Chapter 30 – Official Announcement!
It was another day of learning he’d be playing in the playoffs, followed by intense training. It wasn’t until Ji Wei retired to his room to rest that he realized he’d forgotten something important.
Weiwei Dounai: [I forgot to ask, is your fever gone?]
He hadn’t fallen asleep yet either, so he replied almost instantly.
S: [It went away this morning. The medicine is working.]
Speaking of medicine, Ji Wei couldn’t help but feel his ears burn, remembering Yin Sijue’s last question.
For a moment, he thought Yin Sijue already knew, but since there was no reaction, Ji Wei wasn’t so sure.
The boy tossed and turned in anxiety, rolling around in bed.
For him, [WEI] was in the past, but it still stood between him and Yin Sijue. Ji Wei couldn’t tell whether letting him know would be a good thing or a bad thing.
He had only just begun to understand Yin Sijue better, and he didn’t want everything to revert back to the old days overnight because of some unexpected change.
His exhausted brain couldn’t take any more thinking, so Ji Wei decided not to dwell on it. He picked up his phone, texted a goodnight message, and fell into a deep sleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
…
Late at night, a post appeared on a well-known PCL forum.
[Title: Any sleepless AVG fans out there? Let’s chat about a five-dollar game.]
[1L: The OP was still rewatching the PGC championship video late at night, and suddenly realized it had already been two years… Then he saw those random trending searches on Weibo, wondering how his favorite team had ended up like this.]
[2L: Yes, teachers, yes, I didn’t fall asleep either.]
[6L: The playoffs start the day after tomorrow, and my team’s fate is still uncertain. I didn’t even mess up my final exams this badly.]
[11L: Wolf hasn’t said a word yet. I’m afraid the next time he shows up will be at a tournament.]
[22L: If he dares to come, this Solve fan will definitely go offline against him.]
[40L: Forget it. Team results matter more… Does AVG even have anyone they can bring up right now?]
[51L: Report: I checked the AVG summer season substitute roster, and I don’t recognize a single name.]
[70L: Hhh, there’s even a player on the roster with the same name as that streamer.]
[80L: Hilarious! I saw that too. Are names this easy to copy? Hahaha.]
By the time the person in question saw this post, it was already morning.
The OP had said they were just chatting about a five-dollar game, but the group ended up talking all night, racking up over a thousand replies.
Ji Wei picked up his toothbrush and scrubbed vigorously, disagreeing with some of the comments. He strongly disagreed!
How could it just be a name collision? Couldn’t it actually be the host himself?
He held his phone in one hand and angrily scrolled down three more pages. Others in the building had checked AVG’s substitute list, but no one connected the name “Unique” with “Ji Wei.” Everyone assumed this person must be one of AVG’s academy recruits.
Alright then.
Brother Qiu will make the official announcement today and scare the hell out of you all.
After washing up, Ji Wei opened his phone and found himself added to a WeChat group called [AVG Hexagonal Warriors].
It seemed to be an internal group for the club’s starting lineup, and Dashu had sent the first message.
Da Shu Doesn’t Want to Be a Libero: [Welcome, Newcomer~]
Da Shu Doesn’t Want to Be a Libero: [@Xu Shaoqiu, I’m not working overtime. Did you kick Wolf out?]
Xu Shaoqiu No Overtime: [Yes]
Da Shu Doesn’t Want to Be a Libero:[ …Awesome]
Seeing their IDs, Ji Wei couldn’t help but laugh.
Xu Shaoqiu No Overtime: [@Everyone, we’ll be posting a contract termination announcement for Wolf today, and also officially announcing @Weiwei Dounai. Everyone should interact with the post on Weibo. Please note that this interaction is for the official announcement, not the termination notice.]
Da Shu Doesn’t Want to Be a Libero: [What if the interaction gets mistaken for a termination notice?]
Xu Shaoqiu No Overtime: [Then I’ll edit the termination post to your ID. 🔪]
Although he said noon, it was actually just past 11 when Xu Shaoqiu posted the message. Soon after, Ji Wei reposted the termination notice from the team’s official Weibo account:
[@AVG Club: [Announcement Regarding Contract Termination with Player Wolf]
Dear Fans and Partners,
After multiple communications and negotiations between the club and player [Wolf] (real name: Wei Chengguang), due to his unexplained absence from training matches and refusal to fulfill participation obligations for personal reasons, he has seriously violated team discipline and the terms of his contract. After careful consideration, AVG Club is officially terminating Wolf’s player contract and all associated partnerships effective immediately.
Subsequent tournament lineup adjustments will be announced separately. Thank you for your attention and support.]
…
It was hard to tell whether he felt happy or sad. Ji Wei read the announcement calmly. Just as he was about to click on the comments, someone in the group chat @ed him:
Da Shu Doesn’t Want to Be a Libero: [@Weiwei Dounai, why aren’t you talking? Still not awake?]
Weiwei Dounai: [Sorry! Just checking Weibo. Hello everyone /cat morning.jpg]
Da Shu Doesn’t Want to Be a Libero: [You’re checking Weibo too? Then you must’ve seen that comment. Ignore it.]
What comment?
Ji Wei opened his Weibo account and scrolled down. The top comment was a screenshot of the AVG summer season substitute roster, with his and Jerry’s names prominently listed:
[Wolf’s Lifetime Support: 6. Even this can lead to contract terminations? I’ll just wait and see what these two “princes” of yours, @Jerry @Unique, can achieve. [Image]]
The team had never publicly listed the substitutes on Weibo. Without knowing who they really were, the fan randomly @ed two profiles. Jerry’s ID didn’t exist, but Unique’s Weibo account was linked to Ji Wei.
Is this even possible? Ji Wei’s pupils trembled.
Because it had been posted early, the comment was pinned near the top, and someone in the thread was already cursing:
[Wolf still has fans? What are you even thinking, sis? Do you like him for being a creep or for his foul mouth?]
[As expected, playing esports is the best cosmetic treatment for men.]
[Don’t waste your energy, anyone would play better than this guy.]
On the next floor of replies, the tone suddenly shifted:
[Hey, curse if you want, but why are you @-ing my Wei Bao? He didn’t provoke anyone, haha.]
[Didn’t expect to see my favorite streamer here. He’s been missing for over ten days. With nothing to watch, I even ended up watching the summer season / lol.]
[Take Weiwei away. He’s already working now and won’t go pro. Don’t curse the wrong person, OP.]
Ji Wei: …
He finally understood what it meant to pick up a rock only to smash your own foot.
…
As for his official announcement post, Ji Wei had no intention of reading it.
When he was just a streamer, he didn’t care about hateful comments. But now that he was a professional player, he worried that his past might bring bad press to the team. So he decided it was better not to look at the comments for now.
However, just because he didn’t read them didn’t mean others wouldn’t.
Twenty minutes later, Ji Wei had just stepped out the door, ready to head downstairs for brunch. As soon as he reached the stairwell, he heard Ban shouting:
“Unique! I saw your official announcement post. A thousand more comments in just one refresh. You’re trending now!”
“…”
Ji Wei sighed helplessly. “What are they saying?”
“See for yourself.” Ban handed him his phone, his eyes full of sympathy.
Closing his eyes, Ji Wei took a deep breath for ten seconds before finally focusing on the Weibo post:
[@AVG Club: [Announcement Regarding PUBG Team Playoff Roster Adjustments]
After careful evaluation by the club, former substitute player @AVG_Unique (real name: Ji Wei) will be promoted to the official starting lineup for the playoffs, taking the No. 4 rifle position and replacing the original player in the rotation.
@AVG_Unique is known for his steady playstyle and impressive scrimmage performances, turning the tide in crucial matches on numerous occasions. I believe he’ll bring a whole new dimension to AVG’s playoff run.
The previous post about Wolf’s contract termination was already a huge hit, but this Weibo post more than doubled its popularity.]
Ji Wei scrolled down with trembling fingers. The top five trending comments were all the same:
[???]
After scrolling two more pages, different comments began to appear:
[Are you kidding me?]
[Am I crazy, or is the AVG manager crazy?]
[Who’s this guy? I clicked on his homepage and he looks like a gambler.]
[You guys always have four ganks, so what’s the deal with hiring Laoliu this year?]
[Great! It’s Laoliu! We’re doomed!]
[No, Solve, how can you tolerate this? Shouldn’t he be kicked out of the base?]
…Netizens were really being unkind to him.
“Good morning, what are you guys looking at?” Jerry and Dragon came down from upstairs.
Ban: “I’m reading Unique’s official announcement post. You’re already trending! #UniqueJoinsAVG#, and another hot search is coming!”
Ji Wei: “No need to notify me.”
Dragon also pulled out his phone. “It’s incredible! My homepage is flooded with Weibo posts about you. Even friends outside the scene are asking me about it.”
Ji Wei: “I’m quitting the internet.” He slumped into his gaming chair like a limp noodle.
Jerry walked over. “Unique, I didn’t see you yesterday, so I didn’t get the chance to say this—congratulations! Do well in this match.”
At the sight of Jerry, Ji Wei’s troubled mood from the past two days came flooding back. He sat up, guilt flickering in his eyes.
Ji Wei: “Jerry, about the match, I—”
Jerry: “Shut up.” He cut him off. “I know what you’re about to say. Don’t.”
Ji Wei: “Hmm?”
Jerry: “Don’t talk nonsense. I’m happy you get to play. If this responsibility had fallen on me—starting in the playoffs right away—I’d have been crushed. Honestly, I was relieved when I found out they were subbing you in.
“You’re excellent. I’m not bad either, but at this stage, you’re definitely better suited for this match than I am. I’ll be rooting for you.”
Ji Wei’s nose stung slightly as he looked at the boy in front of him with deep emotion. This captain, who had taken such good care of him from day one, was actually a few months younger—yet his maturity and inner strength were far beyond imagination.
Jerry patted Ji Wei’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go eat. Our brief cohabitation with Unique is about to end, so we should cherish it.”
Dragon: “Okay, Unique, play well. Those netizens don’t know your level. Don’t worry about them. We’ll all be rooting for you.”
Ban: “Yeah, yeah.”
“Thank you.” Ji Wei’s frustration with the comments finally eased a little. He locked his screen and left the training room with them.
…
The food Auntie prepared today was as delicious as ever.
Ban was still scrolling through Weibo while eating. Whatever he saw made him laugh so hard that a grain of rice flew out of his mouth.
Dragon, sitting across from him, almost took a hit. “Watch it!”
“No…” Ban swallowed quickly. “Look at the comments on Weibo right now.”
Everyone opened Unique’s official announcement post. The top comment had changed. It was from a fan named [Wei Ta Niang].
[Wei Ta Niang: I woke up to find that the skill level of PUBG players worldwide had dropped ten thousandfold, while mine stayed the same. That day, I opened a game as usual, grabbed a gun, and lay in the bushes for half an hour. When I finally killed someone, they exclaimed, “What? You can play six-man? You’re a pro?” After that, my videos went viral, and every club tried to recruit me. But I chose AVG, and thus began my peak career!]
Ji Wei: …
Was this person truly a fan?
Other Unique fans commented below. After their initial surprise, they quickly accepted reality:
[Thank you, that’s exactly what I dreamt last night.]
[No, I was just explaining to someone in the building that you were working. I didn’t realize you were in this class too? Forget it. Unique is a jerk! Those trolls taking advantage of the situation can get lost! The team must have their reasons for this decision. Instead of being sarcastic, go practice a few more games so you don’t embarrass yourselves in the playoffs.]
[By the way, Solve is called Jueshen, and Mili is called Mishen. So if Weibao makes a name for himself in the future, what should he be called? Liushen?]
Ji Wei: ?
This was a disaster! If they really called him that, then his career had better not end up as a “god.”
Jerry nearly choked. “Oh my god! I just played Liushen last night…”
Dragon shuddered. “That’s terrifying! Unique, how could your public opinion be this bad?”
Ji Wei didn’t linger over his meal and quickly went to join the first team’s practice.
Because a playoff match was scheduled for noon, Yin Sijue had already begun adjusting his sleep schedule. He skipped his nap, and their practice was moved up by two hours.
Inside the training room, Dashu was practicing with his outboard rifle at the training camp. Hearing Ji Wei approach, he greeted him without even turning around:
“Good afternoon, Liushen.”
Ji Wei nearly tripped. “You saw it too?”
“Not only did I see it, I also reposted it on Weibo. Remember to come online and interact with me.”
“…Okay.”
He opened his phone and saw that all three starters had reposted his official announcement post.
[AVG_Milly: Welcome! //@AVG Club:…]
[AVG_Tree: I’m protecting Unique, everyone, please don’t curse him //@AVG Club:…]
[AVG_Solve: I won’t kick him out //@AVG Club:…]
He liked all of their comments. Seeing Solve’s post, Ji Wei felt his face flush. He turned around and saw the person in question slowly approaching from behind.
It was the first time Ji Wei had seen Yin Sijue freshly woken. His eyelids drooped lazily, and his slightly messy hair softened his usual cool aura, yet he was still captivating.
Sensing Ji Wei’s gaze, Yin Sijue reached up to smooth his hair and said, “Netizens think I’m going to bully you.”
Da Shu was startled. “Bully who? What nonsense are you talking about?”
Mi Li added from nearby, “A lot of people bought into Wolf’s image as a domineering captain. Many on the forums think he’s going to give Unique a hard time.”
Yin Sijue wasn’t angry. A faint smile lingered in his eyes, and his tone was casual: “Unique, did I bully you?”
Caught off guard, Ji Wei sat up straight. “No! I’ll explain on Weibo right away!”
“Forget it.” Yin Sijue turned back to his camera, speaking slowly, with a trace of inexplicable grievance. “That’ll only make things worse. Let’s just train.”
Ji Wei: ?