Captain, I Beg You to Give Me an Official Status [E-sports] - Chapter 17

After eating, they took a taxi to the base entrance, though they still had to walk a short distance to reach the building. The streetlights on both sides of the road were bright. The two walked side by side, their shadows stretching long behind them, yet neither turned to look back.

Sheng Huanian looked up at the villa a few dozen paces away. The moment he lowered his head, he spoke. “Did you break up with him?”

Xu Ziqi stopped dead in his tracks.

Sheng Huanian followed suit, stopping a step ahead of him and turning around to face him directly. Using the orange glow of the streetlamp, he took a clear look at Xu Ziqi’s current appearance.

He needed a haircut; the hair on his forehead was blocking those eyes that were as clear as a fawn’s. His lips were slightly swollen, looking as though they had been brushed with a layer of vibrant red.

From head to toe, there was not a single spot that was not worth Sheng Huanian’s gaze lingering upon.

Xu Ziqi’s panic vanished within a second. At this moment, he tilted his head up slightly to meet those eyes. Maintaining his composure in the silence, he asked calmly, “How do you know?”

Sheng Huanian answered reflexively, “I saw it, and I guessed.”

Xu Ziqi did not speak again; he simply watched him, his gaze carrying a slight hint of warning.

Sheng Huanian saw through his eyes and stood there speaking. “I will not tell anyone else.” He turned as if to leave, but did not move yet. “If things are not working out and you do not want to talk anymore, you should break up. You cannot drag it out.”

“It is not,” Xu Ziqi refuted in a low voice, thinking to himself, “Am I being lectured?”

A kid who knew nothing was standing here saying these things?

Xu Ziqi furrowed his brows unconsciously, feeling an indescribable sensation as he looked at the figure in front of him.

Sheng Huanian’s voice was extremely calm. “If some things cannot be resolved, then cut it off early. Stop wasting time; you still have matches to play.”

This sentence left Xu Ziqi stunned on the spot, but Sheng Huanian, who had said it, had already walked many steps away.

Xu Ziqi was certain. He was being schooled by a child who had only recently become an adult. He was not angry; he simply shook his head silently.

Quickening his pace to catch up, Xu Ziqi walked beside Sheng Huanian and said confidently, “I never let relationship matters affect my matches. You are overthinking.”

“Is that so?”

Hearing the doubt, Xu Ziqi immediately replied, “Of course. Why? Do you think I have had issues playing these past few days?”

Sheng Huanian turned his head back toward the house that was drawing closer, his voice deep. “No issues.”

“Then that is that, is it not?” Xu Ziqi responded quietly, feeling increasingly puzzled.

Sheng Huanian continued to speak, his voice steady. “Do not meet him at the base next time. There are other teams nearby. If you run into them, I cannot be sure they will help you keep the secret.”

“I,” Xu Ziqi began.

“Also, do not be afraid of threats.” Sheng Huanian had already reached the door. He looked back at the person behind him with a complex gaze, appearing like an experienced adult passing on wisdom. “He does not dare go to the arena to look for you; do not let him threaten you. If you are going to say it is over, be firm. Do not be hesitant.”

Seeing him grab the door handle, Xu Ziqi’s expression turned serious for a few seconds. He spoke up. “What do you know, kid? How do you know he would not dare?”

Sheng Huanian’s fingers twitched for a moment before he tightened his grip. He said with a raspy voice, “I know. Also, I am not a kid.” He turned around and said very seriously, “I am an adult. My birthday is in March; I will be nineteen after that.”

After saying this, Sheng Huanian pushed the door open and walked in. The door closed automatically but was not shut tight, leaving a small crack for Xu Ziqi.

Standing there, Xu Ziqi’s internal state was incredibly complex. He could not describe the feeling; it was uncomfortable, and he felt offended, yet he could not find it in himself to be angry.

He really should not have come out to talk to him about this. Perhaps because he had talked too much to the kid about the transfer, the kid thought he was being nosy and decided to lecture him in return?

Xu Ziqi still had not figured it out by the time he entered the house. He did not like people interfering in his private life, especially someone he barely knew.

During the next few days of trials, there was little communication between Xu Ziqi and Sheng Huanian. Only when they bumped into each other in the training room would Sheng Huanian take the initiative to ask if he wanted to play ranked matches or faction battles together. If Xu Ziqi agreed, they played together; if he was rejected, Sheng Huanian would wait an hour and ask again.

Xu Ziqi would always agree when Sheng Huanian asked the second time. Therefore, they played games together every night.

At 2:00 AM, Xu Ziqi could no longer hold out. He rubbed his wrists and looked at the person next to him, who still seemed energetic. “Are you still playing?”

Sheng Huanian nodded. “Yes, for a bit longer. If you are sleepy, go back and sleep. I will turn off the training room lights.”

Xu Ziqi stood up, but as he was closing the door, he could not help but say softly, “Do not practice for too long. You play for too many hours every day; your hands will not be able to take it.”

Sheng Huanian moved his hand away from the mouse and turned his head slightly, seeing a person whose face was filled with a softhearted expression. He nodded and replied, “I know. I will go back after one more match.”

Xu Ziqi did not say more. He left the training room, and as he slowly walked upstairs, he thought about his former self.

He was just like Sheng Huanian. Back then, the younger Xu Ziqi acted as if he never grew tired. If it were summer, he could always see the morning light in that cramped, damp room.

It was no exaggeration to say that the Xu Ziqi of a few years ago was betting everything on a single throw. If he did not work himself to death, it would not be long before life itself came to claim him. So, he practiced as hard as he could until he finally stood on the stage, relying on his own strength to earn increasingly generous salaries and bonuses.

The current Xu Ziqi felt very envious looking at Sheng Huanian. However, Xu Ziqi knew very well that if he continued to practice like Sheng Huanian or like his former self, his professional career would soon reach its end.

Back in his room, he sat in his chair and began to use the hand massager Qiqi had bought to massage his slightly trembling right hand. He leaned back against the soft chair and closed his eyes to take a brief rest.

The next day was the first day of the player listing public notice period. The final listing information and transfer prices for team players would be made public at 5:00 PM.

At that time, the four members of Team TK had just finished their training match and were sitting on the sofa waiting for dinner. Seeing that it was almost 5:00 PM, several people sat together, all wanting to see the news as soon as possible.

Paipai sat next to Xu Ziqi. There was no distance between them, and their arms were touching. Xu Ziqi held his phone and clicked on a spreadsheet exactly on the hour.

The spreadsheet, which had been restricted, was now public. Xu Ziqi and the others saw the dense information. He slid directly to the bottom to see how many players were participating in this transfer period.

Paipai’s eyes widened. “Holy crap, fifty three players transferring? This must be a record breaker, right?”

Xu Ziqi scrolled back up and nodded. “Yes, this should be the season with the most players transferring.”

Paipai made a clicking sound with his tongue and leaned over Xu Ziqi’s phone screen again. Being impatient, he reached out to operate it himself. “Look at the prices first; I want to see who the top seller is.”

Paipai clicked a button at the top and jumped to another sheet.

The first thing Xu Ziqi saw was that large ID and the number 1 followed by seven zeros.

“Holy shit!” Paipai shouted out directly. His expression was dazed, and he turned his head stiffly toward Xu Ziqi. “ING can list him at this price? Are they insane?”

At the same time, Qiqi, who had seen this, ran out of the training room. Seeing Xu Ziqi and Paipai looking at the same screen, he said even more dejectedly, “I guessed the price would not be low, but I really never thought it would be this price.”

Xu Ziqi looked at the bright ten million. It was not that he felt the ID Duoming was not worth it, but rather that it exceeded the market price. Nowadays, very few clubs could afford it. He stared fixedly at the phone and said in a low voice, “They really dared to list him for that.”

ING. Duoming, listed price: 10,000,000.

He was the highest priced player in this transfer period.

Looking back at the many past transfer periods, only five players had ever been listed for over eight figures. Two players failed their transfers; one of them, an excellent entry fragger, fell from grace and never appeared on the stage again. Core and Zhidao transferred successfully.

The other one was Duoming. He was like a newcomer who had accidentally intruded into the heavenly family. Not to mention that he had only played for one season and had not won a championship, even if he had won the Winter Season championship and FMVP simultaneously, a team that listed him at this price simply had no intention of letting him leave.

While everyone in the living room fell into silence, footsteps were heard coming from the stairs.

Xu Ziqi put down his phone and turned his head to see the protagonist of this transfer period who had just appeared.