Chapter 33

“Want to come develop on the team?”

As soon as Coach Chen’s words came out, there were only two options in front of Qiao Yanzhou.The first one is want.

The second is extremely want!

But deep in Qiao Yanzhou’s heart, his thirst was not enough to directly let his ego fly. Keeping the same rational appearance, he looked at Coach Chen.

“Enter a professional team, I… am I able to?”

“What do you mean?”. Coach Chen raised his eyebrow.

“Don’t pay him any attention.”Gu Zixing had curled up on the sofa and was playing on his phone as he waved his hand towards Coach Chen, “Recently he's been obsessed with asking if people are able or not.”

Hearing Gu Zixing’s words, although not fully understanding Coach Chen still nodded his head. He hesitated for a moment before deciding to just try and switch tactics. “Xiao Qiao ah, in your heart is playing professionally an unachievable thing ah.”

“It’s not really that it’s unachievable…” Qiao Yanzhou smacked his lips and thought for a moment, “but it’s pretty close to that.”

“But it's not as complicated as what you’re thinking. As long as you’re willing to try hard, any ugly thing can enter.”  When Coach Chen said the word “ugly”, he specially turned his head to nod at Gu Zixing sitting by the side with his phone in his hand.

“Coach Chen, I know that you’re saying it this way because you believe that I am nervous.” Qiao Yanzhou smiled. “Who doesn’t want to go on a professional team ah, it's just that I don't have much confidence…”

Qiao Yanzhou was currently using a tactic called ‘to loosen the reins only to grasp better’. This way he would not seem hot-headed and rash but would also let Coach Chen see his desire to enter the team.

What do coaches originally love to do the most? Reform you, mold you, shape you, polish you!

If a person who didn't have a lot of confidence entered the team and after the coach's training turned more and more confident, and maybe at the end even get a world championship, then the coach would have insane amounts of respect. If afterward Coach Chen was interviewed and talked about so and so team member, the coach would have more people to vouch for him.  

But did Qiao Yanzhou actually have no confidence? How is that possible? We don’t mention other aspects, but in terms of entering the Alliance, he was so confident that it was going to kill him. Let alone entering the alliance, if there was someone who told him to go compete at the world championship tomorrow and receive an award, he wouldn’t question it and immediately book a ticket.

And luckily, his tactic worked.

“Why are you not confident? Who is confident when they first go pro? When they start they are instantly in first place?” Coach Chen gestured with his hand, “Basically no one.”

“There is someone ah.” Qiao YAnzhou with great difficulty resisted a smile towards Coach Chen.

“Who?”

“Isn't he sitting by your side? Oh that's not right, the one curled up.”

“Hi~”

Gu Zixing was curled up on the sofa playing ‘Fight the Landlord’ on his phone. He heard them mention him for some reason and extended a hand to wave twice at Coach Chen.

Coach Chen, with disdain, smacked his hand.

“It was unnecessary to bring you along…”

Gu Zixing smiled and didn’t say anything.

Ai that's right ah. Xiao Qiao, I remember hearing before that you like our Gu Zixing, and have liked him for many years.”

Coach Chen said this and Qiao Yanzhou at that time stared blankly.

What kind of crazy talk was this? It was like someone’s mother took their own daughter who couldn’t get married to a blind date while clasping a phone playing ‘Fight the Landlord’.

“Coach Chen if you say it like that, how many people are there who play League of Legends who don’t worship Siler ne?” In order to make other people not misunderstand this conversation, Qiao Yanzhou purposely replaced the word “like” with “worship”.

“Then since it's like this, you can come to our team to try first ba.” Coach Chen smiled, “I heard that you’re a streamer on Ivory Cat right?”

“Yes.”

“How long have you streamed?”

“4-5 years now, I started in high school.”

“How long until your contract expires?”

“This year at the end of October. But I want to renew it.”

“In your previous years of streaming, have you competed in the Elegant Game Talent Competition?”

“Nope.” Qiao Yanzhou bitterly shook his head, “That competition is quite hard. I heard that its importance is not any less than the professional team.”

“In fact, if you want to compete this year I can put your name in.”

Qiao Yanzhou was stunned for a moment. Although he heard that Coach Chen does stuff swiftly and decisively, he didn’t think it would turn out like this.

The Elegant Game Talent Competition they were just talking about was actually EG’s internal talent selection competition, commonly referred to as “Dragon King’s Flooded Temple Talent Competition.”

Idiom is actually ‘surging waters flooded the Dragon King temple’. Meaning a dispute between two close people who failed to recognize each other.

Why was it called this? Because most of the players in the competition were all Ivory Cat streamers, and the people they needed to play against were the pro players from EG. EG is actually under Ivory Cat, so if you think about it, you were really fighting your own people. So that’s why it was called the “Dragon King’s Flooded Temple Talent Competition”.

Teams like EG which were older and more experienced had a relatively large framework. It was impossible for someone to just unconditionally enter the team. So in order to attract people over, EG had no choice but to launch this kind of competition.

The selection happens once a year. Every year they would pick 1-2 people from the competition to enter EG’s team. This was different from EG’s “E-sports Talent Cultivation Program”. The talent cultivation plan was mostly for 12-13 year old minors, but this competition was to scope out players who were already grown and had a good foundation for the game.

“Both this program and this competition is so disorganized. In the end, the mid laner had to be thrown bot lane.”

This was Gu Zixing’s extremely pertinent and persuasive evaluation of these two major events from EG. It was the only time that Coach Chen couldn’t retort after hearing it….

It was very possible it was also the last time.

But even if it was like this, to speak the truth, according to Qiao Yanzhou, the competition held great importance. For example this selection would find the replacement for Yao Le and Fu Xiaohai.

In fact, during one of the years that Qiao Yanzhou was a streamer at Ivory Cat, he also wanted to try it, but then he was stopped by the expensive registration fee.

At that time he was thinking that if he were to participate in the competition, he wouldn’t be able to stream for at least a week. Don’t even talk about losing out on a month of wages, if he didn’t get selected then it was really a loss. Even if he wanted to cry, he wouldn’t even have a place to cry and would just simply give up.

But he didn’t think that after a few years, EG’s coach and captain actually invited him to participate in the talent competition. This was something that Qiao Yanzhou never thought would happen.

It really is to search far and wide, only to find it easily!

“Coach Chen, this news is a bit sudden for me, Could you please let me think about it?”

After Qiao Yanzhou said this he felt that he was very affected by this. He was obviously itching to carry his luggage to EG headquarters, but he still had to pretend to sit there and seem reserved.

“I understand, you're afraid that if you don't get selected at the competition then it’ll also interfere with your streaming ba.”

“A little bit.” Qiao Yanzhou smiled. “I left early. Basically as soon as I became an adult I had to support myself. Currently my main income comes from my streaming.”

“Being able to rely on streaming to make money indicates that your skills aren't bad.” Coach Chen nodded his head, “I saw your performance today on the stage, very good.”

Qiao Yanzhou smiled.

“There are not many people who can go botlane with Gu Zixing and play like this. Yao Le is one, you are one.”

“What?”

Qiao Yanzhou felt that it was strange. It was obvious that going bot lane with Gu Zixing was nothing special, how come when other people mention it, it's like Gu Zixing is a demon king.

“I think if you can enter the team this year, you will probably be able to enter the main lineup a few times.”

Main lineup! And several times?! Oh my darling this is too alluring ba!

Qiao Yanzhou felt that he quickly wanted to throw out his reservedness.

“EG’s achievements this year aren’t bad, previously they won against WG and got first in Group A.” Coach Chen sipped some coffee on top of the table, “Think it over carefully ba.”

“En, I’ll seriously consider it.” Consider sh*t, consider that we leave now you idiot, why haven’t you agreed yet!

“If you want to participate, come to EG next month to try the training. The org will provide free food and lodging.” Coach Chen finished and stood up. “This is my business card, there is my Wechat and phone number on it. Whichever is more convenient for you ba.”

“Ai ok!”

“Then we’ll leave it like this for now. The team still has a meeting tonight when they get back. We’ll be leaving first.”

“Ok, thank you Coach Chen.” Qiao Yanzhou also stood up to send Coach Chen and Gu Zixing to the door.

Before departing, Gu Zixing who hadn't said much the entire time, finally lifted his eyes from his cellphone. He faced towards Qiao Yanzhou and used his lips to mouth the phrase, “Wait for you”, then turned around and left.

Watching those two backs from afar, Qiao Yanhou grasped Coach Chen’s card in his hand like a piece of gold.

In his head, that phrase Coach Chen just said kept repeating itself over and over.

“I think if you can enter the team this year, you will probably be able to enter the main lineup a few times.”

At this moment, Qiao Yanzhou’s train of thought was already hovering to an image of him holding the world championship trophy and about to give a speech. As well as Gu Zixing’s “wait for you” phrase before he left, even though he only used his mouth to shape those words, it still made Qiao Yanzhou’s mind linger on it.

“Are you getting an Oscar Award now? Still need to give a speech? You’re so awesome, why don’t you just go to the UN to speak?”

This was Liang Dong after hearing Qiao Yanzhou elaborate on his inner thoughts. And the first thing he said after a round at the pub.

“Lingzi, quickly go and check if the ceiling is sturdy. Someone’s tail is about to fly up.”

This was the second sentence.

When Coach Chen and Gu Zixing returned to the org, the sky was already dark. Gu Zixing had just taken a nap in the car and was suddenly woken up. He was dizzy as if he was drunk.

“I see that this Qiao Yanzhou when he does stuff is pretty steady. He wasn't very rude or impetuous.” Coach Chen spoke to Gu Zixing as he walked towards the meeting room, “If it was switched to someone else they would have already made a decision.”

“En.”

“Not bad, I still find your perception of people to be reliable.”

“En.”

Besides the two “ens, Gu Zixing was too sleepy to really respond.

“If he really does come to the team, just have him live with you ba.” Coach Chen’s tone did not seem like he was asking for Gu Zixing’s permission, but it was more like an order. “The rooms for players are so scarce, and you taking up such a large space by yourself is not justified.”

“???” Coach Chen’s words made Gu Zixing instantly wake up from his drowsiness.

Gu Zixing suffered from insomnia. If there was even the slightest movement at night he would not be able to sleep. So as to not influence his sleep, the org arranged a room for himself for many years now. How did another person suddenly get thrown in?

“It’s not guaranteed if he’ll come or not, he didn’t even seem excited.” Seeing that Gu Zixing’s face was about to turn green, Coach Chen hurried to placate him.

“Even if he comes, why does he have to live with me…”

Gu Zixing still didn’t understand, or it could be said that he purposely didn’t want to understand.

Coach Chen lifted his head to look Gu Zixing in the eye.

“You brought him in. If not with you, who would he live with?”

***

JADE: Have a bit more time recently so trying to translate and publish what I can.

https://ko-fi.com/jadecherries