Translated by 🎏 Edited by apricot, @babyybluebear

Wei Xiaoxiao feared nothing.

But Lu Feng was different. He would let Wei Xiao get away with anything except for things that would hurt him.

Although the team tournament was a week away and the duo tournament three days away, Lu Feng didn’t let him turn up the heat.

These seven days were not a vacation. Let alone the duo tournament, they would have their hands full preparing for the team tournament.

When even sleep was hard to come by, how could he bear to go hard on him?

Besides, Wei Xiao was completely worn out; first his eyes slipped shut, then he fell asleep, and by the time he realised it… whoa? Did he have such talent that he didn’t even feel sore after a night of passion?

Oh… his boyfriend let him off again.

Wei Xiao sprung out of the bed, but his legs gave out and he flopped back down again.

Alright. He could see why his captain didn’t follow through. If they really got up to any shenanigans, not only would he be unable to get out of bed, he’d probably end up passed out for three days straight.

So, Wei Xiao didn’t try to instigate anything.

These seven days were the final stretch, just before the lengthy off-season. When that came around, they could go at it like rabbits!

Lu Feng brought breakfast upstairs. Wei Xiao briskly freshened himself up before going out to eat in the sitting room.

He turned his nose up when he saw that it was porridge. “It’s not as though I…”

Lu Feng glanced up at him.

Wei Xiao zipped his mouth. “Porridge is wonderful! It’s simple and great for the stomach and kidneys!”

Was it really good for the kidneys? Whatever, if he said so, then so be it.

Lu Feng picked up a steamed dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth.

Wei Xiao: “Nngh…”

The broth that burst into his mouth was just the right temperature; the skin was soft and the stuffing was fresh – delicious!

Wei Xiao swallowed after a few bites and then, like a switch had flipped, put on a cutesy act. “More!”

Lu Feng, “…”

Wei Xiao tossed down his chopsticks and turned puppy eyes on his boyfriend.

And so… Wei Xiaoxiao was fed another dumpling.

The two weren’t in a rush to head down after breakfast.

Wei Xiao was worried about the solo tournament and was just about to check in with Lu Feng when Lu Feng spoke first. “What happened last night?”

It took a moment for Wei Xiao to process the question.

Last night?

Wasn’t it just getting off last night?

Oh…

Wei Xiao remembered.

Lu Feng moved closer to him and touched a spot beside his mouth.

Wei Xiao raised his gaze, blinking at him.

Lu Feng: “There was rice.” He withdrew a tissue and wiped his own finger, and there was indeed a small yellowish fleck of rice left on it.

Wei Xiao’s eyes crinkled. “Isn’t that your fault?”

Lu Feng didn’t even have to look to read his mind.

Wei Xiao: “You should…”

Lu Feng pressed a kiss onto his lips.

Wei Xiao: “!”

It was just a quick peck, yet his heart began to race.

The soft sunlight outside was diffused by the thin curtains; it cast a golden glow over Lu Feng’s shoulders, outlining an attractive silhouette. He was backlit, his dark irises filled with the warmth of a tender smile.

Wei Xiao clicked his tongue and jumped across to glomp him. “Captain!”

Lu Feng: “Don’t make a fuss.”

Wei Xiao tilted his head to kiss him. “You’re the one who is trying to tempt me!”

He was truly the only one who could come off so assertively even when he was seated in another person’s lap.

Of course, regardless of how assertive he was at the outset, he still lost out to the soreness down below, which made it hard to breathe. The other’s hands rested on his hips and he was kissed breathless, and he ultimately pleaded for mercy.

Snuggling in bed, his heart overflowed with sweetness, leaving him in an equally beautiful mood.

The matter that he’d been reluctant to raise also felt easier to talk about now.

He told Lu Feng, “I think I saw Wei Quan yesterday.”

Wei Quan was Wei Xiao’s father. Ever since his grandmother passed on, he had referred to him directly by name.

After all, why should he call a man who didn’t take up a paternal role his father?

The hand clasping his arm tightened. Sensing Lu Feng’s worry, Wei Xiao murmured, “It’s no biggie. It just took me by surprise.”

Lu Feng faltered. “You…”

Wei Xiao said curtly, “I don’t want to see him.”

Lu Feng didn’t touch on it further, simply pressing a kiss to his forehead with an ache in his heart.

Wei Xiao himself was actually faring fine. He went on, “No matter what he was there for, I don’t care. Whether he was there to watch the match or watch me, that’s his business, not mine.”

He didn’t care about Wei Quan, nor did he want Wei Quan to care about him.

When he needed his parents, they were absent.

He had long given up hope, so they’d better not come to make a show of it now.

If they really knew they had a son, what had they been doing?

In life, one had to look forward into the future, but there was still a price to be paid for the past.

It wasn’t so much about forgiving him; Wei Xiao had simply written this person out of his life.

Lu Feng understood what Wei Xiao meant. He also knew that the other always had a keen mind. He just couldn’t help but feel his heart twinge for this clarity.

Did anyone become like this unless they were so heavily let down?

Would anyone feel this level of disappointment without having experienced deep, visceral pain?

He had a maturity that surpassed his years acquired from over thousands of times the pain.

Despite the unconcerned front that Wei Xiao was putting up, it wasn’t possible that he didn’t feel a lump in his heart right now.

An old wound would still remain scarred even after having healed over.

Lu Feng said gently, “You have me in the future.”

They were six simple words, yet they suffused Wei Xiao’s chest cavity with warmth.

He looked up at him, mirth spilling from his eyes.

Lu Feng: “?”

At such a soft, intimate moment, such a sweet declaration of mutual care was more than wonderful.

Wei Xiao’s eyes crinkled, his mouth opened, and he used just one word to shatter the scene –

“Daddy!”

Lu Feng: “………………”

Wei Xiao knew no shame. “Didn’t you say that you’ll be there in the future… that makes you my daddy!”

At this point, even Close, with all of his infinite patience, was crumbling. “Shut it.”

Wei Xiao winked at him. “No backtracking!”

Lu Feng took in a small breath.

Wei Xiao hugged his arm, nuzzling it like a little child.

Lu Feng’s heart melted into a puddle.

Wei Xiao looked up at him again and his mouth parted, forming words…

Lu Feng bent down and kissed him, not letting a single word out.

Domineering daddy.

Many called the Great Demon King “daddy”; only this little brat wouldn’t be allowed to.

Wei Xiao didn’t continue to make a fuss, gasping instead, “Th-Then, how about hubby?”

Lu Feng, “…”

Don’t question it. If you must know, Wei Xiaoxiao was going to have to fortify his kidneys!

The competition format for the solo tournament had been released long ago. FTW had a specialised team put together in order to prepare for it.

Actually, the esports committee had noticeably weakened the solo and duo tournaments this year.

Glory’s competitions had always faced a lot of criticism.

The first half of the year was for the various regional competitions. The team tournament had a regular season, playoffs, then the finals. The solo and duo tournaments followed a round robin format before proceeding to the qualifiers and finals.

The competition schedule was tight and only wrapped up in July.

Worlds kicked off in the summer, but even that was slow going.

For the team tournament, there were the qualifiers, knockout stage and playoffs. After that, there was also a round robin for the winners pool and the losers pool. It was a good few months altogether.

The solo and duo tournaments followed hot on the heels of the team tournament, using the same tedious competition format.

By the time Worlds drew to a close, it was usually already year-end.

The competitive season that lasted all year. It was taxing on the mind and, worse still, had a long run-up.

For example, the viewership for the regular seasons, qualifiers, as well as the smaller regional tournaments, was astonishingly low.

People eventually disregarded the qualifiers and knockout stage entirely and only anticipated watching the finals.

While it was true that the year’s competition had built up the fervour for the grand final stage, it was still a colossal loss of traffic for Glory.

A competition can be fast-paced but couldn’t run too long.

To address this, the esports committee decisively revamped everything this year.

First, they reduced the time spent on the solo and the duo tournaments, compressing them from lengthy matches to a massive free-for-all arena in the World Tournament.

Next, the qualifying criteria for Worlds was made more stringent. Teams would then enter the knockout stage directly which would increase the pace and intensity of the competition, and keep things exciting.

Of course, there were also many perplexed by the changes.

At this rate, the World Tournament would be over and done with by summer. Then what would happen with the second half of the year?

Would the whole team go on vacation?

Someone guessed shrewdly, “They’re not aiming at a winter cup, are they?”

This gave everyone new food for thought. “That’s quite possible! The winter training camp last year could have planted the seeds for that!”

“Hold up… Do they mean to hold two championships each year?”

“That’s fine! I’ve long felt that Glory’s competition format is stupid. Having only one season each year is nonsense considering how short a pro player’s competitive career is.”

“Totally, their rival game gives out three crowns a year. Glory should take some notes!”

“Biannual Worlds? No way!”

“I used to think that single elimination was too cut-throat. I see now that it’s really efficient.”

“Right? We want to watch more exciting stuff, cut out everything else. You might as well use the leftover time to organise a winter cup!”

Discussions were rife among the casual gamers, but there would naturally be no official statement made at this point in time. Nevertheless, the more discerning would have their suspicions.

If this year’s Worlds had already wrapped by summer, it wasn’t out of the question that there might be something organised for the second half of the year.

It was good news all around if they could formalise the winter training camp and put together another major tournament.

It would broaden the opportunities in the short career lifespan of a pro player and give gamers more exciting matches to watch, which would consequently aid the steady development of Glory.

But all these thoughts could be shelved for later. Right now, everyone’s eyes were on the solo tournament’s free-for-all arena.

The solo tournament would be decided in a single round. It sounded more focused on entertainment rather than competition.

But when they checked the prize money, it was still around the same as previous years.

Entertainment, my ass. It was several million in prize money!

Charge forth!

The solo tournament was a single player event. Even after the club took its cut, it would still be a substantial amount of money for the winner. Many people had their eyes set on it.

On the other hand, peak-tier players didn’t seek money but glory.

It was the first run of this new competitive format; the winner would make history. Who wouldn’t want that?

Furthermore, the entrants this year were explosive. Except for Yan Jiang, everyone from the Team of Gods was participating.

Seeing them share the same stage after three long years made old fans reminisce about the past. They started bawling at the thought!

The Sky Island of Light was a 100 player free-for-all. There were many teams across the globe; a hundred spots was insufficient.

However, there was a bar to entry; the teams that didn’t qualify for their regional playoffs couldn’t sign up.

Even after that, they were still over the cap. There were sixteen regions that hosted tournaments.

After further evaluation by the committee, there were a hundred players shortlisted in the end.

It would be too much to have all one hundred set up in the same competition venue, so the solo tournament was still split by region.

As the main hosts, most people, including the finalists of the team tournament and the finalists in the regional playoffs, were set up at the Chinese stadium. It was a great spectacle!

The rest were set up in their respective regions as they livestreamed worldwide.

The liveliest venue was the Chinese stadium by far. Tickets were sold out as soon as they were released.

The esports committee knew how to work up the crowd. With so many people competing on the same stage, it wouldn’t be enough to have just three people on commentary.

Therefore, they invited another pro player to share the commentary booth this time.

Everyone threw out guesses, but no one could have expected that the selection actually turned out to be these two people!

The name list of entrants for the solo tournament hosted in China were Close, Hai, Xie He, Kim Sung-hyun, Yuan Ze, Asleep, Moonlit and Eurostar…

Whereas the name list for the commentary booth in China’s stadium consisted of Brother Big Mouth, Sister Ji, Quiet and Yan Jiang.

Precisely. There were two pro players invited to the commentary booth, namely Wei Xiao and Yan Jiang.

The former fell within expectations, but the latter truly came as a surprise.

It was normal that Little Lunatic Wei was where the party was, but why had Captain Yan agreed to do the commentary?

Furthermore, these were also starters on the two teams facing off in the finals of the team tournament…

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder!

Yeah… The committee definitely knew how to play the crowd.

@babyybluebear: SO HYPE FOR THE SOLOS. I cannot wait to see if thick-skinned Wei Xiao singing praises of Lu Feng in public, I’M READY FOR PDA. HIT ME WITH IT. And I hope Wei Xiao successfully unveils Yan Jiang for us because…I’m betting he’s kinda meme.