Shi Du didn’t display the rapid reaction speed you’d expect from a Top Assassin. In the arena, he could perform extraordinary, game-changing maneuvers in fractions of a second, but now it was taking ten times that to process the current situation.

Shine had initiated a kiss.

Even for Yuyu, it was rare for him to kiss him like this. Normally, Shi Du takes the initiative. But now it was not Yuyu, but Shine, who took the initiative to kiss him in front of his teammates.

Forget about delivering water, forget about cutting the steak, was there a better way to prove that he was Shine’s boyfriend?

A smile broke across Shi Du’s lips. He raised his hand to cover the back of Shine’s neck, raised his head, and deepened the kiss.

At this moment, Cheese and Stone had one sentence echoing repeatedly in their minds:

Timeless! Timeless!

Thirty seconds passed, and Cheese and Stone remained completely motionless, their faces still showing shock.

This kissing technique– no change in breath for thirty seconds and steady breathing– the level of skill was undoubtedly the result of kissing at least thirty to fifty times!

The two devoted Shine fans now understood a fundamental truth: Timeless is the captain’s boyfriend, a unique and genuine boyfriend. The captain will hold hands with him, hug him, kiss him, and maybe do some other things – Timeless had truly brought their idol down from his pedestal!

The captain’s eyes were closed, and there was no cold and distant look in his eyes. There was a light warmth on his face that had never appeared on Shine. From the perspective of Cheese and Stone, they couldn’t see the lips, just the captain’s face, inclined at the right angle with his long eyelashes lowered. His hands rested on both sides of Timeless’s gaming chair, an elegant and natural posture.

The captain was kissing a remarkably handsome little brother. When beauty and handsomeness were in close proximity, it was more delightful than a kiss scene from a movie.

Only Yu Zhaohan himself knew how much effort he put into creating this sense of beauty.

Yu Zhaohan still hasn’t overcome the problem of his eyelashes trembling when his heart beats fast, but at least he can restrain himself from trembling too obviously. The problem with his little ears turning red and hot was something he couldn’t control.

He knew that if he kissed any longer, his little ears would definitely give him away. He wanted to straighten his body to end the kiss. Timeless noticed his intention, and his hand moved from the nape of his neck to his small ear.

This way, Cheese and Stone couldn’t see anymore.

It wasn’t until Cheese’s cell phone, which he had forgotten in the training room, rang that Shi Du let go of Yu Zhaohan and looked at the culprit who had disturbed them.

Cheese’s phone not only rang but also lit up, displaying a chibi version of Shine on the screen, with a slightly dispirited expression, holding up a little hand as if in resignation.

Cheese let out an ethereal cry: “Captain…”

Yu Zhaohan looked at Cheese and gently tapped the corner of his lips with his fingertip. He responded calmly, “What’s the matter?”

Cheese seemed to be in a dream, “I forgot my phone. Can I go in and get it?”

Yu Zhaohan: “Yeah.”

Cheese mechanically entered the training room, picked up his phone, and his dazed eyes slowly shifted between the captain and Timeless.

Shi Du smiled beautifully: “Brother Cheese, do you have anything to say?”

Cheese held the phone tightly and struggled to hold back three words: “Excuse me.”

After saying that, he grabbed the still-dreamy Stone and ran off.

Yu Zhaohan let out a sigh of relief, rubbed his ears, and asked, “Is Shi Du satisfied now?”

“I’m very satisfied.” Shi Du’s lips almost reached the heavens. He embraced Yu Zhaohan, seated him on his lap, and said, “How come you suddenly got so good at this, Yuyu?”

“Because I’ve realized that no matter how aloof the male lead is, they’ll still kiss.” Yu Zhaohan paused. “Shi Du, you’re reacting again, you know?”

“I know. Don’t worry about it, it will go down by itself later.” Shi Du said nonchalantly, “Baby, come and kiss me for a while.”

“Okay.”

His little brother, securely seated on the throne of the main partner, was exceptionally excited, showing no signs of sleepiness. Yu Zhaohan suggested that since he didn’t want to sleep, why not duo-queue with him?

Timeless readily agreed, and the two of them played together, gaining a hundred points. Eventually, Yu Zhaohan couldn’t stay awake and said he needed to rest. Timeless put him on the bed, reluctant to let go: “Let’s sleep together, Yuyu.”

Yu Zhaohan said: “No.”

Shi Du was hurt: felt hurt, “Why are you rejecting me?”

“Because the bed is too small,” Yu Zhaohan explained, “I need to sleep well, or I won’t be a good captain tomorrow.”

Both beds in the room were single beds, and squeezing two guys over 1.8 meter tall onto them was too cramped. If they insisted on sleeping together, neither of them would get a good night’s sleep.

Shi Du didn’t insist but still felt a bit disappointed. He tucked Yu Zhaohan in, “Then, it’s more important for you to be a good captain—get some sleep.”

Yu Zhaohan took Shi Du’s hand and comforted him: “When we return to China, we’ll get a big bed and sleep together, alright?”

Even though Yu Zhaohan had kissed him many times today, Shi Du couldn’t resist and kissed him again, “Alright.”

This move from Shi Du was a critical hit that forced Shine fans of R.H to confront the reality.

Cheese completely gave up on trying to prove that their teammates held equal positions in the captain’s heart, whether as a team member or a boyfriend. He just aimed to be a good teammate.

Jiang Di continued to work on fixing Shi Du’s terrible sleep schedule. Shi Du had endured two days of waking up early to accompany him for basketball, but he couldn’t take it any longer. So he decided to temporarily blocked Jiang Di and would unblock him when Jiang Di calmed down. This led to Jiang Di’s constant worry about what to do with the captain’s breakfast in the future.

The images of Shi Du and the captain kissing that night were deeply etched into Stone’s mind. The sight of them kissing was like the perfect match, an otherworldly pairing. He couldn’t find anyone better suited to the captain than Shi Du. Therefore, Stone gradually shifted from being a fan of Shine individually to becoming a fan of their couple.

Liu Youshan, who was solely focused on gaming, didn’t care about their relationship. He only worried that if Shi Du and the captain argued, it might affect their performance. So, when going to the temple to pray for Qi Xian’s successful surgery, he specifically purchased a pair of concentric locks for Yu Zhaohan and Shi Du.

Old Tan was busy with Qi Xian’s surgery and didn’t have time to inquire about the relationship between Timeless and the captain. However, he occasionally asked in the group chat, “Are they really together? Is it genuine?”

Stone told told Old Tan, “It’s genuine, as genuine as Eau’s Assassin and his wife.”

On the day of Qi Xian’s surgery, R.H happened to have a match scheduled against a mid-tier Korean team.

Half an hour before the match began, the starting lineup was announced, and the audience, as well as the commentators, were surprised to see Stone in the starting lineup. After watching many games, they had realized that R.H’s support position might be rotated due to differences in the playstyle between Cheese and Jiang. The other three positions were almost fixed. Stone, among the rookies, didn’t have any issues with his mechanics, but it was clear that his mentality and experience couldn’t compare to players who had been competing for several years. It was still tolerable when they were ahead, but when they were trailing, the comment barrage in the live chat seemed to indicate that they had collectively chosen to blame everything on Stone.

[Stone is not on the same level as Xian; what was the R.H coaching staff thinking?]

[They gave up first blood again… Stone, find a job in a factory. You’re just wasting support resources on the field.]

[Even when looking at the water dispenser, it should be done on-site. Where is Qi Xian?]

[Someone on the forum said they saw him in China, and he seemed to have returned home early]

[Fuck, what happened to my brother Xian? !]

After being rushed back to the resurrection point by the enemy during one operation, although Shitou couldn’t see the barrage, his mentality was also affected to a certain extent. In the subsequent team fights, in order to ensure his survival, he played timidly and missed several perfect opportunities to initiate.

The opponents relentlessly exploited R.H’s only weakness, targeting the tanks and taking a small lead from R.H’s hands, temporarily leading 1:0.

[They’re really giving R.H a public execution; I can’t watch this anymore, so I quit my brothers]

[If Stone is still in the starting lineup for the playoffs, they’re most likely going to lose.]

The intermission was too short, and Lu Youshan kept instilling tactical ideas into Stone, ignoring the players’ mentality as always. Every time he said something, Shitou would repeat it in a low voice with a pale face. It was unclear how much he could remember and whether he could execute it.

Yu Zhaohan wanted to have a few words with Shitou alone, but the time had come, and the staff urged them to come on stage. The four of them returned to the stage. Yu Zhaohan put on his headphones and said, “Stone.”

Stone was so nervous that he almost bit his tongue: “Captain?”

Yu Zhaohan: “Play freely.”

Timeless added, “I and the captain are behind you, so you don’t need to be afraid of anything.”

Cheese assured, “You can charge in with confidence, I’ll make sure to heal you well.”

Stone forced a smile, “…Alright.”

In the following match, Stone’s performance improved slightly, but he still couldn’t shine. It could only be described as average. Thankfully, the double C performed well, and R.H won three straight maps, ultimately winning 3:1.

Shitou looked at [Victory] on the screen with mixed feelings in his heart. He should have been happy about winning the match, but he couldn’t find happiness when he remembered his subpar performance.

He was holding the team back. If Qi Xian is here, R.H will definitely win 3-0.

The other players stood up to prepare for handshakes, but Stone remained motionless.

“Good job,” Yu Zhaohan gave Stone a light pat on the shoulder. “You still have time, practice slowly.”

Off the stage, everyone immediately checked their WeChat messages. Old Tan informed them in the group chat that Qi Xian’s surgery had gone smoothly, and he would stay in the hospital for a few more days before returning to the base for recovery.

Old Tan sent a photo of Qi Xian after surgery. Qi Xian was lying quietly on the hospital bed, with his bandaged hands outside the quilt. His red hair had grown down to his chest, but its color appeared somewhat faded, which pained Yu Zhaohan deeply.

At the end of September, R.H completed their last regular season match, concluding their regular season games for the year. With a record of fifteen consecutive victories, R.H firmly held the first place on the points table in the Eastern Division. Hangzhou DSD and Tokyo Sakura followed closely, taking second and third place in the points table.

The matches in South Korea were over, and Cheese practically threatened Old Tan with his life to book them the earliest possible flight home. Without any lingering, they rapidly packed their bags. The game had ended in the afternoon, and their departure was scheduled for the evening, leaving the remaining details to be handled by the team’s operations.

There should be seven days off during the National Day, but the management and coaching staff decided to only take three days off. After their lengthy stay in South Korea, it was time for everyone to go home and see their families. They would first return to Shanghai, and then decide where they wanted to go next, with the team covering their travel expenses.

When the plane landed and they heard the familiar Chinese language, Yu Zhaohan appeared calm, but in secret, he sent numerous excited, spinning emoji to Shi Du. Later, R.H’s familiar pink team bus transported them back to their base, where Qi Xian and Old Tan were waiting for them at the entrance.

In just a few minutes, Cheese cried three times. The first time he cried while hugging Qi Xian, the second time he cried while holding the little kneeling, and the third time he cried while holding the aunt’s arm. Yu Zhaohan was quite satisfied with the performance of his spokesperson Cheese. He tried to imagine himself crying with Cheese, so he wouldn’t feel too uncomfortable.

Auntie prepared small wontons for supper, and they were so delicious that everyone wanted to savor every drop of soup. After the late-night meal, the boys went upstairs, full and sleepy, ready for bed.

“Where are you going, Timeless?” Old Tan asked. “You walked right past your room.”

Returning to the base in Shanghai meant that they no longer had to share rooms with two people crammed in. Each of them now had their own room.

“I’m going to the captain’s room,” Shi Du said lazily, “Do you want to come together?”

Everyone: “…”