The Doctor said I Have to be A Kept Man - Chapter 6

The second day after signing with Chaoge, Chi Ruanfan woke up early.

After a quick wash, he put on his jacket and headed out to find food. Just as he opened his door, he bumped into Jin Zhu, who was also stepping out from the room next door. Both were momentarily stunned.

“Morning, Captain Jin,” Chi Ruanfan greeted first.

It wasn’t even 8:00 AM yet, which was incredibly early for professional players who usually lived on a nocturnal schedule.

“Morning,” Jin Zhu’s voice was cool. He was wearing Chaoge’s autumn team jacket, a primarily white garment featuring a Golden Crow embroidered in gold thread stretching from the back to the shoulder.

Jin Zhu’s gaze lingered on Chi Ruanfan for a moment. “Your uniform is still being custom-made. It will be ready before the next match.”

Chi Ruanfan knew how much trouble Chaoge’s uniforms were. Other teams sent theirs to garment factories for digital printing and machine sewing, producing results in minutes. Only Chaoge’s uniforms—from the team logo to the player names were hand-embroidered, making them exceptionally time-consuming.

“No rush on the clothes; the next match is a long way off,” Chi Ruanfan said. The coach might not even feel comfortable letting a “rookie” like him play yet.

Putting the match aside, Chi Ruanfan asked, “Are you heading out for food or to exercise?”

Jin Zhu’s routine had always been exceptionally disciplined. With a bit of memory recall, Chi Ruanfan could guess the schedule: at this hour, he was either headed to the cafeteria or the fitness area.

Jin Zhu gave him another look. “Exercise.”

“Exercise, huh? Then I…”

Chi Ruanfan naturally resisted any sport that wasn’t electronic. He was about to part ways with Jin Zhu when he suddenly remembered the terrible physical state he had been in during his previous life. By the day he retired, he had played professionally for five years, suffering from injuries ranging from his cervical spine to his fingers.

Jin Zhu had played even longer but never seemed to suffer from any occupational ailments, which was inseparable from his regular fitness training.

Changing his mind mid-sentence, Chi Ruanfan said, “I’ll go with you.”

Since he had a chance to start over, he had to take care of his body to extend his professional lifespan.

“Okay,” Jin Zhu agreed naturally.

“Come on, give me a leak, what do you usually train?” Chi Ruanfan probed as they walked.

Jin Zhu listed them calmly: “Stretching, weights, basketball, boxing…”

The long list made Chi Ruanfan want to retreat. Is it too late to run?

As Chi Ruanfan’s pace slowed, Jin Zhu seemed to read his mind. With the reaction speed of a top-tier pro, he grabbed Chi Ruanfan’s wrist.

“Let’s go. The fitness coach will customize a plan for you that won’t exceed your limits.”

Chaoge players had mandatory fitness quotas to meet within specific times. Chi Ruanfan would have to do it sooner or later; it was just a matter of time.

“No, wait, I’m sleepy! Bamboo, let go, let me go back for a nap.” The moment he was dragged into the elevator, Chi Ruanfan felt profound regret.

He shouldn’t have woken up so early. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have run into Jin Zhu, and he wouldn’t have ended up in this predicament.

“Is everyone here?” Coach Flying Cloud walked into the training room with a notebook. “We have a scrim against Team King’s in an hour. Everyone, warm up your hands.”

Hearing “scrim,” Guzi looked back from his computer in surprise. “King’s is actually willing to scrim with us?”

Their team’s current performance was disastrous; even mid-to-small teams looked down on them. Why would a top-tier powerhouse like King’s agree?

“I had to treat their coach to three hotpot meals to get this. Treasure it,” Flying Cloud said, scanning the room. “Where’s Jin Zhu?”

Lu Lu was munching on potato chips, his voice muffled: “I just went back to the dorm to grab something and saw Captain Jin and the new great god coming out after showering. They’re probably at the cafeteria.”

Meng Dong was scrolling through Weibo and only caught half of that. He looked up in shock. “They showered together?”

“Yeah.” Lu Lu stuffed another chip into his mouth, only to realize the entire training room had gone silent except for the sound of his crunching. He looked around blankly. “Why is everyone… Ah! No! Not together! They came out of two different rooms!”

Everyone: “Tch…”

Lu Lu was speechless. “My sentence was perfectly normal. How did you guys misunderstand? Go reflect on yourselves.”

“Reflect on what?” Jin Zhu and Chi Ruanfan entered the room, just in time to hear Lu Lu.

“Ahem, that’s not important.” Flying Cloud stepped forward, physically blocking Jin Zhu’s line of sight to Lu Lu. “The King’s scrim is starting soon. Get ready.”

As he spoke, Flying Cloud saw Chi Ruanfan behind Jin Zhu. He blinked, impressed. “You must be the new guy, Chi Ruanfan? You’re quite the looker.”

“Hello, Coach Flying Cloud,” Chi Ruanfan said with a light smile.

Flying Cloud had been with Chaoge for six seasons. To Chi Ruanfan, he was an old acquaintance from his previous life.

“Good, good,” Flying Cloud patted Chi Ruanfan’s shoulder and turned to the team. “You’ve all met each other, right?”

Lin Huo and the other two had been demolished by Chi Ruanfan yesterday, so they were well-acquainted. The only one he hadn’t met was Meng Dong, who had been out meeting fans.

Meng Dong stood up slowly, walked to Chi Ruanfan, and extended a hand. “Meng Dong. Mid-lane main.”

“Chi Ruanfan. I know a bit of every position.” Chi Ruanfan lightly shook his hand.

Meng Dong frowned slightly. “Pro play isn’t about knowing ‘a bit’ of everything. Knowing everything is worse than mastering one position.”

Chi Ruanfan knew Meng Dong was right at least in the current meta so he just smiled. He had played for five years and lived through various meta shifts; he really did know every position. If he had to pick one, he was best at, he actually couldn’t choose right now.

Lu Lu tugged at Meng Dong’s sleeve and whispered, “I’ve already been struck down once; don’t keep whipping the corpse.”

Meng Dong: “?”

Meng Dong had returned late last night and been lectured by the coach, so he had no idea what had happened yesterday. However, Flying Cloud had been briefed by Jin Zhu. He knew Chi Ruanfan was an all-rounder who had beaten their Top, Bot, and Support players.

Flying Cloud didn’t say much, only: “We have two games scheduled with King’s today. Meng Dong and Chi Ruanfan will each play one game.”

Chi Ruanfan: “I’m fine with that.”

Meng Dong froze for a few seconds before realizing this newcomer was likely here to replace him. Pursing his lips, Meng Dong looked at Chi Ruanfan properly for the first time. Could a guy who looks like a decorative vase actually have pro-level strength?

“I’m fine with it too,” Meng Dong said.

Seeing the teammates “getting along,” Flying Cloud pointed to an empty seat. “Sit there for now.”

The training room was divided into two sections. The right side had five sets of computers for the starters. The left side had two sets and a large screen for the coaches and replay sessions. Since the assistant coach was usually in the data department, Flying Cloud placed Chi Ruanfan at the assistant coach’s desk.

Chi Ruanfan didn’t mind and walked straight over. The six players began their warm-up drills. Flying Cloud, thinking Chi Ruanfan might be out of his element joining a pro team, walked over to offer some pointers.

He watched as the boy expertly last-hit minions, maneuvered through the map, and calculated damage and cooldowns… like a veteran who had been immersed in pro play for years.

“…” Flying Cloud, unable to find a single thing to correct, silently walked away.

At 1:00 PM sharp, Flying Cloud checked his phone. “Log into your tournament accounts. King’s will pull you into the room. Xiao Ruan (Little Ruan), come over and watch.”

It took a pat on the shoulder for Chi Ruanfan to realize that “Xiao Ruan” was directed at him.

“?” Chi Ruanfan’s head was full of question marks. As a veteran who had fought on the pro stage for five years basically a grandfather-tier figure among players, who dared to call him that?

Chi Ruanfan looked at Flying Cloud’s weathered, sleep-deprived face, then at the youthful, tender reflection in his phone screen.

Damn. I really AM “soft.”

“Xiao Ruan it is, then.”

Chi Ruanfan walked over and took his spot beside Jin Zhu.

The coach was letting him and Meng Dong each play a game. He knew he would be assigned to the Mid lane, and since the Mid-Jungle synergy is a vital part of the game, he needed to get a clear sense of Jin Zhu’s current playstyle and habits.

The seating in the training room mirrored a professional stage layout: the Jungler and Mid-laner sat side-by-side. Meng Dong was currently Jin Zhu’s neighbor.

Feeling Chi Ruanfan standing beside him, Meng Dong straightened up, cleared his throat, and said, “Rookie, watch my mechanics closely.”

Chi Ruanfan replied, “Uh… I will try.”

I will try to pay attention to you while I am busy watching Jin Zhu’s jungling.

Meng Dong adjusted his hair and added, “It is fine if you cannot follow it all. We will do a replay on the big screen afterward.”

Flying Cloud walked over and said to Meng Dong, “Give me a Fire Mage in the Mid lane.”

The enemy Jungler was the Treant Shaman, a hero heavily dependent on jungle creeps who feared being counter-jungled. You have to target what the opponent fears; the Fire Mage clears waves quickly, allowing him to shove the lane and rotate to steal camps.

Meng Dong hesitated. He wanted to show off his prowess in front of Chi Ruanfan. The Fire Mage was better suited for providing area damage in team fights; it did not offer much room to “show off” individual skill.

“Coach, I want to try a Melee Mage,” Meng Dong said.

Flying Cloud paused. “A Melee Mage?”

Melee Mages had strong crowd control and poke potential, but their wave clear was mediocre. They could not threaten the enemy jungle effectively in the early game. However, Flying Cloud did not like forcing players into roles they did not want to play. After a moment, he said:

“Fine. At the start, the Bottom duo will rotate to Mid to clear the wave. Jin Zhu, Meng Dong, and Guzi will all invade. Do not leave a single buff for them.”

Chi Ruanfan watched as both sides entered the game. Coach Flying Cloud’s idea was solid: if everything went smoothly, Chaoge could start with a four-buff lead.

The game began. Jin Zhu and Guzi entered the enemy’s Red zone, while Meng Dong entered the Blue zone.

The enemy Jungler spotted Jin Zhu and Guzi. Glancing at the map, he saw Chaoge’s duo lane rotating toward him. He made a split-second decision to abandon his half-finished Blue buff and turn back toward his own side.

“Decisive,” Flying Cloud commented. How could one win a 1v4? If the enemy Jungler did not let go of the Red buff, he would lose his life.

In the enemy Blue zone: Meng Dong successfully secured the Blue buff despite the defense from the enemy Mid-laner. Seeing three enemies closing in, Meng Dong maneuvered his Melee Mage to retreat.

On the other side, Jin Zhu successfully took the enemy Red buff. The situation looked excellent.

“Not bad,” the coach said, satisfied. “Both of their buffs are in our hands. We have a massive early advantage.”

Chi Ruanfan watched Jin Zhu’s micro-management while keeping an eye on the movement of every class on the map. At that moment, he noticed Meng Dong’s Melee Mage stop. Instead of returning to the lane to clear minions, the Melee Mage stayed in the brush near the enemy’s Bottom Tier 1 tower.

As the three enemies closed in, the Melee Mage suddenly lunged out of the brush.

He wants to 1v3?

Chi Ruanfan was slightly surprised. To attempt a 1v3 before his early-game items were even built that required an immense amount of confidence. Was this Meng Dong actually a hidden master?

Chi Ruanfan glanced at Meng Dong’s screen. He saw the Melee Mage pull off a flashy combo against the enemy Mid and Support, then instantly blink away to dodge a shot from the enemy Cannoneer.

Jin Zhu frowned slightly. “Meng Dong, do not get caught.”

Coach Flying Cloud noticed something was wrong as well. “Wait, Meng Dong, why haven’t you left yet?”

Flying Cloud’s voice was not loud, and Meng Dong could not hear him through his headset. However, the team comms were open. Jin Zhu’s voice reached Meng Dong’s ears, to which Meng Dong replied:

“I can outplay them! Their Cannoneer is a dead man this wave!”

Meng Dong fixed his eyes on the Cannoneer’s positioning. His hand moved the mouse to charge forward, but suddenly a figure flashed in front of him. The Melee Mage was frozen in place.

The enemy Support had Flashed forward to stun him. The Cannoneer followed up with two heavy blasts, and the Melee Mage’s health bar vanished.

[King’s-Jiang Xia (Cannoneer) killed Chaoge-Meng Dong (Melee Mage): First Blood!]

Meng Dong stared at his darkened screen, his mind going blank for a second. The game continued.

Lin Huo secured his own Red buff and headed to the Bottom lane with his Support, only to be met by an enemy Cannoneer who now had a Blue buff and a lead in both levels and gold. He did not realize how dangerous the situation was until he stepped out to clear minions and was instantly reduced to critical health.

“Holy crap, what is that damage?” Lin Huo scrambled back under the tower, hoping to finish the wave under the protection of the energy tower. But the enemy Cannoneer used a displacement skill to gap-close and finished Lin Huo off with a single shot.

[King’s-Jiang Xia (Cannoneer) killed Chaoge-Lin Huo (Phantom Fairy).]

Meng Dong had just respawned when Lin Huo went down. On the public chat, the enemy Cannoneer typed out a sentence.

King’s-Jiang Xia (Cannoneer): Thanks for the double buffs.

A deathly silence fell over the Chaoge training room. The Support, Lu Lu, said boldly, “This… this one is on me. I should have blocked for Lin Huo. My reactions were too slow.”

Coach Flying Cloud took a deep breath and raised his voice: “It is fine. It is just a scrim. Just play your best.”

How could it be fine? Chaoge’s record was so poor that they had to win all three of their upcoming matches just to get a ticket to the World Championship. And given Chaoge’s current state… Flying Cloud sighed inwardly.

Meng Dong tried to “show off” several more times without success, only feeding more kills to the opponent. Lin Huo was frequently picked off by the enemy. In less than fifteen minutes, the kill score reached a staggering 3 to 15.

Chaoge 3, King’s 15.

The only three kills they had were solo picks secured by Jin Zhu. The first scrim ended with Chaoge’s defeat.

Chi Ruanfan had been mentally prepared for Chaoge’s situation, but seeing it with his own eyes was still difficult. The current Chaoge did not look like a team at all. Meng Dong only cared about himself and ignored commands. Lin Huo and Lu Lu lacked the necessary mechanics and awareness; against a weak team, it might not show, but a powerhouse would catch every tiny mistake and magnify it a hundredfold.

Guzi was okay; his pressure management was decent, showing no major highlights but no glaring flaws either. As for Jin Zhu… he spent two-thirds of the game cleaning up his teammates’ messes and could not find the space to carry.

As the match ended, the enemy Bottom lane asked in the lobby: “Still playing the second game?”

Jin Zhu said coldly, “Yes.”

Jin Zhu turned his head toward Chi Ruanfan. Chi Ruanfan gave a faint smile and, after the dazed Meng Dong left his seat, sat down in the empty chair.

They entered the character selection screen. Coach Flying Cloud came to Chi Ruanfan’s side and asked him first: “What do you want to play?”

He still did not know which classes Chi Ruanfan specialized in. Even if he was an “all-rounder,” surely he just knew a few for each role; he couldn’t possibly be a master of all of them, right?

“What do I want to play?”

Chi Ruanfan thought about it, feeling like playing any of them. Finally, he said, “I will also go with a Melee Mage.”

If you cannot decide, copy someone else’s answer. Problem solved.

Meng Dong, who had stepped aside, looked up and stared straight at Chi Ruanfan. This was a provocation, a blatant one! Meng Dong’s breathing quickened. “The Melee Mage is high-difficulty with a low margin for error. Can you handle it?”

Chi Ruanfan quirked an eyebrow. Back then, his Melee Mage was a permanent ban. You tell me if I can handle it.

“Then you had better watch closely,” Chi Ruanfan said, then flipped Meng Dong’s earlier words back on him: “It is fine if you cannot follow it all. We will do a replay on the big screen afterward.”

Support The Doctor said I Have to be A Kept Man