Chapter 1125 OPENING CEREMONY (II)

SHEN JI YUN put his hand in the silver basin, completely submerging it on the golden liquid. He felt round objects inside, probably the size of a tennis ball. He didn't think much and just pulled the first one that he grasped.

He looked at the small ball that he took out of the basin. His other team mates also gathered around him to see it. The ball had something written on it - 2A.

"2A? What does that mean?" Bai Ze asked on the side.

As if to answer his question, the Duke of Spades spoke, "The number represents the team you will face in the top 16 match, and the letter represents the block you will be in. There will be four blocks: A, B, C, and D. Each block will have four teams, numbered either 1 or 2. Teams with the same number and block letter will be opponents in the top 16 match."

After he spoke, he snapped his fingers, and the 16 cubes containing the teams began to move. They gradually formed four groups around the center stage. In each group, the four cubes merged together to form a large square.

"The teams in each large square belong to the same block," the Duke of Spades announced. "In the next match, you'll face the team either to your right or to your left."

The teams standing on the large squares looked to their right if they were on the left side, and to their left if they were on the right side.

Of course, team Yunyue also did the same. Since they were standing on the left, they looked to their right. The other team also did the same. And so their gazes collided.

It was a team composed of female players. A pretty well-known team that ranked among the top four in last year's Arcadia Cup. This team was none other than team Siren.

Some of the members of the two teams that were now facing each other showed a complicated expression.

Bai Ze because the first one he saw when he turned his head was Xia Li. He had almost forgotten that she was also part of team Siren. Xia Li wasn't a regular member of the main team that competed in the Arcadia Cup matches. Moreover, whenever they hung out together, she had never openly talked about team Siren. So, her being part of that team was almost like a forgotten information to him.

Xia Li also just happened to look at Bai Ze when she turned to that side. But unlike Bai Ze's complicated feelings, she didn't think much and even smiled at him.

After seeing that smile, Bai Ze was stunned for a moment, but then ended up chuckling. He suddenly felt refreshed. Knowing Xia Li, the other probably didn't think that their teams fighting each other was a big deal. Which meant that even if team Yunyue won, she wouldn't hold a grudge against him or his team.

Bai Ze was truly relieved by that fact.

Wait- why was he relieved?

The answer seemed to be just at the corner of his mind, quietly blaring, just waiting to be noticed. But the owner of the brain seemed to not be so bright when it came to certain things. So, this 'answer' would have to wait for a bit longer before it could be discovered.

The one with the most complicated feelings right now was probably the captain of Team Siren, Zhu Lian. She had already resigned herself to the fact that her feelings for Shen Ji Yun wouldn't go anywhere. Despite her efforts to move on, would it be that easy? Of course not.

She had been so set on Shen Ji Yun that he even followed the other to the same university. She even made this team, thinking that one day he would finally notice her. But years passed, and it never happened. Though most of it was her own fault.

She just couldn't be honest with her feelings whenever she's around Shen Ji Yun. Instead of showing how much she liked him, she would say the most annoying thing and would act like she hated him. It's no wonder that she didn't stand a chance.

Although she wanted to just erase these feelings, she couldn't do it with just a snap of her fingers. She wished she could, though. Then she wouldn't feel so overwhelmed to the point of crying by just seeing or hearing anything about Shen Ji Yun.

Thankfully, it had gotten better in the past few months. Once she accepted the fact that her feelings would remain unrequited, she finally allowed herself a chance to move on. And she was slowly, but surely, getting there.

As evidence of the fact that even though Shen Ji Yun was just a few steps away, she no longer felt that heart-wrenching feeling that she always felt whenever he was closed by.

A smile finally appeared on her face. At least now, she knew that she's making progress.

Her team members, however, interpreted her smile differently. They believed she was forcing herself to smile to hide how much she was affected by YUN. They still remembered how their captain had cried because of that guy. Most of the members of team Siren glared in the direction of YUN, with Zhu Jingyi - Zhu Lian's sister - glaring the fiercest.

They would definitely beat this guy up and win over team Yunyue!

Shen Ji Yun felt that the members of team Siren seemed to be looking at him quite intensely. Were they showing their fighting spirit? He did not avoid their gazes and stared back. Team Yunyue would definitely not lose.

Luo Yan watched all of this unfold in front of him. He didn't know whether to be amused or slightly annoyed. His gaze fell on the captain of team Siren. During their encounter at Yuexing Pavilion, he had already suspected that she had feelings for Shen Ji Yun. Seeing as how her team members were giving Shen Ji Yun death glares, his guess was probably right.

As he pondered what to do about this, he suddenly felt a piercing gaze fixed on him.