Early in the morning, near the SR team’s local pharmacy.
“Huh? You cannot get this medicine? None of the pharmacies around here have it?” Holding up the empty medicine bottle and pointing at the English text on it, Yan Shu asked repeatedly, “Pharmacist, this English is a bit complicated. Could you check again to see if you entered it wrong?”
“Mister, this imported medicine of yours is very hard to come by. Besides, I have already consulted major pharmacies for you, and the earliest it can be delivered is three days from now.” The pharmacist was an auntie of older age who could not read English. She pointed helplessly at the medicine bottle.
“I cannot quite figure out from the translation what this medicine is supposed to treat. It feels like it relates to both the respiratory tract and neurological issues, and you will not even tell me what condition it is actually for. Let me find you a domestic equivalent instead.” Seeing that Yan Shu remained silent, the auntie muttered further, “Why must you use foreign medicine? What is so great about foreign medicine?”
“I…” Yan Shu bit his lower lip, ultimately deciding not to tell anyone.
A professional esports player’s psychological state was also subject to evaluation. If the team personnel discovered that his stress responses required medical treatment, his qualification to compete might even…
Yan Shu put the medicine bottle away. Since there was no medication available, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and push through the next few days. “Pharmacist, if the medicine arrives, please contact me.”
“Fine, young people nowadays are truly delicate, only taking imported medicine.” Wearing a white lab coat, the auntie turned back to tidy up the shelves while complaining about how bitter their past days used to be, where a pinch of traditional Chinese medicine could cure all ailments.
Standing at the counter, Yan Shu checked the time. He reiterated the name of the medicine one more time before leaving the pharmacy.
The team was scheduled to gather at eight o’clock to board the bus for the competition venue, so Yan Shu did not have much time to waste here.
Without his medication, Yan Shu felt a sense of unease as he walked back to the club.
For four years, there had not been a single day he could manage without his medication.
With a worried frown, Yan Shu entered the club just in time to run into Qi Le coming out of the cafeteria.
“Moon God, where did you go so early in the morning?” Qi Le had just washed his hair, and the tips were still damp. “Did you eat breakfast? The bus is about to leave for the venue soon. Both we and the second team are going today. Brother Xu Ya is still recovering his stomach, so all of us are going to sit on the substitute bench.”
Youth trainees hoped for nothing more than a spot on the substitute bench. Even without playing in matches, occupying a substitute seat was already an immense honor. A rookie like Qi Le was even daydreaming about actually getting to play.
Yan Shu offered a few more words of encouragement to Qi Le before turning toward the team parking lot.
The bus was already parked outside early. Zhuoyue stood in front of it, carefully reading through a stack of documents. He only lifted his gaze slightly when Yan Shu approached his side.
The two exchanged a glance, but Zhuoyue looked away first and went back to reading the papers in his hands.
Following his usual habit, Yan Shu took a seat in the back row of the bus, placed his backpack on his lap, and stared blankly down at the small bag.
Without his medicine…
What should he do if an episode hit?
Just as Yan Shu was worrying over his condition, the bus suddenly became noisy.
As it turned out, to cut down on costs, the SR team had arranged for members of the first team, second team, and youth training team to all ride in a single bus.
Logically speaking, members of each respective team should sit together, but Yan Shu was the exception, becoming the sole individual detached from any group.
Fortunately, Qi Le was somewhat at odds with the youth trainees, so he came over and sat next to Yan Shu.
“Moon God, is this seat next to you taken?” Grabbing the backrest of Yan Shu’s seat, Qi Le leaned over to ask.
Coming back to his senses, Yan Shu shook his head. “No, go ahead and sit.”
Throughout yesterday’s bus ride, Yan Shu had spent the entire trip ignored by everyone. Today, with Qi Le acting as a human mood-booster, the journey did not feel boring at all.
Yan Shu remembered Doctor Helen’s advice: if someone could constantly liven up the atmosphere around him and cheer up his body and mind, it would greatly help his condition improve.
Thinking of this, Yan Shu surprisingly chatted a lot with Qi Le. They talked about item builds and arcana, the latest team compositions, and even went on to discuss tourist spots they had previously visited and delicious foods they had eaten.
When the conversation hit its stride, Qi Le proved exceptionally good at finding amusement, managing to make Yan Shu laugh out loud several times.
When Yan Shu smiled, shallow dimples appeared at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes curved into crescents, making him look exceptionally radiant.
It was hard to imagine that someone who could smile so brightly would be a silent, isolated, and pitiful outcast within the SR team.
Sitting in the very front row of the bus, Zhuoyue turned around wanting to deliver a few words of pre-match encouragement, only to catch sight of the two people in the back row laughing happily.
In Zhuoyue’s memory, only the person once hailed as the End of the Clash Lane back then would ever flash that kind of smile. As it turned out, Yan Shu was capable of smiling like that now, too.
An indescribable feeling welled up in Zhuoyue’s chest. He picked up the bus microphone, blew a puff of air into it, tossed all his pre-match pep talk out the window, and blurted out: “Keep it down in the back row, stop laughing and shouting.”
The youth trainees sat further toward the back, and those kids assumed Zhuoyue was talking to them, so they immediately shut their mouths.
Hearing Captain Zhuo speak, Qi Le quieted down as well.
Following a series of motivational words from Zhuoyue came a re-emphasis of the match schedule.
Today was the final day of the qualifiers.
The morning featured the group stage matches between the SR team and the AW team, while the afternoon would feature the two top-scoring teams from the standings facing off in the qualifier finals.
“Up to this point, our team’s points are one point higher than AW’s. AW is currently a very formidable team in Suzhou, and their captain transferred over from the Snake team’s second roster, meaning their strength cannot be underestimated,” Zhuoyue stated with a solemn expression. “Do not be nervous, and do not underestimate the enemy.”
Morale soared among the second team and youth trainees. “Understood!”
“What about you guys? Are you nervous again?” Zhuoyue turned his gaze toward his own team members.
“We were just wondering if the captain is going to treat us to dinner.” Lin Qi spoke without thinking.
Covering his face, Ye Xuanqing felt a surge of embarrassment.
Zhuoyue raised an eyebrow. “If you can suppress the enemy’s farm-laner the exact same way you did yesterday, I can consider treating you.”
“Really, Captain!” Lin Qi wagged his tail like a puppy. “Captain, rest assured, I am going to make the enemy marksman sit in prison for the rest of the game.”
With a deadpan expression, Zhuoyue replied, “The enemy marksman used to play for the Summit team and was once a top-five ranked farm-lane expert in the GPL.”
Merely mentioning the Summit team left Lin Qi speechless. The Summit team was a permanent powerhouse in the GPL, and there was zero doubt about the skill level of a marksman hailing from them.
“I… I will try my best not to spend the match in prison on the farm lane.” Lin Qi’s momentum plummeted instantly.
Yan Shu possessed exceptionally sharp hearing, catching every word of the conversation up front. Since the enemy marksman was formidable, he, as the support, needed to protect the core carry properly during today’s match.
“Moon God, when you won FMVP back in the day, the Summit team did not even make it into Group S, right?” Qi Le asked, full of confidence in his personal idol. “Playing against them should be a breeze for you, right?”
“Oh-ho-ho, let me hear this! What kind of big talk are the bootlicker and his master spouting now?” Hearing Qi Le’s boastful remarks from the front row, the captain of the youth training team turned around to sneer mockingly.
Qi Le’s expression soured instantly, a bellyful of anger rising within him. However, lacking sufficient personal strength, he could not bring himself to talk back to the team captain.
Yan Shu remembered that the last time Qi Le had been bullied, roughly half the blame traced back to this very team captain playing dirty behind the scenes. Stepping forward to shield Qi Le, Yan Shu’s eyes darkened as he looked coldly at the youth training captain. “Playing against them might not be a breeze, but playing against you definitely is.”
“What the hell did you just say?” Being quite tall and robust, the youth training captain stood up, the shadow of his massive frame instantly blanketing Yan Shu’s face.
Yan Shu’s fingers curled inward. His mouth had moved faster than his brain; this kind of retort was something he would have dared back in the past, but now… how could he still act so reckless?
Having provoked trouble with a single sentence, Yan Shu lowered his gaze, feeling entirely at a loss.
The commotion in the back row quickly drew Zhuoyue’s attention. Turning around, he asked with a chilling voice, “What is all this arguing about?”
The youth training captain shifted the blame preemptively. “Captain Zhuo, Yan Shu is completely out of line, deflating our own morale while inflating the enemy’s.”
“What are you talking about? Yan Shu just said that playing against you would be a breeze. Did he mention anyone else? Besides, you started insulting me first.” Qi Le had held his tongue for far too long and felt he had to speak out now.
As the person directly involved, Yan Shu knew he had spoken out of turn. He kept his head down and pressed his lips together, looking every bit like someone admitting fault.
Zhuoyue had no energy to investigate who was right or wrong. He only knew that pre-match squabbling looked utterly disgraceful, and whoever jeopardized the match would be the ultimate sinner.
“Shut your mouths. If you have the energy to argue, you would be better off figuring out how to win the match. Once the qualifiers are over, we can settle your personal scores,” Zhuoyue commanded.
After the situation settled, Yan Shu’s fingers continued trembling uncontrollably to the point where he almost failed to secure his shoulder bag properly upon stepping off the bus.
Entering the venue, Yan Shu shut himself inside a fire escape corridor. Leaning against the wall, he tried to calm his spiking emotions. In truth, his inexplicable back-talk toward the youth training captain was merely another manifestation of his unstable mental state.
Ever since his fall from grace four years ago, Yan Shu’s illness had evolved to this point. Setting aside its complex symptoms, various stress-induced reactions were relentlessly tormenting both his body and mind.
If there were anything appropriate to compare Yan Shu to, it would be a withered leaf dangling precariously from a branch, ready to fall at any moment.
On the surface, Yan Shu might still maintain an intact appearance, but in reality, he would shatter at the slightest squeeze, and a slightly stronger gust of wind could sweep him right off the branch.
With the match imminent, Yan Shu forced himself to pull it together and returned to the lounge.
The moment he stepped inside, Luo Yan put on a petty, sarcastic expression, sneering mockingly, “Look who is back, our sickly little patient. Why are you skipping your medication today?”
Casting a sideways glance at Luo Yan, Zhuoyue warned, “Shut your mouth. If you stir up trouble before the match, you can pack your bags and leave the team right after.”
Dissatisfied in his heart, Luo Yan pulled down the corners of his mouth and shut up with an ugly expression.
Returning from handling an interview outside, Coach Jane jogged into the lounge and announced, “Get ready, today we head straight onto the stage for the match right after interviews conclude. Then… should we finalize our lineup for the opening match?”
“The second team’s support is next door, I will go call him,” Luo Yan proactively excluded Yan Shu from the team roster.
Hearing this, Yan Shu paused mid-motion as he tried to stand up, then sank back down in disappointment.
Lin Qi was not too thrilled either; he had partnered with the second-team support once before. How should he put it? That support gave off an indescribable sense of transparency.
To put it bluntly, he was a support player completely devoid of meaningful impact.
After weighing his options repeatedly, Zhuoyue spoke up: “Yan Shu, you are playing.”