CH 31

Pei Feng carried Doudou to the car. He put the dog in the back seat, opened the front door and said, “Master, sit in the front passenger’s seat.”

Jiang Yu nodded and got into the car to fasten his seat belt.

Pei Feng smiled and looked back at him. “I was worried about spending this Spring Festival alone. It is very good that Master is also in the capital. We can be companions.”

Jiang Shaoyu said indifferently, “In the past few years I was abroad, I didn’t really celebrate the Spring Festival. I don’t care much about these holidays.”

Pei Feng didn’t ask where his master’s family was and why they weren’t spending the holidays with him… he thoughtfully turned on the heater and said, “It doesn’t matter. You have returned to China so you should enjoy the atmosphere of a traditional festival. I’ll make some dumplings for Master to eat. You haven’t tasted my cooking yet, have you?”

Jiang Shaoyu was a bit surprised. “You can cook?”

Pei Feng looked proud. “Of course, I have been cooking on my own all these years and my cooking skills have improved!”

His apprentice had changed a lot. In the past, Xiao Pei was a ‘kitchen destroyer’. He remembered that in ACE, one time after ACE won a game, Xiao Pei volunteered to make kebabs for everyone. He almost burned down the kitchen and ran out in disgrace…

Jiang Shaoyu smiled gently when he thought of the embarrassing incident in the past. Then he casually asked, “Are you now settled in the capital?”

“It isn’t settled. I bought a house here and come back to stay once in a while. I’m usually in Ya’an and I prefer the climate over there.” Pei Feng paused and joked, “Once Master retires later, we can go there to retire together.”

Jiang Doudou: “Bark bark!”

Pei Feng glanced back at Doudou. “Look, Doudou agrees.”

Jiang Shaoyu: “……?”

Could he understand dog language?

The two of them chatted casually all the way. Soon, Pei Feng drove the car to the suburbs and stopped in front of the villa.

He got out of the car and went to the trunk to get the luggage. Jiang Shaoyu stood at the door of the villa and observed the surroundings. The winter trees in the capital were stagnant and the original artificial lake was cleaned and covered with a thick layer of ice. It could be seen that the garden design of this community was quite good. In a city like the capital, a single family villa was definitely worth a lot. It seemed that Pei Feng had made a lot of money in recent years?

Doudou was very excited and ran to the garden to run around wildly. Pei Feng took Jiang Shaoyu to the door with his luggage.

The living room was very spacious and filled with a soft fabric sofa. The decoration style wasn’t luxurious and was more warm and modern. It was 11 a.m. and the sun was shining through the window. It spilled on the couch and gave the whole room a layer of warmth.

Pei Feng leaned over to help Jiang Shaoyu get a new pair of slippers. “Master, there is no need to be restrained. There are no outsiders in the house. It is just the two of us. If you have anything you’re not used to then just tell me.”

Jiang Shaoyu said ‘um’ and changed into the slippers before entering the door.

Pei Feng was very enthusiastic and took Jiang Shaoyu around the house briefly. Then he carried the luggage to the guest room on the 2nd floor and said, “Master, stay in this guest room for the next few days. This room usually isn’t occupied and I have changed the sheets and duvet cover. The suite has its own toilet and bathroom, which is more convenient.”

His thought was that his master loved cleanliness. The sheets and quilt covers were all new and his master could sleep at ease.

As a result, Jiang Shaoyu caught the key point and raised an eyebrow as he looked at Pei Feng. “The bedding has been replaced with a new one. Did you know I was coming?”

“Ah, this…”

He made a mistake!

Jiang Shaoyu looked at his apprentice and said helplessly, “You were already ready to take me to your house for the new year, right?”

Pei Feng was cheeky. “You found out…”

Jiang Shaoyu didn’t like liveliness and it didn’t matter to him if he didn’t celebrate the Spring Festival. However, Pei Feng remembered him and asked him where he was going to spend the holiday this year. He packed up the guest room in advance and personally went to the national team to pick him up.

This apprentice was really attentive to him.

Jiang Shaoyu felt a slight warmth in his heart and said, “In any case, I’ve already come. I’ll be your companion.”

Pei Feng immediately smiled. “Master doesn’t have to be polite. Just treat this place as your home! Take a break for the next few days. After the new year, there will be many things waiting for you to deal with. You don’t need to stay at the national team’s base for the Spring Festival, right?”

Jiang Shaoyu nodded. “Yes, I’ll change my clothes first. It is a bit hot in the house.”

Pei Feng backed out and thoughtfully changed the door. “Master, you change. I’ll go prepare lunch.”

The heating in the house was on and the temperature was very comfortable. Jiang Shaoyu took off his coat and sweater and changed into a simple and comfortable white homey clothes. He headed downstairs to the kitchen and found Pei Feng cooking in an apron. The young alpha had a smile on his face as he rolled up his sleeves and quickly stir-fried the vegetables. He looked like a good man at home. Doudou circled around Pei Feng. He probably thought that this person was preparing food for him?

JIang Shaoyu saw this scene and felt a bit warm.

He pushed open the kitchen door and asked, “Xiao Pei, do you have raw meat here? I’ll make something for Doudou.”

Pei Feng spoke while flipping the chicken wings in the wok. “In the cabinet next to me, there is a lot of canned meat for Doudou.”

Jiang Shaoyu: “……”

Wasn’t he really well prepared to even buy food for Doudou?

He turned and opened the cabinet. He found a cabinet full of puppy specific canned meat and it was enough for Jiang Doudou to eat for half a month.

Jiang Shaoyu grabbed a can and took Doudou outside to eat. Meanwhile, Pei Feng continued cooking in the kitchen.

Cola chicken wings, steamed fish, baby cabbage and broccoli, two meat and two vegetarian dishes and a bowl of seaweed shrimp soup. It was already a big amount for two people.

Pei Feng enthusiastically gave Jiang Shaoyu a piece of chicken wing and smiled while asking for praise. “Master, try my craft.”

Jiang Shaoyu tasted a piece and praised it. “It is delicious.”

Pei Feng wanted to give a second piece but was stopped by Jiang Shaoyu. “No need, I can’t eat so much.”

Pei Feng was stunned for a moment and couldn’t help wondering, “Is the chicken wing not to your taste?”

Jiang Shaoyu explained, “The chicken wings are very delicious but my stomach isn’t very good. It isn’t easy to digest after eating too much of it.”

Pei Feng saw his slightly pale face and frowned slightly.

They hadn’t seen each other for a few years but his master had lost a lot of weight… was his master sick?

In the past when he was in ACE, Jiang Shaoyu might’ve had a light diet but he could still eat ribs, chicken wings and beef. Pei Feng thought that the plate of chicken wings he made today tasted good. Unfortunately, Jiang Shaoyu only tasted one piece.

Was his stomach so bad?

Pei Feng saw that Jiang Shaoyu wasn’t joking and gave him a piece of fish. “Then eat more fish. Steamed fish is easy to digest and I didn’t put in any seasoning.”

Jiang Shaoyu snorted and lowered his head to concentrate on eating the fish.

Pei Feng saw his master’s calm expression and thought about it. He knew his master’s temper. His master would naturally say what he wanted to say and if he didn’t want to say something then no one could get a word out of him. What happened in the past that made his master suddenly retire? How much had changed over the years?

Was it a family reason or was it his body? Or both?

The meal ended quickly.

Pei Feng cleaned up the dining table and returned to the living room to ask Jiang Shaoyu a question. “Master, can I open a group and pull in the people of ACE?”

Jiang Shaoyu nodded in agreement.

Pei Feng acted quickly. He first pulled in his master, followed by Ye Zi, Xiao Zhou, Lao Lin, Sister Yu and Shu Chen into the group. The name of the group was called ‘ACE 2.0 Version’. He took the lead to write in the group, sending a row of smiley emojis: Hello everyone. Let’s welcome the return of our God Wing!

The moment the others saw the group message, they sent emojis with applause and welcome.

One team leader, five players and one youth trainee apprentice—these were all the members of ACE in the past.

Sister Yu was concerned: Ah Yu, are you still in the base?

Jiang Shaoyu: No. Xiao Pei picked me up to go to his place and we are celebrating the new year together.

Yu Mingxiang sighed with relief when she heard this. Jiang Shaoyu’s personality was too cold and he never cared about these holidays. However, he couldn’t always stay alone at the national team’s base on New Year’s Day, right? She felt a lot more relieved with Xiao Pei by his side.

Lao Lin asked curiously: Xiao Pei, have you terminated your contract with the Xing Network? I just saw a Weibo message.

Pei Feng: Yes, the contract has expired.

Ye Qingming jumped out and asked: Did the big streamer find the next home?

Pei Feng’s Weibo posted a message this morning: Streamer Fred and Xing Network’s contract has expired. I have decided not to renew the contract. Thank you to Xing Network for your care over the years. I wish that Xing Network will get better and better.

The news quickly created a sensation and the fans sent Pei Feng to the top of the hot search.

Everyone speculated that Pei Feng had found a new home and was ready to jump ship. Would there be a sky high signing fee? Other platforms had been secretly trying to dig up Pei Feng but it couldn’t be done due to contract problems. Now was an opportunity!

Pei Feng said: For the time being, I won’t stream live. I want to concentrate on training and prepare for the selection of this year’s national team.

Xiao Zhou: Do you also want to enter the national team?

Lao Lin: There will be no problems with Xiao Pei’s strength!

Ye Zi sent some sneaky smile emojis: Enter the national team and be the first to write a self-criticism for your master.

Pei Feng: Of course. I’ve already written the outline for it in advance.

Jiang Shaoyu: “……”

Everyone chatted in a lively manner in the group. It was as if ACE had never been disbanded.

Shu Chen’s social phobia broke out. Every time they chatted in the group, he silently watched and would occasionally send a ‘secretly observing.jpg’ emoji.

Jiang Shaoyu took the initiative to find a topic to call out Shu Chen: @Chen Chen, is TNG on vacation?

The named Shu Chen was forced to speak: Brother Yu, we just went on holiday today.

Jiang Shaoyu: Where are you celebrating the New Year this year?

Shu Chen: I plan to go back to Xing City to see the dean.

Shu Chen grew up in the Xing City orphanage and the money he earned in his first year as a professional player was donated to the orphanage. He had no relatives and the people at ACE were his family. Unfortunately, ACE was disbanded and everyone went to different teams. No one cared about him. In addition, he never took the initiative to chat with people. By the time everyone knew he was being hidden, it was already too late.

Even if Zhou Yiran and Ye Qingming were the captains of large teams, they couldn’t interfere with the decisions of the coaching staff of other clubs.

Jiang Shaoyu felt a bit distressed for him and didn’t know what to say.

Pei Feng looked at his master’s face and took the initiative to speak: Brother Chen, let’s play together when we have time during the holidays.

Shu Chen: Hmm, okay.

Ye Qingming: Take me as well. I was suspended and for the next six months, I can only play the rankings privately [wronged.jpg]

Lao Lin: Why are you wronged? You did it to yourself.

Ye Qingming: [Crying.jpg]

Jiang Shaoyu saw the liveliness in the group and was in a complicated mood.

He retired too hastily and left a mess. Even so, these members of ACE never blamed him.

Their respect for Wing included unconditional trust and support regardless of the reason.

He would wait for a suitable time in the future to explain to them his reason for retiring that year.

After ending the conversation in the group, Jiang Shaoyu opened Weibo and saw that the comments below Pei Feng’s Weibo had exceeded 100,000. Fans were speculating about which platform he would go to. “Which one will Brother Feng go to? I will sign up right away!”

“I only watch your live streams on Xing Network. If you leave then I’ll also go with you to the new platform!”

“Hurry up and hand over your new account. Our Fred must’ve changed jobs.”

Everyone thought that Fred would change jobs.

After all, he was a top streamer. How could he stop being a streamer completely?

Jiang Shaoyu thought for a while. Then he looked at his apprentice and said seriously, “Xiao Pei, it isn’t easy for you to have today’s status. There is no need to give up the popularity that you have worked so hard to accumulate. Many members of the national team have contracts with live stream platforms. As long as it doesn’t affect training and the competition, professional players can take the time to stream live.”

Pei Feng certainly knew this.

Most clubs would sign contracts with live stream platforms and the players would open live streams. This was one more source of income and another publicity channel for the team.

For the contract of professional players, the limit for the length of the live streams were more lenient.

However, Pei Feng’s request for ‘unlimited hours per month and complete freedom’ was still difficult to negotiate.

Pei Feng saw his master’s caring eyes and smiled slightly. “Master, rest assured, I have an idea in my mind. I haven’t given up on being a streamer but my conditions for renewal are too high. I couldn’t discuss it with the Xing Network.”

He lowered his voice and told Jiang Shaoyu a secret. “I decided to bring my agent with me to change jobs together.”

Jiang Shaoyu was a bit surprised. “Jumping ship with your agent?”

Pei Feng replied, “Yes, her name is Qi Hui and she has helped me a lot over the years. The owner of the Xing Network is short-sighted and always thought I became popular due to the Xing Network. He refused my agent’s proposal and she didn’t want to stay there for a long time. However, an agent taking a streamer to jump ship is more troublesome. She is negotiating with the new platform and there will be results soon.”

Pei Feng had been busy with this matter during this time.

His original plan wasn’t to be a streamer and concentrate on being a professional player. Later, Qi Hui persuaded him many times that a streamer and professional player didn’t conflict. He didn’t have to give up completely as long as a platform could agree to his conditions and give him full freedom.

In addition, once he became a member of the national team, he could use his identity as a streamer to do some positive publicity for the national team.

The two of them talked privately and decided to jump ship together.

In recent years, there had been many live stream platforms that wanted to dig away Pei Feng. How to negotiate depended on the professional ability of the agent.

As if to confirm Pei Feng’s words, the phone suddenly rang. It was Qi Hui’s call.

The voice coming from the phone was clearly joyful. “Xiao Pei, I talked to the boss of Little Bear TV several times in person and they agreed to your request. There are no requirements for the length of your live stream per month and it is calculated on an annual basis. You need to stream for 400 hours a year and the time can be arranged at will. You don’t need to participate in the platform activities if you have no time. They want you to be the signboard to attract traffic to the game area of Gun King, so the sharing conditions and signing fee given are very good.”

Pei’s lips curved up slightly. “Okay, Sister Hui. You can tell the lawyer to help me check the details of the contract. Send it to me if there are no problems.”

Pei Feng hung up the phone and looked at Jiang Shaoyu. “Master, when I was still unknown, it didn’t matter what platform I went to. I had to carefully negotiate with them about the conditions and I had no right to speak. Now it is different. It isn’t that they are choosing me. It is that I am choosing them. Even if Xing Network doesn’t agree with my conditions, there will be other platforms willing to sign me.”

Pei Feng paused before smiling. “Master, will you praise me with a few words? I didn’t shame you?”

Jiang Shaoyu was somewhat speechless.

Xiao Pei looked like a big dog wagging his tail and begging his owner for praise.

Jiang Shaoyu endured the urge to ‘touch the dog’s head’ and praised his person. “Not bad. Your new job has been settled. Once you enter the national team later, you can use your leisure time to open the live stream without affecting your training and the competition.”

Pei Feng immediately replied, “Of course. Everything is arranged by Master.”

Jiang Shaoyu had mixed feelings when he saw his apprentice’s smiling eyes.

The years must’ve been very difficult for Xiao Pei to obtain your current status in today’s streamer circle, right?

In the future, there will be your master to escort you.

You always say that Master is the best player in your mind, but in fact, you are also the proudest disciple in Master’s heart.