Hearing that, Tao Ran actually looked a little disappointed. “That’s all?”
“Of course.”
Even though he’d once had a “romantic relationship” with Seven’s alt, Song Guang was Song Guang. What did that have to do with Seven?
Chi Zhan had already decided to keep the two separate in his mind—at least that way, it wouldn’t feel so awkward.
“People who love animals are usually really warmhearted. I’m so jealous. If I had a stable place to live right now, I’d want to raise a whole zoo’s worth of cats and dogs.”
Seeing how much Tao Ran liked them, Chi Zhan hesitated, then offered, “Doctor Cen said if you wanted to see the kitten, I could bring you over.”
“For real?!!” Tao Ran lit up.
“But let me be clear,” Chi Zhan warned. “He and I are just friends. Don’t go running your mouth in front of him, or it’ll be a mess I won’t be able to clean up.”
“I get it, I get it,” Tao Ran nodded earnestly. “Even if they like you, relationships aren’t something you should jump into. You can only choose one person, so you really have to think carefully!”
Chi Zhan rubbed his temples. Apparently, Tao Ran hadn’t listened to a word of his earlier disclaimers.
“Weekdays are out. I’ll check with him, see when he’s free.”
“I promise—I won’t say a single wrong word!”
Cen Chi replied quickly. He was free all weekend. Since they were planning to watch the e-sports match on Saturday, Chi Zhan arranged to meet Cen Chi on Sunday instead.
Cen Chi maintained the same careful distance as always—close enough to give Chi Zhan a sense of security, but never crossing the line into anything too intimate.
Neither of them brought up what had happened that night again.
***
The day of the e-sports tournament arrived in a blink.
Chi Zhan and Tao Ran made their way to the venue. Outside, a massive crowd had already gathered, lining up in a long queue for ticket checks.
That morning, Chu Xingxiao had messaged Chi Zhan, saying he’d taken an early flight and would rush over as soon as he landed.
He’d been swamped lately—Chi Zhan had seen him everywhere, across every platform: participating in variety shows, releasing a new album, running a full tour. His schedule was nonstop, yet he always managed to carve out time to send Chi Zhan a few clingy voice messages.
“Gege, good morning. I only slept three hours last night… so sleepy.”
“It’s snowing tonight. Is it cold where you are? Make sure you dress warm.”
Even though his voice was laced with exhaustion, he still made the effort to reach out. And even a single reply from Chi Zhan was enough to make him happy.
Which made it harder for Chi Zhan to keep brushing him off.
They reached their seats. The match hadn’t started yet. It was a knockout round between WT and SY—both powerhouse teams. SY had finished second in the last national tournament, so the stakes were sky-high.
“WT didn’t do too hot last season,” Tao Ran said with worry. “Ever since Seven left, they totally lost momentum. If they lose today, they won’t even qualify for nationals this year.”
After their last match together, Chi Zhan and Seven hadn’t spoken since. Song Guang’s avatar had dimmed too—offline ever since.
Their already-fragile connection seemed to have snapped entirely.
If he hadn’t said what he did back then, maybe… maybe he and Seven could’ve at least stayed friends.
As time ticked by, more and more people filled the venue. The surrounding seats were nearly packed, but still no sign of Chu Xingxiao.
The host stepped onto the stage: “Let’s welcome the players from both teams!”
SY’s roster came out first, introducing themselves one by one before taking their seats. Then came WT.
When Seven stepped into view, the crowd burst into applause.
This was the first time Chi Zhan had seen Seven compete live. He wore a black team uniform, expression cool and composed, eyes calm beneath the headset mic clipped to his ear. He only said one sentence:
“Hi everyone, I’m Seven.”
The mic amplified his voice—like snow that had been frozen atop a mountain for a thousand years. Cold, but powerful enough to make hearts stir.
It was all he ever said at events. One line—nothing more.
But with Seven on the team, WT wouldn’t lose.
Their team soul would never fade.
The other players finished their intros and began heading back to their seats. But just then, Seven looked up and swept his gaze across the audience.
“Who’s Seven looking at?”
“He has to be looking at me. Oh my god, I can’t breathe! He’s so handsome!”
No one knew who Seven had really been searching for with that glance.
***
Compared to the visible tension among SY’s players, WT looked relaxed and composed. Chen Che was even joking around with his teammates.
“Knock it off,” Wen An said. “If something goes wrong on your end, the coach’s gonna kill you.”
“Relax,” Chen Che grinned. “I’m bursting with energy today. I could take on ten guys by myself! Wait—is Secretary Chi watching our match too? Shit, I just got nervous.”
In the stands—
“Seven looked this way just now!” Tao Ran exclaimed. “He even paused for two whole seconds. Chi-Chi, he was looking at you, right?”
Tao Ran was more excited than Chi Zhan himself.
Chi Zhan sighed, rubbing his forehead.
“…You can tell how long his eyes lingered?”
He hadn’t noticed a thing. The audience seats were far from the stage, practically a sea of people. How could Seven possibly spot him in all that?
Most of the audience were die-hard Seven fans. Right before the match began, the crowd got so hyped that the host had to step in and restore order:
“Please remain quiet during the match. I know everyone’s excited, but let’s show the players the respect they deserve. There will be a fan Q&A after the match, so you’ll have your moment then.”
The crowd finally settled. The screens lit up, showing real-time gameplay. The ban phase had begun—and the opposing team instantly banned Seven’s signature hero. A clear, targeted move.
“Looks like Seven’s still got serious presence,” Tao Ran whispered. “This is gonna be tough.”
WT’s usual strategy revolved around Seven’s playstyle—a mature, polished system. In fact, teams built around mid-laners were rare in this game. Most mids were control types, rarely capable of high burst damage.
