Sorry, Stuck Again [Esports] Chapter 26

Chapter 26

This year's Spring Season Finals are being held in Bo Heng City, which is quite a distance from WIN's base in Guangleng City, requiring them to set off three days in advance.

Bian Yan had just finished a phone call with Bian Tang and returned to the dormitory, only to find that Pan Shi and Lu Chang Kong had gone out without him knowing.

He sighed with his hands on his hips and decided to squat down and pack his luggage first.

"I really don't get it, how much money could it possibly cost…"

Lu Chang Kong grumbled as he pushed open the door, only to find Bian Yan squatting on the floor, and immediately fell silent.

"What's up, Brother Lu?" Bian Yan looked up with a bright smile, excitedly showing off his suitcase to the two of them. "Look what I brought!"

The suitcase was packed full of WIN's red support merchandise that he had bought in advance, along with a large medical kit in the corner.

Pan Shi couldn't help but click his tongue and made a cold joke: "Why is Sister Xu Ke's suitcase with you?"

Bian Yan continued to organize his things with a light tone: "What are you talking about? I prepared this myself. Even though I can't play, I still need to ensure the logistics are covered."

Lu Chang Kong suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.

Not even seventeen years old, a genius ranked in the top ten of the ladder, and there are hardly any like him in the entire esports circle. Yet, due to age and team configuration, he can only serve as their logistics.

"Why aren't you guys saying anything?"

Bian Yan zipped up his suitcase, stood up, and looked puzzled.

The two remained silent, just exchanging a glance, their faces full of unspoken words.

Bian Yan continued talking to himself: "I just finished a call with my sister. She said she'll attend the opening ceremony, and she has friends in Bo Heng. After the competition, she can take us out for a couple of days. If there's anywhere you want to go, let me know, and I'll note it down. Oh, and Pei Yun Chang too…"

Bian Yan's family is well-off, and he's the youngest child, having traveled extensively since he was young. But this time is special, and he can't help but feel extra excited.

Lu Chang Kong didn't have the heart to interrupt him, sulking on the bed, while Pan Shi looked equally downcast.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Bian Yan suppressed his excitement, curious. "We just had a pre-match meeting, why do you all look so gloomy? Our opponents in the first few matches aren't that strong, right?"

Bian Yan looked at the two of them with wide eyes but couldn't get any answers, so he decided to head out first.

"Forget it, I'll ask you when I get back. I'm going to find Pei Yun Chang."

"Hey, wait a minute!"

Lu Chang Kong called out to stop him.

Pan Shi couldn't hold it in any longer and stood up, but Lu Chang Kong quickly pulled him back, giving him a look and shaking his head slightly.

Pan Shi stomped his foot, "If you don't tell him now, he'll find out sooner or later."

Bian Yan finally realized that their strange mood was related to him, and he had a few guesses in his heart.

"What's going on?" he hesitated to ask.

"Shen Chuan only booked eleven plane tickets," Pan Shi said through gritted teeth.

Eleven?

Five starters, three substitutes, two coaches, and one nutritionist, making exactly eleven people.

Bian Yan went through everyone in his mind and felt a bit cold, letting out a bitter laugh: "So… they're not taking me?"

Pan Shi looked pained, not daring to meet Bian Yan's disappointed gaze or look at the suitcase full of support merchandise.

Now that Bian Yan knew the truth, Lu Chang Kong no longer had to hold back and started cursing.

"Leaving out Xiao Yan as if it would kill them, Shen Chuan's brain must be full of crap. I really don't get it, the league matches last almost a month, why leave you alone at the base?" Lu Chang Kong fumed, hands on his hips, yelling in the dormitory. "Do they think our Xiao Yan has no one to back him up? And what bullshit about budget reasons, I spit on that!"

Bian Yan can't register to play, and if PP and Xiao Zi were still around, staying at the base to train would be understandable, but now he's the only one left, making this arrangement quite unpleasant.

Half an hour ago, Bian Tang had said on the phone that she'd have her assistant pick him up in Bo Heng, but he didn't expect to be backstabbed by the club first.

Pan Shi rubbed his chubby hands, clumsily trying to comfort him: "Nova, isn't your sister a guest at the opening ceremony? Let her book you a ticket, and you can go with her, right?"

Bian Yan is a little rich kid himself, and he can afford a plane ticket and hotel, but Bian Tang would leave after the opening ceremony, so she couldn't accompany him for the entire event.

Lu Chang Kong shot Pan Shi a glance, wishing he'd just shut up.

Bian Yan paying his own way to go versus going with the club are two completely different things.

"What about Pei Yun Chang's attitude?"

Bian Yan was silent for a long time before suddenly speaking.

Lu Chang Kong carefully chose his words: "Uh… it's hard to tell. Shen Chuan announced the number of tickets and then dismissed the meeting, leaving Pan Shi and me fuming. He was the last to leave."

Bian Yan took a deep breath, kicked over his suitcase, and stormed out.

He searched the rooms and training room but couldn't find Pei Yun Chang or Shen Chuan. He opened the ticket booking page on his phone, hesitated for a long time, but didn't click.

Bian Tang's messages asking what he wanted to eat and where he wanted to go filled the screen, but Bian Yan wasn't in the mood to reply, wishing he could instantly turn eighteen and not have to endure this frustration.

Bian Yan wandered aimlessly around the base several times, finally stopping at Pei Yun Chang's room.

He hadn't returned yet.

Bian Yan angrily punched the wall, then resignedly pulled out his phone to book a ticket, only to find that the flight was already sold out.

Screw it.

Bian Yan immediately booked himself a ticket to go abroad the next day, planning to play for three days and nights.

——

It wasn't until Bian Yan sat on the plane that he felt the surrealness of it all.

Lu Chang Kong patted his shoulder from behind, "Got an eye mask? I want to sleep."

Bian Yan was a bit distracted, pulling one out of his backpack for him.

Early that morning, Bian Yan got up to pack his luggage, not expecting that while he was in the bathroom, Pan Shi and Lu Chang Kong had both woken up and started packing too.

It turned out their flight to Bo Heng had been rescheduled to noon, and they had even bought a ticket for Bian Yan.

"I don't know either, Shen Chuan sent the message in the group at 2:30 last night," Lu Chang Kong said with a happy face. "But who cares, as long as we can go!"

Pan Shi excitedly patted Bian Yan's shoulder.

Changing so many people's flights cost more than a single ticket, so if they initially left Bian Yan out due to budget reasons, why go through the trouble of rescheduling now?

Bian Yan was filling his water bottle in the hallway, lost in thought, when he bumped into someone.

"So happy you're not watching where you're going?" Cloud's proud voice rang out. "Hurry up and pack your things."

Bian Yan finally saw who he had bumped into and asked directly, "What's going on?"

"You don't know?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. "Pei Yun Chang argued with Shen Chuan until past midnight yesterday, but that guy wouldn't budge, and they parted on bad terms. Who knew he'd suddenly agree in the early hours?"

"It was Pei Yun Chang?" A wave of surprise washed over Bian Yan.

"Who else would dare to stand up to Shen Chuan? I guess he finally went to Pei Jing," Cloud said, getting excited. "But it's really strange. If Pei Jing knew you and Pei Yun Chang were close, why not take you from the start instead of going through all this trouble? It's like they have money to burn."

"Not taking me from the start was Pei Jing's idea?" Bian Yan frowned, catching the key point.

"Who else? The budget is Pei Jing's money. How many people go and who goes, he would know. That's why I said it's strange."

Bian Yan absentmindedly returned to his room, Cloud's words echoing in his mind.

He had just entered when Pei Yun Chang came looking for him.

He glanced at the messy suitcase on the floor, "Are you packed?"

Bian Yan met his concerned gaze, and Cloud's question echoed in his mind again.

"What's wrong? Do you have something to do later?"

Pei Yun Chang frowned, dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep.

Bian Yan remembered the ticket he impulsively booked to go abroad yesterday, costing thousands…

"Nothing!"

He shouted excitedly.

On the plane, Pei Yun Chang sat next to Bian Yan, handing him his eye mask.

Bian Yan snapped back to reality, "What about you? How will you sleep?"

"I'll just sleep like this. Wearing an eye mask makes my eyes hurt when I wake up," Pei Yun Chang casually replied, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

Bian Yan let out an "oh," looked around at Pan Shi, Lu Chang Kong, Ji Feng, and Lao Miao, who were all asleep, and felt that fresh excitement bubbling up again.

Then he peacefully fell asleep wearing Pei Yun Chang's eye mask.

"Everyone, grab your luggage and get on the bus!" Shen Chuan stood at the exit, waving and shouting.

The group dragged their luggage to the bus, listening to Shen Chuan's instructions.

"We'll report to the venue first, then head straight to the hotel. No need to take your luggage," Shen Chuan stood in front of everyone. "After getting off, there might be fans waiting to take photos, so wear your new team uniforms properly, keep a good attitude, and don't cause trouble!"

New team uniforms?

Bian Yan raised an eyebrow.

All the team members except Bian Yan and the two coaches had a group chat where they discussed match-related matters.

The custom sizes for the new uniforms were probably discussed there.

Once again, he wasn't included.

Bian Yan let out a soft snort, lowering his head as a hint of disappointment crept into his eyes.

Everyone lined up to receive their uniforms, still the usual bright red, but this time with their IDs printed on the back and new sponsors on the front.

"Wow, four sponsors, impressive, Coach Shen."

Self pointed to the logo on his left chest, giving Shen Chuan a thumbs up.

Shen Chuan was not only WIN's head coach but also served as the manager, negotiating all the sponsorships himself.

Hearing Self's praise, Shen Chuan's face, which had been sour since the morning, finally softened a bit.

In the bus, the sound of unwrapping filled the air as the starters discussed the details of the uniforms, even joking about the differences from last year.

The rest had a different vibe.

Pan Shi, receiving his first team uniform, looked at it over and over, unable to hide his excitement.

Lu Chang Kong was also thrilled, but to consider Bian Yan's feelings, he didn't make a big fuss, just gently rubbing the gold-embroidered ID on the back.

WIN's bus quickly arrived at the venue entrance, and as soon as it stopped, fans waiting with banners rushed over.

Shen Chuan stood in the aisle, emphasizing order once more: "Everyone, get ready to get off, wear your uniforms properly, and don't let the collar cover the sponsors. Most importantly!"

Shen Chuan took a deep breath: "Make sure you don't wear the wrong clothes! Otherwise, the fans will roast you!"

Previously, Lao Miao wore Qian Chi's clothes by mistake, and since his own clothes were left on the bus, Qian Chi had to wear a thin hoodie in the rain, getting roasted by his fans.

Just as Shen Chuan finished speaking, a uniform "flew" into Bian Yan's arms, landing squarely.

It still had that fresh-out-of-the-package plastic smell.

The back had the gold-embroidered letters "Arrow" shining brightly.

It was Pei Yun Chang's.