Did The Captain Catch Up With The Coach Today [Esports] Chapter 34
byChapter 34
The FHM team unanimously decided to eat hot pot, so the chartered car took them to a hot pot restaurant.
Although they still had one more match to play in two days, the result of that match would not affect their advancement to the top eight. Therefore, celebrating now was not exactly popping champagne at halftime.
Most importantly, they had defeated EN!
Not only did they win, but they completely crushed them!
They had thoroughly avenged their coach!
Didn’t that deserve a celebration!
Wen Shi Yu wasn’t particularly keen on celebrating, but seeing everyone’s high spirits, he only made two demands: “No drinking, and no staying out overnight.”
Halfway through the meal, Lu Qing Yang was scrolling on his phone and saw EN’s post-match interview. He couldn’t help but share it: “The official channel posted EN’s post-match interview. Yi Jia Jun’s expression is hilarious!”
“What, what?” Zhou Miao Miao immediately squeezed next to him, pushing Tang Li over toward Qin Jin Yao.
Wei Xiao originally wanted to lean over and look too. He had already stood up, but suddenly remembering something, he glanced at Wen Shi Yu beside him, then sat back down, picked up his own phone, and searched for the video: “Brother Wen, want to watch together?”
“There’s nothing good to see,” Wen Shi Yu took a sip of his drink, his tone dismissive, yet his eyes couldn’t help but peek at Wei Xiao’s screen.
Wei Xiao felt that he actually wanted to watch, so he moved closer, wrapping one arm around the back of Wen Shi Yu’s chair, and holding the phone with the other hand, positioning the screen horizontally between them.
He was extremely close, and a faint floral scent drifted past Wen Shi Yu’s nose, causing him to momentarily lose focus.
It smelled quite nice… He wondered if it was shampoo or body wash.
On the phone screen, the host conducting the post-match interview asked Yi Jia Jun, EN’s Jungler, why he thought EN lost.
Yi Jia Jun replied, “These two games were our own problem. Our coordination was lacking.”
He frowned as he said this, looking deeply aggrieved, as if hinting at something.
However, the bullet comments were not convinced.
Is it only coordination that’s the problem?
He’s pretty good at shifting blame.
It’s not that hard to admit the opponent is strong and you are weak.
The host continued to ask, “Then, if coordination wasn’t an issue, would you have the confidence to defeat FHM?”
Yi Jia Jun was visibly stunned by this question, and his guilty expression drew a burst of laughter from the bullet comments.
Hahahahaha!
The host asked well!
You didn’t let him off the hook either!
Wei Xiao’s lips curled up. He secretly glanced at Wen Shi Yu and noticed that Wen Shi Yu was also pursing his lips, trying to suppress a laugh.
Yi Jia Jun was still thin-skinned and couldn’t confidently lie through his teeth, so his answer was halting: “If coordination wasn’t an issue, then, then of course… But the thing is, the problem is the coordination wasn’t good, anyway, just, just… We need to practice coordination more, that’s all.”
Why so guilty?
He can’t even speak properly.
His eyes keep darting around.
He must have been psychologically scarred by Wei Wan.
FHM is not a team EN can beat just by having good coordination.
Afterward, the host asked a few more match-related questions.
Yi Jia Jun curses constantly when playing games, but he behaved quite obediently during the interview. Aside from refusing to admit he was weak and constantly shifting blame, there was nothing else to criticize.
However, behind him, EN’s coach seemed to say something to EN’s MID, and EN’s MID rolled his eyes dramatically, which was caught by the camera.
The eye-roll was directed toward Yi Jia Jun, full of defiance.
Midway through the roll, he probably realized the camera was filming, quickly turned his body, and faced the side without a lens.
Since this was a live stream replay, someone watched it repeatedly, spotted the eye-roll from EN’s MID, and posted a bullet comment complaining about it. But most people didn’t notice, or if they did, they didn’t think much of it.
Wei Xiao saw the bullet comment first, then caught the eye-roll in his peripheral vision, and asked curiously, “Is EN’s MID very insubordinate?”
“He was indulged,” Wen Shi Yu replied.
Wei Xiao instantly understood: “EN’s coach doesn’t even manage basic disobedience to the shot caller?”
“When he played, he was the captain, but not the shot caller. Occasionally, when he had a sudden inspiration for a tactic, his teammates listened to him, and the shot caller listened to him. So he thinks that if the shot caller is fine, everyone else just needs to cooperate. What’s the big deal?”
“Hiss—my blood pressure is rising just hearing that.”
“Oh, and he euphemistically calls this ‘admonition,’ ‘honest advice is harsh to the ear.'”
“That’s disgusting. He forced you out like that, and EN’s boss didn’t fire him?”
“EN’s performance was good,” Wen Shi Yu gave a self-deprecating smile. “I don’t like slacking off. It disrespects the fans who support me and disrespects myself. So, no matter how disgusting it was, I tolerated it. Let the MID do whatever he wanted. If I could cooperate, I would, as long as the result was good. But human tolerance has limits, especially when you realize that some things cannot be achieved by maintaining the status quo and require a fight.”
“What thing?” Wei Xiao asked, and before Wen Shi Yu could respond, he figured it out himself. “The championship?”
Wen Shi Yu nodded, then shook his head, and then nodded again.
Wei Xiao waited a moment, seeing that he didn’t intend to explain, so he had to guess: “Winning the championship comfortably, according to your own ideas, without compromising yourself?”
This time, Wen Shi Yu not only nodded but also hummed an “Mhm.”
Wei Xiao didn’t know Wen Shi Yu’s family background or financial status, but he could sense a certain arrogance deep within Wen Shi Yu.
The arrogance of a young master, accustomed to a privileged life, unwilling to be subservient.
That’s why others looking to play E-sports seek out famous clubs, but Wen Shi Yu built his own team both times he entered TPL.
He could have easily made money and maintained popularity by streaming after retirement, yet he chose to remain silent for half a year to be reborn in a different way.
For him, what mattered was what he wanted, not what he could get.
He was a high-standing yet fragile king, needing an army to charge into battle for him.
And he himself was the general of this army.
Wei Xiao indulged in his own mental narrative, his protective instincts toward Wen Shi Yu swelling within his heart.
Wen Shi Yu had no idea what nonsense he was imagining. Seeing that Wei Xiao was still practically glued to him after the interview video finished, he uncomfortably scooted his chair forward a bit.
The distance was pulled apart, yet it felt like it hadn’t changed.
His movement was natural, as if he was only trying to get closer to the table to sit more comfortably, but Wei Xiao still sensed his discomfort and proactively pulled back a little, then quietly took a sip of his drink.
Before meeting the real-life Wen Shi Yu, Wei Xiao was quite self-centered.
He would consider the feelings of those around him, but that didn’t mean he would be led by their thoughts.
For small matters, like what to eat for dinner, he would prioritize the opinions of those around him, only offering his own idea if no one else could decide.
But in his own life, he never let anyone interfere.
No matter what his parents or peers wanted him to do, he firmly chose the path of E-sports because he wanted to play.
But after meeting the real-life Wen Shi Yu, Wei Xiao felt that he had never before so desperately wanted to do something for one person.
The desire to help Wen Shi Yu win the championship was stronger than his own desire to win.
It wasn’t just about the championship; it seemed that whatever Wen Shi Yu asked him to do, as long as he could do it, he would be happy to oblige.
Wen Shi Yu was the only person who made him feel this way.
Wen Shi Yu was special.
Wei Xiao ate his hot pot and drank his beverage. Although Wen Shi Yu was the quietest and most low-key person in the room, Wei Xiao’s gaze kept drifting toward him unconsciously, as if Wen Shi Yu was one pole of a magnet and his eyes were the other.
He didn’t realize this himself, but Wen Shi Yu did. He didn’t say anything and continued to eat as usual.
Because Wen Shi Yu didn’t allow them to stay out overnight, everyone returned to the internet café after they finished eating.
There was no need for a detailed review of the match against EN. Wen Shi Yu immediately led the team to watch the replay of their next opponent, KCD, against EN.
KCD won that match 2-1, coming back from a one-game deficit. In the first game, it wasn’t so much that they were hiding their strength as that they hadn’t entered the right state of mind yet.
As a team that relies on their Marksman core and excels in the late game rather than the early game, they failed to stabilize at the start and were immediately suppressed by EN, an early-game team, after EN gained an economic advantage.
However, they weren’t without opportunities to turn the tide in the middle of the game.
At the 20-minute mark, EN, relying on their economic advantage, forced a Dragon fight. KCD didn’t dare to engage in a team fight and only sent their Jungler to steal the Dragon. After the Jungler was killed, KCD was unwilling to give up and ultimately forced a team fight, resulting in them being wiped out by EN while being one person short.
Although EN wiped out KCD, they didn’t have many people left either. They managed to steal two of KCD’s towers with the Dragon minions, laying the foundation for their victory.
Wen Shi Yu replayed this team fight twice and asked Wei Xiao, “If you were KCD’s shot caller, how would you decide?”
“Hmm… I don’t know KCD well, but with that economic difference… If I judged that we couldn’t fight, even if we didn’t steal the Dragon, I wouldn’t let my teammates rush in and risk it again. I’d rather defend. But in this team fight, if they were all present, KCD should have been able to win, right?”
“It was risky, but there was a chance,” Wen Shi Yu replied. “But that’s not the point. The point is, this exposed a problem in KCD’s decision-making: they aren’t decisive enough. KCD’s shot caller is the Support. I have to admit his skill is good, and he initiates team fights beautifully several times, but he misjudges his team’s damage output, sometimes overestimating and sometimes underestimating. That’s why these gambling-like remedial actions occasionally occur. This is our opportunity.”
“Got it,” Wei Xiao nodded. “If we have an advantage, we can bait them into a fight.”
“…That’s not necessary,” Wen Shi Yu coughed before continuing. “We just need to be decisive when engaging in team fights. Don’t give him time to make decisions.”
“Understood,” Wei Xiao nodded. “Say kill, then kill! Catch him off guard!”
FHM still had two days to train, so there was no need to rush. They simply reviewed the three matches between KCD and EN and then went to sleep.
The next day was normal training. Halfway through the third day of training, the fun started coming one after another.
Fun fact one: EN actually lost to PSP, getting swept 0-2. This meant EN finished last in Group C, having failed to win against anyone.
Fun fact two: After losing to PSP, EN’s Jungler and MID got into a fight before they even left the venue. A real, physical fight. One had a swollen eye, and the other bled from his nose all the way, and they were both escorted to the hospital.
Fun fact three: The official announcement declared both players suspended for six months. This meant that after missing the Spring Split, they wouldn’t be participating in the Summer Split either.
“Hahahahaha!” Wei Xiao saw the news and laughed like a villain in FHM’s training room.
Wen Shi Yu momentarily forgot who had a grudge against EN: “EN’s Jungler and MID are suspended. Why are you so happy?”
“Of course I’m happy!” Wei Xiao looked at Wen Shi Yu, smiling. “At least for the next six months, you won’t have to see those ‘dirty things’ anymore.”
Wen Shi Yu paused, then gave a slight smile: “Mhm.”