Chapter 29 – Join the Group Chat
The sound of rain poured steadily outside, and the sycamore branches slapped against the window in the wind.
After the television was turned off, the room fell back into silence.
The team doctor dimmed the lights and lit two scented candles in the corner by the windowsill, then returned to his desk to read.
Tan Mo leaned back on the sofa, resting his eyes. He seemed to feel a chill, so he reached for a nearby towel and placed it over his knees with his eyes still closed.
Yu Haotian pushed open the door and hesitated for a moment before speaking softly:
“He’s outside, looking for you. I was going to come up with an excuse to send him away… but I thought I’d ask your opinion first.”
Tan Mo opened his eyes, a flicker of unrest flashing in their depths, but it quickly vanished, swallowed by the flickering candlelight. It was so brief that no one could catch it.
Yu Haotian stood there, waiting for a reply.
If the person outside had been Xiao Pai, or Hu Fu, or anyone else, he would have dismissed them without hesitation.
But it was Sang Ye.
In Yu Haotian’s impression, Tan Mo seemed gentle and polite, but he always kept people at a distance, making him difficult to get close to. However, when it came to Sang Ye, Tan Mo was the one who often initiated contact.
It happened so often that Yu Haotian had a sense that Sang Ye was different.
Tan Mo turned his head slightly to look at the window. Reflected in the glass was a pale and weary face, blurred by the rainwater.
“Tell him for me,” Tan Mo lowered his head, rubbing the towel without expression, “I’m fine.”
Yu Haotian hesitated, glancing at the team doctor.
The team doctor had been quietly observing. Tan Mo’s small actions made it clear that he was anxious.
He looked back at Yu Haotian and silently shook his head.
Some wounds cannot be spoken of. Even recalling them sends chills down the body, and each time they are confessed to another, it’s like reopening a place that can never fully heal.
To overcome such obstacles, one must first learn to confront them. But right now, Tan Mo neither has the conditions nor the courage to do so.
Yu Haotian sighed softly and left the room.
The team doctor picked up the remote on the desk and pressed a button. The cream-colored curtain in the middle of the room slowly moved, dividing the space into two separate areas.
Only when the curtain blocked his view did Tan Mo slowly bend forward, burying his face in the towel.
The towel was thick and not particularly soft, causing a slight sting to his skin.
He could still recall that afternoon—the way the young man stood awkwardly in the sunlight, a little embarrassed as he said to him, “I actually came to chase after a star…”
If Sang Ye had come for that reason, Tan Mo wouldn’t know how to tell him the truth.
—The starlight is about to fade, and the temple is collapsing.
He may never be able to compete again.
Outside the waiting room, Sang Ye leaned against the doorframe, waiting there. Next to him, Tan Chunshan squatted but didn’t sit properly, with half his weight pressed lazily against Sang Ye’s leg.
Yu Haotian put on a big smile as he approached. “He’s fine, don’t worry. You did well today. Don’t let the coach’s stern face fool you. He’s just worried you’re young and might get cocky, but privately, he’s praised you so many times.”
Sang Ye didn’t seem to care about how he performed today or what the coach thought. His gaze drifted past Yu Haotian to the other door, before lowering his eyes.
Just as the silence was becoming awkward, Sang Ye suddenly asked, “Did Talk watch the game?”
“He did!” Yu Haotian quickly replied. “He watched the whole thing.”
Sang Ye nodded, his earlier excitement and nervousness now gone. He said quietly, “I didn’t see anything tonight.”
Confronted by Sang Ye’s straightforward and clear gaze, Yu Haotian instinctively looked away. “You… it’s good you didn’t overthink it. Talk just needs some rest. He’s been too tense.”
Sang Ye said nothing, nudged Tan Chunshan away with his foot, and walked off without another word.
Yu Haotian watched as the young man’s figure disappeared at the stairs, murmuring to himself, “He understands more than people think…”
When Sang Ye returned to the practice room, the coach was already standing there with his hands behind his back, looking at everyone with a look of appreciation.
Ji Feng and Jin Cao both shyly scratched their heads.
Miao Sen was the first to see Sang Ye and smiled, “Look, our hero has returned.”
Ji Feng and Jin Cao quickly started clapping.
In the past, they thought Talk’s fans were arrogant, had bad attitudes, and were only somewhat skilled. Now, their expressions reflected admiration.
Some people have the right to be arrogant!
The coach turned to look at Sang Ye, but his face was serious.
Ji Feng and Jin Cao immediately dropped their hands, not wanting to attract attention.
Sang Ye stood there, confused, “What’s going on?”
“How can you even ask that?” The coach was visibly upset. “Do you think I didn’t notice? Who gave you the guts to take the command position? Miao Sen has always been the captain of the second team. You just took it without a word? Don’t you have any basic respect? If something goes wrong, who will be responsible?”
Faced with the coach’s barrage of questions, Sang Ye lowered his head, wisely choosing not to argue.
He had his own standpoint; in that moment of panic, he couldn’t think of anything else—only the rankings—and he inevitably harmed his teammates’ interests.
Of course, Sang Ye didn’t genuinely think the coach was scolding him. The coach was worried Miao Sen might get emotional, so he took the opportunity to address the matter publicly to avoid Sang Ye being unfairly marked before he even joined the team.
“No, no,” Miao Sen quickly waved his hands, his tone noticeably lighter than before. “Please don’t say that. Song is indeed more capable than I am. If it weren’t for him, we might not even make the top five this time.”
In fact, it was only at this moment that Miao Sen’s small knot of unease disappeared. No matter how good-natured he was, he would still have thoughts if his teammates didn’t listen to him and took his position. However, the coach didn’t need to scold Sang Ye publicly; he felt a bit guilty about it.
“Don’t spoil him!” The coach warned Miao Sen, then turned to scold Sang Ye, “Will you dare to do it next time?”
Sang Ye shook his head.
I don’t know.
The coach just thought he didn’t dare, and sneered: “I see that you are so disobedient, why don’t you be the captain of the second team.”
Everyone who understands gets it; this statement has subtly prepared everyone psychologically.
It was at this moment that An Liu walked in from outside. Upon hearing it, his expression stiffened for a moment.
Without greeting anyone, he went straight to his seat and started rummaging for something.
Ji Feng and Jin Cao were surprised. “You’re back? When did you return?”
Taking advantage of the distraction, Sang Ye quietly sneaked back to his spot and sat down.
He had rushed out so quickly earlier that he hadn’t even brought his phone. When he picked it up and looked, there were dozens of message notifications.
All were congratulatory messages from friends and family, especially lively in the family group chat.
Dad: [@Everyone, my son got first place! Come to the village entrance tomorrow for a meal, let’s eat for three days!]
Sang Ye was so startled that he quickly replied.
S.: [@Sang Huaxin, what are you doing? No need for that!]
That’s too much!
It’s just an online tournament championship, and eating for three days? Unbelievable.
Sang Ye scrolled back to the message list and found Hu Fu and Xiao Pai’s messages.
NotChangingMyNameUntilILose10kg: [Welcome to WLG! From now on, we’ll be teammates! 🎉🎉😄]
3.1415926: [Pretty impressive, Fuguier. [doge]]
The coach’s conversations with others faded into background noise as Sang Ye leaned on the table, looking at his phone, blinking.
After the match ended, the voice he wanted to hear the most was Talk’s, and he wanted to talk to Talk.
Sang Ye imagined that if only Talk could send him a message right now, it wouldn’t even have to say anything; an emoji would suffice.
But they hadn’t even added each other’s numbers.
Perhaps it was because they sat together every day and communicated directly; they didn’t need online messaging.
Sang Ye felt a little guilty and didn’t dare to ask.
At that moment, he secretly resolved that if he saw Talk again, he would definitely be brave and ask for his WeChat number!
Just then, a new message popped up in the list.
Myaimissteady: [First place is well-deserved. Congratulations, and I wish you all the best in the future.]
Sang Ye raised his eyebrows.
Since adding him as the top player, this was the first time the other party had actively reached out to him.
He flipped over, resting his chin on the table, wanting to ask who was on the other side and take the opportunity to bring up the topic of repaying the money. However, after typing a few words, he deleted them all.
It would be pointless to ask; the other person wouldn’t say anything.
Sang Ye thought for a moment and replied.
S.: [Thank you.]
Just like he would respond to a sincere fan.
In the next two days, Sang Ye’s topic discussions in the gaming area reached the top.
Through the online tournament, everyone witnessed the terrifying skill of this eighteen-year-old boy.
[For a moment, I thought I was seeing Talk from two years ago. I predict that this ID, Song, will become a new nightmare for players in the Asia region.]
[Is WLG blind? This skill doesn’t deserve a starting position? Other clubs are fighting over him, and you guys have the nerve to put him in the second team?]
[Song has sealed his fame in one battle. Wake up, WLG.]
The management of WLG felt the pressure; they were initially worried that bringing in Sang Ye, who had missed the tryouts, would not be well received. But who would have thought that Sang Ye was so dominant that public opinion was now criticizing WLG for burying talent? If the summer tournament didn’t have Song, it would be seen as shady.
Sang Ye didn’t pay attention to the voices online. With the seat next to him remaining empty these days, he felt a bit dispirited.
Another day passed, and it was Friday.
When Sang Ye arrived at the practice room, the seat next to him was still empty.
He opened his computer as usual and trained by himself.
Before long, the other three members came in.
As soon as Ji Feng saw Sang Ye, he excitedly brought some news: “Today’s training match has been moved to the afternoon, and we’re having dinner tonight!”
Seeing Sang Ye’s blank expression, Ji Feng slapped his forehead. “You’re not in the second team group yet!”
Sang Ye hadn’t signed the contract yet, so he was only in a large group for WLG that included not just players but also logistics staff. Therefore, some dinner invitations wouldn’t be posted in there.
Ji Feng held out his phone with a shy smile. “How about I add you on WeChat?”
In the past, because Sang Ye had such a proud demeanor, Ji Feng and Jin Cao didn’t dare to add him.
Then, when Sang Ye became Song, they felt they were unworthy!
So they still weren’t friends until now.
After Sang Ye accepted Jifeng’s request, he was immediately added to a new group.
There were only three people in the group, which were his current teammates.
Almost as soon as Sang Ye joined, a message popped up.
An Liu: [Has he signed the contract yet?]
Even though the person was right in front of him, they still had to send a message to communicate, separated only by a partition.
Ji Feng paused for a moment, then looked at Sang Ye. “No…not yet?”
The next second, a notification popped up on Sang Ye’s phone.
[You have been removed from the group chat.]
The air in the room froze for two seconds.
“Slap!”
—Sang Ye braced himself against the desk and stood up.
An Liu seemed unaware, still focused on his computer.
Sang Ye looked down at him from above the partition, his gaze defiant. “What’s your problem? You don’t think I care, do you? Let’s settle this with a one-on-one match.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of a tall, slender figure standing in the doorway of the practice room.
Sang Ye’s expression froze, and he quickly crouched down, disappearing behind the partition.
“Tan Shen…”
Ji Feng called out.
An Liu’s back stiffened at the sound.
Hiding behind the computer, Sang Ye clenched his hands together, his heart racing nervously.
He really didn’t want to ruin his image in his idol’s eyes, even a little bit.
But he had just acted so fierce, cursing at his teammate like a delinquent.
Talk hated internal discord the most…
Before long, he felt someone standing next to him.
Sang Ye pursed his lips, struggling for a moment before slowly looking up at the side.
It had been a few days since he last saw him, and the man looked a bit paler, unable to hide his weariness and fatigue.
Sang Ye didn’t know what he had gone through, but he felt a deep sadness for him.
Tan Mo was also watching Sang Ye, noticing the boy’s face flush with color, his brows furrowed tightly. His dark eyes flickered with uncertainty, and his small, round face displayed both anxiety and frustration.
Tan Mo asked, “What are you afraid of?”
“Ah?” Sang Ye opened his mouth, “I’m not… I…”
At that moment, Tan Mo reached out and took his phone.
“This…” Sang Ye wanted to snatch it back, not wanting Talk to see his conflicts with others.
But Tan Mo was already looking at it.
The screen was still on the group chat interface for the second team.
Tan Mo then took out his own phone and said, “You added the wrong group… You’re on the first team.”
“What!?”
Ji Feng and Jin Cao exclaimed in surprise.
Sang Ye also didn’t understand what it meant and looked a bit dazed.
“Student Sang Ye, in light of your outstanding performance in the public online tournament, WLG is formally inviting you to join the first team. The salary and benefits will be exceptional. Please join the other members for training as we prepare for the summer competition.”
As Tan Mo spoke slowly, he was operating both phones with his eyes lowered, then suddenly glanced sideways and winked.
“Otherwise, why do you think we’re having a dinner tonight?”
Sang Ye’s heart raced violently, and even his neck turned red.
He, he, he… why did he just wink at me…
It was as if he didn’t realize how handsome he was…
“I’m already in the group.” Tan Mo handed the phone back to Sang Ye, his voice calm. “Go ahead, Manager Yu is in the conference room, and the contract is ready for you.”
Sang Ye felt as if he were in a dream, holding his phone as he dazedly walked out of the practice room.
His phone vibrated furiously on the way, finally shaking him awake.
Looking down, he saw that everyone in the group was spamming emojis, expressing their warm welcome.
Sang Ye held back his racing heart and, out of basic courtesy, replied with a “thank you” emoji.
Then, he noticed the nickname displayed for him in the group—
[Talk’s Wife Fan]
Sang Ye abruptly stopped in his tracks, a surprising heat rising to his face.
He had just gotten the phone, so there was no way he could have changed it!!!
It was Talk!!!
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah——
Xiao Pai went out to get water and smiled, handing the phone to Hu Fu. “Hey! Look at Bai Mao’s nickname. Tsk tsk tsk… It’s as if he wants the whole world to know who he is. What’s this? A declaration of ownership? Afraid someone will steal his husband? If you have the ability, just remove that ‘Fan’ at the end…”
Before he could finish, both he and Hu Fu suddenly froze in place.
In the hallway ahead, Sang Ye was standing with a flushed face, shadowboxing in the air.
Xiao Pai and Hu Fu: “…………”