Captain, I Beg You to Give Me an Official Status [E-sports] - Chapter 16

Footsteps echoed from all directions. By the time Sheng Huanian pulled Xu Ziqi behind him, many people had already surrounded them.

Mu Qing, who had returned early from a trial with another team, was firmly gripping the arm of Yan Zhe, trying to calm him down and keep him from raising his hand again.

Qiqi was the first to rush to the side of Xu Ziqi, asking urgently, “What happened? Why did things get physical?”

Xu Ziqi was about to speak when he saw the furious expression of Lot approaching from the front.

Lot had just come out of the training room. After realizing what had happened, he stood his ground and roared, “Do you all just not want to play in matches anymore!”

His words always carried great weight, instantly forcing everyone present to suppress their emotions and remain calm.

The footsteps of Lot drew near as he stood between Sheng Huanian and Yan Zhe. He glanced at Sheng Huanian first, then turned around with eyes that seemed to be burning. His anger was palpable. “I have not even settled the score with you for attacking the body in the training match, and here you are getting into a fight the moment you return. What, do you feel like you are no longer part of TK!”

The chest of Yan Zhe heaved violently. He looked up and defended himself. “He was the one who came up and started trouble.”

“I do not give a damn who started it! I am asking you, what were you trying to do by getting physical, and what were you trying to achieve by attacking the body in the training match!”

The corners of the mouth of Yan Zhe trembled. His fierce gaze fell upon the face of Xu Ziqi as he pointed a finger. “Why are you only blaming me? What about him? He fought back just now too; it was not just me.”

Lot did not turn around. With a wave of his right hand, he slapped the hand of Yan Zhe away. “I will deal with him separately. Right now, I am asking you, what are you doing?”

Yan Zhe, who had been white with rage, suddenly laughed. As if he had seen through everything, the corners of his mouth curled into a mocking smile. “Favoritism. You are all just playing favorites. It has always been this way.”

“What did you say?”

Yan Zhe shook off the hand of Mu Qing and glared at Xu Ziqi. He had already turned to leave, but he still felt too resentful. He spun back around, his face flushed. “I said you are playing favorites! If he gets physical, it can wait until later. And that person, the one here for trials, he attacked the body as well. Did you say anything to him? Why is it only me? I just got back and I am already getting lectured by you. Why?”

This was a long overdue outburst.

Xu Ziqi stood there, knowing that all of this had started because of him. He remained expressionless, as if he were watching a play that had nothing to do with him and in which he had absolutely no interest.

Lot was so angry that he clenched his fists. He took a step forward, nearly pressing against the body of Yan Zhe. “Favoritism? Think about the things you did during the Winter Split. You have the nerve to say we are playing favorites? We were saving face for you by not exposing you and letting you transfer quietly. Did you think we were not just tolerating you? Do you think we all owe you something! A whole season, a full season. Do you still not understand why this Winter Split turned out this way?”

Perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps because the aura of Lot was too powerful, Yan Zhe seemed to weaken instantly. He forced himself to stand his ground, his voice trembling as he screamed, “What am I supposed to understand! If you say me not listening to his commands is the problem, then what kind of commands were those! If we lose a team fight, it is my fault. If we cannot get into the circle, it is also my fault. You only know how to give me private lectures! Why is everything my fault! He is the captain and the shot caller; does he not have any problems at all?”

Hearing this, Xu Ziqi suddenly gave a light chuckle. He reached out and grabbed the arm of Lot, pulling the man back just as he was about to explode. He took a step forward, his eyes slightly downcast, with a cold indifference that bordered on contempt. “You finally remembered that I am the captain and the shot caller. When you were playing deaf during the Winter Split, I thought you had forgotten.”

“You.”

Xu Ziqi did not want to hear that rasping voice shouting anymore. His brows arched slightly, and his voice was as deep as his gaze. “You are about to transfer anyway. Is it really that hard to keep up the act for a few more days?”

He had been faking it for almost a season, yet he chose this moment to pierce through the paper thin facade.

Xu Ziqi looked at Lot and said in a low voice, “Let it go.”

Lot had also been holding back for a long time, but looking at the unrepentant person before him, he knew that saying anything more would be a waste of breath. He stared intently at the two of them and said gloomily, “It is the transfer window. Do not force me to say things that are too ugly. It would not benefit anyone.”

Xu Ziqi sighed in his heart. Already feeling irritable, he truly did not want to stay here any longer. He looked down and suddenly noticed the arm blocking his way.

It was like a protective railing.

The arm of Sheng Huanian remained suspended in front of Xu Ziqi. He could feel the burning gaze coming from the person beside him in his peripheral vision. But this time, he did not look over. As if he had not noticed, he slowly withdrew his arm.

The brows of Xu Ziqi could not help but knit together as he took in the movements of Sheng Huanian.

Lot turned to Xu Ziqi and said, “Come with me.”

Xu Ziqi followed the angry silhouette, and Sheng Huanian followed behind Xu Ziqi.

After entering the meeting room, Qiqi, who was the last to enter, shut the door tightly.

“To hell with it all!”

The moment the sound of the door closing rang out, Lot finally could not hold back any longer and exploded with a shout.

Qiqi was startled and his body trembled. He turned around and tried to soothe him. “Oh my, what are you doing? Calm down, stay cool, alright?”

Lot snapped his head back. “How am I supposed to be calm?”

Qiqi gestured with his hands to soothe him. “Calm down, calm down. They are about to transfer anyway, so why are you still angry?”

Lot tried to convince himself to calm down. He suddenly looked at Xu Ziqi. “What is wrong with you two? How could you get physical? Have you lost your mind?”

Xu Ziqi was sitting calmly. He was about to joke that he had not lost his mind, but at that moment, a voice came from behind him.

Sheng Huanian looked at Lot and said seriously, “I was the one who started the conflict with that person. He did not get physical; he only tried to stop us.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell silent.

Xu Ziqi slowly turned around and looked up at the profile of Sheng Huanian. He truly had not expected him to say that.

Lot stared at the face of Sheng Huanian, his voice still far from calm. “Why did you have to start a conflict with him? Is the matter from the training match still not over?”

Sheng Huanian did not speak.

Lot was left somewhat speechless by that “I am not wrong” expression. He spoke seriously. “You are still part of ING. I should not say anything to you, but if you have this kind of temper.”

Xu Ziqi interrupted Lot and said in a low voice, “Forget it, do not tell him those things.” He looked at Sheng Huanian. “You can head out first. It has nothing to do with you; you do not need to stand here.”

Sheng Huanian still did not shift his gaze. After a few seconds of silence, he turned and walked out without another word.

The gaze of Lot was fixed on that stubborn and spirited silhouette. Once the person had left, he sat in his seat and said, “What a difficult temper.”

Xu Ziqi looked at him. “Did you not say you quite liked his temper?”

“I liked nothing of the sort,” Lot said. “Having a temper on the field is a good thing, but having such a temper in the base will not do. Look at that fearless attitude of his, I really.”

Xu Ziqi said calmly, “Today, Yan Zhe was aiming for me. He just happened to run into him; we cannot blame him entirely.”

Lot was extremely helpless. “Yes, I do not blame him. But if he really joins TK, will you two get along? With that stubborn temper of his combined with your own bullheadedness, I am truly worried.”

Xu Ziqi laughed. “How am I bullheaded? If you want to talk about him, talk about him. Why bring me into it?”

Before Lot could speak, Qiqi let out a soft huff. “The way he is now is just like you were when you first started as a professional. No, you were even more arrogant back then. You would not yield to anyone and would not listen to anyone. You just did whatever you wanted, and ten bulls could not hold you back.”

Xu Ziqi could not argue. After all, he had indeed been young and arrogant in the past, never holding anyone in high regard. He had changed a lot since then, and he could always laugh when mentioning the past. “The past is the past. I am not like that anymore.”

Qiqi thought of the appearance of Sheng Huanian just now and could not laugh at all. He looked at Xu Ziqi and said, “He really is quite similar to you. Even his expression when he is angry is almost the same.”

Xu Ziqi fell silent. For those few seconds, the images in his mind were a bit cluttered, but half of them were the sharp edged profile of Sheng Huanian.

Lot had mostly calmed down. “Let us leave it at that. Do not cause any more trouble. Things will be better once the transfer window is over. Those two have to go to other teams, and we need to run trials to find suitable players. Just endure it for a few more days. If he bothers you again, come and tell me. Do not handle it yourself.”

Xu Ziqi nodded. “I cannot be bothered with him.”

Walking out of the meeting room and returning to the first floor, Xu Ziqi saw a figure sitting on the sofa by the stairs.

The living room lights were still on. Sheng Huanian was sitting alone in a corner of the sofa. He was not looking at his phone, but just had his head down, lost in thought.

Soon, someone sat down gently beside him.

As the silhouette passed in front of him, Sheng Huanian caught a whiff of a fresh scent.

It was unique and comfortable.

Sheng Huanian knew who it was. He turned his head and asked in a low voice, “Are you finished talking?”

Xu Ziqi sat to the left of his position, with a gap of about one person between them. “Yes, there was not much to say.” He tilted his head. “Next time, do not have such a big temper. Be careful.”

At this moment, Sheng Huanian had lost his stubborn look from earlier. His posture was upright, but he had softened. “I understand.”

Xu Ziqi felt curious and quickly asked, “You and him.”

Before he could finish the question, Sheng Huanian immediately said, “Is the conflict between you two related to the Winter Split?”

Xu Ziqi withdrew what he was going to say and nodded calmly. “Yes, there were problems within the team right from the start of the Winter Split.” Since it was not a secret, he spoke candidly. “We just did not get along, we did not play well, and everyone was frustrated.”

Sheng Huanian looked at his two open hands and spoke somewhat slowly. “I have followed your matches and watched the first person perspective.”

Xu Ziqi tilted his head to listen.

“They did not listen to your commands and played recklessly. That is their problem.”

It was not your problem.

Xu Ziqi watched him quietly. “You even watch first person perspectives?”

“Yes, I was a substitute then, so I would watch everything.”

“I see,” Xu Ziqi said. “The Winter Split was just like that. We did not play well, and we all had problems. Anyway, I am just telling you that if you run into them while you are staying here, do not start any more conflicts. If it really gets physical, it will be trouble. Do you understand?”

He spoke like a kind senior, teaching a lesson to a rookie who was not yet sensible and had a big temper.

Sheng Huanian nodded again. “Yes.”

Xu Ziqi had said everything he needed to say and quickly stood up. “Alright, then you.”

The person sitting suddenly spoke. “Have you not eaten yet?”

“No.”

Sheng Huanian looked up at him. “I have not eaten either. Do you want to go out and get something to eat?” A second later, he followed up. “I happen to have something I want to ask you.”

The stomach of Xu Ziqi had already been protesting. He cast his eyes down slightly and did not hesitate much. “Sure, let us go.”

Sheng Huanian and Xu Ziqi took a taxi to a nearby hot pot restaurant. The first floor was crowded, so they went upstairs and were led to a private room by a waiter.

After sitting down, Xu Ziqi started checking items on the menu. He had a habit of spinning his pen when he was thinking, and he did it very skillfully.

Sheng Huanian, sitting opposite him, stared intently at his hand. When his gaze lightly fell on the face of Xu Ziqi, Xu Ziqi happened to look up.

Xu Ziqi pushed the order sheet toward the hand of Sheng Huanian. “You order.”

Sheng Huanian checked a few dishes randomly. Once the waiter left, his gaze fell on the person opposite him once again.

Xu Ziqi was looking at his phone. Seeing him finish, he placed his phone on the table and asked him, “Have you not scheduled trials with any other teams yet?”

“No.”

The gaze of Xu Ziqi held a hint of scrutiny. Placing both hands on the table, he looked at him and asked, “Is it that you only want to come to TK, or do you have other arrangements and want to wait a few more days before trying out?”

Sheng Huanian looked into those eyes and did not lie. He spoke quickly. “I do not want to trial for other teams.”

The underlying meaning was that he only wanted to join TK.

Xu Ziqi understood and gave a light chuckle, asking, “What is so good about TK? Why does it attract you so much?”

Sheng Huanian looked down. “Everything is quite good.”

“Alright.” Xu Ziqi thought for a few seconds before speaking again. “The coach also thinks you are quite good, but I still suggest you go and look at other teams. The transfer window has just begun. You should not put all your chips in one place so quickly. There is no harm in going out and trying more.”

“What about you?”

Xu Ziqi did not understand and looked up blankly. “What about me?”

Sheng Huanian asked him, “Did you not also only trial for TK back then?”

Xu Ziqi understood, and his tone was somewhat self deprecating. “I am different from you. I also wanted to try more, but no teams wanted me. I had no achievements then and my listing price was high. The only team that came looking for me was TK.”

Sheng Huanian fell silent after hearing this. Even though there were many things he wanted to say, he kept them in his heart.

“That is why I am telling you to try more. The team does not matter as much as whether you are compatible with your teammates.” Xu Ziqi was not lying to him either; he just felt the younger man was closing off his own paths, so he wanted to say more. “We have scheduled you for the last three days. If you have nothing else to do in between, go and give it a try. But if you truly do not want to go, then just forget I said anything.”

Sheng Huanian slowly raised his eyes. The sharpness in his gaze had disappeared, making them look deeper and colder. “If I play well in those last few days, will it be mostly settled?”

Xu Ziqi spoke while twisting the cap of a drink. “I would not dare to say that. The decision of who to buy is made by the coach and the owner. It is not just about your trial performance, but also about compatibility and your listing price.” Xu Ziqi glanced at him. “This is your first transfer; there are many things involved. It is not that simple to decide.”

At this time, the food was served.

Xu Ziqi helped the waiter take the dishes off the tray and said in a low voice, “So, give yourself more choices.”

Sheng Huanian listened quietly, thinking that he truly was a kind person.

Perhaps because he had suffered through such hardships, he was saying so much to him at this moment.

He did not doubt his own decision. He was only silently feeling heartache and wondering how that person, when he was still young, had walked through those paths filled with obstacles.

Had he cried, felt disappointed, or been at his wit’s end?