Chapter 64

No one could refute what Rong Yi said. As he stood there, even though he wasn’t on stage, he seemed to radiate brilliance.

The entire audience erupted in cheers.

The spectators in the back who couldn’t see him strained to catch a glimpse and followed his voice, standing up and clapping and shouting with all their might.

For years, the audience had been yearning for a return to the World Championship. Until today, no domestic team had openly and confidently mentioned the words “World Champion.”

Was it out of fear?

Or had the long-standing domestic esports environment made everyone too timid to boldly declare it?

As Rong Yi spoke, Potato Chip’s eyes shone brightly. His gaze swept across the entire VIT team, his excitement and enthusiasm beyond words.

Before the Host could ask a question, and after the applause and cheers had subsided, Potato Chip eagerly grabbed the microphone: “I’ll go with Captain Rong and Yin-Ge. I’ve liked Yin and Easy for many years!”

Every rookie coming out of the National League had dreamt of choosing which team to join. This year, VIT was the dream that every player repeatedly reminded themselves of.

Money was, of course, important.

But competition is born with dreams, and dreams are destined to be pursued by the young. For the youth, fame and fortune are not as significant.

Potato Chip repeated, making it final: “I’m in.”

“Good.”

Xiao Yin, holding a sign below the stage, signaled the Director Team: “We’ll up the offer to three million.”

The Director Team was incredulous: “He’s already agreed to sign, which has verbal validity, and you want to raise the price now?”

“I’m sure.” Xiao Yin’s voice was casual.

“Boss is impressive.”

“So casual, he must be really wealthy!”

“Never raise the price before confirming the other party’s willingness, but once they express interest, directly match the highest offer. If you’re one of us, you won’t be shortchanged at all.”

This is mutual selection. It’s also Yin’s cold and casual approach when choosing people as the Boss of VIT.

“Damn… this really is… if you don’t catch my eye, I won’t even look at you!”

Discussions buzzed around the arena, the atmosphere ablaze with excitement.

Potato Chip successfully secured his contract with VIT and immediately gained the qualification to join the VIT lineup.

Grey Cat, Hydralisk, and Wu Daogu were already energized, enthusiastically patting the seats for Potato Chip to join them.

Potato Chip, being young and a college student, was a bit reserved at first but quickly blended in with them.

“Are we still signing more?”

On the other side, Xiao Yin held Rong Yi’s hand and asked in a low voice.

Besides Potato Chip, who was a must-have, there were a few others with considerable talent.

Rong Yi leaned back, crossing his legs.

“We can make an offer and see.”

Xiao Yin said, “RS will definitely match.”

“If they match, we won’t pursue further.” Rong Yi had a clear categorization for the remaining players he was interested in.

They were students who needed guidance and training, much like RS in the early days.

Rong Yi himself had about three to four years left before retiring. After retiring, he could join the Competition Training Team, but training newcomers takes time, and so does building team synergy.

Therefore, these players were optional.

Geniuses are hard to find, and Rong Yi was looking for geniuses, like Xiao Yin back in the day.

But geniuses may not always join his team, just like Xiao Yin initially. Nevertheless, there are various strategies even if the genius isn’t in your team.

As expected, every time VIT made an offer for a player, RS would follow suit.

Once RS matched the offer, VIT would back out.

Meanwhile, RS’s Manager kept a close eye on Rong Yi and Xiao Yin, trying to gauge their conversations through their expressions.

Whenever Rong Yi paid extra attention to a player on stage, RS would do the same and scrutinize the player’s stats.

There was no other reason; Rong Yi was simply that influential.

Netizens gradually started to notice something unusual.

“Is VIT collaborating with RS to sign players? Why does it seem like one makes an offer and the other matches it, but the offerer doesn’t continue?”

“The world could end, and VIT would never collaborate with RS. VIT is blatantly clashing with RS. It’s not exactly a water-and-fire situation, but there’s definitely deep animosity.”

“They’re following Captain Rong’s player selection strategy,” someone with sharp eyes noticed. “If a newcomer catches VIT’s eye, VIT might not pursue aggressively, but RS will definitely sign them.”

“They can’t not follow suit. All five players on RS were originally scouted by Easy.”

“Easy’s headhunting skills are unmatched! I remember Lin Yi gossiping about how Yin-Ge was first noticed by Easy when he was still with RO.”

“So it’s like, didn’t get the team, but got the person. That’s hilarious.”

VIT made offers for two players, both of whom were snatched up by RS with high bids. Rong Yi lost interest in continuing the bidding war.

“Let’s not follow anymore.”

“If we don’t sign them and RS takes them, it’s like we’re doing them a disservice.”

He understood RS’s nature all too well.

In the world of capital, no one cares about a pro player’s future development or career longevity. Instead, they would tell them: professional esports is this brutal.

How many domestic winter and summer champions have been disbanded and sold off, turned into the face of a team, while the higher-ups only think about attracting more fans, getting more sponsorships, and selling more merchandise.

Champions, core team players, star players… so many have been wasted year after year, ultimately fading away in unwilling silence.

VIT stopped making offers.

In this round of the Rising Star Selection signing, many of the top three players were signed. VIT only took Potato Chip. RS signed the most, getting five players, with overlapping positions.

Rong Yi knew this meant some players would inevitably face at least one season of being benched at RS, and later be put up for transfer.

But his reach only went so far; he couldn’t control everything.

The Rising Star Selection event concluded successfully. The final part of the Mid Autumn Special Event was the red carpet signing and fan interaction session.

Naturally, Rong Yi couldn’t participate.

As usual, he left first and went to the parking garage to wait for the others to finish the process.

The garage was dimly lit. Rong Yi sat in the passenger seat, looking down at his phone.

Many people tried to find him after the event ended, but couldn’t, so they flooded social media with mentions.

“Where’s Captain Rong? Where did Captain Rong go? We want to see you, Captain Rong.”

“Please! Let us see you one last time!”

Rong Yi glanced at his private messages and comments, chuckling to himself before looking out the window.

Their car was parked relatively close to the exit, in an internal staff passageway. Even through several walls, he could hear the roaring cheers and applause from the fans outside, a spectacular scene.

Fans and spectators had spontaneously turned on their phone lights, waving them in the night sky, creating a shimmering display.

Suddenly, Rong Yi felt an unnatural sting—a psychological discomfort he was all too familiar with.

Peering through the car window, he noticed a flicker of light near one of the garage’s support pillars.

Rong Yi recognized it immediately—it was the reflection from a camera lens.

Since he couldn’t drive, that unsettling feeling lingered. The person across seemed to realize they were spotted and became even bolder, seemingly about to cross the barrier and come closer.

The long-focus lens in the person’s hand remained fixed on him.

Rong Yi’s heart rate quickened, and his breathing grew tense. He pulled his hat down, opened his phone, hesitated for a moment, and then sent a message to Xiao Yin:

“Someone is secretly photographing me.”

After sending the message, he remembered.

Xiao Yin was probably engaged in the interaction activity right now, unable to break away, let alone see his text.

Should he call Xiao Yin?

He was an adult, a 22-year-old, yet still terrified of cameras. It sounded pathetic, but rationality was one thing; overcoming fear was another.

In that brief moment, Rong Yi’s fingertips began to sweat, and he started to tremble slightly.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Yin not only saw the message but called back immediately: “Are you in the garage? Give me twenty seconds. I’ll be right there.”

Rong Yi answered the call, his voice starting to shake as the person drew closer, almost brazenly circling to the front windshield to take photos. Rong Yi’s first instinct was to pull the car door open and get out, then he lowered his voice and snapped, “Who are you? Why are you photographing me?”

The person, looking like a reporter, showed no sign of explaining or apologizing. Instead, his eyes gleamed with excitement: “Are you Easy? Could you give an interview?”

Rong Yi’s fingers tightened into a fist.

He was different from others.

Ordinary people, when terrified, would feel fear and run away.

Camera anxiety was Rong Yi’s Achilles’ heel, but no one had ever exploited it.

Because he wouldn’t allow himself to have any weaknesses.

Whenever someone thought he was gentle and manageable, they would only end up with their hands bloodied by his unyielding resolve.

In a low voice, he said, “Get lost!”

As the person got closer, Rong Yi calmly opened the car door, pulling out a heavy headrest and gripping it tightly in his hand.

A cold glint flashed in his beautiful peach blossom eyes: “Try taking another shot.”

The sharp end of the headrest was held firmly in his single-handed grip. The person, seemingly unprepared for this reaction, instinctively recoiled. The next moment, the camera lens was smashed to the ground.

A professional lens, worth over 30,000 yuan.

Xiao Yin appeared from behind, swiftly pinning the person’s arms behind their back and pressing them firmly against the hood of the car!

He arrived incredibly fast, his hair disheveled, clearly having run over, but his expression and voice remained calm: “Ah Yi, are you alright?”

Rong Yi tossed the headrest back into the car. It was only then that he felt the intense aftermath of his phobia.

His legs had turned to jelly.

Rong Yi crouched down, unable to stand, but his voice remained steady.

“I’m fine.”

He said, “I’m fine.”

Xiao Yin, with a firm grip, held the person down, giving them no chance to speak. At this moment, other staff members also arrived.

“What’s going on?”

“What happened?”

Various voices mixed together, along with some curious bystanders who didn’t know what was happening, some even starting to take photos.

Xiao Yin was the first to notice the flashlights. He immediately took off his jacket, covering Rong Yi’s head, and then scooped him up, shielding him in a corner.

Flashes went off continuously.

They had definitely already taken some shots.

But Xiao Yin didn’t care about that.

Being photographed was Rong Yi’s issue, but showing up in public never was.

He opened the rear car door and, slipping his hand through the gap in the fabric, grasped Rong Yi’s cold hand. Then, he signaled to the staff.

The staff immediately began clearing the area.

“Sorry, there’s an unexpected situation. Please move back.”

“Sorry, please step back. Thank you, and please do not turn on your phone cameras. Someone here is being harassed by paparazzi. We appreciate your understanding.”

The crowd consisted of fans and casual players who, upon hearing the staff’s explanations, roughly understood the situation. They obediently stopped filming.

His voice was deep and gentle, completely commanding the scene.

“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, baby.”

Rong Yi was cocooned in Xiao Yin’s jacket, unable to see anything, but this physical barrier provided him with a strong sense of security.

In addition to this, Xiao Yin himself gave him a sense of safety.

He breathed lightly, led and protected by Xiao Yin, and sat in the back seat, head bowed, lightly hooking his fingers around Xiao Yin’s hand.

“Really, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“Mm, I’m not worried.” Xiao Yin’s voice carried a tense seriousness. He shifted slightly, likely looking at the reporter who was now cornered.

“Check his ID badge and find out which media outlet he works for. Also, call the police.”

Xiao Yin’s voice became slightly distant, but his hand remained firmly gripping Rong Yi’s fingertips.

Rong Yi vaguely heard the voice of Xiao Yin’s assistant, Little Tang.

It was hushed, but he could still hear it.

“XX Entertainment Media, they’ve been trying to get a clear shot of Captain Rong’s face. Today, Captain Rong made a public appearance, so they waited here to try and get an exclusive.”

“Well, they won’t be getting any exclusives now.” Little Tang kept his voice low. “They’ve hit a brick wall this time.”