Chapter 83
Shen Yanjin had no idea his parents were right there in the audience. He controlled the Shepherd to hop lightly in the river—a slight movement that looked like a mistake—luring Lend deeper into the trap.
From the God’s eye view, everything was clear, but in the heat of the moment, confusion was inevitable. Lend foolishly followed the Shepherd down the bottom lane, while Peace arrived from the side to pinch him in a pincer attack.
Shen Yanjin unhurriedly summoned his sheep, knocking Peace airborne. He immediately followed up with a Flash to apply a slow, throwing out every skill available, but ultimately, he couldn’t withstand the two-man siege.
However, just as the FTK duo claimed the Shepherd’s head, the four members of KW had already surrounded FTK’s three players in the Baron pit. Not only did they secure Baron, but they also took the head of the FTK Jungler who tried to steal it.
It had always been Duan Mingyue robbing others of dragons; there was no possibility of anyone robbing him.
Commentator A said, “FTK made a classic strategic error there. Chasing one Shepherd cost them the Baron.”
Commentator C added, “This is also a common tactic of the player Sliver: trading his own life for resources. The amazing thing is, no matter how the trade goes, it’s never a loss.”
Commentator A: “KW takes the Baron and pushes down mid lane. The high ground tower has fallen… FTK is putting up a desperate last stand, but alas, the errors in the earlier ganks allowed KW to snowball too hard. A clean ace on the high ground—congratulations to KW for taking the victory in this match~”
In the BO3, the score was now 1-1. It all came down to the final, do-or-die game.
But this was just the preseason, so the tension hadn’t reached a fever pitch yet.
Yet, on the way back to the lounge after the game, Duan Mingyue suddenly squeezed Shen Yanjin’s palm gently and whispered quickly in his ear, “Play well.”
A trace of surprise flashed through Shen Yanjin’s eyes. The tactile sensation and warmth of Duan Mingyue’s fingertips lingered on his palm. He slowly curled his fingers, keeping that bit of warmth safe in his hand.
After two evenly matched games, everyone was looking forward to an even more spectacular showdown in the third match.
In the KW voice channel, Duan Mingyue spoke leisurely, “Kai, can Sliver pick the Ice Witch or the Fish Woman?”
Shen Yanjin was stunned for a moment before replying, “I… have no problem with that.”
Kai was quite familiar with this and laughed, “OK, let me take the Ice Witch. Sliver’s Ice Witch was too ruthless last time; if this keeps up, they might not even let it through the ban phase in the playoffs.”
In this game, Duan Mingyue primarily led Kai to roam as a Mid-Jungle duo, while Shen Yanjin used the Fish Woman to roam and support ganks alone. Both sides were very familiar with this playstyle. After all, before Shen Yanjin joined KW, the team’s early-game rhythm relied entirely on Kai and Duan Mingyue. Shen Yanjin was also a lone wolf who enjoyed roaming by himself.
This strategy was very effective against FTK. Moreover, it allowed Shen Yanjin, as a support, to step out of Duan Mingyue’s shadow. Every time he caught someone on his own, it became his personal highlight reel.
However, watching the little ice-blue witch walking alongside the Bladesman, a strange sense of displeasure flashed through Shen Yanjin’s eyes.
He realized that Duan Mingyue was intentionally letting him take the spotlight today, but… why?
The match ended. KW pulled off a reverse sweep to win 2-1, securing their sixth consecutive victory and ranking first on the leaderboard.
The MVP for both games was given to Shen Yanjin. Because of this, he was the one sent for the post-match interview.
The host, wearing high heels and with gold glitter shimmering on her eyelids under the spotlight, asked Shen Yanjin a few routine questions. There were no traps or pitfalls, and Shen Yanjin answered them one by one.
Near the end, the host looked at the cue card in her hand and asked the final question: “We all know that contestant Sliver is a veteran of our region. You announced your retirement at the end of last season but returned very quickly, joining the Champion Team KW as a starter. Many viewers are curious about the process—what exactly happened? Could contestant Sliver shed some light on this for us?”
Shen Yanjin looked at the microphone moved in front of him. Facing the vast sea of spectators and camera lenses, he zoned out for a split second.
But it was only a momentary lapse. He quickly curled the corners of his lips, revealing a polite smile. “I think I’ll save that question for after the finals.”
The implication was that he was exceptionally confident—practically certain—that they would make it to the finals.
So arrogant.
The young man, who usually looked gloomy and plain, raised the corners of his mouth as he spoke. Even his eyes brightened, carrying an indescribable wildness and reckless abandon. Reflected in the arena lights, he actually entranced the host for a moment.
After the interview, back in the lounge, Shen Yanjin couldn’t avoid being teased by his teammates.
“Didn’t see that coming, Sliver,” Kai said, grinning as he sat next to Tans watching someone play Fight the Landlord. seeing him return, he teased, “‘Save it for after the finals.’ Tsk tsk tsk, famous last words. That’s a pre-booked trending search right there.”
Song Yuan was scrolling through his phone. He had a heart of steel; win or lose, he would browse Weibo and forums as usual after a match. Hearing this, he said, “No need to pre-book. It’s already climbing the trending list.”
Kai gave a thumbs up. “Awesome. The new generation’s traffic password.”
Over the past few months, whether as UOOW or Sliver, Shen Yanjin had been on more trending searches than in his entire career combined. He was a bit numb to it by now, so he just smiled and didn’t pay it much mind.
Just then, Duan Mingyue suddenly said to him, “Your phone has been vibrating non-stop. Someone must be calling you.”
Shen Yanjin paused, then realized who those calls were from. A complicated expression crossed his face. He lowered his head and hurried over, taking his phone out of his bag to mute it. But just then, a new call came in.
The word “Mother” appeared clearly on the screen.
Shen Yanjin had been separated from his parents for too long, and their relationship had grown distant, so even the contact name carried a sense of detachment.
His face stiffened.
Duan Mingyue said calmly, “Aren’t you going to answer?”
Shen Yanjin looked up hesitantly, only to see Duan Mingyue’s expression completely flat, as if it were truly just a casual question. He steeled himself, tapped answer, and walked out of the lounge.
However, contrary to Shen Yanjin’s expectations, there were no tearful threats. Mother Shen’s voice was calm and very weary.
She said, “Yanjin, your dad and I are in Luo City. Let’s meet.”
Shen Yanjin’s eyes widened slightly. He remained silent for a long time before speaking hoarsely, “Okay.”
Then, out of habit, he added, “I’m sorry.”
These three words were repeated over and over again in every recent call with Mother Shen.
Despite the pain and guilt, he held fast to his decision, refusing to yield an inch.
Mother Shen sighed and gave him an address.
Returning to the lounge, Shen Yanjin vaguely stated that he had some personal matters to attend to and wouldn’t return to the hotel with the team.
Mao Qiude was very understanding and didn’t pry, waving his hand to approve the leave.
Duan Mingyue smiled at him and said, “Don’t panic. Change your jacket first. I’ll take your peripheral bag back for you. Don’t stay out too late.”
Shen Yanjin nodded gratefully, hurriedly changed out of his team jacket, took his phone, and left.
Kai noticed something was off from the side. “Captain, why do you have Sliver’s casual clothes?” It was as if he knew in advance this would happen.
Duan Mingyue looked at him, smiling without speaking.
Kai managed to read a chill in that smile, shuddered, and cowardly shrank back to watch Tans play cards. “Hey, hey, hey, is it okay to break up that pair? What if the Landlord drops a bomb?”
Tans couldn’t take it anymore and shot him a cold look, finally silencing Kai, the chatterbox.
The location Mother Shen sent was a private restaurant. The exterior looked quite stylish, and the decor was European-style. Overall, it had a lot of class. When Shen Yanjin searched for directions, he found that this restaurant had very good reviews locally. It was evident that Father Shen and Mother Shen had put thought into choosing this place.
On the way there, Shen Yanjin kept wondering: How did my parents know I was in Luo City? How did they get here? What do they want to say to me now? …In any case, in a public place, and since his parents were intellectuals who cared deeply about face, nothing too excessive should happen.
The only thing he hadn’t considered was the possibility that his parents had come to watch his match.
Shen Yanjin turned his head to look at the night view outside the taxi window and sighed softly.
He had already accepted his fate, accepted a dream his parents wouldn’t understand, and a sexuality the secular world wouldn’t understand. He had even prepared himself to live a lonely life.
Yet, in the dead of night, facing the computer screen, it was hard not to be tormented by loneliness.
Being able to have his feelings reciprocated by Duan Mingyue was truly the luckiest thing that had happened to him in his life. Shen Yanjin cherished every single day now.
So, facing his family, the conflict and confusion surging in Shen Yanjin’s heart were unprecedented.
He never thought there would come a day when he would have to choose between family and happiness.
He had thought these two things were not contradictory.
Lost in thought, the taxi arrived at the destination before he knew it.
Shen Yanjin paid, got out, entered the restaurant, and was led by a waiter to a private room.
He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Father Shen and Mother Shen were sitting at the table. The dishes had mostly been served. At a glance, they were basically all his favorites.
This discovery made Shen Yanjin’s heart constrict violently. A wave of sourness welled up, but he desperately suppressed the surge of emotion, feigning calm as he sat down.
Seeing his guarded appearance as if facing a great enemy, Mother Shen said, “Playing matches until this late, you must be hungry. Eat first.”
Shen Yanjin was stunned for a moment and subconsciously looked at Father Shen beside her.
Father Shen still wore that invulnerable, stern face. Even his wrinkles exuded authority. Meeting Shen Yanjin’s gaze, he nodded. “Eat first, talk later.”
This stance made it clear that they wouldn’t broach the main topic until he finished eating.
So, Shen Yanjin picked up his chopsticks uneasily.
He thought his parents would take the opportunity to lecture him again, but Mother Shen kept her mouth shut, only constantly putting food in his bowl. They didn’t eat much themselves, saying they had eaten before coming.
Their actions made the food taste like wax to Shen Yanjin.
After mechanically finishing a bowl of rice, he put down his chopsticks. “Dad, Mom, I’m done. If you have anything to say, please say it.”
Mother Shen looked at him with complex eyes, put down her serving chopsticks, and sighed heavily.
She didn’t speak; instead, Father Shen spoke first.
In his childhood, on major matters, Father Shen was always the one whose word was law.
Mother Shen was indecisive, so Father Shen inevitably carried some male chauvinism. Compared to Mother Shen, Shen Yanjin was actually more afraid of his father.
But unexpectedly, Father Shen didn’t demand he retire and go home to do “serious business” as usual. Instead, he asked, “Do you really want to be in this industry?”
Shen Yanjin was stunned. “Yes.”
Father Shen tapped the table. “But from what I see, the oldest people in your industry are only twenty-five. Have you thought about what work you’ll do after you retire?”
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