You’re Beautiful When You Smile

Tong Yao’s voice wasn’t especially loud but since everyone was sitting in the same area, the players from YQCB could also clearly hear her.
YQCB’s captain smiled bitterly after hearing Tong Yao: “I was also under so much pressure that I didn’t fall asleep till 3 in the morning…… You guys are lucky, your match is tomorrow.
We have to face the pressure of public opinion and the mounting frustration back home today.”

“That’s right, you guys better take down RP.” Little Fatty said like a burned child dreading the fire: “Otherwise, what we’ll face tomorrow won’t just be the mounting pressure of public opinion.
We’ll be blown up on a bloody battlefield.”

The genuine and sincere expression of fear on Little Fatty’s face amused the YQCB players who were sitting at the neighboring table.

Lu Sicheng sat down next to Tong Yao and, very naturally, picked up the bread Tong Yao just took a bite from and finished it in two or three gulps– –Pope brought over a cup of coffee for him, then went to the neighboring table to sit next to his captain.

“Fortunately, we’re already in the quarter-finals so we basically won’t be doing any skirmishes among our three teams.
Otherwise, Xiao Rui would probably go crazy……”

“Those people, winning just one best of 5 match makes them raise their tails sky high.
Haven’t they seen during the group matches how badly the other teams in their region were defeated by us!”

“Hush……”

Everyone finished their breakfast while chatting in hushed voices.
In addition to complaining about the awkward situation they were facing right now, they discussed the players from RP– –Most of the RP players had played in LPL teams before going back to Korea.
It was a totally different scenario to the game between G4 and CK since the more senior players from the LPL were quite familiar with the RP players.

After breakfast, Tong Yao and her teammates walked out of the dining room and happened to meet the players and staff from CK.
They were waiting in the lobby, with their luggage, to check out of the hotel before heading to the airport……

They didn’t seem to feel any better than before last night.

Jian Yang sat on the couch staring blankly with his cell phone in hand.
Tong Yao dropped Lu Sicheng’s hand and before he could catch her, she ran over to sit next to Jian Yang.
Then she raised her hand to pat his back.

Silence.

Jian Yang looked up and glanced at her.
His lips moved a bit but didn’t say anything before he lowered his head again…… Tong Yao didn’t say anything either.
When CK’s team manager finished checking out and gathered everyone to leave, Tong Yao suddenly said at the moment Jian Yang stood up: “What are you afraid of, you’re still young.
20 is the peak of our profession.
Come next year to fuck them up.”

Jian Yang was taken aback.

He looked down and met a pair of black pupils.
Something flashed in his eyes and they turned slightly red– –He lifted his hand to pat the girl who was sitting on the couch looking up at him.
He said with a hoarse voice: “This year, you guys fuck them up for us first.”

Tong Yao laughed.
Her slightly squinted eyes curved like a crescent.
She briskly nodded: “Alright.”

“It’s a deal.”

“It’s a deal.”

Jian Yang picked up his backpack, took a deep look at Tong Yao, then curved up his lips giving a barely visible smile before turning to leave the lobby.

……

Tong Yao watched Jian Yang go out of the lobby and get on the bus parked in front of the hotel.
Then she stood up and ran back to her captain who was standing not too far from her.
She used both of her hands to grab his big hand: “Lu Sicheng, I’ve made up my mind!”

“What’s going on?”

“I think I’ll always be upset after losing games.
That I can’t change.
My touchiness and princess syndrome is so severe that they’re beyond help.
So I thought about it.
I think it’s better that I just give up getting treatment.”

Lu Sicheng raised his brows and was about to ask what nonsense she was talking about.
But the moment he looked down, he felt his hand being pulled and the soft palm which was holding onto his hand slightly tightened its hold: “Worse comes to worse, it’ll be fine as long as I don’t lose.
You’ve said yourself, you’re ‘an old steed in the stable that still dreams of galloping 500 more kilometers’……
Then, please, take me to victory.”

Lu Sicheng was slightly shocked.

Tong Yao looked up and gave him a look of firm determination: “Take me to victory.”

Lu Sicheng was quiet for three seconds then chuckled.
The corners of his eyes, which had a serious look to it since yesterday from being excessively quiet, finally softened…… He bent over to kiss the corner of Tong Yao’s eyes: “Alright, I’ll take you to victory.”