Chapter 897 - Rao Rong’s Decision
But were they going to go separate ways after the National League was over?
Lin Feng was much clearer than her about this.
Some people weren’t oblivious or naive and out of these, the people who cared would want to see them in such a state and thus thought that it was best to let them be naive, for them to be at ease.
Lin Feng raised his hand, finishing another bottle.
Overseas wasn’t that far, it would take at most a day’s flight
The transportation methods had advanced, hadn’t they?
But even with these comforts, there was still a reality they couldn’t go against: the departure of a brother.
Hence, there couldn’t be any regrets left behind for the National League.
As the competition was the next day, they couldn’t leave too late.
Feng Yi had always been a smiling prince. He stood up in his suit, raising the beer in his hand. “The semi-finals for the National League, finish this match and there is a possibility that you’ll meet the Xiangnan team, our former rival and the current hotshots of the esports world, who have been said to be the best in China. This is the time for Supreme Alliance to show our ability. For tomorrow’s competition, Yun Hu starts with the 1v1, Spade Z and Qin Mo will follow up with the 2v2.”
He turned towards Qin Mo with a smile. “Just in time for the camaraderie you and Little Spade have practiced for.”
Qin Mo replied with a faint, “Mmh,” clearly agreeing with the arrangement.
“Supreme Alliance, Victory!” Feng Yi finished off by emptying his cup.
Although the ace pairing he had high hopes for was finally going to shine, they were sure it wasn’t going to be an easy match because of Rao Rong, the man who had once carried his entire team.
The night dimmed.
At the same time, in the same city but a different hotel, Rao Rong received a call as he was about to return to his room. He had just finished going through some information.
The call wasn’t from anyone else but the imposter of Z, who the crime squad was going after.
The girl caressed the cat in her arms, exhaling deeply. “Rao Rong, it wasn’t easy for me to call you at such an hour, but there isn’t a choice. There’s a change of plans, you will have to lose the match tomorrow.”
Lose?
Rao Rong clenched his empty hand. “Do you have any idea what you are saying?”
“Calm down.” The girl frowned, not enjoying the way he was expressing himself. “The bet for this match is extremely high and many people have dumped their money into it, they have high hopes on your team and if you lose, the one we are working with is able to earn a sum. Rao Rong, you don’t have to react so greatly, you should be clearer than us on certain matters. It isn’t as simple as it seems, there are also benefits. You were once chased out from your club, isn’t that evidence on this point?”
Rao Rong tilted his head, his gaze dimming. “I can’t accede to this request, this is esports.”
“Rao Rong.” The girl caressed her forehead, feeling frustrated because of this stubborn man. “We have already made it to this step, you should understand. Whether or not your father’s case can be reopened depends on how satisfied you can make our partner. You are an adult, I don’t have to say much for you to understand. Lose the match, it’ll benefit you.”
Rao Rong felt his eyes turning red. “You are threatening me.”
“Take it as a threat.” The girl glanced over at the stage she was watching over, her eyes filled with hatred. “You can do whatever you want, that was just a suggestion. Before you take any action, think about the reason you went back. Don’t confuse the lines. That’s how your father’s case can be reopened and the condition for my side to help collect information. Or perhaps, do you think you can clear your father’s name without our help? Rao Rong, haven’t you woken up? The people up there won’t bother about the bottom levels like your father, even if he had been a hero. It doesn’t matter, it wouldn’t be easy for the case to be reopened.”
Her every word was forcing him into making a decision.
Why did he come back?
That year, his family broke apart and he was chased out by the club, which forced him into making a deal with the devil.
He had a hunch, but he was blinded by revenge.
He wanted to reopen his father’s case, he wanted to return all the humiliation he had once received.
The day he had met the devil, had he sunk into the abyss?
Deep into the night when it was already silent outside, Rao Rong asked himself repeatedly, but there wasn’t an answer.
In this world, those who were shameless tended to live a better life because of the lack of guilt they felt.
When the hurt came, Rao Rong would vent it with a cigarette and this time wasn’t an exception.
He locked himself in the toilet and lit a cigarette, leaning his head against the wall behind him. He lifted the other hand and smashed into the wall.
They wanted him to lose, which was akin to killing him.
If he had to give up his revenge, he wouldn’t be able to live it down either.
No one could understand how the last two years had been for him. Every time he shut his eyes, his father’s face would appear.
His body slid to the ground and his eyes were bloodshot, but gradually, he started to calm.
There were many ways to kill someone and one was to kill their resolve.
Rao Rong lowered his lids. When his hair fell across his face, he started to type. “I will lose…”
He couldn’t seem to type another word.
In the end, he was still going to disappoint his father to become an upright person and to fight a passionate esports battle.
He couldn’t do it anymore.
Dreams weren’t something which could be attained with just hard work.
Sometimes one could only give up in the face of the dirty reality.
Rao Rong stood back up and walked into the darkness, his back slightly damp.
Initially, he had assumed he would walk into a dark room, but the moment he opened the door, he realized that the desktop was still open and there was someone leaning on the table. When the person caught his entrance, he first rubbed his eyes before cursing violently. “F*ck, that shameless Zhao Sanpang promised to train me for a while so that I could be in a better state in front of Supreme Alliance, but he actually killed me when I was asleep!”
“You were already asleep. If I hadn’t killed you, who should I have killed? Besides, how many times have I said it, call me Handsome!”
The volume was set to maximum and the person on the other end seemed to be shouting.
The quarrel made Rao Rong pause.
Lin Chentao swirled his chair around, looking at his captain. “Captain, where did you go? I have been waiting for a long time.”
Rao Rong reached out to tug his tie, his expression wasn’t visible in the darkness. “I went for a walk.”
“You can’t sleep, too?” Lin Chentao lifted his head to look at the ceiling before turning back. “We are going to compete with Supreme Alliance tomorrow, but it feels like my hands aren’t going to behave. Captain, do you think we will win?”
Rao Rong clenched his fists tight and in that moment, he didn’t dare to look at the person who would often look into his eyes.
Lin Chentao reassured him once more. “I won’t drag you down tomorrow.”
When he turned, he caught sight of Rao Rong’s face.
Rao Rong tilted his head, his voice merging with the darkness. “It’s late, you should be resting. We can discuss the competition tomorrow.”
Lin Chentao seemed disappointed with the reply, but on further thought, he agreed with his captain.
“I’ll fight one more round to solidify my skills.”
Rao Rong didn’t stop him. Unlike before, he hadn’t chased him out.
At least for today, he wanted to accompany him.
The familiar background music started playing as soon as Hero’s main page had appeared.
It had been his favorite since he had been a student.
And before… His father had played with him before…
He listened to the music and gradually shut his eyes…
Inside the hot spring hotel, the Supreme Alliance members weren’t all asleep.
While the Almighty went to pick up a call, Feng Yi took the chance to stop the youngster, a sly smile on his face. “Don’t worry about your incident. As a director of Qin Group, your manager can still deal with such matters. But you should be mindful not to let the media get anything they can use on you since you’re a boy after all. Even if you guys are together, you should be careful.”
“Before you entered, we had been gaming.” Bo Jiu leaned back, her arms slouching at the side. “That scene you saw was just the stakes for our 1v1.”
Feng Yi’s lips lifted, he was clearly not convinced. “1v1? You and Young Master Qin?”
“The fastest way to let me know my problem before tomorrow’s match is to defeat me.” Bo Jiu stood up, stuffing a hand into her pocket as she sighed. “But the stakes were a little despicable.”
Feng Yi paused.
This was the first time he had seen someone understand his intentions so quickly and so thoroughly.
“What did you learn?” Feng Yi smiled.
The youngster glanced back at him. Moonlight splashed through the window, her silvery hair amplifying her handsome face. “Hero isn’t a game that can be won just with speed. Speed is just the basic. When you meet a master who truly understands Hero, the speed will no longer be useful and winning still depends on experience, tactics, and teamwork. Hero has never been an individual game.”
Feng Yi paused.
That person had once mentioned that Hero had never been an individual game and Spade Z had managed to reassure him.
If they were against Rao Rong, even the fastest fingers might end up losing.
Tomorrow’s competition was going to be a test of wits and skills.
If she hadn’t understood this point, he would have been worried.
But now, since that person had thought over it so clearly, the 1v1 could be easily solved…
Feng Yi stood and watched as the youngster left.
He was waiting for Qin Mo as there wasn’t anything wrong on Little Spade’s side.
He was clear about Qin Mo’s hand condition.
The attending doctor back at America had already informed him that Young Master Qin’s hand was only seventy percent recovered.
They could survive the previous matches because of Spade Z and therefore he didn’t need to unleash the full potential of the Three Thousand Knife Cutting.
But this time, they were facing Rao Rong.