Chapter 26
Yu Sui's injury wasn't too serious, and he was discharged that afternoon. He still couldn't sit for extended periods, but fortunately there was Shi Luo as a backup. Whenever Yu Sui needed to rest, Shi Luo stepped in, so FS's daily training wasn't affected. The best part was that Shi Luo could substitute not only for Yu Sui, but also for Chen Huo and Old Qiao.
Old Qiao had debuted a year before Yu Sui, making him a five-year veteran this year. Both his hands had minor injuries—usually nothing serious, but during playoffs and World Championship training when sessions ran too long, he tended to have small flare-ups. He hadn't had issues this year yet, but worried about affecting later matches, Old Qiao had been不敢 training too hard. Unfortunately, this inevitably put him out of sync with his teammates' training schedule. One day, when Old Qiao was hesitating, Shi Luo—who had just been rotated out by Yu Sui—said he could substitute as a flanker for a while.
Better than nothing. Yu Sui and the others had no objections, and Shi Luo had played flanker during his streams before, so he wasn't completely inexperienced. But what surprised everyone was that Shi Luo's flanker position was actually quite good.
And he had a medic's strategic vision—he didn't charge recklessly like Chen Huo did. His playstyle was much more refined.
"Not bad, Luoluo." Puppy praised. "Your flanker skills are at least top 300 in the Chinese server. Why don't you play it more often?"
After switching from medic to flanker, Shi Luo was having a blast. As he reloaded, he said, "High-rank lobbies have too many flankers. Queue times for ranking up are way too slow. I hate waiting in lines... Medics are scarce, so queues are basically instant."
Chen Huo was speechless. "Don't tell me that's the reason you gave up our glorious flanker role?"
Shi Luo glanced at Chen Huo. "Yep."
Puppy sighed. "Luo Luo, your greatest joy in this game seems to be ranking up. Streaming to rank up, ranking up even when not streaming, ranking up all night after the college entrance exam... Tell me, big brother, why are you such a point slave?"
"It's nice to see my points go up. Is that not allowed?" Shi Luo frowned. "Why are you asking..."
Yu Sui at the machine to Shi Luo's left held back a laugh. His lips moved, but he didn't say anything.
Shi Luo glanced at Yu Sui, then said defiantly, "If you have something to say, just say it!"
Yu Sui smiled. "You want me to say it?"
Shi Luo killed someone on the other team, timed his placement of a purification dish perfectly, then jumped behind a rock for cover while waiting for it to activate. After a moment he said, "Go ahead... say it!"
"You haven't been to an internet cafe in so long..." In-game, while Yu Sui dodged incoming fire, he moved closer to Shi Luo and healed him. "You don't know how flashy they've gotten nowadays. When a pro player like our Shi-ge logs into a game at an internet cafe, the whole place gets a voice announcement."
Chen Huo was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Yu Sui said, "Exactly what it sounds like."
Puppy was stunned. "You mean an actual, physical voice announcement?"
"That's right..." Yu Sui patched up Shi Luo's health bar, his tone completely flat. "Station 57, a top 179 player has logged in. Station 57 has won free internet for this visit. Thank you for your patronage."
The three outdated gaming addicts were left speechless.
Chen Huo couldn't believe it. "So Shi Luo never had to pay for internet at internet cafes before?"
"Not only that—the cafe gave him drinks." Yu Sui said. "Top 300 players get that treatment. After every announcement, other guys would come crowding over to his station. Once it was especially ridiculous—there was literally a whole line standing behind him."
Chen Huo, Puppy, and Old Qiao were full of longing. "That's how prestigious it is?!"
Shi Luo was secretly pleased but tried not to show it. His mouth twitched slightly, but he forced it down.
Chen Huo still couldn't quite believe it. "Is this for real? How do you know? When was the last time you went to an internet cafe?"
"Go look through his old internet cafe stream recordings yourself." Yu Sui raised an eyebrow. "I watched his streams every day back then, okay? How would I not know? It's a shame though—Shi Luo's ranking is already in the 50s now, but he doesn't have time to go to internet cafes anymore."
Chen Huo was very tempted. "Maybe we should go to an internet cafe sometime? Wow, a whole cafe voice announcement!"
Puppy was tempted too, but thought it through and said, "Forget it. Everyone else might be okay, but if Yu Sui went, I'm afraid the cafe would explode. Could cause a stampede."
Chen Huo realized Yu Sui's ranking would indeed cause a scene. He sighed. "To have such a high ranking but not be able to go to an internet cafe to intimidate the gaming kids... what loneliness..."
Old Qiao, resting nearby, felt regretful. "You started pro too early. You never got to experience that feeling of being unstoppable."
The only one who had experienced this joy, Shi Luo, tried to act like he didn't care. "It's not that great. After doing it so many times, you get used to it."
Chen Huo was sour. "Oh, stop bragging and showing off."
As they bantered, they finished the match. Yu Sui said, "Let's call it for today. I need to rest."
Shi Luo looked at Yu Sui, frowning. "Does your back hurt? Or is your stomach acting up again?"
"Stomach. I'll get some hot water." Yu Sui took off his headset and stood up. "Are you all going to continue training separately or keep going?"
"Let's keep going." Old Qiao, who had rested enough, quickly said. "Come on, Luo Luo, switch to your medic account. I'll play flanker."
Shi Luo switched accounts as told. Yu Sui smiled. "Don't you think that's enough? Let the substitute rest, okay?"
"I'm not tired, it's fine." Shi Luo watched Yu Sui with concern. "Are you really okay?"
Yu Sui shook his head. "I'm fine. Just need some hot water. Take over for me."
The remaining four continued training. Yu Sui went to get a cup of hot water and drank it. He leaned back on the sofa, pressed a pillow against his stomach, picked up his phone, and started typing—continuing his argument with Ji Yanhui.
That day at the hospital, Ji Yanhui had agreed to sign Shi Luo. That night, he sent over the contract as promised. But not only did the contract include Shi Luo's player contract, it also included an agency contract. This was acceptable, since the club would inevitably develop Shi Luo's personal commercial value later, and the terms were reasonable. However, the contract duration was terrible—five years.
This basically bought out Shi Luo's entire career.
Yu Sui naturally wouldn't agree. He hadn't said a word about the contract to Shi Luo. Over the past few days, he'd been busy arguing back and forth with Ji Yanhui whenever he had free time.
Yu Sui slowly sipped his hot water, fingers flying across the keyboard.
【Whisper】: That kind of contract doesn't exist anymore. Five years? Are you selling him into indentured servitude?
【Ji Yanhui】: Weren't you the one who signed for five years?
【Whisper】: ...That's not comparable. And you know very well why I signed back then.
【Ji Yanhui】: ...
【Ji Yanhui】: About that... Bro, I know why you signed for the team back then. Sorry, don't read too much into it.
When Ji Yanhui had led Yu Sui and the others to form the FS team back then, they were essentially dirt poor. The only stars on the team were Yu Sui, who had become legendary after his debut match, and Old Qiao, who was also very skilled.
To attract sponsors to confidently invest in FS, Yu Sui voluntarily signed a five-year contract with Ji Yanhui. The contract had many restrictions on Yu Sui, but the purpose was pure—to assure sponsors that Whisper, the cornerstone of the team, would absolutely not leave FS and couldn't leave FS for at least five years.
Ji Yanhui successfully secured initial sponsors thanks to Yu Sui's "indentured servitude." A year later, he used the same contract to convince genius flanker Chen Huo to sign with FS. Half a year after that, Ji Yanhui employed the same tactic to successfully sign Puppy.
Looking at it now, Yu Sui's contract with FS was very unreasonable, but at the time it was the only option. Without Yu Sui's presence to stabilize morale, who would have dared invest money or transfer players?
There would be no FS—the e-sports holy land—without that sacrifice back then. Yu Sui didn't regret it.
【Whisper】: You don't need him to attract sponsors anymore, do you? Why bother?
【Ji Yanhui】: Both you and Old Qiao signed five years back then. Everyone else has standard contracts too. Why should he get special treatment? That's impossible.
【Whisper】: ...Captain, wake up? It's 2017 now. And the team is running smoothly. Do you really need to do this?
【Ji Yanhui】: ...
【Ji Yanhui】: Just leave it. It's five years.
Yu Sui's stomach ached worse. He wanted to start a voice call and curse Ji Yanhui out, but he was afraid Shi Luo would hear. Also, Ji Yanhui had been busy with something lately and often didn't answer calls. Yu Sui could only endure the stomach pain and keep typing.
【Whisper】: Two years. Can we do two years?
【Ji Yanhui】: No.
【Ji Yanhui】: Don't you like him? What's wrong with signing for a few more years? His entire career is tied to yours now. Aren't you happy? Shouldn't you thank me?
【Whisper】: Two completely different things. He doesn't owe FS anything. There's no reason for him to sign such an unreasonable contract. And right now he's just a substitute—fine, give him three million a year. What about in five years?
【Whisper】: In five years, I'll probably have retired already. He might have completely taken my place or surpassed me. Are you still going to give him three million? Do you have any idea what his market value will be by then?
【Ji Yanhui】: I've made enough concessions. Stop bargaining, okay?
【Ji Yanhui】: You begged me to keep him. Now you're making demands? Stop begging me, okay? Minmin is arguing with me too. My head is literally about to explode.
【Ji Yanhui】: If he's willing, he's willing. If not, I can contact Wild Buffalo for him. Don't bother replying.
【Whisper】: ...
Yu Sui's expression went completely cold. He typed: [Two years. If you're willing, you're willing. If not, I can contact NSN for him. Don't bother replying.]
Yu Sui tossed his phone aside. His stomach hurt more and more. The hot water hadn't helped at all. He didn't want to tell his teammates. He lay flat on the sofa and closed his eyes, pretending to rest.
Nearby, Shi Luo, who was in a training match, felt his phone vibrate. He glanced at it, then looked back at Yu Sui.
Yu Sui had his left hand resting over his eyes, right arm pressed against his stomach. Hard to tell if he was asleep or not.
Yu Sui was a few centimeters taller than Shi Luo, but lying on the sofa like this, Shi Luo always felt he looked even thinner.
He seemed really tired.
Shi Luo frowned, turned back and picked up his phone. While playing one-handed, he replied with an "OK."
Yu Sui really was exhausted. He somehow fell asleep on the sofa. When he woke up, it was already 4 AM. Yu Sui propped himself up slightly and looked at the blanket covering him. Before he could get up, in the dim early light, the person on the nearby sofa spoke without looking up from his phone: "Go back to your room to sleep?"
Yu Sui rubbed his brow, frowning. "Why were you watching over me?"
"In case you rolled off the sofa at night." Shi Luo stood up. Having stayed up all day and night, there wasn't a trace of fatigue on his face. He looked at Yu Sui and quietly said, "Were you... upset about my thing yesterday?"
Not having reached any resolution with Ji Yanhui yet, Yu Sui didn't want to tell Shi Luo about it. "It's not related to you. It's just my stomach. Damn it... I've quit smoking for days because of the stomach pain. Didn't help at all."
"Stomachs need time to heal, you know. Last-minute measures don't work. And I've heard that people with bad stomachs shouldn't drink, shouldn't stay up late, shouldn't..." Shi Luo lowered his voice. "Shouldn't get angry."
"What's there for me to be angry about." Yu Sui smiled at Shi Luo. "When have you ever seen me angry?"
Shi Luo bit his lip gently. "Really don't get angry easily?"
Yu Sui nodded. "My temperament is pretty good. Basically... have you ever seen me lose my temper?"
"You said it yourself, so don't get angry later." Shi Luo felt slightly relieved. He picked up his phone. "Here... look at this screenshot."
Yu Sui looked up. "What screenshot? Your new ranking achievement? Top 40? Top 30?"
"Neither." Shi Luo walked to where Yu Sui was, squatted down in front of him, and handed over his phone. "Look."
Yu Sui took the phone and looked. His face instantly turned ashen.
The contract.
Five-year contract.
A five-year contract with an agency clause.
"You said you wouldn't get angry!" Shi Luo quickly said. "And it's too late to be angry now! I signed both contracts, and the manager already took them. It's legally binding!"
The fingers holding the phone trembled slightly. For the first time, Yu Sui felt actual dislike toward Ji Yanhui.
This move was too dirty.
Yu Sui looked at Shi Luo coldly. "You signed it, so why are you telling me?"
Shi Luo was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
He squatted in front of Yu Sui, eyes bright and clear. He said softly, "Captain, you were worried about me, weren't you?"
More than worried.
Yu Sui tried hard to control his urge to hit Shi Luo. His voice was cold. "Do you know what this means?"
"I know." Shi Luo was nonchalant. "Indentured servitude, right? On average, people can only play for about five years anyway. I've basically given my entire career to FS."
Yu Sui was furious. "You knew, and you still signed?!"
"I'm willing." Shi Luo looked at Yu Sui seriously. "You were willing too when you signed for FS, weren't you?"
Yu Sui was speechless. He didn't say anything.
"I've never really liked Ji Yanhui, and I didn't understand why you pushed yourself so hard for FS." Shi Luo looked at Yu Sui calmly, his voice low. "Then I understood."
Shi Luo looked at Yu Sui. "I just did the same thing you did back then. Why are you yelling at me?"
"When you signed your contract back then, it might have been for Ji Yanhui, or for Old Qiao, or for your own career dreams... But honestly, my reason is simpler."
Seventeen-year-old Shi Luo's eyes were stubborn yet determined. He said softly, "It's for you."
"You're the only person who's ever been good to me. I do this willingly."