Sorry, Stuck Again [Esports] Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Bian Yan's mind was a complete blank. He had no recollection of how he ended up in the audience seats. It was as if his spine had been removed, leaving his legs weak and unresponsive. He could only mechanically drag his feet, swaying until he collapsed powerlessly into a corner seat.

His eyes were vacant, and the surrounding cheers and noise seemed like distant illusions, unable to reach him at all. His phone kept vibrating in his palm, each buzz striking his tense nerves.

[Miss Bian Tang: Are you going on stage? I'm so excited! I sneaked into the RV while there's nothing happening.]

[Miss Bian Tang: Even though I know you probably can't check your phone right now, I have to say, Yan Yan, you're the best!]

[Mommy: Baby, Mommy is already sitting in front of the TV, and I dragged your dad along. We're all cheering for you! Come home after the match, and I'll make you something delicious.]

[Shi Yi Yi: Damn, good thing I brought my phone to class. You didn't even tell me you were going on stage, that's not cool!]

[Shi Yi Yi: But don't worry, I'm pretending to have a stomachache in the bathroom, I'll definitely watch you!]

On the bullet screen, Bian Yan's fans had already started controlling the comments—

—Youth Training God of War, Genius Marksman!

—Make way, your Nova dad is here!

On stage, the host's voice introduced the lineup, and the fans' cheers intertwined into a cacophony. When Pei Yun Chang's photo appeared on the big screen, the whole place erupted, and the bullet screen was filled with questions and shock.

[Xiao o: What the heck, WIN is just teasing the fans.]

[kk: Didn't they say Nova was going to play this match?]

[I'm Guagua: Come on, stop being picky about Pei Da, the club has its own considerations, okay?]

[Vegetable Immortal: Who knows how long I've been waiting, if Nova's not playing, I'm not watching.]

The host awkwardly tried to salvage the situation on stage, but the commotion below didn't subside, and the scene was chaotic.

Bian Yan stared intently at Pei Yun Chang under the spotlight, watching his slightly leaning body, his unnaturally raised shoulders, and the nervous gesture of rubbing his fingers. The once confident person on the field now seemed so uneasy.

Looking at that familiar face, Bian Yan's throat felt blocked, a sourness rushing to his eyes, and a sense of absurdity and sadness welled up in his heart. Every second before going on stage, he had imagined countless times seeing Pei Yun Chang in the audience. But he never expected Pei Yun Chang to appear by replacing him.

Pei Yun Chang couldn't possibly not know how long he had prepared, couldn't possibly not know how much he looked forward to this match, yet he still easily took away this opportunity. This was his last chance to play as a marksman on stage.

Bian Yan's eyes reddened, tears welling up but stubbornly refusing to fall. He bit his lower lip until it turned white, even drawing a trace of blood, yet he was oblivious, as if only physical pain could slightly alleviate the tearing pain in his heart.

If he had known it would end like this, it would have been better to cut off his hopes from the start. The feeling of falling from the clouds was too deadly.

The message notification sound on his phone became a haunting bell, with everyone who loved him showing concern.

[Mommy: Yan Yan, why aren't you on stage? Did Tang Tang tell us the wrong match? But don't worry, just prepare well, Mommy is always here!]

[Shi Yi Yi: Hey, why is the marksman Arrow? Bian Yan, didn't you go on stage? Reply quickly, it's urgent, I have to go back to class!]

[Miss Bian Tang: Why isn't it you on stage? Yan Yan, call your sister back, did that damn club bully you again?]

A few minutes ago, these messages were full of congratulations and encouragement, but now they felt like death warrants.

Bian Yan was frustrated, the screen in front of him becoming blurry. He pressed the power button hard, wanting to shut out this absurd reality.

Watching the passionate match on stage, hearing the cheers that didn't belong to him, Bian Yan felt utterly defeated. From start to finish, he was like a clown, joyfully preparing for this dream performance, only to realize too late that the script had been secretly changed.

Not only did he fail to notice any signs, but he also loudly announced it to the world, only to end up as someone else's foil, embarrassed and ridiculous.

The feeling of being abandoned by the world washed over him like a tide, each breath bringing sharp pain, his heart feeling like it was being cut into countless pieces, the pain suffocating.

When Bian Yan finally came to his senses, he found himself wandering out of the venue in a daze. Perhaps it was for the best, out of sight, out of mind.

Bian Yan slumped on the roadside, suppressing the huge sense of loss, and began to analyze slowly. When did he start falling into the trap? When submitting the list? During preparation? Or even when he first received the news?

Maybe Shen Chuan never intended for him to play this match, and it was all just a delaying tactic. Bian Yan let out a cold laugh, realizing why Shen Chuan had agreed so readily when he submitted the feasibility report for the transfer. It turned out his attention was never on it.

Since it was an opportunity Pei Yun Chang fought for, what role did he play in it? Bian Yan didn't dare to think further. He couldn't accept the idea that Pei Yun Chang had teamed up with Pei Jing and Shen Chuan to play him!

If that were true, he would truly be a fool, bought and still counting the money for them!

Bian Yan took a deep breath, dismissing his thoughts. No, Pei Yun Chang's concern and worry throughout weren't fake, there must be some misunderstanding!

Bian Yan held his head in his hands, his thoughts in chaos. Why would Shen Chuan and Pei Jing go to such lengths to play this game? After all, he was just a youth trainee who hadn't played, what made him worth such a big setup?

And those strange fans…

Various speculations clashed in Bian Yan's mind, but none made sense. His head ached, so he decided to stop thinking and go backstage to question them directly.

But as soon as he stood up, he stumbled due to low blood sugar, nearly falling to the ground. Bian Yan steadied himself, stomping his foot in frustration. It was supposed to be his most anticipated day, yet everything seemed to be against him.

Bian Yan composed himself and walked towards the venue with large strides. Along the way, he encountered many fans leaving the venue with angry faces, all cursing. Today's opponent for WIN was an unknown small team with no popularity, so the fans present were all for WIN. Seeing them so angry, it must mean WIN lost the match.

"What was Pei Yun Chang doing on stage for over twenty minutes, possessed or something? Is this the Arrow I know?"

"Can WIN compensate me? I didn't come all this way to see Pei Yun Chang get beaten down, can someone tell me what's wrong with him?"

"Pei Yun Chang is just a marketing gimmick, I've been saying he's no good, and look, just a year and he's like this."

"And that Chang Kong, it's hard to imagine this is the kind of play you'd see in a professional arena, high-level opponents often appear as teammates."

…

Bian Yan listened all the way, and it seemed WIN lost badly, with neither the marksman nor the support in good form. He was anxious and quickened his pace.

Just as he turned into the hallway leading to the rest area, a joyful voice stopped him.

"Nova? Is that you?"

Bian Yan paused and turned to look. It was a young guy, full of joy, running up with a sincere expression, but Bian Yan couldn't remember where he'd seen him before. Besides, he'd never shown his face, so apart from people from KP and WIN, very few should recognize him as Nova. Who was this guy?

Bian Yan gave him a questioning look.

"You don't remember me?" The guy gestured animatedly, "I'm Gao Yue, Gao Yue!"

Bian Yan frowned, his expression not looking good. He didn't have time for small talk, so he said he didn't know him and tried to walk past.

Gao Yue hurriedly chased after him, "We were in the same division two years ago at the Youth Challenge! You were the champion, I was second, and I even greeted you at the award ceremony! Don't you remember me?"

Bian Yan tilted his head, thinking for a moment, and indeed matched Gao Yue's face with the shy guy who stood next to him at the award ceremony back then. During the Youth Challenge, Bian Yan had an easy path, his strength unmatched, easily taking first place in the Northwest Division, so he naturally didn't remember who came second. Besides, on the day of the award ceremony, Bian Yan, as the most popular division champion, was too busy dealing with recruitment offers from various teams to remember Gao Yue's greeting.

Bian Yan put his hands in his pockets and casually asked, "What do you want with me?"

"You remember? That's great!" Gao Yue smiled sincerely, "I came specifically to thank you! But I never found the opportunity, and today I actually ran into you!"

Thank him? What nonsense.

Bian Yan was eager to get back to the rest area and impatiently urged, "Speak quickly, I'm in a hurry."

"Oh, okay, okay." Gao Yue nodded apologetically, "Do you remember the NB team you rejected at the award ceremony?"

That rich young boss and the unreliable manager with the spiky hair?

Bian Yan recalled.

"I'm here to thank you for not signing with NB!"

"Back then, you were already amazing in the competition, and I couldn't catch up no matter how hard I tried. I thought I wouldn't get signed by a good team after coming second, but after you rejected NB, they came to me by chance, and I got to join NB as a starter." Gao Yue's tone was excited.

"I'm really grateful to you, Nova. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made it to the professional arena, let alone beat Arrow, haha…"

The more Bian Yan listened, the tighter his brow furrowed, and he interrupted with a stern face, "What did you say, beat Arrow?"

"Yes… yes."

Gao Yue scratched his head awkwardly, "I've been a starter for almost a year now, and our team only got the Autumn Season qualification this year. Hey, I remember you're not much older than me, which team are you with? I've been busy training these years and haven't kept up with your news."

A string in Bian Yan's mind suddenly snapped, and he incredulously asked, "Are you saying your team's opponent today was WIN, and you beat Pei Yun Chang?"

"Yes!"

Speaking of this, Gao Yue couldn't contain his excitement, "We were so lucky, our debut match was against Arrow in a slump, and I actually beat Pei Yun Chang in my lifetime!"

Gao Yue was focused on recounting his luck, not noticing Bian Yan's increasingly dark expression beside him.

"But in the end, I still have to thank you, Nova. If it weren't for your refusal back then, I wouldn't be here today…"

The most frustrating part was that he was genuinely thanking Bian Yan for giving him this opportunity, not coming to mock him with his newfound status.

Gao Yue kept talking, "Oh right, you haven't told me which team you're with. We'll meet in the Autumn Season, right? I'll definitely work hard this time…"

Every word he said hinted at Bian Yan's failure.

"Get lost…"

Bian Yan's nails dug into his palm, his eyes bloodshot, and he hoarsely spat out the word.

Gao Yue was stunned by the curse.

Bian Yan's face was ashen, his lips trembling as he squeezed out a low growl through gritted teeth.

"Get lost!"

"What are you doing here, Xiao Yue… Nova?"

A person came around the corner and stood next to Gao Yue, asking in surprise.

Bian Yan looked up.

It was Qian Chi.

Seeing the familiar face, Bian Yan suddenly remembered that when Qian Chi was forced to transfer by Pan Shi, he went to NB, didn't he?

No wonder it felt so familiar.

It's just too funny.

"Brother Qian Chi, do you know each other?" Gao Yue quietly moved next to Qian Chi, feeling a bit more at ease.

Bian Yan's expression was really bad, and Qian Chi had never seen him like this, so he didn't say much, just nodded lightly.

"Let's go," Qian Chi said, pulling Gao Yue along.

Although Gao Yue was confused by Bian Yan's sudden outburst, he still looked back worriedly as they disappeared down the hallway.

Bian Yan's eyes were empty, staring at the direction they left.

So everyone had found their path, everyone, regardless of their skill level, had found their teammates.

Except him!

Only he was still stuck in place!

Like a clown, trying every possible way, yet he couldn't even get on stage!

Bian Yan felt like his heart was being stabbed by a sharp knife, then twisted into pieces, each fragment bleeding, the pain spreading throughout his body, making it almost impossible to breathe.