CAMP: Chapter 134
Chen Yushen took off his headphones and could hear his ID being shouted through the venue, causing him to be stupefied. He knew it would be a very difficult road when he decided to return to this profession.
At that time, his body was still shrouded in confusion about his past and uncertainty about the unknown until all of the haze was completely swept away with the help of the coach. Once all the comments appeared on the Internet, he didn’t show it on the surface but only he knew that he was envious of his teammates’ loyal and enthusiastic fans. However, for a player like him who stepped on that forbidden line, he was extremely satisfied to be able to just stand upright in the professional league.
Before this moment, Chen Yushen never thought he would have such warm and pure applause that belonged to him. There was a touch of emotion on the face that didn’t show much expression all year round. He didn’t have time to feel what type of emotion this was. By the time his reaction came, he realized there was a faint curtain of tears that blurred his vision.
Chen Yushen gently wiped them with the back of his hand. He looked down at the wet hand and couldn’t help being distracted. Suddenly, his vision darkened. He didn’t know when Bi Yaohua had come by as he passed by, he covered Chen Yushen’s head with his jacket. “What are you doing here? Let’s go. It’s time to shake hands with PAY!”
Chen Yushen sniffed deeply. Then he pulled the coat off his head and whispered, “Yes, I’m going.”
The BO3 match was over. Now they were just one final away from being the league’s champions. Yet in the same way, PAY’s league journey this season was destined to stop here.
It was obvious that on the other side, the overall atmosphere of PAY’s zone was depressed. The players sat in the gaming chair for a long time and didn’t recover until the GH players came over. Then they wiped their eyes and stood in position.
The GH team members had already heard about DeMen’s preparations to retire and they felt some sympathy. The original joy of winning inevitably dissipated a bit. During the entire handshake session, a large number of players were silent.
Jing Yuanzhou was an old opponent of PAY and he had a much more relaxed attitude. Once he came to DeMen, he glanced at the other person and joked, “I’m sorry, the last ticket before you retired was taken away by us.”
Under such circumstances, this was the only thing he could say.
“You really don’t have any sincerity.” DeMen couldn’t help laughing a bit at such an attitude. Then he stared at Jing Yuanzhou. “So have you thought about when you’re going to retire?”
The moment these words emerged, he could feel the three people in the rear of the GH team suddenly stare over there.
Jing Yuanzhou smiled in a noncommittal manner. “I’ll think about it again.”
He let go of his hand but he didn’t step away. He stood there and watched DeMen steadily. “There is no need to aim at each other’s mentality here. We are old opponents and it’s unnecessary. If you really feel reluctant then come to the World Competition to snipe me.”
DeMen was silent for a moment before the look in his eyes became firm. “That is a must. So don’t fall in the finals.”
Jing Yuanzhou smiled silently. He didn’t say anything and walked over to AI. They shook hands politely. Jing Yuanzhou told him, “You are still as strong as ever.”
AI glanced sideways at DeMen next to him, his mood muted. “We still lost.”
Jing Yuanzhou objectively said, “It isn’t your problem.”
AI looked up in an inquiring manner.
“It’s because you are too strong that Coach Lin put a lot of effort into arranging this set of tactics to target you specifically. During this period of time, he almost lost his hair. After all, there is such a huge risk of being wiped out that it should be effective.” At this point, Jing Yuanzhou raised his eyebrow slightly. “It’s fortunate that we held up. If we really let you reverse the situation then I would have no face to go back and see him.”
AI, “……”
It was a fact but from the opponent’s point of view, it really didn’t seem like a good thing. After all… who would want to be targeted so badly? AI inwardly started complaining. The strange thing was that his dull feelings after losing the match really disappeared.
He paused before adding, “I’ll be sure to get you back next time.”
Jing Yuanzhou smiled. “I will be waiting for you.”
The scene of the two sides shaking hands was projected onto the big screen and the entire venue was filled with complicated emotions.
Once the PAY team was about to leave, it wasn’t known who but someone started yelling hysterically. Immediately afterward, unspeakable emotions started to permeate the entire venue and there was a burst of applause.
The PAY players slightly paused for a moment. Then DeMen turned around first and bowed deeply in the direction of the audience and the camera. It was silent thanks for the company and encouragement since he entered the professional league.
PAY’s league tour ended here this year. The next time they met would be the global challenge in the near future. There was no time to be sentimental about this defeat. At the very least, they would never be absent from the larger world arena!
***
The semi-finals officially ended this way. Some people were happy while some people felt regret.
The overall rhythm of the last game was relatively gentle. Chen Yushen might’ve performed well in the end but the beginning was the development stage and he didn’t play in the first two games. Based on the comprehensive performance in all three games, the final MVP was given to Jing Yuanzhou.
The brief interview session ended and everyone boarded the car to head back to the base.
The main purpose of having Jian Ning keep a fast rhythm in the first two games was to consume AI but in fact, the burden on the players’ bodies was actually great as well. Once the excitement of playing the game was over, they fell asleep before the return journey was even halfway over. Only Chen Yushen who played the last game was still awake. He stared out the window with deep eyes, a light flashing in them occasionally.
Lin Yan cocked his head and glanced at Jing Yuanzhou sitting next to him. His eyes fell on the slightly furrowed brow and he covered the slender legs with the pink blanket.
Jing Yuanzhou didn’t seem to be asleep. Such a motion caused his fingers to shake slightly and then there was a warm touch on cold skin. It held a hot palm and carefully kneaded the hand. No one said anything for a while. They just felt each other’s breaths floating in the air lightly.
Jing Yuanzhou’s eyes trembled slightly before calm slowly returned to them.
Lin Yan noticed the details and knew that Jing Yuanzhou was finally willing to take a break at this time. Thus, he massaged the slender fingers of a professional player with one hand while using his other hand to rub at the furrowed brow. It wasn’t until the man’s forehead was smoothed that he took it back and continued with the massage.
From the end of the match to the official closing process and the present, Jing Yuanzhou never expressed much. He was the last one to get into the car, waiting until all the team members were in place before taking a seat slowly in the back.
From every angle, everything couldn’t be more normal. Yet Lin Yan could clearly sense the tiredness in this man’s eyes.
Physical conditions of various ages were different. Perhaps 23 years old might be an age where everything was just beginning from the point of view of society but for professional players, many details and conditions were on the verge of degrading and it was the age of retirement.
For the three games today, the other players in the team already felt an unprecedented load, let alone Jing Yuanzhou, who had been carrying the team throughout the entire process. Right now, the one most in need of rest was their captain.
However, for the past few days, Jing Yuanzhou’s heart seemed to be thinking about something else. Lin Yan had noticed it but he never had the opportunity to ask. The only thing he could do was to silently ‘supervise’ the man so that this person rested as much as possible.
The journey home was quiet. It wasn’t until the car stopped at the base that everyone woke up instantly like a switch had been pressed. The cooking aunt had already prepared sumptuous dishes. This group of people rushed into the dining room and gobbled them all up. Then they floated back to their rooms and fell on the soft bed. It wasn’t until the last door was completely closed that Lin Yan turned to enter his room.
On the night of the semi-finals, hot searches and reporters were rampant on the Internet but the GH Club was unprecedentedly quiet. The corridors were dark and empty with no people. It was just that a dim light leaked out from the training room.
Unknowingly, it was almost 2 o’clock in the morning. The ranking match ended and the victory emblem popped up on the computer screen that reflected the sharp edges of the man’s face. After playing a game, Jing Yuanzhou looked at the game data with a blank expression and touched the cigarette box next to the computer.
He picked it up only to see that it had been emptied. A few cigarette butts lay in the ashtray next to him, seeming to remind him of the time he spent in the training room tonight. His gaze paused on it slightly.
Jing Yuanzhou casually threw the empty box into the trash can next to him. He was about to take another box and had just got up when he met the eyes of the man leaning against the door. The dignified God Jing felt a momentary sense of embarrassment at making a mistake.
Lin Yan smiled like he didn’t notice the subtle atmosphere. “There’s no smoking in the training room. Captain Jing, you should know this rule right?”
Jing Yuanzhou stood there for a moment under such a gaze. In the end, he had to face the fact that he was caught. He could only respond helplessly. “Hmm…”
Proofreader: Nao