Chapter 53 Part 1

After the Major Tournament Roster was announced, the internet exploded with discussions. Solo Fans and Group Fans were at each other’s throats, utterly baffled by the lineup assignments.

【Why isn’t Eidis going to Seoul! I’m roaring in fury! Why can’t he play both matches?!】

【I can’t make it to Berlin, I’m stuck in Seoul—why isn’t E God coming to Seoul?!?!?!】

【Do I even need to ask? Our E God only plays high-end matches. Liu Ying and the others are fine for the Asian Server.】

【LOL, Rong Rong with his steady plays—heading to both matches, haha!】

【Wait, Jiu Ke isn’t going to the Berlin Match? Who’s this top laner they’ve never even seen before? Shoved in there by force?】

【Newbie fan? You don’t know KRO’s always been like this?】

【This Milk Cap guy sounds lame—no killer instinct at all. Sigh, I don’t get the push for a rookie, but with E God there, it should be fine.】

【But E God’s been out for two years, and without Jiu Ke, I feel like Berlin’s gonna be a wash.】

【KRO using rookies on the International Server? I don’t get it. Don’t tell me it’s always been like this—I say they shouldn’t.】

Rong Rong had just stepped into the Training Room when he saw Chang Shu was the only one there. He sat down next to him and glanced at his screen, catching the gist of the comments. Unsurprised, he said, “It’s like this every year when the Major Tournament Roster drops. Nothing new.”

Everyone wanted to play armchair coach, dictating which of their favorite esports players should start. Some based it purely on highlight reels, convinced a player was amazing. Take Yi Yang’s fans, for instance—most believed he could absolutely claim the starting jungler spot on KRO, no worse than Liu Ying. In reality, if Yi Yang could beat Liu Ying even one out of three times in a matchup, that’d mark him as impressive.

Fans only saw the highlight moments. If one player was the steady type and another aggressive, most folks figured the aggressive one was better. But in the pro scene, flashy, showy plays were frowned upon. Lingering outside your range with your ult still up, zipping around with silky-smooth combos that flipped the enemy sky-high—it was all just a waste of time.

That was the flaw of aggressive players.

And streamers too.

Pro players couldn’t match streamers’ viral clip volume because they didn’t bother with the fancy footwork. Pros grabbed a kill and immediately shifted to game-changing macro plays. It was all about mindset toward the match.

Yi Yang had that exact bad habit. His viral videos were plentiful, full of eye-catching flair that tricked fans into thinking he outshone Liu Ying. Naturally, his fans rallied for him. But that very trait kept him glued to the substitutes’ bench. Yu Jin had been trying to break him of it for years, yet Yi Yang couldn’t shake the “solo carry” mentality over team gains.

Rong Rong settled into his seat without rushing to log in. He opened his account and checked his fan messages—messages urging him to keep it up. Year in, year out, his comment section stayed the most chill and harmonious, just like that pinned comment: “Steady as a rock.” He was the irreplaceable core daddy of the support role.

Chang Shu scrolled through the team account’s comments for a bit before sighing with a headache. “They’re about to throw down. Fans can’t accept Jiu Ke sitting out—maybe get Lao Xun and the others to moderate the comments? Feels like someone’s stirring the pot, and if this keeps up, it’s not good.”

“What can we do? They just can’t stand the new guy,” Rong Rong replied. “Besides, the Gateway Department won’t step in over comments like these. Ignore it.”

One by one, the Training Room filled up.

When Yun Qi walked in, he noticed Rong Rong staring right at him. He flashed a smile and said, “Morning.”

Rong Rong cradled his face and said, “Something feels off.”

Yun Qi returned to his spot but hadn’t even sat down when Rong Rong’s gaze followed him. Yun Qi met his eyes. They’d all gotten pretty chummy lately—no one felt awkward speaking up.

Rong Rong tilted his chin. “What’d you do?”

Yun Qi blinked innocently. “What do you mean?”

Rong Rong leaned back in his chair, eyeing him. His words drew every eye in the Training Room to Yun Qi, scrutinizing him. “Can’t put my finger on it, but you look like a whole different person.”

Yun Qi had always struck him as the brooding, grudge-holding type—first in, last out, grinding the Training Room like his life depended on it, barely talking to anyone. But this morning? He had this bright, spring-breeze vibe. Was it the roster lock-in finally easing his mind?

Rong Rong couldn’t quite figure it out, but his instincts were sharp. He didn’t know the reason, but Yun Qi felt like someone on their last legs who’d suddenly bounced back, full of pep.

Weird.

Yun Qi grinned. “Do I?”

Rong Rong nodded. “Big time.”

Yun Qi pulled out his chair and sat, pulling out his phone for a quick look at himself. Beaming, in top form—nothing off at all.

Moments later, Ziwu and Jiu Ke walked in together. Rong Rong turned to glance at the pair, and everyone exchanged casual waves in greeting. “Ziwu, you’ve changed too,” Rong Rong said.

Ziwu approached a chair and unscrewed the cap from his water bottle, catching the odd emphasis in those words. “Too?”

Rong Rong sidestepped the question with one of his own. “Let me guess. A couple days ago in the streaming room, I spotted a bouquet of roses. Word around is it came from that girl at the front desk next door. She still hasn’t given up on you, huh?”

Ziwu shrugged it off and sauntered over to the water dispenser. “Why don’t you go talk some sense into her for me?”

Rong Rong shook his head. “No chance. Your fans are terrifying—I wouldn’t get anywhere with them. Better to respect her fate.”

As the esports team’s poster boy, Ziwu drew followers with his striking looks alone. Every video of his turned the comments section into a battlefield. His fans’ aggression was legendary, and combined with his killer skills, he’d rubbed plenty of esports influencers the wrong way—dissing their looks, their talent, and calling their movie roles a joke. It had sent more than a few entertainment pretty boys into meltdown. In the esports circle, Ziwu was untouchable, a superstar. But over in entertainment? Not so much.

His fans’ fervor often spilled over, tagging directors left and right to “check out Ziwu,” hyping him for acting gigs with brutal takedowns of talentless idols. Shockingly, it worked—some offers even landed. Lao Xun had fielded a bunch of entertainment collabs for him but shot them all down.

Ziwu himself wanted no part of it.

The whole team carried a bit of that rogue streak, thanks to Ziwu’s face constantly kicking up drama. Things had finally quieted down in recent years.

Rong Rong steered clear of Ziwu’s personal life altogether. That face of his was downright hypnotic, pulling in guys and girls alike. Rong Rong envied it, sure, but he pitied the headaches it brought too.

Ziwu finished filling his bottle and headed back, flicking a glance toward Yun Qi. “When did Brother Jin bring the cat back? I saw the Ungrateful Wolf here first thing this morning.”

“Last night, probably,” Chang Shu said. “I spotted it then.”

Ziwu took a swig, tousled his hair, and let his eyes drift across the table to the guy glued to his screen on the other side. He was hoping for an explanation from Yun Qi, but the man never even looked up.

He dropped into his seat.

“So damn annoying.”

Yi Yang burst through the door that morning already venting his frustration.

Liu Ying turned. “What’s got you throwing a tantrum, young master?”

Yi Yang planted himself behind Liu Ying, fuming. “My mom—she’s forcing my sister to come visit. What’s there even to see? I’ve begged her not to a hundred times, but nope, she’s arriving this afternoon.”

“So? It’s not like it’s her first time.”

“That’s not the point. She’s not coming for me at all. It’s all about Ziwu. She’s just using ‘visiting me’ as cover, and she sells it so well.”

Ziwu, sitting nearby, felt completely blindsided. “Why’s everything gotta circle back to me?”

“Who told you to have a face like that?” Yi Yang shot back. “She met you once last time and she’s been hooked. This visit, you gotta break her heart good—make her give up for real.”

“That’s little-brother talk?” Liu Ying said skeptically. Yi Yang ignored him.

“You’re overthinking it,” Ziwu replied, utterly unfazed. “I won’t even give her the time of day.”

Rong Rong cocked his head. “Hey, how old’s your sister anyway?”

Yi Yang: “Twenty-three.”

Rong Rong’s eyes lit up. “Introduce her to Captain Yu.”

Yun Qi’s focus sharpened just a touch.

Yi Yang laughed it off. “Don’t even joke. I’d never dare.”

“Come on, what’s the harm? Captain Yu got burned bad by that ex of his, right? But he looks good now, and it’s been ages—he’s probably moved on. Just float it.”

“Are you telling me to test the waters or sign my death warrant?” Yi Yang retorted. “I don’t even breathe a word about Brother Jin’s ex around him. And he already thinks I’m a punk. Yi Yang’s only got one life—don’t get me offed.”

Rong Rong cracked up laughing.

Yu Jin wasn’t around, so the conversation took off.

Yi Yang wouldn’t let it drop. “But seriously, what went down with my bro? Someone fill me in properly. All this secrecy.”

Rong Rong shook his head. “We don’t know much—just bits and pieces we scraped together. All we got is he got suspended over some relationship drama messing with his health. That’s it. Ask Liu Ying.”

Liu Ying tsked. “Don’t look at me. No clue.”

Yi Yang zeroed in on him. “Come on, spill. What happened? Brother Jin actually dated a girl?”

Liu Ying zipped his lips tight, stonewalling no matter how Yi Yang wheedled.

Yun Qi listened to it all. Turns out, not everyone knew the full story of Yu Jin’s past. This was going to be tricky, he thought. What if they found out the “girlfriend” in question was right there in their midst? And now that he and Yu Jin were together… they’d never accept it. The fallout would be nightmarish.

“Milk Cap,” Liu Ying said as he stood up. While Yun Qi was lost in thought, Liu Ying gestured for him to join. “Let’s team up.”

Yun Qi nodded. “Sure.”

He welcomed invitations from anyone. Lately, the substitutes had been sticking close to him, dragging him into games every couple of days. Yun Qi had gone from being on the fringes when he first arrived to the hot commodity everyone was fighting over. Rong Rong and Chang Shu jumped in too, and soon the whole group was playing together.

Liu Ying’s skills were rock-solid. The Seoul matches kicked off before Berlin’s, leaving Liu Ying and Jiu Ke busier than anyone as the team’s core carries. Pan Feng and the two substitutes, terrified of dragging the team down, had piled on the pressure and thrown themselves into training.

These days, the Training Room was always packed. Even the players who’d shown up before Yun Qi was around were making appearances now.

That morning, Yun Qi queued up a few games with Liu Ying and the others. He’d claimed Rank One on the new week’s Peak Leaderboard, and with his name on the Major Tournament Roster, traffic to his account had skyrocketed.