By Zephyria 
The national tournament quickly ushered in the prelude to its third round.
Following the conclusion of the group stage, the qualifying Teams advanced to the quarterfinals. The first match of the previous round had been determined by a draw, randomly assigning Teams into groups A through E for the group stage. The Teams within each group then competed against one another, with the top two from each group directly securing their spots in the quarterfinals.
Jing Mian’s Team E had successfully advanced just three days prior.
This had already far surpassed ME’s previous best record in the national tournament.
The entire team was both nervous and exhilarated. Their promotional posters in Team uniforms frequently appeared on Glory’s homepage, signaling that ME had become a potential championship contender. They might not only reach the semifinals but even the finals.
…Of course, that was just wishful thinking for now.
There were too many formidable opponents standing in the way of the championship. Last year’s champions, AUB, loomed like an insurmountable hurdle.
But as long as they made it to the national finals—regardless of which side ultimately won—both Teams would have the honor of representing their country and competing in the world-class global tournament.
The world championship was the ultimate dream of every esports player.
Just the thought of it was enough to set their blood racing.
Jing Mian followed his teammates into the arena. As they took their seats, staff members adjusted the holographic equipment and headsets behind them.
Mr. Ren wasn’t in the audience today.
Jing Mian hadn’t felt comfortable asking him to accompany him for a third match. Given Mr. Ren’s professional responsibilities and status in his field, the man’s schedule simply couldn’t accommodate frequent, unpredictable esports matches with fluctuating timings based on results.
Besides, though his blood still surged with excitement, Jing Mian had grown calm enough to handle the competition on his own.
“Sheep, were you injured before?”
The voice of the staff member adjusting his headset came from behind him, and the young man froze slightly.
Cen Xian, who was twisting open a water bottle beside him, glanced over. “Why do you ask?”
“It’s not very obvious,” she said. “But there seems to be a scar on the back of Sheep’s head—like he’s had stitches.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she realized the entire team was staring at her. Flustered, she quickly explained, “I touched it while adjusting the headset. The texture felt familiar.”
“The year I graduated, I fell from the second floor of my dormitory bed and had to get seven stitches at the hospital. The healed scar feels just like this.”
She described, “Hard and slightly raised.”
“Sheep’s scar is very well-hidden. It must have been from a long time ago.”
Red Hair, He Jing, asked Jing Mian in surprise, “Really?”
Jing Mian nodded. “I was injured when I was little.”
“When you were little?”
“Yeah, around four or five years old.”
Song Xianyang pressed, “How did it happen? Was it serious?”
Jing Mian shook his head.
After a pause, he answered, “Hit by an ashtray.”
…
The air instantly turned silent.
Even the usually outspoken teammates fell into an uncharacteristic hush.
Damn…
Just what had their youngest teammate been through in the past?
With the match about to begin, the staff member quickly finished adjusting the players’ equipment and tactfully shifted their focus. “Good luck in the match.”
The livestream channels had long since gone live, and Glory’s login screen was buzzing with excitement.
[Nervous]
[“I bet 4,000 Glory coins on ME. If we lose, I’ll livestream how to survive three weeks on just 60 bucks.”
“Upstairs, kick me when you start streaming.”
“LMAO”
“Kick me too when you go live +1”
“+1”
…
The first round began, matching them to the Sky City map.
Aside from Transport Ship, this was one of Jing Mian’s stronger maps, with a high win rate of around 80%.
But the young man didn’t let his guard down. As soon as his character spawned, he picked up an MP5-A from the nearest cover. While its firepower wasn’t as strong as other SMGs, its accuracy was decent, and the rate of fire kept up.
Behind the wreckage at the map’s edge, he took down the first opponent lying in ambush.
Then, Sheep moved toward the center of the map and ran into Red Hair. With a teammate now, Jing Mian opted for a more aggressive playstyle, not only circling toward the gunfire but also camping behind the ruins where supply drops landed.
Sky City had no vehicles because if a tire was shot and ignited, the clouds beneath the entire car would shatter instantly, eliminating both the player and the vehicle.
By the end of the first round, Sheep had covered Red Hair’s advance to the red gate and destroyed the only cloud bridge leading to it before the enemies could catch up.
First half—victory.
The corner of the young man’s lips twitched, and he instinctively glanced toward the audience seats before freezing slightly.
His gaze seemed to land on nothing, and he quietly withdrew it, snapping back to reality.
[“I suspect MianMian has family in the audience.”
“I’ve noticed, every time Sheep finishes a half-round in these matches, he always looks toward a certain spot in the stands.”
“Same here.”
“Ahhh why can’t the livestream pan to the audience? What does the person our baby relies on so much even look like?”
“Feels like our little one’s a bit down…”
…
Their strong first-half performance made the second half’s victory effortless.
When the [YOU WIN!] prompt flashed, the ME team members stood up, hugging each other in celebration.
[“Expected. XWE’s been struggling in previous matches, they’re all veteran players, so making it to the quarterfinals is already impressive.”
“ME is insane!!”
“ME just broke another record!”
“My 4,000 Glory coins are about to turn into 12,000!! Ahhh, time to buy a new gun.”
…
The offline grand festival was held at C City’s most bustling convention center.
By 5 p.m., the venue was packed.
Dressed in a sleek suit, the tall and striking man was the event’s closing guest. Yet, the wait backstage didn’t feel particularly long.
Ren Xingwan’s phone screen displayed a small pop-up window, a live broadcast of Glory’s national tournament.
Beside him, Yu Nian checked the time. As the clock struck 12, he reminded softly, “Brother Ren, it’s time for you to go on.”
When he took the man’s phone, Yu Nian’s gaze inadvertently fell on his left hand.
—The ring on his ring finger was identical to the one on Jing Mian’s hand.
Since their wedding day, the man had never taken it off.
Fortunately, Manager Yang had repeatedly urged him, even warning that if the media caught wind of it, the still-student Jing Mian might face unnecessary trouble.
That was the only reason Brother Ren wore decorative rings on his other fingers during public appearances, masking the one that shone brightest on his ring finger.]
Yu Nian held onto his phone, waiting by the sidelines, and had already called the driver in advance to arrange the pickup location after the event.
However, when the event ended, he saw Ren Xingwan take the phone, put on his coat, and then head to his own car.
Where was he going so late at night?
Yu Nian asked in surprise, “Brother Ren, aren’t we heading back to the hotel first…?”
Ren Xingwan paused by the car, his figure seemingly steeped in the night, his broad coat and shadow outlined by the moonlight, deep as ink.
He lifted his pale golden eyes and said calmly,
“Picking up the little one.”
[Glory fans, have you realized one fact?]
[ME won this match, which means as one of the two Teams advancing, ME will face QT next!]
[Damn]
[Is it finally happening?]
[!!! The most anticipated match!]
[For those who don’t know, what’s up with QT?]
[Someone’s living under a rock]
[Dawn is QT’s captain.]
That one sentence explained everything.
The Glory gaming community wasn’t too big or too small. Most players with outstanding skills would be scouted by clubs or Teams, while others chose to stay low-key or become streamers—there were many paths.
But no matter where they ended up, players would always remember them vividly.
Before Dawn and Sheep became famous, they had a shared history, only to go their separate ways. Now, meeting again at the pinnacle of the national tournament, it was hard not to see this as a classic, highly anticipated showdown.
…
“I feel like MianMian has something on his mind.”
Xuan Cheng was taken aback. “How so?”
The new Team member, having left the training room, whispered, “He barely spoke the whole way back, and on the bus, he kept his eyes shut tight with a slight frown.”
“I’ve never seen him like this before.”
Xuan Cheng grew concerned. “I’ll go ask him.”
“Wait, wait!” The teammate quickly stopped him. “Captain, no. If you ask him directly, it might just make him feel worse.”
Xuan Cheng was confused. “What do you mean?”
“Everyone knows MianMian’s in a bad mood today. It’s definitely because of that thing…”
“What thing?”
“It’s about our next match against QT!”
“QT’s captain is Dawn.”
Xuan Cheng understood now. “Is that what it is?”
“What else could it be? He played so well today.” The teammate paused and sighed. “Captain, let MianMian cool off on his own. Whatever happened between him and Dawn—we don’t know the details, so bringing it up won’t help.”
Xuan Cheng thought about it and realized it made sense.
So he let it go.
But anyone could see that even after returning to the training room, the usually focused young man seemed unusually listless tonight.
At nine in the evening.
Jing Mian shouldered his bag and left the training room, spotting Mr. Ren waiting for him at the entrance.
The car was parked about a hundred meters from the gate. He silently followed his husband to the car, but just as he was about to get in, he felt a tug from behind.
His backpack was lifted by the man, the straps pulling at his shoulders and neck. Before Jing Mian could even attempt to climb in, his body was already turned around.
The sensation of being pulled close made his heart skip a beat.
“What’s wrong?”
Jing Mian’s mind went blank for a second, silently marveling at his husband’s perceptiveness. When he came to, his throat moved slightly as he parted his lips. “…My tooth hurts.”
The other man seemed momentarily stunned.
Then, he heard Mr. Ren ask, “Where?”
Jing Mian swallowed.
…How was he supposed to describe that?
At such a depth, perhaps only the tongue could tell.
Just as he hesitated, the man’s deep voice sounded the next second,
“Open your mouth.”