DPTBG Chapter 4

There was no way he could have gotten recognized from a single glance, right?

Zuo Tao was uneasy, feeling like he’d jumped off a high platform, plunging into a bottomless pit with a broken bungee rope. He stood stock-still, forcing himself to calm down.

Song Shihan was very tall. When he stood expressionlessly, he gave off an air of coldness. He walked past the other players to stand in front of Zuo Tao.

The boy was only as tall as his shoulder, his head drooping down with a tuft of pink hair standing up stupidly.

“Nothing to say?” Song Shihan’s face remained blank. He leaned down slightly to observe the boy’s face under the morning sunlight.

This made Zuo Tao even more nervous. Although there was quite a bit of distance between them, the man was still close enough that he could feel the warmth of his body. Just like last night, he could also smell a hint of fresh citrus.

“What?” Zuo Tao decided to pretend to be confused after a bit of internal back and forth. It was so dark last night, how could Song Shihan be certain that they had met? Judging from the uncertainty in his tone, Zuo Tao had the hope that he might actually be able to save this, after all.

He had confidence in his acting skills.

The second rule for any good boy — look at everyone with blank, innocent eyes.

Zuo Tao imagined higher math problems he’d encountered during his senior year to replace the image of the man before him. This method should be effective; he powered through the difficulty, making himself look clueless, and uttered: “Huh? What’s a pink tyrant?”

He even added a bit of a tremble at the end.

Seeing this, Song Shihan’s gaze deepened, staring at Zuo Tao in a more probing manner.

Getting stared at like this made Zuo Tao even more nervous. The silence was simply torture!

Help. He was about to lose it. To maintain his confused act, he had to open his eyes slightly wider, not even daring to blink randomly. His eyes were beginning to hurt, and tears welled up from the dryness.

Song Shihan didn’t move. Seeing the look of anxiety on the little support’s face, he thought that if he kept this kid hanging for any longer, he’d probably cry.

“Never mind,” Song Shihan finally said, withdrawing his gaze and finally moving away. “Is pink hair so popular among kids nowadays?”

Zuo Tao blinked and lied immediately: “Yes, many of my classmates have dyed hair.”

Song Shihan nodded in response.

The others listened to their conversation in confusion.

“Captain, can you loosen up a bit?” Wang Qiu saw that Zuo Tao didn’t even dare raise his head in Song Shihan’s presence and decided to risk it all to defend him. “Look how scared the kid is.”

Song Shihan glazed at Wang Qiu coldly. Wang Qiu didn’t dare say anything else.

Jiang Ming hit Song Shihan’s arm, giving a subtle warning and reminder of their conversation last night.

“I’ll come back upstairs later,” Song Shihan said, ignoring them all, walking towards the cafeteria. “Let’s rank.”

Watching his figure as he walked off, Zuo Tao’s heart didn’t immediately relax, feeling like it was still stuck in his throat. What was up with that? Did Song Shihan recognize him, or did he not?

Situations like these really left a bitter aftertaste. If he could go back in time, he wouldn’t have gotten so badly drunk last night, and he wouldn’t take half a step outside!

After Song Shihan left, Wang Qiu and the others continued with their greetings and introductions, before following after Song Shihan. They’d had a training match after getting home last night, and it lasted until past midnight. They were so tired that they’d immediately collapsed to sleep. One reason they all woke up early today was that they were welcoming a new teammate. The other — more important  — reason was because they were too hungry to continue sleeping.

Jiang Ming brought Zuo Tao to the training room on the fifth floor after the rest of the team left. “That’s just how FIRE treats others, so don’t overthink it. He wasn’t being mean on purpose.”

Seeing that Zuo Tao’s complexion hasn’t recovered, Jiang Ming was worried that the boy would be too scared of Song Shihan.

He continued: “You will be moving together in-game in the future, so he probably just wanted to start a conversation to get to know you better.”

Zuo Tao nodded. Of course he knew that Song Shihan didn’t act like that on purpose. After all, he had watched every single game Song Shihan had played since his professional debut. He had somewhat of an understanding of his character.

Song Shihan was a strong player who only had eyes for esports. Just like his name¹時寒 (shí hán) means time/season of cold., he was cold to everyone and everything else.

It was only probably because of the ‘pink tyrant’ fiasco from last night that they even exchanged more words that might be constituted as a ‘conversation’.

Thinking of things this way, Zuo Tao felt that he probably hadn’t been exposed.

Judging by Song Shihan’s demeanor, he probably had a rather deep impression of last night. With his personality, if he’d found Zuo Tao out, he would have kicked him right out of Wildfire’s base gates.

“The same goes for you,” Jiang Ming continued. “You can also try to get to know FIRE outside of the game.” Not hearing a response, Jiang Ming tried to encourage him: “Be bold. If you’re training, just ask him to rank with you. It’ll also help develop your teamwork as soon as possible.”

Wildfire’s training room was as advanced as could be. Sporting a silver color scheme, the first thing one would see upon entering was the word “Wildfire” with a fiery red border, designed such that it looked like a real fire burning fiercely against the wall. It was visually eye-catching. The clash between futuristic technology and modern civilization wasn’t disharmonious, but it sure was shocking.

He opened the door to the training room with his fingerprint, leading Zuo Tao inside. He pointed at an empty spot by the window and said, “I have a few things to clarify with you, to help you understand the team’s situation. We haven’t confirmed our starting support yet, so you can use that spot for the time being.” He paused for a moment before adding: “But because your circumstances are quite special, you’ll need to train more with everyone else in the future. The road will be hard. Do you think you can do it?”

Zuo Tao’s gaze had already landed on the peripherals resting on the table, an indescribable excitement making his eyes shine. He sat down on the seat Jiang Ming had indicated, caressing the keyboard gently with his fingertips. Just like the team’s name, he felt like his heart was about to burst into wild flames.

To be honest, Zuo Tao’s passion for esports had nothing to do with Song Shihan. He truly loved esports from the bottom of his heart. Even if there was no male god in this team, and even if his future in the industry wasn’t for long, it was still an opportunity he was not willing to miss.

Being here was everything about him and his dreams.

“Of course.” Zuo Tao looked up at Jiang Ming and said, seriously, “Coach Jiang, I will definitely work hard. I’ll follow whatever the team plans to do!”

Jiang Ming released a breath he’d been holding, but he was still hesitant about something. He asked: “There’s something else, because of nepotism…” This wasn’t something that should be said out loud, and this was also Zuo Tao’s first day here, but at the same time, it was something that should also not be not discussed.

Jiang Ming felt a headache coming on, thinking of all the things he had to consider.

“I understand,” Zuo Tao interrupted.

Jiang Ming paused. “What?”

Zuo Tao met Jiang Ming’s gaze. “I understand that someone like me, who has no achievements to his name, will bring the team a lot of trouble. There will definitely be members of the team who are unsatisfied because they can’t understand.” Knowing Jiang Ming’s concerns, Zuo Tao decided to speak clearly: “But don’t worry. I will definitely prove myself with my strength!

“And, if, later, the team finds a more suitable support, I won’t complain, I won’t say anything. Don’t worry!”

Jiang Ming was taken aback.

Why did he suddenly feel so touched?

Only god knew how the four members of the starting team, including Song Shihan, were such assholes. Now they suddenly had such a good boy joining in, it felt a little strange.

If everyone could act as non-worrying as Zuo Tao, he would definitely look five years younger!

“Good!” Jiang Ming patted Zuo Tao’s shoulder and sighed. “Although your personality is so different from your aunt’s, I can see that you share the same ruthlessness as she had back then!”

Hearing his words, Zuo Tao’s eyes lit up. Jiang Ming and Su Yueyao were old acquaintances, and even so, Jiang Ming didn’t even notice that he and Su Yueyao actually had similar temperaments. Didn’t that mean he disguised himself well?

This gave Zuo Tao a confidence boost. He glanced at the seat of the AD beside him. He was suddenly hit with an inexplicable sense of surreality. The past few years, he’d watched Song Shihan play games through videos. Who would have ever thought that one day, he would actually play games side-by-side with someone he used to think was so far beyond his reach?

Could this be considered a kind of star-chasing success story?

Jiang Ming had already reached out to turn his computer on while he was lost in thought. “The password is six 1s,” he instructed as he logged into 《Rising Wind》, using a pre-prepared account and password. “You don’t need to use your private account for the time being. You can use this account for training for now, I’ll send you the credentials later.

“This account is brand new, and no one has ever touched it before. It already has all heroes available.”

Zuo Tao leaned over, looking around curiously. “Does it have all the skins, too?”

Jiang Ming laughed, taking out his phone. “Of course not. Do you have a skin in particular you want? I can give it to you.”

Zuo Tao shook his head in denial. At that moment, Song Shihan pushed the door open and walked in, holding a black and red coffee cup in one hand. He walked towards the two of them, sitting on the chair beside Zuo Tao’s. “Are you ready?”

Zuo Tao nodded, understanding that this was about playing ranked together. He moved his wrists as he said, “Ready!”

Jiang Ming watched them from behind and gave his silent approval. His impression of Zuo Tao had changed tremendously. To be honest, he thought that playing with Song Shihan would make Zuo Tao uncomfortable, but reality proved that he was at least psychologically resilient.

Especially once he held the mouse and keyboard; his timidity when he first arrived to greet the group disappeared, and he was like a completely different person. It was a confidence that couldn’t be concealed.

Jiang Ming has been a coach for many years, and he could tell at a glance whether a player had what it takes or not.

“Which hero are you using?”

After opening the portal, Song Shihan immediately pulled Zuo Tao into a team, casually asking the question as he himself was choosing his own hero.

Zuo Tao chose a male support out of habit from the hero pool, answering: “I’ll play Xu Wu.” He confirmed his choice, and then he began adjusting the runes and talent skills of his choice.

In the world of the game, Xu Wu was a hero with a delicate appearance. He came from the world’s spiritual energy transforming, holding a Frost Sword from the Abyss. He was a powerful support in the current meta, but he was also challenging to use. If played well, he could turn an entire game around. If he wasn’t played well, then he’d be food for the opposite team.

Perhaps because this choice was a bit unconventional, it earned him a sideways glance from Song Shihan.

“FIRE, why don’t you play Emperor of Frost?” After pondering for a moment, Jiang Ming made a suggestion.

Song Shihan frowned and answered: “No.”

Jiang Ming said: “I think we can give it a try. If this couple is played together, there’s a 3% chance of triggering a special passive. They got buffed this season, compared to last season’s 1%.”

Couple, of course, was a joke by the players. According to game lore, the Emperor of Frost was a general who was covered in mysterious ice, hailing from the Abyss. He had a mysterious connection to the Frost Sword held by Xu Wu. Emperor of Frost, on his own, wasn’t that strong. But combined with Xu Wu, there were certain attribute bonuses and there was a chance that Xu Wu would sacrifice the Frost Sword, briefly becoming the weapon held by the Emperor of Frost.

Emperor of Frost, once he held the Frost Sword, was fully immune to all damage for five seconds. His attack power increases by 100% and ignores all physical defense attributes. In the late game, once this passive was triggered, whoever he attacks dies and the game is basically won.

The only drawback was that the passive was difficult to trigger, and for some rounds, it doesn’t get triggered at all. Despite this, the combination was well-loved by CP fans.

Thus, these two often appear as a pair in a team.

The reason players jokingly call them a CP was because when Xu Wu transforms to a giant sword, Xu Wu had a particularly cheesy voice line — “For supreme glory, I willingly become the sword in your hand, even if I must sacrifice my life and return to the void²“Xu Wu” means void/nothingness.”

“No.” Song Shihan’s gaze lingered on the Emperor of Frost’s hero portrait on his screen for a moment, before he immediately chose a more powerful AD. In a calm tone, he said: “He’s too weak.”

• 1
  時寒 (shí hán) means time/season of cold.
• 2
  “Xu Wu” means void/nothingness