“Huh?”
Yin Chen glanced at Tang Chen, then at Zhang Taining, sinking into thought.
Was it just his imagination?
Why did it feel like these players were even more energetic than during their previous training sessions?
Could it be… my photos aren’t doing their job yet?
For the first time, Yin Chen doubted himself.
But soon, the match officially began.
He settled his mind and noticed that BZ’s team consisted of Tang Chen, Zhang Taining, Zhuo Fan, and one member whose name he didn’t remember.
As for DF?
Yin Chen didn’t care.
Five minutes into the match, both sides chose to start in more stable jungle spots, avoiding the central combat zone to prevent early casualties.
Not bad.
Yin Chen glanced at the screen and felt a little bored.
He thought for a moment and sent Zong Cheng a message.
【BZ vs. DF, want to watch together?】
At that moment, Zong Cheng was dealing with a persistent editor.
“This time the copyright negotiator is a big deal! Are you really not considering it? They’ve offered ten million!”
Ten million!
The editor had realized that getting Zong Cheng was like finding gold that shone on its own—valuable and attracting wealthy attention.
“No, pass it. You know I’m not selling the copyright.”
Zong Cheng refused firmly.
As if joking!
Writing novels under a pen name had been a whim, and unexpectedly, even a steel-straight guy like him could attract countless readers on a platform like Jinjiang with a terrifyingly infinite horror story. But that didn’t mean he would reveal himself!
If his readers who constantly called him “wife” found out he was a man?
Zong Cheng would lose it.
Even ten million wouldn’t make him sell!
And…
Zong Cheng felt a headache. What if Yin Chen found out he was a man? How would he explain it?
And then there was the incident of interrupting Yin Chen and Lin Yuhan’s hotpot session—everything would be exposed.
His thoughts spun.
He quietly hung up.
Impossible. Absolutely not selling!
“Ding~”
A message arrived. Another editor? He wouldn’t check…
Huh?
Zong Cheng glanced, then quickly grabbed his phone.
It was from Yin Chen!
Yin Chen initiated contact?
He opened it and froze.
Watch together?
How is that “together watch”?
“Hmm? How do we watch together? Isn’t it simple?”
Zong Cheng replied with confusion, and Yin Chen casually put on headphones, opening a video call.
“!”
Zong Cheng panicked!
He wasn’t at work today, wearing only shorts at home!
Instinctively, he wanted to hang up—but his fingers had a mind of their own.
The video connected.
“Can you… see… from the camera…”
Yin Chen’s voice trailed off mid-sentence.
His gaze caught Zong Cheng’s eight-pack, perfectly lined, and he froze slightly.
Instinctively, Yin Chen adjusted his phone so no one else could see the screen.
Meanwhile…
What was Zong Cheng doing?
“You’re going to shower?”
Yin Chen asked, puzzled.
But if he was showering, why accept a video call?
Moreover…
Yin Chen’s eyes carefully scanned every inch of Zong Cheng’s body through the camera, silently admiring.
Zong Cheng really had a well-trained physique.
“…No.”
Noticing Yin Chen’s lingering gaze on his abs, Zong Cheng squared his shoulders, gritting his teeth.
Anyway, sooner or later, he’d be seen!
Better to flaunt it first!
Would Yin Chen like it?
He probably would, right? Otherwise, why stare?
But for how long would Yin Chen keep looking?
Zong Cheng breathed deeply, feeling heat spiral from the top of his head down to his flushed ears, neck, and chest.
N-No… I can’t…
“All right, I’ve adjusted the camera. You should be able to see the match screen now.”
Yin Chen’s voice startled Zong Cheng.
Match screen?
Next moment, he noticed Yin Chen’s camera had switched to the gameplay.
He instinctively looked down at his abs, bewildered.
So that’s all they were good for? Not even five seconds? Worthless!
“Cough.”
With the camera switched, a faint blush rose on Yin Chen’s face.
It didn’t stop him from furiously taking screenshots until the person on the other side finally put on a hoodie.
Tsk. Silly.
Yin Chen watched as Zong Cheng got dressed, screenshotting a perfectly compromising angle.
His gaze lingered at the edge of Zong Cheng’s shorts.
No wonder he ate so much and still had eight-pack abs. Pure talent, no doubt.
“Huh? Tang Chen’s team just won a round?”
Zong Cheng’s surprised voice came from the other end, pulling Yin Chen’s attention back to the match.
Really?
On screen, both teams were reboarding planes to parachute in again.
“What happened just now? Did you see it?”
Zong Cheng sounded frustrated.
Had he zoned out too long?
…
Yin Chen remained silent.
How to explain?
Say he was screenshotting Zong Cheng instead of watching? That would be revealing.
After a pause, seeing Tang Chen’s team parachute down, Yin Chen calmly said,
“No worries. Since you didn’t see it, let’s just watch the next round.”
He subtly loosened two buttons at his collar. Winter was a bit warm.
“All right.”
Zong Cheng quietly exhaled, sat up straight, and focused on the match.
Tang Chen’s team landed in the jungle spot; DF chose P City.
Lucky—they found only two scattered solo players there.
DF quickly looted and eliminated them; one had an M24 with a suppressor and 8x scope.
The camera switched to Zhuo Fan—he picked up a DP-28 with a 2x scope beside him. In comparison, it looked pathetic.
“…BZ’s in trouble here.”
Even Zong Cheng couldn’t praise BZ in good conscience.
And honestly, a DP-28 has 47 rounds but can’t reload via magazine—switching is agonizingly slow.
Yin Chen glanced at Tang Chen’s Uzi and Zhang Taining’s AK in other feeds, silent.
“…Jungle spots can be wild sometimes.”
DF, nearly fully geared, immediately drove a car to scout BZ’s location.
BZ sensed something off and quickly regrouped, despite poor equipment.
Except Zhuo Fan, who set up the DP-28 on a slope overlooking their building, hidden in grass.
“Zhuo Fan has good awareness. He picks excellent spots for his gun,” Yin Chen commented, eyes focused.
Though unseen, Zong Cheng could hear the focus in Yin Chen’s voice.
“You’re much more aware than when you first started gaming.”
If not for Yin Chen being past the e-sports prime, Zong Cheng thought he could’ve gone pro.
Indeed, he had improved far beyond their early gaming days.
Zong Cheng smiled subtly.
The man he valued.
“Is that so?”
Yin Chen pulled his attention from the game, thinking for a moment and smiling.
“I feel like you’re just complimenting yourself in reverse, saying your awareness is good and teaching is effective.”
Didn’t he learn all his skills from Zong Cheng anyway?
What’s the difference between praising him and praising Zong Cheng himself?
“Cough.”
Zong Cheng blushed and quickly changed the subject.
“Look, DF just spotted Tang Chen’s team.”
Shy now?
Yin Chen was surprised. He hadn’t noticed earlier, buried in food.
Zong Cheng got shy so easily? Interesting.
Following his lead, Yin Chen watched the camera.
DF’s four players drove directly to BZ’s location—a fake garage with two floors, the lower floor open for parking.
DF’s driver, San Yue, blocked the staircase to prevent BZ from descending.
Tang Chen and Zhang Taining planted grenades from above, destroying the car. Neither side could use the staircase.
“Tang Chen and Zhang Taining have good awareness,” Yin Chen praised.
Unfortunately, the other teammate’s awareness was poor; he went to the second-floor balcony.
“Mm.” Zong Cheng nodded, adding,
“If it were me, hearing footsteps on the second floor, I’d throw a frag grenade at the balcony.”
Just as he said it, BZ’s teammate on the balcony went down—DF-San Yue with a frag grenade.
“Damn!”
Zhang Taining ignored losing money, glaring at the teammate.
“You go to the balcony now? That’s suicidal!”
Already hit by a grenade, the teammate snapped.
“Did I know? How would I know they’d grenade the balcony?”
Zhang Taining was speechless.
He and Tang Chen planted grenades below to prevent DF from rushing; if DF couldn’t ascend, BZ could. Simple.
For a moment, Zhang Taining couldn’t even respond.
Tang Chen nudged him.
“Focus. Don’t forget—the pigsty’s still waiting.”
“I know.”
Zhang Taining gritted his teeth. They were already low on supplies; losing a teammate made it worse.
“Tang Chen has a good personality, seems a bit like a leader.”
Yin Chen’s face suddenly appeared on camera.
Why back to him?
Zong Cheng was about to ask when he noticed the two loosened buttons on Yin Chen’s collar. Instinctively, he tried to screenshot.
Click.
The high-performance phone transmitted the sound perfectly to the other side.
Zong Cheng froze.