Chapter 337: Wine On The World Stage

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Inside the waiting room, Xu Pingyang smiled as he hung up the phone.

Sun Liang ran in, laughing his head off. “Boss, you really are the best. This time, Team Skycrown is definitely done for, haha!”

“Since you managed to get your hands on this information from Lian Guan, consider yourself forgiven for your previous mistake, Sun Liang. Hmph, you should have taken the money, Xiao Bei. You’re the one who insisted on doing things the hard way, so don’t blame me for doing this!” said Xu Pingyang, laughing cruelly.

By this time, the players had already left the stage. They walked into the waiting room and were immediately suspicious when they saw an unusually happy Xu Pingyang.

“Boss?” asked Xie Yi hesitantly.

He didn’t understand how Xu Pingyang had got the organizers to stop the competition. They were always fair and unbiased. They wouldn’t have stopped the match without a good enough reason.

Sun Liang smiled as he said, “Don’t you remember how Fighting Hawk substituted for Xiao Bei in one of the previous rounds?”

Xie Yi still didn’t understand what was going on. “Yeah, what about it?”

“Xiao Bei is a ‘black child’, he doesn’t have a proper identification card. He couldn’t be verified when the organizers ran a background check. That’s why Team Skycrown had to start again from zero points.”

“So, our match was stopped because of that too?” asked Xie Yi.

Sun Liang grinned widely, showing a row of ugly teeth. “Hehe, of course. However, the penalty this time isn’t so light!”

Xu Pingyang was also grinning, displaying his ugly yellow teeth. He had been looking for some way to take out Team Skycrown, but he hadn’t imagined that he would stumble upon such a great opportunity!

All it took was bribing Lian Guan to head to the National Bureau and halt the process of making Xiao Bei’s identity card. Then, he put in a call to the organizers, telling them that there was still a problem with Xiao Bei’s identity.

Once they checked for themselves…

There was no way the match could go on. Team Skycrown had broken the rules too severely. The LPL organizers forgave them once before, but this time…

***

The five members of Team Skycrown were invited to a conference room. It was a room that had been temporarily set up, and the soundproofing was not very good. Sounds and noises from outside could still be heard from inside the room.

Xi Xi, the person in charge of the teams, entered.

Da Luo immediately spoke up, his temper flaring, “Why are we having a rematch? Didn’t we already play very well?”

Lin Dong could see that something was wrong, and he moved to stop Da Luo. “Da Luo, be quiet for now.”

Ai Ke, the overall person in charge who had warned Yu Luocheng before, was also in the conference room with them. He looked at Team Skycrown, and asked, “Where’s your coach?”

“He has a family emergency, so he’s not here,” replied Lin Dong.

Ai Ke didn’t bother beating around the bush and got straight to the point.

“I regret to inform you that this match will be your last in the LPL. Taking the audience reaction into consideration, you will have a sudden death match against Team Sky. You were already informed of when it will take place.”

Lin Dong, Zhou Yan, Xiao Bei, Da Luo, and Wu Sen were all stunned when they heard this.

Their last match?

What did it mean?

Even if they were to lose this match, they should still have been able to play a few more. Why was this their last?

In their anger, only one word floated to the front of Lin Dong’s mind: banned!

The organizers were banning them from competing?

“Why… why would you ban us from competing?” asked Lin Dong.

“There are still problems with Xiao Bei’s identification, and this time, we have to be more strict in dealing with it!” said Ai Ke solemnly.

Hearing that, Team Skycrown was even more stunned. Their eyes all fell on Xiao Bei!

They clearly remembered Yu Luocheng saying that a player with identification issues would immediately be banned from the competition. They were lucky that Ai Ke had previously been willing to give them a chance.

This was something that Team Skycrown was very aware of, and that was why they had mercilessly grilled Xiao Bei with questions before this match started.

Xiao Bei and Jian Feng had confidently said that even the office had confirmed that there would be no problems…

How could this still be happening?

“Impossible, that’s impossible! I already went to the Public Security Bureau and they said that I was registered,” exclaimed Xiao Bei.

“My assistant told me that the information you gave us was still unable to be verified,” said Ai Ke, glancing at them before continuing, “A team that has been banned will be unable to qualify for the competition rewards and will not receive any subsidies. You can forget about the fifth round against Team Sky too. Whether you win or lose, it’s meaningless now.”

Cold and sharp, Ai Ke’s words pierced their hearts like ice!

No team subsidy, no reward…

How can this be? How can this be?!

***

The spring wind was still as cold as ever. Team Skycrown didn’t even know how they left the arena, and had no idea how they made it back to their shabby accommodation.

With the hot weather, the smell of mold in the room was more prominent than ever. Unable to stand the smell, Jian Feng and Li Meiqi desperately wanted to open the windows to let some air in, but it was also raining outside.

Wu Sen and Zhou Yan were sitting on chairs and staring blankly ahead. Ai Ke’s words kept replaying in their minds.

No team subsidy, no rewards…

Having no support from anyone, Team Skycrown had been counting on getting the team subsidy to ensure their survival. To them, that was even more important than the prizes that came with winning!

Just like that… nothing.

For a long time, no one in the room said anything.

The air was heavy and suffocating.

Dong dong dong!

The sound of loud footsteps and cries came from outside.

Lin Dong lazily raised his head, watching as Xiao Bei entered. He was completely soaked. You couldn’t tell whether he was rubbing tears or rain water off his face.

“Everyone… I… I really don’t understand what happened. Lin Dong, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I… I really did ask properly, and they told me… I… I’ll go to the Public Security Bureau again.”

Xiao Bei didn’t know what else to say.

Identification problem…

After properly taking care of his identity registration, Xiao Bei really didn’t expect that this would be a problem again. He couldn’t believe that just because of him, Team Skycrown was now banned from the LPL.

And to add insult to injury, they were also losing the team subsidy!

Team Skycrown really didn’t have much money right now, and they had been banking on getting the team subsidy to survive. Due to their few previous victories in the LPL, they were once again being contacted by sponsors.

But once the ban became public knowledge, those sponsors would undoubtedly turn their backs on them at once. Then, Team Skycrown would be left penniless again…

With no money and no coach, how would they participate in competitions? More importantly, if they were unable to take part in the LPL, what was the point of even forming the team in the first place?

This realization hit Team Skycrown hard, and they were left in daze for a long time.

“Xiao Bei, get back here. It’s pointless. The organizers have already made their decision. Even if you get your identity registration sorted out, they still won’t take back the ban,” said Zhou Yan, shaking his head.

“I… I’ll go talk to them. This is on me. Even if they’re adamant on the ban, they should only ban me. This has nothing to do with you guys,” said Xiao Bei tearily.

Looking at the expressions on everyone’s face, the already fragile Xiao Bei’s heart shattered even more. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t expect to be the cause of Team Skycrown getting kicked out of the LPL.

Because of him, everyone’s chance of pursuing e-sports had been taken away, and they had to bid farewell to the professional league!

“Banning involves the entire team. Isn’t there another way to handle this?” said Li Meiqi.

“There is,” replied Da Luo, sighing coldly, “Disband Team Skycrown. Then, we’ll join other teams as individual professional players. That’s probably the only thing the organizers will agree to.”

“How… how can Team Skycrown be disbanded?” exclaimed Jian Feng in shock.

“There’s no other way. I don’t understand, we’ve worked so hard and endured so much for so long, and now, right when we’re about to defeat Team Sky, this sort of sh*t happens? I really don’t understand, I don’t!” yelled Da Luo.

He stood up and stomped into a room, angrily slamming the door shut.

Bam!

The slamming of the door shook the entire place and could even be heard outside. The sound was like a nail through Xiao Bei’s heart.

Xiao Bei cried as he continued to apologize, “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

The room was once again filled with a heavy silence, with the exception of his tearful apologies ringing out again and again.

“I’ll make it up to you guys somehow… I will, I really will. Team Skycrown won’t disband… it won’t…”

Xiao Bei looked at everyone else with his red eyes, but suddenly it felt like everyone’s gazes had become so cold, like they were strangers.

Wasn’t it only a short while ago that everyone was united in confronting their longtime enemy, Team Sky? Why did it now suddenly seem like the end of Team Skycrown?

Was it really the end?

There was a white document on the table, stamped with the organizers’ official seal…

Picking it up and scanning through, Xiao Bei’s eyes stopped on the words ‘banned from further competitions’.

For a long, long while, Xiao Bei felt like this was all just a dream. But holding the official document in his hand was like a harsh slap back to reality, reminding him that Team Skycrown was done for.

The official document of suspension really drilled home the message that Team Skycrown would never again be able to participate in the LPL professional league…

And it was all his fault.

Xiao Bei felt like his entire body was submerged in cold water. Even if the rain water wasn’t dripping down his body, he still felt chilled to the bone. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.

All of their hard work… all of it just went down the drain.

Lin Dong has suffered and worked so hard to get everyone back on the team. Life already had him bound by heavy shackles and caused him to lose so much. E-sports was the only path he had left…

Da Luo had experienced so much pain to come back to the world of e-sports. And the only reason he had even returned was because he wanted to shed that laughable part of himself, and allow people to see him in all his glory.

Yu Luocheng had already given his all to Team Skycrown, and was now suffering as he waited in that hospital…

There were also Li Meiqi and Jian Fei, who had both continuously worked so hard to build this team.

In a flash, it was now all over.

All their talk about beating Team Sky, about going up against Team Daemons again, about taking over the world… it was all impossible now…

Due to this ban, their e-sports dreams have been completely and utterly shattered to pieces!

***

Time passed and the living room was still submerged in a heavy silence. The rain continued to fall heavily outside, giving people a sense of frustration.

Xiao Bei had hidden himself away somewhere to reflect and wallow in his self-pity and self-blame. His phone was still on the table, vibrating relentlessly. Irritated by the constant vibrating, Lin Dong answered the call somewhat unhappily.

The moment the call was taken, words came out from the speaker.

“Hey Xiao Bei, hahaha, you did good! Don’t worry, Uncle isn’t so petty. I previously told you that it would take a hundred and twenty thousand yuan, so I will only take that amount. The remaining thirty thousand yuan is yours. That’s still more than the twenty thousand yuan you would have gotten if you won the prize money, right?”

As the room was dead silent, everyone could hear the words coming from the phone!

Initially, everyone had blank looks in their eyes, but they snapped back to reality the moment they heard what Lian Guan said. Disbelief was written all over their faces.

The line was immediately cut, but Lin Dong was still blankly holding onto Xiao Bei’s phone, not really back to his senses yet…

“How could Xiao Bei do this?!” said Li Meiqi, stunned.

Having chosen that precise moment to re-enter the living room, Da Luo heard every word Lian Guan said.

He angrily snatched the phone, roaring furiously, “I knew it, I knew it! Xiao Bei, Xiao Bei! Get the f*ck out here!”

“Da Luo, calm down. It’s definitely not what you think it is!” said Zhou Yan, trying his best to hold back the furious boy.

Da Luo ignored him and ran into the room. Not seeing Xiao Bei there, he realized that the door to the toilet was locked. He pounded on it heavily, shouting, “Xiao Bei, come out! Explain to us what the h*ll is going on!”

Out of his right mind, all Da Luo wanted was an outlet to release his rage onto.

What kind of mistake was this? How could it be repeated? This had dragged the entire team down!

Lin Dong dragged Da Luo away from the door. “Da Luo, enough!”

Lin Dong was well aware that Xiao Bei would never do this sort of thing. There was no one more pure and innocent, no one who was more hyped for the glory of Team Skycrown. There had to be someone pulling the strings.

Lian Guan, it had to be Lian Guan!

He often played mahjong with people from Sky Club, and could have accidentally told them about the problem with Xiao Bei’s identification registration. It was entirely possible that they used this issue to set a trap!

Xu Pingyang couldn’t wait to uproot Team Skycrown, and they wouldn’t put it past him to do something like this.

“Xiao Bei, come on out. It’s definitely Xu Pingyang who bribed your uncle. We don’t blame you,” said Lin Dong calmly as he knocked gently on the door.

Xiao Bei still didn’t dare to come out and continued to hide inside.

Everyone knew that Xiao Bei was still a kid, and this was something that had impacted him heavily. How could they blame him? He had also given so much in the name of Team Skycrown.

At the time when Lin Dong was unable to get the other members back, Xiao Bei had stood with the team from start to end. Even though other professional teams had been willing to take him in, Xiao Bei was still willing to fight with Team Skycrown, even though he wouldn’t get a single penny.

With his capabilities, he could have joined any other LPL team, and would have received way better treatment than during his time with Team Skycrown.

“Xiao Bei…it’s alright,” said Lin Dong comfortingly.

Through the closed door, Lin Dong thought he heard a soft ‘wa ah’, which he assumed to be the sound of Xiao Bei crying. He patiently waited outside while speaking comforting words, hoping that the young boy would feel better after letting it all out…

***

At the hospital, Yu Luocheng was sitting outside the operating room. His head was leaning against the plastic chair, and his gaze was fixed on the white wall.

The presence of Yu Yu and Li Yun sitting beside him made him feel somewhat anxious and reassured at the same time. After waiting for so long, his father’s operation was finally being carried out.

The doctor had reiterated many times that this operation had a very high chance of success. As long as the donor liver was a match, the operation would go smoothly. Yu Jing would be able to recover and live his days like normal, perhaps in even better condition than he was before.

The operation would take a long time and there was a lot of preparation work to be done before it could begin. Yu Luocheng had no idea what the process of replacing a liver was like. All he could do was to sit there waiting and watching the operating room light.

***

It felt like a very long wait.

Yu Luocheng had already been in the hospital for such a long time, but the wait for the operation felt even longer than that.

Finally, the light on the sign outside the operating room turned off. Just like in the movies, the first person to emerge was the attending doctor, who had already taken off his mask.

“The operation was a success and the patient is in good condition. He’s lucky that the liver we transplanted into him didn’t show too much of an adverse reaction. Now, he just needs to rest and recuperate. Some of the things that he can’t eat has been written on his chart. Just take note of that, and everything will be fine,” said the middle-aged doctor, smiling kindly.

“Thank you, thank you. Really, thank you so much..”

Li Yun was so relieved that she couldn’t stop thanking the doctor. Her eyes were once again full of tears. But this time, they were tears of joy.

When she found out that Yu Jing needed a liver transplant, Li Yun had already silently shed tears many times here at LeCheng Hospital. During those times, she was always in low spirits and couldn’t even bring herself to eat properly.

Constantly worrying that the person who had been by her side for so many years would suddenly just disappear from the world…

But luck had chosen to smile down upon him.

“Doctor, when will my father wake up?” asked Yu Yu hurriedly.

“It shouldn’t take too long, the operation went very smoothly,” replied the doctor.

The doctor also looked tired. After all, the operation had taken a long time.

***

“Cheng, Yu Yu, why don’t you go eat something first? Your father should be alright,” said Li Yun, smiling at her children through her tears.

Yu Luocheng nodded his head and walked towards the exit. He felt like it had been a long time since he’d taken a breath of fresh air outside the hospital…

Now that his father’s operation had been a success, it felt like a weight was lifted from him. He didn’t know what the date was today, but he vaguely remembered two student doctors saying that today was the day of the rematch between Team Skycrown and Team Sky.

Despite keeping his phone turned off, Yu Luocheng already knew that Team Skycrown had been banned. He learned of the news from the discussion between the two student doctors.

But that conversation had taken place right around the time of Yu Jing’s operation, so Yu Luocheng didn’t have much time to think on it.

***

After they finished eating, Yu Yu was back to her lively self, holding onto her brother’s arm and chattering non-stop. Yu Luocheng was somewhat worried about the competition, but was not yet in the right mind to ask about it.

As they walked through the halls of the hospital, a familiar figure came into sight.

Lin Dong stood in front of Yu Luocheng. “Boss…”

Lin Dong did not look like his usual self. He was not wearing his hat and his hair was a mess, like it had not been washed in days. There were dark circles under his eyes, giving him a haunted look. His eyes were red, like he had been crying.

“How did your dad’s operation go?” asked Lin Dong.

Yu Luocheng nodded his head. “Yeah, everything went smoothly.”

“That’s good… here, this is for you. Our sudden death match against Team Sky is this afternoon. We’ll still be fighting, even though we’re down by one person.”

With that said, Lin Dong handed a white document to Yu Luocheng before he turned around and left without another word.

Yu Luocheng didn’t understand why Lin Dong was acting so strangely.

Come to think of it, the competition ban must have hit them really hard.

Even if there were only four of them, they would still fight?

“You’re not allowed to go, Dad hasn’t even woken up yet. You have to at least wait for him to wake up…” said Yu Yu, concerned that her brother would run off immediately and try to prevent that from happening.

“I know.”

Yu Luocheng turned around to look at Lin Dong’s retreating back.

Why did he look somewhat strange?

Forget it, they could talk about it later once he had settled his own family problems.

Bzzt bzzt bzzt…

Suddenly, Yu Yu’s phone rang with a call from their mother.

Li Yun’s trembling voice came through the phone, “Come quickly, your father has woken up!”

“Dad’s up, that’s great!”

Yu Yu grabbed Yu Luocheng’s arm, flying towards their father’s room like a baby bird taking flight for the first time while dragging her brother along behind her.

Yu Luocheng shoved paper that Lin Dong had given him into his pocket, hurriedly keeping up with Yu Yu.

***

The room wasn’t as cold as it used to be, and Yu Luocheng could hear the sounds of his mother’s laughter. Yu Yu’s voice also rang out joyfully as she dropped her hold on him and rushed over to Yu Jing’s bedside.

Despite having various tubes attached to his body, Yu Jing managed to force out a smile.

To be honest, he thought that he would never see his family again…

Yu Jing still was somewhat groggy, as the anesthesia was not fully out of his system yet. Knowing that the room was small and fearing that he would disturb his father’s rest, Yu Luocheng chose to wait outside for a little while.

As soon as he plopped down onto a chair, he let out a long sigh of relief.

His father was alright…

In the room, Yu Yu and his mother were talking in low voices. He could see that Yu Jing waking up had taken away the anxiety in their hearts. Yu Luocheng also felt lighter than he had in a long time.

Digging through his pockets, he pulled out the piece of paper that Lin Dong gave him earlier.

“Isn’t this the suspension notice?” wondered Yu Luocheng as he looked at it, his heart suddenly pounding in his ears.

Everyone had poured so much effort into preparing for the LPL, and because of this ban, it had all been for nothing.

It really felt like fate was playing with them, not allowing these people who were so passionate about e-sports to do what they loved.

Eh? There seemed to be something written on the other side.

Noticing this, Yu Luocheng flipped the paper…

There were rows and rows of densely-packed words written on the back of the suspension notice.

Reading the first line alone made Yu Luocheng freeze, his blood running cold.

What is this?

What the h*ll was written here?!

Impossible… it’s impossible!!

Lin Dong had spoken in an odd tone.

“Was your dad’s operation alright?”

“That’s good…”

Yu Luocheng’s mind replayed Lin Dong’s expression, and his ears were ringing with his words!

At first, Yu Luocheng thought that Lin Dong had simply been expressing concern, but now he understood the deeper meaning behind those words!

“Our sudden death match against Team Sky is this afternoon. We’ll still be fighting, even though we’re down by one person.”

Down by one person!

Why would they be down by one person?!

Even if the whole team had been banned, there was no reason why they wouldn’t have enough people for their last match…

Why… why hadn’t he understood the meaning behind those words? Why had he naively assumed that it was because of Xiao Bei’s identification problems?

Yu Luocheng stared blankly at the words, before jumping up and taking off at a run!

***

Doctor Lan was a well-known doctor who had just returned from overseas. Having performed many major surgeries over the years, he was very experienced.

He had only recently taken over Yu Jing’s case and had been worried by the lack of a suitable liver donor.

However, Yu Jing really had such good luck.

Most liver transplants were assigned by hospitals according to a case by case situation. It was almost impossible for most people to find a suitable match. After all, the criteria for donors were very strict.

Most of the time, liver transplants would be obtained from youths who had commited suicide, as the livers of accident victims were usually too damaged to be of any further use.

What surprised Doctor Lan was that someone had willingly donated his liver to this middle-aged man just a few days ago. With a young liver like this and no adverse reactions, Yu Jing would be able to recover and live a healthier life than ever before…

Bam!!

While Doctor Lan was reminiscing about the successful operation, a young man suddenly slammed his door open and barged into the room.

Taking a look, he realised it was his patient’s son. Why the h*ck had he come here?

Yu Luocheng’s unwavering gaze was fixed on the doctor.

“Doctor Lan… tell me… my old man… did someone donate their liver to him?!”

Doctor Lan nodded his head. “Yes.”

“Tell me his name!”

“I’m sorry, our hospital policy doesn’t allow us to disclose the names of donors. He doesn’t need your gratitude, as long as your father lives a healthy life with his liver, that is the best thanks you can give him,” said Doctor Lan.

Yu Luocheng’s eyes were red as he pleaded again, “Please, tell me his name!”

“Why do you ask? Isn’t the fact that your father is cured all that matters?” asked Doctor Lan.

Doctor Lan took a closer look at the young man standing before him. Unknowingly, a crowd had gathered around the entrance of his office, drawn by Yu Luocheng’s odd behaviour and loud demands.

Doctor Lan shook his head, sighing deeply as he said, “He was roughly the age of sixteen or seventeen, a child who commited suicide by cutting his wrist. To prevent the blood from clotting, he soaked his arm in water… the one who tended to him for emergency treatment was also myself, unfortunately…

“The police have also investigated and obtained his handwritten testament, I believe someone would have passed it on to you…”

Each word that came from Doctor Lan’s mouth felt like a knife piercing into Yu Luocheng’s heart!

He leaned against the doorway as his legs gave way, feeling like there wasn’t a single bone in his entire body. His mind was raging in turmoil, like an endless crashing of waves.

Boom!

Trembling and shaking, he fell to the floor as he lost all the strength in his body.

***

Doctor Lan looked at Yu Luocheng again, noting that he was clutching a piece of white paper in his right hand…

He stood up, and quietly closed the door behind him as he exited the room, giving space to the youth who needed to read the testament properly.

“Doctor Lan, is everything alright?” asked a nurse.

“It’s alright, just give the child some space, don’t bother him,” said Doctor Lan calmly.

***

In the empty room, Yu Luocheng’s hand was touching but not really feeling the smooth texture of the paper. Something that was so light felt so extremely heavy in his hand.

He was still leaning against the wall with his head buried in his knees, feeling numb. The moment the door closed with a click, he let out a sorrowful wail as the tears he had been holding back started to gush out!

Everyone passing by the room could hear his devastating cries.

“Isn’t this young man’s father fine? Why is he crying like that?” asked an old nurse.

“His father is cured, but he has lost another person who is important to him…” said Doctor Lan, his gentle voice filled with understanding.

In a hospital, doctors were accustomed to seeing both joy and sorrow, as well as occasions of both life and death. However, Doctor Lan had never seen a case like this before.

What was it that gave such a young child the courage to end his own life, in order to save the father of another child?

***

Tears fell on the crisp white paper as Yu Luocheng finally opened the crushed document that he hadn’t dared to read yet, slowly taking in each and every word on it…

He could clearly remember how elated and relieved he felt when he first found out that someone was willing to donate their liver to his father. But little did he know, that donor was actually someone he held dear.

And the words that this someone wanted to tell Yu Luocheng were written on this piece of paper…

***

Luocheng,

Didn’t you say that your dad was rejecting e-sports with every fiber of his being? Now, he won’t be like that anymore, since there’s at least one organ inside him right now that’s as passionate about e-sports as you are.

Luocheng, something you once said really hit me hard. It was when you first took Team Wings to the top, when you stood proud on the world stage, telling them that it’s not a game, it’s a war!

Do you know how many people in the e-sports industry were moved by those words?

Do you know how cool you looked? How awesome it felt for us when you trampled over those foreign players who so arrogantly thought that they were the best?

It was at that moment I decided to become an e-sports player just like you!

I wanted to win the World Championship for you and erase all your regrets. I always told myself to work harder and be stronger, so that I could become just as amazing as you were when you first took what is now Team Skycrown to the top… I promised that I would definitely help you get into Worlds!

But because of my stupidity, I have let all of you down.

When I held this suspension notice in my hands, I knew that it would be almost impossible for everyone to play professionally anymore, and that our Team Skycrown would even have to be disbanded.

We came together after so much suffering, so how could we go our separate ways just like that?

That’s why, I thought of a way to stop the team from disbanding. Instead, this will give you guys a chance to rebuild with all the strong players…

Luocheng, Team Skycrown really really needs you. Lin Dong, Da Luo, Wu Sen, Zhou Yan… they all need you very much.

I know that as long as you come back, Team Skycrown will not disband. Only you will be able to take them to Worlds!

Luocheng, there is no one else in this world who loves e-sports more than you. Since you love it so much, why do you have to let it go?!

When you didn’t win the World Championship, were you really satisfied?

Now, there is nothing stopping you from returning to the world of professional e-sports.

With you, Team Skycrown can only grow to be more glorious than ever!

Take back all that you have lost, defeat all those who have stepped on your head, and win back the World Championship that you lost so long ago!

When you do, remember to pour wine for me on the stage where you win the World Championship, alright?

— E-sports player, Xiao Bei.

***

Yu Luocheng could recall Xiao Bei’s last words to him with absolute clarity.

“Luocheng, I will definitely win the World Championship, definitely!”

At the time, his childlike naivety caused him to still hold so much hope for a limitless future. Yu Luocheng had wanted to tell him that getting to Worlds would not be so simple…

But seeing the last line in Xiao Bei’s letter, Yu Luocheng’s tears started anew!

***

Wine on the stage where we win the World Championship…

Why… why won’t you be there with us too?

Why would you end your own life? Why would you donate your liver?

Don’t you know winning the World Championship isn’t something that’s very difficult for me—Yu Luocheng?

The hard part for me is having to let you go… knowing that I let you slip through my fingers, and that ashes are all that is left of you now…

****

Author’s Note: I’m sorry for writing something so depressing, but it can’t be helped. I’m not an author who only writes plots that are light and uplifting, so sometimes there will be certain things and situations that are depressing. Novels are the same as e-sports, both require supporters. I hope that everyone will vote in the monthly polls and recommendations, to let the actual transmutation of an e-sports player be known to more people. Well, our protagonist will return soon.

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