Chapter 135: Extra
Ever since he'd learned Shi Luo's streaming account and password, Yu Sui would occasionally stream for Shi Luo during his downtime.
After all, he could never meet his own streaming hours quota anyway, so he might as well help his little boyfriend accumulate some hours—it could at least guarantee Shi Luo his basic contract fee.
Shi Luo's full-hours monthly contract fee was 800,000 yuan, which wasn't small money even for a top-tier player like him.
With the finals approaching, Free had sent their most wild and reckless player, Shi Luo, along with the second most wild and reckless player, Chen Huo, to record pre-match trash talk. The rest of the team was resting at the hotel. Yu Sui, with nothing better to do, booted up the computer to casually rack up some hours for Shi Luo.
"Whisper." Zhou Huo watched Yu Sui log into Shi Luo's streaming account with practiced ease and tried to give him some earnest advice, "Your own full-hours monthly contract fee is 2 million. If you have time, shouldn't you make up your own hours instead? You'd earn more money that way."
Yu Sui hit enter and successfully logged into the streaming account. "I don't need the money."
Puppy在一旁酸溜溜的嘟囔着，「我觉得时洛也不缺钱……」他翻了个白眼，「是我缺，我缺钱，还缺个像余神这样能帮我直播、帮我补时长的男朋友。」
The truth was, Puppy did know how to蹭直播流量 well. Seeing Yu Sui open the game client, he quickly sent a party invite.
Yu Sui directly clicked "Decline."
Puppy remained undaunted. After being declined three more times, he took off his headphones and said, "I'm really not trying to蹭 your livestream fans. I mainly just want to practice team synergy with you. Shouldn't we train if we're short on people?"
"No training." Yu Sui's rejection was straightforward. "I'm just idling to rack up hours and play casually. I'm not using my brain."
"Did you hear that?" Puppy turned to Old Qiao to tattle. "Yu Sui refused to train!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Old Qiao was watching a replay video and had no time for Puppy. "If you're not training, then you're not training… Actually, why are you even bothering him? Yu Sui just wants to mess with Shi Luo remotely. Why do you have to stick your nose into their business?"
Puppy barely managed to resist rolling his eyes.
Old Qiao was in the middle of a crucial part of the replay when Puppy interrupted him, causing him to forget what he wanted to note down. He was in a bad mood too. "Think carefully—why does he have a boyfriend and you don't? Ever thought about why?!"
Yu Sui was quite modest. He queued into a solo match and said, "Please, don't compliment me… The reason I have a little boyfriend is because I spent the time others used for training hitting on little guys instead."
Puppy swore under his breath and put his headphones back on.
At the same time, Shi Luo, who was at the venue waiting for filming, received a notification that his streaming account had been logged into from a different location.
No need to think about it—it was Yu Sui getting on his account and streaming for him again.
The Evil player, who had been putting on his best arrogant face in preparation for the trash talk recording, was trying hard to control the corners of his mouth, managing his expressions so that he wouldn't look too gentle during the actual recording, which would ruin the fiery chemistry of the trash talk video.
Shi Luo kept his face deadpan for a solid hour. The moment recording finished, unable to even wait until he got back to the car, he opened the streaming app on his phone and entered his own livestream room to remotely watch Yu Sui play.
Chen Huo's face soured.
Yu Sui streamed for two hours, going offline before Shi Luo and Chen Huo returned to the hotel. When the two finally got back, Chen Huo naturally couldn't pass up the chance to tease Shi Luo. "Shi Shen watched his own livestream the entire ride back, didn't even blink, and he was watching the danmu too. Such a tiny phone screen, filled wall-to-wall with comments, and he's not afraid of hurting his eyes. A pro player's eyes are so precious. Some people just don't know how to cherish them, don't cherish them…"
Shi Luo acted like he didn't hear a word. "Everyone's here. Let's run a practice match."
Shi Luo rarely acted affectionate with Yu Sui in front of others. No matter how much Yu Sui had stirred up his heart, he could still manage to play the respectable person.
As if it weren't him who, the moment practice ended, couldn't even wait to eat before cornering Yu Sui in their room for a deep kiss while they were changing clothes.
"…Shi Shen."
Shi Luo nowadays couldn't keep his hands to himself whenever he kissed Yu Sui. Yu Sui gently grabbed Shi Luo's hand, which was trying to slip under his shirt. "…Have mercy on me. You start things but never finish them. I can't do this."
Shi Luo buried his face in Yu Sui's chest and took a deep breath.
"Someone asked again during the stream today." Yu Sui was teasing Shi Luo. "Asking when you'll officially announce me."
Regarding when they'd publicly acknowledge their relationship, Shi Luo actually had a plan in mind long ago. As for what that plan was, they both knew it without saying it out loud.
Shi Luo was reluctant to explicitly state his coming-out plan. He was a bit superstitious—he felt like saying it was the same as saying "we'll get married when we win the battle"—not especially auspicious. If he said it, he feared the championship would slip away.
Yu Sui could guess at Shi Luo's superstitions. He stopped pressing and asked instead, "Different question—which account will you use to go public?"
Shi Luo answered without hesitation, "My main."
Shi Luo looked at Yu Sui warily. "I'm not using an alt. Don't even think about it."
As for the shameful memories attached to his alt account, Shi Luo恨不得埋进地里去。
Yu Sui held back a laugh. "Use the alt. I like your alt."
"No." Shi Luo said irritably. "I don't like it!"
Yu Sui scratched Shi Luo's chin. "Use the alt… otherwise, let's settle it in-game? If I win, you use the alt. If you win, you use the main. Deal?"
Shi Luo agonized for a long time, until Puppy came to hurry them along. Then Shi Luo finally said reluctantly, "...Fine."
Unfortunately, the "game" Yu Sui had in mind wasn't what Shi Luo thought.
That evening, after practice ended, Shi Luo stretched his wrists, ready to honor the agreement and challenge Yu Sui to a solo match in-game.
Shi Luo knew in his heart that if Yu Sui got serious in a solo, his odds of winning—whether he played medic or flanker—weren't great.
But to avoid having to publicly announce his relationship with Yu Sui using his alt, Shi Luo decided to go for it anyway.
Shi Luo甚至提前半小时叫了客房服务。
The room service staff brought in tea and snacks. Zhou Huo groggily took them and set them on the coffee table, confused. "Whose coffee is this?"
Shi Luo rubbed his neck. "Mine."
Yu Sui was setting up the solo mode in-game. He glanced back. "It's past 1 AM. Drinking coffee? Not sleeping?"
Shi Luo shook his head. "It's fine."
"Knock it off." Yu Sui said to Zhou Huo. "Pour it out. He's not drinking it."
Shi Luo frowned. "I am."
Yu Sui paused, the corner of his mouth curving up. He sent Shi Luo a message in-game:
Whisper: [Be good. No more coffee.]
Whisper: [I'm not going to bully you. Let's play something fairer.]
Yu Sui finished speaking and deleted the solo custom room he'd just set up.
Yu Sui found a deck of playing cards, shuffled them. "We'll play Fight the Landlord."
Shi Luo: "……"
The others who were still lazing around their spots and hadn't gone back to their rooms yet stared at Yu Sui like he was crazy.
Old Qiao's head hurt. "What are you doing now? If this gets out, you're dead, you know that? Playing cards in secret, you two…"
"We made a bet. Just one hand. It's not a rules violation." Yu Sui nudged a small coffee table over with his foot. "Someone come help make up the numbers."
Old Qiao scowled. "I don't touch anything involving gambling. I won't help."
Puppy was still holding a grudge against Yu Sui for not duoing with him during the day. "I'm not helping either."
Zhou Huo wanted to play, but unfortunately… he didn't know how.
That left only Chen Huo.
Chen Huo rubbed his hands together, practically vibrating with eagerness—
"No." Shi Luo's rejection was absolute. "Chen Huo's brain doesn't work. I'm not playing with him."
Chen Huo: "……"
"I really want to fight you so badly." Chen Huo ground his teeth. "You little punk…"
"Make do with what you have." Zhou Huo tried to smooth things over. "It's this late. Where are you going to find someone else? Just make do. It's just a card game, right? How high are the stakes? Is it really that important?"
Shi Luo hesitated, clearly wanting to say something but embarrassed to. He looked Chen Huo up and down and finally said, "...Fine. Fine."
Chen Huo harrumphed, but sat down happily anyway.
The more Shi Luo looked at Chen Huo, the more unreliable he seemed. He felt Chen Huo was destined to screw him over. Shi Luo couldn't help but say, "Don't you dare… don't take the chance to mess with me. Just one hand. Play properly."
Chen Huo just wanted to play cards and was being dismissive. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
Shi Luo still wasn't at ease. "Why don't you drink that coffee? To clear your head?"
Chen Huo looked at Shi Luo puzzled. "You… how high are the stakes exactly? Why are you being so serious? Are you playing for money? How much per round?"
Shi Luo's lips moved. After a moment, he said, "A hundred million."
Zhou Huo, Puppy, Old Qiao, and Chen Huo all choked simultaneously.
Puppy had immediate regrets. "Can I join instead? I want to handle a hundred-million business too…"
Chen Huo trembled. "Th-this… if I mess up by accident, I'm not doing it on purpose. I'll definitely play properly."
Shi Luo felt slightly relieved. Furrowing his brow, he crouched beside the small coffee table, breath held.
This was a serious matter. Shi Luo was genuinely focused.
Yu Sui's gaze had been on Shi Luo the whole time, a smile playing on his lips. Without even starting the game, he'd already decided to go easy on him.
Teasing the kid was enough. He'd just play casually later and throw the match for Shi Luo.
Zhou Huo served as the "sexy dealer." After Shi Luo briefly explained the rules to him, Zhou Huo nodded with the gravity of someone about to perform surgery. After shuffling, he placed three cards face-down and dealt to each player.
Zhou Huo was breaking a sweat. "I just don't get it. Why do you two always bet so huge on everything? I'm a little nervous here…"
"Stop being nervous, just deal." Chen Huo was a bit nervous too. "Let's draw lots for the landlord. Whoever picks highest starts the bidding."
Puppy helped make the lots. He drew—Shi Luo had the highest number.
By now Zhou Huo had finished dealing. All three players' cards were face-down. When dealing finished, each person picked up their cards.
Shi Luo carefully lifted his cards one by one. His expression gradually darkened…
An Ace, two Kings, two Queens, two Tens, two Nines, an Eight, two Sevens, a Five, two Fours, two Threes.
AKKQQ10109987754433.
Shi Luo took a deep breath…
How could a deck of cards possibly be this terrible?
There was no way to win this.
Shi Luo had never admitted defeat in his life. He gazed at Chen Huo with burning intensity, hoping Chen Huo would have some luck. Maybe he could pair up with Chen Huo as the two farmers.
Chen Huo, carrying the dream of a hundred million, carefully fanned open his cards—
A Two, an Ace, two Kings, a Queen, two Jacks, three Eights, two Sevens, three Fives, two Fours, two Threes.
2AKKQJJ888775554433.
Chen Huo prayed internally, asking his future farming teammate not to murder him later… It really wasn't that he wasn't trying.
Yu Sui had already decided to play recklessly anyway, so he wasn't in a rush. He picked up his cards last—
The two Jokers, three Twos, three Aces, two Jacks, two Tens, two Nines, three Sixes.
Jokers222111JJ1010998666.
Yu Sui: "……"
The sexy dealer, hands trembling online, asked nervously: "Evil, want to bid for the landlord?"
Shi Luo's face was ice cold. "Pass."
Chen Huo swallowed hard. "Pass."
Yu Sui, "…I'll take it."
Zhou Huo placed the final three cards in front of Yu Sui.
An Ace, a Queen, a Six.
Great. That gave Yu Sui two more bombs.
Shi Shen, still counting on Chen Huo, furrowed his brow and seriously instructed him, "Watch carefully. Play well."
Two Jokers, three Twos, two bombs, three consecutive pairs… Yu Sui seriously looked at his hand. How the hell… was he supposed to lose this?
Yu Sui genuinely wanted to throw the match.
But老天不给他 this opportunity.
Even if this were an open-hand game, these two couldn't possibly beat him.
Yu Sui, carrying his love for his little boyfriend, played a Spring Victory right off the bat. Shi Luo and Chen Huo, the two-flanker combo who had been on high alert, couldn't play a single card. They held their plain, unremarkable garbage hand all the way to the end.
Heaven's will was so. Yu Sui couldn't do anything about it.
Shi Shen's long-buried alt account would see the light of day after all.