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The Glory Professional Alliance was set to hold the Lot Drawing Ceremony for the offline portion of the Challenger League on January 18th. Originally, Chen Guo, the boss of Team Happy, was supposed to go as the team's representative. However, when the visiting CEO Ye Qiu found out the ceremony was the day after his own trip back to City B, he quickly dragged his older twin brother to the airport, claiming Ye Xiu needed to visit their home city once in a while.
That was how Ye Xiu ended up in City B as Team Happy's representative for the Lot Drawing Ceremony.
When Sun Zheping met up with Ye Xiu at the hotel lobby that day, he saw a man in a tailor-made suit. Ye Xiu's usually untameable hair was neatly slicked back. He was wearing expensive leather brogues and looked as if he were off to a shareholders' meeting.
"What happened to you?" Sun Zheping asked with a wry smile. "Did you finally decide to act like the biggest BOSS in the Glory Alliance?"
"Don't laugh," Ye Xiu muttered. "My stupid brother made his personal stylist force these on me."
The two men hailed a taxi and headed straight for the Glory Professional Alliance Headquarters. They arrived soon after.
As they walked through the large doors into the main lobby, the murmur of the other Challenger League teams and reporters quietened instantly. All eyes turned to them.
"Wow, you still had it in you, Old Sun," Ye Xiu leaned in slightly towards Sun Zheping. "Look at how many people are popping their eyes at you."
"Are you sure they're not staring at you?" Sun Zheping countered, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't be silly," Ye Xiu said, shaking his head. "Except perhaps Excellent Era, who knows about me?"
"They don't need to know who you are to openly gawk at you," Sun Zheping pointed out.
Indeed, throughout the hotel lobby, the taxi ride, and now the Alliance venue, all eyes were on this handsome, oblivious man.
As they walked further into the hall, Sun Zheping’s gaze swept past the crowd and landed on a familiar group.
The Captain and the Vice-captain of Team Excellent Era stopped mid-conversation when they saw the impeccably dressed Ye Xiu. Sun Xiang's eyes went wide, his usual arrogance replaced by a startled, almost jaw-dropped look. Next to him, the normally composed Vice-Captain Xiao Shiqin actually faltered for a moment.
They both quickly looked away, but not fast enough. Sun Zheping's sharp eyes caught a faint, unmistakable tinge of redness on both of their faces.
Young souls... Sun Zheping thought.
The crowd began to whisper among themselves.
"Who is that handsome man in a suit? He looks like he came straight from a magazine!"
"Could that be God Ye Qiu?!"
"Can't be him. I heard a rumour that God Ye Qiu... has an unfortunate appearance."
"Exactly! Why would God Ye Qiu finally show his face now after hiding for nine years? That man can't be him!"
These people... Sun Zheping thought, shaking his head slightly as they walked. Why can't they simply believe their God Ye Qiu is good-looking?
This whole ridiculous situation had started with a baseless rumour born out of nowhere, implying that the legendary God Ye Qiu never showed his face because he was hideous. The rumour took hold because the few professional players who knew Ye Xiu had never bothered to correct it. In reality, the professional players maintained their silence because they wanted to help Ye Xiu. The more the public believed Ye Qiu was not good looking, the better he could avoid the relentless pursuit of fans. However, their collective silence had allowed the rumour about Ye Qiu being an ugly duckling to become accepted fact in the Glory community.
"Is he the Boss of Team Happy? He certainly looks like a CEO."
"Or maybe the Manager? Why is he with Sun Zheping, of all people?"
Sun Zheping listened to the increasingly wild theories, half amused by the spectacle, half unable to believe the public's imagination. Suddenly, I'm the bad guy here?
Chairman Feng Xianjun of the Glory Professional Alliance made his entrance. He took his place on the stage and delivered the expected opening speech. Once the formalities were concluded, the focus shifted to the main event: the Lot Drawing Ceremony. Team after team sent a representative up to the stage to draw lots.
When it was Team Happy's turn to draw, Ye Xiu told Sun Zheping to come on stage to draw on his behalf.
"Go on," Ye Xiu said quietly. "Draw for us."
Sun Zheping looked at him. "You are the captain."
"I don't feel like it," Ye Xiu simply shrugged. "Anyone in our team will do. Just go."
And with that, Sun Zheping (un-)officially, and unintentionally, took on the role of Team Happy's public representative at the ceremony.
The Glory community reacted immediately. The morning after the Lot Drawing Ceremony, the news outlets went into a frenzy, and social media exploded with speculation.
The reputable publications, like E-sports Home, focused on the professional implications:
Former No. 1 Berserker, God Sun Zheping, Attended Challenger League Lot Drawing Ceremony as Team Happy's Representative
"God Sun Zheping?!"
"What is he doing in Happy?! Isn't he retired? Did he join their roster?!"
Meanwhile, the gossipy tabloid media, always looking for drama, capitalised on the "mystery" man:
A Mysterious Handsome Man Accompanying God Sun Zheping at the Challenger League Lot Drawing Ceremony. Who Is He? And What Is Their Relationship?
These articles were accompanied by high-quality, close-up photos of Ye Xiu in his tailored suit. His face was clear and striking.
"Who's that handsome man sitting by God Sun Zheping in the photo?! He looks like some kind of actor!"
"Please tell me that's actually our God Ye Qiu!"
Whichever the focus was, the entire Glory community talked about it non-stop. The news overshadowed almost every other detail of the Challenger League.
Ye Xiu and Sun Zheping were having breakfast in a private room before Ye Xiu left for the airport. Lou Guanning had arranged the room to ensure the gods could eat in peace. After finishing his meal, Ye Xiu put down his chopsticks and reached for Sun Zheping's phone to initiate a video call. The screen connected quickly, revealing the faces of Chen Guo and Wei Chen.
"Ye Xiu!" Chen Guo’s voice was filled with a lingering confusion. "I heard God Sun was the one representing our team during the ceremony? Were you slacking off?"
Sun Zheping, who was calmly sipping tea while reading a newspaper, jabbed his elbow lightly into Ye Xiu’s side. "This guy forced me to draw for you guys. Said he wasn't in the mood."
"Old Sun is our player too. It doesn't change anything," Ye Xiu said matter-of-factly. "Besides, I already asked Little Lou's permission."
Having finished reading the newspaper, Sun Zheping turned back to the front page, where he saw the photo of him and Ye Xiu again. He sighed. "Old Han will kill me."
Ye Xiu blinked. "Hm? Why would he kill you?"
Sun Zheping stared at him for a while and then laughed. "I feel sorry for Old Han!"
Before Ye Xiu could ask what he meant, a sarcastic voice boomed from the phone’s speaker.
"This guy is truly dense when it comes to things like this!" Wei Chen scoffed from the other side of the city.
Ye Xiu furrowed his brows. He knew they were making fun of him, but he didn't understand the context. Though a bit puzzled, he decided not to think too much about it. It didn't have anything to do with Glory and their matches anyway.
The atmosphere in Tyranny's training room that morning was incredibly tense. It had been like that since Captain Han Wenqing entered the room and saw the tabloid newspaper Bai Yanfei hadn't managed to hide in time.
Han Wenqing stood by the table, radiating a chilling intensity. His eyes were locked onto the newspaper. He didn't move or speak, but his presence alone was enough to make the air thick and heavy.
The thoughts of the other Tyranny players were flying back and forth in a frantic, silent panic:
"Captain has been staring at that newspaper for twenty minutes now..."
"Captain's glare is going to set it on fire!"
"I swear I saw the veins in Captain's neck bulging."
"Is Captain angry at seeing Senior Ye with Senior Sun?"
The players were communicating telepathically among themselves. The silence was too unsettling, any whisper would earn them their Captain's wrath. Even typing in their private QQ group was risky. They imagined Han Wenqing's ears twitching at the slightest key tap. All they could do was sit rigidly, pretending to focus on their screens while their minds communicated internally.
The only person not joining this silent communication was Zhang Jiale. This former partner of Sun Zheping sat still, seemingly lost in his own thoughts about the news.
Old Sun... You're coming back too…?
A deep, complicated feeling formed in his chest. If Sun Zheping really was returning from his retirement...
If they could both find themselves back in the same professional scene, the same competitive world…
If they could both be in the same—
"Let's start our morning training."
A clear voice cut through the tension. Vice-Captain Zhang Xinjie stood at the front of the room, holding a stack of documents. His eyes were glancing down at his wristwatch.
"Today's training menus are the same as yesterday," Zhang Xinjie stated, his voice calm. "Please do your best."
Without waiting for a response, he went straight to his seat and immediately became focused on his own tasks. It was a clear signal that everyone, including the captain, must follow the schedule.
The other Tyranny players instantly threw themselves into their training programs. The quiet clicks of mice and keyboards replaced the stillness.
Tyranny Main Training Room remained solemnly quiet throughout the whole morning.