All-Round Mid Laner

On January 6th, the professional league entered a one-week break.

Chi Shuo had booked the tickets in advance. He and Ye Shaoyang returned to Star City together.

Qin Yue drove to the airport to pick Ye Shaoyang up. When he saw a tall alpha standing next to Ye Shaoyang, he felt a little dubious. He looked at his little didi, using his eyes to ask who this other person was.

Ye Shaoyang took the initiative to make the introductions. "This is our team captain, Chi Shuo. And this is my cousin, Qin Yue."

Chi Shuo politely nodded to the other party. "Hello."

Qin Yue smiled and said, "Hello, Captain Chi. Do you need a lift?"

"No, thank you. Please just take Shaoyang and Xiao Bai home. I have someone here to pick me up." Chi Shuo looked towards Ye Shaoyang. His eyes were warm and gentle as he said, "Rest well once you get home. See you next season."

"Mm," Ye Shaoyang said. "Captain Chi, have a good new year too. See you."

The two of them parted ways at the airport.

Qin Yue brought Ye Shaoyang and Xiao Bai back home. As the car merged onto the freeway, he couldn't help but ask, "Does that alpha from earlier have a very good relationship with you?"

Ye Shaoyang said, "Our captain has helped me with a lot."

Qin Yue looked at his didi through the rearview mirror. He saw that Ye Shaoyang was wearing a very calm expression. He didn't seem to be at all uneasy. So it seemed that alpha was purely a friend? Qin Yue paused for a second, then asked, "Have you been controlling your pheromones well?"

After Ye Shaoyang differentiated as an omega, he'd passed the news along to Little Rui and his cousin Qin Yue. They were among the few close relatives Ye Shaoyang had in this world, after all.

However, he hadn't mentioned being allergic to suppressants and being marked by Chi Shuo. Just in case he couldn't explain those things clearly.

These things were secrets between him and Chi Shuo.

When he heard Qin Yue's question, Ye Shaoyang said, "It's been okay. I measure my pheromone value every morning, and it's steady at around 3.5 or so."

Qin Yue warned, "Since you've differentiated as an omega, don't get too close to your alpha teammates. I've heard that most esports players are alphas. Be careful of your safety in the team."

Ye Shaoyang understood his meaning. He couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Ge, don't worry. My team, Tianhuan, is super safe. The little friends from our second-string team are all very afraid of me. Even on our starting lineup, there's no one who bullies me."

Qin Yue didn't understand much about esports, but since he could see that Ye Shaoyang was in a very good mood, but relaxed a little.

Once they got home, Ye Shaoyang gave his two cousins each a gift that he'd prepared in advance. They were worth quite a considerable amount.

Qin Yue accepted the gift and curiously asked, "Shaoyang, do you have a lot of money? This watch is pretty expensive."

Qin Yue excitedly said, "Yang-ge is a newbie that Tianhuan signed for a high fee of five million yuan! That broke the record for the highest signing fee in the league for a newbie. My Yang-ge has so much money right now. He gets a lot of gifts when he streams, too!"

Little Rui still ran over to Ye Shaoyang's streamer room to act as a mod whenever he had time. He was extremely clear on everything going on in Ye Shaoyang's career.

Qin Yue felt pretty surprised. "Is that so? I didn't think Shaoyang was that powerful. I used to worry about you finding a job. Looks like I worried too much?"

Ye Shaoyang said, "Don't worry, cousin. Among esports players, my income is considered pretty good right now. I'll play for a few years first, then switch tracks to streaming after I retire. It'll be no problem for me to support myself."

Qin Yue smiled and patted Ye Shaoyang on the shoulder. "That's good. Come ring in the new year at my place tomorrow. My dad has been constantly reminding me these days, saying I definitely have to bring Shaoyang home for a New Year's dinner. Bring Xiao Bai with you too."

"Okay," Ye Shaoyang said. "Then I'll bring Xiao Bai with me when the time comes."

After his cousins left, Ye Shaoyang unpacked at home alone. In his previous life, he'd enjoyed big gatherings. Every year, over winter break, he would go home with a ton of gifts for his parents and friends. In this world, his parents were already gone, and it would have been no fun at all to pass the new year by himself. He still cleaned up around his apartment, though, to make sure everything was neat and tidy.

New Year's Day arrived very quickly. Tianhuan's group chat was filled with people sending red envelopes first thing in the morning. Ye Shaoyang used his exceptionally fast hand speed to snatch a bunch of those big envelopes, but in the end… every envelope he grabbed was filled with only ten cents.

Ye Shaoyang complained into the group chat: [Every one I got had the minimum value. My luck is really awful. Sorrow.jpg]

Chi Shuo saw that message and privately sent him a big red envelope, with the message: [Happy New Year.]

Ye Shaoyang froze for a second when he saw that. He quickly answered: [Happy New Year, Captain Chi. I was just complaining for fun, haha, you don't have to send me red envelopes to console me.]

Chi Shuo silently thought that he was the captain, so it was expected of him to send red envelopes to his teammates.

He wrote: [Everyone gets one.]

Ye Shaoyang: [Oh, then I won't be shy. ^_^]

He accepted the red envelope from Chi Shuo, then sent a reaction meme: [ThanksBoss.jpg]

Chi Shuo was in a pretty good mood, so every member of Team Tianhuan received a new year's red envelope from Captain Chi.

Cheng Xing was shocked. He privately messaged Qu Jiang: [Qu-ge! My master suddenly sent me a red envelope! Scared me to death!]

Qu Jiang: [I've known Captain Chi for three years, and it's the first time he ever sent me a red envelope too.]

Qin Yizhu: [What's happening? Captain Chi is such a serious person, and he's actually sending red envelopes and wishing people a happy new year!]

Cheng Xing was a bit dumbfounded. He wrote: [Looks like he sent one to everyone?]

Qu Jiang: [Probably.]

In truth, Chi Shuo had just seen Ye Shaoyang's complaints about his own bad luck in the group chat at first. That was why he'd sent Ye Shaoyang a big red envelope privately. Then he got the feeling that sending only Ye Shaoyang a red envelope wasn't quite right, so he'd sent them to the rest of the team as well.

Chi Shuo's rich and complex inner thoughts were unknown to anyone else in the world.

Ye Shaoyang logged into Xiao Bai's streaming room and sent gifts to his viewers. In the afternoon, Qin Yue drove over to pick him up. Ye Shaoyang took Xiao Bai with him and got into the car to visit his cousin's home.

His cousin's home was very lively and full of people. Ye Shaoyang ate a New Year's dinner with them before bringing Xiao Bai back home to his own apartment.

The next day, when he woke up in the morning, he suddenly felt not very comfortable.

His head was woozy, and he felt like he didn't have any strength in his body. A familiar heat rolled through his veins, spreading throughout his body. Ye Shaoyang felt that something was wrong. He instantly picked up his pheromone value monitoring device and took a reading—his pheromone value was at 5.5, nearly 6.

When he differentiated, the doctor had warned him that he would immediately need a suppressant or an alpha's mark when his pheromone value surpassed 6. He was allergic to suppressants, so he could only seek help from Chi Shuo in these circumstances.

Over three months had already passed since Chi Shuo gave him a temporary mark in October, at the hospital. It seemed like the temporary mark was about to expire?

Ye Shaoyang didn't hesitate any longer. He took out his cell phone and gave Chi Shuo a call.

Chi Shuo was just getting ready to pay a visit to his grandparents with his parents. He suddenly received a call on his way out of the house, and saw on the screen that it was Ye Shaoyang.

Chi Shuo took the call and instantly heard a warm, dewy voice come through the line. It was clear that this voice was weak, fragile.

"Captain Chi, I'm sorry to disturb you. My pheromone value has become a bit abnormal…"

Chi Shuo instantly walked over to a window and lowered his voice to ask, "Where are you?"

"At home," Ye Shaoyang said. "Is it convenient for you to come over?"

Chi Shuo froze for a moment. "To your home?"

Going to Ye Shaoyang's door… to mark him? Could Chi Shuo do that? Wouldn't Ye Shaoyang's family beat him to death?

Ye Shaoyang seemed to guess at what was making Chi Shuo hesitate. He added, "Don't worry, there's no one at home. Just me and Xiao Bai. Captain Chi, if it's convenient for you, could you come over and give me a quick mark?"

Chi Shuo was absolutely speechless.

Could you come over and give me a quick mark?

It was very difficult to believe that this omega could say something like that.

Ye Shaoyang heard Chi Shuo's silence. He added, "If it isn't convenient, that's okay. My pheromone value is only 5.5 right now, it hasn't hit 6 yet. I can probably hold on for a few days. Captain Chi, whenever you have time, you can give me a call."

For omegas, losing control over their pheromones was a very uncomfortable thing. Chi Shuo couldn't help the softness that came over his heart when he heard how frail Ye Shaoyang sounded. His voice warmed up again as he said, "I'll come over right now. Send me your address."

After hanging up, Chi Shuo looked towards his parents and put on a very calm act. "Something came up. I'll head over to my grandfather's house later tonight."

Chi Shuo's mother gave him a dubious look. "What's so urgent that you absolutely have to go?"

Chi Shuo's father had a keenly penetrating look in his eye. He fixed his gaze on his son and asked, "Who called you just now? Why did I hear something about a mark? Are you dating someone?"

Chi Shuo's expression remained completely serious. "No. You heard wrong."

If he told his parents the truth, that he'd marked an omega and that he was going to that omega's house to mark him again, his parents probably wouldn't let him off the hook so easily. His mom would definitely make him bring that omega home to meet his parents.

…there was absolutely no way to explain this.

Chi Shuo coughed lightly and casually explained, "It was Fang Zhengqing. He's inviting me out to eat with him."

Both his parents showed him matching looks of doubt.

Chi Shuo added, "The five of us agreed to meet up for a New Year's meal. Xu Zhuo, Chen Qianhua, and Xie Yuan are all going to drive out too. We've already decided on a place. I'll eat with them, then head over to my grandfather's place."

Chi Shuo's mother smiled kindly and said, "Ah, I see. Then you go see your friends first. I'll tell your grandpa, and you just be sure to come tonight."

Chi Shuo nodded, then grabbed his car keys to head out the door.

It was only after he reached the garage that Chi Shuo released a sigh of relief. He slid into the driver's seat with a headache, then rubbed at his temples.

Shaoyang's situation was indeed very unique. He was allergic to suppressants, so for at least the next year, he would need to rely on Chi Shuo's temporary marks to suppress his pheromones.

The last mark had been given in October, and it was already January now. It really was about time to renew the temporary mark.

It was just that… the thought of doing such an intimate thing with Ye Shaoyang again was making Chi Shuo's heart beat wildly.

Chi Shuo started the car and swiftly drove out to Ye Shaoyang's place, where he rang the doorbell.

Ye Shaoyang answered the door in slippers.

Because his pheromones weren't very stable, his face was flushed with a red glow, and his eyes were clouded and dewy. He was covered in sweat that had soaked through his pajamas. His exposed collarbones had a shiny sheen to them, and beads of sweat clung to every inch of his fair skin.

Chi Shuo's breath caught in his throat—

An omega like this had way too much sex appeal. The sight of him was like a visual blow. Chi Shuo was instantly frozen in place.

Xiao Bai seemed to have sensed that its master was going through something abnormal. The kitty circled Ye Shaoyang's feet, meow-meowing nonstop.

Ye Shaoyang smiled. "Come in, Captain Chi."

Both his legs felt a little weak. He nearly tipped over and fell.

Chi Shuo instantly reached out a hand to support him. His voice was unexpectedly soft as he asked, "Do you feel very uncomfortable?"

Ye Shaoyang took a deep breath and clung tightly to Chi Shuo's forearms. "Pretty uncomfortable, yeah."

Chi Shuo's pheromones were refreshing, like young bamboo. To Ye Shaoyang, whose whole body was burning, Chi Shuo was extremely alluring right now. Ye Shaoyang was like a person who had been burning under the summer sun on a sandy beach all day, finally encountering a crystal clear stream of water.

Ye Shaoyang fiercely suppressed the urge to simply fall into Chi Shuo. He did his best to keep his composure as he said, "Sorry to trouble you, Captain Chi. I didn't get in the way of any of your plans, did I?"

"No, it's fine," Chi Shuo said.

He swiftly changed out of his outdoor shoes at the door, then followed Ye Shaoyang inside, closing the door behind himself along the way.

Ye Shaoyang had lost all his strength to the pheromones surging inside him. Even walking was a bit difficult for him. Chi Shuo saw that he was close to falling over again, so he simply reached out with both arms and lightly lifted Ye Shaoyang off his feet, carrying him to the couch in the living room.

Ye Shaoyang leaned back against the couch, rubbing at his swollen temples with his fingers. He hoarsely rasped, "I felt kind of off as soon as I woke up in the morning. When I checked my pheromone value, it had suddenly shot up. So I could only call Captain Chi. I'm really very sorry. It's the middle of the new year's break and all, and I still had to make you make a trip out here just for me."

Chi Shuo was silent.

What was he supposed to say?

No worries, I'm very happy to personally come to your door and provide you with a mark?

Just thinking of what was about to happen made Chi Shuo's ears burn uncontrollably. Even the tips of his ears were faintly red. He forced himself to suppress the fierce beating of his heart and quietly said, "Do you want me to mark you right now?"

Ye Shaoyang nodded and turned to expose the nape of his neck. "Thank you."

Chi Shuo was silent again.

There was no pheromone suppressing patch on Ye Shaoyang's nape now. That slender, pale nape was so defenselessly exposed. The whole room was full of the scent of the sweet pheromones from Ye Shaoyang's body. The familiar floral scent of sunflowers completely enveloped Chi Shuo.

Chi Shuo's heart beat more and more fiercely. He didn't have the heart to bite down in that moment.

From Chi Shuo's perspective, a temporary mark was even more intimate than kissing with tongue. An omega's glands were an extremely private thing. Biting down on a spot like that… every alpha and omega in an a/b/o world knew exactly what that meant.

The first time, in the isolation room at the hospital, Chi Shuo had had no time to think too much. He'd gone on with the thought that it was 'saving a patient' who was unwell.

But now, they were in Ye Shaoyang's home…

The warm-toned couch, the curtains… every detail about the place exuded a warm, soothing aura.

Ye Shaoyang was still wearing pajamas. A large swath of pale skin was exposed above his collar. Doing such an intimate thing in this environment—it felt like they were two people engaging in a torrid affair behind their parents' backs.

Chi Shuo was really having a very hard time treating this like it meant nothing.

Ye Shaoyang discovered that the alpha behind him wasn't moving. He curiously turned back and called out, "Captain Chi?"

It's already the second time. Shouldn't you be very familiar with this by now?

Chi Shuo met those moistened eyes. He felt like he had been punched in the gut. His ears instantly burned hotter and redder. His voice was even lower as he said, "You… really don't mind, being marked by me in your home?"

Ye Shaoyang thought, Why would I mind?

The first time is fresh and new, but the second time is just old news. So hurry up.

Ye Shaoyang smiled and said, "Captain Chi, don't you worry. This is a secret between the two of us. I haven't even told my family members. After you mark me, it'll be good for another three months. It's good timing, so that it won't interfere with our games."

He once again turned his back to Chi Shuo and lowered his head slightly. "Let's begin."

Chi Shuo could only hear the fierce, frantic beating of his own heart.

Based on his understanding, an omega would only be willing to be marked by an alpha who they trusted very, very much.

And asking an alpha to come into their home, to give them a temporary mark, was an even more intimate thing.

Marking an omega inside that omega's home was just one step away from climbing into bed together.

Chi Shuo felt a bit awkward, and also a little bit nervous.

He took in the sight of Ye Shaoyang with his back to him, with his head hanging low. Ye Shaoyang's whole posture exuded a sense of docile acceptance, like he was prepared for whatever may come.

Chi Shuo's heart faintly skipped a beat. He closed his eyes, then bit down once more on the omega's nape.

Author's Notes:

Captain Chi's second time is gone now too. ^_^

They'll only be able to rest easy and start playing tournament games after the mark is renewed.