All-Round Mid Laner - Chapter 97

After the players finished choosing the laptops and peripherals they liked, Xu Qiman—the Silver Dragon Group employee responsible for them—took everyone into a dressing room. Makeup artists and stylists were present to help make them more presentable.

In the games they’d played so far, there was no need for makeup. Most players appeared in front of the cameras with a bare face during regular season games. They would only show their faces for a few seconds at the beginning of a match, anyway. No one could be bothered to fuss with makeup or anything like that.

But commercials were very different. On a recording set, high-definition cameras and blinding lights would perfectly illuminate every pimple and pore on a person’s face. If a person featured in a commercial was too unsightly, then the commercial could create an ‘aversion’ when aired.

Fortunately, all of Tianhuan’s players had a more than acceptable attractiveness level. They would be fine with just a bit of light makeup and styling.

Chi Shuo was a bit irritable. He disliked being in close proximity to other people. So, when the makeup artist picked up a brush and went to sweep it over his face…

Chi Shuo did his best to suppress his displeasure. He closed his eyes and tried to cooperate as much as possible.

At just that moment, he heard the young lady—a beta—in charge of Ye Shaoyang’s makeup quietly murmur, “From close up, Yangyang is really so handsome. Your skin is great too!”

Ye Shaoyang smiled and said, “Thank you.”

The makeup artist said, “Your lashes are so long. No need for false lashes. Let me curl them for you, don’t move.”

Ye Shaoyang hummed his acknowledgement, obediently sitting still.

Chi Shuo opened his eyes and glanced over out of the corner of his eye.

He was sitting near Ye Shaoyang. He could clearly see Ye Shaoyang’s thick lashes.

Ye Shaoyang’s makeup artist was already finishing up. With makeup, the structure of Ye Shaoyang’s face was even more exquisitely defined. A gloss had been applied to his lips, enhancing their color. His lips were a dewy, pale pink now, and they still looked very natural.

Those full, slightly upturned lips always looked like they were smiling.

How would it feel to kiss those lips?

Chi Shuo’s throat went dry. He swiftly retracted his own gaze and closed his eyes again.

He had always considered himself a very calm and collected person who wouldn’t develop an interest in any omega. So why, when he looked at Ye Shaoyang, did he feel the uncontrollable urge to kiss him?

He’d only given Ye Shaoyang a temporary mark. There wasn’t a true, complete mark binding them.

Rationally speaking, an alpha who gave a temporary mark shouldn’t be this deeply affected. Furthermore, over a month had already passed since the last time he marked Ye Shaoyang. The pheromones they left on each other’s bodies had also faded a long time ago.

And yet, Chi Shuo would still sometimes have those thoughts. Could it be that he… towards Shaoyang…

Did he have feelings for Ye Shaoyang?

Chi Shuo couldn’t help but furrow his brow faintly.

His makeup artist had been in the middle of filling in his brows. But then, with Chi Shuo suddenly furrowing his brows, the pen dragged straight up to his forehead.

The makeup artist was silent for a moment. “…Captain Chi, don’t scrunch up your face!”

Ye Shaoyang was already done. When he heard that, he curiously looked over.

And that was when he saw… a big split had been drawn between Chi Shuo’s right brow.

The brow and the extra line formed a sideways Y.

Ye Shaoyang couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Captain Chi, the way you look now is way too funny, hahaha!”

Not only did he laugh heartlessly at Chi Shuo’s plight, he even took out his cell phone to take a picture of Chi Shuo as a souvenir.

Chi Shuo, upon seeing that photo, was silent.

The alpha’s ears turned faintly red.

He was thoroughly embarrassed to appear in such a state before Ye Shaoyang.

The makeup artist reassured, “It’s okay, Captain Chi. I’ll start over after wiping it off with some makeup remover. Just don’t furrow your brow again. Relax.”

Chi Shuo expressionlessly sat stiffly in his seat. “Mm. Just be as quick as possible.”

He closed his eyes and endured the makeup artist’s fussing.

After wiping away the erroneous streak from Chi Shuo’s eyebrow, the makeup artist reapplied the powder to his brows. Immediately afterwards, she helped Chi Shuo fix up his hair. Ye Shaoyang stood nearby and gleefully praised, “Captain Chi has such a cool aura. Our captain’s face really is attractive enough to be the face of our Tianhuan.”

Men didn’t need to have particularly garish lipstick colors applied; the products used on their lips were just to help enhance their complexion. The makeup artist chose a very pale shade to apply to Chi Shuo’s lips, then smiled and said, “All done.”

Chi Shuo said, “Thank you.”

As soon as he spoke, he prepared to stand up.

However, before he made it to his feet, Ye Shaoyang suddenly moved closer and said, “Wait, don’t move yet.”

Ye Shaoyang reached out and helped him straighten out two stray locks of hair at the sides of his head. Then he grinned and said, “Okay. Let’s get on set.”

When the omega helped Chi Shuo tuck away those locks of hair, his fingers lightly brushed Chi Shuo’s temples. That soft, warm touch made Chi Shuo’s heart faintly skip a beat. He lifted his head and met Ye Shaoyang’s smiling, twinkling eyes.

Ye Shaoyang was still wearing a calm and almost bland expression, like he was thinking this was all a matter of ‘a good friend helping out another, no need for thanks’.

As for Chi Shuo… his heart was beating faster and faster.

He feigned calm as he stood up and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Ye Shaoyang, towards the recording set.

When the bright lights of the set hit Ye Shaoyang’s face, Chi Shuo looked over and took in his smiling expression again. He couldn’t help but think… Shaoyang really was good-looking when he smiled. His omega really was the most handsome one after all.

Dating now would interfere with their training and games, and it wouldn’t sound good if news of their relationship got out. They could wait until after the tournament season. Then, Chi Shuo would properly talk to Shaoyang about starting a serious relationship.

He would take Shaoyang to meet his parents then. They could make their marriage arrangements slowly after that.

Silently, Chi Shuo charted out the course of their future.

Ye Shaoyang, meanwhile, had gone off to joke around with Qu Jiang, who’d also gotten his makeup done.

“You and Little Xing really have similar tastes,” Ye Shaoyang was saying. “With the laptops and keyboards you chose, our bottom lane will be on fire!”

Cheng Xing said, “Red is a more auspicious color. Right, Qu-ge?”

Qu Jing crinkled his eyes with a smile and said, “That’s right. With this, our Tianhuan’s sponsored laptops and keyboards will be saying—our top laner is a lonely, blue orphan; our mid/jungle duo is a matching black and white sweetheart set; and our bottom lane is home to a fiery hot rainbow.”

Cheng Xing recited, “Fire and water with the sun, moon, and stars between them?”

Qin Yizhu clapped to approve of their vivid descriptions. “Good one, good one.”

Ye Shaoyang fell silent.

Were they trying to put together a comedy routine?

Qu Jiang had really just been kidding, just like he’d been messing around with the ‘100 Ways to Die’ compilation he’d made of Cheng Xing. But Chi Shuo had seized upon an important phrase in his words—the mid/jungle duo with the sweetheart set.

He and Shaoyang already had many ‘sweetheart’ items.

For example, the black and white wolf kings figures that the kids from Team Two had given them. And now, they were taking home black and white laptops and peripherals—which just so happened to be another black and white sweetheart set. It seemed he and Shaoyang were truly linked on a deeper level.

At just that moment, Xu Qiman came over and said, “Everyone, get ready. We’re about to start filming!”

Tianhuan’s five starting players would be promoting the ‘TY-Future’ series of high-end gaming laptops that the Silver Dragon Group planned to produce. The available colors just so happened to be black, white, red, and blue.

The script for this first commercial started with Chi Shuo and Ye Shaoyang sitting together, playing a video game. An indoor set had been constructed at the studio, which resembled the environment of Tianhuan’s training room.

Chi Shuo and Ye Shaoyang sat shoulder-to-shoulder. They turned on their computers and connected their peripherals to start playing the game.

The director called out, “You guys can just practice any random plays, but make sure you demonstrate some fast hand speed. The camera will be taking close-ups of your hands on the keyboard. As for the computer screens, we’ll find some footage from your training sessions to edit in later. Like a beautiful pentakill or quad kill, something spectacular like that.”

Of course those things would have to be edited in later. The camera crew couldn’t record them playing an entire match, after all.

Filming the commercial and adding appropriate game footage in post would be the best method.

The director continued, “After playing the game, you guys turn to each other. Lock eyes and smile, like you’re celebrating a victory after double queueing together. Then deliver the lines from your script.”

Ye Shaoyang lowered his gaze to his script again. “Okay. Understood.”

In this scene, they would essentially be playing themselves. It wasn’t too difficult. They only had to fix their gazes on their computer screens and play the game as usual. The camera crew would get the necessary close-up shots of their screens and their hands.

Ye Shaoyang casually took the Abyssal Lord and played a simple training game against an A.I. team. His pale, slender fingers looked like they were dancing across the keyboard. He managed to put on a perfect display of the mechanical keyboard’s outstanding crispness and responsiveness.

Chi Shuo also chose a jungler which required fast hand speed to play. Together, he and Ye Shaoyang swiftly decimated the A.I. teams in their practice games. These two extremely attractive players didn’t say a word to each other. They simply sat side by side and played the game. That image alone was enough to delight the viewer.

Plus, with one black computer and one white computer, one black keyboard and one white keyboard—the visual effect was one of extreme compatibility.

The director called out, “Cut! This part was great. You guys can prepare to deliver your lines now.”

Ye Shaoyang exited the training game. With the golden ‘VICTORY’ symbol on the screen, he lifted his head and turned towards Chi Shuo—just in time to meet Chi Shuo’s gaze.

The two of them smiled in perfect unison.

“Is this Silver Dragon’s mechanical keyboard?” Chi Shuo asked.

Ye Shaoyang earnestly recited, “Yeah! The responsiveness and feedback are amazing. After playing a fierce game, my hands don’t feel tired at all.”

Chi Shuo quirked up the corners of his lips. “When we play ranked together in the future, let’s use these.”

Ye Shaoyang lightly drifted his hands across the white keyboard and smiled slightly as he turned around, reciting into the cameras, “When it comes to playing ranked, Silver Dragon’s mechanical keyboards are the only choice. We wish you a fast rise to King.”

This was just a simple exchange, though the script was a tiny bit awkward.

But in his past life, Ye Shaoyang had filmed way more awkward commercials in cooperation with the rich investor daddies of the league. He’d developed a thick skin a long time ago, so he recited these lines very fluidly. He didn’t forget any words or stumble over his speech at all.

Xu Qiman had originally worried that they would have to do countless retakes with Tianhuan’s newbies, and that they might not even be able to finish filming in one day. They might have to continue on into the next day…

She hadn’t imagined that Ye Shaoyang would calmly face the cameras and recite his lines without the slightest hint of nervousness.

The director gave an excited clap. “Perfect! We got it!”

Ye Shaoyang had a very strong sense for recordings. When he turned back to face the cameras, he’d looked directly into the lens to deliver his lines. He didn’t let his gaze stray, and his smile was also very natural.

The camera crew had also captured the movement of him gently caressing the keyboard.

Those long, slender fingers had softly stroked the keyboard in such a gentle, soothing way, like they were handling a set of precious gems. The close-ups of that action were downright gorgeous. With those hands, Ye Shaoyang could have been a hand model—he was way too perfect for a keyboard commercial!

Xu Qiman checked out a short clip that the camera crew was playing back. She excitedly thought, This keyboard is definitely going to sell like crazy, right?!

Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shuo made it through their filming session very smoothly.

Besides the keyboards, the two of them also needed to record a commercial for a laptop.

Since these were gaming laptops, prospective buyers would definitely be most interested in seeing how they handled big games. Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shuo both individually played a major 3D online game. Neither of them actually knew how to play this game, but that didn’t matter—the footage on their laptop screens could be edited later anyway. They just needed to show off some beautiful scenery from the game, to highlight the capabilities of the laptop.

After the segment where they played a bit, the two of them picked up their laptops and got ready for the next part.

They followed the director’s instructions and stood back-to-back in front of the cameras. Chi Shuo was ten centimeters taller than Ye Shaoyang, so the visual effect of them standing in that pose was excellent. Chi Shuo held a black laptop in his hands, folded up to show how sleek and thin it was. The white laptop in Ye Shaoyang’s hands remained open.

After the cameras found their focus on their faces, Ye Shaoyang smoothly recited, “The T-73, a notebook of the Future. Equipped with the NT8090 graphics card and an i73 processor, it’s capable of fluidly running any major game.”

Chi Shuo deftly spun the laptop in his own hands. “The technology of the Future holds boundless possibilities.”

The director excitedly clapped again. “Good, good! Perfect! That’s a wrap!”

Chi Shuo and Ye Shaoyang both let out a sigh of relief. They set the laptops aside.

Ye Shaoyang had a lot of experience, after all, and today’s commercials were quite simple to start with. There was nothing which required them to run or jump around. They just had to stand in place and highlight the products. To him, this was a piece of cake.

Things with the next group were… different.

Cheng Xing was a true newbie. He was so nervous that his whole face was flushed red, and he repeatedly had to shoot retakes after fumbling his lines.

“Silver Dragon keyboards, for playing ranked… because…”

“They’re the best choice,” Qu Jiang reminded from the side.

The director helplessly said, “Ahem, you guys switch it up. Let’s have Qu Jiang read out the longer lines while Cheng Xing handles the shorter ones!”

Cheng Xing instantly breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Oh, perfect! I seriously can’t remember them!”

After they swapped lines, things went much more smoothly.

Qu Jiang was also very experienced in this field. He turned on the keyboard’s rainbow backlights and randomly tapped away at the keyboard while he recited, “With fully customizable keys, this mechanical keyboard can be equipped with over a thousand different varieties of lights. The underside can be equipped with a backlight too!”

Cheng Xing said, “Such a cool keyboard makes every game feel hotter!”

Ye Shaoyang watched on in silence.

In this ad, Qu Jiang and Cheng Xing really did make their flashy, multicolored keyboards look quite cool. The colors could really set the mood when playing a fierce match. This sort of thing would probably appeal to a lot of younger players.

As for Old Qin, the orphaned top laner was an orphan when shooting commercials as well. The blue laptop and keyboard gave off a very high-tech aura. They were perfect for a deep thinker like Old Qin.

All in all, the day’s filming went by very smoothly.

On the way back to Tianhuan’s base, everyone carried their own brand new laptops. They were extremely satisfied.

Cheng Xing couldn’t help but say, “Can our Tianhuan represent a cell phone too? If they could give us each a phone, that would be awesome.”

Qin Yizhu said, “How about snacks? The type where they send you a subscription box every month.”

Qu Jiang said, “We could think about representing clothing lines and stuff like that too.”

Tang Can was caught between laughter and tears as she said, “You think people will give you everything for free? Dream on!”

Cheng Xing laughed cheekily, then scooted over to Tang Can to whisper in her ear, “Can-jie, I looked through our player info. Yang-ge’s birthday is almost here. It’s his first year with Tianhuan. We should give him a really nice birthday, right?”

Ye Shaoyang was sitting up in one of the front rows. Tang Can glanced at the back of his head, then lowered her voice to whisper back, “Of course. We’ll make some preparations privately and give him a surprise!”

Ye Shaoyang’s birthday was March 25th. He was an Aries.

The birthdays encompassed by this zodiac sign were the first to come up every spring. Aries were typically passionate and liberated, and they usually liked a challenge. Ye Shaoyang’s personality was quite in keeping with this star sign.

After Ye Shaoyang joined Tianhuan, the environment of the team had indeed become much more relaxed and lively. No one felt as oppressed as they did last season. Everyone liked Ye Shaoyang very much, and they all wanted to give him a very happy birthday.

And Ye Shaoyang was still clueless to this all.