“The captain is back,” Hao Qianyi expressed a formal welcome to Hao upon his entrance, without showing any waves of emotion.
He distractedly shifted his gaze from the computer screen to the captain entering the training room, a gesture of respect.
Hao Qianyi, known for his aggressive and rebellious nature, was the typical “little demon king.” Despite his non-compliant attitude, even the mild-mannered coach Bai Yin often engaged in physical clashes with him.
However, this kid was curiously subdued around Yu Hao, always displaying an obedient demeanor, resembling an adorably behaved child.
Originally, Hao Qianyi intended to greet the captain as a formality and then noticed the person following Yu Hao, dressed in a black hoodie.
In the midst of the winter chill, with the year coming to an end, the base was thankfully heated, or else their hands would freeze, making even typing on a keyboard impossible.
Jiang Min was initially wearing a thick down jacket, which he had taken off upon entering the JW base due to the warmth inside.
The overall design of JW’s base was characterized by a bright and minimalist style, with some metallic accents that added a touch of technology.
With a total of five floors, the base was situated not far from the city center of S city, displaying the lavishness of JW’s owner, Ji Xiu Yan.
As Jiang Min and the others arrived at the base, Ji Xiu Yan had already returned to his office, leaving the task of settling Jiang Min to Yu Hao.
Naturally, Ji Xiu Yan was well aware that Yu Hao was eager to handle this matter himself.
Initially, Yu Hao assisted Jiang Min in moving his belongings to the room located on the fourth floor.
Each of JW’s team members had their own individual rooms, considering the relatively small team size. The abundance of space allowed them this luxury.
Jiang Min’s room was undoubtedly situated next to Yu Hao’s.
Three days earlier, this room was actually occupied by Hao Qianyi.
However, three days ago, Hao Qianyi had been informed of a sudden room change, moving from a room near the captain’s to a far corner.
Although confused by the decision, he was delighted to be further away from the captain’s strict demands. He could now watch female streamers at night without worrying if the captain would notice.
As a result, Hao Qianyi had spent two full days moving his belongings to the newly assigned room. The cleaning staff had also spent an entire day cleaning and redecorating the room, ensuring that the next occupant could settle in without any issues.
And the next occupant was naturally Jiang Min.
Considering Jiang Min’s illness, Yu Hao initially intended to let him rest. However, Jiang Min felt that since he had been seen by many people in the lobby upon his arrival at the JW base, it would be inappropriate not to greet his new teammates.
Thus, Yu Hao took Jiang Min to meet the JW team members.
As they descended from the dormitory floor to the training room, they were met with numerous surprised gazes.
JW hadn’t revealed the news of Jiang Min’s acquisition even internally, making this sudden appearance of one of the most renowned 2nd position mid-laners in WPL alongside their captain a shocking sight for the other team members.
“Oh my god, am I seeing things?” JW’s official account manager, A Xin, had been holding her phone outside the training rooms of JW’s other gaming divisions, preparing to secretly take pictures of the players and post them on the official account. When she saw Yu Hao and Jiang Min pass by, her phone almost slipped from her hand. “Quick, pinch me, please! Isn’t that Sugar?”
Her companion, Qiu Qiu, a plump and cute girl, widened her eyes and seemed to recall something, speaking in a hushed tone, “You’re not mistaken, that’s really Sugar! I’d recognize him even with a mask on!”
“How could Sugar be at our base?” A Xin forgot her original intention to take pictures and, instead, set her phone aside to focus on the two figures.
Qiu Qiu’s mind seemed to be racing as she lowered her voice, “Didn’t Nan-ge retire? The team definitely needs a new 2nd position player. Our WOC division has only just been established, and we don’t even have a second team yet. If we’re not recruiting from outside, then our deep-pocketed boss might have bought Sugar!”
Both Qiu Qiu and A Xin were WOC players, albeit not very skilled ones, and they usually hung around in the lower ranks.
However, their lack of skill didn’t diminish their admiration for professional players and their awe-inspiring skills.
And Jiang Min, in their hearts, was the unparalleled male god.
A Xin rubbed her cheeks with both hands, exclaiming, “Oh my god! If that’s true, it’s explosive news!”
Unable to contain her excitement, A Xin took out her phone, ready to post on her private Weibo account.
From this moment onward, she and her male god were part of the same club!
Sorry, Captain Yu! Although you’re also a male god, Sugar has a bit more charm!
Qiu Qiu restrained A Xin’s eager hand, “Don’t go spreading rumors on your private Weibo account everywhere. The team hasn’t officially announced it yet. Let’s be professional!”
Only then did A Xin realize, “Right, right. Look at me, I got too excited and almost made a big mistake.”
Her position as the official account manager had been hard-won after fierce competition, and she couldn’t afford any mistakes.
“However, if the 2nd position is Sugar, our JW should become very strong next season,” Qiu Qiu murmured.
A Xin’s initial frustration over the team’s lack of cooperation suddenly turned into motivation, “With our Sugar, even if we face countless setbacks, I’ll strive to be a dedicated official account manager!”
Within JW’s base, it wasn’t just these two girls who were stirred up by Jiang Min’s presence.
The most extreme reaction came from Hao Qianyi.
Hao Qianyi fell off his esports chair in disbelief, his expression incredulous, “Sugar, Su… Sugar God!?”
Jiang Min was taken aback by his exaggerated response, unsure of how to react.
“What are you doing, being so reckless?” Yu Hao, as usual, showed his disdain for his teammates and didn’t bother to go over and pull Hao Qianyi up.
He gathered the other people in the training room and spoke in a very formal tone, “Let me introduce you all. This is Jiang Min, who will be taking on the role of our JW team’s 2nd position starting today. I believe you’re all familiar with him, right?”
Jiang Min’s presence in the training room was purely out of courtesy. Given his introverted personality, he wasn’t adept at handling such situations.
However, to his surprise, the other JW members were all as approachable as Yu Hao.
Hao Qianyi leaped up, brimming with excitement, and firmly grasped Jiang Min’s right hand under Yu Hao’s watchful gaze. Stars seemed to twinkle in his eyes, “Sugar God!!! Oh my god! I’m your superfan!!! I never dreamed I’d be teammates with you! I’m Hao Qianyi, the 3rd position in the team. You can call me Haozi! Ahhh, I’m so thrilled! My life is complete!”
“Get excited later by running a few laps around the base to cool off,” Yu Hao said coldly from the side.
Hao Qianyi pretended not to feel the captain’s chill and continued holding onto Jiang Min’s hand.
At this moment, two handsome young men who looked quite similar approached and stood on either side of Hao Qianyi.
One had a head of silver-gray hair, and the other had golden hair.
If it weren’t for their good looks, they might have been labeled as non-mainstream.
They supported Hao Qianyi, who was acting like a fish leaping out of water, and he released Jiang Min’s hand in surprise, allowing them to push him back.
“Sugar God, sorry about this. Our teammate Haozi can get a bit overexcited sometimes. Don’t mind him,” the silver-haired youth said.
The golden-haired one offered a charming smile, extending his hand to shake Jiang Min’s, “Hello, Sugar God. Nice to meet you! Please guide me in the future! My lanes are your lanes, my jungle is your jungle, feel free to take them~”
“The blond one is our 1st position, Wei Yabo, and the silver-haired one is our 5th position, Wei Yafeng. They’re twins, with Yabo being the older brother,” Yu Hao introduced next to Jiang Min.
“Tch, he’s just ten minutes older than me,” Wei Yafeng, the silver-haired twin, complained, “Sugar God, I’m Yafeng, the support. I’ll make sure the vision around your mid lane is impeccable in the future.”
“Even if it’s just ten minutes, you’re still my older brother,” Wei Yabo chimed in.
“But can’t you stop using that ten-minute difference to bully me every time?”
“When did I ever bully you? Respecting the elderly and cherishing the young is a traditional virtue of our nation, right? Any problem with respecting your older brother?”
“Are you really that old? If you are, retire early and don’t delay me from winning the championship. It’s been so tiring being on the same team as you!”
“Oh come on, aren’t I the one who’s been through a lot walking alongside you? I have to last-hit minions and keep an eye on your health!”
The two brothers began arguing right then and there.
“Um…” Jiang Min felt awkward.
Yu Hao didn’t mind, “They’re always like this, you’ll get used to it.”
JW’s 1st position big brother and 5th position support had their usual quarrel.
“Sugar God, nice to meet you.” JW’s coach, Bai Yin, also walked over, shaking hands with Jiang Min in a friendly manner, “I’m Coach Bai Yin. You can just call me Lao Bai, like the other players.”
“Hello,” Jiang Min greeted obediently.
The newly appointed assistant coach, Xiao Nan, and the team’s analyst also greeted Jiang Min.
“Alright, well, uh, Sugar, you don’t seem to be feeling well today. I’ll take you back to your room to rest,” Yu Hao sensed that Jiang Min wasn’t in the best condition and bid farewell to the others, leaving with Jiang Min.
Jiang Min turned around to greet his new teammates before obediently following Yu Hao.
Indeed, he was feeling rather groggy, and staying would be unproductive. It was better to focus on recovering and then get to know his new teammates once he was feeling better.
Inside the training room, everyone exchanged glances.
“…If I heard correctly, the captain just called Sugar ‘Sugar Sugar’?” Hao Qianyi tentatively asked.
“We’re not deaf,” Wei Yafeng replied.
“Why do they seem so familiar with each other? When did they meet?” Hao Qianyi was very curious.
Wei Yabo and Wei Yafeng shrugged simultaneously.
“Alright, enough with the gossip. Get back to your seats and continue playing ranked games. You haven’t completed today’s match quota yet,” Bai Yin urged.
“Coach, you’re biased! Why doesn’t the captain have to play ranked games every day?” Hao Qianyi protested as Bai Yin pushed him back to his seat.
“He’s the captain. Check his match records, and you’ll see he hasn’t been slacking off. Do you think that computer he had installed in his room is just for show?” Bai Yin couldn’t help but tap Hao Qianyi’s head again.
He wouldn’t reveal the real reason Yu Hao had a computer in his room despite the multitude of computers in the team’s training room.
That computer was exclusively for duo queueing with Sugar.
Because Yu Hao’s adorable and playful demeanor when duo queueing was completely unsuitable for the team to see.
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ”
