Desire to Lure [Esports] - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The match was being livestreamed on the monitor in the preparation room. Zou Kai was hunched over, staring intently at the screen, while Sheng Xu sat behind him with his legs crossed. Relying on his excellent eyesight, he didn’t bother leaning forward.

Right out of the gate, TEA suffered an early setback. They had planned to accumulate an advantage in the mid and bot lanes as quickly as possible to better deal with ZZY, but Ware was ambushed and gave up First Blood early on.

Zou Kai slapped his thigh hard. “Gah! He never checks the bushes!”

Usually, at a moment like this, someone in the room would exchange a few words with him regarding the player’s mistake. But today, there was only silence behind him.

Sensing something was off, Zou Kai turned his head and saw Sheng Xu just sitting there with his legs crossed, staring coldly at the screen without a single ripple of emotion.

Zou Kai turned back, feeling rebuffed.

He knew Sheng Xu was fuming, but a professional match wasn’t a casual game at an internet cafe; he couldn’t let a player with a poor attitude take the stage. Sheng Xu’s ceiling was unpredictable, but Ever, at the very least, could guarantee a floor.

In the game, Yu Wenzhi tried to go into the jungle to help Ware with vision, but as soon as he left, Ever struggled to hold the line, losing two cannon minions in a row. Left with no choice, Yu Wenzhi altered the strategy, having the jungler stick close to the bot lane to farm.

The game dragged on until the thirty-minute mark with TEA being suppressed by V6. Just as everyone thought the loss was certain, Yu Wenzhi suddenly executed a brilliant engagement. His ultimate hit four people, and TEA seized the momentum to counter-attack, quickly closing the gold gap.

This mistake threw V6 into disarray, and in a shocking turn of events, TEA pulled off a massive comeback to win the first round.

“Nice!” Zou Kai clenched his fist so hard his whole body shook, his hair practically flying up.

The team had won, and wins called for celebration. Zou Kai turned around, intending to give Sheng Xu a fist bump from across the room.

To his surprise, Sheng Xu’s eyes were glued to the screen, seeing nothing but the shifting colors of the broadcast. Zou Kai held up his fist, frowned, and glanced back at the screen. The camera was currently focused on Yu Wenzhi, who was smiling as he took off his headset.

The arena lights flared, casting a pale glow over Yu Wenzhi’s cheeks and neck. As he lowered his head to chat and laugh, the flickering light seemed to ripple around him. The director didn’t hesitate to give Yu Wenzhi more screen time; after all, he was the MVP of this match.

Zou Kai felt a bit uneasy. A normal person starts celebrating the moment the result is out who watches a player exit the stage with such intense focus?

However, the five TEA players soon returned to the room. Zou Kai, being big-hearted, immediately forgot his unease and went forward to give Yu Wenzhi a heavy pat on the back. “You really turned the tide!”

Yu Wenzhi’s eyelashes fluttered from the impact. He shook his head with a smile and reached for his bottle of rose herbal tea. During a pause in his drinking, he shifted his gaze slightly, using his long lashes as cover to steal a quick glance at Sheng Xu.

Sheng Xu was out of place in the joyous atmosphere, yet he was constantly connected to this small space by a single thread: his gaze on Yu Wenzhi.

As Yu Wenzhi swallowed a mouthful of tea, he felt an invisible tug, pulling him to respond to the admiration, respect, confusion, loss, and expectation in those eyes.

But “not changing a winning lineup” was an unwritten rule.

Ever was still riding high, saying airily, “I feel like we can get off work early today. Hotpot’s on me tonight?”

Zou Kai laughed and scolded, “Don’t get cocky! That’s V6 we’re talking about!”

Sheng Xu caught the meaning in Zou Kai’s words. He turned his face away, the light in his eyes dimming.

Soon, the second round began. This time, Zou Kai didn’t even ask Sheng Xu to join the cheer; the players headed out with total confidence.

However, luck wasn’t on their side this time. ZZY had been provoked into a temper. From the start, he drove straight in and took control of the game. Later, he single-handedly shut down Yu Wenzhi, dragging TEA to the brink of defeat.

Zechuan was so anxious he was practically gasping. “Protect the Captain! What are you guys thinking!”

Without their support, they couldn’t contest the Dragon and had to hand it over.

Maoyi felt wronged. “I was protecting the AD!”

Zechuan sighed.

Yu Wenzhi’s voice remained steady and brief: “Alright, let’s not discuss it now.”

Below the stage, other LPL teams watching the match began to chat.

DOG’s Xu Ceming sighed, “ZZY is hell-bent on taking Yu Wenzhi down with him.”

Pan Dou, who used to be with Sheng Xu in DTG, chuckled. “Don’t even mention it. Ever is such a coward; he runs away so fast. If that were the ‘Time Bomb,’ he’d have ripped the word ‘escape’ right out of the dictionary.”

A lazy voice came from beside Pan Dou: “What exactly is Ever worried about?”

Whenever this person spoke, Yan Tingyu would surely answer. He cut straight to the point: “He’s seeking to avoid mistakes rather than achieve results. He’s turned the ADC into a ghost.”

Hearing Yan Tingyu’s voice, Yu Fan grinned. “He’s not as good as that ‘Little Stubborn Donkey.'” Having been in a different division of DTG, Yu Fan knew Sheng Xu’s temper well and had coined that nickname.

No miracle occurred; V6 took the second round.

The TEA players were a bit dejected that they couldn’t “get off work” early, but since they didn’t do reviews mid-match, no one brought up what had just happened.

Back in the room, Zou Kai was about to offer a few words of encouragement, but before he could utter a single syllable, Sheng Xu’s voice rang out from behind him, blunt and unapologetic: “I can handle the 3+2. Let me play.”

The veins on Zou Kai’s forehead throbbed. He turned around, only to find that Sheng Xu wasn’t even looking at him; he was staring straight at Yu Wenzhi, who had just walked in.

Yu Wenzhi looked back at Sheng Xu, frowning slightly and remaining silent. Zou Kai understood this was a sign of hesitation. Yu Wenzhi was indeed considering whether to swap Sheng Xu in, even though he had promised before the match not to push for him.

Sensing the subtle shift, Ever pushed through the crowd and stepped forward, fuming. “What do you mean? Who are you saying can’t play?”

This was the first time he’d seen someone as brazen as Sheng Xu volunteering himself. The sentence sent blood rushing to his head, making his scalp tingle.

Sheng Xu gave him a look of disdain and said icily, “Do I really need to say it? You can’t force a team fight. If we want to 3v4 against V6, I’m the only one who can do it!”

If Ever could carry his weight, these two games wouldn’t have dragged into the ultra-late game. Of course, it was normal not to be able to carry they were all pros, and being outnumbered was a natural disadvantage. But Sheng Xu could do what others couldn’t.

Ever was shaking with rage. He stammered, “Do you even know how to spell ‘modest’?” With the coach and captain present, he couldn’t use too many insults.

Sheng Xu simply tilted his chin up, looked down at him, and sneered, “I can spell it. Can you Carry?”

Ever’s eyes nearly rolled back in his head. Fearing this would affect the players’ mental state, Zou Kai immediately cut Sheng Xu off. “Instead of acting tough here, why don’t you spend a few more hours practicing?”

Sheng Xu fired back instantly, “How have I not practiced!”

Zou Kai’s face darkened, and he didn’t hold back anymore, laying it all out: “I think you’ve been ‘practicing’ in your livestreams! Are you happy your followers are exploding and your donations are doubling?”

Sheng Xu froze.

Zou Kai continued, “Why do you think we didn’t pick you? Talk about playing once you’ve fixed your attitude. Your Captain has already promised he won’t push for you again!”

It was another heavy blow. A nerve seemed to snap; Sheng Xu felt his whole body go as rigid as iron for a moment, unable to move.

So, Yu Wenzhi didn’t choose him because of the streaming? Yu Wenzhi had already decided not to pick him? And he was actually looking forward to playing with him…

Sheng Xu gritted his teeth, his gaze filled with ice. His palms ached from being clenched so hard. It was as if he had finally woken up from a dream.

“Whether you believe it or not, my streaming never interfered with my training.”

Just as Zou Kai thought Sheng Xu was going to lash out, Sheng Xu kicked the chair in front of him aside and strode out of the room. The gust of wind he left behind blew Zou Kai’s hair all over his face.

Zou Kai brushed his hair back and cursed under his breath, “What a dog-shit temper!”

With a loud BANG, the door slammed shut, making Zou Kai flinch.

Maoyi, Ware, and Zechuan went silent, caught in a difficult spot. Ever added fuel to the fire: “I think he’s just using TEA’s platform to get famous and make money!”

Zou Kai snapped, “Ignore him! Come on, let’s cheer and get ready for the next one!”

Just as he held out his hand for the others to pile on, he saw Yu Wenzhi’s expression turn grave. Yu Wenzhi turned the door handle and followed him out.

Zou Kai: “…”

Yu Wenzhi considered himself someone who had never been impulsive. Years ago, after TEA won the championship and Choi Kyung-sung insisted on returning to Korea, the higher-ups tried everything to keep him. Zechuan was in tears, but Yu Wenzhi had simply smiled and helped Choi pack his bags, saying “Safe travels.”

Sheng Xu was unorganized and undisciplined; he should have been given a warning and punishment as Zou Kai said. Yet, by the time he snapped out of it, he was already standing in the hallway.

Yu Wenzhi wasn’t the type to make things difficult for himself. If he wanted to go coax someone, he would just do it. There were four minutes left until the next game.

He searched around before finding Sheng Xu. Sheng Xu was crouching by the wall, the back of his head resting against it. His hood was pulled tight, shadows covering his eyes and stopping at the bridge of his high nose. He held a cigarette between his fingers behind his back and took a sharp drag.

His tall frame was curled into a small ball, like a puppy howling and whimpering in the snow. People often mistakenly think a hood can hide most emotions, but disappointment and resentment had already spread to every corner.

Just as Yu Wenzhi was about to step forward, he saw Yan Tingyu and Yu Fan passing by. Yu Fan was a legend from DTG’s Mystery Peak division; he had recently switched to the League of Legends division because of Sheng Xu’s departure. He had become famous even earlier than Yu Wenzhi, but he had no ego and loved to joke.

The moment he saw Sheng Xu, he teased, “Oh, smoking? Just now, Tingyu-gege said if you were at DTG, he’d definitely pick you to play.”

Hearing this, Sheng Xu had nowhere to vent his frustration and pulled his hood even lower.

Yu Fan continued to needle him: “TEA loves playing it safe way too much. It’s so boring. Didn’t the ‘Fox Yu’ strongly recommend you to play even once?”

This time, Sheng Xu’s body tensed. He brutally crushed the half-finished cigarette against the team uniform on his wrist. Sparks flew, and a sizzling sound echoed; even through the fabric, the instantaneous heat was palpable.

Yu Wenzhi couldn’t let Yu Fan keep fanning the flames. He stepped forward, waving away the thick smell of smoke, and glanced at the brown scorch mark on Sheng Xu’s sleeve.

“What are you guys chatting about?” Yu Wenzhi asked with smiling eyes.

Sensing Yu Wenzhi’s approach, Sheng Xu instinctively tried to hide his sleeve. But on second thought, the dream was shattered anyway, so he decided to just let things fall apart.

Yu Wenzhi sighed softly. He patted Sheng Xu on the head through the hood and said with a teasing smile, “What kind of player has a temper as big as yours? I had to run out to find you before we even did the cheer.”

His voice wasn’t harsh at all; he was clearly coaxing him.

Sheng Xu’s lips were pressed white, his eyes narrowed, a fire still burning fiercely within him. But facing Yu Wenzhi, he couldn’t let it out. He simply turned his head away.

Yan Tingyu reminded them: “The match is about to start, Captain Yu.”

Yu Wenzhi nodded and smiled at the two of them. “Let’s talk another time. I’m taking my man back.”

Time was indeed tight. Yu Wenzhi didn’t have time for more talk; he grabbed Sheng Xu by the back of his collar to lead him away.

Yu Fan waved while joking, “The Little Stubborn Donkey was willing to pay 30 million in penalties just for a top-tier support like you. Do you really have the heart to let him be just a mascot?”

Yu Wenzhi froze, his eyelids snapping up.

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