By Zephyria 
Me. achieved a resounding victory in their first national tournament match.
Many had assumed that after AUB’s crushing defeat, the sole remaining team in the global tournament would follow in their footsteps.
With this expectation, the viewership for the first match reached an unprecedented peak, surpassing all previous national tournaments.
Yet, after just one hour of live broadcast, every player who had tuned in, whether out of curiosity or to witness a spectacle, found their perceptions completely overturned.
Me. seemed far stronger than anyone had imagined.
The first match always garners the highest attention, but viewers clicking into the next live broadcast likely never expected that the least favored Me. would secure their second victory just two days later.
A former esports commentator, known for his blunt critiques of teams and matches and boasting 200,000 followers, didn’t mince words after the match: “Me. played beautifully, riding the wave of recent hype, but they’re still green.”
“Luck carried them through the group stage. The final outcome is still uncertain. The online predictions of them placing third are shaky at best. Let’s see if they can even qualify again four years from now.”
Comments flooded his channel:
【Yo, Old Liu, long time no see.】
【For those who don’t know, this guy used to take bribes for praise, then got exposed for cheating and beaten up by his wife on live TV. I still have the meme saved.】
【Did you even pay your fines yet?】
【As a casual viewer, I’m shocked. This guy’s history is… something else.】
【I don’t think it’s luck. Me. won’t stop at third place.】
After the first match, Me. celebrated briefly for one night.
The following matches grew increasingly dense, packed into a twenty-day period.
They had to compete in a single round-robin within their group, facing each team twice. The final rankings would determine which teams advanced based on points.
Throughout this period, Mr. Ren never missed a single one of the young man’s matches.
Sheep had even grown accustomed to scanning the crowd for the man’s figure before taking his seat in the competition area.
And that spot in the audience never changed.
Turns out, the constant reassurance of having family watching could outweigh the nervousness of being stared at by a loved one.
[#ME. Six Wins, One Loss]
This hashtag surged to the top of today’s trending list.
Four consecutive victories had given Me. a significant advantage in points.
At the same time, the team secured a precious spot in the next phase, they had officially qualified for the quarterfinals.
Their excellent form suggested that the entire team had truly adapted to the rhythm of the global tournament.
Every time people assumed Me. was about to be eliminated, the team staged a dramatic reversal, defying expectations and pushing past perceived limits to advance.
At this point, the championship still seemed impossibly far away.
But from another perspective, a different kind of panic set in. The moment they advanced to the quarterfinals, if everything went smoothly, they were now just two weeks away from the grand finals they had dreamed of day and night.
The esports arena was brutal. Even as you lifted your gaze to the championship trophy, victory could slip through your fingers in an instant.
Making it this far felt like a dream.
But no one dared let their guard down.
Quarterfinals venue.
Me.’s opponent was erc, a team that had advanced smoothly with three consecutive wins.
If they won this match, Me. would officially secure their place in the semifinals.
Sheep took out the enemy Team’s core sniper before storming the building, gunshots ringing out in quick succession as Mole swiftly eliminated the foes on the first floor. Sheep wordlessly moved upstairs with perfect coordination.
This match’s strategy was unusually aggressive. In previous competitions, erc had always played it safe, biding their time to eliminate the core threats before picking off remaining enemies one by one.
So Me. decided to flip the script, launching a full assault with precise, relentless gunfire.
Two enemies hiding on the second floor fell swiftly through the smoke.
【Holy shit】
【I’m holding my breath watching this】
【AHHHH INSANE】
【This quarterfinal is next level】
Just as Sheep’s Team gained overwhelming momentum heading into the second half, Yu Nian suddenly approached the substitute bench and said something to the captain.
They’d be using Holographic Glasses for the second half.
However, when Xuan Cheng noticed the young man briefly removing the glasses due to technical issues before putting them back on, his gaze instinctively searched for his lover. Xuan quickly told Jing Mian that Mr. Ren had gone to the restroom and hadn’t returned yet.
Sheep nodded and refocused on the match.
Only after the game ended did Jing Mian learn his Husband had actually been absent for the entire second half.
Yu Nian had informed the captain that Brother Ren had urgent work matters requiring his immediate return home, specifically instructing Xuan Cheng not to let the young man worry and affect his performance.
Back at the hotel amidst his teammates’ celebrations, Jing Mian called Mr. Ren.
His Husband had already returned to their home country for what appeared to be work-related matters that wouldn’t be resolved in a day. He reminded the young man to wear a jacket tomorrow as temperatures were dropping.
Everything seemed normal.
Yet when Jing Mian hung up, something felt off.
Even so, the Mr. Ren he knew wouldn’t leave early without good reason.
If he’d left early, it must have been something urgent and stressful enough to warrant his immediate attention.
Concern gnawed at Jing Mian.
Getting nowhere with Mr. Ren, the young man turned to Yu Nian, who likely knew the truth.
At first Yu Nian laughed it off: “Brother Ren just had an unavoidable work commitment back home. He didn’t want to distract you during the match.”
But Jing Mian wasn’t fooled.
After persistent questioning all day, Yu Nian finally confessed with a grimace: “Brother Ren’s grandmother passed away.”
“The old lady had Alzheimer’s, her condition had been deteriorating. She was hospitalized a week ago when a lung infection worsened suddenly. They rushed her to emergency care but… couldn’t save her.”
Yu Nian sighed. “My condolences.”
That night,
Jing Mian packed his bags and boarded the earliest available flight home alone.
The semifinals were still three days away.
He’d gotten permission from Xuan Cheng.
Exiting the station, the young man hailed a taxi.
Jing Mian glanced down, fingertips lightly tapping open “Our Distance.” His breath caught when the blinking cursor revealed the man’s location.
—His Husband was at their home.
After paying the driver, Jing Mian shouldered his backpack. The sudden cold in Lincheng seeped into his bones as familiar maple leaves came into view.
He broke into a run.
Puffs of mist escaped his lips, vanishing instantly as his breathing grew shallow and rapid.
Standing at their doorstep, the young man paused just as his finger hovered over the biometric scanner.
Instead, he raised his knuckles.
The knock echoed through the quiet.
…
The door opened, and his gaze met Mr. Ren’s surprised eyes.
Jing Mian’s breath hitched slightly.
A wave of astonishment rose in his heart.
It had only been three short days apart.
Yet the man before him was a far cry from the composed and flawless figure he remembered.
—Though the man was still tall and imposing, his eyes carried obvious exhaustion. His clothes bore traces of cigarette burns that had been hastily smoothed over, and the faint stubble on his jaw hadn’t been shaved.
At that moment, Jing Mian heard his own heartbeat grow heavier.
And the slow, creeping ache that welled up in his throat.
“…MianMian?”
The man’s voice was slightly hoarse.
The young man standing at the door was dressed too lightly, his coat slightly disheveled from running. His ears, like his cheeks, were flushed with a mix of red and pale.
Soon, Jing Mian felt a hand grasp his wrist, pulling him inside. Only then did warmth begin to seep into his body, as if belatedly realized.
But none of that mattered now.
Husband had been home alone.
Husband hadn’t even turned on the living room lights.
“Why did you come back so suddenly?”
“Were you dressed this lightly the whole way?” Jing Mian’s cold hands were enveloped in warmth. The foyer was almost pitch-black, the darkness swallowing any light as Mr. Ren murmured, “Your match…”
His words stopped there.
In the darkness, Jing Mian slowly wrapped his arms around Husband.
“Brother, I’m back.”
Jing Mian’s nose felt warm and damp. He exhaled softly, whispering, “I’ll always be here.”
“Whether it’s today, or any day after.”
Jing Mian still remembered when he had first met Mr. Ren. Not long after, when the topic of meeting family came up, he had seen the man’s silver-haired grandmother through a video call, the one person Husband truly cared about.
The young man remembered how, despite her illness, the elderly woman had smiled at him through the screen. Sometimes she would ask the same question three times, but each time, her smile was gentle, her gaze quietly fixed on him.
It was as if she already knew he would become Mr. Ren’s family.
Husband had too little love in his life.
He was one part of it. Grandma was the other.
So the man had very little left to lose.
He couldn’t imagine what state of mind Mr. Ren had been in when he returned to the country after learning of his grandmother’s passing, or how he had pretended everything was fine just to reassure him.
The strong, unshakable Mr. Ren had chosen to come home alone, to bear this immense grief by himself, all because he didn’t want to affect his player’s performance.
But he wasn’t just a player.
He was also Husband’s beloved.
“From the moment I first met Grandma, it felt like you were already saving me.” Jing Mian paused for a few seconds before murmuring, “To her, Brother must have been the most important person.”
The man didn’t respond.
Jing Mian felt something warm and damp press against the back of his neck.
The young man froze, his vision blurring.
He pressed his lips together, silently reaching out to hold Mr. Ren tighter.
Gently, he patted the man’s back.
Softly. Once, then again.
…
Then, he felt arms slowly tightening around him in return. The light from the floor-to-ceiling windows spilled across the floor, and in the depths of that endless winter night, they drew warmth from each other.
The next moment, Jing Mian heard Mr. Ren’s deep voice murmur beside his ear:
“No. It was you who saved me.”