Everyone was still riding the high from the match, buzzing with excitement as they discussed Seven’s jaw-dropping plays.
“He hasn’t changed one bit. That dazzling Seven who once took the world by storm—he’s finally back!” someone exclaimed with heartfelt emotion.
“He’s the reason I fell in love with esports. I’m just so glad he’s returned.”
Already, people were posting on Weibo. Phrases like “Seven’s Judgment Day” and “Paladin Commander Battle Damage” were skyrocketing on the trending charts. Even bystanders who hadn’t watched the match were growing curious: just how insane was this game?
There was only one answer: indescribably mind-blowing.
The aftershocks were still rippling through the fandom. The Paladin Commander character and his passive skill were suddenly the hot topic of the moment. Countless content creators began pumping out videos titled “Pull 100 Times and You’ll Definitely Unlock the Passive,” raking in views. The game itself also started rolling out themed merchandise—but that’s a story for another time.
The players exited through a different route from the audience, and with the crowd so dense, it took time to leave. Chi Zhan waited a bit with Tao Ran, who suddenly received a phone call and had to leave urgently. After saying a quick goodbye, he took off.
Chi Zhan slowly made his way out with the flow of people when a pop-up flashed across his phone screen:
[WT-Seven has sent you a message. Would you like to view it?]
The game had recently updated to include private message notifications. Earlier, Chi Zhan had logged into the game to review the Paladin Commander’s passive skill.
Apparently, a bunch of new interactive features had been added—besides the message alert, there was now voice calling. It saved players the hassle of typing, letting them talk directly. Sure, messaging apps already had this feature, but it was still a notable quality-of-life improvement in-game.
Chi Zhan tapped the notification.
WT-Seven: Chen Che says he’s treating you to dinner. You coming?
For some reason, despite the bare-bones phrasing and total lack of punctuation, Chi Zhan caught a faint, barely detectable trace of jealousy in that message.
But why would Seven be jealous over something like that?
Truth be told, Chi Zhan had gone to the match specifically to see Seven. But the moment he stepped into the venue, he was struck by how packed it was—waves upon waves of people, cameras everywhere.
Though the game was being recorded, not streamed live, Chi Zhan didn’t want to show any raw emotions in front of the viewers watching from home.
If he hugged Seven in front of all those people, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold himself together.
So instead, he hugged Chen Che.
Of course, Seven wouldn’t know all the complex thoughts behind that choice.
Chi Zhan stared at the message for a few seconds, then typed a single word in reply: Okay.
“Captain Qi, shall we head to dinner?” Chen Che asked.
“Someone else is joining,” Qi Song replied without even lifting his head. The glow from his phone screen reflected faintly in his eyes, but his tone was flat, unreadable.
Oblivious as always, Chen Che didn’t notice the subtle undercurrent in Qi Song’s voice. He just chuckled and said, “Oh? Who? Don’t tell me it’s Secretary Chi? I still can’t believe he hugged me today! God, I’m definitely saving this footage!”
Wen An gave him a knock on the head.
“You really think Secretary Chi wanted to hug you?”
Chen Che blinked.
“Wait… didn’t he?”
Wen An gave him a long-suffering look. Sometimes it really felt like this guy had nothing but air between his ears—maybe that’s why he’d live a long life.
“You two go ahead. I’ll meet you at the restaurant. I’ll go pick him up.”
“Huh? Shouldn’t we just wait for Secretary Chi to—”
Wen An grabbed Chen Che and dragged him off, gritting his teeth. “Do you want to be a third wheel that badly?”
“…???”
“I mean, didn’t Captain Qi and Secretary Chi already break up?” Chen Che asked once they were far enough that Qi Song couldn’t hear. “Wouldn’t things be super awkward if they met again? I was just trying to ease the mood, okay? Haven’t you noticed how gloomy Captain Qi’s been these days? I honestly thought he was about to spiral into depression after the breakup.”
“You think Seven’s like you? Crying like it’s the end of the world after a breakup?” Wen An scoffed. “Besides, I don’t think Secretary Chi is entirely over him either. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to dinner with us. Hmm…”
He glanced at Chen Che again, then added as a stern warning, “Don’t say anything stupid at dinner, got it? Just shut up and eat. Especially,” Wen An said, narrowing his eyes meaningfully, “don’t go bragging in front of Seven that Secretary Chi hugged you.”
“……”
Help. He suddenly felt a wave of existential dread.
Qi Song had arranged to meet Chi Zhan outside the venue. Chi Zhan, phone in hand, was glancing around in all directions. The crowd was massive—his vision was overwhelmed. He couldn’t spot Seven anywhere.
Just as he was about to text and ask where he was, his phone buzzed.
Incoming voice call.
He didn’t even check who it was. At this point, the only person who could be calling him was Seven. Pressed from all sides by the crowd, he struggled to tap the answer button.
“Where are you?”
Trying to find someone in a crowd like this was hard enough—this was a commercial district outside the stadium, and being a Saturday, the street was completely packed.
But the caller didn’t speak again. Amid the noisy din of voices, all Chi Zhan could hear was a clear, static-like current.
And breathing.
Seven was searching for him too.
“I’m in front of the bakery,” Chi Zhan looked around and picked out a visible landmark. “Can you see it? If not, I’ll—”
Before he could finish, a voice finally came through. Seven’s naturally cool, detached voice was amplified through the speaker, every word thick with suppressed emotion:
“—Found you. Turn around.”
Instinctively, Chi Zhan turned his head.
And there he was—standing across the street, phone in hand, eyes locked with his from afar.
Seven had changed out of his team uniform into a black down jacket and scarf. He still looked achingly handsome, but something about him felt different now.
The moment their eyes met, the corners of Qi Song’s lips seemed to lift ever so slightly.
“I see you. I’m coming over now.”
But getting across wasn’t easy. The sea of people and gridlocked cars made it nearly impossible to move quickly. Chi Zhan had no choice but to inch his way forward, carefully navigating around the crowd as he made his slow journey across the street.
I want him to be the ml so bad