Glory [e-sports] - Chapter 281

Superstitious Vegetable was a bit flustered. He commented softly, “Captain Yan is being so dedicated. What if we lose later…”

Wei Xiao glared at him.

Bai Cai quickly moved his hand like he was zipping his mouth shut.“I didn’t say anything, I didn’t say anything!”

Damn it, Laozi was a general of good fortune, not a harbinger of bad luck. Please don’t let the heavens mess with his luck!

He still wasn’t at ease after muttering in his heart and instead made another oath, “If we… cough… I’ll refund the Porsche to Money!”

Based on the law of character conservation, he just wanted to win the world championship!

Wei Xiao: “……”

It was clear that Brother Cai was very nervous. He even dared to make such a cruel oath.

Wei Xiao patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’s not a big problem.”

Only then did Brother Cai breathe a sigh of relief.

The doubles competition was tomorrow. After Wei Xiao and Lu Feng played a few more games, they felt very confident about the game.

Whether or not they won wasn’t something that could be decided by a single person on their own. However, the gift that Yan Jiang had given them was really valuable.

It might even be more valuable than winning the doubles.

The old doubles competition system was a typical 2v2 game that tested the cooperation between the two sets of players in the canyon. Generally, if they could play well together in doubles, the same two players would be able to cooperate tacitly in the team competition.

Combos like Asleep and Cong Yi, and Kim Sung-hyun and Li Heran were all godly combos in team competitions, and they were the cores of their respective teams.

Wei Xiao and Lu Feng’s cooperation was fine, but they’d only been playing together for a relatively short period of time. Additionally, because they were strong on their own, the coaching team had focused more on studying suitable talent systems for the three little ones and hadn’t paid them much attention.

After all, no matter how strong their top-jungler combination was, it was useless if their mid, ADC, and support couldn’t keep up with them.

For FTW, as a team that had been ‘limping along’ for three years, balance was more important than anything else.

So this season, Ning Zhehan, Yue Wenle, and Bai Cai had grown the fastest.

This was also the reason why Chen Feng was so worried.

It wasn’t that Lu Feng and Wei Xiao weren’t strong but rather that their coaching team hadn’t kept up.

Chen Feng was worried that his players wouldn’t be able to achieve good results because they’d been dragged down by the coaching team.

Now… things were all right.

Yan Jiang’s gift just happened to make up for this deficiency on their part.

Wei Xiao and Lu Feng were more than capable of going on a killing spree in the doubles!

Or, in other words, was it only limited to the doubles competition?

In the past, there was a BP link in the doubles competition, so the team participating in the doubles couldn’t just practice one set of talents. Because of this, Yan Jiang hadn’t prepared just one or two sets but a full four sets.

Coincidentally, there was no BP segment in the new competition system. Everyone could bring four talents, and at least four combinations were needed for doubles.

After staying up for three days and two nights, Wei Xiao finally seized the opportunity to have a chat with Yan Jiang.

In the dead of the night, Lu Feng had been working on a backlog of work in his study. Wei Xiao brought two cups of watermelon juice back to the training room.

Yan Jiang looked at the watermelon juice.

Wei Xiao blinked. “This cup has two extra spoonfuls of sugar added to it!”

Yan Jiang: “……”

His incisiveness came from thorough observation.

And behind his understanding was dedicated exploration.

His strong compatibility with other players came from the tolerance he held within his heart for everyone.

Wei Xiao knew that Yan Jiang wanted to ask him something, so he found an opportunity to sneak over.

If it had been before, he wouldn’t have said it, but now… He really wanted to tell him.

Sure enough, Yan Jiang asked.

A question that Yuan Ze didn’t dare to ask, and Xie He and Kim Sung-hyun didn’t even dare to think too deeply about––

“What exactly did Close do?”

Three years ago, Close bought FTW.

The newly established 18 year old club owner had a moment of glory, but the other four from the Team of Gods only felt their scalps tingling.

What price had he paid?

How exactly had he made it happen?

And, why did he have to do such a thing.

After getting along together for so long, they could guess at his family background even if Close never mentioned it.

The Lu Family was well-known in S City: a seemingly incompatible husband and wife pair who constantly tormented each other due to their significant mutual interests. At the same time, their only child was also dragged into the mess.

Countless pieces of news and gossip were published about them, and just a single search was enough to leave one nauseated and numb.

Then, take another look at Close.

At the age of seventeen, he’d already been incredibly precocious and mature: He never caused anyone trouble nor would he proactively approach anyone. He was polite and cautious when faced with any kindness, calm and collected when faced with any malice.

He didn’t accept others being good to him, but he also didn’t care about others treating him badly.

He was alone in the crowd, isolated from the world.

What kind of family, childhood, and parents could cultivate his temperament to become like this?

If he hadn’t experienced extreme disappointment, why would he isolate himself from everything?

If he hadn’t experienced unbearable pain, then why would he reject all affection?

The good and the bad, he didn’t want any of it.

Ignoring everything could keep him from disaster.

Yuan Ze needed to read psychology books to understand something that Yan Jiang had known long ago.

Which was why he didn’t have the heart to let it happen.

What had they given Close?

They had just had one brief year together. They’d only been teammates together in a club, and it was just the most normal kind of friendship.

How could that be worth Close putting down his dignity, tearing open his wounds, and bowing down to his past nightmares?

Normal parents would refuse their child’s request to acquire FTW.

How could parents like his let him go?

Yan Jiang didn’t know how to stop Close, so he could only leave FTW as soon as possible. Even if he ended up in a random, messy club, he had to put a stop to this idea as quickly as possible.

If Close had to return to that terrible home, make compromises with parents like those, lose his freedom and even control over his life because of them…

Then, he’d rather not have FTW!

Why do such a thing? They’d only been friends for a year. Don’t give up on yourself just for them!

However, everyone didn’t expect that Close would still buy FTW even after the Team of Gods had dispersed so thoroughly.

Only, they couldn’t go back anymore.

Yan Jiang wanted to know what price Close paid, and even more, he wanted to know why he’d still bought FTW.

Regardless of whether it was Chen Feng or Tang Chen, in fact, they could have pretty good places to go. Why did he have to shoulder these things on his own, use shackles to imprison himself, and give up the freedom he’d fought so hard for?

At seventeen, Close already didn’t have much freedom.

He’d finally managed to leave home, finally gotten away from his bad past, so he should go and live happily.

Without FTW, wouldn’t he have gone on to meet better people?

Why did he want to lock himself back into the cage!

Wei Xiao said softly, “There’s no rebuilding without breaking first.”

Yan Jiang was stunned.

Wei Xiao knew what things Yan Jiang and Lu Feng couldn’t say to each other.

He looked at Yan Jiang and continued evenly, “If he didn’t buy FTW, then how could there be the current FTW?”

Close was nostalgic. Close couldn’t let go. Close was attached to FTW, which had taken him in.

At the same time, he’d faced a separation that he was helpless to do anything about.

He didn’t have enough strength, didn’t have the power to support himself, and nothing could be done.

When he bought FTW, eighteen year old Close wanted to use his own shoulders to support a safe home.

So there would be no more powerlessness, regrets, or any need to  sacrifice and give up things for each other.

Everyone felt that Close had been the one who stayed in the past and continued along old paths.

In fact, he was the one who has been constantly moving forward.

Firm, serious, yet constantly moving forward.

Even though there were ups and downs, and even if there were thorns everywhere on the path, even if he was surrounded by darkness, he was still moving towards the light!

True freedom was having something to watch over.

Close purchasing FTW wasn’t about giving up freedom but rather about striving to hold onto it.

Yan Jiang fell into a daze and didn’t come back to his senses for a long time.

Wei Xiao shared Lu Feng’s thoughts and intentions to Yan Jiang, and at the same time, he could feel the other party’s thoughts.

In the old FTW, was Close the one who’d made the biggest sacrifice?

During this worst of times, who didn’t make sacrifices for each other?

They all kept saying that they’d just been friends for a year, and it wasn’t worth Close paying such a high price for them.

However, regardless of whether it was Yan Jiang, Yuan Ze, or Xie He… They all made tremendous sacrifices for Close, this friend of theirs who they’d only known for a year.

The Team of Gods were currently standing at the peak of their careers, but how were the lives of the three who’d gone off to a foreign country two years ago?

These proud sons of heaven had borne such infamy and fallen from the clouds. They had only been able to climb up again because they were strong enough!

The finals were just around the corner, so Wei Xiao wasn’t going to mention the gambling agreement. He only told Yan Jiang what Lu Feng wanted to say, “Captain suffered a bit, and his shoulder was broken when he returned home. However, it’s okay. As you know, he’s always been disciplined and his physical fitness is good. Although he didn’t have time for treatment the past three years, he was finally able to heal his shoulder injury before the global competition…”

Yan Jiang naturally knew about these things.

His lips moved and his voice was a little hoarse. “Anything else?”

Wei Xiao smiled, then said lightly, “It’s just a debt. My captain is very good at making money! Look at FTW, we’re super rich now!”

Yan Jiang didn’t reply.

Wei Xiao looked at him, then cleared the smile off his face. “… Actually, you guys also protected him.”

Yan Jiang lowered his eyes. His joints protruded, and his knuckles turned white as he held onto his glass of juice.

“Really…” Wei Xiao sighed. “If you guys hadn’t left, then Close wouldn’t be able to buy FTW.”

This was the truth.

This was also the past that they couldn’t return to.

Even if some of the ‘ifs’ didn’t exist, there was still no way to start over again.

If Yan Jiang, Yuan Ze, and Xie He hadn’t decisively chosen to leave FTW, it would’ve been impossible for Close to be able to afford to buy FTW while it was at its peak.

Even if Qing Lei wanted to take control of Close, she wouldn’t be willing to give him such a huge amount of money.

The Team of Gods disbanded, and FTW fell apart, but in return, Close gained a home, and also the faith to watch over it to the end!

It was only afterwards that he met Wei Xiao, gained new teammates, and made the current FTW.

Mutual sacrifice and mutual dedication.

In fact, no one failed to live up to this sacrifice.

––When they won the team competition championship.

That ridiculous wager was the key to liberating Close!

There was no right or wrong, and no need for guilt or regret.

This was what Close wanted to tell him.

He was doing very well.

Everything was very good.

***

Yan Jiang remained dazed for a long time, then he finally slowly came back to his senses.

Wei Xiao’s eyes were bright, and he’d reverted back to his usual bratty nature. He joked, “Captain Yan, you’ve taught me everything you have. Aren’t you afraid that we’ll go on a killing spree in all directions during the team competition and beat Y1 3:0?”

The moon was bright, and the stars were twinkling. Yan Jiang, who’d been shrouded in fatigue for three years, lightly exhaled, releasing the pressure he was holding in his chest along with his breath.

He lowered his head, took a sip of the cloyingly sweet watermelon juice, and said slowly, “I’m giving you the doubles competition championship to offset defeating you in the team competition.”

Wei Xiao was amused, “Are you giving us candy just to follow it up with a whip?”

Was he coaxing children!

The moonlight reflected in Yan Jiang’s eyes, and there was a hint of a smile in his voice, “This is the love and care for my brothers, as an elder brother.”