Chapter 63

Rong Yi heard Xiao Yin’s words and then lowered his head with a smile.

He said, “Mm,” but couldn’t keep the corners of his mouth from lifting.

The crowd below was restless, some even applauding. Someone shouted, “Yin-Ge, you’re so clingy with your wife!” Unfortunately, there was no response.

Xiao Yin glanced at the audience, his usually cold expression showing a hint of a smile.

Their hands were tightly clasped together, fingers interlocked. It was especially warm, the heat seeping through their palms, making their joints tingle.

Announcing their relationship to the world turned out to be such a joyful thing.

Rong Yi, draped in Xiao Yin’s jacket, walked into the lounge, hand in hand.

There were quite a few staff members and other Team members in the back, but Xiao Yin ignored them all, continuing to hold Rong Yi’s hand.

Everyone looked on in amazement and began to gossip, except for the VIT members who remained as calm as ever.

Wu Daogu commented, “Here they go again, showing off their love.”

Grey Cat added, “It seems the Boss was prepared for this.”

Hydralisk exclaimed, “Xiao Yin! He wants the whole world to know!”

Rong Yi only gently tried to pull his hand away when he reached his seat.

Xiao Yin didn’t let go, his calm eyes looking over, making Rong Yi’s face blush slightly. Rong Yi softly explained, “I’m here to show them the member profiles.”

“Are we starting to prepare the second team so soon?”

Hydralisk was the first to reach for the list in Rong Yi’s hand, and the others quickly gathered to look at the profiles.

“That makes sense. If we get into the World Championship, we’ll need a second team,” Hydralisk said, flipping through the list. “Why are they all mid laners? Is the Captain just looking for his own substitute?”

Rong Yi chuckled, “I wanted to get your opinions. Even though it’s the second team, they’ll be training as substitutes for at least the next two years. If you’re not happy, we won’t recruit them.”

“I’m fine with it,” Hydralisk said. Despite his usually lively personality, he showed a maturity and sharpness beyond his years when it came to the competition. “Whoever is suitable gets to play. The strongest should be on the field. I don’t care if I have a substitute or not.”

Grey Cat raised his hand and said, “Same here. If one day I don’t perform well, I don’t mind being moved to the second team.”

Wu Daogu nodded, “I agree too. Although I’m not thrilled about having a substitute, I’m getting older. It’s something we need to plan for in advance.”

In the team, everyone spoke openly, and within a few minutes, a consensus was reached.

Now, it was just a matter of choosing the players.

The others were looking at the profiles, discussing among themselves. Rong Yi had already reviewed them on his own and had listed his thoughts and suggestions.

He found a seat, sat down, and opened his phone.

The screen froze for a moment, and before Rong Yi could react, he was flooded with notifications and screams.

The main force tagging him this time was on social media platforms. The official [Mid Autumn Special Event Star Show Topic] was open, and with the keywords, one could see all the live streams and event discussions in real-time.

During the halftime break, a bunch of fans who had just gotten their phones back were going wild.

“Ahhh, we saw Captain Rong in person! Help!”

“This year’s ticket price of $880 was totally worth it—oh my god—I never dreamed I’d get to see Easy in person—doesn’t he usually avoid the camera?”

“He seems to avoid the camera, but in private, he’s super nice! And so polite! A few years ago, I went to watch the World Champion match and met Easy! Easy even asked if we were okay since we were unfamiliar with the place! He was only eighteen or nineteen then!”

A bunch of fans who hadn’t seen him in person or hadn’t seen any pictures were getting frantic.

“No photos? Didn’t anyone take any?”

“We couldn’t get any, sisters!”

“We can only describe it to you!”

“Yin-Ge waved to everyone after the first half, and we thought he’d leave through the player tunnel to the backstage, because we VIT main team fans knew there wouldn’t be any signing events. We had no hope.”

“Yin-Ge was just greeting everyone on stage, and then! Here’s the important part! Yin-Ge directly went off stage to find someone!”

“We saw this really good-looking guy with a hat and mask sitting in the front row during the first half, and Yin-Ge kept looking in his direction. We guessed it might be Captain Rong.”

“And it really was! Yin-Ge went down and naturally held his hand! He pulled the Captain up and walked to the backstage together.”

“Captain was dressed lightly today—in a stylish white shirt, jeans, a baseball cap, and a black mask. He looked so youthful and ethereal. When he stood there, you just felt this aura… Oh, I’m missing the point! The point is, Yin-Ge took off his suit jacket and draped it over the Captain right in front of everyone! It was insanely cool!”

“I’m in the 1888 VIP section, just one row behind Captain Rong. Witnessed their affection display the whole time.”

“You ask how I’m feeling now? I couldn’t focus on the show at all during the first half! I kept staring at the handsome guy in front! And then they told me that’s Easy! I won’t be able to watch the second half either!”

This wave of offline and online discussions among netizens quickly turned into a live stream audience’s envy and resentment towards those physically present at the event.

Easy had actually appeared at the offline event and was seen by many.

The second half started soon, but many people’s minds were no longer on the show. Netizens passionately discussed Rong Yi’s appearance in the first half.

“What does he look like exactly?”

“Hello everyone, I’m local, and I’m already considering waiting at the entrance after the event. Is the Captain wearing a white shirt, jeans, a baseball cap, and a black mask? Damn, that’s going to be hard to find.”

“But a handsome guy in a white shirt should be easy to spot! What if we just happen to see him!”

Everyone was discussing various far-fetched plans.

“Let’s ask Yin-Ge.”

“Let’s ask Yin to show us his wife.”

…

In the second half, Xiao Yin sat directly next to Rong Yi.

The surrounding audience held their breath, eyes shining, watching them like they were watching a second little drama unfold.

From the audience’s perspective, Xiao Yin was sitting very close to Rong Yi. The two of them occasionally lowered their voices to discuss something, their posture intimate yet restrained.

It wasn’t until the signing session that Xiao Yin stood up and walked through the aisle to the front of the stage, lowering his head to discuss something with the team members.

This year’s National League indeed had a lot of promising talents. While it was impossible to assemble the entire second team lineup in such a short time, Rong Yi had already set his sights on a mid laner player.

The player’s ID was Potato Chip, just eighteen this year, with a calm demeanor and an impressive aura.

Potato Chip had just won the Best Mid Laner Player in this year’s national competition and was one of the top three players from the provincial qualifiers. Although his team didn’t win the championship, it didn’t diminish his standout performance. He was truly memorable.

The Star Show’s selection process involved live signing.

The bidding was public, and newcomers could choose randomly.

Of course, bids for newcomers were lower compared to veterans.

Detailed contracts would be negotiated privately. The league’s program contracts could only ensure the publicly disclosed salary, which had to match the figures announced by the signing team.

Following Xiao Yin’s instructions, Wu Daogu represented the team to announce their bid.

“2.1 million for a Star Show top three, per quarter.”

This was the average price within the global league, very reasonable, neither undercutting nor inflating the bid.

VIT’s offer was straightforward and sincere. If the player liked the offer and felt a connection, they could join. If not, there’d be no hard feelings on either side.

Other team managers whispered among themselves.

In the RS Team, the manager gritted his teeth. “Match it!”

Mid laner Neng Li’s face went pale.

“So now every position needs a substitute?” he asked.

“The team structure has changed. What are you still thinking about?” Lang Bai said casually. “It’s a rotating lineup, not just substitutes. The person he’s chosen won’t be bad.”

But that person was a mid laner.

Neng Li subtly clenched his shirt.

He was also a mid laner.

Signing another mid laner could have unimaginable consequences for him…

Neng Li was a quintessential excellent player, meticulously completing every task assigned by the coach and the Competition Training Team. He maintained his stability and confidence through his position as Vice Captain and RS’s only mid laner.

With this confidence in hand, whether the Captain changed or not was of little importance to him.

So when Rong Yi left, he didn’t say a word in support.

When Rong Yi appeared on the arena as a mid laner, he thought it was an inevitable event, something that would happen sooner or later. Perhaps one day, he could even defeat him.

But now, with RS signing a new mid laner, for the first time, he felt an indescribable fear.

Rong Yi had once brought in Xiao Yun as a substitute for himself.

What was he thinking back then?

Could a pro player truly have a completely level-headed mindset when bringing in their own substitute?

The belated understanding and empathy suddenly reshaped his impression of Rong Yi.

Previously, he respected him; now, he feared him, mixed with confusion and incomprehension.

VIT, in their first year back on the domestic competition stage, was already forming a second team so quickly?

Why were they not afraid?

RS matched the bid.

Now, the current Captain, Xiao Yun, held up a sign: “RS offers 3 million.”

Money was the least of RS’s concerns.

The atmosphere in the arena started to get heated.

“Damn, RS is going head-to-head with VIT again.”

“The price hike is steep—2.1 million versus 3 million. VIT might be the quarter’s first, but RS looks strong too. Which side will Potato Chip choose?”

The Host asked, “VIT still has two more chances to bid. Will you continue?”

Wu Daogu looked at Xiao Yin.

The camera focused on Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin, as before, directed his gaze towards Rong Yi in the audience.

Rong Yi shook his head at him.

“We’ll stick to our bid. Let the player decide.”

Xiao Yin said it casually and found a place to sit down.

The Host turned to Potato Chip: “This is a tough choice. Potato Chip, do you have any thoughts?”

Potato Chip lifted his head, his gaze shifting between the two teams.

The RS Manager spoke into the microphone: “Our team’s strength is undeniable. You can ask for a higher price; we still have two more bidding chances, as long as you’re willing to join us.”

Neng Li’s face was already as pale as it could be.

At this moment, RS’s fans also witnessed this scene, and led by Neng Li’s fans, they began to internally divide and tear at each other.

“Does VIT Team have anything to say?”

The Host smiled warmly and suddenly directed the question to Rong Yi. “Captain, do you have anything to add?”

It was common for the Host to cue the sponsor’s section. This particular host, Xiaodie, had partnered with Lin Yi for a long time and was very familiar with Rong Yi, so the conversation naturally turned to him. It caught him off guard for a moment.

The Broadcast Team shouted, “Mosaic! Camera on the mosaic—”

The broadcast team broke out in a cold sweat, almost unable to stop the camera in time.

“That was close, really close.”

Xiaodie quickly realized her miscue. She was momentarily flustered, but Rong Yi smiled at her, stood up, and gestured to the Director Team for a microphone.

He was going to save the situation.

Lin Yi, standing nearby, thought to himself: Impressive!

So impressive.

As expected of his good friend.

As soon as Rong Yi stood up, a wave of cheers erupted in the arena.

Rong Yi took the microphone, adeptly handling it. He first turned around, casually leaning against the stage, and waved to the audience before looking back at the stage.

“This part can be edited out later, so for those here, I’ll take a bit of your time.”

“Hello everyone, I’m Easy, the current Captain of VIT.”

His clear voice resonated across the stage.

Rong Yi turned to look at Potato Chip.

“We’ve been closely following the Domestic Competition and are well aware of your performance in every match. We believe you are an outstanding Mid laner Player, with extremely flexible support strategies and lane-switching thinking, which is exactly what we need.”

“You’re very cool. Even if you don’t choose to join our team, we will always be rivals and friends in the League.”

Rong Yi continued, “But there are reasons to consider joining our Team.”

Rong Yi’s gaze fell on Xiao Yin. “We have two World Champions, two exceptionally talented young players, and a veteran who has dominated the international stage.”

“We welcome everyone to join us. VIT’s goal remains the same, year after year.”

“And that is the highest podium of the World Champion.”