CH 15

After Jiang Min left CC, CC immediately posted an announcement on their official account the same day.

The general idea of the announcement is that Jiang Min has already left the team, but the content of the announcement is ambiguous, with no explanation for the reason and no information about where Jiang Min has gone. It only contains official well-wishing words like “wishing each other well.”

The moment the announcement was posted on Weibo, CC’s official account fell into chaos.

Countless question marks appeared in the comments section.

【”??? Does anyone really think Sugar God is not a key player on the team?”】

【”??? Letting go of a key player, what kind of strange move is this?”】

【”??? Are you preparing to fail next season?”】

Netizens’ comments were filled with consistent “???” expressions.

Of course, there were a few who disagreed with the majority, thinking that Jiang Min leaving was a good thing as it would free up resources for CC. When such comments appeared, other users jumped in to argue about the resource issue, stating that Jiang Min was one of the most consistently performing mid-laners.

Both sides fiercely debated on CC’s official blog.

Some people pointed fingers at the official blog, condemning the vague announcement and the lack of clarity about why Jiang Min left and where he went. In response, the manager of CC’s official blog had no choice but to express her frustration. It wasn’t her intention to write the announcement this way; it was what the boss had instructed.

Not specifying the reason for departure was well-known within CC. It was clear that Lin, the team owner, had actively sold Jiang Min during the contract protection period, which was a breach of the player’s contract with the club. How could they openly promote such behavior? As for not disclosing Jiang Min’s destination, it was at the request of Ji Xiu Yan.

JW wanted to keep Jiang Min’s joining a secret, and the reason was unexpectedly simple. JW’s team manager, Shen Qi, was excited and rubbing his hands together, saying that it had been a long time since there had been any changes in the team. Especially since the establishment of the WOC branch, they had been playing with the same few players. Watching other clubs compete in the offseason games made him eager to participate. So, when they finally had a player coming in, he was determined to win the offseason championship.

The offseason championship was a term for the period when clubs secretly competed in announcing player transfers. The last one to announce was considered the winner. Of course, there were no actual rewards, and even how this silly game came about was unclear. However, clubs were very enthusiastic about this inter-club competition during the offseason. Shen Qi had wanted to participate several times but was never given the chance by the club. Therefore, he specifically instructed Ji to refrain from allowing CC to announce Jiang Min’s destination, giving him a chance to win the offseason championship.

For these reasons, the manager of CC’s official blog posted this vague announcement as instructed. This announcement not only caused a sensation among JW’s fans but also stirred up the entire WPL professional scene.

——

OVO Team, CC’s arch-rival, had faced off against CC several times. At this moment, their team captain, Cen Yu, known as the “Jade God” and playing the 4th position, was vigorously shaking the manager’s collar.

“Ah, is it true that someone actually thinks Sugar God isn’t a key player on the team?”

“They let a key player go. What kind of crazy move is this?”

“Are they preparing to flop next season?”

The comments section was filled with question marks.

Their second position mid-laner’s contract had expired, and he was planning to retire to an 18th-tier team, so they were actively looking for a new mid-laner. Cen Yu was dissatisfied with OVO’s second-team mid-laner and the talent in their youth team, even scolding the players who came for tryouts.

“These noobs are nowhere near our level! I want Sugar God! I must have him! As long as we get Sugar God, I feel like I can keep competing for several more years. You better figure out a way, or what if another club snatches him up first? Seriously, why did CC let him go during the contract protection period? You need to go find out!” Cen Yu demanded from the manager.

The manager wiped sweat from his forehead. If it weren’t for Cen Yu being a veteran of the team, he would have reprimanded him already.

“Don’t be so hasty,” the manager’s mouth twitched as he gently removed Cen Yu’s hand from his collar. “I… I will go find out.”

Cen Yu ran his fingers through his hair, feeling anxious. “If we miss this opportunity, who knows how long we’ll have to wait? You must find a way to get Sugar God to join us!”

The manager wiped his forehead again, feeling the pressure.

——

AFK Team, the top domestic team that had led in points this season and was the number one seed from the WPL region to participate in the world championship, was also abuzz with CC’s official blog post.

AFK’s team captain, Jiang Min’s former teammate, and the 5th position player who had once won the regional championship with him at CC, Shu Lou, was squatting in the corner of the training room, drawing circles.

“Why didn’t Ah Min tell me that he was leaving the team? It seems like he didn’t even consider coming to AFK… Is he gradually forgetting our friendship? Sigh… in the end, it’s because I’m not good enough. I couldn’t even make it out of the group stage in the World Championship. It’s understandable that he doesn’t think highly of me…”

Shu Lou, ID: Down, was truly a downcast person, always feeling inadequate.

However, it was this kind of person who had a magical ability to unite the team members. The proof was…

“Captain, maybe Sugar God’s departure was sudden, and he didn’t have a chance to contact you,” AFK’s first position player said, patting Shu Lou’s shoulder from behind.

“Captain, don’t overthink it. Maybe Sugar God will contact us soon,” reassured the third position player from AFK.

“Captain, it’s okay. Even if Sugar God doesn’t come to us, I’ll still play with you forever,” the second position player of AFK said, patting the captain’s head.

The fourth position player handed the captain a cup of his favorite milk tea. “Captain, have some milk tea to quench your thirst.”

“Ah… you guys are right. Even if Ah Min doesn’t come, we still need to train hard. We can’t afford to miss the group stage again next year,” Shu Lou said, taking a sip of the milk tea and feeling a bit more energized.

——

WPL teams and fans were very curious about where Jiang Min had gone. At this moment, Jiang Min, also known as Sugar God, was lying on the bed prepared for him in the team’s room, taking cold and fever medication, feeling drowsy but unable to sleep. The reason he couldn’t sleep was because Yu Hao was lying next to his bed, looking at him with a gentle expression, showing no intention of leaving.

In the late morning, due to JW picking up people from CC very early, there was still some time between Jiang Min’s arrival at JW and lunchtime.

Therefore, Yu Hao suggested that he rest on the bed for a while and that they could go to the cafeteria for lunch later, or even have the food brought to his dormitory.

Jiang Min was naturally very grateful to Yu Hao. It was because of Yu Hao’s presence that he didn’t feel too uncomfortable in this unfamiliar environment.

However, with Yu Hao watching him like this, he really couldn’t fall asleep!

“Um…” Jiang Min couldn’t help but speak, his eyelids were drooping, “Why don’t you go back to your room and rest for a while? You can come and wake me up when it’s time.”

Yu Hao rested his chin on his crossed hands and smiled, saying, “No need, I’ll just stay here.”

“But…”

“If I go back, what if you need something or you’re not feeling well and can’t find me?”

“I have a phone…”

“I don’t always check my phone.”

Jiang Min couldn’t argue with that.

He looked at Yu Hao and realized that the guy who was over 180 cm tall and was currently curled up at the edge of his bed definitely wasn’t comfortable. He felt a strange sense of guilt.

From childhood to adulthood, he had gotten used to being alone. He remembered the kindness others showed him and tried to reciprocate with the same goodwill.

Facing Yu Hao’s kindness, he couldn’t ignore it, and he didn’t want Yu Hao to feel uncomfortable because of taking care of him.

So, he had a bold suggestion.

“Why don’t you come up and lie down with me for a while?” Jiang Min said, “If you’re not worried about catching anything from me.”

After all, the beds provided by JW were wide enough for two adults to lie down without any issues.

Yu Hao was taken aback.

He thought he must be hearing things.

Could Sugar really be this forward?

But when he saw Jiang Min shifting his body, making room for him, he felt like he was about to take off into the sky.

He forcefully suppressed his excitement and pretended to be calm, hesitating a bit before saying, “But, won’t it be crowded if we both try to sleep here?”

“… It won’t,” Jiang Min replied.

Yu Hao couldn’t believe that his dream of sharing a bed with Jiang Min was coming true so quickly, though it wasn’t happening in the way he had imagined.

He didn’t want Jiang Min to figure out his feelings so soon. He was pretty certain that Jiang Min’s emotions toward him were still stuck at the “brother” level.

Progressing too quickly might scare Sugar, so Yu Hao had decided to take it slow from the start.

With that in mind, Yu Hao made an effort to clear out certain unhealthy thoughts from his mind and lay down beside Jiang Min.

Seeing him comfortable lying down, Jiang Min finally succumbed to drowsiness and closed his eyes in peace.

Yu Hao gazed at the ceiling, pinching himself to confirm the reality of the moment.

The bed provided at the base wasn’t exactly narrow, but it wasn’t very wide either.

Yu Hao clearly felt Jiang Min’s breathing gradually even out, and a faint smile crept up at the corners of his mouth.

Sugar had finally joined their team, marking the achievement of a milestone.

In the future, they were teammates, good brothers, and maybe even something more.

Yu Hao was content.

Just at that moment, Yu Hao’s phone received a message, vibrating slightly.

He hurriedly switched his phone to silent mode, afraid of disturbing Jiang Min’s rest.

Checking the message, it was from Ji Xiu Yan.

【”Where are you? Can’t find you in the training room, and there’s no one when I knocked on your dorm room.”】

【”Is something up?”】

【”I need to discuss something with you. You’re full of ideas, so give me some advice, bro.”】

【”What do you mean by ‘full of ideas’… don’t just make stuff up, I’m pretty straightforward.”【 Yu Hao quickly typed.

【”Don’t play coy, tell me, where are you?”】

【”I’m in the next room.”】Yu Hao typed those words with a hint of pride, feeling that he was making faster progress than his clueless cousin.

【”Next room?… Sugar God’s room?”]】

【”Yeah!”】

【”What are you doing in Sugar God’s room?”】

A trace of alertness rose in Ji Xiu Yan’s mind. Could this kid not restrain himself and have done something inappropriate with the mid-laner I spent 30 million on? He quickly typed:

【”You didn’t do something out of line with the mid-laner I spent 30 million on, on his first day at our club, did you?”】

【”I’m sleeping with my 30 million worth of wife~”】

Ji Xiu Yan exploded in place.

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 ”