15. Are Shenju "fighting"?
Lin Jiang's phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang.
Chen Ju took off his headphones, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the unfamiliar number.
There are no notes above, and the last four digits are 8.
He remembered that this was the number Lin Jiang had answered that day, and after answering it, his whole mood started to go wrong.
Shen Ju pretended not to see and put his headphones back on.
...
At night, the lights outside the window are bright.
Song Zhixu, who slept in the bunk above him, suddenly reacted: "What? You mean the KUG management is still looking for him?"
Shen Ju hummed in agreement. "I think so."
Song Zhixu immediately got up. "I knew it! Why did KUG suddenly ask for peace on their official Weibo account, saying things like 'let's part amicably'? Turns out they were waiting for us here!"
He gripped his phone, indignant: "There are actually people in the comments section who support Lin Jiang going back? They even said that outside there are only hotels, and only KUG is home?!"
"Go to hell! Lin Jiang already signed an over-the-job contract!"
"Chenju, what do you think the captain is thinking? What if he calms down and really goes back?"
Shen Ju didn't know.
He changed his posture.
S City is so bustling that even at night there are countless lights. Those lingering lights reflected in my pupils have a kind of fleeting brilliance.
Song Zhixu anxiously sought confirmation: "Didn't the captain sign a one-year contract? If he leaves, won't he have to pay a penalty for breach of contract?"
Shen Ju retorted, "You think KUG can't afford it?"
Song Zhixu found it wasn't a good thing that the penalty for breach of contract for OT was too small, but if it were too large, Lin Jiang probably wouldn't have come to OT.
He suddenly had a bad feeling, "Could it be that the captain came to OT just to annoy KUG..."
He immediately denied it after he finished speaking, "Impossible, impossible, the captain isn't that kind of person..." After thinking it over, he still felt uneasy, "What if KUG plays the sentimental card? And the captain is so soft-hearted... No, I have to go and sound him out."
As he spoke, he suddenly rolled over, grabbed his pillow, and climbed out of bed.
Shen Ju stared at him. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to gather intelligence; OT can't do without Lin Jiang."
Shen Ju sat up abruptly. "Are you fucking crazy? Going to his room in the middle of the night?"
"I'm doing this for the future of our OT! If he really leaves, you can just wait to go back and inherit the family business, and I can go home and grow sweet potatoes."
Song Zhixu put on his slippers and ran out without looking back.
Shen Ju couldn't sleep anymore.
He rested his head on his arm and after a long while cursed, finally uttering a "fuck".
She rolled over, got up, and put on her shoes.
Song Zhixu had a bit of a social butterfly complex. In the middle of the night, instead of sleeping, he went to Lin Jiang's door and knocked furtively, "Captain, are you asleep?"
The sound of a chair being pushed came from inside, and the door was opened from the inside.
Warm yellow light shone from behind the door, illuminating Lin Jiang. He wore frameless glasses, a loose vest, and his hair was still slightly damp, giving him a cool and aloof air, like that of a highly educated academic.
Song Zhixu was stunned for a moment.
Lin Jiang opened the door a little. "What's wrong?"
Song Zhixu glanced subconsciously at Lin Jiang's room. The computer was still on, replaying the daytime match. A notebook was spread out on the table, filled with densely written key points.
A warmth filled his heart, "Captain, it's so late..."
Her gaze inadvertently swept over Lin Jiang's loose collar, startling him so much that he clutched his pillow tightly and stammered, "...Wanwanwan, aren't you going to sleep yet?"
Lin Jiang pushed up his glasses and smiled. "I'm used to staying up late. Is there something you need?"
Song Zhixu hugged the pillow tightly, his chestnut hair slightly curly, his head drooping like an unwanted golden retriever.
He swallowed hard, mustered his courage, and looked up. "Captain, I can't sleep. I'd like to talk to you, is that alright?"
Lin Jiang, leaning against the door, asked, "Did you and Shen Ju have a fight?"
"Huh? No, no, no, it's just that I suddenly wanted to chat with you. Captain, can I come inside? There are so many mosquitoes outside..."
He raised his hand and slapped one dead—there really was a mosquito.
Lin Jiang glanced at the pillow in his hand.
He's fine with having heart-to-heart talks, but not with sleeping in his bed.
He was thinking about how to refuse.
Suddenly, the door next to them was pushed open forcefully, and Shen Ju walked in with a chilling aura. Without saying a word, he grabbed Song Zhixu by the neck and ruthlessly took him away.
During this time, there were low curses: "Song Zhixu, you're really sick."
Song Zhixu retorted, "Wasn't it all for you!"
"You're doing this for yourself." After saying that, she kicked Song Zhixu in the butt and sent him back to his room.
Then Lin Jiang heard the two of them cursing and swearing in the room, throwing chairs and kicking tables, each one shouting louder than the last.
"Won't they start fighting?" Lin Jiang took off his glasses and knocked on the door. "Um, please don't..."
He opened the door and saw Song Zhixu lying on the bed. Shen Ju stepped on his butt and asked him, "Song Zhixu, did you forget your brainstem when your brain developed?"
Lin Jiang quickly left, saying, "Sorry to bother you."
The two people in the room were stunned for a moment, then jumped up and separated.
Song Zhixu complained, "It's all your fault. You acted like a mad dog. The captain must have thought we were fighting."
Chen Ju withdrew his foot. "Who told you to go to his room in the middle of the night? What do you want? Do you want to die?"
Song Zhixu started off confidently: "Can't I talk to the captain about my feelings?"
Then, thinking of the frameless glasses on Lin Jiang's nose, which looked both innocent and alluring under the lights, his confidence slowly waned. "Okay, I was wrong, I was wrong. I won't go again, okay?"
The two turned their backs, both very angry.
Song Zhixu calmed down after a while.
Shen Ju grew angrier the more he thought about it.
He got up, grabbed his coat from the table, and went out. Song Zhixu asked him, "What are you doing?"
"Go explain."
"Knock knock," came the sound from Lin Jiang's window.
He got up and opened the window, seeing Shen Ju standing outside looking uneasy. "What's wrong?"
After a long pause, Shen Ju finally managed to say, "I didn't fight with Song Zhixu."
Lin Jiang laughed, "I know I won't report you to the manager."
Shen Ju felt even more uncomfortable; he found that he didn't dare to look at Lin Jiang at all.
Standing against the light, Lin Jiang was so clean that it could arouse wicked thoughts in others. The slight reflection from the frameless glasses on his nose amplified these wicked thoughts.
My heart was pounding.
He explained again, "I'm not afraid you'll tell the manager, I'm just... afraid you'll think I'm always causing trouble."
After he finished speaking, he turned his face away and pursed his lips.
Lin Jiang laughed again, the warm yellow light dividing the room into lines.
He reached out his long, slender fingers and gently removed his glasses. His desire did not cease; instead, it was released in that instant.
“I know.” His voice was incredibly gentle.
"Rumors are not to be believed; what you see with your own eyes is the truth. Since I joined the team, I have never seen you have any conflicts with your teammates, nor have I seen you curse at people for no reason. I know that you are different from what is said outside."
As soon as Shen Ju looked up, Lin Jiang patted his head reassuringly.
The gentle, reassuring touch left him stunned.
"Alright, go to sleep now, we have to get up early for training tomorrow."
The sturdy horse remained frozen in place.
He suddenly covered his nose and ran away without looking back.
Back in the room, Song Zhixu asked him, "What happened to your nose? Did you bump into the door?"
Shen Ju lay on the bed without saying a word and quickly buried himself under the covers.
The next day, Song Zhixu groggily got up to go to the toilet and saw blood-stained paper in the trash can.
He panicked immediately and quickly pulled Chen Ju out of the blanket. "Where are you bleeding? Did I hit you? Let me see."
Shen Ju refused to come out, even under duress.
He kicked him and yelled, "Get lost!"
The two then went downstairs to train together. Shen Ju had a nosebleed, while Song Zhixu was covering his buttocks.
Durren asked them, "Were you fighting?"
One shook his head, the other nodded.
One nodded, the other shook his head.
Durren: ...
"Both of you, come to my office."
Zhou Wen gloated, "Captain, we're in for a good show later."
Lin Jiang was a little curious, so he followed Zhou Wen and A Deng from the toilet to the office. Looking through the window, he saw the big boss scolding Shen Ju and Song Zhixu.
Shen Ju and Song Zhixu stared blankly ahead, their hands bound together with tape. Both of them felt a sense of utter despair, as if they were dying but couldn't escape their predicament.
Lin Jiang chuckled.
He finally understood why Shen Ju had rushed to him last night to explain.
As soon as Shen Ju and Song Zhixu came out of the office, the first thing they did was rush to the restroom to wash their hands frantically, and they almost got into another fight over the hand sanitizer.
"Can't you wait until I'm done washing?"
"I feel disgusted too and want to wash it off quickly! Damn it!"
"Song Zhixu, if you snatch it again, I'll swing it over your head."
"Come on! Who's afraid of who!"
Lin Jiang looked at them with a smile in his eyes and sighed, "The two of them have such a good relationship."
Zhou Wen and A Deng looked completely bewildered: ???
How did you figure that out?
"Alright, the training match is about to begin. Everyone, put aside what you're doing and your grudges."
Yesterday's OT victory was impressive, and right after the match, a team invited them to scrim. And coincidentally, the team that invited them to scrim today is the same FOU team they'll be facing in their next match.
"FOU is going to scrim with us? No way, aren't they a mid-tier team? When did they start looking up to us?"
Song Zhixu's complaints were not unfounded. When he couldn't get a practice match with OT before, he tried to get one with FOU, but was rejected each time. He didn't expect them to take the initiative to invite him this time.
Coach Fang Luxing believes: "Playing practice matches against FOU has both advantages and disadvantages. It depends on how we play. We need to test their strength while also conserving our own strength."
The FOU team consists entirely of veterans, while the OT team, except for Lin Jiang, is made up of newcomers. It's nearly impossible to gather intelligence while also conserving strength, but not fighting would be a waste of a hard-won opportunity.
Just as Fang Luxing was struggling with his decision, Lin Jiang had already sat down. "Conserving your strength will only make you regress. In the regular season, it's not just about winning; improving your strength is also crucial."
He not only wants to fight, but he wants to fight seriously.
He believes that only teams that have undergone rigorous training can stand out.
Encouraged, the teammates took their seats.
"Anyway, I'm not afraid of FOU."
"I'm not afraid."
"You talk like you're not afraid of anything. Get on board."
Seeing the team so united, Fang Luxing was filled with excitement. "Alright, then let's play seriously!"
People from both sides entered the room one after another.
Seeing familiar IDs, Zhou Wen couldn't help but get excited: "There are so many famous players on the other side. I even watched their matches when I was in school."
A-Deng nodded frantically: "Me too, me too..."
Song Zhixu, who doesn't watch matches, shouted, "I don't care who he is, I'll beat him up anyway!"
Before everyone had arrived, the opposing mid laner started typing taunts at Lin Jiang: "[What are you playing, Jiang? Are you going to play Zed again? No way, I don't want to be Zed by you anymore.]"
The opposing AD carry also chimed in: [Ban it! Ban it! Don't let him pick it.]
The jungler joined in the fun: [Don't worry, I'll go in and gank mid lane relentlessly, I won't let him get any minions...]
Support: [Wow, you guys are shameless! Don't tell me I know you.]
Top laner: [Ajiang, look carefully, those were their words, it has nothing to do with me.]
Jungler: [Kick this top laner right now, he's a spy sent by the enemy team.]
Looking at the overly lively FOU members, Lin Jiang could only type helplessly: [Long time no see, everyone.]
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