SITS Ch15

Chapter 15: The Origin of Rumors

Xu Zhouye felt much better after beating the talkative mid-laner from the opposing team, and his smile became gentler. In the fourth game, the coach assigned him a hero he wasn’t very familiar with, but he didn’t argue.

“I’m not too good with this one, we might lose,” Xu Zhouye said during the pick phase, referring to the hero his coach had assigned.

“If we lose, we lose,” Shen Man said, “It’s just a training match.”

True enough, Shen Man was known for his calm demeanor across the entire HCC, remaining unfazed even in the face of adversity.

It was hard to gain an advantage when playing an unfamiliar hero, especially against TKR’s peak-form Qin Yixing. Unsurprisingly, they lost.

However, the performance wasn’t too bad; it wasn’t embarrassing. This was because TKR’s Yang Shanhe had clearly been rattled by Xu Zhouye’s earlier kills, and he gave up several opportunities.

Unfortunately, ACE didn’t capitalize on them.

In top-tier matches, it was often the smallest weaknesses that determined the outcome.

The training match ended with a score of 1-3.

Normally, TKR, having won, should have been celebrating, but the atmosphere among the players and even the coach was rather serious, even a little tense.

“Xu Zhouye is really strong,” TKR’s coach remarked during the post-match review. “ACE has found a gem.”

Being top-tier players, they could tell the opposing team’s strength after just a few matches. Even though Xu Zhouye had played some unfamiliar heroes, he didn’t fall behind by much.

“HCC is about to change,” the ADC sighed.

In contrast to TKR’s serious mood, ACE’s atmosphere was much lighter.

It felt like they had lost the match, but everyone was still in a good mood.

The coach held a one-hour debriefing, summarizing the match and mentioning that he would arrange another time to privately discuss the players’ individual issues.

Zhao Rui sat next to Shen Man and murmured in a voice so low it was barely audible, “I think Xu Zhouye’s biggest problem is his low salary.” Given his current salary, Zhao Rui feared that other clubs might start planning to poach him before the season was over.

Shen Man calmly analyzed the situation, “It’s fine. If we do well this season and he wins the championship, his salary will go up.”

Zhao Rui gave a thumbs-up for his captain’s calmness, “Makes sense.”

The two of them looked at Xu Zhouye, who was happily munching on a corn cob, thinking that they couldn’t afford to relax in the upcoming matches—what if Xu Zhouye left?

Xu Zhouye noticed their gaze and, not understanding, vaguely asked, “Captain, what’s up? Do you want some?”

Shen Man comforted his teammate with an unusually gentle tone, “It’s nothing, just watching you. Keep eating.”

Xu Zhouye grinned, “Hehe.”

Zhao Rui thought to himself, how could someone so cheerful and carefree be so good at playing heroes like Rabid Dog and Twin Star?

By the way, the corn was sent by Xu Zhouye’s family. He casually mentioned that his family grew corn, which made Zhao Rui feel a pang of sadness. In his mind, he imagined a tragic picture of a rural boy, deceived by a miserly manager into joining ACE under a low salary.

“Honestly, I find it hard to side with the manager on this,” Zhao Rui muttered when Xu Zhouye went to the bathroom, “His family even sent him corn. It must not have been easy for him. How could the manager…”

Before he could finish, Liu Shishi gently interrupted.

Liu Shishi said, “Wait a minute.”

Zhao Rui asked, “Hmm?”

Liu Shishi pointed out, “Did you see the shoes he’s wearing?”

Zhao Rui replied, “Yeah.”

Liu Shishi said, “That’s the most popular model from brand X. It’s been resold for six figures now.”

Zhao Rui: “……”

Liu Shishi patted his shoulder, “And unless something unexpected happens, next season, his salary will be higher than yours. Zoop, instead of worrying about his family growing corn, you should worry about your own pension.”

Zhao Rui was so moved by Liu Shishi’s words that he nearly burst into tears. After his attempt to grab Shen Man’s arm was ruthlessly shrugged off, he cried even harder, “Captain, I’m your most loyal support, you can’t abandon me! I’m only twenty-one, I can still play for a few more years…”

Shen Man said, “Twenty-one, that’s not many years until retirement.”

Zhao Rui: “Wuwuwu, don’t say that!”

Although they were joking, esports is a harsh world. In the entire HCC, anyone over twenty-five is considered an old veteran. The older you get, the slower your reactions become—this is an undeniable fact.

Shen Man was older than Zhao Rui, born on February 18th, right on the cusp of Aquarius.

Time really flies. It had already been over three years since he joined ACE.

Shen Man was about to light a cigarette when he reached into his pocket, but his gaze met Xu Zhouye, who had just returned from the bathroom.

“Captain,” Xu Zhouye called out.

Shen Man silently withdrew his hand from his pocket, half-raising it to indicate that Xu Zhouye had misunderstood him.

Xu Zhouye smiled, “I knew Captain wouldn’t lie to me.”

Shen Man: “Haha.”

Zhao Rui eyed their interaction suspiciously, thinking, when did you two become so in sync? And Xu Zhouye, you were playing so well, don’t tell me you suddenly want to take a poor support’s job?

Zhao Rui’s concern wasn’t unfounded.

Because the very next night, Shen Man and Xu Zhouye went for a sweet duo queue again.

Zhao Rui went out for a meal, and when he returned, he saw Shen Man streaming. He leaned closer and saw that Shen Man was duo-queuing with “Little Sweet Soft Candy.”

The ID “Little Sweet Soft Candy” seemed familiar to Zhao Rui, and he quickly remembered that it was Xu Zhouye’s alternate account. But he looked around and didn’t see Xu Zhouye.

At that moment, “Little Sweet Soft Candy” was playing the ghost hero and sticking to Shen Man, leisurely. Shen Man didn’t even tell him to stop.

Zhao Rui’s eyes nearly popped out, “Wait, he’s not even coming down to help you secure the kill, and you’re not saying anything to him?”

Shen Man turned his head when he heard Zhao Rui’s voice, “What does our duo queue have to do with you?”

Zhao Rui: “……”

Shen Man explained calmly, “He’s eating.”

Zhao Rui was momentarily stunned, his voice trembling, “Then why do you look so stressed when you duo queue with me?”

Shen Man glanced at him with an expressionless face, “Duo-queuing with you is work.”

Zhao Rui: “……” So duo-queuing with Xu Zhouye is just life, huh???

Shen Man muted his microphone and added a more brutal comment, “You won’t switch teams, but he will.”

Zhao Rui: “……” He was shocked by Shen Man’s cold reality.

However, since everyone found out how much Xu Zhouye was being paid, their attitude toward him softened considerably. It was said that one gets what they pay for, and given Xu Zhouye’s current situation, he clearly couldn’t endure any hardship in ACE.

The culprit was that cost-cutting manager…

Last month’s live-stream hours weren’t enough, so this month, Shen Man had to make up for them.

His behavior of duo-queuing with “Little Sweet Soft Candy” right after logging on sparked strong condemnation in the bullet comments.

[Can someone tell me whose alternate account ‘Little Sweet Soft Candy’ is?]

[That sweet tone, it’s definitely a girl.]

[Is SW dating someone??]

[From a technical perspective, it doesn’t seem like it, and with his annoying personality, can any girl put up with him?]

[I don’t know if a girl can stand him, but I feel like I can still tolerate his face.]

[Can you guys stop with the gay vibes?]

Xu Zhouye went out in the afternoon, saying he had something to do, and didn’t return in the evening. When Shen Man was about to duo-queue, he saw that “Little Sweet Soft Candy” was online.

By some strange coincidence, the two of them duo-queued together.

The rank was low, so Shen Man didn’t feel much pressure. Halfway through the game, Xu Zhouye said, “Ge, I want to eat,” along with a cute little emoticon. Shen Man kindly typed back, telling him to take his time eating.

“Eating” actually meant just nibbling on a pancake. Xu Zhouye was quick, finishing it in two bites. Shen Man didn’t know why Xu Zhouye felt the need to type it out.

Xu Zhouye: [Thank you, ge, you’re so gentle and considerate, I like you the most o(^▽^)o]

Just like Zhao Rui, the bullet comments were also shocked.

[Am I hallucinating? Why is he treating this support like a precious treasure?]

[Investigate, investigate! SW has a big problem!]

[SW, tell us, who is this?]

[It’s definitely his girlfriend, the evidence is undeniable.]

[SW has a girlfriend? I’m breaking apart.]

Shen Man said, “It’s not my girlfriend.”

Bullet comments: [Not your girlfriend, is it your wife?]

[Is it your fiancée?]

[Is it your soulmate?]

Shen Man said, “It’s a guy.”

Bullet comments: [……] A barrage of ellipses flooded the screen, and soon, everyone’s imagination ran wild.

[So it’s a boyfriend, you scared me… Wait, hold on, a boyfriend??]

[Case closed, Zoop retweeted G//V because SW forced him.]

[Spread the word, SW likes men.]

[Spread the word, all ACE members have been secretly ruled by Shen Man.]

[What? ACE’s benefits are this good? So tempting.]

Shen Man was often stunned by the mental state of the bullet comments. In just a few minutes, he witnessed the birth of a rumor, and the following comments went beyond human comprehension.

Shen Man: “……” Forget it, I can’t be bothered.

In the end, that night, the topic “Slow is dating” inexplicably trended on Weibo.

Shen Man hadn’t realized yet, and it was his manager, who appeared like a ghost from nowhere, who told him.

“Shen Man, when did you start dating?” The manager looked like a jilted spouse, hauntingly ghostlike with a pitiful expression.

Shen Man said, “When did I start dating?”

The manager said, “Look at Weibo’s trending topics.”

Shen Man opened Weibo: “……”

The manager, with a face full of undeniable evidence, said, “See!”

Shen Man replied, “That’s Xu Zhouye!”

The manager looked even more horrified: “Are you dating Xu Zhouye???”

Shen Man took a deep breath, closed his eyes. One of the main reasons he didn’t like talking was that communication between people felt too difficult. He thought that the conversation he was having tonight was more exhausting than playing a BO5 match.

The manager, with tears in his eyes, said, “He’s only eighteen, he’s been at the base for a month… and he’s so cheap…”

Shen Man: “……” So the key point is the last part, right?

Shen Man gritted his teeth and managed to say, “Look at the Weibo post carefully again, don’t force me to curse at you.”

The manager: “……Oh.”

After carefully reading through the Weibo post, the manager was relieved: “Thank goodness, you’re not dating Xu Zhouye.”

Shen Man: “?”

The manager explained, “I understand that you young, hot-blooded kids might have some romantic feelings, but you know, Xu Zhouye’s buyout fee is really cheap… What if you two have a falling out and he leaves in a huff…”

Shen Man’s head buzzed, and he felt his usual headache coming on again.

Seeing his expression, the manager awkwardly chuckled, “I was just joking.”

Shen Man forced a smile: “It’s pretty funny.”

Sensing the situation was going downhill, the manager quickly made an exit, leaving Shen Man with the topic that was still climbing on the trending list.

Shen Man thought to himself, ‘Streaming just shortens your life by ten years. This team is really never going to get off the ground.’