The stadium was packed to the brim, with a giant curved screen dominating the view. The lively atmosphere was filled with noise and heated discussions, creating a vibrant environment throughout the arena.
The match began on time, at exactly 8 PM. The electronic screen displayed the first player to appear: Su Mucheng.
The crowd instantly erupted. Su Mucheng, the top gunner in Glory and hailed as the most beautiful woman in the game, had garnered even more fame during the All-Star voting period.
"Good luck," Liu Hao said softly.
But Su Mucheng didn't respond at all. Since that night, she hadn't spoken a word to him.
Liu Hao thought that Su Mucheng might be angry with him; after all, he had kissed her without her permission.
Su Mucheng herself wasn't sure if she was angry. Over the past few days, she had talked to her best friend, Chu Yunxiu, about her messy emotions. After analysing the situation, Chu Yunxiu came to two conclusions: either it was menopause, or she wanted to fall in love. But Su Mucheng was only in her early twenties, so where would menopause come from? So, Su Mucheng figured it was the latter.
But with whom?
Ye Qiu? Su Mucheng recalled Ye Qiu's unkempt appearance. He had been sitting at his computer with a cigarette in his mouth for an entire day. Although she felt close to him, there were no other feelings.
Could it be Liu Hao? Liu Hao was quite handsome and had a great figure, but he was too bad… Every time Su Mucheng thought of Liu Hao, her emotions became more chaotic.
Besides, Su Mucheng hadn't forgotten that Liu Hao had a girlfriend. To prevent Liu Hao from taking advantage of her and ruining his relationship, Su Mucheng came up with a solution—ignore Liu Hao!
"Boss, are you having a conflict with Su Mucheng?" Wang Ze asked softly.
Liu Hao thought for a moment and nodded, "I think I made her angry."
"Is it because of that night?" Wang Ze speculated.
Sun Xiang carefully leaned in to listen. He knew that Su Mucheng had definitely gone to Liu Hao's room that night, but he had no idea what had happened there.
Liu Hao smacked Wang Ze on the head and jokingly scolded, "Focus on your training instead of gossiping about me."
Seeing Liu Hao's dismissive attitude, Wang Ze guessed some truth. A man and a woman alone in a room, both of them attractive, it would be strange if nothing happened.
Wang Ze chuckled, "Boss, I get it, I get it!"
On the side of Excellent Era, Su Mucheng took the stage, while Blue Rain's player was Zheng Xuan.
Zheng Xuan wasn't a very famous player, as he was the sixth man in Blue Rain's team matches. However, his operational skills were nothing to scoff at.
Zheng Xuan's profession was as an Ammunition Specialist, ID: Gunfire and Rain. He had once performed a legendary operation.
In the sixth season, during the semifinals of the playoffs, Blue Rain was in a tough spot, their team match on the verge of defeat and elimination. At this critical moment, Zheng Xuan stepped up and helped his team make a comeback, successfully advancing to the finals, where Blue Rain ultimately won the sixth season's championship.
Because of this performance, Zheng Xuan earned the title of "Mr. Clutch."
However, while Zheng Xuan's skills were commendable, there was still a gap compared to Su Mucheng. In the end, Su Mucheng secured the first round of the solo match with ease.
The audience erupted in cheers, not only because Su Mucheng won but also because she stepped out of the soundproof room in an orange-striped pleated skirt paired with a white cashmere sweater, looking stunning.
At the Xingxin Internet Café, Chen Guo almost lost her voice from cheering, while Ye Qiu, with his dead-fish eyes, laughed twice.
As Su Mucheng walked back to the Excellent Era player seats, she couldn't avoid making eye contact with Liu Hao, but within a second, she looked away.
Su Mucheng's seat was right next to Liu Hao, but she deliberately chose to sit in the empty back row, enthusiastically interacting with the fans behind her.
"This girl is definitely doing it on purpose! She's deliberately keeping her distance from me," Liu Hao muttered to himself, but for now, he couldn't think of a way to deal with the situation.
There was still a team match ahead, and Blue Rain was not a weak team. If Su Mucheng had continued to ignore him during the team match, Excellent Era might have ended up losing.
...
"Song Xiao, it's your turn," Yu Wenzhou said with a smile as if he didn't mind losing the first round at all.
"Yes, Captain," Song Xiao stood up.
Sung Xiao was a starter for Blue Rain, playing as a Qi Master, ID: Receding Tides.
He wasn't under much pressure this round, as Excellent Era's player was Guo Yang, who also played as a Qi Master.
When players of the same profession go head-to-head, the audience refers to it as a teaching match. In a solo between different occupations, losing can be attributed to profession counters. Still, in a solo between the same profession, if the equipment isn't too different, it's purely a matter of skill.
Professional players are very competitive and would never accept being weaker than others.
Liu Hao frowned slightly when he saw the opponent's lineup. He knew Guo Yang wouldn't be a match for Sung Xiao.
Guo Yang also frowned, almost knitting his brows into a "川" character.
"Do you have confidence?" Liu Hao asked.
"Honestly, not really," Guo Yang admitted openly. In Excellent Era, most of his work was in support, and his solo skills weren't excellent. But in Blue Rain, with Huang Shaotian removed, Song Xiao as a starter could really carry.
Sun Xiang rolled his eyes, "So cowardly!"
Liu Hao lightly smacked Sun Xiang on the head and joked, "If you can't speak properly, don't speak."
Sun Xiang snorted, "As if you're the only one who can talk!"
Liu Hao ignored Sun Xiang and, after some thought, whispered, "Do you know the sneaky style?"
"Sneaky style? Like Fang Rui's?" Guo Yang was surprised.
Liu Hao nodded, "The sneaky style might not look good, but it can be surprisingly effective sometimes. If you can't beat someone in a straight-up fight, try using the sneaky style."
Sun Xiang scoffed in disdain. In his dictionary, there was no word for "sneaky."
"Sneaky is the tactic of the weak!" Sun Xiang snorted.
Liu Hao shot Sun Xiang a glance, "Why are you always around?"
"What? You took my captain's position, and now you want to take away my right to speak, too?" Sun Xiang grumbled.
"You took your captain's position? When did that happen?" Liu Hao was puzzled. "The boss appointed you as the captain."
"Hmph." Sun Xiang didn't want to answer. Although he was the captain on the surface, no one in Excellent Era listened to him. What kind of captain was that? Not even a vice-captain. Right now, Excellent Era was practically Liu Hao's one-man show.
Liu Hao smiled and patted Guo Yang on the shoulder, "Don't mind him; this guy only has one track in his mind, just a brute. You focus on using the sneaky style."
Guo Yang nodded, "Yes, Boss!"
(End of Chapter)