Ye Shaoyang's answer triggered a wave of screams at the venue. The CP fans were practically ready to set off firecrackers in celebration. "My favorite e-sports player is Chi Shuo"—if you just removed the middle part, didn't it become "I like Chi Shuo the most"?
Wasn't this a subtle confession?
Hearing these words, Chi Shuo's heart began to beat violently, beyond his control.
Shaoyang could have easily mentioned a senior's name to muddle through, like God Ming, who had long since retired. Shaoyang was a Mid Laner, and God Ming was also a Mid Laner; if he said he idolized God Ming, no one would have suspected a thing.
Instead, he said directly that his favorite player was Chi Shuo.
They were teammates and had even shared intimate contact in private. Wasn't he afraid that reporters would write wildly about this?
Actually, it was precisely because Ye Shaoyang was afraid of reporters writing wildly that he spoke so openly and honestly.
Being secretive would make people overthink things more easily. Conversely, speaking out openly and honestly would make everyone except the CP fans feel that things between them were very aboveboard—just pure camaraderie between teammates.
Ye Shaoyang picked up the microphone and said with a calm expression, "Back when I was just a newbie streamer, Captain Chi played ranked matches with me. He was the one who discovered my talent and invited me to join Tianhuan. That I can have the achievements I do today is largely thanks to Captain Chi's help. I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank our captain."
The cameraman's lens focused on Chi Shuo.
Chi Shuo picked up his microphone and said in a low voice, "No need to thank me. It was what I should have done."
Ye Shaoyang smiled slightly, turned to look at Zhou Jiawen, and said, "Does this answer count as passing?"
Zhou Jiawen applauded lightly. "Well-reasoned and justified. I believe you are telling the truth."
The other players also began to applaud, with Qu Jiang clapping the most enthusiastically.
Zhou Jiawen retreated, and the host, Yao Mu, came to the center of the stage. "There is still one last player on the Yellow Team who hasn't used their punishment right. Please welcome Tianhuan's Jiangshui!"
Qu Jiang took the microphone and smiled. "The four people punished just now were all from the Red Team, so I'll find someone from the Blue Team." His gaze swept over the members of the Blue Team before finally settling on Chi Shuo. "I choose our captain."
Chi Shuo stepped forward calmly. "I guessed you would pick me."
Qu Jiang said, "Cough, one's own destiny is decided by oneself. Captain Chi, you go spin the game wheel too. Whatever you draw is what you get; it all depends on your luck."
Chi Shuo walked up to the big wheel and casually spun the pointer.
A moment later, the pointer stopped—
[Please choose anyone present and make a heartfelt confession]
Chi Shuo: "…"
What kind of rotten luck is this?
Ye Shaoyang also wanted to roast him: With luck like yours, you probably always draw "Thank you for participating" in lotteries, right?
Brother Dong heckled from the side, "Who is Captain Chi going to choose?"
Yao Mu added, "Are there any viewers looking forward to Captain Chi's heartfelt confession?"
Deafening screams erupted in the venue.
Chi Shuo's gaze swept across the entire venue, finally stopping on Ye Shaoyang. He gave a light cough. "Lieyang."
Ye Shaoyang immediately straightened his back, his heart beating like a drum.
Fuck! He wouldn't actually confess in front of so many people, would he?
If he confesses publicly, should I reject him or accept him? Meeting afterwards would be so awkward. We haven't even played the playoffs yet; Captain Chi, hold it together!
Ye Shaoyang's brain went fuzzy, and the smile on his face was almost slipping.
Chi Shuo looked at Ye Shaoyang and said in a low voice, "When I first met you and we duo-queued a few times in the game, I determined that you were an extremely talented player, one who could even change the fate of a team. I was actually very worried that you would join another team and become my strongest opponent."
Chi Shuo's deep eyes were full of sincerity as he said earnestly, "I knew you were excellent and had many teams to choose from. With your strength, you could have achieved good results in other teams too. But in the end, you chose Tianhuan, bringing hope and change to Tianhuan when it was at its lowest point."
"As Tianhuan's captain, I am very grateful that you joined Tianhuan. These are all sincere words, not perfunctory at all." Chi Shuo paused, then lowered his voice. "I have always felt that meeting you was my good fortune. Having you as my teammate is my honor. Thank you for coming to my side."
Ye Shaoyang: "…"
His originally nervous mood gradually calmed, and Ye Shaoyang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Chi Shuo was indeed steady and knew the gravity of the situation. He wouldn't rashly confess in a public setting, embarrassing Ye Shaoyang or putting him in an impossible position.
Ye Shaoyang hated public confessions in crowded places, relying on the jeering crowd to pressure the other person into saying yes. If the other person wasn't ready, it would be extremely awkward and humiliating.
Fortunately, Chi Shuo didn't do that.
His heartfelt confession was a very sincere expression of "team camaraderie."
Human emotions aren't limited to romantic love; familial love and friendship are equally worthy of cherishing. Chi Shuo seized on this key point, reasonably transforming the "heartfelt confession" into sincere gratitude and appreciation for a teammate.
As Chi Shuo spoke these words in a low voice, a trace of warmth gradually infused Ye Shaoyang's heart.
Setting aside the misunderstandings about gender, pheromones, and marking, he and Chi Shuo could truly be called "soulmates." In his previous life, Ye Shaoyang had been an e-sports player for 5 years and a captain for 4, without achieving his wish of becoming a world champion. In this life, it just so happened that it was Chi Shuo's 5th year as an e-sports player and 4th year as a captain…
He really wanted to join hands with Chi Shuo and achieve their wish together.
Their relationship had always been one of mutual understanding and mutual achievement.
Therefore, Chi Shuo would do his utmost to help him, and he would help Chi Shuo without reservation. Their goals were aligned. Walking this e-sports path side by side was also their tacit understanding.
Being able to meet someone who understands you, supports you, and is willing to realize dreams with you while you are young is indeed fortunate. There was nothing wrong with Chi Shuo's confession.
If they weren't in an ABO world, they would very likely have become brothers who would go through fire and water for each other.
Thinking of this, Ye Shaoyang's eyes felt a sudden heat. No matter what, he was very happy to have met Chi Shuo in this world.
He would carefully consider how to handle their relationship, trying his best not to hurt this Alpha who was incredibly sincere to him.
After listening to Chi Shuo, Yao Mu said, "In today's Truth or Dare segment, can we say that Tianhuan's Shuoyue and Lieyang have poured out their hearts to each other?"
Brother Dong laughed. "There should be applause here. Should we have another hug?"
Amidst enthusiastic applause, Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shuo took two steps forward and hugged each other lightly.
It was just a very friendly hug between teammates, but Ye Shaoyang found his heartbeat ridiculously fast. The moment he hugged Chi Shuo, his mind went blank. The surrounding applause and screams seemed to be automatically filtered out, leaving only the sound of their "thump-thump" heartbeats in his ears.
"My favorite e-sports player is Captain Chi."
"Meeting you was a very fortunate thing."
On the surface, there was nothing wrong with their words. The rookie thanked the captain for his cultivation, and the captain thanked the rookie for his efforts; everything was for the sake of Tianhuan.
But who knew that they had once completed three intimate temporary markings in private, that Chi Shuo had used his teeth to pierce the fragile gland at the back of Ye Shaoyang's neck, filling it with his Alpha pheromones?
Who could have imagined that in Ye Shaoyang's dream last night, the two had hugged and ground against each other all night long?
No matter how upright they pretended to be on the surface, the moment they embraced, their violent heartbeats betrayed their emotions. Ye Shaoyang felt a bit guilty, and Chi Shuo was also trying hard to suppress himself.
The hug lasted only 3 seconds before they separated, and then they returned to their seats, feigning calm.
Chi Shuo said calmly, "Everything I just said was the truth. Does it count as passing?"
Qu Jiang immediately helped out: "It counts, it counts!"
Yao Mu smiled and said, "Captain Chi is still witty. A heartfelt confession isn't necessarily a romantic confession; team camaraderie is also very touching! Everyone present should have particularly precious teammates. Fighting side by side and striving for dreams together is also part of the charm of e-sports!"
Brother Dong said, "That's right, we never fight alone! Having teammates by your side who support and encourage you is a very lucky thing!"
Tianhuan's "career fans" screamed excitedly, flooding the live broadcast chat—
[Go Tianhuan! The World Tournament is waiting for you!]
[Yangyang joining Tianhuan really brought a new atmosphere. Captain Chi's words were very sincere.]
[As a 5-year Tianhuan fan, I've finally waited for Tianhuan's second generation of Mid-Jungle synergy!]
[Shuoyue Lieyang YYDS (Eternal Gods)! In my heart, they are already a world-class Mid-Jungle duo.]
Most people in the official live broadcast chat were career fans. From their perspective, the words Chi Shuo and Ye Shaoyang said to each other were actually quite normal.
Chi Shuo was Ye Shaoyang's guide, and Ye Shaoyang was Chi Shuo's greatest aid.
Their comradeship of mutual appreciation and mutual achievement was moving, and everyone was looking forward to Tianhuan creating miracles this season under the leadership of the Sun and Moon combination.
However, in the #SunAndMoonShiningTogether# CP Super Topic, the CP fans were going crazy.
Editing masters had cut the All-Star recording into several fragments and spliced them together, turning Chi Shuo and Ye Shaoyang's originally warm team camaraderie into a confession conference.
Ye Shaoyang: "I like… Chi Shuo best."
Chi Shuo: "Meeting you was a very fortunate thing."
The image of the two hugging, paired with this edited audio, was explosively sweet.
The CP fans were as excited as if it were a holiday.
In an instant, various fan fictions, fan arts, and fan video edits sprang up like bamboo shoots after a rain in the Super Topic area. The #SunAndMoonShiningTogether# Super Topic shot straight into the top ten of the entire network's Super Topic rankings.
Of course, Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shuo, who were at the venue, knew nothing about this.
The two controlled their expressions very well, maintaining an upright and frank "we are just good teammates" demeanor.
However, on the way back to the hotel after the All-Star event ended, Ye Shaoyang once again walked at the very front with Xie Weiyu, trotted all the way back to the hotel, threw himself into the blankets, and closed his eyes.
His heart was in turmoil; his brain crashed.
His mind was full of Chi Shuo, and his cheeks burned hot.
If Chi Shuo had confessed publicly just now, Ye Shaoyang would certainly have been unable to handle the situation. But Chi Shuo's considerate way of handling it, leaving plenty of room for the other party, filled Ye Shaoyang's heart with warmth instead.
No matter the occasion, Chi Shuo always considered Ye Shaoyang's feelings instead of just thinking about himself.
—Because of affection, there was respect.
Where could one find such a careful and considerate Alpha? If he were on the street, Omegas would fight tooth and nail for him, right? Dragging such a good Alpha into this pit, he was truly a scum Omega, confirmed.
Ye Shaoyang could imagine how happy the fans in the Super Topic area would be. He didn't dare to check the Super Topic and just buried his head to sleep.
In the room next door, Chi Shuo also went to bed early, falling asleep with a smile on his lips.
In his dream, Ye Shaoyang said to him seriously, "I like Chi Shuo the most."
There was no one else around. Chi Shuo didn't need to suppress his emotions. He stepped forward, pulled Ye Shaoyang forcefully into his arms, and then, in the dream, thoroughly marked Ye Shaoyang.
Waking up in the morning, Chi Shuo immediately went to the bathroom to take a cold shower.
He hadn't had this kind of dream in a long time.
But he was a young Alpha in his early twenties, after all; physical needs were normal. Usually busy with competitions, he suppressed these physiological needs deep in his mind. Now, these suppressed desires had finally broken free like wild beasts. His physical reaction was incredibly intense. Leaning against the bathroom wall, Chi Shuo took care of it with his hand several times.
After the cold shower, Chi Shuo finally calmed down.
He thought he should get an Alpha suppressant injection when he got back.
When an Alpha fell for a specific Omega, they would instinctively want to possess the other person, which easily triggered pheromone fluctuations. Strong possessiveness could even lead to pheromones going out of control.
He was afraid that one day he wouldn't be able to control it. If he entered a rut and hurt Shaoyang, that would be trouble.
After returning to his room, Chi Shuo called Dr. Xue. "Hello, Dr. Xue, this is Chi Shuo. I'd like to make an appointment to come to the hospital tomorrow afternoon for an Alpha suppressant injection. Is that time convenient for you?"
Dr. Xue was stunned for a moment. "Chi Shuo? Oh, I remember, Ye Shaoyang's boyfriend, right? The time is fine; you can come over. But why the sudden need for a suppressant? Have your pheromones gone out of control recently?"
Chi Shuo said, "Not out of control. I'm just worried they might, so I'm taking precautions."
Dr. Xue understood. "I see. You young people are together every day; it is indeed easy for sparks to fly. I'll schedule you for 3 PM tomorrow afternoon. I happen to be at the Pheromone Specialist Clinic then."
Chi Shuo said "Thank you" and hung up the phone.
Today was the last day of the All-Star event. After the activities ended, they would return to the team base. There were no arrangements for tomorrow, so Chi Shuo could go to the hospital.
That afternoon, the 15 All-Star players arrived at the competition venue again for the final day's activities.
Today's entertainment event was the "Border Breakout" mode. Unlike the online game version, there were no teams this time; instead, it was every man for himself among the 15 players.
Yao Mu introduced, "The 15 players will be randomly dropped onto a deserted island. Everyone starts at level 6 and will level up after killing others. Equipment spawns randomly on the map, requiring players to pick up treasure chests, or chests will spawn after killing someone. It's everyone for themselves. Whoever survives to the end will receive a special trophy prepared by the officials!"
Brother Dong said, "The other players will also get trophies. Today, there's no punishment. Based on the order of elimination, we will draw All-Star merchandise gift packs for the live audience!"
Hearing there was no punishment, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Yao Mu said, "Once the match starts, the hero selection screen will pop up simultaneously. Everyone needs to rely on hand speed to grab their favorite heroes. Note that since this [Border Breakout] is a solo combat mode, we suggest everyone choose heroes with strong dueling capabilities."
Brother Dong: "Everyone, please take your seats. Let the final exhibition match begin!"
The [Border Breakout] mode in the online game was a massive 100-person free-for-all where teaming up was allowed; this time it was changed to a 15-person free-for-all with no teaming allowed. Without thinking, Ye Shaoyang directly snatched [Abyssal Lord]. capable of killing, escaping, possessing strong survivability and high burst damage—it was suitable for duels.
The others also quickly grabbed their favorite heroes the moment the selection screen popped up.
Chi Shuo took [Stealth Rogue], the Zhao siblings took Warriors they were good at, Sean, Fang Zhengqing, and Zhou Jiawen quickly snatched Mid Lane Mages, and Qu Jiang took the thick-skinned [Holy Spirit Mage] who could tank damage.
Supports were at a disadvantage in this kind of solo game, so Chen Qianhua simply took a Healer—Anyway, I won't hit you guys; I'll just watch the show and heal myself.
After all 15 players selected their heroes, the match began, and they were randomly dropped onto the deserted island.
Ye Shaoyang quickly looked for treasure chests. He had played this "Border Breakout" mode with Xie Weiyu and Chen Qianhua before and was fairly familiar with the map. Soon, he found several chests in small rooms, grass patches, and treehouses, picking out some equipment suitable for the [Abyssal Lord].
Just after equipping himself and walking a few steps forward, he suddenly ran headfirst into Fang Zhengqing's [Cobra King]!
Ye Shaoyang didn't rush to fight; he released a shadow and quickly maneuvered to escape.
But after running a few steps forward, he discovered Sean's [Kraken of the North Sea] searching for treasure chests in the grass.
Ye Shaoyang thought, Should I lure Sean over to fight Fang Zhengqing, and then reap the benefits myself?
Just as he was planning to do this, he looked back—Holy crap, why is Zhou Jiawen's [World Ending Mage] here too?
The live audience was dying of laughter, and Yao Mu couldn't help but laugh too. "Yangyang is in a dangerous situation, surrounded by three world-class Mid Laners!"
Brother Dong said, "The 15-person deserted island map is half the size of the usual entertainment map. Many players spawned in this area; it's densely populated. Whoever attacks first loses!"
Yao Mu said, "Yes, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. If you attack first, you will definitely lose health from the opponent, and your skills will go on cooldown, making it easy for people ambushing nearby to pick up the kill."
"Let's look at Lieyang's choice—he didn't go up to fight but found a house to hide in. Obviously, he wants to wait for the other three to fight first so he can go out and reap the benefits."
"This is a very smart move!"
There were 15 split screens on the big screen, showing each player's first-person perspective.
The center screen showed the global view from the "God's Eye" perspective.
Only 3 minutes into the match, a notification appeared on the big screen—
[Reporter Zhao (Berserker) eliminated Chen Chen (Forest Envoy)]!
Zhao Xin'an was stubborn enough; encountering Captain Chen's Healer, he actually went up to fight. While the healing equipment wasn't fully built yet, he forcibly hacked the Healer to death and leveled up.
However, before he could be happy for too long, his kill was stolen by someone ambushing nearby.
It was none other than his sister, Zhao Xinping.
Zhao Xin'an wanted to vomit blood. "How was my sister hiding here?"
Remaining players on the island: 13.
Soon, a battle also occurred in the upper-left corner. Xie Weiyu, Xie Yuan, and Li Yunmo encountered each other. Xie Yuan and Li Yunmo were Jingzhe teammates and very tacitly teamed up to send Xiao Yu away; then, the two fought each other, and Xie Yuan sent Li Yunmo away.
Remaining players on the island: 11.
In the lower-right corner, three Junglers ran into each other.
Tianhuan's Chi Shuo, Huowen's A'Yan, and Temple of the Gods' Liu Luo. Since Chi Shuo chose [Stealth Rogue], upon seeing two Junglers, he chose to go invisible and leave, letting the two fight each other. In the end, A'Yan killed Liu Luo, bringing the remaining players to 10.
The big screen cut to the battle situation in the central area—
Fang Zhengqing, Zhou Jiawen, and Sean were quickly rushing toward the room where Ye Shaoyang was hiding!
Actually, they didn't see Ye Shaoyang; they just saw the house and thought there should be treasure chests inside, so they tacitly went to search, only to bump into each other at the door.
The live audience sat up excitedly. "Fight! Fight!"
Ye Shaoyang thought, You guys fight first, I'll come out to collect the kills when you're done.
However, his thought was nice, but these three didn't fight according to his script. Perhaps the message "Hostile player nearby" made them wary, so they quickly entered the room from different positions.
Then, they saw Ye Shaoyang hiding wretchedly inside the room.
Before Ye Shaoyang could even speak, the three acted simultaneously—
The [World Ending Mage]'s 6 black mists lunged at Ye Shaoyang in unison!
The [Kraken of the North Sea]'s summoned beast opened its bloody maw as if to devour everything!
The [Cobra King]'s four small snakes also bit over unceremoniously.
Ye Shaoyang's [Abyssal Lord] didn't even have time to swap positions with his shadow before he was instantly killed by the combined efforts of these three.
The three players simultaneously sent an emote.
Zhou Zhou: [Smile.jpg]
Sean: [Cracking Up.jpg]
Fang Zhengqing: [Yawn.jpg]
Ye Shaoyang: "......"
The live audience burst into laughter, and the live broadcast chat was flooded with laughing faces.
[Three people went to find treasure chests and found Yangyang instead ^_^]
[There was a BOSS hidden here.]
[Nothing wrong with killing the BOSS before fighting each other. The three moved very synchronously this time.]
[Team fights can be lost, but the Great Demon King must die~]
Brother Dong couldn't help laughing out loud. "Cough cough, three Mid Laners from different teams suddenly had a strange tacit understanding at this moment. The three of them went to kill Yangyang at the same time. Is this what they call the Supreme VIP treatment for Lieyang?"
Yao Mu: "Lieyang couldn't withstand the firepower of 3 world-class mid laners at all and was sent out. But… Captain Chi seems to be nearby! He's stealthing over!"
Chi Shuo's equipment was quite good. While picking up treasure chests earlier, he had gathered several pieces of assassin crit gear. Although he hadn't reached the 6-god-item stage yet, his three-piece set was complete.
Just now, in order to kill Ye Shaoyang, Zhou Jiawen, Sean, and Fang Zhengqing had all used their Ultimates.
Immediately after killing Yangyang, the three began infighting. Zhou Jiawen threw a Q at Sean, Sean threw a W at Fang Zhengqing, and Fang Zhengqing sent small snakes to chase and bite Captain Zhou.
You hit me, I hit him, he hits you—forming a perfect triangular fight.
The three were still circling the pillars in the room to dodge skills, making it hard to determine a winner for a moment.
Consequently, all three were left with critical health!
Chi Shuo hid in stealth, holding the vision distance perfectly, watching their battle clearly. When all three were around half health, Chi Shuo suddenly activated his Ultimate and dashed over quickly!
—[Shuoyue (Stealth Rogue) killed Fang Fang (Cobra King)]
—[Shuoyue (Stealth Rogue) killed Sean (Kraken of the North Sea)]
—[Shuoyue (Stealth Rogue) killed Zhou Zhou (World Ending Mage)]
—[Shuoyue (Stealth Rogue) Triple Kill!]
The three mid laners lying on the ground didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The three of them acted simultaneously to insta-kill Lieyang, only to have their kills scavenged by Chi Shuo hiding nearby?
Ye Shaoyang silently chanted in his heart: Beautifully done!
With this triple kill, Chi Shuo leveled up 3 times directly—Border Breakout mode automatically started at level 6, killing leveled you up but gave no gold rewards; equipment relied entirely on picking up chests.
After the three died, three treasure chests spawned on the spot, and Chi Shuo picked up several more crit items.
Brother Dong said, "Captain Chi already has 6 god items; his equipment is the most luxurious in the field!"
Yao Mu said, "Only 5 players remain on the deserted island: Sister Xinping, Yuanyuan, Captain Chi, A'Yan, and Jiangshui… A'Yan met Jiangshui by the river and sent Jiangshui away! Sister Xinping sent Yuanyuan away!"
Brother Dong said, "The safe zone spawned near Shuoyue. Shuoyue is simply the chosen one? Only Xinping, A'Yan, and Shuoyue are left alive. The winner will emerge from among the three of them!"
With the safe zone spawning nearby, Chi Shuo headed there immediately and chose the spot with the best vision to ambush. After the other two rushed over, another round of fierce infighting occurred.
In the end, waiting at his ease for the exhausted enemy, Chi Shuo, wearing his luxurious 6-god-item set, collected the heads of Zhao Xinping and A'Yan, becoming the last person standing.
Thunderous applause filled the venue.
Yao Mu walked to the center of the stage with a smile. "The tense and exciting 'Border Breakout' mode has ended. The last one surviving is Tianhuan's Captain Chi. Please welcome the Chairman to present the special trophy for this All-Star event to the winner!"
In an entertainment game like Border Breakout, there were too many uncertain factors; surviving to the end depended heavily on luck. The All-Star trophy didn't represent a player's strength, just a memento, so the players didn't care much.
However, seeing the words "Winner in Life" written on the trophy brought up by the Chairman, the players immediately felt disgruntled. Fang Zhengqing raised an eyebrow and said, "Winner in Life? Shouldn't it be 'Best Dog Shit Luck'?"
Zhao Xin'an muttered a complaint, "Chi Shuo really is a winner in life! The biggest treasure chest he picked up was Xiao Bai, and I was the one who shared the coordinates, fuck!"
Zhou Jiawen laughed and said, "Picking up Lieyang, he is indeed a winner in life, no mistake."
Qu Jiang glanced at Reporter Zhao and Captain Zhou, thinking to himself, If you knew that he not only picked up a world-class player but also picked up a wife for himself, solving both his career and bachelor problems at the same time, would you be even angrier?
This trophy was too fitting for the occasion.
Chi Shuo received the golden "Winner in Life" trophy for surviving to the end of the third day's "Border Breakout" mode. The other 14 players also received silver "S10 All-Star Commemorative" trophies.
The 15 players took a group photo on the big stage and drew a large number of merchandise prizes for the audience.
Amidst the enthusiastic applause of the audience, the three-day All-Star event finally came to a close.