SITS CH32

Chapter 32: A Little Misunderstanding

Looking at the “WINNER” banner displayed on the screen, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They had assumed they would be swept 3-0 by 3B, never expecting to actually take a game.

Ten-minute intermission.

Shen Man handed Xu Zhouye a bottle of mineral water. Xu Zhouye took it and gulped down more than half in one go. Shen Man asked, “How did it feel?”

“Formidable,” Xu Zhouye said. “Both their Marksman and Jungler are top-notch.”

This caliber of high-intensity scrim was vastly different from everyday solo queue. Both team compositions and macro operations were on an entirely different level. Playing a few games offered an immense amount to learn.

Shen Man said, “Once we take the tournament stage, how confident do you feel?”

Fingering the water bottle, Xu Zhouye replied, “With ACE’s starting lineup, fifty-fifty. If I can draft Heroes I’m confident on, maybe forty-sixty in our favor.”

Shen Man said, “That confident?”

“Of course,” Xu Zhouye chuckled. “Without confidence, who would dare play professionally?”

Both of them smiled.

Nearby, Duan Yanshu looked somewhat dazed, sitting in his chair lost in thought. When the game loaded, Zhao Rui had to call his name several times before he snapped out of it.

“What are you daydreaming about?” Zhao Rui patted his shoulder.

“Nothing. Just recalled how back in school everyone called me a genius,” Duan Yanshu murmured. “Looking back now, using the word ‘genius’ on me was probably a bit of a waste.” As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Xu Zhouye and Shen Man, who were chatting nearby.

Anyone capable of stepping into this base was a genius in their own right, yet between geniuses, there were still gulfs of separation.

The series against 3B concluded with a 3-1 score in 3B’s favor.

The coach was quite pleased, remarking that they were far stronger than expected, ushering everyone into the analysis room for a VOD review.

Shen Man attended the review session, listening with great focus.

By the time they wrapped up, it was already late evening. Yawning, Shen Man said goodnight to everyone and headed back to his room to sleep.

While washing up, a sudden knock sounded at his door. Opening it, Shen Man found Xu Zhouye standing outside.

“What’s up?” Shen Man asked.

“Ran out of toothpaste,” Xu Zhouye said. “Ge, can I borrow some?”

Shen Man let out an “Oh,” waving him inside: “Help yourself. There are new ones in the drawer under the sink.”

Xu Zhouye walked to the bathroom sink, casually scanning the room along the way.

The room remained clean and minimalist. Aside from the intrusive iron bars fixed across the window, there was no remaining trace of that night’s incident.

Pulling open the drawer, Xu Zhouye saw several tubes of fresh toothpaste neatly arranged inside. He picked one up and read the label: Chocolate Ice Cream.

Xu Zhouye: “…”

He swapped to another: Vanilla Soft-Serve Ice Cream.

Xu Zhouye genuinely couldn’t imagine Shen Man, with that perpetually cold face of his, secretly using such adorable flavors of toothpaste.

Then he picked up the third tube: Sichuan Chili Pepper Flavor.

Xu Zhouye was thoroughly shocked by the flavor profile. Ice cream was still within the realm of normalcy, but what on earth was Sichuan chili pepper doing in toothpaste?

“Ge, this Sichuan chili pepper toothpaste,” Xu Zhouye asked, “what does it actually taste like?”

Shen Man said, “Just mint.” His tone was so casual and deadpan that it made Xu Zhouye seem like the one making a fuss over nothing.

Driven by sheer curiosity, Xu Zhouye made his pick: Sichuan Chili Pepper.

That night, Xu Zhouye experienced firsthand what it meant to feel chilled to the bone.

It truly was mint-flavored, but mixed into the mint was a distinct kick of spices that left one dizzy while brushing, unsure whether they were cleaning their teeth or having a midnight snack.

It involuntarily reminded Xu Zhouye of how the cooking auntie had strictly forbidden Shen Man from touching spicy food while recovering from his injury.

In that moment, an infinite wave of reverence for Shen Man surged in Xu Zhouye’s chest.

Because of his hand injury, Shen Man couldn’t play games, leaving him to watch match VODs every day and occasionally browse Weibo.

Spending more time on Weibo naturally exposed him to more bizarre things, such as a certain Super Topic he had crossed paths with once before: Man Tian Bian Ye.

It wasn’t that Shen Man actively sought it out, but Weibo’s algorithm insisted on recommending it, pushing it onto his homepage repeatedly until he finally couldn’t resist clicking in.

The top trending post on the feed read: Someone dropped more insider scoops on me yesterday. Guess what? They’ve been dating for a long time already! [Photo] [Photo]

Shen Man: “…” Why did he recognize every single character, yet put together they made no sense? And weren’t these pictures blatantly photoshopped?

He scrolled further down.

[Sisters, didn’t SW get injured recently? FEST was worried sick. During his stream yesterday, he didn’t wear a good expression at all, whereas SW looked super cheerful. Don’t know if anyone noticed, but SW has such an ambiguous red mark on his neck! Tsk tsk tsk, these two really play wild.]

Shen Man reached up and touched the mark on his neck. There indeed was a tiny red dot. If Xu Zhouye possessed seventy-two transformations and could turn into a mosquito, then this red dot truly had something to do with him. And as for this “insider source,” tell me honestly, isn’t it just Zhao Rui?

Shen Man’s finger continued swiping down to read the replies.

[FEST must have felt so heartbroken that they did it all night long. I can totally picture SW’s usually cold face being worked to exhaustion, eyes rimmed red as he begs for mercy…]

[Right, right! Sisters, remember when FEST walked past SW during yesterday’s stream? Only the two of them were wearing team jerseys, while everyone else wore casual clothes!! This is definitely a little lover trick. Only the two of them wearing it at the time, isn’t that literally matching couple outfits?]

Shen Man: “…” Looking down at the T-shirt he was wearing, he truly never could have conceived such an angle. Besides, if he and Xu Zhouye actually got together, why on earth would he be the one on the bottom? Couldn’t Xu Zhouye be the bottom?

Pondering for a moment, Shen Man used an alt account to reply under the post: [I think SW is the top.]

A moment later, someone replied to him: [Sister, we don’t break up ships or switch positions here.]

Shen Man: [Then where is the Super Topic where SW is the top?]

The kind-hearted poster provided directions: [Here, neighboring link.]

Full of confidence, Shen Man clicked into it, only to suspect he had entered the wrong place: 998 followers. Compared to the tens of thousands in the other one, it read like a bad joke.

Wait a second. Xu Zhouye had only joined ACE a few months ago, so how could there be tens of thousands of people who thought he should top? Shen Man even suspected they had bought bot accounts.

Feeling thoroughly indignant, Shen Man reasoned that his seniority was higher than Xu Zhouye’s and he was older than Xu Zhouye. On what basis should he be topped by Xu Zhouye?

So he returned to the main feed and authored a post himself: [Why is SLOW the bottom? Do you guys think he isn’t strong enough?]

Quite a few people replied. Most tagged the forum moderator claiming there was a troll here to cause trouble, a small fraction spat venomous insults, while another small portion addressed Shen Man’s query.

[But SW is so slender! If they really threw down, FEST could pin him to the bed with one hand and take him.]

Shen Man badly wanted to refute that, but he truly was leaner than Xu Zhouye. After all, even in scorching heat nearing forty degrees Celsius, Xu Zhouye never skipped his daily morning runs and still made time for the gym at night, maintaining terrifying physical discipline.

Still unwilling to admit defeat, Shen Man persisted: [I think SW is the top.]

Then he was ruthlessly muted and booted out by the moderator.

Shen Man: “…” Why were these people abusing administrative powers?

Returning from his morning run, Xu Zhouye saw his captain sitting blankly in the training room without even turning on his computer, looking like he was brooding over someone.

Xu Zhouye walked over, greeted him, and set the breakfast he brought onto the desk: “Ge, what’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well?”

Shen Man said slowly, “Nothing…”

Seeing breakfast, his mood improved considerably.

Today Xu Zhouye had sourced sticky rice rolls from who knew where, stuffed with minced meat sauce, peanuts, finely minced pickles, and crispy fried dough flakes. Though not spicy, it smelled wonderfully fragrant.

Xu Zhouye watched Shen Man’s stony expression soften bit by bit. With his cheeks stuffed full of sticky rice, chewing steadily, he looked just like an adorable little hamster.

It gave the distinct illusion of feeding a foul-tempered personal pet, though Xu Zhouye didn’t dare say that aloud.

“The doctor said I can begin rehabilitation training today.” The rice roll was massive; Shen Man had nibbled for quite a while and only finished half, speaking around his food: “I’ll join scrims with you guys this afternoon.”

Xu Zhouye said, “So soon?”

“Mm, there isn’t much time left,” Shen Man said. “Can’t let this incident cause any more delays.”

The World Championship was set for mid-October. It was already early September, leaving barely a single month for practice. Although the coach hadn’t voiced complaints, Shen Man could sense a trace of anxiety from his demeanor.

This was the best season ACE had ever achieved under his coaching, and it was the players’ first time making it to Worlds. Everyone carried immense hopes. Shen Man didn’t want this unexpected accident of his to compromise ACE’s tournament results.

Pre-tournament training was vital. Both draft strategies and macro systems required extensive practice to synchronize.

Facing everyone’s concerns, Shen Man maintained his usual calm: “I’m not a kid anymore. I know my limits.”

“You’re only twenty-one,” the coach muttered. “Not that old either.”

Shen Man shot him a glare.

The coach threw his hands up in surrender: “Fine, you call the shots.”

Shen Man told him to stop putting on an act.

Scrims followed one after another, the tournament date drawing nearer by the day.

Because the Mid-Autumn Festival fell too close to the finals schedule, the coach announced there would be no holiday break. While the others showed little reaction, Zhao Rui groaned in misery.

Ever since hoisting the trophy last time, everyone knew he had landed a girlfriend, even though they had yet to see her in person.

“Zhao Rui, if you can’t go visit, invite your girlfriend over to the base to hang out,” Liu Shishi teased.

Zhao Rui acted bashful and awkward: “Can’t do that.”

Liu Shishi said, “Why not?”

Zhao Rui: “Hmph, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”

Liu Shishi snapped: “Why wouldn’t I understand?!”

Zhao Rui countered: “If you’re so knowledgeable, why don’t you get a girlfriend yourself?”

Liu Shishi: “…”

“Hmph, you all laugh at me for e-dating every day.” Zhao Rui lifted his chin with pride. “Out of this entire room of bachelors, I’m the only one with a girlfriend!”

“Who said that?” Liu Shishi sneered. “Xu Zhouye’s girlfriend is gorgeous.”

Zhao Rui blinked: “Huh? He has a girlfriend?”

Liu Shishi said, “Remember when we went out for hotpot? We saw Xu Zhouye together with a girl. That girl was seriously stunning, tall and slender, just like a model.”

Zhao Rui remained stubborn: “That doesn’t necessarily mean she’s his girlfriend.”

“Heh, I literally just saw her moments ago, meeting Xu Zhouye right by the base gates,” Liu Shishi dropped a bombshell. “If that’s not a girlfriend, what is she? A classmate?”

It had started as idle banter between the two of them, but the moment these words landed, everyone halted what they were doing, Shen Man included.

“Quick, quick, quick! When did you see it? Why didn’t you mention such huge news earlier?” Xu Xiaochong leaned over. “They were really meeting outside the base just now?”

“Yeah,” Liu Shishi said. “Chatting and laughing together, looking super sweet.”

“But didn’t we see Xu Zhouye bring Shen-ge late-night supper just yesterday?” Xu Xiaochong found it utterly unbelievable.

“Doesn’t Xu Zhouye bring Shen-ge supper every single day?” Liu Shishi said.

Xu Zhouye and Shen Man were exceptionally close. Though he had only been at ACE for a few months, according to their observations, he had never missed a single night’s supper, spanning crayfish to various snacks without break. Yet despite being fed like this, Shen Man never gained weight, still maintaining that sharply defined jawline, making Zhao Rui practically drown in envy. Had he eaten like Shen Man, he would have ballooned into Xu Xiaochong long ago.

“Bringing supper doesn’t stop someone from dating,” Zhao Rui asserted. “The Captain is just slightly more important than a girlfriend, isn’t that right, Captain?”

Shen Man ignored him.

“Still, Xu Zhouye hasn’t come back inside for this long. He wouldn’t still be flirting at the front gates, would he?” Liu Shishi checked the time. “Should we go out and take a peek?”

“Sounds good, sounds good!” Time for Zhao Rui’s favorite drama-watching segment again.

Three of them jumped up and dashed toward the door. After a moment of hesitation, Shen Man stood up and followed behind.

Zhao Rui hadn’t expected Shen Man to join, asking in surprise, “Captain, you’re coming too?” Shen Man was usually the one who despised joining commotions the most, yet here he was coming along to watch.

“Curious,” Shen Man replied.

The four walked up to the base gates, and sure enough, Xu Zhouye hadn’t left yet, currently chatting with an attractive woman.

Just as Zhao Rui described, the atmosphere between them looked very intimate, their bond clearly special. The woman even reached out to pat Xu Zhouye’s head, and Xu Zhouye didn’t pull away, beaming like a blossom.

A sudden wave of discomfort stirred in Shen Man’s chest. The discomfort arrived abruptly, so much so that he couldn’t grasp the reason himself. He and Xu Zhouye were merely teammates; the guy dating didn’t interfere with tournament play, making this feeling entirely irrational.

“Why doesn’t he invite his girlfriend inside the base?” Zhao Rui asked.

Liu Shishi said, “How would I know? Aren’t you refusing to bring yours over too?”

Zhao Rui muttered, “My situation is special.”

While they whispered, Xu Zhouye bid farewell to the woman and turned to head back.

The four quickly slipped away. When Xu Zhouye returned to the training room, he sensed the atmosphere was somewhat strange. Setting a bag down on the desk, he asked, “What’s up with you guys?”

Everyone wore feigned expressions of innocence: “Nothing at all.”

Xu Zhouye asked suspiciously, “Nothing? If it’s nothing, why hasn’t Zhao Rui even turned his computer on while clacking away at the keyboard?”

Zhao Rui: “…”

As everyone knew, when people felt awkward, they tended to pretend to look busy.

Zhao Rui laughed sheepishly: “Just testing out my new keyboard.”

Xu Zhouye looked toward Shen Man.

Shen Man had his headset on, having just opened the game client.

Walking behind Shen Man, Xu Zhouye said, “Ge, brought you some supper.”

Shen Man said nothing.

Xu Zhouye called, “Ge?”

Shen Man pulled off his headset and looked up at Xu Zhouye. Standing behind him, Xu Zhouye smiled with dazzling brilliance. It was a smile Shen Man knew well; he smiled like this at him every day.

And he smiled like this at others too.

Shen Man recalled the scene he had just witnessed. The supper sitting beside him had been brought over by his girlfriend. No matter how one looked at it, eating food delivered by someone’s girlfriend felt completely inappropriate.

Shen Man said, “No need. Eat it yourself.”

Xu Zhouye paused, taken aback: “But this was bought specially for you.”

Shen Man looked at Xu Zhouye expressionlessly. That gaze made Xu Zhouye’s heart jolt violently, reminding him of when he first arrived at ACE and wasn’t familiar with Shen Man, receiving that exact same cold look.

What happened?

Xu Zhouye didn’t understand.

“No need,” Shen Man said. “I’m not hungry.”

He slipped his headset back on.

The meaning of the gesture was painfully clear: he didn’t wish to converse with Xu Zhouye any further.

The sudden shift in attitude caught Xu Zhouye entirely off guard. Standing awkwardly beside him, he wanted to say something, but had no idea where he had offended Shen Man.

Xu Zhouye turned and walked away. Staring at his screen, Shen Man caught the sight of Xu Zhouye leaving from the corner of his eye.

Shen Man let out a faint sigh. A sudden pang of self-reproach struck him; he shouldn’t have adopted this attitude toward Xu Zhouye. Even if the supper was handed over by the guy’s girlfriend, it was still a thoughtful gesture from Xu Zhouye. The inexplicable irritation stirring inside had caused him to lose his composure.

Shen Man felt a flicker of regret.

Before two minutes of regret could pass, a chair scraped beside him. Turning his head, he saw Xu Zhouye sitting down next to him holding the takeout bag.

Being taller than Shen Man, he propped his chin on his palm, tilting his head as he stared at Shen Man.

Being stared at made Shen Man feel slightly uncomfortable. Turning slowly, he asked, “What are you doing?”

“Ge, what happened to you?” Xu Zhouye asked.

“Nothing happened to me,” Shen Man replied.

Xu Zhouye said, “Then why are you unhappy?” Just this afternoon, he had asked him to bring ice pops, carefully picking out the flavors. How could he refuse to even touch the supper brought for him in just this short span of time?

Shen Man didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t very well say, This takeout was given to you by your girlfriend, so I don’t want to eat it. Saying that aloud sounded utterly bizarre.

Shen Man said, “I’m not unhappy.”

Hearing this, Xu Zhouye burst out laughing with a pfft.

Shen Man said, “What are you laughing at?”

Xu Zhouye said, “Nothing.”

Shen Man’s reaction was simply too adorable. Saying “I’m not unhappy” with an expressionless face was the spitting image of an irritated cat with its fur bristling, claiming it was totally fine.

If Xu Zhouye actually voiced that thought, Shen Man would definitely fly into a rage out of embarrassment. Beaming, Xu Zhouye said, “Ge, I’m not very sharp. If I upset you somewhere, teach me, okay?”

Xu Zhouye, not sharp? He was extraordinarily smart. Otherwise, he never could have grown this close to Shen Man in just a few short months.

Shen Man seemed ill-tempered at first glance, treating everyone with icy detachment. But in Xu Zhouye’s eyes, he had almost no real temper at all; even when matches went poorly, he rarely put pressure on his teammates.

Of course, that was from Xu Zhouye’s perspective. If you asked Zhao Rui, Xu Zhouye’s rose-tinted glasses were about eight hundred meters thick.

There was no helping it; Xu Zhouye simply liked him.

Shen Man felt he was being somewhat unreasonable as well. They were teammates after all, and with Xu Zhouye lowering his head like this, maintaining a cold face felt hard to justify. Just as he was about to speak, Zhao Rui suddenly charged over with a shout as loud as a megaphone:

“Xu Zhouye! The Captain is unhappy because he’s jealous of your girlfriend!!”

Shen Man: “?”

Xu Zhouye: “??”

Zhao Rui loved stirring up drama without fearing consequences, blurting out: “Isn’t the supper in your hands delivered by your girlfriend? The Captain saw it and got upset!”

Shen Man: “…”

Xu Zhouye: “…”

Before Shen Man could open his mouth, Xu Zhouye weakly raised a hand: “Ge, that wasn’t my girlfriend.”

“Then who was it? A fiancée?” Zhao Rui pressed.

“That was my mom,” Xu Zhouye said.

Shen Man: “…”