The God-Tier Support is Carrying the Game - Chapter 3

By the time Xu Qing and his grandmother finished their meal, Lu Xinyu still had not come out. Throughout the dinner, aside from worrying about Xu Qing, grandmother spent the rest of the time scolding Lu Xinyu.

After eating, Xu Qing grabbed two bottles of cola and walked into Lu Xinyu’s room.

Several male voices were coming from the phone’s microphone.

“Hurry, hurry! Ambush in the grass! Ambush! They are definitely coming!”

“Red! Red! Captain, grant me the red buff!”

Amidst the noisy and urgent voices, there was one extremely calm and pleasant voice directing the team.

“Do not panic. Play slowly. We can make a comeback.”

About ten minutes passed.

Lu Xinyu exhaled. “We finally turned it around.”

“A smooth start!”

“Smooth start!”

Lu Xinyu exchanged a few more pleasantries with the people on the mic before tossing the phone onto the desk.

“You guys are quite passionate,” Xu Qing remarked, leaning against the wardrobe and taking a sip of his cola.

“It is just gaming.” The previous few rounds had left Lu Xinyu’s mouth feeling a bit dry.

Xu Qing smiled noncommittally. At least he was not like that when he played. It was just a game; he could not feel passionate about it at all. Even when he played before, it was merely to help his mother fulfill her final wish.

“That was a match just now! A competition, do you hear me?” Lu Xinyu rested his feet on the desk, a trace of pride in his expression.

Xu Qing teased, “Impressive. An older, hot-blooded man chasing his dreams. How many steps are left until you seize the championship and reach the top?”

Lu Xinyu’s pride vanished instantly. “It was just the preliminaries.” He talked a big game to Xu Qing, but as a man nearly thirty with a master’s degree, it was impossible for him to actually pursue professional e-sports. Not only would his mother skin him alive, but he would also have to slap himself. “It is just a city-wide open trial. I will just see how far I can go.” A city tournament, no matter the scale, was still a formal competition. It was much more fun than playing alone in the dark.

Lu Xinyu leaned back, the gaming chair bending halfway under his weight. “What about you? How long are you staying here this time?”

Xu Qing replied casually, “At least six months, maybe up to a year.”

Lu Xinyu sprang from his chair, his eyes wide with shock. “Are you crazy? You are not going to university? Does your father know?”

A hint of irritation flickered in Xu Qing’s eyes. “I am eighteen. He cannot control me.”

Lu Xinyu’s mouth moved faster than his brain. “You might be eighteen, but it is not like you have vanished from the face of the earth!”

Xu Qing was amused by Lu Xinyu’s accidental rhyme. “I never said I would not go to university. What are you worried about?”

Lu Xinyu asked, “Then what are you doing here for a year? Do not tell me you got into the only higher education institution in Bofeng City: the Bofeng Higher Vocational and Technical College, also known as the trade school, specializing in excavators and gourmet chefs.”

Xu Qing felt helpless toward his young uncle. “University. I got into university. I am just taking a gap year.”

Lu Xinyu, acting like a persistent talk-show host, pressed on, “Why did you decide to take a leave of absence?”

Xu Qing turned his head slightly toward the window. On the ledge outside, a black cicada was chirping tirelessly.

His voice turned heavy. “I just feel that things are a bit meaningless. I do not know what I want to do, and I am very annoyed.”

Lu Xinyu softened his tone. “Have you still not let go of what happened back then?”

Xu Qing countered with a question, “Is that even possible?”

Lu Xinyu patted Xu Qing’s shoulder and sighed. “Stay then. As long as your dad does not have an issue with it.”

Xu Qing’s father, of course, had an issue, a very significant one. However, after hanging up on the nth call, Xu Qing had blacklisted his father’s number.

Shortly after, Xu Qing received a bank notification on his phone: his account had been frozen.

Xu Qing clicked his tongue. “The classic mid-life man meltdown.”

Lu Xinyu checked again, “Are you really okay?”

Xu Qing curled his lips into a mocking smile. “It is not the first time.”

Xu Qing stayed in Bofeng City for a few days, wandering around aimlessly. The pace in Bofeng City was much slower than in his previous city. It was so slow that even if you walked leisurely down the street, few people would overtake you. Everyone’s tempo had shifted from double-speed fast-forward back to a level that felt normal.

Since he had decided to stay long-term, he could not keep using his grandmother’s money. Xu Qing felt he should find something to do.

Before leaving the house, Xu Qing asked Lu Xinyu if he wanted to go out, but he was rejected because Lu Xinyu had to play in a team match.

The team matches were frequent enough to keep a man approaching thirty completely hooked.

During this time, Lu Xinyu kept trying to invite Xu Qing to play, but Xu Qing refused every time.

Facing Lu Xinyu’s invitation, Xu Qing raised an eyebrow. “Have you forgotten what my father does for a living?”

Lu Xinyu suddenly remembered and leaned in mischievously. “That is right! Your dad is a developer at that company. Isn’t he a director or something now? Do you have any inside information?”

Xu Qing turned his head to dodge him, nearly causing Lu Xinyu to pull his back as he stumbled.

Xu Qing asked, “What kind of inside info? Which heroes are getting nerfed? Or which skins are about to be released?”

Lu Xinyu’s eyes lit up with expectation. “Can you find out?”

Xu Qing smiled, revealing two small dimples. “In your dreams.”

His bank card was frozen; there was no way he would take the initiative to contact his father.

Therefore, the primary issue was how to earn money for his living expenses. Xu Qing looked toward a nearby restaurant with a high volume of customers.

Actually, delivering food might not be a bad idea?

In the e-sports hotel, after the game ended, Wan Yi let out a shout. “We won! We won! We won!”

Wan Li poured cold water on his excitement. “We have not even reached the city semifinals yet.”

Starting from zero was a long and difficult journey.

Pei Shiyu put his phone down and leaned back in his gaming chair. “Just keep moving forward.”

Wan Yi was smug. “Exactly. Even the Captain, who is both our leader and the boss, is not in a hurry.”

Pei Shiyu’s lips twitched. From the moment he started the club, he knew clearly that rushing was useless.

Wan Li’s phone vibrated twice. He swiped to check the messages. “Tsk. People are so desperate for news about the Captain that they are even asking me.”

Wan Yi immediately leaned over to look at the chat on Wan Li’s phone. “What are they saying?”

Wan Li tilted the screen so Wan Yi could see while his other hand typed a rapid reply. “They are scouting to see if we have the Captain’s contact info. They want to know why the Captain is playing in city tournaments with a random team. If he wants to play, their clubs can let him jump straight into the Professional League.”

Wan Yi scoffed. “Recruiting right under our noses? Have they no shame? The Captain is on our team. What is this scouting him solo nonsense?”

Wan Li was ruthless. “Do you want to count how many times you have actually made the top 100 on the Heavenly Rank?”

Wan Yi tilted his head back defiantly but stopped talking.

Hearing the conversation between Wan Yi and Wan Li, Pei Shiyu’s expression remained unchanged. “Reject them all. If they get annoying, block them.”

Hearing this, Wan Yi immediately felt emboldened. “Exactly! Reject them all! Our Captain is not going anywhere! Whether it is this club or that club, it is all nonsense! We do not care for them!”

Pei Shiyu laughed, his sharp features softening with amusement. “Yes, we do not care for them.”

Thinking of the so-called top clubs in the League, Pei Shiyu gave a cynical snort. “Indeed, there is nothing to care for.”

Wan Yi asked, “But Captain, when are we going to have Yu Shuai and the others come over so we can play together offline?”

Regardless of the scale, they were still a club. So far, only three people were present offline, while two other teammates were always playing with them online. Even if they did not have a full staff, they at least needed enough people to fill a single match.

Pei Shiyu replied, “No rush. We will meet on the day of the city semifinals.”

For now, aside from Wan Yi and Wan Li, the other two online members were just “match partners” in Pei Shiyu’s eyes. Their individual skill levels in their respective lanes were not strong. Since he had not found anyone particularly suitable yet, he had not mentioned his plan for professional gaming to them.

Everything was still too early for them.

“Shiyu, your food is here! Come and get it!” The door to the e-sports club was knocked on urgently several times.

Wan Li went to open the door. It was the owner of the restaurant downstairs, carrying several transparent bags filled with lunch boxes.

The owner handed them over as soon as the door opened. “Yours!” The owner wore an apron stained with old oil spots. The restaurant downstairs was popular, but space was limited. The owner was both the boss and the chef. He looked to be in his forties, plump and cheerful.

The owner said, “I added extra meat to your portions today.”

Wan Li took them, noting the sweat rolling down the man’s cheeks. “Thanks, Boss Cai. Is business that busy lately?”

“Busy is about the same as before, but one of my workers quit to go back to his hometown. I have to do all these odd jobs myself now, so it is a bit hectic.” Boss Cai finished speaking and turned to leave, but he immediately circled back to ask Wan Li, “You guys have a printer here, right?”

A printer? Wan Li actually did not know.

Wan Li turned back to ask Pei Shiyu, “Captain, do we have one?” They rarely used such things aside from gaming.

Pei Shiyu looked toward a corner piled high with cardboard boxes. “Yes.”

When he decided to set up the club, he had specifically bought a printer, but it had never been used.

After receiving Pei Shiyu’s confirmation, Wan Li told the owner, “Boss Cai, give me the job requirements, and I will print them out for you.”

Boss Cai waved his hand. “It is just for a restaurant worker. What requirements could there be? Just put my phone number and the job title. I will stick it directly on the door glass.”

It was very casual, and he did not seem to care much about the details.

The three of them agreed readily, and the practically brand new printer, which had been sitting in the Breaking Dawn Club since its inception, was finally unpacked.

Wan Li and Wan Yi spent a while huddled around the printer, but they could not figure it out.

Wan Yi looked up at Pei Shiyu. “Captain, do you know how to use a printer?”

Pei Shiyu, who had just finished a game, put down his phone and looked over.

Ten minutes later, three six-foot-tall men stood around the printer. Pei Shiyu held the instruction manual with a serious and heavy expression.

Wan Yi suggested tentatively, “Should we just go to the copy shop next door and print one for Boss Cai?”

Pei Shiyu did not speak. After another half hour, the captain and boss of the Breaking Dawn team finally tamed the printer. The cost was ink stains on his face and hands.

Pei Shiyu held the single, thin sheet of paper that had taken nearly an hour to print. He held it gently by a corner as if it were a rare treasure. “Take this to Boss Cai.”

Pei Shiyu took a shower, washed the ink off his face and hands, and changed into clean clothes. After all the exertion, the meal he had just eaten felt mostly digested, and he even felt a bit hungry. He planned to go downstairs to Boss Cai’s for a bowl of noodles.

As Pei Shiyu was coming down the stairs, he saw the job advertisement stuck to Boss Cai’s glass door. A young man who looked about the same age as him was staring at it. From the back, the youth was dressed in Old Money luxury brands, and if he was not mistaken, the sneakers on his feet were the latest limited-edition release. He looked like a wealthy young master who did not match Boss Cai’s requirements at all.

Then, the young man reached out and swiftly tore down the piece of paper that Pei Shiyu had spent an hour struggling to print.

He just tore it down!

Pei Shiyu felt as though he could hear the sharp rip of the paper.

Even though he had not eaten yet, he felt his blood pressure rising.

Pei Shiyu walked over and looked the other person in the eye. “Are your hands just restless?”

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