As the victor, adhering to the etiquette of esports competitions, Ye Shaoyang had to go to the opposing soundproof booth to shake hands after the match ended. He stood up and walked over to Han Chang-ho's booth.
Han Chang-ho stared blankly at his computer screen, obviously unable to accept this result.
Ye Shaoyang stood behind him for a moment before Han Chang-ho finally snapped back to reality. He cast a complicated look at Ye Shaoyang and reluctantly extended his hand to shake Ye Shaoyang's. He gripped hard during the handshake; it seemed he was quite unconvinced by his loss.
Ye Shaoyang smiled at him, withdrew his hand, turned around, and left the booth to return to the main stage.
The host walked up to the two of them with a microphone and spoke in Korean: "The Solo Tournament of the S10 World Invitational has officially concluded. Congratulations to the player from China, TH-Sunshine, for winning the Solo Championship! Congratulations also to the Korean player Han Chang-ho for winning the runner-up title, and Kim Min-jun for taking third place!"
Scattered applause rang out from the audience.
The Korean audience was naturally very dissatisfied. They had expected Han Chang-ho and Kim Min-jun to meet in the finals and sweep the champion and runner-up titles for this year's solo tournament. But in the end… the two Korean players only took second and third place, while the championship was snatched away by a Chinese Omega player who had appeared out of nowhere?!
How could the fans who came to the venue to cheer for their idols be reconciled with this?
The fans at the scene stared indignantly at Ye Shaoyang, focusing the entire venue's resentment upon him. Ye Shaoyang, however, smiled brilliantly—I'm not awkward anyway; the ones who should be awkward are you guys.
The host's voice pitched high: "Please welcome the Alliance Chairman of the Korean Region of Gods' War, Mr. Jung Min-ho, to present the trophies to the three winning players!"
A middle-aged man in a suit walked onto the main stage. He took the trophies from the tray held by the hostess, presented the bronze and silver trophies to the Korean players, and finally came to Ye Shaoyang. He placed the golden trophy into Ye Shaoyang's hands and said in somewhat accented Chinese, "Congratulations."
Ye Shaoyang accepted the trophy and politely shook hands with him. "Thank you."
He lowered his head to study the trophy. The design was quite nice, and the surface appeared to be gold-plated. It looked a bit similar to the trophy Chi Shuo had won in S6. When he returned to China, he would place this trophy right next to Chi Shuo's.
The corners of Ye Shaoyang's mouth curved up slightly. Standing in front of the two Korean players, he smiled very happily.
In the domestic livestream room, fans excitedly flooded the screen with bullet comments:
[Two Korean players serving as foils for Yang-yang; our Yang-yang has so much prestige!]
[Korean players are runner-up and third place, but the champion belongs to our Lieyang. It really brings us honor!]
[Tianhuan Lieyang is the most handsome Omega, bar none~]
[Starting today, I announce that I am a fan of Yang-yang.]
At the Tianhuan Club in the Imperial Capital, Coach Lin was scrolling through Weibo while watching the live broadcast. Ever since Ye Shaoyang won the World Solo Championship, the number of followers on the "Tianhuan Lieyang" Weibo account had begun to skyrocket. Every second, there were thousands of new followers; the growth speed was like riding a rocket.
Coach Lin felt a shared sense of honor, harboring the "my cub has won an award" mentality of a parent.
Soon, the official Weibo of the Gods' War Professional League in the China Region released a formal press release: [Congratulations to our country's professional player @TianhuanLieyang for winning the World Championship in the individual project of the S10 World Invitational in Seoul, South Korea, which just concluded!]
As soon as the official news was released, the topic #TianhuanLieyangChampionship immediately shot up the trending search list.
Some esports fans who hadn't watched the match were greatly surprised, expressing their shock one after another.
Many passersby who didn't know about esports also clicked in to offer congratulations, followed the trail to follow Ye Shaoyang's Weibo, and some even clicked on the livestream link to watch the interview.
The three players who received trophies took a commemorative photo with the Alliance Chairman on the main stage.
Ye Shaoyang happily raised the championship trophy, beaming at the camera.
The Korean Alliance Chairman and the two most popular Korean players surrounded him.
But he was the champion.
The feeling was indescribably satisfying.
The host handed the microphone to Ye Shaoyang: "Congratulations again to Lieyang for winning the World Championship. I would like to ask Lieyang, are you surprised by today's result?"
There was a simultaneous interpreter at the venue who translated the host's words into Chinese and conveyed them to Ye Shaoyang through his earpiece.
After understanding the question, Ye Shaoyang spoke calmly, "Not surprised."
The host froze for a moment, looking at him in astonishment. "Not surprised? You always felt you could win?"
Ye Shaoyang smiled slightly, looked at the camera, and spoke in a clear voice, "Of course, I had the confidence to take the championship. From the group stage to the grand finals, I won every match based on my own strength."
Host: "…"
The audience looked at each other in dismay.
Isn't it said that Chinese people are relatively humble?
Why is this Omega so arrogant?
Ye Shaoyang actually wanted to be humble, but he knew the style of the Korean media. If he humbly said, "I didn't expect to win the championship," the Korean media would twist his meaning. The final report would claim that Han Chang-ho had the strength to win, and that even Lieyang didn't expect to win, implying it was all an accident and that Lieyang was just too lucky.
He wouldn't give the media any chance to distort the facts.
He won this World Championship fair and square; he had the strength!
The host was stunned after hearing the translation. He paused for a moment before changing the subject. "Now that you've won the World Championship, what are your plans for the future?"
Ye Shaoyang said, "Return to China and prepare well for the playoffs. My teammates are still waiting for me."
The host asked, "Is there anything you want to say to the fans supporting you? I believe there are many fans in China watching the livestream of your match right now."
Ye Shaoyang smiled and said, "From a rookie at the start to the Solo World Champion today, I couldn't have done it without the support and encouragement of the fans. Thank you everyone for accompanying me as I grew and for cheering me on every time. I will continue to work hard and won't let you down."
He paused, then added, "Here, I also want to specially thank one person—that is our Tianhuan team captain, Chi Shuo. He personally accompanied me abroad for this competition, helped me analyze my opponents, and served as my sparring partner for a week. Because of him, I was able to adapt to the rhythm of the solo competition in the shortest possible time."
Ye Shaoyang looked at the camera and said, articulating every word, "Captain Chi, thank you for always believing in me and supporting me."
In the backstage lounge, a trace of warmth gradually surfaced in Chi Shuo's serious eyes.
He hadn't expected Yang-yang to publicly thank him in front of a global audience during the championship interview. The fact that he came to Korea to be Yang-yang's sparring partner was originally only known to Chinese netizens…
Now, the whole world knew.
Actually, Chi Shuo didn't want to claim credit.
He believed that everything he did was what he should do.
During this period, he stayed up until 4 AM every day to help Ye Shaoyang organize opponent data, analyze their hero pools, and find tactical ideas, effectively acting as half a coach.
Chi Shuo simply hoped to contribute his meager strength to help Shaoyang, allowing Ye Shaoyang to stand on the world's highest podium. In Chi Shuo's view, liking someone meant supporting them and being their most solid backing.
Lieyang was meant to be dazzling; he deserved this World Championship.
Cheng Xing stole a glance at Chi Shuo and found that Chi Shuo's gaze remained fixed on Ye Shaoyang on the screen. Having known his master for many years, Cheng Xing had never seen Chi Shuo look so gentle.
It was as if he were looking at… looking at his beloved?
Cheng Xing excitedly took out his phone and quickly sent a private chat popup to Qu Jiang: "Holy crap, Brother Yang really dares to say it! The CP fans are probably going crazy shipping them!"
Qu Jiang replied with a row of smiley faces: " The Super Topic zone has already gone mad."
Cheng Xing: "My master has been looking at Brother Yang the whole time. The people next to him are all air in his eyes!"
Qu Jiang: "Captain Chi was indeed very supportive this time, personally acting as a sparring partner. Ordinary people don't have that kind of boldness. Yang-yang is also very thoughtful; he didn't let Captain Chi's hard work go to waste and thanked him publicly. Don't you think it's very sweet?"
Cheng Xing: "Yeah, they are really a good match!"
Qu Jiang: "They were a good match before, and now that Yang-yang has won the World Solo Championship, it's a divine romance between two world champions. Even their trophies are a pair."
Cheng Xing nodded frantically: "Exactly! What do those CPs who show off with couple clothes and couple phones amount to? My master and my Brother Yang can show off their love with World Champion couple trophies—now that's impressive!"
Qu Jiang: "…"
Other couples, at most, used small items like matching phones to show off their affection.
This pair of Demon Kings could just put their World Championship trophies together in the future; it was enough to blind people's eyes.
After the interview, Ye Shaoyang returned backstage.
Chi Shuo stood up immediately and walked over. "Congratulations, World Champion."
Ye Shaoyang joked, "Fortunately, I didn't let your hard work go to waste."
Chi Shuo said, "Being your sparring partner wasn't hard work at all. You were really handsome today."
Ye Shaoyang smiled and hugged Xie Weiyu, Cheng Xing, and the others one by one.
After finishing her commentary, Yao Mu jogged over all the way and handed a bouquet of flowers to Ye Shaoyang. "This is what Xiao Wei asked me to send. Congratulations, Yang-yang!"
The top whale streamer, Xiao Wei? An old friend he had known for a long time. After becoming an esports player, the time the three of them spent queuing together had decreased, but he hadn't expected Xiao Wei to be following his matches all along.
Ye Shaoyang felt warm inside. He took the flowers and said, "Thank you guys."
Yao Mu said, "Yang-yang was really amazing today. A reverse sweep! I almost cried from excitement while commentating."
Brother Dong chimed in from the side, "Mu-mu was very angry at those Korean netizens saying you only made the finals due to luck. Today's 3:1 score can be considered a fierce slap to their faces!"
Ye Shaoyang didn't care what netizens said. But he was quite happy to prove himself. Ye Shaoyang turned to look at the Chairman and asked, "Chairman, the competition is over. Can we go out for a meal tonight?"
Chairman Qiu smiled broadly. "I already booked a restaurant for the celebration banquet. My treat tonight!"
Cheers erupted from the group.
The group came out of the preparation room and turned to walk out, just in time to see the players coming out of the adjacent preparation room. Besides Han Chang-ho, there were also Choi Hyuk and Park Won-seok, the champions of this World Invitational's Duo Tournament.
Meeting in the hallway, both sides were somewhat awkward.
ATB's coach took the initiative to step forward and looked at Chi Shuo. "Hello, you are Tianhuan's Captain Shuoyue, right? I saw you at the S6 World Championship."
Chi Shuo raised an eyebrow and searched his memory carefully. Sure enough, he recalled seeing such a coach at the World Championship many years ago—wearing a suit vest, his hair always groomed to be shiny and slick.
He looked polite, but was actually scheming and full of tactical ideas. In S6, the team he was with only took the bronze medal. Later, he jumped ship to ATB and led them to the S9 World Championship.
Chi Shuo nodded politely at him. "Hello, Coach Lee."
Coach Lee gave a fake smile and said, "I hope to see you all again at this year's World Championship."
Chi Shuo said, "We will work hard to secure a spot for Worlds."
Chi Shuo's gaze swept lightly over Choi Hyuk and Park Won-seok standing nearby.
Want to crush Tianhuan at the World Championship to win back face for your teammate Han Chang-ho?
Unfortunately, Tianhuan won't let you have your way.
Even after the players from the China region left, Choi Hyuk was still frowning there. "I've never seen such an immodest Omega. Does he think winning an invitational makes him number one in the world? He didn't put our Brother Chang-ho in his eyes at all during the interview just now."
Park Won-seok said thoughtfully, "He is very special."
Most Omegas they saw were usually gentle and polite, and many would be nervous or shy when facing Alphas. An Omega this flamboyant and confident, who looked like he was almost ready to fight you face-to-face, was indeed rare.
Choi Hyuk smiled and patted his teammate Han Chang-ho on the shoulder. "Brother, don't worry. If Tianhuan makes it to the World Championship, we'll specifically catch him seven or eight times and crush his mid-lane. Let's see how arrogant he can be then."
Coach Lee said, "No rush. There are still two months until the World Championship. Moving forward, I will have the coaching staff pay attention to every match of Tianhuan in the China region, carefully analyze their playstyle, and prepare in advance."
Gods' War was, after all, a 5v5 tower-pushing game. The trophy for the World Championship was the one that carried the most weight. As long as ATB took the World Championship again this year, a consecutive victory record from S9 to S10 would be enough to deify them.
Moreover, members of the World Championship winning team could get a share of the champion skin sales.
That was income even higher than their signing fees.
The reward for the Solo Champion was only 100,000 USD, and the officials wouldn't make a separate skin for it. Losing the Solo World Championship didn't really matter. They just had to crush them at the World Championship later. The Korean players exchanged glances and silently reached a consensus.
Chairman Qiu led everyone to the pre-booked restaurant and they walked into a private room.
The group sat around a table, eating Korean BBQ happily and harmoniously.
The competition was over. Although Zhou Jiawen, Cheng Xing, and Xie Weiyu hadn't won awards, they had gained experience. Ye Shaoyang winning the Solo Championship was an unexpected surprise.
Everyone was very satisfied with this result. Chairman Qiu took the initiative to raise a glass of red wine. "Come, let everyone toast to Lieyang first. Congratulations to Lieyang for winning the S10 World Solo Championship; you've brought us great honor!"
Everyone stood up holding their glasses. They had a flight back to China at 2 PM tomorrow, and getting drunk would risk missing the flight, so Chairman Qiu kept it moderate, only letting everyone drink a little red wine.
Ye Shaoyang drank it all in one go and smiled. "Thank you, everyone!"
Chairman Qiu sighed with emotion. "I still remember the last time in New York, USA, when Chi Shuo won the S6 Solo Championship. In the blink of an eye, it's S10. From now on, Tianhuan also has two World Champions. Come, come, Chi Shuo should also have a drink."
Chi Shuo cooperated and poured a glass of red wine. "Chairman, you lead the team every time. It's been hard on you."
Chairman Qiu beamed. "Not at all, not at all, this is my job. Seeing you guys win awards makes me happier than seeing my own child get into a top university!"
Chi Shuo and Chairman Qiu clinked glasses.
A pile of private messages popped up on Ye Shaoyang's phone from Fang Zhengqing, Zhao Xin'an, and others, all congratulating him on winning the championship. Ye Shaoyang replied with thanks one by one and also reposted the official Weibo post to thank the team and fans.
The celebration banquet lasted until 12 AM before everyone went back together.
Team Leader Liu Xiao instructed, "Rest early after you get back. Gather in the hotel lobby at 2 PM tomorrow. Remember to pack your luggage and don't leave anything behind."
The group took the elevator up to Building A. Chi Shuo also walked into the elevator.
Cheng Xing asked in confusion, "Master, don't you live in Building B?" He thought his master had taken the wrong elevator, but he heard Chi Shuo say, "I'm going to Yang-yang's place to get my computer back."
Chi Shuo lived in Building B, but since he had been Ye Shaoyang's sparring partner these past few days, his computer contained a lot of data. He had simply brought his computer over for Ye Shaoyang to see, and the two would stay in the dorm room during the day to analyze opponents together.
Since they were returning to China tomorrow, it was reasonable for Chi Shuo to get his computer. No one noticed anything unusual. They went to the 22nd floor with Chi Shuo and then separated.
Ye Shaoyang swiped his card to enter the room, turned on the lights, and organized Chi Shuo's laptop, power cord, mouse, and keyboard on the desk. As Chi Shuo packed the items into his computer bag, he whispered a reminder, "Don't put the trophy directly in your checked luggage; it might break."
Ye Shaoyang thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll carry it with me. I'll put it in my computer bag and won't check it." He carefully packed the trophy and turned back to look at Chi Shuo. Chi Shuo had just finished packing the computer and looked up.
Their eyes met.
The room was very quiet, so quiet that they could hear each other's breathing.
Ye Shaoyang's heart skipped a beat. Chi Shuo's gentle gaze made him uncomfortable, and the roots of his ears inexplicably felt hot. Chi Shuo walked up to him and asked gently, "At the award ceremony, why did you publicly thank me?"
Ye Shaoyang coughed lightly. "I didn't think that much."
He really hadn't thought too much during the interview just now; he had simply spoken what he most wanted to express from the bottom of his heart through the microphone.
He really wanted to thank Chi Shuo.
The Chi Shuo who always stood behind him, helping him and supporting him.
Even when the outside world didn't think he could win the championship, Chi Shuo hadn't hesitated to bet all his betting coins on Ye Shaoyang, saying, "I believe you can win."
In a lifetime, meeting another person who always trusted and supported you was truly too difficult.
Chi Shuo deserved that "Thank you."
Ye Shaoyang didn't feel guilty about publicly thanking Chi Shuo. Regardless of what had happened between them in private, in that moment, he only regarded Chi Shuo as a "confidant" with shared aspirations on the road to chasing dreams.
A confidant to accompany, encourage, and achieve success with.
But now, the two were alone in the hotel room, so close to each other…
Listening to the sound of each other's intense heartbeats, Ye Shaoyang actually became nervous. He explained in a low voice, "If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't have won the championship so smoothly. Especially when I encountered assassin players earlier, you switched through dozens of heroes to 1v1 with me and helped me find tactical ideas. It's only right that I thank you."
Chi Shuo put down the computer backpack, extended his arms, and gently hugged Ye Shaoyang.
Hugged so suddenly by him, Ye Shaoyang's heart almost leaped out of his chest.
"You…"
"I wanted to hug you just now, but there were too many people at the venue, so it wasn't convenient." Chi Shuo's deep voice resonated in his ear. "Now that it's just the two of us, can I hold you for a while longer?"
"…" Ye Shaoyang simply couldn't refuse.
He didn't tell Chi Shuo that, actually, the moment he walked down from the podium, the first person he wanted to hug was also Chi Shuo. It was just that the Chairman, Xie Weiyu, Xiao Xing, and the others were all present, so he couldn't hug Chi Shuo directly.
Right now, only the two of them were in the room.
A hug should be okay, right?
Thinking of this, Ye Shaoyang gently reached out and hugged Chi Shuo back.
Chi Shuo held Ye Shaoyang quietly, resting his chin on Ye Shaoyang's shoulder.
Ye Shaoyang was completely encircled in his arms, his heartbeat suddenly as fast as a drum.
Perhaps it was because he had drunk alcohol, but Ye Shaoyang's head felt dizzy. He only felt that the scent on Chi Shuo was very pleasant. But gradually, he seemed to smell a familiar cold fragrance of Moonlight Bamboo.
That was the scent of Chi Shuo's Alpha pheromones.
Ye Shaoyang was stunned. He remembered the Safety Marking Manual mentioning that when Alphas sprayed pheromone masking agents, the scent of their pheromones wouldn't be revealed.
What was wrong with Chi Shuo?
His body was getting hotter and hotter, and the scent of pheromones seemed to be getting stronger and stronger.
Ye Shaoyang was puzzled. "Captain Chi? Do you have a fever?"
He pushed Chi Shuo away to look, only to find that Chi Shuo's face had an unnatural flush. His eyes were deep, as if he were forcibly suppressing something. Just as Ye Shaoyang was about to reach out to touch Chi Shuo's forehead, he saw Chi Shuo take a sharp step back.
Chi Shuo's voice was slightly hoarse. "I… I'll go back first."
After saying that, he picked up the computer bag and turned to leave. Ye Shaoyang naturally wouldn't let him go back like this. Chi Shuo's current state was clearly wrong; his body was ridiculously hot, like a high fever, and his eyes were gradually losing focus.
Smelling the increasingly intense pheromone scent in the room, the content he had read in the science manual suddenly flashed through Ye Shaoyang's mind—
When an Alpha's pheromones are unstable, they may enter a Susceptible Period (Rut). Like an Omega's heat, it is difficult to control. An Alpha in their Susceptible Period becomes irritable and restless, craving to mark an Omega. If there is no Omega nearby to soothe his emotions, he might violently harm himself.
Ye Shaoyang's expression changed slightly, and he asked apprehensively, "You couldn't have entered your Susceptible Period, right?"
Chi Shuo: "…"
Ye Shaoyang glanced at the tips of his bright red ears and knew he had guessed correctly. Why would this Alpha lose control? Ye Shaoyang was puzzled. "Didn't you just get an inhibitor injection a while ago?"
Chi Shuo still had some rationality at this moment. He looked away and said in a hoarse voice, "I didn't inject the inhibitor that day; I only had blood drawn for an examination. The doctor said my pheromones were very stable and didn't meet the standard for injection."
Very stable? Then why the sudden loss of control?
Ye Shaoyang thought about it—could it be because of the alcohol?
He looked at Chi Shuo and asked, "Have you drunk alcohol before? How is your tolerance?"
Chi Shuo gasped for breath, his voice intermittent. "Never… never drunk this much. Today… you won the championship, I was happy… so I drank a few more glasses. I thought since it was red wine, it wouldn't matter."
The Alpha lowered his eyelashes, his expression looking somewhat guilty. "I'm sorry."
Ye Shaoyang's heart softened slightly. "What are you apologizing for? You didn't do it on purpose. If the Chairman toasts, it would be rude not to drink. Maybe the ingredients in Korean alcohol are different from those in China?"
Regardless of the cause, how to handle the immediate situation was key.
It was midnight. Dragging Chi Shuo to the hospital for an inhibitor shot in the middle of the night wasn't a good idea. Firstly, he didn't speak Korean. Secondly, if he and Chi Shuo were photographed going to the hospital in the middle of the night by reporters, it would be impossible to explain.
Chi Shuo was a person with strong self-esteem. Telling the Team Leader or Chairman and blowing this up wouldn't look good. A Chinese Alpha player losing control of his pheromones abroad… if malicious media fanned the flames, it would have a negative impact on Chi Shuo's reputation.
Chi Shuo went to Ye Shaoyang's room to get a computer, so how did he lose control?
What would reporters and netizens think?
Ye Shaoyang thought it over and realized there was only one way. He gritted his teeth and said, "Um, when an Alpha is in their Susceptible Period, can it be resolved if an Omega stays by their side?"
Chi Shuo's back stiffened, and his voice trembled slightly. "You, you want to accompany me through the Susceptible Period?"
Ye Shaoyang nodded and said very generously, "Didn't you help me when I lost control before? Let's just consider it mutual assistance. Anyway, once we leave this door, no one will know what happened."
Chi Shuo: "..."
Ye Shaoyang's thought process was simple. Before, when his pheromones lost control, Chi Shuo endured the awkwardness to give him a temporary mark and helped him solve the inhibitor allergy issue.
Now that Chi Shuo had triggered a Susceptible Period for some reason, he couldn't just stand by and watch, right?
Chi Shuo helped him three times; it was only right for him to help Chi Shuo once.
Ye Shaoyang said decisively, "Don't worry, let me help you solve it."
Chi Shuo gently clenched his fists. "Are you sure?"
Ye Shaoyang nodded readily.
In his heart, Chi Shuo was the most important person in this world. He didn't want Chi Shuo to have any problems. They were not only partners but also confidants who would walk up to the World Championship podium together.
It was just helping a brother solve a physiological problem…
Cough, anyway, they weren't purely just brothers anymore.
There was a fundamental difference between one time and zero times, but was there a difference between three times and four times? It seemed there wasn't much difference.
The previous three times were Chi Shuo helping him solve the inhibitor problem.
This time, he was helping Chi Shuo solve the Susceptible Period problem.
Just mutual assistance.
Ye Shaoyang looked up at Chi Shuo. The man was clearly enduring great hardship, yet he still took a step back to maintain distance, trying hard to control himself. Ye Shaoyang looked at his red ear tips and asked tentatively, "Chi Shuo, is it very uncomfortable? How about… you mark me again?"
Before his voice had even faded, Chi Shuo's right hand suddenly wrapped tightly around Ye Shaoyang's waist.
Ye Shaoyang only felt the world spin. By the time he recovered, he had already been pinned against the wall by Chi Shuo. The Alpha's eyes were crimson. His right hand held Ye Shaoyang firmly in his embrace, and his left hand lifted Ye Shaoyang's chin.
A scorching kiss fell immediately after, and Ye Shaoyang's lips were fiercely blocked.
Ye Shaoyang: "..."
Holy crap??
Isn't marking biting the back of the neck? Why are you kissing me?!
Ye Shaoyang's eyes widened in shock, and for a moment, he forgot to resist.