The journey Bai Cai’s heart took could only be described as something that was very hard to explain.

He had his suspicions about the captain’s sexual orientation, and he’d once suspected that he held a secret love for Wei Xiao. He’d also suspected that Wei Xiao was a hardcore straight man who was blind to it all.

He’d never thought that the truth and his suspicions would be a million miles apart!

It was Wei Xiao who had a secret crush, and it was Wei Xiao who’d bent himself?

What about the captain…

If Bai Cai had thought that the captain was gay previously, then after the end of the winter training camp, he’d already become much more open minded about it all.

Just based on Little Lunatic Wei’s misleading words, and the way they both slept in the same room, as long as the captain was even a little interested in him, they would’ve already done the deed.

Yet as a result, except for his own brain going into overdrive, nothing had happened between the two of them at all!

Oh, something had happened now, and it was Wei Xiao who’d first bent himself into a mosquito incense coil!

Bai Cai was flustered.

He wasn’t sure how the captain felt about Wei Xiao, but at the moment, FTW couldn’t afford to have new problems unexpectedly crop up.

Just imagine, if Wei Xiao couldn’t resist and confessed over the phone, what the result might be?

If the captain felt the same way, he might fly back from North America at any minute. Would he even stay to heal his arm?

If the captain didn’t feel that way, then would Wei Xiao, who’d just suffered a huge blow, still be able to play?

And they still wanted to be number one in the group? They might end up as the bottom first in the group.

The Brother Cai who was only 20 years old had to bear a burden that he shouldn’t have to at his age!

Bai Cai didn’t have time to care about the fact that Wei Xiao was still playing. He pulled up a chair to sit next to him, speaking like a bitter old woman, “Calm your state of mind. I feel that the captain doesn’t necessarily have no interest in you.”

Wei Xiao: “……”

It was true that he didn’t have no interest, in fact, he was very interested.

Bai – self-acknowledged master of emotions – Cai continued, “But, you can’t confess your feelings to him so rashly. You have to think about it carefully. I’m not attacking you or throwing cold water on you, it’s just that you only found out that you don’t like women after such a long time. What if the captain hasn’t figured it out yet? We have to give the captain some time, especially now that the captain is undergoing treatment. What if he’s too stimulated by your confession and no longer wants to treat his injury!”

Brother Cai’s words were well spoken and reasonable. If it wasn’t that Wei Xiao had kissed and hugged and slept with the captain a long time ago, he might even have believed it.

“Let’s think about it positively. If your confession is successful, then will you still have any interest in playing after that? You would want to call the captain ten times a day, fly to North America, and you…”

Wei Xiao felt like he was being poked in all his sore points.

Even if Brother Cai’s brain circuits were so crooked they were headed toward the Atlantic Ocean, based on his understanding of Wei Xiao, he could still guess blindly and manage to poke accurately at Wei Xiao’s weaknesses.

Wei Xiao: “Cough… I wouldn’t.”

He was trying to reduce it to three calls a day, uh, or maybe five, yeah… well anyway, he wouldn’t fly over to North America!

Bai Cai thought that this meant he wouldn’t confess his feelings and was relieved, “Brother, hold on, I’m on your side.”

Wei Xiao had pulled out this pile of nonsense concerns mainly to make Bai Cai feel reassured. As a result, it was hard to say if he’d reassured this vegetable stalk, but he’d definitely added to his worries.

Wei Xiao felt a little regretful. He shouldn’t have tried to pull this on him!

When Bai Cai looked at him now, his eyes were filled with pity. He didn’t worry that the competition was giving Wei Xiao pressure and completely believed that he was suffering bitterly from his secret crush.

Wei Xiao could only steel himself and continue, “Brother Bai, can you let me have some quiet time on my own?”

Brother Cai sighed and patted him on the shoulder, “Don’t think too much about it, go to bed early.”

Wei Xiao nodded ‘heavily’, “Okay.”

The door to the training room closed, and Wei Xiao also finished his game.

The bright word ‘Victory’ reflected in his eyes, but it failed to stir up the slightest ripple in his emotions.

He didn’t want this kind of victory.

Wei Xiao clicked out of the game screen and opened up the game replay from the afternoon game.

Although Chen Feng hadn’t gone over the game with them, Xiang Liu had already brought back the video recording.

FTW against LH, a total of two matches. Adding on the BP segment, the entire game only took one and a half hours.

It was a very fast game, quick, direct, and crushing. They hadn’t given the other side any opportunity to breathe.

Wei Xiao stared at the match, watching it from his own perspective, then watching it from the five perspectives of their opponents. He watched all of them one after another.

LH had made a lot of mistakes, especially in the second game when their mentality had collapsed and they were being slaughtered at will.

The five people on FTW’s side all played very well. Each player had some brilliant plays, and their results weren’t bad.

Wei Xiao watched the game over and over again, from Tang Chen to Ning Zhehan to Yue Wenle, and finally Bai Cai.

If someone else was here, they definitely wouldn’t know what Wei Xiao was looking at.

A game like this, was there any need to keep watching it endlessly?

Was it necessary to review a crushing match repeatedly?

Under absolute superiority in strength, the contestants basically wouldn’t expose any problems.

What was the point in him watching it over and over again?

The sky started to brighten, and the sound of the husky could be heard from outside.

Wei Xiao seemed like he was waking up from a dream as he turned off the replay video.

Five hours had passed in the blink of an eye. Wei Xiao rubbed his eyebrows and said to himself, “It’s still… not enough.”

Nobody knew what he meant by ‘not enough’.

Just like how nobody knew what he was watching all night.

Wei Xiao turned off the computer, walked out of the training room, and went back to his bedroom.

He hadn’t slept all night. As soon as he fell onto the bed, fatigue washed over him like an ocean tide.

He didn’t even have strength left to take a bath. His fingertips touched his cell phone, wanting to call Lu Feng.

No way…

Wei Xiao let go.

If he called at this time, the captain would know that he hadn’t slept all night.

He couldn’t make him worry from a thousand miles away.

Wei Xiao might think this way, but his heart was still focused on him.

The captain should be going to the hospital today…

What was the diagnosis and treatment plan?

Could he be cured in two months?

With layers of thoughts weighing on his heart, Wei Xiao tilted his head on the pillow and fell asleep.

He hadn’t pulled the curtains, and the morning sun fell on the youth’s fine skin like a pair of warm hands.

Gently stroking him, pitying the fatigue under his black eyelashes.

There was no success without effort.

Behind this casual self-confidence was ten times the effort that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine.

9AM North American time.

Yuan Ze got up early in the morning, then went to the balcony to dig out a box of cigarettes from under the flowerpot.

To smoke or not to smoke, that was the question.

Nobody was there anyway…

VIVI: “Captain, you’re up so early?”

Yuan Ze: “……”

VIVI noticed the cigarette case between his fingers. He covered his eyes, “I didn’t see it, I didn’t see anything.”

Yuan Ze: “F*ck!”

To hell with smoking, Laozi was a person who had determination!

God Yuan’s heart was bleeding as he tossed away his private stash of cigarettes into the trash bin.

Who the hell knew why he’d decided to quit smoking….

Ahhhhh, who the hell knew why he was getting up so early to be a driver? He even had a game in the afternoon!

Yuan Ze had a stomach filled with ‘who the hell knew’ as he got into his flashy car and drove off to the hotel that Boss Lu was staying at.

Lu Feng had only slept for three or four hours, but his energy levels were a hundred times better than Yuan Ze’s.

Lu Feng looked at him, “I can arrange my own transport.”

Yuan Ze was bad tempered first thing in the morning, “Get in the car.”

The car had a very low chassis, and the doors were low, making it very unfriendly to people with long legs.

Lu Feng’s legs really were long. After sitting down, he commented, “Your tastes are still so different.”

To Lu Feng, other than being flashy, it had nothing else going for it.

Yuan Ze: “……” If Laozi had as much money as you, Laozi would buy a Rolls Royce too!

In order to vent his unhappiness, Yuan Ze said, “Sit tight. There aren’t as many damned speed limits here.”

His foot pressed down on the accelerator. The powerful push back highlighted Yuan Ze’s explosive temper.

It really was a case where Close would treat him like a kitty instead of a tiger if he didn’t bite!

Unfortunately, the little brat who would’ve disdained him for driving like a mad dog three years ago was now as stable as Mount Tai and didn’t even wrinkle his brows.

Yuan Ze inexplicably had a feeling that people matured over time, a feeling of vicissitude that came with getting older.

When they arrived at the hospital, Lu Feng refused Yuan Ze even before he could ask, “Thank you, but I can handle it myself.”

Yuan Ze: “I’m already here….”

Lu Feng spoke mercilessly, “Industry secrets. Captain Yuan, please have some dignity.”

Yuan Ze: “???”

He only managed to digest these words after the other party had left.

What damned industry secrets? Would Laozi sell the details about your shoulder?!

Although, in a sense, he really could sell it…

Yuan Ze didn’t follow him, but he couldn’t stop worrying in his heart.

Instead of being concerned about Lu Feng’s inability to adapt to a strange environment, he was more worried about his shoulder.

At the thought that it was very likely not from strain, Yuan Ze couldn’t help feeling guilty.

If Close’s shoulder was because of them…

Then……

F*ck! Yuan Ze really had no heart, because his chest cavity was packed full with a bunch of knives.

Lu Feng’s check-up was completed very quickly because he’d made an appointment in advance.

The attending doctor was a middle-aged man with blonde hair. He nodded to Lu Feng, “Please sit down for a moment.”

Lu Feng answered politely and sat to the side.

Checking over the results took a long time.

Lu Feng sat up straight, his attitude relaxed and calm. He didn’t seem to care very much.

But if Yuan Ze was there, he would definitely have been able to tell that he was nervous.

For the 18 year old Close, the first time he’d been nervous was when FTW had prepared a birthday party for him.

It was a private little gathering that only involved the few people from the Team of Gods.

Close had sat there, looking at the cake set down in front of him. His slender fingers were curled up slightly on his legs, and his posture showing a layer of unobtrusive formality.

Yuan Ze, who’d been holding the cake, had been amused, “Look at you, it can’t be the first time you’ve celebrated a birthday!”

Close: “……”

Kim Sung-hyun: “Whose 18th birthday can be celebrated twice?”

Yuan Ze: “I can celebrate it dozens of times. After all, I’ll always be 18 years old.”

Kim Sung-hyun retorted, “Be a little less shameless.”

Lu Feng was seldom nervous, and the way he showed his nervousness was different from others.

Those who weren’t particularly familiar with him wouldn’t be able to tell.

After all, his sitting posture was correct, his appearance was indifferent, and his gaze was very calm. It didn’t look like he was tense––except for the slightly curled fingers.

A long time later, the attending doctor looked at him, “You’re a professional e-sports player?”

Lu Feng nodded, “Yes.”

The doctor set down the examination data in his hands and said some rather academic words in a slow voice, “… The outcome of the treatment can’t be guaranteed, especially with the characteristics of your profession… It’s relatively difficult with this kind of demand for high precision… Especially during treatment, you can’t touch the keyboard… How you recover during this focused window… may affect the future game performance…”

When Lu Feng came out of the hospital, the sky was overcast.

Winter was basically the same everywhere. Cold and severe.

Yuan Ze had gotten some sleep while he was waiting.

He really regretted driving a race car out here; he couldn’t even sleep well.

Lu Feng was briefly stunned when he saw that he was still there.

Yuan Ze got out of the car and almost ended up freezing to death, “How’d it go?”

Lu Feng went straight to the car, his voice carrying the chill from outside, “Systematic treatment will begin the day after tomorrow.”

Yuan Ze rubbed his hands together for warmth, “It shouldn’t be a big problem, right?”

Lu Feng: “Mm.”

Yuan Ze was really curious, “How exactly did you get a shoulder injury?”

Lu Feng told him a lie with his eyes open, “It was born weak.”

Yuan Ze: “……………………”

With your goddamned height, your dream man’s figure, you’re claiming that you were born with a weak body?

Can you give others a way to live?

The next FTW game was also at 3PM.

After the success of yesterday’s first game, the FTW team was filled with energy and confidence today.

GOQ wasn’t a strong team, and the way they tackled the BP link was just like LH.

They first banned the shadow thief as a sign of respect.

Wei Xiao didn’t care at all, “Let’s do another round with the berserker thief?”

GOQ banned the berserker thief next, expressing their fear.

Wei Xiao: “……”

Bai Cai: “There’s still the immortal thief.”

GOQ must have arranged a ‘spy’ in FTW, because the next talent they banned was the immortal thief.

Wei Xiao was amused, “Are they looking down on me?”

If they wanted to target Wei Xiao, they couldn’t do it by targeting his veritable sea of a hero pool.

Chen Feng: “Hidden thief?”

Wei Xiao: “Blood thief.”

This talent hadn’t been used much in their training matches. Chen Feng hesitated a little.

Wei Xiao: “Come on, let them see what it means to have hot blood spilling all over the Glory Canyon.”

The heated blood was FTW’s, and the blood that would be spilled was GOQ’s. This was going to be really great.

After staying up all night last night, Wei Xiao wanted to verify the conclusions he’d drawn.

He knew where his weaknesses were, and he knew where the team’s gaps were.

Cooperation and tacit understanding needed to be accumulated over time.

The others didn’t have that much time and energy, but he did.

Wei Xiao had watched the seemingly meaningless video replays over and over again. In fact, he’d been building up his understanding of every teammate in the canyon.

Their strengths, their weaknesses, their sense of rhythm, their personal habits…

Wei Xiao wasn’t going to wait for others to cooperate with him. He was going to take the initiative to cooperate with everyone else!

xiin: Goooo Wei Xiao!