Chapter 45

[Other groups also drew this hidden task. Xin Zhou set up his camera on the mountaintop, which I think was a pretty good choice.]

[Indeed, everyone would want to search for supplies at the top of the mountain; there should be quite a lot to be gained.]

[But if you go late, you'll lose out. If Leng Ge goes to the mountaintop to set up camera positions now, he'll definitely have one less camera than Le Xinzhou.]

[Yes, they should have released it sooner.]

Wow, they're using a seafood hot pot to attract viewers!

[On the empty beach, the small cooking pots set up by others are indeed something to be curious about.]

[How clever!] Zou Shu looked at the comments and pressed the plate harder.

You guys don't know anything! This is the highest level of command in the league!

So what if the commander was lazy? Before, Leng played the support role, and his hand speed was the lowest in the team. Which hater dares to say that Leng's team contribution was low!

With such a brilliant mind, he could easily lead a few kids in an escape room game; they should be grateful!

He shook the water off his hands, wiped them casually on his apron, and immediately started typing furiously into the comment section:

As Zou's mother passed by him, she said, "Slacking off again! There aren't enough plates left, and you're still playing on your phone!"

She looked closer and realized that her eldest son was watching the same variety show that she had just been watching.

"Fine...fine, you certainly have good taste. Where is the broadcast on?"

Zou Shu's hands moved with lightning speed: "It's still a locked room. Someone's saying bad things about the guests, and I can't stand it, so I'm going to say something!"

Zou's mother came over and saw what was going on: "What? Someone is insulting the smart and handsome young man? I'll say a few words too!" As she spoke, she took out her phone and joined the army of those who defended Leng.

Come to think of it, I had never heard of his exceptional talent in esports before.

"Speaking of which, to win an e-sports championship, you must need to practice for many years, right?" He casually chatted with Manager Chen.

Manager Chen, who had been in the industry for half a year, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Of course! No matter what you do, if you want to achieve the best result in the country, you need to work hard for ten years off the stage! But the talent of our team members is also quite frightening!"

“Of course our team has talent!” Secretary Li’s heart skipped a beat, and he asked again, “Do you know how they met?”

The person in front of him was the major shareholder's most trusted secretary, and the team leader and the major shareholder were a married couple. Without thinking, Manager Chen told him everything he knew.

"Haha, Secretary Li, you're a team fan too? You're curious about this! This is some inside information that will be written into the team's biography in the future!"

She recalled: "When the team was first formed, it was just Yu Fu and me. We started recruiting team members... Then Xiao Luo came, and then they asked me to dismiss all the other applicants."

"Then, Captain Leng and Captain Zou came together, and the fifth position remained vacant for a while, until one day they suddenly brought Meng Cheng back..."

"I did ask them, and they used to be online friends who played games together. I didn't expect that old friends would reunite and all want to go pro, so the team was formed."

This sounds like a prequel story that can't escape any major flaws; on the contrary, it sounds like it carries the power of dreams and bonds, and if written into a biography, it would definitely earn a lot of tears from fans.

Secretary Li frowned slightly.

Former teammates... This explanation does match Mr. Leng's explanation when President Jiang was jealous of Meng Cheng.

But once the seed of doubt was planted in his heart, things changed.

"Finished talking?" Yu Fu asked. He slowly lay down, closed his eyes, and let the staff pull the blanket up to his neck.

This is also why the production team dared to set up the haunted house segment. The five children invited to participate in the variety show are all fearless. Xiaoyu and Xixi, who are relatively well-behaved, also obtained their guardians' consent in advance.

"Hehehehe, this door can be opened directly, but what kind of monsters you will encounter next is not up to you."

After the audio from this scene finished playing, the latch clicked, and a crack appeared in the small door in front of us.

Esports is not a one-man game. No matter how strong you are, you still need the cooperation of your teammates. Therefore, choosing a suitable team to apply to is a very important thing.

Leng Zhi felt a void in his heart. He couldn't help but miss his four lively companions who were with him day and night; to him, they were the true family who were bound together by life and death.

Dreams must go on, and even if the people around him change, he still wants to pursue that ultimate glory.

The results displayed on the search engine matched his memory, and he had already eliminated this team from his shortlist.

Just like Mario said, they are not a weak team at the bottom. They even had a glorious period. However, their morale has been declining in the past two years, and there have been frequent reports that team members are slacking off in training and not focused on the right things.

Leng Zhi narrowed his eyes, a bad premonition rising in his heart.

Sure enough, Zou Shu started sending a series of questions:

Leng Zhi sneered and switched to taunting mode.

Zou Shu looked at the familiar reprimand and its familiar tone, and his expression lightened.

Leng Zhi is the backbone of the LSG team. With him, the dream of winning the World Championship will surely continue.

Leng Zhi described his first day's experiences to Zou Shu in detail, including his fake marriage contract with Jiang Yijing.

When Leng Zhi talked about speculations about time travel, he mentioned Zou Shu's sister.

He had mixed feelings about the book his sister showed him. Being transported into the book was an unexpected turn of events, but the fact that his hand injury was healed also gave him new opportunities.

Unexpectedly, his teammates also transmigrated with him. Leng Zhi was all alone in the previous world, but his teammates were not all orphans; some had relatives still alive and their families were harmonious, such as Zou Shu and Yu Fu.

The younger sister from another timeline sneezed and rubbed her nose.

Who's insulting her! Is it her older brother making fun of her again? But her older brother hasn't replied to her messages all day, and she can't help but feel worried.

When Zou Shu first transmigrated, he did experience a period of fear and confusion. However, the new Zou family members were all very kind people, and the original owner was a frivolous street urchin, so he decided to settle down first and then explore slowly, and thus made the most of his time.

He didn't blame Leng Zhi; he was genuinely happy for Leng Zhi that the latter had regained a pair of healthy hands.

After chatting for a while, the van arrived at the zoo entrance.

Leng Zhi had no choice but to end the chat and turn his attention back to Jiang Mingzhe.

Qian Yun blinked: "Pretty much... I was also pressured by my superiors to come here, after all, your team's captain is just too outstanding."

He was convinced that his offer was very tempting and would surely break up the new team, but to his surprise, Yu Fu slowly uttered four words:

"Absolutely impossible."

"Think it over again! If it's a price issue, we can discuss it further! If you want to play esports, we can also help you find a new team!" Qian Yun said urgently.

However, he wasn't in such a hurry.

There are still many young people with dreams in the e-sports circle. For them, bonds, friendships, and dreams may be more tempting than money in reality.

But there are four people in this team. Should we take them one by one? Are these four all chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) teenagers who are determined to follow Leng Zhi?

Qian Yun also had the phone numbers and messages of three other people. In fact, he didn't have high hopes for Yu Fu, but he thought they looked honest and easy to fool—you really can't trust appearances.

If all else fails, there's always Meng Cheng. He'd investigated him; this guy was the oldest, practically an old man nearing retirement in the esports world. Although he seemed to be quite skilled, someone who'd worked a regular job understood the realities of daily life and the pressures of reality.

There's always one that will work out. Qian Yun thought to himself. With the victory in the city tournament, the team felt a sense of groundedness in this parallel world, which made today's training very efficient.

After completing the analysis of three matches, the LSG team decided to leave early, go home and adjust their condition, and take advantage of the rising reputation of the city tournament to arrange a few high-quality training matches.

Leng Zhi returned ahead of schedule.

He never expected that Jiang Yijing would be home at this time.

When Leng Zhi saw a pair of well-designed men's leather shoes in the entryway, he subconsciously slowed his pace.

As he walked behind the screen in the living room, he overheard Jiang Yijing talking in hushed tones.

He stood there, somewhat embarrassed, unsure whether to speak up or turn away.

In that moment of thought, he clearly heard the contents of Jiang Yijing's phone call.

"Forming a team," "I don't know," "Jiang Mingzhe," "Can't live without Leng Zhi"...

These keywords entered Leng Zhi's ears without warning.

Leng Zhi was struck dumb, frozen in place.

He had considered Jiang Yijing's reaction if he knew he also had a "side hustle." Would Jiang Yijing think it was shirking his duties? Or would Jiang Yijing demand that he stop his e-sports activities?

It now appears that his fears were proven true.

Just then, Leng Zhi's peripheral bag bumped into the screen, knocking a golden nanmu wood pendant off to the ground.

Jiang Yijing had clearly noticed the commotion: "Who's there?"

Leng Zhi had no choice but to bite the bullet and step out from behind the screen—but his peripheral bag unfortunately bumped into the screen again, knocking down the pendant on the other side.

Leng Zhi: "..."

He cleared his throat and said hoarsely, "I just got back. I didn't mean to listen."

Leng Zhi was completely unaware that Jiang Yijing's ears were rapidly turning red. He made up his mind and suddenly bowed at a ninety-degree angle.

"I'm sorry, I formed an e-sports team in private and failed to do my job properly. This is my dereliction of duty."

"But I will not give up e-sports. If President Jiang has better people, we can terminate the contractual marriage at any time. I have no objection."

Leng Zhi gritted his teeth and added, "I will pay the penalty for breach of contract, but it will have to be paid in installments. I can't come up with that much money all at once."

Since he happened to be called by his boss questioning his behavior, Leng Zhi had no choice but to lay everything out on the table.

If Jiang Yijing doesn't agree to him pursuing e-sports as a side business, then he'll have no choice but to break the contract.

Ling Feng's phone call hadn't ended yet; he was listening to the live broadcast of this ultimate scene.

He instinctively held the phone closer to his ear, trying to hear their conversation more clearly.

Leng Zhi rattled off a long string of words, but Jiang Yijing felt a sense of relief.

It turned out that Leng Zhi only heard the last sentence.

He gently licked his dry lips and said, "Mr. Leng, you've misunderstood. I didn't mean to terminate the contract."

But Yu Fu didn't hang up the phone. Instead, he suddenly let out a disdainful laugh.

Are you going to call my teammate next?

This "honest and simple" young man directly saw through his little scheme.

Qian Yun was drenched in sweat: "I...no, it wasn't..."

“No need to bother,” Yu Fuchao said, raising his chin as he gestured to the other three guys who were listening with great interest. “I’ve put it on speakerphone.”

Qian Yun: ? ? ?

Zou Shu coughed lightly. He was engrossed in watching the show and didn't really want to talk, but Yu Fu clearly wasn't going to let him be so comfortable.

"Manager Qian, hello, I'm Vice Captain Zou Shu. We did hear you expressing your interest in our team... I mean, I acknowledge it. On behalf of Team Leng, I'd like to express my gratitude."

He emphasized, "However, I cannot agree with this approach; it's a bit inhumane."

"...I am Meng Cheng. Don't waste your time on me. The LSG team is completely different from what you imagine."

"Manager Qian, this is Luo Hongshuo. I advise you to focus on the competition. After all, if KM gets shut out in the quarterfinals... that would be quite embarrassing."

One different male voice came through the phone, and Yu Fuzhen turned on the speakerphone one by one to verify.

Although separated by an internet cable, Qian Yun's ear, which was pressed against the phone, was now burning red like a mushroom.

The four members of the LSG team, like actors in a theatrical performance, each uttered a line, completely silencing his little scheme.

Now his impression of LSG is gradually becoming more concrete—it is clearly an indestructible castle, with the most stable structure both inside and out, without a single flaw.

Qian Yun could only awkwardly try to salvage the situation: "Haha... What a coincidence, everyone's training together. Well then, I won't bother you any longer. I was just joking with Brother Yu Fu. After all, who wouldn't want a cold shoulder? It's just that the joke wasn't very funny."

Leng Zhi just happened to meet four teammates online who were so in sync that it was as if they had fought side by side in hundreds or thousands of battles.

He couldn't help but twitch his lips: "So they were gaming buddies before? And then they won the championship?"

Leng Zhi thought for a long time, but didn't know what to reply.

Oh well, a holiday is a holiday. Who wouldn't like a free vacation? Perfect for training.

His luggage was packed last night, and now he was going to take Jiang Mingzhe to the recording site of the program early in the morning.

The recording location on the last day was no longer the resort where we had stayed for several days. After getting into the van, the vehicle drove in a completely different direction.

Jiang Mingzhe had been cooped up at home for two days, and finally he was able to come out for some fresh air. As soon as he got in the car, he started calling out to his friends: "Where's Brother Xiaoyu! Xixi, are you there? Youyou? Where's Duoduo!"

Unfortunately, today's nanny van is still operating on a one-vehicle-per-group basis, and he will only meet his companions upon reaching the final destination.

Today's journey seemed unusually long. Midway through, Jiang Mingzhe felt bored and lifted the curtain to look outside.

Upon looking out, they discovered a completely different scene outside the window.

"Dad, look, we're on the water!"

Leng Zhi didn't move at all: "We're crossing the bridge, aren't we?"

"No, no, we're on the big ship!"

Leng Zhi got up and looked out the window. Sure enough, there was a vast ocean outside. The nanny van had somehow boarded a large, smoothly moving ferry and stopped at the same angle as the window and the ship's side.

He lifted the curtain between the driver's seat and the cab: "Where are we going?"

The staff explained, "Today's venue is a bit special, requiring multiple modes of transportation. In the end, we will use speedboats to transport everyone to the island."

Speedboat? Multiple modes of transportation?

The production team really didn't waste the last day; they had to put on a big show for ratings.

Soon, they arrived at a small dock.

They arrived at the same time as the other guests.

After everyone had arrived, Li Chi unveiled the mystery of today's program.

"As the grand finale of the last day, the production team has specially prepared a special stage for everyone—a small island in the sea!"

"That's right, today's activity is a desert island survival! The guests will need to spend the whole day on the island with their babies until tomorrow morning, when a speedboat will pick everyone up."

S City is located by the sea, with numerous small islands nearby. A small portion of these islands have been developed into resort areas by tourism developers, while the majority remain undeveloped and sparsely populated.

Manager Chen blinked, not understanding what Secretary Li was questioning.

"Yes, they are five really amazing people!"

Secretary Li pressed her temples together and gently massaged them a few times: "Okay, thank you, I believe them too." What a load of rubbish.

He also took some time to chat with the old housekeeper, asking if Leng Zhi had undergone any significant changes since moving into the Jiang residence.

The old butler always had that gentle expression: "Secretary Li, President Jiang is certainly aware of your concerns, so it's best if we don't ask any more questions."

Secretary Li: "..." This definitely sounds like something's changed!

He didn't want to be a stumbling block on President Jiang's path to love, but as a qualified subordinate, he had to ensure the authenticity of all the materials he handled.

He had been holding this in for a while, and today he finally mustered up the courage to tell Jiang Yijing everything.

“President Jiang, I absolutely didn’t mean anything by it, but there’s something strange about this…” he added cautiously.

Jiang Yijing didn't show any particular emotion, as if the secretary was narrating a storybook that had nothing to do with him.

“I know all that you’re talking about.” After a long silence, he finally spoke. “You’re not the only one who’s mentioned this.”

When his friend Ling Feng learned that Leng Zhizhen had brought home the championship trophy, his first reaction was not pride or congratulations.

Instead, there was a long-awaited silence on the other end of the phone.

"Young Mr. Jiang, I might have to say something you don't like to hear... Tell me, is it possible that you've changed your wife?"

Before Jiang Yijing could reach into the phone line, pull the man out, and beat him up, he quickly explained:

"Don't rush! What I mean is, I originally thought this was just a little bit of fun between you two... I didn't expect it to actually become a championship battle, I'm really quite surprised!"

Soon, the cold treatment strategy was proven effective.

The kids used all their might to find all four ornaments, successfully opened the combination lock, and got the car body.

Leng Zhi wasn't actually slacking off completely; he just leaned back in his chair and figured out the structural principles of the toy car.

Under the expectant gazes of the children, he quickly assembled the toy car and, following the instructions in Xiaoxiao's diary, placed the toy into the gift box that was visible in the fireplace.

"Congratulations to the Red Team for completing the second challenge! They finished in 57 minutes and 37 seconds! Now, the guests and children can leave the room!"

The guests from the Blue Group paused in their movements.

They had only found one, and due to the inefficiency, they were already blaming each other.

"Don't be discouraged, Blue Team members! We still have a third round. But from now on, the Red Team will be entering the third round. Although they won't wait for you, there's still a chance to overtake them!"

The door to the secret room opened with a bang, and the little ones cheered and rushed out.

Contrary to expectations, after exiting this door, there was not a third secret room, but rather a wide open space.

A small S-shaped race track was marked out on the open ground with tires, and five coolly painted mini race cars were parked directly in front of it.

"To thank everyone for helping Xiaoxiao put together his Christmas present, Xiaoxiao has also prepared gifts for five children, but they need to earn them through their own efforts!"

"Four children, please drive your toy cars through the S-shaped curves, reach the sandpit on the other side, and dig out your gift boxes!"

Toy race car! A gift!

Leng Zhi vanished in a flash, and the four kids scrambled onto the toy race car and began turning the steering wheel.

No child can resist the temptation of driving a toy car.

While waiting for staff to help the children fasten their seatbelts, Li Chi added, "Only when all the children have received the gift box will the three challenges be considered complete and the timer end."

[It smells delicious! I didn't know Brother Leng had this up his sleeve!]

[My goodness, the neighbors are still eating compressed biscuits, it's like they're on a completely different level!]

[I can vouch that the clam chowder next door is definitely better.]

[Huh, why did it suddenly go dark?]

[Looking next door, it looks like it's raining heavily?]

[Let's check on the neighbors next door first, and come back when it's fixed!]