Just as Xu Qing was feeling hesitant, Bai Ya finally spoke up. She shook her head, saying, “I have no intention of quitting the team for the time being.”
As a hardcore fan of their pairing, how could she give up so easily? This was a rare and golden opportunity.
Putting her fan-shipping brain aside, Bai Ya fanned herself with her small, feather-adorned hand and offered another reason: “The flies on the internet are so annoying that they make me restless. I hope joining the Break of Dawn team will be a good opportunity to swat these flies dead.”
Wan Yi remarked, “You treat our team like a fly swatter.”
Bai Ya shrugged without denying it: “I just hope the fly swatter has enough battery power so we can eliminate as many as possible in one swipe.”
With that, the Break of Dawn team officially assembled and began their endless daily training sessions. Bai Ya moved into their base as well. For this reason, Pei Shiyu hired people to clean out their three-hundred-square-meter facility entirely. Considering it might be inconvenient for Bai Ya as a girl, he even hired an auntie to cook for the team, who moved into the room next to Bai Ya.
On the day of the city semi-finals, Pei Shiyu rented a business van and drove the whole team over. As a non-roster member on the big list, Xu Qing helped them carry equipment and various supplies for emergencies that might arise during the competition.
After putting the things away, Xu Qing sat next to Pei Shiyu and joked, “Tell me, President Pei, Boss Pei, do you have any plans to pay your non-roster employee?”
Pei Shiyu nodded: “Yes. We will discuss the specific salary after the semi-finals end.”
This time, it was Xu Qing who was stunned; he had only been joking.
Pei Shiyu leaned back against the seat with an eye mask on. Seeing that Xu Qing did not answer, he pulled the mask up to his forehead: “Why, do you not plan on coming over? Or is it that you cannot bear to leave Boss Cai?”
Although Xu Qing always claimed he did not have a game account, whenever he sat in on their training matches, he would sometimes fill in as a substitute. The professional awareness he displayed at times was no different from that of a professional player. Perhaps, like his own reason for wanting to reach the KOL league, Xu Qing had his own reasons for not wanting to play professionally. But regardless of whether it was as a player or a member of the racing and training group, Pei Shiyu said earnestly: “I am very sincerely hoping that you can join my team.”
Xu Qing saw his own reflection in Pei Shiyu’s dark, bright, and serious eyes. He agreed on a whim, then turned his head and coughed awkwardly.
“Is the air conditioning still too high?” Pei Shiyu’s cold, low, and slightly husky voice sounded right next to Xu Qing’s ear.
Xu Qing’s eyes darted around, stuttering rarely: “No, is it not high?”
Compared to the strange atmosphere between Pei Shiyu and Xu Qing, the other teammates of the Break of Dawn team were a bit nervous because they were about to play their first offline match.
Lu Xinyu gripped his pants: “Have you participated in this kind of offline competition before?”
The other three shook their heads.
Wan Yi looked at Bai Ya: “You are already considered one of the top ten streamers in Eternal who have gone viral, right? Have you never participated in an offline event?”
Bai Ya shook her head.
Wan Li looked at his stupid brother: “You forgot she never showed her face before. How could she possibly participate in an offline event?”
After the group traded some banter, the tense atmosphere eased up significantly.
Listening to them talk, Xu Qing looked at Pei Shiyu, who had already put his eye mask back on to take a nap.
Xu Qing tilted his head: “Are you not nervous?”
After a long while, Pei Shiyu answered with a hint of weariness: “I am nervous.”
Xu Qing looked at Pei Shiyu, whose every strand of hair looked no different from usual. Although Pei Shiyu said he was nervous, Xu Qing could not feel it at all.
“Are you the same as usual when you are nervous?”
“No, it is different.”
Pei Shiyu still kept his eye mask on, but his hand accurately grabbed Xu Qing’s hand.
Pei Shiyu asked: “Can you feel it?”
“Nervous, very cold, and shaking.”
Xu Qing froze completely, taking a long while to find his voice: “What?”
Pei Shiyu squeezed Xu Qing’s fingers hard again, his cold voice filled with a trace of confusion: “Why are your hands colder than mine?”
Xu Qing stiffly pulled his fingers back: “I felt it.”
He turned his head and exhaled a heavy breath, discovering that he was drenched in cold sweat despite the 24-degree air-conditioned van.
Pei Shiyu, sitting on the inside, subconsciously grabbed at the air after his hand was empty, feeling as if the temperature of Xu Qing’s fingers was still lingering on his fingertips. While inexplicably calming his nervousness, a strange and indescribable feeling surged within him.
At the city semi-final venue, located in a remote, near-abandoned gymnasium in Bo Teng City, there were not many people watching the game. At the very least, not even half of the gymnasium was filled; those who came were mostly local students. To sell tickets, the organizers had even partnered with local tourist attractions for promotional events. Although the audience was sparse, the competition was quite formal, with hosts, equipment, live streaming, and sponsors all present.
The staff members looked at Pei Shiyu and Bai Ya twice when they saw them signing in with their game IDs. After hesitating for a long time, they could not help but ask: “Are you two really Jingzhe and Bai Ya?”
Pei Shiyu was just about to nod when Wan Yi could not help but brag: “If you are asking if they are the Peak Rank number one Jingzhe and the famous streamer Bai Ya, then let me give you a clear answer: Yes, that is correct! It is them!”
After Wan Yi’s answer, the staff’s gaze toward the two became scorching. He was only a temporary hire at the gym and had not paid attention to who was competing before he arrived, thinking it was just a small, casual event. He never expected to see two celebrities from Eternal in such an obscure, little-known team!
Xu Qing led the people toward the waiting area. “Next time you want to announce those fancy titles, can you leave it to me? Okay.” Xu Qing pointed to the “Person in Charge” tag he had just hung on his nameplate. Actually, he also had a stack of other tags, including “Logistics Personnel,” “Competition Director,” “Coach,” and so on. There was no helping it; the team was too small, and he had to be a jack-of-all-trades.
Wan Yi replied: “Understood, Coach Big Ice.”
In the waiting area next to them, their opponents, the Little Tiger Team, entered one after another. There were many more of them than their group of six, and they looked much more professional.
Xu Qing asked: “How come it is the same semi-final, but their setup looks so luxurious?”
Lu Xinyu explained: “Because they are publicly funded.”
Xu Qing scratched his head in confusion: “Publicly funded team, what does that mean?”
Lu Xinyu: “Do you remember when I told you there is an excavator and culinary vocational college in Bo Teng City?”
Xu Qing: “So are they public drivers, or public chefs?”
Lu Xinyu: “Neither. This university opened an Esports major in the last two years.”
Xu Qing pointed to the opposite side: “This is the publicly funded one?”
“The opponents this time are students of that school’s Esports major, and the people accompanying the team are likely their teachers.”
Xu Qing saw it for the first time: “This is allowed?”
Lu Xinyu shrugged: “After all, the most effective way to test this major is to participate in competitions and win the championship. I heard they also have partnerships with several major KOL teams and want to cultivate youth players specifically for them.”
At 18:00 sharp, accompanied by the host’s introduction, the Bo Teng City semi-final officially began. The tournament was a best-of-five series. Although the Little Tiger Team was a public academy team, they were still a notch below the Break of Dawn team.
Apart from the first match, where Wan Yi, as the marksman, was caught and killed twice in a row due to nervousness from his first offline match, the mid-laner Wan Li’s timely support and Lu Xinyu’s timely protection as support ensured the opponents did not get a third chance to catch Wan Yi. In the first game, after 23 minutes of steady play, they took down the Dragon’s buff and won.
In the second game, after the Break of Dawn members adapted to the offline rhythm, they ended the game in a mere 15 minutes. This concluded the first half and led to the halftime break.
As a qualified, multi-titled Xu Qing, he handed over the fruit and energy-replenishing snacks he had prepared as soon as the five returned to the break area. Xu Qing congratulated them: “Everyone played very well. You exerted 80% of your training strength.”
Wan Yi was in high spirits: “That is right, we will end the game 3-0 in the second half, get the qualification for the city finals, enter the provincial competition, and head all the way to the KOL!”
Wan Li was blunt: “Half the kills in the first game were given away by you.”
Wan Yi refused to admit defeat: “That was only because their mid-laner and jungler came to catch me together at the start!”
The two brothers bickered for a while. Pei Shiyu did not stop their fighting, nor did he review the match like he usually did after training games. Although they still had mistakes, winning was the best proof. “Everyone keep it up in the second half.”
Bai Ya habitually took out her phone to play, but it was promptly confiscated by Xu Qing. Bai Ya looked at Xu Qing expressionlessly.
Xu Qing: “Team rules: no phones allowed during the competition. Your mind should be on the game.”
Bai Ya was confused: “When did the team have this rule?”
Xu Qing kept a straight face: “Just now.”
Bai Ya paused: “You.”
Xu Qing smiled: “It is a new rule added by your new coach. If you do not believe me, ask your captain.”
Bai Ya cast a gloomy look at Pei Shiyu. Pei Shiyu cooperated after a beat and nodded: “There is indeed this rule.”
The halftime break lasted for thirty minutes. Everyone replenished their energy and went to the bathroom. Xu Qing carried all six phones in his backpack.
Pei Shiyu sat down next to Xu Qing. “What happened on the internet?”
Xu Qing was stunned, looking at Pei Shiyu. Pei Shiyu’s gaze fell on the gymnasium’s big screen: “If something had not happened on the internet, you do not seem like the type of person who would meddle in other people’s business.”
Even in official KOL competitions, professional coaches do not allow players to go online to read messages. After all, comments from fans or the audience in a fit of rage are completely irrational. However, players clearly should not pay the price for these irrational comments, and more importantly, they should not let these irrational voices affect their performance in the next game.
Pei Shiyu turned his head to look at Xu Qing: “So, what are they saying online?”