TCWSITD – Chapter 29.2

Chapter 29.2 – A Heart-to-Heart Talk

It was late at night. There was no light on the rooftop, only the faint lighting from the building next door was barely illuminating the space.

When Shen Ju arrived, he saw Lin Jiang drinking leisurely. One can in hand, and three more lined up beside him.

Lin Jiang smiled and waved. “Come and sit down.”

Shen Ju, still damp from his shower, sat beside Lin Jiang and couldn’t help stealing a glance at him.

Up close, Lin Jiang’s face was effortlessly striking—soft and non-threatening, with edges that seemed gentle. Every time he saw him, Shen Ju couldn’t resist the urge to get closer.

He averted his gaze and picked up a can from the steps. “Captain, did you call me up here to drink?”

Lin Jiang nodded and motioned for him to open one.

Facing the gentle breeze, Shen Ju’s whole body and mind seemed to relax.

“You’ve been looking so gloomy these past few days, so I brought you up here to unwind. What’s on your mind? Tell me, and I’ll help you sort it out.”

Shen Ju’s troubles were related to Lin Jiang. How could he dare tell him? He gripped the can and shook his head.

Lin Jiang smiled. “If you don’t want to talk, then just drink.”

He’d done his homework. Song Zhixu’s alcohol tolerance was two cans; Shen Ju’s was four. He had bought large cans, so three should be enough to get Shen Ju tipsy.

The two of them sat drinking in the cold wind, each lost in their own thoughts.

Lin Jiang noticed that Shen Ju was really different from Song Zhixu. Song Zhixu would never hold anything in—if he had something to say, he’d say it. Shen Ju, on the other hand, would never say what was on his mind.

Song Zhixu was easy to handle.

People like Shen Ju were difficult to deal with.

His powerful family background gave him the courage to stand against the world, and his exceptional skills made him fearless. Even with Lin Jiang standing right in front of him, he had no idea how to discipline him.

If he tried to be tough, he couldn’t outmatch him.

If he tried to be gentle, Shen Ju would stay silent, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

Lin Jiang watched as Shen Ju finished all three cans without any intention of speaking, and couldn’t help but ask, “Feeling dizzy yet?”

Shen Ju nodded.

Then he just kept staring at Lin Jiang, eyes unmoving.

The breeze brushed through his still-damp hair. He wasn’t wearing a jacket, leaving him looking a little too thin. The red marks on his neck were swollen, slightly inflamed.

Luckily, Lin Jiang had come prepared. He pulled out another bottle of antiseptic he’d bought, sprayed it on a cotton swab, and gently dabbed at the wound.

“Make sure to dry the wound after you shower, and apply some medicine. You don’t want it getting infected.”

The cool sensation made Shen Ju flinch slightly. Thinking he was in pain, Lin Jiang blew on the wound twice. “Bear with it.”

Shen Ju took a deep breath, his hand at his side unconsciously gripping his thigh.

Thankfully, Lin Jiang finished quickly and withdrew his hand.

After a brief moment of coolness, the wound started to sting again.

Lin Jiang stuffed the remaining spray into Shen Ju’s hand. “Take it back with you. Spray it for a couple of days, and it should heal. Your injury’s a bit worse than Song Zhixu’s.”

Shen Ju lowered his head and gave a quiet, “Mm.”

The alcohol gradually kicked in. Shen Ju held the empty can in his hand, crushing it—just like how twisted up his feelings were inside.

Noticing his slight drunkenness, Lin Jiang asked, “Did you and Song Zhixu fight often before?”

Shen Ju nodded, then shook his head. “No, just minor scuffles. Nothing serious.”

His neck was scratched raw, his forehead scraped until it bled, and he called that a minor scuffle? Lin Jiang took a deep breath. “You two live together. Doesn’t that cause conflict?”

Shen Ju shook his head again. He was a little drunk, fiddling with the can in his hand. “Song Zhixu’s a pretty good guy. He always gives in to me. I never really meant to fight him.”

But today, for some reason, usually even-tempered Song Zhixu had a big reaction to that one comment.

Shen Ju had actually reflected on it too. “I won’t say things like that to him again.”

Their relationship was actually much better than Lin Jiang had imagined.

Relieved, Lin Jiang took a sip of his drink. “Shen Ju, can I ask you something?”

“Mm.”

“You got suspended for fighting with the mid laner. What exactly started it?”

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was Lin Jiang’s gentle tone, but Shen Ju actually began to talk about the incident he usually avoided bringing up.

At that time, he had just joined old SNG as a newcomer. The two didn’t have much conflict at first and got along peacefully for more than half a year.

But later, Shen Ju became too desperate to win. To secure victories, he pushed forward hard to carry the team, even if it meant sacrificing the mid laner’s gold and resources for tactical reasons, which led to the mid laner being scolded on the internet daily.

The mid laner wasn’t happy about it and started treating Shen Ju worse and worse.

And Shen Ju didn’t take it lying down either. Whenever the mid laner pissed him off, he would directly flame him in the game. Both of them were fined tens of thousands by the officials.

This amount of money was nothing to Shen Ju, but it hurt the mid laner deeply, gradually becoming the fuse that ignited their conflict.

After being called in for a serious talk, the mid laner returned only to find Shen Ju acting indifferent as usual. Furious, he slammed his mouse right onto Shen Ju’s face, yelling, “F***k you, Dog Shen! I’m not scared of you!”

That was the last straw for Shen Ju. Enraged, he grabbed a keyboard and smashed it against the mid laner’s head. After three hits, the keyboard gave out.

Then he took someone else’s keyboard. Maybe because of how scary he looked at that moment, the mid laner, who had been arrogantly defiant in front of him, was now trembling all over with fear.

The way he looked at Shen Ju was filled with dread.

Shen Ju had only meant to teach him a lesson, but the mid laner genuinely seemed to think Shen Ju was out for his life!

There were other teammates present. One player, close friends with the mid laner, secretly recorded the whole incident and leaked the video online, suggesting that Shen Ju was abusing his powerful connections to bully his teammates.

That video made Shen Ju infamous in the scene overnight.

He paid a heavy price, including compensation, fines, and a suspension.

Although the mid laner was also suspended, he had already been planning to quit competitive play. He seized the opportunity to make a fortune through streaming, leaving Shen Ju as the only one truly suffering in the end.

Hearing this, Lin Jiang felt a pang of sorrow.

He remembered meeting Shen Ju two years ago—a perfectly obedient young master, sheltered and naive.

He had stepped out of his glass house, faced the harshness of the world, and little by little, turned into the withdrawn, silent Shen Ju he was now.

If only someone back then had shown him the right way to handle things, maybe he wouldn’t have ended up like this.

Lin Jiang reached out and held Shen Ju’s hand, hoping to give him a bit of courage. “It’s not worth it at all. You hit him three times, and got suspended for half a year. That’s a huge loss.”

Shen Ju had expected Lin Jiang to scold him for resorting to violence, never imagining he’d take his side instead.

He looked up at Lin Jiang, searching his eyes for some sign of understanding. “Then, what do you think I should’ve done?”

“You should’ve kept the evidence and handed it over to SNG management. If they couldn’t handle it, then escalate it to the league. A guy like A Cai—with his long list of offenses—once the league starts digging, he’s guaranteed trouble. His suspension might not have been six months… it could’ve been a lifetime ban.”

Shen Ju suddenly recalled some rumors he’d heard before. Ah Cai had supposedly been under league investigation for suspected gambling involvement, but after Shen Ju fought him, the allegations seemed to dissolve.

Shen Ju abruptly looked up.

It suddenly dawned on him—this might have been a trap all along.

Lin Jiang gently ruffled his hair and said, “You can’t be this impulsive in the future. This circle is far more complicated than you think. For adults, the only rule that truly matters is self-interest. When huge stakes are involved, many people will discard everything else.”

Conscience, morality, camaraderie.

There’s nothing they aren’t willing to give up.

Lin Jiang had learned that lesson the hard way in his past life and still hadn’t fully recovered from it. He hoped Shen Ju wouldn’t end up like him.

The wind on the rooftop was strong and cold, but Shen Ju’s heart was burning hot.

Beneath Lin Jiang’s palm, he felt a warmth he had never experienced before—like a beam of light guiding him onto the right path.

“So,” Lin Jiang’s curiosity kicked in again, “what happened with OT’s last mid laner? Why’d you hit him?”

“He had a side account dedicated to hating me, constantly trash-talking me online. I lost my temper and punched him… only to find out it wasn’t him posting. It was his girlfriend using his account.”

He turned his face away, looking a little ashamed.

The first fight might have been Ah Cai’s fault, but the second one was definitely his own impulsiveness.

He explained, “The fight wasn’t that bad. There was no hospital visit. I offered compensation but he refused. Afterwards, he didn’t report me either—he just packed his bags and left.”

Lin Jiang burst out laughing. He’d always thought “the mid laner ran away” was just a figure of speech. Turns out it was literal?

Suddenly, he realized that if it hadn’t been for this bizarre misunderstanding, he probably wouldn’t have ended up at OT.

Shen Ju seemed to think the same.

A mischievous thought even crossed his mind. If given another chance, he’d probably punch that unlucky guy again.

“But fighting really isn’t good,” Lin Jiang said softly, giving the back of Shen Ju’s neck a comforting squeeze—like calming a restless puppy. “Forcing someone into submission through violence isn’t real victory. Only when someone acknowledges your superiority wholeheartedly can you be truly invincible. Our profession has always valued skill above all. With your talent, you don’t need any other method.”

Many had told him fighting was wrong, but only Lin Jiang’s words truly resonated with Shen Ju.

When you’re drowning in frustration, lashing out isn’t the only release. There are smarter, better ways.

Shen Ju lowered his head and muttered, “Yeah. I won’t anymore. I really won’t.”

Back when Lin Jiang was being surrounded and pulled at in the chaos earlier today, Shen Ju had already made a silent vow—he would never let Lin Jiang be put in harm’s way again.

Looking up at the faint smile on Lin Jiang’s lips, his emotions surged uncontrollably.

But the moment he remembered that Lin Jiang liked girls, he had no choice but to suppress those thoughts deep in his heart.

Shen Ju didn’t know how much longer he could hold on.

Yet he could sense it. He was reaching his limit.

He gripped the bottle of antiseptic tightly. Taking advantage of the alcohol’s influence, he asked, “If I… were a girl, would you—”

Lin Jiang crushed the can beneath his foot. The sharp sound cut clean through the silence, drowning out the rest of the sentence. He looked up casually. “Hm? What did you say just now?”

Shen Ju snapped back to reality, his pupils trembling.

What the hell was he doing? What kind of thoughts were even running through his head?!

He abruptly stood up. “Captain, I’m freezing. I’m heading down first.”
Lin Jiang nodded. He noticed Shen Ju’s damp hair and how he was shivering beneath the thin clothes. Without a word, he reached for the jacket beside him and gently draped it over Shen Ju’s shoulders. “Don’t catch a cold.”

As Lin Jiang leaned in, the scent of mint and rosemary enveloped Shen Ju.

His mind slightly muddled, Shen Ju thought vaguely—If Lin Jiang could accept him, he’d even be willing to actually become a girl.

His gaze involuntarily drifted to Lin Jiang’s legs. The man had a slender waist and long legs, his posture as graceful as a willow, exuding an unconscious allure that made people want to tear open his shirt just by standing there.

The wound on his neck burned fiercely. Gripping the jacket tight, he ran without daring to glance back.

If he didn’t run now, he might truly turn into a pervert.

With their issues resolved, Lin Jiang finally relaxed. He lit a cigarette and leaned against the railing.

Amidst the vast sea of stars and city lights, he caught a glimpse of the future—and it felt promising.

After the conflict was settled, the remaining tension between Shen Ju and Song Zhixu noticeably eased.

Duren didn’t know how Lin Jiang had managed it, so he privately asked him for advice.

Lin Jiang suddenly asked, “Do you know Shen Ju and Song Zhixu’s alcohol tolerance?”

Duren shook his head in confusion.

Lin Jiang smiled and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Song Zhixu can handle two bottles, Shen Ju can manage four.”

Duren raised an eyebrow. “So what?”

It just means they’re lightweights. What else does that prove?

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