Ye Qiu's Breakup

After a brief handshake between the players, they left the stage.

Sun Xiang didn't say another word, but losing to a shorthanded Excellent Era team was a blow to his pride. The Conquering Clouds team's strength needed to be stronger. He could handle one-on-one fights and even reverse the outcome, but what about the rest of the team? Liu Hao beat them without daring to fight back.

Conquering Clouds couldn't win the championship. Only teams like Excellent Era, with overall solid player abilities and top-tier accounts, had a higher chance of winning the title.

After this match, Sun Xiang was more determined to leave Conquering Clouds. He felt he deserved a better platform. A professional gamer's career is short, and he wanted to save his time in Conquering Clouds.

If not for specific reasons, Sun Xiang would have accepted Tao Xuan's invitation to join Excellent Era and take over One Autumn Leaf, becoming Excellent Era's captain at the beginning of the eighth season.

Although he lost to Su Mucheng in the end, Sun Xiang didn't dislike her. It wasn't because of her sweet and cute appearance but because of her strong abilities. Sun Xiang felt that once he joined Excellent Era as the captain, a player like Su Mucheng would be his best partner, just like she supported Ye Qiu.

As for Liu Hao, Sun Xiang held a grudge. Liu Hao had mocked him before the match, and Sun Xiang took it to heart.

…

The match ended with Excellent Era defeating Conquering Clouds 9:1. Instead of attending a celebratory dinner; everyone rushed to the hospital to see Ye Qiu.

The hospital room smelled of disinfectant. Ye Qiu sat up in bed, watching the live broadcasts of other teams' matches on his phone. He already knew Excellent Era had beaten Conquering Clouds.

"Ye Qiu," Su Mucheng said as she pushed open the door and went straight to Ye Qiu's bedside. "How are you feeling? Any better?"

"Yeah, it wasn't that serious to begin with," Ye Qiu replied with a smile.

"Is it not serious? I saw you in so much pain that you were having spasms," Su Mucheng said.

Ye Qiu felt awkward, surrounded by everyone like a lab rat.

Cui Li was too ashamed to stay in the room and quickly called everyone out, leaving Su Mucheng alone with Ye Qiu to chat.

Just as Liu Hao was about to leave, Ye Qiu suddenly called out to him, asking him to stay and chat.

Cui Li immediately became vigilant, his eyes pleading with Liu Hao not to reveal what he had done. If Ye Qiu reported him to the boss, the boss would cut his salary.

Cui Li was working for the boss, but the boss had to maintain fairness and justice on the surface.

Liu Hao gave him a reassuring look, signalling that they were in it together and that he wouldn't spill the beans.

One by one, everyone left the room, leaving only Ye Qiu, Su Mucheng, and Liu Hao.

As soon as the door closed, Ye Qiu eagerly asked, "Liu Hao, was it you?"

Liu Hao's mouth twitched. Was Ye Qiu too sensitive to guess it was him? However, Liu Hao's strong psychological qualities do not betray him. He maintained an innocent expression and asked, "What did I do?"

Ye Qiu stared at Liu Hao's expression as if observing a still koala. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Did you cause the food poisoning with the beef noodles?"

"I swear it wasn't me," Liu Hao said righteously, adding in his mind that it was all Cui Li's doing. Cui Li ordered the takeout for the team, and it just so happened that the beef noodles caused the problem.

Ye Qiu clearly didn't believe Liu Hao's oath. Such a sinister and ruthless plan could only be Liu Hao's idea.

Seeing Ye Qiu's distrustful expression, Liu Hao quickly pulled Su Mucheng in to testify for him. "Chief Su knows I also got food poisoning. Even if I wanted to sabotage you, I wouldn't harm myself, right?"

Su Mucheng quickly supported Liu Hao: "Yes, Liu Hao got food poisoning, too, but his symptoms weren't as severe as yours. If he hadn't persevered, Excellent Era would have lost due to the lack of players."

Ye Qiu was sceptical. "Really? Then why did I need a gastric lavage while you seem fine now?"

Liu Hao cursed internally, realising he had forgotten to continue his act after the match.

Su Mucheng, reminded by Ye Qiu, also stared suspiciously at Liu Hao. "Yeah, why do you look...fine?"

Liu Hao quickly came up with a perfect explanation: "Maybe...it's because I exercise regularly and have a higher resistance."

At that moment, the doctor walked in with a report. "Mr. Ye Xiu, you're fine now. Thankfully, you came in time. The food poisoning wasn't severe, and you can be discharged."

"Thank you," Ye Qiu said, signing the discharge papers.

The doctor then advised, "In the future, you should exercise regularly, avoid takeout and snacks, and get enough sleep. Your health isn't great, so eating a bowl of beef noodles caused such a severe reaction. If you exercised regularly, it wouldn't have been this painful."

"Thank you, doctor," Ye Qiu said, scratching his head awkwardly. So, it really was because of his poor resistance.

Su Mucheng realised and tapped Ye Qiu's head with her finger. "It looks like you need to learn from Liu Hao and work out more."

Ye Qiu laughed bitterly. "Spare me. I can't lift those heavy weights. I'll just run on the treadmill."

The beef noodles topic was dropped. Although Ye Qiu had no evidence to prove Liu Hao sabotaged him, he suspected that Tao Xuan, Cui Li, and Liu Hao were in it together.

Liu Hao informed him that Tao Xuan wanted to recruit Sun Xiang to replace him as captain. The best way was for him to be unable to compete, giving Excellent Era a chance to lose to Sun Xiang.

Ye Qiu's eyes turned cold. He had planned to retire peacefully after this season, but it seemed Tao Xuan couldn't tolerate him anymore.

After the beef noodles incident, Ye Qiu understood Tao Xuan's determination. He was determined to drive him away in favour of Sun Xiang.

…

The day after the match with Conquering Clouds, Liu Hao's name trended again. Liu Hao was puzzled. It was just a match against Conquering Clouds; why such a big buzz? Even if there was a trending topic, shouldn't it be about Su Mucheng, who finally won MVP?

When Liu Hao checked the trending topic, he understood why.

Fans captured his performance in the players' seats. Despite looking weak, he stayed in his position and even said, "We can lose, but we can't give up."

The internet was flooded with praise and positive comments. His words had been recorded and gone viral. Liu Hao became a symbol of professional spirit, praised by everyone who mentioned him.

Now, Liu Hao was surprisingly well-liked by the public. He even saw supportive comments from Zhang Jiale and Sun Zheping. With their backing, it was no wonder he trended.

With nothing else to do, Liu Hao scrolled through the comments, satisfying his vanity. He could imagine Tao Xuan's frustrated expression. If Tao Xuan still tried to use his past actions against him, Glory fans wouldn't doubt Liu Hao's integrity.

…

It was a day off, and Liu Hao, in a good mood, remembered that the system had rewarded him with a villa in the city centre. Today, he had time to check it out.

After taking a shower and changing into casual clothes, he drove his Panamera to Xingxin Internet Café to pick up Chen Guo and head to the villa.

Soon, they arrived at the villa's entrance. Looking at the luxurious villa, Liu Hao exclaimed, "Wow, no wonder it's a 35-million-yuan villa. Although it's only 400 square meters, it's unexpectedly lavish."

Chen Guo was also amazed by the villa. "Amazing, is this your new home?"

"No, it's our new home! You are the lady of the house," Liu Hao said, hugging Chen Guo's waist.

Since becoming Liu Hao's girlfriend, Chen Guo has been regularly working out at the gym, sculpting an incredible figure.

Noticing Chen Guo's flushed cheeks and rapid breathing, Liu Hao didn't realise how much his words affected her. But seeing her expression, he knew she wanted more.

"Shall we go inside and take a look?"

"Sure," Chen Guo replied softly.

Liu Hao smiled, lifted Chen Guo, and carried her into the villa, gently placing her on the sofa in the living room. Chen Guo immediately embraced and kissed him.

Liu Hao held Chen Guo's slim waist, his hands slowly moving downward.

"Ah!" Chen Guo blushed. "Not here... stop, stop."

"I don't feel like going upstairs, and it's my first time here, so I don't know which room is the bedroom," Liu Hao said, pressing a button under the sofa, transforming it into a comfortable bed.

Liu Hao had seen such high-end, convenient furniture online.

Soon, the sofa was filled with enchanting sounds.

…

Two hours later, Chen Guo fell asleep exhausted. Liu Hao carried her to the bathroom to clean up and then brought her to the bedroom to rest. After settling Chen Guo, Liu Hao was still wide awake.

Seeing it was still early, just 10 PM, Liu Hao felt hungry and decided to go out for a late-night snack.

…

(End of Chapter)

The fiction is available till chapter 136 on my Patreon now! That is till where the fiction is updated by the author.

The fic will be updated on daily basis now.

pat reon.com/ReidAstrea