Chapter 24
FOG [e-sports]
The painkiller gradually took effect and Yu Sui felt a little bit better. He chased away the two to return back to the base. Chen Huo and Puppy discussed it. Chen Huo would return to the base to sleep first, and Puppy would stay with him.
Yu Sui had no choice. âWhat are you doing here? Iâm just going to sleep. Tomorrow morning, you can just ask the manager to find someone to come over.â
Puppy lay down on the caregiverâs bed and said calmly. âDid you not listen to what the nurse said just now? With this kind of large area soft tissue contusion you need ... need ... what do you need?â
Yu Sui bit the pillow from pain. âNeed to rest and avoid excessive movement.â
âRight. No excessive movements.â Puppy crossed his hands over his stomach. He said, calm and dispassionately, âDonât be shy if you need to go wee-wee in a while. Tell Big Brother Puppy and Big Brother Puppy will get the chamber pot and even whistle for you.â
Yu Sui gritted his teeth, âThank you but no.â
Puppy sighed. He put on his headphones and listened to the comedy show, ignoring Yu Sui.
At the FS base, Chen Huo quietly opened the main gate, entered the door and went to head upstairs. In the dark, there was a vague silhouette of something on the sofa. Chen Huo frowned, bent forward and stepped forward a few steps. When he reached the sofa, that indistinct immediately said, âHowâs the captain?â
Chen Huo was almost scared to death.
âWould it kill you turn on a lamp?â Chen Su was so angry, he wanted to hit someone. âWho goes around staying up this late and pretending to be a freakinâ ghost?â
This was the first time that Shi Luo was shouted at by Chen Huo that he didnât fight back. He was silent for a moment and asked again, âHow is the captain?â
When Chen Huo heard Shi Luoâs thick nasally voice, he couldnât help but smile, âHey, are you crying? You are, arenât you? Haha ... For real? Turn on the lights and let me see ...â
In the dark, Shi Luo said indignantly, âNo! Iâm asking you something!â
âWhatâs with your attitude?â Chen Huo said resentfully, âWasnât it you who caused all this trouble today? What are you still acting high and mighty for?â
Shi Luo stopped talking once again.
âYu Sui... I donât know how heâs doing right now either.â Chen Huo lied between his teeth, âThe doctor didnât give a definite answer.â
Shi Luoâs heart tightened, âWhat does it mean if he didnât give a definite answer?!â
Chen Huo casually made stuff up, âMeaning ...â
âOh, I remember.â Chen Huo said seriously, âThe doctor said so, if Yu Sui can make it until next spring, then there is still hope for his injury. You could say by then that heâs already overcome it.â
Shi Luo: â...â
Chen Huo said ambiguously, âAre you happy now? Yu Sui wonât be able to play in the meantime. You have succeeded in becoming our FS teamâs empress. Bet youâre secretly happy.â
Chen Huo then turned to head up the stairs. When he passed the sofa, he tripped over the carpet and almost fell. Chen Hu turned on the light, cursing under his breath. On the sofa, Shi Luo tried to avoid the glare from the lamp. Chen Huo turned to look and froze.
Shi Luo was crouched in a corner of the sofa, his eyes and nose were completely red. When Chen Huo turned on the light, Shi Luo immediately turned his head around, turning his back to Chen Huo and facing the wall.
Chen Huo sighed, who could stand this?
Chen Huo, a through and through straight man, couldnât help it anymore. He walked back helplessly, sitting on the sofa opposite Shi Luo. Frowning, he said, âFine. No need to hide. I didnât say anything that bad to you. Letâs have a chat. â
Shi Luo said hoarsely, âIâm not talking with you.â
âOK, Iâm gonna tell you the truth.â Chen Huo honestly said, âNone of his bones were hurt. Just a lot of soft tissue contusion. In fact, it would have been fine if even if he didnât get admitted to the hospital. There are no major problems. He should be discharged tomorrow or the day after. Fortunately, we got to the hospital in a time. If weâd gone a day or two later, his injuries would have gotten a lot worse. â
Shi Luo turned his head and asked distrustfully, âReally?â
âReally. Would I have been able to come back here to sleep if there was anything the matter?â Chen Huo picked his ears, âHeâs in a lot of pain, alright. His entire back is black and blue. Scary stuff.â
Shi Luo hesitated and asked in a low voice, âCan I go to see him?â
âWhatâs the use of going at this hour? He must be asleep already.â Chen Huo was also dead on his feet. He lay back against the backrest of the sofa, âWeâll talk about it tomorrow.â
Shi Luo lowered his head and said after a long while, âThanks.â
Chen Huo raised his eyes and said uncertainly, âWhat ... did you just say to me?â
Shi Luo paused and said again, âThank you.â
Chen Huo wished he could have recorded it! Shi Luo actually thanked him!
âThatâs something you donât hear every day. You actually said thank you to me...â
Chen Huo stopped himself from smiling. He looked at Shi Luoâs thoroughly red eyes and asked in a low tone of voice, âDo you regret it?â
Shi Luo bowed his head and said nothing.
He regretted it. Of course, he regretted it. He already regretted it so much, he could die.
Chen Huo looked at Shi Luoâs expression and said quietly, âI hope youâre not regretting that you didnât fight well enough today and Shi Luo got injured.â
Chen Huo had hit the nail on the head and Shi Luo averted his eyes, looking elsewhere.
âInjuries are the least of the problems you could have gotten from todayâs incident.â Chen Huo dropped his joking tone of voice. âIf todayâs incident had gotten out, or if it had happened backstage after a match, in front of everyone, do you know what would have happened?â
Shi Luo looked at Chen Huo.
âThe most lenient punishment would have been ... You and Violent Shu would have been banned from playing for an entire season and then both of you would be expelled from your team.â Chen Huo calmly said, âIn serious cases, you two would have been banned for life.â
For the first time, a look of panic flashed through Shi Luoâs eyes.
He cannot afford to be suspended.
âThink the punishmentâs too strict?â
âA lot of people ...â Chen Huo said lazily, âlook down on our industry. They think weâre a bunch of uneducated, ignorant teenagers who do nothing but swear all the time. The only thing we know how to do is play games. Weâre not doing honest work. Weâre a bunch of dropouts who have gambled away our future prospects...â
âBut is that really how things are?â Chen Huo looked at Shi Luo, âIâll ask you.â
âHow many professions are there where when you utter a single swear word, you get deducted 10,000 yuan?â
âAnd how many industries are there where youâd be dismissed and banned from the entire industry for getting in a fight in private?â
âThey think everyoneâs too young. They think weâre impulsive and that we all too readily ignore the consequences. The league management is becoming more and more demanding and theyâre trying to regulate our behavior ... They also want to reverse the publicâs impression of us, although, up to now, there are still so many people who look down on us.â Chen Huo got up. He looked at Shi Luo and said, âBut will there be a day when theyâll acknowledge us?â
Saying so, Chen Huo felt his teeth sour and goosebumps rise all over. âF*ck, next time, Iâll leave discussion of this kind of ideological and moral lessons to Old Qiao. I canât stand this.â
Shi Luo bowed his head in embarrassment and rubbed his nose.
âLooks like Yu Sui also thinks itâs too unreasonable. He didnât feel like talking about these things. And these things simply doesnât need to be said. After playing for a year, youâll slowly pick these things naturally. Who could have guessed youâd hit a high-tension wire as soon as you stepped into the industry?â Chen Huo pursed his lips. âIs it just because you have a bad temper? You think I donât have a bad temper? When I first started playing professionally, I made a major mistake in the match that cost us the game. When I left the stadium, a fan poured his unfinished milk tea over my head. My head was covered in the stuff. My lungs were about to explode. The man was less than two meters away from me. I wanted to fight back and I absolutely could, but could I really? â
âIf I laid hands on him, what would happen to me? What would happen to the team?â Chen Huo raised an eyebrow. âDo you understand?â
Shi Luo honestly gave an âenâ.
âAs long as you understand. Anyway, this matter was more scary than dangerous. Yu Sui has already smoothed out matters this time. Even if the league finds out, with no evidence, theyâll just ignore it.â
Shi Luo nodded and whispered, âThen ... Can I send a WeChat to the captain?â
âWhy not?â Chen Huo shrugged. âBut Iâm sure you wonât get any reply back now. Heâs asleep by now. You can just message him tomorrow.â
Shi Luo couldnât help but ask, âWill he ... ignore me now?â
Chen Huo laughed, âYou think heâd go that far? At most, heâll probably scold you a bit. So, just listen honestly and then apologize, alright? He has never very good at lecturing people, and heâs never one to turn over old accounts. Itâll be fine.â
Chen Huo looked at Shi Luo and smiled, âJust use that little dog hyper energy of yours into your apology. Yu Sui has never been as soft on me as he is on you.â
Shi Luo bowed his head. It was only now that he felt a bit relieved.
Chen Huo looked at Shi Luo. He was actually worried about another thing.
If word doesnât reach the officials, then the league wonât care. But what about the boss? Will he be able to stand this?
Chen Huoâs prediction had been spot on. Ji Yanhan couldnât stand it.
Early the next day, Ji Yanhan went to the hospital to take a look at Yu Suiâs injury. After confirming that there were no problems, he sat down and rubbed his forehead. âGood. At least, this issue didnât blow up. I recommend he be transferred to another team.â
Yu Sui pretended not to hear. He looked at Ji Yanhan and noticed his bloodshot eyes. He asked, âDid you not sleep at all last night? Whatâs wrong?â
âThereâs a problem in Minminâs fatherâs company. Itâs okay now.â Ji Yanhan said unhappily, âDonât try to change the subject. Iâm trying to have a serious discussion here. Hurry up and send this young man away. Heâs too dangerous. Heâs just entered the team and look at what heâs already gotten into. What more later?â
Yu Sui said to Puppy, âBig Brother Puppy, can you buy me some congee. Remember to bring a salted duck egg.â
Puppy understood that the two were going to quarrel. He sensibly left as to avoid being cannon fodder.
Yu Sui said, âMine.â
âRight now, heâs no different from an industry outsider. Thereâs a lot he doesnât know about yet.â Yu Sui assured. âIâll tell him all about these later.â
âHeâs already played in a match. How can he be considered an outsider?â Ji Yanhan laughed in spite himself, âDonât joke! I told you that I donât have much time to waste here. Iâm going to leave soon so you better give me a decision as to which team weâll be sending him now. I will have someone talk to them today. How about Miracle? â
Ji Yanhan tried his best to discuss it with Yu Sui. âSend him to Team Miracle. That teamâs not bad and they have a spot for a medic. If he goes there, he can be a starter. His situation there will be a lot better than here with us. He can make the best use of his abilities.â
Yu Sui couldnât help laughing. âTeam Miracleâs got no chance in hell at this yearâs world championship. How is that better? And theyâve cultivated a team full of bullies. Who could stand that?â
Ji Yanhan said again, âThen to Bison. It just so happened their medic has been suspended.â
âWhat a great arrangement!â Yu Sui smiled from anger. âLater, when they talk about it, Shi Luo can boast that he really fought for and won this spot on Bisonâs starting line-up with his own hands. Awesome!â
Ji Yanhan said impatiently, âThen where should he go?â
âI admit, I did consider letting him sign with other teams before, but I only considered NSN. But I was hesitant even about NSN at the time.â Yu Sui didnât even think about it. âNot to mention other teams, itâs simply impossible.â
âWe cannot give him to NSN!â Ji Yanhan simply came right out with it. âThe only thing theyâre missing now is a medic! If we hand over a medic over to them, NSN will immediately be in a position to challenge us. I can never agree.â
âThen thereâs no need to discuss this matter. I donât want to quarrel with you.â Yu Sui said coldly, âAnd I simply canât sell him.â
Ji Yanhan was so angry his complexion was starting to change. Yu Sui said, âYouâve already seen what kind of temper he has. If no oneâs there to look out for him, what if something happens in the future and he gets banned for life?â
Ji Yanhan burst out, âWhether he lives or dies, whatâs it to you? I knew that at first, you were helping to look after him for his cousin, but havenât you done enough?!â
âYouâve brought him out of that internet cafe, stopped him from being some wild live broadcaster. You had him register as a professional player and spent so much effort to get him to take the college entrance examinations. And now youâve gotten yourself admitted to the hospital for him!!!â Ji Yanhan regretted it so much; unthinkingly helping him that time. âItâs okay now, right? Isnât it enough? Will this do, Whisper? What else do you want? Are you waiting to be selected for this yearâs CCTV Touching China?! When will this end? â
Yu Sui was also completely irritated by now. âIt will never end! Iâm willingly taking care of him, so what?â
Ji Yanhan was going out of his mind from anger. âAre you sick! Do you have to offer your heart and soul to him like this? Are you ...â
âYes! Youâre right.â Yu Sui said loudly, âIâm interested in him! I like him! Didnât you see it long ago? What are you still asking for?â