The Doctor said I Have to be A Kept Man - Chapter 11

The host was a young woman whose eyes lit up the moment she saw Jin Zhu and Chi Ruanfan approaching. Before the formal interview even began, she hurried over with a notebook and a bright smile.

“Hello, Captain Jin! Hello, Chi Fou! I’m today’s host, Xiaxia. Chi Fou, would it be possible to get your autograph?”

“Sure,” Chi Ruanfan said, taking the notebook. As he flipped it open, he noticed Jin Zhu’s signature already there. He quirked an eyebrow and asked, “Should I sign next to him?”

Xiaxia’s smile grew even wider, carrying a hint of strange, maternal affection. “You can sign anywhere you like!”

Chi Ruanfan picked up the pen and, right next to the characters for “Jin Yi,” he fluidly scrawled his own ID.

Jin Zhu glanced over and was slightly surprised. “Nice handwriting.”

He had seen Chi Ruanfan’s writing when signing the contract; those characters were merely neat, certainly not beautiful. But these two characters possessed a distinct aesthetic—the signature was seamless and practiced, as if he had written it thousands of times.

“Of course,” Chi Ruanfan smirked with pride.

I’ve been signing these two words for years; how could they not look good?

Once Xiaxia tucked her notebook away, it was time for the interview. She handed microphones to the two of them, and the cameras began to roll.

“Captain Jin, your performance today was even more outstanding than usual. Was it due to the arrival of a new teammate?” the host asked.

Facing the camera, Jin Zhu replied, “Yes. Without Chi Fou’s coordination, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve these results.”

Host: “We could certainly see the incredible chemistry between you two during these matches. However, as far as we know, Chi Fou only joined Chaoge last week. How did you two manage to build such perfect synergy in such a short time?”

Jin Zhu couldn’t answer that. He was simply playing according to his own habits and style, yet Chi Ruanfan acted as if he knew exactly what Jin Zhu was going to do every time. He looked at Chi Ruanfan, passing the question to him.

Chi Ruanfan was also at a loss. He couldn’t exactly say they had been playing together for years in a previous life, could he? What if Jin Zhu pressed for details?

“Well…” Chi Ruanfan pondered for a moment. “Perhaps it’s because we’re kindred spirits.”

Jin Zhu raised an eyebrow, staring intently at Chi Ruanfan, who just beamed back at him.

“Oh~” Xiaxia nodded as if she had enlightened herself on some deeper meaning. She continued:

“Chi Fou, as a rookie, you secured two Triple Kills in your debut using the Melee Mage, and won an MVP each on both the Melee Mage and the Array Master. How do you feel about such an impressive record?”

“I don’t feel much,” Chi Ruanfan said honestly.

“No thoughts at all? For example, thinking you’re quite strong?” the host pressed.

Chi Ruanfan thought seriously. “If I had to say something… I haven’t played in a long time, so my level has dropped. I still need to practice more.”

In the season before his rebirth, he had primarily played Jungle and Bottom; the Mid lane felt somewhat distant to him.

The host was startled. “So, today’s performance was your level after it dropped?”

“Yes.” Chi Ruanfan saw absolutely nothing wrong with his statement.

“Ah, okay…” Stunned by this sheer confidence, it took the host a few seconds to recover. “That concludes today’s interview. Thank you, Captain Jin and Chi Fou, for joining us. We wish Chi Fou a speedy return to his peak form.”

The interview ended, but the official stream and Weibo exploded because of it.

” ‘LEVEL DROPPED’ ”

“This is him after a drop? Then what do you call the Panda Team that got pulverized?”

“A 1v3 counter-kill while behind in gold is a ‘drop’? So your normal level is a 1v5?”

“This rookie is too arrogant. Is no one going to teach him a lesson?”

“Just wait. Next week against Team Xingxiu, the Mid-lane King ‘Heart-Moon Fox’ will show him his place.”

“Am I the only one staring at his face? He’s so handsome. Are those eyes really contacts? They look so vivid.”

“Did you hear what he said? ‘Kindred spirits’! That’s too sweet!”

“The way Captain Jin looks at the rookie is so protective—gentler than the way he looks at a buff.”

Coach Flying Cloud heard the whole interview. It was indeed arrogant, but his Mid-laner had the capital to be.

“Brother Chi, you’re attracting too much aggro. Careful that future opponents don’t target you exclusively,” Lin Huo warned, already imagining Chi Ruanfan being jumped by five people.

“They were going to target me sooner or later,” Chi Ruanfan said, unbothered. He was used to being the center of attention in every match.

After dinner, they took the car back to the base. Chi Ruanfan and Jin Zhu sat side-by-side. Chi Ruanfan watched the neon city lights through the window for a while and yawned.

“Sleepy?” Jin Zhu asked softly.

“Mn,” Chi Ruanfan hummed lazily. The soft trailing sound was like a feather brushing against Jin Zhu’s heart.

“You…” Jin Zhu hesitated, then continued, “You can lean on my shoulder for a bit. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

Chi Ruanfan didn’t hesitate; his head tilted right over onto Jin Zhu’s shoulder.

Jin Zhu was stiff at first, but after a moment, hearing Chi Ruanfan’s breathing become steady and long, he gradually relaxed, though he remained staring straight ahead. This lasted for quite a while.

Perhaps drowsiness is contagious; listening to the light breathing beside him, Jin Zhu felt his own eyelids grow heavy. Involuntarily, his head tilted sideways until it rested against Chi Ruanfan’s. Head to head, they both fell asleep.

The car rolled to a stop at the base. The driver didn’t wake them. After waiting a while and not seeing anyone get out, Lin Huo ran over and tapped on the window. “Hey! We’re at the base! What are you two doing in there?”

Both were startled awake by the knocking. Jin Zhu snapped his head up and sat bolt upright instantly.

Chi Ruanfan sat up groggily, rubbed his eyes, and shouted to the noisy Lin Huo outside, “Stop knocking, we’re coming out!”

As they stepped out, Lin Huo was still grumbling, “What took you so long?”

“Fell asleep,” Chi Ruanfan said casually.

But Jin Zhu said he’d wake me… why didn’t he? Chi Ruanfan glanced at him.

Jin Zhu caught his gaze, pursed his lips, and whispered, “I didn’t notice just now.”

I fell asleep too deeply.

Coach Flying Cloud announced, “No training tonight. Everyone, go back and get some rest.”

The players followed suit, exhausted by the match and the travel. Chi Ruanfan’s body was young, though; after a nap in the car and a quick shower, he was full of energy. He went downstairs, asked the coach for today’s match recordings, and began watching them alone in the training room.

Click.

Jin Zhu pushed open the door and found Chi Ruanfan focused on the screen.

“Not resting yet?” Jin Zhu closed the door softly.

Chi Ruanfan turned and smiled. “Aren’t you awake too?”

“It’s not my bedtime yet.”

Jin Zhu walked up, his eyes falling on the screen. It was a replay from Lin Huo’s perspective. Feeling Jin Zhu stop behind him, Chi Ruanfan shared his thoughts: “Lin Huo’s positioning is still off. He needs more practice.”

Lin Huo’s positioning was an old flaw. He was fine on stationary marksmen where a support could protect him, but on high-mobility heroes, he tended to outplay himself before the enemy could even touch him.

Jin Zhu: “Time is too tight. Positioning won’t improve significantly in the short term.”

“Even so, we have to try. Every little bit counts.” Chi Ruanfan gripped the mouse, leaning forward slightly.

Jin Zhu’s gaze fell on Chi Ruanfan’s still-damp hair. He saw a droplet of water hanging from a golden tip, poised to fall. Below it was the boy’s pale, slender neck. If it fell, it would be quite cold, wouldn’t it?

Jin Zhu quietly reached out and caught the droplet the moment it fell. He let out a soft breath and said slowly, “The coach is already looking for a player specializing in high-mobility marksmen.”

Chi Ruanfan paused and turned around. “You mean… buying another player to fix the weakness?”

“Mn.” Jin Zhu unobtrusively hid his hand behind his back.

Chi Ruanfan slapped his forehead. He was still stuck in his old way of thinking. Chaoge wasn’t like his previous small, broke team; they had money. If they lacked something, they could just buy it.

“Actually, I have a recommendation for someone who specializes in mobility marksmen.” Thinking of his old teammates from Yexian, Chi Ruanfan’s lips curled into a smile.

Jin Zhu mentally ran through every marksman in the pro league and youth camps but couldn’t guess who it was. “Who?”

Chi Ruanfan said, “ID is Zhaoxing (Star-Picker). Extremely skilled with mobile marksmen. The more positioning and micro-management a hero requires, the better they perform.”

Zhaoxing. An unfamiliar ID. Not someone in the pro circle.

Jin Zhu asked, “How strong?”

Chi Ruanfan thought for a bit. “Without a support, it’s a 40/60 split against me. With a support, it’s 60/40 in their favor.”

Jin Zhu understood. “A bottom duo?”

He had seen Chi Ruanfan’s marksman skills; they were top-tier. A duo that could go 60/40 against Chi Ruanfan was an incredibly high evaluation.

Chi Ruanfan nodded. “If you’re going to sign them, I suggest signing both.”

After all, Chaoge wasn’t short on cash.

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