Chapter 10 Trust The Pitfall of Capitalism
Shi Wen could feel the muscles in his arm instantly freeze. He stared blankly for a moment. The phone in his pocket vibrated continuously. Afraid of waking Mu Jiu from his rest, Shi Wen didn’t even look clearly at who was calling; he immediately pulled out his phone and hung up.
Only after hanging up did he realize it was the manager calling. He looked down at his phone, then glanced at Mu Jiu, who was still fast asleep on the bed. Turning around, he left the room and dialed back.
The manager’s exhausted voice came from the other end of the line.
“Demo said he feels his strength still isn’t enough and plans to go play for the second team for a season first. Out of all those tryouts, you really didn’t fancy a single one? Are there any other players you have your eye on? I’ll go contact them.”
The manager was tormented until his head felt ten times bigger. Demo refusing was actually within expectations. If he were forced to play, he would also have to switch positions. Shi Wen had many fans, so the pressure Demo would have to bear would be even greater. Yet, the main person involved had no self-awareness at all and was extremely picky.
Shi Wen hadn’t taken a liking to a single person who came for tryouts recently. For those with good game sense, he complained their mechanics were poor; for those with good mechanics, he complained they didn’t listen to calls. Where was he supposed to find a heavenly immortal who was perfect in every way? Didn’t they all need time to build synergy!
The manager rubbed his temples and continued, “That person duo-queueing with ‘juice’ on the forum was you, right? I watched his highlight reel; it’s not bad. It’s just very typical of someone used to solo-queueing—likes to fight lone battles. But if you have the intention, invite him over for a tryout. If it’s inconvenient for you to ask, I can go contact him.”
Thinking about the post he had just seen of Shi Wen duo-queueing with ‘juice’, he was still somewhat shocked.
Logically speaking, Shi Wen had always most despised impulsive teammates who ignored the big picture, only caring about their own mechanics regardless of winning or losing. Therefore, he rarely pulled randoms to duo-queue.
Unlike ordinary ranked matches where communication was limited to in-game quick chats, league matches involved all four players communicating on open mics. The intensity of information exchange and teammate coordination were worlds apart. That was why, from the very beginning, he hadn’t planned on inviting top leaderboard humans for tryouts. They were either transfers from other teams or came from youth training camps. Who knew Shi Wen would suddenly change his personality again.
He was also curious what kind of charm this ‘juice’ possessed to make Shi Wen act as manual labor to boost his rank. He had seen those matches where ‘juice’ played Huayishi. Rather than duo-queueing, he was more willing to believe that Shi Wen was intentionally protecting him. Otherwise, what other reason could explain a mechanics monster suddenly playing a soft support?
Shi Wen stood in front of the window at the end of the corridor, talking on the phone. Downstairs was the university town’s night market. Many stalls had already been set up, and it was bustling with noise and excitement. Turning his head slightly, there was the room where Mu Jiu was resting. Through the crack in the door, he could see a small bulge on the bed, and his lips unconsciously curved up.
“No need.”
Mu Jiu was only a bit well-behaved when he was asleep. If he really let the manager go contact him, he was afraid it would scare the manager to death.
“What do you mean no need?” The manager was confused.
“Wait a bit longer. Isn’t there still the Gaoxiao Bei? There will always be suitable people.”
Shi Wen wasn’t anxious at all, making the manager inexplicably feel like the emperor wasn’t anxious, but the eunuch was dying of anxiety. The youth training camp had just ended, and the few outstanding players had already been successively approached by clubs. If they waited any longer, where would there be anyone left?
As for the Gaoxiao Bei, could it be that he really planned to sign an amateur? Wouldn’t that be even harder to cultivate than the ones who came for tryouts before? He truly couldn’t understand what exactly Shi Wen was thinking anymore.
After hanging up the phone, Shi Wen returned to the room. Finding wearing the wristband uncomfortable, Mu Jiu had taken it off himself while sleeping and casually tossed it aside.
His skin was originally pale, making the scar lying across his wrist even more shocking to the eye.
Shi Wen could tell that it was absolutely a scar left from self-harm.
Saying his heart didn’t ache was definitely a lie. The high-spirited youth he had personally brought out had now become like this.
Helplessly, he wasn’t willing to say anything. Was it because he didn’t trust him?
Shi Wen’s eyes narrowed slightly in deep thought.
When Mu Jiu woke up, the first thing he felt was a chilly draft on his wrist. Dazed and groggy, he fumbled around on the bed for a while. Only after finding the wristband and putting it on did he feel the peace of mind of being fully dressed. Then he saw Shi Wen resting with his eyes closed in the chair. The haziness of having just woken up in his eyes instantly vanished; seeing Shi Wen, he was fully awake. He was still in the hotel.
What surprised him even more was that Shi Wen actually hadn’t left yet.
Shi Wen had already plugged in the phone next to him to charge. Mu Jiu leaned over, unplugged the charging cable, and turned it on. The phone instantly dinged and chimed non-stop. The messages he hadn’t received while the phone was off popped out all at once, most of them sent by his roommates.
Mu Jiu’s brain crashed for a moment. Feeling somewhat at a loss regarding others’ concern, he clumsily scrambled to turn off the sounds. Over there, Shi Wen had already heard the commotion and opened his eyes.
“Awake? Let’s go eat first.”
Thinking about how he probably hadn’t eaten properly these past few days, Shi Wen felt a deep sense of powerlessness in his heart. Forget it, kids grow up and always have their own ideas.
Mu Jiu got up, put on his jacket, and casually replied to his roommates’ messages. Right after the message was sent, a call came through from their end. The moment he answered, he heard Li Qingming’s wailing voice.
“Mu Jiu… I really didn’t expect you to go all out like this for me. Good brother, I’ll remember this favor for a lifetime!”
Even without speakerphone on, the voice was loud enough for the person next to him to hear clearly. Mu Jiu frowned and held the phone a bit further away.
Before Mu Jiu had time to speak, Li Qingming on the other end was clearly violently pummeled by another roommate. After a cry of pain, his phone was snatched away, and a roommate asked with concern about his condition: “Mu Jiu, where are you? When are you coming back?”
“I’m fine, I’ll be back right away,” Mu Jiu had a faint smile on his lips. Although the feeling of being cared for was somewhat unfamiliar to him, it was very warm.
“Okay.”
Hearing that Mu Jiu was in good spirits, the other side finally felt relieved. They then strictly lectured Mu Jiu about his behavior, and only after Mu Jiu guaranteed he would never do this again did they hang up the phone.
“You certainly listen to their words,” Shi Wen cast a faint glance at Mu Jiu.
Mu Jiu awkwardly rubbed his neck and decisively refused to continue this topic. “Weren’t we going to eat? The night market at our school gate is very famous. How about we go stroll around there.”
Shi Wen nodded and went to the front desk to check out. Right out the hotel’s main door was the night market. Mu Jiu chattered endlessly in his ear, introducing which stall’s takoyaki was more delicious, and which barbecue stall was shadier. Shi Wen listened quietly, suddenly feeling as if a lifetime had passed.
Mu Jiu talked for a long while until his mouth was dry and his tongue was parched, only to find that the person next to him seemed to have zoned out. He tentatively waved his hand in front of Shi Wen’s eyes. Shi Wen grabbed his wrist, pulled it down, and said helplessly: “I’m listening.”
“Let’s just go to that barbecue stall you said was delicious.”
“…”
Mu Jiu was speechless, Mu Jiu was exasperated, Mu Jiu was left with no alternatives.
He took a deep breath and repeated: “I just said that although that stall tastes good, the prices are very shady, it’s a complete pitfall of capitalism.”
Just as he finished speaking, he accidentally caught sight of the watch on Shi Wen’s wrist. A single watch could pay off his student loans. His tone grew bitter.
He almost forgot; this person next to him was the biggest capitalist of all.
Shi Wen also noticed he saw it, his attitude breezy and light. “Let’s go, my treat.” It was just a meal of barbecue, it wouldn’t eat him into poverty.
Mu Jiu didn’t speak, just silently tugged Shi Wen’s sleeve to walk toward that stall.
Translator’s Notes:
- Demo (Demo): A player’s in-game name.
- Taikong (太空): Space. Here, it refers to zoning out or spacing out.
- Capitalism (資本主義): Used jokingly to refer to something overly expensive or someone very rich.
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