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This exhibition was TLG’s last outing before the competition. After a day of fun, the entire team entered their final pre-match preparation phase.
TLG and ST made it to the winners’ bracket in the playoffs, which meant they were already in the top four. The other two teams that advanced were Lion and a dark horse team, QF.
Last year, QF was eliminated in the top ten of the Spring Split, so no one expected them to break through and make it to the final four this time.
The semifinals followed a knockout format, with two matchups. The winners of each match would advance to the finals to compete for the championship. The matchups were TLG vs Lion and ST vs QF
TLG played first against Lion. The two teams were longtime rivals, but with Jiang Shi now in TLG, and after such a long period of team synergy development, they were no longer the underdog team that everyone used to criticize.
Although the match was competitive, TLG ultimately secured a 3-1 victory with little suspense, advancing to the finals.
The next evening at 7 PM, the TLG team paused their training and gathered around Xie Xu’s computer.
Tonight was ST vs QF.
More importantly, ST’s Korean player, Xiaoxiao aka Smile, who had never played in the Chinese league before, was finally making his debut.
Standing behind them with his arms crossed, Yuan Yang smirked. “They finally let their mid-laner out? I was wondering how long ST planned to keep him hidden.”
Jiang Lele let out a sigh of relief. “I thought they’d wait until the finals against us to field Xiaoxiao.”
“But it might not even be ST we’re facing in the finals,” Zhao Jiu analyzed the matchups. “QF is a newly risen team, but they’re aggressive and skilled. It’s really hard to say who will win.”
Yu Hui nodded in agreement.
Jiang Shi glanced at ST’s chosen mid-lane and jungle champions, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.
Xie Xu noticed and turned to him. “What are you thinking?”
At that moment, both teams had locked in their champions, and the final countdown to the match began.
Jiang Shi paused before speaking. “ST’s mid and jungle are both strong at invading, and their support is aggressive as well. There’s a high chance they’ll invade the jungle at level two.”
QF was a strong team, but their strengths were mainly in the top and mid-lane. Their jungler was rather mediocre.
Moreover, their team composition lacked early-game damage. If they didn’t prepare for the invasion, they wouldn’t be able to stop ST’s aggressive playstyle.
After Jiang Shi finished his analysis, Xie Xu smiled slightly and handed him a cup of honey lemon water.
It was getting hot, and since Jiang Shi didn’t like drinking hot water, Xie Xu had prepared a chilled lemon drink in the fridge for him.
Jiang Shi had been talking for a while and was feeling thirsty. After drinking the water and setting the cup down, he looked up just in time to see ST’s mid, jungle, and support invading QF’s jungle together.
QF was caught off guard. Not only did they lose their red buff for free, but their health bars were also shredded, forcing them to recall.
In the early game, getting chunked like that was practically the same as dying.
It seemed that QF hadn’t expected ST to play so aggressively. From that point on, ST controlled the tempo entirely, and QF lost without putting up much of a fight.
The next two games were similar. From BP to macro play, strategy to execution, the gap between the two teams was obvious, especially in the mid-lane.
Even though QF’s mid-laner was decent, the difference between him and Smile was crystal clear.
Smile wasn’t just good at solo kills, his teamfight awareness was exceptional too. No wonder ST had spent a fortune signing him.
In the end, ST crushed QF 3-0, and Smile was awarded the MVP of the match.
After the match, Yuan Yang’s expression turned serious. “QF’s individual players have solid mechanics, but their team coordination is still lacking. Compared to an experienced team like ST, they’re just not on the same level.”
The coaching staff had similar concerns. Every time they watched the BP phase, they could easily spot ST’s strategic maneuvers, whereas QF only reacted on the surface, blocking the less important threats.
Still, the team had caught his attention. With more practice, they could stabilize in the top eight.
With ST vs QF concluded, the Spring Split finals were officially set.
TLG and ST would face off for the championship on Saturday at 4 PM in A City.
As the host announced the match’s conclusion, Jiang Lele was the first to turn away. “I’m going back to practice.”
Smile’s dominant performance put a heavy pressure on Jiang Lele.
Yu Hui also returned to his seat to train with him.
Jiang Shi stretched his neck and wrists, then bumped Jiang Lele with his elbow before starting his training. “Stop looking so miserable. You look ugly.”
Jiang Lele pouted. “I’m just not as good as Smile.”
He had always claimed to be a mid-lane mage assassin specialist, but after joining TLG, Yuan Yang had convinced him to switch roles.
Jiang Shi wasn’t good at comforting people and hesitated for a while before finally saying, “If you can’t beat him, just avoid him. I’ll take out their ADC and help you clear waves.”
Jiang Lele: “?”
The game hasn’t even started, and this Little White Hair brat is already eyeing his minions?
Clutching his chest, Jiang Lele didn’t feel comforted at all. If anything, he felt a chill run down his spine. “T Bao, can’t you say something encouraging instead? And are you even sure you can beat their ADC?”
“ST’s ADC is no joke.”
Jiang Shi responded flatly, “He’s good, but I’m better.”
He said it calmly.
Jiang Lele: “…”
But strangely, after hearing Jiang Shi’s confidence, he did feel a little less anxious.
Even if the sky fell, Jiang Shi’s ego would probably hold it up. He’s not afraid of anything.
Listening to their conversation, Xie Xu chuckled. “Lele, I think you might be misunderstanding something.”
“Your mage assassins aren’t weak. Back when Yuan Yang told you to switch roles, it wasn’t because you weren’t good enough, it was because the team already had enough burst damage. What we needed was a mid-lane utility player, so you expanded your hero pool.”
Jiang Lele froze for a moment. “Oh, right… Back then, North was still on the team. With him and our jungler at the time, assassins didn’t fit our comp.”
This was the second time Jiang Shi had heard people talking about North.
Each time, the circumstances were different, but one thing was clear — North was strong.
He played a similar aggressive, high-damage style to Jiang Shi.
But Jiang Shi didn’t know much about him, except that he was once TLG’s star ADC before transferring to Korea’s YB team.
Was North close to Xie Xu?
Jiang Shi glanced at Xie Xu.
Ever since the exhibition, their relationship had subtly grown closer.
But with Yuan Yang’s intense training schedule, they barely had time to spend together. At most, they sneaked some hand-holding in the hallway after practice.
And always under the watchful eyes of their neighbor with searchlight-eyes, Jiang Lele.
Xie Xu was reviewing the ST vs QF replay when he noticed Jiang Shi looking at him and turned his head.
Jiang Shi was about to ask about North when a loud “Bang!” interrupted him.
Jiang Lele, who was revived with full health, looked excit4ed. He pulled Yu Hui with one hand, and Jiang Shi with the other. “Back, T Bao! Let’s queue up for ranked! This mid-laner will carry you and kill everyone in the canyon!”
But before he could send the party invites, he noticed—
Both Jiang Shi and Yu Hui were already in a game.
Only a fool would play with Jiang Lele in his current state.
Time flew by, and the grand finals arrived as scheduled in the midst of intense training schedule.
Unlike previous matches, a professional makeup artist was present at the venue. They even applied a layer of lipstick on Jiang Shi, saying it would make him look better on camera.
Jiang Shi wanted to wipe it off countless times, but Yuan Yang loomed behind him like a hawk. “Don’t. Smudged lipstick looks even weirder.”
Seeing Jiang Shi like this, Yuan Yang’s previous plan of making Jiang Shi a new esports god was in full swing.
When the team’s makeup was nearly done, Yuan Yang sneakily took a photo.
Zhao Jiu was frowning and looking at the mirror, Yu Hui was leaning back in the chair with eyes closed for a nap, and Jiang Lele was pouting his lips and asking the makeup artist to make his lips look cuter.
Xie Xu was sitting casually, looking down at his phone, revealing his cold persona.
Jiang Shi was blowing air, his cheeks puffed up.
His mouth felt too wet. He wanted to dry it a little.
It was obviously a very cute action, but Jiang Shi had a stinky face, and the way he looked in the photo was particularly funny.
So, Yuan Yang posted it all on Weibo:
#Waiting to claim the championship~#
The first comment below the post:
[ST Coach Juanyun[mfn]卷云, it means Cirrus clouds. It’s a type of cloud that looks like wispy streaks.[/mfn]: Dreaming before the sun sets?]
Yuan Yang’s forehead twitched. He immediately deleted the comment and set it to be invisible to the sender.
What an old fool.
Jiang Shi finally waited until everyone finished their makeup and returned to the lounge together.
By then, he could use the excuse of going to the restroom, wipe his mouth with a tissue, and even if Yuan Yang got mad, he wouldn’t specifically call the makeup artist back to fix his makeup.
Jiang Shi’s plan was solid, but just before heading back, Jiang Lele kept admiring himself in the mirror and pulled Yu Hui for selfies.
They couldn’t leave until everyone was ready.
Jiang Shi couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped forward and snatched Jiang Lele’s phone. “Play with it in the lounge.”
“The lighting here is better!” Jiang Lele tried to grab his phone back, but as he lifted his foot, he stepped on something.
When Jiang Lele saw what it was, he jumped back like lightning.
Jiang Shi slowly looked down and saw a dark footprint on his shoe — one he had only worn twice.
Aside from the last exhibition, he had saved these shoes specifically for the finals. And now…
Jiang Shi looked up and greeted Jiang Lele kindly, “Jiang Lele, you fucker.”
Jiang Lele also realized they were new shoes.
He quickly tried to make amends. “Dad, don’t be mad! I was wrong! I’ll wipe it clean it for you!”
He wiped at the mark with his hand, but instead of cleaning it, he smeared it, making it even dirtier.
He wailed, “It’s all my fault for playing in the mud with Xiao Hei this morning.”
Jiang Lele shouldn’t have said that.
Hearing it, Jiang Shi’s expression darkened even more.
He pulled Jiang Lele up. “Stop wiping. Your phone is confiscated. You’ll get it back before the match.”
Then he turned to leave. Jiang Lele howled behind him, “There’s still an hour left! How can I live like this!”
Back in the lounge, Jiang Shi endured Jiang Lele’s wailing for five minutes until his ears felt like they would explode.
Did this little winter melon have too much energy to burn?
Eventually, Yu Hui couldn’t stand it anymore. He covered his ears and said, “Time, just give it back to him. Otherwise, he’ll scream until the match starts.”
Jiang Lele immediately lowered his voice, “Dad, I didn’t mean to step on your shoe. Please forgive me this once.”
He patted his chest and promised, “After the match, I’ll scrub it clean when we get back to base!”
Jiang Shi rolled his eyes, not believing a word of it.
“If the enemy mid-laner camps me and you’re busy sneaking off to kill river crabs, you know what’s coming.”
Jiang Lele nodded frantically. “Relax, that Smile guy won’t have more deaths than me.”
Then he turned to Zhao Jiu. “Jiu-ge, I’ll stay bot lane later. You hold the line, alright?”
Zhao Jiu listened to their blunt strategy and helplessly gestured an “OK.”
Only then did Jiang Shi return the phone to Jiang Lele. “I’m going to the restroom.”
Jiang Lele responded absentmindedly.
Jiang Shi repeated, “I’m going to the restroom! If anyone asks, remember to tell them!”
Since Xie Xu, the team captain, was away for a pre-match interview, and Yuan Yang went with him, neither were in the lounge.
Jiang Lele finally understood. “If the captain comes back, I’ll tell him right away! Oh, T Bao, put on that heart rate monitor watch. They said it needs to be tested early to be accurate during the match.”
For this finals, players were required to wear heart rate monitors, allowing viewers to see their real-time heart rate during the match, adding more excitement to the broadcast.
Jiang Shi bit down on the last piece of his lemon candy, put on the watch, and headed to the restroom.
As he washed his hands, he couldn’t help but stare at his reflection. The makeup felt unnatural. It made him so pale it was like he had been dead for three days.
He splashed some water on his face, trying to fix it, but the makeup didn’t budge.
Then he suddenly remembered the makeup artist’s proud voice earlier: “It’s all waterproof makeup! No matter how intense the match gets, your makeup won’t smudge, dear~”
Just as he was debating whether to scrub harder, someone knocked on the door.
Xie Xu’s voice came through. “Jiang Shi?”
Jiang Shi quickly wiped his face and opened the door.
Xie Xu looked at the water on his face and chuckled. “Not used to the makeup?”
Jiang Shi pursed his lips. “Yeah.”
The last time he wore makeup was for a keyboard endorsement shoot, but he had been busy then, and he removed it right after filming, so it didn’t feel this long.
Xie Xu grabbed a tissue and gently wiped away the remaining water on Jiang Shi’s face. “It’s just a light foundation. Don’t think about it, and you’ll be fine.”
Jiang Shi nodded but suddenly remembered something. He tilted his head up. “They also put lipstick on me. It won’t come off.”
His voice sounded troubled — clearly unable to accept the idea of wearing lipstick.
Xie Xu’s gaze landed on Jiang Shi’s lips.
Maybe to let him see better, Jiang Shi subconsciously leaned in closer. His usually pale lips were now rosy and pretty, with tiny water droplets still clinging to them under the overhead light, making them glisten.
In this posture, Jiang Shi looked like he was asking for a kiss.
Xie Xu lowered his head and naturally pressed a kiss to Jiang Shi’s lips.
Their lips met, and Xie Xu’s lips were now tinged with water—and the color of Jiang Shi’s lipstick.
“It’s lighter now,” Xie Xu glanced at the mirror. “Take a look.”
Jiang Shi quickly looked — not at himself, but at Xie Xu’s lips.
Redder than before.
His heart pounded wildly, like a little hammer drumming against his chest.
He thought he heard Xie Xu chuckle softly, but Xie Xu didn’t tease him. Instead, he grabbed another tissue, dampened it, and crouched down to wipe the black smudge off Jiang Shi’s shoe.
“When I got back, Lele immediately told me he stepped on your precious shoes and that you were probably crying in the restroom, heartbroken and refusing to come out.”
Jiang Shi looked at Xie Xu squatting in front of him and stiffly tried to pull his foot away, afraid of kicking him. He ended up frozen in place. “I wasn’t heartbroken. It’s just… these were a gift from you.”
At the exhibition, despite the crowd, he had been so careful not to dirty them. He never expected them to be ruined by his own teammate.
Xie Xu meticulously cleaned the mark until the shoes looked brand new again, then tossed the tissue into the trash. “I’ll give you lots of gifts in the future. Will you always be this cautious?”
Jiang Shi paused. “At the beginning, at least, I should take good care of them.”
Hearing this sincere yet cheeky response, Xie Xu couldn’t help but ruffle Jiang Shi’s hair.
Since Jiang Shi insisted the hairstylist not use hairspray to style it, his hair remained soft and fluffy.
Jiang Shi lowered his head, letting Xie Xu mess up his hair however he wanted.
Xie Xu smoothed down a few stray strands by Jiang Shi’s ear. “Did you just eat candy? What flavor?”
Jiang Shi felt the light touch on his cheek, then looked up at Xie Xu. “You’ll know if you just kiss me again.”
This time, it was a blatant request for a kiss.
Xie Xu obliged, cupping Jiang Shi’s face and kissing him again.
Unlike before, this kiss lingered. He even tasted the candy’s flavor.
Xie Xu wiped away the lipstick smudged at the corner of Jiang Shi’s lips. “Lemon-flavored.”
Jiang Shi ignored his hammering heart, lowered his voice, and forced himself to sound calm. “You guessed right, but there’s no reward.”
When they walked out of the restroom, Jiang Shi’s face and ears were a little red, but he looked otherwise composed.
Even when Jiang Lele suspiciously glanced at them, Jiang Shi met his gaze with a steady look.
He had trained for this.
He wasn’t the same inexperienced newbie who panicked after a single kiss.
Jiang Lele: “T Bao, your lips are really red.”
Jiang Shi: “The makeup artist overdid my lipstick.”
Jiang Lele: “Your ears are red too.”
Jiang Shi: “I washed my face with cold water. Got chilly.”
Jiang Lele glanced at the bright sun outside and the 27°C temperature, looking utterly confused.[mfn]as someone who lives in a tropical country, 27°C is a very nice, rather cool temperature… humidity really makes all the difference huh[/mfn]
What nonsense was this little White Hair guy talking about?
Just then, the lounge door burst open.
Yuan Yang rushed in. “Time, are you okay?”
Jiang Shi: “?”
Yuan Yang checked the tablet showing player heart rate data and gasped. “Your heart rate hit 170! The staff asked if we needed an ambulance.”
Jiang Shi looked down at the flashing red numbers on his heart rate watch and at the people staring at him.
He fell silent.
Was it too late to throw this stupid watch away?
Same! 27°C for me is the perfect temperature for sleeping.