Yesterday, Qiao Ran collapsed in front of Pei Yan. Pei Yan didn't want to experience this again, and there was no room for negotiation on this matter.

"Su Yang is in the competition, you don't have to worry, just focus on recuperating."

"I... I can't even compete anymore, how can I rest and recuperate?"

Qiao Ran knew that Su Yang was quite capable, so if he let him replace him for a day or two, he might not lose the game.

But it was precisely because of this that Qiao Ran became even more uneasy.

After all, she doesn't have an advantage in terms of gender. If the team finds out that she can be replaced, will...

Pei Yan only took one glance to see the fundamental reason why Qiao Ran insisted on playing despite being sick.

"You've been on the team for so long and have played in so many matches, why are you still so unsure of yourself?" Pei Yan began to patiently persuade Qiao Ran. "Do you think your skills are not as good as Su Yang's?"

"That's not the case..." Qiao Ran knew where her advantages lay. Not everyone could catch up with someone like her.

"Since Su Yang's skills haven't surpassed yours, why would the team replace the better player?" Pei Yan asked sternly, "Or... do you actually agree with those online comments and feel that because you're a girl, you have no competitive advantage?"

"No!" Qiao Ran denied decisively, "I definitely don't think it's any different. I'm just worried about the club... They were forced to sign me in the first place..."

"Zhang Qian hasn't resigned, and I haven't retired yet. Even if the club has any ideas, are we going to just ignore them?"

"I..." Qiao Ran was speechless.

"If you want to get back to the competition soon, focus on getting well. Forcing yourself to play despite being ill isn't just a sign of strength, but could also bring harm to the team if you're not careful. Have you ever considered what the consequences and impact would be if you hadn't made it to the end of the match yesterday and had collapsed midway?"

"I understand... I'm sorry for causing trouble to everyone this time." Qiao Ran was silent for a moment, knowing that Pei Yan was right.

Pei Yan also realized that his words just now might be a bit harsh, but if his attitude was not firm enough, Qiao Ran would definitely not give up easily given his personality.

"It's just the preseason. When the regular season comes, there will be a place for you to perform."

Qiao Ran ate the few remaining wontons in his bowl. Pei Yan's words reminded him that his fainting might have caused quite a stir. "Where's my phone? Is everyone on Weibo talking about me?"

Qiao Ran was no longer in the mood to eat and began searching for his cell phone on the hospital bed.

Pei Yan handed Qiao Ran the bag she had put aside. "The phone is in the bag. The online trend isn't as bad as you think. There's no need to scare yourself."

"Didn't netizens scold me?" Qiao Ran took out his cell phone, but it was out of battery and he couldn't see anything.

"We won the game yesterday, what's there to complain about?" Pei Yan pulled up the relevant Weibo post on his phone and handed it to Qiao Ran. "Jiang Wenzhou took this opportunity yesterday to create a hardworking image for you. Now, most of the netizens online are concerned about your situation."

Qiao Ran used Pei Yan's mobile phone to switch several pages in succession, from super topic to Weibo, and then to his official account.

Sure enough, just as Pei Yan said, everyone was concerned about her health and told her not to work too hard and to get more rest.

"Are you relieved?" Pei Yan took the wontons Qiao Ran had left and fed them to her. "Do you have an appetite to finish your breakfast now? It will get cold if you don't."

"Yeah." Qiao Ran finished eating the wontons obediently and leaned against the headboard. "Captain, I'm fine. Why don't you go back first? While there's still time, you can rest for a while and don't affect your performance in the game."

"Wait a little longer. Your friend should be here soon. I won't leave until she arrives. I'm worried about leaving you here alone."

"My friend?" Qiao Ran thought for a moment, "Mo Lan?"

"Um."

"She knows?"

"Your fainting incident has become a trending topic, it's hard for her not to know about it."

"Too……"

About half an hour later, Moran appeared in the ward carrying a large bag of fruit.

As soon as he saw Qiao Ran sitting on the hospital bed, he immediately put down the fruit and went over to hug him.

"Oh my Qiao Qiao, you are going to scare me to death!"

"I'm fine, I just have a fever. I should be fine after I finish the IV drip today." Qiao Ran had already fallen into the water.

"You're always like this... Can't you be more careful with yourself..."

"Alright, alright, since I'm still sick, please stop scolding me." Qiao Ran could only show weakness.

After saying that, Qiao Ran turned to look at Pei Yan: "Captain, you can go back. I have someone to accompany me here."

"Are you in such a hurry to get me out just because someone is here?" Pei Yan teased Qiao Ran deliberately.

"No...the competition is more important..." Qiao Ran put his hands aside and scratched the quilt on the hospital bed.

"Alright, I know you're only thinking about the game." Pei Yan stood up. "I'm leaving now."

Pei Yan said this, but he showed no intention of moving.

"Good luck in the game!" Qiao Ran waved his hand.

"Is that it?" Pei Yan looked disappointed.

"Ah?" Qiao Ran couldn't figure out what she should do for a moment.

Seeing Qiao Ran like this, Pei Yan no longer expected her to take the initiative.

Then he has no choice but to take another step forward!

Pei Yan leaned down slightly and tapped his cheek with his finger, "Let me cheer up! Lady Luck, shouldn't you give me some encouragement?"

If there wasn't a third person in the ward just now, Qiao Ran would have kissed her...

But now Moran was right next to him, and now he had a smile on his face like an aunt.

"Ah~ It seems that the goddess of luck is unwilling to favor me... Then it seems that today..."

But Qiao Ran sometimes believed these things, and when he heard Pei Yan was about to say something bad, he interrupted him quickly.

He didn't care whether Moran was looking or not. He made up his mind and kissed Pei Yan on the cheek, then left immediately.

"Okay... okay... stop talking nonsense..."

"Don't worry, we will definitely win today." Pei Yan smiled and kissed Qiao Ran on the forehead. Without staying any longer, he left the ward.

——

After Pei Yan left, Moran's smile gradually became abnormal.

"Wow~ Qiao Qiao~ What's going on?~ You're making amazing progress!" Mo Lan pulled Qiao Ran's hand that wasn't on the IV drip, and he wasn't going to give up until he got to the bottom of it. "Tell me quickly!"

"It's...just like what you saw...there's nothing much to say..." Qiao Ran felt uncomfortable being stared at by Moran with shining eyes.

"What do you mean there's nothing to say? There's so much to say!" Moran pressed on. "For example, how did you finally agree to Pei Shen? How did Pei Shen confess his feelings? How far have you two progressed?"

"Oh... why do I feel dizzy again? I want to lie down and sleep for a while..." Qiao Ran slowly lay down, trying to get away with it by saying he was sick.

"Qiao Qiao, you have learned bad things." Although the little flame of gossip was burning in Moran's heart, she cared more about Qiao Ran's health.

Qiao Ran was indeed ill, so she didn't have to tell him if he didn't want to. She and Qiao Ran wouldn't break up anyway, so she could just ask him later.

Moran changed the subject: "Come to think of it, I haven't settled the score with you yet! You were obviously spending the New Year alone, so why did you lie to me and not come to my house and join us?"

Qiao Ran didn't expect that after avoiding the gossip, he would be questioned again.

"I just thought the base environment is pretty good, so I won't cause you any trouble..."

"Qiao Ran!" Mo Lan raised her voice a notch. "Do you still treat me as a sister? How can we, as sisters, cause troubles among ourselves?"

"Oh, I know I was wrong. I won't do it again next time." Qiao Ran only found out from Pei Yan later that he would come because he had confirmed with Moran in advance.

"That's better!" Mo Lan couldn't really be angry with Qiao Ran. "Do you want some fruit? I'll peel one for you."

"want!"

——

Moran didn't go anywhere that day and stayed in the ward with Qiao Ran.

Although Qiao Ran couldn't compete, he was still thinking about it and set the alarm early in the morning.

As soon as the alarm rang, she turned on the live broadcast of the game.

In the camera, the players from both teams have already taken their seats.

Today NSD will play against their old rival SJ team.

Su Yang replaced Qiao Ran and sat in Qiao Ran's original position.

This young man might be on the field for the first time. He looked extremely nervous and kept rubbing his hands.

"It's over... My heart is beating so fast now. I feel like I need to take two quick-acting heart pills." Su Yang kept taking deep breaths in an attempt to relieve the pressure.

"Calm down, you're almost rubbing your hands raw." Zhao Jie didn't expect that Su Yang, who usually looked like a calm person in the team, actually had such a low ability to withstand pressure.

"I don't want to either...but I can't control it..." Su Yang couldn't control his nervousness whenever he thought about so many eyes looking at him in the audience.

"You can't do this. Sister Qiao Qiao must be watching you right now. If she sees your condition, she will be so anxious that she will die. Then your girlfriend's autograph will be gone!" Ye Xiaofan said.

"Don't add more pressure to him. His mentality is about to collapse." Sun Kai said.

Who would have thought that after Ye Xiaofan said this, Su Yang not only stopped panicking, but also slowly adjusted his mentality.

"Wow! The power of love is so great." Zhao Jie never thought that Su Yang was actually a love-brained person.

Pei Yan was actually thinking about Qiao Ran at this time, but he also knew that Qiao Ran must be watching the game at this moment. Compared with other things, Qiao Ran should care more about winning or losing the game.

"Okay, stop talking nonsense and focus on the game." Pei Yan spoke up, stopping them from joking.

Everyone turned their attention back to the game.

Su Yang is different from Qiao Ran. Like most support players, he plays support heroes in the same way as most other support players. He uses standard support heroes and does not come up with any new ideas.

Based on the opinions given by Pei Yan and the coach, Su Yang chose Luban Master as the support in this game.

Since SJ lost to NSD in the autumn season, they have been practicing strategies to target Qiao Ran, a variable. But who could have imagined that just as they were about to compete again, Qiao Ran suddenly had an accident and was admitted to the hospital.

Facing the unfamiliar Su Yang, the tactics they had previously agreed upon were of no use at all.

"Didn't we go to worship together after the New Year holiday? Why does it feel like our luck hasn't gotten better?" Lin Qi saw on the NSD official blog that Qiao Ran was fine, and thought that Qiao Ran would still be on the court today.

"Let's make substitutions. We'll continue playing the same way." Their captain, A Shui, said, "Without Qiao Ran, our chances of winning might be higher."

"Does anyone know the background of their substitute support?" Ximi, who is also a support, is more concerned about the opponent he is about to face.

"I heard that he was selected from the youth training students." Top laner Dun Dun replied.

The author has something to say:

The scumbag author is going to pull the progress bar again~