The match was over, but the related discussions were just beginning.
Some people enjoyed the unknown and excitement of live streaming, while others prefer watching replays to know the result before watching the game, believing it’s better for their heart.
Public opinion reached its peak only after most people had watched the game.
【VI has won two consecutive championships; their strength speaks for itself.】
【The fifth game was entirely based on luck, but TZ’s skill level isn’t bad either.】
【I acknowledge the ability of the “Crown Prince Fans” to perform well against the odds.】
【Just a casual observer, but to be honest, this match was really enjoyable to watch.】
【Purely based on operation】
【Even though he lost, I really want to be transported to BREEZE’s world.】
【Me too! What does it feel like to get a pentakill as a support? I’ve been playing games for three years and have never experienced it.】
【Don’t even mention support, I’ve never even played Swamp as a top laner.】
【The neighboring swamp forum has already hailed Baby as a god.】
【That play was really cool. He rationally analyzed his positioning, dodged four small skills, instantly flashed to dodge the ultimate, and even got a kill.】
【Every ranked game tonight has Swamp, and all the games feature top-tier damage builds for baby.】
【His item build is already complete: “Dancing on the Blade’s Edge, Pentakill in Desperate Situations, Pro Player TZ-BREEZE’s Runes Equipped. 18-Year-Old Prodigy Support, All Eyes Are on Me!”】
【I must say, this recommendation is quite well written.】
【Sigh, it’s really hard losing. That last interview was heartbreaking; he even choked up while speaking.】
【And this too, [image]】
【At the scene, as he was leaving, he looked back at the stage and then cried.】
【This picture is really something, that tear is huge, he must have been trying so hard to hold it in but couldn’t.】
【It felt like all five of them did their best; if He Ci had just had one more piece of equipment at the end, they might have won.】
【Yes, he was in really good form in the playoffs, consistently ranking first in damage output.】
【He’s not feeling well either; I saw his eyes were red.】
【All ten of them did their best this time; there were no war criminals, everyone was working hard. I even teared up when B-ge sneaked into the enemy base at the end.】
【Yes, indeed.】
…
This match was arguably the most exciting of the HPL season, and it ranks among the best in HPL history. Players were discussing it extensively, and countless videos related to it were being produced.
HPL officials also released a lot of highlights from the finals. In their top 5 playoff plays, the first place was BURN and VI’s backdoor fight; the second place was Yu Xinche’s desperate pentakill; and the third place was He Ci’s second-highest damage output in that team fight despite being two items behind.
TZ also posted several videos after the finals.
One of them was a personal montage of Yu Xinche, featuring his highlight plays on the field as well as everyday moments at the base. The video used a guitar piece played by Yu Xinche himself as background music, serving as a retrospective of his four months with TZ.
The last scene of the video was the tearful picture that recently went viral. At that time, Yu Xinche consciously tried to hide, but was still captured by another camera.
His head was down, so his expression couldn’t be seen, but the tear falling was crystal clear, like a bullet that could easily hit every fan, making everyone feel his pain.
The video’s comments section was filled with well wishes and reflections from people in the industry, praising his promising future. However, the most upvoted comment came from a fan who photoshopped the image into a movie-style version of a classic meme from the industry, adding a line of poetry at the bottom:
One day your burdens will become gifts, and your tears will light your way.
*
This year, the HPL region only had one spot in the official invitational tournament, and VI’s victory also means that TZ had started their month-long vacation.
After the match, the team members returned to the base together to review the game, attend commercial activities, catch up on live streams, and handle a host of other matters.
The debriefing for this match took up most of the afternoon, partly because there were many details to sort out, and partly because the players didn’t speak much, making communication less efficient than before.
However, neither the coach nor Xu Le said anything to them. After all, they had won the entire season, and this loss had ruined three months of hard work. No one could adjust their mood in a short period of time, so it was normal for them to be in low spirits during the review.
Both sides made some minor mistakes in the fifth game, but the real turning point was when VI’s two carries stole the dragon.
The coach dragged the progress bar to the dragon-fighting scene and played it over the team’s voice chat.
“I don’t know if you guys noticed, but our play was actually quite chaotic this time. I understand that the two who went up to the dragon pit were going to attack. But our control wasn’t good, and we couldn’t control the opponents at all, which allowed PURPLE to enter the dragon pit directly.”
After entering, going to kill the opponent first before attacking the dragon is fine. But when ganging up on them, you were saving your ultimate and flash, only using two more ultimates after failing to kill them instantly, and didn’t assign anyone to block in front of the dragon to absorb the skills.
“Listen to it again.” The coach put the microphone back on. “To be honest, I didn’t even hear what you guys were saying. Everyone was talking over each other, and when they finished, they realized they had different opinions, so they all said to do it the other’s way.”
None of the five spoke, knowing they were in the wrong, and even Xiao Ou, who was always stubborn, didn’t utter a word of rebuttal.
“I understand that everyone is anxious, but what is the purpose of our command? It is to ensure that the five of us act in unison. I don’t mean to criticize anyone in particular, but everyone did a poor job this time. The two commanders failed to keep the team in check, and the others were too loud and didn’t listen to others.”
…
A coach is sometimes like a teacher. When it comes to serious mistakes, he needs to emphasize them repeatedly, even if it means speaking harshly, to teach the player a lesson and prevent them from repeating the mistake.
After the debriefing session ended, the coach asked Yu Xinche to stay a little longer.
Xu Le and the coach sat opposite him. After the others left, they asked Yu Xinche how he felt after playing for a season, and whether he was used to it, and how well he was eating and sleeping.
Yu Xinche answered all the questions politely, but seeing that Xu Le was about to continue with the pleasantries, Yu Xinche couldn’t help but interrupt the spellcasting: “If you have something to say, why don’t you just say it directly?”
He was a little hungry, and He Ci said that the aunt would be frying corn fritters today, which would get soft when they cooled down and taste better when they were hot.
“Haha…” They exchanged a glance, and the coach stopped beating around the bush and asked him if he would like to try commanding.
“Huh?!” Upon hearing this, Yu Xinche suddenly looked up at the two of them. After realizing that they were not joking, Yu Xinche straightened up and said seriously, “Okay.”
Bian Qi talked to him during the draft, saying that very few teams have a dual-carry configuration like TZ.
“Commanding takes a lot of effort. The carry positions are all squishy and have a very low margin for error. If you’re not careful, you can easily die from a skill. Of the five positions, the carry position is the one that can’t die the most, which is a contradiction.”
Yu Xinche was still quite naive at the time, and he asked why not have someone else take command.
“The others aren’t qualified,” Bian Qi said nonchalantly. “A commander needs to have solid skills, and his teammates also need to trust him.”
After joining the team, Yu Xinche would occasionally think of his words. He Ci and CONTROL did not talk much when they were playing team fights in order to focus on their game.
During the laning phase, they were able to keep an eye on all lanes, direct the play, and still manage to secure lane kills; their skill were truly terrifying.
Yu Xinche kept thinking about how strong their dominance would be if they could concentrate on their gameplay.
“You agree to this so easily?” Xu Le was surprised. “No rush, you can go back and think about it first. The pressure of commanding is still very high, and you’ll definitely be the scapegoat if we lose.”
“No need, I’ve thought about it…” Yu Xinche paused for a moment, “If the four of them agree, then that’s enough.”
“He Ci and CONTROL both agree; we discussed it yesterday. If you’re willing, we’ll ask the others.”
“They all agree?” Yu Xinche was worried about the two center positions.
It was difficult for anyone to suddenly relinquish control of the direction of a project. Those who were willing to take the lead bear greater pressure, but also have a greater influence on the outcome.
They were doing quite well now; having this outcome was already a great achievement.
Under such circumstances, there was no real need to relinquish command.
“Yes, CONTROL thought about it all night, and He Ci agreed on the spot, just like you.”
“Ah… I understand.” Yu Xinche nodded. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now?”
“Okay, you can go.”
Yu Xinche walked quickly to the cafeteria, where He Ci and the others were sitting together. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw an untouched plate of corn fritters next to He Ci.
“You saw it, huh? I thought you didn’t see it because you didn’t react,” he said.
He Ci was completely bewildered: “What do you see?”
“?” Yu Xinche was stunned, then pointed to the corn, “I wanted you to get some of this for me when the meeting ended. I’ve looked at you several times.”
“Huh?” He Ci was also taken aback for a moment. “I really didn’t see it.”
“Then why did you take it for me?”
“…” He Ci chuckled, “I know you want to eat it, does this need to be specifically instructed?”
“6.” Before Yu Xinche could speak, BURN, who was watching, spoke first.
“That’s not fair,” Xiao Ou complained. “Why didn’t you help me get it? I just went to the restroom, and when I came back there were no braised pork ribs left.”
CONTROL looked at the two of them: “This how it is when the bot lane gets along. Haven’t you gotten used to it after a whole season?”
Yu Xinche pretended not to hear.
He originally wanted to talk to He Ci about the command, but since everyone was here and Xiao Ou and BURN didn’t know about it yet, so he didn’t mention it and just brought over some food to eat with them.
Professional gamers excel at two things: playing games and facing defeat.
Even the most arrogant person must learn to make peace with themselves. Only by moving on from this setback could they embrace the next victory.
This was Yu Xinche’s first defeat. Before this, in his eyes, the championship was the same as getting first place in an exam—a reward he deserved for his hard work. Now he knew that everyone worked hard, and the championship trophy wouldn’t necessarily belong to him just because he was more talented or put in more effort.
Timing, luck, intense desire, and a stable mindset…
He had tried to console himself from many angles during those sleepless nights.
Sometimes when He Ci found that he hadn’t slept, he would chat with him, telling him about his past or the experiences of other players.
Occasionally the topic would veer off course, but neither of them would interrupt the other. Yu Xinche didn’t know what He Ci was thinking, but he wanted to confide in He Ci and was willing to get to understand him.
*
During the off-season, they weren’t busy. Apart from occasional commercial activities, their only official business was serving as sparring partners for VI during their World Championship campaign, playing practice matches with them.
As time passed, the regret of the finals settled in their hearts. The temperature grew colder and colder, and before they knew it, the end of the year was upon them.
In the early hours of the 25th, TZ and his three friends were bored at the base and were playing FTK, the pro team’s game next door while streaming live.
The game is set up for four players. BURN went to be with his girlfriend on Christmas Eve and hadn’t come back yet, so the remaining players could team up in a squad of four.
“I don’t want to play as a free agent…” Yu Xinche pouted. “HIT means I’m the support, why am I being asked to play that role in this game?”
Xiao Ou: “Everyone has their own expertise, and you play the free agent role better than all of us.”
“It’s pointless,” Yu Xinche complained. “Isn’t this just like filling in for the enemy every game?”
【Hahahaha】
【You and God Pei next door will definitely get along well.】
【I’m speechless. SEEK actually said the exact same thing.】
【What’s He Ci doing? Coax him a little.】
He Ci played Knight, which was the damage dealer position, and he smiled and said, “Let’s switch next time. God Che worked hard this time. We were able to have a peaceful Christmas Eve thanks to you.”
【Wow, this one knows how to praise!】
【Awesome】
【Able to bend and stretch】
【Where’s Team Leader Gu from next door? Come here and learn!】
Yu Xinche was comforted and finished the game seriously. Just as he was about to happily choose the Knight, BURN came back.
“It’s snowing! It’s snowing!”
【?!】
【It’s not snowing here.】
【It’s really snowing here!!】
“ah?”
Yu Xinche was sitting by the window when he heard this, and immediately drew back the curtains. Sure enough, it was snowing outside. It looked like it had been snowing for a while, as the bushes and the area around the window were already covered with a thin layer of white.
It was enough to build a snowman.
“Brother B, you play, I’m taking a break.” Yu Xinche decisively quit the game queue, said goodbye to the chat, and quickly ended the stream. He put on his coat and was about to go out.
He had just stood up when He Ci also logged out of the game.
Before turning off the camera, he thoughtfully told the viewers in the live chat, “Let’s take a short break.”
【…】
【Some people said at the beginning of the season that supports were just tagging along; now it seems we are the ones instead.】
【He loves it so much.】
“Ugh, why go out when it’s so cold…” Xiao Ou complained as he put on his down jacket and went out.
“Tsk.” The remaining two had no choice but to join the team since their teammates had already gone out.
【? no】
【We could even do a live stream outdoors with our phones!】
【Is anyone going to do anything about this…?】
The snow was heavy, so Yu Xinche stood under the eaves for a while and watched.
The sky was deep blue, and countless snowflakes swirled down. He caught some with his sleeve, and each one was just as perfect as those drawn in the cartoon.
While the central region isn’t entirely snowless year-round, snowfall was rare, occurring only a handful of times each year.
The first snowfall of the year was romantic and the first person to spot it always shared it with friends, reminding each other to look.
Last year, when the first snow fell, Yu Xinche and his roommates made a hasty snowman at the entrance of their dormitory building. This year, his roommates were not here, but his teammates were.
The five of them divided the work and spent a lot of effort to roll out two barely round balls that were finally acceptable to look at.
Next, they needed to attach body parts and facial features. Two of them went to the cafeteria to get rolling pins to use as arms.
Xiao Ou went to the surrounding buildings to get the club’s small flags, which he would put next to the snowman.
Yu Xinche and He Ci went back to their room to search and found a scarf, a hat, and a few bottle caps. They were the closest and were the first to return.
He Ci squatted down in front of the snowman and tied a scarf around its neck, then reached out to Yu Xinche to get the bottle caps that would serve as eyes.
Yu Xinche looked down at his phone, typing messages to his college friends with one hand, while holding a bottle cap in the other, he casually stretched it out in front of him, not caring whether He Ci could actually reach it.
If he really can’t reach it, he’ll come and get it, Yu Xinche thought.
The previous times, the items were automatically handed to He Ci as soon as he reached out his hand. This time, he casually stretched out his arm, but nothing came.
He felt strange, but didn’t think much of it and subconsciously started waving around.
He grabbed something soft and cool.
He froze for half a second, then turned around and saw that he was holding Yu Xinche’s hand.
Yu Xinche also looked up from his phone and stared at him in surprise.
Both of them were clearly stunned, and after looking at each other for a moment, they slowly withdrew their hands.
Retracting their hands would be too much and too unnatural. So, without thinking, they both awkwardly extended their hands again.
Snowy days were already quiet, but now it’s so quiet that you could only hear each other’s breathing.
The snow was still falling, and his teammates were nowhere to be seen. Finally, He Ci spoke first, taking two bottle caps from Yu Xinche’s hand and asking:
“Why are they different colors?”
“Yes, they’re not the same color,” Yu Xinche said.
After saying that, he felt like he was talking nonsense, so he cleared his throat and added, “Ahem, white hair with heterochromia eyes are very popular now, so I chose that specifically.”
“Oh.” He Ci probably wasn’t that interested in the answer, so he just responded and didn’t say anything more, turning back to press the eyes into the snowman’s head.
Yu Xinche crouched behind He Ci and quietly pressed the hand that was held on the snow.
He was speechless and a little shaken. It was just a touch, what was the big deal?
Was such a strong reaction necessary?
In the dead of winter, his hands have never warmed up this quickly, not even when using a heater.
He closed his eyes in exasperation.
You’re so disappointing, God Che.
t/n: Baby Fish scolding himself is so cute haha. Its starting, its starting!
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