Against the Algorithm

Chapter 48: Checkups and Consequences

Summary: As routines settle and the team thrives, a single notification resets the tempo, pulling everyone back into checkups, compromises, and a quiet reckoning of how far they've come. Beneath the teasing, purging, and dramatics, something steadier grows—small acts of care, trust worn like armor, and the soft, undeniable truth that no one stands alone anymore. Not in this house. Not in this team. Not when she's at the heart of it.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Over the course of the next month, the base found its rhythm—one defined by long training hours, unmatched team synergy, and quiet evenings laced with laughter, soft conversations, and, more often than not, two cats who treated the entire team like rowdy intruders in their home.

Yao poured herself into preparing for her dissertation defense. Her days were a careful balance between deep academic work—annotated journals spread across her desk, quiet study sessions where Da Bing rested behind her and Xiao Cong watched her notes like a second TA—and her regular role with ZGDX, reviewing data with Kwon, and sometimes quietly watching practice sets from her desk just a few feet from the boys.

And ZGDX?

Undefeated.

Not a single loss in their current season. Every match was executed with the kind of brutal precision that had fans raving, commentators praising, and rival teams growing increasingly nervous. Lao Mao and Lao K remained a seamless frontline, Pang's support skills sharper than ever, and Ming—solid, cool, dependable—proved why he was considered one of the strongest Midlaners in the league.

And then there was Sicheng.

Lu Sicheng was terrifyingly good, even by his own standards. Focused, unshakable, with plays that were as clean as they were aggressive. But what the others saw on stage—cold, calculating precision—was very different from what Yao saw at home. He was still intense, still competitive, but when the scrims ended and the base lights dimmed for the night, he was just hers. Her partner. Her quiet constant. Her quiet warmth. More often than not, his footsteps could be heard climbing the stairs late at night, slipping into her apartment with nothing more than a soft knock and a murmur of, "You awake?" And then he'd be beside her—sometimes just sitting on the couch reviewing match footage, sometimes in bed, arms wrapped around her, their breathing syncing with the soft purring of Da Bing curled at their feet and Xiao Cong nestled in the corner, ever watchful.

As the date of her defense crept closer, the base subtly adjusted to accommodate her. Training schedules were respected down to the minute so she could maintain her prep routine. Yue no longer shouted directly outside her apartment. Even Rui started placing protein-rich snacks on her desk without comment.

And Sicheng?

Sicheng never let her walk into a single day without making sure she'd eaten. And more importantly—he never let her forget that she wasn't alone. She had a team. She had her family. She had him. And all of them were ready to show the world exactly what ZGDX—and their Tiny Boss Bunny—were made of.

It was just past three in the afternoon, and the usual current of ZGDX energy pulsed through the base. Scrims had just wrapped for the day, snacks had begun to disappear from the kitchen at alarming rates, and the boys were scattered in varying stages of semi-productivity—Pang rifling through the fridge, Yue attempting to coax Da Bing into letting him sit on his couch, and Lao K trying to tune them all out with earbuds and iced coffee.

Lu Sicheng sat in his usual spot at the corner of the lounge, phone in hand, gaze drifting lazily across the room. That calm only lasted until his screen lit with a notification.