WCG Chapter 72

Last scheduled update (for this series) of the year! See you next year~

Jiang Shi casually asked Sun to shake hands, but after a perfunctory touch, he immediately pulled Xie Xu off the stage.  

Just now, Sun and Xie Xu had shaken hands for a full 28 seconds. What if those CP fans in the audience made a big deal out of it again?  

Could this guy stop sticking so close to Xu!  

Distracted, Jiang Shi didn’t watch his step and almost tripped, but Xie Xu caught his hand, reversed the grip, and said, “Watch where you’re going.”  

With that, he led Jiang Shi off the stage.  

By sheer coincidence, they ended up near the audience section, specifically where the CP fans were seated.  

Jiang Shi immediately spotted their still-glowing support signs:  

[Sun & Xu Forever!]  

The sight of Jiang Shi and Xie Xu holding hands was clear to the audience.  

Jiang Shi squinted, and as if unintentionally, swung their joined hands slightly outward while walking.  

As a result, he successfully earned a wave of heartbroken, resentful gazes from the crowd.  

At that moment, Jiang Lele, sitting in the front row, turned around and excitedly asked, “T Bao, how did you decide on that lane switch timing? That was genius!”  

Jiang Shi’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately let go of Xie Xu’s hand, stuffed his hands into his pockets, and said, “Just guessed.”  

“Move forward, don’t just stand there.”  

Jiang Lele pouted. “Fine, if you don’t want to say, don’t say it. No need to be so snappy.”  

Once the group ahead turned back around, Jiang Shi quietly took a step closer to Xie Xu, looking for a chance to hold hands again. But when he glanced over, he saw Xie Xu deliberately putting his hands into his pockets.  

Xie Xu said, “There are no steps ahead.”  

In other words, there was no need to hold hands.  

Jiang Shi replied with a frustrated “Oh” and started wondering if he had been too rough earlier and accidentally hurt Xie Xu’s hand.  

However, his attention was soon drawn to the scene at the venue entrance.  

The trash cans near the entrance were stuffed with CP merchandise featuring Xu and Sun. The bins were overflowing, and many items had been violently torn apart, with pieces scattered nearby.  

It was clear this match had completely crushed the spirits of those CP fans.  

In stark contrast, Jiang Shi’s fans were energetic and excited. When Jiang Shi came out, they were so thrilled that they even shouted, “Dad!”  

Looking at the fan cards in their hands, Jiang Shi asked Xie Xu, “Captain, can I go sign autographs for them?”  

Before the match, they had been so focused on the game strategy that they hadn’t interacted with fans at all.  

Xie Xu nodded.  

Jiang Lele said, “Captain, we’ll head to the car first.”  

After the others left, Xie Xu stayed nearby, waiting for Jiang Shi. Meanwhile, Lion team members were also leaving the venue, and Sun, spotting Xie Xu, said a few words to his teammates before walking over.  

Keeping a respectful distance, Sun’s first words were: “Are you dating your little AD?”  

The hand-holding and public display of affection on stage had been noticed not only by the audience but also by him.  

Xie Xu glanced at him. “I thought losing so badly would at least make you pretend to be upset.”  

Sun’s tone, however, was unnaturally cheerful, as if it was Lion who had won instead of TLG.  

Sun looked around at the nearby fans, coughed into his hand, and stifled his gossiping smile. “It’s not like we’re out of the playoffs. Our team’s position is secure.”  

“It’s just, I really thought using two top laners would completely crush your team.”  

Due to the tournament format, the top two teams in the regular season standings advanced directly to the playoffs’ winner’s bracket, skipping the initial matches. But Time’s exceptional performance today had completely derailed their plans.  

With another strong team, ST, in the mix, it was now unclear which two teams would secure the top spots.  

After talking so much, Sun didn’t forget his real purpose. Squinting, he glanced at Jiang Shi, who was busy signing autographs for fans. “So, what’s the deal? Are you guys together?”  

Looking at the fans enthusiastically piling gifts into Jiang Shi’s arms, Sun joked, “Your AD’s popularity is skyrocketing, just like South back in the day.”  

“Even his playstyle is similar.”  

South had been TLG’s ace AD during its peak years, widely regarded as the best AD in China before abruptly transferring to Korea.  

Xie Xu followed Sun’s gaze and said, “He’s better than South.”  

Jiang Shi’s potential was limitless.  

“Oh? That’s high praise,” Sun teased. “So, are you two really dating? Give me a straight answer so I can prepare the wedding gift.”  

Before Xie Xu could respond, someone cut in.  

Jiang Shi appeared with a wary expression. “Your team’s bus is over on the other side.”  

He had only gone to sign a few autographs, and this guy was already cozying up to Xie Xu again.  

Sun looked at Jiang Shi, who had firmly inserted himself between them, and mischievously remarked, “Even if you block me, I can still talk to Xu.”  

Glancing at the height difference between Jiang Shi and Xie Xu—Xie Xu being half a head taller—Sun measured them with his eyes and teased, “So, you still haven’t grown taller recently, huh?”  

At best, he’s 175 cm.  

If Xie Xu hadn’t stopped him, Jiang Shi would have lunged at Sun.  

On the bus, Jiang Shi was fuming.  

Yuan Yang tried to comfort him. “He’s just messing with you. Don’t take it to heart. Your height is fine.”  

When Jiang Lele found out what happened, he laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his seat. “Sun is so petty! He’s just getting back at you for crushing him in the game!”  

During today’s match, most of the team fights had been initiated by Jiang Shi and Xie Xu, with Sun as the primary target. Even Sun had seemed frustrated during the game.  

Zhao Jiu couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Xiao Shi, don’t be mad. Let’s have Yang-ge schedule a scrimmage with Lion tomorrow, and you can beat him up again.”  

Jiang Shi’s expression softened slightly, but the next second, Yu Hui looked at him seriously and asked, “You really haven’t grown taller?”  

Jiang Shi: “…”  

“Hahaha!” Jiang Lele laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes. “Back, you’re even more vicious than Sun.”  

On the way back to the base, the laughter in the car didn’t stop.  

When they arrived, Jiang Lele was the first to rush out. “I bought snacks for Xiao Hei. I’ll go pick them up at the gate.”  

The others scattered quickly, afraid Jiang Shi would start venting. In the end, only Xie Xu remained.  

Xie Xu reached out his hand. “Let me help you carry the gifts from the fans.”  

“No need.” Jiang Shi hugged the items tightly to his chest. “I can manage.”  

These weren’t just ordinary gifts. Many were CP merchandise featuring him and Xie Xu, including one with two dolls kissing. There was no way he could let anyone else see them.  

Xie Xu paused, then withdrew his hand. “Alright.”  

——

After the high-intensity match, Yuan Yang finally slowed the pace, saying they’d review tomorrow and allow them to train freely tonight.  

Jiang Shi packed up the gifts and walked into the training room, where he immediately saw Jiang Lele chasing Xiao Hei around.  

Jiang Lele’s short legs were no match for Xiao Hei, who could leap onto tables and crawl under desks. Every time Jiang Lele was about to give up, Xiao Hei would stop, sit on a table, lick its paws, and glance at him disdainfully.  

It infuriated Jiang Lele.  

In the end, Yu Hui grabbed Jiang Lele by the collar and pressed him back into his chair, complaining impatiently, “So noisy.”  

Luckily, no one lived downstairs; otherwise, they would’ve come up with a knife already.  

Yuan Yang was dizzy from all the running around. “Lele, why are you chasing Xiao Hei for no reason?”  

Jiang Lele sat in his chair, panting, “I bought cat treats, but this stinky cat won’t eat them!”  

He glared at Xiao Hei with indignation. “I even bought the super expensive kind. The shop promised it was an irresistible cat treat. I’m going to demand a refund!”  

Jiang Shi couldn’t stand it anymore. “You’re chasing him like this. It would be strange if he eats your food.” 

“Xiao Hei used to be a stray, so he’s very cautious. Squeeze the treat onto the ground and stay far away. Then he’ll eat.”  

It had taken Jiang Shi months to get Xiao Hei to trust him enough to come home. Jiang Lele had only been at it for a few days.  

With a skeptical look, Jiang Lele cleaned the floor and squeezed out the treat, retreating to his seat. Pretending to play on his phone, he kept an eye on the cat.  

After a solid five minutes, Xiao Hei finally leapt off the table, walked over to the treat, glanced at Jiang Shi to make sure he wasn’t reacting, and started eating.  

“This cat is just as cunning as you,” Jiang Lele clicked his tongue. “Feeding it feels like feeding you.”  

Jiang Shi rolled his eyes and ignored him.  

Having tasted the treat’s flavor, Xiao Hei finally moved closer to Jiang Lele and even meowed at him.  

Jiang Lele looked perplexed. “T Bao, you were just as sweet when I gave you gifts during your livestreams.”  

Jiang Shi: “…”  

He smiled faintly. “You mean those 0.01-value little hearts? I’ll refund them to you, but don’t come to my streams again.”  

Jiang Lele: “What about that starship gift during your debut stream with the team? Not going to mention that, huh?”  

Jiang Shi didn’t bat an eye. “That was the cornerstone of our teammate bond. You sure you want it back?”  

Jiang Lele fell silent.  

Still, he managed to lure Xiao Hei step by step to the edge of his seat with the tasty treats.  

Meanwhile, Jiang Shi was in custom training mode, waiting for Xie Xu to finish talking with Yuan Yang so they could duo queue.  

At one point, Jiang Shi reached for his thermos. It was the one Xie Xu had brought to the venue but hadn’t finished, so it ended up next to Jiang Shi’s computer.  

Just as he twisted the lid, his arm was jolted by an unexpected force, sending the thermos flying. The cup tipped, spilling honey water all over the desk.  

Jiang Shi immediately grabbed his keyboard and microphone, turning them upside down to shake off the water.  

The clattering of the thermos hitting the ground scared Xiao Hei so much that its fur stood on end. In a flash, it bolted out of the room just as the door opened.  

Xie Xu entered to find the desk in chaos and Jiang Shi soaked.  

He took the keyboard from Jiang Shi, placed it upside down on the desk, then used tissues to dab at the water on Jiang Shi’s clothes. Frowning, he asked, “What happened?”  

Jiang Lele finally snapped back to his senses, grabbing several tissues to place on Jiang Shi’s desk. “I was using cat treats to lure Xiao Hei onto the desk, and I tried to grab it, but it jumped and knocked into Time, who was drinking water…”  

After finishing his explanation, Jiang Lele glanced guiltily at Jiang Shi’s tense expression. “I didn’t mean it, T Bao.”  

Jiang Shi pursed his lips. “Forget it, it’s fine.”  

After all, it was his cat that caused the mess.  

They used a hairdryer to dry the keyboard, which still worked after plugging it in, but the microphone wasn’t so lucky—it was completely unresponsive.  

Xie Xu, noticing Jiang Shi’s distress, said, “These things are consumables anyway. I’ll ask Yuan Yang to get you a replacement later.”  

Jiang Shi nodded.  

The equipment in the training room was top-tier, each piece worth ten times the price of what he used to own. He’d used broken, scratchy microphones for years, so seeing a brand-new one break after just a few months hurt.  

At least the keyboard was salvageable.  

After tidying up the desk, Jiang Shi called Yuan Yang, who explained that the second team also had several broken mics and the inventory was low, so replacements wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow.  

Jiang Lele, feeling guilty, offered, “T Bao, use mine!”  

“No need,” Jiang Shi replied. “I still have an old microphone I can use.”  

Jiang Lele blinked. “The one with the static noise?”  

While cleaning the desk with a wet wipe, Jiang Shi said casually, “The one I used at the very beginning. It’s a bit hard to hear but still works.”  

That “static mic” had actually been sold during his move over New Year’s.  

“Oh,” Jiang Lele said. “By the way, was Xiao Hei scared just now? I’ll go look for it.”  

He started to get up but was stopped by Yu Hui, who dragged him into a game.  

“Back, I need to find the cat with T Bao! Why are you dragging me into a match?” Jiang Lele protested.  

Without even looking back, Yu Hui replied, “I can’t be bothered to wait.”  

Jiang Shi was about to say he could go find Xiao Hei himself when Xie Xu said, “I’ll go with you.”  

The two searched around and eventually found Xiao Hei hiding under Jiang Shi’s bed.  

Because Xiao Hei had moved into the base, Jiang Shi’s room door had been left open during the day.  

Jiang Shi lay down to peer under the bed. “I don’t know if the honey water spilled on it earlier.”  

But Xiao Hei looked like a mass of yawning void. Even with a flashlight, it was impossible to tell if his fur was wet.  

Just as Jiang Shi was resigning himself to waiting a few more hours, he suddenly heard the sound of plastic being torn.  

Xie Xu had brought the cat treats from Jiang Lele.  

Jiang Shi said, “Captain, it’s no use. In this state, he won’t eat anything.”  

Before he could finish, a small black head peeked out from under the bed.  

It nuzzled against Xie Xu’s hand before opening its mouth to bite the treat.  

Jiang Shi: “?”  

This lustful cat.  

With just one treat, Xie Xu managed to coax Xiao Hei out. After eating, the cat didn’t leave but started circling Xie Xu’s legs.  

Jiang Shi even heard a rare series of contented purrs.  

Once he was sure no honey water had spilled on Xiao Hei, Jiang Shi unceremoniously carried the cat away. “Go find Jiang Lele.”  

Even he hadn’t gotten such cuddles from Xie Xu.  

Xiao Hei glanced up at Jiang Shi, then turned back, stretched a paw, and clung to Xie Xu’s pants.  

Clearly, the cat had decided to stick around.  

Xie Xu chuckled, picking the cat up and holding it in his arms.  

Jiang Shi said sourly, “Captain, he’ll shed fur all over you.”  

Xie Xu replied, “That’s fine. Our team uniforms are black. Nobody will notice.”  

And so, Jiang Shi stood by and watched as Xie Xu played with the cat for a full ten minutes. Xiao Hei only left when he got bored, hopping off to walk out of the room.  

As he stared at the cat’s retreating figure, Jiang Shi’s heart bubbled with jealousy.  

Ungrateful, foolish cat who doesn’t know how to cherish such honor.

He wanted to be hugged by Xie Xu too.  

Xie Xu brushed off the fur on his uniform. “He’s quite similar to you.”  

“That’s impossible,” Jiang Shi quickly retorted. “I could hug you all night!”