This realization made Lin Meng feel very disappointed.
She was playing with her mobile phone in her hand, but suddenly stopped and slowly opened the WeChat contact list.
In the list, the chat box with E_Silence was sunk below.
It seems like I talk to everyone more than this.
The content of the speech still stayed on some unpleasant topics.
Lin Meng looked down quietly for a long time, then she let out a long breath.
Too many things had happened recently, so many that they had blinded her eyes. Some sudden changes in her emotions had caused her to have a nearly distorted understanding of herself and Yu Mo's situation...
What is the most important thing to them... She almost forgot.
Lin Meng raised her hands and covered her eyes.
After being hungry for two days, Yu Mo finally got the approval of the attending physician and was allowed to eat some liquid food. Xiao Xingheng went to buy some porridge early in the morning, and when he came back, he saw that Yu Mo had turned on the Internet TV in the VIP ward, which was broadcasting last year's BPL Spring Tournament.
Xiao Xingheng glanced at the TV screen and asked in surprise, "The top 16 qualifying round?"
"Yeah." Yu Mo said, "Do you recognize your old boss?"
Xiao Xingheng naturally recognized the team playing at a glance. He placed the steaming hot breakfast on Yu Mo's bedside table, pulled a chair and sat down, staring intently, "Why did you suddenly think of watching Winter's match?"
"The more I watch, the more I think Winter's team is well-made." Yu Mo pointed at the LCD screen and said seriously, "If it weren't for Dan Zong's poor condition, we would definitely have finished higher than the top 16 last year."
Dan Zong is Winer's veteran sniper, known by his in-game ID "Badan." At 25, he's essentially reached the upper limit of his professional player lifespan. Xiao Xingheng joined the team at the same time as Dan Zong, and while he's slightly younger, they have a decent personal relationship. Xiao Xingheng understands the plight of professional players of his age plagued by occupational illnesses. He himself was fortunate to have met Yu Mo and Team E, allowing him to retire honorably at the peak of his powers. It's precisely because of this that when he sees Dan Zong's plight, he always puts himself in his shoes and feels even more sorry.
Xiao Xingheng said, "The team probably thought he could drag it out in the Spring Split, but who knew he couldn't even make it to the Round of 16." He shook his head and said, "Dan Zong sent me a message the day before yesterday saying he didn't really want to play in the Fall Split this year."
"Why?" Yu Mo was a little surprised.
"My mentality collapsed," Xiao Xingheng said, crossing his arms. "The whole team is clinging to him and won't let him retire. Every time he mentions it, he's accused of having no fighting spirit or sense of responsibility. His hand injury is pretty serious, and when the team doctor said he could still play after pain relief, he felt so disappointed. He felt like the whole team didn't treat him as one of their own, or even as a human being."
Yu Mo said, "I remember Winter had several low points, right? There was even one time when they almost disbanded."
"Yes," Xiao Xingheng said, "It was Boss Dan who gritted his teeth and carried them through. There was one time when Yi Gang and Maze were determined to leave, but Boss Dan talked them back. Seriously, you don't know how good Boss Dan is at talking. He's as thick-skinned as a city wall. He grabbed Yi Gang and Maze by the arms at the entrance of the circle and wouldn't let go for four or five hours. It was a tug-of-war. In the end, he was reduced to tears and finally gave in." Recalling the past, he felt both sad and amused, shaking his head and saying, "The cohesion of the whole team probably lies in Boss Dan."
"Winter has placed too much of his burden and hope on Mr. Dan." Yu Mo said calmly, "No one is an iron man. Everyone gets tired sometimes."
"It can't be helped. Those brats on the team won't submit to anyone but Badan." Xiao Xingheng said, "They said they'd be fine playing with Badan even if they lost, but they just won't let him go."
"This mentality is seriously flawed," Yu Mo said. "It's going to be a vicious cycle. When Dan Zong suffers a losing streak and is forced to retire, he'll realize his career has been completely ruined by these mama's-boy teammates."
"Well, you have to understand their mentality. If you were to retire from Team E, those two guys, A Lu and Panda, would probably tear the roof off the base." Xiao Xingheng said.
"That's different." Yu Mo said seriously, "They can tear the roof off the base, but they must also take over the baton from me. This is their responsibility, destined from the moment they joined the team, and they absolutely cannot shirk it. How can we always put the burden on the seniors? That would be so comfortable!"
"Listen to your tone of taking advantage of your age." Xiao Xingheng laughed: "Okay, I won't curse you anymore. This analogy is wrong."
"Is Winter unable to sign anyone?" Yu Mo asked.
"Given the team's recent performance, signing someone isn't easy," Xiao Xingheng said. "They had their eye on a few players before, but they were snatched away by the Yogurt Team at exorbitant prices."
The Winter team's professional level is actually acceptable among the first-line teams, but its commercial value and popularity are far from comparable to those of Yogurt, POP and other good-looking teams, so it is always slightly inferior to these good-looking teams in terms of profitability and asking price.
"Oh my god, this is a world where looks matter." Yu Mo sighed helplessly.
"What's wrong with you today? Why do you keep asking me about these old stories about Winter?" Xiao Xingheng wondered.
Yu Mo thought for a moment and asked, "Do you think it's possible for Lin Meng to join the Winter team?"
After Lin Meng returned to the dormitory, she didn't even bother to take off her clothes and fell asleep immediately out of exhaustion. She slept soundly for half of the night, but began to dream in the second half.
In her dream, she saw herself getting married to Yu Mo.
She was wearing a cumbersome wedding dress and standing with Yu Mo. The church was full of strange lights. She did not feel the slightest bit of joy or happiness. Instead, her whole body was tense and she felt uneasy.
Until the church door was blocked and a group of angry fans rushed in from outside.
Lin Meng didn't know how she could recognize that this group of unrecognizable men and women were fans of Team E. Anyway, judging from their ferocious expressions, it was almost certain that they were fans.
This group of fans swept through the church, holding knives, axes, machine guns, and even chainsaws.
"You're not going to compete anymore? How dare you get married?"
"Where's our champion? Give us back our gold trophy!"
"The World Championship is over! The World Championship is over!"
…
Lin Meng stood in the dilapidated church, looking up at the blurry dome, and in his ears were the fans' questions and roars, who hated him for not fighting and were angry at his misfortune.
Even she began to question herself.
What am I doing here? Why am I getting married?
Then, she and Yu Mo were tied up and taken to the tower by angry fans. As the culprit of the whole incident, she was the first to be pushed down from the high tower by the fans.
The infinitely magnified feeling of weightlessness made Lin Meng almost unable to breathe. A few large words appeared in her mind, bright red and very dazzling.
Well done.
…
Lin Meng suddenly woke up.
She raised her hand to cover the back of her neck, loosened her stiff and sore limbs with difficulty, and turned her head to look at the clock on the bedside table.
It's already past nine o'clock.
Today is a weekday, and the roommates are all out for classes. The dormitory is empty and the curtains are wide open. Lin Meng has never been a sociable person, so no one asks about her whereabouts.
Lin Meng was dazed for a while, but still felt very sleepy. She lay down again and closed her eyes for a while, but she couldn't fall asleep anymore, so she had to get up and wash up.
There was no one in the dormitory, so she turned the video app on her mobile phone to the game channel, clicked on the BOD column and turned on the speaker. The host's voice echoed clearly and loudly in the room. She put the phone on the washbasin like a radio, and then turned around to squeeze toothpaste.
"Official planning revealed that BOD will release the 'trap' mechanism in the second half of the year. When unpredictable 'traps' appear in the mysterious and deep border jungle, how will players deal with them?"
"...Players will have to reallocate relevant resources, which will undoubtedly further enhance the randomness and playability of the game, while also impacting existing operational strategies..."
"...The 'trap' mechanic will first be launched on the test servers at the end of the year. We expect to see a brand new and more comprehensive new competition system enter the professional league arena in next year's summer season. As the proportion of operations increases, the strengths and weaknesses of major professional teams will also change to a certain extent. This is going to be very exciting..."
Which means it's still early.
Lin Meng listened absentmindedly to the host's nonsense. She gulped down some water to wash away the toothpaste foam in her mouth, and then looked at the girl in the mirror.
The girl looked very lazy as if she hadn't woken up yet. Her facial features were still bright and delicate, but she inexplicably couldn't like her.
Even felt a little bored.
She lowered her head to splash cold water on her face, then without even looking in the mirror, she took her cell phone and went out.
At around ten o'clock, she returned to the gastroenterology ward of the Affiliated Hospital of X University.
Lin Meng found Yu Mo's VIP single room with familiarity. Just as she was about to go in, she heard Yu Mo and Xiao Xingheng talking.
"Do you think it's possible for Lin Meng to join the Winter team?"
She was startled and for some unknown reason did not push the door open. Instead, she leaned against the door silently and listened attentively.
Xiao Xingheng: "What do you mean by possible?"
"It's about whether they can develop well." Yu Mo said, "I've been thinking about it over and over these past few days. There are only a few top-tier teams in China. Apart from our E team, my favorite was actually Suning. Unfortunately, I missed out on it because they had already signed a new sniper." Yu Mo folded his fingers in front of him and tapped them occasionally. "I've looked at a few foreign teams and they're actually quite good. Unfortunately, Lin Xiaomeng's language skills are probably not maxed out. When I spoke English to TIMI, she thought we were speaking English... And to be honest, I'm worried about her going abroad as a young girl. After thinking it over, the only option is Winter. It's a veteran team with no major weaknesses or bad history. Its strength is above average. It's also your old team. We know each other well, so it's convenient for us to contact each other."
Xiao Xingheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You've considered it to this extent, why are you still asking me?"
Yu Mo: "I don't know if Crystal holds a grudge."
Crystal is the team manager of the Winter team. When Xiao Xingheng's contract expired, he wanted to persuade Xiao Xingheng to renew his contract, but Xiao Xingheng was "bewitched" by Yu Mo and switched to Team E.
Yu Mo, who was once an expert at poaching, finally realized his mistake and felt guilty.
"Crystal is a nice person, not that bad." Xiao Xingheng said, "It's not like everyone has the last name Tang, who abuses their power for personal gain and targets individuals."
"That's right." Yu Mo laughed.
"But the Winter team's signing process is quite special," Xiao Xingheng said. "Signing isn't a done deal. There's a six-month probation period. If the player doesn't mesh well with their teammates, the team will terminate the contract. Of course, if the player wants to find another team, they can terminate the contract unconditionally without having to pay a penalty."
"This contract sounds quite friendly to the players," said Yu Mo.
"It's also very friendly to the team itself," Xiao Xingheng said. "If you're temporarily short of players, or want to use scrimmages to gauge the opponent's tactics, this method is the best. The scrimmages aren't the same as the starting lineup, so you can really catch your opponent off guard. However, the downside is also obvious: it's easy for others to intercept you, and you won't be able to retain your seeded players."
Yu Mo: “Hmm.”
"What do you think?" Xiao Xingheng said.
"I think it's okay. Otherwise, why don't you ask Crystal? First...test his reaction?"
"That's no problem." Xiao Xingheng said, "After the exploration, what next?"
"Then tell Lin Xiaomeng that you found him a new home."
"?" Xiao Xingheng was stunned: "Why should I tell her?"
"I..." Yu Mo hesitated for a moment: "I'm afraid I won't be able to say it when the time comes."
"Why?" Xiao Xingheng was puzzled.
"I always feel like... I'm pushing her to someone else's side." Yu Mo said softly, "When we meet again in the future, we will be from two different camps. Although the local teams are close-knit, we can't interact so freely after all." As he spoke, he frowned, with a hint of worry in his eyes.
Xiao Xingheng stared at him for a long time: "You like her so much?"
Yu Mo was stunned: "I...actually..."
"Don't deny it anymore." Xiao Xingheng's expression revealed disdain: "Really, I'm not blind."
Yu Mo scratched his head uncomfortably. "Oh...right." He organized his words awkwardly. "I don't know when it started, but now...I like you even more than I expected."
Outside the door, Lin Meng suddenly froze.
"I really didn't think so much at first." Yu Mo was still trying to defend himself. "At the time, I just felt that she was a little girl who had no one to love and care for her, so I always wanted to give her what others had that she didn't. Later, I felt that she was excellent and deserved better, so...ah, I always feel so uncomfortable."
"I think you're almost going bald from worrying so much." Xiao Xingheng said, "Believe me, you've given me enough."
"But I still couldn't give her the best." Yu Mo whispered, "She deserves the best, really."
"Have you ever told her all this openly?" Xiao Xingheng asked.
"I told you that, didn't I?" Yu Mo said, "Looking for a new employer or something."
"I'm talking about your feelings for her." Xiao Xingheng was drunk: "You like her with your heart, not your sincere expectations for her as the captain and senior. Ah Silence... you are such a fucking straight man!"
Yu Mo was stunned for two seconds after being scolded.
"No, no." He actually stuttered, turned his head and looked away, his ears slightly red: "Why are you saying this? It's so corny."
"Fuck, I'm really impressed by you." Xiao Xingheng said helplessly, "You act so flirty when you're not serious, but you're still shy when you should be serious. If you don't tell her now, how long do you want to wait? Wait until you shoot her in the head in the jungle at the border, defeat her team, and then confess your love to her backstage? I don't think she'll pay any attention to you."
"It doesn't necessarily mean I'm the one who beats her. What if she beats me?" Yu Mo said.
Xiao Xingheng looked at him dimly.
"Oh, then I won't have the halo anymore." Yu Mo also realized something was wrong and started to worry: "My image in her heart will collapse, right? Then there will be no hope." Mo Shen held his forehead anxiously: "It's over, Xingheng, I'm afraid I'm not a love-brained person."
Xiao Xingheng: "...Silence, let me ask you a question."
Yu Mo: "Hmm?"
Xiao Xingheng: "First love?"
Yu Mo: “…”
Lin Meng heard everything that was going on in the room clearly from outside.
If it were in the past, she would have jumped for joy when she heard these words.
There is nothing more exciting than finding out that the person you like likes you back.
But right now, she just felt uneasy and even a little frightened.
When the scenes in the dream are poured into reality, the cruelty becomes even more cruel.
This can't go on. It will affect the careers of both of them!
She took a deep breath, made up her mind, and raised her hand to knock on the door.
"Dong Dong Dong"
The chatter inside stopped abruptly.
"Who?" Xiao Xingheng asked.
"It's me." Lin Meng walked into the ward as if nothing had happened: "I, Lin Xiaomeng, am back again."
Yu Mo's eyes widened slightly, shining brightly. Xiao Xingheng patted him on the shoulder and said meaningfully, "Then I'll go talk to Crystal first. I'm leaving now. Take care of yourself."
Xiao Xingheng left, and the ward fell into a silent awkwardness for a moment. Yu Mo raised his hand to scratch the tip of his nose, looked at Lin Meng and said, "Hey."
Lin Meng: "What?"
"Well, I have a friend who—" Yu Mo began the old-fashioned "making friends out of nothing" segment: "He likes a—"
"Do you like me?" Lin Meng didn't give him a chance to beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
Yu Mo: “…”
This was so sudden that he was stunned for a moment and didn't know how to react.
After a long moment, Mo Shen scratched his head in embarrassment, and said with a slightly youthful smile, "Alas, you found me. Seriously, I didn't hide it well enough."
Lin Meng looked at him steadily with a complicated expression.
Even Lin Xiaomeng was so frank, Yu Mo felt that it would be too unkind of him to hide it any further. He sorted out his emotions and said softly, "I want to know what you think."
"My thoughts..." Lin Meng pondered for a moment: "When I was at Kars, I really liked you, and I liked you for a long time."
Is that true?
Yu Mo felt a warmth in his heart, as if a sticky and translucent thread was being pulled out of warm syrup.
"But now." Lin Meng changed the subject and said in a steady voice, "Emotions... affect my shooting speed."
Yu Mo was shocked.
The syrup thread solidified instantly and turned into a thin iron wire, which made my heart bleed, drop by drop.
For a moment he felt almost no pain, only a chill running through his body.
"Is that so?" He pulled the corner of his lips with difficulty: "As expected... there is no love in e-sports."
"Yeah." Lin Meng nodded noncommittally: "So, will you stop helping me find another employer just because of what I said today?"
Yu Mo stared at her for a while, then burst out laughing.
"You, you." He leaned back on the pillow, his eyes half helpless and half gentle: "Don't you know that you look particularly cruel now?"
Lin Meng stared at him intently: "So you can do it?"
Yu Mo laughed calmly: "You know I can't."
Lin Meng curled her lips: "Then I feel relieved."
She walked closer and plopped down in the chair beside the bed, lowering her head and pretending to be nonchalant as she scrolled through her phone. "Captain, you're actually a good person."
Yu Mo was helpless: "I know I'm a good person, I don't need you to give me a good guy card."
Lin Meng licked her lips: "Then...then what do you want to hear?"
Yu Mo wondered: "What does that mean?"
Lin Meng was tormented to death by Yu Si Zao. Instead of comforting others, she seemed a little frustrated: "I saw that your first relationship ended in failure because of the confession. I was worried that you were too upset, so I wanted to say something to comfort you. I'll tell you whatever you want to hear!"
What a straight girl Lin Xiaomeng is!
Yu Mo laughed out of anger: "No need, thank you."
Lin Meng was so overwhelmed with guilt that she couldn't sit still. She couldn't help but turn to Yu Mo and said, "How about you hit me a couple of times? Or blackmail me or something? I'll just apologize to you."
Yu Mo didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "That's really unnecessary." After a pause, he said: "Then answer me a question."
Lin Xiaomeng: "Okay."
"Answer truthfully."
"Um."
"Are you rejecting me because you already have someone you like?"
Lin Meng opened her mouth.
What's the problem?
Do I have someone I like?
Yes, there must be.
Did I reject you because I like you?
...What kind of fucking logic is this?
Lin Meng thought about it for a long time and felt that this question could not be answered.
Yu Mo also felt that his question was a bit stupid.
What's the point?
No, it will only cause trouble for people.
So he waved his hand and said, "Forget it, just pretend I didn't ask." He pulled the quilt over him, lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
Lin Meng sat quietly for a while, feeling bored. At this moment, Yu Mo's cell phone rang.
The cell phone was thrown on the set-top box of the TV, which was quite far away. Yu Mo lay there and didn't want to move.
"Help me see who it is," he said.
Lin Meng: "Oh." She walked over to Yu Mo's phone and glanced at the caller ID: "Unknown number."
"Then hang up." Yu Mo said: "It's probably a scam."
"But the address is in this city." Lin Meng said, "Could it be a courier or something?"
Yu Mo: "Then you answer it, put it on speakerphone so I can listen."
Lin Meng felt guilty towards Yu Mo, so she did as he said.
As soon as the call was connected, a woman's delicate voice rang out in the ward.
"I'm sorry, God Mo! I really didn't mean to write that. I'm just a salaried employee. My boss asked me to interview him, so I couldn't refuse!" She sobbed continuously, "Please help me. Can you please not send me a lawyer's letter and sue our boss? Please, I'm begging you! I'll do anything if you let me go!"
Yu Mo was very tired and didn't recognize who it was for a moment. When he looked up, he saw Lin Meng lip-syncing to him.
"Sugar Bunny."
Yu Mo was surprised.
Lin Meng pressed the receiver of her phone, walked over and whispered, "How did she get your number?"
Yu Mo shook his head to indicate that he didn't know.
Sugar Bunny was still crying hard on the other end: "God Mo, can you please take care of me? I don't know what to do now. I can only beg you!"
Lin Meng whispered, "I'm afraid that after you answer this call, your phone number will be known to the whole world."
Yu Mo narrowed his eyes, looking very interested: "So what do you think?"
Lin Meng put a finger to her lips and then hung up the phone.
In a moment, Sugar Bunny called again.
After Lin Meng answered the call, she shouted in a deep voice like a landlady, "Who are you?"
The little sugar rabbit was stunned: "Who are you?"
"Don't you know who you're talking to when you call me?" Lin Meng yelled in a hoarse voice.
"I'm looking for Mo—"
"Wrong number!" Lin Meng yelled, "There's no one here named Mo!" After that, she hung up the phone angrily.
Yu Mo watched Lin Meng's performance silently. He seemed to have noticed something and the corners of his lips rose slightly.
Lin Meng handed the phone back to him and said calmly, "I'll send you away, but I suggest you change your phone number."
Yu Mo didn't answer, but just looked at her with a smile.
Lin Meng felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by him: "What are you doing?"
"I will always like you." Yu Mo said without any context.
Lin Meng was stunned: "...What?"
"Until I retire, and then you retire." Yu Mo said, "How about you wait for me?"
Yu Mo: I can see that she likes me. I’m not heartbroken, yes, I’m not heartbroken [nods]
Another crazy one.
I have no drafts saved, so I will update at 3000-9000 words, either at midnight or at 9:00 or 12:00 in the morning. If it is not on the hour, I will be catching bugs. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angels who cast [mines]: 5479 2;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the [nutrient solution]:
A Coin (22 bottles); Turquesa (15 bottles); Nine Sons (13 bottles); Zhilang, An Nian, and Z° Zhijiu (10 bottles); Voices_stay, Big Junzi, and Sound Card (2 bottles); Nanai and Sweetheart (1 bottle);
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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