Did The Captain Catch Up With The Coach Today [Esports] Chapter 63
byWei Xiao’s face felt a little warm.
He instinctively raised his hand and pressed the back of it against his cheek to cool down.
“…You’re making me embarrassed by saying that.”
“You have the nerve to say that?” Wen Shi Yu smiled at him, the slight awkwardness in his heart vanishing because of Wei Xiao’s flustered reaction. “I wonder who started the compliments first.”
Wei Xiao: “I wasn’t complimenting, I was just stating the facts.”
Wen Shi Yu: “I was also just stating the facts.”
Wei Xiao cleared his throat, unsure how to respond.
Wen Shi Yu calmly turned around: “Let’s go down and eat.”
Wei Xiao looked at his back and softly hummed in agreement.
The two went downstairs and rejoined the others, sharing a hearty dinner together.
It was now late April. The Summer Split was scheduled to start in June, so Wen Shi Yu gave the FHM members two weeks off, with the third week dedicated to training back at the internet café.
During this period, people kept contacting Wen Shi Yu. Some teams wanted to schedule scrims, and some businesses, attracted by FHM’s current popularity, wanted the members to endorse their products.
Because all the FHM members were very good-looking, some businesses even wanted them to shoot commercials.
Wen Shi Yu accepted some offers and rejected others.
He accepted scrims with the top eight teams, accepted endorsements that provided clothing and gaming equipment, but rejected commercials.
Streaming platforms also reached out, but Wen Shi Yu directed them to contact the players directly.
Many clubs aim to make money, with the championship merely serving as a better platform for endorsements. But Wen Shi Yu’s goal from the start was the championship; making enough money was sufficient.
He didn’t want FHM players to spend too much energy on things outside of improving their strength, but if individual players wanted to earn more money, that was understandable. As long as it didn’t affect training, Wen Shi Yu wouldn’t interfere.
FHM’s contract indeed did not restrict players from earning money through other means.
So the streaming platforms contacted the players themselves, but unexpectedly, all of them chose to refuse.
Wei Xiao: “We haven’t won the Global Championship yet, don’t mess around.”
Qin Jin Yao: “Not interested.”
Zhou Miao Miao: “Ah, well, I’m very busy in the real world. Contact me later if I feel like streaming.”
Tang Li: “Okay, I’ll consider it and get back to you in a while.”
Lu Qing Yang: “Streaming? Me? Really? Forget it, forget it.”
And so, after the FHM team finished their vacation and returned to the internet café, they single-mindedly dedicated themselves to training for the Summer Split.
On the first night they resumed training, they played a scrim against WI, playing 10 games and winning 9. The only loss was because Wei Xiao, on a whim, picked the Overlord Blade as Jungler, lacking crowd control, which allowed WI to stall the game until the late stage and secure a team wipe.
Although they didn’t play every game to the absolute end, they stopped each time when it was 100% certain that one side could not make a comeback.
Wei Xiao was incredulous: “What’s wrong with them? Did they regress this much after half a month of rest?”
Wen Shi Yu calmly replied: “They are probably hiding their strategies. Scrims aren’t formal enough, so they don’t want to spend too much effort on tactics. When it comes to mechanics, we are indeed superior. Don’t take them lightly in the official matches.”
Wei Xiao: “Got it.”
More than half a month later, the Summer Split began. FHM maintained their high level of performance and smoothly advanced to the top eight. Their first opponent in the playoffs was WI, resulting in a 3-1 victory.
WI in the official match was indeed much tougher than in the scrims, but they lacked the sense of pressure they had exerted on FHM during the Spring Split.
During the post-match interview, the host asked the WI player: “Do you still not consider FHM a strong team today?”
—Ever since WI’s Marksman said, “It’s not that FHM is too strong, it’s that we didn’t play well,” during the loser’s interview after the Spring Split playoffs, that phrase had become a running joke.
Netizens followed suit: [It’s not that FHM is too strong, it’s that the lights were too dazzling.] [It’s not that FHM is too strong, it’s that tears blurred my vision.] [It’s not that FHM is too strong, it’s that their equipment is more advanced.] [It’s high-tech, they used high-tech!]
It was well-known that WI players had arrogant attitudes, but they used to genuinely possess the strength to crush all other teams. So, at most, people would mock them for not looking at the ground while walking and potentially falling into a pit.
But now, they had been defeated by FHM more than once, yet they still spoke stubbornly, so it was no wonder netizens were unleashing their full firepower.
Faced with the host’s question, WI’s Marksman, Sun, remained silent. The Jungler, Xing Guang, took the microphone and admitted frankly: “FHM is quite strong. The finals will probably be against them again.”
The host pressed further: “Is FHM stronger, or are you stronger?”
Xing Guang pondered for a moment before answering: “We are evenly matched. I look forward to facing FHM on the international stage.”
The subtext: Both we and FHM will qualify for the Global Finals.
When the interview video was released, netizens teased:
[Is WI pulling a G2 now?]
[What is G2?]
[Two major powerhouses, if you can’t beat them, join them.]
[Before: We are the strongest! Now: We and FHM are the strongest!]
[Hahahahaha, I get it.]
[But there is only one champion.]
The Summer Split finals were indeed FHM versus WI.
Perhaps WI was relying on their high total annual points, knowing they could still make the Global Finals even if they lost. In the Summer Split finals, they played moderately, without many brilliant tactics. Laning was laning, team fights were team fights, and they ultimately lost 0-3 to FHM. WI was the zero.
FHM was naturally thrilled to win the championship, and defeating WI 3-0 in an official match for the first time was certainly worth celebrating. However, at the same time, Wei Xiao felt a sense of loss.
He couldn’t help but wonder if FHM, with their current strength, could beat the EN team led by Wen Shi Yu back in the day.
The reason he thought this was because he felt that this season’s WI was not as strong as the EN of the past.
However, WI and EN were two teams with completely different styles, so it was hard to say.
Before the champion interview, Wen Shi Yu noticed Wei Xiao’s disappointment and couldn’t help but ask him: “What’s wrong?”
Facing him, Wei Xiao didn’t hesitate and admitted frankly: “I feel like this championship was a bit… I wouldn’t say easy, but it wasn’t as difficult as I imagined. It feels like it’s not that we are too strong, but that WI has gotten weaker.”
Wen Shi Yu hummed in acknowledgment.
Wei Xiao: “You think so too?”
Wen Shi Yu: “Their mechanics were decent today, not too many mistakes, but their tactics weren’t as flexible as before. They might still be hiding something.”
Wei Xiao: “Still hiding?”
Wen Shi Yu: “There’s still the Global Finals.”
Wei Xiao said “Oh,” and his mood improved.
Wen Shi Yu looked at him with interest: “Do you want to face strong opponents more than you want to win the championship?”
“Yes,” Wei Xiao answered without hesitation, smiling at Wen Shi Yu. “If the opponent isn’t strong enough, how can the champion trophy prove its worth?”
Wen Shi Yu: “Be content. WI has won three consecutive championships, after all.”
Wei Xiao: “But none of WI’s Starters can give me the same shock you gave me back then.”
Wen Shi Yu was momentarily lost in thought.
Wei Xiao looked at him, his gaze tracing his features, and the expression on his face involuntarily softened: “Although I say that, I don’t feel regret, because a genius is called a genius precisely because they are unprecedented, unrivaled, unique, and irreplaceable.”
Wen Shi Yu’s cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and his eyes darted left and right nervously.
The FHM team members were nearby. Lu Qing Yang met his gaze and immediately squatted down, untying and retying his shoelaces.
Wen Shi Yu: ?
While still wondering about his reaction, the team responsible for the champion interview arrived.
Although Wei Xiao and Wen Shi Yu both agreed that WI did not go all out in the Summer Split finals, neither of them said so in front of the cameras.
Wei Xiao: “Our composition was good today, and that’s all thanks to Brother Wen!”
Wen Shi Yu: “Everyone performed exceptionally today. I hope this momentum can be maintained until the Global Finals.”
After the interview, everyone returned to the internet café.
After a brief review, Wen Shi Yu went back to his room to rest. He relaxed on the bed, letting his body sink into the soft covers, and held up his phone to check the news.
FHM, in their first year of competition, had consecutively won the Spring and Summer Split championships, breaking WI’s undefeated myth. It was easy to imagine what the hot searches would look like.
However, the moment he clicked into the social platform and saw the trending topics, Wen Shi Yu’s mind went blank, and it took him a long time to recover.
Hot Search #10: FHM Champion
Hot Search #5: FHM Sweeps WI
Hot Search #3: WI Admits FHM is a Strong Team
Hot Search #1: EN MID Player Reveals God Yu Slept with FHM’s Captain
Wen Shi Yu: …Who revealed it, who slept with whom, slept?