Chapter 28

[I think I understand now, Xiao Jiang was eavesdropping on the adults' conversation?]

[That's probably it. She deliberately sent the housekeeper away to eavesdrop on Dad's conversation!]

[The case is solved, so what did he hear?]

[Damn production team, can't you get some better recording equipment? We can't record anything!]

Leng Zhi originally planned to start with the preliminary selection of contestants and gradually develop the program.

Mario's offer is an opportunity I can't miss; I'll have to find a reason to sneak out and give it a try.

So last night, after he and Mario finished playing duo queue, they chatted for a while longer, resulting in insufficient sleep throughout the night.

So much so that this morning, even the alarm clock couldn't wake Leng Zhi. It was Jiang Mingzhe who heard the knocking on the door, opened his big, grape-like eyes, and looked at Leng Zhi, who was sleeping lightly beside him.

"Dad! Wake up! We're going to the zoo today!"

Leng Zhi was awakened by a soft little slap.

In his dream, he was still battling it out in front of the computer until dawn when suddenly the keyboard flew up and hit his face. When he opened his eyes, he realized it was Jiang Mingzhe's little hand.

The other guests have already set off in their vans, with Leng Zhi and Jiang Mingzhe being the last group.

Fortunately, the father and son got up in a simple way: they washed their faces, brushed their teeth, picked up their luggage, and were ready to go.

The production team arranged for each group of guests to have their own car today, precisely because they anticipated this situation. Even Duoduo next door was so excited that she pushed Le Xinzhou to the meeting point half an hour early and set off for the zoo ahead of schedule.

Leng Zhi was still a little sleepy. After getting on the bus, he tilted his head to the side of the window and began to doze off.

Jiang Mingzhe was very excited and kept asking Leng Zhi all sorts of questions.

"Dad! What animals are we going to see at the zoo today?"

"Have they arrived yet? I want to play too!"

"Hey Dad, this road looks kind of familiar?"

Leng Zhi replied casually, and when he heard the last sentence, he lifted his eyelids slightly.

There must have been a traffic accident ahead, so they were driving very slowly on this stretch of road, which is why Jiang Mingzhe could clearly see the scene of every shop on the street.

Right now, the window faces the Xinxing Internet Cafe—which happens to be a shortcut to the zoo.

Jiang Mingzhe didn't recognize the words on the internet cafe sign, but he remembered the grandparents playing chess and cards at the small table set up at the entrance.

He's a kind person who feeds us snacks!

The van came to a complete stop, seemingly behind the vehicle involved in the traffic accident, and the surrounding traffic came to a standstill.

Jiang Mingzhe licked his lips, reminiscing about the sweet yogurt lid from that day.

"Dad! I want to get off the bus!"

I want to go ask for some more snacks!

The driver craned his neck to look at the road ahead, somewhat anxiously: "What's going on! Even the director is asking me how much longer it will take to get there!"

Damn it, I should have known better than to take this shortcut. Taking the main road is slower, but at least there's no traffic jam and I don't have to worry about getting my wages docked.

Leng Zhi remembered the conspicuous green-haired avatar from last night's entertainment match and said, "I'll go down and take a look. I know someone at this shop. I'll ask around and see if we can overtake them in front of the shop."

This is a narrow road with two lanes. There are also some open spaces in front of the shops on the street, which are used to park electric vehicles and miscellaneous items. In theory, it is indeed possible to clear another lane.

The clock of fate quietly ticked away, and Leng Zhi jumped down the steps and headed towards the New Star Internet Cafe.

He also wanted to check if Green Hair was there—and incidentally, find out about that expert Gongsun Shangxiang.

Zou Shugang had just returned from the vegetable market, carrying large bags of fresh fruits and vegetables, and was about to step into the small restaurant.

As if by some strange twist of fate, he turned his head and met Leng Zhi's back.

[ohhhhhhh]

[Wait a minute, let's talk about true love in detail]

[They're actually discussing such profound topics!]

What an amazing couple!

He sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes somewhat vacant.

During the day, he boasted to his former teammates that he would have the opportunity to become the starting player for the WRC team, but his arrogance ruined everything.

"If that's your mindset, then you're showing a lot of disrespect for esports."

Leng Zhi's words in the cramped preparation room suddenly entered his mind, like a boomerang, piercing through Sun Wei's psychological defenses.

However, it's too late to start reflecting now. Those who don't respect competition will not be respected by competition.

Although the bed was large and there were two blankets, Leng Zhi still didn't sleep well that night.

Although President Jiang left early the next morning, and nothing actually happened, the way his teammates looked at him clearly changed.

"Tsk, Captain, you..."

Leng Zhi was speechless, yet he secretly derived a strange and inexplicable pleasure from it.

He couldn't quite distinguish these emotions yet, because the matches were coming one after another, and the heavy training didn't give him any time to think.

A game lasts five minutes, so it's quick to demonstrate. As soon as he gets a solo kill on the opponent, he closes the interface, randomly selects a new group of heroes, and repeats the process.

They fought for a full hour, during which Yu Fu had almost taken over half of the heroes on the battlefield, before Leng Zhi finally spoke.

The competition has officially begun.

Leng Zhi didn't ask his teammates why they were suddenly so motivated; he gave Yu Fu the strongest support through his actions.

KM's BP style is very distinctive, it can be summed up in one word: concealment.

Because they have to choose heroes based on their own side lane, the margin for error is not high. They are very afraid that the opponent will pick heroes that counter their side lane, so they often leave the side lane for the last position.

This was only the first round of cautious probing, yet Yu Fu had already shown a terrifying tendency to attack.

As soon as the first game ended, KM's coach practically jumped into the players' room. It was clear he was really anxious.

"No, we can't play like this in the next game. No matter how the other team plays, we'll stick to position 5 on the side lane!" he said urgently.

Zhuang Yu nodded: "I didn't expect them to be so strong... Let's change the plan. We can't let them continue to have their way."

"Now, let's begin with the second plan."

Meanwhile, Leng Zhi was also calmly confirming the subsequent business plan with Tang Wenshi.

Zou Shu and Leng Zhi are longtime partners in the archer-support duo. Zou Shu's specialty is Gongsun Shangxiang, while Leng Zhi's Crossing the River Carp Fairy is also a forte.

Before KM could gain any advantage over Panzer, Zou Shu on the other half of the map had already started a killing spree.

The support originally assigned to Gong Cheng had to travel across most of the map to return to the marksman's side, trying to help him hold on a little longer—perhaps until Gong Cheng could gain an advantage in another lane?

"You're only arriving now? It's too late." Zou Shu's Gongsun Shangxiang has already crafted a powerful item, officially entering her power spike.

He lightly touched the ground with the tip of his hero's umbrella and swiftly swept towards the enemy support.

Behind him, the River-Crossing Carp Fairy also activated her skill, stacking a teleportation array on the umbrella handle he had left behind.

With economic advantages and better team synergy, the two teams' marksman and support duos are on completely different levels.

The frequent victories on the lower route put immense pressure on Gong Cheng.

Yu Fu played Tan Bian with such a commanding presence that he held off ten thousand men, defending the tower for six minutes before it finally fell.

The commentator was stunned: "It seems the situation is not quite as we predicted. The warrior side is not getting much advantage on the tank side. KM's jungler helped three times and finally gained a small advantage!"

The commentator, already somewhat of a fan of LSG, retorted, "What advantage do they have? They unlocked their offensive ability in four minutes. How can KM possibly respond?"

Even a team as strong as LSG will not be able to handle this, and it will give KM a chance to turn the tide.

The next day, Zhu Hechang cautiously returned Jiang Yijing's call.

He also came from a business family, and even after Jiang's seemingly effortless position, he dared not slight this young CEO Jiang who had taken over a vast business empire at such a young age.

"President Jiang, after you contacted me yesterday, the league has already removed that referee."

Jiang Yijing seemed completely uninterested in Sun Wei. He asked, "What about the others?"

Zhu Hechang: "Of course it's the same. The league has sent specialists to all the city competitions to supervise, and there will never be such a situation again."

Jiang Yijing finally smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Chairman Zhu. We can cooperate more often when we have the opportunity."

Zhu Hechang was flattered: "You're too kind!"

"However, since you are at a convenient time now, I have a few more questions I would like to ask Chairman Zhu."

"Could you tell me how a small team can make it to the world stage... and what skills are needed to build an esports team, and what can be added to its success?"

Jiang Yijing carefully considered his words and then posed several questions in succession, making Chairman Zhu a little nervous.

What does this mean? Is a big shot going to invest in the club?

Zhu Hechang immediately mentally counted the shareholders of each of the powerful teams before speaking:

"Are you looking to invest in an esports club? I'm quite familiar with the investment and profit situations of various teams. If you're considering return on investment, I wouldn't recommend KM team first; their commercial value is too low, and then there's this..."

Once he started talking about the situation of each team, he entered a familiar territory, and his tone gradually became less reserved, and he began to talk at length.

"In short, I would recommend the XRW team. They have the strength to win gold medals, the potential to grow, and the team is full of handsome men and beautiful women."

Jiang Yijing didn't interrupt him. He silently noted down every team Zhu Hechang mentioned—but he skipped all descriptions related to commercial value and only recorded the teams' strength.

Team KM, Team XRM, Team WZ...

Hmm, Leng Zhi has quite a few competitors.

"President Jiang? Are you listening?" Zhu Hechang's throat was dry, so he took a sip of water and found that there was no response from the other end.

"Yes, thank you Chairman Zhu for your generous sale, but I have no plans to invest in the club."

"So, the reason you asked this question is...?"

Jiang Yijing said casually, "I've recently become very interested in Diyao, and I'd also like to learn about esports events... I watched a live match yesterday, and it was quite good."

Zhu Hechang was stunned. He quickly started thinking and finally came to a conclusion: Jiang Yijing looked down on these paltry investments. The Jiang family probably wanted to invest directly in the entire game!

[Oh!! What does that mean!]

[Is this the one I'm thinking of?]

[Huh, why did my comments automatically turn yellow? (blushing)]

Why are you even haggling over the price?

[And he even failed to negotiate the price; my brother Leng lost face so much.]

[Hi, we recommend three times a day.]

The team's official Weibo account gained countless followers overnight, and Manager Chen was so engrossed in boosting the data that he couldn't take his eyes off it.

"Wow, it's only been five minutes and you've gained another thousand followers! Captain Leng, if you guys really win the championship, you'll gain a million followers!"

Leng Zhi took off his headphones, thought for a moment, and said, "More than that. The last championship, I think... was five million?"

Zou Shu leaned over and said, "Captain Leng, you're a busybody. I was in charge of the account back then, and I specifically checked it. It was 5.38 million."

He seemed to be seriously considering the problem and gave a specific number.

Manager Chen was already used to her team leader and deputy team leader's endless chatter and rambling, so she just pursed her lips and didn't take it to heart at all.

"What? You're making it sound so real, but we're clearly a newly formed team!"

Leng Zhi and Zou Shu exchanged a glance, their lips curving into a knowing smile, without arguing—she'd find out later.

The joy of victory spread throughout LSG's team base, and in the past few days, fans have occasionally come to take photos and check in outside.

After becoming a formal team, Manager Chen's workload increased dramatically. Jiang Yijing waved his hand and transferred a deputy manager from Jiang's businesses to assist Manager Chen.

The newcomer, who was originally in charge of the internet module, was suddenly transferred to the e-sports club and had to deal directly with the big boss. He was filled with trepidation.

I heard that the big boss is young and promising, decisive and efficient. He works overtime until very late every day and comes in very early the next day. He has a firm grasp on the departure time of his subordinates who come and go in the building!

On her first day at work, she nervously knocked on the conference room door.

This conference room has now become Jiang Yijing's temporary office, where he is currently talking to a black-haired figure from behind.

"Who's picking Jiang Mingzhe up tonight...? How about we make a bet? It can't be you every day, he'll make a scene if I don't go!"

Jiang Yijing stared intently at the person in front of him, his voice gentle: "Alright, let's bet on whether the next person who comes in has a left foot or a right foot. You on the left, me on the right."

For some reason, the young man in the red and black team uniform suddenly turned red at the tips of his ears.

He muttered, "This is nothing. What if no one comes? Old Tang and I will have to analyze SN's response strategy..."

"squeak--"

The door opened, and a girl wearing black-rimmed glasses peeked out: "Hello, I'm the new assistant manager."

She hesitated for a moment, pondered the conversation she had just overheard, then steeled herself, jumped up with both feet together, and landed steadily on the spot.

—Anyone who isn't blind can tell that one is the big boss and the other is the big boss's wife. Whoever makes this choice is doomed!

"Pfft," Leng Zhi laughed out loud, turning to Leng Zhi, "Look how scared you've made the newcomer."

The newlyweds finally got a good look at the two men's faces. One had a face as beautiful as a peach blossom, and the other was handsome and composed; they were simply a match made in heaven.

President Jiang coughed and greeted them, "Come in, let's get acquainted. This is the team captain, Leng Zhi, you can call him Captain Leng. Leng Zhi, this is the new guy, Xiao Zheng, handpicked by Secretary Li. He's very capable and an excellent manager."

Xiao Zheng was a little embarrassed by the praise: "Thank you, President Jiang, you flatter me."

President Jiang is actually a very nice person, not at all like the stereotypical old-fashioned person people say he is—but one thing in the rumors is true: this couple is indeed very sweet!

Leng Zhi nodded to her: "Manager Zheng, go report to Manager Chen. She will assign you some business."

Manager Zheng left briskly.

Jiang Yijing was actually in a good mood. He looked at Leng Zhi again and said, "Let's continue talking about what just happened. She came in with both feet, so let's... go and meet her together."

Leng Zhi: "..." Why did I have to say that?

[Silly girl, of course I can't take you!]

[It's urgent, could you please turn on the video? I want to see the scene.]

[President Jiang also really likes Mr. Leng.]

[Upstairs, clicked ovo] Chairman Zhu got Jiang Yijing a few complimentary front-row tickets. That day, Jiang Mingzhe was dressed up nicely by his father.

The custom-made red and black mini team uniform looked great on the little guy, and he even had the LSG team logo painted on his face, as well as a small flag with the words LSG·Froster printed on it.

Many fans entered the stadium early, and for such an important event as the playoff finals, they all wore their favorite team's jerseys.

The red and black colors representing LSG and the orange and white colors representing WRC made up the majority of the colors. With some time still before the match officially started, fans were enthusiastically exchanging their viewing experiences and sharing their homemade content, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

A burst of applause immediately erupted from the audience: "Oh! Let's fight! Let's fight!"

Bian Xiangyu: "..." After the team base was put into use, he didn't even go home and lived at the base, focusing all his attention on the competition.

Old Man Yu also began to realize that his youngest son had gone missing.

Yu Fu thought for a moment, then answered the phone.

However, instead of the expected criticism, Old Man Yu showered him with praise: "Yu Fu, you're something else! I thought you were just messing around, but I didn't expect you to actually do it!"

"I saw the reports about your competition! They told me that this is the highest-level e-sports event in the country, and if you win, you can represent your country!"

He went on and on praising them, finally saying, "You should have said so earlier! It turns out you're such a professional team. The teammates you recruited are all very skilled. So, are you confident about winning the championship?"

Old Man Yu's hand went limp, and he recognized the man in a second.

"...Young Master Jiang!"

He became confused.

In S City, everyone knows the Jiang family's name. That mansion might even have originally been their property. Not to mention sponsoring esports teams, they could easily take over the Yu family's businesses.

How could such a big shot invest in this small team!

Old Man Yu suddenly exclaimed, "Oh!"

The second son is really capable! It turns out that the little starlet they recruited back then is none other than President Jiang's newlywed wife!

He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "So it turns out my youngest son is the most business-savvy! He's a genius in human resources!"

Bian Xiangyu blinked but didn't say anything—Long live Brother Zuo! In short, as long as someone else attends social events for him, that's fine.

Gu Zuo pursed his lips. If his goal was to achieve a better ranking, he shouldn't have talked too much about match analysis with Zou Shu.

Tang Wenshi's casual remark unexpectedly became a reality two weeks later.

The first match was the Group A semifinal between LSG and SN. Just as Tang Wenshi predicted, SN's teamwork was not good. Although the original three players and the two new players who transferred back were all experts in their respective lanes, this subtle incompatibility still greatly influenced the high-level battle.

After all, LSG is just too comprehensive.

According to netizens, apart from Leng Zhi's one "inexplicable" mistake, this rookie team has never had a coordination error.

If I absolutely had to point out any shortcomings—

As more and more match recordings accumulated, more and more bloggers attempted to provide professional analysis of the LSG team, but the five players ignored these voices.

Another thing is that in the Group B semi-final, WRC narrowly defeated AT 3:2.

The finalists were officially confirmed after the completion of Group B matches:

Now all the attention of players across the country is focused on the next match between LSG and WRC.

Among them, the biggest winner of the year will be determined.

And the story of this champion team will travel across the ocean to begin a new chapter.

The World Invitational Tournament: the glory of esports players worldwide.

The final competition was held in the largest stadium in S City.

This is the largest sports venue in Asia, capable of accommodating 100,000 spectators.

Gu Zuo, standing behind him, looked constipated. He knew his captain all too well. Although he had been chosen as captain for several years, he hadn't made any progress. In situations like this, he would get so nervous that he couldn't speak.

In the usual trash-talking segment, Gu Zuo would take his place, exchanging insults with his opponents back and forth for eight hundred rounds. The audience enjoyed watching, and he enjoyed hurling insults as well.

Unfortunately, during the playoff finals, the league specifically requested that the captain shake hands with Bian Xiangyu, which put Bian Xiangyu in a very difficult position.

Gu Zuo's gaze fell on the captain's fingers, which were sunken into his palm, and then traced the fine beads of sweat on the back of his neck, making him very uneasy.

He was the commentator for LSG's last match, criticizing their draft picks and bans. LSG countered them with every move, leaving him thoroughly embarrassed and earning him a lot of criticism from netizens.

Today he learned his lesson and left himself room to speak.

However, his partner had no experience with this, and he bluntly said, "This is crazy. Even my grandma wouldn't make this choice."

The commentator gave his partner a look of sympathy.

Sure enough, with the official unveiling of LSG's fifth hero, their confusion was resolved.

A slightly trembling, cracking voice came over the loudspeaker: "Mid-lane Mage! Moon Rabbit Fairy Chang! My God, am I in the playoff finals? I can't believe I'm seeing this hero here!"

Viewers watching the live stream shared the same reaction.

In the WRC players' room.

Jingcheng felt his hands trembling.

The sharpshooter... Lancer actually chose the sharpshooter, the hero he had buried deep in his heart since joining the WRC.

That night, Gu Zuo's words kept resurfacing in my mind.

But right now, in the final match of China's highest e-sports competition, the opposing team trampled Gu Zuo's words underfoot like withered leaves. They didn't care about other people's opinions at all, and here, they selected the system that he hadn't dared to say.

Gu Zuo's figure appeared in Luo Hongshuo's game vision. Instead of retreating, Xian Chang triggered an acceleration effect, showing that she was attacking head-on.

"Unfortunately, they ran into me."

The mage's signature flowing purple array rose up beneath his feet.

"It's time to show them the power of the LSG core."

Jiang Mingzhe wasn't easily intimidated. He was used to being the little devil at home and had never seen anyone speak to him in such an attitude before.

The little devil retorted without hesitation: "Who I am is none of your business! You're the bad guys who bullied the giraffe!"

The other kids didn't notice the flying stones and carrots. They were a little confused as they watched Jiang Mingzhe and the bald boy suddenly confront each other, but they subconsciously felt that they should support their friend.

Xiao Yu slowly realized what was going on, and he stood next to Jiang Mingzhe: "You should apologize to the giraffe!"

Jiang Mingzhe nodded vigorously: "Apologize!"

But the bald boy didn't buy it at all. He glanced disdainfully at the children who were much shorter than him and cracked his knuckles: "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences."

This was a line he learned from a TV series—but he didn't realize that it was usually a line spoken by a cannon fodder villain before they were defeated.

Although the five children looked like they were together, excluding the two skinny girls, he didn't consider the remaining three a match for him. He was invincible among the children in the village!

"He's just a long-necked beast." The bald guy swung his arm and walked towards Jiang Mingzhe.

He was very skilled at fighting, using just the right amount of force, and always managed to make his opponents cry loudly, and the parents who rushed over couldn't find a reason to drag him to see the police.

Jiang Mingzhe instinctively took a step back: "What are you doing!"

The next second, a long branch stretched out diagonally, suddenly rose from the ground, and hit the little bald man's face.

"Ah!" What is that?!

The branches trembled wildly as the long branches swayed, and one of them poked the little bald man's nose hard, the rough bark causing him a sharp pain.

The force was just right, leaving you dazed and unable to think clearly.

A lazy voice came from behind, and Leng Zhi's face appeared behind the steps.

"Whose kid is that? What are they doing? Something's off from far away."

Jiang Mingzhe exclaimed in surprise, "Dad!"

Leng Zhi held onto the small trailer behind him with one hand and carried a long tree branch with the other. After walking over, he picked up an even thicker branch.

Like he was forking away some trash, he aimed the branch at the boy's waist and pushed him further away.

The bald boy staggered back a few steps, and looking at the adult man who was much taller than him, his arrogance subsided.

He sought help from another tall adult male—"Grandpa! This uncle is bullying the child!"

Leng Zhi's eyelids twitched upon hearing this.

He's only 20 years old, so why is he being interpreted as an "uncle"?

Before he could correct the child's address, the old man was already furious: "How can you, a grown man, bully a child! That tree trunk is so thick, my grandson's face is scratched and disfigured, what are we going to do!"

Leng Zhi ignored him, ruffled Jiang Mingzhe's hair, and asked in a low voice, "Why did he suddenly want to hit you?"

Jiang Mingzhe said, looking aggrieved, "He bullied the giraffe, and I wanted to stop him..."

At this point, Leng Zhixin understood.

He was hauling the first load of timber; the other parents were still helping Lao Qi load branches, and he was the only adult there.

A bystander recognized Leng Zhi and nudged his wife's elbow, whispering, "Isn't that the celebrity from the variety show Mom watches? Are we witnessing a live broadcast?"

The woman looked closely and also thought it looked somewhat like him: "It really does seem to be him. I remember this guest's name is... Leng Zhi?"

To verify their hypothesis, the two quickly turned on their phones and started searching.

[Hilarious, Lei Tou is too scared to come to the show now]

[Wow, look at Lei Jun's latest Weibo post! He actually posted a picture of himself in the hospital; he looks like he fell pretty badly.]

[The verdict is: Serves them right]

Lei Shen fell so badly, it's a bit pitiful.

[You sympathize with this?]

In order not to disturb the team's training, Manager Chen led them to the spectator room next door.

Since playing the two-player entertainment mode on a variety show last time, Jiang Mingzhe is no longer unfamiliar with this game. He looks like a little expert, analyzing it for Meng De in a very logical way.

"Watch closely, this game is all about who gets the most kills!"

Meng De suddenly realized and nodded, saying, "I see. So, who killed more, your father or my brother?"

Jiang Mingzhe tilted his head and recalled the Daji Little Fox he had played last time, as well as the double and triple kill announcements that kept playing on the screen.

He confidently declared loudly, "Of course it's my dad!"

Meng De jumped up from the small sofa: "No! It's my brother! You just wait and see!"

The two children, who had just been as close as brothers, immediately became at each other's throats.

Manager Chen scrambled to his feet: "Okay, okay, keep your voice down. Leng Zhi and Meng Cheng are both very capable."

However, her words of comfort soon seemed somewhat inadequate.

By the third game, Jiang Mingzhe had completely buried his head in his hands and refused to look at the screen.

Waaah, why is Dad the one who killed the fewest monsters?

The little ones have only a superficial understanding of the game mechanics; they can't quite grasp the difference in roles between support, jungler, and mid-laner.

Looking at the heartbroken Jiang Mingzhe, Meng De was also at a loss.

"Although your father didn't kill many, he was still very capable!"

"Waaah!" Meng De's pale words of comfort only elicited a muffled sob from Jiang Mingzhe hidden in his sleeve.

Finally, the man who had been silently watching the screen spoke.

"No, your father is actually the strongest one."

His tone was devoid of any emotion, not at all like words of comfort, but it successfully calmed Jiang Mingzhe down.

Jiang Mingzhe blinked his big, bright eyes and looked at the uncle who had suddenly spoken.

The middle-aged man was wearing a black shirt with the sleeves casually rolled up, revealing his muscular forearms. His hair was also styled in a messy manner, with a small braid tied behind his ear.

Jiang Mingzhe inexplicably believed what the strange uncle said.

"Really? But he only killed three!"

The third game had already entered its second half, but Coach Tang's eyes remained glued to the big screen. He didn't dismiss the opponent simply because he was a child; instead, he patiently explained:

"You're still young. The outcome of this game can't be simply judged by kill statistics. Your father provided immense vision value for the team; he almost completely deciphered PX's plans. And the marksman on this side, although he had the most kills in the entire game..."

When Coach Tang mentioned the shooter that Shen Yingcai was controlling, Jiang Mingzhe vaguely heard a sigh.

"But he was the biggest scourge of this whole affair," Coach Tang added.

Although Jiang Mingzhe didn't understand much, Coach Tang's words sounded very professional.

Trustworthy!

He immediately put on a bright smile: "Yay!"

[I feel like he and Lei Tou have different styles.]

[Brothers? You can't raise two different kinds of people in one family. Could he be the next thief?]

[Does this mean a change of guardian? Does it mean Lei Shen has been replaced?]

Leng Zhi no longer doubted, and crossed his arms: "Oh? I saw your Gongsun Shangxiang's skills last night, but I didn't connect it to you at all."

Zou Shu: "..." The captain's mouth is still so sharp.

As if remembering something, he immediately asked, "Your hand is injured. Can you still feel it?"

Seeing Leng Zhi shake his head, he breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, as long as you can still play in the competition."

Leng Zhi said slowly, "Yes, it's good to be able to play in the competition."

These words drifted down softly, and the two remained silent for a moment.

This is the most important thing: no matter where you are, as long as you have a dream, you have hope.

Mr. Xu, who was standing nearby, had already started clearing away the clutter in front of the door, and Leng Zhi and Zou Shu also came forward to help.

When old friends meet, a thousand words are left unsaid.

In the silence, Zou Shu suddenly said, "Yesterday, a registered team saw me on the national server leaderboard and sent me a letter saying they wanted to invite me to try out."

Upon hearing this, Leng Zhi glanced at him sideways and asked, "What do you mean?"

Zou Shu waved his hand dismissively: "I refused outright! I already knew you, Captain, had transmigrated, so of course we should be on the same team!"

Leng Zhi pushed aside an electric scooter: "Some people have also contacted me to try out at the training camp."

Zou Shu was surprised: "You're not a wealthy wife anymore, so why would anyone ask you to play e-sports?"

Leng Zhi: "..." Is that the point?

He didn't know what kind of comments Zou Shu had seen, nor did he know that he had gained a large number of CP fans across the internet.

Leng Zhi hesitated for a moment, then decided not to tell Zou Shu the inside story of the contract marriage in this crowded and confusing place.

He first shared his thoughts about the team: "I was originally planning to take some time to try out, but now that you mention it, if I go, wouldn't it be difficult to team up with you?"

Zou Shu slapped his thigh: "Try it? What a load of crap! Let's form our own team! Just like before. Diyao also has tournaments to help new teams get ahead. If we win the championship, we'll qualify for the regular season, and the world championship won't be far behind!"

His eyes sparkled, as if he could already see history being rewritten in the future.

Leng Zhi was slightly taken aback, but accepted his somewhat dreamy suggestion: "Then we need three more people."

The formation of the LSG team back then was also chaotic. He, Zou Shu, and Yu Fu were the original members. Later, through various methods of recruiting people, they finally found two "easy targets" who also had dreams, Meng Cheng and Luo Hongshuo, and tricked them into coming to play in internet cafe tournaments together.

Only those who have gone through it know the hardships involved.

Zou Shu's next words made Leng Zhi's heart skip a beat.

"If the two of us are here, what are the chances that Yu Fu, Meng Cheng, and Hong Shuo are also here?"

[Ahhh, Xixi is so cute, so soft and chubby, I want to pinch her cheeks!]

[This uncle looks so different from Lei Shen]

[They seem like two different kinds of people; I hope he can take good care of Xixi.]

Ling Feng: "..."

Based on his understanding of Zhu Hechang and Jiang Yijing, he could roughly imagine the content of their conversation.

"So you have to beat around the bush like this?" he couldn't help but ask. "Leng Zhi is already married to you, so why are you two still acting so awkward? He even took a whole team to the competition, and he didn't tell you a thing?"

Ling Feng almost began to suspect that Jiang Yijing's recent focus on this matter was due to marital discord with his wife... However, out of consideration for his friend's feelings, he couldn't ask him directly.

“We are in a contract marriage,” Jiang Yijing said bluntly.

There was a full ten seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

What followed was Ling Feng's incredulous roar.

"Such a big thing! And you're only telling me now? Jiang Yijing, do you even consider me a brother anymore?!"

"You two are in a contract marriage, so you don't have any emotional foundation? I'm guessing it's to shut your grandma up... and also to take care of Jiang Mingzhe?"

As expected of Jiang Yijing's longtime friend, he figured out most of the situation in just a few words.

Seeing that his friends all tacitly agreed, Ling Feng couldn't help but ask, "Who else knows about this? Does Xing Jiang know?"

Jiang Yijing: "Besides the secretary and housekeeper of the Jiang residence, only you know about this now."

Ling Feng rubbed his chin, feeling a little smug: "Alright, then you're still my brother. But if Xing Jiang knew, she probably wouldn't reply to your messages for a whole week."

After the initial shock subsided, my gossipy nature returned.

"So what's going on now? You two are actually in a contractual relationship, and you're pursuing Leng Zhi, am I right?"

Jiang Yijing's ears turned slightly red from Ling Feng's blunt words.

"Cough, that's true, but I'm not officially pursuing her yet."

"Heh, I knew it. You're still far from it. Leng Zhi has already formed a team and is competing, and someone has no idea. That shows how low your status is," Ling Feng said quietly. "You're the big boss, so pursuing your subordinates shouldn't be a problem for you."

“I think we need some more time,” Jiang Yijing said calmly. “Leng Zhi is a very special person. He has his own pursuits. I can’t force him to spend more time with me just to foster our relationship.”

Jiang Yijing spoke sincerely, while Ling Feng closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths—this was definitely dog ​​food, he thought.

Ling Feng clapped his hands and suddenly said, "However, what you did last night was a very correct strategy. You saved the beauty like a hero, and Leng Zhi will definitely be very grateful to you."

“That’s not what I’m after.”

Jiang Yijing had no idea how Xiang Lingfeng described the thoughts that were in his mind at that time.

Ling Feng's past relationships were all passionate but also fleeting, completely unlike Jiang Yijing's old-fashioned ways.

Jiang Yijing once had many suitors, including some who were after fame and fortune, but in the end, they were all scared away by his coldness.

Leng Zhi's appearance was like a lone migratory bird suddenly intruding into a solemn, wild forest.

He has his own routine, coming and going as he pleases, and he won't linger on any tree except for the sky.

Jiang Yijing, a silent forest ranger, was drawn to the small creature.

Or perhaps it was the blue sky that caught his eye.

The Jiang Group has a prestigious reputation, but its deeply entrenched business is destined to remain largely unchanged, and the elders only hope that the younger generation can preserve the family business.

[The new guest is so beautiful! I declare myself a fan!]

[It's not impossible, Lei stole it, let's find someone else to take care of Xixi!]

[He even apologized on Lei's behalf; he seems like a nice guy.]

Tang Wenshi leisurely returned to the coach's seat, and his gaze toward his colleague from KM was now much more amiable.

However, the man suddenly caught his gaze and turned back to look at him, making Tang Wenshi feel somewhat embarrassed.

He suddenly sneered, "Teacher Tang, do you think you have victory in the bag?"

Tang Wenshi: "...?"

He was somewhat bewildered by the sudden aggression from the other side.

He hadn't been to the playoffs for several years, having devoted himself to PX for so long that he rarely had the chance to chat with other coaches offstage.

With staff members watching behind him, Tang Wenshi rubbed his nose and decided to be assertive: "It's not that I suddenly feel this way... how should I put it, it was actually a sure thing from the beginning, after all, my players are very strong!"

Coach KM's temples throbbed slightly—when did Tang Wenshi become such a liar, just like Leng Zhi? He's really been corrupted.

He lowered his voice: "It's not as simple as you think. Gong Cheng will give you a surprise... This is the result of his three months of extra training. He deserves the glory that belongs to him."

Upon hearing this, Tang Wenshi actually suppressed his playful expression.

"Extra training? Which player in the league doesn't do extra training? I never deny their diligence. On the contrary, it's because of their hard work that we have the opportunity to shine..."

Despite being forty years old, the middle-aged man's eyes still shone with the light of a young heart: "Don't underestimate the other contestants, my five little rascals are just as good."

For the past two weeks, he moved his family to S City and devoted himself to coaching the LSG team.

Because PX dissolved the Diyao business, they didn't hold him accountable for leaving the company. In fact, they readily gave him a compensation payment, which served as a settling-in allowance for him in S City.

In addition, Leng Zhi also planned to give him a large sum of money.

However, Tang Wenshi refused to accept it. He smiled slyly and said, "You think you can bribe me? I'm waiting to get a share of your championship prize money... Just kidding. Give it to me when you've made your money. You don't need to take it from your private coffers."

He could tell that all five LSG players were playing with the purest enthusiasm.

Even though it's only a minute's walk from the training room to their individual bedrooms, late at night after training and analysis, they would still stand on the stairs for another half hour arguing over the timing of releasing a set of skills.

Often, when I wake up in the middle of the night, I see the lights in the training room still on. When I tiptoe over and ask, I find out that Luo Hongshuo can't sleep until he solves the problems that were tested that day.

And then there's that rich kid who, without saying a word, seems determined to empty the hero pool completely.

...What a bunch of weirdos.

But that's how games are; the weirder someone is, the more talented they are.

[Hahahaha!]

[Brother Leng isn't buying it, didn't expect that, did you?]

[XiXi: Bewildered.jpg]

"Jiang Yijing, you're here to conduct industry research because you're planning to invest in the e-sports industry, right?"

Unlike Ling Feng, who didn't take over the family business, this guy was a rising star in the business world who started his own business. Xing Jiang got along very well with Jiang Yijing, who was also a workaholic. He immediately guessed that Jiang Yijing was there for business research purposes.

Jiang Yijing was studying the hero's skills and simply replied, "No."

Ling Feng's voice was laced with laughter: "How could someone personally play games to research a project? That's such a brainless thing to do. Our CEO Jiang would never do something like that. There must be another reason."

Xing Jiang doesn't actually play much. He only played for a while when he was in school, and now his interest is completely out of the realm of playing three-player squads with his friends.

"Now that you mention it, I'm even more curious. Jiang Yijing, stop researching the skills and explain them to us clearly. We can find professional players to play with you and make sure you understand everything perfectly."

Jiang Yijing's heart skipped a beat: "A professional player?"

Xing Jiang nodded: "Yes, I have friends who invest a lot in the e-sports industry. They can contact some experts to talk to you. Isn't that more interesting than playing with us?"

Jiang Yijing fell silent.

He didn't know how to explain to his two friends that he wanted to play duo queue with his wife—Leng Zhi's outstanding performance on variety shows showed his passion for the game, even if they didn't know much about it.

Mr. Jiang has been devoted to his career for many years and has little experience in pursuing people. Based on his intuition, he felt that he should cater to her preferences and first transform himself from her role as boss into that of a friend.

He selected a cool-looking hero, pressed the confirm button, and said carefully, "Actually... I have a friend who really likes Di Yao, and I want to learn more about him through this game."

The game entered the loading screen, but teammate McCree's two friends fell silent.

Ling Feng coughed twice: "President Jiang, if I remember correctly, you just got married this year, right?"

Jiang Yijing: ?

Xing Jiang is straightforward, and he said bluntly, "What kind of friend would make you condescend to play games with him? He's not some gigolo, is he? Jiang Yijing, I never thought you were that kind of person."

Jiang Yijing: "...?"

He suddenly felt that these two friends were really unreliable.

"Xing Jiang, don't be angry. What if President Jiang really just wants to make friends? We can't rule out that one percent possibility."

"Ling Feng, this is a matter of principle..."

"Enough, what are you thinking? Actually... it's Leng Zhi. I want to have more in common with him." Seeing that the two of them were making things worse, he explained helplessly.

The fewer people who know about the marriage of convenience, the better. These two friends were not in the know, so their current reaction is understandable.

The match began, but the paths taken by the heroes controlled by both teammates were a bit skewed.

Damn, after asking so earnestly for so long, it turns out it was just dog food (a Chinese slang term for public displays of affection).

Ling Feng sighed, "You two have been married for a while now, but you're acting like a newlywed couple. President Jiang, you called us in the middle of the night, putting aside your work to play games with you, just to feed us this huge dose of PDA?"

Jiang Yijing was following the instructions in the beginner's tutorial, controlling the marksman to go to the bottom lane, and had no time to respond to his accusations.

Ling Feng glanced at Jiang Zong's somewhat awkward actions on the minimap and finally said something useful:

"But Mr. Jiang, you've chosen the right lane. That's how young couples play, one as the marksman and the other as the support. If you practice a bit more, you might even be able to carry your wife."

Jiang Yijing was quick-witted and learned very fast. After a few exchanges, he had already grasped the rhythm of offensive and defensive positioning.

Even people who don't play games can tell from the reactions in the comments that Leng Zhi is no ordinary expert based on his performance on variety shows.

So, after the game ended, Ling Feng heard Jiang Yijing, who had been silent for a long time, ask in the microphone, "Tell me more about the e-sports players you just mentioned."

[Wow, that's hardcore? A blind draw?]

[What if all five kids drew the same group, and all five adults drew the same group... just thinking about it makes me laugh.]

[Wow, it really is, but it shouldn't be that scripted, right? There has to be at least one group of guests who gets to draw their own favorite character.]

His teammates laughed and shook their heads: "I remember what they were called last year, SN team? I can't remember, they were just defeated opponents."

The malice hidden in that laughter was like needles piercing Manager Chen.

She gritted her teeth and retorted, "That's because the competition is fierce, and the teams that participate every year are different, which shows that the competition atmosphere in China is very good."

The blonde clicked her tongue. "Madam, no offense, we're just stating objective facts... So are you here to argue with us?"

“Of course not,” she said. “Friendship comes first, competition second. There are still ten days before the official start of the competition. We would like to invite your team to a training match with us. It would be a win-win situation.”

However, her friendly words only elicited laughter from the other person, whose loud voice could be heard throughout half the restaurant.

"A win-win situation? Beautiful lady, please tell me, what's in it for us? Who knows if you're just trying to find out our tactics beforehand? And it's better to play a couple more games against bots than to scrim against a weak team, right?"

Manager Chen, who had a short temper, couldn't hold back any longer: "Don't go too far! You don't understand our team at all!"

The blond man stood up. He was tall, and his gaze, looking down at people, was extremely imposing. "I don't need to know. China barely makes it to the top four, and it's the same this year. Do you really think those pretty boys can win the championship?"

Manager Chen was about to retort angrily when a hand with distinct knuckles reached out from the side and stopped her.

"...Captain Leng?" She couldn't help but widen her eyes.

The blonde then realized that the most handsome "pretty boy" had walked over at some point.

The Chinese man, whom he remembered as thin and small, was now standing tall with a straight back and long legs, and was actually two or three centimeters taller than him.

Leng Zhi was dressed in well-tailored haute couture, and with his icy expression, he seemed completely unrelated to the "pretty boy" he was talking about.

"What's all the fuss about? You have a whole bunch of reasons, but you're just too scared to do anything about it."

The dark-haired youth spoke in a steady voice, uttering a fluent English sentence.

He tilted his head, as if making a serious judgment: "The famous DGS, it turns out they don't even dare to play a single practice match with us... The main team of the United States is nothing special."

These blond, blue-eyed foreigners had no idea about provocation, and they immediately exploded after a few words: "What nonsense are you spouting! It's just a practice match, a quick BO3, we can start right now!"

Despite the challenge being issued, the black-haired youth instead gave a smug smile.

He gently turned Manager Chen's shoulder and said in Chinese, "Go back."

He then switched to English and retorted, "I'm sorry, we don't want to have a training match with a chimpanzee who can't understand human speech... Who knows if the chimpanzee might imitate human tactics?"

He gently put his arm around the still-unresponsive Manager Chen, but his words were sharp: "See you in the official competition... I hope you can hold on until you meet us. Remember our team name, LSG."

After returning to his table, Manager Chen finally came to his senses: "What about the practice match? Aren't we going to schedule it?"

Yu Fu scoffed, "What nonsense! They're making such outrageous claims."

Manager Chen blinked: "Wait a minute, is Team Leader Leng's English really that fluent?! I've been here for three or four days and I didn't even know!"

"That's because you've taken on too much responsibility, leaving no room for Leng Zhi to make a difference, right, Leng Zhi?" Zou Shu winked at Leng Zhi.

Leng Zhi looked away: "Hmm... I learned a little when I was in school."

He certainly wouldn't say that this was experience gained from participating in world championships every year. Most esports players start training early, and their foreign language learning is limited to the high school level; he was no exception at first.

Since he's the team leader, being in a foreign country means he has to personally handle many things, which has led to a rapid improvement in his spoken English.

At least dealing with these few white thugs shouldn't be a problem.

[Hahahaha, where's the prophet from before?!]

[This is hilarious! Although the five kids didn't combine, Leng Ge still managed to take care of four of them all by himself!]

[They drew the most amazing combination; it's so entertaining!]

[You bet one of the guests drew their own character! They did draw their own character, but besides that, there were three other characters!]

[I can't imagine, with a string of chattering ducklings following Leng Ge, how is he supposed to win!]