"Yes, that's right. He urgently needs money now, so he'll definitely agree to our terms."
Ella's manager, Li Cong, spoke into the phone. The person on the other end seemed to ask something else. He thought for a moment, sounding a bit troubled: "The other one seems difficult… how about I talk to them separately? That way, the conditions offered would also…"
Before he could finish, there was a knock at the door. He quietly said to the phone: "Something came up, I'll hang up first."
After hanging up, he casually placed the phone on the desk, sat down in his chair, and spoke in a very relaxed tone: "Come in."
The door opened quietly. As expected, it was Lu Xiangyang.
The boy's eyes were still red. Li Cong noticed his slightly clenched fists, he seemed to have given in after a fierce internal struggle.
For them, buying such a talented player for 60,000 yuan was a steal. Once he joined the club, he couldn't escape and would just be exploited. Once his value was used up, they could buy another rookie.
Lu Xiangyang's reputation among the trainees was well-known—not just because he had topped the leaderboard for two consecutive years, but also because he almost always caught multiple opponents in every match during training camp.
If someone like him joined Ella, the potential future profits were unimaginable.
Before he could even smile in satisfaction, he suddenly noticed Shen Kuangye behind Lu Xiangyang.
Shen Kuangye stood behind him, his dark, shiny eyes fixed on Li Cong, the coldness in his gaze making Li Cong's heart race.
"Kuangye?" he forced a warm smile. "Have you also decided to join?"
With Shen Kuangye, his attitude was more polite, careful, and measured.
Shen Kuangye understood this was simply a power play. Lu Xiangyang had a kind temperament and was currently being courted, so naturally, he wasn't being taken seriously.
But Shen Kuangye was different. His boundaries were clear, he didn't smile at Li Cong, and his cold expression alone was intimidating. Li Cong couldn't find any information about his family, so he couldn't gauge how much money would tempt him.
Shen Kuangye merely replied, "Just here to see."
Li Cong silently placed the contract meant for Lu Xiangyang on the desk. He thought about it and decided to try to separate Shen Kuangye: "Kuangye, why don't you wait outside for a bit? I'll talk to Xiao Yang alone."
Before he could finish, Shen Kuangye said, "No need."
He pulled two gaming chairs over to the desk and sat down, his tone very calm: "Let's talk together. The contract content is the same anyway, isn't it?"
Li Cong's heart skipped a beat. He forced a laugh: "Of course, of course."
Soon, he regretted it.
Whenever he tried to create a trap, Shen Kuangye, as if he could foresee it, directly pointed out the issues and asked questions.
By the end, Li Cong felt like he wasn't interviewing Shen Kuangye—it was Shen Kuangye interviewing him.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, gritted his teeth, and abandoned his plan to use a low salary to get high value. He raised all the benefits and set the base salary to 30,000 yuan.
Thirty thousand yuan, an astronomical number for a fresh graduate like Lu Xiangyang.
It was hard not to be tempted.
But from Shen Kuangye's conversation, it was clear Ella was trying to deceive him. Shen Kuangye was right.
If he hadn't come along, Lu Xiangyang would have signed the contract without hesitation.
So when Li Cong asked again if they wanted to join, Lu Xiangyang stood up first, pressing his lips: "Sorry, manager. I don't think I'll join."
Li Cong was stunned. At first, he only worried Shen Kuangye wouldn't join—now it was Lu Xiangyang refusing first?
Li Cong panicked. Ignoring Shen Kuangye, he blurted out: "If you don't join, how will you pay your mother's medical fees?"
Lu Xiangyang's eyes widened. He didn't expect Li Cong to say that. His face flushed with embarrassment and shame.
Shen Kuangye, standing to the side, observed everything and shot Li Cong a cold glance.
Li Cong quickly realized his mistake. He cleared his throat, stiffly trying to cover himself: "I meant… your mother's condition is urgent, right? If you don't sign, I can't request funds from headquarters. I… I was just too worried."
But at this moment, any explanation sounded weak and meaningless.
Lu Xiangyang's tone turned cold: "Hmm. But it's fine."
He turned and left, with Shen Kuangye following behind.
Li Cong pounded the desk, muttering a curse.
Ella—the team with the best conditions in the IVL—was actually rejected? He wanted to see where these two would go.
Outside, Lu Xiangyang kept his head down, almost running into the door before Shen Kuangye held his shoulder, signaling him to stop.
Lu Xiangyang pressed his lips together and looked up at him, quietly saying: "Thank you."
Then, with his spirits low, he added: "Sorry for snapping at you earlier."
Shen Kuangye replied calmly: "It's fine."
Lu Xiangyang looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then sighed. The carefree, confident air he had in front of Li Cong was gone. His shoulders slumped, lips curved into a bitter line, eyes full of confusion and struggle: "But if we refuse Ella, I don't know what to do next."
After all, no other team could offer such a large sum in such a short time. He hesitated, then asked: "Should I just sign… just five years? Endure it?"
Just five years. Such light, casual words.
Shen Kuangye had once thought the same, knowing there might be traps inside, yet blindly went in. Those five years left him with a body full of illness, a life worse than death, and nothing gained.
This time, he would never let Lu Xiangyang walk the same path.
"Sometimes, you should learn to ask others for help," Shen Kuangye said.
Lu Xiangyang didn't immediately understand. Instinctively, he asked: "Who?"
Shen Kuangye looked at him, voice flat: "Me."
He had just noticed that the money in the original owner's phone was enough to cover the medical expenses temporarily. Even without it, he had other ways to get it. After all, 23-year-old Shen Kuangye had more resources than 18-year-old Lu Xiangyang.
Lu Xiangyang felt a little embarrassed, waving his hands: "No, that's not right… we've only just talked a few words today…"
He went on with a string of excuses before asking his real question: "Shen Kuangye, why are you helping me?"
After all, 60,000 yuan wasn't a small amount, and they weren't really familiar. From training camp until now, they were almost strangers.
Shen Kuangye thought for a moment and casually gave a reason: "Because you remind me of my younger brother."
Lu Xiangyang was a little surprised by the answer.
He blankly asked: "How old was he?"
Shen Kuangye calmly fabricated: "He passed away early."
Lu Xiangyang immediately apologized: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ask."
And he believed it.
"So," Shen Kuangye said, his dark, shiny eyes on him, "if you ever run into trouble, you can come to me."
Lu Xiangyang didn't immediately agree. He struggled in his mind, racking his brain to see if anyone in his social circle could help. Finding no one, he silently chose Shen Kuangye over Li Cong.
"Then I'll really be relying on you. I'll return the money as soon as possible."
Feeling his sincerity wasn't enough, Lu Xiangyang impulsively called out: "…Kuangye-ge."
He felt a little embarrassed. He had never addressed anyone this way before, and it sounded like he was trying to flatter him.
Shen Kuangye felt an inexplicable warmth, like a cat lightly scratching his heart.
He changed the subject: "Let's go. The car should be here."
Lu Xiangyang was confused: "What car?"
Shen Kuangye simply said: "To the hospital."
As they walked to the door, Shen Kuangye noticed a man nearby.
He was dressed modestly. Shen Kuangye recognized him—it was EAR's team manager, Xing.
Xing clearly noticed them and showed a flicker of surprise. After a few polite words, he asked: "Have you already signed with Ella?"
Lu Xiangyang and Shen Kuangye had stood out in training camp; everyone knew them. It was assumed these two talented trainees would choose Ella, the strongest team with the best benefits.
But Shen Kuangye said: "Not yet."
Xing was stunned.
Shen Kuangye continued: "Ella isn't suitable for us."
At this, Xing's eyes lit up. He took out his phone: "Then let's add each other on WeChat. If you're interested in joining EAR…"
By the end, his tone lacked confidence.
EAR was considered poor in the Chinese region, ranking at the bottom. In recent years, the popularity of the game had increased, and other wealthy clubs like Ella or Circe offered huge salaries, over 100,000 yuan base plus live streaming bonuses. EAR's owner was self-made and could invest only so much, so player benefits were limited.
Still, Xing tried to fight for his team. They needed stable players in key roles, and Lu Xiangyang and Shen Kuangye fit perfectly.
Xing didn't have high hopes. Many other teams were waiting to recruit them. He expected a polite refusal, yet Shen Kuangye took out his phone and scanned the QR code.
Lu Xiangyang, without thinking, also scanned Xing's code under Shen Kuangye's watchful gaze.
After adding them successfully, Lu Xiangyang explained they had some matters to attend to and needed to leave.
"Alright, alright, go ahead," Xing said, holding the phone, still half in a dream. These two talented trainees had just added him?
If they really joined EAR, the team wouldn't be at the bottom anymore. Even if they couldn't win the championship, they could at least experience it!
EAR winning would mean treating the players better and renovating the club…
---
In the taxi.
Shen Kuangye could sense Lu Xiangyang secretly staring at him, thinking he was being discreet.
He glanced sideways: "What is it?"
Caught off guard, Lu Xiangyang touched his nose: "Nothing…"
He slowly said: "It's just… you seem different today from before."
Shen Kuangye didn't answer.
"Um… are you thinking of joining EAR?"
Lu Xiangyang leaned slightly toward him, quietly asking.
Shen Kuangye nodded lightly: "Considering it."
EAR was a small club founded by a young man who loved esports but was forced into business. Due to limited funds, resources and players were scarce.
At first, the results were unsatisfactory. Human and hunter performances were unstable, often being overcaught or easily escaping. Dramatic, but deadly in professional matches.
In the previous life, EAR almost won the championship, losing by just one point to Ella. It was Shen Kuangye's critical match using "Deer Head Survival."
For Shen Kuangye, EAR's potential to turn things around was unsurprising. He had observed the players—they were willing to learn, work hard, and had strong team cohesion.
That was rare.
Unlike Ella, where teammates coldly glared or mocked him after a single poor match, EAR's team never got discouraged.
He clearly remembered one night, after training, when he finally had time to visit his mother, he met the EAR players and manager Xing.
"Last night you refused to cover up more and went outside in the cold imitating the hunter, see what happens," one boy scolded him.
"Exactly, exactly, live like you should," another chimed in. Then patted him on the shoulder: "Come, for being sick today, I'll buy you your favorite piggy milk tea."
He puckered his lips as he spoke.
The sick boy rolled his eyes: "Crazy. And make it a large iced one."
"Hot, not iced—you're feverish and still doing this?"
Xing tapped his head.
The sick boy didn't speak; the other three laughed mischievously.
Shen Kuangye didn't speak, quietly observing.
Xing noticed him first: "Xiangyang, why are you at the hospital at night?"
He glanced him over, then looked at Shen Kuangye: "…Sick?"
Shen Kuangye pursed his lips: "No."
Xing didn't believe him: "No? Your face is red. It's season change—youngsters like you don't take care… Come, register and get checked."
Shen Kuangye didn't want to go, fever was minor—but Xing was too enthusiastic, so he had no choice.
The doctor confirmed he had a fever.
"You came alone? What about Liu Yue?"
Liu Yue was another manager at Ella.
Shen Kuangye's lips moved: "I'm fine alone."
"Fine? What if something happens? They're too careless."
Shen Kuangye ended up being seated next to the patient.
He felt the others fall silent. Used to Ella's oppressive atmosphere, he wasn't used to interacting, so he just closed his eyes and pretended to rest.
The others whispered: "Is he asleep?"
"Are you blind?"
"Sun's so handsome… when can I be this handsome?"
"Better to be remade."
"…Go away."
Such a relaxed, joking atmosphere never existed at Ella.
Shen Kuangye's body relaxed; he was just resting, but ended up falling asleep.
When he woke, they had left. He had a cup of milk tea and a blanket.
---
Hearing his answer, Lu Xiangyang scratched his head: "Then should I come with you?"
Shen Kuangye glanced at him.
He had been planning to make Lu Xiangyang willingly stay, yet now the boy offered himself.
Even so, Shen Kuangye had a mischievous thought.
"Why?" he asked.
Lu Xiangyang choked slightly, averted his gaze, and made a flimsy excuse: "I still owe you money… staying with you is repaying the debt."
Shen Kuangye said nothing.
Lu Xiangyang pitifully asked: "Is that okay, Kuangye-ge?"
T/N: Remember "gege" means brother!