After beating SG, they went on to defeat both YK and JIG with clean 2:0 victories, dominant and straightforward.
The scores gave Bai Yu a glimmer of hope. “If we can shut out TG tomorrow too, we might actually have a shot at finishing in the top two.”
A top-two finish would mean skipping a BO5 in the playoffs, which would significantly boost their chances of taking the championship. Song Bo did a rough calculation and found it plausible. “But we’ll need to beat at least one of IKG or TIN, or at least grab a point from each. Otherwise, the chances are still too slim.”
Bai Yu had been thinking about this constantly. “Lu Sheng and Fang Zhixu’s synergy is around 70% now. It’s enough against TG, but it might not hold up against IKG or TIN.”
Song Bo nodded. “God Shi’s stats have been steadily improving, but he’s getting close to his ceiling. There’s not much room left to grow. I think our focus should shift to Qi Yi. Or… Bai Yu, have you considered bringing in a new coach? It feels like the team’s training has hit a bottleneck.”
Bai Yu had considered it.
But he didn’t think RAG’s current problem was about tactics. It was technical. And finding a coach with strong technical skills was incredibly hard.
While he could handle tactics, he had clear limitations in helping players develop individually, especially players like Lu Sheng and Qi Yi. He couldn’t even see where their limits were. With Qi Yi, he could still sort of tell through familiarity and experience. But with Lu Sheng, he truly had no clue.
Bai Yu sighed. “I don’t think I can train Lu Sheng at all.”
Song Bo looked surprised. “Seriously? Didn’t you coach Lin Kun back in the day?”
That made Bai Yu even more frustrated. “I wasn’t that good. I just gave him some ideas, and he figured things out himself. He broke through his bottleneck on his own.”
Song Bo encouraged him, “Then give Lu Sheng some ideas too.”
Bai Yu went silent for a long time.
He stared at the data in front of him. Everything was laid out clearly, but back then, he could spot problems in Lin Kun’s data at a glance. With Lu Sheng’s, it felt like a fog hung over it. He couldn’t see through, and every decision felt uncertain.
The incident three years ago had left Bai Yu with guilt toward Lu Sheng. And now that guilt made him hesitant, afraid to make definitive judgments.
Could emotions really cloud judgment?
Bai Yu rubbed his eyes and thought about how Lin Kun had suddenly fallen from his peak. Was he also affected by something like that?
“Bai Yu,” Song Bo called him twice.
He came back to reality. “What?”
Song Bo pointed behind him. Through the glass, Lu Sheng was standing outside, tall, quiet, patiently waiting.
Thinking he needed something, Bai Yu walked out. “What is it?”
Lu Sheng glanced at Song Bo behind him, then looked at Bai Yu. “Waiting to eat with you.”
Bai Yu blinked. “What?”
He wanted to ask, what kind of situation is this, waiting just to eat together?
Suddenly, Song Bo seemed to understand something and quickly gathered his things. “Uh, Bai Yu, you guys go eat. I’ll figure the rest out myself…”
Well, now he couldn’t skip dinner even if he wanted to.
Bai Yu shut the meeting room door and checked the time. “You haven’t eaten yet?”
Lu Sheng hummed softly. Hands in his pockets, he walked beside Bai Yu. “I wanted to wait and eat with you.”
“Why wait for me?”
“I didn’t want you to skip dinner like yesterday.”
He had, in fact, forgotten to eat yesterday. By the time he remembered, the team match had started, and he couldn’t leave. He didn’t eat until late at night.
He hadn’t expected Lu Sheng to notice. Wanting to avoid the topic, he quickly changed the subject. “I’m starving. Wonder what they served today.”
When they got to the cafeteria, it didn’t matter. Everything was already gone.
Bai Yu gave a small “uh,” and seeing that Lu Sheng had followed him all this way only to go hungry made him feel a bit guilty. “Do you eat instant noodles? I have a little hotpot upstairs. We can cook some.”
Instant noodles soaked in water barely counted as food. But cooked properly, they could almost pass for a real meal.
Bai Yu took off his jacket and sat cross-legged on the cushion. In front of him, the little electric pot was bubbling. He served Lu Sheng a bowl first. “Just make do with this. The cafeteria staff are off work. We can’t really ask them to stay late.”
Lu Sheng accepted the bowl. It was warm. No one had ever cooked noodles for him before, and the taste was surprisingly good, much better than just soaking them.
They both quietly focused on their food.
Lu Sheng finished quickly, even drinking all the soup. Bai Yu was only halfway through and glanced at Lu Sheng’s empty bowl. “You’re full?”
Lu Sheng nodded and instinctively took out a cigarette. “Mind if I smoke?”
Bai Yu didn’t like the smell of smoke in the room. He hesitated for a second, then nodded.
Lu Sheng held the cigarette and got up. Even though he had permission, he didn’t light it. He went outside instead.
Bai Yu glanced over and noticed the lighter in Lu Sheng’s hand. It was the one he had given him before. By now, it should’ve run out, unless someone had been carefully maintaining it.
He regretted giving it to him. It felt too personal now.
Bai Yu finished eating but didn’t drink the soup. He never did. He stood up and started cleaning the dishes.
Lu Sheng turned back and instinctively reached out to help, but Bai Yu didn’t notice. His hand hovered, then dropped back down.
He stood outside, but his eyes were still on the inside.
Bai Yu had his back turned, wearing just a thin shirt. When he bent down, his waistline showed, slim but strong. Not fragile, but lean and fit. The kind of build that made anything look good on him.
Lu Sheng’s gaze lingered on his waist and didn’t move.
Bai Yu, unaware, kept talking. “Song Bo mentioned maybe getting you a coach to help break through. I turned it down. If I can’t train you, I don’t think anyone else can. If you want to break through, it’ll have to come from you.”
There was no reply. Bai Yu turned to check. Lu Sheng was still listening.
“If we can’t get a coach, I could try to find you a training partner. But I figured you wouldn’t like that either, so I dropped the idea. After the regular season, we’ll reassess. If there’s no other choice, we’ll have to bring someone in…”
After a pause, Lu Sheng asked, “Bring in who?”
Bai Yu answered, “A training partner.”
Lu Sheng looked at him. “Can’t you be my training partner?”
Bai Yu glanced at him, a bit helpless. “Do you have a misunderstanding about me? I’m just a support. I have limited understanding of the mid lane. How could I train you? And I’m already working with Qi Yi. I know his situation better. Even if I could do it, I don’t have the energy to take on more.”
Lu Sheng looked at him and nodded.
But deep down, he was disappointed. Chu Tianyou had said that Bai Yu used to train Lin Kun. So he thought Bai Yu might be willing to train him too.
Turns out, he was wrong.
Bai Yu put down the bowl and carefully washed his fingers clean, from the tips to the knuckles. It was obvious he didn’t enjoy washing dishes, but he still did it. Once done, he grabbed his jacket. “Let’s go. Time for training.”
Lu Sheng instinctively followed beside him. Just as they stepped out, they ran into Xu Bo, who had just woken up from his nap. He rubbed his messy hair, glanced between Lu Sheng and Bai Yu’s room, then suddenly widened his eyes in shock.
“Lu Sheng, you perv! Why were you in Bai Yu’s room? Didn’t I already—”
Bai Yu nearly had a heart attack. He immediately covered Xu Bo’s mouth and dragged him away by the collar.
The ruckus woke up everyone else too, and people started getting up one after another.
They had been training so intensely the past few days that everyone looked worn out. Even Fang Zhixu, who was usually the most particular about his appearance, hadn’t bothered with his hair.
“What happened?” he asked groggily.
Chen Shi’an was the exception, neatly dressed, hair tidy, and smiling faintly. He glanced at Lu Sheng before replying to Fang Zhixu, “Maybe some people are just working extra hard.”
Lu Sheng acted like he didn’t hear it and headed downstairs.
Downstairs, Bai Yu was still lecturing Xu Bo, shaking him by the shoulders. “Lu Sheng’s a teammate. Watch what you say.”
Xu Bo protested, “But he clearly has ulterior motives! Back when he was with TG, he used to stand outside every night like a ghost, just staring at you until you came down. Did you even know that?”
Lu Sheng’s footsteps suddenly halted. His expression didn’t change, but he heard Bai Yu’s soft reply: “I knew.”
Xu Bo was stunned. “You knew, and you still let him into your room?”
Bai Yu’s tone was calm and straightforward. “He’s a teammate. Why wouldn’t I? Not letting him in would be even weirder.”
His calm response suddenly made Lu Sheng feel like, in Bai Yu’s eyes, he was no different from anyone else.
He stood on the staircase, his face slightly cold, the light from the hallway casting long shadows behind him.
Xu Bo’s voice faded downstairs. “Damn, I thought… You scared the hell out of me. So it wasn’t like that after all…”
Back in the lounge, Bai Yu was logging in, about to duo queue with Xu Bo. Lu Sheng suddenly walked in and sat down beside him, staring at him.
Bai Yu paused. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Even though Lu Sheng’s gaze was calm, Bai Yu felt as if it was silently accusing him.
Then Lu Sheng looked away, hands still in his pockets. He leaned over and casually rested his head on Bai Yu’s arm. “Didn’t nap at noon. I’m too tired.”
Bai Yu’s arm stiffened instantly.
Lu Sheng’s neck rested against it, the ends of his hair brushing Bai Yu’s skin, sending a jolt through him. He kept telling himself Lu Sheng was just a teammate, but it clearly wasn’t that simple.
He pulled his arm away.
Eyes still closed, Lu Sheng mumbled, “Aren’t we teammates? Isn’t it normal for teammates to lean on each other for a nap?”
Bai Yu froze, suddenly uneasy. Did Lu Sheng overhear what he said to Xu Bo?
Xu Bo, who was nearby, glared daggers at Lu Sheng. Just as he was about to say something, Bai Yu pinched his lips shut. “Enough. Log in.”
Xu Bo: …
Right. He must’ve been adopted.
—
The weather was sweltering, and everyone was sluggish.
After finishing a round of training with them, Bai Yu checked the time. “Take a break, I’ll go grab some ice cream for everyone.”
Zhou Xunwen wasn’t around, and it was the weekend. Most staff were on leave. Normally, this kind of errand would be handled by Song Bo, who quickly put down his pen. “Captain Bai, I’ll go instead. You’ve been working hard too. Take a rest.”
Bai Yu smiled. “It’s fine. I know everyone’s preferences.”
He really did.
Xu Bo liked a bit of sourness, Qi Yi preferred dairy flavors, Fang Zhixu liked sweets, and Chen Shi’an leaned toward mild tastes, matcha was perfect for him.
As for Lu Sheng…
Bai Yu realized he had no idea what he liked. Not wanting to appear biased, he figured this was a good opportunity to learn.
He turned and said casually, “Lu Sheng, sitting too long isn’t good for your back. Come walk with me.”
Lu Sheng stood up and naturally followed beside him.
Even walking with Bai Yu, Lu Sheng remained quiet. Not in a shy or awkward way, just cool and distant, like he didn’t care to talk to people.
As they passed staff members greeting Bai Yu, he would politely nod in response. Bai Yu glanced back mid-walk to see how Lu Sheng reacted. Surprisingly, Lu Sheng would also nod slightly now, more polite than when he first arrived. But his half-lidded eyes always seemed to create a sense of distance.
Bai Yu found it amusing. No wonder he never thought Lu Sheng liked him. With that expression, if he didn’t say anything outright, Bai Yu would never guess in a hundred years.
The downstairs convenience store had its air conditioning on, cutting through the heat.
Bai Yu let Lu Sheng choose first. Lu Sheng glanced around but didn’t seem interested. “You pick one for me.”
Bai Yu opened the freezer and asked, “Do you eat chocolate?”
Lu Sheng nodded.
“What about fruit flavors? Or ones with milk? Or lighter ones?”
Lu Sheng kept nodding. “Anything’s fine.”
Bai Yu couldn’t figure out what he liked. Wanting to tease him, he said, “Alright, I’ll get you durian flavor.”
Lu Sheng turned and looked directly at him. “You remembered?”
Back when Lu Sheng had briefly been in the main team, someone brought in a durian and asked if he wanted any. He declined. Bai Yu had asked him to throw the rind away, and just touching it had given Lu Sheng a rash that left his arm red and itchy for hours.
Bai Yu had thought he was an idiot back then. Why not just say he was allergic? Why suffer through it?
Looking back now, Lu Sheng had always been seen as difficult by others. Maybe only Bai Yu ever thought he was obedient.
Bai Yu couldn’t help but laugh. “Guess you’re in trouble next time. If you lose a match, I’m making you throw away durian rinds.”
His tone was teasing, but there was a soft fondness in it that he didn’t bother to hide. Lu Sheng’s steps behind him even grew a bit lighter. “You even remember something like that.”
Bai Yu caught himself and quickly added, “I just have a good memory. I remember all my teammates’ preferences.”
Lu Sheng leaned down slightly to study his expression, found nothing suspicious, then looked away. “Three years ago, I wasn’t really your teammate, was I?”
He had only been with the main team for two weeks before Bai Yu sent him to the second team. If he was considered a teammate, it was a bit of a stretch.
Bai Yu sensed something off and quickly changed the subject. “Let’s grab the milk one for Qi Yi. He likes it.”
Lu Sheng held the basket while Bai Yu pointed things out. When they got to the counter, Lu Sheng instinctively pulled out some cash, but Bai Yu had already scanned and paid.
Back in the training room, Bai Yu handed out the ice creams. The last one left was for Lu Sheng.
Since he didn’t know what Lu Sheng liked, he picked his own favorite, grape.
“You’re not allergic to grapes, are you?”
Bai Yu’s hands were long and fair, and the purple ice cream wrapper made his skin look even whiter. It looked like he was holding an actual bunch of grapes, something you'd want to reach out and taste.
Lu Sheng took it. “Thanks.”
As he glanced around the room, he noticed that only he and Bai Yu had the same flavor.
Qi Yi called Bai Yu over while the others were resting.
The ice cream was already finished. Lu Sheng sat on a chair, staring at Bai Yu without blinking. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked Chen Shi'an beside him, "Where can I open a bank account?"
Chen Shi'an replied, "There’s a place just down the next street."
Lu Sheng nodded, "I guess I can link it to mobile payment, right?"
Chen Shi'an was a bit surprised because Lu Sheng wasn’t a local kid. He had lived abroad with his parents for many years before returning to China to go pro, so he always used cash and was even mocked for being an “old-fashioned foreigner.” He never thought of changing.
But after going down to buy ice cream, he suddenly realized it made sense.
Chen Shi'an rested his head on his hand and smiled at him, "I thought you’d be like Lin Kun, someone who never changes voluntarily and is very self-centered."
After saying this, he noticed Lu Sheng didn’t respond. Then he sighed, "No, I can’t say that. Lin Kun just doesn’t change for others, but he’s changed a lot for Bai Yu..."
Lu Sheng suddenly looked at him, starting to pay attention.
Chen Shi'an stopped talking and smiled, asking Fang Zhixu beside him, "How’s the new lineup training going? Want to share some insights? I think there’s room for improvement..."
The afternoon training ended, but the evening session continued.
After finishing the personal tasks given by Bai Yu, everyone left, but Lu Sheng habitually stayed behind to train a little more.
Before Bai Yu went to the conference room, he saw Lu Sheng there. After the meeting, he came out and saw Lu Sheng still training. He couldn’t help but knock on the window, "Lu Sheng, go back to sleep."
Lu Sheng turned off his training and went back with him.
These past few months, he did this every day. No matter how late Bai Yu was, Lu Sheng would wait for him, and Bai Yu was almost used to it but felt it wasn’t good. "You don’t have to wait for me, it’s just a short walk upstairs."
Lu Sheng gave a soft "Mm," but Bai Yu knew he wouldn’t listen.
As Bai Yu walked up the stairs, he suddenly remembered some past events. "Back when I was at TG, conditions weren’t as good. The dorm was at the back, and stray dogs often came in and bit people. A guy from our team’s planning department was bitten once, which made everyone uneasy. After that, people always walked back in groups..."
Bai Yu suddenly stopped.
The air grew quiet. The person behind him also stopped, seemingly watching him.
Bai Yu just recalled that Lu Sheng had started waiting for him every day downstairs only after that incident, staying until he saw him go inside before leaving.
At the time, Xu Bo called Lu Sheng crazy and a pervert, and Bai Yu thought so too.
But Lu Sheng never once denied it.
Bai Yu suddenly felt a soreness in his heart, feeling guilty. He lifted his foot to walk upstairs, his steps growing heavy. Lu Sheng quietly followed behind.
Bai Yu suddenly stopped and said, "Lu Sheng, you..."
Lu Sheng habitually lowered his head to listen.
Bai Yu opened his mouth, originally wanting to tell him not to like him, but after meeting Lu Sheng’s serious gaze, he was stunned and couldn’t say it.
It was like Lu Sheng leaning in toward him, and him wanting to slap him.
Bai Yu wasn’t the type to do that, so he awkwardly smiled, "Didn’t expect it to be this cold at night."
He said it casually, but Lu Sheng took it seriously and took off his jacket to give to him.
Bai Yu didn’t take it. "I’m going upstairs now."
He hurried upstairs. The hallway light was broken, making it feel eerie. "Take the match seriously tomorrow, don’t lose."
Lu Sheng nodded. Bai Yu had already mentioned in the meeting how important tomorrow’s points were.
Bai Yu didn’t know what else to say, so he added, "The jungler from TG is especially good at ganking. Fang Zhixu needs to fight for tempo, and you have to cooperate well with him."
Lu Sheng suddenly looked at him, his eyes seeming to understand everything. "Bai Yu, if you can’t find anything to say, you don’t have to. I won’t feel awkward."
The problem was, Bai Yu wasn’t the one feeling awkward.
He was.
Luckily, Bai Yu walked fast and was almost at the door. Lu Sheng quickly walked over and said, "Go to sleep early."
Lu Sheng stood at his door for a while, thought for a moment, then gently knocked.
Bai Yu opened the door just a crack and heard Lu Sheng quietly ask, "Were you nervous just now?"
Bai Yu quickly closed the door. Lu Sheng leaned against it, looking at him deeply, "Why were you nervous? Do you feel pressured around me?"
His gaze was neutral, but Bai Yu saw seriousness in his eyes. He wouldn’t stop without an answer.
Bai Yu, afraid of waking others, whispered, "No."
Lu Sheng pressed against the door crack, "Then what was it?"
Bai Yu hurried to brush him off, "Because I’m tired."
Lu Sheng looked at him for a long time. Seeing he didn’t seem to be lying, he slowly stepped back and finally closed the door.
Bai Yu thought he was finally quiet, but then his phone pinged again with a message from Lu Sheng: If you feel pressured by me, we can just be teammates. I don’t mind.
Just teammates? Don’t mind?
The words sounded strange.
It felt like he wasn’t just okay with being teammates but was using “teammate” as a cover, ultimately still wanting to be with him.
Lying in bed, Bai Yu unsurprisingly couldn’t sleep.
His phone dinged again. Another message from Lu Sheng: Miss you, can’t sleep.
Bai Yu suddenly sat up, really wanting to scold him, and sent a message: First, I’m your team captain. Whether this counts as harassment or not, not resting properly will affect tomorrow’s match. I won’t let it slide. Second, don’t forget the terms in the contract. If you don’t follow them, you’re in breach.
Lu Sheng quickly unsent the message.
He replied: Got it.