CH 45

Onyx Blue9-11 minutes 23.04.2023

You Jing did not speak, waiting for his next words.

Why does this scenario not seem right? Prior to this, Lin Xiao had imagined thousands of reactions, but he fell silent for a while when facing the attitude of ‘you talk and I listen’ of the man in front of him. Clearing his throat, he began his prepared speech as calmly as possible: “It’s like this, you would never guess that Old Ghost once had a disciple.”

There was still no response, and the atmosphere seemed a little awkward.

Lin Xiao glanced at You Jing’s expression, but he couldn’t see much emotion on that face, so he could only continue talking nonsense in a serious manner: “Well, in fact, I am the only apprentice of the Old Ghost. You know, we both have the same name, and it was for this reason that I attracted Master’s attention, and then he discovered that I had a rare setup and excellent talent. At first glance, it was a rare occurrence in the e-sports circle, and as soon as the decision was made, that door was opened for me, and I was recruited.”

This description was very emotional, but You Jing’s attitude was still unclear.

“Later, because I was young and frivolous, I quarreled with Master and left over a trivial matter. At that time, I never thought that this departure would actually be a farewell.” Lin Xiao became more and more engrossed in his narration, and when he reached the end of his speech, he seemed lost in memories, “In fact, when I heard that Master was in a car accident, I was in denial for a while. When you think of it, why does this human life have so little value? When it’s gone, it’s gone, it’s really…”

As he said this, he suddenly paused and looked straight at You Jing with an extra cautious tone: “Master held an unrivaled position in my heart, so when I learned that you had taken over his position as captain, I deliberately ‘observed’ you and even used all kinds of strange methods to ‘test’ you, trying to determine if you were truly qualified to lead the Black Rose team.

In order to get You Jing to accept that the former host’s previous strange actions really had a ‘reason,’ Lin Xiao deliberately accentuated some keywords to emphasize that whatever he did was well-intentioned.

You Jing finally spoke: “What happened next?”

“Of course, I convinced myself that you are indeed qualified as a captain! Not only is your modus operandi incisive and your control ingenious, but you also handle the special responsibility of a captain well. Sometimes I feel like you even surpassed my Master!” Lin Xiao flattered incessantly, talking endlessly. “And that’s why I finally decided to become a professional player, join the Black Rose team that Master created, and fight for the Championship trophy with my teammates! After all, our country has been waiting for the second World Championship trophy for too long, hasn’t it?”

You Jing’s eyes flickered slightly and looking at the calm man in front of him, he fell silent again.

This man really had the same way of thinking as when the Old Ghost was dominating the League. He also had a fast hand speed, enough to match the ultra-high APM of the cooling reduction flow and even unexpected strategies; all this was like the shadow of the former leader.

But the Old Ghost‘s disciple?

He’s never heard of it.

Frowning slightly, he asked: “How can I trust you?”

Lin Xiao was waiting for this, and seeing that he was finally asked the question he had been looking forward to for so long, he took out his phone unhurriedly, with a relieved smile: “It’s very simple, I have a witness.”

Just like that, he dialed a number in front of You Jing: “Hey, Vice Captain Shen, I need you to prove something.”

Since Lin Xiao forcibly took You Jing away, it was inevitable that Shen Changyu would be questioned by his peers about this inexplicable behavior. Under the siege, he racked his brain for an explanation as he anxiously watched the time pass. At this moment, he finally received a call, but hearing such an unexpected sentence, he was taken aback: “Prove what?”

Lin Xiao said softly, “Well, testify about my relationship with Master.”

Captain Lin had a Master before? Shen Changyu was at a loss.

“As for the fact that I’m the Old Ghost‘s apprentice, you can tell Captain You directly.” Lin Xiao said this as a reminder and then handed the phone to You Jing, smiling lightly, “Captain You, I think it would be most appropriate for Vice Captain Shen, the person that Master chose to inform about this matter, to answer your questions.”

You Jing took the phone, and after a moment of silence, he asked, “Is it true?”

On the other end of the phone, Shen Changyu sensed that the tone was not as calm as it appeared on the surface, and only then did he understand what Lin Xiao meant when he said he needed his help a few days ago.

But at this moment, the only feeling he had was that he wanted to hang up the phone directly.

The Old Ghost‘s disciple? How on earth did he come up with such nonsense?

Although his hand was shaking slightly, Shen Changyu forced himself to calm down so as not to fling the phone impulsively.

After a moment of silence, his mouth twitched slightly as he tried to sound calm and steady, “Yes. It’s… true.”

On the other end, You Jing didn’t say anything and hung up the phone abruptly.

“I heard something about disciples. What’s the situation, Vice Captain Shen? Why exactly is that man looking for Captain You?” Xu Yiming, who has been eavesdropping, leaned over and asked with a puzzled look.

Shen Changyu said a light “Well,” glanced at the inquiring gazes all around, and said in a monotone voice as if he was talking about what to have for dinner: “It’s nothing. It’s just that Lin Xiao was Captain Lin’s disciple back then.”

Xu Yiming exclaimed, “Old Ghost actually had a disciple!? That gay guy is really Old Ghost‘s disciple!?”

Everyone’s expressions were particularly astonished.

Shen Changyu turned around silently, and handed the waiver request form to Li Bochuan: “Manager Li, I think it’s time to sign.”

…

Lin Xiao looked at You Jing hanging up the phone and raised his eyebrows, “Are you convinced now?”

“I am.” You Jing’s voice was a little tenser than usual, and after handing the phone to Lin Xiao, he said, “If you’re willing, I will tell Manager Li to skim all the procedures of the training camp. We will talk about the details after returning to the club. Now I have to go back, the team competition will start soon”.

Seeing that he turned to leave, Lin Xiao reached out to stop him, somewhat dumbfounded: “You really don’t think I’d take such a big risk to reveal my identity to you just to get in through the back door, do you, Captain?”

You Jing heard the faint ring bell coming from the stage and frowned, “Get out of the way.”

“You just won’t give up.” Lin Xiao still had a faint smile, but in his heart, he was finally overwhelmed by such a stubborn attitude. He rarely acted so impetuously.

Just as You Jing wanted to go around him, he pressed his shoulder and suddenly pushed him against the wall.

Propping on the wall behind, he looked down at the handsome face that, although bloodless, still held a kind of temptation. Lin Xiao’s deep eyes flickered slightly, and he said, “As I said, I swear in my Master’s name that the Black Rose team will make the shortlist for the playoffs. Why don’t you listen?”

You Jing couldn’t use his left hand to free himself, so he simply stared at him: “Old Ghost is not a name to swear by casually. After all, you’re not him.”

“So what? After so long, isn’t it time to move on?” Lin Xiao’s gaze slowly moved from his handsome face to the arm hanging by his side, “There’s no denying that the captain does carry the burden of leading the team to victory, but that’s not all there is to it. Back then, Old Ghost used to think that winning the championship was more important than anything else, but later he deeply understood that teammates were much more important than victory.”

You Jing pursed his lips, and there was an inexplicable emotion in his eyes.

Thinking of things from the past, Lin Xiao sighed lightly with a hint of helplessness: “The team is not protected by one individual. A team is when every member protects each other. Don’t do something that will make your teammates regret it.”

“Please trust your teammates more, Captain You, and let’s call it a day.” Although he spoke in his usual tone, somehow there was no room for discussion. Seeing the reluctance in You Jing’s expression, Lin Xiao took out his cell phone and called Shen Changyu again, “Vice Captain Shen, submit the waiver application.”

Shen Changyu had already prepared everything for some time and was just waiting for a decisive answer, so he was relieved: “Okay, leave it to me.”

Lin Xiao said, “Thanks for your trouble.”

Except for talking on the phone, there was an eerie silence in the surrounding atmosphere.

It wasn’t until the phone call ended that You Jing spoke again: “Can you move away now?”

Lin Xiao was still motionless. He looked at the time displayed on the phone in his hand and said leisurely: “It’s getting late, you better hurry up and get to the emergency room. Oh, by the way, what hospital did you get all your previous tests done at?”

Under his gaze, You Jing was silent for a moment, his eyes downcast: “H City Second Hospital.”

Lin Xiao smiled in satisfaction, then took a step back and made a gesture of invitation: “Then, I’m coming with you.”