FTU was the domestic league’s dark horse back in their heyday. From the time they registered to the championships, their rise was unparalleled, smoothly reaching the peak through a series of victories.
The main force behind their success was, of course, Song Shihan. Even before he became a professional, Song Shihan’s personal account was already at the top of the domestic leaderboards in terms of rank points, even far surpassing some professional players at the time. Back then, the national team held an individual competition, starting from county-level tournaments, and whoever won made their way to nationals. Those who won had the honor of representing the country in the world championships.
The league rules back then didn’t require participants to be registered professionals. That was to say, anyone who played 《Rising Wind》 could participate in the tournament.
Song Shihan’s popularity exploded in the esports circle after participating in that competition. He won against better-known players and exceeded everyone’s expectations. After winning the individual championship, he went further and brought the country to win the championship on the world stage as well. Coupled with his cold temperament and out of this world handsomeness, he gained countless fans.
WIND, on the other hand, like Song Shihan, was also a popular player. Although he didn’t have the opportunity to compete globally, he still had great achievements.
Rumors had it that the two of them met during the individual tournaments. They soon established FTU together and, after just one year, FTU transformed from a no-name trivial team to a well-known, top-tier, popular team in the country.
However, although Song Shihan was a strong player, it was impossible for him alone to lead FTU to win so many trophies throughout the league.
There was, after all, a difference between individual and team competitions.
WIND was also an exceptionally talented player. He played midlane mage, and though he wasn’t ranked first in the domestic server, he was still within the top ranks. It would have been impossible for him to achieve the results he did during the individual tournaments that he did otherwise.
That FTU reached the level it did couldn’t be separated from Song Shihan’s ability, nor could anyone negate WIND.
It was such that in the end, WIND and Song Shihan were jokingly called FTU’s ‘dog abuse double carry’. Their ‘dog abuse’ nickname didn’t only refer to dog food, but also — single dogs.
Due to their IDs being in English, their CP name became ‘Huofeng’1火风, “fire wind”.
Their relationship was quite ambiguous. A lot of news outlets back then captured obscure evidence, such as wearing the same coat, using the same cup, and even strolling through an amusement park with just two people and sharing a single bowl of noodles under a Ferris wheel.
Song Shihan and Xiao Cheng already had a lot of CP fans, and their relationship became even more unclear after these photos were made public.
Later, rumors exploded that Song Shihan and Xiao Cheng had begun a romantic relationship. The rumor was spread widely, and soon it was said that the source was the FTU team’s caretaker.
Everyone felt that FTU was just going to grow bigger and bigger.
However, just a month before the world championship finals, FTU suddenly announced that it was disbanding. Before fans could even react, news of Xiao Cheng going abroad followed.
The netizens were in an uproar.
It followed that strange fan theories sprang up on the internet, making CP fans cry foul. Most versions of the theory was that Song Shihan and Xiao Cheng grew to hate each other out of love, to the point that the only recourse was to break up.
As the main character in the middle of the storm, Song Shihan never came forward with a clarification until now. Everyone took it as his acquiescence to the rumors, and soon they became convinced regarding his sexual orientation.
When Zuo Tao reached the base, it was already half past 1 pm. He wasn’t too late, but because he’d just arrived today, he didn’t have an access card or registered biometrics. He could only text Jiang Ming and wait for someone to come downstairs to let him in.
Waiting bored Zuo Tao, so he sat on the flower bed outside the gate, scrolling on his phone.
Opening Weibo, he noticed that the entries from that morning have been replaced by news of WIND returning to the country —
【#WINDcomeshome】
【#FIREWIND】
【#WINDteamREBORN】
It was unknown how much the netizens have already discussed on the discussion board.
【Wow, this year’s summer preliminaries are going to be worth watching. FIRE vs WIND, nostalgia2时代的眼泪啊 basically it’s something that has once been buried in the sands of time, causing tears when it is brought up/reminded sure hits hard T_T】
【Tears of the times commenter, it hasn’t been that long since FTU disbanded. On the other hand, this competition will indeed be interesting.】
【Day N of asking the same question: Has Wildfire found a support?】
【Wildfire, REBORN, there’s something about the names these two came up with, but I’m not going to say it /evil_laugh.jpg】
【What? This newbie doesn’t understand.】
【Old CP fan here. REBORN means rebirth. Does ‘Wildfire’ come from “no prairie fire can destroy the grass, it shoots up again when the spring breeze blows3From the poem 赋得古原草送别. This line in particular is used as a metaphor for something that’s so strong no force can kill it.”? If so, then it should be clear, right? There’s no need to say any more.】
【As expected of Huofeng, even their new team names still have a CP flavor to it.】
【Can those who ship just die?】
【Stop barking, it won’t change anything. I’m a little worried though, Is FIRE going to leave Wildfire?】
This comment made Zuo Tao’s heart skip a beat. After a while, he clicked on the comment to reply, at the same time seeing the other replies.
【I think so.】
【I think so (2)】
【Don’t talk nonsense. There are things that shouldn’t be mentioned.】
【To be honest, FIRE and WIND were so close they were basically wearing the same pair of pants back then. WIND is now back in the country. It makes people overthink.】
【Thinking of just how abrupt FTU dissolved back then, I wouldn’t even find it strange anymore if Song Shihan publicizes his relationship with WIND right now.】
【Just wait, tomorrow we’re going to get news that Song Shihan is transferring to REBORN.】
【Why should Song Shihan transfer, because the gong has to exert all the effort?】
Zuo Tao became increasingly annoyed as he read, so he simply exited Weibo and looked up at the sky. He reached into his pocket but as soon as his finger touched the box of cigarettes, he remembered that he was outside the base, and he froze.
It made him even more annoyed.
Song Shihan wouldn’t leave, would he?
Zuo Tao thought it wasn’t possible. Song Shihan wasn’t that irresponsible. And, at their meeting this morning, their manager said that they would be registered to participate in the preliminaries this afternoon. Once they’ve been registered, they wouldn’t be able to back out.
This thought relieved Zuo Tao a little bit.
“What are you thinking about over there?”
Jiang Ming’s voice came from behind him. Startled, Zuo Tao looked and saw his coach, allowing him to breathe out in relief. He shook his head as he stood up. “Nothing,” he said.
He followed Jiang Ming into the base, hesitating over his words. In the end, he still called: “Coach.”
“En?” Jiang Ming turned around to look at him. “What is it?”
Zuo Tao decided to beat around the bush. “Have we registered for the preliminaries?”
Hearing his question, Jiang Ming scratched his head out of frustration, answering, “No, something went wrong.”
The heart that had just fallen back to place immediately blocked his throat once more. Zuo Tao was about to ask what happened but Jiang Ming had already dropped him off at the training room, already answering a phone call. He gestured for Zuo Tao to go ahead and hurried away.
It looked like it was something very important.
In the training room, everyone except Song Shihan were already in their seats. Zuo Tao glanced at the clock. It was just a few more minutes to 2 pm.
“Where’s the Captain?” Zuo Tao asked as he took his own seat, turning his computer on.
“Captain isn’t coming,” Si Zheng answered. “He said he had something he had to handle.”
Zuo Tao was stunned, and his mind flashed to the comments he’d seen on Weibo. “What about the training match?”
“Huh, Jiang-ge didn’t tell you?” Wang Qiu asked. “GGF also had some last-minute issues, so we canceled the training match today and moved it to tomorrow. Let’s just do individual training for now.”
Zuo Tao hummed out an ‘oh’, unable to explain why his mood suddenly dropped out of nowhere.
CAT noticed that something was wrong from his expression, and took the rare initiative to show some concern, asking, “Zuo Tao, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” Zuo Tao answered, forcing a smile. He patted his face. “I’m just feeling a little sleepy since it’s noon. I’ll drink some coffee later.”
CAT didn’t continue her inquiry. She said: “There’s a coffee machine in the breakroom. If you find going there too troublesome, I still have canned coffee here you can drink.”
Zuo Tao thanked her politely.
Since the summer split was coming closer, Wang Qiu and the rest of the team immediately fell into training mode. Zuo Tao didn’t stay idle, either, knowing that no matter how much he thought, it wasn’t going to do anything. He quickly started playing solo, but perhaps because of his heavy heart, the afternoon felt like it lasted forever. He looked outside on occasion, but he never saw that familiar figure.
At half past six, Wang Qiu sent a team-up invitation to Zuo Tao.
Zuo Tao accepted. He selected a hero and entered the map, and immediately saw a familiar ID among the opponents.
【GGF-STAR】
Because they were using high-rank accounts, the probability of meeting acquaintances was relatively higher.
STAR had just left his base and was about to greet Wang Qiu upon seeing his ID when he saw another ID, one that he’d held a grudge against for a whole day. Although it was just a string of numbers, the person behind that account, along with Song Shihan, brutally beat him this morning, and it was a grudge he would never forget.
【(World) GGF-STAR: Hello, comrade. We meet again @6767452】
【(World) GGF-STAR: Wait a minute, are you queuing with Wang Qiu? Why are you in a duo?!】
STAR felt like he’d discovered something big. He often played ranked in high-point matches, but he has never seen this particular ID before. Today, not only did he see it with Song Shihan this morning, but he was also seeing it with Wang Qiu this afternoon.
【(World) Wildfire-QIU: Yes, it’s what you think. Our new support.】
It wasn’t like they were keeping it secret. Anyway, the team was going to be publicizing their roster tomorrow at the latest, so there was no problem with revealing it.
【(World) GGF-STAR: !!!!】
【(World) GGF-STAR: Would it be alright if I started a stream to get high traffic?】
【(World) Wildfire-QIU: In your dreams】
【(World) GGF-STAR: I’m just joking, Then again, little support, your AD isn’t here. Let’s wait and see my revenge /smirk.jpg】
【(World) GGF-STAR: Your AD doesn’t even want you anymore kikikikiki】
【(World) Wildfire-QIU: …are you out of your mind?】
【(World) GGF-STAR: You don’t understand my pain. I must completely destroy your support!】
Zuo Tao watched expressionlessly as the conversation scrolled by. His gaze got stuck on the “Your AD doesn’t even want you anymore”, and he couldn’t help rolling his eyes. He mouthed curses towards this fool.
Three minutes later.
【6767452 has eliminated GGF-STAR.】
【FIRST BLOOD!】
【GGF-STAR: …fool.jpg】
Want Qiu couldn’t help bursting into laughter, giving Zuo Tao a thumbs up. “So good, xiao Zuo Tao!”
This match went on for a relatively longer time, proving that they were truly professional players. After getting picked off by Zuo Tao, STAR immediately changed his play style, becoming more and more careless. In the mid game, the team had developed well and were almost completed with their items, but the AD was still terrible. They didn’t let it go, of course, trash talking in the chat as Zuo Tao took kills one after another. Zuo Tao also wanted to send something scathing, but he endured.
In the end, Wang Qiu couldn’t bear watching anymore and sighed. “Zuo Tao, isn’t your temper a little too good?”
Zuo Tao: …
No, he wasn’t good at all. He wanted to jump into the screen to check if it was a human or a dog who was playing on their teammate’s computers.
He didn’t say that, of course. Instead, what came out of his mouth was: “En, that’s always been my problem.” It’s not my fault I’m so strong.
Wang Qiu: “Maybe you should let him get a kill or two, or he might go crazy.”
Let him get kills? Was he worthy?
Zuo Tao: “I gave him a chance. He doesn’t have enough damage output.”
Wang Qiu: “It must have been hard on you. This guy’s quite good, probably paying a booster.”
At the fifty-minute mark of the match, their base crystal was pushed and the huge ‘Defeat’ banner occupied the screen.
Zuo Tao took his earphones off and leaned against the chair weakly, slowing his breathing.
“Let’s go grab something to eat,” Wang Qiu said. The others had already gone downstairs for food, and after tidying up briefly, he stood up to call Zuo Tao.
Zuo Tao shook his head. “I’m not hungry yet. I’ll play another game.”
Wang Qiu: “Alright, I’ll ask auntie to leave something out for you.”
At the same time —
In the coach’s office, Jiang Ming was anxiously calling the league back and forth. “The site is still down for maintenance, and it’ll take another hour before it goes online. I’m just confirming, there won’t be any issues, right?”
Song Shihan, having just returned to the base, first made his way to Jiang Ming’s office and witnessed this scene. He sat on a chair opposite Jiang Ming, waiting for him to hang up before saying, “What happened?”
Jiang Ming was still speechless. “What else could happen? The registration site suffered an attack and has been under maintenance since noon.”
The preliminaries were crucial for Team Wildfire. If they missed this, they wouldn’t be qualified for the summer split.
Song Shihan wasn’t as anxious as Jiang Ming. He leaned back on the chair, taking off his watch and slipping it into his pocket. “It should just be for another hour. There won’t be any problems.”
Jiang Ming answered, “An hour is the estimate they gave, but it’s still uncertain.” Thinking of something, he changed the topic: “Speaking of, could you ask Zuo Tao for his ID? We also need him to change his IGN. I’ve already gotten calls from GGF about him.” He couldn’t help but laugh. “They said he was feral, chasing STAR’s head all over the map during their last game. Also, just check in on him, too.”
Song Shihan had already stood up, still wearing the personal clothes he’d left the base in. Hearing the end of Jiang Ming’s instructions, he asked, “Something wrong?”
“I’m not sure,” Jiang Ming confessed, “but CAT told me that he’s been down all afternoon.”
Song Shihan was surprised. He glanced at the time before leaving the office and making his way upstairs.
Through the glass door of the training room, Song Shihan saw Zuo Tao sitting on his chair in a daze, holding his chin with both hands as he stared off into space, his face showing his worry.
Following his gaze, Song Shihan saw the marshmallow candy.
Surprisingly, he hadn’t eaten it yet.
Song Shihan had no experience whatsoever in caring for youngsters, but he still opened the door and walked over, calling, “What’s wrong? What are you thinking of so deeply?”
Feeling his hair suddenly get rubbed by a warm palm stunned Zuo Tao. He looked up and was met with Song Shihan’s gaze.
Under the lights of the training room, Song Shihan looked tall and slender. The two uppermost buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, showing off his pale collarbones vaguely. He looked so distant.
“You came back?!” Zuo Tao exclaimed, unable to hide something warm and happy suffusing his voice.
Song Shihan remembered what Jiang Ming said about the kid feeling down, and he reached around Zuo Tao to hold his mouse. “Where else would I go if I don’t come back?”
“I…”
Because Song Shihan was bent over behind him, from a distance, it looked like he was being hugged from behind. Surrounded by that familiar citrus scent mixed with faint traces of tobacco, Zuo Tao’s brain short-circuited from utter nervousness. His fried brain decided it wanted to ask, so he said: “I saw on Weibo that you wanted to…”
Thankfully, he realized his gaff before he could finish speaking, managing to stop talking before he spoke too much.
“Hmm? I wanted to…?” Song Shihan urged, his hand resting on the mouse. The faint amusement in his face slowly receded, and his voice became much colder. “Leave Wildfire and join REBORN?”
Ah, so he also saw what Weibo was saying.
Zuo Tao opened his mouth to speak, only managing to come out with a single syllable. He noticed Song Shihan’s mood and immediately regretted bringing the topic up, but he had no idea what to do to make up for it. Finally, he settled with, “I’m sorry.”
Song Shihan didn’t respond.
After waiting for a while and still not getting a response, Zuo Tao bit his lip and said: “Captain, I’m also very strong.”
Song Shihan glanced at Zuo Tao and hummed.
Zuo Tao was still thinking of how to say what he wanted to when Song Shihan added: “Why aren’t you calling me gege?”
As he spoke, he continued his mission to recharge Zuo Tao’s account, buying him a name change card and typing the first characters for his new name in the input box —
【Wildfire-】
“Change your ID. You’re going to need it for the game in a few days,” Song Shihan finished.
