E-Sports Boss Wants To Post Messages With New Players Every Day Chapter 79

8.

After truly making up his mind, Shen Xiao found Xie Wei and had a serious talk.

Hearing his decision, Xie Wei smiled and said, “Alright, but my suggestion is the same as last time. Since WOF has already failed this season, you might as well stay at TWG until the World Championship is over. That way, we can also manage our personnel changes.”

Xie Wei, as the captain and major owner of TWG, was surprisingly gentle and easy to talk to. Shen Xiao found this incredible, and naturally, he couldn’t refuse such a reasonable request.

He nodded, “Okay, that’s what I was thinking too.”

Xie Wei hummed in acknowledgment, stood up, and was about to leave, but suddenly stopped, turning back to ask, “The one who poached you, is it Secret?”

Shen Xiao’s expression went blank for a moment. He stammered, “…Uh, n-not exactly poaching… It’s, well, it was my own…”

“Don’t be nervous.” Xie Wei showed an intrigued smile. “I didn’t realize you liked Alphas.”

Shen Xiao was always the quickest to run whenever he saw a beautiful Omega, yet after all this time, he hadn’t dated a single Omega. Instead, he ended up getting involved with a Top-Tier Alpha he used to intensely dislike.

Shen Xiao was stunned, then jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on. “What like! I don’t! We’re absolutely not in that kind of relationship!”

Xie Wei nodded, giving him an “I understand” look, and turned to leave the room.

The door closed, leaving Shen Xiao alone in the room, standing still in a daze for a long time.

Like?

Which kind of like was he talking about?

He suddenly recalled that day in the emergency stairwell, Li Huanbin standing in front of him, the man’s palm hot against his lower back, his tone aggrieved, yet more like coaxing.

The distance was so close that Shen Xiao could almost smell the faint orange scent on him.

It was another Alpha’s Pheromone, yet at that moment, it gave him an unprecedented impulse. A juicy, plump orange, sweet and sour, tempting and golden, making one want to take a big bite.

Impossible.

He definitely liked Omegas!

Shen Xiao shook his head vigorously, seemingly trying to shake off all those messy thoughts.

He anxiously pressed his tongue against his canine tooth, desperately trying to deny the wavering in his heart.

It was true that he and Li Huanbin had been getting closer recently, but that absolutely had nothing to do with liking. They were just good buddies, good brothers!

A few months later, the World Championship began, and TWG entered the competition as the first seed in their region.

The venue for this World Championship was Paris. Shen Xiao had eaten French cuisine for over ten consecutive meals. It was fine at first, but he eventually grew tired of it and started missing domestic food.

He slumped over the table, his fingers listlessly poking out one word at a time on the keyboard.

Seamy: I want to go back home.

Li Huanbin received the message and smiled.

Since the group stage started a few days ago, Shen Xiao had been secretly complaining to him, saying he couldn’t get used to the food here and wanted to go back home for good food. He had been nagging about it for days.

Li Huanbin: Craving again?

Li Huanbin: How about I make something for you?

Shen Xiao saw the message and immediately sat up straight.

He stared at the screen, furrowed his brows, thought for a long time, and cautiously sent out a question mark.

Li Huanbin’s reply was simple and direct.

A photo of a suitcase, with an airport in the background. The people walking by were foreigners, and the display screen showed French characters.

Li Huanbin: I was just about to ask, where is your hotel located? I’m coming to bring you good food.

Shen Xiao’s eyes widened.

His brain had crashed. He woodenly sent the hotel name and his room number.

The sound of his heart beating in his chest grew louder and louder, like a drum in his ears.

A voice clearly questioned him in his mind: If they were truly just simple good friends, good buddies, how could he cross the ocean, traveling thousands of miles, just because of a single sentence from him, solely to satisfy his craving?

The answer was already obvious.

All the previous clues, the ambiguity he had deliberately ignored in their interactions, the endless pampering, tolerance, and coaxing…

Thinking back to Li Huanbin’s relentless “pestering” at the beginning, Shen Xiao finally realized, belatedly, that he had been slow-cooked like a frog in warm water by Li Huanbin.

Unfortunately, he realized it too late. The water in the pot was already boiling, and he couldn’t escape.

Otherwise, after figuring out the core issue, the emotion that should have surfaced was anger, not the current state where his face and neck were flushed, his heart was racing, and his heart was filled with shyness and unspeakable joy.

Shen Xiao closed his eyes in distress.

They say the tables always turn, and the Heavenly Dao has its cycles. It was true. He had once speculated behind Xie Wei’s back that he was a guy who liked Alphas, but now, Xie Wei found an Omega, and he was the one who got “cooked” by an Alpha.

Understanding it was one thing; actually facing it was another.

Shen Xiao waited restlessly in his hotel room for half an hour. Soon, there was a knock on the door.

He sprang to his feet, looking at the closed door, feeling utterly helpless. After fully recognizing his own feelings, everything became completely different.

Walking to the door awkwardly, Shen Xiao took a deep breath and pulled it open.

Outside, Xie Wei, wearing a sports jacket, glanced at him and asked strangely, “What’s wrong with you? Is it hot in the room?”

“…” Shen Xiao was momentarily stunned, the heat receding from his face. “Captain Xie? Why are you here… Cough, I mean, do you need something?”

Xie Wei subtly scanned his flushed earlobes but didn’t expose him. “Coach Yu has a new strategy and wants to discuss the playstyle with you.”

Normally, Shen Xiao would agree without a second thought, but things were different now. Li Huanbin might arrive any minute.

He hesitated, “Can it wait? I have a friend coming over soon.”

“Friend? Which friend of yours is in France?”

Jiang Yuxin walked over briskly, just in time to hear that sentence. Previously, professional players from other teams had been caught dating their lovers during competitions instead of focusing on training. Although Shen Xiao was usually disciplined, his temperament was volatile, so Jiang Yuxin was highly vigilant in this regard.

Shen Xiao scratched his head, giving up and telling the truth. “Secret.”

As soon as he spoke, he caught Xie Wei raising an eyebrow out of the corner of his eye.

Just a few days ago, he had sworn that he and Li Huanbin were not in that kind of relationship, and now the man had crossed the ocean to see him. It was quite embarrassing.

Jiang Yuxin was dumbfounded. “Secret? Why is he in France? And why are you meeting up? Didn’t you hate him?”

Three questions in a row left Shen Xiao speechless.

As luck would have it, the elevator door opened at that moment, and Li Huanbin stepped out of the car, seeing the scene of the three of them staring at each other.

He paused, put away his phone, and was about to walk forward when he heard Shen Xiao say stiffly, “We’ve been good friends for a long time, you just didn’t know.”

“Good friends?” Jiang Yuxin was speechless. “Does Secret know you two are good friends?”

Li Huanbin found it amusing. “He knows.”

Jiang Yuxin had his back to the elevator entrance and hadn’t noticed the situation behind him. Shen Xiao was also too flustered to pay attention to his surroundings. Li Huanbin’s sudden voice startled both of them.

Jiang Yuxin turned around, his face filled with unconcealed shock. “Secret?!”

The moment Shen Xiao saw Li Huanbin, the heat that had just faded from his face rushed back. He struggled to suppress his emotions, forcing himself to remain calm. “Y-you’re here? My coach needs me for something right now. Why don’t you wait in my room for a bit?”

Li Huanbin saw his flushed face and evasive eyes, guessing that Shen Xiao had probably realized something. He knew his actions had been too obvious and too eager; it would be strange if Shen Xiao hadn’t noticed. So, he smiled and said, “Okay.”

Shen Xiao helped him carry his luggage into the room, not daring to say another word, and fled to find Yu Guangzhou.

As a professional player, Shen Xiao would not let personal emotions interfere with training and matches.

It wasn’t until he returned from the discussion and stood in front of his room door again that the nervous, heart-racing feeling returned.

He steadied himself, about to raise his hand to knock, then thought: Wait, this is his own room. Why should he knock?

In his own room, he should act like the owner and walk in confidently.

Besides… they were both Alphas. Was he going to be afraid of him?

After this self-persuasion and pep talk, Shen Xiao took out his room card and swiped the door open.

However, as soon as he opened the door, he ran straight into Li Huanbin, who was walking out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe.

The man had clearly just showered; his hair was still slightly damp. He had an excellent physique, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and straight, long legs. The bathrobe tie wasn’t tightly fastened, allowing a glimpse of large areas of tanned, firm muscle.

The hot steam from the bathroom blew onto his face, faintly carrying a sweet orange scent.

Li Huanbin was drying his hair. Seeing Shen Xiao standing dumbfounded at the doorway, he smiled. “You’re back. That was fast.”

Seeing no reaction from him, he tilted his head. “Are you alright?”

Shen Xiao’s mind was numb. In his dizzy state, he blurted out his inner thought: “You smell so sweet…”

Only after speaking did he realize what he had said. His face turned crimson, and he stammered, “N-no, no, no, that’s not what I meant!”

Li Huanbin paused, then gave a slight smirk. “Not what meaning?”

Shen Xiao lowered his head, blushing, and remained silent.

Li Huanbin’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He reached out and tentatively grasped the wrist of the Alpha youth in front of him. A lively pulse beat beneath his palm, and the distance between them closed little by little.

Shen Xiao still didn’t respond, but… he also didn’t refuse.

He kept his head down, noticing that the orange scent around him, which had been so faint it was almost undetectable, was growing stronger. The man’s breathing seemed to be right next to his ear, intimate and hot.

Was Li Huanbin… going to kiss him?

Shen Xiao found himself shamefully anticipating it.

Just as he made up his mind and raised his head to meet Li Huanbin, the other man took a step back first.

Li Huanbin reached up and touched his cheek, smiling. “Didn’t you say you were hungry earlier? I used the kitchen here to make something simple. Let’s eat first.”

With that, he turned and walked away without any apparent reluctance.

Shen Xiao stared blankly at the man’s retreating figure, gritting his teeth.

Who the hell wants to eat right now?! Is this the time to eat?!