Ye Zhou sat on the steps, his mind preoccupied with the sounds of arguing he’d just heard over the phone.
He vaguely made out a few keywords like ‘money’ and ‘your brother’ and had some idea what it was about.
Boss Jiang’s family relations were rather complicated. Father Jiang’s marriage to Mrs. Jiang was an arranged one between their families, and they’d never had much affection to begin with. Add to that Father Jiang’s promiscuous nature, and their marriage was over in name only shortly after the birth of their eldest son Jiang Tingyuan.
At first, facing such a useless son, Old Man Jiang tried to discipline him several times, but it seemed the more he tried to rein Father Jiang in, the more rebellious he became.
Seeing no improvement, Old Man Jiang finally gave up on his son completely, focusing instead on grooming his grandson.
Without a father’s discipline, Father Jiang became even more uncontrollable. Not only did he spend his nights chasing skirts, but he also kept multiple mistresses and sired one illegitimate child after another.
It was only after meeting Jiang Yu’s mother that Father Jiang finally began to settle down a little.
Though Father Jiang had many illegitimate children, the only one he truly cared for was Jiang Yu.
Father Jiang was a typical egotist. Once he realized his father had no intention of leaving him the family business but rather planned to hand the company over to Jiang Tingyuan, he knew that without any accidents, he’d have to rely on his eldest son for his well-being in his later years.
If it had been anyone else, Father Jiang would never have risked offending Jiang Tingyuan by asking for money for an illegitimate child since it affected his livelihood.
Only for Jiang Yu would he possibly make demands of Jiang Tingyuan.
Though Jiang Yu was an illegitimate son, in Father Jiang’s eyes, this child he’d raised and taught himself from a young age was far more important than Jiang Tingyuan, his eldest who’d been reared at his father’s knee yet had little affection for him.
Moreover, Jiang Yu’s mother’s background was far from simple.
Jiang Yu’s mother, Xiang Zhifu, was Father Jiang’s first love. The Xiang Family was once a wealthy business family in A City. However, a major decision-making error caused the entire Xiang family to collapse. After many efforts, the Xiang family finally declared bankruptcy.
Old Man Jiang had disapproved of the relationship from the start. After the Xiang family’s downfall, Xiang Zhifu came begging for help, and Old Man Jiang paid her 40 million yuan to leave Father Jiang.
Xiang Zhifu moved abroad, and the two parted ways, leaving Father Jiang depressed for some time.
Years later, the prodigal Father Jiang happened to run into his first love again. Finding out she’d been alone all these years, their old flames reignited.
Xiang Zhifu was a very clever woman. She knew old feelings alone wouldn’t be enough to keep Father Jiang’s interest, so she purposefully conceived Jiang Yu to give herself leverage.
During her pregnancy, Xiang Zhifu constantly urged Father Jiang to accompany her to prenatal exams and coaxed him into doing fetal education, letting him witness the child’s growth firsthand, fully satisfying his desire to be a father.
Though tiring, her careful planning successfully stirred the rare paternal love in Father Jiang’s heart.
His attitude now proved her schemes had worked. For Jiang Yu’s sake, he was willing to clash with Jiang Tingyuan.
If the original storyline played out, in a few years, her son Jiang Yu would kill his elder brother and successfully seize power despite his illegitimate status.
Xiang Zhifu would also transform from a hidden mistress to Father Jiang’s lawful wife.
Ye Zhou quickly recalled the plot developments and felt even more worried seeing where things seemed headed.
He was not worried Father Jiang would do anything to Jiang Tingyuan. After all, Boss Jiang wasn’t so easily manipulated.
What concerned him more was whether Father Jiang, as the scumbag father of protagonist Jiang Yu, also possesses some of the protagonist’s plot armor.
Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard approaching footsteps. Before he realized it, someone was standing in front of him.
Looking up, he met Boss Jiang’s gaze.
Ye Zhou was so startled he nearly jumped up. “Hey, Jiang-ge, when did you get here?”
“When you were spaced out,” Jiang Tingyuan said plainly.
He reached out and gently ruffled Ye Zhou’s hair, his voice low and soothing as he asked, “What were you thinking about so intently?”
Perhaps it was Boss Jiang’s understanding look, but for a moment, Ye Zhou really wanted to confess everything he knew.
Fortunately, reason prevailed in the end, and he cleverly redirected his words. “Oh, nothing much, just thinking about a script I took on today…”
But before he could finish, he noticed the bleeding gash on Boss Jiang’s wrist, and his voice trailed off.
Ye Zhou was really worried now. He immediately jumped up and firmly grasped Jiang Tingyuan’s hand to examine the wound, demanding, “What happened here? How did you get hurt? When?”
Jiang Tingyuan shook his head, unwilling to let Ye Zhou know of the Jiang family’s troubles, and tried to pull his hand back. But the usually amenable Ye Zhou was oddly stubborn this time, and he couldn’t retrieve his hand even after two tugs.
Ye Zhou even scolded him. “Don’t move!”
Seeing the deep crease between Ye Zhou’s brows even as he tended to him with utmost care, the scolded Boss Jiang found it rather amusing.
With a grave expression, Ye Zhou insisted firmly, “Let’s go to the hospital right now.”
“It’s just a minor injury, no need,” Jiang Tingyuan said, holding back a smile as he stroked Ye Zhou’s furrowed brow. “Don’t frown.”
He was certain without needing to think that Boss Jiang’s wound must be related to that scumbag Father Jiang.
Ye Zhou was ready to explode from frustration. If not for his injury, he really wanted to drag him by the ear and yell at him.
Do you think this is just some small wound? No! This could very possibly be a critical hit from the protagonist’s plot armor! It could be fatal, you know!
Who was Father Jiang? The father of protagonist Jiang Yu!
Ye Zhou couldn’t keep up his docile act anymore. Without another word, he glanced around and spotted the driver, then pulled Jiang Tingyuan toward the car.
Once inside, he immediately told the driver, “To the hospital.”
The driver looked to Boss Jiang, seemingly asking for his input.
Seeing Ye Zhou puffed up and ready to explode, Jiang Tingyuan finally conceded and nodded to the driver.
Only after getting a tetanus shot and the doctor’s confirmation that he would be fine did Ye Zhou finally relax.
On the ride home, Ye Zhou kept his head down without speaking, seemingly lost in thought.
Boss Jiang glanced at the wilted Ye Zhou, then at his own bandaged wrist, looking pensive.
The silence persisted even after they returned home, with barely any conversation during dinner.
After the meal, Ye Zhou checked the time and said to Boss Jiang, “I’ll head back to my room first, Jiang-ge. You should…”
He originally wanted to remind Boss Jiang to keep his distance from Jiang Yu and Father Jiang, but on second thought, he didn’t feel he had the reason or position to say such things.
After all, Father Jiang was still Jiang Tingyuan’s father, while Ye Zhou was just Boss Jiang’s kept lover.
“Be careful not to get your wrist wet,” Ye Zhou said instead.
He turned to leave, but before he’d taken two steps, he heard Jiang Tingyuan’s low, husky voice sound from behind him.
“You’re worried about me?” The dining room lights were a warm yellow, gentle in color yet limited in illumination. Jiang Tingyuan watched as Ye Zhou melted into the darkness and called out to him.
Ye Zhou’s footsteps faltered, but he didn’t turn back.
After pondering for nearly a minute, he finally gave an affirmative answer.
“Yes, I’m very worried.”
No matter what their relationship was, the fact remained that in the long, lonely time since arriving in this cold, fictional world, Jiang Tingyuan was the first to treat him well and indulge him, constantly providing him with warmth.
Ever since Ye Zhou met Jiang Tingyuan, he seemed to have never rejected any of his requests—be it money, investments, standing up for him when he was in trouble, or increasing screenings for his film when no one else had faith.
Even when those investments seemed outrageous and sounded like a joke, even when the film itself had no advantage whatsoever, Boss Jiang had never denied any of his ideas.
Such unconditional support and trust would have warmed even a stone.
Moreover, he was not a stone but a very emotional person. Though gratitude and friendship made up most of his feelings, they were feelings, nonetheless.
As they spent time together, in Ye Zhou’s heart, Boss Jiang had long since ceased to be a cold character from a book. It was certain that to Ye Zhou, Boss Jiang was someone very important.
Just thinking of Boss Jiang’s tragic ending made Ye Zhou’s heart clench anxiously.
He wanted to do something—he knew he should do something to prevent it all from happening. But deep down, it was as if another voice constantly whispered in his ear.
What do you want to do? Save him?
But who are you? Just another cannon fodder barely clinging to life under the protagonist’s halo. Do you even know how long you can survive? On what grounds do you want to save Jiang Tingyuan? What can you even do? Who can save you?
You’re just desperately clinging to life under the protagonist’s halo. Your only choice is to keep your head down and draw as little attention from the protagonist as possible if you want to live.
Sometimes Ye Zhou also felt faintly that such thoughts were wrong, extremely wrong.
But he could never shake such thoughts. Whenever he wanted to change something, that voice would sound in his ear until he completely gave up the idea.
Hearing the affirmative answer, Jiang Tingyuan gazed at Ye Zhou’s back for a long time before speaking again. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Jiang Tingyuan was a seasoned businessman skilled at reading people. How could he not see Ye Zhou had something to say?
Ye Zhou was startled, then inexplicably blurted out what was on his mind. “Can you please…keep your distance from Jiang Yu and Jiang Changsong?”
The words had barely left his lips before he came to his senses and immediately regretted them.
He tried to remedy the situation. “I mean…”
“Ye Zhou,” Jiang Tingyuan interrupted him.
His footsteps sounded clearly in the spacious, quiet room as he walked over from the dim dining room. He came to a stop beside Ye Zhou.
Next, Ye Zhou felt himself pulled into a warm embrace.
Warm breath caressed his cheek, and he heard Boss Jiang’s voice by his ear.
“What are you afraid of?” he asked.
Perhaps it was the comfort of Boss Jiang’s embrace, but the tense string that had wound tight within Ye Zhou ever since transmigrating finally loosened a bit. He indulged himself for once, nuzzling against Boss Jiang without a word.
Jiang Tingyuan waited a long time without getting an answer. Feeling his movements, he simply tightened his arms around him.
In a calm yet firm voice, he told Ye Zhou, “No matter what happens, just tell me, and I’ll take care of it. You have nothing to fear.”
Somehow soothed by his words, that night Ye Zhou slept unexpectedly well despite thinking he wouldn’t.
The next morning, when he got up and drew the curtains, letting the winter sunlight spill into the bedroom, Ye Zhou took a deep breath. His worries from yesterday seemed to vanish, and he felt re-energized like a recharged motor.
After washing up and going downstairs, he found someone had beaten him to the dining room. Boss Jiang sat at the table impeccably dressed in a suit, relaxing as he read the morning paper.
“Good morning, Jiang-ge!” Ye Zhou greeted him as he took the seat across from him.
After exchanging good mornings, Jiang Tingyuan looked up from his paper at Ye Zhou and asked, “Want to read today’s morning newspaper?”
Ye Zhou had silently complained more than once about Boss Jiang’s habit of reading the morning paper daily. Although he was so young, his living habits and lifestyle were just like those of an old man.
Out of curiosity, he’d skimmed Boss Jiang’s subscription once but found most of the content to be financial news and some serious reporting. Nothing that interested him.
So when Boss Jiang asked today, Ye Zhou decisively shook his head. “No thanks, I’ll just eat.”
Usually, when Ye Zhou firmly declined, Boss Jiang wouldn’t press the issue. But today, he acted out of the ordinary.
Jiang Tingyuan quirked a brow. He folded the paper to a different page and slid it in front of Ye Zhou. “Take a look.”
With the paper pushed right before him, Ye Zhou could only oblige and pick it up. He could feel the lingering warmth of Boss Jiang’s fingertips on the pages.
Ye Zhou felt strangely uneasy. He cleared his throat lightly and tried to focus on the paper.
At first, he only glanced over it perfunctorily, but the moment he saw the content clearly, his eyes widened in shock.
“Holy sh*t!” The words burst out reflexively.
Ye Zhou looked at Jiang Tingyuan incredulously, voice shaking as he asked, “Is this…a legitimate paper?”
Jiang Tingyuan nodded, confirming his guess.
With the affirmative answer, Ye Zhou rubbed his eyes vigorously and looked at the paper again, but the unbelievable contents remained unchanged, thoroughly crushing his hopes.
The headline read: “Blockbuster Transfers Shake Up League—Former Championship Team TOK’s Core Players Reunite After a Year, Join New Team Chenzhou.”
He recognized every individual character, but strung together, they made no sense!
What was a tok? A championship team? Was Chenzhou the Chenzhou he knew?
Ye Zhou swallowed with some difficulty and continued reading. The report was quite detailed, not only introducing the three’s abilities and records but even stating the transfer fees clearly.
Vice Captain Qi Zhu—transferred from tok to Chenzhou for 76 million.
Ranger Wei Xun—transferred from mot to Chenzhou for 45 million.
Healer Zhang Xiaochuan—transferred from tok to Chenzhou for 43 million.
Although they hadn’t performed as exceptionally this year, after the team’s sudden upheaval when their captain retired and tragically died in an accident, the strongest controller left tok before they could find a replacement captain.
The team changed hands and owners multiple times, falling apart completely. The former teammates were scattered across different teams, and most fans understood.
Many diehard fans had even long hoped to see them reunite one day, even if not on the field—just playing a game together would move fans to tears.
No one expected that they would truly get back together, but the championship team’s former core had collectively transferred to a completely unknown small team.
Such shocking news exploded the moment it broke. The e-sports forums erupted with curses and venomous words.
Many flamed them, saying they must be in it for the money now, no longer caring about competing, just out to make a buck. Otherwise, with so many teams, why choose an unknown team that hadn’t even secured a spot yet?
Some felt they were washed up after this year, losing their championship potential without their captain and controller, just looking for somewhere easy to retire.
Of course, some fans tried to defend them, but their voices quickly drowned, unable to make a ripple. Some even got swarmed by antis for verbal abuse.
Ye Zhou didn’t know how lively the e-sports forums were. He was still stunned that Captain Xu had really taken action after saying he wanted to poach some players yesterday. And the three new team members were all championship pedigree—going all out from the start with such huge signings!
Ye Zhou was shocked, then a little proud, before sinking into long confusion.
Looking at the introductions to the three, he suddenly felt one named Wei Xun seemed very familiar. After hesitating a moment, he stiffly took out his phone and searched the name.
Soon, a more detailed profile popped up along with several photos.
With the photos for reference, Ye Zhou quickly recalled why the name was so familiar. This guy, wasn’t he a good friend of Captain Xu?
How, how the f*ck did he become a championship team member?!
Abruptly remembering something else, Ye Zhou’s hand shook as he typed the other two names into the browser.
The moment the results loaded, the last bits of hope Ye Zhou harbored vanished instantly. He stared at the screen with his life in question, collapsing limply into the chair.
Seeing his dazed expression, Jiang Tingyuan asked, “Very happy?”
“Hap…happy,” Ye Zhou mumbled absently, numb all over.
Naturally, his state made Boss Jiang think he was overjoyed by the great news. “It seems I misjudged.”
“This investment of yours does have potential after all.”
He’d meant to compliment Ye Zhou. After all, even Boss Jiang, a big boss in the business world famed for his discerning eye, hadn’t seen any prospects in this project when Ye Zhou decided to invest.
Forming an e-sports team was no easy feat, especially now after years of industry development had established a stable model, with complex ties between players and teams—nothing like the fledgling beginnings anymore.
It was obviously not easy to intervene rashly at this time and want to get a share of the pie. Throwing money around wouldn’t necessarily get people willing to join.
When the domestic team members were basically stable, they had to spend a lot of money to attract top players. Otherwise, if a team wanted to gain a foothold in the competition area, in addition to recruiting and training its own youth trainees, the only way left was to go to foreign competition areas to poach people.
Money could certainly sway many players, and even teams, but truly top players were rarely moved by it alone. More than money, they valued reputation and a team capable of good coordination with the ability to vie for championships.
Devour wasn’t a solo game but required teamwork. No matter how exceptional, an individual’s skill was ultimately limited if their teammates weren’t up to par.
The players’ willingness was one aspect. Another was the teams. Truly top players performing outstandingly usually wouldn’t be let go by their teams easily, unless irreconcilable conflicts occurred.
It was precisely due to these difficulties that it was so hard for new teams to enter the scene.
Rather than forming a new team themselves, it was better to directly acquire an entire team, like the new owner of tok had done. But teams with the ability to contend for championships never lacked sponsor investments, and few were willing to sell.
Jiang Tingyuan hadn’t rejected Ye Zhou initially because he didn’t expect any achievements, just humoring Ye Zhou’s fancy.
Even he didn’t expect that Ye Zhou could find players of this level in such a difficult situation in the e-sports circle. Money was secondary. The main problem was communication with players and teams.
If the original Chenzhou team was little more than a grassroots team, with these three joining, it was like drilling a hole in a barrel of honey. If handled properly, it could potentially attract more exceptional players.
Despite their poor form this year, their two championships proved their strength. It would be hard to dismiss such a team as a rookie anymore, but one with the ability to win championships.
Ye Zhou had already crossed the most difficult first step into the circle. The road ahead remained difficult, but at least success seemed possible now.
Boss Jiang’s words were well-intentioned, and he wanted to praise Ye Zhou. But to Ye Zhou, these words were like adding salt to his wounds, a death blow when he was already down.
It was too vicious, truly too vicious.
Yet Ye Zhou couldn’t say anything, only nod stiffly with immense effort. “Th-thank you, Jiang-ge, I just…got lucky.”
Lucky? This was simply surreal!
What the f*ck was going on in the e-sports circle? What happened to excluding outsiders, aloofness, and difficulty breaking in, huh???
Who could have imagined this project was proposed just a year ago by a restaurant owner with decades of experience?
Who could have guessed that the restaurateur’s good friend would turn out to be a two-time Devour champion, a championship team member, with not just one but three of them coming over!
Ye Zhou put down the newspaper and slowly covered his face, mentally collapsing.
Why be so capable? Might as well forget e-sports and come directly for me instead! Come on!
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