Chapter 57
Translator’s Note: Hi everyone, here is the new chapter. Enjoy the drama!
The draw ceremony involved each captain going on stage, with multiple cameras broadcasting the entire process live, completely transparent and open.
KW and WOF teams often scheduled training matches, but the two captains weren’t very familiar due to their personalities. Usually, when Duan Mingyue and Yue Fengling met, at most they would nod, considering it a greeting.
But today, Duan Mingyue didn’t know what wrong medicine he took. When meeting Yue Fengling, he asked teasingly, “Captain Yue, how is your cousin recently?”
Yue Fengling already knew about Shen Yanjin getting into the team as he wished—honestly, the matter was so explosive he couldn’t not know even if he wanted to. He glanced at Duan Mingyue and said indifferently, “Quite well, thanks for asking.”
Duan Mingyue laughed even more happily.
Passersby beside them who didn’t know the truth felt their hearts itching. Captain Yue’s cousin? Isn’t that the internet celebrity support UOOW who was originally internally decided to join KW? Heard she reneged later, so KW found Sliver to fill the spot. Logically, Duan Mingyue shouldn’t have a good face for this woman who disrupted the team’s plan, so why does he seem quite happy mentioning her?
But they didn’t dare ask, holding it in uncomfortably.
KW Base, brightly lit.
Shen Yanjin sat at his station, eating while watching the draw ceremony livestream.
These days he had been persisting in training. At the same time, he hadn’t missed a single session of hand exercises and massages ordered by the doctor. But age was there; many operational details inevitably regressed.
To ensure his form, he carefully studied the version trends and came up with several unconventional strategies. Before in HG, he could only fumble around blindly alone, but it was different in KW. Coincidentally, Mao Qiude was also a coach who liked researching these “crooked paths.” The two hit it off instantly, gathering to study tactics whenever they were free.
Shen Yanjin originally thought this was nothing, all normal.
Unexpectedly, when he looked for Mao Qiude as usual yesterday, Lu Yuan suddenly turned her head and asked in a pitiful tone, “Are you in such a rush to steal my starter position?”
She was so “tea” (manipulative/green tea bitch) that Shen Yanjin’s brows knitted uncontrollably.
He glanced at Lu Yuan’s computer screen; sure enough, she was streaming. It wasn’t hard to imagine what kind of deep water and scorching fire his already messy public opinion environment had been dragged into by this wave of operation.
Shen Yanjin had long been mentally prepared for Lu Yuan making things difficult after joining the team. Plus, having the rich experience of UOOW pretending to be a woman and frantically acting “green tea” toward others, he said calmly, “You’re overthinking. As for the starter position, I just want to do my best to help the team. However, if you mind it very much, I can not do it.”
If Lu Yuan hadn’t been streaming, she probably would have rudely retorted, “Fine, then don’t do it.”
But she was streaming, and Shen Yanjin had brought up the team. To maintain her image, Lu Yuan had to swallow her broken teeth and replied, “No, how could I mind something good for the team?”
Kai, watching the drama from the side, was dumbfounded. Holy crap, Lu Yuan actually got out-tea’d by a man!
Huge.
This led to him casting admiring looks whenever he saw Shen Yanjin now, even harboring some intention to learn.
Unfortunately, Kai had the heart to learn, but Shen Yanjin had no heart to teach. In fact, after joining the team, aside from Duan Mingyue and Mao Qiude, he had almost no interaction with the others.
Seeing Shen Yanjin lying at the computer desk eating deliciously while watching the draw ceremony, Kai lightened his steps and walked behind him. The young man was still staring intently at the screen, not noticing his approach at all.
The preseason used a round-robin format. Simply put, no matter how you drew, it only changed the order; every team you had to play would be played. So in recent years, this draw ceremony was more like a warm-up event, a formality. Insiders basically didn’t watch the process, only checking the order after the results came out to know who to play next.
Shen Yanjin didn’t notice someone standing silently behind him at all. On the screen, it happened to be Duan Mingyue’s turn to appear. This was a rare chance for RedMoon fans to feast their eyes outside of matches.
Now, although Shen Yanjin nominally had his own dorm room, in reality, he entered Duan Mingyue’s door every night. Even though they shared a bed every day, Shen Yanjin seemed unable to get enough of looking at the man. Seeing Duan Mingyue on the screen at this moment, his eyes lit up, and he even sat up a bit straighter.
From the moment Duan Mingyue’s face appeared on the screen, the bullet comments next to the stream went crazy scrolling up. Shen Yanjin watched the fans’ screams and confessions, a vague sense of indescribable superiority rising in his heart.
Look, the moon in the sky that you all flock to but cannot obtain is actually my boyfriend. He coaxes me, hugs me, kisses me, and likes only me.
Whenever he thought of this point, Shen Yanjin felt an unreal sense of being in a dream. He unconsciously touched his collarbone. Duan Mingyue’s tooth mark still remained there. Every morning after kissing, Duan Mingyue would leave a mark here; it had almost become a habit of the man.
No good. Thinking of this, Shen Yanjin really wanted to hear Duan Mingyue’s voice.
Just as he was secretly figuring out when to sneak out to call his boyfriend, an awkward dry cough suddenly came from behind.
Shen Yanjin turned back quickly, the embarrassment of being caught flashing across his face. “…Kai?”
Kai remembered Sliver’s behavior of staring obsessively at his captain’s face and touching his neck just now, and felt weird inside too. However, he didn’t take it to heart too much and asked, “After you finish eating, want to duo queue? Didn’t you discuss a Mid-Support mutual support strategy with Coach Mao last time? Let’s try it?”
Shen Yanjin was somewhat surprised.
He didn’t communicate with people partly because he was indeed a bit shy with strangers, and having stayed in HG for too long, he had long lost expectations for teammates.
Partly because Shen Yanjin was quite self-aware, knowing his joining had plunged KW’s public opinion into deep water.
Receiving Kai’s invitation now gave Shen Yanjin a feeling of being accepted and recognized. He nodded and even smiled at Kai.
Just then, the first draw result came out.
Shen Yanjin and Kai looked at the paper scroll in Duan Mingyue’s hand on the screen together. After it opened, both said simultaneously.
“It’s actually TWG.”
S9 Spring Season opener, KW versus TWG. One side just won the world championship; the other was also a deep-rooted veteran powerhouse.
TWG’s edge wasn’t as sharp as KW’s, and their results weren’t as outstanding, but they won on stability. Their worst result at Worlds was Top 8, and their ranking maintained among the world’s elite.
The players of the two teams had good relationships and often scheduled training matches privately, but fans often adopted an attitude of irreconcilable enemies, insisting on distinguishing high and low after every match.
Kai lamented it being TWG partly because of this—the rhythm was too big. After every match, win or lose, the livestream chat would turn into a brawl, chaos everywhere.
But Shen Yanjin lamented it being TWG mostly because he remembered the relationship between Shi Feng and Aiai seemed to be getting worse recently. Wonder how they handled it in the end? Swapped in a substitute support?
Shen Yanjin wanted to search if there was relevant info, but thinking Kai was still standing beside him, he held back. He lowered his head, quickly shoveled two mouthfuls of rice, and stood up. “I’m done. Wait a moment.”
“Sure, no rush.” Kai was a very gossip-loving person himself, though he didn’t have a loose tongue and wouldn’t blab everywhere; most of the time he just wanted to satisfy his own curiosity.
He had heard about TWG’s internal affairs. Although rare in their KW team, in reality, version changes bringing personnel changes was honestly a very common thing.
Just didn’t expect it to affect old partners like Shi Feng and Aiai. Kai remembered that last time during the training match with TWG, Shi Feng was rarely absent, causing their captain to leave directly, letting him, Tans, and Song Yuan taste the sour experience of being roamed on by the Jungle-Support duo across three lanes.
He vaguely remembered Shi Feng often played duo queue with Sliver, so his heart itched a bit. He wanted to ask Shen Yanjin if he knew anything, but suffered from their relationship not being close, not knowing how to start.
When Shen Yanjin returned to the training room after putting away his bowl and chopsticks, he met Kai’s bitter and resentful face.
He paused. “Queue now?”
Kai snapped back. “Ah, ready? You log on, I’ll add you.”
Shen Yanjin gave an “En.”
The two added each other and pulled up a voice channel. Before they could queue, Mi Yonghui walked in like the wind.
He saw Shen Yanjin’s game interface and pointed at the microphone.
Shen Yanjin didn’t understand Mi Yonghui’s pantomime for a moment, looking confused. Kai reminded him in the headset, “Manager is asking if you are streaming.”
Shen Yanjin adjusted his headset. “Not streaming.”
“That’s good,” Mi Yonghui said. “I have to go to a meeting now. Coming over to tell you, the new official announcement is out. Remember to go on Weibo and repost it. That’s all.”
Finished, without even waiting for a reply, he turned around and walked out like the wind again.
Kai lamented, “Since returning to the country, Manager Mi has become so busy. Is it my illusion? Feel like he has lost a lot of hair.”
Saying that, he picked up his phone, planning to support the new teammate under the official announcement.
The photo released by the official Weibo was taken by Shen Yanjin at headquarters two days ago. In the photo, the young man sat on a chair, slightly long hair messy, chin raised, looking at the camera with lazy eyes, slightly disdainful. Sunlight hit from the left, highlighting his red lips and white teeth; quite good-looking.
The post was made ten minutes ago, but comments had already exceeded five thousand.
Kai was prepared for the comments section to be a smoky mess, but when he clicked in—
Top comment:
[@TWG-Wind: Willing to bet, willing to admit defeat. @Sliver, Dad!]
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