Shen Kuangye kept a cold expression the entire time, but since that matched his usual aloof image, no one thought anything was strange. When the broadcast camera focused on him, the livestream chat for the Identity V tournament was instantly flooded with comments again.
[Husband, look at me!]
[Ahhh WILD!]
In the team, Shen Kuangye's role was flex support, basically a decoder position.
This kind of role usually has poor self-defense, and because the characters themselves are fragile, they often become the hunter's first target. It's quite challenging for a newcomer.
But Shen Kuangye wasn't afraid.
After all, he had already spent many years competing professionally. He had never imagined that when he returned to this stage, it would be under this identity.
"Hey, just focus on kiting. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Before the match started, Pei Xunan leaned over and whispered to him.
It was just a simple sentence of reassurance.
Yet back when he was in ELLA, no one had ever said something like that to him.
Shen Kuangye finally understood why EAR had managed to make a comeback during that Abyss tournament years ago.
Maybe it was because of encouragement and unity.
Shen Kuangye glanced sideways at him. He originally wanted to say How could I possibly be nervous?
But in the end, the words that came out were just a quiet:
"Mm."
Then he turned back to watch the ban-pick phase seriously.
The opponent's ban was obviously Opera Singer.
After his teammates finished choosing their characters, Shen Kuangye picked Prisoner. For the map selection, he chose the Big House, directly issuing a challenge to the Opera Singer.
The Opera Singer also seemed to be targeting players by their ID. Everyone knew SUN was ranked number one on the hunter leaderboard.
But for someone like WILD, a player who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was previously unheard of, they still carried a bit of contempt.
So right at the start, the Opera Singer ran straight toward the Big House.
Meanwhile, the Prisoner was already waiting on the second floor.
Zuiying analyzed:
"Right now the Opera Singer is choosing to chase the Prisoner in the Big House. It depends on whether the chasing tempo can be fast enough."
Opera Singer was already an extremely strong character. Everyone assumed the Prisoner would last at most two and a half ciphers before going down.
But unexpectedly—
He kited all the way from the Big House to the shack, then to the Moon Gate corner. After borrowing a ball from the Fire Investigator, he rotated to the three-pallet area near Moon Gate.
Only after the Opera Singer used Blink did she finally land the first hit.
After that, he rotated toward the oil barrel area, using an electric stun to interrupt the Opera Singer's skill.
He successfully transitioned again to a pallet-window corner, and only then was finally knocked down deep inside the area.
At that moment, the Gardener, who carried Borrowed Time, came over and used her ability to dismantle the chair.
The Prisoner had also taken 3-second struggle speed, so the two began coordinating their play.
Meanwhile, the ciphers outside were flying with progress.
And later, near the Moon Gate dungeon corner, there were still two pallets available for kiting.
That was more than enough time for a gate-end standoff.
In the end, EAR secured the victory with a three-escape.
---
The chat exploded.
[? They won?]
[Holy crap, what happened to EAR today? Everyone is playing so well.]
[Prisoner kited Opera Singer for nearly four ciphers. What a rare sentence.]
[That's insane. After so many years, is it finally my turn to get a Golden Apple?]
[This wasn't luck. It was pure skill. Did you see the pallet mind-games? He completely read the hunter's psychology.]
---
"My god, that was the Opera Singer! And EAR started this season with an 8:1 advantage in the first round. That's a huge lead!"
"If they keep performing consistently in the following matches, they might actually break their long-standing curse!"
"That's right. As the saying goes—anything can happen in the IVL. Now let's take a look at the post-match statistics…"
---
As Shen Kuangye walked back, Li Shu teased him.
"Nice one. You're really good at kiting."
And during the team voice chat earlier, everyone had unconsciously started following Shen Kuangye's commands.
Shen Kuangye himself had a very clear strategy against the Opera Singer. He could even roughly calculate when her second skill cooldown would be ready—only off by a few seconds.
When coach Yi Shui listened to the recorded team voice after the match, he fell into deep thought.
What EAR lacked right now was a shot-caller.
A team captain.
He had been looking for a suitable candidate.
Now it seemed that Shen Kuangye was the perfect choice.
The young man was unusually mature and steady, a rare talent worth cultivating.
---
But the "mature and steady" person he was talking about immediately cornered the youngest member of the team as soon as he returned to the viewing room.
"I didn't hear clearly earlier. Say it again."
Lu Xiangyang's voice was as soft as a mosquito.
"I won't call you 'brother' anymore…"
Shen Kuangye gritted his teeth.
"No. I don't agree."
While playing earlier, he had already been holding in a surge of frustration.
The current Lu Xiangyang was completely different from before.
Most of the time, Shen Kuangye simply couldn't understand, or predict—what he was thinking anymore.
That made him somewhat restless.
Originally, he wanted to try stepping a little deeper into Lu Xiangyang's heart.
But instead he suddenly heard:
"Then I won't call you brother anymore."
What did that mean?
Was he trying to distance himself?
Or had he met some other "brother"?
Was it the guy who asked him for an autograph?
Why?
Impossible.
He wouldn't allow it.
---
Lu Xiangyang blinked blankly.
Then he suddenly realized how close they were standing.
Thinking about what he had read online—that straight men and gay men are actually easy to distinguish, he got scared Shen Kuangye might notice something.
So he unconsciously stepped back a little.
Shen Kuangye noticed the movement.
"…"
For the rest of the afternoon matches, he didn't say a single word.
When kiting the hunter, he was even more silent.
Li Shu and Pei Xunan were playing heated matches beside him, yet they somehow felt a cold chill in the air.
---
That afternoon, the survivor team kept producing brilliant plays.
Lu Xiangyang also performed steadily.
Although they accidentally lost one round with a three-escape, the team later returned the favor with another three-escape.
In the end, EAR, the team that had been dead last since entering the league, actually won the entire match.
They defeated ZOE, last year's Abyss Tournament third place team.
The news was shocking.
Super topics and gossip forums were instantly filled with discussions.
It even made it onto trending searches.
---
For the post-match interview, Shen Kuangye and Lu Xiangyang were invited.
The female host smiled.
"I'd like to ask SUN, since this is your first time playing as a rookie on stage, were you very nervous?"
Holding the microphone, Lu Xiangyang thought for a moment.
"A little. But once the match started, I wasn't anymore. I just focused on how to win."
"And what about WILD? You're also a new member of EAR this season. Were you nervous? Especially since you were mainly the kiting role in these matches."
Shen Kuangye answered simply.
"No."
"Today the survivor team seemed to have very clear strategies. Especially during the third match at Red Church—the coordination was excellent. How did your team communicate during that moment?"
"Call positions. Let Book assist."
The chat:
[Cold.]
[This guy really uses the fewest words possible.]
[You should feel lucky. When he streams he won't say a word for half an hour. Only when SUN talks to him does he respond—and he even smiles.]
[Poor Yueyue wife.]
---
"I have one more question for SUN," the host said with a smile.
"As the youngest member of the team, do your teammates usually take extra care of you?"
The question was meant to lighten the mood.
Even if Lu Xiangyang jokingly said "No, they bully me!" it would still work.
But Lu Xiangyang answered very seriously.
"Everyone treats me really well. BOOK caught a big plush toy for me and often gives me snacks. CX and the others always let me have the good food. When I don't play well, they comfort me too."
"And WILD…"
He glanced at Shen Kuangye beside him, who was still radiating cold air.
Then he said softly:
"He treats me very well too. Very, very well. He's my best friend."
The final sentence—
No one knew if he was saying it for others to hear.
Or for himself.
The host couldn't help laughing at his sincerity.
This kid had none of that social slickness. Everything he said was earnest and straightforward.
Without realizing it, she felt even more fond of him.
---
The chat:
[Oh my god, such a serious kid.]
[So obedient.]
["Best friend."]
[EAR's team atmosphere is really good. They may be weak but everyone looks happy. Also their club is the only one in IVL with zero scandals.]
[Stop calling us weak! we just made a comeback today!]
[I'm already preparing to buy playoff tickets. Please stay stable!!!]
---
Shen Kuangye had still been a little upset.
But after hearing Lu Xiangyang's words, his heart softened.
Everyone has things they don't want to tell others.
He shouldn't have forced Lu Xiangyang.
Today, he had crossed the line.
It was his fault.
If Lu Xiangyang asked about his own past, he would probably avoid it too.
---
"For the last question of today's interview," the host said,
"This should be EAR's first match victory. Is there anything you want to say to your future selves or to your fans?"
Lu Xiangyang took the microphone.
After a moment, he looked directly at the fans in the corner holding EAR light signs.
"Thank you for your support and companionship all this time. We'll keep working hard and won't let everyone down."
He paused.
Then continued:
"We won't just win the Autumn Tournament championship."
"We'll also win the Abyss Championship."
"Please believe in us."
For a team that had been dead last, boldly declaring they would win the Abyss Championship after just one victory sounded almost ridiculous.
But when everyone saw Lu Xiangyang's young, inexperienced face and the determined hope in his eyes, no one laughed.
Shen Kuangye smiled.
"Then I hope I can win the Abyss championship together with SUN next year."
---
After winning the regular season match, everyone was extremely excited.
Coach Yi Shui even paid for a celebration dinner out of his own pocket.
Shen Kuangye noticed that although Lu Xiangyang looked happy, something still seemed to weigh on his mind.
He ate one-third less than usual.
After dinner, Shen Kuangye was pulled aside by Xing Xing for a talk—basically asking if he was willing to become the team's shot-caller.
When the conversation finished, he returned to the room.
The moment he entered, he saw Lu Xiangyang sitting on the bay window, blinking at him.
His small lips were pouting so much it looked like you could hang an oil pot from them.
He looked extremely wronged.
Shen Kuangye couldn't help laughing.
"What's wrong?"
Lu Xiangyang lowered his head.
"Kuangye-ge… I thought about it. I shouldn't have talked to you like that today."
He secretly reached out and tugged at Shen Kuangye's sleeve.
"Can you… not be angry with me?"
Lu Xiangyang was too sensitive.
Shen Kuangye hadn't expected him to notice.
How could he not notice?
When Shen Kuangye didn't answer, Lu Xiangyang gritted his teeth.
Better a short pain than a long one.
"Actually… actually I've been acting strange lately because… because…"
Because I think I've fallen in love with you.
Brother… would you hate me?
The words reached his lips—
But he couldn't say them.
He didn't want to lose Shen Kuangye.
Meanwhile Shen Kuangye was listening seriously, his dark eyes focused entirely on him.
"Because of what?"
"I…"
Lu Xiangyang couldn't say it.
He still didn't have the courage.
Seeing that he looked so anxious he might cry, Shen Kuangye sighed softly and rubbed his head.
"If you don't want to say it, then don't."
"I was wrong today too. I shouldn't have forced you."
The more he said that, the more guilty Lu Xiangyang felt.
He knew Shen Kuangye hadn't forced him.
It was just that he himself found the matter too embarrassing to say.
"Ge."
Lu Xiangyang suddenly spoke.
"Can I… hug you?"
Shen Kuangye froze for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"If you want a hug, you don't need to ask my permission."
The moment he finished speaking, Lu Xiangyang pounced forward.
Because of the momentum, they both fell onto the bed, and Shen Kuangye let out a muffled grunt.
Smelling the faint, pleasant scent on Shen Kuangye, Lu Xiangyang felt his heart beating wildly again.
He wished he could hold him forever and never let go.
His nose turned sour.
And he started blaming someone irrationally.
Liar!
Drinking Chinese medicine is completely useless!
He would never believe those internet methods again!