Shen Kuangye took the flowers with a smile in his eyes. Lu Xiangyang leaned close and quietly asked, "Do you like them?"
Shen Kuangye glanced around to make sure no one was watching before softly replying, "I do."
His normally cold and sharp eyes were filled with warmth in that moment.
"Then it's settled," Lu Xiangyang said, "Next year I'll give you even prettier flowers."
He said it seriously: "Every year, I'll give them to you."
Shen Kuangye smiled and said, "Alright."
And so the two of them walked along the street.
Passersby saw two extremely good-looking boys walking together, the taller one holding flowers, a smile never leaving his lips.
By the time they reached the club, it was still dark inside; no one else had returned yet.
But both of them were in such a daze tonight that they foolishly laughed and held hands all the way upstairs, unwilling to let go even a little.
Lu Xiangyang couldn't help but ask, "Brother, I only gave you a bouquet, why are you so happy?"
He had seen online that people usually gave all sorts of gifts on Valentine's Day, and he had only rushed to buy a simple bouquet. Yet Shen Kuangye seemed as if he had received the most precious gift in the world.
"Because you're here with me."
Shen Kuangye rarely spoke so honestly: "Just having you by my side makes me happy."
Lu Xiangyang felt a little embarrassed at his words.
He then opened the door and, unexpectedly, saw on the bed a mechanical keyboard he had been eyeing in his shopping cart for a long time.
Shen Kuangye had once woken up and seen Lu Xiangyang troubledly browsing that keyboard, hesitating for a long time without placing the order.
So he secretly noted the brand and model, planning it as a Valentine's Day gift.
Lu Xiangyang hugged Shen Kuangye's neck in surprise: "Brother, how did you know I liked this?"
The space between them grew incredibly close, close enough that Lu Xiangyang could clearly see Shen Kuangye's thick, long eyelashes and delicate skin. The room was so quiet that they could only hear each other's breathing and see themselves reflected in the other's eyes.
Shen Kuangye cleared his throat softly: "Actually, that's not really a gift."
He lowered his gaze to Lu Xiangyang's lips: "Tonight I can grant you one request."
Lu Xiangyang's ears reddened involuntarily; he felt Shen Kuangye's gaze like blazing rays of heat burning his skin. He lifted his peach-blossom-shaped eyes shyly to look at Shen Kuangye: "Really?"
Shen Kuangye pretended to remain calm: "Mm."
"You'll agree to whatever I say?"
The imagined scene in Shen Kuangye's mind wouldn't leave, and he answered hoarsely, "Mm."
Lu Xiangyang looked up at him: "Brother, actually I also have a gift for you today, but you can't refuse me—that's my request."
After saying this, he didn't dare look up, only urging: "You… you go take a shower first."
Shen Kuangye was momentarily stunned. He wanted to ask if it was too early, but since the words were already out, there was no taking them back.
He picked up his pajamas, his back stiff, and walked into the bathroom, closing the door.
Once inside, Shen Kuangye finally exhaled in relief.
But this time, he showered very slowly.
Lu Xiangyang sat nervously in the room, occasionally glancing down at the research he had done online, then blushing and quickly closing it.
He didn't even know if he could do this properly.
When Shen Kuangye came out, Lu Xiangyang could smell the fresh, pleasant scent of his shower gel from a distance.
Shen Kuangye walked over to him. He didn't know what to say either, since his knowledge of these things was even more limited than Lu Xiangyang's.
Lu Xiangyang lowered his head and softly said, "Brother, let's turn off the lights now."
Shen Kuangye's breath caught, and he reached to switch off the light.
They were very close, and Shen Kuangye could feel Lu Xiangyang's hand slowly resting on his waist.
It wasn't until Lu Xiangyang's hand touched a certain spot that Shen Kuangye realized what the "gift" was.
His breathing quickened; he wanted to stop him: "My hand will get tired—"
But before he could finish, he was silenced, forcing himself to suppress his voice.
Lu Xiangyang had never done anything like this before, and he didn't even know how to handle it.
He had studied in secret for many days and wasn't sure of the effect, but judging from Shen Kuangye's reactions, it seemed barely acceptable.
He was only 18, full of youthful vigor. Finally getting to take a step closer to the person he liked made him excited.
But, as Shen Kuangye had said, Lu Xiangyang's hand did get very tired.
After an unknown amount of time, he was finally able to rest.
Before he could even catch his breath, Shen Kuangye pressed close and returned the gift in the same way…
---
When Shen Kuangye woke up, Lu Xiangyang had already gone downstairs to train.
As soon as he came down, they exchanged a glance, quickly looking away from each other.
Pei Xunan, unusually nosy, asked, "Kuangye, the flowers you posted on your Moments last night—who sent them?"
Shen Kuangye's friend list was simple: club teammates, Lu Xiangyang, and Lu Ning.
Everyone could see that in the early hours past 2 a.m., their little brother of the team, who normally used the default system avatar and nickname, suddenly posted something on his Moments.
No text, just a photo of several bouquets on a dimly lit windowsill.
Everyone understood immediately and liked the post.
Lu Xiangyang buried his head even lower.
Jiang Chixin also cast a curious glance at this moment.
Li Shu began coughing loudly: "Cough cough cough… Coach, didn't you just want to say something? Cough cough cough…"
Yishui suddenly snapped back to reality, remembering the matter at hand:
"Kuangye, since it's the start of the season, you two focus on your 4-player matches to reach Rank 7 before solo queueing."
This was to help the starting four become more familiar with each other's playstyles. Time was tight, and training had to be maximized.
Shen Kuangye didn't object: "Alright."
The Abyss qualifiers were about to begin. Other teams were training intensively, aiming for a spot in the finals.
Although EAR had secured a slot in the Abyss with their Autumn League victory, they hadn't relaxed at all.
Facing the Abyss, everyone felt even more pressure than during the Autumn finals, since they'd be competing against the world's strongest teams.
Aurora was a team not to be underestimated.
Shen Kuangye had analyzed Aurora's playstyle and noticed their rapid improvement over the past six months. When Aurora previously came to train with them, EAR's overall level was slightly higher, but that might no longer be the case.
Shen Kuangye finally started streaming today, and the viewer count surged immediately.
[Am I dreaming? He's streaming?]
[Streamer, if you don't come back I'll starve—I've only been watching clips.]
[Finally back! Do you know how I survived these past few weeks?]
[So cruel… the Autumn League champions only start streaming now?]
[WILD wants to see faces; I've already rewatched every clip from the Autumn League.]
[Wait… WILD isn't solo queueing today, right?]
[No longer the lone wolf?]
[Ahhh, does this mean more talking too, hehe.]
[Finally, EAR's 4-player matches, so hard to see!]
Lu Xiangyang and Shen Kuangye started their streams almost simultaneously. The chat exploded with messages and gift effects, making it hard to see anything. He adjusted the camera to greet fans.
Shen Kuangye added the other three teammates as friends; Li Shu invited him immediately.
At first, Shen Kuangye thought his phone was lagging. Li Shu's luxurious hall was so full of furniture it almost blocked the way.
Cheng Rang complained: "Can you put fewer things here?"
Li Shu didn't understand: "How can it show my wealth if I put less?"
Pei Xunan: "You don't look like a manor owner, more like a nouveau riche."
[Hahaha, dying of laughter.]
[How many points is this manor worth?]
[BOOK is top 8 on the Manor Ranking.]
When it hit 12 noon, Li Shu started matchmaking.
Early-season matchmaking was very fast. The map was Moon River Park.
Li Shu grabbed his dual-blade "Acrobat Prisoner."
Cheng Rang sneered: "Instant down, don't save."
Li Shu couldn't believe his ears: "Instant down? I'll show you my solid fundamentals!"
At the start, his three-hit carousel at Moon River was tricked by the Hermit's red glow.
Li Shu: "Uh…"
Cheng Rang laughed coldly: "Playing like the basement spawn point."
Li Shu: "Come save me! You can't let my cute prisoner fly away so soon!"
Cheng Rang: "Better if they fly."
Even so, he honestly ran to save him.
Fans watching through lunch noticed Li Shu and Cheng Rang talked more frequently in-game, while Shen Kuangye spoke minimally—only giving crucial info during key moments—but it was clear he was the team's core.
EAR's four-player rank climbed quickly. Shen Kuangye controlled the pace all afternoon, earning the highest points each round, jumping to Rank 3 on the leaderboard.
[Is "godlike" enough to describe WILD?]
[I want this kind of fundamentals too!]
[Exactly, this is the skill of an 18-year-old Autumn League champion!]
During the last match, they encountered an especially aggressive Nightwatcher. Li Shu screamed while being hit: "Stop chasing, bro, stop!"
Shen Kuangye observed the Nightwatcher's chase pattern, a flash of understanding in his eyes.
In the end, only three survivors remained. Cheng Rang and Pei Xunan had already been eliminated.
Li Shu's in-game reputation was good; most killers would give him a basement spawn.
So he tried a "py trade."
His teammate confidently gave the killer a peck, but was mercilessly hit and hung on a chair.
The trade failed.
"Ahhh, surrender! Our 100% win rate is gone!"
Li Shu's eyes lost their light.
After all, if the Nightwatcher wouldn't go easy on him, Shen Kuangye certainly wouldn't either—
Before he could finish thinking, he saw Shen Kuangye's almost-dead Acrobat appear, giving the Nightwatcher a quick peck.
His jaw dropped in shock.
Shen Kuangye was never one for these trades; he only moved precisely, left-right, opening the next round.
Then he saw the Nightwatcher, who had just nearly eliminated them all, circle around the Acrobat in place and set off fireworks.
Li Shu: "???"
…Was this really happening?