# Chapter 11
Ji Yanhan had rubbed Yu Sui the wrong way several times today, but not knowing why and not daring to ask, he promptly sent over the competition schedule, sighing: "This rebellion phase came a bit too late..."
And so, Yu Sui had embarrassingly gone viral without even knowing it. A day and a night later, he finally remembered that he'd changed his WeChat nickname because of Shi Luo.
Worried that changing it back would expose his identity to Shi Luo, Yu Sui held off on changing it.
Yu Sui's situation was too bizarre. Friends in the circle didn't dare ask directly, and Yu Sui had no way to explain, so he just had to swallow his frustration and take the heat.
"Tomorrow's opening match, the new season is starting again, everyone stay sharp..."
The team manager had returned to his hometown for personal matters. Ji Yanhan, the club owner, had long since become a hands-off manager. As captain, Yu Sui had to step up and hold a perfunctory motivational meeting before the opening match.
With neither the owner nor manager present, the team members were also distracted. They held meetings with the attitude of entitlement, using their phones openly. Yu Sui wasn't in the mood either. He had barely started speaking when he grew impatient: "Regular season is about to start. We... play well, there's bonus money. Play badly, we get flamed. That's it. Meeting adjourned."
"That's it?" The interim team leader, who had been conscripted to take meeting minutes, had just settled into his seat when he received the adjournment notice. He was confused, panicking: "I... I just wrote two lines! The manager asked me to send him the meeting minutes after. This is way too short, that won't work, right?"
"What's wrong with that? Just make some stuff up yourself." Yu Sui had plenty of experience fudging these things. He lit a cigarette, mumbling: "Write more, so they don't say I'm being lazy again. Alright, dismissed."
The team members were only too happy with this arrangement. They all grabbed their phones and left the meeting room.
"Oh, one more thing." The team leader chased after them, saying to everyone: "This quarter's bonus has been distributed. Please check your transfer records. Report any issues within a week. Thanks for your hard work."
Yu Sui glanced at the six-figure transfer on his phone, not paying it much attention. Just as he was about to put his phone back in his pocket, his phone buzzed.
**[Luo]: [Still need breakfast money?]**
Yu Sui raised an eyebrow.
He had been busy for days and almost forgot about this rebellious kid.
He had thought he'd be the one to reach out first. But who would've thought the rebellious kid would actually remember the breakfast money.
Leaning against the corridor wall, Yu Sui typed with his right hand holding a cigarette and his left hand typing one-handedly: *[Bro u still remember me?]*
**[Luo]: [... Answer my question.]**
Yu Sui smirked, typing: *[Yeah, bro u gonna give me money >0<?]*
Yu Sui took a drag of his cigarette. Just as he was about to tease Shi Luo again, his phone buzzed—Shi Luo had sent him a red packet.
Ten yuan exactly.
Yu Sui's WeChat transfers went directly into his bank account in real-time. He accepted the transfer, and the next second received an SMS.
**[Your account *8888 received a deposit of ¥10.00 on 04/27 at 16:05. Available balance: ¥5,372,937.46.]**
"Wow." Yu Sui laughed. "A fortune."
Smoking his cigarette, Yu Sui typed: *[Thx bro! Got money for tmrw breakfast now.]*
There was no reply from the other side. Yu Sui, unable to resist, typed again: *[Bro >0<, what about the day after?]*
Yu Sui's phone buzzed.
**[Luo]: [I'll give you the day after tomorrow's money tomorrow.]**
Yu Sui asked again: *[What about the day after that (O-O)?]*
**[Luo]: [I'll give you that the day after that.]**
Yu Sui laughed and continued being insufferable: *[Every day?]*
**[Luo]: [... Are you seriously latching onto me now?]**
Yu Sui held back his laughter and typed: *[Bro I'm hungry.]*
**[Luo]: [... Fine.]**
Yu Sui said: *[Really? Bro why r u so nice?]*
**[Luo]: [Because when I didn't have money, I couldn't eat breakfast either.]**
Yu Sui burst out laughing: "Your floor is literally gold inlaid. You're saying you didn't have money? Who are you trying to fool..."
Yu Sui didn't expose him. He played along: *[Thx bro! If ur worried about the trouble, why not just give me a week at once? ;)]*
**[Luo]: [Give you a week's worth, and then you'll spend it all at an internet cafe in one day?]**
Yu Sui was quite surprised. This little rebel actually had some life experience—he could figure that out.
**[Luo]: [Also, can you stop calling me bro? Isn't that cringey.]**
Yu Sui: *[>.< so what should I call u?]*
**[Luo]: [Call me Shi-ge.]**
Yu Sui complied immediately: *[Shi-ge.]*
Having had enough fun teasing, Yu Sui got down to business: *[Shi-ge, wanna play a game with me?]*
**[Luo]: [I don't carry kids.]**
Yu Sui typed: *[Please? I'm so bad, no one will team up with me.]*
**[Luo]: [I'm rushing to rank up my main account, no time to carry you.]**
After a while, Shi Luo sent another message: *[Wait a few days.]*
Yu Sui didn't push: *[Sure.]*
About a week passed like this. That day, Yu Sui had just finished a training match when Shi Luo sent him a strange account name on WeChat, saying: *[Add this account.]*
Yu Sui understood. Shi Luo's main account had such high ranking now that he couldn't queue with a small account anymore. He must have created a new account to use for carrying Yu Sui.
The little rebel actually remembered to carry him.
The teammates had all left. Yu Sui sat back down at his computer station, powered it on, logged into his small account, and added the new account Shi Luo had sent. The other person was already online. Shi Luo typed, telling Yu Sui to accept the voice call. Yu Sui declined, citing that someone was sleeping in the next room.
Shi Luo didn't insist. Instead, he told Yu Sui to go to his live stream and listen to instructions there.
In the live stream, Shi Luo's expression was flat as he said: "Today I'm carrying a kid in low-rank lobbies. If you don't like watching someone pub-stomp, you can close this."
Yu Sui smiled slightly. He accepted the组队 invitation from Shi Luo.
The two waited in queue. During the wait, Shi Luo opened his mic, speaking calmly: "You should know the basics, right? Never mind... Today will be a teaching session."
Shi Luo had already passed through puberty, but his voice was still very clear. He seemed to keep his voice low to conserve battery, and what came through the headphones was the distinctive lazy voice of a teenager. Yu Sui thought it sounded really good.
"We're in a group of four. I'm the medic. You and one other person are assaulters. The last person is a sniper. The enemy team has the same composition."
"Half the map is our base, half is theirs. We can see our side without any fog, but theirs is entirely covered in toxic fog. Same goes for them looking at us."
"You can't walk into their fog. Instant death on contact. Even if I give you a photon shield, it won't help. The fog is a chemical attack. No equipment can resist it—it can only be dispelled."
"Assaulters and medics can dispel the fog. Check your backpack—there's an unlimited-use purification dish for dispelling toxins. Place it at the edge of the fog. After three seconds, all fog within a 2.5-meter radius will be cleared. You... are you listening?"
Yu Sui gave no response for a long time. In the live stream, Shi Luo's brow furrowed slightly.
Yu Sui typed in the game: *[Taking notes.]*
Shi Luo glanced at the camera suspiciously, then continued: "The early-game objective for you, me, and the other assaulter is to dispel fog and prevent the enemy from dispelling ours. Push all the way to their base's respawn stone, destroy it, then eliminate all their players. That's how we win."
Yu Sui typed: *[Got it.]*
The game started.
Shi Luo said emotionlessly: "Follow me."
Shi Luo led Yu Sui forward, scouting as he went, saying: "The enemy will also set up ambushes at the map's border. Be careful later. Don't let them get easy kills. Try to get kills on them. You only have basic equipment now. You're an assaulter. You can only upgrade your equipment by getting eliminations yourself. Otherwise, you'll be completely useless the entire match."
Yu Sui typed: *[How does the medic level up?]*
Shi Luo said lazily: "When you get kills, I get assist points as long as I'm within five meters of you. With assist points, I can do basic upgrades. Right now I only have the original photon shield—the narrowest quadrilateral kind. With assist points, I can buy a much bigger hexagonal photon shield. It's more durable than the original shield. Of course, you can also upgrade without getting assist points, it's just..."
In-game, Shi Luo's medic character pulled out a long dagger. Grazing the edge of the fog, he dove and dodged the enemy assaulter's bullets. Then, timing the enemy's reload, he performed a dagger spin-cut plus a side kick, followed by another dagger spin-cut. Clean and efficient. He effortlessly secured first blood on the enemy assaulter.
"Medics don't have guns, but you can use daggers to get kills." Shi Luo said calmly. "After getting kills, you can directly buy a hexagonal photon shield at 70% off. I'll put one on you. Get to the side."
At FS base, Yu Sui's eyes gradually lit up.
The medic class was a support class, commonly called a healer class. Most players followed a nurturing playstyle. Those who played an assassin playstyle like Yu Sui were rare. Those who could actually play it well were even rarer.
Though they were currently in a low-rank lobby, and the enemy assaulter who just got first-blooded was indeed bad, Shi Luo's string of movements and mechanics just now were no joke. Yu Sui was also a medic, so he could see it most clearly. Even if the enemy had been on his own team, there was a high chance they would've lost half their health to Shi Luo.
The little rebel really was good.
His playstyle was just slightly rough around the edges.
Yu Sui played seven games with Shi Luo over three hours. During that time, Yu Sui used every trick in the book to ask Shi Luo all sorts of questions, taking the opportunity to get a complete picture of Shi Luo's capabilities.
Yu Sui had learned everything he wanted to know. He claimed he'd been playing for too long and his parents were going to beat him, then typed in the game that he couldn't play anymore.
In the live stream, Shi Luo's expression was unreadable: "Oh? So you won't need carrying anymore?"
Yu Sui smiled. He probably wouldn't need to.
After getting off the game, he'd call Ke Hao to report back, clear the old debt Ke Hao owed him, and this whole thing would officially be concluded. He and this little rebel probably wouldn't have any more contact after this.
The regular season was about to start. Yu Sui wasn't just Yu Sui anymore—he was also Whisper.
He was still the captain of last season's world champion team. He was still the Shield of CN. He was still the Light of the region. He was still FS's strongest trump card.
The new season was officially starting soon. Countless eyes were on Yu Sui. He couldn't afford to waste time playing with kids.
Yu Sui typed in the game: *[Thx Shi-ge, I learned a lot today, I should be able to play on my own from now on.]*
In the live stream, Shi Luo looked at the team chat with a disdainful snort, seemingly thinking about Yu Sui's various nonsense plays from earlier. He made no comment.
Yu Sui smiled slightly at Shi Luo's little expression in the live stream.
In the live stream, Shi Luo had gotten off his small account and switched to his main: "I hope you can still say that after getting your butt kicked. Isn't your dad going to beat you? Why aren't you leaving?"
Yu Sui got off his small account.
Yu Sui picked up his phone and called Ke Hao.
Ke Hao picked up quickly.
Yu Sui rubbed his neck: "Just clean up his attitude a bit. He can play professionally."
Ke Hao was overjoyed: "Really? He's really that good?"
"Given his age, he's relatively outstanding. Of course, whether a pub god can perform in competitive play depends on things like mental fortitude and on-the-spot performance—that I can't judge." Yu Sui said. "Whether it's a donkey or a horse, you only know once they actually step onto the stage. But my preliminary judgment... shouldn't be too far off."
Ke Hao thanked him profusely: "I'll go tell my dad and uncle. Sigh... I can finally give them an answer. I've been pressured so much lately. Thanks for this."
"Minor thing." Yu Sui said. "So, should I delete his WeChat? I've been rocking with that stupid WeChat nickname for a week now. It's a bit much."
Ke Hao laughed: "Sure, sure. This time I really owe you. When I get back to China, I'll treat you to food."
"Alright, who knows when that will be." Yu Sui minimized the call interface, scrolled through WeChat to find Shi Luo, and said casually, "Oh, by the way, your cousin's been giving me ten yuan for breakfast money every day. It's been going on for quite a few days now."
Yu Sui looked at his chat history with Shi Luo and couldn't help but laugh: "Should I keep this money, or give it back to you?"
On the other end of the phone, Ke Hao went quiet for a moment, then said hesitantly: "He... gives you breakfast money every day?"
Yu Sui nodded: "Yeah."
Ke Hao hesitated.
Yu Sui smiled: "What do you mean? Are you heartbroken that I'm spending your family's money? It's less than a hundred yuan total. Should I pay you back?"
Ke Hao said wryly: "That's not what I mean."
"It's just... in my uncle's family, nobody makes breakfast."
"Before, they always made my cousin go out to buy breakfast himself."
"My uncle is also so scatterbrained. When Shi Luo first started middle school, my uncle actually forgot to give Shi Luo breakfast money for an entire semester." Ke Hao said quietly. "My cousin is also stubborn. If no one gives it to him, he just won't ask for it. He actually went an entire semester without eating breakfast. In the end, he ended up in the hospital from hypoglycemia. Only then did the family find out..."
Yu Sui thought his ears were playing tricks on him.
"You..."
Yu Sui found it unbelievable: "When you were in school, the money in your account could buy half a house. You're both your family's kids. How could your cousin not have a single cent? You had to ask for your own breakfast money every day?"
Ke Hao was quiet on the other end for a moment: "I told you, don't spread family shame. My uncle was afraid he would steal money from home, so..."
Yu Sui was stunned.
Afraid Shi Luo would steal money?!
Yu Sui couldn't help but ask: "But did he ever steal?"
Ke Hao was silent for a moment: "I don't think so."
Yu Sui was speechless: "He never stole, but you still..."
Ke Hao interrupted Yu Sui: "Look, just drop it."
Ke Hao hung up.
Yu Sui sat at his computer station, staring blankly at the live stream that hadn't been closed. For a moment, he couldn't process what was happening.
Puppy, FS's sniper, wandered into the training room. Seeing that Yu Sui hadn't left yet, he wandered over. He glanced at the live stream on Yu Sui's monitor and said in surprise: "Luo?"
Yu Sui looked up: "You know him?"
"Yeah, recently's pub god." Puppy watched Shi Luo in the live stream. "隔壁老顾 contacted him. Old Gu needs a medic. He wanted to buy him into NSN, but he wouldn't join. This kid's pretty arrogant. He wouldn't even give Old Gu his contact info. Cold, aloof, one to one... Wait! How do you have his WeChat?"
Puppy looked down at Yu Sui's phone screen, muttering: "Shouldn't be possible. He said he doesn't add anyone."
Puppy looked at Yu Sui: "How did he add you?"
How did Shi Luo add him?
Yu Sui remembered that day, when he was going through livestream after livestream looking for Shi Luo. The one and only time he successfully added Shi Luo as a friend, the friend request reason he had used.
**[QAQ forum someone posted that harassing you once gets you 10 yuan, gege I'm too poor to afford tmrw breakfast, can I add u once? Bro help me!]**
Puppy saw Yu Sui's expression was off and frowned: "What's wrong with you?"
Yu Sui shook his head. He took a deep drag of his cigarette, exited the WeChat interface.
Even though he knew better than anyone that he had no time to spare attention for anything else, Yu Sui still couldn't bring himself to hit that "Delete" button.