Did The Captain Catch Up With The Coach Today [Esports] Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Wen Shi Yu’s face was expressionless.

But his ears were red.

I, am, willing, to, serve, you—damn it, who could maintain composure after hearing words like that?

He stood up, turning his back to Wei Xiao. His movements were graceful, but his heart was a chaotic mess.

“Mm, good night. Go to bed early. I’m going to sleep too,” he said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

Wei Xiao said “Okay” and followed him out of the training room.

As Wen Shi Yu used the key to lock the door, Wei Xiao stood beside him, intending to walk back with him once he was done.

After all, their rooms were directly across from each other, and the route back was the same. Wei Xiao felt it would be impolite to walk ahead alone.

Wen Shi Yu had originally planned to slow down, hoping to create some distance between himself and Wei Xiao.

Realizing that Wei Xiao had no intention of leaving first, he sighed inwardly, resignedly sped up his movements, and then turned to walk back to their rooms with him.

They walked side-by-side. As they neared their rooms, Wei Xiao spoke, “I usually get up before 11 AM. Just text me what you want to eat after you wake up.”

“I get up at 11:30 AM,” Wen Shi Yu replied flatly, looking straight ahead. “If you happen to wake up late one day, we can go out and eat together, too.”

Wei Xiao internally hissed.

Oh, right! They could eat together! Why hadn’t he thought of that?

But rather than not thinking of it, it was more like he hadn’t dared to think of it.

Bringing breakfast could be explained as a casual favor, but eating together… that felt a little ambiguous.

However, since Wen Shi Yu was the one who suggested it, Wei Xiao didn’t need to have any reservations and happily agreed: “Then I’ll knock on your door at 11:30 AM, and we can go out to eat together.”

Wen Shi Yu hummed in acknowledgment and didn’t say anything more. When they reached his room, he opened the door and went inside.

They had already said good night, and he didn’t want to repeat it, making it seem like they were a couple in the throes of a passionate romance.

Wei Xiao was quite willing to say it again, but Wen Shi Yu closed the door too decisively and quickly.

He smiled as he watched Wen Shi Yu disappear behind the door, then turned and stepped into his own room.

As soon as the door closed, the smile vanished, and he raised a hand to lightly slap his face.

He played five games and lost four. How could he have the nerve to ask Wen Shi Yu out for breakfast with that performance?

He wished the league would start soon. Wei Xiao couldn’t wait to prove himself to Wen Shi Yu with a complete victory.

What attracted him most to Wen Shi Yu was his strength, so Wei Xiao believed that there was no better way to win Wen Shi Yu over than by dominating the entire arena during a match.

He had thought this before joining FHM, and now the idea was even more solidified.

However, the next day, he still knocked on Wen Shi Yu’s door right on time.

Well… they had agreed last night, and he couldn’t go back on his word.

Alright, he admitted he desperately wanted to eat every meal with Wen Shi Yu.

After the knock, about three seconds passed before Wen Shi Yu opened the door and stepped out.

A crisp white shirt, light blue jeans—he looked clean and refreshing.

His hair was neatly styled, but perhaps because he wasn’t fully awake yet, his eyes weren’t completely open, the corners slightly red. His long eyelashes cast alluring shadows under the hallway light.

Wei Xiao was utterly stunned.

His first thought was—Holy cow, a descending god of beauty…

His second thought was—Do I look handsome enough? Am I charming him?

Wait, not with this dumbstruck look on my face!

Wei Xiao hurriedly managed his expression, showing Wen Shi Yu a bright, sunny smile: “Morning, Brother Wen!”

Wen Shi Yu stared at him for a moment, first giving a soft “Mm,” and then saying, “Good morning.”

Wen Shi Yu liked bright things and light-colored clothes, but he didn’t like sunlight.

Sometimes, he felt like a vampire, yearning for the warmth of the sun but afraid of being burned.

Every time he saw Wei Xiao smile, he had the illusion that he was being bathed in sunlight.

He liked Wei Xiao’s enthusiasm and his undisguised affection for him.

This feeling of being watched and cared for was something even his own sister had never given him.

But at the same time, he was afraid that Wei Xiao might suddenly cross a line and do something that would leave him flustered.

Fortunately, that hadn’t happened so far.

Wei Xiao seemed passionate, casual, self-willed, and carefree, yet he always maintained a sense of propriety, trying to get closer while consciously keeping a respectful distance.

If that was the case, then… Wen Shi Yu didn’t mind taking a step closer to him first.

The two had brunch near an internet café.

One plate of pan-fried buns and one bowl of beef noodles each.

The meal was uneventful. They didn’t feel the need to force conversation every day, simply enjoying the feeling of each other’s company.

That evening, they had a scrimmage against KCD.

After everyone entered the room, the KCD captain greeted the FHM players very kindly: “Hello, friends on the opposite side. First, congratulations on advancing to the group stage. We are honored to receive your scrimmage invitation and look forward to playing against you. Regardless of who wins or loses today, we hope it won’t affect the friendship between our two teams. We hope we can mutually improve and advance to the top eight together, making it to the finals.”

“Nice!” Wei Xiao applauded enthusiastically.

However, the KCD players on the other side were less reserved in their complaints: “Switch to manual mode.”

“Wow, Captain, who taught you that official tone?”

“AI Captain.”

“Sorry about that, our captain gets like this when he’s nervous.”

“Mm, I am a little nervous,” the KCD captain said. “We watched your match against KPI, and your match against DIE, as well as the few games you played in the qualifiers. It’s clear you are a very strong team with great potential to win the championship. We may not be your opponents, so please don’t look down on us if you win.”

Wei Xiao felt a little conceited from the praise and was about to say he wouldn’t look down on them, when he heard Tang Li speak four words: “Reject false flattery.”

It was a good thing Tang Li said those four words, which snapped Wei Xiao back to reality. If he had actually said something like he wouldn’t look down on them, he would have despised himself after the five games.

The scrimmage against KCD lasted nearly 20 minutes in almost every game, with a final score of 2:3. FHM was the 2.

They won the first game. After the baptism of CHIP, Zhou Miao Miao’s Blade Shadow Dancer had improved significantly. Not only did he avoid being disadvantaged in the lane, but he even gained the upper hand.

Wei Xiao first crippled KCD’s Jungler, then smoothly liberated the MID lane, roaming down to the bottom lane with Zhou Miao Miao. They successfully secured kills, widened the economic gap, and laid the foundation for victory.

But in the second game, KCD adopted a top-bottom lane swap strategy after just two waves of minions. The dual lane combination caught Qin Jin Yao completely off guard, quickly pushing down FHM’s top outer turret. Before Wei Xiao could rush up, they swapped the lanes back again. KCD successfully farmed their Marksman, who then dominated the battlefield.

In the third game, to prevent them from using the same tactic, Wei Xiao prioritized helping Qin Jin Yao push down KCD’s top outer turret, then pushed from top to bottom, crushing all three of KCD’s lanes and tying the score.

However, in the fourth and fifth games, KCD picked a Top Laner who was better at defense than offense. They desperately defended the top lane, buying time for their bottom lane to scale up.

If KCD was a team that relied entirely on their Marksman, like DIE, then Wei Xiao would just need to suppress the Marksman.

But they weren’t.

KCD’s captain was the Support, and he was also the shot-caller. The carry could be the Marksman, the MID laner, or the Jungler, depending on who he chose to support.

If the Marksman couldn’t scale, he would abandon them to support the MID laner.

Then, during team fights, they would always have damage output.

Also, this Support was excellent at initiating fights.

Several times, Wei Xiao was still looking for an opportunity to engage, only for his teammates to be wiped out by KCD in one wave.

After the five games, the KCD captain showered FHM with praise, providing plenty of emotional validation: “You are indeed very strong. No wonder even KPI was no match for you. You will definitely make it to the top eight, and even winning the championship isn’t impossible. We will continue to work hard and look forward to our official match against you.”

The way he spoke, one might think KCD had lost all five games.

After the two sides said goodbye and exited the room, they began the intense review session.

Since they had already been beaten 4:1 by CHIP, Wei Xiao’s mindset was calmer. He no longer agonized over why they lost, as he had yesterday, but focused seriously on how to win.

Wen Shi Yu, as he had the day before, pointed out everyone’s issues in turn, focusing on Zhou Miao Miao: “You are too greedy. Your problem now isn’t mechanics; it’s awareness. Assassins are strong because of their roaming ability. After clearing a wave of minions, remember to check Wei Xiao’s position. Roam wherever he is. It’s okay for the mid turret to fall, but you must secure kills. How else are you going to scale without kills and assists?”

“Ah, right. I know that when I use Phoenix, but when I use Blade Shadow Dancer, I focus too much on the mechanics,” Zhou Miao Miao scratched his head.

Then, Wen Shi Yu looked at Wei Xiao.

Wei Xiao looked up, expecting him to say he had no issues again, as he had before.

But this time, Wen Shi Yu also pointed out his flaw: “Wei Xiao, your mechanics and awareness are fine, but it’s time you started relying on your teammates. Call for whoever you need; don’t worry about them missing minions. No one understands the situation on the battlefield better than you, the Jungler.”

Being criticized didn’t make Wei Xiao feel disappointed; instead, he looked excited.

“Mm-hmm, specifically where? I mean, where should I have called for help but didn’t?”

Wen Shi Yu dragged the progress bar on his laptop’s screen recording and played it for him: “I’ll give you a random example. Like here, Miao Miao just finished clearing a wave, and you were planning to gank the bottom lane. You could have called him to come with you. There’s no need to wait until the MID lane is completely liberated before initiating a coordinated play.”

Wei Xiao moved his chair closer to sit beside him, watching and learning intently.

Wen Shi Yu had a very pleasant scent, very faint, somewhat like flowers mixed with a hint of milk. He wasn’t sure if it was his natural body scent or the smell of laundry detergent, but it smelled wonderful.

Wei Xiao wished he could stay by his side longer, but he had given 100% effort in every game. The mistakes Wen Shi Yu could pick out were limited. After managing to point out three examples, he couldn’t find anything else, even if he tried to nitpick.

After the review session ended, Wen Shi Yu habitually clicked into the official website and found that the Spring Regular Season grouping chart had been released.

Sixteen teams were divided into four groups: A, B, C, and D. Each group contained two teams that had made it to the top eight last season.

The FHM team was placed in Group C. The other three teams in the same group were PSP, KCD, and EN.

“Whoa, this is too…” Zhou Miao Miao trailed off halfway through, stealing a glance at Wen Shi Yu, his voice growing softer, “Too coincidental?”

It was indeed too coincidental.

PSP, the team outside the top eight most likely to break into it, with strength comparable to DIE.

KCD, who had just beaten them 3-2 today.

EN, Wen Shi Yu’s former home and current rival.

Out of the four teams, only two could advance to the playoffs. This meant that FHM could only afford to lose to at most one of the teams if they wanted to make it to the top eight.

No, on the league battlefield, Wei Xiao didn’t want to lose a single match.

“Perfect. No need to wait until the playoffs for revenge,” he said.

Beating KCD was revenge, and beating EN was also revenge. Neither of these teams would take a single point from him!