Chapter 84
The tender feelings Shi Luo had carefully nurtured were doused thoroughly by his fans' icy remarks.
Shi Luo wasn't ready to give up. Accustomed to fighting haters, his vigilance was sharp—he knew all about reverse trolling tactics and figured this was probably an enemy team stirring up trouble.
Suspiciously, Shi Luo clicked through every commenter ID one by one—the tiny spark of hope he'd been clinging to was extinguished.
There were loyal old fans who had followed Yu Sui for five or six years, technical fans who made highlight compilations of his matches, sister fans who had donated over 10,000 yuan in his streams, straight male team fans who had loved his team since the FS days, die-hard fans who hadn't missed a single live match in two years...
The users cursing his alt account the harshest had posted almost nothing but praises and over-the-top compliments about him before, their content increasingly heartfelt...
Shi Luo压制住怒火，把本要脱口而出的脏话咽回了肚子里。
They were all his fans, some were girls—there was absolutely no way he could curse at them.
Even though they couldn't hear him.
Even though they were really being way too harsh in their insults to his alt account.
"I'll let it slide..." Shi Luo was so angry his scalp throbbed, "If I really went off on you idiots, no one could flame me..."
Shi Luo couldn't bring himself to do something as ridiculous as arguing with his own fans on his alt account. He was about to delete all the comments, but couldn't bear to since they were his fans. He stopped reading comments but still stubbornly posted another tweet:
【I'm moving in with Yu Sui. He can actually change bed sheets, fold clothes, and make beds.】
No sooner had Shi Luo's tweet gone live than a user named "挚爱Evil一生" commented: [@Free电子竞技俱乐部 He's at it again, can everyone report him together and get his account banned?]
Looking at this fan's ID—someone who was threatening to get him banned—Shi Luo pinched the bridge of his nose, exhausted...
If things didn't work out between him and Yu Sui in the future, not a single one of his fans would be innocent.
Shi Luo logged off his alt account and put away his ill-fated love.
Shi Luo had just switched back to his main account when Yu Sui returned carrying takeout.
The rain outside was still heavy, droplets clinging to the takeout bags.
Shi Luo pulled out a small desk from under his bed and set it on the windowsill. Yu Sui placed the takeout on the desk, and the two leaned against the windowsill to eat.
Yu Sui unpacked the food while studying Shi Luo's face. "What's wrong?"
Shi Luo blinked and looked up. "Hmm?"
Yu Sui set out the takeout containers. "That expression of yours... looks like you just got angry."
Shi Luo opened his container, hesitated, then told Yu Sui what happened.
"My fans are mocking me, cursing at me... and some want to report me. One even said they'd beat me up." Shi Luo's face was blank as he held chopsticks in his mouth, words slightly muffled. "That fan who threatened to beat me up was posting on Weibo yesterday wishing that Shi Zhai's every wish would come true. My only wish now is for her not to ruin my love. Can she do that?"
Yu Sui held back a laugh. "What's your alt account ID? Let me check it out."
"No way!" Shi Luo was already embarrassed recalling the melodramatic posts on his alt account—how could he let Yu Sui see them? "There's nothing worth seeing. I'll delete it all later."
"Then what should we do?" Yu Sui slowly stirred his congee. "What if... you posted from your main account?"
"Don't joke about that." Shi Luo unwrapped his milk tea, took a sip. "That would basically be going public."
Yu Sui took a sip of congee, tone light. "Then let's go public."
Shi Luo licked the milk tea from his lips, uncertain. "What do you... mean?"
He eyed Yu Sui suspiciously. "Playoffs are coming up soon. Don't cause trouble. I'm serious, you—"
Yu Sui looked up. "What about me?"
Shi Luo paused, unable to articulate it clearly. "When you lose it... you're actually scarier than me."
Yu Sui laughed. "Have I ever lost it?"
"Haven't you heard? The calmer and more mild-mannered someone seems, the more terrifying they are when they snap." Shi Luo spoke with feeling. "That's you."
"Besides." Shi Luo bit his straw, voice low. "You have way more female fans and 'wife' fans than I do... Can you really let that go?"
Yu Sui smiled. "Have I ever cared about that?"
Shi Luo's heart warmed, and the stuffy anger in his chest vanished completely.
Shi Luo picked up his chopsticks and bent over his food. "Forget it. Dating in secret is pretty good too."
Yu Sui sipped his congee leisurely. While Shi Luo wasn't looking, he took out his phone and searched Weibo.
Shi Luo had left enough clues. It didn't take Yu Sui long to find Shi Luo's alt account. He copied the link into his phone's notes, then set the phone aside.
After they finished eating, the other base members woke up one by one. Yu Sui didn't bother hiding, staying in Shi Luo's room until around 5 PM when Lao Qiao came knocking.
Today was a regular season match—Saint versus Shi Luo's former team, IAC.
They had to watch Saint's match. Rather than waiting for post-match reviews, watching the live stream was better, especially since afternoon practice had been canceled. Not doing training scrims meant they'd just review early anyway.
Zhou Huo, eager to probe Yu Sui about his and Shi Luo's situation, arrived at the training room early. Pretending to understand the game, he sat off to the side wearing glasses, holding a notebook and pen.
The team members trickled in, and soon the match began.
Since Shi Luo's transfer, IAC's competitive strength had dropped significantly. They were no longer a top-tier team in the league.
But Saint showed IAC due respect, bringing out their world finals-level strategies. IAC's current playstyle was stable, calculated positioning across all lanes. Saint had clearly prepared counter-strategies, playing even more steadily and cautiously than IAC. In the first game, Saint advanced methodically, preferring a slower pace rather than giving IAC any openings. They could have easily won, but dragged the match out to nearly fifty minutes.
Anyone watching might have thought Saint was playing an elimination match at Worlds.
"Saint..." Puppy couldn't help but laugh. "What happened to Saint lately? Do they need to be this professional?"
Lao Qiao's brow remained furrowed. "I feel like they're..."
Yu Sui watched silently, saying nothing.
The two commentators were analyzing the importance of Saint's cautious strategy, debating endlessly. Zhou Huo, who could only follow the commentators' explanations, said, "The commentators explained it—it's the right strategy."
Except for Zhou Huo, no one agreed.
Professional players might not be as articulate as expert commentators, but their insight into gameplay was far sharper. Shi Luo frowned. "Saint isn't incapable of fast attacks. If they'd suppressed IAC's frontline from the start, this match would have been over already. Why use the slowest possible method... The win rate is higher, but it's too dragged out."
Chen Huo rubbed his neck. "Everyone else finishes their match and goes home. But them... It's like they're paying out of pocket to sightsee. They want to showcase every single match."
Yu Sui watched the screen, then suddenly turned to Shi Luo. "Their flanker... Amaze. They call him Old A, right? Do you know how old he is?"
Two years ago, when Yu Sui was still in Europe, Amaze had been Saint's substitute flanker and hadn't played any matches. Outside of Shi Luo, no one on the team had ever faced him, so they didn't remember much about him.
"Old A..." Shi Luo frowned. "If I remember correctly, he should have just become a starter about a year ago. I didn't even know Saint had someone like him before that. After he started as a starter, I heard from people at my old team that he'd actually been in the league for a while. His exact age... I don't know."
"I know." Lao Qiao said. "He's from the same Saint youth training cohort as Tian Shi Jian. Tian Shi Jian is twenty-three this year, so Old A is two years older."
"Twenty-five." Yu Sui paused, then said quietly. "He just became a starter last year. Sounds like someone who was rewarded for persistent effort—his regular training must have been relentless..."
Shi Luo's eyes flickered, sensing Yu Sui's implication.
Lao Qiao startled, sitting up straighter. "You think... he's retiring?"
"Not sure." Yu Sui leaned back in his chair, tone calm. "Based on typical league patterns, snipers have the longest career span, followed by medics. Flanker is the position with the lowest average retirement age. The demands on reaction speed are just too high. And that's not even counting injuries and wear and tear. A player at his age... if he really is..."
Yu Sui shook his head gently. "I hope not."
The training room fell silent for a moment.
The others understood clearly—Yu Sui's speculation was the most logical explanation for Saint's current situation.
Lao Qiao hesitated. "Now that you mention it... I think I remember hearing that Old A has issues with his right shoulder..."
Saint's overall vibe was clearly about trying their best in every match, playing each one like it might be their last. They didn't slack off even against weaker teams,恨不得多打上几分钟, clearly they could preserve tactics and energy for playoffs and the upcoming Worlds, but they refused to—almost as if... they couldn't wait anymore.
The most logical explanation was that someone on their team was facing career-ending injury. They truly couldn't wait.
"He..." Zhou Huo struggled to understand. "It's only been a few months. There must be some way—temporary strong-effect treatment, a team physician, whatever. Even if he has to lie down, he should make it to Worlds!"
"If he could lie his way there, he would. No one doesn't want to go to Worlds." Lao Qiao said quietly. "But what if he can't hold on that long? And besides..."
Lao Qiao countered: "How do you know he hasn't already been getting strong-effect treatment to hold on this long?"
Lao Qiao continued slowly: "I did conservative treatment first back then, then switched to strong-effect treatment and hung on for another half year before retiring. After starting strong-effect treatment, you literally can't see the end. You don't know if you can make it to any particular date. All you can do is grasp the present."
The second game was about to start. Zhou Huo watched the Saint players, still feeling regretful. "Actually... there should still be a way. The regular season hasn't ended yet. It's like when you guys forced Shi Luo to play right before playoffs a few years ago. Now rush to buy a substitute flanker, let the rookie play a match before the regular season ends, and there's still hope. If Old A can't hold on, the rookie steps in."
Puppy said: "We can think of that, Saint definitely thinks of it too. But they didn't do it. They chose to keep the current roster. Look at their condition... everyone looks pretty positive. They're not pushing themselves unreasonably. This is clearly the whole team's decision."
Lao Qiao sighed. "Injuries, man... they really are the absolute worst."
Shi Luo had only been a professional for two years. His teammates and players from other teams were all young and in great shape. He was the one who could least relate to forced retirement due to injury.
Shi Luo wanted to search how long Old A had been playing, but patted his jacket pocket—the phone was in his dorm.
Shi Luo stood to get his phone from the dorm.
"What's the point?" Zhou Huo still felt it was a waste. "If they keep playing like this, the whole team might not make it to Worlds. Rush to get a rookie, let him substitute when Old A can't hold anymore. That'd be great. What is Tian Shi Jian thinking..."
"Thinking what?" Puppy shrugged. "Thinking he doesn't want Old A substituted, obviously."
Zhou Huo laughed helplessly. "He's injured. Who's to blame for that? What's wrong with being substituted?"
"Nothing wrong." Lao Qiao stared at Old A's screen. "He's already been a substitute on Saint for six or seven years. Do you think he's not used to being on the bench by now?"
Zhou Huo was speechless.
Lao Qiao said: "If I were Tian Shi Jian, I wouldn't agree to the substitution either. However many days he can play, I'll play with him for those days... He kept me company all those years before. Can't I keep him company for a few months now?"
Chen Huo exhaled. "If my teammate was like that... I probably wouldn't want a rookie either."
Puppy nodded. "Whatever. My body's solid. Lose once, there's a next time."
Zhou Huo looked at the others in surprise, laughing. "Didn't you guys promise to be total villains? How'd you all get so teammate-loving suddenly?"
"Don't恶心 me." Chen Huo said disgustedly. "Who loves them... but you still know the difference between close and distant, okay?"
Shi Luo returned to the training room with his phone. He'd forgotten to close the training room door earlier. Before he could step in, he heard Zhou Huo say: "Thinking about it, I can kind of understand... No matter how much you tease each other normally, when it comes time for retirement, you still can't let go. You can never be completely rational, because they're teammates you've been with for so many years..."
Zhou Huo murmured: "Once feelings get involved, nothing's simple. So many years of feelings together..."
Shi Luo froze mid-step.
Shi Luo instinctively felt... he couldn't quite join this conversation.
Everyone else was a "teammate of so many years" except him.
"But it can't just be anyone, either." Chen Huo said listlessly. "If Shi Luo little brat suddenly broke his hand tomorrow, I'd rather him play one-handed than let some substitute take his spot."
Shi Luo in the doorway startled.
"Even if it kills him..." Puppy said slowly, "He's had no Worlds experience, and the haters have torn into him for so long... If it weren't for that damn incident a couple years back, he should have gone to Worlds ages ago. Ugh, don't even think about it too deeply..."
Yu Sui said flatly: "I thank you both for the jinx on Shi Luo's behalf. His hands will never break."
Lao Qiao smiled. "Then let's all work harder. This year we must push into Worlds, so Evil can have his moment too."
Shi Luo leaned against the doorframe. After a moment, he ducked his head and smiled.
Having been游离在人情之外 for so many years, after all this time, Shi Luo finally felt grounded—for the first time, he felt like he had a place that was truly his.