The E-Sports Captain You Know Chapter 4

Hunter seemed not to hear the rejection in Alex's words, and asked again, "Brother, are you going to meet the pink man? Take me with you."

"What are you going to do?"

"Our F-god teammates haven't seen each other for a long time." This one sentence nailed down Alex's lifeline.

"...Okay, let's go."

Alex reached out for his coat, but Hunter put the coat on Alex's shoulders with his own hands.

The touch on his shoulder made Alex shudder, and he moved to the side. Hunter's expression was normal, as if he didn't notice Alex's discomfort and avoidance.

"Brother, where is your car?" Hunter asked consciously after walking out of the rice noodle shop.

"Didn't you learn to drive during these years abroad?"

"I won't open it when my brother is here."

Alex raised his hand, paused, and patted Hunter's shoulder, "Then keep calling me brother."

He turned around and walked towards the parking lot first. Hunter looked at his back, lowered his head and glanced at the guide post on his phone about "How to get closer to a pursuer after a failed confession", and whispered to himself--- "This is not up to you, brother."

...

Alex got in the car with Hunter and sped along the road shrouded in darkness.

In the small enclosed space, the presence of another person was infinitely magnified. Alex could feel Hunter's gaze always on him, so hot that it could not be ignored.

"What you said in the cafe that day." Alex felt that he should say something, "My response will not change. If you insist on thinking this way, I can only---"

"Brother." Hunter interrupted Alex, "We can put this aside for now. I came back this time because I really want to start all over again."

... With a lot of things to say but blocked in his mind, and not knowing how to speak directly, Alex honked the horn and could only pretend to concentrate on driving.

Before leaving, he contacted the pink man, but the phone was unreachable and he didn't reply to the message. Probably he was in a very anxious state. Alex simply gave up contacting him and drove directly to Ngu base.

After staring at Alex for a long time, Hunter finally looked away, took out his cell phone and started sending and receiving messages frequently.

Alex glanced at it inadvertently and found that the chat was in pure English. He remembered how the whole team was exhausted when they were tutoring this kid in daily English before going abroad for a competition. He felt a little relieved and wanted to laugh.

But how did Hunter grow from a poor student who couldn't even order to someone who could chat with people proficiently in pure English in just three years?

How did he spend his three years in North America? Alex couldn't help but wonder.

...

The Ngu base is located in a villa area on the outskirts of the city, with a huge letter sculpture standing outside. Since receiving investment from an e-commerce platform a year ago, the team's style of doing things has become more and more wealthy, and they can't wait to put their sign in everyone's face.

With the help of his connections, Alex drove the car into the villa area and walked to the front desk. The receptionist on duty stood up nervously and excitedly.

"Captain An, Captain An?" E-sports teams usually recruit people who have some knowledge of the circle. The receptionist obviously recognized Alex.

She looked behind Alex, her expression becoming more and more strange and excited, "Are you... Jinshen?"

"Is Pink back? We want to invite him to have a chat." Alex went straight to the point.

"The team came back half an hour ago, and Pinky is talking to the manager." The receptionist said it rather tactfully. In fact, all the Ngu people almost clamored to get in, and Pinky was forcibly dragged by the manager to the conference room for a talk.

"I don't know the new manager you changed a while ago. Could you please notify him?" Alex said calmly.

"What notification?"

"Just say Save came to the base to look for Pink." Alex had no intention of making things difficult for the workers.

The receptionist lowered her head and tapped her phone a few times. Half a minute later, there was a loud door closing sound on the second floor of the base. Alex looked up and saw the pink man walking down the indoor spiral staircase quickly with his teeth clenched.

"Captain, I..." The pink man stood in front of Alex. After he uttered a few words, the 1.80-meter-tall man choked with sobs and became unable to speak.

Alex took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and hugged his old teammate's neck tightly, "I understand, let's talk about it later."

"...Yeah." The pink guy tried hard to hold back his tears.

"Please stay."

Just then, another person appeared on the stairs. After seeing him, Hunter's face suddenly changed.

Ngu's new manager pushed down his gold-rimmed glasses and looked down at the three people below, "Pink, where are you going?"

"My contract is about to expire and I won't renew it." The pink man took a few steps forward and stood in front of his old teammate, saying in a muffled voice.

The manager held the stair railing with one hand, and remained calm when he heard the pink man's words. "I will convey your wishes to the top management, but I repeat, your player contract has only expired, and your agency contract, including live broadcast, still has three years. With the current commercialization trend of the league, it may not be easy to find a new team."

"you..."

"The contract was signed by you players yourself. You have little chance of winning even if you file a lawsuit. Moreover, the litigation cycle usually takes a year. Considering the professional age of e-sports players, you can't afford to wait that long."

The manager glanced at Alex and Hunter casually, "I am good at learning from mistakes. I believe you old F-gods all understand this."

The pink guy yelled as if he was hit in the back, "Oliver!"

Oliver Wang made a downward gesture, "Yelling and throwing things will only make you look immature. I am just doing my duty as a manager to remind you. I hope you will carefully consider everything you do and say next. Don't be like your old captain and burn yourself to death. You don't have a good family background like him. You still have a wife and children to support."

The pink guy looked at the man halfway up the spiral staircase. His breathing became heavier. He clenched his fists so hard that they were shaking and deformed, but in the end he just closed his eyes weakly.

Oliver laughed, turned his gaze to Alex, and walked down the stairs step by step, "Captain An, and... Jin Shen? What a rare guest, you came here together, are you trying to tell me that F-God is planning to make a comeback after three years?"

Alex smiled and said, "The contract we signed at that time was indeed for three years. You have already faked yourself to be the manager, so why don't you allow me to come back and take a look?"

When talking about the contract which could be regarded as the biggest setback in his career, Oliver's face finally turned ugly.

"Alex, you don't really think you can make a comeback, do you? Even if your strength hasn't declined much, the current commercialized alliance is no longer a time for you to call the shots."

"Mainstream strong teams have fixed lineups. Bottom-tier teams that can't perform well will just treat you as a cash cow. Once your popularity is consumed by your poor performance, you will become a complete joke."

Alex scratched his ears, "You said so much in one breath, are you afraid that I will make a comeback?"

... Oliver sneered, "I'm afraid of you? I'm now the manager appointed by Ngu Investor, and the contract I negotiated is worth tens of millions. Would I be afraid of a retired player like you?"

Alex tilted his head, "Whether it was three years ago or now, Oliver, you will only be a clown."

"Oh? A clown who easily forced you to disband and retire?"

"Bang!---"

"Hunter!"

Oliver's face changed, and the sound of breaking wind was heard. Hunter's fist was instantly close at hand, and just an inch forward would smash his glasses.

He took a few deep breaths, glanced at Alex who was scolding Hunter, then looked at Hunter whose eyes were so fierce that he almost wanted to swallow him, and suddenly laughed strangely.

"Captain An, Captain An, you shouldn't have stopped him. E-sports players who openly hit others will be banned for a year. Can't you, the old players of F-god, play well without a game?"

"I thought the famous Jin Shen had made some progress overseas in the past few years, but I didn't expect that it would only bring harm. You ruined your career by going against me for him---"

"If I don't do it for him, how can I make money for a sgumbag clown like you?"

Alex walked up to the two of them, pressed down Hunter's hand, and suddenly punched Oliver in the abdomen with lightning speed, causing the other party to curl up.

"I'm not a registered e-sports player now, but as a normal person, is it okay for me to vent a little?"

...

The conversation ended unpleasantly. Amid the conflicted gaze of the front desk staff, Alex pulled the pink boy out of the gate of Ngu base, and Hunter, who had been keeping his head down and silent, followed closely behind.

The cool breeze outside finally freed the pink man from his daze. He took a deep breath of the cold air, his eyes still red. "Captain, thank you for coming all the way to see me, and Xiao Jin. I... am so embarrassed."

"Why didn't you tell me your new manager is Oliver?"

"I was brought in by the title sponsor midway through this season. I can't change him. Captain, you've been retired for three years. I don't want to bother you with these bad things, so I kept it a secret."

The pink guy wiped his face with a bitter smile, "When he asked us to sign the agency contract separately, he said it would be convenient for the company to make long-term business arrangements, and it would help us make a living after retirement. I felt that although Oliver was not a good person before, the team would not cheat me. I signed it because it sounded like there was no problem. I didn't expect..."

"He is already so old and a father, but he is ignorant of the law and knows nothing. He was cheated by Oliver twice and ended up like this. His reputation is ruined and he doesn't have much money. It will be hard for him to find a job in the future. How can he support his family..."

Pink married his first love from high school last year. Their child was born three months ago. He stood under the street light with his head down. He was a young man with a difficult relationship and a new husband and father with a bent back.

"How about coming to my place?"

... The pink boy blinked and took a few seconds to confirm that this sentence was said by Hunter who had been standing silently beside him.

The pink guy didn't take it seriously and forced a smile, "Do you want me to drive you? Or cook for you? It's a pity that my English is not good. You were the last one in the team and I was the second. Otherwise, it would be really nice of you to take me in."

"No need for English, right here in the country, I want to rebuild F-god with my brother."

"Ah?" The pink guy looked at him blankly, as if he had never expected to hear these words again in his life.

Alex was also surprised by Hunter's brilliant move. Seeing Hunter looking at him, he asked directly, "What about your contract with Clouds? Ordinary sponsors may not be able to afford a contract with a world-class star player like you."

"I'm already negotiating with Clouds to terminate the contract. The contract was only for three years and will expire soon. As for sponsorship, the money I have is enough to support the team to get started. If there are sponsors, there will be many troublesome requirements, so we can put them aside for now."

Alex rubbed his temples. "In other words, you are planning to spend your own money on something that only costs money but does not generate any income, and will lose money in the long run?"

"Money is not that important. This is what you taught me before."

Alex raised his eyebrows, "Did you listen? Didn't you still follow the sky-high contract given by Clouds and go to North America?"

"Brother, I don't regret going to North America, and I don't regret coming back now. I never really did it for the money." Hunter looked at Alex seriously, "It took me three years to say that I am finally no longer a burden to you."

Only then did I dare to come back, stand in front of you and say that I want to start everything over again.

"I disagree." Alex said bluntly, "Even if you want to return to China to play games, you should find a regular club to sign a contract. With your current reputation as the world's number one ghost king, the contract will not be bad."

After the pink man realized what was happening, he also followed suit. Although he wanted to get out of the predicament, he would not watch his old teammate jump into the pit. "Xiao Jin, you should listen to the captain. Besides, you heard that all my economic contracts are still with Ngu, and my level has dropped significantly. I really can't form a team."

"If you don't want to continue playing, you can come and be our coach." Hunter said, "I don't like what Oliver said. Zhang Ze, don't you want to personally lead a new championship team and prove to Ngu's people what a truly successful e-sports team is?"

The pink guy was speechless after being called by his full name. ...

Hunter looked at Alex again, "Brother, I know you think I'm just acting on a whim, but I've never stopped thinking about rebuilding F-god in the past three years. I believe that every one of us is thinking about it, and I'm serious."

...

Alex drove Fan Nan and Hunter back to their respective residences. As it was already late, he did not go in to visit them. All three of them were thinking about something silently along the way. The car was silent, yet undercurrents were surging.

After driving the car into the parking space at home, Alex took out his mobile phone and saw the private message sent by the pink man.

"Captain, today is really thanks to you, thank you."

"Let me ask you one more thing. What's going on between you and Xiao Jin? Things were pretty tense back then. I didn't dare to talk to you about each other for the past three years. But it seems like nothing's wrong tonight?"

The pink guy didn't feel comfortable asking in front of the two of them in the car, so he secretly sent the message after he got home.

Alex held his cell phone and looked up at the gray and starless sky above his head, thinking back to the past few years with Hunter, not knowing how to explain the current situation in a few words.

He was really angry back then, and was really worried later on. A few months after Hunter went to North America, Alex became worried and wanted to reconcile. However, this kid didn't know what was wrong with him. He avoided him the whole time and didn't read or reply to the messages he sent through various channels. Alex was busy returning to school to continue his studies, and was feeling angry. Seeing that Jin was doing well in the North American region, he simply stopped caring about him.

Originally thought that Hunter would return to China three years later and contact him to meet, and the two of them could finally put everything behind them and become good brothers again. However, who knew that this guy would do something even bigger as soon as they met, and actually wanted to turn from brothers into lovers.

What should I do if the kid I have always taken care of as a younger brother suddenly shows obvious other feelings towards me?

Alex didn't know, so he could only refuse, cursed a few words, and turned away. However, not only was he heard by his old friend Po who was passing by, but he was also accidentally photographed and posted on the forum.

"Judging from his performance, he should be fine for now."

Although the topic hasn't been brought up yet, at least Hunter took the initiative to say that they could put that matter aside for now.

Alex suddenly thought that maybe Hunter had developed a fledgling complex towards the first person who was nice to him because none of his parents or relatives were respectful since he was a child. Later, when he went abroad and was influenced by some niche cultures, he began to misunderstand this relationship.

In this way, it is not impossible to turn this matter around, but Hunter has no other close relatives, so he still has to rely on himself to influence others subtly.

But in this way, I can't distance myself from Hunter, but I should take the initiative to care about him more...

"?"

Alex did not respond to the pink boy's question. He walked towards home along the dim street, his shadow under the street lamp stretching far and long.

He was thinking about everything about Survivor. The road that he had cut off with his own hands in the past appeared before him again. Reason told him to give up, but the fire in his heart had already illuminated the way forward.