# Chapter 136: Extra
A few days before the finals, FREE had high-intensity scrimmages exceeding ten hours every day. After NSN's unfortunate loss in the semifinals, though they were eliminated from the finals, since their results had far exceeded their initial expectations, they weren't too discouraged. Instead, they joined FREE's practice squad, helping with the daily high-intensity training.
"I think what you lack isn't intensive training, it's relaxation."
During a break, WaWa video-called Shi Luo alone and looked at his face with concern. "Shi-ge, you have something on your mind."
Shi Luo stared at WaWa with a blank expression, then sighed after a long moment. "It's nothing... Wanna duo queue on my alt?"
They'd already been scrimmaging for eight consecutive hours. Everyone else in FREE's lounge had already left—only Shi Luo remained. WaWa had wanted to convince Shi Luo to rest too, but Shi Luo insisted, so WaWa had no choice but to duo queue with him.
At this point, duo queuing with WaWa wasn't about practicing anything anymore—just maintaining muscle memory. WaWa understood this too. The two of them casually dominated through pure muscle memory, not needing to communicate. After playing a silent game, Shi Luo干脆把和瓦瓦连着的视频也关了，俩人零交流盲打。
After playing a silent game, Shi Luo，干脆把和瓦瓦连着的视频也关了，俩人零交流盲打。
The kind-hearted WaWa supported Shi Luo while effortlessly typing in the game chat at the same time.
**[Awa]:** *[What's going on bro? You've gotten your revenge, the championship is basically locked in, what else could you be worried about?]*
Shi Luo glanced at the team chat and typed:
**[jyhbdhs]:** *[He wants me to go public with my alt.]*
Who "he" was went without saying.
What the "alt account" was about, WaWa—who loved keeping up with esports gossip—knew perfectly well.
**[Awa]:** *[...That's gonna take some courage.]*
**[Awa]:** *[You two are really bold though, going public officially, that's pretty thrilling.]*
**[Awa]:** *[...But why am I secretly really excited about this?!]*
A random teammate in their game was also a nosy one. After watching Shi Luo and WaWa's team chat for a while, they were completely confused. It was a complete stomp—the game was going so smoothly they had plenty of time to chat. The random player took advantage of a lull in fighting and curiously typed:
**[Random Guy]:** *[What do you mean? What's this gibberish bro or sis going public about?]*
If he could go back in time, to that spring when they first got together, Shi Luo would never have been so stupid as to create a ridiculous alt account that now backfired on him—first being cyberbullied by fans who didn't know the truth for months, and now putting himself in this dilemma.
But back then, just having started dating Yu Sui, Shi Luo—still young and unable to express his feelings—had gotten used to trying to be cool. There were many things he couldn't say out loud, but being a teenager with a bit of edginess and teenage angst, he'd wanted to leave some kind of record of his relationship with Yu Sui.
Although it was no secret that this alt account belonged to him, actually admitting it out loud still took courage.
The cringeworthy Weibo posts on that alt account were mortifying to anyone who read them.
Except for Yu Sui.
Yu Sui didn't find it embarrassing at all—in fact, he frequently "reviewed" them, scrolling through whenever he had free time, finding something new every time he looked back on those relationship records.
After sweeping Holy Sword 3-0, FREE's path to Worlds had effectively concluded in a sense. The few troublemakers on the team who loved watching drama had shifted their biggest anticipation for the finals to waiting to see Shi Luo's alt account go official with Yu Sui.
The entire team—no good people among them!
It was rare to encounter a stranger, and Shi Luo found himself unusually inclined to vent. He thought for a moment, then typed:
**[jyhbdhs]:** *[Going public... about being in a relationship.]*
The Random Guy went quiet for a long time, then weakly typed: *[Coming out? You need to make it public? Why wouldn't you? What's the deal? Is your boyfriend some kind of big shot? A celebrity?]*
**[jyhbdhs]:** *[A celebrity? Something like that.]*
Random Guy tactically went silent.
Two players on the enemy team had already gone AFK from being steamrolled. Shi Luo continued typing:
**[jyhbdhs]:** *[He has tens of millions of fans, so yeah, kind of a celebrity. You can think of it that way.]*
**[jyhbdhs]:** *[...We've been together for a year. I was worried about affecting him, so we kept it secret.]*
**[jyhbdhs]:** *[But he likes me too much, keeps asking me to go public, really wants to go public.]*
**[jyhbdhs]:** *[Recently he gave me an ultimatum—just... in a few days, I have to go public.]*
**[jyhbdhs]:** *[It's not that I don't want to go public, I'm just a bit embarrassed.]*
Random Guy continued his tactical silence.
WaWa，一边感叹不愧是他时哥一边摇摇头，也安静了。
WaWa sighed and shook his head, muttering about how that was so like his Shi-ge, then fell silent too.
Shi Luo didn't notice anything unusual. Furrowing his brow, he kept typing:
**[jyhbdhs]:** *[I will go public though. He's too good to me. I shouldn't always be hiding and lying.]*
Random Guy finally asked after a while: *[Um... how good is he to you? He's a celebrity, must make pretty good money, right? Do you know his annual salary?]*
**[jyhbdhs]:** *[Not sure about the exact annual salary, but yeah, he makes a lot. He gives me over twenty million a year—is that a lot?]*
**[Random Guy]:** *[...]*
Random Guy彻底不说话了。
Random Guy went completely silent this time.
Shi Luo's team smoothly pushed through the enemy base. Shi Luo quit the game as usual, but WaWa stayed, watching with great interest as the two random players chatted.
**[Random Guy 2]:** *[In situations like this, what do doctors usually say?]*
**[Random Guy]:** *[Delusional disorder, late stage. Nothing we can do. Family should try to keep them grounded... Hey Awa, are you this guy's friend?]*
WaWa quickly typed happily: *[Yep! Friend!]*
**[Random Guy]:** *[Maybe try talking some sense into him more often. His game skills are so good, how'd his brain break like this? Did he get sick from being a hardcore fan?]*
WaWa suddenly understood his Shi-ge's heartache from back when he'd posted couple stuff on his alt account and gotten cyberbullied. Unbelievable love really was hard to maintain! WaWa shook his head, no longer bothering to argue. Sighing about his Shi-ge's difficulties, he quit the game too.
Three days later, FREE swept the final BO5 3-0, dominating their way to the championship.
This was the first championship since their team restructured. The entire FREE team was thrilled, though not quite as ecstatic as they'd been after sweeping Holy Sword—not enough to party until they passed out.
After all, they had to stay sharp, waiting to enjoy Shi Luo's show.
After the award ceremony, post-game interviews, and the obligatory league-organized celebration dinner, FREE finally returned to the hotel for their own team celebration.
Zhou Huo gleefully went on Twitter to mock and taunt people, while Chen Huo and the others drank and teased Shi Luo, urging him to go public already.
Shi Luo was excited but also embarrassed. He shot Chen Huo a look. "What's it got to do with you guys?"
"Actually, it does have something to do with us," Chen Huo said seriously and frankly. "Seeing you struggle like this makes us extremely happy."
Shi Luo wanted to snap back, but he was genuinely happy. He wanted to get angry, but his voice already carried an involuntary laugh. "Get lost!"
Yu Sui couldn't drink, so he just sat there eating fruit.
Shi Luo knew Yu Sui was waiting for something. He picked up his phone, hesitated, thought for a moment, then put it away again. He vaguely explained, "Wait... wait a bit!"
Puppy couldn't help but snicker at that.
Shi Luo didn't need anyone to pour him drinks. Within half an hour, he'd already had two cocktails to work up his courage. When he reached for another empty glass, Yu Sui—who had been quiet all along—placed his hand over Shi Luo's glass and softly said, "That's enough. Any more and it'll hurt your stomach."
Chen Huo and Lao Qiao had huddled together rambling nonsense. There wasn't anyone else around them anymore. Shi Luo cleared his throat slightly. "I'll post on Weibo after I've had more to drink. Right now my face is too thin-skinned, I can't do it."
Yu Sui smiled at that and still took away Shi Luo's glass, flipping it upside down on the table.
"Come with me."
Yu Sui didn't disturb their teammates and staff who were already acting drunk and rowdy. He led Shi Luo back to his room.
A "beep" sounded as Yu Sui swiped his key card. "During that card game, I really did give you a chance. I wanted to let you win all along, but unfortunately, Young God Shi, you just didn't deliver... I'll give you one last chance."
On the small table in Yu Sui's room sat ten identical black gift boxes.
Yu Sui sat in a chair nearby, tapping the table. "Draw lots."
"There are ten boxes. In one of them is a note with the official announcement copy that Zhou Huo helped you write. If you pick that one, you won't have to post from your alt account—I'll post it on Weibo." Yu Sui looked at Shi Luo, something flickering in his eyes as if recalling something. He slowly said, "God Shi, one in ten odds. Wanna play?"
Shi Luo was stunned.
A year ago, when Yu Sui had just returned to China, in that club, the two had been at each other's throats. Shi Luo had looked at those ten drinks filled with strong liquor and said to Yu Sui: God Yu, one in ten odds, wanna play?
Shi Luo smiled, his eyes turning red.
The one who'd been leaving room for the other all along, making concessions—not just him.
After a moment, Shi Luo wiped the corner of his eye with his thumb. "All ten boxes actually have notes in them, right?"
Yu Sui smiled and shook his head.
Shi Luo was puzzled. Before he could speak, Yu Sui continued: "I'm not lying. There really is only one box with the note. But..."
"You can draw ten times."
Shi Luo laughed. "That's cheating..."
Yu Sui looked at Shi Luo. "With me, you can cheat all you want."
Evil, who hadn't cried even after winning Worlds, almost lost it right there from just this one sentence from Whisper.
Yu Sui couldn't help but add, "But try to be decent about it. Don't actually pick the one with the note in the very last box."
Shi Luo almost laughed again. He sniffed, walked to the table.
All ten boxes looked exactly the same—there was nothing to go by. Shi Luo randomly picked one up based on instinct and opened it—
The box had no note, but it wasn't empty either.
Inside the box was a contract.
Shi Luo glanced at it—it was his contract to re-sign with FREE for next season.
It was identical to the one he'd signed at the start of this season, except the signing bonus was another ten million more.
Shi Luo looked up. "How am I worth this much?"
"I think you're worth it. I have the money, and I want to give it to you." Yu Sui urged, "Keep opening."
Yu Sui's tricks were really too many. It was a happy day, and Shi Luo didn't want to lose his composure. He calmed himself down and opened the second box—
A pair of情侣项链。
A matching couple's necklace.
The third box—
一枚男戒。
A men's ring.
The fourth box—
一套限量版键帽。
A limited edition keycap set.
The fifth box—
一条限量款男士围巾，绣着时洛的选手ID。
A limited edition men's scarf, embroidered with Shi Luo's player ID.
...
"Where did you even find the time to shop around?" Shi Luo truly couldn't understand. "When did you buy all this?"
"I picked the styles and had Zhou Huo help me buy them." Yu Sui took out his phone while calmly watching Shi Luo open the gifts. "I didn't originally plan all this... Things here are cheap. When I saw other players buying gifts for their girlfriends that day, it reminded me."
Shi Luo bit his lip, remembering how before the domestic finals, Yu Sui had told him—whatever other couples have, he would have too.
Whatever tricks other players could pull, Yu Sui could do them all.
Shi Luo's lips trembled slightly. He took a deep breath and opened the sixth box—
Yu Sui's first career medal.
"This one is truly one-of-a-kind worldwide," Yu Sui said. "No other player has this."
Shi Luo's chest felt full. He carefully and reverently set Yu Sui's medal aside.
Shi Luo's luck really was terrible. He truly opened all the way to the last box before finding the note with the official announcement copy that Zhou Huo supposedly wrote.
In the last box was a folded note. Shi Luo carefully unfolded it. Written on the note in Yu Sui's handwriting:
I love you.
Shi Luo, Yu Sui loves you very much.
Yu Sui held his phone, quietly waiting for Shi Luo to finish opening all ten gifts, then pressed "Send."
Yu Sui turned his phone screen toward Shi Luo. "Look."
Yu Sui had posted a Weibo, the content identical to what was written on the note, word for word.
Ten minutes later, after the sector fans had screamed their fill under Yu Sui's official blog, they suddenly noticed that Shi Luo's alt account—once chased and nearly reported into oblivion by fans—had posted for the first time in a long while:
I love you.
Yu Sui, Shi Luo loves you very much.
──End of Extra──
──The End──