Sorry for the delay.
“After the first episode of ‘Starlight Youth Development Program’ aired, its impact far exceeded everyone’s expectations. Although surprised, Ye Zhou was no longer as bewildered as he initially was.
After all, having witnessed the Chenzhou team’s remarkable ability to attract revenue this season in e-sports, the successful casting of Movie Emperor Zhong Bai in ‘Tears Behind Bars,’ and the tragedy film ‘Chasing the Light’ earning hundreds of millions at the box office, Ye Zhou’s mental endurance had been continuously pushed to adapt.
No matter how extraordinary things became, Ye Zhou might still be surprised, but he was no longer astonished.
Once the ‘Starlight Youth’ matter was settled, Ye Zhou received a call from the captain of the Chenzhou team, Xu Cheng, inviting him and his friends to attend the ‘Devour’ finals on January 5th.
Along with the call came the team’s manager.
The manager, a young, scholarly-looking man in his early thirties, had heard about the boss Ye Zhou’s glorious deeds from Xu Cheng and other teammates many times, despite never meeting him.
He sat somewhat nervously on the chair, took an envelope from his bag, and pushed it towards Ye Zhou, saying, “Mr. Ye, this is what Captain Xu asked me to bring to you. There are two tickets in it. The VIP seats have the best view in the entire venue.”
“The match starts at 8 PM If you have time to come, you can call me when you arrive, and I’ll come to meet you.” With that, the young manager took out his business card and placed it with the envelope.
Ye Zhou took the items and thanked him, “Thank you for the trouble of coming here. Please let Captain Xu know that I will be there on time.”
Seeing that he was so easy to talk to, the manager finally relaxed a little. He pursed his lips with a light smile, “This is what I should do. I often hear Captain Xu and the others mention you many times and I have wanted to meet you for a while. But I was worried about disturbing you with your busy work. Since this opportunity arose, if you happen to have some free time, may I take a moment of yours?”
Ye Zhou paused, immediately realizing the other wanted to discuss something privately. He nodded toward Boss Jiang’s secretary, who promptly left, closing the door behind them and leaving just the two of them in the office.
Ye Zhou had come to surprise Boss Jiang but discovered he was stuck in an important company meeting since 8 AM.
Ye Zhou stopped the secretary who was about to report and waited in the office with his lunch box, but Boss Jiang never showed up. Instead, he received Xu Cheng’s call and decided to have the tickets delivered here.
After the secretary left, Ye Zhou gestured, “If there’s anything unsuitable to discuss, you can speak freely now.”
The young manager adjusted his posture, took out some documents from his bag, and separated them into two piles, placing the left one in front of Ye Zhou.
“Here are the companies that have sent invitations to Chenzhou this year, hoping the Chenzhou team can endorse their products, along with their quoted prices.” The manager picked out a few, “These are the ones I’ve selected, mostly without any quality issues or controversial histories.”
“One of these two is Leidian’s gaming chair, and the other is Duanren’s keyboard. Both are established domestic brands, nearly dominating 40% of the market share. Although not the highest price, they’re good choices for the players.”
“These other companies are new brands but offer higher than the standard rates.” The manager provided comparative analyses he had prepared, allowing even a complete outsider like Ye Zhou to clearly see the pros and cons.
Ye Zhou was not completely unfamiliar with this. As a filmmaker who frequently dealt with investors and sponsors, it was almost second nature. Although he had never been exposed to the e-sports industry before, reviewing these materials was not foreign to him.
After browsing the documents, Ye Zhou suddenly looked up at the manager and asked, “How many teams do Leidian and Duanren currently cooperate with?”
The manager paused, his gaze subtly shifting as he realized Ye Zhou was not clueless. Rather than considering prices first, he inquired about the sponsors’ existing partnerships, proving he was a boss worth serious discussion to maximize benefits.
Understanding this, the manager promptly replied, “Leidian is a typical casting method. They select endorsers based on fan purchasing power and team popularity. Currently, they have two sponsored teams – last year’s champion pop and the favorite to win, tok.”
Ye Zhou considered it, then said, “Let’s not consider them for now. Tell me about Duanren.”
His straightforwardness surprised the manager, but he didn’t comment further and began explaining Duanren.
“Duanren has a very aggressive style. They are highly competitive in both decision-making and market presence. Their most distinctive feature is only signing the champion team each season as an endorser.”
Ye Zhou raised his brows, “Oh? But this season’s finals haven’t started yet. Are they that confident Chenzhou will be the champion?”
The manager’s voice carried a hint of amusement, “Yes, this situation of approaching with a contract before the finals is a rarity for Duanren. It has only happened once before, with a team that won three consecutive championships.”
“Chenzhou is the second time. They seem very confident Chenzhou will become the champion and have offered generous terms. They did not reduce the offer just because we are a new team.”
Hearing him mention the team that won three consecutive championships, Ye Zhou couldn’t help but recall that their team seemed to have three players who previously served on that team.
Considering it, besides Chenzhou’s outstanding performance this year, the only other reason was that Duanren’s boss likely had some familiarity with those three players from their previous partnership, confident they could secure the championship.
“However, they require us to announce it only after winning the title. If we don’t, they may choose to sign the eventual champion instead, demoting us to a secondary role.”
It was clear from the manager’s words that this company was very realistic, but that’s normal – it’s like betting. If Chenzhou won, they’d bet correctly, and announcing the contract timing would appeal to Chenzhou’s fans, boosting their purchasing power.
Even if they bet wrongly and Chenzhou did not win this year’s championship, beyond signing a new contract with the champions, Chenzhou’s performance this season would hardly raise doubts over Duanren’s decision.
“Let’s go with them,” Ye Zhou decided after weighing the pros and cons with the manager, finalizing this endorsement deal.
The manager also favored this company not just for the potential revenue but because their style of only selecting the strongest aligned perfectly with the competitive spirit of e-sports, catering to fans’ tastes.
Over time, fans even came to view Duanren’s annual signing as a benchmark for gauging a team’s strength beyond tournament results.
Having a partnership with them signified a championship win, with more collaborations naturally indicating more titles. This became a source of immense pride for fans.
Beyond Duanren, the manager and Ye Zhou discussed the remaining sponsors reaching out to Chenzhou. While lacking Duanren’s prestige, they weren’t without merit either.
The two talked for about half an hour and finally settled on two more companies. At this point, Chenzhou’s three endorsements for the upcoming year had been confirmed.
Ye Zhou thought that would conclude their discussion on endorsements, but the manager unexpectedly brought up issues concerning the team itself.
“If Chenzhou wins the championship this year, we can’t leave them unchecked like before. We’ll definitely need to hire coaches, psychologists, physical therapists, and massage therapists.”
“Additionally, we need to get the youth training program on the agenda. Although our captain Xu Cheng is still young at 19 and in his prime, we must consider that the vice-captain and two other players are no longer at the golden age for professional gaming.”
This was a heavy topic but an undeniable fact. Apart from 19-year-old Xu Cheng, the other three were veteran players, especially the 23-year-old vice-captain.
For other professions, 23 might still be considered young, but for e-sports players, the high-intensity training and strenuous competitions continually shorten their prime years. At this age, they’re nearing the end of their careers, and no one would be surprised if they retired.
“And the team base needs…”
Seeing the manager was going to keep listing more, Ye Zhou finally interrupted, “Let me ask you something.”
The manager promptly stopped and politely smiled at Ye Zhou, “Please go ahead.”
“With all you’ve said, are you trying to ask me for money?” Ye Zhou stated decisively.
The manager hesitated briefly but nodded honestly, “Yes, that’s correct.” He had prepared himself for Ye Zhou not offering much, having worked with teams big and small and dealt with many bosses. He even readied persuasive arguments in case Ye Zhou lowballed the amount – a skill he was quite experienced with.
For bosses, as long as he shook them hard enough, money would come out – it was just a matter of how much they were willing to give. The manager was very experienced in this.
“No problem.”
However, he never expected Chenzhou’s boss to be so different from others, agreeing so readily without giving him a chance to persuade.
“…Ah?” The manager looked dumbfounded for a moment before regaining his composure and probing uncertainly, “You mean you’re willing to provide funding?”
“Yes,” Ye Zhou calmly affirmed his guess, then asked, “How much do you need? Give me a number.”
The manager: ????
This was all too surreal, to the point where the manager wondered if he was dreaming. In all his years in the industry, he had never encountered such an agreeable and generous boss.
The manager discreetly pinched his thigh under the table to ensure this was reality. Once confirmed, his mind raced, and after a long pause, he cautiously proposed, “Twenty million?”
Ye Zhou: …..
Damn, he thought it was about how much money they needed, but it was just a small amount.
“I’ll double it, forty million.” Ye Zhou said, reaching into his pocket for his card, not forgetting to remind him, “Is it enough? If that’s not enough, I’ll add more for you. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any difficulties. Don’t hold back for the sake of the kids on our Chenzhou team.”
“Our Chenzhou team is great in every way, except the captain is too considerate. Whenever I ask if the money is enough or if I need to send more, our little captain rushes to decline, sometimes even hanging up the phone when I press too much.”
Handing the card to the manager, Ye Zhou patted his shoulder and said earnestly, “I’m entrusting my five players to you. They can be a bit stubborn, so please take care of them. Whatever other teams have, Chenzhou team should have too. If we lack anything, just let me know. I believe in you!”
The manager left Jiang Group’s building in a daze, checked the balance on the card at a nearby bank, and found that the string of numbers was indeed real!
What kind of team had he joined? What kind of celestial boss was this? If this was a dream, could it please last forever and never end?
After seeing off the team manager, Ye Zhou followed the secretary’s instructions, carried the lunchbox, and reheated the now cold food in the microwave. As soon as he returned, he saw that Boss Jiang had finally finished the meeting.
When Jiang Tingyuan saw Ye Zhou, his usually cold eyes softened a little. He reached out and ruffled Ye Zhou’s short hair, indulging in the rare mischief.
The two ate lunch together in the office. Afterward, Ye Zhou cleaned up and told Boss Jiang about the Chenzhou team manager’s visit that morning, and invited Boss Jiang to attend the match on the 5th.
Boss Jiang checked his schedule and crossed out the meeting on the 5th with a red pen, agreeing to Ye Zhou’s invitation without hesitation.
—
At 7:30 PM on January 5th, half an hour before the ‘Devour’ championship match officially began, the venue was already surrounded by fans, making it impossible to enter.
Not all these fans could afford tickets. Many came to the entrance hoping to get lucky and find someone reselling their ticket.
However, as the last match of the season, this event was highly anticipated and popular. Tickets sold out in less than a minute after being released, truly embodying the phrase “without restraint1淋漓尽致 (lín lí jìn zhì) – lit. extreme saturation (idiom) / fig. vividly and thoroughly / in great detail / without restraint / (of a performance) brilliant.”
Unless one bought an overpriced scalped ticket, getting a ticket would require extreme luck.
Ye Zhou and Jiang Tingyuan arrived to find the Chenzhou team manager already waiting at the entrance. He personally led them through the VIP passage, which was only slightly better than the regular one and still overcrowded.
After much difficulty finding their seats, despite it being deep winter, Ye Zhou’s forehead was beaded with fine, cold sweat.
On the other hand, Boss Jiang, who followed him into the venue, not only looked calm as usual, not to mention sweating, even his breath was undisturbed.
Ye Zhou reached out his hand and disbelievingly wiped Boss Jiang’s forehead. When he saw that his hands were clean, he cried with envy and asked, “Aren’t you hot, Jiang-ge?”
Jiang Tingyuan took out a tissue to wipe the sweat from Ye Zhou’s face and replied, “No, I’m not hot.”
Ye Zhou blushed a little at his actions. He wanted to take the tissue and wipe it himself several times, but Boss Jiang deftly avoided it every time. He could only give up and muttered in a low voice: “That’s not scientific…”
Jiang Tingyuan looked at him seriously. “I am cold, and my body temperature has been lower than normal since I was born. If you feel hot, you can come closer to me.”
If someone else had said this, Ye Zhou would have doubted it, but coming from the ever-serious Boss Jiang, he accepted it immediately, especially with Boss Jiang’s solemn expression boosting its credibility.
Without much thought, Ye Zhou moved closer, then closer still.
Perhaps psychologically, as the distance shrank, the stuffiness dissipated miraculously, replaced by a pleasant pine scent. Ye Zhou breathed out comfortably.
“It’s actually true!” He was impressed, unconsciously leaning in to feel Jiang’s cool temperature.
Unnoticed by Ye Zhou, Jiang Tingyuan’s eyes darkened as he neared. The indifferent gaze became a deep, turbulent pool barely contained, brewing a storm.
Ye Zhou, who was unaware of the danger, was suddenly grabbed by the wrist. Then Jiang Tingyuan leaned forward in his direction. The two were face to face. Ye Zhou could feel the touch of Boss Jiang’s breath on the tip of his nose. He was a little overwhelmed, so nervous that his hands froze in mid-air.
The distance continued to shorten until their breaths mingled. From an outsider’s view, they were practically kissing before Boss Jiang finally stopped.
His deep voice, laced with desire instead of its usual chill aloofness, sounded like a bassline detonating sexily in Ye Zhou’s ear.
“Is it still hot?” Jiang Tingyuan asked.
Ye Zhou swore he wanted to speak, but inexplicably, he was as if under a paralysis spell, unable to move, let alone speak. His lips felt leaden, so heavy that despite his efforts to open his mouth, they barely twitched.
His silence and awkwardness clearly pleased Jiang Tingyuan, who let out a low chuckle by his ear. The husky tail end of his laughter was surprisingly lethal, turning the tips of Ye Zhou’s ears visibly red in an instant.
If the situation had allowed, Ye Zhou would have covered his burning ears immediately, but he couldn’t. Under Boss Jiang’s imposing aura, covering his ears was an incredibly difficult and challenging task.
“You’re not hot anymore, but now I’m starting to feel the heat,” Jiang Tingyuan said, his voice not loud. Ye Zhou could understand each word separately, but strung together, he replayed the sentence over and over in his mind a dozen times and still couldn’t grasp Boss Jiang’s meaning.
However, he didn’t have to puzzle over it for long, as Boss Jiang soon clarified for him.
“My body is usually cold and doesn’t easily feel warmth, but once I do, it must be resolved in a specific way,” he said, blinking innocently. Ye Zhou, watching the tumultuous waves in his eyes, couldn’t help but shiver.
“Did I pass my warmth to you… What should we do then?” Ye Zhou asked, his voice trembling.
At the same time, he cursed himself a thousand times over. What evil had possessed him earlier? Boss Jiang had merely been polite, yet he took it seriously and even shamelessly leaned in so close. What a disaster, what a sin!
Hearing his self-reflection, Jiang Tingyuan raised an eyebrow, seemingly thoughtful. “It does have something to do with you.”
“The method to cool down is quite simple,” Jiang Tingyuan said, looking into his eyes, silently suggesting, “Kiss me.”
The few kisses they had shared had always been initiated by Jiang Tingyuan. This was the first time Boss Jiang asked for a kiss from Ye Zhou, which was so unlike him!
Listen, listen!
Was this still the high-and-mighty Boss Jiang he knew? The one who was as unapproachable as a flower on a high cliff, mysterious and inscrutable, rarely revealing his emotions?
Caught off guard, Ye Zhou was stunned. Jiang Tingyuan was growing impatient, but due to what he had promised earlier in the elevator, he prompted again with a simple, “Hmm?”
It was a do-or-die situation, and Ye Zhou decided to face it head-on. With that thought, he steeled his heart, closed his eyes, tilted his head back slightly, and pressed his lips against Boss Jiang’s.
The kiss was brief, more a fleeting touch than a kiss, over in an instant. It was so quick that if not for the lingering warmth of Ye Zhou’s lips, Jiang Tingyuan might have doubted it happened at all.
But he was satisfied. After all, the beginning is the hardest part, and this applies to relationships as well. It was a good start, wasn’t it?
As for the future, having had a first time, there was no need to fear a second, a third, and so on, right?
Boss Jiang touched the spot where Ye Zhou had kissed him with his index finger, chuckling meaningfully.
Unlike Boss Jiang’s pleasure, Ye Zhou was beyond words to describe his feelings. He was not okay, his mind in turmoil, shouting that he had just kissed Boss Jiang! He actually did it! He really kissed Boss Jiang!!
Damn! Way to go, Ye Zhou! You’re awesome!
While thinking this, Ye Zhou tried to focus on the exciting highlights of the match playing on the center stage, hoping to distract himself. However, as the faces of the players on the big screen gradually merged with Boss Jiang’s, becoming more and more like him until they were completely Boss Jiang’s face, and the words they spoke seemed to whisper in his ear, “Kiss me,” Ye Zhou realized that distraction was futile. It was all in vain.
Whether his eyes were open or closed, no matter what he looked at or listened to, Boss Jiang’s image filled his mind. Every person he saw took on Jiang Tingyuan’s face, and every sound seamlessly became Jiang Tingyuan’s voice.
Even Ye Zhou himself didn’t know how long this crazy feeling would last.
A day, two days, or a week, two weeks, or even a month, two months.
Surely, it wouldn’t be a year or two!
Impossible. Such a thing could never happen. He was just overly stimulated today. All he needed was to go to sleep, and he would naturally return to normal the next day.
Or perhaps he had contracted a ‘cannot be near Boss Jiang’ disease. Ye Zhou even considered, for his next movie, why not shoot in the mountains? Sparse population, isolated from the world, it would be the perfect place to calm down.
Escape the troubles of the mundane world, return to the embrace of nature, cherish life, and stay away from Boss Jiang.
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