Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 21.1

“Dong Dong——”

Just after Yang Yunche sent this message, he received a dialogue request from outside the operation cabin.

Upon opening it, a small window popped up in the game interface, showing Fu Zhou’s big round face peering into the operation cabin. The ultra-high-definition resolution captured every detail on his face clearly.

“Do you know what time it is?”

Seeing that someone inside the operation cabin picked up the call, Fu Zhou immediately assumed a questioning posture. “Aunt Tong said you haven’t had dinner yet. Do you want to die? What’s wrong? I didn’t confiscate your snacks. Are you protesting by fasting?”

Yang Yunche, who was being reprimanded, remained extremely calm, and his voice came through the operation cabin’s audio system with utmost clarity.

“Call Dad.”

Fu Zhou: “?”

He was left dumbfounded by Yang Yunche’s response and took a while to regain his senses. “Are you okay? Want some dried plums?”

Yang Yunche: “Let’s not rush into rejecting the idea. I found a good seedling for you. Should I call him or not?”

Fu Zhou: “I’ll consider it. What kind of seedling? Ye Shao?”

As the manager of the ZMD team, Fu Zhou was responsible for monitoring any news about the team’s players online. He had noticed Yang Yunche and Ye Shao’s recent battle on the forum, which had garnered attention.

Yang Yunche: “Yes.”

Fu Zhou: “He’s pretty good with a knife, but his awareness is lacking a bit. We already have Xiao Nan in our team; we don’t lack assault players.”

Yang Yunche: “Are you sure?”

Fu Zhou hesitated for a moment, feeling that the situation might not be that simple, so he probed, “Let me get some details. How does he compare to Lu Mingyu and Li Haoyuan?”

Yang Yunche smiled faintly and assumed a confident tone. “Call Dad.”

Fu Zhou gave him a disgruntled look. “Tell me or not? Fine, I’m leaving. Take your time.”

After saying that, Fu Zhou turned and left without looking back. Just as he took a couple of steps, he heard Yang Yunche’s voice coming faintly.

“In terms of knife skills, he’s on par with Lu Mingyu. And, he’s only been playing for two days.”

!!!

“Daddy!”

The next moment, Fu Zhou’s face reappeared on the screen, with a warm and sincere smile. “We’re all family; why are you being so formal? By the way, are you hungry? Shall I buy you some snacks? Do you want tomato-flavored or barbecue-flavored? Give me his contact information, and I’ll talk to him, ‘Dad’?”

His skillful act of treating a stranger like family seemed quite practiced, indicating that it wasn’t the first time he had done this.

Yang Yunche: “I’m still in contact with him. Let me get to know him better, and you don’t need to rush. Tomato-flavored, please.”

“Okk.”

Fu Zhou left with an enthusiastic smile and bouncing steps.

If it were someone else saying such things, Fu Zhou would definitely not believe it. But coming from Yang Yunche, there was no need to question it.

Having worked together for so long, Fu Zhou and Yang Yunche had built a deep trust. When Yang Yunche announced his transfer to the Destiny Division, Fu Zhou immediately submitted a report and followed him to become the manager of the ZMD Destiny Division team. The level of trust between them was evident.

Even if Yang Yunche said, “You know what? Actually, you are a woman,” Fu Zhou would worryingly respond, “What should I do? I’m almost 30 and still haven’t had my period. Is it late development?”

After Fu Zhou left, Yang Yunche turned his attention back to the game interface.

——ZMD-Yunche: Can we use voice chat to talk?

The public chat still showed his last message, and after two minutes, there was no response from Ye Shao, as if he had gone offline.

…Did I do something to offend him?

Yang Yunche fell into a brief moment of self-doubt.

But after a few seconds, a notification window popped up in front of him.

“Player Ye Shao has invited you to join the voice channel. Do you accept?”

Yang Yunche instantly regained his confidence and quickly clicked “accept.”

Inside the voice channel, it was quiet. Yang Yunche hadn’t started talking yet when he saw the green light next to Ye Shao’s name light up.

“Can you hear me?”

The crisp and clear voice of a young man flowed like a gurgling spring or a refreshing orange-flavored soda after a sip, with a hint of a magnetic tone after going through puberty, which sounded very pleasant.

“Sorry, I didn’t know how to use voice chat in this game. I wasted some time reading the instructions,” Chen Xingran continued.

He doesn’t seem to match the image I had in mind.

Yang Yunche was taken aback.

He hadn’t watched Ye Shao’s livestream before, and when they met in the game, they couldn’t communicate with voice chat. He had assumed Ye Shao would have a hot-headed temper and a boisterous voice.

Now, hearing his voice, his initial impression seemed wrong.

Yang Yunche was impressed by Ye Shao’s voice, and unconsciously, he spoke more gently. “No worries. If you have any questions about how to use any features in the game, you can always ask me.”

He naturally softened his tone.

If Fu Zhou or Yang Yunche’s fans were here and heard him speaking like this, they would probably widen their eyes and wonder, “Who is this handsome guy?”

Yang Yunche, the captain of ZMD, was undoubtedly a genuine eSports heartthrob with a face that could easily debut in the entertainment industry. However, once he opened his mouth, his annoying attitude would make people wish he’d lose his voice. It was rare to see him being so serious.

Yang Yunche continued, “You sound quite young. Are you a student?”

Chen Xingran replied politely, “Yes, I’m from the Capital eSports Academy.”

Yang Yunche smiled, “How coincidental. I’m also a graduate of Shoudian. So, technically, I’m your senior.”

Chen Xingran used a respectful address, “I know. The viewers in the chat mentioned it before. Hello, Senior.”

People who practiced martial arts valued seniority, so when facing seniors like older brothers or senior schoolmates, proper manners were a must.

Upon hearing Chen Xingran’s words, Yang Yunche’s mouth unconsciously curled up into a smile.

The respectful and calm tone, coupled with a touch of maturity not typical of his age, made him likable rather than annoying.

Confident but not arrogant, skilled but not haughty, extraordinarily talented, eager to learn and improve oneself, and after defeat, not discouraged but filled with the determination to defeat the opponent.

Yang Yunche’s favorability +50.

Yang Yunche: “Since I am also your senior, I won’t beat around the bush. Are you interested in joining ZMD as a professional player?”

“Huh?”

Chen Xingran was taken aback.

He had received many invitations to join teams in his email, but he hadn’t paid much attention to them. However, the one speaking in front of him was Yang Yunche, so he had to answer seriously.

“I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

After thinking for a moment, Chen Xingran replied seriously, “I have just started playing this game and have little knowledge of professional competitions. I don’t even know which professional team would be suitable for me, so… I’ll consider it later. For now, I won’t think about it. Once I decide on my path, I will give you a definite response, Senior.”

Facing the olive branch thrown by a top-tier team like ZMD, if it were any other livestreamer, they would have eagerly accepted without hesitation. However, Chen Xingran’s response showed that he had a clear understanding of himself and knew that he had a lot to improve on. He was also aware that he lacked sufficient knowledge of the gaming industry and couldn’t make hasty decisions.

He doesn’t seem like an ivory tower kind of youth.

Yang Yunche thought to himself.

“Well, you’re right.”

Yang Yunche didn’t continue to persuade and instead said, “Joining the professional league and choosing a team are significant decisions that affect your future development. It’s better to be cautious. By the way, we just played a few games. How do you feel?”

He shifted the conversation towards the game.

“Senior is very skilled.”

Chen Xingran replied, “Although there’s room for improvement in close combat… um, knife fighting, your archery skills are really impressive. Your agility and control of the situation make me realize that I have a lot to learn.”

He expressed his thoughts tactfully, which amused Yang Yunche.

“I’m terrible at close combat, plain and simple. It’s something everyone knows, so there’s no need to be so cautious.”

If it were Lu Mingyu or Li Haoyuan, two top-notch assault players from the Chinese server, they would have exhausted their lifetime of knowledge and launched a torrent of ridicule.

For example, “You’re really good at close combat. My neighbor, an 80-year-old grandma, fought you for three days and nights, and you just barely won.”

Or, “I sprinkled rice in the operation cabin, and even the chickens can fight better than you.”

And, “After watching your close combat, the farmers would take you to the market to sell as vegetables. Passersby would praise you, ‘Good vegetable, good vegetable.'”

Comments like these.

Yang Yunche continued, “You have great talent, and I have no say in close combat, but in other areas, if you want to enter professional competitions, there are some areas you need to improve.”

Chen Xingran humbly sought advice, “I’m all ears, Senior.”

All ears… isn’t that a line from martial arts dramas?

Yang Yunche twitched the corner of his mouth and said, “Until now, you’ve only played solo matches, right?”

“Yes.”

“While they are all battle royale games, solo and squad matches emphasize different aspects. Solo matches focus on personal abilities like knife skills and agility, but squad matches emphasize team composition, the synergy between skills, and execution. Even if your personal skills are strong, it’s challenging to withstand the focused attacks from four professional players.”

Yang Yunche paused and continued, “So, if you want to enter the professional scene, you must catch up on understanding the heroes. You don’t need to master every hero, but you should be familiar with their skills, characteristics, and potential impact on the battlefield.”

Chen Xingran nodded, pondering.

“Destiny has many heroes suitable for team battles, but not all of them are suitable for solo matches. That’s why you encounter only a few heroes in solo mode.”

“Yes.”

Chen Xingran also noticed this. In the hero selection interface, there were dozens of heroes with different appearances, but after playing so many games, except for occasionally encountering some unconventional players, most players used similar heroes in solo matches.

Shadow Dancer, Iron Chain Scythe, Zhu Jiuyin, Heavenly Frost, Voodoo, Lightning Fist…

They were mostly assault heroes.

Heroes like Tank class’s “Raging Tyrant,” “Mountain’s Roar,” and “Dragon Soul,” or supportive heroes like “Scepter,” “Fate,” and “Rosary Bead,” were scarce in solo matches due to their skill characteristics.

It seemed that he needed to play duo or squad matches to become familiar with the skills and team compositions of other heroes.

Chen Xingran thought to himself.

“We are currently in the off-season, with no training matches. If you don’t mind, we can form a team.”

On the other end of the voice chat, Yang Yunche’s voice sounded.

Form a team?

Of course, Chen Xingran wouldn’t mind.

After all, Yang Yunche was one of the top players in the entire professional league, with more gaming experience and understanding than him. Playing ranked matches with him would undoubtedly allow him to learn many tactical insights, far better than trying to figure things out on his own.

But…

“What about your teammates, Senior?”

Chen Xingran asked.

“Oh, them.”

Yang Yunche smiled, “They all went out on a trip recently, leaving me alone at the base. Besides, we’re just playing squad matches; it’s not a training match. When we’re live-streaming, we usually avoid playing squad matches as a team.”

For top-level teams like ZMD, when they go live, the chat room is usually filled with members from other teams. To prevent tactical leaks or the exposure of team member coordination, they typically don’t play as a full squad during live streams.

“I see.”

Chen Xingran nodded, understanding Yang Yunche’s intentions.

Yang Yunche was planning carefully.

With his insight, extraordinary talents like Chen Xingran would undoubtedly secure their place in the professional scene once they joined. If another team signed him, it wouldn’t be good news for ZMD.

Especially for All-Star.

Although All-Star had performed well this season, they were aware of their strengths and weaknesses. The team heavily relied on Lu Mingyu, and their other assault player’s skills were decent but nowhere near Lu Mingyu’s level. This often resulted in their coordination breaking down during matches, making it difficult for them to keep up with Lu Mingyu’s pace. They would probably make some changes to the lineup before the next season arrives.

Ye Shao is still just a small streamer, neither popular nor unpopular. However, as long as Lu Mingyu notices him, he will certainly not let go of such a promising talent. After all, Lu Mingyu is the captain of All Star, and his judgment of people’s potential is no worse than Yang Yunche’s.

Luckily, I got in touch with him first, and with the relationship between senior and junior, being close to the water’s edge would get the moon first. Lu Mingyu, you better watch out.

Yang Yunche thought with a chuckle, but on the surface, he maintained a serious demeanor and said to Chen Xingran, “Also, after playing a few games with you, I noticed one small issue – the hero Shadow Dancer is not very suitable for you.”

“Huh?”

“You understand this hero well? Is it your main hero?”

“Not really,” Chen Xingran shook his head, “Just when I started playing, I found this hero pleasing to the eye, and after getting used to his abilities, I stuck with him… Shadow Dancer has excellent escape and chase abilities, and his ultimate is a stealth skill. You can retreat from battles if necessary and then come back to fight when fully prepared. He’s a very flexible hero.”

“That’s right, and that’s the problem,” Yang Yunche patiently explained, “This hero tends to be a lone wolf and his skills don’t provide any benefits to the team. He’s primarily suitable for solo play. Moreover, Shadow Dancer’s nickname is ‘Rat Man,’ and he excels at escaping and maneuvering in complex terrains. However, your knife skills are aggressive and you’re good at chasing and engaging in close combat. You rarely need to escape from a 1v1 fight, so this hero’s playstyle doesn’t align with yours.”

Chen Xingran thought about it and realized that Yang Yunche was right.

“Considering your playstyle, I can recommend another hero that suits you better,” Yang Yunche suggested.

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