The Esports Big Shot Wants to Cuddle His New Teammate Every Day chapter 16

Chapter 16

As the victory settlement screen popped up, Xu Ziyan’s tense nerves finally relaxed completely. He let out a long breath and flexed his hands, realizing his right palm, which had been gripping the mouse, was slick with sweat.

In the voice channel, his teammates said their goodbyes and left one after another. Soon, Xie Wei’s ID, Shining, also turned grey. Xu Ziyan hovered his mouse cursor over the name, hesitating again and again, but in the end, he didn’t click the “Add Friend” button.

He leaned back in his chair and stretched. Glancing to the side, he saw Yuan Shaofeng noisily commanding his teammates to rush Point A with him. Meng Cang followed silently behind him, while Bai Ke was solo queuing; judging by his screen, he was crouching in some bushes, waiting to ambush someone.

This was the TWG Second String training room. Upstairs was the First String training room, where Xie Wei was.

I really want to see Xie Wei.

He wanted to be closer to him, wanted to smell the pheromones on him, wanted to be held by him.

The yearning heart stirred restlessly within his chest, almost screaming to burst out. Xu Ziyan realized something was wrong. He hastily suppressed the restless emotions, hurriedly pulled open a drawer, grabbed an item to hide in his palm, and ran out of the training room in a rush.

He accidentally bumped into a chair on his way out. Hearing the commotion, Yuan Shaofeng turned his head and muttered strangely, “What’s wrong with Ice? Did he eat something bad? He’s in such a rush.”

Hearing this, Bai Ke twitched the corner of his mouth, giving a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “None of your business. Stop worrying blindly.”

Of course, Xu Ziyan hadn’t eaten anything bad.

Ducking into a stall, he locked the door, tore open the package hidden in his palm, and frantically reached behind his neck. He ripped off the old scent patch and replaced it with the fresh one.

Only when the cooling sensation of the new patch calmed his feverish brain did Xu Ziyan finally breathe a sigh of relief and let out a bitter laugh.

It was his first time being marked, and he had been staying up late repeatedly for the new version update. His body was exhausted, so naturally, a marked body would crave the Alpha’s soothing.

However, going to find Xie Wei for something like this was out of the question. His favorability rating with Xie Wei was already low enough; Xu Ziyan certainly hoped to get closer to Xie Wei, but absolutely not in this way.

That kind of accident happening once was enough.

Xu Ziyan exhaled, stood up, splashed cold water on his face, and returned to the training room to continue queuing for ranked matches.

A few days later, Lu Donglou walked into the training room and briefly went over the schedule for the afternoon training match. The Medic position was, as expected, Xu Ziyan.

Although it hadn’t been formally announced yet, the roster for the training matches said it all: once the new season started, Xu Ziyan would be the official Medic for TWG’s Second String.

“…There is one more thing.” Lu Donglou closed the data analysis notebook in his hand. “The new Newcomer Cup is about to start.”

Unlike newcomer tournaments for other games, the Resist Newcomer Cup wasn’t organized by streaming platforms but by the official developers. Consequently, the traffic and attention it received were very high. Many of today’s highly anticipated star players had made their debut in the Newcomer Cup.

However, the format of the Newcomer Cup was unique. While the top-tier leagues were all 4v4, the Newcomer Cup was a strict 1v1. Therefore, Snipers and Medics, who weren’t suited for close-range shootouts, weren’t popular picks for the tournament. Most participants were Assaulters.

Yuan Shaofeng, assuming it was about him, looked blank. “Huh? Our second string doesn’t have a new Assaulter. Could it be me? That’s not right, how long have I been debuted? I wouldn’t fit the rules…”

Lu Donglou couldn’t bear to look at him. “It’s not you.”

“Then who is it?” Bai Ke poked his head out from behind his screen. While his mouth asked the question, his eyes were already looking toward the other side of the training room.

Xu Ziyan sat in his seat. Turning his head, he met Bai Ke’s gaze.

The personality of this second-string Sniper was quite eccentric. His intuition was terrifyingly accurate, and his eyes were sharp. Being looked at by him felt like being seen right through—an indescribably strange feeling.

Just as Xu Ziyan showed a puzzled expression and looked back, he heard Lu Donglou finish his sentence.

“The candidate from TWG entering the Newcomer Cup this year is Ice, Xu Ziyan.”

Xu Ziyan was stunned. The Newcomer Cup wasn’t a massive event, but it certainly wasn’t small either. Given the opportunity, it would be great to let a potential Assaulter from the team show their skills and get used to the competition rhythm. But now, they chose him, a Medic? Why would they choose him?

He looked at Bai Ke again, only to see the Beta youth curling his lips into a smile at him.

It seemed he had anticipated this result.

Xu Ziyan felt strange but couldn’t pinpoint why, so he simply returned a smile.

Lu Donglou didn’t notice the brief eye contact between them and continued, “Ice, come to the coaches’ office after the training match. I’ll talk to you about the tournament schedule.”

Xu Ziyan nodded.

Having delivered the message, Lu Donglou waved his hand and let them resume self-training.

Xu Ziyan returned to the game interface and clicked the queue button. While waiting, a message lit up in the bottom right corner.

He clicked it open.

[KK: Ice, tell me the truth.]

[KK: Do you know someone inside the team?]

This was phrased very subtly and with high emotional intelligence.

Put more bluntly, it would be: Ice, did you get in through the back door?

Xu Ziyan remembered his agreement with Xie Wei and decided to play dumb to the end. To avoid making mistakes by saying too much, he cautiously sent back a question mark.

Bai Ke seemed to sense his defensiveness and explained further.

[KK: You misunderstand, I’m not questioning your skill or anything. Everyone in the team has seen your performance, there’s no doubt about that.]

[KK: My meaning is simple. I just want to ask if you know someone in the team, that’s all.]

Xu Ziyan didn’t let his guard down and replied perfunctorily.

[Ice: I don’t.]

[Ice: You’re overthinking it.]

Bai Ke saw his determination to keep his mouth shut and tactfully didn’t press further.

In the afternoon, after the training match, Xu Ziyan went to the coaches’ office as instructed.

To his surprise, the person sitting in the office wasn’t just Lu Donglou, but also the head coach of the First String, Yu Guangzhou.

Xu Ziyan couldn’t hide his surprise. “Co-Coach, hello.”

Lu Donglou smiled and gestured for him to sit. “This is Coach Yu Guangzhou, the head coach of TWG’s main team. He’s in charge of the selection for the Newcomer Cup, so it’s perfect for him to explain the rules to you.”

Xu Ziyan nodded blankly and sat down as told.

Yu Guangzhou took a sip of tea and quietly appraised the young man before him.

Even with a critical eye, the Omega before him could be called a beauty. A tall and slender figure, fair skin, long legs, and a pair of eyes that were lively and captivating. His lips were full, and the corners curled up slightly, making him look gentle and amiable even when he wasn’t smiling. From his demeanor to his speech, he seemed well-mannered. The whole person had an indescribable temperament that made one feel comfortable.

He really is a pretty good kid.

With Xie Wei… they actually make a good match.

No, no, what am I thinking? What is this feeling of a parent sneaking over to check on their child’s partner?

Yu Guangzhou cleared his throat lightly and put down the teacup.

Looking at the person was one thing, but business still had to be done properly. He briefly explained the format of the Newcomer Cup, sent Xu Ziyan a group chat number, and discussed the process for 1v1 training matches.

The Newcomer Cup was an opportunity, but also a pressure. Once participating, one carried the team’s reputation. Xu Ziyan was a Medic, so his usual training methods were completely different from the direction needed for 1v1s. Consequently, his training load would double.

Xu Ziyan listened to Yu Guangzhou while silently planning in his heart. At the same time, he felt a bit uncertain: Can I really do this well?

After explaining the schedule, Yu Guangzhou picked up his teacup, took another sip of water, looked at the Omega in front of him, and finally couldn’t resist voicing the probe he had been harboring for a long time.

“Are you curious why we chose you to participate in the Newcomer Cup?”

Xu Ziyan wasn’t sure of Yu Guangzhou’s intention in asking this and nodded hesitantly. “Yes… looking at it from a results perspective, choosing an Assaulter would probably be better.”

“Our team doesn’t lack that bit of honor. The main point is to give newcomers a chance and space to train. It’s been a long time since a newcomer Medic appeared in this competition, so it’s also to give the audience something fresh,” Yu Guangzhou said with a smile. “Of course, these are secondary reasons.”

“The main reason is that someone recommended you to me, and I trust this person’s judgment. Plus, your recent performance in ranked matches has indeed been eye-catching.”

Someone?

Who?

Someone who can talk to the head coach and recommend candidates for competition…

A name leapt to his mind.

Xu Ziyan’s eyes widened, and his heartbeat suddenly accelerated. His hands hanging by his sides clenched unconsciously as he looked up at Yu Guangzhou. “Is this person…”

Yu Guangzhou observed his expression and said with a smile, “It’s Shining, Xie Wei.”

Thump—

It felt as if fireworks had exploded in his mind, dazzling Xu Ziyan to the point of dizziness. He stood up abruptly, then realizing it was inappropriate, hurriedly sat back down. He tried desperately to hide his joy and surprise, but it was beyond his control.

Xie Wei recommended me. Does this mean he doesn’t hate me and has been paying attention to me?

The heat that had been suppressed at the back of his neck surged up again. Xu Ziyan desperately maintained his last shred of composure. “Thank you, Coach. I will definitely work hard!”

Seeing him like this, Yu Guangzhou and Lu Donglou exchanged a glance, both understanding the situation.

Yu Guangzhou laughed. “Alright, alright. Working hard is necessary, but don’t neglect rest. Go back and train.”

Xu Ziyan nodded vigorously.

Walking out of the coaches’ office into the corridor, he touched his face; it was already burning hot.

This wasn’t just because of excitement, but also because of the agitation of his pheromones.

He was starting to want to see Xie Wei again.

I need to hurry and change the scent patch…

Meanwhile, in the First String training room.

The training match ended. Xie Wei returned to his seat, looked around, then suddenly frowned and turned to ask Shen Xiao at the next station, “Where’s the coach?”

“Old Yu?” Shen Xiao was in the habit of wearing only one side of his headphones when not gaming. “I think he ran over to the second string’s side.”

“Second string?”

Xie Wei’s brow furrowed, then he thought of Yu Guangzhou’s weird behavior yesterday when he recommended Xu Ziyan.

…That guy didn’t run over to find Xu Ziyan, did he?!

Yu Guangzhou had spent too much time with the manager, Jiang Yuxin, and had become a gossip too. Since TWG was a team that didn’t restrict internal dating as long as it didn’t affect matches, if there was any hint of something between anyone in the team, Yu Guangzhou would definitely crowd in to eat the melon (gossip).

If Yu Guangzhou thought there was something going on between him and Xu Ziyan, he would absolutely go knocking on the door to watch the show!

Shen Xiao glanced at the time, preparing to start his stream to pad his hours. Before starting, he asked the superstar next to him as usual, “Hey, Captain Xie, want to duo?”

Turning his head, he discovered that Xie Wei, who had just sat down, stood up again and was walking out.

Shen Xiao was stunned. “Hey, hey, hey, where are you going?”

Xie Wei ignored him completely and walked straight out of the training room, heading downstairs.