Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 84

84. Unlucky Captain Yang

Three professional players teamed up for a match that should have been chaotic, but because of Yang Yunche’s meddling, they almost didn’t make it past the first toxic circle landing several times.

“Captain.”

After stepping out of the operation cabin, Chen Xingran put on a polite smile and addressed Yang Yunche.

“Hmm?”

Yang Yunche still felt a bit guilty and responded quickly.

“In the future, you should stick to solo matches.”

Chen Xingran’s smile was cold.

“I really just made a mistake…”

Yang Yunche waved his hand nervously. “But you see, you still came to save me just now, which means…”

Chen Xingran interrupted him. “I saved you because we’re teammates. It’s necessary in this game, there’s no friendly fire mechanism. Otherwise, I would’ve attacked you first.”

Yang Yunche: “…”

So fierce.

He hadn’t figured out how to calm down Chen Xingran’s current irritable mood yet when the training room door opened, and Fu Zhou walked in.

“There you are. Perfect timing.”

Seeing Chen Xingran and Yang Yunche, Fu Zhou said, “The endorsement deal with Yun Tai Group has been settled. You two need to go take some promotional photos the day after tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Seeing Fu Zhou enter, Chen Xingran put away his playful thoughts and responded.

Fu Zhou continued, “Yunche, you need to visit the hospital tomorrow.”

Chen Xingran was puzzled. “What happened?”

Yang Yunche’s gaze dimmed. “Fu Zhou, didn’t we agree to discuss this privately?”

His tone carried some obscurity and desolation, as if he didn’t want Chen Xingran to hear this news.

Chen Xingran felt a sense of unease rising in his heart. “You…”

Yang Yunche sighed and couldn’t hide his melancholy anymore. “Since you know now, I won’t hide it from you anymore.”

After a pause, he continued, “Actually… after all these years of playing professionally, my body… sigh, the time I have left to fight alongside you guys is not much.”

Chen Xingran was stunned. “How could this be?”

“I’ve been wanting to find a chance to tell you, but I couldn’t find the right time,” Yang Yunche sighed. “Anyway, I hope you won’t be too affected. Finishing the remaining matches well is the best gift for me.”

“Captain!”

Just as Luo Baibai stepped out of the operation cabin, he heard Yang Yunche’s words and trembled, asking incredulously, “What… what’s going on?”

Having been with ZMD for so long, it was the first time he had heard of this.

“Baibai.”

Yang Yunche patted his shoulder. “And Xingran, both of you need to keep up the good work. I’ll be there to cheer you on for every match. Don’t feel pressured.”

“But… but…”

Luo Baibai muttered, “But Yun Ge, you’re the captain of ZMD. Without you, how can we win the championship?”

“Everything will be fine,” Yang Yunche said absentmindedly, looking up at the ceiling. “Actually, I also wanted to stand with you guys on the world stage, but… sigh.”

“What happened to him?”

Chen Xingran turned to Fu Zhou. “Is it serious? He can’t even play in the matches anymore, could it be…”

Could it be some terminal illness…

“…”

Fu Zhou looked at Yang Yunche in shock, as if he was stunned by his shamelessness, and it took him a while to come to his senses. “Oh, he’s going to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow.”

Chen Xingran: “…”

Luo Baibai: “…”

Yang Yunche was still immersed in the atmosphere of sadness. “I don’t want this either, but I have to go for a check-up tomorrow. It’s going to be a whole day without seeing you all, which is more painful for me than saying goodbye forever.”

Luo Baibai took a step back. “Ranbao, you go.”

Chen Xingran nodded. “Okay.”

He approached Yang Yunche expressionlessly, and there was a crisp “click” as their fingers intertwined.

“…Don’t act rashly.”

Yang Yunche’s expression changed from sadness to panic. “Didn’t you feel touched just now?”

“When I see you lying on the hospital bed, I’ll definitely be moved when you say these words again.”

Chen Xingran said coldly, then stepped forward and reached out to grab Yang Yunche.

“It’s just a joke, don’t take it so seriously.”

Yang Yunche dodged agilely with his body movement, but this wasn’t in the game, and he didn’t have the same elusive movements as in the game. In just a few moves, he was caught by Chen Xingran like an eagle catching a chick.

“Thunk!”

“Hiss…”

In the midst of fleeing, Yang Yunche accidentally bumped his arm into the corner of the training room table, letting out a painful cry. This time, he was truly injured, and a bruise quickly emerged on his arm, looking quite severe.

“…You really deserve it.”

Fu Zhou was speechless and went up to check Yang Yunche’s arm. “I’ll get some bruise ointment.”

Ever since Chen Xingran joined ZMD, Yang Yunche would tease him every few days, like a rabbit plucking fur from a tiger’s head. Sometimes, when he angered Chen Xingran, he would even give him a punch. Bruise ointment had become a standard item for Captain Yang.

“Let me see.”

Chen Xingran didn’t feel like punching him anymore and went up to examine Yang Yunche’s arm.

Yang Yunche was tall and sturdy, with well-developed forearms and clear signs of exercise. His skin was fair, making the bruise on his arm look particularly prominent.

As Chen Xingran’s fingers touched Yang Yunche’s hand, it felt like a slight electric shock, causing Yang Yunche to tremble involuntarily. At this distance, he could clearly see Chen Xingran’s distinct eyelashes, slightly drooping over his eyes, delicate and beautiful, like a porcelain doll. Yang Yunche momentarily forgot to cry out in pain, becoming entranced as he looked at him.

Luo Baibai watched from the side, feeling that Yang Yunche’s gaze was somewhat off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong.

Chen Xingran exerted a little force on his hand, and Yang Yunche couldn’t help but let out a hiss of pain. “Ouch.”

“It didn’t hurt the bones.”

Chen Xingran patted his hand. “It’s nothing serious, just apply some ointment. And you, can you pay a little more attention when you’re running?”

“If you didn’t want to hit me, would I run?”

Yang Yunche’s eyes looked aggrieved. Although he was taller than Chen Xingran by a head, he now looked pitiful, trying to evoke Chen Xingran’s sympathy.

Chen Xingran fell for it quite easily, like a husky at home. Although it would make a mess jumping around the house on ordinary days, once it obediently squatted in front of him and rubbed against him, the resentment in his heart would dissipate. Putting aside the anger he was just tricked into by Yang Yunche, Chen Xingran sighed helplessly. “I won’t really hit you.”

It had to be said that Captain Yang understood Chen Xingran’s personality very well. He could easily tease Chen Xingran and make him emotionally fluctuate, but he could also easily coax him back. Seeing Chen Xingran’s anger dissipate, Yang Yunche smirked without leaving a trace. “It’s all your fault.”

Chen Xingran: “…”

Clearly, it was your own fault. How come you’re blaming me?

He sighed and didn’t argue with Yang Yunche. “Fine, it’s my fault.”

“You have to make up for my injured body and soul.”

Yang Yunche refused to let him off. “You’ll accompany me to the check-up tomorrow.”

Luo Baibai watched in astonishment, quite impressed by Yang Yunche’s ability to distort right and wrong. “Captain, you’re shameless.”

Fu Zhou returned with a bottle of bruise ointment. Chen Xingran took it and applied it to Yang Yunche while saying, “Okay.”

“You’re going to accompany him to the check-up?”

Fu Zhou said, “That’s great. I still need to handle matters with Yun Tai Group. Tomorrow, I’ll trouble you to accompany Yunche for the check-up. The appointment has already been made, and it’ll be over soon. The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back.”

“Okay.”

Chen Xingran, who had practiced martial arts for many years, was extremely skilled in dealing with these kinds of minor injuries. He rubbed the bruise ointment in his hands and applied it to Yang Yunche’s arm. After a series of experienced massages, the bruise quickly diminished significantly.

The young man’s fingertips touched his skin, cold and chilly, carrying the special herbal scent of the bruise ointment. Yang Yunche watched Chen Xingran’s serious expression as he lowered his head, feeling somewhat restless. Unfortunately, Luo Baibai and Fu Zhou were both present, and the atmosphere wasn’t quite right. Furthermore, Chen Xingran showed no hint of intimacy. His hands mercilessly patted Yang Yunche’s arm, sounding crisp like slapping meat. After a while, he stood up. “All done.”

Is that it?

Yang Yunche felt somewhat disappointed.

“Xingran’s technique is still impressive.” Fu Zhou came over and took a look, marveling.

Today, Xiao Nan had something to do and wasn’t at the base. After having dinner, they played a few ranked matches and then went back to their respective rooms to rest.

In the evening, Luo Baibai forwarded an official announcement in the ZMD group chat, which was about the schedule for the new season of the Destiny Cup.

Although there were various leagues of different sizes in Destiny, the Destiny Cup was naturally the largest and most prestigious tournament. As the super league of Destiny, the Destiny Cup represented the highest level of professional teams. Even if ordinary teams wanted to participate in the wildcard matches of the Destiny Cup, they needed to achieve results in the secondary leagues first to obtain tickets to the Destiny Cup, which had a very high threshold.

However, powerhouse teams like ZMD, All Stars, VG, and Autumn Water had fixed seats in the Destiny Cup and didn’t need to advance from the secondary leagues. They could directly participate in the regular season of the Destiny Cup.

This year, the schedule for the Destiny Cup was similar to previous years, but the difference was that the official Destiny Cup had added a World Championship schedule. The top-ranked teams in each region’s total points standings would successfully advance to the World Championship schedule, competing with top teams from other regions for the world championship.

This was the first official World Championship event held by Destiny since its inception, which was significant. After the announcement was released, not only did players get excited, but many professional teams also felt a tremor in their hearts.

Although Destiny had many world-class tournaments before, the level of competition varied due to insufficient reputation, and the participating teams had varying levels of skill. However, the Destiny Cup’s World Championship this time meant that only the strongest teams of today would be able to participate, showcasing top-notch skills. The world champion emerging from battles among numerous top teams naturally held much more prestige.

Because ZMD didn’t need to compete in the secondary leagues and had a regular seat in the Destiny Cup, it meant they had nearly three months to prepare for the Destiny Cup matches. They could use this time to familiarize themselves with the schedule, develop tactics, study opponents, and so on.

Even the usually carefree Captain Yang became more serious, encouraging everyone in the group chat and instructing Fu Zhou to arrange training matches. With the tournament approaching, ZMD’s training had to intensify.

Chen Xingran looked at the schedule and suddenly received a message from Yang Yunche on the screen.

Handsome Annoying Ghost: Hand still hurts [TearingUp].

Chen Xingran looked at the crying expression and felt a bit guilty. Although Yang Yunche had come to him on his own, it was still because of him that he got hurt, so he felt somewhat sorry.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Xingran replied, “Do you want to eat pork jerky?”

There was a pause from Yang Yunche’s side, and it took a whole minute before he replied.

Handsome Annoying Ghost: ?

Handsome Annoying Ghost: Why, did the pig come to you to complain?

Chen Xingran: “…”

“I mean, I have pork jerky in my room. Do you want some?”

In the room next door, Yang Yunche looked at his arm, where the green skin was almost invisible, and then glanced at the message sent by Chen Xingran, smiling happily.

“I’ll eat. I’ll come find you.”

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