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Xie Xu and Jiang Lele sat on either side of Jiang Shi, who clearly heard the Little Bear TV notification chime at the same time as his own.
Jiang Shi glanced down at his phone and saw those straightforward, unmistakable words—
[Your professional player verification is complete.]
Along with the notification, a shiny professional badge appeared next to his streaming account.
Jiang Shi stared at the badge for a full three seconds.
Finally, he calmly turned off his phone.
He chose to die on the spot.
The professional verification left him with no escape, stripping him of his anonymity and leaving him completely exposed.
And it didn’t take much to guess what Jiang Lele and Xie Xu had received.
The normally sluggish Little Bear TV notifications were suddenly lightning-fast.
Still, Jiang Shi clung to a shred of hope, slowly turning his head toward Jiang Lele, only to meet his death glare.
Jiang Shi braced himself and met his gaze for a few seconds. “Let me explain.”
Jiang Lele tossed his phone onto the table. “Go ahead, I’ll listen to your excuses.”
Jiang Shi felt a small sense of relief—at least he could speak, which meant there was still a chance to turn things around.
Just as he was about to say something, Jiang Lele suddenly slapped the table and stood up, as if he couldn’t take it anymore. “You idiot, shut up! Yang-ge already said the ID can’t be wrong, the evidence is undeniable—what more do you have to say?!”
Jiang Shi: “…”
“I knew you and Time were the same person, but no one believed me!” Jiang Lele was indignant. “You even tried to bribe me with red and blue buffs, acting all sweet and innocent. I didn’t have the heart to expose you!”
Jiang Shi: “?”
Wasn’t this the same guy who had confidently declared yesterday in the canyon that Jiang Shi and Time couldn’t possibly be the same person? Now he was taking credit for figuring it out!
“You—” Jiang Shi barely got a word out before being cut off.
Jiang Lele crossed his arms, speaking rapidly, “And you dared to have improper intentions toward the captain? How can you even speak?!”
That remark hit Jiang Shi right in his weak spot, rendering him speechless as he stood there, mortified under everyone’s curious and probing gazes, his toes digging into the floor in embarrassment.
Yuan Yang and the others might not immediately grasp what Jiang Lele meant, but Xie Xu, who had received the same notification, certainly did.
‘Ahhhhh, Xie Xu must think I’m a perverted lunatic!’
Jiang Shi couldn’t help but cover his face with his hands.
‘I want to die…’
Yuan Yang, having not understood, frowned. “Jiang Lele, what are you talking about?”
“Ugh, Yang-ge, you don’t know yet? I just got—”
“Wait a minute!” Jiang Shi suddenly raised his hand. “I have a stomachache, I need to go to the restroom, you guys talk.”
Without waiting for a response, he hurriedly stood up, but in his rush to flee, he accidentally banged his waist against the table, almost flipping it over with the force.
He quickly grabbed the table to steady it, but in his clumsy scramble, his foot caught on the leg of a chair, causing him to lose his balance and topple sideways—
And land squarely on Xie Xu’s lap.
Xie Xu, with one hand bracing the table to keep it from tipping and the other loosely holding Jiang Shi, asked, “Are you okay?”
The sound of the impact had been quite loud.
Jiang Shi sat dazedly on Xie Xu’s lap—more specifically, on his knee—the hard, curved sensation beneath him turning his entire face bright red.
“I’m… I’m fine…”
The fall had been so sudden, and the angle so perfect, that Jiang Shi ended up leaning fully into Xie Xu’s chest, making it look like he had deliberately thrown himself into his arms, taking advantage of the situation.
In the past, Jiang Shi might have sneakily enjoyed the close contact with Xie Xu, but now, under Jiang Lele’s shocked gaze, all he wanted was to escape.
The expression on Jiang Lele’s face clearly said: “Can you get any more shameless?”
Jiang Shi was equally frustrated—it was a complete accident!!!
With no leverage to push off from and unwilling to grab Xie Xu for support, Jiang Shi tried to spring up but ended up banging his knee against the table again, wincing in pain as he rubbed it.
Behind him, Xie Xu seemed to stifle a chuckle.
Snapping out of his daze, Jiang Shi quickly jumped up from Xie Xu’s lap and dashed for the door, disappearing from everyone’s sight.
The whole process took less than three seconds.
Jiang Lele was left staring in disbelief. “Captain, he looked like a little chick being released from a cage…”
Jiang Shi fled into the restroom, closing the door, locking it, and sitting on the toilet as he began to reflect deeply.
He spent a minute replaying the events in the conference room in his mind.
Then, he broke down.
How could he have been so stupid!!
Not only had he failed to come up with an explanation for his exposed identity, but he had also managed to sit on Xie Xu’s lap in front of everyone, solidifying his reputation as a pervert.
In some ways, Jiang Shi was good at maintaining a persona.
After brainstorming for a while, he took a deep breath and made a decision.
He called his good friend Bamboo.
“You want to come to my stream and play as my didi?” Bamboo was confused. “Aren’t you joining TLG as a professional? I just saw the announcement from the team.”
At the same time that Jiang Shi’s streamer verification was approved, Yuan Yang’s scheduled official announcement on Weibo was also released.
#Welcome TLG-Time to our team! He’s an exceptional ADC, and we’re all looking forward to seeing what he brings. Join us this Saturday at 8 PM on Little Bear TV!#
When Bamboo sent Jiang Shi a screenshot of this, his heart barely stirred. “I might become the player who gets officially announced and then kicked out in record time.”
Jiang Shi roughly explained the situation to Bamboo, who burst into laughter.
“Are you serious? Hahaha! This is too ridiculous! I’m dying over here.” Bamboo was laughing so hard he was in tears. “You even tried to seduce Xu last night — you really are something else!”
“Didn’t Xu say anything?”
Jiang Shi thought back carefully. “No.”
In fact, Xie Xu had even helped him escape the conference room.
“That’s strange. You’d think Xu would have the strongest reaction, given he’s involved.” Bamboo clicked his tongue. “He really is a pro, staying calm under pressure.”
To remain so composed despite Jiang Shi’s antics—Bamboo was genuinely impressed.
Jiang Shi stared at the tiled floor, his voice weak. “Maybe.”
His mind was struggling to process everything.
Bamboo tried to comfort him. “It’s not that serious. You didn’t break any major rules. They won’t kick you out.”
“No.” Jiang Shi shook his head.
Even if TLG was willing to keep him, he didn’t have the face to stay. He couldn’t bear the thought of facing Xie Xu after making such a fool of himself the night before and then pretending everything was normal during the day.
He couldn’t even bring himself to make eye contact!
Without seeing that face, what fun was there left in TLG!
Forget about being a professional—he could just quit.
“Can you afford the breach-of-contract penalty?”
Bamboo’s question doused him with cold water.
Jiang Shi recalled the breach-of-contract penalty he had seen when signing the contract, along with the many zeros that followed the number. He quickly caved. “Never mind, I guess I can stick it out a bit longer.”
His fans always said he was shameless—he had to live up to that reputation somehow.
After washing his face with cold water and repeatedly telling himself to stay calm, Jiang Shi walked out of the restroom.
As he turned the corner, he ran into Xie Xu, who was waiting by the door.
Jiang Shi: “…”
Initially walking with his head held high, Jiang Shi immediately turned around to flee back into the restroom.
However, his collar was grabbed, leaving him helplessly flailing as he tried to escape, but to no avail.
“Don’t hide,” Xie Xu said calmly. “Everyone already knows.”
Jiang Shi’s hand, which was gripping the door handle, went limp, and he let Xie Xu pull him back. When the grip on his neck finally released, he turned to face Xie Xu, keeping his head down. He spoke softly, “Captain, you can scold me. I won’t talk back.”
This was the first time Jiang Shi had said anything like this. He usually wasn’t one to take insults quietly—if someone provoked him, he’d always come back even harder.
But if Xie Xu wanted to hold him accountable, Jiang Shi had no defense.
Xie Xu looked down at the person bowing his head and submitting to him once again.
Jiang Shi must have washed his face before coming out, but he was obviously rough with it. His face was red, and the hair on the sides of his face was damp and clumped together, making him look messy. The rest of his hair didn’t fare much better, resembling a ruffled, gray-white bird’s nest.
From Xie Xu’s angle, he could even see a small droplet of water clinging to the tip of Jiang Shi’s nose.
Jiang Shi must have felt the tickle but was too embarrassed to wipe it off, so he scrunched up his nose, making his previously expressionless face appear more animated and adorable.
Xie Xu raised his hand, but Jiang Shi looked at him in shock.
Despite this, Jiang Shi didn’t move back, only puckering his lips as if he felt wronged.
Xie Xu sighed. “I didn’t plan to hit you.”
But the droplet of water slipped from Jiang Shi’s nose as he moved.
Instead, Xie Xu changed his gesture to ruffling Jiang Shi’s hair. “And I’m not going to scold you either.”
“However, from now on, don’t speak carelessly online. After your official announcement as a professional player, everything you say and do in public will be monitored. If you violate the rules, the penalty could range from a fine to a suspension.”
Jiang Shi nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly remembered something. “Will I be punished for what I said yesterday?”
He hadn’t made much money yet!
“Yesterday’s…” Xie Xu hesitated for a split second when he saw the anxiety in Jiang Shi’s eyes and realized it was about money. He sighed, “No.”
“But there won’t be a next time.”
Jiang Shi’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly nodded. “I won’t joke around like that anymore!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Shi noticed Xie Xu giving him a look.
He cautiously asked, “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing.” Xie Xu walked past him towards the conference room. “Come back and explain to the others.”
Jiang Shi watched Xie Xu’s back as he left, unable to stop his thoughts from wandering.
Xie Xu’s calm reaction made him suspect that perhaps Xie Xu had known all along that he was Time, but given the current situation, Jiang Shi didn’t dare ask. All he could do was take things one step at a time.
