Chapter 16 – The Essence
“It’s not just fear, it definitely won’t work.”
“First of all, everyone knows that the TG Team is very ruthless. We can’t send the lamb into the wolf’s den. Secondly, if we send him back, they will definitely force Clear to play in the finals. By then, his market value will be higher than the current breach of contract fee…”
“Most importantly, as long as Clear goes back through the normal transfer process, they can exercise their mother team privilege to keep him for another year… After a year, he will be locked in, and it will be almost impossible for Clear to transfer again.”
Brother Feng’s analysis was convincing, leaving everyone speechless.
He truly lived up to his reputation as the coach of the future six-time champions…
Before Cheng Che could nod in agreement, Lin Xingling couldn’t stay silent any longer and said, “Um… Brother Feng, isn’t it inappropriate to say this now?”
Clear was still present.
“Don’t be too cautious. Clear has his own judgment,” Brother Feng tapped the table with his finger and said to Cheng Che, “I don’t consider you an outsider. Come on, Clear, tell us what you think.”
He didn’t have much confidence in Clear, after all, their own team had no money, no power, and no reputation. He really didn’t know what could attract this talented rookie to stay…
Except for Stars.
Stars was Cheng Che’s main reason.
“I… I want to stay, not go back… Um, as for the breach of contract fee, I… I’ll…”
“As long as you say you want to stay, don’t worry about the breach of contract fee. I’ll figure it out,” Brother Feng finished his bowl of rice porridge, placed it on the table, and said, “You guys eat first, I’ll contact the people from TG.”
He left in a hurry but didn’t forget to push the chair back to its original position. The DCT team members were very polite… Cheng Che looked up at the plaque on the wall behind the coach’s seat, on which four characters were written in gilded letters: Self-discipline and Freedom.
Indeed, they had achieved freedom within self-discipline.
After watching Brother Feng return to his small office, Lin Xingling turned around and greeted everyone, “Let’s eat, let’s eat.”
In this vast world, eating was the most important thing.
Cheng Che silently lowered his head, feeling embarrassed.
“Oh, what’s the big deal? Buying players will definitely cost money, right?” Lin Xingling patted his shoulder and smiled, “Don’t worry, even if we have to sell the pot and pan, we’ll buy you back.”
Looking at the impoverished look of the DCT team, saying they would sell the pot and pan was not an exaggeration.
Wu You tapped his bowl with chopsticks and sighed, “Later, I’ll go live-streaming to earn some living expenses.”
Looking at Phantom, he said, “Xiao Pei, join me and start a business.”
Phantom: “…”
Although the DCT team was in a lower-level league, their players’ skills were not inferior to KPL professional players, and they had good looks… This brought them some popularity on their own.
Coupled with the title of the poorest team in the K Division and the support of the strongest wild team, Stars, in KPL, their popularity was skyrocketing.
Not to mention the “Piu” CP that captured the hearts of thousands of girls~
The team’s official Weibo had over a million followers, comparable to an average KPL team.
…They indeed had real fans, but they were also truly poor—they eventually disbanded due to their financial situation.
Cheng Che placed his hand on his leg, fiddling with his fingers, when suddenly his hand was held by another hand. He looked up in confusion, meeting a pair of gentle eyes behind the glasses…
It was you, Stars.
“Don’t overthink it, let’s eat.”
“Okay…”
No matter how TG tries to make things difficult, we still have to eat a full meal before dealing with it, right?
Everyone ate their buns quietly.
Seeing the sudden quiet atmosphere, Wu You originally wanted to say something playful but was silenced by a glance from Phantom.
Silence is golden.
“You cannot speak even when you’re asleep.”
…
While everyone finished eating and prepared to decide who would clean the table and wash the dishes, Brother Feng happened to come out of his office, looking angry as if he had encountered a setback.
Wu You slowly put down the spoon he was holding. “Brother Feng, are you also going to decide who cleans the table?”
“What table are you talking about?” Brother Feng waved his hand and sighed, “TG wants to meet Clear in person, and they said they want us to negotiate face-to-face. They rambled on about all sorts of things… Tsk, who knows if it’s a trap.”
“Now Clear is the hottest topic on the internet, and everyone is watching him. What should we do?”
The last sentence was directed at Lin Xingling.
At that moment, Lin Xingling (looking dumbfounded) said, “Um, yes, yes, I think you’re right, there’s nothing wrong with what you said, it’s correct.”
No matter what you say, as long as I keep saying yes, then I won’t be wrong.
“What’s wrong with you!” Brother Feng laughed at him in exasperation. “If there’s no other way, should you take Clear to TG, or… should I go with you?”
“You guys go, I’ll wash the dishes,” Wu You quickly gathered the bowls and chopsticks, and Phantom silently helped him carry the bowls.
Liu Ying continued munching on his bun, looking dazed.
“Let me think about it.” (Xing)
Taking advantage of the moment when everyone was brainstorming, Cheng Che opened his phone and glanced at Weibo.
[Current hottest Weibo search: SYG confirms Clear’s signing]
One minute later, [Hottest Weibo search: SYG denies rumors]
When rumors abound, an official announcement from the usually lifeless KPL’s strongest team, Stars, was enough to startle them into issuing a denial.
Half a minute later, the second hottest Weibo search became: [Stars brings Clear home]
Cheng Che smirked and clicked on that outrageous trending Weibo.
Emmm… it was a picture taken by a bystander, showing Lin Xingling holding his hand and leading him forward, and it was in high definition.
The red T-shirted boy with reflective glasses, with a mature look on his face, seemed like an old father searching for his runaway son.
Caption: Stars and Clear, the resemblance to an old father finding his lost child is striking, haha.
All the comments below were uniform: [Stars’ child has grown so big, hahaha!]
[It’s confirmed that Clear is already set, SYG even denied it in vain, hehe, looking forward to Autumn Tournament when Star Daddy brings Clear back to SYG!!!]
[I thought I saw Star Daddy’s shadow while watching Clear play, no wonder!]
[Double the husband, double the happiness… (Oops, did I come to the wrong place?)]
…
The active commenters in the front rows were all fans of Lin Xingling, and Cheng Che’s recently gained “plastic” fans were quick to comment, barely saying a few words.
Cheng Che casually gave a like to that Weibo post and went back to his personal page to check. He now had over 350,000 followers, and almost all the IDs included “Stars” or “Lin Xingling.”
They were personal fans of the idol, similar to his nature.
Hmph, when you were in your twenties, you hoped to get Stars’ autograph, while at seventeen, I already had the qualification to be Stars’ teammate.
Envy, jealousy, and hatred, just a little bit.
…
Lin Xingling rubbed his chin, looked up, and struck the signature pose of Detective Conan, saying, “I’ve figured it out.”
Cheng Che: “Uh…”
Although Stars looks a bit silly and foolish, Brother Feng had long been used to it and asked, “Speak.”
“I’ve figured it out. There’s no other way…” Seeing Brother Feng rolling up his sleeves, ready to beat someone, Lin Xingling quickly changed his words, “Let me take Clear to the TG team.”
His thinking was simple: Although Clear helped TG win the game with four consecutive victories last night, he was still a rookie substitute who had just played one match. If he insisted on leaving, combined with his relationship, TG would most likely let him go.
It’s just a matter of spending some money.
(Looking at his wife’s permission, the hamster nodded) Anything below two million is acceptable.
“I’ll communicate with them and see if we can pay to bring the kid back.”
Lin Xingling adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose and looked at Cheng Che beside him, patting his head. “Then you don’t have to be afraid. The captain will protect you.”
“Okay.”
“Do I really not have to go with you?” Brother Feng asked.
Lin Xingling shook his head, “I’m afraid you’ll flip their table. After all, you’re going through early menopause.”
“I think you’re the one going through early menopause… You’ve reached old age even before its time, and yet you’re talking about others.”
Cheng Che silently muttered to himself and was hit on the head by Lin Xingling a few times before he quickly waved his hand, pushing it away. “Do you think I’m a walnut?!”
“Yes, I’m going through menopause. Don’t irritate me. Handle this matter properly; it’s a sign that you have a conscience.”
Cheng Che: ?
Do you just accept whatever nonsense he says?
“Got it,” Lin Xingling responded.
“Then you two go and talk to them nicely. We’ll wait at home for good news…”
“One moment.”
Liu Ying, who had been listening to everyone’s conversation for a while and eating a bun, suddenly stopped them and turned back to his room to grab a Tarot deck. “Let me do a reading for Clear.”
Lin Xingling & Brother Feng: Here we go again?
Cheng Che, with no expression on his face, repeated “superstition is not reliable” seven times in his mind.
Then he followed Liu Ying’s guidance and drew three cards from the Holy Triangle layout: the Cups, Coins, and Judgment.
Liu Ying looked at the cards and explained them one by one. “The reversed Two of Cups represents the genius youth, Clear.”
“And this reversed Two of Coins indicates that he will have financial disputes recently… Well, since you’re going to the TG team, be cautious.”
What divination? It’s just making connections based on known events, taking advantage of opportunities. Cheng Che maturely patted Liu Ying’s smooth hair. “Okay, got it.”
Tsk, can’t learn the essence of Stars.
Stars himself: “Yes, yes, we’ll be careful.”
The essence lies in perfunctoriness.
Liu Ying: “And there’s one more card, the Judgment… representing… rebirth…”
“…Rebirth is equivalent to a fresh start.”
Even the author himself was confused at this point. This card doesn’t fit in this layout… If forced to interpret, it means rebirth.
But rebirth is too far-fetched, right?
Liu Ying looked at Cheng Che and repeated, “Rebirth?”
Author’s note:
[Mini Theater: Fortune-telling enthusiast Liu Ying~]
Liu Ying: Let me do a reading for Clear.
Cheng Che: (Superstition is not reliable, superstition is not acceptable)
[Cheng Che draws the “Judgment” card]
Liu Ying: Rebirth? (Impossible, impossible… Let me go find Stars… I feel something’s wrong with Clear!)
Hamster Xingling: Huh?
[Xingling draws the “Judgment” card]
Liu Ying: You too…? (Impossible, impossible… Definitely impossible!)
Liu Ying’s brain short-circuited–
After all, from his perspective, this is a damn horror story.