CH 73

In the Weibo #Refined and Courteous# area, the latest message was ‘Binbin differentiated into an omega, Brother Zou went to the hospital to visit.’

There were many comments from CP fans underneath.

“I’m so addicted! They are really a couple, right?”

“What a match! Captain Zou’s expression is super gentle.”

“Binbin looks very well-behaved but he is super fierce when playing the game. I wonder if he will be shy when he is marked?”

Shi Xiaobin’s fingers trembled slightly and he almost couldn’t hold his phone.

He suddenly remembered how President Chen brought a group of people to the ward to see him. There were obviously the coaches, assistant coaches and other team members but in the end, President Chen had Captain Zou Li stay behind with the words, “Xiao Zou, tell Binbin about the follow-up match arrangements.”

Shi Xiaobin was a bit confused at the time. Did it make sense to leave an alpha alone to talk to him about training matches when he had just differentiated into an omega? Then he saw his boss’ gentle smile and thought he was thinking too much.

Zou Li was the captain. It didn’t seem unreasonable for the captain to explain the next training match arrangements to the players, right? He was very repulsed by an alpha’s approach but out of the dedication of an e-sports player, he endured the discomfort and listened to what Captain Zou told him about the plan for the training matches.

Fortunately, Coach Jiang arrived in time or Shi Xiaobin was really afraid that he would lose control.

He never dreamed that the scene of Zou Li staying in the ward was actually taken and posted on the Internet!

The photo was taken at such a close distance that even the watch on Zou Li’s wrist was clearly captured. The curtains in the ward were drawn so it must’ve been taken from the window on the corridor side. Did he have to ask who did it? He had suddenly differentiated. How could the paparazzi get first-hand information, rush to the hospital immediately and take photos of them from such a close distance?

Shi Xiaobin was obedient and sensible but he wasn’t stupid!

He continued to scroll down and there were photos of him and Zou Li sitting together in the last competition. There was a behind the scenes shot of them standing together when the team went out to film a commercial last year. On the plane, their seats were often arranged together… bit by bit, it seemed to be telling netizens that they were a couple.

Shi Xiaobin would’ve believed it if he wasn’t the person involved!

It was no wonder why his teammates and coaches would consciously or unintentionally have him communicate more with the captain every time they went out for a match. Sometimes when he sat next to other teammates, his teammate would give up the seat to Zou Li and jokingly say, “Captain Zou, come and sit with Xiao Bin.’ He thought that it was due to his young age that the team took more care of him. Now it seemed that this was all done deliberately. All of them know about this CP super talk but kept him in the dark and played him as a fool!

Shi Xiaobin’s face was as pale as paper. This was the first time he had experienced this type of thing. His eyes were very sore and his lips trembled uncontrollably. He didn’t know how to explain it. “C-Captain Zou and I aren’t what they say… I only think of him as a teammate… M-My screen name has been Refined and Courteous since I was in elementary school. I don’t have a crush on him, I really don’t…”

Jiang Shaoyu saw the young man’s trembling appearance and sat on the edge of the bed in a distressed manner, gently holding Shi Xiaobin’s hand. “I believe you. You are so young and you don’t understand what it is like to like someone. You haven’t even thought about falling in love, right?”

Shi Xiaobin nodded with red eyes and his voice was a bit choked up. “Yes, I only know about stuffy training. I never really thought about this.”

He always thought that due to his young age, the captain approached him and took care of him, a newcomer… he hadn’t expected that this was deliberately arranged by someone with bad intentions so it was convenient to create hype!

Many of the photos in the super talk area weren’t taken by fans at all. Based on the background, these photos could only be taken by people in the team.

He thought about how every time he went out for the competition, there would be a pair of prying eyes secretly photographing him from various angles and posting photos on the Internet so that hundreds of thousands of netizens would comment…

Shi Xiaobin felt a chill go down his spine. All the blood in his body seemed to freeze and the strong feeling of nausea made his body tremble uncontrollably.

The young man clenched his fists tightly, tears filling his eyes. The bewildered feeling in his heart made him unable to say a word for a while.

Jiang Shaoyu reached out his hand and gently touched his head, whispering, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Shi Xiaobin came back to his senses and asked in a trembling voice, “Coach Jiang, what should I do?”

Jiang Shaoyu analyzed it. “RED won’t let you transfer to a medic position because you are their cash cow. There are few omega players in the professional league and a popular, obedient and sensible omega player like you is even rarer. Your character design is a fierce charger who happens to fight side by side with Zou Li’s assaulter. How can they let you transfer to a medic?”

“They used to just hype it secretly without telling you. Now you have differentiated into an omega and they are going to become more unscrupulous. It might even be possible for them to set up several CPs for you, letting you make various ambiguous actions with the alpha players. This is a common hype method of idol groups.”

“If I’m not mistaken, RED is likely to hype you up as the group favorite next. The popularity of a CP isn’t enough. If all four alpha players take good care of you and like you very much, you will naturally become the most popular omega player in the league and make more money for the club.”

Shi Xiaobin was so scared that he paled. An e-sports men’s team with four alphas and one omega? He would be everyone’s favorite group pet?

Coach Jiang’s speculation definitely wasn’t groundless! Last year when the club released merchandise, everyone else had bookmarks, folders, etc. Shi Xiaobin was the only one they gave a fluffy pillow to and they deliberately drew a cute chibi head portrait. Each player got one.

He thought about how this group of alphas held his pillow in their arms while it wasn’t known what they were thinking. Shi Xiaobin felt all the hairs on his body rising. The always sensible teenager couldn’t curse or scold them so he just clenched his fists. “I just want to play the game. How can they do this? They secretly took photos without even asking me!”

Jiang Shaoyu sighed softly. In the eyes of capital, players were just tools for them to make money. Who cared about their dreams?

RED and TNG were different. TNG just supported Young Master Lu from their wealthy backer’s family. Meanwhile, RED was so good. They directly set up an idol boy group set. Shi Xiaobin would definitely be ruined if he stayed in such a club. Don’t even talk about playing games in the future. Perhaps he would be ruined when not playing the game!

Jiang Shaoyu stared into the young man’s eyes. “Don’t forget the lessons of the past. Your last charger privately marked an omega fan and the club didn’t punish him after knowing it. This shows that in the eyes of the boss, business value is more important than principles. What is the difference between you staying here as an omega and staying in a wolf’s den?”

He paused and added in a gentle voice, “Follow me to the national team as a youth trainee. I can guarantee that you won’t be bullied by anyone.”

Shi Xiaobin nodded frantically. “Yes!”

If it wasn’t for Coach Jiang pointing out the stakes to him, he was afraid that one day he would be sold by the club without knowing it. If there was a scandal about his pheromones going out of control and causing him to be temporarily marked by an alpha player or something… he was really going to throw up in disgust!

Shi Xiaobin wiped his eyes and his voice was choked up. “B-But the damages fee for the contract I signed at the beginning is quite high…”

Jiang Shaoyu told him, “The national team will help you pay it. It should be the signing fee for signing you as a youth trainee.”

Shi Xiaobin stared blankly at the other person. “H-Help me pay it?”

Jiang Shaoyu held the young man’s trembling hands. “Don’t worry, Qin Bo has collected evidence that RED is hyping players without telling them. This type of scandal isn’t good for the club. I believe that they will weigh the consequences of completely shedding all pretenses of friendliness with the national team.”

Shi Xiaobin was so moved that his eyes turned red and he nodded vigorously, his voice teary, “Thank you, Coach Jiang… thank you very much.”

If it wasn’t for Coach Jiang, perhaps his career would’ve ended because of a scandal. He really just wanted to play honestly. Even if he differentiated into an omega, his dream hadn’t changed. He had worked so hard for so many years. He didn’t want to be a tool for the club to make money!

Jiang Shaoyu bluntly told him, “Go back to the club to pack your luggage and follow me tonight.”

Shi Xiaobin’s pheromones condition had stabilized and the doctor prescribed him common inhibitors. Jiang Shaoyu asked the national team’s car to take him back to the club and personally accompanied Shi Xiaobin to the dormitory to pack up.

President Chen rushed over immediately after hearing the movement and smiled politely. “Coach Jiang, what is going on?”

Jiang Shaoyu stood at the door with his arms crossed and said coldly, “I am taking Shi Xiaobin away. He will follow me to the national team’s youth training camp for training.”

President Chen’s face changed. “This… you might be the coach of the national team but it isn’t good for you to take away players directly from the club, right? Shi Xiaobin is a contracted player of our club. How can he go directly to the national team regardless of the team’s league competition?”

The coach next to him agreed while sweating profusely. “Yes, what will we do in the next match if Shi Xiaobin suddenly leaves? This is indeed against the rules.”

The two of them were almost saying ‘abuse of power.’

Yu Mingxiang wanted to laugh when she heard it. It wasn’t in line with the rules? God Yu had already brought back two players!

Jiang Shaoyu indifferently told him, “It is indeed not in accordance with the rules. Therefore, Shi Xiaobin will terminate the contract with your club and you will have to find your own way for the next match. The contract’s damages fee will be paid by the national team and the lawyer will come to talk to you tomorrow. In addition, the engineer has sent some information for President Chen to see.”

Qin Bo graduated from the computer science department of a prestigious university and he was quite good at checking information. He soon sorted out a clear timeline and evidence chain and sent it to President Chen. This included the establishment time of the #Refined and Courteous# super talk, the IP of some posters, the time and place where the photos were taken and the paparazzi they paid to secretly take photos of Xiao Bin and Zou Li at the hospital.

These materials were really shocking when viewed together. The small actions they carried out behind Shi Xiaobin’s back were all revealed by the national team!

President Chen’s face was extremely ugly and he had nothing to say when he looked at the information.

Jiang Shaoyu said, “I remember that in the past, you approached me and said you wanted to invest in the ACE team, making us the most popular players. Do you know why I refused?”

Jiang Shaoyu stared into the other person’s eyes and stated clearly, “In e-sports, being weak is the original sin. The popularity of e-sports players shouldn’t be obtained from praise but by playing the matches.”

“Shi Xiaobin just wants to play with peace of mind. He isn’t suitable to stay in your e-sports boy group.”

“I’m going to take him away. Do you still want to block it?”

President Chen and the coach looked at each other, their faces as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Shi Xiaobin was a cash cow that they had cultivated with great difficulty. Letting Jiang Shaoyu take him away so easily? What was the difference between this and slapping them?

Just then, Shi Xiaobin came out with a suitcase. President Chen wanted to talk to him but he suddenly hid behind Jiang Shaoyu.

President Chen coaxed him softly, “Xiao Bin, the club isn’t bad to you, right? Are you really leaving? Don’t listen to an outsider’s provocations. Think about the two years you have been in the club. Everyone has cared for you…”

Shi Xiaobin shook his head and asked in a low voice, “Does Zou Li know about the matter of the Refined and Courteous super talk?”

President Chen’s smile froze for a moment and Shi Xiaobin raised his head. “He knows, right? You all knew and were hiding it from me alone. To put it nicely, you are just treating me as a money-making tool and you have never really respected my wishes.”

Shi Xiaobin bowed to the two of them. “Thank you for taking care of me before but I don’t want to stay in RED any longer.”

Jiang Shaoyu gave the two of them a cold look before turning to leave. Yu Mingxiang gently wrapped an arm around the teenager’s shoulders and led him downstairs.

President Chen looked at their backs and trembled with anger. “This Jiang Shaoyu is too arrogant! Recruiting people straight from my club!”

Coach Chen next to him had an ugly expression. “What should I do? Are we really going to let him take Shi Xiaobin?”

President Chen’s face was dark. “What else can I do? You didn’t keep your hands and feet clean and was caught with such a big handle! Are you going to openly fight with the national team and let the head coach release our black material?”

This anger could only be swallowed down first. However, he wouldn’t let Jiang Shaoyu be so happy.

President Chen looked at the car leaving downstairs and sneered. ‘Jiang Shaoyu, you don’t put us in your eyes at all. Do you really think you have no weaknesses?’

—

Inside the car, Shi Xiaobin’s mood finally stabilized. He sat in the back with Jiang Shaoyu and whispered, “Thank you, Coach Jiang.”

Jiang Shaoyu patted him on the shoulder in a soothing manner and said, “You’re welcome. It is just that going to the national team as a youth trainee and changing to the medic position is equivalent to starting from scratch. You have to give up your previous tactical experience and re-accept a medic’s style of play. Can you do it?”

Shi Xiaobin nodded vigorously. “Yes, I will become a youth trainee again and learn from scratch!”

He was still young and had nothing to fear from starting over. Since he had taken the wrong path, he couldn’t keep being wrong. Correcting it at this time was the right choice.