CH 13

In the training room, an eerie silence prevailed.

Leaving aside Yu Hao’s words, the mere fact that JW’s captain appeared at the CC base was enough to send shivers down one’s spine.

Yu Hao continued to happily drape his arm around Jiang Min’s neck, seemingly unconcerned by the bewildered glances of the others.

“Uh, Min, once you’ve packed up, you should head downstairs. The owner and manager from JW are waiting there,” Xiang Mian also felt a bit awkward. He hadn’t expected JW’s captain to get so close to Jiang Min right after meeting him.

Wait, didn’t Min mention that he and Yu Hao were just online friends and had only met once? How did they become this familiar already?

“Oh, right, Yan-ge and the others are waiting downstairs,” prompted by Xiang Mian, Yu Hao finally remembered the team’s owner and manager who were waiting downstairs.

After Xiang Mian had taken Jiang Min’s luggage downstairs and met JW’s owner, he said he would go upstairs to call Jiang Min down. Yu Hao tagged along eagerly.

Ji Xiuyan couldn’t help but hold a look of disdain for Yu Hao inside, wondering why he was in such a hurry.

“Well, we’ve just finalized the player transfer contract this time. If you have any specific conditions, feel free to discuss them with our Yan-ge. I guarantee he won’t refuse,” Yu Hao said casually, patting Jiang Min’s shoulder as they walked out of the training room.

Jiang Min felt awkward. What did he mean by “won’t refuse”? What kind of person was JW’s owner in the club?

Seeing Jiang Min about to leave, Jian Ran quickly followed, “Sugar, I’ll walk you out!”

Inside the second team’s training room, only You Guanyu remained.

You Guanyu stared at Jiang Min’s retreating figure with a dark expression.

———-

Ji Xiuyan, along with JW’s WOC branch manager Fan Gaoyang, waited in the CC lobby.

Today, he straightened his hair, which was usually styled in messy curls, and wore a neatly combed back hairstyle. He was dressed in a black Armani suit, paired with a wool overcoat and a white shirt. His brown leather shoes were impeccable from head to toe.

If it weren’t for dealing with Yu Hao, Ji Xiuyan could easily pass for the image of a domineering CEO.

After signing the contract, CC’s owner Lin Hongzheng pretended to have other matters to attend to and didn’t come down to see them off. Ji Xiuyan didn’t care about these details. He didn’t have a good impression of Lin Hongzheng anyway and wanted him out of sight as soon as possible.

When the elevator doors in the CC lobby opened, Yu Hao, like a sunflower, emerged from the elevator while continuing to chat nonstop with Jiang Min. Xiang Mian and Jian Ran followed closely behind.

“Brother Xiang, why is JW’s captain, Yu Hao, so familiar with Sugar?” Jian Ran, puzzled about how Sugar had the opportunity to get in touch with JW’s people, asked Xiang Mian in a low voice.

“Oh, they’re online friends,” Xiang Mian summed up concisely.

“What? Online friends?” Jian Ran was surprised. As someone who also followed Sugar’s live streams, he didn’t remember seeing any JW players on Sugar’s friends list.

But Xiang Mian didn’t want to say more about it. It was too unbelievable. The idea that JW’s captain pretended to be a stranger and got close to Jiang Min was too absurd. Whether he had ulterior motives or not, if this information were to spread, it would undoubtedly sound like a fantasy.

“Sugar, this is our JW’s owner, Ji Xiuyan. Just call him Yan-ge,” Yu Hao introduced naturally as he approached Ji Xiuyan.

“Hello, Yan-ge,” Jiang Min complied obediently.

After all, this was his new boss, and he wanted to leave a good impression.

“Mm.” Ji Xiuyan successfully presented the aura of a powerful boss, albeit mostly on the surface. “Welcome to JW. Let’s get on the car first. We’ll discuss other matters later.”

Ji Xiuyan’s words were a command, and Jiang Min naturally followed.

At that moment, Yu Hao signaled to Manager Fan Gaoyang. He understood the signal and pulled Xiang Mian aside.

“Manager Xiang, as the leader of JW, I’d like to understand Sugar’s daily habits and if there’s anything specific to pay attention to. I need to familiarize myself with his routines in advance to take good care of him,” Fan Gaoyang said, pulling out his phone and preparing to take notes.

“Huh?” Xiang Mian was caught off guard.

“Well, you know, Sugar will be my teammate from now on, so I need to get to know his habits in order to take care of him properly,” Fan Gaoyang explained.

Actually, during the journey here, Fan Gaoyang had been persuaded by Yu Hao, who insisted he should learn about Sugar’s habits from CC’s personnel so he could take good care of his future teammate.

Although Fan Gaoyang usually maintained strict control over JW’s players, acting like an all-encompassing emperor, he was still soft-hearted.

After searching around, Fan Gaoyang confirmed with a glance that the person who was looking at Jiang Min with such affectionate and reluctant eyes was probably the most familiar with Sugar in the CC club.

Yes, that person was Xiang Mian.

“Habits, huh…” Xiang Mian tried to recall. “Min doesn’t have a very regular sleep schedule. He tends to stay up late and wake up late. Well, most professional players have this issue. But it’s good to remind him if you can.”

“Mm.” Fan Gaoyang made a note of it.

“He occasionally smokes a couple of cigarettes, not too much, but it’s still not good for his health. If possible, try to get him to quit.”

“Alright.”

“Oh, and most importantly, he has a sensitive stomach. He had gastritis a few years ago and got hurt. It’s better to have him eat lighter foods. Although he likes spicy food, try to avoid eating too much spicy stuff… should be no problem if it’s not empty stomach…”

“Mm, got it.”

“And…,” Xiang Mian listed a bunch of Jiang Min’s habits.

Fan Gaoyang’s phone memo was filled with a long list.

“That’s about it,” Xiang Mian finished.

“Okay, thank you very much.” Fan Gaoyang extended his right hand, “Rest assured, we’ll take good care of Sugar.”

Xiang Mian shook his hand, then watched as he and the JW people got into the luxurious business car parked outside.

For some reason, he felt like he was sending his own child away.

His exchange with Fan Gaoyang just now felt like a conversation between a mother and a mother-in-law about how to take care of a child.

Due to Jiang Min feeling unwell, he asked Fan Gaoyang to drive Jiang Min’s RS5 back to the JW base. After getting the key, Fan Gaoyang turned back to ask Xiang Mian which way to exit the CC garage.

Before getting into the car, Jiang Min turned around and took a final look at the CC building and the people standing at the entrance to see him off.

Unexpectedly, he didn’t feel as sentimental as he had imagined. Perhaps it was because of the recent bizarre actions of the boss that left him feeling cold. Leaving CC now felt more like a relief.

The only thing he felt attached to were the people seeing him off.

After calming his emotions, he got into the JW car.

Four years, let’s bid farewell to the past.

From now on, he wouldn’t be CC.Lollipop anymore; he would be JW’s second position mid-laner, JW.Lollipop.

———-

The business car sped along the highway toward the JW base’s location.

The bases of the two clubs were neither particularly close nor far from each other. The drive would take about half an hour, not accounting for the frustrating traffic in S City.

Due to a fever, Jiang Min was feeling drowsy inside the car.

“Sugar, I was just about to ask you, why do you look so listless? Are you sick?” Yu Hao sat beside Jiang Min, completely disregarding the doubt.

Jiang Min had taken off the fever patch from his forehead before leaving his room to pack up his peripherals, so Yu Hao hadn’t seen him wearing it.

“Mm… I have a slight fever,” Jiang Min spoke softly, still wearing his mask.

The driver was behind the wheel, and Ji Xiuyan, who should have been sitting in the back seat as the boss, surprisingly sat in the front passenger seat. Meanwhile, Yu Hao and Jiang Min occupied the two most comfortable seats in the business car.

… So, what’s the deal with JW’s boss?

“Hey! You should ask Big Emperor to take you to the hospital.” Yu Hao urged.

“… There’s no need to make a fuss. I just caught a cold, a bit of medicine and a good rest will do.” Jiang Min stopped him.

“… Well, then I’ll get you some medicine later. Your room at the base is ready anyway, so rest well when we get there!” Yu Hao said.

Ji Xiuyan and Fan Gaoyang remained silent.

Jiang Min felt an inexplicably awkward atmosphere in the car.

He had thought that after getting into the car, the boss would sit in the back and discuss matters related to JW with him, while Yu Hao and the driver would sit in the front.

But the current situation was different. Yu Hao was chattering away on his own, while the boss maintained silence.

However, Jiang Min was also someone with a slow-to-warm-up personality. He didn’t know how to strike up a conversation to alleviate the awkwardness with someone he wasn’t familiar with.

“Oh, by the way, Yan-ge, you haven’t talked to Sugar about his salary yet,” Yu Hao suddenly remembered that there were other people in the car.

Ji Xiuyan rolled his eyes. This guy was utterly forgetful. He had treated the boss as if he were air since meeting Sugar, and now he remembered him.

“Mm.” However, he still needed to maintain his image in front of Jiang Min, so he said, “What does Sugar think his value is? Feel free to suggest; I’ll try to meet your expectations.”

Jiang Min had heard that JW’s boss was young and wealthy, a total high-roller. But this immediate offer of 30 million yuan (approximately $4.5 million) and the suggestion to name his price were truly astonishing.

“I’m fine with whatever, similar to what I had at CC,” Jiang Min wasn’t particularly motivated by money. He wasn’t playing professionally for the sake of money.

“Alright then, let’s add a 10% raise to CC’s standard salary.” Ji Xiuyan turned to look at Jiang Min and said.

It had to be said that Yu Hao had pretty good taste.

Among Jiang Min’s many features, his appearance was one of the best. The small mole under his eye was especially charming and alluring.

“Mm, thank you, Yan-ge.” Jiang Min replied politely.

“Don’t mention it. From now on, we’re family,” Ji Xiuyan said. “I’m counting on you to bring back a championship trophy for us.”

There wasn’t a club owner who didn’t want a championship trophy. Ji Xiuyan was no exception.

Before Jiang Min could speak, Yu Hao was quick to chime in, “Rest assured! We’ll definitely bring you a big trophy next season!”

“… I’ll be waiting to see.”

————

Inside the JW team’s WOC division training room.

In the first team training room, the third position player, Hao Qianyi, was playing a ranked game.

“Ah, damn it! Why is this second position so bad!” Hao Qianyi slammed the table in frustration, “Just don’t pick mid-lane if you’re this terrible at it!”

Although the second position wasn’t currently as important as the first position due to the current game version, it was still an indispensable role in the team. If you encountered a bad player in ranked, it was still easy to lose.

“Don’t break the table. We’ll have to get another one if you do.” JW’s coach, Bai Yin, stood not far behind him. He felt sorry for the number of tables that had been replaced due to surface damage and was considering using metal sheets next time.

“By the way, Coach, Brother Nan has retired. Who’s our new second position player?” Hao Qianyi suddenly remembered the question that had been bothering him for the past few days and slid his gaming chair over to Bai Yin’s side.

A few days ago, Xiao Nan announced his retirement and stayed at JW as an assistant coach.

As for the new second position player, there had been no news for a while, and the position remained vacant.

“Why worry so much? Focus on improving your skills. When the person arrives, you’ll find out,” Bai Yin pushed Hao Qianyi’s chair back to the computer desk and said, “Don’t end up falling behind when the new player joins.”

“Tsk, do you really think there’s a second position mid-laner in the entire league that I can’t keep up with?” Hao Qianyi exuded unwavering confidence. After a moment’s thought, he added, “Oh, right, except for someone at Sugar’s level.”

Just at that moment, Yu Hao walked into the training room with Jiang Min.

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 ”