Before Tong Yao ran out, she grabbed the writing tablet from Lu Sicheng.
On the way out of the base, she began to doubt herself-- --In reality, she didn't know Dubhe that well; they had only exchanged a few words occasionally…...Usually, all the kids from the B team would stay in the training area on the second floor. The training area was in the open area across Tong Yao and her teammates' rooms. Aside from the regular biweekly training matches against A team, B team wouldn't normally have much of a chance to interact with the players from the A team.
Occasionally when the power went out or the internet went down, Little Fatty would shout out: "Kids upstairs, is your internet down? !"
Other than that, once in a while when a player from A team walked out of his own room, he would meet the eyes of the B team player who happened to sit facing his room...
Tong Yao and Dubhe met under this situation.
They would greet each other with a smile across the space once in a while and get to know each other a little better that way. Dubhe's rank was between Diamond one and Master on the Korean server. Sometimes when Tong Yao was playing ranked, she would see him in her match…...Tong Yao knew he actually played a decent Kalista, but seldom chose it.
Tong Yao didn't go far out of the base to see Dubhe squatting outside the yard of the base. It was a hot day and it had just rained. Outside the base, it was muggy, hot, and swarming with mosquitos. Dubhe was squatting with a cigarette in hand.
Tong Yao had a younger brother herself. Though her brother was only a few years younger than her, she knew very well how a rebellious adolescent looked like when he was acting up-- --
She walked up and pulled the cigarette out of Dubhe's hand and threw it into the trash: "Youngsters shouldn't learn this nonsense."
Dubhe was stunned and turned to take a look at her. Tong Yao couldn't clearly see the expression in his eyes in the darkness. She could only hear his voice which had just started hitting puberty: "Oh, it's you."
The voice sounded quite listless. It was quite a difference from earlier when he blushed and spilled water-- --
He was in a bad mood.
Tong Yao put the writing tablet under her arm and squatted down next to him. She thought for a bit before speaking: "It's normal to win or lose in a training match. Obsidian, in any case, beat the second place junior league team in the Spring season relegation game and kept its standing in the major league…...It's normal to lose to them, don't feel bad."
Dubhe: "Oh. Before today's match…...At that time you and Cheng Ge hadn't come back yet. Ming god said that since Ah Lu's our mid, our team should be at par with an average major league team."
Tong Yao: "..."
Dubhe: "It's my fault that we lost the game-- --I know that. You don't need to comfort me. I know very well that if I took Kalista, we would've won the match."
Tong Yao took the writing tablet from under her arm.
Dubhe frowned and his voice became somewhat defiant: "But I just don't want to take it."
Tong Yao stuffed the writing tablet, which she was about to hand over to Dubhe, between her chest and her lap.
She circled her knees: "...I know you're not happy being called Little Chessman."
Dubhe didn't say anything.
Tong Yao said after giving it some thought: "It was like back when Cheng Ge just started to play professionally and was a trainee in Korea. He was a substitute and was called Pope's shadow-- --He wasn't happy about it then, besides he was surrounded by Koreans. It's very possible that in the beginning when people referred to him as 'Pope's shadow', the intention wasn't the same as here when people call you 'Little Chessman.' At least, the latter nickname in most people's perception is meant to be a compliment."
Dubhe gave out a light mirthless laugh.
"Later it was through Cheng Ge's own efforts that changed the nickname from 'Pope's shadow' into 'look, that's the man who's on equal footing with Pope,' or 'that's the shadow that can block the light.'-- --Kalista is the signature champion for both of them, yet Cheng Ge never avoids using Kalista because of it."
Tong Yao pulled out the writing tablet and took a look at it under the dim porch light, then started to read aloud: "11 minutes 12 seconds, miscalculated ability damage, champion is at level 6 and Jinx initial damage is 79 (including damage from runes), with accurate calculation should be able to block two abilities from enemy ad; 12 minutes 13 seconds, missed minion, not familiar with champion's damage, should practice more on farming..."
Dubhe turned his head to give Tong Yao a look. Tong Yao handed the tablet over: "Though Cheng Ge is mean and harsh, at least he earnestly wants to bring you up as his successor…...Think about those years when he was in Korea, he probably wouldn't have been treated as nicely."
"I don't care about that. I only know that with him on the team, I'll never have the chance to play in any competition."
"You can lead your own team to play from the junior league to go up to the major league."
"That's impossible. The new mid we have now can't catch up with us. It'll be possible only if Lu Yue is with us or Cheng Ge retires and I get into the A team." Dubhe took the tablet to take a glance: "Tsk. So when is he going to retire?"
"..." Tong Yao kept her squatting position but raised her head to glance at the kid next to her: "Little Dubhe, aren't you a bit too impatient?"
Dubhe lowered his head to give Tong Yao a deep look but didn't say anything.
After a long while, he slowly said: "I always win when playing ranked with you, it feels good."
Tong Yao: "Oh yeah? Thank-- --"
Dubhe: "I also want to have a strong mid like you, not that wimp on the team now who only waits for others to win for him."
Tong Yao stood up, brushed down the nonexisting dusts on her knees, and didn't know what else to say-- --She should be happy being complimented by the kid, yet she couldn't feel any happiness. The kid next to her had an overly strong desire to win, to move up to the A team. His every word, every expression all let Tong Yao sense his impetuous eagerness...
Tong Yao frowned.
Dubhe on the other hand just chuckled: "I really envy Cheng Ge; fame, money, good teammates-- --he has everything I want."
...
Inside the base, Xiao Rui knelt on the couch with his bottom sticking out and his face pasted to the window to look outside. He kept mumbling while looking: "Cheng Ge, I suddenly feel that maybe we haven't been caring for the B team enough?"
Lu Sicheng, who was sitting on the couch reviewing the video of the just finished match, didn't respond.
"Little Dubhe seemed to have a pleasant conversation with Tong Yao. But he usually isn't like that when he speaks to his teammates; he's not like that even when management talks to him. Why?" Xiao Rui had already pressed his face into a pancake against the window. After a while, he came up with a conclusion with his wild imagination: "....Could it be that there's something going on between the two? !"
The man who was reviewing the video still didn't reply. He took the pen to write down some numbers on the writing tablet next to him. After a long while, as Xiao Rui's bottom was pointing higher and higher, Lu Sicheng finally asked without looking up: "What something?"
"Tong Yao's room is right across from Little Dubhe's computer. The girl opens her door and the first thing she meets is the pair of eyes behind that computer. They smile bashfully and greet each other. Finally, after being under the same roof for some time, affection between the two develops…...Thus began the underground love affair between the kid and the girl."
"Oh." Lu Sicheng responded, still looking downward to jot something on the writing tablet.
Xiao Rui: "These two look quite well-matched. Little Dubhe is a little over 1.7m now and still growing. I figure he'll eventually be at your height."
Xiao Rui: "You're getting old. After you retire, Little Dubhe will replace you to be the first adc of the team and pair with Tong Yao."
Xiao Rui: "Oops, I can't control my imagination-- --You know it isn't true that they said our team doesn't allow relationships within the team. All we have are male creatures here and even if you guys want to have a same gender relationship, I can't stop you..."
Xiao Rui: "But, as the captain, you have better watch over these two kids more closely. Make sure they won't let their love affair interfere with their training and ranks."
Lu Sicheng: "..."
Lu Sicheng reached over to click the pause key on the tablet and put down his pen.
Then he smiled and answered: "Sure."
Before going to bed that night, Tong Yao cleaned up her stuff from her desk and let the mid from the B team sit on her chair. Though he wasn't going to the competition, he still moved downstairs with the rest of the B team. She said goodnight to the B team kids around her and went upstairs. Her teammates were crowded at the training area on the second floor. Tong Yao walked over to the B team mid desk and put down her stuff there.
"That's right, we've been driven to the second floor because there's no human rights if there's no competition." Little Fatty was streaming and chatting with the fans. "It's darker on the second floor…...What, an excessive beautifying effect? This is Little Brother Alkaid's camera, go laugh at him. I'm not going to take the blame for him."
Tong Yao passed behind Little Fatty and saw his computer screen was occupied with "233333."[1]
"I can't even stretch my legs." Old K said: "It's a little crowded on the second floor."
"I would never have imagined that I could be this close to you." Old Cat, who sat snuggly right next to Old K, said: "It's like when you hide in the jungle to farm and I can blow your head up just by raising my hand."
Old K: "..."
Lu Sicheng was looking down to adjust Dubhe's computer setup to make it more comfortable for him.
Tong Yao put down her stuff and checked the time, it was almost midnight. She said goodnight to everyone and decided to go back to her room to get ready for bed-- --When she turned around, she noticed that Lu Sicheng had logged off the game. When Tong Yao walked towards her room, Lu Sicheng pushed his chair back. When Tong Yao was at her door, Lu Sicheng stood up from his seat.
Tong Yao closed the door.
About one minute and thirty seconds later, Tong Yao's door opened from the outside. Tong Yao was standing right behind the door as if she had guessed this would happen. Lu Sicheng walked in her room and handed her a bottle of water first. Then, without saying anything, he picked up Tong Yao, still holding the bottle of war, and pushed her against the wall.
Tong Yao: "..."
Tong Yao: "What are you doing?"
One of Lu Sicheng's arms hugged around Tong Yao's waist and his other arm rested between Tong Yao's head and the wall. He slightly bent over. His slightly cool lips were now right next to Tong Yao's earlobe-- --Every time he said something, he would lightly touch her ear that felt unintentional. His warm breath would blow against her ear.
"Today our team manager said that our team's first mid seems to have an unusual relationship with our B team ad which is beyond the friendship of just being teammates." Lu Sicheng's voice was deep and smooth: "Our team manager told me, as the team captain, to watch out for these kinds of things closely. I should make sure that you two kids won't let your love affair affect your rank."
"......."
When Lu Sicheng's lips pasted onto Tong Yao's neck...
Tong Yao's stiffened waistline softened.
"Xiao Rui's imagination is way too wild..."
At first, Tong Yao felt those lips were only lightly pressed down on her neck, gradually the lips began to move…...Lu Sicheng's breathing became heavier and the heat from his breath almost felt like it could burn her neck. He stuck out the tip of his tongue to touch the fair skin right next to his lips.
Tong Yao's back was completely pressed against the wall. At the same time, she felt the big hand around her waistline start to move up and down. One of his fingers moved downwards clasping her waist while using his pinky to lift the hem of Tong Yao's tshirt...
The skin of the pinky touched Tong Yao's skin, passing the scorching heat onto her.
Tong Yao subconsciously held her breath.
She held tightly onto Lu Sicheng's arm right in front of her. Her eyes flashed from nervousness. She paused for a moment then started to push him: "Cut it out, cut it out…...Little Dubhe is just too competitive-- --Ah!"
Lu Sicheng unexpectedly bit Tong Yao. She slapped hard on his shoulder and stared at him while covering her neck with her hand: "What are you doing?"
"Just following the manager's instructions to keep a close eye on my teammate's lifestyle."
The pair of dark brown pupils seemed even darker from the unusual emotions within them.
"This is how you keep a close eye?"
"Right." Lu Sicheng laughed quietly and pulled Tong Yao's hand away to look at the red mark he had just created on her neck. He said with a complacent tone of voice: "And steal what has been entrusted to me while I'm at it."
[1]: 233 is like "lol" in English, it comes from a gif laughing picture numbered 233.