After finishing his breakfast, Qin Fei languidly instructs: âBefore Coach returns, Yiming and Old Han, you two tag-team. Ye Zi, go solo. Jing Yu, you follow me.â
Luo Yiming: âOkie~â
Ye Hong: âOK.â
Jing Yu begins rising to his feet without thinking. Only, after seeing Qin Fei still in the same position, he falters and sits back down.
Qin Fei shoots him an amused glance. When the others have all slipped off to the Training Room, he finally takes his time to stand up, heading towards the Conference Room.
Jing Yu hastily follows after him.
Upon entering the Conference Room, Qin Fei struts along the side of the table, making a beeline to the seat at the end with the laptop. A practiced hand switches on the laptop with ease, keying in the passcode. Without even lifting his head, he says: âCome here.â
âOkay.â Jing Yu replies, pulling a chair over to sit by Qin Feiâs side.
âGet a bit closer. Can you see the screen?â
âYes.â Jing Yu says but still wriggles his chair closer.
Qin Fei pays it no mind, clicking open a folder on the home-screen: âWeâll go over the practice game yesterday first.â
Qin Feiâs voice is as tranquil as the surface of the ocean, impossible to read at all: âAlthough it seemed like we were just an inch away from winning, to be honest, I think itâs only natural for us to lose against Ane. In fact, it can be considered a miracle that we managed to gain an advantage in the first half.â
Jing Yu listens attentively, not daring to interrupt.
âThere were three problems: One, everyone still hasnât gotten used to the format of me solo-laning and you jungling. It shouldnât even have to be said, but all your demons are so rarely used, itâs hard to sync up. More practiceâs necessary.â
Jing Yuâs eyes darkens, but he doesnât speak up.
âTwo, the others are all used to my command. They still havenât gotten used to you yet. Moreover, this is your first time leading a team with an established style, right?â
âEn.â
âThis will also need more practice.â
âThree, I think itâs fairly obvious, but pg is not suited for playing the latter half. The more the game drags on, the more mistakes we make. Itâs rare for us to be able to flip the situation around. Likewise, this will have to be trained.â
After listing these three points, Qin Fei lets the video continue playing on the screen, tipping his head towards Jing Yu: âThatâs about everything.â
Jing Yu: â???â
He still thought Qin Fei was just briefly summarizing before launching into the details, and yet⊠This is all he has to say?!
Jing Yu turns his head uncertainly and looks at Qin Fei, wavering for a moment before mustering his courage to ask: âDid I do anything wrong during the game?â
âDidnât I already say it?â Qin Fei gives him a âWhat the hell were you listening toâ look, âIn any case, weâre going to improve on these things in the following games â Coordination, leading, and dragging out the latter half.â Pausing here, he adds, âSpeaking of which, Coach intends for us to take turns leading. Iâll take command for one round before you do the next. After seeing how I lead, make sure to tailor your strategies accordingly.â
âUnderstood.â Jing Yu answers in a docile manner. Although what Qin Fei said fully makes sense, the way he said it is sort of lackadaisical. The worry within his heart is incapable of dissipating.
In the end, he still canât hold himself back, saying the thing whichâs been on his mind: âIf I hadnât used Frozen HeartâŠâ
âThen that would have been another way of dying.â Qin Fei brusquely interrupts, evenly stating, âNo matter what the end result is, never question your own abilities. In this aspect, youâve still got some things to learn from Yiming. That rascal had his face grounded into the floor yesterday. He scored the bottom lowest. Yet, he still thinks he can quintuple-kill Ane next time ne.â
Jing Yu is stunned speechless â Should he say, this can only be expected of pgâs C position?
âYour performance is far more stable than his. So, you wonât have any problems.â Qin Fei says it confidently whilst patting Jing Yuâs shoulder, âGo solo ba.â
âAlright⊠What about you?â Jing Yu has already risen without thinking.
He didnât expect Qin Fei to directly splay out before the laptop: âSleepy⊠Iâll nap for a while.â
Jing Yu: ââŠâŠâ
Jing Yu looks at him somewhat helplessly. Wavering a little, he turns on his heels to head out the room.
And yet. He hadnât taken a few steps before he made a U-turn and cautiously says: âThat⊠itâs easy to catch a cold sleeping on the table. Why donât you head upstairs to sleep?â
Qin Fei doesnât respond. His shoulders rises with each even breath.
He really fell asleep so quickly? This canât be right ba?
Jing Yu originally still wants to gently shake Qin Feiâs shoulder. Heâs already half-stretching out his hand, yet he falters mid-way.
Because he suddenly remembers Ye Hongâs story â A few months ago, the coach wanted to drag Qin Fei off the bed but almost got beaten up to the point of being crippled. Afterwards, nobody dares to wake Qin Fei up again.
As a matter of fact, Jing Yu isnât remotely scared that Qin Fei will hit him. He only worries that he will be hated if he carelessly wakes him up.
Unexpected, the hand that has been hovering mid-way is grabbed by that person!
Jing Yuâs pupils shrink. The muscles on his arm abruptly tenses. Only after realizing the person who grabbed him is Qin Fei, then does he slightly relax.
Qin Fei is still splayed on the table. Yet, the hand that is raised had still snagged Jing Yuâs hand with complete accuracy. Only after a while then does he sits up, lifting his gaze to him: âWhy are you still here?â
Jing Yu fully relaxes, allowing Qin Fei to continue holding on as he awkwardly answers: âI was worried you would catch a coldâŠâ
âTch. You care too much.â Saying this, Qin Fei releases Jing Yuâs hand and turns off the laptop, getting up.
Jing Yu still thought he was listening to his words and heading upstairs to sleep. Unexpectedly, an arm hooks around the back of his neck: âNot napping anymore. Iâll accompany you to practice.â
âHuan?â Jing Yu blinks twice, flustered.
âSpeaking of which, youâŠâ Qin Fei continues to haul Jing Yu along, abruptly asking without looking at him.
Jing Yu âEn?'s in question.
âNervermind.â Qin Fei swallows the words that had nearly escaped.
Just now, when he instinctively grabbed Jing Yuâs wrist, he suddenly felt a huge burst of power.
This little rascal⊠It seems he isnât as delicate as he thought him to be.
At the same time, in the Training Room, three people happen to be discussing in a low voice:
Han Leng: âHow mysterious. Fei Geâs not blowing his top this time?â
Ye Hong: âTsk. What do you all take Fei Ge as? Itâs not like heâll flare up anytime.â
Luo Yiming: âYi**? You say that as if youâve never gotten a taste of his wrath before.â
(**Yi: A curious sound)
Ye Hong: âWah, shut up! Donât remind me of my past trauma! Iâll have nightmares tonight!â
Han Leng: âFrom top to bottom, who within pg hasnât been yelled at by Fei Ge before? The practice match yesterday turned out like that. I reckon Goldfish will be scolded quite a bit.â
Ye Hong: âMaybe the soundproofing of these walls is too good? Yiming, why donât you go over and listen?â
Luo Yiming: âNot going! Donât even think about stopping this daddy from quintupling!â
When he said heâll accompany Jing Yu, Qin Fei really hooks an arm around Jing Yuâs neck the whole way to the training room.
They donât know what the three people in the training room were chatting about. Exchanging one witty line after another, the atmosphere was enlivened to its highest. Upon hearing Qin Feiâs footsteps closing in on them, however, the trio immediately plunge into a deafening silence.
This is the n-th time Jing Yu is puzzled by their reactions. After taking his seat, he deliberates for half a day but still canât help voicing his confusion: âEvery time Fei Ge appears, you guys always become so quiet ahâŠâ
Ye Hong coughs violently. Luo Yiming follows suit and coughs a few times. Han Lengâs hacking cough can only be described as theatrical.
Qin Fei side-eyes them: âGo pop a few pills if youâre sick. Eat them, then die!â
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âNo, no, no, we were just choking on our saliva. Weâre all good now!â Ye Hong hastily clarifies. After sneaking a cautious glance at Qin Fei and seeing him looking elsewhere, he lets his own line of sight slide pass him to fall upon Jing Yuâs curious face, âGoldfish ah, just now, you werenât scolded by Fei Ge ba?â
The face that has been carrying curiosity instantly changes into one of confusion: âNo ah?â
âI only scold vegetables**!â Qin Fei casts a glare at Ye Hong. He ignores the three on his left to look at Jing Yu, âEnter the game.â
(**People who make amateurish mistakes)
âEr, ok.â Jing Yu rushes to double-click on the icon, entering the log-in page.
Just when he is about to key in his account number, the keyboard is taken by Qin Fei, who types in a new account: âThe password is 123456789. Remember to change it.â
Jing Yu blinks blankly, lost.
Qin Fei can only tag on a line of explanation: âYour pro-gamer account.â
Jing Yu âah's in understanding, finally remembering last night, where Qin Fei told him to give an English ID: âThank you.â
After saying this, he immediately keys in the password to enter the account, glancing at the top left corner. As expected â pg-gF.
In this moment, the feeling of being a professional gamer heightens to an incomparable intensity. Jing Yu stares at his own ID blankly for a long time.
âHeâs not dreaming. He really became a member of pg!
Qin Fei takes in his reaction, giving him an appropriate amount of reaction time before adding: âEvery jungling demon as well as their skins has been bought for you. This account also has a few thousand demonic coins, so use them however you like to.â
âI will!â Jing Yu begins admiring the demons and skins without further ado.
âDonât forget to change the password.â Qin Fei canât help reminding.
âEn, En, I will go change it immediately!â Jing Yu is full of smiles as he changes the password. The animated way he smiles is like a child who just got a new toy.
âTchââ Qin Fei snickers and withdraws his own gaze. He is just about to log into his own account when he suddenly noticesâŠ
He turns his head to his left and sees his familyâs mid-laner, marksman, and support all looking at him as though theyâve seen a ghost.
Qin Fei: ââŠâŠWhat?â
Ye Hong: âFei Ge, youâŠâŠ Goldfishâs still just a kid ah. Let go of him!â
Qin Fei: âScram!â
Jing Yu: â?â
Itâs not without reason that pgâs members go dead silent when they see Qin Fei.
There are three reasons:
One, Qin Fei releashes his temper upon anyone who disagrees with him. From top to bottom, you can say no one in pg hasnât faced his anger before. The moment he flares up, even if youâre the coach or the boss, youâre hollered at without exception.
Two, Qin Fei is pgâs captain, but he is also one of the founders of pg. He shares a kin-like relationship with the manager and boss. Although he has never admitted it to their faces, every member within pg more or less understands the situation â In their hearts, offending Qin Fei = offending The Boss.
Three, Qin Fei likes men.
Be it Ye Hong or Luo Yiming or Han Leng, none of them are the slightest least homophobic. However, before they met Qin Fei, they have never interacted with this kind of person, so itâs impossible to ask them not to think too much about it.
However, having cohabited for the past few months, theyâve long since accepted Qin Feiâs sexuality. They also genuinely accepted him as the Captain in their hearts.
But speaking of which, to drop the stone on the first day they move in and tell him he is gay and whatnot⊠Should they salute him and say, this can only be expected of pgâs Captain?
Luo Yiming also learnt on the day he entered pgâs clubhouse that Qin Fei is gay. At that time, he had stoned on the spot for a very long time. In the end, for the sake of victory, he still marched forward without a sliver of doubt to put his own name on the contract.
This time, with Jing Yu joining them, Qin Fei will surely come out of the closet again ba?
Everyone thinks this way â Other than Qin Fei.
He doesnât know why. But this time, he doesnât want to do it.
******
Translatorâs Musings: Interestingly enough, it occurred to me today that I still havenât explained why Jing Yu = Goldfish here.
Their phonics are somewhat the same, but did you know the pronunciation are different? Jing Yu is JÄ«ng yÇ while Goldfish is jÄ«n yĂș. â Try pressing the audio to hear the difference.
This is also why, in those dialogues with âGoldfishâ written, you can really hear the difference from his name. Itâs not like the characters are calling him with the intention of âGFâ so the author writes it that way.
******
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