E-Sports Boss Wants To Post Messages With New Players Every Day Chapter 69

The moment the word “Victory” popped up, Xu Ziyan was still immersed in the tense and exciting atmosphere of the match, unable to react. Yuan Shaofeng’s cheers in his headset also sounded unreal.

It wasn’t until an arm wrapped around his shoulder from behind, and his headset was removed, that Xie Wei’s smiling voice reached his ear: “Yanyan, time to get up and shake hands.”

Xu Ziyan finally woke up as if from a dream, standing up in a daze.

Xie Wei walked first, and Xu Ziyan followed right behind him. When they reached Mumu, he glanced at the two people in front of him with surprise, then smiled knowingly: “Your relationship is truly good.”

Xu Ziyan didn’t understand why he said that at first. He lowered his head and finally realized: since he had stood up, Xie Wei had been holding his hand the entire time.

A full row of flashing lights and cameras were focused on them. He quickly struggled free, and Xie Wei didn’t insist, letting go of his hand naturally.

Anyway, what needed to be photographed had already been captured.

In the TWG lounge, Jiang Yuxin hadn’t even had time to celebrate the trophy they had won before being so shocked by the scene of the two holding hands on the TV screen that he nearly passed out.

Shen Xiao saw Xu Ziyan hastily letting go and shook his head, offering a sharp comment: “Too little, too late.”

It was indeed too little, too late. The TWG super-topic online had already exploded.

Xu Ziyan, still on stage, was unaware of this. He finally calmed down and shook hands with the YNG players one by one.

Qu Qingyue smiled and congratulated him on winning the championship, while Bai Ke, whom he had targeted the entire match, gritted his teeth and whispered, “Just you wait.”

Then, all the YNG players left the stage. Shen Xiao and Yu Guangzhou walked out of the lounge. All the TWG Main Roster Players and the Coach jointly lifted the champion trophy, basking in the confetti and glory unique to champions.

In the dazzling light, Xu Ziyan slightly turned his head.

Xie Wei wore the TWG team jacket draped over his shoulders, his eyes relaxed, his smile faint and languid. Golden confetti fragments landed on his hair, shining brightly under the spotlight.

This was the Xie Wei he had seen countless times on screen and in his dreams.

Now, he stood right beside him.

Perhaps the obsession was too deep; even when it truly happened, when he truly obtained it, it still felt unreal.

The camera directly in front of them was preparing to take a group photo. The host smiled and asked them to look at the lens.

Xu Ziyan quickly withdrew his gaze and looked forward.

After the lengthy interview, the TWG group returned to the team van. A celebration dinner was definitely unavoidable this time, and everyone chose to attend.

It wasn’t until Xu Ziyan got off the stage that he learned the photo of Xie Wei holding his hand had already circulated online. Coupled with the lingering effects of the previous interview, almost everyone was convinced that the lover Xie Wei mentioned was him.

He felt a little panicked and quietly asked Xie Wei what they should do, but the man blocked him with a lighthearted reply: “Isn’t this the truth?”

Shen Xiao was happily watching the drama unfold on Weibo. When he heard the celebration dinner location was set at Huating, he casually mentioned: “Speaking of which, wasn’t last season’s championship celebration also at Huating? Back then, there seemed to be some clueless Omega who tried to hook up with Captain Xie, offering him a spiked drink, ha ha ha ha…”

After laughing, he suddenly realized his mistake and quickly turned back to Xu Ziyan to explain: “Of course, Captain Xie didn’t fall for it at all. He went straight back to the dorm. That Omega was later kicked out of the team.”

Xu Ziyan: “…I know.”

No one probably knew better than him whether Xie Wei had fallen for that Omega’s trap that day.

After all, the person who spent the entire night with Xie Wei was himself.

Xie Wei clearly thought of this too. Not only was he not angry, but a playful smile touched his lips.

“Oh, for goodness sake!” Jiang Yuxin had been on the phone for a long time in the front of the van, arguing back and forth. Finally, he hung up and, with a sense of giving up, told Xu Ziyan and Xie Wei: “Forget it! You two might as well just go public!”

Xu Ziyan was stunned: “Go public?”

Xie Wei replied: “Sounds good.”

Seeing him answer so readily, Jiang Yuxin became even angrier: “Did you anticipate this? Is that why you hinted at it during the interview? I should have known!”

If there was even a slight possibility of arguing against it, he wouldn’t let this news truly get out. A player with a partner and a player without a partner were on completely different levels in terms of attracting fans and fan spending power.

Though it sounded very much like fan culture, a significant portion of a team’s income truly came from these sources.

Xie Wei was fine; his fan base had long been stable after all these years of playing.

The key was Xu Ziyan. He was a new player, still building his fan base, and now he was tied to Xie Wei…

Jiang Yuxin felt as if streams of silver money were flowing away before his eyes.

Xie Wei smiled noncommittally and said: “I’ll have to trouble Manager Jiang with the public relations.”

Xu Ziyan looked hesitant, wanting to say something, but after thinking it over, he remained silent.

The team van drove all the way to Huating, and everyone noisily got out of the car. Xu Ziyan didn’t rush to follow them, instead falling back a step, claiming he needed to make a phone call.

When the surroundings were finally empty, he sighed softly and dialed a number.

“Hello?” Xu Ziyan leaned against the wall, staring down at his shoes. “Mom, it’s me… Are you free these few days? I want to bring someone home… Yes, it’s my partner…”

On the other end of the phone, the noisy sound of mahjong continued. Xu’s mother seemed surprised, her voice stammering: “Ah, ah, okay, okay. When… when are you coming back? I’ll prepare in advance. Are you bringing them home?”

Xu Ziyan said: “I’ll let you know the time beforehand.”

Xu’s mother agreed repeatedly.

Xu Ziyan then dialed Xu’s father’s number and received the same reply.

It was clear that both were very surprised. Xu Ziyan hadn’t called them over the years unless they initiated contact, and never for something like this.

Hanging up the phone, Xu Ziyan squatted down, burying his face in his knees, as if these two short conversations had exhausted all his energy.

Just then, footsteps approached from behind.

Xu Ziyan was startled. He looked up and met Xie Wei’s gentle gaze.

The man didn’t say a word, reached out, pulled him up from the ground, and then hugged him tightly.

“I heard.” Xie Wei kissed the young man’s earlobe in his arms. “You finally decided to bring me home to meet the parents? Are you willing to give me a title?”

For some reason, hearing his voice, the heavy emotions that had been weighing on his heart suddenly vanished. Xu Ziyan curved his lips: “I’ve always been willing.”

Xie Wei held him, silent for a moment, then suddenly said: “I have a suggestion.”

Xu Ziyan asked: “What?”

“How about we sneak away first?” Xie Wei suddenly lowered his voice, sounding seductive. “The hotel above Huating is owned by my family. The floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor offer a view of the entire city’s nightscape. Yanyan, do you want to see it?”

He knew perfectly well that following him wouldn’t just be for looking at the night view.

But Xu Ziyan was captivated. He suppressed his shyness and nodded, his ears completely red.

After the competition, the season temporarily ended. The team routinely gave a week off for the players to relax properly.

Xu Ziyan took this opportunity to bring Xie Wei back to B City.

After getting off the highway and turning through several streets, a familiar yet unfamiliar scenery unfolded before Xu Ziyan.

People have roots. Even after being away for a long time, returning to one’s hometown still brings an uncontrollable sense of belonging.

And this time, he wasn’t alone; he had his beloved partner by his side.

Xu Ziyan became enthusiastic, introducing things to Xie Wei one by one: “Look, that school outside is where I used to go. My grades were pretty good back then, but I was always late. I constantly played mind games with the gym teacher who caught people at the school gate. Later, to catch me, they even added two more people to guard the wall, afraid I’d sneak over.”

These were things Xie Wei didn’t know about Xu Ziyan’s past. He asked with interest: “Did you manage to escape?”

“Of course!” Xu Ziyan said proudly. “Actually, there was a back gate behind the school, tied shut with wire. I cut the wire, bought a new one, and wrapped it back on. You couldn’t tell the difference normally. Every time I went in, I’d just open the new wire. It was very convenient.”

After saying that, he sighed: “But they found out later.”

“That internet cafe, I used to go there often. The owner was particularly beautiful. I always thought she was in her twenties, but later I found out her son was in the same grade as me…”

“This fried chicken shop…”

It had been too long since Xu Ziyan had talked about his past with anyone, not just because he had been alone in another city all these years, but also because those memories didn’t contain many good things worth mentioning.

Some dark, painful past was unspeakable, and there was no need to bring it up.

The car passed another school right at dismissal time. Students noisily poured out, and the roadside was filled with cars picking up children, causing some traffic congestion.

Xu Ziyan stared at the school for a long time.

Xie Wei turned his head: “What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing.” Xu Ziyan smiled. “I just kept skipping class to go online back then. Thinking about it, I feel quite sorry for my teachers.”

He kept it simple, but the truth was far more complex.

At that time, Xu’s father and mother each had their own families and other children, treating him as a burden. For a long time, Xu Ziyan lived by staying with various relatives. One day he’d stay here, the next day there, unable to return to his own home.

It was fine at first; relatives would take him in out of pity.

But as time went on, gossip and dissatisfaction increased.

Xu Ziyan was unwilling to be the extra person in other people’s homes anymore. He had no money, so he could only spend the night in internet cafes, living in a daze every day. He started slacking off in his studies, eventually giving up completely, spending entire days immersed in playing Resist at the internet cafe.

The anxiety caused by aimlessly passing each day was more painful than working diligently until exhaustion.

At that time, Xu Ziyan barely knew what he could do or if he even had a future.

He only felt like he was standing in quicksand; whether he struggled or not, he would be swallowed, so he might as well stop struggling.

The only thing that supported him through that period was Xie Wei.

Looking back, he didn’t harbor much hatred for his parents, nor did he blame them. Blame and hatred only arise when there is expectation and love, but Xu Ziyan had no feelings for them anymore, aside from the bond of blood.

Yet, whenever he recalled that time, he felt even more grateful for and drawn to the light that guided him out of the quicksand.