Chapter 39

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Lu Kaizhi smiled as he rose from the sofa. His voice was tinged with a hint of guilt. “Did I interrupt your training?”

“No, not at all,” Yao Sen walked up to him. “What brings you here, Kai ge?”

“I’m actually here on a business trip. I passed by your Yiyou Building so I thought I’d come over and take a look.” Lu Kaizhi stretched his back and cast a glimpse around the place. His gaze stopped over the large LED screen in the lounge for a moment, and he smiled as he said, “Your current training conditions are so much better than ours back then. It makes me want to come back.”

While filling in the registration form for Lu Kaizhi, Yao Sen replied, “No way, Kai ge. If you come back, I’ll have one more rival.”

Lu Kaizhi laughed heartily as he patted Yao Sen’s shoulder. “How can that be? I’m no match for you at present.”

The two stepped into Building A’s escalator. Yao Sen fished out his phone and sent a mass text.

Yao Sen: Everyone come out

Wang Yuxi: Who’s here?

Yao Sen: Your daddy Caesar

Wang Yuxi: The fuck???

When Lu Kaizhi entered the training room, he was stunned by the uniform shouts of “Hello Kai ge” that echoed throughout the room.

Lu Kaizhi: “Hello everyone, it’s my pleasure.”

Although Lu Kaizhi had been retired for a long time, Caesar’s accomplishments in his days remained a legend in everyone’s minds. Everyone crowded around him and simultaneously barraged him with all sorts of questions. Lu Kaizhi patiently answered them one by one, easygoing and modest, yet enthusiastic and amiable.

Coach Gou also rushed over after receiving the news. He and Lu Kaizhi had played in the same period and had fought against each other many times. Upon seeing Coach Gou arriving, Lu Kaizhi promptly got up from his chair, pleasantly surprised, and gave Coach Gou a hug. “Lao-Gou, long time no see. You’re still looking spry.”

Coach Gou looked him up and down. “And you’re still the same old dog, aren’t you?”

Lu Kaizhi chuckled and patted Coach Gou’s shoulder. “That square mug of yours looks as fierce as ever. How’s the weight on your players’ shoulders?”

“It’s called a domineering front.” As soon as he met an old adversary, the usually unsmiling Coach Gou started talking up a storm. “How’s your wife been doing lately?”

“She’s fine, she’s pregnant right now. Otherwise she would’ve come along with me.”

“Aiyo, you’re having a second child?”

“Yeah, we’re going to be raising two kids soon. It’s not easy,” Lu Kaizhi sighed. “Moreover, my wife earned more than me to begin with. Since she’s at home these days, the pressure on me is huge.”

Coach Gou subconsciously started bringing up his own spouse, and a sour smell soon permeated throughout the entire training room. The remaining five unmarried team members sat still in their seats, internally rolling their eyes.

Lu Kaizhi: “Say, have you guys been having extra training lately?”

Coach Gou: “Yeah, I told these whelps to watch more matches of old professional teams. They’re pretty self aware.”

The five whelps had happiness written across their entire faces.

Lu Kaizhi nodded. “You really should be watching more of them. You kids came up as amateurs right? I know there’s a kid from Cobra called Shen You who only started playing in the pros. His kind are really quite rare, and that kid is pretty good.”

Hearing the two syllables of Shen You’s name, the corners of Yao Sen’s mouth stretched taut.

They all chatted about everything under the sun. Lu Kaizhi suggested that they should all go out for a midnight snack. The five people were also happy to no longer be subjected to the torture of the German language, and they all basked under Lu Kaizhi’s light.

Coach Gou and Lu Kaizhi walked ahead with their arms around each other’s shoulders. All of a sudden, Yao Sen muttered, “I don’t think Shen You is all that.”

“What’s with your ongoing problem with Shen You?” Bai Yue said upon hearing his words, baffled. “I’m just wondering. You’re not close with him, so what do you have against him?”

Unruffled, Yao Sen calmly answered, “We’re men—we always wanna win.”

“Then can I ask what you’re fighting him for?”

“……”

Once in a while, Yao Sen truly had to concede that, while Bai Yue was a straight guy, there were times when he’s surprisingly perceptive.

The group made their way to the food street and settled down at a random skewer shop. Lu Kaizhi sat next to Yao Sen, and suddenly let out a slightly meaningful laugh as he elbowed him, smiling as he whispered, “Is the left-handed didi yours yet?”

Yao Sen’s despondent mood after hearing Shen You’s name was instantly swept away, and he replied, “He is.”

“Good for you.” Lu Kaizhi clinked his cup with Yao Sen’s. “It’s great to be young.”

Their meal was in full swing. Yao Sen didn’t forget to send Shao Han a message.

Yao Sen: Kai ge visited today, we’re having a late-night snack right now

Shao Han probably had extra training too. His reply came once everyone had almost finished eating.

Shao Han: Why did he suddenly come by?

Yao Sen: He’s on a business trip. Do you and your teammates want something to eat? I’ll bring back some takeout for you

Shao Han: Yes, thank you

Yao Sen: What do you want to eat?

Shao Han: Anything’s fine

Yao Sen: Then I’ll order whatever, do you want it a little spicier?

Shao Han: Sure

Yao Sen: You’re eating such spicy things so late?

Shao Han: It’s fine

Yao Sen: I’ll get them to add half, don’t eat too much. Be good

As expected, Shao Han didn’t insist on adding more spice. After the skewers on the table were wiped out, Yao Sen asked the waiter for the menu to order more dishes.

Upon seeing this, Coach Gou asked, “Aren’t you full yet?”

“I’m ordering some to-go for a friend.” Yao Sen pointed at the menu, and said to the waiter, “Twenty beef skewers, four eggplants, ten lamb skewers, and add six kao mianjin[1] and baked potatoes. Half spicy, the other half mild. Wait, add a cup of herbal tea.”

After Yao Sen’s takeout order came, everyone returned home. Wang Yuxi and the others went to buy milk tea downstairs, Lu Kaizhi rushed back to his hotel to videocall his wife, while Yao Sen left for Building B after bidding everyone goodbye.

Yao Sen arrived at Noah’s main team’s training room and handed the late-night snacks over to the team members. Noah’s main team had been training all day long, and the sweet smell of skewers made their mouths water. Yet since they knew that this was only possible because of the good relationship between the Titans captain and Shao Han, they expressed their gratitude in a reserved manner.

Yao Sen generously stated that this meal was his treat. When he saw that Shao Han had already reached out for the spiciest beef skewer, he swiftly swatted the back of Shao Han’s hand gently, then took out the herbal tea from the plastic bag and placed it in front of him. “Don’t eat too much spicy food, you’ll hurt your tummy.”

Shao Han was a little embarrassed. He pursed his lips, and said, “I’ve eaten at this restaurant before. I can handle their spiciest dishes just fine.”

“You can’t eat too much.” Yao Sen said. “Eat slowly, I’m going back.”

After Yao Sen left, Shao Han’s teammates eagerly yet chaotically divided up the skewers. While tearing into the mianjin, a teammate of his asked, “Shao Han, you’re really close with the Titan’s captain, huh? He even specially bought you a late-night snack.”

Shao Han blushed faintly, but his red face didn’t particularly stand out among the group whose faces were flushed from the spice.

Another teammate interrupted, “And the guy is legit hot too. If you look too closely, you’ll be blinded by his hotness.”

“Hahaha, actually, I heard from a friend over at Titans that their club received a lot of New Year’s gifts from fans, and half of them were for Yao Sen. I’m envious as hell.”

Hearing this, Shao Han’s heart skipped a beat. In an instant, the spicy beef in his mouth seemed flavourless.

After showering that night, Shao Han lay on his bed and sent Yao Sen a message. Previously, while he’d been on the internet, he’d happened to see that the youth cup finals would be held at Hengshi Stadium on Saturday afternoon and wanted to go and watch.

In the message box, he typed in, “I want to watch the Laser Cup youth competition on Saturday afternoon at Hengshi”. Right as he was about to hit send, he hesitated for a bit, then added “Are you free”.

Shao Han: I want to watch the Laser Cup youth competition on Saturday afternoon at Hengshi. Are you free?

Yao Sen replied in a blink: Baby, what are you saying? What do you mean ‘are you free’? I’ll always be at your beck and call

A burst of sour sweetness suddenly filled Shao Han’s heart, like small bubbles from sour and sweet soda bubbling up inside. He turned over and replied: Then I’ll go find you at noon

He paused. Recounting what his teammates had previously said, he couldn’t help asking: I heard that your fans gave you a lot of New Year’s gifts?

Yao Sen: Yeah

Shao Han: Is there anything you particularly like?

Yao Sen: I like the one who’s currently lying down in bed in Room 943, Building B, Yiyou Building

Nestled in the pillow, Shao Han was speechless for a long time. He was vexed at how this man was always able to tease him with just a few words, and as it happened, he couldn’t stand the teasing either. He had no idea what to say after a moment’s deliberation so in the end, he had no other choice but to send a voice message telling him to sleep early.

E-sports matches were often held in Hengshi Stadium; from large national finals and youth competitions, to small ones like the friendly match between Titans and Cobra back then. The Laser Cup that Shao Han and Yao Sen went to wasn’t particularly well-known; there were only a few top-ranked teams participating, and for the most part, they were clubs that could only rank domestically* or had a bit of clout in the region.

*as opposed to international rankings

The two exchanged their tickets, entered the stadium, and sat down among the audience. There was a large audience, and it was basically a full house. The people who’d come to watch such a small match were mainly genuine die-hard fans of this industry. Shao Han and Yao Sen, who was wearing a cap, quietly mixed in with the e-sports fans without being recognized.

Before the match began, each team was introduced. Most of them were the youth training teams of pro clubs, and a small few were outstanding amateur youth teams. Though the domestic pro clubs weren’t all that famous, Yao Sen could still name and recognize the team logos. Today, however, there was a competing team that he’d never heard of.

Yao Sen watched as the team logos flitted by on the large screen, then tilted his head and softly asked Shao Han, “Baby, have you heard of this NL team before?”

Shao Han shook his head. “I haven’t. They’re a new team that was established a couple of years ago.”

NL was an abbreviation of Northern Lights, a name that was very much unfamiliar to Yao Sen. He couldn’t remember ever running into them in any competitions or even seeing their club, but there was no doubt that this team was a pro team, which could only mean that this club was very new.

This new team didn’t really catch Yao Sen’s attention. They ended up taking third place in the finals after losing to two slightly more well-known pro clubs.

After the winning team was crowned, there was an audience interaction segment. The large screen randomly selected an audience member, and the audience member who was chosen would be able to go up on stage to take a group photo with the winning players and receive a Laser Cup commemorative tee.

When the big screen froze on him, Yao Sen suspected that the steamed fish he ate last night was possibly a koi*. He sat motionlessly in his seat. For a moment, he somewhat couldn’t believe that he’d actually ran into such shit luck.

*internet slang for good luck

Shao Han also froze.

When the MC saw that the lucky audience member was motionless, they thought that they were just shy, so they laughed and encouraged this cap-wearing cute guy in a black T-shirt to come on stage and take a picture, then applauded along with the rest of the audience.

Shao Han started clapping along too. Forcing a smile, he said, “Just get up there.”

Yao Sen had no choice but to stand up. He took off his cap and placed it in Shao Han’s hands. The second Yao Sen took off his cap, he heard cries of surprise all round him.

With a proper smile on his face, Yao Sen stepped onto the stage in front of the rapt stares of the uproarious audience.

☆ ☆ ☆

[1] Kaomianjin is a type of grilled noodle commonly served in Xi’an, China. Gluten dough, or seitan is shaped into spirals and baked over a barbecue before being sprinkled with spices. source

t/n – thank you to VitaB for the kofi!

⟵ Chapter 38 | TOC | Chapter 40 ⟶

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