WCG Chapter 50

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A sudden burst of light illuminated the entire lobby.

It revealed Xie Xu and Jiang Shi standing hand-in-hand. The key point was that Xie Xu’s hand was only inches from Jiang Shi’s face.

Just as Xie Xu was about to say something, his hold loosened.

Jiang Shi naturally let go of his hand, looking up at Yuan Yang, who was coming down the stairs. “The captain was just asking if the herbal smell on his hands was too strong.” 

Jiang Shi explained smoothly and calmly, drawing a glance from Xie Xu.

Yuan Yang grumbled as he descended, “Then why didn’t you turn on the lights? I saw two shadows at the door and thought a thief had broken in.”

Jiang Shi pointed upward. “The sensor light was on a moment ago—it just went out.” 

His easy explanation put Yuan Yang at ease. 

Jiang Shi’s natural expression and innocent demeanor would keep anyone from thinking otherwise.

Satisfied, Yuan Yang glanced at Xie Xu. “I was just about to call and ask where you were. How’s your hand?”

Xie Xu shifted his gaze from Jiang Shi’s innocent face. “It’s fine. I soaked it in some herbal medicine today.”

Yuan Yang breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “And Sun?”

“Just a bit of muscle strain, probably from overtraining recently.”

Yuan Yang frowned, contemplating before he made a guess. “Seems like the Lions have been secretly increasing their training. I’d better review our schedule.”

As Yuan Yang left, Jiang Shi quickly glanced at Xie Xu’s hand, then turned to head upstairs. “Captain, I’m going to train too.”

Xie Xu watched his retreating back and called out, “Wait.”

Jiang Shi stopped, turning around slowly, though his eyes wouldn’t meet Xie Xu’s. 

The little courage he’d felt in the dark had vanished under the bright lights. Now he felt foolish for trapping Xie Xu by the door, taking advantage of the moment.

He was simply crazy! 

Seeing Jiang Shi’s guilty expression, Xie Xu swallowed the words he’d intended to say. “Never mind. It’s nothing.”

He’d been about to probe into Jiang Shi’s rumored hand-con tendencies. But if he brought it up now, Jiang Shi would probably find a hole to bury himself in shame. 

Jiang Shi had played it cool in front of Yuan Yang, but with him, it was like he’d retreated into a shell.

“Want to queue up for a game?” 

Jiang Shi’s head shot up, eyes bright. “Let’s do it!”

“The doctor said not to play too much tonight,” Xie Xu added, a slight smile tugging at his lips as he watched Jiang Shi’s eagerness. “I’ll use The Cat, while you carry me, alright?”

Without hesitation, Jiang Shi agreed. “Alright, you can go on top of me¹The Cat is basically just Yuumi. She can “tie” herself up into another character by getting on top of that character, so that’s why Jiang Shi said it like that..”

After that, the two of them fell into a brief silence.

Before his secret identity as Time was revealed, Jiang Shi often used this kind of double-entendre to tease Xie Xu.

Jiang Shi’s ears turned fiery red with shame. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant you use your ultimate on me, and I promise I’ll keep you safe.”

He was afraid that Xie Xu would think he’s a pervert, so Jiang Shi mimicked The Cat’s ultimate skill, making a gesture to show he didn’t mean that kind of “getting on top.”

Xie Xu chuckled, ruffling Jiang Shi’s hair with a hint of indulgence. “I know.”

Jiang Shi’s hand froze mid-gesture, then slowly lowered. Red-faced, he murmured, “Okay.”

---

Under Yuan Yang’s tighter scheduling, TLG’s already intense training became even more rigorous as they prepared for their second spring season match—the last one before the Lunar New Year. 

For this special occasion, the league invited a celebrity to boost the event’s excitement — Lin Miao.

Before going on stage, Jiang Lele saw Lin Miao entering a nearby lounge surrounded by staff and lit up with excitement. “Captain, can you help me get her autograph?”

Following his gaze, Jiang Shi saw only a tall, slender silhouette. 

Lin Miao’s lounge wasn’t far from theirs.

Jiang Lele craned his neck but was immediately yanked back by Yu Hui. 

Yu Hui coldly said, “Focus before the match! Don’t get distracted.”

Still, Jiang Lele couldn’t help but glance her way. “She’s so close — maybe we can say hi after the match?”

“Captain and her are childhood sweethearts, right? He should take the lead!” 

After saying that, Jiang Lele turned to Xie Xu, eager for his approval.

Jiang Shi stepped in, blocking Jiang Lele’s view. “Captain already explained—they aren’t childhood sweethearts. If you want to go, go by yourself.”

Jiang Lele clicked his tongue as he saw Jiang Shi’s ire. “Why are you jealous about everything?”

Just as he was about to say more, Yuan Yang flicked his forehead. “Jiang Lele, the match is about to start. What’s on your mind? If you play badly, don’t plan on going home this year. Stay at the base and train!”

Yuan Yang’s stern tone snapped Jiang Lele back to reality. “No, no, I’ll play my best! Please, don’t confine me at the base. My parents are waiting for me!” 

He was determined to go home to celebrate New Year, even if it was just for a few days.

Jiang Shi, who’d been walking ahead, suddenly paused and looked back at Jiang Lele. Jiang Lele squinted against the light, unable to read Jiang Shi’s expression.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Lele asked in a quieter voice.

Up ahead, Xie Xu had also stopped, glancing at Jiang Shi. 

“It’s nothing, just checking the steps,” Jiang Shi replied, moving closer to Xie Xu.

Xie Xu, noticing Jiang Shi’s change in mood, paused, then offered his hand. “It’s dark here. If you’re worried about missing a step, you can hold onto me.”

Jiang Shi’s eyes flickered. After a slight hesitation, he reached out, briefly touching Xie Xu’s warm hand, which helped him relax. 

He quickly released his hold and grabbed Xie Xu’s sleeve, as if it had all been accidental.

Watching the two of them from behind, Jiang Lele muttered, “What are they doing up there? Is it really that dark?”

That little white hair definitely can take two steps in one go, right?

Jiang Shi followed Xie Xu and spoke again. His tone returned to normal as he drawled, “Just wondering if your family will arrange a blind date for you during New Year’s.”

Jiang Lele grinned. “Oh, definitely! My mom says a few girls are interested in me!”

Jiang Shi raised an eyebrow. “Sure, but the last time you drew lots for the Hurricane Team, you basically ensured you won’t find a girlfriend for the next ten years.”

Jiang Lele was stunned for a long time. Realization dawning, he cursed, “Fuck! Vicious little white hair!” 

He announced that the comradeship between the mid and bottom lanes was temporarily broken!

---

During the match, Jiang Shi and Jiang Lele kept bickering, much to the amusement of the audio monitoring staff listening in.

“Jiang Lele, if you’re gonna fail the ambush, can you not touch my minion?” 

“Hey, I just saw you struggling, so I thought I’d help with a basic attack.”

Jiang Shi fell silent. In the next wave, he quickly cleared the bot lane and dashed mid-lane, clearing Jiang Lele’s minions and even taking the health pack behind his turret.

Jiang Lele’s defenses broke. “It’s bad enough you took my minions—you had to take my health pack too?”

Seething, Jiang Lele cast a freezing spell at Jiang Shi’s feet.

As luck would have it, the enemy jungler had been lying in wait to gank Jiang Shi rushed up, and was frozen mid-air before he landed. 

Enemy Jungler: “?”

Jiang Shi: “ . “

Jiang Lele: “……”

In the game, the two heroes stood still for a full half second before they teamed up to take this quite-literal pie falling from the sky. 

However, Jiang Lele kept chattering, “Little White Hair, give me back my health pack!”

He used his skill to attack Jiang Shi.

Jiang Shi ignored him and rushed back to the bottom lane, but he secretly held his long arrow skill and aimed it at Jiang Lele’s hero’s head

In the map, the two’s avatars were stuck together for a long time, which made Zhao Jiu laugh. “Can you stop arguing? My ears hurt.”

The opponent’s jungler died, giving Yu Hui and Xie Xu the perfect chance to invade the enemy’s  jungle.

Yu Hui clicked on the location of his own blue buff, “Lele, go get the blue.”

Jiang Lele immediately stopped “fighting” with Jiang Shi and turned around to get the blue.

Jiang Shi narrowed his eyes and was about to release his first skill when he suddenly heard Xie Xu’s voice in the microphone, “Time, go get the red buff. I’ll come to help you later.”

The charged skill was released instantly, and Jiang Shi walked towards the red buff obediently, not forgetting to ask Xie Xu, “When is the later time?”

This match’s tactic demands the jungler and the support to roam together. Jiang Shi and Jiang Lele occasionally gathered together to save their lives, and the two were tired of each other.

After Jiang Shi finished speaking, he was afraid that Xie Xu would think he was urging him, so he added, “I’m too slow to hit the red buff.”

At this time, Jiang Lele, who had used up all his skills to knock down half of the blue buff’s health, switched the screen and looked at Jiang Shi.

Jiang Shi only used a basic attack and had already beaten the buff monster to half of its health.

Jiang Lele murmured, “Don’t you feel ashamed for saying this?”

This pretentious little white hair!

Jiang Shi remained calm. “I’m worried that they will come to counter our jungle area and then ambush us from behind.”

Jiang Lele glanced at the economic panel. The gap between the two sides was nearly 5,000 gold, and the opponent’s jungler had just resurrected. How could they have the courage to run so far into their enemy’s jungle?

This little white hair was just bullshitting! 

Jiang Lele sneered, and just when he was about to turn on the taunting mode, he saw Xie Xu’s avatar rushing towards Jiang Shi, “Here he comes.”

Jiang Lele: “…”

He is the clown!

Although they were making a fuss in the voice chat, TLG’s teamwork had noticeably improved by the second match. In addition, their opponent was weaker and had many points to exploit. TLG secured a clean 2-0 victory. 

Xie Xu, the MVP, accepted the interview as usual. It was scheduled for a slightly extended interview due to it being the last game before the holiday.

While waiting in the lounge, the team dispersed quickly.

Jiang Lele dragged Yu Hui off to get Lin Miao’s autograph, Yuan Yang handled calls by the window to arrange the team’s affairs after the New Year. Jiang Shi was sitting on the sofa with Zhao Jiu, but after a while, the older man was pulled away by an acquaintance for a chat. 

Left alone, Jiang Shi turned on the TV, hoping to catch Xie Xu’s interview, only to find that only a short snippet was being shown for now. The full interview would be played afte the other teams finished their last game today.

Jiang Shi turned off the TV as he had zero interest. 

Yuan Yang, finishing his call, saw Jiang Shi sitting there, sipping water from Xie Xu’s thermos with a bored expression. 

“Xie Xu might take a while. You can walk around the venue. There are some shops and exhibitions.” Yuan Yang then added, “But don’t’ run too far. Wear a hat and mask, and keep your phone on at any time.” 

Following Yuan Yang’s advice, Jiang Shi pulled out his hat, covering up his distinctive white hair, and nodded obediently while wearing a mask. “Okay Yang-ge, I’ll walk around for a while, and then go pick up the captain.” 

Yuan Yang frowned, “Why are you picking him up? He definitely knows the way.”

But he looked at Jiang Shi’s eager expression and waved his hand. “Forget it, you can do whatever you want.”

The relationship between the bottom lane duo was really good. 

Jiang Shi didn’t have the heart to walk around the venue. He looked at the map on the display board and memorized the direction. After making sure that he wouldn’t get lost, he walked directly to the interview room where Xie Xu was.

He didn’t know the identity of the interviewer this time. But with Xie Xu’s status, no one should dare to mess with him, right?

Even so, Jiang Shi hurried his pace. 

As he rounded a corner, he accidentally bumped into someone, his hat slipping askew.

The man’s tone was not polite at all as he snapped. “Do you have eyes?” 

Jiang Shi shot back without hesitation, “You must be brainless.”

The guy squinted at a tuft of white hair poking out of Jiang Shi’s hat and blurted out, “Time?”

Jiang Shi adjusted his hat, casting an indifferent glance. “I’m your father.”

As Jiang Shi registered the “MR-yaowan” logo on the guy’s jacket, the name clicked, and he remembered. 

The name was quite auspicious

Yaowan looked at the way Jiang Shi looked at his ID and became frustrated. “What, you forgot who I am again?”

Jiang Shi turned around. “Am I supposed to remember?”

Yaowan: “?”

“Fuck, when you first went live, I sent you fireworks!” Yaowan spoke with gritted teeth, “In terms of seniority, you have to call me uncle!” 

Jiang Shi: “…”

“Oh, sorry, my memory is not good.” 

Yaowan’s voice rose when he looked at Jiang Shi’s face. “I was the one in the pink tie at TLG’s youth training camp! Remember?”

Damn it, it would be fine if he explained it in the game, but he didn’t expect that he would have to explain it to Jiang Shi in real-life. 

Maybe because he was too angry, Yaowan’s voice was loud enough to attract the attention of the staff members passing by.

Jiang Shi suddenly realized, “Oh, it’s you.”

His expression became much friendlier. “What a coincidence to meet you here.”

This person has been removed from his blacklist, and he has no impression of him at all.

Yaowan rolled his eyes at him. “MR also has a game today. After the game, I was just strolling around and happened to meet the idiots from the GZ team. I gave him a slap.”

Jiang Shi: “I know their team, the one in the same group as Hurricane.”

When TLG played their first match, those two teams were mocking each other.

He remembered it very clearly.

“They’re a noob but they’re so arrogant. We beat them to a pulp for the first time, but their ego was still sky-high.” Yaowan scoffed, “They deserved to be punished.”

Jiang Shi nodded in agreement, “I agree.”

After that, he patted Yaowan on the shoulder as a confirmation.

Yaowan shook his shoulders and took a step back. “What do you mean by that pat! I’m not your little brother!”

Although he couldn’t scold Time, he would not give in easily.

Jiang Shi listened to him prove his innocence absent-mindedly and glanced at the interview room not far behind.

There were only staff in the interview room, and there was no sign of Xie Xu.

“Looking for Xu?” Yaowan followed his gaze and looked over, “Lin Miao was also being interviewed just now, I saw them leave together.”

“After all, she is a female star, maybe she went to another room to chat.”

While Yaowan casually said that, Jiang Shi didn’t listen casually. 

Jiang Shi automatically translated Yaowan’s words into—

“Xie Xu and Lin Miao are alone in a room.”

His face instantly turned sour.

Yaowan didn’t notice and kept asking, “So when will you broadcast live next time? Will you broadcast during the New Year?”

The two were standing at the intersection, and someone passed by at this time. Yaowan stepped aside and instantly closed the distance with Jiang Shi.

He came over and said, “If you broadcast, I can barely make some time for you to play in a duo queue.”

Jiang Shi was about to reply that two ADs queuing together was a waste, but someone suddenly put his arm around his shoulder and took a step back.

Jiang Shi was already unhappy and was about to lose his temper. When he looked up, he suddenly met Xie Xu’s dark eyes.

His irritation instantly vanished. “Captain, done chatting with Lin Miao?”

It seemed that they didn’t chat for long!

Xie Xu hummed and looked at Yaowan. “Who is he?”

Yaowan immediately introduced himself. “I’m the AD of the MR team. I met Time and we chatted for a while. Since it’s getting late, I’m leaving first.’ 

He was about to say goodbye to Time, but since Xie Xu appeared, Time’s eyes have never left Xie Xu, and the corners of his lips are slightly raised. He looked so well behaved.

Yaowan felt a layer of goose bumps on his arms and immediately ran away.

Xie Xu’s hand remained on Jiang Shi’s shoulder, his gaze softening. “What are you sniffing around for?”

“I smell perfume,” Jiang Shi remarked, his nose wrinkled. “Captain, how long did you talk with Lin Miao? Did you stand as close to her as we are now?”

Jiang Shi was openly jealous this time. If he caught Xie Xu just later, the stench of this perfume would fade, and he would have no evidence!

Xie Xu explained calmly despite Jiang Shi’s obvious unhappiness. “We spoke from a distance, surrounded by her team. All of them were girls, so it’s natural that many of them were wearing perfume.” 

In other words, Xie Xu wasn’t physically close to Lin Miao, and they were chatting in public.

Jiang Shi breathed a sigh of relief, but in the next second, he felt his cheek touched.

Xie Xu pushed the loose hair under Jiang Shi’s hat behind his ears. His gaze was rather cold. “But you were closer to that AD than we are now.” 

Jiang Shi listened to Xie Xu comparing these two events and reflexively retorted, “How can they be the same!” 

In his mind, Lin Miao was a potential rival in love, but Yaowan? He’s just an unfilial son. 

Xie Xu pushed his hat down a little to cover his annoyed expression. His voice, however, was still calm. “In my opinion, they’re the same.” 

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  The Cat is basically just Yuumi. She can “tie” herself up into another character by getting on top of that character, so that’s why Jiang Shi said it like that.