After returning to the bedroom, Xie Mingzhe thought about the time pressure, so he sat on the bed and sent a message to Tang Muzhou: "Brother, I heard that you also participated in the competition while you were in school. If you complete your studies and play in the professional league at the same time, will you have enough time?"

Tang Muzhou quickly replied, "Not enough, so I applied for a long vacation from school when the competition officially started, and returned to school during the off-season to make up for the lessons. I did this for four years in college. The summer and winter semesters of Imperial Capital University coincide with the league's off-season for one month, so I returned to school as soon as the league was on vacation. I used one month to complete other people's three-month courses. It was very tiring."

This method is good, but Tang Muzhou's situation is a little different from his.

Before Tang Muzhou went to the competition, he had played the game for a year and recognized Chen Qianlin as his master, creating a very rich plant card pool. However, Xie Mingzhe's current card pool is not perfect enough. What's more, he not only has to make character cards for himself, but also a set of joker cards for Xiao Ke, and even has to consider the design of scene cards...

There are still two months until next year's Masters Invitational. Time is simply not enough!

You can't let your teammates suffer because you don't have time.

It was his and Brother Chen's idea to establish Nirvana. Now, Yu Ke and Qin Xuan were also dragged into it. If Nirvana doesn't get good results, he will feel ashamed of these two teammates who were dragged into this pit by him.

Thinking of this, Xie Mingzhe said, "Next I have to make a lot of joker cards and character cards, and I also have to find time to practice cooperation with my teammates. If I go to school, I will only have less than four hours of free time every day. Two months is really too rushed. I wonder if I can just apply for a leave of absence from school?"

Tang Muzhou said, "You can take a leave of absence, but you must prepare sufficient materials. The school may not approve your reason because the Nirvana Club has not been officially established yet, you are not even a professional player, and the Masters Tournament will not start until next year. You can't provide sufficient evidence that you want to compete."

Xie Mingzhe was stunned. His senior brother was indeed experienced and pointed out the key point right away.

Taking a leave of absence is a serious matter, and the school cannot approve it casually. He can't just say, "I want to take a leave of absence to prepare for a competition in the future," right? That would be empty talk. How can the school judge that he is really going to play in the competition, rather than making an excuse to skip school?

Xie Mingzhe couldn't help but feel a headache.

He cannot drop out of school until Nirvana is officially established; and if Nirvana wants to be established, it must pass the league's review, and the prerequisite for the league's review is that the club has registered professional players... This is simply a vicious circle.

Tang Muzhou directly sent him a video call, and Xie Mingzhe answered it immediately.

The man who appeared on the virtual projection screen had obviously just finished a shower. His hair was wet and he was wearing loose pajamas, revealing a large area of ​​his sexy chest, and even his abdominal muscles were faintly visible.

Tang Muzhou was sitting on the edge of the bed. It was obvious that this environment was his bedroom, so he was dressed so casually.

We are all men, so it’s okay if we dress like this facing each other.

But Xie Mingzhe likes men after all. When he suddenly saw Tang Muzhou who had just finished taking a shower, the strong body of an adult man was right in front of him. His hormones almost overflowed from the virtual screen. The visual shock made his heart skip a beat. He was a little afraid to look directly into his senior brother's eyes, and immediately looked away without changing his expression.

Tang Muzhou looked at his junior brother who was looking down at him, thinking that he was thinking about something, and asked with a smile: "Have you really decided to drop out of school?"

Xie Mingzhe took a deep breath to adjust his heartbeat, then raised his head to meet the other person's gaze. He deliberately ignored his abdominal muscles, chest and other parts, and only looked at Tang Muzhou's face. As a result, he found that it was difficult to remain calm just by looking at his face. After all, his senior brother's face was too handsome, and his eyes were full of tenderness...

Xie Mingzhe's heartbeat quickened, and he couldn't help but whisper, "Can you put on your clothes first?"

Tang Muzhou was stunned for a moment, then he looked down and found that his pajamas were so loose that they were about to fall off. He could only chuckle and said, "Sorry, I usually sleep naked. I was just about to go to bed and put on some clothes to video chat with you." He quickly put his pajamas in place and then asked, "Taking a leave of absence is not a joke, you have to think it through."

Xie Mingzhe's ears were burning. He always felt like a psychopath. He actually asked the other party to put on clothes. Would his senior think he was weird?

Forget it. He couldn't take back what he had said, so he pretended to be calm and talked about the main topic: "I don't want to do anything that I'm not sure of. If I don't take a leave of absence, I won't have enough time. Before the start of the Grandmasters next year, I must first sort out everyone's card pool. I can't let my teammates who follow me suffer because of the deck."

I didn't expect that my junior brother is so responsible and capable.

Tang Muzhou admired her for making such a quick decision at such a young age, and his eyes became gentler: "If you apply for a leave of absence, you will have to delay your graduation, which may affect your future job search."

Xie Mingzhe said frankly: "It doesn't matter. I have saved enough money now to last me the rest of my life. After graduation, I will not look for a job as an artist in any company. From now on, Nirvana will be my career. I will manage this club well. Even if I don't compete in the future, I can change my career and become a behind-the-scenes boss."

Tang Muzhou smiled slightly and praised: "You have courage!"

Xie Mingzhe said with some distress: "The key point now is, what should I do if the school does not approve my application for leave of absence?"

Tang Muzhou said softly, "Don't worry, my brother is here."

Xie Mingzhe looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Can you help?"

Tang Muzhou nodded: "Although your application reasons are not sufficient, the school may suspect that you are cheating, but if there is a person with a say to guarantee you, the situation will be completely different."

Xie Mingzhe's eyes lit up: "Are you willing to guarantee me?"

Tang Muzhou said: "Of course, you are my junior brother, who else should I help if I don't help you?"

Xie Mingzhe's cheeks flushed with excitement: "Great! This way, I can temporarily drop out of school and use the next two months to focus on making cards. Xiao Ke and I will have a better chance of winning the Grandmasters Tournament!"

Tang Muzhou said gently, "Don't worry. Pei Jingshan dropped out of school to compete. I'll ask him for the application he wrote at that time for your reference. You can modify it according to his format. Then I'll be your guarantor and take you to the Academic Affairs Office to submit the information. I also dealt with the teachers in the Academic Affairs Office in the past. I know them all. They should be easy to talk to. With my senior brother as a guarantor, there is no reason for the school to not approve it."

Xie Mingzhe nodded vigorously: "Yes, thank you very much!"

Tang Muzhou raised his lips and said, "You're welcome. The new season will start in April next year, and the club needs to submit a map to the league for review in March. You have to make character cards, joker cards, and design a map. Time is really tight. Now that you have made up your mind, then go all out and don't leave yourself with regrets."

His gentle encouragement was like a reassurance to Xie Mingzhe.

That's right, since you have made up your mind to become a professional athlete, you must try your best. Otherwise, if you don't get good results in the competitions, wouldn't all your efforts for so long be in vain?

Either don’t do it, or do it to the best of your ability - this has always been Xie Mingzhe’s principle.

Tang Muzhou was extremely efficient, and he had a close relationship with Pei Jingshan as an alumnus. After just a few minutes, he sent a document to Xie Mingzhe, which contained Pei Jingshan's application for leave of absence and the detailed procedures for applying for leave of absence.

After reading it, Xie Mingzhe felt more confident and stayed up late to rewrite the application.

On Monday, Tang Muzhou arrived at the Academic Affairs Office on time to meet with Xie Mingzhe.

Xie Mingzhe looked at his senior brother who was in casual clothes, wearing sunglasses and a mask, and said embarrassedly: "I'm sorry to trouble you again this time..." As the chief poker player of Fenghua Club, he must be very busy, but he came to school specially because of his own business and even tried to avoid the paparazzi. Xie Mingzhe was very grateful in his heart.

Tang Muzhou took off his sunglasses and said in a gentle tone, "No problem. I didn't participate in the individual competition this year. I've been free lately anyway."

He took Xie Mingzhe into the office of the Academic Affairs Office and handed in all the materials.

The teacher from the Academic Affairs Office asked, "Does your family agree to your suspension? We also need your parents' signature."

Xie Mingzhe smiled and said, "Teacher, I don't have any family. I can make my own decisions."

Tang Muzhou was startled and looked at the young man next to him, but found that there was no sadness on his face, but rather confident and calm.

He actually... has no family?

Tang Muzhou's heart suddenly felt a little painful, as if it was gently pricked by a very fine needle.

Tang Muzhou, who grew up in a very good family and was spoiled by his parents, finds it hard to imagine how Xie Mingzhe has managed to live alone. What is even more rare is that even without family, he is still so hardworking, determined and confident, and has never been depressed or inferior because of his poor background.

Tang Muzhou gently placed his hand on Xie Mingzhe's shoulder, giving him silent encouragement, and then said to the teacher in the Academic Affairs Office: "Teacher, I'll sign the column for family signatures for him."

The teacher from the Academic Affairs Office and Xie Mingzhe were both stunned and turned to look at Tang Muzhou.

The man smiled and said, "I am Xie Mingzhe's senior, or his elder brother. I will supervise him to prepare for the competition seriously after his leave of absence, and ensure that he returns to school on time. Teacher, you know my situation very well. With me as a guarantee, are you still afraid that he will run away?"

Xie Mingzhe's eyes were slightly warm. Deep in his heart, in the dark corner that was lonely because he had no family in both lives, it was as if a ray of warm sunshine gathered in, warming his whole heart.

Brother?

Tang Muzhou was indeed very good to him. It was probably his greatest luck to meet such a senior brother after his rebirth...

The Academic Affairs Office was not familiar with Xie Mingzhe's situation, but the entire school knew of Tang Muzhou's great name. Coupled with the influence of the Tang family, even the principal would be courteous to Tang Muzhou when he saw him.

Since Tang Muzhou personally came forward to guarantee you, the teacher in the Academic Affairs Office also believed in Xie Mingzhe's talent and determination to become a professional athlete. His attitude immediately softened and he said, "Xie, I will report your situation and Muzhou's personal guarantee to the school board. You still have to continue to attend classes before your leave application is approved. I will inform you of the results of the school board's discussion within three days."

Xie Mingzhe immediately bowed politely: "Thank you, teacher!"

After leaving the Academic Affairs Office, Tang Muzhou smiled and said, "Don't worry, this should be done."

Xie Mingzhe was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Aren't you going to ask me why I don't have any family?"

Tang Muzhou gently extended his hand, patted his shoulder and said, "Don't ask, this is probably something you don't want to mention. It doesn't matter, you work very hard and are better than many people. You can definitely make a career on your own. Even if your parents didn't give you a home, you can still build a happy and perfect family yourself, right?"

"Yes." Xie Mingzhe smiled knowingly: "In fact, I grew up in an orphanage and have no concept of family, but in the future, I will definitely find someone I like to marry and raise a lovely baby. There are many things that God has not given me, so I can only fight for them myself."

Tang Muzhou suddenly wanted to hug him. This young man’s strength was truly admirable and heartbreaking.

But in the end, Tang Muzhou just took his hand off his shoulder, smiled and said, "I believe you will meet the person who will make you happy." At this time, a comforting hug seemed unnecessary, and Xie Mingzhe did not need comfort.

Tang Muzhou knew his limits and didn't say anything more about it. After completing the formalities, the two of them had lunch together and he left. Before leaving, he reminded Xie Mingzhe that if he had a card ready, he could always find him. The players of Fenghua Team 2 were waiting to compete with Uncle Fatty again.

Xie Mingzhe watched his brother leave, and the weight of his heart finally fell to the ground.

With a senior as a guarantor, the application for leave of absence should be approved quickly.

As Nirvana's card designer, he would feel guilty if everyone lost in the future due to an incomplete card pool. Therefore, he must make a decisive decision to make more than 90% of the cards within the next two months.

In the future, when the professional league stage comes, more cards can be added.

But at least, there must be no problems with the deck in the Grandmasters.

The top 16 in the country may sound like a lot of spots, but the player base in the country is so large, and the number of players who sign up for the Masters Tournament every year exceeds one million. It is not easy to stand out from so many people and make it all the way to the top 16.

Without sufficient deck support, reaching the round of 16 is simply a pipe dream.

Finding teammates and establishing Nirvana Studio is only the first step, and there will be a long way to go.

Now that you have a goal in mind, just do as my senior brother said, give it your all and don't leave any regrets for yourself!

The author has something to say:

I hope the emotional transition between the two can be more natural. At present, I just have a little affection for each other, but they understand and support each other, and they will definitely be very sweet together. Tang Shen will love his junior brother very much, and Pipi Zhe will also fully support his senior brother. I like this kind of warm love that lasts for a long time.

Volume 3: The Road to Advancement