Yuan Yang was initially discussing Jiang Shi’s Saturday night streaming schedule with Xie Xu.
“Let him duo with you for a few games to build rapport, then have him do a lottery for fans. It’s a way to give back to his fans, and hopefully, they’ll go easy on him.”
Yuan Yang had seen firsthand how sharp Jiang Shi’s fans could be in the comments under the official Weibo account, and he was genuinely worried that they might be merciless during Jiang Shi’s upcoming stream.
However, as he spoke, he noticed that Xie Xu was constantly looking down at his phone, even smiling a little.
“What are you doing?” Yuan Yang leaned over to take a look, only to unexpectedly see An on the screen. “Wait, why are you in his stream?”
“You’re just giving him free traffic.”
Whenever Xu’s account appeared in a stream, the viewer count would skyrocket. Even Jiang Lele would occasionally act cute and ask Xie Xu to drop by his stream to attract more fans.
Xie Xu only turned off his phone after confirming that Jiang Shi had left the stream with him. He briefly explained, “An was talking about Time, mentioning their scrim against MR. Jiang Shi lost his temper and went to confront him.”
Yuan Yang, holding Jiang Shi’s streaming schedule, frowned. “Why does An talk so much…?”
Then, something dawned on him, and he widened his eyes. “Wait, what did you say Jiang Shi did!?”
He frantically reached for his phone to check, but Xie Xu stopped him. “Don’t worry, I brought him back.”
Yuan Yang let out a sigh of relief. “He didn’t say anything in An’s stream, did he?”
After a pause, he added with a hand on his chest, “He shouldn’t have, Jiang Shi knows where to draw the bottom line.”
Xie Xu didn’t comment on that last statement. “I joined later, so I didn’t hear anything.”
“But I’ve decided to issue a statement about An and the Hurricane Team.”
Yuan Yang quickly understood. “I’ll get someone to handle it right away.”
Since An had no qualms about using TLG as content for his stream, it was clear he didn’t care about old ties. TLG had no reason to protect his reputation either. They had a clear timeline and evidence regarding An and the Hurricane Team, and once released, the public would draw their own conclusions.
Xie Xu took the schedule from Yuan Yang, crossed out the word “few” in “duo with Xu for a few games,” and handed it back. “I won’t be streaming that day.”
Yuan Yang didn’t object. “I’ll send this revised schedule to Jiang Shi later.”
Not long after receiving his streaming schedule, Jiang Shi was also hit with an official punishment notice from the league.
#Notice of Penalty for TLG Bot Laner Time#
[Due to inappropriate comments made by Time in An’s livestream today, a fine of 10,000 yuan has been imposed. The player is advised to regulate his behavior to prevent similar incidents in the future.]
Yuan Yang was caught off guard. He hadn’t taken his eyes off Jiang Shi for just a short while, and already, the young player had managed to stir up such a big mess. He called Jiang Shi into the meeting room for a stern talk.
“First, you used your alternate account as Time, and then you went into An’s stream to insult him. Do you realize the team has only officially announced you as our new player less than 10 hours ago?”
Yuan Yang felt his heart skip a beat just looking at the penalty notice. He had already crafted a new public persona for Jiang Shi—a reformed, well-behaved child who would not only win back old fans but also attract new ones with his good looks and mild temperament.
But now, Jiang Shi had pulled this stunt?
Jiang Shi, however, was quick to admit his mistake. “I was wrong, Yang-ge. I’ll pay the fine.”
Yuan Yang bit his lip, but what came out of his mouth was, “Do you have enough money? If not, the team can cover it for you.”
Jiang Shi shook his head. “I’ve got enough.”
He promptly transferred the money to Yuan Yang. Seeing the young player with his head hanging low, Yuan Yang couldn’t help but offer some advice. “You should have just let him talk. Why did you get so worked up?”
People outside were now saying that Jiang Shi was arrogant and disrespectful, even daring to insult his seniors, labeling TLG’s new AD carry as a thug.
“I wasn’t impulsive,” Jiang Shi replied, lifting his head. His dark eyes showed no sign of regret, and his tone turned colder. “He deserved it.”
Jiang Shi had known what the outcome would be before he went into An’s stream. Although the 10,000 yuan fine pained him, An had it coming.
Yuan Yang didn’t expect Jiang Shi to be this headstrong. He straightened up and scolded, “It’s his problem if he’s talking trash. You should have come to me with this, and I would have handled it. You shouldn’t have confronted him directly.”
Jiang Shi pursed his lips, remaining silent.
He didn’t agree with Yuan Yang’s approach.
In Jiang Shi’s eyes, revenge should be immediate. While Yuan Yang’s handling of the situation, like issuing a statement about An’s dealings with the Hurricane Team, might have been a serious blow to An, it didn’t address the specific insult that made Jiang Shi want to call him out.
Seeing Jiang Shi’s stubbornness, Yuan Yang felt even more frustrated. “Fine, fine. I thought you were more obedient than the others, but it turns out you’re just as tough. What? Now that your mask as Time has fallen off, you’re done pretending?”
“No,” Jiang Shi quickly replied, his hands nervously clenched, seeing that Yuan Yang was genuinely upset. “Yang-ge, I’m not being stubborn.”
It’s just…
Yuan Yang saw him struggling to explain and assumed Jiang Shi was just making excuses. “Tonight, you’ll have three extra hours of training, and before your next stream, I’ll be managing your Weibo and streaming account. You’re not allowed to post anything online without my approval.”
While the extra training was manageable, the latter condition was a serious warning to Jiang Shi.
Aside from gaming, his favorite pastime was engaging in banter with people online, something that was both fun and stress-relieving for him. Now, it was clear that Yuan Yang intended to regulate his behavior strictly.
Jiang Shi had no choice but to comply. “Understood, Yang-ge.”
Seeing him like this, Yuan Yang couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy, though he kept his expression stern.
Jiang Shi still didn’t fully grasp how deep the waters of this industry ran. If Yuan Yang didn’t keep him in check now, he’d make even bigger mistakes later on.
Still, Yuan Yang thought, if Jiang Shi still felt wronged after today, he might soften his approach a bit in the morning.
Just as he was thinking this, Jiang Shi cautiously looked up at him. “Yang-ge, I have a question.”
Yuan Yang coughed, trying to keep his face stern, though his voice had already softened. “Go ahead.”
“Was An fined too?” Jiang Shi asked, looking at him with an expression that showed how much this mattered to him.
Yuan Yang: “…”
Yuan Yang’s face darkened even further. “Yes, the same amount as you.”
“Jiang Shi, I want a 500-word reflection paper from you by tomorrow morning!”
Jiang Shi’s eyes widened, about to protest, but Yuan Yang cut him off. “Make that 1,000 words!”
Jiang Shi begrudgingly fell silent. “Okay.”
As they spoke, there was a knock on the meeting room door.
Yuan Yang kept his voice stern. “Come in.”
The person who entered was Xie Xu.
Jiang Shi’s eyes briefly lit up when he saw Xie Xu, but he quickly lowered his head. “Captain, I’ll go to training now,” he muttered before leaving the room.
After Jiang Shi left, Xie Xu turned to Yuan Yang and asked, “Is he upset because of the fine, or did you scold him?”
“It’s definitely not about the money. He paid it without a fuss,” Yuan Yang replied, still clearly annoyed. “And not only that, but he seemed quite pleased to have dragged An down with him.”
Xie Xu’s expression showed a hint of surprise.
Just recently, Jiang Shi had asked him about the fine, clearly not wanting to lose any money.
“He didn’t seem to take anything I said seriously,” Yuan Yang continued, now more concerned. “If Jiang Shi keeps acting on impulse like this, I’m afraid it won’t be long before he’s facing something more serious than just a fine.”
Yuan Yang’s main worry wasn’t just the fine—it was the potential for a suspension. A ban, no matter how short, could be devastating for Jiang Shi, who was in the prime of his career.
But while Yuan Yang was anxious, Xie Xu remained calm. “Do you really think he’s impulsive?”
Yuan Yang was puzzled. “What else could it be? Today’s incident is proof enough.”
Xie Xu took out his phone and played a video for Yuan Yang. It was a clip from An’s livestream.
“I’ve definitely met Time before.”
“What do I think about today’s trending topic? It’s just the usual marketing ploy.”
“But I didn’t expect TLG would be willing to drag Xu into this too, with such a lowbrow topic.”
Shortly after these comments, Jiang Shi had entered the livestream.
“He deliberately sent Jiang Lele and the others away before going into An’s stream,” Xie Xu explained, fast-forwarding the video. “I suspect it was to prevent anyone else from losing their temper and getting into a public argument with a former teammate.”
Yuan Yang began to realize what Xie Xu was implying. “So, you’re saying Jiang Shi not only wanted to vent his anger, but he also banked on the fact that, as a newcomer, any out-of-line behavior would be attributed to his own lack of manners, rather than dragging TLG into it?”
If it had been Jiang Lele or another veteran player, the situation would have escalated. The media wouldn’t be reporting just a penalty notice, instead, the headlines would scream of internal conflicts:
#Why Did TLG’s Former Teammates Fall Out?#
#Click to See—Three-Year Close Teammates Engage in a Public Feud!#
Just thinking about it made Yuan Yang’s scalp tingle.
Xie Xu paused the video on a message Jiang Shi had posted in the livestream chat:
[Time: And let’s not forget, Xu is hailed as the league’s number one support, a three-time consecutive FMVP winner. What are you? A loser who can’t be helped, you piece of trash.]
“This is probably what got him penalized by the league, right?”
Yuan Yang nodded, then suddenly looked at Xie Xu with wide eyes. “Wait, was he doing all of this because of you?”
Jiang Shi’s harsh words, paired with Xie Xu’s accolades, drew even more attention and subtly reinforced Xie Xu’s status. After all, even someone as ‘uncouth’ as Jiang Shi respected Xu, which only highlighted how impressive Xu truly was.
Realizing this, Yuan Yang couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “So, you’re here to talk me out of punishing him?”
“Not quite,” Xie Xu replied after a pause. “I’m just hoping you don’t misunderstand him.”
After all, Jiang Shi genuinely wanted to curse out An.
Yuan Yang, now feeling slightly guilty for being so harsh on Jiang Shi earlier, decided to make amends. The next morning, he headed to the training room, intending to find a reason to give Jiang Shi back control of his Weibo account. But before he could say anything, Jiang Shi approached him with a sheet of A4 paper filled with writing.
It was the reflection Yuan Yang had asked for the day before.
Although Yuan Yang hadn’t specified that it needed to be handwritten, Jiang Shi had still filled the page, showing that he was taking his punishment seriously.
Yuan Yang’s initial satisfaction quickly faded as he flipped the page and saw the scrawled, nearly illegible handwriting.
Did a math teacher teach him how to write?
Who could explain that wobbly line running down the middle of the page?
And what was with the section where the phrase “I shouldn’t have cursed An, that idiot” was repeated at least ten times?
Did Jiang Shi think that burying it among the messy handwriting would make it less obvious that he was just padding the word count?
Yuan Yang’s mood plummeted as he crumpled the paper in frustration, his chest heaving.
Seeing Yuan Yang’s glare, Jiang Shi nervously shrank back, assuming Yuan Yang was upset about the crooked line. “I was really tired last night, and I nodded off for a moment… the pen slipped…”
Jiang Shi had planned to rewrite the page, but after glancing at the words he’d already written, he couldn’t bring himself to start over.
To stay awake, he logged onto Weibo with an alt account and “happily” interacted with some netizens in the comments section.
However, after putting down his phone, he felt even more tired. To fill the page, he ended up writing a few repetitive phrases that looked somewhat decent.
Yuan Yang took a deep breath, reminding himself not to sweat the small stuff. He glanced at the “Time” signature at the bottom of the page and reluctantly praised, “Well, at least your name is written nicely.”
From the side, Jiang Lele, who had been eavesdropping, spun his chair around and chimed in, “Yang-ge, you mean that Time signature? Little White Hair paid a hefty sum to have that designed, just so fans wouldn’t mistake it when buying autographs.”
In short, it was purely for a show.
Jiang Shi turned around, placed his hands on the back of Jiang Lele’s chair, and swiftly spun it 180 degrees before pushing it back to the desk. “Go play your game.”
With Jiang Lele sealed off, Jiang Shi turned back to face his scolding.
