Chapter 101
The finals were over, and难得地, the entire region was satisfied.
After NSN dropped two consecutive games, their fans had already recognized the gap between the two teams. Their mindset had adjusted before the third game. NSN had already secured their Worlds spot— whether they won or lost the finals wouldn't affect their journey this season. Accepting some setbacks early might help the team learn lessons before Worlds. The fans approached Free's match point with the mindset that losing meant no loss and winning meant a huge gain. What they got instead was the most intense and spectacular game of the season—an unexpected bonus. Most impressively, NSN showed no hesitation even in the third game. WaWa finally broke through his mental block, and NSN had no fear of opponents defeating their strongest playstyle. They fought all the way to the end— a defeat with honor.
Free's fans needed no convincing. In the club's first year, they claimed the region championship, setting a record in itself. They had the championship, and all four players were exceptionally strong. The legendary player created another legend, and the fans took great pride. Clips of Free's highlights from the third game were shared everywhere on social media. The fans' confidence in Free's Worlds journey grew stronger by the day.
At the venue, the post-finals procedures took a full two hours— award ceremony, interviews, post-finals press conference... By the end of it all, the players were starving.
The team had finished all their required procedures, but Yu Sui, as captain, still had a separate interview to do. An official staff member approached the Free team and politely smiled at Yu Sui: "Whisper, just wait a bit longer. We'll need about fifteen minutes for individual interviews. Several media outlets came specifically for you. Thanks for your patience."
Yu Sui usually avoided public appearances and declined all activities, so the media had no choice but to catch him after major tournaments. Standard practice. Zhou Huo agreed repeatedly and told the others to go to the lounge first. Zhou Huo noticed Shi Luo seemed distracted. "Are you hypoglycemic? We have nuts and energy bars. Want some? Hang in there a bit more. We'll leave as soon as Yu Sui's done."
Yu Sui removed the championship medal from around his neck and handed it to Zhou Huo along with his team jacket. He spread his arms for the staff to attach his lapel mic, then glanced back at Shi Luo. "Dizzy? Can you hold on?"
Everyone in the interview area turned to look at Shi Luo following Yu Sui's gaze.
Shi Luo suddenly became the center of attention. His heart raced faster. He shot Yu Sui a look telling him not to draw attention, then shook his head. "Not dizzy. I'm fine."
Yu Sui adjusted his lapel mic himself. "If you can hold on, don't go to the lounge. Wait for me."
Puppy whistled from nearby and pulled Chen Huo toward the lounge. Zhou Huo suppressed a smile, handing Yu Sui's medal and jacket to Shi Luo to hold. Then he left for the lounge too.
Chen Huo looked back in confusion, muttering to Old Qiao as he walked. "What's Yu Sui's problem? He's doing his own interview but needs someone to hold his clothes? Does he think he's in high school? Like some basketball player having his girlfriend hold his jacket?"
Chen Huo was too loud. Before he finished, fans still filming nearby burst out laughing. Shi Luo shot Chen Huo a fierce glare, his ears turning slightly red. But he still held Yu Sui's medal and jacket, leaning against the wall beside the interview area as instructed.
The interview hadn't started yet, but Free's fans in the distance were clicking away nonstop, whispering and laughing about something. Shi Luo couldn't make out what they were saying.
Shi Luo hung Yu Sui's medal around his own neck too. Wearing both medals, carrying Yu Sui's jacket on his arm, he freed his hands to check his phone.
He wanted to post something on Weibo, but the fans were too close. Afraid their high-definition cameras would catch everything, Shi Luo reconsidered and decided against opening Weibo.
After the match and interviews, though not hypoglycemic, Shi Luo was exhausted. He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and quietly listened to Yu Sui's interview in the distance—heard him skillfully dodge interview traps and answer questions fluently.
Most reporters were gentle, asking questions that fit standard templates.
"This is Free's first year, and you've achieved such great success. How is Whisper feeling right now?"
Yu Sui said, "I didn't辜负 this season's hard work. I'm in a great mood and very satisfied."
"Free's performance today exceeded expectations. The entire team's execution was flawless. How would you evaluate your teammates' performance today?"
Yu Sui said, "Normal performance."
But there were a few reporters with trickier questions, deliberately setting traps for Yu Sui.
"Before the match, expectations for both teams were high. NSN's morale was riding high after winning semis, and most people expected a grueling five-game series. No one expected Free to shut out NSN so easily. Given this result, is there anything you'd like to say to the NSN players?"
Yu Sui said, "Let's grab dinner together sometime."
Nearby, Shi Luo, eyes still closed, couldn't help but smile. The distant fans hissed at the reporter, then laughed again.
Yu Sui's off-mic words to Shi Luo after the match had already been released. The reporters naturally couldn't let it go.
"You told Evil after the match, 'Do you have everything others have now?' Was that referring to the medal?"
Nearby, Shi Luo was alone wearing both medals and naturally became the focus of countless camera flashes. He'd already said it openly on the monitoring channel after the match, so there was no point hiding now. He didn't dodge or avoid—just let them photograph.
In the interview area, Yu Sui calmly said, "No."
Shi Luo's eyes snapped open.
The reporter's eyes widened in surprise. "Then what were you referring to?!"
Yu Sui said, "I made a promise to the kid before, but I actually haven't completed it yet, so I won't say more for now."
Shi Luo's throat tightened. He suddenly understood why Yu Sui had asked him to stay instead of going backstage.
The fans兴奋地小声尖叫. Shi Luo's heart raced wildly. Countless cameras were pointed at him. He fought to control his expression. Yu Sui's interviews were always watertight, but this reporter hadn't expected Yu Sui to be so cooperative. The reporter's face lit up like he'd struck gold, and he kept snapping photos.
Everyone assumed Yu Sui was just in a good mood from winning the championship. Little did they know this was just the beginning of Yu Sui's interview explosion.
The same reporter quickly asked, "Everyone knows that because of some well-known past events, Evil had a falling out with you. Now you're completely fine with each other. Was it because the misunderstanding was resolved?"
Yu Sui said, "There was never a misunderstanding between us."
The reporter looked shocked. Abandoning the script, he asked directly, "No misunderstanding... um... then what was the actual problem?"
Yu Sui said, "My problem. When I first met Evil, I didn't have full control over my career. I couldn't give Evil the promise I'd made."
Shi Luo's lips trembled slightly. He wanted to go backstage, but his feet felt rooted to the ground. He pulled his oversized jacket hood up, covering the upper half of his face.
Another reporter asked, "So what was the promise?"
Yu Sui said, "To sign him for a lifetime."
The fans outside had been trying not to disturb the official interview, but they couldn't contain themselves anymore. Excited screams grew louder and louder.
The reporters were excited too, but interview time was almost up. Staff signaled that they could wrap up. One reporter who hadn't asked anything yet seized the opportunity: "Half a month ago, there were rumors online that Whisper might be in a relationship. Is this true?"
It had nothing to do with the competition now. An official staff member stepped in: "Sorry, the player only answers competition-related questions."
Yu Sui's expression remained unchanged: "It's true."
Now not just the fans, but the reporters too couldn't contain themselves. They tried to ask follow-ups, but interview time was up. A Free staff member came forward to guide Yu Sui backstage. Yu Sui, as if unaware of how many atomic bombs he'd just detonated, got up轻松地, walked to Shi Luo, took his jacket from Shi Luo's arm, and ruffled Shi Luo's hair before walking backstage together.
Shi Luo felt like his heart was going to burst through his chest.
It wasn't until now that Shi Luo fully understood the meaning of Yu Sui's words: "Everything others have, you'll have too."
Shi Luo couldn't wait until they got back to the base. Passing by the empty NSN lounge, his voice hoarse: "I have something private to discuss with Whisper. You guys go ahead."
Before the Free team manager could react, Shi Luo yanked Yu Sui into the NSN lounge, shut and locked the door, glanced around to confirm there were no surveillance cameras, then pushed Yu Sui against the wall.
Unable to hold back any longer, Shi Luo kissed Yu Sui on the lips, his voice rough: "...You... are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Yu Sui, pinned against the wall by Shi Luo, smiled. He reached back and turned off his lapel mic.
The lounge was pitch black. Shi Luo couldn't see Yu Sui's face, could only feel Yu Sui's breath on his skin, heard Yu Sui's low voice: "If it weren't for you not wanting to go public, I could've been even more reckless."
Shi Luo was speechless. Before he could respond, he felt Yu Sui shift. Yu Sui continued softly: "Before, you were envious of Rod, weren't you? The way he publicly promised his girlfriend after winning a match?"
Yu Sui's voice dropped lower: "I can do that too."
"We're both professional players. Any move other players can pull on the stage, I can do too."
"My performance is better than all of theirs. The moves I can pull will only be more impressive."
"I played so well today. Why shouldn't my little boyfriend get to experience all these grand gestures too?"
"Shi God... whatever others have, I want to give you all of it."
Shi Luo pressed his forehead against Yu Sui's shoulder, his hands gripping Yu Sui's clothes so tightly his knuckles were white. His throat struggled to swallow.
Yu Sui gently wrapped his arms around Shi Luo, patting his back lightly. After a moment, he laughed. "Shi God... holding that tight—are you trying to rip my clothes off? I know the match is over and vacation started, but this place and timing aren't quite right, are they?"
Shi Luo froze. His grip loosened slightly.
Yu Sui pulled Shi Luo fully into his embrace, whispering in Shi Luo's ear: "Back at the base... you can rip my clothes off all you want."