Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
As the victory results screen popped up, Xu Ziyan's tense nerves finally relaxed completely. He let out a long breath, opened his hands, and found that his right hand, which had been holding the mouse, was covered in sweat.
The teammates in the voice channel said goodbye to each other and left one after another. Soon, Xie Wei Shining's ID also went gray. Xu Ziyan moved the mouse over it, hesitated again and again, but still did not click the button to request a friend.
He leaned back in his chair, stretched, and looked to the side. Yuan Shaofeng was noisily directing his teammates to charge point A with him. Meng Cang followed silently behind him. Bai Ke was playing solo, and judging from the screen, he was crouching in some woods waiting to ambush someone.
This is TWG's second team training room. Upstairs is Xie Wei's first team training room.
I really want to see Xie Wei.
She wanted to be closer to him, to smell his pheromones, and to have him hold her.
A yearning heart stirred within him, almost screaming to burst forth. Xu Ziyan realized something was wrong and quickly suppressed his restless emotions. He hurriedly opened a drawer, took out an item, hid it in his hand, and rushed out of the training room.
As she was leaving, she accidentally bumped into a chair. Yuan Shaofeng, who was standing next to her, heard the noise, turned his head and looked over, muttering in surprise, "What's wrong with Ice? Did she eat something bad? Why is she in such a hurry?"
Bai Ke twitched the corners of her mouth upon hearing this, and said with a half-smile, "What's it to you? Mind your own business."
Xu Ziyan certainly didn't have an upset stomach.
He squeezed into the cubicle, locked the door, tore open what he had hidden in his hand, and then hurriedly reached behind his neck to tear off the label and replace it with the new one in his hand.
Only after the cool stickers calmed his burning brain did Xu Ziyan finally breathe a sigh of relief and give a wry smile.
He was being marked for the first time, and recently he had been staying up late for several nights in a row because of the new version. He was exhausted, and his marked body naturally craved the comfort of the Alpha.
However, it was impossible for Xu Ziyan to go to Xie Wei for such a reason. His favorability towards Xie Wei was already very low. Xu Ziyan did hope to get closer to Xie Wei, but definitely not in this way.
One such accident is enough.
Xu Ziyan exhaled, stood up, washed her face with cold water, and returned to the training room to continue ranking matches.
--
A few days later, Lu Donglou walked into the training room and briefly explained the arrangements for the afternoon training match. Xu Ziyan was naturally assigned to the medical station.
Although there has been no official announcement yet, the roster for the scrims speaks volumes. When the new season starts, Xu Ziyan will be the starting medic for TWG's second team.
"...There's one more thing." Lu Donglou closed his data analysis notebook. "The new Rookie Cup is about to begin."
Unlike other games' rookie tournaments, the Resistance Rookie Tournament is not hosted by various live streaming platforms, but by the official organizers. As a result, it has a high level of traffic and attention, and many of today's star players have emerged from the Rookie Tournament.
However, the format of the Rookie Cup is also very special. The top league is 4V4, but the Rookie Cup is a solid 1V1. Therefore, snipers and medics who are not suitable for close-range gunfights are not popular in the Rookie Cup. Most Rookie Cup players are assault players.
Yuan Shaofeng, who had assumed the role was his, looked bewildered: "Huh? Our second team doesn't have any new recruits either, could it be me? But wait, I've been around for so long, I still wouldn't qualify..."
Lu Donglou glanced at him, unable to bear looking directly at him: "It wasn't you."
"Who is that?" Bai Ke popped her head out from behind the screen, asking the question while her eyes were already looking in the direction of the other side of the training room.
Xu Ziyan sat in her seat, turned her head, and met Bai Ke's gaze.
This second team sniper has a rather eccentric personality, but his intuition is exceptionally accurate, and he has sharp eyes. When he looks at you, it's as if he can see right through you, creating an indescribable and strange feeling.
He had just shown a puzzled expression and looked back when he heard Lu Donglou finish speaking.
"Our TWG's selection for the Rookie Cup this year is Ice, Xu Ziyan."
Xu Ziyan was taken aback. The Rookie Cup wasn't a huge tournament, but it wasn't small either. It was a good opportunity for the team's promising assault players to showcase their talents and get used to the rhythm of the game. But now, they'd chosen him, a medic? Why would they choose him?
Looking at Bai Ke again, he saw the Beta youth raising the corners of his lips and giving him a smile.
It seems this outcome was expected.
He felt something was off, but couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he simply returned a smile.
Lu Donglou, oblivious to their brief exchange of glances, continued, "Ice, come to the coach's office after the practice match. I'd like to discuss the match schedule with you."
Xu Ziyan nodded.
After Lu Donglou finished speaking, he waved his hand and told them to train on their own.
Xu Ziyan returned to the game interface, clicked the queue button, and while waiting, a message lit up in the lower right corner.
He clicked on it.
[KK: Ice, to be honest.]
[KK: Do you know someone inside the team?]
That was a very subtle and tactful way of putting it.
To put it more bluntly: Ice, did you use connections?
Xu Ziyan kept in mind her promise to Xie Wei and decided to play dumb to the end. To avoid saying anything too much and making a mistake, she only cautiously typed a question mark.
Bai Ke seemed to sense his wariness and began to explain.
[KK: You misunderstood. I wasn't questioning your abilities or anything like that. Everyone in the team has witnessed your performance; there's no mistake about that.]
[KK: My meaning is very simple, I just wanted to ask if you know anyone in the team, that's all.]
Xu Ziyan did not lower her guard because of this, and only gave a perfunctory reply.
Ice: I don't know him.
Ice: You're overthinking it.
Bai Ke could see his determination to keep his mouth shut, and wisely refrained from asking any further questions.
In the afternoon, after the training match, Xu Ziyan went to the coach's room as instructed.
To his surprise, the people sitting in the coaching room were not only Lu Donglou, but also the head coach of the first team, Yu Guangzhou.
Xu Ziyan could not hide his surprise: "Coach, coach is good."
Lu Donglou smiled and asked him to sit down: "This is Coach Yu Guangzhou, who is also the head coach of our TWG team. He is in charge of the selection for the Rookie Cup. It's a good time for him to explain the rules to you."
Xu Ziyan nodded blankly and sat down as instructed.
Yu Guangzhou took a sip of tea and calmly observed the young man in front of him.
Even with a critical eye, the Omega before them could be described as beautiful. Tall and slender, with fair skin, long legs, captivating eyes, full lips, and a gentle, approachable smile even when not smiling. From his manners to his speech, he was very well-mannered, possessing an indescribable charm that made people feel comfortable.
He is indeed a pretty good kid.
And Xie Wei... they are a good match.
No, no, what am I thinking? What's with this feeling of secretly coming over to see my child's partner?
Yu Guangzhou coughed lightly and put down his teacup.
Judging people is one thing, but getting the important things done is another. He briefly explained the format of the Rookie Cup, sent Xu Ziyan a group number, and explained the process of the 1V1 training matches.
The Rookie Cup is both an opportunity and a pressure; once you participate, you'll be carrying the team's name on your shoulders. Xu Ziyan is also a medical professional, so her usual training methods are completely different from the training required for 1V1 matches, thus requiring twice the amount of training.
As he listened to Yu Guangzhou's words, he silently made plans in his mind, but at the same time he was a little unsure: could he really do it well?
After explaining the schedule, Yu Guangzhou picked up his teacup, took another sip of water, looked at the Omega in front of him, and finally couldn't help but voice the probing question that had been lurking in his heart for a long time.
Are you curious as to why you were chosen to participate in the Rookie Cup?
Xu Ziyan was unsure of Yu Guangzhou's intention in asking this question, and nodded hesitantly: "Yes... in terms of performance, it would be better to select an assault team."
"Our team doesn't lack this honor. The main reason is to give newcomers a chance and space to train. It's been a long time since a new medical player has appeared in this competition. It's also to give the audience a fresh feeling," Yu Guangzhou said with a smile. "Of course, these are secondary reasons."
"The main reason is that someone recommended you to me, and I trust that person's judgment, plus your recent performance in ranked matches has indeed been outstanding."
Is anyone there?
Who is it?
Someone who can speak with the head coach and recommend players for the game...
A name immediately came to mind.
Xu Ziyan's eyes widened, his heart pounded, and his hands, hanging at his sides, clenched unconsciously. He looked up at Yu Guangzhou: "This person is..."
Yu Guangzhou observed his expression and said with a smile, "It's Shining, Xie Wei."
thumping--
Fireworks seemed to explode in his mind, so dazzling that Xu Ziyan felt dizzy. He suddenly stood up, then realized it was inappropriate and hurriedly sat back down, desperately trying to hide his joy and surprise, but it was too late.
Xie Wei recommended me. Does this mean that he doesn't dislike me and is still paying attention to me?
The heat that had been suppressed on the back of her neck suddenly surged up again, and Xu Ziyan desperately tried to maintain her last bit of composure: "Thank you, Coach, I will definitely do my best!"
Seeing his reaction, Yu Guangzhou and Lu Donglou exchanged a glance, both understanding the situation.
Yu Guangzhou laughed and said, "Alright, alright, you should certainly work hard, but don't neglect rest. You should go back to training now."
Xu Ziyan nodded vigorously.
As he walked out of the coach's room into the corridor, he touched his face; it was already a little hot.
This is not only because of excitement, but also because of the restlessness of pheromones.
He started wanting to see Xie Wei again.
We need to quickly replace the label...
--
On the other side, in a training room.
After the training match ended, Xie Wei returned to his seat, looked around, suddenly frowned, and turned to ask Shen Xiao at the camera next to him, "Where's the coach?"
"Old Yu?" Shen Xiao usually only wears half an earphone when he's not playing games. "It seems like he went to the second team."
"Second team?"
Xie Wei frowned, then thought of Yu Guangzhou's strange behavior when she recommended Xu Ziyan yesterday.
...Could this person have gone to find Xu Ziyan?
Yu Guangzhou, having spent a lot of time with manager Jiang Yuxin, has become quite gossipy. TWG is a team that doesn't restrict relationships within the team as long as it doesn't affect the game, so whenever there's any hint of romance between someone in the team, Yu Guangzhou always makes sure to join in and gossip.
If Yu Guangzhou believed he and Xu Ziyan were having an affair, he was truly capable of going to their door to watch the spectacle!
Shen Xiao glanced at the time, preparing to start his live stream to fill up some time. Before starting, he asked the super popular streamer next to him as usual, "Hey, Captain Xie, wanna duo queue?"
Turning her head, she found that Xie Wei, who had just sat down, had stood up again and was walking out.
Shen Xiao was taken aback: "Hey, hey, where are you going?"
Xie Wei ignored him completely, quickly walked out of the training room, and went downstairs.
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