CH 7

The days of the off-season passed calmly, one after another.

Jiang Min gradually adapted to life in the second team.

Except for the fact that the kids in the second team always looked at him with extreme reverence, causing him a lot of pressure.

He admitted that his real-life personality was somewhat cold, but those kids didn’t need to exaggerate to the point of bowing 90 degrees as soon as they saw him.

… It was a bit much.

He was a senior to these kids, that was true, but he was only a few years older than them, not to the extent that they should treat him like this.

To maintain his form, Jiang Min spent more time playing high-level ranked games with his main account.

As for the matter of CC planning to sell him, he had come to accept it.

He had gone through moments of not understanding and feeling angry, but what use of those emotions?

He was just a professional player, and all he wanted to do was play well in competitions.

Like every professional player, he longed for that ultimate prize, the world championship trophy.

Since staying at CC meant being in the second team and not being able to compete for the trophy, he might as well follow the club’s wishes and get sold to another team.

At least the club that was willing to pay a hefty fee to buy him wouldn’t waste his talents.

After understanding all of this, he didn’t feel as resentful towards CC.

He had been with CC for four years, and perhaps a change of environment wouldn’t be a bad thing.

However, there was still some reluctance to leave CC.

Apart from the unreliable new owner, the team manager, coach, and support staff had always treated him well.

Now, he had no idea which team CC was going to sell him to.

Suddenly, Jiang Min thought of the day he met Yu Hao.

… JW, huh?

He inexplicably clicked on the JW World Tournament match video.

Compared to other teams in the WPL, JW was a new team.

Captain Yu Hao was very young, but he showed excellent qualities as a position 4 player on the battlefield and was very composed in the shot-calling role.

From the in-game voice communication, one could tell that Yu Hao was very steady when playing seriously.

But being composed didn’t mean being timid.

JW’s biggest characteristic was being reckless and daring.

Under the lead of the young player QOne in the position 3, there were instances of mindless charging.

The results varied; sometimes they achieved unexpected success, but there were also times when things went wrong.

JW had proven through countless matches what it meant to be “born in adversity, die in recklessness.”

Fortunately, they had Xiao Nan in the position 2, who could rein in the other four players to some extent.

Jiang Min put on his headphones and earnestly reviewed the match while unknowingly wanting to learn more about JW.

CC had not been in the same group as JW in the past two seasons of regular matches, so they had only faced each other a few times. Therefore, while he had a rough idea of JW’s condition, he had not delved into it deeply.

Yu Hao was good at setting the tempo, the position 3 player was daring, and the positions 1 and 5 had good coordination. JW indeed had the strength to be ranked among the top three teams in the league.

However, this team was very young and lacked experience in major competitions and some coordination, resulting in some chaos and unclear strategies during the world tournament.

But, without a doubt, they had potential.

Jiang Min slouched in his esports chair, lost in thought.

If he really went to JW, maybe, just maybe, there would be a chance.

His thoughts drifted away.

At that moment, his phone received a message.

It was from CC’s manager, Xiang Mian.

[“Amin, don’t forget to start a live stream to accumulate streaming hours.”]

It was a reminder, and Jiang Min had indeed forgotten.

Every day, he was forced to do live streams under the supervision of the manager. Jiang Min scratched the back of his head in annoyance, stood up, and walked towards his dedicated live streaming booth.

As soon as he sat down and before he even had time to warm up, his phone went [“Ding—”] again.

It was Xiang Mian once more.

【” Jiang Min, Don’t forget to turn on the camera~”】

This was followed by an emoji of a heart.

Jiang Min shuddered.

Reluctantly, he turned on the camera, setting up his streaming room.

He was one of the rare players who actually listened to the manager.

As soon as he started streaming, his devoted fans noticed that he turned on the camera.

【”AWSL, another day to immerse ourselves in the beauty of Sugar God.”】

【”Sugar God is so handsome!”】

【”Sugar God, are you okay? Last time you suddenly ended the stream, and I thought something happened.”】

The barrage of comments scrolled through.

“I’m okay, everyone can rest assured,” Jiang Min replied while opening the game and responding to his fans.

As soon as he entered the game, he opened his friend list, and it was still full of grey IDs.

“These lazy people, not a single one of them is online diligently in the afternoon.”

Jiang Min silently cursed his list of friends.

“Whatever, let’s play solo queue,” Jiang Min decided to be stubborn one more time.

【”Don’t do it, Sugar God! I don’t want to see you lose again.”】

【”Is little brother Sugar coming online?”】

【”Daddy Sugar’s not here today; I miss him.”】

Jiang Min confidently clicked the matchmaking button.

“Being a duo means I’m daddy, and solo means I’m little brother,” today he was going to break this curse!

———-

A Maybach stopped at the entrance of the CC team’s base.

Ji Xiu Yan got out of the car, adjusted his navy blue suit jacket, looked up at the CC building, and then back at the surrounding area.

Though CC couldn’t compare to JW in terms of luxury, they did have their own building, albeit not as grand.

“So, I’m here to negotiate the deal with their owner. Why did you come along?” Ji Xiu Yan asked the young man wearing a duckbill cap who had just emerged from the car.

Yu Hao pushed down his cap and replied, “I’m here to visit CC’s base.”

Ji Xiu Yan almost rolled his eyes. “You’re just thinking about Sugar God, right? It’s only been a few days, and you’re already so eager?”

Ji Xiu Yan knew his cousin’s sexual orientation and was aware of his long-standing crush on Sugar God.

“Someone who guards his own cabbages every day can never understand the suffering of those who are lovesick,” Yu Hao said, looking up at the CC base.

“… Wait, what do you mean by ‘cabbages’?” Ji Xiu Yan was dumbfounded. “Are you saying I’m a pig that’s waiting to be fed cabbages?”

Ji Xiu Yan had bought JW for one person, someone he didn’t have the courage to approach yet.

Yu Hao shrugged. “You said that, not me.”

Ji Xiu Yan was annoyed. “Hey, I’m your boss. Can’t you show me some basic respect?”

Yu Hao didn’t bother with him and walked straight towards the CC club entrance.

Ji Xiu Yan felt extremely awkward, being a team owner was really demeaning sometimes.

It was all because he got drunk and accidentally revealed to Yu Hao the reason why he bought JW. Now, the brat was holding onto that little piece of information and wouldn’t let go.

Moreover, Yu Hao usually acted like an obedient baby in front of his mother, so his mom believed everything he said without question.

If this brat went to his mom and spilled the beans, Ji Xiu Yan would be done for.

Thinking about the fear of being controlled by his mother, Ji Xiu Yan shivered and decided to swallow his pride for now.

The two of them explained their purpose to the front desk and were led to CC’s owner’s office by the receptionist.

Upon entering, the new owner of CC, Lin Hongzheng, was leaning back in his chair with a haughty expression.

“Hello, I’m Ji Xiu Yan, the owner of JW Club.” Ji Xiu Yan introduced himself.

“Mhm, have a seat,” Lin Hongzheng said while still looking down on them.

First impression, zero points.

Ji Xiu Yan scored him internally.

“I believe Mr. Lin knows the purpose of our visit today,” Ji Xiu Yan said, taking a seat opposite Lin Hongzheng with Yu Hao.

“Mhm, about Sugar’s transfer, I know,” Lin Hongzheng waved his hand, dismissing the receptionist.

He sat up straight, crossing his hands on the desk, and stared at Ji Xiu Yan with a teasing tone, “So, how much is your side willing to offer?”

For some reason, player transfers were usually negotiated by the managers, but Lin Hongzheng personally handled it himself. He had a strong personality and refused to let representatives from other clubs negotiate, insisting on face-to-face meetings with the team owners.

“Mr. Lin seems straightforward,” Ji Xiu Yan smiled, “So, let me get straight to the point.”

He raised two fingers, indicating “20 million.”

Lin Hongzheng was initially taken aback, but then he smiled and leaned back in his chair, “I had heard that JW’s owner, Mr. Ji, was very powerful, but I didn’t expect the offer to be less extravagant than I imagined. Other teams might bid higher.”

Ji Xiu Yan paused for a moment.

Twenty million transfer fee plus the penalty fee was definitely not low.

The WOC league had only been established for six years, and although the esports league was maturing, the player prices had not reached their peak yet.

Twenty million was the highest amount he had heard of so far and would likely be one of the highest transfer fees in the league.

There were two possibilities now.

Either someone had genuinely bid a higher price, or Lin Hongzheng was intentionally saying that to raise the price.

“Just the neighboring OVO team bid 23 million; their mid-laner’s contract will expire soon, and they plan to transfer him to an overseas team for retirement,” Lin Hongzheng said while glancing at his nails, “Sugar would be a perfect addition for them.”

“Oh, and the MPP team has already bid 25 million,” Lin Hongzheng added casually.

Ji Xiu Yan pondered for a while.

He couldn’t be sure of the credibility of the information Lin Hongzheng provided, but he had heard about OVO’s mid-laner planning to retire to an 18th-tier esports region overseas.

If they were really looking to buy a mid-laner, OVO, which was also wealthy, might genuinely be willing to pay a high price for Sugar God.

“A fixed price of 30 million,” suddenly said the man next to Ji Xiu Yan, wearing a cap.

Ji Xiu Yan forcibly suppressed the urge to strangle Yu Hao and frantically signaled to him with his eyes.

You little brat! Isn’t my money still money!?

“Oh?” Lin Hongzheng seemed intrigued.

Thirty million was already the ceiling in the current WOC league.

“Thirty million… that can be considered,” Lin Hongzheng said, hesitating between Ji Xiu Yan and Yu Hao, “but I don’t know whose word counts between the two of you?”

“I…” Ji Xiu Yan hadn’t spoken yet, but Yu Hao spoke first.

“Thirty million, let’s sign the contract.”

“That won’t do.” Lin Hongzheng pretended to look troubled, “The transfer contract requires the player’s consent, and our team still needs to negotiate with Sugar himself.”

“Regarding Sugar God, there will be absolutely no problem,” Yu Hao said firmly.

Lin Hongzheng looked at him doubtfully, but Yu Hao’s cap was pulled down low, and he couldn’t see the guy’s face clearly.

“This brother seems pretty confident,” Lin Hongzheng said, “But a transfer is a big deal, and if another club has a higher offer…”

“Mr. Lin,” Yu Hao interrupted him, “I seem to recall that there are people within CC who are involved in gambling. I wonder if you are aware of this?”

Lin Hongzheng was stunned.

How did this guy know about that?

Gambling was strictly prohibited in the league, but in the face of huge interests, some people inevitably chose to violate the rules knowingly.

Lin Hongzheng not only knew about it but was also involved.

Once exposed, CC would be thoroughly investigated and dealt with by the esports league. His reputation would be ruined, and in that case, his father wouldn’t let him off easily.

“Heh, how could we be involved in gambling…” Lin Hongzheng feigned composure, but his acting skills were terrible.

In the face of unexpected situations, a rich second-generation like him, with no depth, experience, or cleverness, would panic instantly.

“I have my sources,” Yu Hao said, “Mr. Lin doesn’t need to deny it. I also don’t have any immediate plans to expose it.”

“Thirty million, if the deal is made, the gambling issue will become a permanent secret,” Yu Hao said nonchalantly, “Otherwise, Mr. Lin should think about the consequences.”

Lin Hongzheng sensed a strong sense of threat.

He gritted his teeth.

Forget it, thirty million was already a substantial sum. He originally thought about raising the price to around 26 or 27 million, and this bid exceeded his expectations by several million, which was more than enough.

“Alright, deal!”

1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ”