When Lu Xiangyang came in, Shen Kuangye immediately stood up the moment he saw him. His steps were a little unsteady as he walked over, grabbed Lu Xiangyang's wrist, and said with a highly alert expression:
"Let's go."
Leaning close to Lu Xiangyang's ear, he whispered in what he thought was a very discreet voice:
"That's a human trafficker. You run first—I'll protect you."
Li Shu: "..."
He almost laughed from anger, pointing at himself. "Me? A human trafficker? With this kind and friendly face?!"
Even drunk out of his mind, he still didn't forget to protect Lu Xiangyang.
Lu Xiangyang quickly said, "Brother Shu, don't take it to heart—he's drunk."
Shen Kuangye frowned in dissatisfaction. "You can only call me 'gege.'"
When he was drunk, he spoke very directly.
Li Shu understood he was being a third wheel and forced a smile. "Alright, I'll go call a car."
Cheng Rang and Pei Xunan were waiting at the entrance.
Pei Xunan had been holding it in all night and finally couldn't help asking, "The flowers Kuangye mentioned… those were the ones he posted on his Moments, right?"
Cheng Rang chewed mint candy and replied casually, "Probably."
"But that night, he was with us the whole time, right? Who gave him flowers?" Pei Xunan asked.
Without changing expression, Cheng Rang said, "Maybe his girlfriend had them delivered."
"Then why did he spend Valentine's Day with us?" Pei Xunan pressed.
Cheng Rang frowned. "Maybe his girlfriend's in the UK."
"But—"
"Enough with the 'buts,'" Cheng Rang cut him off. "Just say what you want to ask."
Pei Xunan looked conflicted, then lowered his voice. "Don't you think… Kuangye and Xiangyang seem… really close?"
Cheng Rang thought calmly: He absolutely does.
But he answered casually, "Maybe. Good bros are like that."
Pei Xunan scratched his head anxiously and whispered even lower, "Don't you think… they're too close?"
Cheng Rang paused mid-chew, pretending to stay calm. "Be more direct."
Pei Xunan was practically overheating. "Don't you think they look like they're dating?"
Cheng Rang felt his heart jump to his throat. "Why do you think that?"
"I had that feeling from the first day I saw them," Pei Xunan admitted. "I just didn't dare say it."
After all, it was the kind of thing he only dared think about.
Cheng Rang glanced at him. "Don't you dislike that kind of thing?"
Pei Xunan frowned. "If it's normal dating, of course I don't mind. What I hate is people who cling and can't take rejection."
A complicated look flashed in Cheng Rang's eyes.
Pei Xunan quickly added, "I'm just guessing. Don't tell anyone."
Cheng Rang looked at him. "Then why tell me?"
Pei Xunan choked on his words—before he could answer, movement came from inside.
Li Shu walked ahead, while Lu Xiangyang supported Shen Kuangye behind him.
Pei Xunan blinked in surprise. "Why is he suddenly so drunk?"
After all, before they left, Shen Kuangye had still been sitting there completely sober.
Since five people couldn't fit in one car, Lu Xiangyang took Shen Kuangye in one, while the other three shared another.
As soon as they got in, Shen Kuangye leaned his head into Lu Xiangyang's lap, eyes closed, cheeks flushed.
Lu Xiangyang adjusted him into a more comfortable position so he could sleep—but Shen Kuangye insisted on holding his hand.
Under the passing streetlights, Lu Xiangyang looked at Shen Kuangye's sleeping face and recalled what he had said earlier.
It felt like he had never given Shen Kuangye anything particularly special.
Yet a simple doll would be carefully washed and kept by his side. A bouquet of flowers made him so happy he posted on social media for the first time and even called them the most beautiful flowers in the world.
Lu Xiangyang lowered his gaze, gently touching Shen Kuangye's face.
Unconsciously, Shen Kuangye rubbed against his palm, showing quiet dependence.
When they arrived at the club, Xing Xing and the others were still awake.
"Oh wow, how did he get this drunk?"
Xing Xing gestured for Lu Xiangyang to put him on the sofa—but Shen Kuangye refused to let go and murmured softly:
"Baby… be good, let me hold you…"
His voice wasn't loud, but everyone present heard it clearly.
Xing Xing and Yishui exchanged a glance.
Cheng Rang and Pei Xunan looked at each other.
Jiang Chixin looked completely confused.
Li Shu stared at the ceiling, then the floor, desperately trying to come up with an explanation.
Lu Xiangyang supported him. "Get up first, let's go to the room."
"Okay," Shen Kuangye obediently replied.
He stood up and, still holding Lu Xiangyang's hand, went upstairs.
When the door closed—
Silence.
Dead silence.
Li Shu: "Uh…"
He had run out of excuses.
Weakly, he said, "They're just… really close."
But his reaction made Xing Xing suspicious.
Narrowing his eyes, Xing Xing asked, "You knew?"
Li Shu instinctively shook his head, raising his voice, "I didn't know!"
Then he froze—why did Xing Xing ask that?
His loud voice snapped Pei Xunan out of his thoughts, and he blurted out, "Actually… this kind of thing is pretty normal."
Xing Xing, sharp as ever, immediately sensed something off.
"Did you guys already know they were dating?" he asked.
Li Shu blinked. "Brother Xing… you knew too?"
He'd just been racking his brain trying to cover for them.
Xing Xing snorted. "I'm almost thirty. I've seen it all. First things first, no discrimination, got it?"
"Of course not," Li Shu said. "It's just liking someone. What's so strange about that?"
The five of them gathered and compared notes—from who noticed first, to how they figured it out, to excitedly guessing when the two got together.
Meanwhile, the two at the center of the discussion were completely unaware.
Shen Kuangye was more drunk than ever before. Lying on the bed with his eyes closed, he reached out as if searching for something, then finally hugged a doll and fell asleep peacefully.
Lu Xiangyang sat beside him, fingers unconsciously curling.
He brushed aside the stray hair on Shen Kuangye's forehead.
Even in sleep, Shen Kuangye looked unapproachable—but sensing it was Lu Xiangyang, his furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
Lu Xiangyang watched him for a long time, then took his hand.
Shen Kuangye's hands were beautiful—long, pale, with defined joints.
Lu Xiangyang compared sizes against his middle finger before letting go.
He sat there, glanced at the Abyss countdown—exactly one month left.
He remembered the promise they made half a year ago.
Now, that goal was within reach.
For the first time, he found himself eagerly anticipating the Abyss.
—
With the group stage approaching, nearly the entire Identity V community worldwide was watching Group A.
The internet was flooded with complaints about the referee's terrible luck. Some even speculated whether Aurora might win the championship.
After all, their path was much easier—Group D had no teams on their level.
But Group A was a battlefield of monsters.
Many streamers and commentators made predictions, and very few believed EAR would win.
To them, EAR's Autumn victory was already unexpected—but the team was still too unstable, lacking experience on big stages. Facing Abyss, they were expected to struggle, getting eliminated early wasn't impossible.
Perhaps due to nerves, Cheng Rang wasn't in form at the start.
In the first match, when Opera Singer chased him, he made a kiting mistake and got downed quickly.
[I told you... EAR lacks big-stage experience. That Autumn win was just luck.]
[Old Cheng!! What are you doing?! Why mess up at such a critical moment?!]
[I need heart medicine.]
[Come on, boys… I was planning to buy tickets to watch you at Abyss.]
[WILD!! Save EAR!!!]
WILD had become their only hope.
Everyone knew the rookie who debuted as a starter had become the team's core.
His kiting on stage was nearly flawless. If the hunter chased him at the start, everyone's anxiety would immediately ease.
Because they knew—WILD almost never lost.
No matter how bad the start, he could always turn things around.
He was the stabilizer of the survivor team.
But the opposing Opera Singer was too skilled—his awareness too strong. Even Shen Kuangye couldn't reverse the situation, and they ended up being wiped.
Cheng Rang returned to the prep room with a grim face, about to apologize—
But Shen Kuangye spoke first:
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just play normally."
Facing such strong opponents, Shen Kuangye knew exactly how much pressure everyone was under.
Dressed in his team uniform, his pale, handsome profile showed no blame—only calm reassurance.
Yishui looked at him with relief.
Though still young, Shen Kuangye already carried the presence of a captain.
Cheng Rang took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll do better next round."
Lu Xiangyang patted his shoulder. "I'll get a four-man wipe this time."
Shen Kuangye nodded.
He didn't need to say more—because he knew Lu Xiangyang would do it.
HS had won a round and were riding the momentum, their survivors bouncing onto the stage.
Lu Xiangyang sat calmly in the Hunter seat.
When introducing his stats, the commentator sighed, "This is SUN. Over the past half year, we've all seen his growth—it's been incredible. That Forward hook in the Autumn Finals—everyone remembers how insane that was."
In just half a year, Lu Xiangyang had gone from someone who needed protection to someone who protected others.
The boy who once blushed while greeting the camera now sat calmly, making ban-pick decisions.
From the prep room, Shen Kuangye watched him, his gaze soft.
As the match began, HS's smiles disappeared.
Because Lu Xiangyang had maxed out every skill. Combined with Opera Singer's strength as a point-scoring hunter, they gained no advantage and lost their earlier lead.
First half of BO1: draw.
Soon came the second half.
The moment everyone saw that the hunter's first target was WILD, they knew the game was over.
Shen Kuangye's stage experience far surpassed everyone else's. He knew the opponent's playstyle inside out.
At the short pallet near Moonlit River Park's starting gate, he mind-gamed the Night Watch for nearly half a minute before securing a three-man escape.
[He can mind-game THAT long there?! I always get downed instantly.]
[WILD is insane—so bold with those vaults.]
[You think an 18-year-old's reaction speed is a joke?]
[Next time you see WILD, just switch targets. At least you'll have a chance.]
[Got it. Time to practice in custom matches.]
HS lost again.
Their hunter refused to accept it and kept targeting Shen Kuangye, only to get completely outplayed.
The survivors tried to fight back, but against Lu Xiangyang's unfathomable character pool, they stood no chance.
In the end, to everyone's surprise—
EAR secured a 2:0 victory ahead of schedule.