Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Yan Zhun had sent the contract several days ago but received no response. He didn't say anything until two weeks later when his mother called him, asking how to re-add someone he had blocked on WeChat.

It was the weekend when the call came, and Yan Zhun was still sleeping in the base. The first thing he did after answering the call was to check his side of the bed, which was empty.

No one Yan Zhun had blocked had ever been unblocked. He closed his eyes again and replied, "I'm not sure. Let me look it up for you."

"Okay," his mother said. "Your father has blocked you, and we've been searching for hours but can't find the button to add you back."

Yan's father's voice could be faintly heard in the background, "I asked you to search online for me, not call him!"

Yan Zhun: "..."

So that was why there had been no reply for so long – he had been blocked.

Yan Zhun was initially speechless, but then he couldn't help but chuckle shortly.

His mother laughed too before she asked, "Have you thought about it seriously?"

Yan Zhun replied, "Mm."

"What about school?"

"I can handle it."

Yan's father spoke something from a distance, but Yan Zhun couldn't make it out. After a few seconds, his mother said gently, "This isn't a trivial matter. You should come home sometime and let's talk about it in detail."

After a quick wash, Yan Zhun went downstairs to find Pei Ran sitting at his spot playing a game, seemingly duo queueing with Lin Xuhuan.

He had mentioned his intentions to the coach, and they had delved deeper into the conversation. They were just one contract away from finalizing everything.

While nothing was official without a written agreement, the training room had already acquired a new computer the day they talked. Yan Zhun hadn't officially joined the team yet; he only occasionally played with the team members in squad matches.

Pushing open the door to the training room, he saw that Lin Xuhuan had just been knocked down and was shouting that the enemy was cheating, urging Pei Ran to shoot them.

Pei Ran didn't have the ability to slay gods; he couldn't even see the enemy from his angle. Catching sight of Yan Zhun entering, he hurriedly said, "Hide well. I'll get Yan Zhun to shoot them..."

Pei Ran was about to stand up to give him his seat when a gentle pressure pressed against his back.

Yan Zhun leaned in as he had once before to teach Pei Ran how to control his gun, but this time, he was even closer, and Pei Ran caught the scent of mint from his recent grooming.

Yan Zhun asked, "Position."

Lin Xuhuan was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained his composure. "Behind Tree 75. I wounded him badly; he's probably healing himself."

With calm precision, Yan Zhun pulled the trigger, swiftly eliminating Old Immortal. Just as he was about to release the mouse, something caught his attention.

The in-game character he was controlling, though still dressed in the same outfit that Pei Ran had used, now bore a different ID above its head.

"Believer111," Yan Zhun read aloud.

Pei Ran responded, "Here."

Yan Zhun chuckled softly, his voice still husky from just waking up. He playfully inquired, "What does it mean in English?"

Pei Ran fell silent for a few seconds before answering, "It means...I want to be your fan."

Yan Zhun replied, "Then you're my first fan. Consider this a personal perk."

"Damn... I mean, no offense, bro," Lin Xuhuan grumbled beside him, unable to hold back any longer. "Can you please just give me a hand for a moment? I'm begging you."

Pei Ran had woken up late today. As he descended the stairs to get a drink of water, Lin Xuhuan caught him and promptly dragged him into a duo queue without further ado.

Yan Zhun casually pulled up a chair next to Pei Ran and watched him play while regaining his alertness. His phone then buzzed with a short notification.

"Mimi: Hey there, classmate. Mimi recently had kittens! They're all so adorable with unique fur patterns. Their daddy is a chubby little orange tabby. I assume you've already graduated, right? If you're interested, you can adopt one to raise."

Yan Zhun opened the picture and glanced at the several kittens with closed eyes.

Mimi was a stray cat he had taken care of for a few months. It wasn't quite accurate to say that he had 'adopted' her since his father was allergic to cat fur, and their living space was too cramped at the time. He had never brought the cat home but made sure to feed her every day after school. When Mimi fell ill, he took her to the vet, got her treated, and found a loving family to take her in.

Yan Zhun suddenly recalled the first time he met Pei Ran, which was also because of this little stray cat, Mimi.

On that day, as he was heading over to feed the cat as usual, he turned the corner to find Pei Ran crouched on the ground, feeding her a sausage.

The sausage was placed on the floor, and Pei Ran was bent low, maintaining a person's distance from the cat. One of his hands was extended mid-air, as if he wanted to pet her but didn't dare. The scene looked somewhat comical and amusing.

Upon realizing that someone else was taking care of the cat, Yan Zhun turned to leave when he noticed Pei Ran retrieving a pack of wet wipes from his bag.

A touch of the cat, a wipe of the hand, another touch, and another wipe...

Pulling himself together, Yan Zhun lowered his head and typed leisurely.

"Approved: No, my boyfriend has OCD; we can't keep one."

-

As the end of the semester approached, time seemed to fly by. On the day school broke for winter vacation, the city was blanketed with its first snowfall of the year, turning everything white overnight.

But nobody in the base was in the mood to appreciate the snow. Some were buried in training, while others held their phones, scrolling through Weibo.

That day, TZG officially announced their new free agent and in-game leader, "TZG-GOD." They also declared that he would make his official debut in the opening match two days later.

Being the top-ranked team in the country, such a sudden change in leadership was a significant event. More so when the newcomer was an unknown player. The community erupted with confusion, and the official announcement on Weibo was flooded with question marks.

The situation was so thrilling that Lin Xuhuan and the others lost focus. Only Yan Zhun, the person at the center of it all, continued practicing with weapons in the training field until his phone rang.

"You actually signed a contract with that club? ! Do you even consider me and your mother? !" Father Yan, who had just received the competition tickets from his son, was furious. "You still had the nerve to send me tickets!"

Yan Zhun replied, "Mom agreed."

"..." Father Yan replied, "I haven't agreed to it!"

Yan Zhun said, "That's enough. You've had people read over the contract several times already."

Father Yan responded, "Of course we have to be meticulous! Even the slightest mistake could lead to severe consequences..."

"Are you coming to tomorrow's match?" Yan Zhun interrupted him. "There'll be too many seats at the venue, so it won't be easy to find you. If you're coming, I'll arrange for someone to pick you up."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

"We'll talk about it later!" The call ended as soon as the words were spoken.

Yan Zhun tossed his phone aside, picked up his glass of water, and was about to stand up when Lin Xuhuan grabbed his shirt from the side.

"Brother, those people on Weibo are just talking nonsense. Please don't get angry," Lin Xuhuan said.

When Yan Zhun had been an e-sports player, the 'Battle Royale' segment hadn't taken off yet. He'd only participated in a few small-scale competitions at internet cafes without any recorded matches. Naturally, not many people recognized him. Later, when 'GOD111' appeared on the Asian server rankings, some even speculated that he was cheating.

As a result, not only were there trolls under TZG's official Weibo account and Yan Zhun's newly created account shouting that the team was doomed, but even the fans of the team were expressing their discontent, suggesting that they should field the second team or trainees instead.

Yan Zhun retorted, "Why should I be angry?"

Lin Xuhuan asked, "Not really angry?" Some of the comments were so infuriating that even he couldn't resist lashing out.

Yan Zhun hummed in response, pulling his clothes back from Lin Xuhuan's grasp. "Just beat them until they admit defeat."

Yan Zhun fetched a glass of water from the pantry but didn't rush back to training. Instead, he took out his phone and headed for the balcony.

Pei Ran had finished his exams the previous week and was currently with his parents at an art exhibition out of town.

The phone notifications froze at last night, with Pei Ran sending him a screenshot of flight tickets, followed by the notification of a video call being hung up.

"Yan Zhun: Little fan."

"Pei Ran: I'm here."

Yan Zhun wasn't sure what to say; he had never been skilled at small talk. But whenever his hands were idle, he found himself reaching out to Pei Ran.

After a moment, he typed out awkwardly, It's snowing here now.

Before he could send the message, his phone buzzed twice.

"Pei Ran: [Picture]"

"Pei Ran: It's snowing today."

Yan Zhun repeatedly opened the snowscape photo, gazing at it for a moment before long-pressing to save it in his album.

"Zhun'ed: Mm, it is here too."

"Zhun'ed: I miss you, Teacher Pei."

-

The next day was the day of the competition.

When Yan Zhun woke up early in the morning, he noticed an additional message on his phone, sent two hours prior.

"Pei Ran: ...My flight has been canceled."

Yan Zhun promptly replied but didn't receive a response even after he finished his grooming and got dressed. When he tried calling, all he heard was a busy tone.

This resulted in him boarding the car to the competition with a distinctly darkened face.

The TZG Club's vehicle arrived on the scene, and there were many team fans waiting beneath it. They were there not only to cheer on the team but also out of curiosity to catch a glimpse of the new commander.

The vehicle came to a smooth halt, and the first three veteran team members alighted, cheerfully waving at their fans. Before the fans could respond, another young man descended from the car.

He was dressed in TZG's black and red team jersey, with a baseball cap pulled low over his face. Taller than the other team members, he stood amidst them like a celebrity who had accidentally stumbled into a gathering of anime enthusiasts.

The newly appointed Free Agent moved with remarkable speed, taking only seconds from stepping out of the vehicle to entering the venue, all while intently staring at his phone with a scowl that surpassed even that of the fans discontented with the team's arrangements and ready to voice their protests.

Fans: "......."

In the backstage of the competition, Yan Zhun confirmed once more that Pei Ran's flight had indeed been canceled.

"Alright, put your phones away for now," the coach instructed. "There have been some changes in the strategy for the first round. I'll explain them to you in detail."

Almost every match would involve pre-game adjustments, and the coach was engrossed in his explanation, simultaneously boosting the team's morale. He only stopped when the staff entered to remind them to head to the arena.

Yan Zhun zipped up his team uniform and handed his phone to the coach before leaving. "If Pei Ran calls, please answer it for me."

"I see," the coach said. "Your parents are here, in the third row."

"Mm-hmm."

Yan Zhun made his way through the aisle, about to enter the arena when he suddenly seemed to sense something. He turned his head towards the emergency exit.

Then, he paused in his steps.

Lin Xuhuan, standing behind him, only heard, "I'll be back in two minutes."

Pei Ran was wearing a white down jacket and still slightly breathless. He had been stopped by a security guard outside the emergency exit and was about to make a call on his phone when someone grabbed his wrist.

Yan Zhun greeted the security guard and led Pei Ran away.

With time being of the essence, Yan Zhun brought him into an empty storage room nearby.

"Why didn't you reply to my messages?"

Relieved that he hadn't missed Yan Zhun, Pei Ran let out a soft sigh. "I was on a high-speed train earlier and there was no signal. My phone died halfway, so I had to borrow a charger from a taxi driver."

Yan Zhun asked, "Are there still tickets for the high-speed train?"

It was winter break, and with the Spring Festival approaching, tickets were difficult to secure.

"There are," Pei Ran replied, "But only standing room."

Yan Zhun swallowed, their location in the storage room nearest to the arena allowed them to hear the cheers of the audience outside and even catch snippets of the commentator's voice.

The competition would begin in ten minutes, and the commentator started introducing the participating teams.

Pei Ran overheard them discussing Yan Zhun.

"The new player GOD from TZG? I've heard of him. Rumor has it that he played for TZG's youth team a few years back but left early, so not many people know about him."

"I once played a game with him. He's incredibly strong."

"Hasn't the TZG team entered yet? Wait, isn't Player HUAN always eager to interact with the cameras before the match begins?"

Pei Ran listened quietly for a while, feeling their heart beat a little faster for some reason.

He realized that he derived great pleasure from hearing others praise Yan Zhun.

"They're talking about you," Pei Ran said. "It's time for you to make your entrance."

Yan Zhun hummed in response, "I'm not quite ready yet."

He raised his hand to tousle Pei Ran's disheveled hair even more, softly reminding him, "Teacher Pei, give me a boost, please."

The utility room was somewhat cramped, and with the two boys standing inside, it was almost entirely filled.

Pei Ran swiftly blinked a few times and replied affirmatively.

A beam of golden stage light accidentally penetrated the window of the storage room. The commentator was still discussing "GOD111's" legendary tales, as other teams entered one by one.

Advancing a step forward, Pei Ran gently tilted his head and, amidst the commotion, kissed Yan Zhun's lips.

- The End -