Raise the Stakes: Esports

Nature’s Sound Collector / KPL Pro Player - There’s a line in the movie *The God of Cookery*: Confucius and Jesus both said, “First love is infinitely beautiful.” Xu Shiyun used to wonder what her first love would be like. Back then, she couldn’t yet picture what he would look like. She only knew that the reunion between the leads in the final scene was breathtaking. On Christmas night, the streets were crowded and bustling, but the two of them could see only each other. Xu Shiyun was certain her first love would be the brightest person in the crowd. - You Yi has always treated Xu Shiyun with the attitude that “looking out for your younger female colleague is everyone’s responsibility.” He does his best to act like a good big brother. He isn’t the aloof type, and he’s warm and polite in everyday interactions, but he’s never one to take the initiative, much less be... attentive. Everyone around them is shocked. Even his best friend asks him, “Do you have feelings for her?” Then, one ordinary night, You Yi walks Xu Shiyun home. She suddenly confesses outright, putting a name to the obvious flirtation between them. You Yi gives a vague answer. Xu Shiyun doesn’t press him. But before her figure disappears through the entrance to her building, You Yi hears her voice, almost swallowed by the wind. “You Yi, I don’t like cowards.” The coward stands beneath the streetlight, staring for a long time at the lit window. Then a thought suddenly comes to him: From the moment they first met, Xu Shiyun had always shone in his eyes. - Love that grows over time, passionate and direct / Love at first sight, realized too late