Chapter 72
It would soon be the crucial semi-finals. Just like all the other schools, all members of Sublime Star were engaged in intense training.
The organizers officially announced the schedule for the next stage. After knowing their next opponents, the major teams arranged training matches. The semi-finals were based on the total results of all the previous games. The first place would fight against the fourth place and second place against the third place.
Coincidentally, such a rule allowed Sublime Star to meet Perpetual Full Moon again. The time might’ve almost fallen to Perpetual Full Moon last time but this time, everyone was very confident.
After all, the Perpetual Full Moon team would never guess that Gu Yesheng, the always solo player, would actually go and play doubles with Yi Jiamu. In this way, the opponents would definitely be caught off guard.
On the other hand, in order for the new combination to get used to each other faster, it was inevitable to find other strong teams for a practice match. It was just that the team Lu Zexiu got for the practice match was so big that the other members couldn’t help feeling admiration.
Who could’ve imagined that their president would directly invite Holy Sun, the championship team of last year’s league? They might both be in the semi-finals but in the next round, Holy Sun’s opponent was Burning Wood. This happened to be staggered with them.
On the day of the training match, the two teams met on the virtual platform. The two captains walked forward and shook hands.
Xie Louyuan’s gaze crossed Lu Zexiu and fell on Yi Jiamu not far back. He smiled slightly. “Congratulations on getting another member.”
Lu Zexiu was neither humble nor overbearing. “I still need to see his play on the field.”
Xie Louyuan’s gaze shifted to his face. “Speaking of which, do you trust me so much? I thought you would refuse our invitation for a fight.”
“There is nothing to refuse. It is also good for us to play against a strong team.” Lu Zexiu replied. “Moreover, our two teams are divided into different groups. Even if we meet in the finals, you would’ve already obtained intelligence from the semi-finals. Compared with this unnecessary hiding, it is better to win the semi-finals first.”
“Your logic receives a perfect score.” Xie Louyuan nodded in agreement. “However, you unexpectedly changed the configuration of your second doubles pair. This is a bit risky, not to mention whether the new combination can become familiar with the tactics within this period of time. If the content of this training is revealed to those from Perpetual Full Moon, won’t the next match…”
Lu Zexiu calmly interrupted. “You won’t let that happen.”
He met Xie Louyuan’s gaze and spoke with a firm tone. “Just like before.”
Xie Louyuan was slightly stunned by such words and then his lips curved. “Then I thank you for your trust.”
The two sides finished greeting each other and entered custom rooms according to the groups they decided before. Then they started the confrontation exercise. Originally, Lu Zexiu’s opponent should’ve been Xie Louyuan. However, considering Lu Zexiu’s physical state, the two of them only symbolically entered the custom room.
Once they were out of sight of everyone, the two of them tacitly didn’t do anything. They found a place to sit down and didn’t speak. They took advantage of this gap in training time to sort out the information of the team.
Meanwhile, the new duo of Yi Jiamu and Gu Yesheng met their opponents in the custom room. Bo Tian and Ou Yongsi of Holy Sun had heard their captain mention that the two people had formed a partnership. Since Gu Yesheng had been playing singles the entire time, his existence was only regarded as a legend for double players. His sudden switch to doubles really wasn’t a good thing. In addition, his partner was actually Yi Jiamu who had just risen in the league.
In the absence of any reference data, this opportunity to learn more was a once in a lifetime chance. In order to acc.u.mulate data, Holy Sun’s doubles team couldn’t reject the training match. They could only sacrifice themselves to get the details of these two people closely.
Yi Jiamu gave a polite greeting after meeting and didn’t say anything else. On the contrary, Gu Yesheng showed an unprecedented enthusiasm. “h.e.l.lo the two of you, long time no see!”
Bo Tian and Ou Yongsi, “…Uh, yes…”
Gu Yesheng smiled and asked, “If I remember correctly, the two of you should’ve been a team for a long time, right?”
Bo Tian was a bit fl.u.s.tered hearing this person be so polite. “It isn’t too long. Just two years.”
“Two years is a long time. It isn’t easy for a duo to survive!” Gu Yesheng nodded with approval. “In this case, your cooperation should be very tacit?”
Ou Yongsi thought Gu Yesheng felt unsure about playing doubles and instinctively comforted him, “Tacit understanding is something that can only be achieved with more practice. Don’t be in a hurry.”
“It’s okay, I’m not in a hurry.” Gu Yesheng smiled. “After all, my tacit understanding with Mumu has absolutely no problems.”
Ou Yongsi choked as he was thinking about comforting words. “Huh?”
Gu Yesheng calmly and naturally held Yi Jiamu, his eyes curved with laughter. “We are in a relationship now. There is no need to worry about tacit understanding with my boyfriend. Our hearts are naturally connected.”
Ou Yongsi who was suddenly stuffed with a mouthful of dog food, “……”
Why on earth did he say those words just now!?
On the other side, Yi Jiamu couldn’t listen anymore and secretly pushed Gu Yesheng. He whispered, “Shut up.”
***
It might just be an ordinary doubles match but due to the upcoming semi-finals, everyone was very dedicated. Even Gu Yesheng, who was usually lazy about training, was full of energy for his new boyfriend and doubles partner. In this way, the duo that Holy Sun arranged to accompany their training suffered.
At the end of the four hour practice, everyone was exhausted when they returned to the virtual battle platform. However, once it was over, the members found that two people from Holy Sun were missing. They looked up and found that Bo Tian and Ou Yongsi had arrived with great difficulty. They stood with the support of their teammates but their legs were trembling.
Lu Zexiu couldn’t help looking back.
Gu Yesheng shrugged innocently. “Don’t blame me. I tried to hold back but I was a bit too excited to cooperate with Mumu. I couldn’t control it for a while…”
Lu Zexiu was speechless for a moment. Then he turned to Xie Louyuan and said, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Xie Louyuan had already seen the mental state of his two team members and knew the problem wasn’t big. “Then I will make an appointment the next time I have time.”
Lu Zexiu nodded. “Okay.”
Xie Louyuan didn’t say anything else and led his team to exit the virtual platform. He came out of the virtual platform and accompanied the duo back to the lounge. He handed them a bottle of water and asked, “How do you feel about Sublime Star’s new pair?”
Ou Yongsi raised his head and drank a few mouthfuls. He heard this question and couldn’t help recalling the scene of the practice just now. He shook his head and summed it up simply. “There are no flaws.”
Xie Louyuan obviously hadn’t expected to hear such a high evaluation and frowned. “Is it Yi Jiamu?”
Bo Tian heard this name and was excited. “It’s him! Sublime Star’s newcomer! He is in front and we can’t get close to Gu Yesheng at all! Although I don’t know the full effect of Yi Jiamu’s ability, it definitely isn’t as simple as melting ice abilities as in the rumours. In the process just now, none of our abilities were able to affect him at all. It is very evil!”
Bo Tian had an elemental type ability while Ou Yongsi was a person who strengthened his own physical strength. If the abilities of these two people weren’t effective…
Xie Louyuan thought of a possibility and his eyes filled with a subtle light.
Ou Yongsi finished drinking the bottle of water in the blink of an eye. The moment he raised his head, he noticed his president’s expression and was slightly astonished. “President, what are you smiling at?”
“Nothing.” Xie Louyuan glanced at him quietly. “You should’ve recorded videos of the training process just now. Study them well. You will need them when it is time to meet Sublime Star in the finals.”
Bo Tian thought about confronting those two people and had a headache. “Do you know that Sublime Star will definitely make the finals? What if Perpetual Full Moon wins in the end?”
“There is no such thing.” Xie Louyuan turned around and walked to the door. “The only one who can enter the finals is Sublime Star.”
Xie Louyuan ignored the doubts of his teammates. He walked out into the corridor and saw the light shining through the window at the end as the smile on his face widened.
‘It’s great, Lu Zexiu. You’ve met a new teammate who can put you at ease. Now, can you finally treat yourself better?’
***
Meanwhile, the troublesome duo was sitting in the lounge and watching the practice video.
It was obviously an extremely normal battle scene but Gu Yesheng enjoyed it like it was the highest quality art movie. “Look at the cooperation just now. This type of tacit understanding is rare to find in the entire league. I’m afraid there are no more suitable people than us to be partners. Don’t you think, Mumu?”
Yi Jiamu listened to his exaggerated praise without changing expressions. He just pursed his lips in a dumbfounded manner. “However, you made a mistake just now.”
Gu Yesheng choked slightly and cleared his throat. “That wasn’t a mistake. It was a tactical lure. If it wasn’t for me, how could the two opponents take the bait?”
Yi Jiamu didn’t show any mercy. “You weren’t eliminated because I stopped in front of you in time.”
“In any case….” Gu Yesheng noticed Yi Jiamu’s gaze and changed his words. “Yes, Baby, you are awesome.”
Yi Jiamu originally wanted to say a few more words. Then he saw Gu Yesheng’s slumped appearance and he couldn’t help smiling slightly. Then something came to him. “Senior Xiang Zhuo and Zhen Jingyao wanted to watch as well just now. Why did you kick them out? They have been partners longer than us and can help us look at the training process. Isn’t it better to find any problems?”
“You really don’t understand.” Gu Yesheng’s gaze dropped and he blew lightly in Yi Jiamu’s ear. “We are so memorable. How can I show them our video? I naturally want to hide it and watch it by myself.”
Yi Jiamu couldn’t respond for a moment. He slowly blinked before recovering. Then he heard the yellow words and his face became hot. His expression was strained. “Resume watching. Be serious!”
Gu Yesheng didn’t move away as before and instead got closer. “Speaking of which, I haven’t trained so hard for a long time. I’ve been struggling for you for a long time today. Do you want to give me some rewards?”
Before Yi Jiamu could refuse, he took the initiative to move forward and point to his mouth. “It turns out we haven’t kissed today. Come on, just one.”
Yi Jiamu, “…Shameless.” Who said it was a rule to kiss every day?
Gu Yesheng didn’t refute it and stared at him. In the end, Yi Jiamu couldn’t withstand the expectations in the gaze. He leaned over and lightly pecked the soft lips.
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