Prologue 5: Airport Disturbance

When Liu Chuan dropped off Qin Ye at the airport, he kept feeling that something wasn’t right around them. As a first-class expert in the league, his senses were extremely sensitive. After all, in the past, he was often surrounded and intercepted by paparazzi, even to the point of chasing to the Liu family’s entrance…

Although esports was a fairly new circle, after competing for so many years, the league’s top players’ popularity grew more and more and the various kinds of reporters also grew with them. Many celebrity gossip magazines and gaming websites emerged, breeding like flies. The majority of the magazines and websites would prioritize reporting on matters regarding the games. However, the ones who liked gossip were like small flames, growing bigger as it spreads. The private lives of popular players also became details that many reporters wanted to report on.

Fortunately, the league had already followed up with the media’s side and made an arrangement. Every player who didn’t want to appear on media wasn’t allowed to have their pictures exposed.

Actually, many understood. After all, there were many parents within the country whose views were rather traditional. Many thought that playing games wasn’t an acceptable behaviour. Unknowingly, esports in this digital age, as a result of the new generation, grew rapidly and vigorously under the care of various esport players and the professional leagues. Internationally, esport competitions had grown bigger and bigger. The prize money became more and more generous and the competition system also became more and more advanced…

Only, the views of the older generations wouldn’t just change overnight.

The league didn’t stop expanding and the esport circle also became bigger and bigger. To have Liu Chuan, who was the son of an eminent scholar in the academic world, run to compete in gaming competition was really shocking to others. Actually, the esport circle had quite a few players with complicated backgrounds. Rich second generations, children of officials and all kinds of different backgrounds were also included. Many people weren’t willing to have the media expose their status——This, after all, wasn’t the entertainment business. Everyone relied on their gaming skills and abilities, not on their looks or family backgrounds.

Esport reporters who didn’t pay attention to competition matters and instead, reported on private lives and gossips, was the most annoying part for every esport player.

Therefore, within the esport circle, reporters who were famous for relying on paparazzi to stalk and secretly taking pictures to report on gossips would all suffer from being boycotted by the players.

Something was nagging at the back of his mind. Liu Chuan couldn’t help frowning and immediately pulled on Qin Ye’s arm.

Understanding, Qin Ye stopped in his tracks. He lowered his brims and put on sunglasses then turned around to go.

Liu Chuan had a habit of wearing sunglasses when he went out. Among the crowd, the two men in sunglasses were actually very eye-catching. Liu Chuan’s figure was tall, intentionally or unintentionally, obscuring Qin Ye, shielding him as he quickly headed towards check-in.

Not far away, a group of reporters suddenly poured out with camera shutters going pa pa pa nonstop. Several female reporters with microphones desperately rushed forward: “Captain Xiao! Excuse me, would there be any changes to the participating members in the Qixingcao team next season?” “Can Captain Xiao tell us who exactly is going to be on the Qixingcao team’s roster this time?” “Excuse me, how is Vice-captain Su’s injury?” “Will Qixingcao change all of its main force like last year?”

Liu Chuan and Qin Ye glanced at each other.

——Qixingcao team.

There were more than twenty people. The captain at the forefront and following behind the leader was the vice-captain, the team’s main force, manager and even a few new additional members this year.

A powerful team going out as a group, no wonder these reporters were this excited.

Fortunately, it turned out the reporters who were guarding the tree-stumps waiting for rabbits[1] at the airport had nothing to do with them. They were here to intercept the Qixingcao team. Still, Liu Chuan and Qin Ye were a bit nervous.

[1] 守株待兔: to trust chance rather than show initiative

The Qixingcao team was also a strong team in the professional league, winning quite a few championships.

The Qixingcao’s team captain was a first-class expert in the league and was from the same era as Liu Chuan. He was considered Liu Chuan’s strongest opponent in the league.

To compete for the championship, the two people had once met repeatedly in the finals, both winning and losing. For nine whole seasons, the number of times Huaxia and Qixingcao had battled were too many to count. Every match was classic teaching materials for newcomers of the league to carefully study over and over.

The blocked Qixingcao team members weren’t wearing the team uniform. Everyone was in everyday clothes so it wasn’t conspicuous walking in the crowd.

The reporters must’ve received information in advance to be waiting idly for opportunities.

Dressed in a black casual outfit, Captain Xiao’s gaze lightly swept across the crowd of reporters. “Fellow reporters, Qixingcao will be holding a press conference in three days and we welcome everyone to attend when the time comes. This is our private time right now so for everyone’s convenience, we will not be accepting interviews.”

When speaking, the man was refined and courteous. His voice was low and gentle but his gaze was extremely sharp. When meeting his gaze, there would even be the feeling of being pierced by a sharp sword. Many reporters gathered around him felt goosebumps rising on their backs and couldn’t help immediately stepping back a few steps.

Captain Xiao turned around resolutely and left. A group of people immediately followed the captain with quick steps heading to the security checkpoint.

Many curious heads turned around to look over there. The entire Qixingcao team, as if well-trained soldiers, walked quickly but not disorderly, passing like thunder and moving like the wind[2]. They disappeared from everybody’s view in less than a minute.

[2] 雷厉风行: swift and decisive reaction or movements

Liu Chuan smiled and said, “Old Xiao still talked in such a tight-lipped way. Not a single question answered the reporters must be very depressed…Say, going out together like this, why did Qixingcao come to Beijing? Wasn’t Qixingcao’s club in Qingdao?”

Qin Ye replied, “This time Qixingcao came to Beijing because they were signing an endorsement contract for Renault’s new product. The team members were dragged to shoot for the advertisement for several days and needed to go to compete immediately, wasting quite a few days for training. Captain Xiao must be in a bad mood. For the reporters to run towards the muzzle of the gun at this time, not losing his temper was already really good.”

Liu Chuan looked thoughtfully at the direction the Qixingcao team had headed towards. After a moment, he turned and said, “You should also quickly head towards the security checkpoint. Otherwise, to the reporters, who couldn’t stop Captain Xiao, stopping Captain Qin would still be a big reward.”

Qin Ye looked at him closely for a second and discovered this guy had a small smile as if he took no notice to the reporters.

Qin Ye nodded. “I’m going to go then. Keep in touch.”

Liu Chuan said, “Mm, bye-bye.”

Not too far away, a camera’s shudder was suddenly pressed, the clicking sound of a picture being taken. The digital camera immediately captured a clear picture——

Qin Ye, who wore a pair of sunglasses and a casual white outfit, and another person with a tall and handsome figure were bidding farewells. Qin Ye still had a cold and indifferent expression while the other person had a faint smile on the corners of his lips. The two people obviously had a very good relationship.

The young reporter saw the picture and was suddenly very excited. This picture would definitely be posted on the esport circle’s Toutiao. Although fans were more interested in major team’s tactical arrangements and changes to team members, however, they also loved to see and hear about this kind of gossips on team captains!

Still pleased, a hand suddenly reached out from the side. “So happy, what did you take?”

Allowing the camera to be taken by the young reporter’s senior from the same website, the person looked at the picture. Suddenly, their eyes widening in surprise. “When did you take this picture? Qin Ye was at the airport just now?”

The young reporter excitedly said, “It was taken by chance just moments again. Senior, who’s the other person with Qin Ye? Was his friend seeing him off?”

The senior frowned slightly and thought for a moment before decisively deleting the picture.

The young reporter’s eyes widened. “You, you, you…why did you delete the photo?”

The senior said in earnest, “The person who was with Qin Ye is God Chuan. Have you heard of God Chuan?”

The young reporter’s eyes widened even bigger and stammered, “Chuan, Chuan, Chuan…God Chuan? The great god that retired at the beginning of the year? Huaxia’s former team captain?”

The senior smiled and touched the young reporter’s head. “That’s why the picture you took of him can’t be posted.”

The young reporter was extremely confused. “…why?”

The senior said, “God Chuan’s photos aren’t allowed to be posted. This knowledge is known by all esport reporters. Qin Ye also doesn’t like the media posting his pictures. You are new here. Be sure to never do this stupid ‘using your life to report’ kind of method.”

The young reporter: “……”

The senior reporter smiled and patted the young reporter’s head. “This circle has a lot of rules. Some things should not be reported and some things cannot be reported. Follow me and learn a bit more.”

The young reporter immediately nodded obediently. “Ok!”

The senior reporter looked toward the direction that Liu Chuan had left and stroke his chin thoughtfully.

Captain Liu was back. Was the leaguing going to change?

Liu Chuan returned home from the airport. Parking the car in the garage, he found that his mother’s car was also there, obviously already off from work. Entering the door, sure enough, Yang Qiuning was in the living room watching the television. Seeing her son had returned, she raised her head and said, “Follow me to the study room.”

Liu Chuan: “……”

Ever since he was little, even though he was used to hearing this sentence at a young age, he would still feel a chill run down his back every time he heard it.

The study room was considered the Liu siblings’ nightmare.

Liu Chuan followed Yang Qiuning to the study room. Yang Qiuning took out a ticket from a drawer. “This is a train ticket to Guangzhou. It’s leaving tomorrow morning and arriving in the afternoon after tomorrow.”

To allow him to feel like a “university student”, his mother wasn’t only temporarily taking care of his one million savings but was giving him a thousand yuan every month for living expenses. Even changing the means of transportation from an airplane to a train, Yang Qiuning’s level of strictness could be seen from this.

Liu Chuan accepted the train ticket from her hand, smiled and said, “I understand, mother. Then I will go pack my luggage first?”

Yang Qiuning nodded. “Go ahead. When you arrive at the school, get along with your classmates.”

Liu Chuan said, “Don’t worry.”

Buying a train ticket and even buying a couchette. Clearly, she was distressed that her son would be worn out from sitting on a hard seat during the long travel, right?

The successful woman had concealed her concern under the cold appearance. It was too awkward and had rendered Liu Chuan speechless.

He returned to his room and simply packed his luggage. Liu Chuan took a bath and went to lay down on the bed to sleep early.

Tomorrow, he would return as a student to the university’s campus.

The last three years of experience had long ago worn away the part of him that contained the youthfulness of a university student. He was used to seeing the rising and falling of teams and experienced the various struggles of competing. On the contrary, returning to such a simple place like the school, he wasn’t too used to it.

However…

This was only a year of dormancy, nothing more.

He would return.

——End of Prologue——