On the other end of the phone, there was silence except for the sound of breathing and the rain outside.
Rong Yi sat up on the sofa and spoke in a hoarse voice, “Yes.”
“I’m very sorry for bothering you at this time. Mr. Lin gave me your contact information. I hope you can forgive me,” the other person spoke in a cold and indifferent tone, using slightly formal language with a hint of translation accent. “May I ask if you have time in the next few days?”
Rong Yi asked in a low voice, “What is it about?”
“It’s still about the team. I think it would be clearer to talk about it in person. I hope you can give our team a chance,” Xiao Yin said straightforwardly. “The team has just been established and there’s a lot to be done. We also hope you can help us out.”
Rong Yi remained silent.
A few seconds later, Xiao Yin spoke again, “Mr. Lin said you’ve been looking for a job recently.”
Rong Yi took a deep breath and said, “Okay, I understand.”
“Can you make it tomorrow at 9:30 in the morning? We’ll send a car to pick you up,” Xiao Yin said.
Rong Yi answered with a sound of agreement and then hung up the phone.
Immediately afterwards, he opened the messaging app and found Lin Yi’s chat box. Before he could even type a message, Lin Yi had already sent one, “Sorry, it was me who contacted you on behalf of Yin Shen. I just think it’s a shame if you don’t continue your professional career. Anyway, give your brother some face and meet him tomorrow!”
Lin Yi continued typing, “I’ve also talked to Xiao Yin about what happened back then. He said it’s okay and he’s already over it.”
Rong Yi grabbed his phone and sent a voice message, “I didn’t ask about that! You’re just being ridiculous.”
He was a little annoyed and embarrassed.
Lin Yi said, “Behave yourself and give your brother some face.”
Rong Yi stared at his phone for a while, then sighed and pulled the blanket over his head, burying himself to sleep.
He rarely had trouble sleeping, but he tossed and turned that night, only falling asleep when it was already daylight.
The next morning, his alarm didn’t go off and he only woke up when someone knocked on his door. He quickly said, “I’m coming!”
He looked at his phone and saw that it was already 9:30. He had also missed several calls.
As he said, “Just a moment,” he yanked the door open and froze with the person standing outside.
He thought it would be the club manager or a driver coming to pick him up, but he didn’t expect it to be Xiao Yin himself.
Xiao Yin was dressed in a well-fitted suit with every button done up perfectly. His eyes were as dark and calm as his hair.
His gaze fell on Rong Yi.
When at home, Rong Yi dresses casually in a loose white vest that hangs off his body, paired with a random pair of sports shorts. His fair skin glistens in the sunlight.
Still groggy from sleep, his peach blossom eyes are hazy and tinted with a rosy hue. When he sees Xiao Yin, he almost freaks out, but manages to compose himself and apologizes, “I’m sorry, I just woke up. Please wait outside for a moment.”
Xiao Yin’s gaze lingers on Rong Yi’s disheveled hair, his demeanor calm and collected. “Okay.”
Rong Yi closes the door.
He splashes his face with cold water, trying to calm himself down as Xiao Yin waits outside. It all feels like a dream, completely surreal.
His phone vibrates again, this time it’s from his landlord, Li Meng, who informs him of a package that has been delivered to his place. Li Meng, a young man who owns a dozen apartments in the building, lives downstairs and frequently interacts with Rong Yi, sometimes even inviting him out for a meal.
Realizing that there’s also a doorman outside, Rong Yi quickly says, “Please wait…”
“I’m coming up.”
The phone hung up.
With a toothbrush in his mouth, Rong Yi rushed to the door and heard voices outside as he lifted his head.
Li Meng, the landlord, asked in confusion, “Are you… a guest of Ah Yi’s? Why don’t you come in?”
There seemed to be a moment of hesitation from Xiao Yin before he said, “I’ll just wait outside.”
“Ah… okay.”
The door lock turned and the door opened. Li Meng was wearing pajamas and put the package and a pancake in the living room. He hesitated and asked, “Do you know this person outside?”
Rong Yi felt that if he didn’t invite Xiao Yin in soon, it would be impolite. He pulled the door and nodded before smiling at Xiao Yin, “Come in and wait. I’ll make you a cup of tea.”
Xiao Yin’s gaze shifted between Rong Yi and Li Meng before he lowered his eyes and said, “Thank you for the trouble.”
He walked in.
Li Meng said to Rong Yi, “You go wash up, I’ll make tea for the guest.”
Rong Yi replied in a low voice, “No need, you should leave now.”
Li Meng looked at him, then at Xiao Yin sitting in the living room, and whispered, “That guy outside is so handsome, why do I feel like I’ve seen him before?”
Rong Yi turned on the tap to rinse the cup and didn’t respond to her question, only saying quietly, “Did you see the notice I put up about moving out next month?”
“I saw it. It’s not urgent. Just stay until a new long-term tenant comes along.”
Li Meng continued, “It’s not easy to find someone to rent during the off-season. New customers might not be as easy to deal with as old ones. If you run into someone who doesn’t take care of the house, you’ll be in big trouble. Anyway, you can stay for now, and when someone new comes, I’ll ask you to leave immediately.”
Rong Yi was relieved and said, “I won’t pay the extra rent.”
“No problem.”
Li Meng gave him a thumbs up, then looked around and asked, “Didn’t you say the freezer was stuck last time? I’ll take a look at it.”
‘Okay.”
Rong Yi washed up at lightning speed, changed his clothes, and returned to the room.
When they came out, Li Meng had already made tea for Xiao Yin on the side, but Xiao Yin didn’t seem to move and remained sitting on the sofa, looking down at his phone.
Rong Yi suddenly remembered that Xiao Yin had a serious case of cleanliness.
“I’m ready, let’s go.” Rong Yi walked to him, avoiding his gaze. “I’m really sorry, my alarm didn’t go off and I forgot about the time.”
“It’s okay, I came early.”
Li Meng was still rummaging through the fridge in the kitchen with a scratchy sound. Rong Yi changed her shoes and went out with Xiao Yin. Before closing the door, she said, “I’m leaving!”
Li Meng responded with a “Okay” from inside.
Rong Yi went out and saw that Xiao Yin had already pressed the elevator button.
The two stood side by side, quiet, and did not speak. The atmosphere was a bit awkward.
Rong Yi had never looked straight at Xiao Yin, and the elevator door reflected their faces vaguely.
Compared to a few years ago, Xiao Yin’s temperament had become more mature and cold. If there was still a bit of youthful vigor a few years ago, now he had completely turned into a cold stone, calm and indifferent, even with a bit of intimidating aura.
This aura also made him appear somewhat unfamiliar.
The elevator door opened, and the two walked in. Suddenly, Xiao Yin asked, “Are you living with relatives now?”
Rong Yi pressed the first floor button and paused for a moment before realizing he was referring to Li Meng. “He’s…a friend.”
Xiao Yin said nothing more.
The driver parked the car in the underground garage. It was a workday, and there weren’t many people around, so there was no need to worry about being photographed. Xiao Yin sat in the passenger seat, and Rong Yi quietly went to the back seat.
Soon, they arrived at the club.
Rong Yi looked outside.
The location was great, in a villa area in a prime location with convenient transportation and good privacy. It was also close to the headquarters of the league. Xiao Yin really went all out.
When they arrived, Xiao Yin led the way and took Rong Yi inside.
Hearing the sound, the group of people stopped talking and stood up to greet them.
“Former RS team captain, Easy,” Xiao Yin introduced himself, then said to Rong Yi, “Our AD carry and support are not here, and our top laner is out.”
The AD carry, Ci She, had just turned 18 and had a baby face. He saluted Rong Yi with a standard military gesture and said, “Yi Shen, you’re amazing! This year, the RS team can’t keep up with you. They’re so weak. Is there any conflict in your team?”
The support, Grey Cat, nudged him with his elbow and then smiled, “Yi Shen, you’re amazing! Yin isn’t good at talking, let me speak for him. Yi Shen, please consider joining our team. We need someone like you! We’re short of players!”
Ci She said, “We’re short of good-looking players!”
Hui Mao echoed, “We’re short of good-looking players like you!”
Xiao Yin remained expressionless and said to Rong Yi, “Let’s go to the lounge and talk. It’s quieter there.”
Rong Yi followed him into the lounge and sat down facing him.
As they got closer, Xiao Yin’s oppressive aura became more evident.
He lowered his head slightly and handed Rong Yi a file, his expression still calm as water. “This is our team’s information and the member’s resumes. You can take a look.”
Rong Yi took the file and glanced at it roughly, but he didn’t study it carefully. Just as he was about to flip through it, Xiao Yin seemed to know what he was thinking. “I hope you can take a closer look. I want to ask for your help, and I’m not lying,” he said.
Rong Yi was startled.
He lowered his eyes and read it carefully.
This team had a complete lineup, with Ci She and Hui Mao both brought back by Xiao Yin from the NA training camp. Their playstyle was very aggressive, and they had a high tolerance for mistakes with Xiao Yin’s expertise.
Looking at their lineup, they were missing a mid-laner.
After some contemplation, Rong Yi returned the documents to Xiao Yin.
His slender, fair fingers lightly pressed on the paper.
“I can’t help you. You may not pay much attention to our domestic professional competitions. My role is more like a support and commander, playing a tool person. It’s not suitable for your team’s style.”
“That’s your situation after coming to RS.”
Xiao Yin did not take the paper. He stood up and poured a glass of water, handing it to Rong Yi. He spoke softly, “When you were with me before, you played the C position.”
Rongyi: “.”
The glass was placed by his side, exuding the aroma of milk. Rong Yi lowered his eyes and saw that Xiao Yin had given his hot milk.
Xiao Yin seemed to have no intention of continuing the previous topic. He said, “You are the only one who meets my standards for the position that suits this hero best in the entire league.”
Rong Yi picked up the glass and took a sip quietly, listening attentively.
“I hope you can join.” Xiao Yin still had that calm and rational expression, with clear eyes without any other distractions, only rational considerations. “You understand my personality. I’m not good at persuading people, so you can name your price.”
Rong Yi looked into his eyes, stunned for a moment.
This condition was tempting.
The style of VIT’s entire team is distinctive, with Xiao Yin’s style being action-oriented, highly-executive, calm and decisive, and the team considers the highest benefit and lowest risk for the overall operation.
He had dreamed of developing a team he personally cultivated into this style, which could give a team the power to continue winning and ultimately aim for the championship.
But during the RS, he personally ended this dream.
Now, such a team is in front of him.
“It’s not about money, I’ll admit that I still have concerns about joining your team,” said Rong Yi, feeling a bit anxious. He took a sip of milk and felt he didn’t have the patience to argue with Xiao Yin. “You and I had a relationship before, and emotional issues within the team can affect the player’s performance.”
Xiao Yin looked up.
Rong Yi was blunt, “You may not mind, but I do. After all, I don’t think you want to be reminded of the time your teammate betrayed you at a critical moment in your career.”
“You explained that before,” Xiao Yin spoke calmly.
“Do you have a fear of being on camera?”
Xiao Yin spoke calmly, “Do you have camera phobia?”
Rong Yi remained silent.
“You didn’t tell me about this before,” Xiao Yin stood up and walked around the table, slowly approaching him. Rong Yi had to look up at him.
Xiao Yin’s voice remained calm, “So now, I think the misunderstanding has been resolved. We can restore our previous relationship, that is, a romantic relationship, and at the same time, you join my team.”
Rong Yi had not yet reacted to Xiao Yin’s words.
In the next instant, Xiao Yin lowered his head slightly, tested his reaction, then hooked his finger under Rong Yi’s chin and gave him a light kiss on the corner of his mouth.
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