“Xiao Shu, I will head back first, you train well.” Xu Liang stopped at a bus stop about five hundred meters away from the SR team club, seeming quite reluctant to get any closer to the SR team.
Carrying a large bag filled with snacks and drinks, Yan Shu asked with a troubled expression, “Brother Nan, I cannot possibly finish all this food. You should take it back with you.”
“If I take this back, who am I going to give it to? As a member of senior management, am I supposed to carry a bag of snacks into the training room and hand them out?” Xu Liang gave Yan Shu a gentle push. “Go on, hurry back. Look at you, it is already July and you are still wearing a jacket, you look frail and delicate at first glance. Go back and rest.”
Yan Shu still felt bad about taking all the food back. “Brother Nan, does your girlfriend not like eating these…”
“Shall I break up with her right now then? No partner left, so take it back and eat it yourself.” Xu Liang rubbed his temples. “Hurry back, Xiao Shu, do not be so formal with me.”
The heavy plastic bag in his hands was not light, so Yan Shu had no choice but to accept his childhood friend’s good intentions. After saying goodbye, he walked alone toward the SR team club.
The largest-sized convenience store bag was still quite conspicuous, and Yan Shu did not want to enter through the main front gates and be seen by others, which would only invite unnecessary trouble.
Therefore, Yan Shu took a detour of about half a circle, walking into the club through the back door, which also provided direct access to the dormitories.
A circle of willow trees was planted around the SR team premises, and since it happened to be the lush and leafy season, the moment Yan Shu walked through the willow grove, he spotted the youth training team captain smoking by the back entrance.
If not for running into him today, Yan Shu would have almost forgotten how unpleasant his clash with that youth training team captain in the bus had been.
“I was actually thinking of coming to look for you, and you delivered yourself right to my doorstep?” The youth training team captain had been squatting on the back steps, but upon seeing Yan Shu, he stood up directly and walked right up to him.
Before Yan Shu could even speak, a mouthful of choking smoke was blown straight into his face.
“Cough, cough, cough, cough…” It was only after being hospitalized that Yan Shu was diagnosed with mild respiratory issues. Because episodes caused breathing difficulties and abraded his airways, he easily broke into fits of coughing whenever he smelled anything too pungent.
Wu Yan, the youth training team captain, used to be a bully who went around picking on the weak back in school. Now, even draped in the skin of an esports player, the fundamental flaws in his character remained unchanged. He smiled malevolently. “Sickly patient, what are you even doing playing esports? What, relying on this face of yours? Or relying on the place behind you?”
Yan Shu came from a good background, and no matter how low he had fallen, he had never been subjected to such filthy language. Frowning with extreme discomfort, he stepped around the youth training team captain, wanting nothing to do with any further altercation.
“Where do you think you are going?” Wu Yan held the cigarette butt between his fingertips, pondered for a moment, and then directly pressed the glowing tip against Yan Shu’s shoulder using two fingers.
Fabric and sparks collided, producing a sizzling sound as a burnt odor drifted through the air.
“Hiss…” Yan Shu’s shoulder was scorched. His hand jerked, causing the plastic bag to slip from his grip and spill its contents all over the ground.
Fortunately, he was wearing a jacket, so the sparks did not burn directly through to his skin.
The youth training team captain pulled his hand back with satisfaction and tossed the cigarette away. “Sickly patient, I advise you to hurry up and get lost from our club. Relying on things related to selling out and match-fixing, how on earth are you still able to enter the first team? I have no idea why Captain Zhuo is even helping you.”
“Mind your language.” Yan Shu clutched his shoulder, frowning without a shred of fear.
The youth training team captain had expected Yan Shu to be cowardly enough to burst into tears right away, but seeing him display such backbone instead, he grew even more interested. “Mind my language? What is there for me to mind? Could Captain Zhuo have been seduced by you too? Why don’t you let me have some fun as well…”
Before the youth training team captain could finish speaking, a cigarette carton hit him square in the face.
With a dark expression, Zhuoyue stepped out from behind the willow branches. “Wu Yan, why don’t you just go back to being your local street punk?”
Wu Yan took a step backward. Remembering that he had just mentioned Zhuoyue in his insults, he immediately lowered his head and lost all his arrogance. “Captain Zhuo.”
“Who did you say was seducing who?” Zhuoyue’s temper flared. With a fierce punch, he struck Wu Yan across the face. “If I had not happened to walk by, were you planning to say something even more disgusting?”
“Captain Zhuo, I did not mean to talk about you, I… I just wanted to teach him a lesson. Didn’t you say last time that we could handle things however we wanted once the match was over?” Wu Yan clutched his reddened, aching cheek, not daring to fight back.
He knew Zhuoyue was not someone to be trifled with, having spent time making a name for himself in their old neighborhood alleyways back in the day. For a group of men from those old streets to recognize Zhuoyue as their big brother, his methods were clearly not simple.
Yan Shu wanted to take this opportunity to slip away quietly, but the moment he strained his body, a sharp pain flared up on his shoulder, and he could not suppress a low groan: “Hiss…”
Catching the sound, Zhuoyue grabbed Wu Yan by the collar and looked over. He spotted the burnt hole on Yan Shu’s team jacket, and connecting it with the cigarette butt on the ground, it was not hard to figure out what had just happened.
“Using a cigarette to burn people, is that what our club taught you?” Zhuoyue’s voice was frighteningly low.
“Didn’t I miss his actual skin? Yan Shu, who are you putting on a show for?” Wu Yan turned his head and roared viciously at Yan Shu.
Zhuoyue gripped Wu Yan’s collar even tighter with a reverse pull. “Apologize.”
Wu Yan maintained a defiant expression of I did nothing wrong, so I will not apologize. “Why should I apologize to a match-fixing dog who sells his ass?”
“If you have the guts, look at me and say that again.” Zhuoyue’s face was as cold as the dead of winter.
Even in the height of summer, Wu Yan felt a chill run through his entire body at Zhuoyue’s words, his legs trembling slightly.
Wu Yan stood in a stalemate for a moment, but ultimately unable to outmatch Zhuoyue, he muttered a very quiet and insincere: “Sorry.”
“Get back to training. Your youth training team’s skill level can barely even handle high-tier peak tournament players. Wu Yan, if your team continues to be a hopeless piece of trash, you can just quit the team,” Zhuoyue stated.
Wu Yan nodded rebelliously, and only then did Zhuoyue release his collar, prompting him to flee in a panic.
Once Wu Yan was gone, Yan Shu had no desire to stare awkwardly at Zhuoyue. Ignoring the scattered items on the ground entirely, he lifted his foot, intending to make his escape.
“Stop right there.” Seeing him try to run, Zhuoyue called out to him directly.
“Is there something else?” Yan Shu asked.
Zhuoyue stared right at him with a scorching gaze, as if he had words on the tip of his tongue, but ultimately pressed his lips together and remained silent.
After a long silence, Zhuoyue finally voiced the question he had been hiding in his heart and dared not ask, desperately wanting to know if his guess was correct.
“You and Xu Liang, you know each other?”
Yan Shu paused for a moment before parting his lips. “I do.”
The hand Zhuoyue had clenched against his pant leg tightened slightly, as he felt certain his guess was right.
“You did not throw…”
“No, if you want to ask about the match-fixing incident, aside from telling you that I did not do it, I genuinely do not know what else to say.” Yan Shu took a deep breath. “If there is nothing else, I will be leaving.”
“Wait.” Zhuoyue would not let him go. “I know. You…”
Yan Shu could clearly sense that within these few brief sentences, Zhuoyue seemed to have changed. Or rather, he felt that today’s Zhuoyue was somewhat different from before.
“What?”
“How is your shoulder? Let me see.” Zhuoyue raised a hand, making a move to remove Yan Shu’s team jacket to inspect the injury.
Yan Shu shrank back defensively. “You…”
“Leave the things on the ground for now, come with me.”
Reaching out, Zhuoyue grabbed Yan Shu by the arm and dragged him straight from the back door toward the infirmary.
It was a half-drag, half-pull journey. Yan Shu was reluctant to follow Zhuoyue, but when it came to physical strength he was no match, so he could only trail closely behind.
Entering the infirmary, because the club was currently on holiday, there were no part-time or duty doctors present, only Yan Shu and Zhuoyue.
Zhuoyue looked around, picked up a bottle of disinfectant alcohol and some cotton balls from a shelf, and stared at Yan Shu’s shoulder for a few moments.
Sitting on the infirmary bed, Yan Shu clutched his shoulder and scooted backward defensively, glaring at Zhuoyue with a gaze carrying a trace of resentment and displeasure.
That single glance struck straight into Zhuoyue’s heart, making his chest throb. He turned his head away slightly and handed the alcohol over.
Yan Shu remained motionless.
Zhuoyue sighed in resignation. “Are you going to take it off yourself, or should I help you?”
Yan Shu’s eyes widened, his expression looking as if to say, What on earth do you mean by that?
Realizing his words sounded somewhat ambiguous, Zhuoyue cleared his throat quickly. “To check if there are burns, what did you think I meant? Do you take me for a shameless person like Wu Yan?”
Hearing this, a flicker of doubt remained in Yan Shu’s eyes. Slowly reaching out, he snatched the alcohol bottle away with lightning speed.
He took off his team jacket, only to discover that the T-shirt underneath also had a burnt hole.
Frowning slightly, Yan Shu directly raised his hands and pulled off his top, revealing his lean and fair upper body.
Yan Shu’s skin was dazzlingly pale, making the angry red burn wound on his shoulder look all the more glaring.
Zhuoyue had not expected Yan Shu to let his guard down so casually. Aside from feeling a pang of heartache seeing Yan Shu injured, his Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably, prompting him to quietly turn around and shift his gaze elsewhere.
Remembering that alcohol alone was not nearly enough to treat a burn, Zhuoyue stepped out of the infirmary and headed toward the club’s cafeteria.
At that moment, Yan Shu was staring at the large patch of reddened skin on his shoulder, awkwardly using his left hand to dab and disinfect it with alcohol.
Burns still required cold compresses with ice cubes. Zhuoyue quickly retrieved some ice from the cafeteria refrigerator, packed it into an ice pack, and brought it back to treat the wound.
“Take this, hold it against the burn,” Zhuoyue said.
Yan Shu still hesitated slightly, waiting a moment longer before finally taking the ice pack.
“Why didn’t you let Xu Liang clear your name regarding what happened back then?” Zhuoyue suddenly asked.
Yan Shu relaxed his brows. “What did you say? You believe… me?”
“If you don’t tell me the truth, I wouldn’t know how to believe you.” Though he said that, in his heart Zhuoyue was already certain his guess was correct.
Xu Liang’s appearance had provided Zhuoyue with concrete evidence to slowly tear away the fog-shrouded outer shell of the past match-fixing incident.
Yan Shu lowered his gaze. “If you believe me, will you let me return to the stage?”
“Depends on your skill; the competitive stage is always a place where people speak through strength. Based on your current performance, I cannot feel confident letting you play,” Zhuoyue answered honestly.
Yan Shu tightened his grip on the ice pack, raising his head with a resolute gaze. “I will let my strength do the talking.”
“Suit yourself.” Maintaining his usual expression, Zhuoyue turned and left.
After walking away with his back turned to Yan Shu, Zhuoyue paused in a corner. His expression softened slightly, and the knot that had remained tightly bound in his chest for so long seemed to loosen up gradually.
He walked over to the wall, found a secluded spot, and pulled out his phone to call a friend from the old neighborhood.
That friend was a computer genius, essentially a hacker, with an extraordinary talent for investigation and a fondness for mystery games. Having him investigate what happened to Yan Shu back then shouldn’t take too long to unearth the truth.
Zhuoyue hadn’t bothered investigating back then because he was terrified the truth wouldn’t align with what he wanted, afraid the result might genuinely prove Yan Shu had fixed matches.
The situation was different now; he felt confident of victory, convinced his hypothesis was correct.