WCG Chapter 56.1

Xie Xu managed to coax Jiang Shi out of the bathroom with some honey water, only for Yuan Yang to arrive a moment later and give them both a thorough scolding in the training room.

“Jiang Lele, as a teammate of Time, how can you side with outsiders and leak internal information?” Yuan Yang jabbed Jiang Lele’s forehead with his index finger. “And it’s not even accurate information! What’s next? Saying Time and Xu were together because your relationship with Back wasn’t shocking enough to them?”[mfn]clarification: this is heavily rephrased to make sense in English. Yuan Yang is scolding Jiang Lele for spreading false romantic scandal basically, and sarcastically saying that his “scandal” with Back (which isn’t true, Jiang Lele just likes to sell rot with him) isn’t enough[/mfn]

One scandalous rumor was more than enough. If there were any more, Yuan Yang honestly didn’t think he could handle it.

Jiang Lele feebly defended himself. “That group is very tight-lipped. It’s been running for over a year, and everyone in there is a T Bao fan. They wouldn’t leak anything inappropriate.”

Even the 25-minute voice call from last night had been edited before being shared. Nothing incriminating ever made it out.

After his explanation, Jiang Lele couldn’t resist adding, “Besides, T Bao has always been like this!”

There was no need for him to stir things up; Jiang Shi himself would say things like wanting to kiss Xu or sleep with Xu.

Yuan Yang fell silent at that.

Meanwhile, the onlookers sitting nearby burst into laughter. They quickly covered their mouths, pretending to focus on their computer screens under Jiang Shi’s withering glare.

Zhao Jiu: “Back, what do you think of this new hero? His moves are hilarious.”

Yu Hui nodded. “Yeah!”

Even Xie Xu’s lips quirked slightly, though he quickly suppressed it and coughed into his hand. “The new hero’s lines are pretty funny too. Nine, you might want to try him — he could be viable in competitions.”

Jiang Shi: “…”

He was already regretting not flushing Jiang Lele’s head in the toilet earlier!

This was exactly how his reputation in TLG had been ruined!

Yuan Yang frowned at Jiang Shi’s furious expression. “Xiao Shi, do you really think you’re blameless in all this? If Xie Xu hadn’t intervened, were you seriously going to beat up your teammate in the restroom?”

Jiang Shi didn’t respond, his neck stiff with defiance.

The answer was obvious. A big fat YES. 

At the very least, he’d have taped Jiang Lele’s mouth shut for a whole day!

Jiang Lele shrank under Jiang Shi’s glare. “T Bao, don’t be mad. I only said something because I knew that group wouldn’t leak anything. Nothing’s ever gone wrong before.”

Jiang Shi: “?”

“There’s been before?!”

How much of his dirt had this brat spilled?!

Sensing danger, Jiang Lele bolted, and Jiang Shi immediately gave chase. Yuan Yang wasn’t fast enough to stop either of them.

The two raced around the training room until Xie Xu and a reluctant Yu Hui each grabbed one and forced them back into their seats to continue their lecture.

Yuan Yang, having run a single lap, was already panting heavily. Pointing a trembling finger first at Jiang Lele and then at the snarling Jiang Shi, he shouted, “Have neither of you graduated from kindergarten?!”

Damn it! Is he raising kids here?

Jiang Shi immediately deflated.

He was embarrassed too. Back then, no one had ever stopped him — or even dared to try.

Feeling the faint pressure of a hand hovering over the back of his collar, he pursed his lips and quietly calmed down.

Jiang Lele, noticing the change in Jiang Shi’s expression, quickly piped up, “Dad, I was wrong. Don’t be mad. I promise I won’t run my mouth again.”

He’d already been kicked out of the group QAQ

Jiang Shi looked at Jiang Lele’s pitiful appearance and gave him an eye-roll. 

Jiang Lele is always like this. He easily bends and acts all pitiful when cornered, but he’ll do the same thing again and again.

Seeing that Jiang Shi kept silent, Jiang Lele turned to Xie Xu. “Captain, help!”

Xie Xu lazily raised his eyes. “Do whatever you want inside the base, but don’t let it spread outside.”

Jiang Lele knew this was directed at him and nodded fervently. “I swear I won’t talk carelessly anymore.”

Now that Time was his team, he couldn’t afford to be as loose-lipped as before.

After making his vow, he cautiously glanced at Jiang Shi.

Jiang Shi held out for a moment, but a few seconds later, he felt a light tap on the back of his neck. The tingling, electrifying sensation made his bottled-up anger dissipate instantly.

“Fine, I’ll forgive you,” he grumbled, though his voice wavered slightly.

Seeing the two make peace, Yuan Yang secretly sighed in relief. “Alright, this matter is settled. But one more thing, why are you joining these kinds of groups with your main WeChat accounts?”

Jiang Shi: “I was a bit tipsy and didn’t notice.”

Jiang Lele, curious, asked, “What’s wrong with using our main accounts?”

“Of course you shouldn’t.” Yuan Yang frowned. “Xu had his account leaked once, and someone even impersonated him online, causing a huge stir.”

Xie Xu had risen to fame early, and there were plenty of people online who imitated him. One particularly bold individual somehow found Xie Xu’s QQ account and used it to trick fans into sending them gifts during livestreams, promising to exchange contact information if they donated enough.

The worst part? The account was real.

Zhao Jiu chimed in, “Oh, I remember that! It was about a year ago, wasn’t it? The whole thing blew up, and people were accusing the captain of being a scammer.”

Hearing this, everyone else vaguely recalled the incident, except for Jiang Shi, who looked completely lost.

A year ago, he had been a streamer himself. Why hadn’t he heard about this?

Digging through his memories, Jiang Shi suddenly remembered that during that time, he was very busy dating with his online boyfriend-now-ex. Between streaming and duo-queuing to boost his rank, he hadn’t been paying attention to anything else.

With that realization, Jiang Shi clamped his mouth shut and said no more.

“I told Xu to delete that QQ account and make a new one, but he refused.” Yuan Yang still didn’t understand. “What were you thinking back then?”

After the incident, the official team had promptly clarified the situation. If Xie Xu had been willing to deactivate the account, the whole issue could have been avoided. Yet, he’d stubbornly refused, opting only to block new friend requests.

Xie Xu removed his hand from Jiang Shi’s collar. “It’s all in the past, why bring it up now?” 

His tone was dismissive, clearly unwilling to delve further.

However, after speaking, he glanced subtly at Jiang Shi.

Jiang Shi was staring at his hands, fiddling with his fingers out of boredom, clearly uninterested in the conversation.

Xie Xu’s eyes darkened momentarily, but he quickly masked it with indifference. Seemingly casual, he asked, “Time, did you use QQ back then?”

Jiang Shi paused his fiddling for a moment before answering, “I did, but not for long. I uninstalled it and switched to WeChat.”

In truth, his first gaming account had been linked to his QQ. After losing access to it, he had given up on both the game and the account.

Xie Xu wanted to ask why, but Yuan Yang began discussing the day’s training schedule, cutting him off.

Jiang Shi showed no interest in the topic, keeping his head down.

Xie Xu’s expression grew complicated, but the moment to pursue the matter had already passed.

 

---

As the days passed and Spring Festival approached, the atmosphere at the base became increasingly relaxed.

During dinner on the last night before the holiday break, Jiang Lele was busy chattering about what local specialties to bring back, even reminding Yu Hui to bring some of his family’s delicious navel oranges.

The conversation naturally turned to hometown delicacies for the New Year, and the dinner table grew lively. Jiang Shi, however, didn’t join in. He simply listened quietly as the others talked.

“By the way, Little White Hair, do you like those dried beef jerky snacks? My mom makes them herself, they’re super flavorful!” 

Jiang Shi swallowed a mouthful of rice before responding, “I’m fine with anything.”

He wasn’t picky.

“Great! I’ll bring extra for you, then. You’ve got the teeth for it, after all,” Jiang Lele joked as he pulled out his phone to message his mom about preparing more jerky. While typing, he casually asked, “Oh yeah, I remember Yang-ge mentioned when you joined the team that you’re from the same city as the captain. Does your family also make those fragrant braised meats?”

Jiang Shi, who had been reaching for some vegetables, froze. His chopsticks slipped, and the greens he’d picked up fell back onto the plate. Retracting his hand, he replied, “My family doesn’t make those.”

He could barely cook instant noodles.

Just as he was about to grab the vegetables again, someone else beat him to it. A pair of chopsticks swooped in, adding a generous helping of greens to his bowl.

After serving Jiang Shi, Xie Xu turned to the ever-inquisitive Jiang Lele and said, “Focus on eating during meals. Put your phone away until you’re done.”

Jiang Lele quickly stuffed his phone into his pocket.

He’d already sent the message anyway.

Noticing Jiang Shi’s lackluster appetite, Xie Xu ladled a bowl of chicken soup for him. “If you’re full, don’t force yourself. Have some soup instead.”

Jiang Shi exhaled softly, finally letting himself relax. Blowing on the steaming broth, he took a sip. 

The rich, flavorful soup warmed him up, both inside and out.

When Xie Xu saw that Jiang Shi was nearly finished with his soup, he asked in a gentle tone, “Are you going home for the New Year?”

Though Jiang Shi was a local, he didn’t really have a home. He’d been living in a rented apartment for years, with his mother died early and his father nowhere to be found.

From the day he joined the team, Jiang Shi had never once mentioned his parents.

With the holiday nearing, it was inevitable that conversations at the base would touch on family, something unavoidable for everyone.

Only Xie Xu and Yuan Yang knew the truth about Jiang Shi’s situation.

Jiang Shi had already come to terms with it. When he answered Xie Xu, there was no sign of discomfort in his expression, and his tone was lighthearted. “Yeah, I’ll go home! But I’ll probably come back to the base earlier than the rest of you.”

After all, his little rented apartment didn’t have the cozy bed or free utilities of the base.

Hearing this, Yuan Yang immediately offered, “I’ll leave the key to the main building with you then. You know the guards well enough by now. There’s always someone on duty, so just let yourself in.”

Jiang Shi nodded and agreed. “Got it.”

After replying, he helped himself to another bowl of chicken soup. As he drank, a thin sheen of sweat formed on his forehead, which he casually wiped away with his hand.

The gesture left his damp bangs sticking up awkwardly.

Xie Xu, holding a tissue he’d just pulled out, froze mid-motion.

Even with the messy hair and careless demeanor, Jiang Shi’s good looks couldn’t be hidden.

Noticing Xie Xu still holding the tissue, Jiang Shi hesitated. “For me?”

Xie Xu handed it over. “To wipe your mouth.”

Jiang Shi accepted it and clumsily wiped at his lips. Despite his rough movements, his words were unusually polite. “Thanks, Captain.”

Then, as if to return the favor, he reached for the tissue box—which was a bit far—and after some effort, pulled out another tissue to hand to Xie Xu.

It’s only fair to give back after all. 

A hint of helplessness flickered in Xie Xu’s eyes, but he took the tissue anyway.

Meanwhile, Jiang Lele, watching the whole interaction, muttered, “Who was it just now that said no talking during meals…”

Xie Xu was led astray by Jiang Shi!

He was force-fed all this dog food!

Rolling his eyes, Jiang Lele poked at the remaining rice in his bowl. An idea suddenly struck him, and he picked up a rice ball to offer it to Yu Hui beside him. “Back, come on, open your mouth~” 

“Remember to say, Thank you, little mid-laner~.”

Yu Hui shot him an unimpressed look. “Quit acting crazy.”

Jiang Lele: “…”