Chapter 69

Chapter 69

In the living room this day.

Lin Yi sat leisurely on the sofa, legs crossed, holding a storybook in his hand, telling fairy tales to Huo Mianmian.

Huo Mianmian leaned against Lin Yi, hands supporting his cheeks, eyes wide and round, listening obediently.

After Lin Yi finished telling a story about a prince and princess, Huo Mianmian tilted his head and asked, "Dad, why do all fairy tales end with the prince and princess living happily ever after?"

Lin Yi turned to look at him and smiled, "Imagine if the prince and princess didn't live happily ever after but instead had a sad ending. Would you feel upset?"

Huo Mianmian thought for a moment and nodded, "I would be upset. Mianmian would cry."

Lin Yi laughed, "That's why every fairy tale has a happy ending, so Mianmian won't cry."

Huo Mianmian nodded, enlightened.

So that was the reason.

Next, Lin Yi continued to tell Huo Mianmian more fairy tales.

Around eleven o'clock in the morning, Huo Shen came down from upstairs.

This e-sports prodigy had been staying at home recently but still followed the schedule he had at the base, essentially nocturnal.

Now, with his slightly messy hair and a yawn, he looked more like an ordinary teenager than the invincible Huo Shen.

Of course, this teenager was handsome enough that even with minimal grooming, he could go out and shoot team posters.

After coming downstairs, Huo Shen greeted Lin Yi, "Good morning, Sister-in-law."

Then, wearing slippers and yawning, he headed towards the gaming room by himself.

Recently, Huo Shen's wrist had healed significantly, allowing him to train for short periods.

Lin Yi reminded him, "Come out when it's time. Don't train too long."

Huo Shen nodded, "Okay."

However, despite agreeing, Huo Shen didn't come out until two in the afternoon.

Lin Yi: "..."

This kid really doesn't make things easy.

Lin Yi walked to the door of the gaming room, leaning lazily against the frame, looking inside at Huo Shen, "Enough already. Your hand can't handle high-intensity training continuously."

He understood that Huo Shen couldn't let go of the defeat his team faced, so he kept pushing himself to train hard. But sometimes, even if one is anxious, progress must be gradual.

Huo Shen, hearing Lin Yi's voice, released the mouse and rubbed his wrist, saying, "I feel fine, not much pain."

He tried to practice a few more rounds.

But Lin Yi didn't argue with him and simply said, "Come out."

Just two words, no more, but they were impossible to disobey.

Huo Shen: "..."

His sister-in-law could be quite intimidating when she got serious.

In the end, Huo Shen stood up and followed Lin Yi out of the gaming room.

Lin Yi walked ahead, and Huo Shen obediently followed behind.

The old steward saw this and smiled contentedly.

This family truly needs Mr. Lin.

The next day, Xu Zheng came again to check Huo Shen's wrist.

To his surprise, Huo Shen's wrist had recovered remarkably quickly.

He looked at Huo Shen in disbelief, "Didn't expect you to follow medical advice so well."

Previously, he had advised Huo Shen to take care of his wrist but wasn't sure if Huo Shen would actually listen, given how stubborn he could be.

Huo Shen glanced at Lin Yi and said, "Seems I couldn't help but listen."

Xu Zheng: "..."

Turns out it wasn't his advice that worked, but Lin Yi's influence.

Wait, did he detect a hint of pride in Huo Shen's words?

Thinking this, Xu Zheng asked Huo Shen suspiciously, "Are you bragging about having a good sister-in-law?"

Huo Shen raised an eyebrow, "Only now you notice?"

Xu Zheng: "???"

Is this still the rebellious and stubborn second young master of the Huo family?

Thus, Huo Shen's wrist continued to improve, and after some time, there were no major issues left.

Meanwhile, the e-sports world was gearing up for another major event.

The World Championships were about to begin.

During the period leading up to the World Championships, all teams were training intensively, none willing to fall behind.

During this time, the organizers held another large-scale competition.

It was a good opportunity to gauge the strength of each team, so both big and small domestic teams participated.

News about the competition flooded the internet, with everyone discussing it.

Among these discussions, the ones about Sky Team and Mad Dragon Team were the most prevalent.

Sky Team, as the reigning champion team, had the highest popularity and the largest number of fans, with a well-organized structure. Mad Dragon Team, on the other hand, being the recent dark horse, also garnered significant attention.

Mad Dragon Team had won a championship recently, so their fans were quite arrogant online.

"Will Sky Team participate in this competition? They performed so poorly last time; they might as well not come."

"Exactly. With how Sky Team is struggling now, I'm embarrassed to say I used to be a fan."

"Without Huo Shen, Sky Team is just weak."

"There's no suspense in this competition. Mad Dragon Team will definitely crush Sky Team again."

"Sky Team is really shameless. Even in such a state, they still dare to participate. I feel embarrassed for them."

"Oh well, if they want to come, let them. It'll just be experience for Mad Dragon Team."

Sky Team had a massive fan base. They were only feeling down due to Huo Shen's retirement, but that didn't mean they weren't online. Seeing the taunts from Mad Dragon Team's fans, they began to counterattack.

"Can Mad Dragon Team's fans calm down? Do they think we're nobody?"

"I've been in a bad mood lately. If anyone wants to get yelled at, I won't hold back."

"I've reported all those inflammatory comments. You're welcome."

"Until the very end, who wins or loses is uncertain. I advise some fans not to be too arrogant, or they'll end up with egg on their face."

The fans from both sides engaged in heated debates, and soon the day of the competition arrived.

That day, Huo Shen woke up early.

When Lin Yi came downstairs, Huo Shen was already in the living room.

Lin Yi was momentarily surprised and looked at Huo Shen.

Today, Huo Shen looked impressive.

He wore his team uniform, zipped up to the top, with a cold and cool expression on his face.

His bangs fell naturally, and his eyes gleamed with sharpness, like a wild wolf cub.

The fearsome Huo Shen was back.

Looking at Huo Shen like this, Lin Yi couldn't help but praise him: "Not bad."

Hearing Lin Yi's voice, Huo Shen turned around, a hint of a smile on his face: "Sis-in-law."

Lin Yi walked over slowly and asked, "Going to the competition today?"

Huo Shen nodded: "Yeah, I've already contacted the manager and coach of the team."

The process of Huo Shen's return was underway, and only a few people in the club knew about it.

Lin Yi sincerely said, "Wish you success."

At this moment, Huo Shen asked, "Sis-in-law, can you come with me?"

Lin Yi was a bit surprised: "I should come along?"

Huo Shen's eyes showed a hint of anticipation: "Can you?"

Today was an important day for him to return to the arena, and he wanted someone to be there with him.

And that person could only be Lin Yi.

Lin Yi thought for a moment and nodded: "Sure, why not?"

After all, he had nothing else to do that day, so he might as well accompany Huo Shen.

Half an hour later, Lin Yi and Huo Shen set off together.

Huo Shen drove, while Lin Yi sat in the passenger seat scrolling through his phone.

Today was the day of the competition, and online discussions were even more intense, with several trending topics.

One of the high-ranking trending topics was speculating whether Huo Shen would show up today.

Lin Yi clicked into the comments section.

"Will Huo Shen participate in the competition today? This is the last major domestic event before the World Championships."

"If Huo Shen comes, the championship undoubtedly belongs to Sky Team."

"Wah, Huo Shen, hurry up!"

"I managed to get a ticket to the live audience. I'm here just to see Huo Shen."

"Huo Shen, we're waiting for you. Please come."

Amidst the fans' hopeful comments, there were also some negative remarks from haters.

"Hahaha, Huo Shen's fans are really hilarious. Your Huo Shen is hiding somewhere, and you're still expecting him to show up."

"Even if your Huo Shen comes, what difference does it make? He's been away from the team for so long that he probably forgot how to even open the game."

"Huo Shi should just stay away; if he comes, I'm worried he'll be beaten to tears."

"Now that you mention it, I'm actually looking forward to it. I want to see Huo Shi's face after he gets eliminated right away. It must be quite a sight."

The fans and haters started arguing, and the discussion heated up, eventually making it to the top of the trending topics.

It can only be said that wherever Huo Shi is, there's no shortage of attention.

After all, he is the most popular star player in the esports world, not just by chance.

Before long, Lin Yi and Huo Shi arrived at the venue for today's match.

This venue was large, capable of accommodating thousands of people.

The organizers had started promoting ticket sales early, and today the entire venue was packed, bustling with excitement.

Lin Yi followed Huo Shi into the venue.

Huo Shi seemed to have competed here frequently before, so he was very familiar with the environment.

After entering the venue, they came to a corridor.

Huo Shi said to Lin Yi, "Sis-in-law, feel free to walk around here. I'll go find our team manager and coach first, and I'll come back for you later."

Lin Yi nodded, "Okay, go ahead."

Soon, Huo Shi left.

Lin Yi walked a few steps down the corridor.

He realized this was the backstage area, and through a one-way mirror, he could see the seating area of the venue.

At this moment, the seats were filled with people.

Countless fans gathered here, waiting for their idols to appear.

Lin Yi glanced around and noticed that most of them were Huo Shi's fans.

Even though they weren't sure if Huo Shi would show up this time, they still came, holding banners and light boards, silently hoping.

Lin Yi watched for a while when he suddenly heard some commotion behind him.

He turned to look.

He saw two teams meeting in the corridor.

From their respective uniforms, these two teams were Sky Team and Mad Dragon.

On the Mad Dragon side, one of the players arrogantly said to Sky Team, "Trash."

A member of Sky Team immediately retorted, "Who are you talking to?"

The Mad Dragon player gloated, "Of course we're talking about our defeated opponents."

Another member of Sky Team frowned, "Don't go too far."

The Mad Dragon player sneered, "If I were you, I wouldn't even show my face after losing so badly."

Another Mad Dragon player mocked, "Maybe they didn't get enough humiliation last time and are coming back for more."

The Mad Dragon players started jeering.

"Hahaha, how pathetic."

"No worries, we'll beat them up more this time so they learn their lesson."

"Don't run home crying to your mom if you get beaten up."

The members of Sky Team, known for their high standards, were momentarily speechless.

One of them was so angry that his eyes were red.

But their current situation was indeed worse than before. Their captain had left, leaving the team without a leader or anyone to stand up for them.

Seeing this, Lin Yi narrowed his eyes and slowly walked over, saying, "We'll see who ends up crying."

When his voice suddenly rang out, both teams were taken aback and looked at him.

They didn't recognize Lin Yi, but they were all stunned by his appearance.

Lin Yi's features were like a painting, with charming almond eyes. Today, he wore a white casual jacket that made his skin look even paler.

His appearance brightened the entire corridor.

It was a striking presence.

The Mad Dragon players, realizing Lin Yi was mocking them, frowned and asked, "Who are you? What did you mean by that?"

Lin Yi coldly smiled, "I meant you should say your last words now because you won't get another chance."

Mad Dragon: "??"

They were usually the ones who never let others off the hook verbally, and this was the first time someone had talked back to them like this.

One of the team members stepped forward, his face grim. "Stop playing games and get to the point."

At that moment, another member remembered something. Pointing at Lin Yi, he said, "I remember now. He's from the entertainment industry, right? Lin something... Yes, Lin Yi."

A member sneered, "Laughable. What's someone from the entertainment industry doing here, giving us pointers?"

Lin Yi calmly replied, "If I can't, can Huo Shi then?"

"What?!"

The person's expression changed instantly.

Huo Shi?!!

Is Huo Shi here?!!

The members of Mad Dragon instantly looked grim.

For them, Huo Shi was a nightmare.

With Huo Shi around, they could never be more than second place, no matter what.

The members of Sky Team, upon hearing Huo Shi's name, brightened considerably.

They gathered around Lin Yi.

"Hello, is our captain really coming?"

"What's your relationship with our captain? Is this information reliable?"

Lin Yi looked at the young men in front of him and affirmed, "I'm not lying to you. Huo Shi will be here soon."

The members immediately became excited and started cheering.

As long as their captain was here, they had nothing to fear.

The members of Mad Dragon, however, turned pale and grew restless.

Didn't Huo Shi retire?

Why is he back now?!

They had finally won the championship last time; were they going to give it up again so easily?

However, after a while, Huo Shi still hadn't appeared.

The members of Sky Team began to feel anxious.

After all, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. They feared Lin Yi had given them false information.

The members of Mad Dragon became arrogant again, saying to Lin Yi, "Hey, didn't you say Huo Shi was coming? Where is he?"

Another chimed in, "Maybe he sent a decoy to show off? I bet Huo Shi is bored at home and would do anything for attention."

Someone else sneered, "If Huo Shi doesn't show up, the championship is ours again."

Just as the last person finished speaking, a bold voice rang out—

"Do you want the championship? You'll have to ask me first."

With those words, Huo Shi walked out from around the corner.

His face was filled with cold arrogance and sharpness, just like the invincible captain he once was.

His appearance sealed the outcome of the match.

The members of Mad Dragon, seeing Huo Shi, turned deathly pale.

It's over. Everything is over.

With Huo Shi here, they were doomed to fail.

The members of Sky Team, upon seeing Huo Shi, were instantly moved to tears, shouting in unison, "Captain!!"

Seeing Huo Shi, their hearts finally settled.

Their captain was back.

Their captain hadn't abandoned them.

Soon, the match was about to begin, and all the teams went to prepare.

Before leaving, Huo Shi arranged for a staff member to escort Lin Yi to the VIP viewing area.

Lin Yi followed the staff member to the VIP seats.

From there, he could clearly see the situation on the field.

Soon, teams began to take the stage, and the audience started cheering.

At one point, the members of Sky Team started to enter the arena.

The entire venue fell silent.

They were waiting, waiting to see who would take the stage for Sky Team.

Until they saw Huo Shi's figure...

"Aaaaaahhhhh!!!!"

"Huo Shi!!!! It's Huo Shi!!!!"

In an instant, the venue erupted with the loudest screams and cheers, almost lifting the roof off.

All of Huo Shi's fans stood up in excitement, with many moved to tears.

They had waited so long, and finally, Huo Shi was here.

The cheering in the venue never stopped.

Everyone was cheering for Huo Shi's return.

Lin Yi, watching this lively scene, couldn't help but get swept up in it too.

True passion surpasses everything.

At that moment, he thought of something and opened Weibo.

He found one person's Weibo post.

The message had changed from "Huo Shi, can you come back and play?" to "Wah wah wah, finally waited for you."

All the waiting had finally led to a beautiful ending.

Lin Yi smiled slightly, then put away his phone and focused on the match.

With Huo Shi there, the match was practically without suspense.

In the end, Sky Team won the championship with a crushing victory.

The venue erupted again with thunderous cheers.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!!!!"

"Huo Shen!!!! Huo Shen!!!!"

Mad Dragon took second place once again.

They didn't even want to go through the formalities and left the venue dejectedly, clearly shaken by the defeat.

At this moment, the host invited Huo Shi to the stage to receive the award and give a speech.

Huo Shi walked onto the stage.

He took the microphone, still as cool and concise as usual.

He started by saying, "Thank you all for waiting for me."

The fans immediately cheered loudly, deafening the ears.

Huo Shi continued, "I will continue on this path until I can no longer play."

He didn't say much more, but those few words conveyed everything.

The fans were already used to Huo Shi's style, crying and cheering at the same time.

According to his usual habit, Huo Shi should have left after saying those few words, but today he didn't.

The audience below were puzzled, all looking at him.

Then, Huo Shi said, "Right now, I can return here because of one special person."

The entire audience perked up.

Who?

Who could persuade Huo Shi to return to the stage?!

Under everyone's anticipation, Huo Shi slowly and solemnly said, "He is... Lin Yi."

He probably wanted to say 'sister-in-law,' but given the occasion, he only mentioned the name.

At that moment, everyone remembered the name Lin Yi.

When Lin Yi first heard his name, he was momentarily stunned, but then a spotlight shone on his position.

In the next second, Lin Yi's face appeared on the big screen.

The entire audience was instantly shocked.

What a high-class face!

So who is this Lin Yi? Why did Huo Shi specially thank him?!

Huo Shi's words made Lin Yi the center of attention at this event.

Lin Yi was initially stunned for a few seconds, then reacted and smiled at the camera.

That smile seemed to brighten the entire venue.

Soon, various trending topics besides Huo Shi's return and Sky Team's championship included Lin Yi.

"What, my Huo Shen mentioned Lin Yi? Double happiness!!!"

"Ahhhh, I was there! You have no idea how surprised and delighted I was to hear Lin Yi referred to as my wife from Huo Shen's mouth."

"I was there too! Where is Lin Yi? I want to get an autograph!!!"

"So Huo Jihan and Lin Yi actually know each other? What’s their relationship??"

"It's hard to say. At first, I thought they might have some sort of secret relationship, but upon closer observation, their eye contact seemed perfectly normal."

"Could they be friends?"

"Or maybe relatives??"

"Regardless of their relationship, I’m so excited I could faint. Who understands this feeling, ahhh!!!"

"Sister above, I understand you!!!"

"Who is Lin Yi?"

"Who cares who he is? With such a handsome face, it would be a shame to miss him. I hereby declare myself a fan of Lin Yi’s looks."

"Hahaha, me too. After seeing that face, I instantly became a fan."

Thus, Lin Yi's popularity soared, making him the subject of intense discussion. His Weibo followers also surged, reaching over twenty million.

Seeing this, advertisers started to show interest, trying to contact Lin Yi for endorsements.

In the afternoon, Huo Jihan attended the victory celebration.

After all, winning the championship meant the entire team needed to gather and celebrate.

Naturally, Lin Yi went along with them.

Lin Yi was clearly the star of today’s celebration, receiving adoration from everyone.

The team members all came over with glasses of wine to toast Lin Yi.

They were all grateful to Lin Yi for bringing Huo Jihan back.

The team manager also approached Lin Yi, looking mysterious: "How did you convince Huo Jihan to come back and compete? I tried everything, but couldn’t persuade him."

Lin Yi thought for a moment and said, "I didn't really do anything?"

He had only talked to Huo Jihan for a bit.

The team manager: "..."

Undeterred, he asked again, "Are you sure you didn’t use any special method?"

It seemed he was really eager to learn from Lin Yi.

Lin Yi helplessly replied, "No."

The team manager: "..."

Well, he’d better stock up on more blood pressure medication.

For the next time Huo Jihan acted up, he could take a couple of pills.

After the lively celebration, Lin Yi and Huo Jihan returned home together.

Huo Jihan had drunk quite a lot and was very excited.

Clearly, he was content about returning to his beloved career.

Lin Yi hadn’t drunk much, but he was slightly tipsy and sat on the sofa with Huo Jihan.

Huo Jihan kept talking to him, mostly about esports.

He wouldn’t stay at home anymore; soon he would move to the base to train with his teammates.

Lin Yi listened, occasionally responding.

Not long after, Huo Jihan returned from work.

Both Lin Yi and Huo Jihan looked up to greet him.

Huo Jihan nodded slightly and sat down on a single sofa nearby.

Huo Jihan, being drunk, wasn’t thinking clearly and continued talking to Lin Yi.

Until a moment when he met eyes with Huo Jihan.

Just that one glance sobered Huo Jihan up a bit.

His brother’s gaze didn’t carry much emotion, but it made him feel alert, as if he understood something from his brother’s eyes.

Perhaps he shouldn’t keep monopolizing his sister-in-law’s time?

During the day, it was fine since his brother was at work, but now his brother was back.

Thinking this, Huo Jihan quickly stood up, swaying a bit due to the sudden movement.

He steadied himself and then said to Lin Yi and Huo Jihan, "I won’t disturb you two."

A third wheel should know its place.

Lin Yi was completely unaware of what happened, staring at Huo Jihan in confusion.

What was this kid suddenly saying?

At this moment, Huo Jihan finally spoke his first words.

He said to Huo Shi, "I know about today's match. Keep working hard in the future."

Huo Shi’s eyes widened in disbelief for an instant.

His brother had been paying attention to his match?!

And he even seemed to have given him an encouraging word?!

However, Huo Shi didn’t dare to ask more and merely replied, "Y-yes, thank you."

Huo Jihan’s voice remained calm as he said, "Mm, go on."

Huo Shi drifted away as if in a dream, doubting whether his ears had just played tricks on him.

With Huo Shi gone, Lin Yi, having nothing else to do, turned on the television.

He pressed a few buttons with the remote control and then chose an old movie to watch.

At this moment, Huo Jihan got up without anyone noticing and sat down beside him.

The distance between them suddenly closed, only a dozen centimeters apart, allowing them to smell each other’s scent.

Lin Yi turned his head, looking at Huo Jihan somewhat puzzled, "Mr. Huo, do you also like this movie?"

Huo Jihan nodded, "Mm."

"Ah, I see."

Lin Yi nodded in understanding, no wonder Huo Jihan had suddenly come over.

Then, Lin Yi put down the remote control and focused on watching the movie.

Huo Jihan, however, slightly tilted his head, silently observing him, his gaze tracing over his eyebrows, eyes, nose, lips...

His gaze was intense and serious.

When they were about one-third through the movie, Lin Yi said to Huo Jihan, "Didn’t that murderer appear just now?"

Huo Jihan’s thoughts returned, and he was momentarily stunned, "What murderer?"

Lin Yi: "??"

He said, somewhat puzzled, "The murderer who committed the murder."

That can’t be right; Huo Jihan said he liked this movie, didn’t he? Could it be that he was distracted and wasn’t really watching?

After all, this murderer is a key character in the film.

Only after Lin Yi mentioned it did Huo Jihan seem to realize, and he said indifferently, "Oh, didn’t pay much attention."

Lin Yi: "??"

Then what were you watching?!