Chapter 21 – Don’t Cry
WLG held its regular Monday evening meeting, attended by both the first and second teams.
“D*mn!” Xiao Pai slammed his notebook on the table and pulled out his chair. “Why has Shine been taking so much time off lately? He doesn’t even reply to WeChat, and now I have to take notes for him.”
“Hey! Hey! Did you hear?” Hu Fu leaned in, eyebrows waggling. “NSN just picked up someone new. They’ve been keeping it under wraps, but it looks like they’ll replace one of their first-team attackers. Lulu is resisting hard and might even leave the team.”
With the transfer period approaching, there were frequent roster changes across teams, turning the esports scene into a hotbed of gossip.
Xiao Pai hadn’t even had a chance to respond to Hu Fu when the coach entered, face stern. He quickly sat up straight.
The coach scanned the room, his expression serious. “I have something to tell you, but don’t make a fuss, and don’t spread it around.”
Everyone exchanged glances, except for Tan Mo.
From the coach’s tone, it didn’t sound like good news.
“I won’t make a fuss,” Xiao Pai said, crossing his fingers in front of his mouth, looking obedient.
The coach took a deep breath before speaking. “Shine has submitted a request to terminate his contract. He’s going to NSN.”
Scrreeech—!
The sound of a chair scraping against the floor was jarringly loud.
Xiao Pai stood bolt upright.
The coach pointed at him and yelled, “Sit down!!!”
Xiao Pai immediately sat back down, his face blank for a few seconds before his chest started heaving like a bellows.
Hu Fu wiped the grin off his face and patted Xiao Pai’s back to calm him.
“This decision is final. Whatever feelings you have, keep them bottled up for now!” The coach adjusted his posture and continued, “There’s an open spot on the first team. Now, let’s talk about the arrangements for the second team.”
All the second-team members straightened up, clearly nervous but with a hint of anticipation.
…
The meeting lasted over two hours. When it ended, Xiao Pai stormed out of the room, face full of anger and sadness, the first to leave.
Among the second team, there were mixed reactions—some were happy, some disappointed.
Hu Fu knew it wasn’t the right time to bother Xiao Pai, so he stayed behind, waiting for Tan Mo, who was lingering at the back. In the process, he noticed the thick stack of personal evaluation reports on Tan Mo’s desk.
“I heard it was originally prepared for Song—over sixty pages.”
Hu Fu sighed. “Still thinking about him?”
Tan Mo was standing at the desk, packing up his things, without even lifting his eyes. “Is that the right way to put it?”
“True,” Hu Fu nodded, understanding now. “It does sound like you’re trying to get over an ex.”
“Get lost,” Tan Mo cursed with a laugh.
“Seriously though, you’ve always been respectful, understanding, and supportive, right? Shine decided to leave, and I didn’t hear you try to stop him,” Hu Fu said, puzzled. “But when it comes to these fangirls who act like they’re married to you, why can’t you just let it go? The guy doesn’t want to go pro, so are you going to force him? Why keep it on your mind for so long?”
Tan Mo kept packing, his smile gradually fading.
He couldn’t help but think of those dark, bright eyes—sometimes dazed from intoxication, sometimes shy and timid, other times stubborn and proud, or filled with disappointment and sadness. They were as clear as the sea… and the boy had once said—
“Talk’s hands are the most beautiful in the world.”
He had also said—
“You want me to be your support? Only if you’re Talk.”
And he had expressed—
“I mean no offense to anyone, unless that person offends my beliefs.”
Tan Mo still hadn’t let go. More accurately, he still cared, maybe because… maybe because…
Tan Mo finished tidying up his desk, covering the report with the final stack of files. He lowered his eyes and said quietly:
“I thought he would come… for me.”
…
Sang Ye was furious.
He had kindly lent out his computer, and yet Liu Mingxuan had the audacity to turn around and bite him.
A classic case of “The Farmer and the Snake!”
Not a single word of truth from his mouth!
Sang Ye pressed his fingers against his temples, trying to fight off a wave of dizziness. He couldn’t understand—how could someone be so rotten?
Was Liu Mingxuan just that resentful of his success?
After four years of struggling as an unknown streamer, could he just not stand seeing Sang Ye being courted by all the top teams?
Sang Ye admitted that he had been living in a pile of garbage. In the past, things had been relatively peaceful, and he could turn a blind eye. But now, the garbage had started hitting back, and there was no way he could tolerate it.
He had plenty of options.
He could storm next door, point at Liu Mingxuan’s nose, and curse him out, maybe even beat him up.
Or he could call Jiang Bobai and a few friends, storm next door together, and beat him up.
Or, he could simply call the police and report that someone had maliciously intercepted his emails.
But Sang Ye forced himself to calm down and glanced at his phone again.
It was 8 o’clock—time to stream.
So, he ran a hand through his hair, composed himself, took a deep breath, and turned on the camera.
Sang Ye’s popularity was no longer what it used to be. In just two short months, he had amassed over a million followers, and as soon as he went live, his stream shot to the top of the homepage.
However, before the audience could warmly greet him, they saw the white-haired beauty in front of the camera quickly tear up.
[“???”]
The viewers were a bit flustered. They had never seen the usually aloof and cool Sang Ye looking so hurt, and they all started asking what was wrong.
Sang Ye blinked, clearing the moisture from the corners of his eyes, and pressed his lips together. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse:
“I had a bit of a rough day today, couldn’t hold it in… Do you really want to hear about it? Fine… Actually, I didn’t tell you guys this before because I was feeling down. I’ve been waiting for a tryout opportunity with WLG, so I haven’t responded to other club invitations.”
[“There was another streamer hinting that Fugui was using cheats and didn’t dare to go to offline matches because he was guilty. I knew it! How could that be!”]
[“I just came from that streamer’s broadcast, and it was disgusting. Fugui, please get a new roommate.”]
[“I understand. You really love WLG.”]
Sang Ye’s lips trembled as he lowered his head. Against his fair skin, his red, teary eyes looked like those of a rabbit. His cute and beautiful face suddenly seemed more pitiful, stirring feelings of sympathy.
“But I never received WLG’s invitation. I doubted myself for a long time and was disappointed in myself for a long time. Today, I finally found out… because I lent my computer to someone for a bit, my invitation was deleted…”
The viewers, with their sharp instincts, quickly pieced things together after the initial shock.
[“It was Liu Mingxuan!!! He just exposed himself during his stream, panicking like crazy. He deleted Fugui’s email!”]
[“Oh my god, could this really have happened? Is Liu Mingxuan a rat from the sewers?”]
[“I’m so angry! This is like someone tearing up a college acceptance letter midway! Totally unacceptable!”]
[“Who the hell is this Liu Mingxuan jerk?”]
Sang Ye sniffled, wiping his tear-streaked face harshly, his voice growing even more hoarse: “What should I do? I feel like my life is over. I’ll never be able to go to WLG now…”
At the WLG base.
Tan Mo was watching the stream on his phone, seeing the white-haired boy crying like a flower drenched in tears. His small face was flushed, and even his innocent little nose had turned pink.
Through the screen, Tan Mo ran his fingertip across the young streamer’s reddened eyes. His heart ached, pulsing with pain.
How much suffering must he have endured to cry like this?
From the phone, Sang Ye let out a couple of small sobs, his eyes still full of tears: “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. It’s pointless to blame others. I just feel regret, having waited so long for this opportunity… I really can’t deal with it today. I’m logging off.”
The stream suddenly went dark, showing that the streamer had gone offline.
Tan Mo put down his phone and raised his hand to rub his temples, feeling a complex mix of emotions.
Thinking about how the young man had waited quietly for so long, enduring his disappointment and pain all alone, Tan Mo’s heart softened.
But at the same time, an inappropriate sense of relief welled up within him—
Sang Ye didn’t come, not because he didn’t want to.
He wanted to come.
…
After ending the stream, Sang Ye threw himself onto the bed, letting out a couple of cold chuckles.
Although the tears were fake, the emotions were very real.
His career hadn’t even started, and yet most of it had already been ruined by someone else’s jealousy.
Did his skills show up someone else? Did he deserve all this?
Just then, Jiang Bobai sent him a message, even more furious than he was.
Benbo Erba: [That little bast*rd! I’m bringing people over now. Wait downstairs and open the door for me. I’ll cover the medical bills. If anything happens, they can come at me.]
Sang Ye typed quickly.
S.: [Even if he’s injured, crippled, or kneels down to beg me for forgiveness, I won’t care.]
S.: [Don’t come and make things worse. I’ve got it handled.]
Although his words were cold and rational, Sang Ye still felt unsatisfied. He tossed his phone aside, rolled over, and started punching his pillow with both fists, one after the other.
Just wait, Liu Mingxuan!
Evil deeds will be punished! Your karma will be me!
The person in WLG’s official announcement could have been me. Since you’ve taken away my dream opportunity, I won’t let you off easily…
At that moment, the phone on the bed beside him buzzed again.
Sang Ye’s face was still flushed from his earlier emotions. He blew his bangs out of his eyes, knelt up, and grabbed the phone to check.
It was a notification from a special account he followed closely on Weibo.
[wlg-Talk V]:
[Don’t cry. As long as you come, there will always be a place for you at WLG.]