CH 20

“Hahaha! Sugar, they call you the ‘aloof weirdo’!” Yu Hao laughed so hard he almost fell to the ground.

“…,” Jiang Min was left speechless.

Inside the JW training room, it was quiet.

“Gold and Silver Bun” and Hao Qianyi both witnessed their team captain’s surprisingly lively behavior, which was very different from what they were used to.

“Did I misunderstand our captain?” Hao Qianyi muttered, swallowing hard. “Why does this seem so different from the Yu Hao I know?”

While Yu Hao was generally easygoing, he had high expectations for his teammates. Even those older than him, like Hao Qianyi and the brothers “Gold and Silver Bun” Wei Yabo and Wei Yafeng, didn’t dare to disobey him.

But ever since Sugar God joined JW, everything had changed. Their captain was laughing in the training room and even acting cute with Sugar God!

This was unheard of!

The JW trio, oblivious to the situation, found the world magical.

Among them, the only two people who remained calm about the situation were JW’s coach Bai Yin and the former JW Team 2’s mid laner, who had just retired and now served as an assistant coach, Xiao Nan.

Bai Yin, as the one who kept an eye on each player’s dynamics, had known for a long time that Yu Hao, under the alias “Little Fish,” was active in Sugar God’s fan community.

Xiao Nan, being the oldest among the JW five-person team, to some extent, shared some of the captain’s pressure. Moreover, he was older than Yu Hao. Yu Hao’s family wasn’t in S City, and some things weren’t suitable to discuss with the rest of JW, so he enjoyed sharing them with the mature and stable Xiao Nan.

Yu Hao often confided in Xiao Nan, so not only did Xiao Nan know about Yu Hao’s “Little Fish” alias, but he also knew that Yu Hao was interested in Sugar God.

JW’s coaches, in unison, pretended not to know anything and continued playing on their computers.

Both of them understood that Yu Hao’s “Little Fish” alias, which was both flirty and playful, should stay under wraps as long as possible. Otherwise, it would be extremely awkward if it were exposed.

“Don’t laugh, in the next game…” Jiang Min looked at Yu Hao with helplessness.

Why was this kid so naive?

“No, it’s about that ‘aloof weirdo’… Hahaha!” Yu Hao was genuinely laughing with tears in his eyes.

Jiang Min became even more helpless.

Who would have thought that agreeing to JW Manager Shen’s request not to reveal the transfer to JW would result in such a peculiar nickname?

———-

When Ji Xiu Yan walked out of the top-floor office at the JW base, the sun was setting. As he descended the stairs, he contemplated what he should have for dinner.

Boss Ji was usually very busy, and with the year-end approaching, he was even busier.

But he loved working in the JW office. Even though he had more luxurious offices in various S City companies, there were two reasons he favored the JW office. Firstly, the youthful energy of both players and staff inspired him to strive for the best every day. Secondly, there was his “cabbage” here. To see his “cabbage” every day, Boss Ji didn’t mind waking up early and driving over 40 minutes from home to the JW office.

Unbeknownst to him, Ji Xiu Yan had come to accept the idea that the person he held dear was his “cabbage.”

Ji Xiu Yan had spent a fortune to buy JW, all for one person, the captain of JW’s FPS game Fortune division, Lu Huai.

Ji Xiu Yan and his cousin Yu Hao shared the same orientation and the same deep feelings.

This might have something to do with their family’s genetics because their parents were also deeply sentimental people.

At that time, Ji Xiu Yan was studying abroad and became obsessed with the newly released FPS game Fortune. He neglected his studies and indulged in playing games.

While his scores improved with every game, his academic performance deteriorated, reaching the point where he was on the verge of being expelled.

At the time, Ji Xiu Yan was stubborn and didn’t listen to anyone’s advice.

Although his family was wealthy, they had sent him abroad to study with the hope that he would return after completing his education.

However, Ji Xiu Yan continued to squander his money and time, playing on the overseas server using an accelerator. It was during this time that he encountered a skilled player.

Originally, Ji Xiu Yan thought that since Fortune had already undergone testing in the overseas server, he, a high-ranking player who had been active in overseas servers for several months, would surely dominate in the domestic server.

However, the skilled player he encountered destroyed Ji Xiu Yan. Since Ji Xiu Yan wanted to learn from a pro, he invited the skilled player to become his friend.

The pro player couldn’t resist Ji Xiu Yan’s persistent friendship, so they became friends. Over time, they even exchanged WeChat contact information.

In order to play games with the pro player, Ji Xiu Yan turned his life upside down in a foreign country. Under the pro player’s guidance, his gaming skills improved, and he developed some kind of emotional connection with the pro player, whom he admired from afar. The voice was pleasant, and they seemed gentle, so Ji Xiu Yan imagined the pro player to be a handsome individual.

One day, the pro player suddenly informed Ji Xiu Yan that they were going to pursue a professional gaming career and wouldn’t be able to play with Ji Xiu Yan anymore. They mentioned that they might become very busy and have less time to communicate.

Ji Xiu Yan was stunned. He never expected that his first crush, especially one that had blossomed online, would end this way.

Ji Xiu Yan searched through the Weibo accounts of Chinese Fortune teams and finally found an official announcement from JW introducing their new assault player, who turned out to be his beloved pro player.

For someone obsessed with the pro player’s handsome appearance and incredible skills, this was a huge shock. The pro player was going pro, which was a significant achievement for any gamer, while Ji Xiu Yan was just a web-addicted teenager with no accomplishments.

Despite having a wealthy background, it meant little without any personal achievements. Ji Xiu Yan feared that he would be left far behind by his beloved pro player.

To catch up with the pro player, Ji Xiu Yan decided to make a change. He knew he didn’t have the talent to go pro, so he resolved to focus on his studies, build his own career, and become a team owner like the pro player. He wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with his beloved pro player.

To secure his parents’ financial support for his entrepreneurial endeavors, the first step was to graduate from school. From that moment on, Ji Xiu Yan gave up playing games and committed himself to his studies, working harder than ever before. He spent more time in the library and diligently completed his assignments.

Ultimately, Ji Xiu Yan graduated successfully, returned to China, and embarked on his entrepreneurial journey, which eventually led him to purchase the JW team.

At this point, the pro player had become the captain of JW’s Fortune division.

His name was Lu Huai, with the in-game ID “January.”

However, Ji Xiu Yan had a weakness: he was open and talkative with his cousin Yu Hao, but in front of his beloved pro player, he became timid.

It had been almost two years since Ji Xiu Yan bought JW, but Lu Huai still had no idea that the team owner, Ji Xiu Yan, was the same person who had chased after him as a young online friend.

The two had never shared pictures. Ji Xiu Yan initially learned of Lu Huai’s identity through the official descriptions of his achievements, combined with the ID mentioned in a past interview. However, Lu Huai rarely used that ID afterward.

Ji Xiu Yan knew that Lu Huai was a handsome guy, but Lu Huai had no idea what his young online friend looked like.

So, Ji Xiu Yan and Lu Huai maintained a distant relationship, exchanging greetings when they met and then going their separate ways.

The last time Ji Xiu Yan wanted to discuss something with Yu Hao was regarding the year-end arrangements to ensure that he, as the team owner, and the players, especially Lu Huai, could participate in activities together.

Yu Hao suggested arranging a team-building event for JW since he was willing to use it as an opportunity to strengthen his bond with his beloved Sugar.

Ji Xiu Yan immediately informed the operations department to plan an exciting team-building event. While the official purpose was to promote the club and engage with fans by creating videos, secretly, Ji Xiu Yan wanted to create more opportunities for him and Lu Huai to spend time together.

“You can’t just create opportunities; you have to be brave and take them!” Yu Hao scolded Ji Xiu Yan.

Determined, Ji Xiu Yan decided that during this team-building event, he must strike up a conversation with Lu Huai.

———-

As Boss Ji descended the stairs, he passed by the cafeteria on the first floor, where members of the WOC division were headed to have lunch.

This time, the WOC division consisted of players, coaches, assistant coaches, and analysts, and they were all together.

Yu Hao still had his arm around Jiang Min’s shoulder. In Ji Xiu Yan’s memory, every time he saw these two since Sugar God joined JW, Yu Hao always had this “Sugar God is mine” posture.

“Hey, Boss!” Yu Hao greeted.

Except for a few people in JW, most didn’t know that Yu Hao and Ji Xiu Yan were relatives. These two didn’t show any special signs of their relationship, and to outsiders, they appeared to be a boss and a player with a good relationship.

“Yeah,” Ji Xiu Yan replied.

“Hello, Boss Ji,” Bai Yin and others greeted.

“Hey, are you guys going to eat?” Ji Xiu Yan asked, knowing very well they were.

“Yeah, Boss, want to join us?” Hao Qianyi warmly invited.

“I was just…” Ji Xiu Yan was about to refuse. Although the food at the JW cafeteria was good, he was getting tired of it.

But then, he spotted someone sitting in the cafeteria who caught his attention. Lu Huai, with his black hair, was sitting there.

“Well, it’s rare to eat with everyone,” Ji Xiu Yan immediately changed his mind.

He’d endure the cafeteria food for the chance to catch a glimpse of his “cabbage.”

Yu Hao glanced at Ji Xiu Yan, who usually despised the cafeteria food. He wondered what got into him today.

When he looked into the cafeteria, he realized it was because of Lu Huai.

Yu Hao was the only one who knew that Ji Xiu Yan bought JW for Lu Huai. To avoid Ji Xiu Yan’s strict mother from criticizing her son for not focusing on his proper career and wasting money just to chase after someone, Yu Hao had been helping Ji Xiu Yan cover up.

A sly expression briefly appeared on Yu Hao’s face. He put his arm around Jiang Min and walked into the cafeteria.

“Hello, Captain Lu,” Yu Hao said as he approached. Behind him were the members of the WOC division, holding trays of delicious-smelling food, coming to the table where the Fortune division was sitting. “Do you mind if we join you?”

WOC and Fortune were completely different types of games, and while members from both divisions interacted occasionally, they were all professional players who spent their time either practicing in training rooms or resting in their rooms. There wasn’t much interaction between them.

Lu Huai looked up, saw Yu Hao’s friendly smile, and noticed the others behind him. He nodded slightly. “Of course not, please, have a seat.”

“Oh, by the way, our boss is joining us too,” Yu Hao casually mentioned.

Lu Huai, as usual, nodded in acknowledgment without saying much.

Under Yu Hao’s deliberate orchestration, Ji Xiu Yan found himself sandwiched between Yu Hao and Lu Huai.

Boss Ji, who had just signed a multimillion-dollar contract, had a stiff expression, a tense posture, and appeared completely bewildered.

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 ”