Chapter 30 – Look up to the gods
Sang Ye finished a set of punches, pressing his hands down and exhaling.
Let’s just say, “Talk’s Wife Fan” has become a well-known meme, and no one would mind.
As long as he pretended nothing unusual happened and no one noticed anything strange, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
Sang Ye confidently turned his head and exchanged glances with Xiao Pai and Hu Fu across the hallway.
“…………”
It’s over.
Yu Haotian had been waiting in the conference room for five minutes when Sang Ye pushed the door open and entered.
“Is it that hot?” Yu Haotian was startled by the boy’s flushed face. “Should I turn on the air conditioning for you?”
A few days ago, after a sudden rain, the temperature had dropped, making it the most comfortable and cool time.
Sang Ye sat down, his face burning with embarrassment, and grumbled in a slight rural accent, “Nothing’s wrong.”
Yu Haotian smiled indulgently and handed him several stacks of contracts. “This is your new contract.”
Sang Ye opened the document filled with text and frowned. “Can I just take a quick look?”
Yu Haotian replied, “No need. Just sign it. Someone has already reviewed it for you.”
Sang Ye looked up. “Who?”
Yu Haotian, however, smiled mysteriously and said, “Just sign.”
This contract had thousands of clauses, each reviewed by Tan Mo, who had also made many amendments.
The visible salary couldn’t be changed, as the club had strict regulations. So Tan Mo maximized all the hidden benefits for Sang Ye. Even more outrageous, the penalty for breach of contract was practically zero, meaning Sang Ye could leave WLG at any time with no cost.
Yu Haotian could guarantee that such a contract was unique among clubs worldwide; there was no doubt about its sincerity, and it would only benefit Sang Ye.
Sang Ye casually flipped to the salary page, glanced at it, and saw a base salary of 1.2 million for a year. In the previous contract with the second team, it was 450,000 a year, which meant this new contract was nearly three times as much.
Sang Ye didn’t bother looking at the rest; he lowered his head and signed.
After Yu Haotian collected the contracts and verified everything, he flashed a warm smile at Sang Ye:
“Welcome to WLG! I hope you can achieve your dreams here.”
Sang Ye felt a bit conflicted inside.
It’s already been achieved…
He has now become desk mates with his dreams.
“There’s something I need to clarify with you… Besides Talk, our first team currently has five members, so we can’t accommodate everyone’s position,” Yu Haotian said. “So for now, you’ll still be training in the second team’s practice room, but you’ll participate in pre-match training with the first team and alternate with Elan. During the summer tournament, we’ll also arrange a fair number of matches for both teams. However, this arrangement won’t last long. After the summer tournament, the coach will reorganize the team. Anyone could stay in the first team or be moved back to the second team; everything will be based on skill. Is that acceptable to you?”
Sang Ye nodded; he could accept that.
He had missed one opportunity, while Elan seized it, but now the management was willing to treat them on equal footing. This arrangement had already exceeded his expectations.
The more Yu Haotian looked at Sang Ye, the more satisfied he became. Despite the boy’s usual sulky demeanor, like a rebellious child, he understood how to yield and was very appropriate in serious matters.
“I have copies of your ID and bank card here. This afternoon, the prize money will be transferred to your account,” Yu Haotian said. “After deducting the club’s share, you’ll receive 200,000.”
Sang Ye: “Oh.”
He sounded quite indifferent.
Yu Haotian found it amusing.
As expected of Sang Ye, completely unfazed by money.
“The official announcement is ready and will be released this afternoon,” Yu Haotian said. “Then over the weekend, we’ll schedule a livestream for you. This time, you won’t be appearing as the Cattooth streamer ‘Song’ anymore, but as the professional player ‘Song’. Good luck.”
Since arriving at the base, Sang Ye hadn’t done any livestreams, but he wasn’t rusty. He replied calmly, “Okay.”
“I’ll handle the logistics for you. Also… I see that Tan Mo has already added you to the first team group chat,” Yu Haotian said, glancing at his phone. “Looks like you’re… ‘Talk’s Wife’…”
Sang Ye, who had just been unfazed, suddenly sat up straight, his expression awkward and flustered, his hands moving in a blur. “No no no! That’s… TalTalTal…”
“It’s no big deal!” Yu Haotian laughed, giving Sang Ye a knowing nod as he stood up with the contract. “Our club culture is pretty young and laid-back. Just look at everyone else’s names in the group. Don’t stress. You can name yourself anything you want, even ‘My Husband is Talk,’ and no one would care. As long as we know it’s you.”
“…”
Sang Ye was at a loss for words, feeling so embarrassed he almost wanted to cry. He took a deep breath, pursing his lips to hold it in.
…
During a break in the afternoon scrimmages, Xiao Pai rushed upstairs with his phone, urging Sang Ye to quickly change his Weibo name.
The official announcement was about to drop.
Sang Ye’s current Weibo name was still [You Sang Ye].
Yu Haotian also reminded everyone in the group chat.
YuNiHuanXi: [What’s everyone’s Weibo name? Post them so Song can get some ideas. The format doesn’t matter too much, just make sure it includes WLG and your ID.]
Sang Ye had actually decided on what to change his name to two years ago, just waiting for this moment, so he wanted to say it wasn’t necessary.
But his teammates were all fired up.
3.1415926: [WLGPi]
NotChangingMyNameUntilILose10kg: [WLG_Hufu]
Miao Sanmu: [MiaosenWLG]
“…”
As his teammates all posted their Weibo names, a hint of awkwardness flashed across Sang Ye’s face.
He glanced at the man next to him.
Tan Mo was focused on his computer, reading the news, showing no interest in the discussion.
Xiao Pai kept pushing him, “Come on, Bai Mao! Hurry and change it—this is a big deal, your official announcement!”
Sang Ye stared at the Weibo username change screen, his fingers nervously picking at the back of his phone.
Talk’s Weibo username was [wlg-Talk].
He wanted to change his name to match Talk’s format—club name in lowercase first, a space in between, and the ID with the first letter capitalized.
But everyone else had a different style from Talk, and since Talk hadn’t posted his name for reference, it would be too obvious if Sang Ye copied him. He might even get found out…
Sang Ye suppressed his blushing, gritted his teeth, and decided to just go for it.
He quickly typed in the new name and hit save.
Talk’s Wife Fan: [@YuNiHuanXi Done.]
YuNiHuanXi: [ok]
Not even a minute later, WLG’s official Weibo posted an announcement.
WLG Esports Club SH V:
[Living up to expectations, the strongest rookie Song has officially joined the WLG family and will head out with the team for the summer tournament in July. Please continue to support Song on his new journey! @wlg-Song]
The post included Sang Ye’s official photo, which Yu Haotian had arranged before the online tournament.
In the photo, the young man had striking white hair, cold eyes, and a natural beauty enhanced by a slightly aloof demeanor. The image was sharp enough to attract a talent scout.
The post’s engagement shot up quickly, and within seconds, the comment count had already broken a hundred.
Xiao Pai glanced over and let out a curious “Huh?” before noticing something: “Bai Mao, you sly dog, why’d you change your Weibo name to be so similar to my brother’s? Was it on purpose? Trying to sneakily make matching couple usernames, huh?”
“No!” Sang Ye, unable to control his blushing, started to argue. “I just did it randomly.”
“You ‘randomly’ managed to copy my brother’s format exactly? You two are the only ones in the whole club with the same style.”
“I just liked it, so what?”
Xiao Pai didn’t argue back but instead looked down at his phone, studying it for a moment before suddenly gasping, “Wait a minute! You’re still not quite the same as my brother. Your hyphen is in the middle, while his is lower. Yours is an English symbol, and his is Chinese.”
Boom!
Sang Ye’s mind went blank, and he quickly grabbed his phone, flustered, “No way, I checked… Do I need to buy a membership to change it again…”
Suddenly, he realized something and clamped his mouth shut, looking up abruptly.
Xiao Pai was grinning wickedly at him. “Still saying it wasn’t on purpose?”
He’d been tricked!!!
Sang Ye, feeling embarrassed to his core, jumped to his feet. “I… I’m going to get some water.”
But before he could take two steps, a large hand caught hold of his wrist.
Still blushing, Sang Ye looked down and caught sight of the most beautiful hand in the world.
Tan Mo had stopped him, but his gaze was fixed on Xiao Pai.
When Xiao Pai met the man’s cold, indifferent stare, he immediately straightened up. “Brother, why are you looking at me? I… I didn’t bully him or anything.”
Tan Mo’s deep, magnetic voice was calm. “Is he someone you could bully?”
Xiao Pai instinctively felt there was something off about that remark, but couldn’t quite figure it out, so he just shook his head obediently.
Tan Mo added, “The second half is starting.”
Xiao Pai quickly made his escape.
Sang Ye stood to the side and snuck a glance at the man, whose expression remained calm.
Talk not only helped him out of an awkward situation by chasing Xiao Pai away but also hadn’t mentioned anything about the embarrassing Weibo name change.
Talk is so great.
A gentle warmth spread through Sang Ye, relaxing him. But then he realized Tan Mo still hadn’t let go of his wrist. His heartbeat quickened, and he worried that the rapid pulse might be noticeable through his wrist.
Tan Mo spoke, “Don’t pay attention to him. He’s just like that.”
Sang Ye calmed himself and gave a quiet “Mm.” He wanted to sit back down, but Tan Mo’s hand still hadn’t released him.
Then Tan Mo picked up his phone from the table and said, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
Sang Ye stopped fidgeting with his toes against the floor and looked up. “What?”
Tan Mo tapped his screen a couple of times before turning it around.
Sang Ye glanced at it. It was his own WeChat profile page. He was confused.
Tan Mo looked directly into Sang Ye’s eyes and asked, “Is your WeChat name a couple’s name with mine?”
One was [T.]
The other was [S.]
“……”
Sang Ye’s brain froze. He was stunned for two seconds before the blood rushed from his neck all the way to his head.
Suddenly, he yelled “Ah!” and yanked his hand out of Tan Mo’s grasp, then turned and bolted out of the room.
After the boy left, Ji Feng and Jin Cao stretched their necks to peek over the partition, their expressions a bit complicated.
They saw Tan Mo smiling—looking genuinely happy.
Sang Ye stormed down the hallway, embarrassed and furious.
How could Talk do this?
He did it on purpose! On purpose! It had to be on purpose!!!
He’s even worse than Xiao Pai… so bad!!!
…
Around six o’clock, the scrimmage ended, and Sang Ye hurriedly tossed down his headphones and sprinted towards the dormitory.
In a little while, everyone would be heading out for dinner, and he needed to change clothes before the 6:30 meetup.
The little fashionista never missed a chance to wear something stylish.
After changing into his outfit, Sang Ye grabbed his phone to check the time, only to see a message from Yu Haotian, sent three minutes earlier:
[The people from the union are here, in the reception room.]
Sang Ye stared at the message, feeling a slow sinking sensation in his chest.
By the time he arrived at the reception room, most people were already there.
Seated right in the middle of the couch was a woman in a professional suit, hair neatly up in a bun, glasses on, arms crossed in a commanding posture.
It was Lily Jiang, known as Sister Jiang.
Upon seeing Sang Ye, Sister Jiang smiled and stood up. “Sang Ye, just leaving like that? Is that how all post-2000s lack contract spirit these days?”
Sang Ye licked his lips, barely containing his annoyance. “If you have something to say, just talk to me directly. We can discuss this outside.”
“No need,” Sister Jiang said. “This isn’t just about you.”
With that, she pulled out a stamped contract and slapped it onto the coffee table.
Sang Ye looked down at it.
His name was printed at the top of the first page.
“Sang Ye’s breach of contract is already a fact. WLG knew he was with our guild and still allowed him to join. I’m going to file a lawsuit for this!” Sister Jiang crossed her arms again. “However, our guild doesn’t want to blow this up. Now, you have two options: either Sang Ye comes back to fulfill his contract, and WLG returns all the profits made from him as a streamer, and we can call it even. Or… hmph! See you in court, where the breach penalties will ruin you!”
Just as she finished speaking, another person entered the room—it was Tan Mo, holding hands with Tan Chunshan.
Tan Mo had also changed clothes. He stood at the doorway for a moment, surveying the room before his gaze settled on Sang Ye.
Sang Ye’s heart skipped a beat, a mixture of anxiety and embarrassment welling up inside him, but there was no time to dwell on it. His eyes focused directly on Sister Jiang. “I didn’t breach the contract. When I signed with the guild, it automatically nullified my internship agreement with your union, as we had agreed.”
Sister Jiang tensed up noticeably when she saw the tall man enter, taking two steps back. She picked up the contract from the coffee table, flipping to a page. “Who told you that? Our cooperation is based on what’s written in black and white. It says right here that signing with a third-party club requires negotiation and approval from our union, otherwise it’s void.”
“Impossible!” Sang Ye flared up. “I checked. That clause wasn’t in there!”
Though he typically didn’t like reading contracts, he had paid extra attention to the breach of contract terms when he signed, making sure there were no issues.
“You say you’re responsible for this?” Sister Jiang sneered, handing the contract to Yu Haotian. “Take a look for yourself.”
Yu Haotian reviewed it twice, his brow furrowing as he turned to Sang Ye with a look of doubt.
Sang Ye’s head throbbed, lips pressed tightly together, and he stepped forward to snatch the contract.
But after reading through the terms, a sense of bewilderment crept over his face.
How could this be?
When he signed, that clause definitely wasn’t there.
The contract was in duplicate.
Steadying himself, Sang Ye was just about to tell Jiang Lily to wait while he went to fetch his own copy of the contract for comparison.
In the next moment, a slender hand calmly took the contract from his grasp.
Sang Ye frowned, wanting to take the contract back. Knowing that Tan Mo was watching this whole farce, the simmering anger inside him inexplicably turned into a feeling of grievance.
Tan Mo merely glanced at the clause, flipped the contract over, and checked the front and back. Then, he bent down and placed it back on the coffee table.
“There’s no cross-page seal, no page numbers,” Tan Mo said, pushing the contract towards Sister Jiang with a calm voice. “See you in court.”
The entire room froze.
Was he really going to take this to court for Sang Ye?
Yu Haotian, thinking Tan Mo’s approach was inappropriate, took a step forward. “A-Mo…”
After a moment of disbelief, Sister Jiang smoothed her hair at her temples, scoffing with a cold smile. “Fine. If you’re not afraid of losing money, go ahead.”
She picked up the contract and shook it in Sang Ye’s direction. “Sang Ye, people should have a conscience. I remember you pointing at every word on this contract and reading it out loud. I only dared to sign you because I thought you understood it. Now, you’re denying it?”
“What?” Yu Haotian suddenly looked confused, placing his hands on his hips. “Every word?”
“Why?” Sister Jiang glared at Yu Haotian. “He read it carefully at the time, and now he’s lying through his teeth. Your club is being completely naive. He tricked you all! You better settle this quietly before it gets worse.”
Yu Haotian chuckled briefly, then glanced away. When he looked back, his expression was completely neutral, and he pointed firmly toward the window. “Get out.”
“Huh?” Sister Jiang was baffled.
“You’re lucky if Fu Gui even read that one page completely, let alone every word! You’re the one full of lies. If he signed this, it’s because you tricked him!” Yu Haotian’s voice grew louder. “Out! Or I’ll call security!”
Sister Jiang, clearly annoyed, saw she couldn’t get through to Yu Haotian, so she turned to Sang Ye, stepping closer. “Sang Ye, come with me. Let’s have a private conversation.”
Xiao Pai and a few others, led by Hu Fu, suddenly stepped forward, blocking Sang Ye from Sister Jiang.
Sister Jiang stopped in her tracks and realized the room was filled with men, while she had only brought one person with her—clearly outnumbered. Still, she was relentless, reaching out to grab Sang Ye. “Sang Ye, you—”
“Woof!!”
The leash in Tan Mo’s hand slipped slightly, and the golden retriever lunged forward suddenly.
“Ahhh!” Sister Jiang’s face turned pale as she stumbled backward, nearly falling.
Tan Mo quickly pulled the leash tight.
The usually docile golden retriever bared its fangs upon seeing the stranger trying to touch Sang Ye, leaning forward with an aggressive stance.
Sister Jiang, terrified, hastily gathered her belongings and bolted out of the conference room, her shrill voice echoing down the hallway:
“You’ll regret this! Just wait! Our guild will definitely sue you and shut your club down!”
“Crazy woman,” Yu Haotian muttered with an eye roll before shifting his tone and calling out to everyone in the room, “Alright, the gang’s all here. Let’s go grab some dinner!”
The tension in the room broke instantly, and everyone began chatting and grabbing their things.
Sang Ye, however, stood silently in place with his head lowered. If anyone looked closely, they’d see tears welling up in his eyes.
Suddenly, he clenched his fists tightly and bolted out of the room.
Ji Feng called after him, “What’s wrong? Song…”
The room fell silent as everyone exchanged puzzled glances.
Tan Mo glanced toward the door, then lowered his gaze. Handing Tan Chunshan over to Xiao Pai, he said, “You guys go ahead. We’ll join you shortly.”
…
When Tan Mo found Sang Ye, he was sitting under a bamboo grove in the corner of the training base, quietly sobbing. The cement ground beneath him was stained with traces of tears.
Tan Mo was suddenly reminded of Lin Daiyu and the Xiangfei bamboo in her courtyard.
Hearing footsteps, Sang Ye, sitting at the edge of the curb, looked up. Upon seeing who had come, he quickly turned his head away and wiped his eyes.
Tan Mo sat down beside him.
His legs were too long, so he had to stretch them out a bit.
Sang Ye didn’t look back, but not wanting Tan Mo to worry, he murmured softly, “I’m fine…”
His voice was hoarse.
Tan Mo lowered his head and said, “The ones who made the mistakes are those people. You don’t need to blame yourself—you’re the victim.”
Sang Ye’s eyes reddened again.
Even so, he felt like he had caused trouble for the club.
Thinking about this, he sniffled and quickly pressed his lips together, trying to suppress the emotion.
It seemed like Tan Mo understood everything. He offered a faint smile and said, “No one is going to blame you. You’re only eighteen, lacking social experience is perfectly normal. Being able to leave home and come this far shows you’ve already brought a lot of courage with you.”
Sang Ye rested his head on his knees, eyes lowered in embarrassment. Under Tan Mo’s comforting words, he gradually felt a sense of calm wash over him.
After a long moment, he furrowed his brow in frustration.
“If I had been more careful, it wouldn’t have come to this. They’re so annoying and troublesome, always pestering me. If we can’t win the lawsuit…”
Sang Ye bit his lower lip and stopped speaking, feeling heavy and anxious.
At that moment, he felt a gentle tug on his warm ear.
He looked up instinctively, his ears perking up.
“You’re home now.”
The man’s deep, magnetic voice mingled with the evening breeze, carrying a gentle warmth.
“You don’t have to fear those malicious people anymore.”
…
Sang Ye’s emotions came quickly, but he was also easily comforted.
By the time Xiao Pai messaged that they had ordered good food, Sang Ye was already walking with Tan Mo on the overpass.
The restaurant was just a street behind the training base, so it was close enough to walk.
After crying, Sang Ye felt embarrassed and kept his head down, with both hands tucked into his jacket pockets as they walked.
The slender boy, walking beside the tall man, seemed a little reserved, but his steps betrayed a hidden excitement.
It was his first time walking alone with Talk.
Below the overpass, traffic sped by, and every time a heavy vehicle passed, the noise was overwhelming.
Tan Mo said something, but Sang Ye didn’t catch it and instinctively leaned closer. “Huh?”
Tan Mo glanced at the boy’s fair, delicate earlobe but didn’t lean in. He repeated, “I heard from Yu Haotian that you applied to the youth training camp before.”
Sang Ye remembered and nodded, “Yeah!”
Tan Mo asked, “Why?”
Perhaps because it was something from the past, Sang Ye naturally spilled everything out:
“I didn’t get a trial notification, and I was anxious. I wanted to come see you.”
Tan Mo’s eyes flickered, feeling like his heart had been gripped.
He licked his lips and said quietly, “At the time, I thought you weren’t coming.”
“How could that be?”
Sang Ye widened his eyes, looking at the man beside him, his eyes glowing brightly.
“I will always run towards you!”
SCREECH—
A large bus roared past under the bridge, drowning out the sound of their voices.
Tan Mo stopped walking and stood still, looking at Sang Ye.
Sang Ye stopped unconsciously as well, then suddenly realized something, blinking in confusion as a blush slowly crept across his face.
He turned around and found Tan Mo looking at him with an odd expression.
Feeling awkward, Sang Ye tried to explain, “No, I didn’t mean it like that…”
At that moment, Tan Mo asked, “What did you just say?”
Sang Ye instantly sighed in relief.
So he didn’t hear it.
He quickened his pace. “Nothing, let’s just go eat.”
After a few steps, Tan Mo reached out and gently grabbed Sang Ye’s hand.
Sang Ye turned back.
Tan Mo gestured to a lock of hair on Sang Ye’s left side. “You’ve got something here…”
“Huh? Oh.”
Sang Ye stood still.
Tan Mo approached, gently removing a tiny dry leaf from Sang Ye’s soft, milky-white hair. He then tucked a strand of hair behind Sang Ye’s ear but didn’t immediately step back, instead leaning forward slightly.
Sang Ye looked up at the May night sky through the man’s broad shoulders, his brow slightly furrowed in confusion. All he could hear was the noisy rush of traffic below, but he could feel the warmth of soft breaths brushing against his ear.
Tan Mo leaned in close to Sang Ye’s ear, his lips moving gently: “Thank you…”
For giving me love as if you were looking up at a god.