E-Sports Boss Wants To Post Messages With New Players Every Day Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The new season began, and the A-Team, from the players to the Coach and Data Analyst, visibly became busier. Every time Xu Ziyan checked Xie Wei’s Weibo, there was a horde of fans clamoring below, complaining that Xie Wei hadn’t streamed in too long.

Xie Wei certainly wasn’t deliberately avoiding streaming; he genuinely didn’t have the time. When Xu Ziyan occasionally saw Xie Wei at the base, he always looked rushed and busy.

However, Xu Ziyan soon didn’t have the time to worry about others, as the Secondary League was also about to start its new season, meaning the B-Team would also get busy.

After the official announcement that day, Xu Ziyan’s Weibo followers rapidly increased by over a hundred thousand, mostly due to the popularity he gained from the Rookie Cup.

Lu Donglou gave him a streaming account and told him to stream for a few hours whenever he had free time. Xu Ziyan hadn’t dealt with these things before and fiddled with the streaming software for a long time. In the end, Bai Ke came over to help him.

“This is window capture; there’s a game-specific mode. Once set, others won’t be able to see your other interfaces. Here you can select the category and modify the title. The team usually provides templates for this part, so if you don’t know what to write, just copy one. Also…”

Bai Ke taught Xu Ziyan how to set up subtitles and the stream cover, treating him like a young student, covering every detail.

Yuan Shaofeng leaned over to eavesdrop on the lesson, then looked at Bai Ke with a face full of shock: “KK, what’s wrong with you? Why are you so patient? Are you sick?”

Bai Ke rolled his eyes: “I’ve always been patient, just not with you.”

Yuan Shaofeng wasn’t offended by the retort. He chuckled and said to Xu Ziyan: “Ice, are you streaming later? Want to Duo Queue? I can help boost your popularity.”

Assault Player and Medic is a classic Duo Queue configuration, and the two roles complement each other well. Xu Ziyan knew Yuan Shaofeng was trying to help him gain popularity, so he smiled gratefully and accepted the kind offer: “Okay.”

Fifteen minutes later, Xu Ziyan had set up everything, uploaded the stream title and cover Lu Donglou had given him, and clicked start streaming.

He thought that as a new streamer, his first broadcast wouldn’t attract much attention. However, as soon as he teamed up with Yuan Shaofeng and checked the viewer count, it was already over five hundred and rapidly climbing. The bullet chat became lively, with people asking if he was really the Rookie Cup champion, and others asking for tips on how a Medic could dominate an Assault Player.

Xu Ziyan found it novel and answered a few questions with a smile.

Matchmaking completed, and they entered the game. The random map was the Ancient City of Teshir, with an average number of buildings and plenty of hiding spots—overall, a very balanced map.

The game mode was still Domination. Xu Ziyan routinely chose the pistol and the taser. Seeing this, Yuan Shaofeng joked: “Ice, take it easy. Don’t end up with higher output than me; that would be too embarrassing.”

Xu Ziyan replied: “How could that happen? You need to have confidence.”

The two had been teammates for several months, possessing extremely high synergy, and their support for each other was always timely, making the game feel very smooth. Coupled with capable teammates, Xu Ziyan’s side won almost by crushing the opposition.

By the end of the match, the number of viewers in the stream had reached over four thousand, and people had started sending gifts. Xu Ziyan checked the backend records and read out the IDs one by one to express his thanks.

After two hours of playing, it was time for the scrimmages. Xu Ziyan exited the game, said a few words of farewell and gratitude, and then closed the stream.

Yuan Shaofeng gave him a thumbs-up: “The first time I streamed, I was so nervous I couldn’t even speak properly, let alone interact with the bullet chat or read gifts. You’re amazing, Ice.”

Xu Ziyan was too embarrassed to admit that he had picked it up from watching Xie Wei stream for years, so he just smiled.

After the scrimmages ended, everyone was hungry. Xu Ziyan was about to order takeout for dinner when Yuan Shaofeng put an arm around his shoulder from behind: “Ice, got plans tonight? I’ll treat you out to eat. There’s a new place near the subway station that’s super delicious.”

Although this kind of thing happened often, Xu Ziyan figured Yuan Shaofeng probably had something he wanted to talk about today, so he agreed.

The place Yuan Shaofeng mentioned was a ramen shop that also sold other snacks. It was dinner time, and the shop was already packed with people, noisy and bustling.

They found a seat and ordered their food. Yuan Shaofeng closed the menu and smiled at Xu Ziyan.

Xu Ziyan knew the main topic was coming and sat up straighter.

Yuan Shaofeng scratched his face, looking somewhat embarrassed: “Ice, you’ve been close with KK recently. Uh, about that…”

“Have you ever heard him talk about, you know, dating and stuff?”

His wording was very subtle, but Xu Ziyan immediately understood what he meant.

Yuan Shaofeng was asking if Bai Ke had someone he liked.

Oh my god.

Yuan Shaofeng liked Bai Ke?

Xu Ziyan felt like he had just stumbled upon a huge piece of gossip. He thought back and answered sincerely: “He hasn’t mentioned it. He probably doesn’t have anyone he likes right now.”

Yuan Shaofeng immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Xu Ziyan’s intense gaze, he smiled helplessly: “To be honest, a few days ago, I overheard him talking to his family on the phone. He said he would get married soon and told them not to worry.”

Xu Ziyan paused. After a moment’s thought, considering Bai Ke’s tendency to speak without thinking, he figured this was likely a made-up excuse to placate his family.

But why would he do that?

Yuan Shaofeng quickly answered his confusion: “KK’s family thinks a Beta won’t achieve anything significant and should just give up, go home, take the civil service exam, get married early, and live a stable life. Plus, Shen Xiao is on the team, too. Shen Xiao is an Alpha and an A-Team player, much more famous than KK…”

Xu Ziyan understood. Bai Ke’s family was one that favored Alpha over Beta.

No wonder Yuan Shaofeng changed the subject when Shen Xiao was mentioned before. He had thought their relationship was poor, but it turned out there was this underlying issue.

Xu Ziyan said: “KK’s skill is genuinely strong.”

Yuan Shaofeng replied: “Yeah, he’s very good. It’s a shame that at TWG, he probably can never make it into the A-Team.”

Xu Ziyan remained silent.

What Yuan Shaofeng said was true. Bai Ke was indeed an excellent Sniper, but unfortunately, the Sniper for TWG’s A-Team was Xie Wei. Unless Xie Wei ran into a major problem, Bai Ke could, at most, only be a substitute.

Yuan Shaofeng realized he had made the atmosphere a bit awkward and, remembering Xu Ziyan was a fan of Xie Wei, quickly tried to salvage the conversation: “Speaking of which, Ice, does your family support you playing esports?”

Xu Ziyan smiled: “They probably don’t approve.”

Yuan Shaofeng asked: “Probably?”

Xu Ziyan explained: “They divorced when I was six, but they only formally separated after I turned eighteen. Now they both have their own families and children.”

Therefore, even if he wasn’t supported, he wouldn’t be opposed, because no one had any extra attention to spare for Xu Ziyan anymore.

Yuan Shaofeng hadn’t expected to step on one landmine after another and was at a loss for words.

Xu Ziyan, however, chuckled and changed the subject himself: “I really didn’t expect you to like KK. Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell anyone?”

Yuan Shaofeng said: “You’re not that kind of person.”

Xu Ziyan gossiped: “When did you start liking KK?”

Yuan Shaofeng replied: “Hmm… around the time we first joined the team. We were in the same batch of Youth Training Camp.”

The food arrived just then, and the two ate and chatted, discussing many things.

Back at the base, standing downstairs, Yuan Shaofeng suddenly said: “Ice, you’re definitely going to be famous.”

Xu Ziyan paused, then laughed: “Thank you for the blessing?”

“I’m serious.”

Yuan Shaofeng patted his shoulder and went upstairs first.

A week later, the new season officially began, and the date for TWG A-Team’s draw ceremony was set.

During the official live broadcast, Xie Wei, wearing his team uniform, pulled a golden ball from the box.

The host opened the golden ball and announced the first team TWG would face in tomorrow’s opening ceremony: the veteran powerhouse team, KW.

“Oh,” Bai Ke raised an eyebrow, “This is going to be a tough fight. I hope Goddess Qingyue can hold up.”

He wasn’t being sarcastic about Qu Qingyue, but KW’s team characteristic was their tendency to target the Medic.

Just then, Lu Donglou walked in and clapped his hands: “Stop worrying about others. The B-Team’s draw is in a week. Hurry up and intensify your training.”

Bai Ke stuck out his tongue and obediently returned to his seat.

Xu Ziyan felt like sending a message to Xie Wei but picked up his phone and didn’t know what to say. Looking at the blank chat box, he put the phone back down.

He decided to wait until Xie Wei finished his match tomorrow, then he could message him under the pretense of congratulating him.

Xu Ziyan thought this was perfectly reasonable. After all, TWG had been so invincible last season, winning almost every major and minor competition. Logically, while KW might give TWG some trouble, TWG would definitely take the final victory.

However, contrary to everyone’s expectations, KW’s newly introduced targeted strategy completely overwhelmed Qu Qingyue. In that day’s Best-of-Three, KW defeated TWG two to one, securing the first victory of the new season.

TWG lost.

As soon as the result was out, the internet exploded. Long-dormant trolls and haters mobilized en masse, immediately sending TWG to the top of the trending topics.

Xie Wei was right: the esports industry ultimately respects strength. If you have skill, those who cursed your ancestors yesterday will praise you to the heavens today. If you make a mistake, those who swore to support you for life will turn around and attack and insult you with the most vicious language.

It wasn’t the first time Xu Ziyan had witnessed such a spectacle, but it was the first time he experienced it so closely and personally.

That evening.

Xie Wei finally finished the post-match review meeting and offered a few words of comfort to Qu Qingyue. Her performance today was indeed subpar, but everyone has off days, and this was only the preseason. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything critical, only encouraging her to work harder, just like the Coach.

After that, he went into the Coach’s office to discuss the upcoming schedule.

With great power comes great responsibility; those who stand high must bear more. Stepping out of the Coach’s office, Xie Wei looked out at the night sky through the corridor window and sighed softly.

It was late, and he felt a little tired. Just as he was about to head back to the training room, he heard someone call him from behind.

“Captain.”

It was a very familiar voice he hadn’t heard in a long time.

Xie Wei froze, turned around, and indeed saw Xu Ziyan. The young man was standing by the emergency exit door, smiling at him.

Xie Wei’s heart stirred, and he strode over.