After the victory prompt pops up on the game interface—
Xue Lan relaxed again, waiting for the data to be settled before starting the next round. As he watched the data scrolling on the screen, he recalled the scene in the lounge a few days ago.
Duan Wenzheng leaned slightly to the side while speaking, his eyes fixed on Xue Lan, with some hidden and burning expectation melted into the carefree smile on his lips.
When he started talking again, Xue Lan's ears turned red unconsciously. He shook his head and looked serious. Duan Wenzheng was so good... Now he has started to be serious again, so...
Wen Yan must be willing to wait!!!
And not long after entering LGW, our couple finally shared hardships and had a mutual understanding! I have been with Duan Wenzheng for so long, and we can be considered good brothers who can share hardships. After I joined LGW, Duan Wenzheng should be able to confide in me that he and Wen Yan were not intimate in public, but were "close and intimate" behind the scenes, right?!"
"Lanlan?"
Su Yiyu's voice called Xue Lan back to his senses, and Xue Lan hurriedly recreated the room: "Go on."
"Actually, there's no need to be like this..." Su Yiyu wanted to cry but had no tears: "Lanlan, it's just practice, you don't have to take it so... seriously."
Although I am very grateful to Xue Lan for being my sparring partner after training for several days in a row, Xue Lan's methods these days are really... brutal!!
Every battle was very intense, leaving no chance for resistance...
Xue Lan said seriously, "You are good at playing in favorable situations, but when the situation is unfavorable, your finger muscles will cramp due to nervousness, making it impossible to operate the keyboard. I will show you how to play in unfavorable situations. This is called... desensitization therapy!"
"..." Su Yiyu almost fainted in one breath: "There's no need to fight so hard... It's too cruel!!"
Xue Lan said seriously: "Hurry up and continue."
"… I suddenly remembered that the doctor told me to apply hot compresses regularly, so I'll go…"
"One more."
Su Yiyu turned her eyes with tears in her eyes to Duan Wenzheng, who had just finished a solo practice, and cast a look of help in his direction.
"Follow the doctor's orders." Duan Wenzheng took off his headset in a rare good mood. "Go quickly. Meng Weiran is still looking for someone to play with. Go quickly and come back soon."
Su Yiyu heard this, as if he had finally been granted amnesty, and ran away happily.
"Eh..."
Xue Lan called out to Su Yiyu, but Duan Wenzheng got behind her and put his hands casually on her shoulders.
“What is desensitization therapy?”
"Just, just repeating the scenes that will cause you to have adverse reactions such as tension..." Xue Lan didn't explain these rational concepts in detail, but because Duan Wenzheng still had his hands on his shoulders, his body unconsciously tensed up.
"Then let's try it too?"
"Try what?"
"Aren't there some kids here who are nervous about the competition?"
"What..." Xue Lan paused, knowing that Duan Wenzheng was obviously talking about him, and hurriedly said, "I didn't..."
Duan Wenzheng ignored Xue Lan's explanation and naturally leaned over to reach for the mouse next to the computer. However, due to this action, his fingertips were attached to the back of Xue Lan's hand, which he had not been able to pull away in time.
Xue Lan's cheeks instantly turned red.
Duan Wenzheng seemed not to notice and casually clicked on the option of the qualifying match. He shook the mouse on the screen, but he was confused for a long time before finding the direction, as if he had never touched the game interface before.
Xue Lan quickly pulled his hand back.
Duan Wenzheng then realized something and looked down at her, wondering, "It's not that you're not nervous, it hasn't even started yet, why are you blushing?"
"… "
"Oh, did you know that Deng Ruiqiu also withdrew from the youth training camp?"
Xue Lan was stunned, and instantly put aside the embarrassment just now, and asked in surprise: "Quit? How is it possible..."
Deng Ruiqiu was going to join the Thunder team, so why would he quit before the training camp was over?
"I heard that he went directly to the Thunder team, but the price... seems to have dropped a lot compared to before he came to the youth training camp."
Xue Lan listened to the result in silence. Things were still moving in the established direction. Deng Ruiqiu eventually went to Thunder, but he didn't expect to leave in this way.
So, if I'm doing this with Duan Wenzheng now... Will there still be conflicts after I leave LGW, and will I be kicked out of the team in the end?
Seeing his mother's worried look, Duan Wenzhen couldn't help but reach out and tap her forehead, which was slightly wrinkled with worry.
"Why, are you still feeling distressed?"
Xue Lan covered his forehead with his hands in pain, raised his head but still couldn't utter the words to refute.
The one who is heartbroken is... I have worked so hard and fully supported the love between Duan Wenzheng and Wen Yan, but I still have to face the risk of being kicked out of the team!
After this, his gaze towards Duan Wenzhen unconsciously showed a hint of annoyance.
This moody man!!
Duan Wenzheng was stunned by the aggrieved and angry look, and he quickly pushed Xue Lan's hand away to see if he had been too heavy-handed.
"Is exist?"
A sudden voice interrupted the two of them. Xue Lan leaned over and looked towards the door.
A student stood outside the training room, looked at his daughter Xue Lan, and said with a gentle smile: "Manager Ke asked you to go to the office for a while."
Xue Lan felt that it must be no good thing that Manager Ke suddenly came to see him, but he was still a manager in the youth training camp, so it was reasonable for him to go and take a look.
Xue Lan thought so and stood up: "I'll go take a look."
Manager Ke's office was on the third floor of the youth training camp. Xue Lan had never been there before and it took him a while to find the location.
Manager Ke was sitting at his desk flipping through a document. When he came over, Manager Ke gave him a rare friendly smile: "Xiao Xue is here."
Xue Lan didn't know what to do, so he waited and saw what was happening and asked, "What does Manager Ke want to talk to me about?"
"Come here." Manager Ke waved his hand. His wife Xue Lan came closer and handed him the document in her hand: "This is the condition offered by the Thunder Team. They are willing to sign you at three times the normal price. This is a lot of money. Take a look at the contract."
The contract was handed to Xue Lan. Xue Lan looked at the words on the contract but did not reach out to take it.
Manager Ke paused for a moment, as if he was hesitant because of the price, and said with a smile: "Xiao Xue, you don't know, this price is not something that most people can offer nowadays. This is the price I negotiated for you after many negotiations. The Thunder Team is the most well-funded among the current professional teams. They will focus on training you and have promised to consider giving you a starting position!"
Xue Lan shook his head and still did not accept the contract. He said seriously, "Manager Ke, I don't want to go to the Thunder Team. I can't sign this contract."
"No?" Ke Li was stunned. "Among the current professional teams, the only ones that lack attackers are Thunder and Glory. The rest are all miscellaneous teams that can't even enter the professional league. Although Glory is a veteran team, it has not made it to the quarterfinals for several consecutive years. You are very talented and deserve a better platform."
Xue Lan looked at Ke Li silently. Ke Li's voice was gentle, as if he was seriously planning his future career.
If I hadn't seen through his true face a long time ago, I would probably still be kept in the dark.
"I will think carefully about what platform to choose, but Thunder Team is not within my consideration."
Xue Lan looked at Manager Ke calmly, nodded politely, and turned to go out of the office.
Manager Ke didn't seem to expect this kind of reaction, and hurriedly walked around the office table to hold Xue Lan: "Under the current circumstances, it is impossible for a team to offer better conditions than the Thunder Team. Don't joke with your future!"
"What conditions?" Xue Lan asked curiously, "Is this the condition given to you by the Thunder Team?"
Ke Li's face froze when he heard this: "What do you mean?"
"The finals of the youth training camp are coming soon. Why did the Thunder team offer a high price to sign me at this time?" Xue Lan's eyes were still clear, clear enough to not see the turbidity of time: "Is it because they want to focus on training me? Or are they trying to ruin our team and take the opportunity to sign the two medics and snipers that LGW values?"
Ke Li's face instantly turned dark: "Xue Lan, don't go too far!"
Xue Lan stared into his eyes without hesitation, his young face was full of determination: "Manager Ke, even if you are partial to someone in the youth training camp, it is a small matter. But whether it is a career or which team to choose, it is the students' own decision. Other people's dreams should not be used as a tool for you to make money."
"My tool for making money?" Ke Li immediately said angrily: "After rejecting the Thunder Team, why would any team dare to recruit you again?!"
"I won't bother you with that."
Xue Lan said that without paying any more attention to him, he pushed open the door and walked out of the office amid his father's angry cursing.
But when he just went out, he was stunned.
The light in the corridor flickered, and outside the office door, there was a man leaning against the wall.
Like waiting for someone.
Xue Lan came out, and the man raised his head, with a faint smile on his lips that was rebellious but gentle under the light.
"It seems that some children have learned to protect themselves."
Just this one sentence made Xue Lan's eyes tear up for some reason.
Duan Wenzhen was stunned, and immediately walked around and tried to break into Manager Ke's office.
"It's okay." Xue Lan and his wife hurriedly pulled him out: "Come on."
After saying that, he quickly pulled Duan Wenzheng, who was still worried, downstairs. Duan Wenzheng was dragged by him and staggered behind him. He seemed to have a suffocating feeling in his heart, and he did not dare to use force to hold back Xue Lan who was about to leave.
The two finally got down the stairs, and Duan Wenzheng then pulled Xue Lan and asked seriously, "What happened?"
Xue Lan looked at Duan Wenzheng's gloomy face, but felt warm in her heart.
When Xue Lan left just now, Duan Wenzheng did not stop him, nor did he give any instructions. Xue Lan did not care about these trivial matters at first, but she did not realize that Duan Wenzheng did not remind her because she was afraid of being at a disadvantage, so she followed him quietly.
Duan Wenzhen is such a person.
It seems that I don't care about anything, but I am very careful about everything. It seems that I don't take anything to heart, and it seems that I don't remember every person and every thing, but I want to do better than everyone.
"I just think." Xue Lan paused: "Today, Manager Ke asked me if I had asked other players before and forced them to go to a team they wanted to join. What about tomorrow? What about you and Qi Siyu? What about the future? Will every player be secretly sold to the team with the highest bid?"
"Wen Yan contacted the sponsoring association of the youth training camp, but they refused to provide the video footage of the camp to anyone outside the association." Duan Wenzheng's fingertips gently rubbed the corners of Xue Lan's eyes, but he didn't find any traces of moisture there, so he breathed a sigh of relief: "Don't worry, I'll find a way."
Xue Lan's heart moved when he heard this.
The organizer of the youth training camp is an association composed of senior executives from various teams. If this is the case...
The soft and smooth touch between his fingertips made Duan Wenzhen's heart wander. He was about to say something to comfort the child in front of him, but his daughter's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and she jumped up and got out of his shackles with joy.
"I suddenly remembered that I have something else to do! The finals are coming soon, you should also go to bed early! See you tomorrow!!"
After Xue Lan finished speaking, he ran towards the dormitory, leaving Duan Wenzheng standing there in a daze.
…
Xue Lan returned to his room and carefully locked the door. He then took out his cell phone and found the number he hadn't dialed for a long time.
"I'm very busy now. Tell me what you want to say." After the call was picked up, the voice on the other end paused and said again: "There are only a few medical soldiers in this training camp, including you. You can't be..."
"No!" Xue Lan laughed awkwardly: "But I... didn't use a medic to participate in the youth training camp. I'm playing an assaulter now!"
"… "
"It's okay! I never told you that you are my father, but there may be something I need your help with..."
Xue Lan briefly described the predicament he had encountered today. After a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, someone responded impatiently and hung up. Xue Lan hurriedly spoke again: "Wait a minute—"
He paused, the uncertainty in his voice mixed with a hint of hidden expectation:
"Will you come to watch my game on the day of the final?"