Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Back in the training room, Xu Ziyan opened the game and found a new friend request. The person claimed to be a manager of WOF and wanted to talk to him about something.
He frowned, wondering what WOF's manager wanted to talk to one of his TWG teammates about.
Behind him, Bai Ke passed by, saw his screen, and smiled knowingly: "This person probably wants to poach you from WOF."
Xu Ziyan said, "Dig me?"
Bai Ke said, "If you add him, the process will probably be that he promises you a starting position on the team, plus a much higher annual salary than you have now, to get you to join their team."
"WOF's first team starter?" Xu Ziyan asked incredulously. "Me?"
Although WOF's strength in the resistance field is not as great as the three giants TWG, KW, and FTK, they are still regular participants in the World Championships and have won many regular season and Mid-Season Invitational titles, making them a very strong veteran team.
Seeing his incredulous expression, Bai Ke said speechlessly, "Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about your own abilities? Rookie Cup champion? Those managers have sharp eyes. How could they let go of a promising rookie like you? Besides, WOF is indeed in dire need of healers, especially an offensive healer like you."
"Well, it seems that you can make the first team if you stay with TWG, so it doesn't matter."
That same phrase again.
Xu Ziyan wasn't so naive as to think he could easily knock Qu Qingyue out of the first team's starting position, but Bai Ke was so certain, which puzzled him.
However, Xu Ziyan didn't ask, but instead said, "KK, you're so experienced, have you been poached before?"
Bai Ke replied matter-of-factly, "That's not certain."
Xu Ziyan asked, "Then why didn't you go?"
He didn't finish his question, but Bai Ke understood what he meant and waved her hand with a smile, saying, "Because I was out of my mind back then. If I had another chance, would I be any better?"
Xu Ziyan knew that the reason was definitely not as simple as Bai Ke saying "he's got a brain fart," but he didn't ask further. Bai Ke must have his own reasons for not telling him.
Bai Ke clearly appreciated his emotionally intelligent behavior and chatted with him for a few more minutes until Lu Donglou came in, at which point she returned to her seat.
From Bai Ke's words and actions, Xu Ziyan sensed that Bai Ke probably knew something before he did, which was why he said those things.
But what exactly is it?
A sense of unease crept into his heart. His phone vibrated; someone had sent him a new message.
Xie Wei: I watched today's match; they played very well.
Xu Ziyan's eyes lit up, and she quickly picked up her phone to reply to the message, putting her doubts out of her mind.
TWG's loss in the first match seemed to be simply due to a lack of form. In the second match against UNC, they won two games in just forty minutes, securing an invincible victory.
The online opinion naturally shifted from overwhelming criticism to unanimous praise. However, some criticisms still targeted Qu Qingyue, saying that she dragged the whole team down and that if it weren't for the excellent performance of the other team members, TWG would have been defeated by her again.
Some even started a thread on an online forum titled: "Let's discuss whether Clear's performance this season has reached the point where he can retire."
In an instant, Qu Qingyue became the target of public criticism.
It's really strange that we have to suffer this malice even though we won the game.
Xu Ziyan also went to watch the match recording. Although Qu Qingyue's performance was not the best, she was definitely not as useless as the haters on the internet said.
Bai Ke said that he would replace Qu Qingyue and become a starting player on the team.
Why?
Xu Ziyan was completely baffled, and just as he was wondering what was going on, the second match for the second team started.
This time, their opponent was also a strong team, KW's second team. They won the match smoothly once again, and Xu Ziyan was even selected as the MVP of the game due to his outstanding performance.
Suddenly, even more comments emerged praising him and criticizing Qu Qingyue.
Soon, Qu Qingyue's fans began to regard Xu Ziyan as their enemy, and the two fan groups fought fiercely. The fire burned brighter and brighter, and in the end, the situation became "Xu Ziyan and Qu Qingyue are irreconcilable enemies".
The development of this situation was inexplicable to Xu Ziyan, and she had no idea what was going on. So she simply stopped looking at Weibo and decided to avoid seeing it altogether.
Qu Qingyue sent him a message, both amused and exasperated, to comfort him, saying that online opinions are always like this and that he shouldn't take it to heart.
Days passed by, and as the year drew to a close, the streets grew increasingly lively. TWG's first and second teams won their next two matches without any further setbacks.
On New Year's Day, although the training base did not have a holiday because the season was still ongoing, the training burden was reduced, which gave them a chance to catch their breath.
After finishing a ranked match, Xu Ziyan looked up at the window and saw snowflakes falling from the night sky like falling stars.
He exclaimed "Ah!" and murmured, "It's snowing."
Upon hearing his words, Yuan Shaofeng also looked out the window, then exclaimed excitedly like a child, "It's snowing! The first snow! Hey, KK, Hide, come and see!"
Bai Ke was lifted from her seat and pulled to the window. She glanced at Xue, then at Xu Ziyan, who looked thoughtful, and asked, "Ice, what are you thinking about?"
Xu Ziyan snapped out of her reverie and smiled, "I was thinking, this is the first snow. It's said that if you can watch the first snow with your loved one, the two of you will be together forever."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ke's expression twisted slightly, revealing an indescribable look: "...I didn't expect you to be a romantic."
Clearly, they didn't grasp the gentleness and beauty within at all.
However, Yuan Shaofeng, who was standing behind him, turned red upon hearing this.
Meng Cang looked at Xu Ziyan and said, "Ice, aren't you planning to spend today with your partner?"
These past few days have been filled with training and competitions, so much so that Xu Ziyan hadn't thought about this matter for a long time. Hearing the question suddenly, he paused for a moment before replying, "Yes, he's in another city."
“Living in a different place,” Yuan Shaofeng sighed, “it’s really not easy.”
Bai Ke glanced at Xu Ziyan with a half-smile, but said nothing.
Xu Ziyan almost suspected that Bai Ke knew something. He pretended not to notice, picked up his phone, hesitated for a moment, and opened the chat interface with Xie Wei.
[Xu Ziyan: Captain, are you free tonight?]
[Xu Ziyan: I'd like to invite you to dinner.]
His heart was pounding, and almost as soon as he sent the message, he regretted it and wanted to take it back. But Xie Wei didn't give him that chance and quickly sent a reply.
[Xie Wei: Later is fine.]
--
Because it was New Year's Day, the streets and alleys were almost packed with people. White snowflakes danced among the bustling crowds, and the colorful lights that hadn't been taken down from Christmas a few days ago shone with vibrant colors.
Xu Ziyan, fearing being seen, deliberately chose to meet outside the base. Soon after, Xie Wei's silver-white sports car pulled up in front of him as agreed.
He opened the car door, sat in the passenger seat, and felt inexplicably nervous.
Xie Wei was wearing a beige sweater today, his hair casually falling over his forehead, making him look much gentler. He looked down and adjusted the car's heater, then smiled at Xu Ziyan: "Sorry to keep you waiting. It must be quite cold outside. What are you planning to take me to eat?"
Xu Ziyan's inner voice was pounding wildly, but on the surface he still tried to remain calm and put on a big smile: "I often go to this restaurant, but I don't know if it suits the captain's taste."
Xie Wei handed him her phone, indicating that he should enter the address into the navigation.
Xu Ziyan carefully took the phone and was typing when it suddenly vibrated, and a new message received on Line appeared in the top navigation window.
He swore that seeing this message was absolutely due to force majeure.
[Clear: Captain, what are you doing?]
It is Qu Qingyue.
Xu Ziyan felt a strange, indescribable feeling. Perhaps it was his intuition as a fellow Omega, but he felt that Qu Qingyue was sending Xie Wei a message at this time because she wanted to ask Xie Wei out.
He quickly entered the address and returned the phone to Xie Wei.
Xie Wei took the message, glanced at it casually, tapped it a few times, and then stopped replying, focusing on driving.
Seeing this, Xu Ziyan inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.
The two barely spoke the rest of the way, yet the atmosphere wasn't awkward. The car was nicely heated, and the outside was brightly lit and bustling with activity.
Upon arriving at their destination, Xie Wei parked the car and got out with Xu Ziyan.
This restaurant mainly serves dishes from Xu Ziyan's hometown, and the flavors are milder than those in City A. Xie Wei wasn't picky and left the ordering entirely to Xu Ziyan. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Why did you suddenly decide to treat me to dinner?"
Xu Ziyan was prepared for this question and smiled, saying, "It's to thank you for the late-night snack last time."
"Borrow and return?" Xie Wei chuckled. "Why does it sound like a transaction? But it's perfect timing, I also have something I want to talk to you about."
Xu Ziyan couldn't think of anything Xie Wei could want to talk to him about, so he quickly asked, "What is it?"
"You've been in the second team for a while now, how's it going?"
This topic is more like casual conversation than "something came up".
Xu Ziyan truthfully replied, "Everyone in the second team is very nice."
Xie Wei said, "There's been a lot of commotion online these past few days. I was a little worried at first, but I'm relieved to see that you haven't been affected."
Xu Ziyan knew he was referring to the online fans who were putting him and Qu Qingyue together in a pointless argument, and he felt a little helpless: "After all, people can say whatever they want, I can't control that."
Xie Wei asked, "Don't you have any ideas?"
Xu Ziyan said, "What are you thinking about..."
Halfway through the conversation, I suddenly felt a strong sense of déjà vu; it seemed like this conversation had happened somewhere before.
Bai Ke seems to have asked herself similar questions before.
The difference between Bai Ke asking the question and Xie Wei asking it is completely different.
Xu Ziyan was unsure about the current situation, so he spoke cautiously: "I...did think about joining the first team, but I think my current level is not comparable to Clear's, and I also lack match experience. I have never taken what those people on the internet said seriously."
Xie Wei was taken aback, then smiled helplessly and said, "I was just asking casually, don't overthink it, let's eat."
However, he didn't clearly explain what he wanted to talk to Xu Ziyan about.
After they finished eating, the two returned to the car. Xie Wei didn't start the car right away. Instead, she reached into the glove compartment on the passenger side, took out a beautifully packaged small box, handed it to Xu Ziyan, and said, "Happy New Year."
Seeing the young man's delighted expression, he smiled and said, "Actually, I wanted to give it to you on the day you won your first match, but I was too busy and missed it, so I'm giving it to you as a New Year's gift. Well, it's also a way of thanking you for bringing me food before."
Xu Ziyan was overjoyed and looked up at Xie Wei.
Outside the window, traffic flowed by, and the headlights and streetlights blurred the outline of the man in front of him. The tall and handsome Alpha had gentle eyes and was looking at him intently, the light in his eyes seemingly possessing a captivating power.
The aroma of lemon and mint wafted around, subtly mixed with the sweetness of fruit.
A surge of courage welled up in Xu Ziyan's heart. He reached out and unbuckled his seatbelt, leaned forward, and kissed Xie Wei's lips.
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