Chapter 22
Jing Yuanzhou always had the habit of getting up early to exercise. This had never been interrupted even during the closed training process. This showed his self-discipline and today was no exception.
Lin Yan woke up in a dazed manner. He glanced at the bed next to him and wasn’t surprised to see only a stack of neatly folded quilts. The man was long gone.
Today was the first day of recording the Burning Hot Assembly. The recording time was scheduled at one in the afternoon. However, so many people needed to do their styling that they needed to report in advance at 11 o’clock.
Lin Yan glanced at his phone and determined that the time was still early. He rubbed his fluffy hair and went into the bathroom with sleepy eyes. He came out after washing up and was thinking about going downstairs to eat breakfast. Then he glanced around inadvertently and found a note on his bedside table. The confused Lin Yan walked over and picked it up to take a look.
It was obviously from Jing Yuanzhou. He had probably been afraid that sending a message would wake up Lin Yan so he chose this method. [You don’t need to go to the dining room for breakfast. I’ll bring it back on the way. If someone knocks on the door, remember to open it. It is the room service I called.]
There was obviously no problem with the contents of the note but Lin Yan repeatedly read it. He always felt that something was wrong. However, before he could think about it, there was a knock on the door.
Jing Yuanzhou had left a note so Lin Yan’s first reaction was that the employee had arrived. He opened the door and was slightly surprised to see Chen Yushen standing in the doorway. “Why are you awake so early today?”
According to his knowledge of e-sports players, he knew that these people would definitely stay in bed every possible second and not waste this precious time. The current time of 8:30 didn’t match their normal biological clock.
However, judging from the faint dark circles under Chen Yushen’s eyes, he obviously hadn’t slept well last night. Lin Yan saw the young man standing at the door without moving. He instantly understood why this person had come and turned to the side. “Titans isn’t here now. You can come in first.”
Chen Yushen walked to the sofa and sat down. Lin Yan poured tea for himself and also for Chen Yushen. Chen Yushen held the tea cup. He rubbed the cup with his fingers and his eyes stared at the table as he remained silent for a long time.
Lin Yan wasn’t in a hurry. He leaned against the sofa and drank the tea. It was unknown how much time passed before Chen Yushen raised his head and looked over. He spoke in a slightly hoarse voice. “Coach, I want to talk to you about… two years ago.”
It was undoubtedly very difficult to make such a decision. It was just that Chen Yushen had been thinking about it all night after yesterday. The past that he thought would be rotting in his memory forever had gradually loosened thanks to all the killing on the field.
Lin Yan had already guessed Chen Yushen’s intentions and his mouth slightly curved up when he heard the words. “You don’t need to say it. I know.”
Chen Yushen’s back shook slightly and he looked up in an astonished manner. “You know… all of it?”
Lin Yan tilted his head and smiled slightly. “I meant all the words I told LAN yesterday. It wasn’t just to scare him casually.”
Chen Yushen opened his mouth but found he couldn’t make a sound for a while. This was like plucking up the courage only to become completely empty the next moment. His entire body slightly lost strength and he slumped on the sofa.
Lin Yan gave a low sigh. “Relax. Drink some hot water first.”
In fact, the story about Abyss wasn’t mentioned too much in the original book. He just knew a basic outline of the whole incident. To understand more details, Chen Yushen naturally needed to say it himself.
However, this incident had left too deep a mark on the young man’s mind. He knew how difficult it was to speak after experiencing many things and couldn’t bear to let such an enduring young man expose the previous scars in front of him. Some things were the past. For the living, it was necessary to continue looking forward.
Lin Yan’s gaze stayed on Chen Yushen’s somewhat absent-minded face. He silently cursed those things who weren’t human.
Most people in the circle had heard of the two major events that happened in the youth training camp two years ago. One was a player jumping off a building and the other was the incidence of violence.
However, only a handful knew the specific connection between the two incidents. This was why Lin Yan’s knowledge made Chen Yushen very surprised.
Chen Yushen took a few sips of hot water and felt his tight nerves relax slightly. Then he slowly let out a few breaths. He never thought that he had done anything wrong and he had no regrets. However, in a way, he did do these things.
That year, Chen Yushen had just joined the youth training camp. He was already a well-known passerby king and a genius jungler. Therefore, his starting point was very high when he entered the camp.
It was just that due to his natural stinky expression, it always gave people a misconception and he was inevitably excluded due to jealousy. The only friend in the camp at the time was Ah Mu, who was in the same dormitory as him. This person was also a top mid-laner in the camp. He was a gentle boy who loved to smile.
Originally, like the other training players, they only needed to complete all the tasks in the training camp and then they could wait for invitations from various clubs to shine on the field. However, Ah Mu accidentally provoked a new group.
Ah Mu’s personality was a bit soft. Put badly, he was a bit cowardly. At first, it was just a bit of trouble and he could endure it. He just didn’t expect that these people would become more and more excessive. They gradually rose from verbal bullying to physical violence.
At that time, Chen Yushen was receiving in-depth training from the coaches. He happened to be in a team with a few people from that small group and he was exhausted. Every time, he would fall asleep the moment he got back to the dormitory. He often failed to talk to Ah Mu for several days so he didn’t notice the strangeness in his friend.
By the time he discovered that something was wrong, it was too late. Ah Mu left without warning. The promising young man fell like a meteor, completely dimming the light.
During the time when the entire youth training camp was in chaos because of a player jumping from a building, Chen Yushen was the one holding his friend’s diary and weeping. In addition to anger, there was probably more self-blame. If he had found out earlier then everything would probably be completely different.
The thing that made Chen Yushen feel deeply unacceptable was the attitude of the abusers.
Once he found those people, they only showed a brief astonishment before laughing. “That soft bun Ah Mu? What is the use of you asking us about this? Who would’ve thought that he had such a poor psychological quality? We just said a few casual things and he couldn’t stand it. I have to say, with his endurance, he wouldn’t be able to play professionally even if he graduated from the training camp. Whoever signed him would’ve been unlucky!”
The ridiculing words were like a sharp knife in Chen Yushen’s heart. At that time, Chen Yushen’s fist struck out heavily. These people obviously hadn’t expected Chen Yushen to start fighting. They were surprised for a moment before surrounding him.
The specific situation couldn’t be remembered. Chen Yushen only remembered that his mouth was full of blood at the time.
The guy who took the lead was standing behind the crowd. He didn’t say a word from beginning to end. He tried to rush over several times but was stopped again and again.
LAN was one of those people at the time. He seemed to be very active for the sake of his image. Under the stimulus of repeated words, Chen Yushen inadvertently grabbed a knife from the side table and waved it at everyone.
Blood splashed out strongly and shocked all the teenagers present. Their faces became pale. It wasn’t until this time that these people finally felt scared.
The rest of the matter was just as the outside world knew. LAN was rushed to the hospital and Chen Yushen was watched over by the people who rushed over after hearing about it. This matter had ended and it should’ve been serious enough to be a criminal case. It was unknown why but the people in the small group expressed their opinion not to pursue the investigation.
Afterwards, the entire violence incident ended with Chen Yushen forced to withdraw from the youth training camp.
Now two years later, the people involved were basically eliminated due to the cruelty of e-sports. LAN was fortunate enough to be selected by a secondary league team while the others had retired from the circle or played in the Internet cafe games. Only the guy who led the group could become a professional player and have a place in a professional club.
The bullied person was helplessly annihilated in the dust while the instigator stood on the glorious arena. It was probably because of this that Chen Yushen felt it was deeply ironic.
No one in the room spoke for a while.
Chen Yushen was surprised that Lin Yan knew the truth but he didn’t ask much. His chest was moving up and down and the fingers holding the cup became tighter. “No matter what, it must be admitted that I did break the most important rule at the time… that day, the one who acted first was me.”
This attitude was like a bad student who was uneasy facing the teaching director. Lin Yan couldn’t help laughing slightly. He reached out a hand and gently touched Chen Yushen’s head. “It’s fine. Just don’t do it in the future.”
Chen Yushen hung his head and pressed his lips together tightly. He tried to control his emotions. “En…”
Lin Yan smiled. “I believe in my own eyes. You are a good boy.”
He thought about it and probably felt that what he said wasn’t convincing enough. He added, “You might always have a stinky face, you aren’t good at controlling your emotions, you used to fight and broke the rules but in my eyes, you are really a good boy.”
Chen Yushen, “……”
There was no need to emphasize it.
At this point in the conversation, the previously depressing atmosphere had disappeared. Before he knew it, the hot water in Chen Yushen’s hand had been completely finished. Lin Yan asked in the manner of a host, “Shall I pour you another glass?”
“No need.” Chen Yushen shook his head deeply and looked up. He seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
“Why? Is there something else?”
Chen Yushen was silent for a moment before whispering, “Coach, you are really gentle.”
Lin Yan was caught off guard by being issued a ‘gentle’ card and was stunned. “Huh?”
Chen Yushen was probably embarrassed. His face was blanker than ever but his ears were suspiciously red.
“No one has spoken to me like this for a long time.” At this point, he lowered his head to avoid Lin Yan’s gaze, his voice becoming softer. “This type of gentleness, it feels… like a mother.”
Lin Yan’s smile slightly froze, “???”
If he said like a father then Lin Yan would probably be a bit happier?
Chen Yushen had untied his heart knot and he obviously had a much more relaxed expression when he left. “Thank you, Coach. I will be leaving first.”
Lin Yan found his voice. “Go back and get rid of the dark circles. Be careful not to stay up too late when recording.”
Chen Yushen couldn’t help touching his eyes. “…Okay.”
After sending him away, it wasn’t long before the employee knocked on the door. Lin Yan’s mind was full of Chen Yushen’s last magical metaphor. He left room for the person to clean while he stood at the window, smoking a cigarette in a complicated mood. Thinking back to the situation after the club had been established, was it possible that he had been too kind to these children?
“Sir, excuse me.” The employee’s voice drew Lin Yan back from his thoughts. At this time, the cleaning was basically completed. She held a piece of paper from the table in her hand as she asked, “Excuse me, do you need me to throw this away for you?”
“Throw…” Lin Yan wanted to answer when his gaze swept over the note. Something flashed in his mind and he swallowed back the rest of words. “Give it to me to take a look.”
He walked over and after taking it, his gaze stayed on two words of the note for a long time. The hotel employee left the room and he silently took out his phone to find a photo in the gallery.
The words in the image were incredibly clear: [Service fee.]
Then he compared it to the note: [Room service]
No wonder he felt a strange sense of familiarity just now. After comparing the two identical handwritings, Lin Yan fell into a long silence. Then strength was inserted into his hands as he blankly put out the cigarette that was about to burn out.
The author has something to say:
Calm down, the cigarette is innocent.
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