“Here is our honor.”
The middle-aged coach enthusiastically led Chu Bai to a corner, where certificates and small trophies were arranged in neat rows.
And the one that drew the eye the most was naturally the IPL5 trophy.
As one of the few current powerhouse teams in the LPL, WE had participated in all kinds of tournaments, big and small. At a glance, it did look rather imposing, giving off the air of a team with deep foundations.
But with just a casual look, Chu Bai could tell that there actually weren’t many championship trophies of real weight. Strictly speaking, there was only one trophy from a world-level tournament.
An ordinary teenager might have been extremely excited, but for Chu Bai, who had lived through the S16 era, an environment where anyone without a Worlds title was defaulted to having no titles at all…
To be honest, it really couldn’t be called overflowing with glory.
However, he did not show it. Instead, he appropriately revealed an expression of surprise and admiration.
As a streamer who had often put on performances for show effect in the past, Chu Bai did have some acting skills.
Judging by Sima Laozei’s expression beside him, as though he wanted to say something but stopped himself, and by the coach’s widening smile, one could tell just how convincing his act was.
After they toured for a while longer, the middle-aged coach suddenly spoke.
“Han Jin, isn’t it about time for you guys to start training?”
Sima Laozei was stunned for a moment and checked the time.
It really was.
But he did not leave. Instead, he remained standing firmly where he was.
“Coach, you know my friend came today. Can I take half a day off? We’ve only just come back from break anyway.”
What a joke. How could Sima Laozei possibly leave now?
Many people thought that players in the early days of esports seemed very simple-minded. That was the greatest misconception of all.
Yes, early esports players were indeed deeply obsessed with championships, and there really weren’t many problems when it came to their professional attitude.
WE’s current mid laner, Ruofeng, had once paid out of his own pocket every month, taking part of the money he received to subsidize his teammates, all so they could compete.
When IG’s PDD, Xiaoxiao, and the others were at their poorest, they would buy a cup of instant noodles at night by pooling together money from several people, then each person would take a few bites.
Even then, they never match-fixed.
When they truly felt there was no hope of winning a championship anymore, they simply chose to retire and went off to sell pork floss pastries.
But to say they were simple?
That really wasn’t necessarily the case.
Loving the professional scene and being stupid were two different things.
During the lawless early days of esports, whether club owners or players, they were a mixed bag of all sorts.
There were even internet café owners who invested in teams.
Prepare a private room in the internet café, provide food and lodging, pay each person two or three thousand yuan a month, and with a monthly expense of ten or twenty thousand, you could support a team.
But the problem was, could anyone really stay on a team like that?
Those who could make it into youth training, or even the professional scene, at a time like this—there really weren’t many who were truly simple-minded.
It wasn’t that these school-dropout internet-addicted teenagers were particularly clever. They had simply suffered too many losses.
According to IG’s championship jungler Ning Wang, he had been tricked early in his career.
At the time, he signed a contract with an internet café owner. The promises at the start sounded pretty good, but after he arrived, he discovered there wasn’t even a place to live, so he could only sleep in the internet café’s private room. Among his teammates, there was even a gay guy.
After only a few days, he wanted to run. But the internet café owner was a local tyrant, connected to street thugs.
In the end, Ning Wang still slipped away in the dead of night, not even daring to take his luggage.
This kind of thing was something players and spectators in later generations simply couldn’t imagine.
Although Sima Laozei was not old, he had already become worldly-wise.
The moment he heard the coach say this, he immediately understood that the coach wanted to send him away so he could say something to Chu Bai.
In Sima Laozei’s eyes, although Chu Bai could not yet be considered some sworn brother who would risk his life for him, he was still a friend he could chat with.
How could he possibly just let the coach send him away like that?
Although he was outwardly dull and inwardly sharp-tongued, he was still an upright person.
He couldn’t do something as rotten as clearly knowing there was a problem and then watching his friend get scammed.
“…Leave, huh? That’s not so easy to approve.”
“The boss also said a few days ago that some people have been very undisciplined lately, and he plans to cut a batch of them in a few days.”
The smile on the middle-aged coach’s face remained as he patted Sima Laozei on the shoulder.
“Han Jin, I’m only going out of my way to remind you because we have a decent relationship. Be careful during this period, and don’t get caught.”
Sima Laozei fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
“All right. I’ll head over then, Coach.”
Chu Bai stood quietly to the side, carefully examining the trophies, as though he had heard nothing at all.
Watching Sima Laozei leave so decisively, the smile on the middle-aged coach’s face deepened.
He patted Chu Bai on the shoulder in an apparently warm manner. “I heard Han Jin mention you. You’re the current rank two on the national server, the rank one Talon on the national server, right?”
Here it comes.
Chu Bai thought to himself.
Han Jin’s departure did not exceed his expectations.
No matter what the coach’s purpose was, if he wanted to talk business with Chu Bai, he would definitely have to send Han Jin away.
Chu Bai did not lower his evaluation of Han Jin just because he had left.
That short conversation just now had actually contained a great deal of information.
It was normal for Han Jin to leave. It would have been truly abnormal if he hadn’t.
However, Chu Bai had an inexplicable confidence in this new friend’s character.
He might come back. Who knew?
“Yeah. I actually want to go pro too.”
The handsome youth seemed a little shy. He smiled somewhat embarrassedly and nodded, his eyes revealing just the right amount of longing and fervor.
As Chu Bai spoke, he observed the coach’s expression without batting an eye.
He very easily noticed the flash of astonishment that crossed the coach’s face, and his guess gradually took shape.
For whatever reason, Han Jin had not told this coach that Chu Bai wanted to go pro. Today, he really had only wanted to bring him here for a visit.
“So the person he recommended was you. Come, come, come, let’s go to my side for a tryout. As long as your performance is fine, we’ll sign the contract.”
The middle-aged coach seemed to realize that his startled expression had been a bit obvious. He put on a look of sudden realization, patted his own forehead, and smiled as he led the way.
Chu Bai smiled and nodded, but there was not the slightest trace of a smile in his eyes.
Bullshit.
How could Han Jin possibly have said he was here for a tryout?
He and Han Jin had only talked about him wanting to go pro. He had never said he wanted to try out for WE.
The two arrived in a spacious office. Chu Bai logged into his own account on the computer there and played a game right in front of the coach.
He carried that game very easily, because at this time, none of the few monsters near the top of the rankings were online.
If they could be online at eight or nine in the morning, they would truly be gods among men.
After one game ended, the coach was already smiling as he took out a contract.
“Not bad. Very good. I really admire you.”
“Sign this contract, and you’ll be considered a member of WE.”
With a proper smile on his face, Chu Bai accepted the contract.
He read very quickly. Although it looked as if his eyes were skimming ten lines at a glance, he did not miss a single clause.
The monthly salary was acceptable for the current period.
But a signing fee of fifty thousand…?
Now that he had reached second on the national server, teams had already contacted him.
The team offering the highest signing fee had already gone up to two hundred thousand.
[Although the LPL was still in its early stages in 2014, player values were already not low at this time. Sima Laozei, who was in WE.A, already had a transfer fee of three hundred thousand, so it is reasonable here for another team to offer two hundred thousand.]
Judging by this figure, it was hard to say how much sincerity this WE coach had.
This was a standard rookie template contract.
Looking further down, the penalty for breach of contract was tenfold, and the contract length was five years.
The only condition that looked passable was the clause stating that the contract would be signed year by year, and that it might be changed based on performance.
But this clause could hardly be considered preferential treatment either.
Surely no one thought this meant the team valued the player, right?
In reality, this clause was more advantageous to the club.
Change the contract?
Heh.
If you played well, they could change it. If you played poorly, of course they could change it too.
Not to mention the words “might be.” This meant that even if Chu Bai played very well, WE could still use those two words to refuse to change the contract.
Even Chu Bai could not help sighing inwardly.
Dark!
This was fucking dark!
A pure slave contract.
Chu Bai had already shaken his head inwardly.
There was no way he would accept this kind of contract.
Moreover, because of this coach, his impression of WE had become very poor.
In his heart, he had already put a cross through WE.
“The contract terms are very good. To be honest, I’m very satisfied.”
As if.
Chu Bai put on a smile again. “But right now, I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’m planning to look at a few more clubs before deciding.”
“I’ll give you a reply in a few days. Would that be all right?”
The middle-aged coach’s smile did not change. “Of course, that’s fine.”
In reality, however, he was already somewhat annoyed.
Some time ago, Ruofeng had come to him and said he wanted to retire, and he still hadn’t known how to explain it to the boss.
After he accidentally saw Han Jin chatting with Chu Bai in-game, he recognized Chu Bai’s ID at a glance.
After confirming that Chu Bai was the “friend coming to visit” Han Jin had mentioned, he had formed an idea.
Ruofeng did not want to play anymore. Once the boss found out, he would definitely be unhappy.
But at this time, if I tell the boss that I brought a new solo queue king mid laner into WE…
Regardless of whether this person plays well or not, I’ll have counted as helping the boss solve a problem, right?
When the time comes…
Once the thought arose, he immediately became excited.
He wanted to make progress far too much!
But now that he had extended the invitation, this solo queue king whom he had thought would be very easy to handle was actually showing hesitation.
Doesn’t know what’s good for him!
He cursed inwardly, then continued speaking. “But you also know that WE is a powerhouse team. There are many rookies who hope to join us. This opportunity is very rare.”
“Players at Han Jin’s level—there are quite a few on our side too.”
“Why don’t you reconsider?”
Chu Bai nearly couldn’t hold it in and almost laughed out loud on the spot.
He didn’t know whether it was because he had watched too many Japanese action films.
But listening to these words, why did he get the déjà vu of “Chu Bai, you wouldn’t want your friend Han Jin to lose his job, would you?”
The flavor was too strong.
Just as he was about to reply, the door behind him opened at that moment.
“I don’t think there’s any need to consider it.”
Facing the coach’s face, which abruptly darkened when he saw him, the expressionless Sima Laozei appeared in the doorway, accompanied by the sunlight from the corridor.
He first nodded to Chu Bai, who was smiling as he watched from the side, then looked at the coach and continued, “He has a one-hundred-percent win rate. Right now, he has already reached rank two on the national server with a sixty-two-game win streak in ranked.”
“I think there are quite a few clubs that would want him. Besides, our WE isn’t lacking mid laners, right?”
“I still want to team up with him. The boss also knows I’m going to transfer.”
WE wasn’t lacking mid laners?
That was pure nonsense.
Because both the coach and Sima Laozei knew that WE’s starting mid laner, Ruofeng, already wanted to retire.
But the middle-aged coach could only nod.
Because if he kept talking, he would be saying a bit too much.
Yet the WE coach still wasn’t willing to give up.
His expression returned to calm, and he spoke unhurriedly. “That’s indeed very good.”
“Speaking of which, the clubs in the top league more or less all know one another. Do you need me to help recommend you?”
A threat.
An unquestionable threat.
Sima Laozei chose to remain silent.
This was not something he could speak up about.
He could not, nor was he qualified to, decide Chu Bai’s life for him.
But at that moment, a hand landed on his shoulder.
Chu Bai, who had been quietly observing the whole time, had at some point stood up and now spoke with a grin.
“Really? I’m planning to make a trip to EDG right away.”
“Could you help recommend me?”
Coach: …
Sima Laozei: …
Before long, the two walked out of the office side by side.
Sima Laozei sighed softly. “Although today is the first time we’ve met offline, I think you’re still pretty rational. So why did you have to mention EDG at the end?”
In truth, if Chu Bai had casually named any club at the end, this matter would have passed. That WE coach actually had very little chance of obstructing his professional path.
A lousy coach—what right did he have to interfere with other clubs?
Calling it a threat was one thing, but in reality, it was more just harsh words spoken out of unwillingness.
Sima Laozei did not believe Chu Bai couldn’t see that. Yet Chu Bai had still deliberately mentioned EDG, fiercely disgusting that WE coach.
Facing the light in the corridor, Chu Bai felt the warmth of the sunlight shining on his face. Only then did he turn his head and smile as he spoke to him.
“Didn’t you also fall out with him?”
Sima Laozei turned his gaze away and shook his head.
“You were brought here by me, after all. And we’re friends. Besides, I was already going to leave anyway. I’m not afraid of him.”
“Exactly. Just like you said, we’re friends.”
Chu Bai elbowed Sima Laozei. “You chose to protect me because I’m your friend, so of course I have to stand on my friend’s side and speak up for you too.”
Sima Laozei froze for a moment, then smiled for the first time.
“As expected of my good son. Not bad, not bad. As long as you understand your father’s efforts.”
Chu Bai chuckled.
“You dare talk to me like that? How many moms are listed in your household register?”
Facing the gradually rising morning sun, the youths walked forward through the light.