The Suzhou Expo Center was packed to the brim with people. Young fans passionately waved their support banners as they took their seats in the venue.
The GPL qualifiers in the Suzhou division spanned two days and utilized a best-of-three match format.
Stepping off the SR team bus and entering the long-awaited arena, Yan Shu felt nothing but sheer excitement.
Before entering the venue, Zhuoyue handed Yan Shu a black face mask, his tone casual. “Put this on. Don’t cause a commotion.”
Yan Shu accepted the mask, but when he looked up, Zhuoyue had already walked on ahead.
The rest of the first team was unusually quiet compared to usual. Even Lin Qi, typically the most talkative of the lot, acted as though he had been struck dumb.
Upon entering the arena lounge, first-team coach Jane walked in, standing before everyone with analytical data in hand.
During regular training sessions, Coach Jane preferred letting the players grow freely, but whenever critical matches arrived, he always emphasized opponent analysis beforehand.
“Today we face the FLY team first. Their recent performance hasn’t been great either. Even so, do not underestimate our opponents. Give it everything you’ve got, understand?” Jane’s voice rang out loudly.
Prompted by the encouragement, Yan Shu gave a soft, quiet affirmation.
Silence filled the training room. Aside from Yan Shu, no one responded to the coach’s words.
Jane let out a sigh, walked behind the SR first-team members, and delivered a solid smack to the backs of the three newest additions to the squad.
Lin Qi let out an exaggerated yelp. “Coach, why are you handing out physical punishment right before a match?”
“What are you all so nervous about? The qualifiers have barely started and you’ve already lost your voices. Planning to crawl into a gopher hole when the finals roll around?” Coach Jane joked, trying to liven up the team atmosphere.
Lin Qi was the first to break, letting out a chuckle.
Coach Jane nodded in satisfaction. “That’s more like it. Don’t be nervous for your first match. Your Captain Zhuoyue played his very first game like an absolute fiend, hunting down the opposing players and beating them to a pulp, completely stunning the veterans and securing our SR team’s first trophy.”
Lin Qi nodded. “Got it, got it. We’ll just beat the daylights out of them.”
“Use your brains. You’re a marksman, play it safe,” Zhuoyue said, turning his gaze toward the mid-laner and support. “You two need to be careful with your rotations, understand? Leave everything else to me. Xuanqing, you should try playing a battle-frontier hero too, and help me initiate team fights.”
The silent trio nodded one after another.
The only person in the room left unaddressed was Yan Shu. Having already put on his black mask, he stood quietly in the corner, blending into the background.
With the first match about to begin, Zhuoyue cast a sidelong glance at Yan Shu without a word before heading out first to handle the pre-match interviews.
Once Zhuoyue left, silence settled over the lounge once more.
Lin Qi paced restlessly back and forth across the open floor. Luo Yan was equally nervous, though he tried to act tough by calling out Lin Qi. “Stop pacing. Are you really that stressed?”
“Then stop shaking your legs. Stop pretending, you’re nervous too,” Lin Qi snapped back.
Right at that moment, Xu Ya stood up. “I, my stomach hurts.”
“Go hit the restroom then, the match is about to start,” Luo Yan urged.
Noticing his player’s physical discomfort, Coach Jane stepped forward to check on the situation. It turned out Xu Ya had chugged a can of iced cola on the bus that morning, and the nervous tension had triggered his stomach, likely resulting in diarrhea.
“Go take care of it quickly. The team doctor will arrive at the venue shortly, grab some medicine before heading onto the stage,” Jane said, knowing full well that these youngsters lacked tournament experience and anxiety was inevitable.
Just before the match, Xu Ya managed to wrap up his bathroom trip and joined his teammates heading onto the stage.
Left behind in the lounge as the substitute, Yan Shu could hear how lively the arena was just through the wall, accompanied by the exhilarating, pumping music. Four years ago, these were the sounds he was most familiar with.
Yet today, all he could do was hide in the lounge and listen.
“Hey, why are you still in here?” Manager Xu opened the lounge door and spotted Yan Shu.
Keeping his head down, Yan Shu replied with a hint of disappointment, “It doesn’t look like my turn to play.”
“Come on, follow me out to the audience seating. Isn’t it boring sitting in here all by yourself?”
Following Manager Xu from the backstage area into the front rows of the audience seating, Yan Shu felt a sudden sting in his nose the moment he stepped into the venue.
Years ago, on much grander stages, how many trophies had he and his TW teammates lifted right in the center of the arena?
One, two, or maybe five or six? More or less?
He couldn’t remember clearly anymore.
He only remembered a certain saying.
Old warriors never die, they simply fade away.
The moment Yan Shu actually settled into the substitute bench down below, he truly experienced the reality of riding the bench. The surrounding noise, the pumping music, and the blinding stage lights had nothing to do with him anymore.
A wave of negative emotions washed over him, causing Yan Shu to close his eyes. In his mind’s eye, the handwriting of his late mother suddenly appeared.
My child, you shine so brightly when pursuing your dreams. Keep walking forward.
Four years had passed. Dragging a battered, broken body, Yan Shu had crawled his way back to the battlefield. His conviction was far firmer than that of ordinary people.
Regaining his composure, Yan Shu redirected his focus to the stage just like any ordinary spectator.
Just as Coach Jane had predicted, the skill gap between the SR team and the FLY team was substantial. No matter how hard the FLY team tried, they failed to secure a single game.
None of the three morning matches went the full distance. The SR team shut out the FLY team with a clean sweep, finishing early to head off for a break.
During the midday team lunch, smiles finally returned to the faces of the first-team members, and the atmosphere lacked the gloomy dead silence of the morning.
“I didn’t expect playing the FLY team to be so easy,” Lin Qi gestured casually, a smug look crossing his face. “It was pretty effortless.”
“Don’t get too arrogant. This was just the first match. The opponents we face from here on out will only get stronger,” Coach Jane warned sternly.
Dishes filled the dining table one after another. Having made multiple trips to the restroom that morning, Xu Ya felt completely hollowed out and starving. He devoured his food frantically.
“Are you sure your stomach doesn’t hurt anymore? Our team doctor’s transport got stuck in traffic on the way, but they’ve just arrived at the venue. If you’re feeling unwell, go take some medicine,” Coach Jane asked with concern.
Having won so many games, Xu Ya had long since shaken off his nervousness and cared only about filling his stomach. “Coach, I’m fine. Just send the doctor back and leave the medicine with us.”
“Sigh, fine then. Poor person has to work on a weekend and now wasted a trip,” Jane called the doctor to tell them they could head back. The SR team couldn’t afford full-time medical staff, so they always relied on part-timers.
Following lunch, the SR team retreated to the lounge for a midday nap.
Knowing he had no chance of playing today, Yan Shu saw no point in resting and simply sat in the corner with his phone to practice.
Zhuoyue sat leaning back against the sofa with his eyes closed to rest. When he cracked his eyes open slightly and spotted Yan Shu practicing alone in the corner, he watched for a moment before closing his eyes to resume resting.
Rhythmic breathing echoed softly through the room. Just as everyone drifted into deep sleep, Xu Ya’s eyes snapped open. Clutching his stomach, he bolted toward the washroom. Moving in a panicked rush, his clumsy movements woke up his teammates.
“What is it, Xu Ya, what are you doing now? I just fell asleep,” Luo Yan grumbled, his face twisted in displeasure as he glared at Xu Ya.
Xu Ya’s stomach cramps were excruciating, leaving him no time for explanations as he barrelled straight into the restroom.
Awakened by the commotion, the others gradually stirred.
With just over half an hour remaining before the afternoon matches, Xu Ya kept frantically cycling back and forth to the restroom.
Coach Jane let out a long sigh and pulled out the standby medication.
“Coach, Xu Ya’s been in there forever. Let me grab the medicine and slide it in through the door crack,” Lin Qi suggested.
Clutching the medication box, the coach agreed, “Alright, go deliver it quickly so it doesn’t affect the afternoon matches.”
Lin Qi took the box, glancing routinely at the expiration date printed on the back.
Upon reading the date, Lin Qi froze, leaned closer to inspect it multiple times, and his expression dropped as he shouted, “Coach, this medicine is expired!”
“What?” Coach Jane slapped his thigh. “We go on stage in ten minutes. Is there a pharmacy nearby?”
Yan Shu, who had finished a training camp match and had nothing to do, raised his hand. “I can go buy the medicine.”
Zhuoyue stood up. “There’s no time. There are no pharmacies nearby, this is the suburbs.”
Pacing back and forth, Coach Jane realized there was only one solution left to avert the crisis. Hesitantly, he suggested, “Then our only option is to let the substitute play?”
Every gaze shifted toward Yan Shu sitting in the corner.
Luo Yan muttered with open disdain, “You expect me to play a match with him?”
“This…” Lin Qi stammered for a long time before trailing off. He still didn’t know how to face Yan Shu, let alone share a competitive stage with him.
Time ticked away mercilessly, waiting for no one.
Coach Jane spread his hands open. “There’s no other choice. The second team can’t make it here in time now, and their skill level wouldn’t be enough anyway. Do you plan on forfeiting our eligibility and voluntarily withdrawing from the GPL league?”
“Support Xu Ya is physically unfit, substitute Yan Shu will take the stage. No objections allowed,” Zhuoyue ordered, breaking precedent by assigning Yan Shu to play.
Hearing that, Yan Shu widened his eyes, his lips parting slightly. Now that the opportunity to play was actually within his grasp, he suddenly grew calm.
Since the captain had spoken, nobody dared voice any objections, keeping their mouths shut like mutes. Even those harboring discontent could only express it through their facial expressions.
To prevent any internal friction or resentment within the team after these arrangements, the coach delivered a lengthy speech about unity and letting bygones be bygones.
Luo Yan let those words go in one ear and out the other, mentally treating this five-versus-five match as playing a man down.
The others handled it better than Luo Yan, choosing to follow the coach and captain’s directives for the sake of the match.
Following internal coordination, Zhuoyue led his teammates out toward the stage.
Yan Shu put on his black mask before taking the stage, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and followed at the very rear of the procession as they stepped onto the stage he had dreamed of for so long.
Stepping from the backstage area onto the arena floor felt like traveling through time and space.
Spotlights flared up blindingly around them, nearly stinging Yan Shu’s eyes and causing them to flush red.
“Welcome to the GPL Qualifier venue. This afternoon’s match features a showdown between the SR team and the Lions team.” The host’s voice echoed across the stage.
Standing on stage, it took a long while before Yan Shu could process the cheering crowds and the host’s voice ringing in his ears.
“Allow us to introduce the participating players for the SR team in this round.”
“Top laner, SR-Ghost Blade.”
“Jungler, SR-Wind.”
“Support, SR-Moon.”
Yan Shu heard it clearly. He wasn’t dreaming; he was truly standing on the competitive stage.