Ch5 - The Livestream at 8pm

When the manager Old Wang approached Li Zhongchen, the team’s tyrant was committing massacre in Kings Canyon without a care for the world. His mind was so focused that Old Wang did not dare say anything to interrupt him.

It was only until he was done reaping all the heads and ended the round did Li Zhongchen take off his headphones—— 

Caught off guard, Li Zhongchen was almost scared to death: “What are you doing, Brother Wang?!”

“…No, nothing, I was just watching you practice. How could I make noise and distract you? Oh, and that, Zhongchen, you don’t look like you’re in good shape lately. Is it because of those messy gossips on the internet? Why don’t you take a short vacation for a rest and visit your brother in Wuhan for a couple days?

Li Zhongchen showed no mercy. “Was your main point eaten by a dog?”

Lao Wang smiled awkwardly. “Hey, is it so difficult for you to be a decent human being? I already only have a few strands of hair left, I’ll become even more bald just thinking of those trivial matters.” 

As for why it was hard for him to be a human being, it all began with the newcomers’ promotion match.
To be more precise, it was the “intimate hug” between Li Zhongchen and Zheng Xiaokui. This matter made Li Zhongchen himself quite depressed.

【Shocking! Echo, the current coach of the SVG club, openly embraces the rookie girl of the team, fans can bless them tearfully! 】

[Echo, the first assault player in the national server, lovingly embraced his disciple at the arena, is it purely a master-disciple relationship? Or are they clues to an underground romance? The truth has surfaced! 】

What was the meaning of savage growth? It referred to these clickbait headlines.

“How can they write this well?! Even the points made were clear and logical. Had I been outsider, I would probably believe about 70% to 80% after reading it.”

Li Zhongchen: “Believe that I look at Zheng Xiaokui with doting eyes? Or believe that she had embarked on the arduous path of e-sports since she was fourteen, just to meet me at the top?”

Lao Wang sighed. “See, even you are clear about it yourself. You probably care a lot more about those fabricated gossips than you let on, why do you still want to pretend to be indifferent and not explain yourself on a Weibo post?”

…If you don’t explain yourself and another wave of girlfriend fans leave, will the money you earn from livestreaming be as easy as it was in the past? 

Li Zhongchen responded coldly. “So you hope that I will leave the base and use my account to post a clarifying statement on my behalf, you even came up with the official statement for me?”

Lao Wang persuaded him. “Hey, isn’t that all for your own good…”

Li Zhongchen was impatient. “I know what’s best for myself.”

Yes, he knew it better than anyone else. 

The hug that was untainted by any corruption of the world was just Zheng Xiaokui’s innocent way of expressing her gratitude, an act that was executed involuntarily without weighing the pros and cons.

Moreover, after learning about what was happening online, the young lady took the initiative to plead guilty and continuously apologized. She even said that she would stand out and explain on his behalf, and would not ruin her Master’s innocence.

But Li Zhongchen refused at that time. “No need to explain, the heat will fade after a couple of days.”

——As for why he did not intend to explain, or even could not explain, the answer was suppressed deep down in Li Zhongchen’s heart like a bright mirror. He would never say a single word about this because of that. 

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Seeing that he could not persuade him, Lao Wang also knew that a forcefully wrenched melon would not be sweet, so he left.

Dea atfgf kjr jcbatfg kjgglbg klat mbwwfcvjyif mbegjuf. Ktfgf kfgf tlvvfc wfjclcur lc tlr kbgvr jr atfs kfgf defeflcu abufatfg lc gjcxfv, jcv atlr wjaafg kjr fzjmais ktja tf tjv yffc lcrlcejalcu jybea.

Tjb Kbcu qijsfv reqqbga, offvlcu Ol Itbcumtfc fnfgs wjamt ilxf tf kjr tlr nfgs bkc ojatfg, mbbqfgjalcu rfjwifrris klat tlw. “Tbe gfjiis vbc’a qijc ab fzqijlc ab atf ojcr? Ciatbeut, P tjnf ab rjs, la’r delaf ragjcuf atlr alwf gbecv. Rba bcis vlv la cba yibk eq, la kjr fnfc tjgwbclber. Ktfs fnfc qgjlrfv sbeg ilaaif vlrmlqif’r meaf yeccs affat.”

Li Zhongchen operated his legend. “It’s not possible for them to believe it. And even if they did, it’s not to the point of blowing up.” 

Because once there was something for them to compare it with, the level of acceptance changed according to the variables.
In other words, it was: As long as the other party involved in the scandal was not Qiao Yi, everything was fine.

“…That’s true, anyway, they only have issues with that person,” Yao Tong hinted, “Then, are you okay looking at it yourself? Or did you deliberately not explain in order to make him dislike you?”

It was evident who “that person” and “he” referred to.

Li Zhongchen mocked himself after hearing what he said. “Do I look despicable or idle?” 

“Tsk, you can’t say things like that. You still have to fight back a little, no? That day during the promotion competition, he also looked like he wanted to interact with you, saying he’ll leave what he has to say for the finals, knowing that you can’t let him go.”

“…” Li Zhongchen’s hand that was operating a drag shot shook, “Fuck off, how am I not able to let go of him?”

“You’re really wanting me to say it directly,” Yao Tong was getting anxious. “Then why don’t you want to explain what happened to Zheng Xiaokui? Even if others couldn’t tell, can I not?”

Before Li Zhongchen had time to retort, Yao Tong babbled on and said everything in a single breath. 

“In the past, those rumors of the two of you were simply rumors. It was a colossal uproar. Other things about entertainment circles or what not, as long as it’s a circle, there was no lack in people who tried to probe. Compared to now, it’s like a powerful witch meeting a weaker witch, the difference is too huge.“

“Isn’t it all because of how things got out of hand back then when he was chased and scolded by those excessively combative girlfriend fans of yours and you’ve never explained anything on his behalf? Truthfully speaking, the one that’s miserable is Xiao Qiao, so if you were to stand out and speak up on behalf of Xiao Kui, what would Qiao Yi think once he finds out?”

“…” Li Zhongchen’s words were laced with frost, “Yao Tong, have you said enough?”

Yao Tong stopped before he went too far. It was more important to preserve his life. “Ai, forget it, let’s continue.” 

What he said had hit the spot and Li Zhongchen felt uncomfortable all over.
Fortunately, they were matched up. Their conversation from earlier on was like a non-existent interlude, and it had no effect on their collaboration.

It was only until the end of this round did an old friend arrive—

【 Player [Spotlight] requested to join the team. 】

【[Yo Yo Check It Out y] approved [Spotlight]’s team request. 】 

[Spotlight]: Everyone’s here? It’s been a long time since I saw you guys team up in these alternate accounts together.

[Yo Yo Check It Out y]: Isn’t that right? It’s also been quite awhile since Daddies received your team invite.

[Spotlight]: Brother Zhong, please reign him in. Even in his dreams, he wants me to be his son= =

Li Zhongchen scoffed, and the two of them were still the same. 

Spotlight, who had just joined them, was club OPW’s gold medal healer Xu Hang’s fixed ID that he used for his livestreams.

In the Apex e-sports circle, unless there was an upset that year, the three strongest teams in the local competition were undoubtedly MW, MW and OPW, the three of them equally tied, taking turns to take the lead.

In addition, everyone knew the relationship between Xu Hang, Li Zhongchen and Yao Tong: they were all former teammates.

Xu Hang once debuted in SVG, and was later poached by OPW. This was something that everyone knew.. 

The three turned on the team voice chat.

Xu Hang explained: “Brother Zhong, don’t panic. I haven’t had time to start my broadcast yet. I’ll play a few matches with you guys first. Don’t be unhappy now that I’ve humbled myself and became your son.”

“What am I panicking for?” Li Zhongchen curled his lips.

Yao Tong missed the point. “Don’t give us a shitty match in ranked, I’ve been a slaving off for our Brother Zhong for almost the whole day now.” 

Xu Hang: “Isn’t it you who was willing to do manual labor for our Brother Zhong?”

That mouth was really motherfucking sweet. Li Zhongchen felt that something was off. “Hang Zai, are you here to eat melons?”

The three had already chosen their legends, got on the air ship, and prepared for the Drop.
In this moment that they were together, all of them are all old partners, and were able to win despite casually playing. Li Zhongchen did not lead them to an area rich with resources, instead enjoyed the game carelessly.

“How is it possible, do I look like that kind of person?” Xu Hang was the youngest of the three. When he was in the youth training team, Li Zhongchen and the old captain took care of him the most. “It just so happened that I saw the two of you online, but truthfully, I do want to know……” 

Look at that, he finally revealed his fox tail.

“Fuck your m*m, you really are a spy.” Yao Tong said angrily, picking up a shotgun as soon as he landed and sprayed bullets at Xu Hang’s feet.

“Aiyo, fuck! Can you let me finish what I was going to say?!” Anxious, Xu Hang’s mic popped loudly, “What I wanted to know was not about Brother Zhong and the little sister, that’s something that anyone who’s a human would know it’s absolutely impossible, are you insulting my intelligence!”

Li Zhongchen did not pay him any heed. “Then what did you want to find out.” 

“I wanted to ask you two about Qiao Yi. I heard that when he came back this time, he had not completely broken free from the club that he signed with during his youth training period in the US. Anyways, we all know about that troublesome contract of his, so I won’t say too much about it…”

Xu Hang swallowed and continued. “I thought he would renew his contract with MW, but there were rumors saying that he intends to sign with other clubs. His live broadcast tonight will also talk about his future plans as a professional player.”

Li Zhongchen frowned and asked, “Where did you hear this news? He didn’t renew his contract MW?”

“No way, haven’t you seen how MW’s boss and his former teammates treat him? It’s like worshipping a deity in a temple,” Yao Tong also asked, “They were even willing to file a lawsuit with the people over at America, and yet he’s not renewing?” 

“Who knows, we’ve already started to poach him on our end,” Xu Hang lowered his voice, “I have shared all the little secrets at the bottom of my fucking box, what about you two?”

“It’s really all so unclear,” Yao tsked back, “But… It’s likely that Lao Wang is also secretly handling this. Maybe in the next few days, he would sign a contract with God Qiao and have him directly take on the position of the captain after coming to SVG, marking the start of a new regime. Everything will come in full circle.”

“…” Li Zhongchen thought to himself that he could keep dreaming. No matter what, Qiao Yi would not sign into SVG, but Lao Wang had been coming and going like a shadow lately. It was indeed suspicious.

Xu Hang responded disdainfully. “I couldn’t even get any news from you guys, I’ve made a loss.” 

Just then, an enemy sprang out.

The three of them did not continue with their nonsense. When it was time to kill an enemy, they would never be distracted, only continuing with their topic when the kill was over.

Li Zhongchen said hollowly. “He is free to sign wherever he wants, why should we care.”

Xu Hang: “You can just tell yourself that. Unless both Captain Yao and myself coincidentally have brain damage, no one will believe it.” 

Yao Tong: “Who’s your captain, get lost.”

“How long has it been! Are you angry about me running away? Brother Yao, I am your brother, not your wife.”

“Don’t talk about that nonsense, it really was unforgivable.”

“Can you be a little more reasonable?! Besides, even if you really did treat me as your wife, we broke up amicably. There was no situation where I cheated on you or you cheated on me.” 

Li Zhongchen felt a headache coming on. “Is it a collaborated live broadcast with a platform, or is it a solo passerby game stream?”

——The former has a Q&A session with a host, which had never meant anything good for Li Zhongchen. He used to reject them all, or he would not only waste time, there was also no saying what situations he would encounter.

“Sister Ju is the invited host. It’s at 8pm, on the same old channel. There’s nothing worse than that, right?” Xu Hang laughed exaggeratedly. “What, are you planning on meeting the old friend in order to relieve the suffering of lovesickness?”

Coming back empty handed after a wave, Li Zhongchen was still stubborn. “Is Apex not fun? Is supper not delicious? I’m living my best life right now, so why should I watch Qiao Yi’s livestream?” 

Yao Tong rushed to answer. “That must be because your ex-boyfriend is even better!”

Xu Hang: “It’s the kind that has you thinking of them day and night. It’s so good, it can’t get any better.”

Li Zhongchen: “…”

TL note: So I noticed that Apex refers to their chosen characters as ‘Legends’ (Champions for LoL, Heroes for Dota 2 etc.), so I’ll be using legends from now on!