Chapter 18

Rong Yi no longer cared about the comments.

The passion and impulsiveness of youth were not gone; he had just hidden them away. His steadiness, low profile, and mild temper were all qualities he had cultivated over time.

Which esports player doesn’t dream of standing on the pinnacle of the podium, holding a trophy amidst a shower of stardust, and seeing their fans genuinely proud of them?

The only difference for him was that he did not desire the kind of pride RS had.

The glory he sought had to be earned by his own hands, not granted by the side with more people. The only place to prove himself was the arena.

Rong Yi was scrolling through his phone when the appetizers arrived. Xiao Yin took the plate from the server and placed it in front of him.

Noticing Xiao Yin’s gaze, Rong Yi exited the comment page, remaining calm.

It wasn’t that he was avoiding Xiao Yin; he just wasn’t the type to let others worry about him.

When he was with VIT, he rarely mentioned his past experiences, and the young members of VIT were considerate enough never to ask.

Xiao Yin set the knife and fork for him, glanced briefly, and then asked, “Popular Star event?”

Rong Yi quietly thanked him and nodded.

He looked up to see the entire table watching the two of them—Xiao Yin didn’t seem to find anything wrong with arranging Rong Yi’s knife, fork, and appetizer so closely. He just looked up to confirm with Wu Daogu, “Sounds familiar. Did the operations mention this before?”

Wu Daogu thought for a moment, “I think… they did.”

Grey Cat also remembered, “That day we didn’t come to a conclusion, right? Operations Xiao Jiejie1 was almost driven mad by you guys.”

Wu Daogu looked innocent, “It doesn’t help if she’s angry. Look at the four of us, which one looks like they can participate in such an event?”

The young members of VIT were actually all quite good-looking, but none of them were willing to show their faces.

Hydralisk looked like a rebellious teenager, Grey Cat was shy, Wu Daogu didn’t mind but wasn’t very articulate.

None of them were presentable.

Hydralisk was busy devouring salmon rolls and mumbled, “Let Yin-Ge go, he has a lot of fans.”

Xiao Yin said, “I don’t have any fans in China.”

Hydralisk responded, “What are you talking about? No fans? Can you share some of the billion fans from your stream with me?”

Xiao Yin added, “My image isn’t that great.”

Even Rong Yi looked up at this, silently expressing a questioning look.

Xiao Yin’s looks were among the best globally in the esports community. His presence in commercial activities often intimidated many celebrities. If he didn’t have a good image, then no one did.

Wu Daogu nodded in agreement, “True, if Yin takes first place, the game’s interface in China will be stuck with his icy face for a whole season. That would be terrifying.”

Hydralisk enthusiastically agreed, “Well said!”

Grey Cat objectively added, “Yes, he’s handsome, but he might scare off the audience.”

Xiao Yin acknowledged, “Exactly.”

Suddenly, all four of them turned their gazes toward Rong Yi.

Rong Yi: “?”

At this point, Lu Feng, who was excellent at reading the room, quickly chimed in to help, “I think Captain Rong is a great fit.”

Grey Cat agreed, “Yes, yes, the Captain is good-looking, strong, and approachable. He’s the perfect candidate.”

Hydralisk also supported, “The strongest should stand in that position! Just wait, I’ll rally votes for you in my stream when we get back.”

Wu Daogu added, “There’s only one good-looking person in the team. I think it’s best to let the best-looking person participate.”

Xiao Yin then directly asked Rong Yi, “Can we submit your ID?”

Rong Yi understood the process. The registration didn’t require much, just a submission from the club, not even a photo.

Three pairs of sparkling eyes stared at him, along with Xiao Yin’s calm and steady gaze. Rong Yi raised his hands in surrender, “Alright, sign me up. But let’s stay focused on our training, okay?”

“Absolutely, okay.” Hydralisk patted his chest. “After all, VIT doesn’t have many fans, and Yin doesn’t engage with them much.”

Rong Yi then turned to Xiao Yin, tilting his head slightly. He wanted to say something but decided against it, thinking Xiao Yin probably wouldn’t care about such matters and didn’t need a reminder.

Xiao Yin quickly messaged operations, informing them to register Rong Yi.

Approximately twelve top teams in the League had signed up, though most of them knew they were just there to accompany RS and didn’t put much effort into it.

VIT’s submission was even more perfunctory—Easy’s profile picture was just a black silhouette.

The meal ended quickly.

Lu Feng had a good chat with the VIT members and felt he got to know Rong Yi a bit better.

After the meal, Lu Feng approached Rong Yi, “Captain Rong, shall we add each other as friends? When you get into Group A, we can arrange more scrims.”

“Sure.”

Rong Yi was evidently more adept at handling League matters than Xiao Yin. He scanned Lu Feng’s phone and added his contact.

“I haven’t had your personal contact before,” Lu Feng said as he clicked on Rong Yi’s profile and glanced at his moments. He remarked, “We’ve faced each other before, but back then I only dealt with RS operations.”

Rong Yi nodded politely, “I’m the one who chose the scrim teams. So, in a way, we are old rivals.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far. There’s still much for me to learn from you, Captain Rong.”

Lu Feng was sincere, “I hope we have more opportunities to learn from you. Our team’s mid laner and support need a lot of growth.”

“No problem.”

Rong Yi finished his lobster cream corn soup and stood up with the others.

As they headed downstairs, the VIT members coincidentally ran into another group finishing their meal.

The two teams stood apart, clearly not intending to greet each other. It was still raining outside, and everyone was waiting for their rides.

Rong Yi put on his mask and hat, standing with Xiao Yin and Grey Cat, when he suddenly heard a laughing voice nearby, “Hey, isn’t that Captain Rong? Not even a hello?”

Rong Yi looked up.

RS’s manager, Qi Su, was smiling at him.

Rong Yi was known for his calm and composed demeanor within RS, but if there was one person who could make him want to settle things with a knife, it would be Qi Su.

As captain, Rong Yi had the most conflicts with Qi Su. The latter was a manager imposed by the investors and always acted superior and bossy. If Rong Yi said east, Qi Su would go west.

What crossed Rong Yi’s bottom line was when his severe camera phobia prevented him from shooting endorsements. Qi Su used some tactics to force him to take a break from competitions, publicly stating that RS’s captain EASY was having health issues and was not in good form. Therefore, they would bring in a new support and test a new system, putting Rong Yi on “team rest.”

It was during this period that fans began calling for Rong Yi to retire.

For a pro player, nothing was more extreme than being benched. Many veterans would rather play support just to stay in the arena. Nothing was more important to an esports player than their time in the arena. For Rong Yi, matches meant everything.

Rong Yi smiled, “Do I need to greet you?”

Qi Su was momentarily stunned, unable to believe it.

The difference was too striking; he was completely unprepared.

Rong Yi was actually showing him no respect in front of everyone!

“It seems Captain Rong still has no fondness for RS. Are you enjoying your time at VIT?” Qi Su chuckled, attempting to regain control, “Starting from Group B, I guess you’ve never been there, have you, Captain Rong? Best of luck.”

Anyone could hear the venom in his words. The RS team members behind Qi Su remained silent, watching him closely.

None of the former team members spoke up for him.

“I’d like to say something.”

Hydralisk suddenly spoke loudly, causing Rong Yi to turn his head.

The usually quiet VIT members were surprisingly good at stirring things up when it mattered. Hydralisk’s sudden outburst caught everyone off guard.

“Captain, which team are these people from?”

Xiao Yin pulled Rong Yi closer to his side and casually replied, “RS, the team your Captain Rong couldn’t lead.”

Grey Cat added, “Oh! The team that got zeroed out in the Asian Region?”

Wu Daogu nodded, objectively stating, “Yes.”

“I see.”

Hydralisk perfectly played along and loudly responded, “Thank you for your well-wishes! We’ll follow our captain’s lead and fight our way from Group B to the World Championship! As for you guys…”

“Very sorry about getting zeroed out in the World Group Stage!” Hydralisk said. “You must be very unaccustomed to it, right? Since you’ve never made it to the Worlds!”

Grey Cat echoed sympathetically, “That must be really hard to get used to.”

These three, though all Chinese, clearly had a significantly different upbringing compared to the domestic members. Their Chinese carried that naturally cheerful tone often found in foreigners.

They were extraordinarily, invincibly snarky. Invincibly punchable.

RS’s Lang Bai had a fiery temper and was already on the verge of charging forward. Wu Daogu rolled up his sleeves, revealing the lean, muscular arms he developed from his daily two-hour weightlifting sessions.

The faces of the RS members turned pale, and Qi Su’s expression darkened considerably—he initially wanted to argue, but seeing Xiao Yin, he kept silent.

He could bully Rong Yi, but Xiao Yin was untouchable.

Yin’s achievements and stature were something the entire RS couldn’t even dream of. No one could touch him on the arena, and off the arena, it was the same. As far as Qi Su knew, Xiao Yin’s background was mysterious but unquestionably formidable. Even the League Officials wanted to curry favor with him.

Qi Su gritted his teeth, watching as the VIT team was picked up by their driver and left together.

Once in the car, Rong Yi no longer held back and burst into laughter, “You guys shouldn’t be pro players; you’d be great at stand-up comedy. Your banter was spot on.”

Outside, the torrential rain pounded against the car windows, splashing white water and making the inside feel particularly quiet.

The air conditioning was set to a cozy warmth, and the five of them huddled together, creating a snug atmosphere.

Xiao Yin held Rong Yi’s wrist and, even after getting into the car, didn’t let go. For the first time, Rong Yi clearly heard a faint, restrained gentleness in his usually cold voice, “You know our VIT’s coordination is always excellent.”

Grey Cat turned around from the front seat and gave a thumbs up, “Support initiating is top-notch!”

Hydralisk leaned over to high-five Rong Yi, “Mid lane and bot lane synergy is also on point!”

Wu Daogu added, “Leave the tanking to me.”

Rong Yi laughed heartily, high-fiving Hydralisk, then turned to look out the window.

In that moment, his eyes felt a bit warm.

Footnote:

1. Xiao Jiejie(小姐姐): In Chinese internet slang and everyday language, the term “小姐姐” (xiǎo jiě jiě) is a popular way to refer to a young, attractive, and often cute woman. The term literally translates to “little big sister,” combining “小” (xiǎo), meaning “little,” and “姐姐” (jiě jiě), meaning “older sister.” It is a term of endearment and admiration, often used to show affection or praise. For example, if someone sees a charming and stylish young woman, they might call her “小姐姐” to express their admiration in a friendly and respectful manner. It’s somewhat similar to calling someone “cutie” or “pretty lady” in English, but with a more affectionate and flattering tone.