The Doctor said I Have to be A Kept Man - Chapter 1

Esports News: “In the recently concluded Infinite Tower Defense S10 World Finals, Team Night Chord defeated Team Chao Ge to claim the championship. With three titles in three years, a new dynasty has been established!”

Esports News: “Night Chord’s jungler, Chi Ruanfan (ID: Chi Fou), has been named the FMVP. This marks the third FMVP of his professional career!”

“Three titles and three FMVPs; he is the eternal God of this era!”

Shocking News: “Shocking! This one sentence from him left the entire audience in tears!”

News Editor: “At the Grand Finals, three-time FMVP Chi Ruanfan suddenly announced his retirement. This editor is stunned! What exactly happened? Let’s dive in and find out.”

“I’m heading out. You guys have fun tonight.”

In the players’ lounge, Chi Ruanfan picked up his peripheral bag and bid farewell to his teammates.

“Captain Chi, let us take you to the hospital first.” A teammate wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and stepped forward, reaching for the bag.

The entire team knew that Captain Chi Ruanfan would retire after this match. However, now that the moment of separation had arrived, it was still incredibly hard to let go.

“No need. You guys go celebrate the victory,” Chi Ruanfan declined with a smile. “Jin Zhu will be with me at the hospital.”

Chi Ruanfan was 22 years old. For an average person, that is the prime of youth, but in the professional circuit, he was already an old-timer. Five years of professional play had left him with numerous career injuries. The primary reason for his retirement was a severe waist injury; he had to stop training to cooperate with medical treatment.

Hearing Chi Ruanfan mention Jin Zhu, the captain of Team Chao Ge, his teammates became even more worried.

“Brother Chi, you ganked Jin Zhu’s Gunner seven times in that last match. If you go out there now, I’m afraid he and the Chao Ge members will jump you with a burlap sack.”

Team Chao Ge was tonight’s runner-up and the ultimate backdrop for their championship win. In reality, the two teams had a good relationship, largely because their captains—Chi Ruanfan and Jin Zhu—were best friends.

However, in a competition, there is only one champion. Only one team can win it all.

“I just hope they go easy on me, considering I am an injured patient.”

Chi Ruanfan walked to the door, took one last look at the teammates he had spent years with, put on his hat, waved, and stepped out.

Three years, three championships, and three FMVPs; for a professional player, this was a perfect curtain call. There was nothing to be sad about.

An Unexpected Encounter

It was November in S City, and the nighttime temperature had dropped to 5°C. It was cold.

Chi Ruanfan shoved his hands into his coat pockets. As he stepped out of the noisy venue, he saw a tall, straight figure in white standing in front of a luxury car. It was Jin Zhu, his greatest rival and best friend.

Seeing Chi Ruanfan, Jin Zhu, dressed in his white team uniform, stepped forward and took the peripheral bag from him. “I told you not to dress so lightly. You are freezing, aren’t you?”

“I’m fine. Didn’t you come to pick me up?” Chi Ruanfan smiled.

The two walked down the steps side by side, their black and white uniforms brushing against each other. Night Chord and Chao Ge; the color schemes of the two teams signaled their fierce rivalry. Yet, seeing the two captains together, there was a strange sense of harmony.

As they walked, Chi Ruanfan scanned his surroundings.

“What are you looking for?” Jin Zhu asked.

“Your teammates. I’m seeing if they are going to jump out and bag me,” Chi Ruanfan said bluntly.

Jin Zhu let out a helpless laugh. “They all went to dinner. They said they needed to turn their grief and indignation into an appetite.”

He opened the car door for Chi Ruanfan and got in from the other side.

“What about you?” Chi Ruanfan asked. “What are you turning your grief into?”

Jin Zhu turned his head to look at him. The warm light from outside the window spilled onto Chi Ruanfan’s newly dyed blonde hair. A stray piece of confetti glinted among the strands; it was the gold rain that had fallen from the rafters when Night Chord won.

Night Chord was the champion tonight, and as the FMVP, Chi Ruanfan was the most dazzling star in the sky.

Chi Ruanfan shifted back warily. “I’m fine with opening a room for a 1-on-1 in-game, but I decline any real-life physical combat.”

Jin Zhu reached out and plucked the golden confetti from his hair. Then, under Chi Ruanfan’s confused gaze, he pulled out a thermos from the back and handed it to him.

“Porridge,” Jin Zhu said. “Fill your stomach.”

Chi Ruanfan looked Jin Zhu up and down. After confirming the other man was not going to start a fight in the car, he relaxed. He opened the lid to find Chinese Yam porridge and smiled.

“You really do know my tastes. I have no idea what kind of food Chaoyang and the others buy every day.”

The car started smoothly. Amidst the low hum of the engine, Jin Zhu whispered, “If you like it, in the future, we could…”

Chi Ruanfan waited for him to finish while sipping the porridge.

“What are your plans after retirement?” Jin Zhu’s words took a sudden turn.

Chi Ruanfan thought for a moment. “First, I’ll recover from these injuries. After that, maybe I will go back to the team as a coach, or stay home and raise birds while becoming a game streamer. What about you? Any plans? Going back to inherit your family’s billions?”

“I…”

Jin Zhu’s voice was too soft. Chi Ruanfan leaned in to hear better. Just as he moved, the dim interior of the car was suddenly flooded with white light. Chi Ruanfan turned his head; a blinding glare consumed his vision.

Beep! CRASH!!!

With a deafening sound of impact, all noise ceased.

The Awakening

Pain surged through every nerve. Chi Ruanfan’s muscles were tense, his body trembled imperceptibly, and his breathing was ragged.

His fingers resting on a table twitched, slowly curling into his palm. The moment his fingertips touched his skin, he bolted upright.

“Hah! Hah!”

The sunlight streaming into the room stung his eyes. He squinted, looking at his surroundings in a daze. A computer, a keyboard, a desk; his hands and body were perfectly intact.

Hadn’t a truck hit them? How was he okay? And where was Jin Zhu?

Chi Ruanfan stiffened as he turned his neck to scan the room. He was alone. Stranger still, the layout of this room was identical to the small, shabby apartment he had rented years ago. Even the keyboard was the same model he used back then.

Is this a prank? Or did the crash mess with my head?

As he prepared to head for the door to investigate, a short beep sounded. It was a sound Chi Ruanfan knew all too well; it was the countdown for Infinite Tower Defense when a match is found.

He looked back at the monitor. The screen showed the matchmaking page. Nine players had already confirmed; he was the only one left. Since it is a 5-on-5 game, if one player fails to confirm, the match is canceled. Chi Ruanfan had not intended to play, but one player’s avatar looked exactly like Jin Zhu’s; it was a plain, unchanging white square.

To know if it was really him, he had to enter the game. Chi Ruanfan moved the mouse and clicked “Confirm.”

With a ding, the screen transitioned to the hero selection interface. Chi Ruanfan looked at the ID of the player in the first slot. [Chao Ge – Jin Yi]

There was a professional player tag in the top right corner. It was indeed Jin Zhu’s professional account.

“Is this really a prank?” Chi Ruanfan was confused but also relieved.

He leaned back in his chair, flexed his fingers, and turned on his microphone. “Great God Jin Yi, I’m counting on you to carry me this round.”

The back of the chair only reached his waist, making Chi Ruanfan—who was used to high-back gaming chairs—feel a bit awkward. Whoever arranged this prank even found a chair identical to the one he had years ago.

A Familiar Voice

Inside the Chao Ge training room, a cold-faced youth locked in the “Gunner” class. Suddenly, a clear, pure, and slightly lazy voice came through his headset. He paused. It was a very pleasant voice.

The content of the words was a rare change from the usual cynicism or insults. Team Chao Ge’s performance had been poor this year, and the outside world was full of doubt. It was not easy to encounter a peaceful fan.

The youth replied in a low voice, “Mhm. Just stay back, I’ll carry.”

Hearing the voice through his speakers, Chi Ruanfan rubbed his ears. It was definitely Jin Zhu’s voice, but why did it sound different? It sounded younger.

Before he could figure it out, a sneer rang out. “Tch. Team Chao Ge. I guess you can only act tough by carrying in ranked matches.”

The speaker was the Fire Mage in the second slot. Chi Ruanfan raised an eyebrow. Sure, Chao Ge lost to Night Chord in the World Finals, but since when does being the world runner-up mean you can only act tough in ranked?

Chi Ruanfan was looking forward to an easy win; he could not let his “carry” get tilted. He smiled and said, “I wonder where our brother in slot two usually carries? Easy AI matches?”

“I won’t stoop to your level!” The Fire Mage muted his mic.

“Fine. Let’s see what you’ve got in-game.”

Chi Ruanfan also turned off his microphone. He scrolled through the hero selection page, looking for a class suitable for being carried. However, after scrolling through the list twice, he could not find the white icon he was looking for.

Where is the Light Elf?

He did not think too much of it. Since the Light Elf was not there, he settled for his second choice: Time Messenger.

Back to the Past?

Upon entering the game, Chi Ruanfan controlled the Time Messenger to leave the spawn point. Energy towers embedded with blue crystals and vibrant red maple trees filled his vision. Chi Ruanfan looked around, completely bewildered. “When did they change the map back?”

Blue crystals and red maples were elements from before Season 7.

“What are the developers thinking? Changing it back and forth until it is back to Version 1.” Chi Ruanfan pushed his doubts aside and moved into the forest.

He had just placed a “Vision Ward” when he noticed the Fire Mage’s health in the mid-lane was plummeting. The Fire Mage was being pummeled by the enemy Array Master while trying to clear a wave.

Truly a man who carries in Easy AI matches.

Chi Ruanfan pinged a retreat, but the low-health Fire Mage neither advanced nor retreated. He just stood in the enemy’s array, trading basic attacks.

“The Array Master has an array buff; how is your little fireball supposed to beat that?” Chi Ruanfan glanced at Jin Zhu, who was 1v2 in the bottom lane, and turned toward mid-lane to clean up the mess.

[Little Fish Loves Cats (Array Master) killed Random Code (Fire Mage) for First Blood!]

The Fire Mage gave up first blood, and the Array Master retreated under the tower.

“The enemy Array Master must be cheating. How does one hit do so much damage?” The Fire Mage, lying on the ground waiting to respawn, began to question his life.

The Paladin in the top lane opened his mic. “Face reality. You just suck.”

Fire Mage: “I just brought the wrong skills!”

Paladin: “You suck.”

Fire Mage: [Angry Gibberish]

While the Fire Mage was busy arguing, Chi Ruanfan quietly took the remaining mid-lane minions, leveling his Time Messenger to Level 2. He then headed toward the bottom lane.

On the main path of the bottom lane, Jin Zhu’s Gunner had just finished off the last enemy ranged minion and was suppressing both opponents alone. As the minion wave entered the tower, Chi Ruanfan checked the enemies’ health and positioning. It was doable. He opened his mic and said, “Let’s go together.”

As the words fell, Chi Ruanfan tapped his keyboard, applying a speed buff to himself and the Gunner. The Gunner dove straight into the tower, raising his gun and firing a volley, instantly shredding the low-health Elf Archer.

Chi Ruanfan’s Time Messenger arrived a second later. With their coordination, they took down the enemy Priest as well.

[Chao Ge – Jin Yi (Gunner) killed Little Cat Doesn’t Eat Fish (Elf Archer).] [Chao Ge – Jin Yi (Gunner) killed Don’t Touch My Carry (Priest) for a Double Kill!]

Chi Ruanfan was slightly stunned. He had only planned to kill the Archer; he did not expect the Priest to go down so easily too. Is the Gunner’s damage always this explosive? What kind of items is Jin Zhu building?

In that split second of thought, another kill notification came from mid-lane. The Fire Mage had been solo-killed by the Array Master again.

The Fire Mage shouted, “Time Messenger, come support me!”

Chi Ruanfan chuckled. “I only stick with the Great God. You have already been amputated by that Array Master.”

Hearing the laughter in his headset, Jin Zhu felt his ears grow inexplicably warm. He wanted to take off his headset for a moment but stopped himself. Finally, Jin Zhu simply said in a low voice, “Stay with me. We win.”

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