Because Xiao Shengjing has been stepping back, Lin Lan is afraid that he will expose himself. In his anxiousness, he grabs his waist. Unexpectedly, Xiao Shengjing’s reaction is so intense that he immediately grabs Lin Lan’s hand.
“Uh, Captain, are you afraid of itching?”
Xiao Shengjing: ?
Is this a question of being afraid or not? Even if he is afraid, you can’t touch it.
Many people are passing by, and some are already looking at their strange posture. Xiao Shengjing feels like he owes Lin Lan in his past life. He coldly pulls up his coat and wraps Lin Lan in it, leading him in the opposite direction.
Lin Lan thinks that even silly dog is not afraid of itching, so why is the captain afraid? His hand, not behaving, touches it immediately and is rebuked: “Hands off.”
Lin Lan still smiles, “Captain, are you afraid of itching?”
“…”
Xiao Shengjing is too lazy to argue with him, quickly releases him to a place with no one, and asks, “Who did you meet that you know?”
“From school,” Lin Lansheng adds, “He bullied me before.”
Xiao Shengjing slightly furrows his brow, looks back at the person who is no longer visible, and asks, “Did he recognize you?”
“Yeah.”
Xiao Shengjing hesitates, “Scared?”
In fact, Lin Lan is not afraid. His fear of Xie Zilu mostly comes from the memories of the original owner. He is not afraid of him himself, as he has won in the previous two encounters.
He is about to shake his head when Xiao Shengjing suddenly reaches out and pats his head reassuringly, “It’s okay, you can’t see him now.”
Captain… comforting him?
In the original world, he was always the one protecting the silly dog. Being comforted like this by Xiao Shengjing catches Lin Lan off guard.
“Captain.”
“Yeah?”
“Why did you protect me at school before?”
Xiao Shengjing is silent for a moment and then challenges, “Didn’t you lose your memory? How do you know I protected you?”
Lin Lan quickly explains, “I am slowly recovering. Captain, I regained many memories after close contact with you. I know you saved me at school. Do you remember who bullied me back then? There’s a class photo in my room. Can you circle them for me when you go back?”
Lost memory, not remembering, then the fact that he likes him doesn’t hold, right? Xiao Shengjing slightly furrows his brow, then loosens his grip, “Lin Lan.”
Lin Lan looks up, “Yeah?”
“It’s nothing. Let’s talk about it when we get back.”
“How did you come, Captain?”
“Took a taxi. Didn’t you?”
“No, I came on an electric bike.” Lin Lan takes out the keys and sincerely invites him, “Captain, want to ride together?”
Ten minutes later, Xiao Shengjing looks at the shabby electric bike in front of him, and his eyebrows are almost furrowed off, “I don’t like wearing helmets…”
Lin Lan “smacks” the helmet onto his head.
“I don’t ride electric bikes…”
Lin Lan has already put on the helmet and sat on it, eager to try, warmly inviting him, “Captain, come quickly.”
Xiao Shengjing extends his elegant hand, sighs, and puts on the helmet.
He gracefully rolls up his sleeves, gesturing for him to sit behind, “You hit a pole last time. I don’t trust your skills.”
“Last time, there was a black car going against traffic, and he…”
Xiao Shengjing is too lazy to argue with him and directly sits down.
Lin Lan obediently sits down and remembers the black car going against traffic. Because the license plate had four 6s, it left a deep impression on him.
That black car seems to be Xie Zilu’s car.
Did he also go to the hospital that day?
“Hold on tight.” Xiao Shengjing starts.
Lin Lan subconsciously grabs his waist. Seeing that Xiao Shengjing is about to get angry, he quickly retracts his hand, only grabbing his coat, “Not grabbing, not grabbing.”
The silly dog in the original world is not afraid of itching at all, casually touching. Lin Lan is curious, “Captain, is it that only people you like can touch you?”
Xiao Shengjing’s hand twitches, almost hitting a pole.
“Eh? Captain, ride properly. I’m a bit scared like this…”
“…”
Back at the club, Lin Lan finds his class photo, then eagerly knocks on Xiao Shengjing’s door, “Captain, I’m coming in.”
Without waiting for his permission, he opens the door and takes the initiative to bring a chair to sit next to him, “This is my class photo. Captain, can you help me see if there’s anyone you recognize?”
Xiao Shengjing was originally ready to rest, but for him, he put on his thin-framed glasses again and carefully looked at the photo he handed over. He quickly identifies two people, “These two should be the ones who often bullied you.”
Lin Lan takes a look, isn’t that Xie Zilu, that little jerk? The other one is his lackey, named Zhang Ran.
“I know these two. Any more?”
Xiao Shengjing is silent and looks for a moment, suddenly thinking of something, “What triggered your memory recovery? Is it finding these people you know?”
“Yeah, anything related can help recover a bit.”
“You should have a class group, right? Check their social media.”
This statement reminds Lin Lansheng that he does indeed have a class group. Although the records were deleted, the nicknames are still there, “Captain, please help me check if there are any familiar faces.”
“These two should be there too.” Xiao Shengjing circles them, a pair of twins, “They were the ones who blocked you in the restroom that time.”
“And this one, this one. I’m not very sure about these two. Can you go check? I can’t think of any others.”
Lin Lan carefully remembers their faces and finds their features in the photos, the twins look gloomy with a bit of feminine charm, and their accessories seem expensive. As for the other two, they also look like rich and privileged offspring. He can’t help but complain, “Why is everyone a noble, and I’m the only commoner?”
“This is a noble school,” Xiao Shengjing points to the school emblem, a golden eagle symbol, “80% are noble offspring, and only 20% are outstanding students in both character and learning. It’s normal for commoners to be bullied here.”
The ratio is too exaggerated. No wonder Xie Zilu is so bored, always thinking of bullying him. It turns out there’s no one else to bully.
“But Captain, why weren’t you bullied at school?”
Xiao Shengjing calmly tells him, “Because I am part of that 80%.”
Lin Lansheng coughs, interrupting, “Has the captain ever bullied anyone?”
“School is for studying. Most people aren’t that bored. Only those like Xie Zilu, who have issues, like to play such games.”
“Oh.” So that’s how it is. “Captain, do you know anyone else?”
Xiao Shengjing pauses for a moment, suddenly pointing at a person, “This girl, you should have a good relationship with her. You often run errands for her, and she has helped you out too.”
He pauses again, “It seems she pursued you, but you rejected her. I don’t know what happened afterward.”
Curious, Lin Lan leans in to look at her face, displaying the arrogance of a rich young lady. Her skin is as well-maintained as jade. “Quite pretty.”
He stares absentmindedly. Xiao Shengjing suddenly frowns and takes off his glasses, “If it’s pretty, take it back and look at it slowly. I want to rest.”
“Oh.” Lin Lan takes the photos and leaves.
Before leaving, he thoughtfully helps the captain close the door.
Xiao Shengjing: “…”
Back in his room, Lin Lan opens the class group and finds Xie Zilu’s WeChat. The original owner already has him as a friend, allowing direct access to his Moments. Only the past three months’ records are visible, full of flaunting wealth. Numerous expensive watches are showcased, not to mention small things like rings.
The clownish guy also likes rings. Could they be the same person?
Lin Lan is uncertain and checks the others.
Lackey Zhang Ran also enjoys flaunting wealth, and he likes buying rings too.
Moreover, from the photos, these rich kids all seem to enjoy wearing rings and necklaces. Nothing distinctive can be seen from this aspect.
The other twins, one named Tai Zhen and the other Tai Yuan, have their Moments set to private. The same goes for the others.
Lin Lan curiously looks at the girl. Her name in the class photo is Jiang Xi, but he can’t find her in the class group. Did she leave the group?
He carefully counts the number of people in the group and compares it with the people in the photos, realizing that there are indeed a few missing.
The clues end here.
Does he really have to get close to Xie Zilu to retrieve memories?
Lin Lan quickly dismisses this idea. He doesn’t want to be alone with the other person.
Scrolling through Moments, he happens to see Xie Zilu and Zhang Ran posting pictures of rings one after another. Mischievously, he likes Zhang Ran’s post but doesn’t like Xie Zilu’s. He comments on Zhang Ran’s post: “Yours looks better than Xie’s.”
Zhang Ran replies with a question mark.
Then he adds: “What are you doing? Are you trying to harm me?”
Lin Lan: “No kidding, yours obviously looks more expensive than his.”
As he enjoys his snacks, he doesn’t get a reply. Instead, he receives a message that the photo has been deleted, not just this one, but even the previous ones. After deleting, Zhang Ran directly locks his Moments.
After sending a private message, Zhang Ran deleted Lin Lan.
Lin Lan couldn’t help but laugh and turned to open Xie Zilu’s Moments. Sure enough, he had also deleted the photo he posted just now.
It felt satisfying to disgust him through the screen.
Lin Lan closed his phone, and the screen suddenly lit up again. It was a message from Xie Zilu: Like the one on Zhang Ran’s Moments? I’ll buy it for you.
This change in attitude…? In the daytime, he told him not to contact him for no reason, and now, just by liking a Moments post, he wants to buy something for him?
Lin Lan remained skeptical and didn’t reply.
Just as he closed the phone, the other party sent another message: Why are you ignoring me? Because of what happened during the day? Heh, you’re still so petty.
Lin Lan didn’t reply, feeling like the other person had split personalities.
Xie Zilu seemed to understand his thoughts: It’s not my fault for what happened during the day. It scared me when you mentioned suicide if I kept bothering you. I was really shocked by the incident when you took medicine last time…
Lin Lan didn’t seem to understand, and the other party quickly sent a second message: Lin Lan, is it just because I pursued you and didn’t succeed? Can’t we be ordinary friends?
The abrupt change in attitude seemed suspicious, and Lin Lan couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. He directly asked him: Bullying me at school, and you call that pursuing me?
Xie Zilu: Heh, my way of expressing myself was wrong. Because I liked you, I wanted to get your attention. I was wrong, and I apologize.
Liked him? Lin Lan has been liked by others before, and he is well aware that the other person is lying. But what is the purpose of this?
Xie Zilu couldn’t hold back: Lin Lan, it’s hard to explain on VX. Can we meet in person? I want to apologize to you in person, and I also brought a gift for you from abroad. You should like it.
So he wanted to lure him out? This little sneak had revealed his true colors. Lin Lan replied: Where do you want to meet?
Xie Zilu: 33rd floor, okay? I’ll ask the front desk to prepare a card for you. Just take it and come up to find me.
Lin Lan: What time?
Xie Zilu: Ten o’clock. I want to see you as soon as possible.
Lin Lan: Alright.
Xie Zilu: Heh, Lin Lan, then I’ll wait for you.
Lin Lan closed the phone, already having made a decision.
He pushed Xie Zilu aside, took a refreshing shower, and had a good night’s sleep. The next day, he got up without haste, had a leisurely breakfast, and checked the time, oh, it’s ten o’clock.
Xie Zilu sent him a message: Haven’t you arrived yet?
Lin Lan: Almost, on the way.
At ten-thirty, Lin Lan was basking in the sun, and Xie Zilu messaged: Still not here?
Lin Lan: Hmm, a bit slow.
At eleven o’clock, Lin Lan was chatting, and Xie Zilu began to get impatient: What are you taking to get here? Hmm? Still not here?
At noon, Lin Lan was having lunch, and Xie Zilu had completely lost his temper: Are you kidding me?
At one o’clock in the afternoon, Lin Lan was taking a nap, and Xie Zilu, who had calmed down in his anger, sent another message: Heh, Lin Lan, are you playing with me? You remember this.
Even through the screen, Lin Lan could feel his rage. It’s a pity that barking dogs seldom bite. Can he turn the tables from behind the screen?
Lin Lan casually opened his phone and liked Xie Zilu’s Moments: “Xie Shao, this flaunting style isn’t good enough, not rich enough.”
After a while, Xie Zilu had cleared his Moments, locking it, making it inaccessible to anyone.
Heh, let him flaunt, can he still flaunt now?
Looks like a piece of chewing gum.
Lin Lan tidied up and prepared to go out for afternoon tea. Outside, Feifei and others were chatting. He took a glance, and Xiao Shengjing was not around again. “Is the captain still busy today? It’s already the weekend.”
“Um… seems like he went to the mall?”
“Why did he go to the mall?”
…
In the electronic section of the mall, Xiao Shengjing was earnestly comparing mouse. The salesperson was enthusiastically recommending one to him, “This SteelSeries Sensei310 is equipped with the TM3 sensor, perfect for playing competitive games. Its grip is suitable for hand sizes from 17cm to 21cm, very suitable for your palm…”
Xiao Shengjing glanced at it, “Not for myself.”
“Are you buying it for your girlfriend?” The salesperson recommended another one, “Then take a look at this Logitech. Its grip at the top is very good, very suitable for girls to exert force.”
Xiao Shengjing originally didn’t want to look, but when he heard her say it was for a girlfriend, his eyes couldn’t help but glance a few more times. “Is there a larger grip?”
“Yes, take a look at this one.”
…
Lin Lan was lazily sunbathing. Hearing that Xiao Shengjing had returned, he reluctantly opened his eyes. Xiao Shengjing opened the door, looked at them idling, and asked, “Why is there no training?”
“Captain,” Lu Shi changed the topic, “what did you buy?”
“A mouse. Didn’t Lin Lan say he wanted to change his? I bought one for him.” Xiao Shengjing glanced at Lin Lan, pretended not to care, put the box on the table, and went back to his room.
“Lin Lan, quick, look, Captain bought it for you.” Lu Shi eagerly opened it, “Wow, Logitech GPRO, 599, Captain really spared no expense.”
Feifei teased him, “If you can be as charming, the Captain might buy it for you too.”
“Forget it, with my bad skills, I’m afraid I’ll tarnish this mouse…”
Hearing the model, Lin Lan suddenly became interested. When he got up to take a look, it turned out to be the same model he used in the original world. The familiar grip made him dream back to the time when he played mid-lane.
Did the captain just casually choose a mouse that suited him so well? Lin Lan couldn’t help but look toward Xiao Shengjing’s room and sighed, “The captain really knows how to choose.”
“The captain must be a professional. My goodness, Lin Lan, when can I be like you, having the captain personally choose a mouse for me?”
“In your dreams, go to sleep.”
Lin Lan got the mouse and thought for a moment. He sent a message to Xiao Shengjing: Captain, thank you for the mouse. I will use it well.
Xiao Shengjing, seeing the message, thought Lin Lan had changed his attitude. He got up, opened the door, and saw Lin Lan, who had just said he would use it well, lying back in his chair, peacefully sleeping.
“…Lin Lan.”
“Hmm?” He looked like he hadn’t fully woken up. “Captain, did you call me?”
Xiao Shengjing opened his mouth but found himself speechless. “It’s okay, have a good sleep.”
He went back to his room. In the afternoon, he was urgently called to the office by Brother Mu and Coach Zhang, talking about a bunch of pending matters. The most important one was: recruiting people.
“Sponsorship is not a concern; I’ve contacted several and the discussions are going well. Now the issue is that the LPL official only gives us two months for registration. The venue is manageable, but the personnel configuration is the most challenging. Coach Zhang plans to establish a youth training camp, but in my opinion, it’s too late for that now. So, we need to quickly bring in some substitutes from outside.”
Unfortunately, none of them have connections in the LPL, and they haven’t even hired a manager yet, making this aspect completely stagnant.
Coach Zhang looked at Xiao Shengjing, “Xiao Xiao, you know some LPL players, right? Try to negotiate with them and see if there’s any interest. Especially for the support position, Xiao Hai’s hand injury hasn’t healed, and his coordination with Lin Lan is not as good as with Ayu. With time running out, we need to find a good support quickly.”
Xiao Shengjing nodded, “I will pay attention.”
“Also, find a substitute for the top lane quickly. I’m anxious every day now, fearing Tianqi will cause trouble again.”
It’s not as easy to find a substitute for the top lane as it is for the support position. Xiao Shengjing remained silent for a moment, “Did he make new demands?”
Brother Mu was troubled when talking about this, “Indeed, last time, he kept dragging me and kept asking about shares. I originally planned to divide them between you and Tianqi. You’ve been dedicated to this team; DT can’t do without you. As for Tianqi, considering he has followed me for so many years, even if he hasn’t made significant contributions, he has his share of hardships. Even if he doesn’t play professionally in the future, he can stay in the team and take on a role. But he threw a tantrum last time, refused to cooperate, and it infuriated me. Now he’s at it again, pestering me about shares.”
Xiao Shengjing knew about this matter, “Wu Tianqi’s heart is not with DT.”
Brother Mu knew, he had seen through this last time, so he didn’t bring up the issue of giving Wu Tianqi shares.
“And shares are not just for reward; they’re also to retain talent. Wu Tianqi is not worth it.” Xiao Shengjing was very calm, and his words were quite cruel, “In the future, there will be conflicts between him and me in the same team. When the time comes, Brother Mu, you’ll be in a difficult position.”
Brother Mu felt he was right, “Indeed.”
“Rather than giving them to him, it’s better to give them to others.” Xiao Shengjing remained calm, speaking slowly, “Apart from Wu Tianqi, Lin Lan is also the longest-serving member of the team. Despite not having made any significant contributions, he has endured hardships. He stepped up twice at the most critical moments for the team, showing his dedication to DT. Of course, the most crucial point is that Lin Lan is a talent worth retaining for DT.”
Brother Mu had never thought about this aspect, but Coach Zhang kept nodding, “Xiao Xiao is right. But I can’t figure out this Lin person. Since he’s so good at playing, why didn’t he play before? He kept hiding and concealing. It’s strange.”
“Not strange,” Xiao Shengjing explained, “He mentioned several times before that he wanted to play, but you rejected him each time. He originally has thin skin, and being rejected, he naturally wouldn’t want to speak up again.”
Coach Zhang slapped his forehead, regretting, “My fault, my fault. I didn’t expect this layer.”
Brother Mu nodded, “Okay, I’ll consider it.”
…
In the training room outside, everyone was chatting and sunbathing. Suddenly, they saw Brother Mu and Coach Zhang come back. They hurriedly got up, sat in front of the computers, and pretended to be training.
Lin Lan thought that he hadn’t played on his smurf for a long time. He opened his computer, logged in, and coincidentally, Jiang Jin was online. He immediately received a message: Free for a duo?
Lin Lan: Yes.
Jiang Jin sent a party invitation, and both of them didn’t use voice chat, continuing to communicate through typing. Jiang Jin asked him: Why haven’t you been online for so long?
Lin Lan: Preparing for a small exam. My mom doesn’t allow me to play games.
The queue time was long, and Jiang Jin sent another message: Have you watched the LDL promotion matches recently?
Lin Lan: No, why?
Jiang Jin: DT has a support player playing AD on the field, also playing Draven and Vayne. I feel like his playstyle is somewhat similar to yours.
Lin Lan felt the other party was targeting him, and mischievously replied: Isn’t it normal for supports to play AD? It’s all in the same lane, seeing it so often, wouldn’t they learn how to play?
Jiang Jin fell silent again, he had seen a lot, but he couldn’t play like that.
As the game started, Jiang Jin paid special attention to Lin Lan’s actions, making himself less focused on playing, and needing reminders from the other side on how to play.
From his reminders, Jiang Jin could feel that he could play support, and he didn’t deceive himself. He indeed was a support player switching to AD.
This was undoubtedly an esports genius.
Jiang Jin believed in his intuition.
If he was willing to play professionally, he would definitely shine, and Jiang Jin felt he suited him well. He liked playing games with smart people…
Jiang Jin and he cooperated very well, winning all three games. When he still wanted to play more, Lin Lan messaged him: My mom is here, I have to go.
Jiang Jin quickly asked him: When will you log in next time?
Lin Lan: Probably on the weekend.
Jiang Jin: Can I add your **? Convenient for contact.
Lin Lan had anticipated he would ask this, because in the original world, he had asked the same, and then he also fell off the horse because of **.
Lin Lan didn’t even dare to reply to the message, and quickly went offline, leaving Jiang Jin alone in his room, thinking about it.
As soon as he went offline, Lin Lan saw Xiao Shengjing coming out of the office, discussing the matter of finding players with Coach Zhang. This included the support position.
Xiao Hai’s skills were indeed not up to par, barely acceptable in LDL, but definitely not enough for LPL.
If he continued to play with Ayu, it would be okay; their cooperation was good. However, Ayu had left the team. His coordination with Lin Lan wasn’t good, and the previous victories were mainly due to the team composition. Once the opponents targeted them, they couldn’t play the game, and Lin Lan would also feel uncomfortable.
Currently, the support position is the most troublesome for DT.
Coach Zhang asked them, “Do you guys know any support players, whose contracts are expiring and willing to transfer?”
Lin Lan remembered that Jiang Jin’s contract was supposed to expire this year, right? Because he refused to accept him on the same team, he went and signed a three-year contract with another team.
“Well, perhaps you guys know Jiang Jin? The support for OG team, Morri, it seems like his contract is about to expire.”
Coach Zhang immediately felt it was unlikely, “Morri is a somewhat famous player in the community; if he goes, it will be to a big team. He definitely won’t consider us.”
Lin Lan shrugged; that wasn’t necessarily the case.
He logged back into the game, and indeed, Jiang Jin was still online.
Lin Lan: Just lost connection. Add me on QQ, XXXX…
Author’s note:
The mouse model is randomly written; please don’t go and buy it. QAQ
