Min Province, Nanzhou City, Lecheng Internet Cafe.
Almost all the computers in the hall were playing the League of Legends game, Summoner's Canyon's battle interface. All kinds of shouts came one after another. "Flash flash flash", "F * ck, I got solo killed by the opponent again", "Go, go, go, go, I'm going to kill this round".
The atmosphere of the entire Internet cafe was extremely noisy and lively.
Some internet cafe customers had just finished their last round of ranked matches and were waiting for the next round with their friends. They yelled at the top of their lungs for the network manager to send two bottles of drinks over. Then, they excitedly continued to talk with their friends about the gossip that had been spreading around the internet for the past two days.
"Hey, have you heard? The Japanese server is going to start a league soon."
"Nonsense. The Tieba forum has been full of discussion posts about this for a long time. The Japanese teams seem to have even released a recruitment order for foreign players."
"Tsk tsk, I wonder which god will be pulled over."
"Logically speaking, the professional Japanese team will definitely make a fortune. The last time I went to the Japanese server with a friend, he swept the Platinum section."
"Hahaha, f * ck, then can't diamond players like us apply for professional teams?"
"Of course. I heard that the price offered by the Japanese team is very high. Ordinary second-tier players with some results can start at hundreds of thousands. If it's a first-tier league, it can go up to seven digits. Tsk tsk, if I were a professional player, I would directly agree. It's so comfortable to make money easily ~"
At this time, the young Internet cafe manager came over with two bottles of soda. When he put down the soda bottles, he heard the conversation between the two customers. The corner of his mouth twitched.
"Professional players have to think the same as you."
"The eSports industry should be abolished."
His tone was nonchalant.
The two Internet cafe customers were a little annoyed. They glanced at the young Internet cafe manager and didn't say anything. After the young Internet cafe manager turned around and left, they whispered to each other.
"Tsk tsk, isn't he just an Internet cafe manager? What's so great about him?"
"That's right. How can he say that the eSports industry is abolished? Who does he think he is? "
"It's just a case of sour grapes. How much money can an internet cafe manager earn? If you really give him a sky-high professional contract, won't he just go to work?"
The young manager who had not gone far heard the disdainful comments behind him. He did not turn around to argue or explain. Instead, the corner of his mouth curled up into a mocking smile.
Make money?
A sky-high contract?
If he really wanted money, he wouldn't have made that choice back then.
If everything he did was for the sake of making money, why would he continue to be such an ordinary little manager?
…
Shanghai, Shanghai.
A certain team club in the LSPL First Division.
Having just finished a training match, the club's first and second teams walked out of the meeting room laughing and chatting. Only one person lagged behind. He had been scolded by the team leader for a long time, and now he was ordered to stay behind to clean up the meeting room.
"Old Li, clean it up. Tidy up the living room as well."
"Oh, by the way, buy me a pack of cigarettes when you go out later."
"Bring me some barbecue too."
"Hurry up. Hey, Old Li, can't you move faster?"
The members of Team One and Team Two were constantly giving orders. They seemed to be impolitely ordering the teammate named Old Li around like a servant. Old Li could only nod vigorously, force a smile on his face, and respond repeatedly:
"Okay, okay."
"Got it."
"I'll go after I finish cleaning."
"Then hurry up! We're all hungry here! " A support member of Team One scolded discontentedly. Old Li quickly turned his head and smiled obsequiously. "Okay, okay, okay. It'll be soon."
Looking at the team member named Old Li busy cleaning the meeting room alone, the other team members sitting on the sofa in the living room outside were all laughing. Someone glanced into the meeting room again and curled his lips.
"Tsk, how old is Old Li this year?"
"Twenty-four or five? He looks like he's almost forty. "
Another team member continued and mocked, "It's not just that he looks old. I saw him playing top lane, and his mechanics are like that of a forty or fifty year old man. That reaction speed and hand speed, tsk tsk tsk, it's almost blinding."
"He can only come and play in mock competitions as a sparring partner or something."
"I don't think he can even be a sparring partner. It's too easy to beat him. There's no sense of accomplishment at all."
"Sigh, I don't know why the club still keeps him."
"You guys don't say. I heard that Old Li was the main force of Team One back then. Later on, his performance wasn't good, so he was dropped to Team Two, and then to Team Two's substitute. When he was awesome, he probably wasn't even as good as you guys."
When such a sentence came out of the crowd, another member of Team Two next to him seemed to have thought of something.
"Hey, I seem to have heard about Old Li."
"Who said at that time … that Old Li used to be in the LPL and played professionally in the S1 season?"
Then there was a burst of contempt from the others. "LPL my ass. There was no such name in the S1 season."
"Hahaha, Old Li can play in the LPL too? Then I can be the world champion! "
Another roar of laughter rang out.
In the conference room, the team member named Old Li was diligently doing the cleaning work. He bent his body with some difficulty, and his forehead was slightly dripping with sweat. The discussion and laughter from the living room outside entered his ears, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on the broom.
His knuckles were a little white from the force.
It was as if he had lowered his head, unwilling to let others see his pale face and gloomy expression.
…
In a small town next to Xia City in Min Province.
A three-wheeled motorcycle stopped in front of a convenience store. The old man on the motorcycle shouted into the store.
"Hey, Little Zhou, stock up!"
In front of the counter in the store, an honest-looking young man quickly stood up and replied, "Coming, coming —"
The old man lifted two bottles of mineral water from the trunk of the motorcycle in one breath and handed them to the young man. "Here, take them. Be careful, they're heavy."
The honest-looking young man reached out to take the two large bottles of mineral water. The heavy weight made his arms sink slightly, and then he grinned. "It's okay, Uncle Lin. You can rest over there. Be careful not to sprain your back. I'll do it."
The old man Uncle Lin nodded with a smile and looked at the young man with praise.
"Hey, Little Zhou, you're such a considerate child. You know how to take care of people. I don't know which girl will be lucky to marry into your family in the future!"
The young man smiled shyly.
"My family is poor. It's just a small store, and it doesn't make much money. Who would like it?"
Uncle Lin waved his hand. "That's not true. Little Zhou, everyone in the neighborhood knows your character. You're very good. You look good and you're a good young man. Which girl wouldn't like you? Hey, if it wasn't for you, Little Zhou — "
As he spoke excitedly, Uncle Lin suddenly realized something. He shut his mouth and chuckled awkwardly.
"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing."
"Uncle Lin is just an old man. He doesn't know how to control his words. Don't take it to heart, Little Zhou —"
As he said so, Uncle Lin's eyes subconsciously glanced at the young man's right hand. Then, he quickly retracted his gaze.
The young man was silent for a moment. Then, a plain smile appeared on his face again.
"It's okay.
"It's all in the past.
"Some things are fate. I have to accept them."
Although he said so calmly, the young man's right hand, which was dragged under the two mineral water tanks, trembled slightly.
It was a hand full of calluses.
It was very ordinary.
However, where the index finger and thumb should have been, a small section was abruptly missing. It looked a little funny.
And an indescribable heaviness and desolation.
*****
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