[Esports] I Started an Online Romance with a Big Shot After Retiring Chapter 68

Chapter 68

When Shen Yanjin saw this trending search, he was preparing to head to the competition venue.

He thought he had seen it wrong, his gaze wandering back and forth over those four words several times before he hesitantly clicked in.

Occupying the top topic wasn’t some esports club entertainment news, but a formal statement issued by the WL Alliance official account with a blue V verification.

In the statement, the match-fixing behaviors of several HG members intentionally harming teammates and the coaching staff failing to report despite knowing were listed in detail. Following closely were the corresponding evidence and the punishment of lifetime bans.

Match-fixing dogs officially stamped by the Alliance could never enter this circle again in this lifetime.

The most venomous part was that the people fixing matches in this team weren’t just one or two, but the whole team. Including substitutes, a total of six members were banned for life, and even the coach didn’t escape unscathed.

If anyone was the unluckiest, it was probably HG’s boss. He only invested and didn’t manage. Now retribution arrived; losing members and coach, the team could only be considered an empty shell.

The comments below were full of curses.

Although the official statement mentioned the HG team harming teammates, it didn’t explicitly say who the victim was. So, even though someone in the comment section guessed that the unlucky guy was Sliver, it didn’t stir up much of a storm and was quickly suppressed by the indignant passersby.

In competitive matches, match-fixing was a grave crime everyone shouted to beat, just like hacking.

After reading the statement, Shen Yanjin felt like he was in a dream. Those people… were finished?

HG Team, gone?

He went back to check the evidence provided by the official account. Unlike the past where the Alliance would give detailed investigation results after penalties, the evidence this time was relatively vague.

Shen Yanjin felt it was a bit strange, frowned, and scrolled to the next Weibo post.

This Weibo post was more entertainment-oriented. The publisher was an esports news outlet, and the nine images attached detailed chat logs that the official account didn’t release.

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After reading these images, Shen Yanjin’s heart became even more complicated.

He had thought HG would stumble, but he didn’t expect them to stumble in this form.

These chat logs clearly showed that HG’s match-fixing wasn’t investigated and found out, but was spoken out by themselves!

Shen Yanjin’s mood was so complex, it was like knowing your enemies would die, but while they did die, the cause of death was slipping on a banana peel they threw themselves and falling to their deaths!

An indescribable feeling.

He exited Weibo and suddenly remembered Duan Mingyue saying “it will end very soon.”

Too coincidental, forcing him to make associations. So he opened the chat box: “Moon God, did you do the HG thing?”

Five minutes later, Duan Mingyue replied with a single word: “Yes.”

No concealment.

Shen Yanjin pursed his lips. “Moon God, you didn’t have to for me…”

Before he could finish typing and send it, a new message came from Duan Mingyue.

“Rarely had a whim to be kind once, did a good deed to eliminate harm for the people. What, want to award me a silk banner?”

The implication was that he didn’t do this just for Shen Yanjin, but just helped the Alliance remove a poisonous sore.

Shen Yanjin paused, then smiled, deleting the typed sentence word by word.

“Impressive. Justice execution.”

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“Justice execution.”

Today’s match was at seven o’clock, KW vs. SYG.

Shen Yanjin carried his peripherals onto the nanny van as usual. Looking up, he happened to meet Lu Yuan’s gaze.

This girl who loved to trouble him since he joined the team had started avoiding Shen Yanjin like snakes and scorpions ever since witnessing him kiss Duan Mingyue that day.

For instance, at this moment, seeing Shen Yanjin, her face turned pale, and she quickly turned her head to look out the window, avoiding his line of sight.

“…”

Shen Yanjin walked expressionlessly to the seat next to Duan Mingyue and sat down, thinking: If I knew it was this easy, I shouldn’t have been so hesitant with so many worries. Just one kiss directly, where would all those previous troubles be?

As soon as he sat down, Duan Mingyue gently squeezed his palm, then interlaced their fingers.

The tips of Shen Yanjin’s ears turned red uncontrollably.

Since Duan Mingyue half-forced and half-coaxed Shen Yanjin to agree to holding hands and hugging outside last time, his actions became increasingly fearless. In the car, training room, corridor, terrace, elevator—regardless of the occasion, as long as there was a chance, he would avoid others’ sight and engage in various physical contacts with Shen Yanjin.

Even more amazingly, with the increase in frequency, Shen Yanjin found he was no longer as uncomfortable and inexplicably panicked as in the beginning.

Now, holding hands secretly with Duan Mingyue in the car, at most his ears would turn red; he even felt a bit of sneaky excitement in his heart.

Duan Mingyue noticed the youth’s red ears and smiled, thinking desensitization therapy was quite useful.

Shifting his gaze to the right, he looked at Lu Yuan’s figure sitting in front.

Using popularity and heat as reliance?

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Like playing with public opinion?

Then play; he would keep her company.

The recording obtained from Shen Yanjin completely removed the last bit of hesitation in Duan Mingyue’s eyes about old feelings.

He had already submitted the recording along with HG Team’s match-fixing evidence, but he had greeted the Alliance, hoping they could suppress the recording for a while before releasing it.

After all, Lu Yuan only tampered with her own team’s scrims and didn’t play tricks in official matches. Since Duan Mingyue had spoken, the Alliance naturally had no objections.

Arriving at the venue, the five o’clock match VF vs. FTK took place first. The KW members could watch the match while waiting in the lounge.

Taking advantage of this time, Shen Yanjin flipped through the starting roster for SYG in this match.

SYG was a new team established just this season, advancing all the way from the secondary league by controlling thunder. The members were also very young, none over twenty—invincible youth.

However, youth had advantages and disadvantages. The team was full of rookies without a backbone experienced in competition; a coaching staff alone couldn’t prop them up.

Lacking experience, SYG drew the bad lot of WOF at the start of the new season, suffering a 0-2 loss. Then they played FTK, which had absorbed fresh blood and was in full swing, another 0-2.

Now they had to face the champion KW. A standard devil schedule; listeners shed tears and viewers felt sad.

How could SYG’s few new seedlings withstand such a violent storm? They were devastated to the point of dying. A few minutes ago, spectators posted photos: the SYG members walking off the bus all had drooping heads, obviously not coming with a winning mindset.

“…Alan initiates at the limit range, escaping with a sliver of health! Peace follows up with his ultimate immediately, one shot, two shots—wait! Lend actually walked over from top lane!”

From the TV on the lounge wall came the passionate shout of Commentator A: “Thought Lend didn’t have Teleport and couldn’t join the battlefield anymore, but Alan’s perfect initiation bought him enough time to enter! Coming from the river, Ultimate, Parry, Detection, Heart-Piercing Sword! Wow, VF played very well in the early game, but this team fight gave away all the advantage.”

Commentator B said, “Yes, VF completely didn’t expect the Sword Immortal to enter from that place. This laterally exposes a problem: their vision control is still too poor.”

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“Correct. The river is pitch black; it’s impossible to guard against enemies popping out from anywhere. —Can this Ignite burn the Sword Immortal to death? Ah! Just one tick short, healed up by a potion!” Commentator A didn’t hide the regret in his voice. “Too pity, just missed by a few dozen health.”

“Thirty-three health,” Commentator B said. “FTK zero-for-five, Baron taken.”

During the interval while FTK members took Baron, the director inserted the replay of the team fight just now.

After all, they were opponents they would meet later, so everyone watched the screen seriously.

Replay ended. Song Yuan said, “FTK has become stronger.”

Kai said, “Yes, their top laner’s improvement speed is a bit scary. Peace too; positioning and spacing are almost comparable to Tans.”

Caught off guard by the flattery, Tans gave a “Heh” and didn’t speak.

FTK’s Top, Bot, and Support performed simply too outstandingly; their team fights were pleasing to the eye.

But what Shen Yanjin noticed were their Mid and Jungle.

These two, compared to the radiant brilliance of the other three, seemed a bit too mediocre. But how much water a bucket can hold depends on its shortest plank, not the longest.

If Shen Yanjin had to choose who improved the most in FTK, he would definitely choose these two.

During the last scrim, this Mid laner was ganked frantically, only knowing how to feed; the Jungler too, couldn’t even control a Scuttler Crab, gank rhythm a total mess, barely able to play only when Alan led him.

But in this match, as soon as the Mid laner found he couldn’t beat VF’s Mid, he immediately chose to avoid fighting, positioning conservatively. If really necessary, he retreated under the tower. Anyway, getting ganked was impossible; maintaining farm not to fall behind too much was enough.

And the Jungler also began to utilize his strengths, reducing ganks and frantically farming and counter-jungling. Although the gank rhythm still had to follow Alan, his control over map resources had improved a lot.

In team fights, they also played their due roles, which allowed the other three of FTK room to perform.

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Developing like this, FTK would soon join the ranks of strong teams.

After two games, FTK easily defeated VF 2-0, taking the victory. Not long after, staff came to knock on their lounge door, telling them to get ready to take the stage.

The starting list was the same as the first match, no changes, still Lu Yuan as the starting support.

Shen Yanjin sat on the sofa chair, not moving. Just then, he suddenly felt his wrist being squeezed not too lightly or heavily.

He looked up at Duan Mingyue who stood up beside him. But Duan Mingyue didn’t look at him, instead carrying his peripherals and walking straight out, as if he hadn’t done the small action just now.

Shen Yanjin’s mind moved, his heartbeat accelerating a few beats.

He understood the meaning of this action.

Duan Mingyue wanted him to be prepared. In today’s match… there was very likely a chance for him to play.

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