Sorry, Stuck Again [Esports] Chapter 62

Chapter 62

During that time, although everyone except Xiao Bai and Juan Juan knew that he was Nova, no one pointed it out, allowing Bian Yan to stay in the team under the name "Sorry" and numb himself. But now, the whole internet knows that the former Nova is the current Sorry. Marketing accounts are editing clips everywhere, interview invitations keep coming, and the suspension issue is repeatedly mentioned, forcing Bian Yan to face the reality of returning to Wing.

On one hand, he feels he should look forward, as everything now is what he wanted before the suspension. On the other hand, he feels that if he just stays here like a lapdog, the two years of suspension would truly be a joke. The constant emotional tug-of-war makes Bian Yan's mood complicated every day during training, and he doesn't even have a good face for Pei Yun Chang. Even though the other party has already cleared his name, Bian Yan still can't get over that hurdle in his heart.

Why wasn't he there that day?

The autumn season continues, and Bian Yan channels all his emotions into the matches, slicing through the first fourteen games like cutting vegetables. Even if Bai Yao Xing makes mistakes, Wing wins them all without exception. The Sacred Domain officials know how to manipulate the emotions of netizens. The last match of the autumn season's round-robin is between Wing and KP.

[Pre-Match Mobilization Meeting]

Lao Miao walks in with the materials, looking a bit grim, and secretly glances at Bian Yan. Bian Yan furrows his brows but says nothing. Pan Shi sees Lao Miao's expression and understands, sighing, "Enemies meet on a narrow road, old friends reunite~"

Pei Yun Chang doesn't react much, just frowning while scrolling through something on his phone. The atmosphere is a bit awkward.

Bai Yao Xing suddenly jumps up, "Hey, what are you guys playing at? It's just KP. How many times have we faced them over the years?"

Lao Miao jokes with a smile, "Well, we haven't won every time, have we? What's wrong with worrying about a strong opponent?"

"Even though I might hold us back, who do we have now?" Bai Yao Xing runs over to Bian Yan, "This is the current number one mid laner! With Yan Ge here, we're guaranteed to win. What are you all worried about?"

Bai Yao Xing is quite young, living comfortably at the base with older brothers and Juan Juan, developing a carefree personality. All his previous dissatisfaction with Bian Yan vanished the moment he found out he was Nova. After all, he's an ADC, and having his idol here makes him too happy to be upset. His way of addressing Bian Yan changed from "hey" to "Yan Ge," sounding very affectionate.

During this time after the interview, everyone noticed that Bian Yan was being dragged down by past emotions, but only Bai Yao Xing acted as if nothing was wrong, hanging around Bian Yan all the time.

"Hey, why aren't you guys talking again?" Bai Yao Xing felt like he was about to break.

Unexpectedly, Bian Yan suddenly spoke, hitting the nail on the head, "Did KP change their lineup?"

Pei Yun Chang raised an eyebrow.

Just from a few expressions, Bian Yan could guess the truth. He's still so smart.

Lao Miao answered, "Yes, the support position suddenly changed, just for this match."

Bian Yan felt a pang in his heart and couldn't help but sigh.

"Changed? Does KP have another support?" Bai Yao Xing was confused.

"They do." Juan Juan nudged him, looking seriously into his eyes.

After a few seconds, Bai Yao Xing suddenly realized, "Oh! I remember now! It's that guy! The one who played against us before, known as the man behind KP…"

"Lu Chang Kong."

Before Bai Yao Xing could finish, Bian Yan interrupted him.

Hearing this familiar name, even Pei Yun Chang's eyes flickered a few times, and Pan Shi felt a sourness in his heart, unable to speak.

Since they parted ways at the hospital two years ago, Bian Yan hadn't seen Lu Chang Kong again. In the first half-year, Bian Yan was busy dealing with Pei Jing about the suspension period and managing his own emotions, so he naturally didn't have the energy to pay attention to where Lu Chang Kong went. Bian Yan only knew that because of his situation, Lu Chang Kong saw through WIN and naturally wouldn't stay there. His family had enough financial resources to support Lu Chang Kong.

But unexpectedly, the last time Bian Yan heard about Lu Chang Kong was when he joined KP. By then, Lu Chang Kong, who had left WIN, had already passed the awkward rookie phase and was the undisputed number one support in the country, fourth on the ladder, and a hot commodity among domestic teams. Yet, he quietly went to KP.

At that time, WIN was in disarray, with some retiring and others suspended. The Vanguard Team was just starting, and teams like Assault and VVB were neither here nor there, leaving KP as the dominant force. With Lu Chang Kong joining, everyone predicted KP would soon reach the top. But Lu Chang Kong, with his eccentric temperament, didn't play even after joining, instead becoming a strategist at KP, watching as a support not as good as him sat in the starting position. The outside world mocked Ye Li for signing a temperamental big shot.

Everyone thought Lu Chang Kong was done, but he announced his comeback after Pei Yun Chang's second match as a jungler. That was Lu Chang Kong's first match since transferring. It attracted a huge wave of fans, and the CP fans of the two even trended on social media. But Pei Yun Chang knew he wasn't playing for himself; it was clearly to vent for Bian Yan. If Pei Yun Chang had retired or gone behind the scenes like Lu Chang Kong, Lu Chang Kong might never have played again.

That match, combined with Pei Yun Chang's professional debut, garnered unprecedented attention. In the end, WIN lost miserably to KP due to lack of team synergy, Bai Yao Xing's pressure-induced mistakes, and Juan Juan being crushed by Lu Chang Kong. That night, Lu Chang Kong's social media account gained a huge wave of followers, 80% of whom were Nova fans, thinking they found a new spiritual support. But Lu Chang Kong announced his retirement again.

The related topics sparked high discussions. Since then, Lu Chang Kong stayed behind the scenes, neither transferring nor retiring, focusing on serving KP, even becoming the second coach besides Ye Li. Online speculations suggested that once Ye Li retired, Lu Chang Kong would be KP's new coach. But who knew, stepping on the "Nova's return" node, he would make a comeback again.

—One suspended, one half-retired, one behind the scenes, are you Wing guys trying to kill me?

—Playing two matches in total, one for the jungler Arrow, one for the mage Nova, Chang Kong, you never drank Chinese medicine!

—Add Pan Shi, and my original four-member team is complete ww

—But honestly, can KP win this time? The other side has Arnova, the situation doesn't look optimistic.

—Someone, knock me out until three days later, I want to see the four of them on stage now.

—No, stop chatting, go check Wing's announcement!

[Guangleng Wing Esports Club: Dear fans, due to personal reasons, our player Arrow will not participate in the last match of the autumn season, and substitute Fei Qin will replace him. Thank you for your support of Wing.]

This announcement increased the autumn season's popularity several times. Fans speculated various reasons for Arrow's withdrawal.

—Is Pei Yun Chang not participating because of Chang Kong?

—Is he scared? The circle is really messy.

—So what, it's better not to participate, the Yan Kong CP fans are thrilled.

—Get lost, cult organization, they're just pure friends, why are you acting crazy?

—Can some CP fans be normal? The main topic was blown up by the main characters, and you're still babbling? Especially naming "Arrow in the Air," take note.

—Pei Da isn't afraid of some mysterious person, can't he have his own matters?

—Stop comforting yourselves, certain fans, besides Lu Chang Kong, can you name a legitimate reason for him not participating?

Bian Yan had the same doubts at this moment. No wonder during yesterday's meeting, Pei Yun Chang seemed distracted, scrolling through his phone, and sure enough, there was movement on the official Weibo at night. However, the online claim that Pei Yun Chang was afraid of Lu Chang Kong and thus not participating was laughable to Bian Yan. But strangely, everyone else wasn't surprised by this, even Bai Yao Xing, who usually saw Pei Yun Chang as a benchmark, accepted it naturally without fuss.

[During Evening Training]

Bian Yan, feeling frustrated, deliberately banged on the keyboard loudly, drawing the team's attention. He couldn't bring himself to ask Pei Yun Chang directly. But based on his experience, Pei Yun Chang should have come over to explain by now, yet today he remained seated, unmoving. Bian Yan felt stifled, his operations becoming more aggressive, slaughtering in solo queue all night, the victory announcements echoing, drawing everyone's attention.

Pan Shi opened his mouth several times but couldn't speak, only sighing and shaking his head. Even the slow Bai Yao Xing noticed, casting glances at Pei Yun Chang. After all, it was better for him to explain himself rather than relying on others.

Bian Yan, while slaughtering, glanced at Pei Yun Chang, seeing him still frowning and focused on training, feeling a surge of irritation. Damn it, say it if you want to. Bian Yan furrowed his brows, quickly finishing the match. He slammed the computer shut, stood up abruptly, kicked the chair away roughly, and stormed out, leaving the room in a state of mutual bewilderment.

Qin Yu Xuan's computer could transmit the real-time solo queue results of each team member. He scrolled the mouse, clicking his tongue twice. "He's playing too fiercely. The random solo queue rank isn't low, and they're being treated like jungle monsters."

"Let me see!" Bai Yao Xing quickly destroyed the enemy crystal and ran over to join the fun. "Oh my god, Yan Ge's stats are what I dream of. This is the strength of the current number one mid laner, terrifying."

Lao Miao's focus was peculiar, pointing at Bian Yan's station. "I feel like if he used a bit more force, the mouse would be crushed, the data cable almost snapped, and the shoe print on the main unit, tsk tsk tsk…"

Juan Juan finished his game, drinking water and turning to ask Pei Yun Chang, "Pei Ge, aren't you going to explain? Yan Ge is really angry."

Everyone knew only part of the story, but Pan Shi sensed something different, his eyes gleaming with excitement, urging, "Go, it's a great opportunity."

Pei Yun Chang clicked his tongue, leaning back in his chair, slowly closing his eyes, the frown on his brow deepening, the surrounding air seemingly solidifying. After a long time, he sighed heavily, grabbing the jacket Bian Yan left on the chair and went out to find him.

Bai Yao Xing watched him walk away, curiously asking, "Isn't it a normal reason? Why does it seem so hard for Pei Ge to say?"

"Same question," Lao Miao chimed in.

Qin Yu Xuan also looked on curiously.

Besides the two involved, Lu Chang Kong and Pan Shi knew the most about the past. Qin Yu Xuan and Lao Miao received second-hand information, while Juan Juan and Bai Yao Xing, being newcomers, knew nothing. Now with Lu Chang Kong at KP, Pan Shi naturally became their source of information.

To Bai Yao Xing's question, Pan Shi's answer was profound. "Just from a glance from Miao Ge, he could guess KP's lineup change. Bian Yan is meticulous, not a fool." Pan Shi's eyes were distant. "But Pei Ge fears this very thing."

"What do you mean?" Bai Yao Xing asked Juan Juan.

The other shook his head.

"Simply put, Pei Ge doesn't want to beg for mercy, but circumstances force him to speak, and the other party is someone who notices the slightest detail." Pan Shi raised an eyebrow. "Just wait and see, the team is about to change~"

Bai Yao Xing didn't understand a word, feeling his intelligence was insulted.

——

The second-floor hallway was unlit, and Bian Yan didn't bother to use his phone's flashlight, walking with his hands in his pockets, a cold expression, relying on memory to find his dorm. Pei Yun Chang's abnormality, coupled with the team's tacit understanding, felt like a thorn in Bian Yan's throat, making him feel that familiar sense of marginalization again. He didn't want to be the clueless fool anymore.

As he thought, the irritation in Bian Yan's heart grew stronger, quickening his pace, striding towards the dorm in a huff. Suddenly, in the silent and dark hallway, a familiar voice came from behind, spreading in the quiet.

"Bian Yan."

The voice was deep and rich, with a slight upward inflection, carrying an imperceptible urgency yet remaining gentle. In the quiet environment, it was crystal clear, striking straight into Bian Yan's heart. His steps halted abruptly, but he didn't turn around.