A starstruck girl with anxiety × a veteran player who grew up wild on the competitive scene
In 2018, Xia Yu first noticed Qing Tao.
The rookie sat in the front row of the audience, arms folded, his face clearly saying, "Stay away."
The lights flickered, casting subtle shadows across his face. He looked unexpectedly good.
Their team lost the first game. Xia Yu sat behind and to the side of an unknown substitute, close enough to see the wrinkles in the boy's team jersey and the indifference on his face.
In the second game, Qing Tao was subbed in. A rookie substitute with no major-tournament experience was called upon in a crisis and made a name for himself with a 20/3 record on Wu Zetian.
In the third game, the mid laner who had dominated the previous match wandered aimlessly all game and handed the enemy 17 kills.
The competitive scene is full of players who shine briefly, but this rookie's moment in the spotlight was especially short-lived. Afterward, Qing Tao was caught up in a storm of public criticism and was predicted to spend the rest of his career warming the bench.
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In 2022, Fu Yexin led DXG to defeat Our Team, the team Xia Yu played for, and win the Challenger Cup championship.
During the handshake line, their cool fingertips brushed fleetingly.
As the trophy was lifted to thunderous applause, Xia Yu paused in the dim hallway. Through the rustling golden confetti, she looked up at the hero she had loved for five years.
By a twist of fate, Qing Tao looked her way, too.
The crowd roared, light streamed everywhere.
The figures before her blurred together. Xia Yu had spent five years moving forward, finally becoming a pro player who could compete on the same stage as her idol. In the end, though, all she could do was watch him from afar, their paths never crossing in any meaningful way.
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In 2024, Xia Yu retired at the height of her success and withdrew from the scene. Qing Tao led DXG to another championship, gave a baffling acceptance speech, and sent Xia Yu trending online.
#QingTaoConfessesToXiaoWenAtTheFinals#
Netizens exclaimed that they were shipping a real couple.
[Am I dreaming? The couple I've been shipping actually got together?]
[I'll chip in 9.99 million. Put it on Xiao Ji's tab.]
[I knew it. If they're not real, then I'm fake.]
"Actually, I noticed you a long time ago." On a phone call spanning thousands of miles, Fu Yexin thought back to his lonely eighteen-year-old self, when nobody paid him any attention.
"I was only on the team for matches and hardly ever got to play. I had no fans, and even the coach was afraid to put me in. But every time I rode the bus back to our base, I'd see a girl standing apart from the crowd, beautiful and quiet. I didn't know what she admired about me, but I knew she believed in me and cared about me. On those nights when I couldn't find my way, all I could think of was that she was waiting for me."
Fu Yexin returned to the venue for the closing ceremony, back to the corner where Xia Yu had once looked up at him by the light. Lowering his voice, he asked tentatively, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
The young should aspire to soar high and strive to be the very best.
Theme: Keep striving and never give up.
