Yu Nuo wasn’t good at lying, especially in front of Yu Ge.
Her eyes darted around as she clutched the pillow beside her, nervously explaining, “This is just a fan support t-shirt, nothing else.”
Yu Ge stared at her intently, his voice cold: “So why would his fan support t-shirt appear in our home?”
Whether she faced it now or later, it would be just as difficult. Yu Ge would eventually find out about her relationship with Chen Yuzheng. It might be better to prepare him mentally now. But she couldn’t tell him directly – the playoffs were about to begin, and if Yu Ge found out now, he definitely wouldn’t be able to accept it. He might even go cause trouble for Chen Yuzheng.
After struggling internally for a while, Yu Nuo tried to answer calmly, “Because… because I’m actually his fan.”
Yu Ge: “……”
His temple throbbed: “Say that again. Whose fan are you?”
She hung her head and replied weakly: “Chen Yuzheng.”
Gathering her courage, Yu Nuo added: “Actually… I’m not just his fan, I also… like him.”
She quickly added: “But right now it’s just a crush…”
After her confession, Yu Ge’s usually expressionless face completely broke down. His expression changed several times, as if he found it utterly ridiculous. He couldn’t say a single word.
The living room was too quiet. Yu Nuo secretly glanced up at Yu Ge.
He was still standing there.
For a moment, Yu Nuo thought she saw a rich mix of emotions in Yu Ge’s eyes – something along the lines of “have you gone crazy or have I gone crazy or has the world gone crazy that you can say such nonsense?”
After about five minutes, Yu Ge finally accepted this reality. His mouth twitched as he asked: “What do you like about him?”
Yu Nuo stumbled through her explanation: “Well, Dongdong was his fan before, and after hearing her talk about him so much, I also thought Chen Yuzheng was amazing. Then after watching a few TG matches…”
At this point, she carefully observed Yu Ge’s expression.
Yu Ge coldly said: “Continue.”
She hesitated: “Then, I just…”
“Then you became his fan.” Yu Ge paused, forcing the words through his teeth like squeezing toothpaste, “And even… have… a… crush… on him?”
Yu Nuo’s face turned bright red as she nodded reluctantly, “Mm.”
A few minutes later, Yu Ge returned to his bedroom.
The door slammed shut with an earth-shattering bang. The chandelier in the living room shook several times.
Yu Nuo worriedly looked at the tightly closed door.
She suddenly felt guilty and after thinking for a long while, she picked up her phone and sent a message to Fu Yidong:
“Dongdong, I told my brother a bit about me and Chen Yuzheng.”
Fu Yidong: “???”
Fu Yidong: “!!!”
Fu Yidong: “Is your brother okay? Is he still alive?”
Yu Nuo: “I wanted to take it step by step, so I didn’t dare tell him we’re already together. I just said I like Chen Yuzheng… that I have a crush on him. He seems angry now (crying face)”
Fu Yidong: “Well, that’s still a milestone step. Your brother is probably shocked by this news right now. Let him process it first. I think your brother sees you as his daughter and can’t tolerate any guy corrupting you. He probably thinks all guys have bad intentions! But you’re all grown up now, dating is normal. What, does he expect you to stay single forever?”
Yu Nuo: “That’s not it… I just feel bad. Am I being selfish? I knew from the start that my brother didn’t really like Chen Yuzheng, but I still secretly got together with him behind my brother’s back.”
Fu Yidong: “Money is precious, family ties more so, but for love’s sake, both can go!”
Fu Yidong: “Love is just mysterious like that. It comes when it comes, and no one can control it. Don’t carry so much burden, your brother will understand!! When he really finds out you’re together, worst case is they’ll just have a fight!”
Yu Nuo: “……”
Fu Yidong: “Ah! The ultimate showdown between LPL’s two top ADs, just thinking about that scene is exciting!”
…
…
Yu Nuo anxiously prepared dinner, looked at the clock, then walked to Yu Ge’s room and knocked.
There was no response from inside. She stood at the door, took a deep breath, and called out softly, “Brother, dinner’s ready, come out and eat.”
At the dinner table, there were only the sounds of chopsticks and bowls clinking.
Yu Ge didn’t speak, and Yu Nuo dared not say anything. She pretended nothing had happened and silently ate her rice with her head down.
Yu Ge spoke up: “What are your plans?”
She raised her head: “Hm? What?”
Yu Nuo stopped her chopsticks.
Yu Ge suddenly remembered when Chen Yuzheng had reposted his Weibo, and had a revelation, “So you like him, does he know?”
“……”
Yu Nuo’s guilt surged up again.
Afraid that Yu Ge would really go challenge Chen Yuzheng to a real fight as Fu Yidong had suggested, she went against her conscience and told a lie: “He probably doesn’t know, I haven’t told him.”
As someone in the industry, Yu Ge understood how much impact a relationship between a professional player and team staff could have. Chen Yuzheng himself was already a focal point, both loved and hated, with many fans supporting him. If rumors got out, the majority of criticism would be directed at Yu Nuo.
Yu Ge thought of Chen Yuzheng’s frivolous and arrogant demeanor, and anger rose within him. He usually didn’t talk much and wasn’t one to gossip, rarely commenting on people he wasn’t familiar with. But since this concerned Yu Nuo, Yu Ge forced himself to stay calm and said, “Besides, do you think he’s suitable for you?”
“If you still plan to work at TG, don’t tell him.”
Yu Nuo was silent for a moment.
Actually, she had only been working at TG to help her roommate initially, planning to quit after the probation period. But later, because of Chen Yuzheng, her plans changed.
A while ago, she had planned to renew her contract with TG, but after Chen Yuzheng openly admitted to having a girlfriend in front of the media, Qi Yanan had specifically come to talk to her, and Yu Nuo had developed some concerns. Now TG had secured sponsors, had sufficient funding, and wouldn’t have trouble hiring nutritionists.
Yu Nuo had actually made up her mind these past couple of days, so when Yu Ge asked, she was prepared. After thinking for a moment, she tried to discuss it with him, “TG’s people approached me a few days ago about renewing my contract. But I don’t plan to renew for too long, just these few months to properly hand over my work, and I’m planning to take the teacher certification exam in January next year.”
Seeing Yu Ge not expressing any opinion, Yu Nuo also stopped speaking.
After a while, Yu Ge picked up his chopsticks and snorted: “You’re quite devoted to him.”
“It’s not because of Chen Yuzheng.” Yu Nuo watched his expression and slowly said: “I just think being a teacher suits me. The work is stable, the schedule is flexible, and I like interacting with children.”
The topic ended there, and they continued eating in silence until the meal was over.
Yu Nuo took the initiative to clear the dishes.
Yu Ge watched her for a while and said: “You should think about it more.”
“Think about what?”
“Chen Yu…” Unaccustomed to using his real name, Yu Ge started twice, frowned, and switched back to his original way of addressing him, “Conquer has too many fans now, he’s young, can’t settle down, he’s really not suitable for you.”
Yu Nuo knew he was worried about her. Touched, her eyes grew warm. She lowered her head to hide it and responded: “I know, brother. I’ll judge the situation myself.”
Yu Ge made a sound of acknowledgment.
—
After staying home for two days, Yu Ge returned to the OG base.
He had a heavy aura of negativity around him, spending from morning to night in the training room playing Rank, ignoring anyone who tried to talk to him. His teammates were all confused, not knowing how a simple trip home had changed him like this.
Will and Awen took turns trying to comfort him, but all hit a wall.
After the playoff spots were confirmed, all eight teams began preparing intensely. This playoff system was still divided into east and west regions, BO5, best of five, with the fourth and third place teams from each region playing first. The winners would then play against the second-ranked teams to determine the summer tournament’s final four, followed by a drawing of lots.
OG was ranked first in the west region and only needed to play in the quarter-finals, so these few weeks were quite relaxed.
After a week of rest, the playoffs officially began.
There were two matches per week, one for each region. Although OG wasn’t playing, all the team members were paying attention to every playoff match, since any team could become their future opponent.
After several weeks of matches, the final four were confirmed.
Surprisingly, although TG was expected to be half-dead based on their performance in the latter half of the regular season, lasting at most one round. Fans had already accepted defeat, only hoping they wouldn’t lose too badly.
But unexpectedly, last week they suddenly rose from the grave, finished off YLD, and this week they 3-0’d the second-ranked team in the east region. TG’s top, mid, and bottom lanes were in godlike form, directly advancing through two rounds, squeezing into the summer tournament’s final four along with WR.
These results made even Will exclaim: “You have to admit, TG really has something.”
The shadow of OG nearly losing after being caught up to by two games in the spring finals six months ago still lingered. Awen felt the same way: “Honestly, if we make it to the finals, I really don’t want to face TG again. We almost lost last time. Those TG guys are really fierce, especially their AD, Conquer is just something else.”
As he was speaking, Awen’s arm was bumped. Someone reminded him to look at Yu Ge sitting nearby.
He sat there with his cold handsome face, staring darkly at Awen.
Awen immediately shut up.
…
…
That night after showering, Yu Ge was lying in bed playing with his phone.
Recently, something seemed to be bothering him, putting him in a bad mood. Awen decided to be a caring friend and check on Yu Ge.
He sat down next to Yu Ge.
Yu Ge noticed someone there and tried to put away his phone.
Awen’s sharp eyes caught that Yu Ge’s phone was on Weibo, with “Conquer” typed in the search box.
Awen laughed, “Damn, Fish, you’re such a hypocrite. You won’t let us mention him, but here you are secretly stalking him?”
Yu Ge: “……”
Since he’d been caught, there was no point in hiding it. Yu Ge kept his expression blank and continued scrolling through his phone. He clicked into Chen Yuzheng’s Weibo and checked his following list.
He followed very few people, reaching the bottom quickly. Besides TG teammates and official accounts, “Fish who loves eating” was clearly listed, making Yu Ge’s brow twitch.
Awen studied him: “What’s really wrong with you? What’s on your mind? Tell your buddy.”
Yu Ge irritably closed his phone, “Nothing.”
“Tsk, we’ve known each other this long, and you can’t tell me? Awen put on a serious face and patted his chest, “I absolutely won’t tell anyone.”
Seeing Yu Ge completely unmoved, Awen pestered him for another half hour, “Ge-ge, brother, just tell me.”
Yu Ge was disgusted by his acting cute: “Can you stop that? It’s creepy.”
Awen: “So what is it? Don’t keep me in suspense!”
After another moment of silence, Yu Ge reluctantly said two words: “Yu Nuo.”
“What?!” Awen perked up, urgently asking: “What about little sister?”
“She…”
Yu Ge only said one word before stopping, throwing his phone aside, “Forget it.”
“What do you mean forget it!” Awen wouldn’t let it go, grabbing his neck and threatening: “No way, you have to tell me clearly today, what about Yu Nuo?”
Yu Ge tried to push his hand away, but Awen used his weight advantage to pin him down. After another half hour of wrestling and questioning, Yu Ge finally got annoyed enough to tell him.
Awen stood there dumbfounded, petrified for a long while before mumbling in disbelief, “What?? Yu Nuo likes Conquer?? Oh god, oh god, my goodness… no wonder, no wonder.”
Yu Ge: “No wonder what?”
“That time at the intercontinental tournament, that night, I saw Yu Nuo and Conquer taking a walk alone!” Awen reminded him, “What did I tell you? I said something was up! You didn’t take it seriously, and now look what happened. Without any warning, your house got robbed.”
Yu Ge: “……”
Awen also couldn’t accept it for a moment, sighing repeatedly: “My little sister, such a pure white cabbage that our Fish raised with such care, how could she just be gone like this! Heaven is really playing tricks on us!”
“Really don’t know what Yu Nuo sees in him.” Yu Ge sneered, “Average looks, average skills, Yu Nuo must have lard for brains.”
—
On Saturday, WR and TG met again in the semi-finals.
Something magical happened – the ten players enacted the exact same script as the spring tournament. History repeated itself remarkably, with TG using the same score of 3:1 to send WR to heaven, completing their playoff sweep to advance to the finals.
On Weibo, TG fans were celebrating wildly.
Over the weekend, it was OG and JES’s turn for the quarter-finals.
Unlike the intense competition in the east region, OG had always been far ahead in the west region, their strength completely different from other teams.
There was basically no suspense, and they cleanly took down JES in a few hours. The two championship favorites met again in the finals.
The MVP for the last game went to Yu Ge, and the post-match interview was with him and Roy.
The interviewer stood in front of the backdrop, greeted the camera, and first asked Roy and Yu Ge some questions about today’s matches. They answered conventionally.
The interviewer then asked: “Yesterday TG beat WR, and today you beat JES, which means you’ll meet them again in the finals. How do you feel about that?”
Roy thought for a moment, “It feels like fate, I guess.”
The interviewer smiled: “Yesterday in Killer’s interview, he said he wanted to get revenge on you in the summer tournament.”
Roy played along with the interviewer for show: “Let them come then, we’re not afraid.”
Fans in the distance were enthusiastically calling Yu Ge’s name.
The interviewer looked at his prompt card and asked Yu Ge, “The Fish fans seem especially enthusiastic today. I heard you have a sister, did she come today?”
Yu Ge: “No.”
Interviewer: “Does your sister watch your matches at home?”
Yu Ge nodded.
The interviewer casually said: “Oh, then she must be our Fish god’s most loyal fan.”
Yu Ge: “……”
An awkward silence fell.
Yu Ge faced the camera without speaking. A strange expression appeared on his face, as if he was being tortured every second.
The post-match interviewer smiled: “What’s wrong?”
Yu Ge seemed to think of something, his temple twitching: “She’s not my fan.”
Hearing this answer, the interviewer was a bit surprised and asked: “Really? Can we gossip a bit? Which pro player does she admire? Even outranking our Fish?”
Yu Ge forced a slight smile: “Not sure.”
He ultimately didn’t give an answer.
This post-match interview didn’t cause much of a stir, but marketing accounts trying to ride Yu Ge’s popularity specifically created an eye-catching topic.
#LPL star player Fish’s career meets Waterloo, what’s the reason#
The video froze on Yu Ge’s black-pot-like expression during the interview, which really attracted many fans to watch.
Yu Nuo received Chen Yuzheng’s message before knowing what had happened. After clicking to watch the video, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Conquer: “?”
Conquer: “You admire other pro players?”
Yu Nuo: “My brother probably meant you…”
Conquer: “Me?”
Yu Nuo: “Yes, a while ago I told him I was your fan… that I had a crush on you. Just to give him some mental preparation.”
Chen Yuzheng called her, “What about your brother? What did he say?”
Yu Nuo hesitated for a moment before telling him the truth: “He said you’re not very suitable for me, and that I should think about it more.”
“How am I not suitable for you?” Chen Yuzheng listed out his good points, “I’m handsome, faithful, who could be better than me?”
Yu Nuo: “……”
—
This finals would be held in Shanghai. Since both TG and OG’s bases were here, no special advance preparation was needed.
Since TG and OG were already spring tournament champion and runner-up, and now both advanced to the finals, it meant their points for the year were enough. Two spots for S11 were confirmed.
The OG team leader specifically gave them a free day, “No need for scrims today, everyone catch up on your fish site streaming hours. Finish streaming these two days, then focus on preparing for finals.”
Yu Ge rarely turned on his camera while streaming. Fans could only catch glimpses of him from other players’ streams.
He didn’t talk much and barely interacted with fans during streams. So his stream was usually quiet, and fans rarely disturbed him, letting him focus on gaming.
At nine o’clock, Yu Ge finished several Korean server ranked games, took a break, then opened the danmu assistant.
The usually quiet chat was exceptionally lively now.
[Oh my god, he’s still going! He hasn’t stopped]
[What happened?? Can someone explain?? Why did this person come to Fish’s stream to send gifts??]
Yu Ge turned off the gift blocking button, and gifts kept floating across the stream:
[TG-Conquer sent Super Rocket x1 to streamer OG-Fish]
[TG-Conquer sent Super Rocket x2 to streamer OG-Fish]
….
….
[TG-Conquer sent Super Rocket x33 to streamer OG-Fish]
The fans all went wild, countless people came to watch.
[What the?? Aren’t they famous rivals?? Has Conquer lost his mind or gotten scared? Coming to make peace with Fish??]
[Wow, are pro players all this rich??]
[OMG, Chen Yuzheng go home!! Stop embarrassing yourself in Fish’s stream, are you drunk??]
[ConquerVSFish, century reunion scene!! Please get married right here!! This bystander approves!!!]
Chen Yuzheng showed no restraint, directly throwing dozens of Super Rockets, forcibly becoming the top donor in Yu Ge’s stream.
Yu Ge said coldly: “What are you doing?”
[TG-Conquer: Thanks to you, I found out I gained a new fan recently. Feeling very touched, came to send you some gifts.]
After realizing what he was hinting at, Yu Ge’s blood rushed to his head, nearly losing control.
The fans were confused, not understanding what hidden message they were exchanging.
[TG-Conquer: Really touched, thank you.]
Yu Ge: “……”
Chen Yuzheng made a few more active comments in public chat.
The next second, the stream system prompted:
[User TG-Conquer has been permanently banned from chat by streamer OG-Fish]
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