Chapter 50

Chapter Fifty

After finishing their live stream, Bai Ke and Bai Chen had another meal at the Xie family's house before preparing to leave.

Before leaving, Bai Ke seized an opportunity to wink at Xu Ziyan. Xu Ziyan, sensing the signal, followed him to the second-floor terrace.

The sun was shining brightly outside the terrace. Bai Ke squinted and closed the glass door before speaking: "After the version announcement, several teams have been changing players. Ice, you must have received a lot of transfer offers from teams these past few days."

Xu Ziyan paused for a moment, then didn't hide anything, saying, "Yes, almost all the teams that made it to the playoffs have come to me." After saying that, he frowned and asked, "Has TWG made any roster changes?"

He thought back for a moment, but no one, regardless of who it was, had revealed the slightest clue.

Bai Ke smiled and shook his head, saying, "Don't worry, there's no such news yet. But it's only temporary. TWG hasn't changed its roster in the past few years, but no team can do without fresh blood. You need to be prepared."

Xu Ziyan didn't react immediately and asked, "Ready?"

Bai Ke knew he hadn't thought about these things. She sighed, turned around, and looked at Xu Ziyan: "Have you ever thought about what TWG would be like if Xie Wei retired?"

Xie Wei?

Retirement?

Xu Ziyan stood there, stunned.

He never thought about this, and not only him, but probably all TWG fans never imagined TWG after Xie Wei's departure. After all, through all the ups and downs over the years, Xie Wei, as a perennial dominant force in the league and the Chinese server's ranked ladder, had long become synonymous with TWG. Countless people would think of Xie Wei when they mentioned TWG, and would think of TWG when they mentioned Xie Wei; the two had become inextricably linked.

However, upon closer reflection, Xie Wei is no longer the spirited rookie he once was. When Xu Ziyan first learned of him, Xie Wei was already in his early twenties, and several more years have passed since then. This year, Xie Wei is almost twenty-five.

At twenty-five, in any other industry, he's still just a greenhorn with little experience.

However, the esports industry is cruel and short-lived. Like fireworks, no matter how dazzling, it will eventually come to an end. By the age of twenty-four or twenty-five, one is already infinitely close to the end of their professional career.

Xu Ziyan pursed her lips and lowered her eyes, saying, "Xie Wei... he's still in good condition."

“I know that,” Bai Ke had been suppressed by Xie Wei in the second team for several years, and he was probably the one who knew Xie Wei’s condition best. “But Ice, you’re only nineteen.”

At nineteen, Xie Wei should have been in the prime of her career, but she was uncontrollably on a downward spiral.

No matter how skilled Xie Wei is, he will eventually retire. And when that happens, Xu Ziyan will definitely still be on the team.

He always needs to make plans in advance.

Xu Ziyan fell silent.

Xie Wei's peak was when he was 22 years old, competing in the Nordic region. In the World Finals, Xie Wei's heavy sniper rifle was full of headshots, leading TWG to a 3-0 victory and setting a record for the shortest World Finals match.

At that time, the young man was full of vigor, holding the trophy in his hand. Spotlights from all over the world were focused on him, and golden flower rain fell, announcing his crowning as king.

The photo on Xu Ziyan's phone screen saver was taken at that time.

A year later, Xie Wei won another world championship, but it was clear to everyone that his playing style was slowly changing. From reckless and unrestrained, he gradually became more restrained and circuitous.

He is trying his best to maintain his form and strength, but this effort has its limits.

“I’m not here to speak on behalf of YNG.” Bai Ke sighed and said, “It’s not just him. Shen Xiao is twenty-three this year, and my brother is twenty-four. Even if there are no changes recently, there will be later. At least while you’re still in the team… you need to be prepared.”

Xu Ziyan's Adam's apple bobbed, he closed his eyes briefly, and said, "I know."

Bai wasn't saying all this to panic him; he was mainly worried that his friend, who had just entered the industry, was already infatuated with Xie Wei and had no plans for the future, so he wanted to give him a heads-up.

He then comforted her, saying, "Actually, these are all uncertain things. We'll see when that day comes..."

Xu Ziyan said calmly, "If that day really comes and Xie Wei really leaves TWG, then there is only one thing I need to do."

"Preserve all the glory he left behind, and then lead TWG to even greater heights."

Outside the terrace, Xie Wei paused, then withdrew her hand, a smile playing on her lips, as she was about to knock on the door.

He turned around and left quietly.

Bai Chen raised an eyebrow as he saw him come downstairs: "Where is he? Didn't find him?"

Xie Wei said, "It's not appropriate for me to eavesdrop on a conversation between two juniors."

Bai Chen twitched his lips and changed the subject, saying, "I heard the coaching staff is going to open a youth training camp again after the New Year, which is much more frequent than before."

Xie Wei said, "Yes, we'll prepare for both possibilities."

Bai Chen asked, "Find someone to replace you?"

Xie Wei scoffed: "Don't worry, I'll definitely send you away first before I can retire in peace."

Bai Chen smiled faintly.

They are all "senior" athletes, and they are all aware of their declining performance and eventual retirement.

Bai Ke is quick-witted and thoughtful, so Xie Wei wasn't surprised that he would talk to Xu Ziyan about this.

He just didn't expect Xu Ziyan's attitude to be so firm.

Without hesitation, without confusion.

Xie Wei unconsciously licked her canine teeth.

Even if Xu Ziyan isn't his Omega and there's no such relationship between them, Xie Wei should still play for two more years based on those words alone, stabilize the new TWG, and then retire with peace of mind.

He thought for a moment and said to Bai Chen, "Although I won't take it into consideration, I'll ask you anyway, do you have any alternative candidates in mind?"

"..." Bai Chen said, "Why don't we just bring up the second team directly?"

Team Two.

Xie Wei thought for a moment: "Yuan? He's alright, but I watched a few second-tier league matches, and that kid from KW's second team is pretty good too. I think his name is Ovil?"

Bai Chen chuckled and ignored him, realizing that if they continued chatting, Xie Wei would probably be planning to send him away in the next couple of days, not even within the next two years.

Just then, Bai Ke and Xu Ziyan came downstairs. They said a brief goodbye and left the Xie family together.

It was fine when they were there, but once they left, the huge mansion felt much emptier.

Xu Ziyan's mind was still preoccupied with what Bai Ke had just said.

Personnel replacements, team data, training matches and games, and so on—just thinking about it makes him feel complicated and gives him a headache.

Xie Wei has to think about more than just these things every day. He also has a bunch of club matters to deal with. As a star player, he also has to take time out every month to go live and appease his fans.

When Xie Wei took over TWG, he was about a year younger than he is now.

It's hard to imagine how Xie Wei managed to carry a club through those turbulent times.

Xu Ziyan was lost in thought when he suddenly felt light. He snapped out of his daze, exclaimed in surprise, and instinctively grabbed Xie Wei's shoulder in a panic.

A muffled laugh came from beside me.

"Don't overthink it." Xie Wei picked him up and kissed him. "I'm here for you."

Xu Ziyan made a soft "hmm" sound, not wanting him to see her unease, and smiled, "Mm."

Then she realized that Xie Wei had no intention of putting her down, but instead was carrying her upstairs. So she asked curiously and suspiciously, "Captain, put me down... Where are you taking me?"

Xie Wei said, "Now it's just the two of us at home."

If we don't count Uncle Yan and the other servants, that's true. Xu Ziyan said, "Yes."

Xie Wei said, "We've confessed our feelings for each other and are in a romantic relationship."

The door to the room was just inches away, and Xu Ziyan already sensed something was wrong: "...Yes."

Xie Wei replied matter-of-factly, "Then it's only natural for me to take you to my bedroom, isn't it?"

Xu Ziyan: ?

He slowly began to feel the changes in the man's body, and his face gradually turned red.

Wait... was Xie Wei like this before?

--

Mr. and Mrs. Xie are both busy people, always on the go. And because of Xie Linchun's incident, very few people have come to visit these past few days. Only on New Year's Day did everyone have a lively meal together.

Xie's mother specially prepared a New Year's gift for Xu Ziyan: a luxury watch worth seven figures. Xie's father, who had always been taciturn and seemed not to care much about the matter, also gave Xu Ziyan a large red envelope.

Xu Ziyan had never received such an expensive gift before and was momentarily at a loss. He subconsciously looked at Xie Wei, only to see that the Alpha was just watching the show with a smile, showing no intention of offering him any help.

Having witnessed what had happened before, Xie's mother could see that her son was truly in love. She also liked this daughter-in-law very much. Holding Xu Ziyan's hand, she smiled and said, "We're all family now, why be so polite?"

Xu Ziyan hesitated as Xie's mother helped him put the watch on, a warm feeling welling up in his heart.

Since his parents' divorce, he has never felt the warmth of family affection. Over the years, he has been passed around from one family to another, unable to find a home that is willing to accept him.

Now, in a place far from his parents, he has found a sense of belonging he had never experienced before.

Xie Wei laughed and said, "You've already received the fee for changing your address, so why don't you hurry up and change it?"

Xu Ziyan exclaimed "Ah!" and stammered, "Thank you, Mom, thank you, Dad..."

After saying that, her face turned bright red, and her head almost touched the ground.

Seeing how easily he became embarrassed, Xie's mother couldn't help but chuckle and stopped teasing him, changing the subject.

After the Chinese New Year, a trip to the hot springs was put on the agenda.

The night before his departure, Xu Ziyan stood alone by the floor-to-ceiling window of Xie Wei's room, looking down at the messages his parents had sent him on his phone.

As usual, my father only sent me a "Happy New Year" message and a red envelope.

Besides wishing her a Happy New Year, her mother added a few more words.

[I heard from Xixi that you're playing for that team?]

He said he's a fan of your team leader. Could you see if you could get Xixi an autograph?

Sigh, Mom knows you resent me, but Xixi is still your brother, you see...?

Xi Xi.

Chen Xi is the child of the man Xu's mother remarried. Xu Ziyan has met him; he's a very cute Omega.

Xu Ziyan gave a wry smile, raised his finger, and started typing.

【good. 】

Although it's just a superficial effort, Xu's parents have done a good job over the years.

It's just a signature.

Xu Ziyan fiddled with her phone, absentmindedly wondering how to bring it up with Xie Wei.

More importantly, Xie Wei has already introduced me to his parents, so shouldn't I introduce him to mine as well?

It's just that Xu's parents don't care at all whether he has a partner or not, so perhaps this whole process is unnecessary.

Whenever Xu Ziyan thought about this, he felt an emptiness in his heart.

But now he has found a new home, so he no longer cares.

He put down his phone, smiled, stood up, and went to pack his luggage for the hot spring trip.