A question mark.
After posting it, Yin Chen reread his own comment.
Nice.
As expected of me. Have I already absorbed this newly learned skill into my very bones?
He subconsciously wanted to open his notes.
But he stopped himself.
I can do this.
I have got it.
I have learned it.
Right now, Yin Chen even felt like going head-to-head with the people from ZWG just to test it out.
“Try it and you are dead, do you believe me?”
At the ZWG base, the manager rushed over as soon as he heard the news and, for once, scolded the captain he usually valued most, Qi Gaochang, until he was drenched in spit.
“Do you even know who that person is? When he said he wanted to acquire ZWG before, did you think he was joking?”
Seeing the stubborn look on Qi Gaochang’s face, the manager was so furious he nearly saw his soul leave his body.
“The Yin family! President Yin! If you do not understand, go look it up! The money he makes in a single year is more than you will earn in your entire lifetime! If he really wants to buy out ZWG, as long as the price is high enough, the people above us will drop us without hesitation. At that point, I do not care if you were last season’s champion. If he wants you serving tea as an errand boy, that is exactly what you will do. Do you understand?”
The entire ZWG base fell silent.
Even Spider King, who was usually the most impulsive, did not dare to speak. He lowered his head and stared at his phone.
Zhe Mei and DIY sat not far away. They exchanged a glance and both lowered their heads as well.
Only Vice Captain FD, who could still be considered somewhat influential, could not bear it and tried to smooth things over.
“It is not that serious. The captain was just standing up for all of us. BZ really did use a pretty underhanded tactic this time…”
“Shut up.”
The manager shot him a cold look.
“Do not think I do not know why BZ used that tactic. And you—did I not tell you to have the others check out BZ’s livestream and gather information? What did you do instead? You went into their stream to provoke them? Calling Zhuo Fan trash? He won a championship with you. Do you honestly have no sense at all of his actual skill?”
FD fell silent.
Spider King was still unconvinced. “But as a sniper, his utility really is limited. Otherwise the team would not have let him go, right? We were just stating facts. How is that provoking?”
“Yes.”
The manager swallowed a bellyful of anger. “His utility is limited? Then why did you play so cautiously in the last four games? Huh?”
He paused, then added, “And do not forget how Zhuo Fan left in the first place. Surely none of you have forgotten that.”
No one spoke.
Only Qi Gaochang’s eyes flickered slightly before he finally opened his mouth.
“I understand, Manager. It was my mistake to provoke President Yin. I will post an apology in a bit and let this matter end here. Everyone has been training hard these past few days. We actually won tonight. They should have been praised.”
“If you had not caused trouble, I would have already ordered late-night snacks!”
Seeing that he sounded calm and not like he was putting on an act, the manager finally let out a breath.
He muttered a few more curses, then took out his phone and made several calls.
“I will have the late-night food delivered later. Go pick it up, eat, and get to bed early. Train properly tomorrow. I have something else to discuss, so I am leaving.”
“Understood. Take care, Manager.”
Qi Gaochang watched him leave, then suddenly slammed his phone to the ground.
Smack.
The competition phone shattered into pieces.
He turned and strode toward the door.
FD hurried after him.
“Where are you going?”
Without looking back, Qi Gaochang said, “To vent this frustration before I apologize.”
Vent?
FD suddenly thought of something and quickly followed.
“I will come with you. We can post the apology together.”
“Suit yourself.”
That night, past midnight.
ZWG-King indeed posted an apology.
But…
Not on Weibo.
It was posted on the DYX platform.
Those who followed him clicked in and were momentarily stunned.
Then the fans reacted as if they had suffered a great injustice.
“What did our King even do wrong? Why does he have to publicly thank someone?”
“I am sick of this. Is this what rich people do? Forcing our captain to apologize in the middle of the night? Over what? Just for speaking a few hard truths?”
“I am sick of it too. Feels numb. From now on it is probably going to be like watching football—some stupid capitalists throwing money around to bully people.”
“Posting this apology in the middle of the night—he was probably scolded by the manager or coach. The captain must have been too wronged to sleep and had no choice but to get up and apologize.”
“Wuwuwu, my heart aches for King. He did not even do anything…”
Zhuo Fan, who could not sleep because Tang Chen’s tactic had worked too well, scrolled across the post.
He stared at the comments in disbelief, unsure whether the world had gone mad or he had.
King did not do anything?
After the match, was it not King who mocked them first?
And their sponsor had merely spoken the truth. He had not even targeted ZWG specifically.
It was King who had chosen to challenge President Yin. How had that turned into him doing nothing at all?
Too angry to sleep, Zhuo Fan went to the refreshment bar to grab an iced drink to cool down.
“Yo. Still awake this late? What, you treating that thing like alcohol and drowning your sorrows?”
Zhang Taining could not sleep either. The moment he came out, he saw Zhuo Fan like this.
He could not help making a comment.
“No, I just…”
Zhuo Fan did not know what to say. He took several more gulps.
“What, saw those idiots from ZWG running their mouths and got pissed?”
Zhang Taining looked around, did not see anything he particularly wanted, and grabbed a bottle of cola.
Zhuo Fan looked up at him.
“You saw it too?”
“Obviously. Otherwise why would I come out at this hour?”
Zhang Taining tipped his head back and chugged, then wiped his mouth.
“Do not overthink it. Some people just walk around with human waste in their mouths and cannot speak like normal human beings. That is perfectly normal.”
Zhuo Fan muttered, “If it is so normal, why did you come out for something cold to drink?”
Zhang Taining let out a snort. “I am not like you. I am celebrating an imminent victory. Get it?”
He finished the remaining half can in a few gulps. “All right. I am done. I am going back to sleep. You should too.”
Seeing that he actually left, Zhuo Fan looked confused.
Celebrating an imminent victory?
After thinking for a moment, he quickly opened Zhang Taining’s feed.
Sure enough—
Zhang Taining had just posted a new update.
[BZ-NDW: Some people really think too much. Using money to suppress others? No, our boss would not bother. After all, what he is more skilled at is acquiring an entire team. :)]
Zhuo Fan sucked in a sharp breath.
Zhang Taining really went head-to-head like that?
Would his fans not have a problem with it?
Scrolling down—
Well then.
“Hahahahaha! Finally talking like a human again! That was domineering! Exactly. ZWG fans are acting like they are in some kind of self-induced climax. If their King’s apology was forced by a sponsor, then why did Spider King not apologize? I am dying of laughter.”
“2333, the streamer can speak now, huh? No problem with that statement. If the sponsor is that rich and truly wanted to make a fuss, he could just buy the team and kick people out. Why bother with this nonsense? I am laughing so hard.”
“Eh, do not stoop to their level. The joy of being rich is beyond their imagination.”
That was true.
The joy of being rich was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
For example, right now—
Yin Chen was enjoying exactly that kind of joy with Lin Yuhan at the same hot pot restaurant as before.
“Hm? Why do you not seem to have much of an appetite today?”
Lin Yuhan looked at Yin Chen in surprise while eating.
He had recently found a job as an assistant at a small company.
Not bad. Although he had to run around with the boss all the time and only made a little over eight thousand a month, he was already satisfied.
He felt that this was the kind of life he wanted.
Besides, Tang Chen was a good person. He was still living in that room. In his spare time, he helped Tang Chen clean it thoroughly. There was no more interference from Dongfang Wan.
Now he could even enjoy hot pot on Yin Chen’s dime. He could not be happier.
Just—
Yin Chen seemed different from before?
As Lin Yuhan dipped slices of beef into the broth, he wondered.
When they had come before, Yin Chen had been so happy eating hot pot.
Had he grown tired of it?
Yin Chen felt complicated.
He tried dipping a slice of beef and stuffing it into his mouth.
Something was wrong.
This beef was wrong.
The broth was wrong.
Even the dipping sauce was wrong.
Ah—
Yin Chen frowned, troubled. What was going on?
When he had come before, everything had tasted incredibly delicious.
Had the restaurant’s quality declined?
He could not help looking at Lin Yuhan.
“Do you not feel like the taste has changed?”
Lin Yuhan, his mouth glistening with oil, looked up blankly.
“Huh? Changed? What changed?”
“I think it tastes just as good as before!”
In fact, because he had not had hot pot in so long, he felt this was the best hot pot he had ever eaten in his life.
Perfect.
One hundred out of one hundred.
What?
Yin Chen frowned slightly. Was it really just his imagination?
He dipped a few more slices of meat.
Still tasteless.
He really could not.
“Ding—!”
The notification sound for a special follow rang out.
Yin Chen grabbed his phone immediately.
His favorite author had updated!
He forgot about the hot pot and quickly opened the new chapter.
Sharp intake of breath—
As terrifying as ever!
In this chapter, the protagonists had to charge through mountains of blades, seas of fire, and even a boiling oil cauldron!
Yin Chen read with nervous excitement and fear, then quickly finished the chapter.
Reluctantly, he put down his phone.
This serial-updating slacker would probably disappear again. Getting one chapter today was already impressive…
“Ding—!”
What now?
A second update?
Yin Chen picked up his phone again in delight.
Oh ho!
As expected of the main cast!
They calmly crossed the mountains of blades and seas of fire!
But how would they deal with the oil cauldron?
?
Wait.
Yin Chen tapped to the next chapter.
Gone?
That was it?
Cliffhanger right there?
Author, you are not human…
“Ding—!”
What the—
There was actually a third update?
Yin Chen could hardly believe it. He opened it with precious care, his heart full of joy—only for his delight to waver when, at the end, the protagonists casually chatted about the premium ingredients they had eaten in the past.
His mouth nearly watered uncontrollably.
He glanced at the ingredients on his table and suddenly understood.
So that was the problem!
It was not that this restaurant had changed.
He had changed.
Sighing inwardly, Yin Chen began to look forward to tomorrow.
Zong Cheng was truly, truly a good man. He had even invited him out again tomorrow!
That was wonderful.
“Mm, this should do it, right?”
Rubbing his sore wrist, Zong Cheng felt pleased with himself.
Not bad.
As expected of me.