He had called out to Kori several times, but Kori didn’t respond, just staring at him in a daze.
Although the words were on his lips, Yan Chuan could see Kori gripping the brim of his hat tightly, so he tactfully decided not to ask. Perhaps Kori was just nervous about the upcoming competition; after all, many people in the live broadcast were waiting to see if he would win, so feeling anxious was normal.
During the wait for the elevator, Yan Chuan asked a few questions related to the competition, wishing him success. Kori, as expected, muttered a shy “thank you” in a stammering manner.
Yan Chuan took the seat that Kori had pointed out to him.
The seat was quite close, in the first row, allowing him to see the contestants on stage clearly.
By this time, the audience had gathered quite a bit; there were fans there to watch and staff members maintaining order. Kori had brought him in through the employee passage, and although it was low-key, it attracted a fair amount of attention.
Kori was tall and stood out among the crowd. Although those following him wore masks, their beautiful eyes gave away their good looks, drawing notice.
Kori turned back to say something to him, and he simply nodded and sat down obediently.
Yan Chuan was not intending to be ostentatious; he pulled his mask up high, exposing only his eyes, and quietly sat in his seat without moving.
He still felt a bit afraid of being recognized, keeping his head down and not speaking. If someone talked to him, he’d just respond awkwardly.
This continued until the competition began.
The audience seats were full, and Yan Chuan mixed among the crowd, watching the match.
Kori’s team was facing another well-known team, as evidenced by the banners brought in from the audience section.
Yan Chuan didn’t know much about them but could roughly judge that the battle was intense.
In front of him, Kori showed a slightly dazed expression, his face serious, with the dim blue light of the screen reflected in his eyes as he methodically arranged strategies and team member roles.
The teammates were familiar voices he had interacted with before; Yan Chuan could also connect names with faces while he observed.
For instance, the enthusiastic Lian Zhan was on Kori’s left side, while a handsome guy with a cold face on the right was the one known as “A” in the live chat, someone he had played several games with.
The competition took quite some time, totaling six matches in the afternoon.
To everyone’s surprise, Kori’s team emerged victorious.
Yan Chuan heard the cheers from the audience, standing up to applaud along with them.
He wasn’t sure if Kori could see him, but he smiled in the direction of his teammate.
A staff member came down from the stage and leaned in front of Yan Chuan to say a few words, implying that Kori wanted him to go to the employee passage as the area was too crowded.
Yan Chuan followed.
With so many people below, he could occasionally hear someone asking for his name and contact information, and he felt a few stares directed at him. Trying to find a corner to escape proved impossible amid the crowd.
All he wanted was to leave quickly.
After waiting in the staff lounge for about ten minutes, Kori and his teammates finally came out.
Kori pushed the door open, followed by a group of tall men.
They were teammates Yan Chuan recognized well.
Suddenly, the lounge was crowded with a bunch of people, making the already limited space feel even more constricted.
“Did you finish…?” Feeling awkward under their gaze, Yan Chuan stood up, instinctively straightening the hem of his dress.
Kori nodded, taking quick steps to come in front of him, his tone excited as he leaned closer and said, “We won!”
His cheeks were a bit flushed, likely from being congratulated by others, and the effort of making his way through the crowd.
Yan Chuan was happy for him as well, pursing his lips and nodding, “Yeah, you’re amazing.”
However, unexpectedly, Kori picked him up in a way that he could wrap his arms around his waist.
Being tall and strong, he easily scooped Yan Chuan into his arms.
Yan Chuan felt his world tilt, faces blurring in front of him.
Suddenly suspended in the air, he felt a bit dizzy and couldn’t help but grip Kori’s sleeve tightly, “Put me down…”
But Kori was too excited to hear Yan Chuan, spinning him around several times while chanting, “We won!”
His teammates were equally lively, surrounding Yan Chuan to celebrate.
Countless hands reached out, almost everyone wanting to pick him up. He wasn’t even aware of when his dress had been pushed up slightly, revealing a bit of his somewhat plump, fair skin.
Poor Yan Chuan, a slender little streamer, was being tossed around among these tall, muscular men.
The short hem flared up chaotically, his pale, soft legs were held tightly by rough hands, which pressed into his skin, marking it slightly.
His legs were slim, and his calves were round and cute, resting against the men’s arms, rubbed by their coarse clothing.
In the chaos, someone’s hand brushed under his short dress, subtly grazing against his hidden curves.
Or perhaps it was intentional; after all, during a celebratory moment, no one would really pay attention to who might have rather impolitely touched the beautiful little streamer.
“Why are you taking advantage of my wife just because you won the match!”
“I bet someone definitely took the chance to touch the little lady’s behind during the chaos! How disgusting!”
“Seriously, after winning, the only thing on your mind is this kind of filthy stuff! Let’s do it more!”
“I want to touch her too, just a little.”
“Let me down…” Yan Chuan felt a clear touch on his lower back, the soft curve being squished a bit. “I want to get down…”
His cheeks turned red, his face flushed a pretty pink, and his earlobes felt like they could bleed from embarrassment.
Raising his voice, Kori seemed to finally calm down and set him down, awkwardly saying, “Sorry…”
Yan Chuan turned his face away from him, not wanting to look.
Of course, he didn’t want to look at anyone else in the room either.
Lian Zhan stepped forward to ease the atmosphere; first, he criticized Kori for his rude action, apologizing on his behalf, then added, “Sorry, we were too forward.”