Chapter 6: CH 6

This is something that many people in the professional circle have heard about regarding RS and Rong Yi.

Rong Yi started this team when he was only 15 or 16 years old, and they won the first domestic championship with his teammates, which helped them gain a lot of fame.

However, over the years, most of his teammates have not kept up with the professionalization process and the better ones have only moved behind the scenes. Rong Yi, being the youngest, was the only one who kept playing.

With the entry of capital and the addition of a training system, Rong Yi’s command authority was constantly weakened, and because he did not want to appear on camera, RS’s intentions of promoting a new lead player became increasingly obvious.

In team games, tactics are never limited to just one system. Playing with Rong Yi as the core can work, but there are many other ways to play without him.

RS first drummed up support from fans, denouncing Rong Yi’s lack of command ability, and then some commentators were subtly influenced to sway the audience’s opinions. Even if it was the fault of his teammates, they could still frame it as Rong Yi’s judgment error, and with clever wording, they forced Rong Yi to step down.

Hui Mao and Ci She gossip about this for a while before the conversation turns back to Xiao Yin.

“Do you think Yin is online?” Hui Mao asks seriously.

Ci She ponders for a while before replying, “I don’t think so.”

After winning, Rong Yi played a few more games before logging off after receiving a daily reward.

Before logging off, he saw that the first name on his “recently online friends” list was VIT.Yin, who had just been online ten minutes ago according to the system.

He didn’t think much of it and closed the livestream before logging off.

Having learned from previous experiences, he made sure that his alarm was not on silent and set it for 8:30 in the morning. He then opened his phone and found a message from Xiao Yin.

“Sleep in tomorrow, I’ll come over at noon.”

He replied with a simple “ok” before starting to pack his things.

He had yet to discuss salary and other such matters with Xiao Yin, but at this point, he didn’t care. As long as he had somewhere to go.

The next day at 8:00 a.m. sharp, he woke up and continued packing his things. He had been living here for two years since signing with RS and had accumulated a lot of things. He had to leave behind most of it for this move.

His PAD was playing random replays of various league matches next to him. Just as he finished listening to the commentary of last year’s world championship, the system automatically switched to another live broadcast.

Suddenly, a strange and calm voice, like that of cold jade, emerged. He was taken aback and looked up to see that the broadcast had switched to Xiao Yin’s stream.

He listened for a moment.

“Thank you very much for supporting VIT team’s first live stream.”

Xiao Yin’s live stream showed his face, dressed casually and calm under the camera.

The barrage in the live room was so numerous that the page crashed several times. Consequently, Contemplation had to turn on the block feature to watch it normally.

This morning was VIT team’s first live broadcast and Xiao Yin’s first full-platform live broadcast since returning to China. In the camera, Xiao Yin was introducing each team member, starting with the entertainment team.

“Our top laner, Wu Dao Gu.”

“AD is a Ci She, young in age, everyone should be more tolerant of him.”

“Our support is Hui Mao. Those familiar with my audience may know him. He was my regular teammate during the continental competition last year.”

“Each member of our team has their own live room. If you are curious, there is still plenty of time to get to know us.”

“Mid laner,”

Xiao Yin paused for a moment, probably because someone in the barrage had noticed that there was still one person missing from the team’s configuration and was asking about the mid laner.

“He is someone everyone knows.”

“He hasn’t arrived yet, I’m going to pick him up at noon.”

The calm and hoarse voice came through the speaker, but it showed a strange tenderness.

Rong Yi pinched his hot ear tips, lowered his head to tidy up the things he had packed, and then started cleaning up.

At twelve o’clock, Xiao Yin called on time: “I’m downstairs at your place, can I come up?”

Rong Yi said, “Sure.”

He opened the door in advance, and soon Xiao Yin arrived at the door.

“Let’s go.” Rong Yi carried his simplified equipment, and Xiao Yin looked him over, “Is this all you have?”

Rong Yi made a sound of agreement, and Xiao Yin nodded, reaching over his shoulder and picking up his luggage without waiting for his reaction. Then he said, “Let’s go.”

The route was the same as before, but this time Xiao Yin sat in the back seat with him.

There was a faint fragrance on Xiao Yin’s body, it was the clean fragrance he had always used, with a top note of small blue orchid and mint, a little cold. He was wearing a black shirt today, with a clear and flowing wrist line.

Xiao Yin tapped his phone with his fingertips, his eyelids slightly drooping, his eyelashes extremely long, and he seemed to be looking at some kind of report.

“Have you thought about your salary?” Xiao Yin suddenly asked.

Rong Yi said, “Uh… not yet…”

Suddenly, Xiao Yin reached out and hooked his fingers around his, which felt slightly cool and brought down the temperature of his sweaty hand.

He held onto the tip of Rong Yi’s finger, still looking at the report, his voice calm and steady. “Just say it, don’t worry too much.”

Rong Yi almost jumped out of the window, but it took him a while to calm down and force his mind back to business.

He said, “Just the average salary for your company.”

“We haven’t decided on that yet.” Xiao Yin’s tone was casual and natural. “What’s your salary at RS?”

Rong Yi reported a number.

Xiao Yin nodded and said, “Can we double it at this level? We won’t take a cut of your personal business activities.”

“Okay.” Rong Yi’s right fingertip was still being held by him, slightly feverish. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “Just one thing…”

Xiao Yin seemed to know what he was worried about. “Commercial activities are optional for individual players, and we will negotiate with all cooperating businesses separately about being on camera.”

Finally, he raised his phoenix eyes and looked at him, calmly sharp but giving people a sense of inexplicable reassurance. “Is it completely impossible for you to face the camera?”

“It’s not that exaggerated. I just can’t face certain professional camera lenses.”

Rong Yi’s fingertip was really sweating now. He explained quietly, “And if I don’t see the camera, but I know it’s pointing at me, I’ll…get really nervous.”

“I understand.”

Xiao Yin answered that he did not continue to ask.

There are many players in the league, each with their own quirks, and his requirement is not a big deal, at most it can be considered as “acting like a big shot”. In the professional official arena, as long as the identity is verified, showing one’s face is not necessary.

“No other questions, we will prepare the contract and coordinate with RS today,” Xiao Yin said.

Changing the subject, Rong Yi asked, “Coordinate with RS? Are you buying me?”

Xiao Yin was puzzled, “Is there a problem?”

“After the off-season, I will be a free agent, and you don’t need to spend 20 million on me,” Rong Yi looked at him as if he were a fool, “Does your club not need an accountant?”

After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Yin said, “Okay, then we will transfer 20 million directly to you.”

Rong Yi felt it was necessary to politely refuse to show his gentlemanly nature of not being greedy, but he thought about his situation and decided that as a man, he should be able to bend and stretch, so he sincerely said, “Thank you, boss.”

Xiao Yin smiled.

“However, this matter must be kept confidential until the end of the listing period. I am very busy right now, so it would be better for you to wait a while,” Rong Yi said.

Otherwise, being accused of betraying the team and finding a new home in advance could lead to a direct conflict between the fans of RS and VIT.

“I understand. Before the disclosure period, our relationship cannot be made public,” Xiao Yin nodded calmly, “What about our relationship then?”

Rong Yi: “…”

He looked at Xiao Yin, whose eyes were deep and calm like the sea. His pair of phoenix eyes were cold, stern, and heroic, with a touch of inherent coldness and calmness.

Back then, it was this pair of eyes that had captured his heart, and the owner of these eyes was someone who would hit straight to the point. He couldn’t resist him at all.

“Let’s not make it public for now,” said Rong Yi.

Team romance was not something worth boasting about, especially since he had already passed the age of showing off his love.

He told Xiao Yin that they were in a romantic relationship, but it was more like having this relationship made it convenient for them to work together. With Xiao Yin’s personality, it was more normal for their relationship to end when their collaboration ended.

Xiao Yin didn’t say anything more.

Their hands were still held together.

It wasn’t until they got off the car that Rong Yi had the chance to let go of his hand. His fingertips still carried the warmth, and his heart was beating faster than usual.

Rong Yi was steady as a rock and remained expressionless as he followed behind Xiao Yin and entered the VIT club center once again.

“They are all streaming in the room. The first day of streaming will be longer. Let me take you to the room first,” Xiao Yin said.

The driver brought Rong Yi’s things in, and Xiao Yin helped him carry them to the room.

Rong Yi didn’t have much to complain about. The entire VIT villa was newly built, spacious and bright, and decorated in a style that he liked. The rent for this location was not cheap.

He glanced at the end of the second floor where there was a small rooftop with a railing that connected to the swimming pool on the first floor, followed by the fitness level and garage. His room had a large bathroom, and only the door of the room opposite his was closed.

He asked, “Who’s on the other side?”

Xiao Yin replied, “Me.”

As he made a sound of acknowledgement, Rong Yi squatted down to pack up his things and asked, “Do you have any plans recently?”

“We have a break from matches within the next month, so we’ll be training as a team and playing Chinese ranked games during our leisure time. Our team’s schedule follows the requirements of match schedules, so you may need to adjust,” said Xiao Yin.

“For personal training, how many hours do I have?” asked Rong Yi.

“Three hours for the AD Carry and Top Lane, and the rest of the time will be spent on team games and reviewing replays,” replied Xiao Yin.

“I need more time. At the beginning, I may not be able to coordinate well with the team,” said Rong Yi.

He had spent too much time playing support, so it would take some time to train and readjust to the carry position, especially with operation-intensive heroes.

“I understand. We’ll find substitutes for you during this period,” said Xiao Yin, looking at him.

Rong Yi naturally understood what he meant. The major leagues and teams had been studying RS for years, studying Rong Yi’s play style, and wherever he went, the wind would shift in that direction.

No one would have thought that he would suddenly switch to playing the carry position.

Secrecy was only effective for one season, but that was more than enough.

Both of them were workaholics, and when they talked about games, they were clearly more natural than when they talked normally.

As time passed, Rong Yi gradually became less reserved and guarded. After finishing packing his things, he went to the training room to greet the Ci She team and even saw the top laner Wu Dao Gu, whom he hadn’t seen last time.

Today was their first day on the live streaming platform, with broadcasts all day long, leaving no time for them to gather. Only Xiao Yin stayed in the preparation room to review strategies. As the team was newly formed, there were still many things to do.

After dinner, Xiao Yin received a message from Rong Yi in his room.

Easy: Can someone lend me an A+ level smurf account? I want to warm up and practice.

A moment later, Rong Yi received a reply from Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin: Sure, come to the training room.

The indoor-loving Rong Yi had to exercise by going from his bedroom to the training room downstairs.

As he pushed open the transparent door of the training room, Xiao Yin handed him a list: “This is our club’s account, gifted to us by the league, with 200 backups and corresponding passwords listed.”

“Got it,” replied Rong Yi.

Rong Yi never had a day where he could truly relax. As he was about to take the list and run upstairs, Xiao Yin suddenly called out to him.

“Ah Yi.”

Rong Yi paused.

“Wait for me. Want to duo queue?”

Xiao Yin organized the order forms in front of him, stacking and laying them flat. “This saves time and allows us to get familiar with each other’s cooperation,” he said matter-of-factly, and there was no reason for Rong Yi to refuse.

Without returning to his room, Rong Yi found a computer in the training room and adjusted his equipment. Xiao Yin also logged in with a small account. It was now evening, but he didn’t start live streaming and played quietly instead.

Both players were of a super professional level, and winning games and increasing their rank was as easy as drinking water. They won all night, and Rong Yi’s small account smoothly reached S+. The two of them didn’t communicate much. Rong Yi wasn’t the type to talk much during games, and at most would report a skill or predict an enemy’s position. Often, as soon as he finished reporting, Xiao Yin would immediately jump in with his own comment.

As the time approached early morning, they played their final game. At the beginning of the game, Rong Yi noticed that the ID of their team’s ADC seemed familiar, but he didn’t pay much attention. In this rank, most players were part of the same group.

Rong Yi played Mid Lane, and he was very stable in obtaining kills. He successfully ganked several times and became godlike within the first seven minutes of the game.

The ADC and support were moved to tears, saying, “Brother Yi! You are our daddy!” while Xiao Yin played Top Lane and secured the first blood with a surprise attack, causing confusion among the enemy team.

Rong Yi: “Uh.”

ADC declares: “Brother Yi! Are you looking for a partner?”

While confessing, he repeatedly taps on Rong Yi’s ID.

Rong Yi suddenly remembers.

This ADC is the voice-changing period slave brother from last time.

It seems that this big brother has not yet hooked up with a big shot, and his score has fallen to the edge of the top 100.

Rong Yi types back: “Not interested.”

The other party uses the same trick: “Consider me, Brother Yi! I can be a man or a woman, cute and charming!”

“Brother Yi, look at me! Do you have a partner?”

Rong Yi: “?”

Just as he was about to habitually type “no,” he suddenly saw a period sent from our team’s distant top laner.

[All]Yin: “.”

Rong Yi was startled, he turned his head and saw Xiao Yin on the side, looking at him.

Rong Yi lowered his head. After a long while, he calmly deleted the “no” in the dialogue box and answered, “Yes…I do.”