36

As the morning sun shone through the gaps in the curtains into the room, Shen Qingyu was awakened by the ringing of her cell phone. She fumbled with her phone and saw that it was Shen Zichen who was calling. She instantly sobered up a bit - every time she was sleeping the most comfortably, this "workaholic brother" would always call her precisely.

"Brother, good morning." Shen Qingyu's voice was still hoarse from just waking up.

Shen Zichen's cold voice came from the other end of the phone: "How are you doing at the base? Did you cause me any trouble?"

"Fortunately, I won't die." Shen Qingyu rolled his eyes, with a hint of ridicule in his tone.

Shen Zichen was silent for a few seconds, then chuckled. "I heard from Dad that you were hanging out with Qi Yan all day in Shanghai, completely lost. I asked you to be the team manager this time because I wanted you to gain experience, not just have fun. It's only the second day, and you can't stand it anymore?"

"..." Shen Qingyu's brows twitched, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry, I won't die, and I won't cause you any trouble."

"That's good." The sound of cups clinking could be heard from the phone; it must be Shen Zichen drinking coffee. "This morning is the draw ceremony for the LPL National Competition, didn't you know?"

"I know. Brother Hu told me yesterday." Shen Qingyu frowned. "I'm the manager of the WIN team after all. I can still remember things like this."

"Not bad," Shen Zichen said with a hint of joking, "I don't know who chatted with me the day before yesterday, but I didn't even recognize CAT from the WIN team."

This sentence accurately hit Shen Qingyu's "pain point" - she really didn't know Yu Wang had become the "ADC God" of the esports circle until they met again. She didn't refute it and hung up the phone directly, but her ears were quietly red.

Within a few seconds, Shen Zichen sent a WeChat message: Several shareholders of the company will be present at the drawing ceremony and will sit next to you. You should say hello to them when the time comes, so as not to mess it up.

Shen Qingyu replied with a "hmm". After putting down her phone, she no longer felt sleepy. She pounded the soft quilt hard, got out of bed, and decided to go downstairs to find something to eat.

After washing up and going downstairs, Shen Qingyu saw Hulu at the dining table. Hulu in front of him was completely different from usual - he was wearing a well-cut suit, his beard was clean-shaven, his hair was combed meticulously, revealing a full forehead, and the whole person exuded the charm of a mature man.

Shen Qingyu's heartbeat instantly accelerated - this was the esports idol she had been a fan of since junior high school! Anyone would be excited to see a living idol sitting in front of them and eating breakfast!

Hulu noticed her and greeted her with a smile: "Good morning, Qingyu."

"Good morning, Brother Hu!" Shen Qingyu ran over and sat next to him.

Hulu handed her a plate with three slices of toast and two fried eggs on it, and pushed the peanut butter to her hand: "Those guys get up late, and we usually don't eat breakfast in the morning. These are all left in the refrigerator. You can fill your stomach first, and we'll order KFC when they wake up."

"Okay, thank you, Brother Hu." Shen Qingyu picked up the toast, dipped it in peanut butter, and asked while eating, "Brother Hu, as a manager, what exactly do I have to do on a daily basis?"

"It's nothing complicated," Hulu thought for a moment and said slowly, "I just arrange their meals, supervise their training, pay their wages, and occasionally give them some counseling."

"Enlighten them?" Shen Qingyu was stunned for a moment. "Is there still any professional player who can't get over it?"

Hulu nodded, his eyes filled with emotion. "Don't be fooled by the glamorous status of professional players. In fact, they endure more hardships than anyone else. Sitting in front of the computer for more than ten hours every day to train is boring and tedious. The slightest mistake will be scolded by fans and become a hot topic on the Internet. There is almost no privacy in their personal life. Every move is monitored."

He paused, then continued, "Especially Yu Wang. This kid was recruited by Chen Chenchen to play professionally before he even graduated. At the time, Chen Chenchen and I even flew to Beijing and invited him to Shanghai three times. With the reputation of Tsinghua University and the label of a 'newcomer,' he faced a lot of pressure from the public. But he barely had a break in those three years, completing his Tsinghua credits while playing tournaments. He even wrote his graduation thesis in the tournament waiting room."

The toast in Shen Qingyu's hand stopped in mid-air, and her heart felt like it was hit by something. She had never thought that Yu Wang had such a hard time in the past three years. In the past, in school, he always looked so relaxed, and she thought everything he did was easy.

Hulu sighed again. "Before you, the WIN team had a manager who, without our knowledge, leaked the team's training methods and strategies to the rival team. That game, our strategy was disrupted, and we lost miserably. After that, the team went downhill. After our original company terminated the contract, no one wanted to invest in us. It wasn't until Shen's investment that we finally recovered."

Shen Qingyu finally understood that the "traitor" she had seen beaten by the fat man at the hot pot restaurant was the former manager. She felt disgusted and a little sorry for the team's experience.

"Qingyu, I know Shen's investment in us might just be a way to test the waters and get a feel for the domestic esports industry," Hulu looked at her earnestly. "But, can you please promise me that even if Shen decides to withdraw its investment in the future, don't terminate our contract immediately? They're still young, and they still have the dream of winning the championship..."

Shen Qingyu fell silent. She knew that investing in the WIN team was indeed a "testing the waters" exercise, but she hadn't expected there to be so many stories behind the team. Yu Wang's face suddenly appeared in her mind—that proud and aloof young man, soaring at the top like an eagle. What would become of him if his wings were cut off?

She didn't dare to think about it.

"Brother Hu, don't worry." Shen Qingyu raised her head, her eyes firm, "You will win." She emphasized, "Not only will you win the competition, but Shen's will not withdraw its investment. You will definitely win the championship of the global finals."

She believed in Yu Wang and also believed in this team.

Hulu was stunned for a moment. He saw a complex yet clear emotion in Shen Qingyu's eyes - it was trust in someone and also the expectation for this team. Before he had time to think about it, he heard the fat man's voice coming from the stairs.

"Good morning! Manager Shen! Brother Hu!" The fat man rubbed his eyes and walked down sleepily, followed by Yu Wang.

Shen Qingyu subconsciously raised her head, her eyes falling on Yu Wang. He was still dressed in black, a black sweatshirt and black sweatpants, which made his skin look even whiter and colder. She didn't know if it was the angle, but Shen Qingyu felt that the line of his lips was very tight, and the look in his eyes when he looked at her was a little colder than yesterday.

Yu Wang stood at the stairs, looking down coldly at the two people at the dining table - Shen Qingyu and Hulu were very close, and Shen Qingyu still had a smile on her face. That smile was like a needle, piercing his eyes fiercely. An inexplicable dissatisfaction surged in his heart, becoming more and more intense.

Hulu sensed Yu Wang's hostility, glanced at Shen Qingyu beside him, and instantly understood something. He stood up calmly and moved to the side, widening the distance between him and Shen Qingyu.

Shen Qingyu didn't notice the two people's little movements. Her eyes were always locked on Yu Wang, and her expression was changing unpredictably - there was surprise, confusion, and a little bit of subtle grievance. Hulu laughed in his heart: This girl's expression can act out a drama.

He looked at Yu Wang again and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Wow, this one is even more exaggerated, his face is so cold that it's almost frozen.

"Brother Hu, you've gone too far!" Fatty didn't notice the undercurrent in the air and sat down at the dining table heartlessly. "You actually had breakfast with Manager Gu behind our backs!"

Yu Wang followed him downstairs. When he heard the word "secretly", his steps paused for a moment, then quickly returned to normal and continued walking towards the kitchen. He poured a glass of water, then sat down in the seat farthest from Shen Qingyu, took out his phone, and didn't look at her the whole time.

Shen Qingyu came back to her senses, pursed her lips, and felt a little uncomfortable.

"Manager Shen," the fat man suddenly came over, his eyes wide, "Brother Hu just said 'it wasn't me who pushed you', is there someone else pursuing you?"

Shen Qingyu was stunned by the question: "Ah? What?"

"You're the only 'jewel in the crown' of our team," the fat man said seriously, "I don't want you to be cheated by a scumbag! If you encounter a scumbag, just come to us and we'll help you vent your anger! If all else fails, there's still Brother Yu!"

Shen Qingyu raised his eyebrows and subconsciously looked at Yu Wang.

Yu Wang happened to be looking over here with a cold look in his eyes.

"Brother Yu is handsome. Even without using his hands, he can 'kill' the scumbag with his face!" The fat man didn't notice Yu Wang's eyes and continued to talk.

The table fell into silence for a moment, and only Hulu's laughter broke the awkwardness.

"Hahahaha..." Hulu laughed so hard that his shoulders were shaking. He waved his hand at the fat man and said, "You should worry about yourself."

The fat man then noticed Yu Wang's eyes and instantly became intimidated. He stammered to explain, "Yu...Brother Yu, I didn't say you were a vase. I just...I just wanted to compliment you on your handsomeness!"

Yu Wang didn't listen to him finish, stood up and walked to the second floor, his back still cold.

"Have a nice journey." Hulu teased with a smile.

The fat man looked at Shen Qingyu with tears in his eyes: "Manager Shen, can I not enter the room tonight?" The rooms in the base are for two people to a room, and he and Yu Wang live together.

Shen Qingyu patted his shoulder, suppressed a smile and said, "My condolences."