Chapter 68: He Really Can’t Read Him. The Coach Really Thinks He’s an Old Man…
Inventing a friend was bound to lead to trouble.
Zuo Chi didn’t immediately understand why Ning Luzhao would bring up something from so long ago at a time like this.
But he sensed something unusual in the other’s burning gaze—exactly what it was, he couldn’t say. His intuition told him he couldn’t lie this time.
Determined to tell the truth, he relaxed a bit. The hand pinching Ning Luzhao’s cheek let go and looped around the other’s neck, pulling him in, just like the way Fugui usually slung an arm around their shoulders. “Land, tell me, how is our relationship now?”
After months of getting along, we’re not what we used to be, right? So if I tell you in a bit that I was lying to you that time, you shouldn’t get angry, right?
He was mentally drafting his speech when he caught a flash of panic on Ning Luzhao’s face.
The other’s neck was a bit cool, perhaps from the air conditioning, but the hair at his temples was slightly damp with sweat.
After waiting for two seconds without a reply, the atmosphere grew awkward.
Could it be he was being too presumptuous? In Ning Luzhao’s eyes, were they just ordinary colleagues and not “best brothers”? At the very least, had they not reached the level where one could laugh off a lie?
Zuo Chi’s ear tips burned. What now? But… he was currently hooking the guy’s neck in a “bro” fashion; it was a bit hard to back down.
“…I said before, I go wherever Coach goes. This question—”
“So we have a good relationship, right?”
Ning Luzhao’s prominent Adam’s apple bobbed. “Mm.”
“You scared the life out of me. Can you answer a bit faster? I thought…” Zuo Chi grabbed the water cup nearby and took two gulps. “Don’t be angry about what I’m about to say, okay?”
“Okay.”
“It’s basically that… the time I got drunk, I told you I mistook you for an old friend and that’s why I was… touching you… I was lying.”
He spoke as fast as he could, afraid he wouldn’t have the nerve to continue.
“It was mostly because it was too embarrassing. I felt that if I didn’t find a plausible excuse… you’d see me as some drunkard who randomly went wild… and maybe even a bit of a creep… Sorry, actually…”
Actually, I’m just a drunkard who randomly goes wild.
He really couldn’t bring himself to say the last half.
He could only repeat himself, “Sorry… actually, I don’t have any friend who looks like you.”
The lounge fell into silence once more. The arena was almost empty now, probably leaving only them and the cleaning staff.
The staff members were mostly tidying up the spectator stands right now. The backstage was so quiet that the ticking of the clock in the room sounded a bit loud.
When Zuo Chi explained, he kept his eyelashes lowered, not daring to look at Ning Luzhao’s face. After he finished, two seconds passed. “…Are you angry?”
“No.”
The tone sounded very upbeat.
Yes, upbeat.
Zuo Chi rubbed his ears in disbelief, suspecting he was having some sort of hallucination. He stole a glance at Ning Luzhao.
The corners of the other’s eyes were turned up. His handsome, sharp features actually looked very gentle when he smiled.
“I’m not, Coach. I’m… actually quite happy.”
He was stunned. First stunned, then confused, then nervous. “You aren’t being sarcastic, are you?”
“…No.”
“Then have you been possessed?”
“What?”
“Nothing, nothing…” Zuo Chi muttered in a low voice. “I really can’t read the psychology of young people today.”
“Coach is only four years older than me. Do you really think of yourself as an ‘old person’ like Manager Li?”
Zuo Chi: “…”
“Give me one reason not to go and tell Manager Li that you called him an old person.”
Playing a match was actually a very energy-consuming task for players. It required complete focus, keeping the nerves high-strung, and a heart rate maintained above 120 beats per minute.
Especially in a major match like today.
After consuming so much energy, people would look a bit “raw.” Of course, Ning Luzhao was the type who would keep his clothes and hair perfectly neat when out, so even though one could see a hint of fatigue in his eyes, he didn’t look raw.
Instead, he gave off a feeling that made one want to rub the top of his head and give him a gentle pat.
With this feeling as a catalyst, the lethality of the other party saying “Coach, don’t go and tell on me” in a low voice increased exponentially.
Zuo Chi admitted defeat. “Fine, fine, fine, I was just teasing you. It’s getting late. Let’s finish up and hurry back to the hotel… I didn’t feel it before, but now I’m a bit hungry. Let’s see what takeout we can order when we get back.”
“Okay. Coach, check if everything is in the bag. Are we missing anything? I’ll go throw out the trash.”
“OK.”
Zuo Chi opened the peripheral bag and checked the items one by one. Ning Luzhao carried two trash bags out. He had just opened the lounge door when a staff member with a mop and bucket was about to push the door in. Seeing them, he quickly greeted them, “Coach Zuo, Land, you haven’t left yet?”
“The cubs made such a mess of the lounge; we figured we’d tidy up before leaving.”
As soon as the staff member walked in and saw that the tables and floor were spotlessly clean, his smile became even more enthusiastic.
“Aww, Coach Zuo, you’re far too polite. I don’t even need to clean now—unlike the KVG lounge next door. There are f*cking broken glass shards on the floor; I almost stepped on them. The difference between people is really bigger than the difference between humans and dogs!”
While the staff member was venting about KVG leaving a floor of wreckage, a video of the two KVG imports slapping the phones out of fans’ hands as they left the arena was spreading like wildfire online.
After the match ended, the Korean twins had left directly without waiting for their teammates or coach.
On the way out, some fans who had come to watch the match live surrounded them to take photos. After the twins cursed a few times in Korean and the fans didn’t leave, they directly reached out and slapped several fans’ phones to the ground before storming off.
The video was posted by a fan who was so angry they turned from a fan into a hater on the spot.
[Clean-swept by VEX, solo-killed in their lane, and they have nowhere to vent so they take it out on the fans? Truly little Xibas; their hearts are the size of a needle tip.]
[You smash someone’s phone and then just roll out without paying? Is KVG still going to protect these two ‘Import Princes’?]
[I’m a staff member at the semifinals today. The KVG lounge is covered in broken cup shards. They left without cleaning up or giving a warning. Their character is hard to evaluate.]
[Smashing cups because they lost to VEX… considering it’s those two idiot imports, that’s actually normal.]
[Look at how much class VEX has. They didn’t say a single word about KVG in the post-match interview, while KVG can’t even afford to lose. Hilarious.]
[That’s not all. Before the match, the two imports said they were only second-rate players in H-Country and came to Hua Country because the competition was lower and the money was easier to make. Their arrogance reached the sky. As it turns out, heh.]
[KVG, get out of the Arena Professional League!!! Violent imports, get out of the Hua Country region!!!]
The outcry online was massive, and all of the Korean twins’ previous scandals were dragged out and scrutinized again. Some resourceful netizens even made a chart detailing every disgusting thing the twins had done and KVG’s ultimate, lackluster punishments.
The hot search stayed up for two hours, and the heat continued to grow until KVG could no longer withstand it. They issued a statement saying that the contracts with the Korean players were about to expire and they would immediately replace the roster for the Summer Split.
As for the financial damage caused by the imports slapping the fans’ phones, KVG would cooperate with the police investigation and cover all compensation.
Zuo Chi took a hot bath and sat on the edge of the bed in his pajamas, eating steaming takeout that had just arrived. While scrolling through his phone to see the latest gossip, he asked the cubs who hadn’t returned to the hotel yet where they were wilding.
[Summer Won’t Scatter] Group Chat.
[Fugui: Reporting to Coach Zuo, Wu Yang and I took a walk and are currently eating out. We’ll definitely be back by 1:00 AM.]
[Beyond: Coach Zuo, Manager Li, Brother Wall, and I just finished eating. We’re calling a cab by the road. I brought some skewers for you.]
[Fugui: Then I’ll bring milk tea for Coach Zuo.]
Zuo Chi looked at the spicy malatang in his hand and hadn’t had a chance to type yet.
[Land: What about mine?]
[Fugui: Ning-god gets one too, of course! I’ll bring two! You and Coach Zuo can drink them together.]
Zuo Chi glanced at the bathroom. Ning Luzhao was still able to type and send messages in the group, which meant he was done washing up.
He skillfully pulled open a drawer, took out a hairdryer, and placed it in a conspicuous spot—just to prevent the other from lying on the bed without drying his hair again.
In less than half a minute, the bathroom door opened, bringing out a faint mist of warm steam.
Ning Luzhao was wearing a loose black T-shirt. A few water droplets were still on the fabric, outlining his tall, lean frame. His wet bangs were combed back, revealing his forehead, which seemed to make him look a few years older instantly.
The other walked straight toward the malatang in his hand. Zuo Chi let out a “Tsk.” “There’s a huge hairdryer right there, and all you see is the malatang?”
Ning Luzhao turned around amidst the drifting aroma of the malatang and obediently went to dry his hair.
Amidst the whirring of the hairdryer, he said, “Fugui and Beyond are about to head back. Is there anything they need to pick up on the way? I’ll tell them now.”
“Nothing—tell Fugui not to bring iced milk tea. Bring it at room temperature.”
“Mm, so one room temp and one with no ice.”
“Two room temp.”
Zuo Chi ground his teeth and saw that Ning Luzhao was still looking at him while drying his hair. “Fine, two at room temperature.”
[Fugui: Two room temp? Coach Zuo, didn’t you just say you were dying of heat from the malatang and wanted something iced?]
[Zuo Chi: I have no choice. I have to live healthily.]
[Zuo Chi: By the way, Beyond, don’t add extra spice to the skewers. Once Land finishes drying his hair, he’s going to say eating spicy food at night is bad for the stomach.]
Translator’s Note:
- Mad Dog Initiation King (開團瘋狗法王): “Fǎwáng” literally means “Dharma King,” but in gaming slang, it’s used as “Mage King” or “God-tier Mage.” Added to “Mad Dog,” it describes Sea’s hyper-aggressive playstyle.
- Jinxiu Real Estate (锦繡地產): “Jinxiu” usually means “splendid” or “beautiful.”
- “Subway guy looking at phone” (地鐵看手機): Zuo Chi’s reaction in the text is a reference to a popular meme of a man on a subway looking at his phone with a disgusted/confused expression.
- “Super male” (超雄): In Chinese internet slang, “chao xiong” (Super Male/XYY Syndrome) is often used to describe men who are irrationally violent or aggressive.
See you in the next update!
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