a hero depicted as a handsome, white-haired boy wielding tarot cards. As a marksman with highly complex mechanics, he had earned the nickname “The Dealer” among players.

Though his damage potential was strong, his difficulty was even higher—his gameplay required mastering three distinct combos: dealing cards, retrieving them, and reshuffling. Most players considered his mechanics too challenging for the payoff, so those who preferred reliable burst damage, like Lei Tao, rarely picked him.

KYM’s previous strategies had always revolved around “protecting Lei Tao and ensuring he played heroes he was most comfortable with.”

But Zhen Ning’s presence suddenly expanded the team’s hero pool. Tao Luo could now pick her signature hero, Strawberry Man.

Although she had no objections, she wasn’t used to being prioritized by the team.

Just as she was unsure of what to do, she heard Yan Chengfeng speak in a low voice, “That works. I’ll take Sunflower as support.”

Mooncard and Sunflower were a classic AD-support sibling duo for the bottom lane. While they hadn’t been seen often in recent matches, their synergy remained strong. This immediately eased much of Tao Luo’s guilt.

Her eyes lit up, and she said, “Great! I’ll start farming from the blue side and come gank for you two early!”

When Zhen Ning locked in Mooncard, the livestream chat predictably erupted.

[So crazy, so crazy, so crazy! The last time I saw the Sun-Moon duo must’ve been Worlds last year. This Neither guy might actually have something going on!]

[But the Dealer is such a hard hero to play. If you mess up the Sun-Moon sibling duo, it’s basically like being stuck in jail the whole game. Is he picking this because he’s genuinely skilled, or is he just bluffing?]

The game entered the early laning phase, where players focused on farming and development.

Seeing the ID above the player next to him show [KYM-Neither], Yan Chengfeng finally felt a sense of reality sink in.

It was a strange yet familiar feeling.

The person beside him, whether in the way he managed minion waves, placed pings, or executed subtle habits in his kiting techniques, was completely different from Lei Tao.

He was Zhen Ning.

Yan Chengfeng tried his hardest to ignore this fact, convincing himself it was just an ordinary match.

But he couldn’t stop himself from recalling the time they trained together. Those memories were etched deep into his instincts and muscle memory, impossible to erase or forget.

His heart pounded so hard it felt like it would leap out of his chest, and his hands began to move uncontrollably.

“Chef’s playstyle is a bit different from usual.”

The commentators were a little confused. “He seems more aggressive than in the previous two games. Could it be that KYM has changed their strategy?”

After Yan Chengfeng forced the opposing AD back under their turret with yet another skill shot, Zhen Ning finally spoke up. “Don’t rush.”

It was the first sentence the two had exchanged in days.

Yan Chengfeng suddenly realized he had overextended.

Every time he thought about the fact that Zhen Ning was sitting right beside him now, he felt an uncontrollable urge to show off just how much he had improved over the years. He wanted every skill to land perfectly on the enemy, forgetting that overextending in lane could easily make them a target for the enemy jungler.

Of course, there was no way Yan Chengfeng would ever admit his mistake to Zhen Ning.

He took a deep breath and, after a long pause, stiffly responded, “Got it. Just focus on yourself.”

It was the kind of childish, petty exchange that felt straight out of kindergarten—hardly what one would expect from a bottom lane duo in a professional match.

The silence in the team comms lingered for a moment before Tao Luo coughed and interjected, “Uh, I’ll finish clearing the jungle and come gank soon. Try to position closer to the river, okay?”

Two minutes later, Yan Chengfeng opened with a crowd-control skill, followed by Tao Luo’s Strawberry Man landing an ultimate. Zhen Ning maneuvered Mooncard, dealing cards while moving—smoothly and fluidly maintaining damage from the sidelines.

The three executed a near-perfect combo, wiping out the opposing bottom lane duo in seconds. KYM secured first blood and a double kill.

The crowd erupted in applause. Tao Luo, unable to contain her excitement, shouted, “Nice!”

Yan Chengfeng couldn’t help but chime in, “Beautiful.”

But the moment the word left his mouth, he realized his “Beautiful” seemed to praise two people at the same time.

He froze for a second, then quickly added in a stiff tone, “…Tao Luo, good gank.”

The addition sounded bizarre no matter how you looked at it. Tao Luo was stunned for a long moment before she finally responded blankly, “Oh. Uh, thanks.”

Yan Chengfeng couldn’t stop himself from sneaking a glance at Zhen Ning out of the corner of his eye.

Zhen Ning was calmly clearing the minion wave, saying nothing.

But it was precisely this quiet, neither happy nor angry demeanor that made the unbearable awkwardness in Yan Chengfeng’s heart swell again.

Yan Chengfeng’s character, Sunflower, was a fairy girl carrying a sunflower, whose main skill was planting seeds.

If a teammate clicked on the seed, they would be instantly teleported to Sunflower’s side.

Seeds were scarce. In rare situations, they could be thrown to teammates following behind to help them advance—though doing so was considered a wasteful luxury.

Yan Chengfeng hesitated for a moment, glanced at Zhen Ning, who was traveling behind him, and finally chose to casually drop a seed.

At the same time, he coughed heavily.

Yan Chengfeng thought his hint was obvious enough. However, in the next second, he saw Zhen Ning’s Mooncard stop in place, pause briefly in front of the round seed—

And then walk straight past it.

Yan Chengfeng: “…?”

Tao Luo, who happened to witness the scene: “Pfft—”

Even the livestream chat couldn’t hold back.

[Hahahaha, I’m dying, what is this top-tier coordination? My god…]

[Requesting a song for Chef: Passing By.][mfn]

[/mfn]

[Absolutely no synergy. It’s obvious Head Chef and this new sub-AD are total strangers. Even random solo queue players would’ve picked up that seed! Hahaha!]

Yan Chengfeng held back for a while, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

Finally, he couldn’t help but ask, “Did you not see the seed?”

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Zhen Ning finally replied. “I saw it.”

Yan Chengfeng laughed in frustration. “You saw it and still didn’t pick it up on purpose? We’re in a competition. What were you even thinking?”

Zhen Ning was quiet for a moment. “I didn’t avoid it on purpose.”

He paused briefly, then added, “I didn’t think you threw it for me.”

Yan Chengfeng was suddenly taken aback.

Zhen Ning’s tone didn’t sound like he was lying, and there was no reason for him to lie at such a critical moment in the match. That meant he genuinely believed the seed wasn’t meant for him.

Then who did he think it was for? Did he think it was for Tao Luo behind him?

After a while, Yan Chengfeng finally pulled himself together. Suppressing the complicated, bitter feeling rising in his chest, he said, “…Tao Luo has plenty of mobility skills. She doesn’t need it. Next time I throw it, just pick it up.”

After a long pause, he heard Zhen Ning reply, “Okay.”

They didn’t say anything more.

The game progressed into the mid-to-late stages. KYM and DXG remained evenly matched, both teams eager to initiate a fight and secure an advantage.

Xu Hao said, “They’re going for Baron[mfn]”Baron” refers to Baron Nashor, the most powerful neutral monster in League of Legends. In this novel’s fictional game, it should be a similar enemy—a dragon that spawns in the dragon pit.[/mfn]. It’s still got three-quarters of its health. Should we try to steal it?”

Yan Chengfeng glanced at the time. The moment was critical—they couldn’t afford to hesitate. “Yes.”

“I’ll engage first,” he said. “If you can follow up, do it. If not, just sacrifice me. Watch your positioning and health; play it safe.”

Xu Minghe and Tao Luo both responded, “Got it.”

Without hesitation, Yan Chengfeng dove into the dragon pit.

But as he leaped forward, he hesitated briefly before tossing a seed behind him.

In truth, he had already roughly calculated the distances between himself and his teammates. Given the timing of his throw and the seed’s landing spot, it was highly unlikely anyone could catch it.

It was more of a habitual action, a casual toss. After all, as a support, taking risks and sacrificing himself was part of the job. Yan Chengfeng didn’t really expect a response.

Yet, at the very moment he dove into the pit, a figure appeared almost instantly at his side, charging in with him—

Yan Chengfeng: “…!”

When the developers designed Mooncard and Sunflower as a sibling duo, they added some special Easter eggs between them. For instance, whenever the two used their ultimate abilities, they would both leap forward a certain distance—and at that exact moment, beautiful sun and moon patterns would bloom in the air.

The moonlight was cold and elegant, the sunlight dazzling and brilliant, intertwining on the screen like an unreal fireworks display.

Even Tao Luo couldn’t help but let out a “Wow.”

A moment later, Yan Chengfeng finally snapped back to his senses.

It was Zhen Ning.

Zhen Ning had picked up his seed.

At that moment, Zhen Ning was actually the farthest from Yan Chengfeng—even farther than Xu Minghe, who was standing at the edge of the pit. Yet, he had still managed to pick up that seed almost instantly.

Because he had used Flash to get it.

Flash is the most critical, life-saving ability for any AD carry, yet Zhen Ning had used it without hesitation—just to grab that tiny seed.

Of course, his decision wasn’t meaningless. The moment he picked up the seed, Zhen Ning was teleported right next to Yan Chengfeng. Without missing a beat, he activated his ultimate, scattering his cards over DXG’s unsuspecting team in the pit.

Zhen Ning’s movements were smooth and seamless. Alongside Yan Chengfeng, he began dealing damage the moment they landed, catching DXG completely off guard as they focused on securing Baron.

Nearby, Tao Luo, Xu Minghe, and Xu Hao, who had been lying in wait, quickly followed up with crowd control and burst damage, executing a flawless team fight!

The commentator could barely contain his excitement. “Neither Flashed to grab Chef’s seed! The duo entered the fight together and caught DXG off guard just as Baron hit critical health! Their teammates followed up with the damage, and KYM successfully steals Baron while wiping out DXG!”

The livestream chat exploded.

[HELP, that was a VISUAL FEAST!! I didn’t know the Sun-Moon combo could be played like this???]

[I’m absolutely speechless. An AD willing to Flash for the seed—this must be every Sunflower player’s dream AD, right???]

[Are these the same two players from that disaster ten minutes ago…]

[The precision! Chef’s seed placement was spot-on. Without it, they couldn’t have entered the fight. Neither’s Flash to grab the seed was perfect too—just a second slower, and DXG’s support might’ve noticed. This was true teamwork at its finest!]

From that moment on, victory was inevitable.

Even as they pushed down the enemy Nexus and secured the win, Yan Chengfeng still felt an overwhelming sense of unreality.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears. The dragon pit scene kept replaying in his mind—the adrenaline rush, the thrill of perfect synergy. He couldn’t stop reliving it.

KYM earned their first point in the Spring Split.

Despite Zhen Ning’s exceptional performance in the final game, he had only played one match, so Tao Luo was named MVP and happily went off for the post-match interview.

Yan Chengfeng went to the bathroom. When he returned, Xu Hao and Xu Minghe were already on the bus, and the staff were packing up the equipment.

The lounge was empty except for Zhen Ning. He stood with his back to Yan Chengfeng, quietly packing his bag.

Watching him, Yan Chengfeng felt the urge to ask, “How did your first match feel?”

But given the current state of their relationship, he knew he could never initiate such a warm conversation—something that only happened between close friends.

As he struggled with how to start speaking, Zhen Ning turned around.

Only one light remained on in the lounge, casting a dim, ambiguous glow. For a moment, when Yan Chengfeng saw Zhen Ning’s face, he froze.

Zhen Ning had always been handsome. In his youth, with his naturally cool and reserved demeanor, Yan Chengfeng used to tease him, saying he’d grow up to be “a scumbag alpha constantly chased by omegas.”

But now, the traces of immaturity had faded completely. His features were softer, more refined—lean and pale, with those same cold, clear eyes. There was a unique, chilly yet fragile beauty to him.

Right. Yan Chengfeng thought. Zhen Ning now… is an omega.

More precisely, an omega who, by any alpha’s standards, could be considered breathtakingly beautiful.

That realization made Yan Chengfeng’s eyes widen.

A wave of conflicting emotions surged in his chest. He stared blankly at Zhen Ning’s profile, his thoughts more tangled than ever. Even his throat felt inexplicably dry.

Then he heard Zhen Ning ask, “Is there something you want?”

The calmer Zhen Ning looked at him with those dark eyes, the more Yan Chengfeng felt completely seen through.

“…Nothing.”

He averted his gaze, his mind a mess. He began rambling to cover up his panic, “I just wanted to tell you—although Lei Tao didn’t perform well today, that doesn’t mean you’ll always get the starting spot. He still has more practical experience than you, so you—”

In truth, Yan Chengfeng hadn’t thought at all before speaking.

He had a habit of choosing the harshest words possible—because most of the time, Zhen Ning’s face remained calm, never giving much of a reaction.

But for some reason, today, at the mention of “Lei Tao,” Zhen Ning’s expression flickered just for a moment.

Then he suddenly asked, “Can he do it?”

Yan Chengfeng was caught off guard. “What?”

Zhen Ning didn’t answer for a long time.

After a moment, his eyelashes quivered. He set down the things in his hands, turned around, and walked toward Yan Chengfeng, step by step.

“As you said, Lei Tao does have more practical experience than I do.”

Zhen Ning said softly, “But can he give up a Flash to pick up your seed? Can he execute today’s dragon pit play with you, turning you from someone who mindlessly protects a teammate into someone who fully realizes their potential and plays at the highest level you’re capable of?”

“I only have one question for you.”

Zhen Ning met Yan Chengfeng’s gaze, as if peering straight into his soul. “Yan Chengfeng, did you have a blast playing today or what?”

---

Author’s note:
Hey, you—say something!