God Level Summoner Chapter 167-172

Chapter 167 – Canglan VS Red Fox (4)

The Canglan fans were enthusiastically discussing Cat G.o.d’s rich array of expressions but they were actually very anxious. Canglan had lost two games in a row. It would be really unspeakable if they lost the third game.

In particular, Li Cangyu lost the first game and didn’t change the lineup in the second game. Many fans actually had opinions on this but they temporarily refused to say anything.

To everyone’s shock, the team battle list that Li Cangyu submitted was the same as the previous two games!

The atmosphere inside the live broadcast room quieted down. The fans who were sending the expression back fell silent. They couldn’t help questioning: [What is Cat G.o.d doing? It is hard for this lineup to beat Red Fox. Why does he want to take this lineup and die to Red Fox?] [Isn’t the captain being too capricious by not changing the lineup?] [Change to Xiao Han!]

There were some sensible fans who said: [Perhaps he has his own ideas? Don’t rush to judge. Wait until it is over.]

Regardless of the noisy comments, Li Cangyu had already pressed the OK b.u.t.ton. This meant that he would continue to use this lineup to fight Red Fox.

Red Fox also didn’t change the map. Liu Xiang was obviously very confident playing this map.

“There is no lineup or map changes for both sides. It is the same lineup but Canglan lost the first two games to Red Fox. Let’s see if the results of the third game will change.”

Kou Hongyi carefully stared at the big screen. It could be seen that the splitting up method had changed. Li Cangyu and Bai Xuan guarded their home base, Ah Shu protected Li Xiaojiang in the northwest area while Gu Siming and Zhang Jueming were in the southeast area.

The Cat Bai combination hadn’t been seen for a long time. The old partners of many years naturally understood each other the best. The Canglan fans suddenly saw hope.

Everyone thought that Li Cangyu teamed up with Bai Xuan to rely on Bai Xuan’s protection to make an early advantage. The result proved that people were thinking too much. He didn’t rush to kill, just like the previous two games. He killed mobs to make money while turning a blind eye to the Yang Liu captain and vice-captain combination.

Both sides’ captain and vice-captain met but politely pa.s.sed each other, killing the mobs on their own.

The audience, “…”

It wasn’t exciting!

Just as the Canglan fans were feeling disappointed, a battle broke out on the road one minute after the start!

The combination that Red Fox sent to the road were Zhu Yan and Liu Xueqin. The two of them were the most stable white magician outputs in the Red Fox team since their debut and they naturally had an understanding.

However, Xie Shurong found an opportunity.

A blue mob refreshed near where Zhu Yan was standing. The blue mob gave a blue recovery bonus and everyone would definitely kill it first when it appeared. Zhu Yan knew that Li Xiaojiang was slow and wanted to grab the blue mob first.

Originally both sides were playing on their own and the mob appearing wasn’t unexpected. When both sides were peacefully co-existing, the default rule was that whoever was closest to the mob would get it.

She didn’t expect that the moment she cast a skill, Xie Shurong would suddenly reach her with a teleport skill and use Spirit Lock to fix her in place.

Li Xiaojiang’s skill seemed to be aimed at the blue mob but it had actually been long aimed at her. Dark Fear was used!

It was the black magician’s group fear skill and the angle was extremely accurate. It was just right to control Zhu Yan and Liu Xueqin.

Xie Shurong gave a thumbs up in his heart to Xiao Li’s precision and used Light and Shadow Rotation, quickly suppressing the blood of the two white magicians!

Li Xiaojiang also wasn’t idle. After successfully placing fear on the opponent, the teenager who had been unable to use any skills in the first two games excitedly pressed the keyboard. Death Entanglement, Shadow Wrath, h.e.l.l Flames!

Li Xiaojiang who used skills and Li Xiaojiang who couldn’t use skills could be judged as two different people!

The snail’s movements were slow but once he was given an opportunity to use skills, he became the most stable output turret.

Xie Shurong and Li Xiaojiang’s skills all hit and Zhu Yan and Liu Xueqin were beaten to residual blood.

The two female players were helpless. The moment the control effect ended, they used G.o.d’s Light to silence Xie Shurong and turned to retreat.

This wave of combat didn’t give any heads, making the audience slightly disappointed. However, Yu Bing knew that Canglan had made a large profit from it.

Since the two players of Red Fox retreated, the coins of all mobs in this area went to Li Xiaojiang’s pocket.

The mobs in one wild area gave a total of 2,000 crystal coins. If equally divided between four people then it was 500 per person. Ah Shu gave all the resources to Li Xiaojiang so Li Xiaojiang should have 1,000 crystal coins. Now the Red Fox pair were forced to retreat. Putting aside the mobs they already killed, Li Xiaojiang killed the rest of the mobs and got 1,500 crystal coins!

Sure enough, at the end of the mobs stage, Li Xiaojiang became the local tyrant. He bought an attack ring according to Cat G.o.d’s orders as well as a necklace to increase the duration of the control effect.

After replacing the equipment, Canglan went to the ice dragon refresh point.

This time, Red Fox wanted to play quickly but Li Cangyu turned it into a battle of attrition.

Liu Xiang knew that Red Fox had an advantage at this time because Ah Shu and Li Xiaojiang’s skills were on cooldown. However, Li Cangyu didn’t give them a chance. His water spirit played a full role as his Water b.a.l.l.s smashed into one player after another. Gu Siming also acted as shield in the front row. It wasn’t easy for Meng Jie to get close!

In the first game, she unexpected stunned Gu Siming but now she found that this little guy had become flexible. He swam around Cat G.o.d’s water spirit and wasn’t good to deal with.

Due to the delay in the battle, the Canglan team grabbed the initiative.

Li Cangyu calculated the time and estimated that the two players should have their big moves back. He ordered, “Fight!”

Xie Shurong immediately used Light and Shadow Rotation and forced himself into Red Fox’s formation. The swordsman’s big move was full of power and the visual effect was gorgeous. However, Ah Shu’s big move wasn’t to decrease the other side’s blood volume. It was to interfere.

Once Light and Shadow Rotation was released, there would be a dazzling white light that covered the area where the sword moved. This would lead to blind spots in the opponents’ vision.

At the same time, Li Cangyu used Fireball to control Red Fox’s main control, Yang Muzi. Yang Muzi simply couldn’t put out any control skills!

Xie Shurong and Li Cangyu did this to create an opportunity for Li Xiaojiang!

Xiaojiang’s Dark Fear took a long time to cast. Once discovered, it was easy to be interrupted by the opponent. Light and Shadow Rotation and Fireball interfered with the front row and Li Xiaojiang finally found a chance to release Dark Fear.

This group fear was aimed just right to control the four white magicians of Red Fox, forcing the Canglan fans to clap. Li Xiaojiang’s grasp of the skills release was becoming more and more accurate.

Liu Xiang immediately cast a big skill to save them but Li Cangyu didn’t give her a chance this time. Purple thunder dropped from the sky and interrupted the healer’s casting.

At the same time, Zhang Jueming used auxiliary skills to increase the output of his teammates and reduce the effectiveness of the other side.

Xie Shurong, Li Cangyu and Li Xiaojiang started to erupt. The audience was shocked to find that Li Xiaojiang’s output was particularly terrible. Due to the advantage of the first stage, he bought two pieces of equipment and his output had doubled. His fear control effect was also extended by one second.

One second wasn’t a big deal for the average player but it was critical for professional players.

Due to this one second, Li Cangyu could connect it with the control of his wind spirit!

The result was the four white magicians had just been freed from the effects of Dark Fear when they were hit with Li Cangyu’s Storm Fury!

Xiao Han was watching from under the stage and immediately sent a message to Qin Mo: [They should be messy in the wind right?]

Qin Mo: [Yes, your words are correct.]

Xiao Han smiled and replied: [We should be winning this game.]

Ling Xuefeng was watching the game and already confirmed that Canglan would win. Once Li Cangyu had an advantage, it was impossible for him to give the opponent an opportunity to overturn it. In the first two games, he couldn’t keep up with Red Fox’s thoughts. He was finally restored to his normal level in the third game and made careful arrangements.

Sure enough, as Ling Xuefeng expected, the first person on the Red Fox team to be killed was Yang Muzi.

[Snail Crawling Slowly has killed Cotton Tree!]

Li Cangyu attacked Liu Xueqin and then gave the head to Li Xiaojiang.

[Snail Crawling Slowly has killed Guqin!]

[Snail Crawling Slowly has killed Meng Jiejie!]

….

[Snail Crawling Slowly has killed Flying Cotton!]

[Snail Crawling Slowly has become super G.o.d!]

The audience hadn’t expected Red Fox’s collapse. Even the two commentators couldn’t understand it. The screen broadcasted a slow motion replay and everyone discovered that Ah Shu and Cat G.o.d used a variety of big moves to reduce the blood of the Red Fox members. Gu Siming suddenly put a defensive light shield on himself and rushed into the Red Fox lineup, forcibly stunning Liu Xiang.

Without the help of the healer, the lives of the Red Fox players were in jeopardy. Li Xiaojiang used this chance to cast the big move h.e.l.l Flames, killing the few residual blood opponents.

Liu Xiang was finally killed by Li Cangyu hitting her with fireb.a.l.l.s before giving Li Xiaojiang the head.

Li Xiaojiang looked at the ‘super G.o.d’ on the screen and his face flushed with excitement. Under the stage, Zhuo Hang stood up and clapped for him! Li Cangyu smiled with relief and patted Li Xiaojiang on the shoulder. “Well done.”

Li Xiaojiang was so moved that he didn’t know what to say.

In the first two games, he had been killed by the white magicians of Red Fox and couldn’t fully play. He lost confidence in his speed. Then in the third game, there was a big reversal with Cat G.o.d and Ah Shu’s help. Thanks to their help, he managed the achievement of killing six G.o.ds in the first division!

It was something he had never dreamt of…

Chapter 168 – Confidence

Canglan beat Red Fox in the first wave and Li Xiaojiang became super G.o.d. The economic gap between the two teams was more than 10,000 coins. In such a situation, it was difficult for any team in the league to make a comeback.

Li Cangyu’s style of play was very stable and he kept this advantage until the end of the game. This game was successfully won by Canglan and the final score was determined to be 1:2.

The match ended and the Red Fox players took the initiative to come and greet them. Liu Xiang behaved politely and Li Cangyu graciously shook hands with her, saying, “Captain Liu is very strong.”

Liu Xiang smiled. “Cat G.o.d is also very strong. The third game was well arranged.”

Li Cangyu smiled. “Thanks for the praise!”

“My master is present and wants to ask you to have a meal. Can Cat G.o.d do us this favour?”

Her master was a friend Li Cangyu knew in his early years, Yu Bing. Yu Bing took the initiative to invite him so Li Cangyu promised to come. “Okay, I will go out and eat with her later.” Then he turned and said to Bai Xuan in a low voice, “I won’t go to dinner today. Let everyone move freely. It is their first time in Suzhou and they can explore the city.”

Bai Xuan nodded. “I understand. I’ll arrange it.”

For this post-match interview, Li Cangyu only brought Li Xiaojiang with him.

The reporters asked as soon as they saw him, “Cat G.o.d, why didn’t you change the lineup when you lost the first two games?”

Li Cangyu didn’t hesitate. “It is because I had confidence in Li Xiaojiang.”

Li Xiaojiang was very moved from where he sat next to Li Cangyu. Li Cangyu smiled at him in an encouraging manner and continued, “The four newcomers currently aren’t mature enough. In particular, Li Xiaojiang lacks confidence in himself. I let him play in the third game today to tell him that no matter the circ.u.mstances, Canglan won’t give up on him.”

Li Xiaojiang’s eyes became wet at the captain’s firm remarks.

It was true that he would’ve felt more uncomfortable if the captain replaced him after losing the first two games.

He didn’t tell anyone but he actually felt very inferior. In the Canglan team, he was the slowest one with the worst foundation. He was also the worst when it came to family.

He was from a small country village and his parents were honest and loyal farmers. He couldn’t compare to Xiao Han who lived in a foreign country, Zhuo Hang whose parents were rich and Gu Siming, who had lived in Changsha for many years. Once the four newcomers got together, they would naturally talk about the game as well as other topics.

For example, when talking about hobbies, Zhuo Hang was very fond of snooker and loved watching the Snooker World Championship on his iPad. Gu Siming loved to watch anime like Naruto and One Piece. Xiao Han liked American dramas and could watch them without subt.i.tles. However, Li Xiaojiang didn’t understand any of their words.

He didn’t know what snooker was, he had never seen Naruto and he hadn’t heard of the Vampire Diaries.

He didn’t seem to live in the same world as his peers.

Li Xiaojiang was usually silent when Cat G.o.d was absent. It was because he couldn’t discuss things with the three teenagers.

He always felt that he was an insignificant presence in the team. He was a dispensable invisible person. When necessary, Cat G.o.d would send him to cooperate with Zhuo Hang in the arena. At other times, he just sat on the bench and watched everyone’s performance.

Every team would have second-tier players who were subst.i.tutes so Li Xiaojiang didn’t complain. He already thought he was lucky that he was discovered by Cat G.o.d and joined the Canglan team. He couldn’t ask for too much.

Li Xiaojiang had been very satisfied after killing one person in the last match. He thought that perhaps he could also kill solo on the field? He cooperated well with Zhuo Hang and completed Cat G.o.d’s task.

Today, Li Cangyu told him with practical actions that he wasn’t a small and invisible player on the Canglan team. He was as important as other players!

No matter the circ.u.mstances, Canglan wouldn’t give up on him!

Not only could he be Zhuo Hang’s partner, he could also be the main attacker in the Canglan team and become the core output in a team battle, taking the achievement of super G.o.d in one breath!

He, Li Xiaojiang, could do it!

Becoming an unstoppable super G.o.d in the seventh season’s first division was something he had never dreamt of before.

He had watched the Miracle League for several years and admired and envied those who got the achievement of super G.o.d. Now Li Xiaojiang personally stood on the stage of the professional league and became a super G.o.d!

At this moment, Li Xiaojiang felt that the door to a new world had opened in front of him. He wasn’t as bad as he thought and could become stronger.

This was why Li Cangyu told him with this game.

Li Cangyu’s care for Li Xiaojiang moved the reporters at the venue.

In particular, many female reporters were distressed after seeing the young boy’s tearful eyes.

This child was working very hard but his talent wasn’t high and his personality was introverted. It seemed he still had some sense of inferiority. Li Cangyu was trying to strengthen his confidence and push him towards a higher throne.

A female reporter stood up and asked in a gentle tone, “Xiaojiang, is there anything you would like to say about the captain’s arrangement?”

Li Xiaojiang picked up the microphone and choked out, “Thank you, thank you. The captain gave me this opportunity. I know that today, today I could win the achievement of super G.o.d thanks to everyone giving me, me the head. I am particularly touched. I never thought that one day I could get, get the super G.o.d. I will work hard in the future and not let my teammates down…”

The little guy stammered with tears in his eyes and Li Cangyu led the applause.

This was the longest Li Xiaojiang had spoken in front of reporters since becoming a professional player. It was very simple but sincere.

Many reporters couldn’t help following Cat G.o.d to clap.

Compared to the talented players who had the aura of a genius since debut, the progress of ordinary and weak players like Li Xiaojiang made people more moved.

A reporter couldn’t help saying, “Cat G.o.d, you seem particularly concerned about Xiaojiang. Aren’t you afraid the other three newcomers will have an opinion on this?”

Li Cangyu replied honestly, “No, I don’t believe that the players are that small-minded. Besides, my training for them hasn’t officially started yet!”

The three newcomers watching the interview immediately p.r.i.c.ked up their ears, their eyes full of expectations.

Bai Xuan saw this and couldn’t help laughing. As the vice-captain, he was naturally very clear about the situation of the four players. Among the four newcomers, Li Xiaojiang had the weakest confidence and the worst foundation. It was correct for Li Cangyu to start with Li Xiaojiang first since weak people had a bigger room for improvement. It was harder for those who were already very good to make a breakthrough.

It was like those who practiced martial arts in martial arts novels. It might take two or three years to get started with martial arts and then five to eight years to become a master. Those who became a master might take a lifetime to break through.

Of the four newcomers, the one who was hardest to progress was Gu Siming. He had been training with the Dragon Song Club for a long time and his foundation was very solid. His impulsive problem had to do with his personality, which was even more difficult to correct. Therefore, Li Cangyu didn’t rush to correct him despite his performance in the last few game being slightly lacking. Xiao Gu’s change needed to be slow and subtle. It was impossible to change the style of a player in one or two matches.

As for Zhuo Hang and Xiao Han, Bai Xuan knew Li Cangyu and their training would definitely be worse!

Look at Xiao Han who was currently playing very comfortably with his master. Li Cangyu wasn’t stingy when it came to praising him. However, if Xiao Han didn’t improve then Cat G.o.d would certainly use cruel tricks to make this guy break through.

Where was the cruel trick? It would probably happen against Wind Colour!

Bai Xuan smiled as he thought this. The four newcomers were looking forward to being taught by Li Cangyu. This was obviously Cat G.o.d’s personal charm that had already overwhelmed them.

Bai Xuan’s eyes were on the screen but Xie Shurong’s eyes were always on Bai Xuan.

This smiling man’s side profile was soft under the illumination of the light. The curve of his nose and lips was simply the creator’s most perfect masterpiece. Xie Shurong almost went crazy seeing it.

In the post-match interview, Li Cangyu not only explained the reasons for not changing the lineup but also evaluated the Red Fox players.

“In my opinion, there isn’t much difference between a female player and a male player. They are worthy of my respect as long as they are professionals who try to play the game. In today’s match, the Red Fox team’s performance was excellent. In particular, Red Fox Captain Liu Xiang’s clear thinking and meticulous tactics were daunting.”

A reported wanted gossip. “Cat G.o.d, who do you think is the most beautiful player in Red Fox?”

Li Cangyu was slightly startled at being asked something that had nothing to do with the game but replied, “I didn’t pay attention.”

The reporters, “…”

Many viewers typed ellipsis. [Cat G.o.d, do you only stare at the screen?] [Strength hurts Old Cat. Not even looking at so many beautiful women. No wonder why you don’t have a girlfriend!] [Old Cat, you will be an old dog~ an old single dog!]

Li Cangyu naturally ignored the comments and went backstage with Li Xiaojiang after finishing the interview.

Li Xiaojiang suddenly stopped in the hallway and pulled gently at Li Cangyu’s sleeve. “C-Captain…”

Li Cangyu was puzzled. “What is it?”

Li Xiaojiang looked up at him and said earnestly, “Thank, thank you. I understand what you mean and will refuel.”

This guy wasn’t very talkative but every word was sincere.

Li Cangyu knew the thanks was sincere and that through this match, Li Xiaojiang would have a clearer and more accurate understanding of his position in the Canglan team.

A team always had top students and weaker students. In order to improve the overall level of the team, the best way was to pull up the weaker students first.

Thankfully, Li Xiaojiang might have some inferiority but he wasn’t a coward. He kept up with the whole team with the help of his teammates.

Li Cangyu believed that Xiaojiang’s mentality would slowly chance and a mature and stable black magician would contribute more to the Canglan team.

Only confident, decisive players were qualified to walk side by side with their teammates into the playoffs.

Li Cangyu looked at the boy with tears in his black eyes and couldn’t help smiling slightly. He patted Xiaojiang on the shoulder and said softly, “I can only help you this much. How high you can climb in the future depends on yourself.”

Li Xiaojiang nodded vigorously. “Yes, I understand!”

The ID he registered was Snail Crawling Slowly. His progress was indeed a bit slow but with Li Cangyu’s help, he walked solidly every step of the way.

It was like a student who always failed the exam finding out that he could get 80 points. Then why not aim for 90 or 100 points?

He could only go further by setting a higher goal.

Li Xiaojiang formed fists at Li Cangyu’s gentle encouragement and gave himself a new task. Perhaps he didn’t have Zhuo Hang and Xiao Han’s talent or Gu Siming’s solid foundation but he could make up for his own shortcomings with twice as much hard work.

One day he would stand with his teammates and no longer need their deliberate care. He would use his own strength to become a real super G.o.d!

Chapter 169 – Man in a Suit

After the post-match interview, Liu Xiang came backstage to find Li Cangyu. “Master has booked a good location. Cat G.o.d, shall we go now?”

Li Cangyu nodded. “Yes.”

Zhang Jueming came over and joked, “Two beautiful women accompanying you to dinner, this is an opportunity.”

Li Cangyu smiled and said, “Yes, I’ll exchange tactics with them.”

Zhang Jueming lowered his voice. “Who asked you to exchange tactics? Can’t you think about anything other than tactics? As far as I know, Yu Bing and Liu Xiang are single. You have to seize the chance.”

Li Cangyu understood what he meant and bluntly countered, “You are single and should worry about yourself first.”

Zhang Jueming made a heavy expression after being blocked. “I am a rough man older than 25 years old and certainly won’t be liked by girls. Alas… I should go back to the hotel to wash and sleep.”

Li Cangyu watched Old Zhang’s slightly desolate back and sighed helplessly. A bold person like Zhang Jueming would find it really hard to gain a girl’s favour. In addition, his career hadn’t been very good the past few years. He worked hard to earn money to open a studio and love affairs were delayed.

However, Li Cangyu believed there would definitely be a person who understood Old Zhang.

He arrived at the restaurant with Liu Xiang and Yu Bing was already waiting there. She wore white pencil pants and a casual shirt, along with a pair of high heels and sungla.s.ses on her face. She looked like a celebrity afraid of a paparazzi’s sneak shot.

Li Cangyu stepped forward and sat down opposite her. “Is it necessary to be dressed like this for a meal?”

Yu Bing said quietly, “I don’t want to be linked to gossip with you again.”

He thought about the time when they were photographed eating by reporters and netizens said there was something between them. As the number one gossip item linked with Yu Bing, Li Cangyu stated calmly, “Don’t worry, I will explain it if we are really photographed.”

Yu Bing smiled and wondered, “Won’t your lover be jealous?”

Li Cangyu replied, “No, he is very rational and will believe in me.” (TL: Uses gender neutral Chinese words)

Yu Bing took off her sungla.s.ses with surprise. “You really have a lover?”

Li Cangyu coughed as he found himself falling into her language trap and touched his nose. “Yu Bing, you have been commentating for a few years. Your way of speaking has become more skillful?”

Yu Bing smiled. “It is an occupational need.”

The silent Liu Xiang couldn’t help interjecting, “Cat G.o.d has a girlfriend?”

Li Cangyu smiled, not intending to answer.

Liu Xiang also smiled. “If it is inconvenient to say then it doesn’t matter. I just think that your girlfriend will definitely be depressed. You must not have much time to accompany her?”

Yu Bing turned back, “Xiao Xiang, don’t be so direct. Cat G.o.d must be very qualified as a boyfriend, right?”

Li Cangyu felt slightly guilty. He really didn’t have much time to accompany his lover. An average person would certainly have problems with such a boyfriend. However, Ling Xuefeng was as busy as he was. Both of them were professional players and understood each other.

Liu Xiang changed the topic. “Cat G.o.d, did you hear the recent news about the league?”

Li Cangyu suppressed his thoughts and asked, “What news?”

Liu Xiang explained, “This year’s second World Carnival, the selection mechanism might change. The online voting method from last year will no longer be used.”

Li Cangyu was surprised. The last Carnival was a test and the simplest online voting method was used to select six representatives. Did the chairman change the strategy to prepare for the World Compet.i.tion?

Sure enough, Yu Bing said, “I heard that the captain of this season’s championship team will directly win one of the six seats. The remaining five will be selected from the final national team players.”

Li Cangyu nodded. “The chairman wants the Carnival players to test it first?”

If they followed the online voting method, it was likely that the netizens might not choose someone on the national team. Thus, a direct selection from the national team would allow the members to go to the world stage and see the situation of players in other countries. Chairman Nan Jiangang’s consideration was very thoughtful.

The trio talked while eating. Yu Bing knew Li Cangyu’s preferences and gave him a sweet and sour fish that was especially delicious in Suzhou. Li Cangyu was very satisfied with this meal.

The surprising thing was that there was no one in the room when he returned to the hotel.

Li Cangyu opened the door to his room and found Zhang Jueming surfing the Internet. He went over and asked doubtfully, “Why are you here? Where are the others?”

Zhang Jueming explained, “Ah Shu took them into the city to go shopping. Vice-Captain Bai wasn’t at ease and accompanied them.”

“You didn’t go?”

Zhang Jueming smiled. “I have no interest in shopping so I stayed back to go on the Internet.”

Li Cangyu called Bai Xuan who said that everyone were still exploring. Li Cangyu told them to pay attention to safety and then hung up to bathe.

Xie Shurong said he would bring the newcomers shopping but he actually wanted to go shopping with Bai Xuan.

However, he knew that Vice-Captain Bai wouldn’t agree if they were alone. He made up an excuse to call out Xiao Gu, Xiao Zhuo, Xiao Han and Xiao Li, saying, “Brother Shu will buy you gifts. Let’s go!”

The teenagers heard it was a present and actively followed.

Xie Shurong wrapped himself around Bai Xuan and said, “Vice-Captain Bai, I’m not familiar with Suzhou and don’t know how to look at maps. Can you go with us?”

Bai Xuan helplessly had to follow this group, dutifully acting as navigator.

Xie Shurong took them to dinner and then they headed to a nearby shopping mall. He said that he would be everyone a gift and the newcomers didn’t have to be polite.

Gu Siming soon picked a present. It was a new solo game that had recently been released online. He had been paying attention to it for a long time and always wanted to buy it. Today, Ah Shu was paying and he decisively decided to buy it.

Xiao Han went for a high-capacity hard drive. He downloaded too many American movies and didn’t have room on his computer’s hard drive. He would use this as a back up.

Zhuo Hang picked a summer cap and tried it on in front of the mirror. He smiled and said, “Too handsome. Why can’t I bear to take it off?”

Xie Shurong decisively said, “Then buy it!”

All three people had chosen a gift. Li Xiaojiang followed behind everyone and didn’t know what to pick. There were too many good things in the mall, many of which he had never seen before. Those clothes looked delicate, they must be expensive?

Xie Shurong saw the small snail alone in the back and couldn’t help saying, “Xiaojiang, you also pick one.”

Li Xiaojiang’s face was red. “No, no, Brother Shu, it isn’t easy for you to make money. You don’t need to buy for me…”

Zhuo Hang wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Don’t be polite. Tree G.o.d is in a good mood today and wants to buy us gifts. Just directly say what you want!”

Li Xiaojiang’s eyes moved in a circle and stopped on an outdoor sports store for a moment. Zhuo Hang followed his gaze and found that he was staring at a pair of shoes with envious eyes. Zhuo Hang immediately pulled him into the store. “Come on, you like it so try it on.”

The employee enthusiastically came over and asked, “h.e.l.lo, what size shoes do you wear?”

Li Xiaojiang’s face was red and he remained silent.

Zhuo Hang asked, “What’s the size of your shoes?”

Li Xiaojiang hesitated for a moment before whispering, “Size 37.”

This was a small size among men’s shoes and often weren’t available. Zhuo Hang was a bit surprised. He didn’t expect Li Xiaojiang’s feet to be so small.

Li Xiaojiang had always found it difficult to buy the right size shoes at the mall and would sometimes suffer from the staff’s eyes. The thing that surprised him was that this beautiful sister didn’t laugh at him. Instead, she brought him a pair of size 37 shoes in a friendly manner. “Try this one first. There are other styles.”

Li Xiaojiang was flattered and tried on the shoes. They were really comfortable to wear…

The employee asked, “Do you like this? Would you like to see another style?”

He liked it but the price…

He was hesitating when Xie Shurong went to the side and readily used his card. He put the wrapped new shoes into Li Xiaojiang’s hands and smiled. “You like it so don’t hesitate.”

Li Xiaojiang held the shoes and looked at him with a touched expression. “Brother Shu, thank you!”

Once he bought the four little guys a gift, Xie Shurong said, “I will buy myself a present as well. You can help me!”

He took everyone to an area where men’s clothes were sold. There were many dazzling branded suits in the area.

Xie Shurong asked, “Which one looks good?”

Gu Siming pointed to a red set. “This one!”

Zhuo Hang interrupted him. “This suit looks very old. Think about Brother Shu’s age. I think blue suits him better.”

He pointed to a blue set and told Xie Shurong, “This one is good!”

Xiao Han thoughtfully went to the side and pointed to a grey suit. “I think this set is more acceptable.”

Everyone automatically ignored his grammatical mistakes. Xie Shurong didn’t listen to the three people’s advice. He looked back and smiled at Bai Xuan. “Vice-Captain Bai, what do you think?”

Bai Xuan asked, “Do you really want to buy it?”

Xie Shurong nodded. “As a grown man, how can I do without a suit? I can wear it when attending formal occasions. Help me pick one.”

Gu Siming exclaimed, “Yes, Vice-Captain Bai should pick it. You must have a good eye.”

Bai Xuan had to smile. “Okay, I will help you.”

He looked closely at Xie Shurong’s figure before going to a suits store. He glanced over a row of neatly displayed suits before eventually picking a white suit with a blue shirt and striped tie.

He picked it and told Xie Shurong to try it on. Xie Shurong immediately ran over and happily changed into it.

He left the dressing room and everyone felt that he was eye-catching. The tall figure of the young man was appropriately set up by the suit that fit him perfectly. He was handsome and sunny. In this suit, he looked like the protagonist of an idol drama!

Gu Siming excitedly circled Ah Shu., “You are so handsome! This suit is really suitable. Vice-Captain Bai truly has great eyes!”

Xiao Han added, “Ah Shu’s temperament is very good when wearing white.”

Zhuo Hang also said, “White isn’t something that an average person can control. Xiao Han is right. Some people will appear very pale when wearing white. I think that Brother Shu is particularly suitable for white. You look handsome!”

The young guys acted like honey was in their mouth. It was because Xie Shurong bought gifts for them but most of them were telling the truth.

Bai Xuan also thought that Xie Shurong was suitable for these clothes and smiled. Xie Shurong might still be far from Bai Xuan’s ideal mature and stable man but he had to admit that Ah Shu was really sunny and handsome.

Xie Shurong walked to Bai Xuan while adjusting his tie and asked, “How is it?”

Bai Xuan said appreciatively, “Not bad.”

“Then I will buy this one.”

He excitedly ran to swipe his card. He wrapped up his old clothes and simply wore the new suit.

They returned to the hotel and Xie Shurong continued to look at himself in the mirror. Bai Xuan saw his smug expression and finally couldn’t help wondering, “What happened to you today? You suddenly took them to buy gifts and bought a suit for yourself?”

Xie Shurong turned around with a smile. “Buying gifts was just an excuse. My purpose was to have you pick a suit for me and I’ll wear it for you. Don’t you think that I’m handsome?”

Bai Xuan, “…”

‘I just think that your skin is thicker?’

Xie Shurong suddenly said, “In fact, today is my birthday.”

Bai Xuan was stunned and embarra.s.sed. “Cough, happy birthday. Why didn’t you say anything? Everyone should be buying you birthday gifts. Why did you suddenly reverse it and ended up buying gifts for everyone?”

Xie Shurong whispered, “It’s fine. Meeting you is my best gift. In particular, you let me understand the feeling of liking a person. This is more precious than any gift.”

“…” Bai Xuan felt numb. This guy was really sweet enough to give him a toothache.

Bai Xuan’s face turned slightly red and Xie Shurong couldn’t help smiling in a handsome manner. “You look great when blushing. I want to kiss you.”

Bai Xuan’s ears turned red. How could there be such a shameless person? He clearly rejected Xie Shurong so how he could become more shameless?

It turned out that Xie Shurong could be even more shameless.

He took advantage of Bai Xuan’s blushing time and suddenly kissed Bai Xuan on the forehead. “I like you, I really like you. This is my birthday present so don’t be angry okay?”

The forehead kiss was as light as a feather. Bai Xuan wanted to be angry but he couldn’t. It was because he felt the sincerity in Xie Shurong’s words.

Bringing a few small lightbulbs to go shopping but it was just to let Bai Xuan pick a suit for him. It could be said that Xie Shurong remembered the words Bai Xuan casually said about a suit and seriously recorded it in his heart.

Chapter 170 – Gossip Storm

The team members didn’t know until today that it was Ah Shu’s birthday. The four newcomers who received gifts were a bit embarra.s.sed. They came out in a group and lined up to wish Tree G.o.d a happy birthday.

Li Cangyu was also alarmed and asked in puzzled manner, “Today is Ah Shu’s birthday?”

Bai Xuan had naturally told everyone about it. Since the captain of the team asked, Bai Xuan immediately replied, “Yes, we were too busy playing the game that we forgot about this matter.”

Li Cangyu stated, “Dinner has been eaten so I will go buy a cake for Ah Shu’s birthday.”

Xie Shurong quickly said, “No, I never really celebrated my birthday before.”

“It isn’t the same. You used to be in the United States. This is your first birthday with the Canglan team. We must make up for this blunder.” Li Cangyu was very stubborn and immediately set out to buy a birthday cake. However, he wasn’t familiar with Suzhou. It was already late so after thinking about it, Li Cangyu decided to ask Liu Xiang.

Liu Xiang enthusiastically told him the address of a cake store. The location of the store wasn’t easy to find so she took a taxi to the hotel to go buy it with Li Cangyu.

By the time he bought the cake, it was almost 11 o’clock. Li Cangyu called the players into his room, put a candle on the cake, turned off the light and smiled. “Come and sing the birthday song.”

Everyone sang the birthday song in unison. Xie Shurong was a bit moved. In fact, he hadn’t really cared about his birthday but Li Cangyu went to buy a cake at night. Thus, he felt that the Canglan team was like a warm family. It was a warmth he never felt in his two years of playing with the ICE Club.

“Happy Birthday!” “Brother Shu is becoming more handsome!” “Make a wish and blow out the candle!”

Xie Shurong smiled and clasped his hands together, making a wish.

At present, his biggest wish was to catch Vice-Captain Bai. It would definitely be the happiest thing if he could hold the gentle and considerate Bai Xuan in his arms.

After silently making a wish, Xie Shurong blew out the candle in one breath. Li Cangyu turned on the light and let Xie Shurong cut the cake for every person. Fortunately, Li Cangyu smartly bought a small cake. The taste was delicious and it could be easily divided into eight parts. They could still eat it despite already having dinner.

Xie Shurong ate the cake and returned to the room. Then the thick-faced Xie Shurong said to Bai Xuan, “Guess what birthday wish I made?”

Bai Xuan cooperated with him. “What is it?”

Xie Shurong winked. “It is about you. It is said that the wish made on a person’s birthday is especially easy to achieve.”

Bai Xuan smiled slightly. He knew what Ah Shu meant but Ah Shu really wasn’t the type he liked. He always thought of this person as a younger brother who hadn’t grown up. It was difficult to treat Ah Shu as a mature man and this wouldn’t change for a while.

He just had to give it time. Perhaps Ah Shu would change his heart?

The members of Canglan returned to Changsha the next morning. They entered the team dorms and Li Cangyu had just put down his luggage when he heard a person knocking on the door. He opened it and unexpectedly saw Liu Chuan.

Li Cangyu was surprised. “Boss, what happened? Why did you come here in person?”

Liu Chuan smiled in a sly manner. “I just happened to be idle and came over to see you…” He paused and suddenly lowered his voice. “This time you went to Suzhou, isn’t your profit big?”

Li Cangyu replied seriously, “It is okay. We lost 1:2 but Li Xiaojiang’s mentality went through a great change.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

Li Cangyu was puzzled. “What is it?”

Liu Chuan handed a newspaper to Li Cangyu. The headline said ‘Canglan’s captain Li Cangyu and Red Fox’s captain Liu Xiang on a late-night date at the cake store with an intimate demeanor.’

The following article was an a.n.a.lysis about the possibility of the two of them being lovers. One piece of evidence was the smile that Li Cangyu gave when Liu Xiang came over to shake hands. The second evidence was the two people praising each other in the post-match interview, both saying that the other person was worthy of respect. Evidence three was Liu Xiang, Yu Bing and Li Cangyu eating together at a well-known sweet and sour fish store in Suzhou. Evidence four was the two people taking a taxi together to Liu Xiang’s favourite cake store late at night.

Li Cangyu, “…”

The reporter’s brain hole could really break through the sky! The evidence was his smile when shaking hands? Should he laugh or cry?

Liu Chuan gossiped, “I remember that you were previously linked with Yu Bing? This time you changed to Liu Xiang?”

Li Cangyu made an embarra.s.sed expression. “Cough, I just asked her for directions. Yesterday was Ah Shu’s birthday so I went out to buy him a cake. I’m not familiar with Suzhou and looked for Captain Liu to recommend me a cake store. The place is difficult to find so she personally took me.”

Liu Chuan suddenly realized. “Oh, the paparazzi are just fanning the flames?”

Li Cangyu helplessly nodded. “I was actually eating with Yu Bing yesterday to discuss the issue of this year’s World Carnival selection. We didn’t talk about private matters at all. The reporters were just writing nonsense.”

Liu Chuan cautioned, “This message has been forwarded tens of thousands of times on Weibo. I saw it on the front page which is why I asked you. You should clarify the rumour. After all, Liu Xiang is young and might not be able to endure this gossip.”

Li Cangyu nodded. “I understand.”

Once he returned to the dormitory, Li Cangyu immediately turned on the computer. Sure enough, the Weibo home page was filled with this message. Many professional players also forwarded it with a row of question marks.

Cheng Wei wrote a string of question marks followed by: [Cat G.o.d and Captain Liu? No way! I would believe it if it was going to buy fish late at night but cake?]

Tan s.h.i.tian saw this post and opened his mouth to remind Cheng Wei, “Liu Xiang loves to eat cake.”

Cheng Wei suddenly realized. “I still don’t believe they are together. Over the years, Cat G.o.d has never pursued a girl and Liu Xiang isn’t the type to take the initiative to chase people. They usually don’t intersect at all. How can they suddenly become lovers?”

Tan s.h.i.tian suppressed his smile and praised Cheng Wei. “Your a.n.a.lysis is reasonable. You are very clever.”

Cheng Wei proudly raised his chin. “I have always been smart. Did you only find out now?”

Tan s.h.i.tian laughed without speaking.

A fanboy would become smart every time he met his idol. He should apply it to his own matters!

Zhang Shaohui, vice-captain of Ghost Spirits, actively forwarded the news. [The photos look good!]

Lou Wushuang had a cold face. “They clearly aren’t in a relationship. Can you not care about these meddling reporters?”

Zhang Shaohui looked back doubtfully. “Why isn’t it possible? Cat G.o.d is tall and handsome while his personality is straightforward and righteous. Liu Xiang is very beautiful and has a gentle personality. Don’t they match?”

Lou Wushuang replied, “Li Cangyu doesn’t like Liu Xiang and Liu Xiang only feels respect towards him.”

“How do you know that?”

“I can see it.”

“Is that so?” Zhang Shaohui scratched his head doubtfully. “Why didn’t I see it?”

Lou Wushuang answered, “It is because you are stupid.”

He couldn’t even see that Lou Wushuang liked him. How could he see other people? Stupid, forget it!

Zhang Shaohui looked at his brother’s cold face and grinned. “I am stupid. This is a natural gene that can’t be changed. However, you are the smartest.”

Lou Wushuang saw his honest appearance and couldn’t be angry anymore. He reached out and patted Zhang Shaohui on the shoulder. “Okay, prepare for the game. The next match is against Canglan. You have to practice well.”

The reporter’s Weibo was full of several clear photos. They were photos of Li Cangyu eating with Liu Xiang and Yu Bing after the game, photos of him and Liu Xiang going to the cake store late at night and various arguments to prove that their relationship wasn’t simple.

The reporter was too good at writing ma.n.u.scripts and turned white to black. Many people believed it was true and there were also the pa.s.sersby watching the lively scene. The Weibo’s forwarding number was getting higher and the number of comments increased.

Li Cangyu saw the situation was becoming more serious and had to come forward to clarify.

[The total number of times that I’ve personally met Captain Liu is no more than five times. Last night, Captain Liu went with me to buy a cake because it was our Ah Shu’s birthday. I didn’t expect to attract the reporter’s misunderstanding. I am sorry about making trouble for Captain Liu. To clarify, I’m not lovers with Captain Liu. We are just simple friends. Besides, I already have a lover. In order to avoid him being jealous, can reporters stop writing this type of gossip? Thank you!]

The beginning part wasn’t the key point. It was the last few sentences that made the Miracle League explode in an instant.

Cheng Wei was the first to come forward in the group chat. [@Old Cat, you have a lover? Come on, show the photos!]

Zhang Shaohui joined the fun. [Is there really a lover? What team are they from?]

Lou Wushuang also felt curious. [An outsider?]

Tan s.h.i.tian said: [Based on yesterday’s dinner, is Yu Bing the actual person?]

Bai Xuan sent a row of sad emojis. [We didn’t know that the captain has a girlfriend.]

Xie Shurong followed next. [Captain is too mean. When are you going to bring your girlfriend to meet the team?]

……

The group of people started to fill the screen and the number of messages instantly broke through the 100 mark.

Just then, Ling Xuefeng suddenly came out. [All of you are gossiping? Don’t you have to train?]

There was a cold wind in the group. Then the bold Cheng Wei jumped out. [Captain Ling, aren’t you curious? Cat G.o.d said he has a lover!]

Ling Xuefeng sat in front of a computer and slightly smiled. ‘What do I have to be curious about? I am his lover. If I say this then you will be scared to death.’

Li Cangyu saw that Ling Xuefeng spoke and immediately followed his lead. [Everyone shouldn’t be curious. Curiosity killed the cat! Now go to train! I just mentioned this to fool the reporters yet you really believed me.]

[Cutting the gossip with excitement!]

[I figured you were fooling the reporter!]

The group chatted for a moment before dispersing.

Li Cangyu sent a private message to Ling Xuefeng: [Xuefeng, you aren’t angry right?]

Ling Xuefeng: [What if I said I was angry?]

Li Cangyu sent a smiling emoji. [You aren’t that stingy. I explained that I went with Liu Xiang to buy a cake for Ah Shu. It is really nothing!]

Ling Xuefeng: [What else do you want to do?]

Li Cangyu: [Nothing, I only have you in my heart. Don’t misunderstand. [Kiss][Hug]]

Ling Xuefeng’s smile became deeper as he saw Li Cangyu anxiously explaining. Then he sent Li Cangyu an expression. It was the expression Li Cangyu made when his big move was blocked.

Li Cangyu was shocked and asked: [How do you have this expression?]

Ling Xuefeng: [I downloaded an expression pack made by your fans. It is very interesting.]

Li Cangyu laughed. [I am all yours. Just tell me what expression you want me to make and I will make it for you. I’ll give you an exclusive version that outsiders can’t see.]

Ling Xuefeng’s heart was moved. He was most looking forward to seeing Li Cangyu’s pained yet excited expression in bed. It must be very s.e.xy. Of course, it wasn’t good to say this straight to Li Cangyu’s face. Ling Xuefeng would see it in person one day.

Chapter 171 – Gossip Storm (2)

Ling Xuefeng actually wasn’t angry about this storm of gossip. In the third season, Li Cangyu had been linked to Yu Bing so Ling Xuefeng had long been calm about this type of thing. This time, Li Cangyu went to buy a cake with Liu Xiang late at night and the reporters happened to be there to catch it. In fact, Li Cangyu’s att.i.tude towards female players was no different from male players.

Li Cangyu’s clarification on Weibo thrilled many reporters and fans. Everyone started to look for clues about his lover in the Miracle League.

The first to be ruled out was Yu Bing. When gossip about them had spread, Li Cangyu clarified that Yu Bing was a friend and the two of them shouldn’t suddenly become lovers. The other female players in the Miracle League were all in the Red Fox team. Apart from Liu Xiang, it seemed that only the Vice-Captain Yang Muzi had any interactions with Li Cangyu?

Unlike Liu Xiang’s quiet and gentle personality, Yang Muzi was lively and cute, with short hair like a girl who hadn’t grown up. Did Old Cat like the loli type?

On the Miracle forum, a special post about Cat G.o.d’s lover was opened. Everyone was making guesses when a person with the ID of ‘Pa.s.serby C’ sent a message: [I have read Cat G.o.d’s Weibo post 10 times. Cat G.o.d said he had a lover and avoided using gender specific words. Cat G.o.d’s lover must be a man!]

This post woke up the dreamers, making many people shocked.

[Cat G.o.d’s lover is a man? [Stunned Face]]

[The scope is big. There are hundreds of male players in the Miracle League!]

[We have to add the Wulin League since Cat G.o.d spent two years playing Wulin compet.i.tively!]

[If we are speculating based on the grounds of knowing each other for a long time… could it be Bai Xuan?]

[It might also be the fanboy Cheng Wei. Cheng Wei clings to Cat G.o.d every day. Every time the Canglan team plays, he will open an account to cheer for Cat G.o.d. I think Cheng Wei is secretly in love with Cat G.o.d.]

Pa.s.serby C: [No, no, no! Don’t talk nonsense. Cheng Wei feels pure admiration towards Cat G.o.d, admiration!]

[…Is the above comment Vice-Captain Cheng’s account?]

Pa.s.serby C: [You are Vice-Captain Cheng’s account!]

[Isn’t this being too angry?]

“…” Cheng Wei angrily closed the forum on his computer.

Tan s.h.i.tian came over and asked, “Why are you running to the forum to join the fun?”

Cheng Wei looked depressed. “I am just curious. Cat G.o.d used ‘him’ on the Weibo post. Is this really just to deal with the reporter’s nonsense? Or is Cat G.o.d’s lover a man?” Cheng Wei looked up doubtfully at Tan s.h.i.tian. “How can he like a man? He should find a big beauty and have a chubby son!”

Tan s.h.i.tian helplessly smiled. Xiao Wei felt pure love and admiration for Li Cangyu. Therefore, he hoped that Li Cangyu could have a happy life. However, Tan s.h.i.tian was very clear about who Li Cangyu’s lover was. When Li Cangyu returned to Miracle, Ling Xuefeng continuously forwarded posts about him despite never posting team-related news on Weibo. His concern for Li Cangyu was very obvious. In addition, Tan s.h.i.tian wrote the story of the big cat and the kitten and Ling Xuefeng forwarded a clarification. Tan s.h.i.tian and Ling Xuefeng didn’t say it but there was already a tacit understanding.

The reporters obviously didn’t expect this and the fans were even more unlikely to think about it. The fans on both sides had always fought over who was the best summoner in the league. There were often fierce war of words in the forums until Li Cangyu left Miracle. The war between both sides gradually subsided but the relationship between the fans wasn’t good.

Everyone always thought that Li Cangyu and Ling Xuefeng were fated opponents and the strongest enemies. They were often compared to see who was stronger but the fans never thought that they were the ones who knew each other the best.

This type of feeling was actually very subtle. The person who knew you the best was often your strongest opponent.

Ling Xuefeng’s understanding of Li Cangyu had always been far superior to the number one brainless fan, Cheng Wei.

As top summoners in the league, there was a common language between them. Both of them were also captains of their teams and shouldered heavy responsibilities. The mutual understanding and empathy between them wasn’t something that outsiders could understand.

From Tan s.h.i.tian’s viewpoint, it was natural for Ling Xuefeng and Li Cangyu to be together. Apart from Ling Xuefeng, Tan s.h.i.tian couldn’t think of a second person who could stand side by side with Li Cangyu.

However, these thoughts could only be hidden in his heart, just as he kept his love for Cheng Wei in his heart.

Cheng Wei made a startled expression and Tan s.h.i.tian had to pretend to smile. He asked, “Would you support him if Cat G.o.d is really with a man?”

Cheng Wei was stunned and his face immediately wrinkled up like a bun.

Tan s.h.i.tian couldn’t help pinching this bun-like face and changed his word.s “I’m joking. Maybe Cat G.o.d just casually said it to deal with the reporters. It is casual nonsense.”

Cheng Wei didn’t believe this. He had a strange intuition that with Li Cangyu’s personality, there was no need to lie to handle the reporters. It was likely that his words on Weibo were true.

Cheng Wei thought about it carefully and scratched his head. “I will support him no matter what decision he makes. As long as he is happy…”

Tan s.h.i.tian heard this and couldn’t help feeling moved. Li Cangyu was very lucky to have such unconditional support from his fan. Cheng Wei might be simple but when he first entered the league, Li Cangyu had helped and guided him. He always remembered this kindness in his heart.

If others were good to Cheng Wei then he would repay them. He didn’t compete for fame and fortune and did things according to his own mood, no matter what outsiders thought of him. For example, every time Canglan fought, he would open a side account to cheer for Cat G.o.d. This was very naive and wasn’t in line with the ident.i.ty of a great G.o.d. Yet Cheng Wei stubbornly did what he liked.

In the complex circle of the Miracle League, it was rare to be able to maintain his pure heart. It was also the thing Tan s.h.i.tian most liked about Cheng Wei.

Tan s.h.i.tian couldn’t help smiling as he stared into Cheng Wei’s shining eyes. He said softly, “It isn’t difficult to accept men being together with men. There is no way to control their feelings. They like the person regardless of ident.i.ty or gender. This type of affection is the purest thing in the world.”

Cheng Wei listened to this and nodded. “Your words make sense.”

Tan s.h.i.tian was amused by his ignorant expression and couldn’t help patting his head. “Do you really understand?”

Cheng Wei replied honestly, “I don’t understand.”

His expression was really cute. Tan s.h.i.tian stared gently at him and said, “One day you will understand.”

Cheng Wei nodded. “Oh… it is 10 o’clock. Let’s go train!”

Tan s.h.i.tian saw him running away and smiled while thinking, ‘This ignorant person, your mental age isn’t grown up yet! One day I will let you know how to like a person and let you grow up.’

People gossiped on the forum for a long time but still couldn’t get any clues.

Bai Xuan became the most suspected person. After all, he stayed with Li Cangyu for a long time and was said to be a close friend since childhood. However, apart from this, there was no strong evidence to be found.

Bai Xuan was dumbfounded when he saw these comments. He turned back to Li Cangyu and said, “They think we are a pair.”

The four teenagers of Canglan immediately p.r.i.c.ked their ears to listen to the gossip.

Li Cangyu asked in a straightforward manner, “Do you want me to clarify it?”

Bai Xuan smiled. “Forget it. The more you say, the more suspicious it seems. It will calm down in a few days if you ignore it.”

Li Cangyu thought that Bai Xuan’s words were very reasonable.  If it hadn’t been for Liu Xiang’s reputation then he wouldn’t have come forward to clarify things. More explanations would just make the gossip more troublesome. The best way was to ignore it. As long as the main character of the event didn’t speak, the reporters and spectators would get bored and disperse on their own. This type of entertainment news generally didn’t remain hot for more than three days.

Li Cangyu thought this and put it aside. He called everyone to a meeting to prepare for the next match.

The third week of the seventh season’s regular season ended. The Canglan team was temporarily ranked fourth in the points list with 2:1 against time, 2:1 against Flying Feathers and 1:2 against Red Fox.

The loss to Red Fox caused their ranking to drop but it didn’t matter. Li Xiaojiang, who had the worst foundation, gained a lot in the game and his mentality also underwent a transformation. Li Cangyu’s guidance and tempering of Li Xiaojiang was considered to be very effective. He could safely let Li Xiaojiang work hard on his own.

The next matches were Canglan in a home game with Ghost Spirits, an away game with Pure Cleansing, a home game with Cheetah and an away game with Wind Colour.

Li Cangyu already had an idea about these four matches. He managed to win against the two strong teams of Flying Feathers and Time and the points pressure wasn’t too big. He could use the following games to focus on honing the newcomers.

Ghost Spirits currently had the most powerful killer combination in the Miracle League. The understanding between the brothers was comparable to twins. Their a.s.sa.s.sination ability was first-cla.s.s so it wouldn’t be a good match, even if it was at home.

Pure Cleansing was a cla.s.sic illusionist team. Chu Yan and Zhu Qingyue were the most powerful psychic players in the league. The psychic cla.s.s had always been obscure as an auxiliary and only became powerful in the last two years. Since they could control the field with illusions, Canglan would definitely be targeted with the map in the away game. It might even be three team battles, which was even worse.

The overall level of the Cheetah team wasn’t strong but the captain Jiang Xu was known as the best hunter and he wasn’t very good to deal with. He also had the terran hunter Chen Anran who won the Most Potential Rookie Award last season, This boy was only 16 years old and was said to be a talented player. Perhaps his surprise play would give them victory on the field.

Finally, Wind Colour was the hardest bone to nibble on in the Miracle League. Qin Mo had grown after his low point in the last season while Vice-Captain Yan Ruiwen and Guo Xuan’s double black magician combination was the most cla.s.sic combination in the league. Ling Xuefeng’s understanding of Li Cangyu was also unparalleled. It could be said that the battle against Wind Colour was the worst.

In any case, Li Cangyu had to maintain a calm mind. He had to face so many difficult opponents and couldn’t pay attention to gossip. The most important thing was taking Canglan to the playoffs and winning the trophy.

Chapter 172 – Low Period

The fourth week of the regular season would start soon. The first place in the team standings was Wind Colour while second place was Time. This week happened to be the showdown between Wind Colour and Time so many eyes were naturally attracted to this heavyweight event. Relatively speaking, there weren’t many people concerned about the confrontation between Canglan and Ghost Spirits. The match started at 9 o’clock on Sat.u.r.day morning and many viewers were sleeping in bed.

The live broadcast ratings for early morning games wasn’t high but the Canglan team’s home attendance was more than 70%. The local fans gave face by going to the venue to watch.

To everyone’s surprise, Canglan didn’t choose three arena games like before. Li Cangyu chose to fight three team battles.

Everyone knew that the Lou Zhang combination in Ghost Spirits had an extremely high understanding and were fierce in team battles. The viewers couldn’t understand Li Cangyu’s choice and Yu Bing didn’t know how to explain it. She could only say that Li Cangyu never acted according to common sense and would surprise people in every match.

The layout of this match was also incomprehensible. In the three team battles, the first game was directed by Li Cangyu. During the battle, Cat G.o.d was accidentally a.s.sa.s.sinated by the Lou Zhang combination and he fell to a disadvantage from the beginning, leading to a loss.

The commander of the second game was suddenly changed to Zhang Jueming. Li Cangyu didn’t play and Zhang Jueming’s command style was partial towards being bold and unconstrained. Lou Wushuang was extremely cautious and Canglan failed to find a good fruit to eat.

In the third game, the commander was once again Li Cangyu and Canglan scored 1:2 after a hard struggle.

The fans weren’t happy with the result of 1:2 at home. However, the killer combination of Ghost Spirits was the best at killing core players during a team battle. Everyone could understand this.

In the post-match interview, Li Cangyu was very calm and didn’t explain his arrangements. Many professional players watching the live broadcast knew that Li Cangyu had started the second step of his training plan.

Of the eight players on the Canglan team, Li Cangyu was most rea.s.sured about his old partner Bai Xuan. The two of them had cooperated for many years and Bai Xuan’s healing ability was one of the best in today’s Miracle League. The second person was Xie Shurong who played in the foreign ICE Club for two years. Ah Shu’s level had matured after being honed by foreign compet.i.tors and he wasn’t much worse than his brother Su Guangmo.

Objectively speaking, Bai Xuan and Xie Shurong were on the level of G.o.ds in the Miracle League. Li Cangyu didn’t have to worry about them as they could cope with various situations in the compet.i.tion.

However, the standards of the other players were somewhat different.

Li Cangyu first had to train Li Xiaojiang, who was the weakest in the Canglan team. Li Xiaojiang achieved remarkable results in the Flying Feathers and Red Fox matches. Therefore, Li Cangyu started to train the powerful auxiliary. Based on today’s match, he had shifted his focus to Zhang Jueming.

Zhang Jueming’s talent really wasn’t good in the league. In the first year, Zhang Jueming was invisible and he left the league with regrets after his team disbanded. Then he set up a studio to make a living. These years had been very hard.

The duration of an e-sports professional player wasn’t long. It was necessary to practice regularly to prevent their state from declining. Zhang Jueming had abandoned the league for a few years and he was getting older. His state wasn’t as good as the past and wasn’t enough to support him returning to the league. It was just that he felt regrets in his heart.

His level might not be good but the 25 years old e-sports player could stand on the field. This courage was worthy of respect.

Li Cangyu wanted to give him a chance to show his talents and made him commander in the game against Ghost Spirits.

Old Zhang seemed bold and unrestrained but he was still a captain. There were a few tactical ideas in his head that hadn’t been realized. Now they were working together to return to the league. Li Cangyu couldn’t always stand alone in the limelight.

As Zhang Jueming’s friend, Li Cangyu should give Zhang Jueming an attempt to command and complete the wish he couldn’t fulfill in the past.

Cat G.o.d was a person with a special loyalty. Zhang Jueming had heard this before but he hadn’t expected it to reach this extent. Letting go of the command and risk losing the match… was this necessary?

After the game, Zhang Jueming found Li Cangyu and scratched his head in a guilty manner. “In fact, you don’t need to let me command. My tactical ideas aren’t necessarily useful. I lost the game but everyone will scold you. Why?”

Li Cangyu smiled. “Results aren’t everything. It isn’t good for players to win all the time. You don’t have many chances so you should grasp them when you can. We are teammates, needless of other things, I let you command because I just believe in you.” He patted the man’s shoulder and said seriously, “Old Zhang, I believe that you can win. A few years might’ve pa.s.sed but your thoughts are still valid.”

Zhang Jueming was moved to tears. As a rough man, this was the first time he almost shed tears in front of other people. He quickly reached out and wiped his eyes. Then he laughed and cried out, “Yes! I will try again since you believe in me so much!”

The fans were puzzled. After the 1:2 loss against Ghost Spirits, the next match was an away match with Pure Cleansing and Cat G.o.d actually let Zhang Jueming take command again.

The Pure Cleansing team was located in Hangzhou. In the past few days, the weather in Hangzhou was rainy. The Canglan team came from far away to play. Despite having the disadvantage of location and people, Li Cangyu boldly let Zhang Jueming play. This game Canglan fans a bad feeling.

It turned out that recently Canglan was surrounded by bad luck. In this game, Chu Yan chose a map that was very helpful to Pure Cleansing. The mode was three team battles and the cla.s.sic illusionist flow caught the Canglan members off guard. They lost all three games!

The reporters were disappointed with Canglan’s recent performance.

However, Li Cangyu was still calm. He just smiled in the interview and said, “It is normal to win and lose. You can rest a.s.sured that the mentality of the players won’t be affected. This is the first round of the regular season. There are still more matches in the latter half and we will continue to work hard.”

His sentence was almost an omnipotent official statement. One reporter stood up politely and asked, “You let Zhang Jueming continuously act as commander. Cat G.o.d, do you feel that this is a mistake?”

Li Cangyu shook his head. “I can’t say that we would necessarily win if I was the commander. Pure Cleansing’s home match is very hard to win and the players aren’t comfortable with the illusion flow. The fact that we lost three games today was an accident. I will sum up the mistakes when we go back.”

“It’s my fault.” Zhang Jueming took the initiative to take responsibility. “I was too careless when commanding today. I will go back and reflect on it. I will work hard to win the next match!”

The reporters, “…”

The fans, “…”

The next match?

Uncle Zhang, you are old. Can’t you let go of commanding and peacefully act as an auxiliary?

Many people left messages on Li Cangyu’s Weibo. Their words were fierce as they directly said: [Old Zhang is old. Can’t you let him have peace of mind as an auxiliary?]  [The ranking of Canglan has fallen. The playoffs are in danger!]

Li Cangyu didn’t care about the messages. He had his own ideas. In fact, the original ranking was so high because he unexpectedly used Cataclysm in the first match to grab the point from Time. In the second match, he used the extreme method of three arena games to attack Flying Feathers and win with a 2:1 score. Time and Flying Feathers were strong teams. Canglan won two matches and temporarily ranked in the top three.

Since the Red Fox match, Canglan continuously lost and the e-sports weekly magazine even used ‘Canglan Fell 3 Times in Succession’ to report on the matter.

1:2 against Red Fox, 1:2 against Ghost Spirits and today it was 0:3 against Pure Cleansing. The key reason was that Li Cangyu didn’t appear, Zhang Jueming was slightly rusty when it came to commanding and there were newcomers in the Canglan team. After several games, they all exposed their shortcomings and were specifically targeted by the captains of the other teams.

After returning to Changsha, Li Cangyu summoned the players and watched the games they lost.

The teenagers found that not only did they not progress, they actually became more stunned. Li Cangyu explained, “Every newcomer will experience a bottleneck. You played fairly well against Time and Flying Feathers. This is because the other G.o.ds of those teams weren’t familiar with you.  After those two games, your performances were a.n.a.lyzed by the tactical G.o.ds of other teams. They identified your weaknesses and made targeted arrangements.”

“It is the reason why the last few games have been tough. In order to break through this bottleneck, you need some understanding and some opportunities.” Li Cangyu watched the four teenagers as he spoke. They were incredibly dazed and he couldn’t help laughing in his head.

These four people were like simple, older children. They believed everything Li Cangyu said. His words were true but there were also things that Li Cangyu added. In order to relieve some pressure on Old Zhang, he put the loss of the matches on everyone.

Li Xiaojiang’s performance wasn’t a problem and Xiao Han’s play was also stable. The key was Zhuo Hang and Gu Siming.

Li Cangyu thought this and said, “The next game is at home against Cheetah. I hope that everyone can get a good performance. I don’t want to see the headline change from ‘three losses’ to ‘four game losing streak.’”

Everyone, “…”

He could actually still laugh. Cat G.o.d’s mentality was really good!

Bai Xuan couldn’t help smiling. This man’s mentality was extremely strong. He could calmly encourage his teammates when FTD experienced a 10 game losing streak. How could he be upset by losing three games now?

“Come on, everybody.” Bai Xuan said with a smile. “The Cheetah team is the overall weakest team in the league at the moment. If we lost then I’ve decided to let you be hungry for three days.”

The four teenagers’ eyes widened. The punishment of going hungry for three days was too serious!

Bai Xuan couldn’t help laughing when he saw the four pairs of stunned eyes. “If you don’t agree then should I make it five days?”

Gu Siming immediately raised his hand. “I agree! Three days, three days!”

Zhuo Hang glanced at him. “We will only go hungry for three days if we lose. What are you anxious about? Who said we will lose?”

Gu Siming scratched his head. “Yes…”

Li Cangyu smiled and patted Zhuo Hang’s shoulder. “The Cheetah team has the best hunter in the league, Jiang Xu. Starting from today, you will watch videos of his games and study every one of his movements.  This match depends on you, Xiao Zhuo.”

Zhuo Hang immediately nodded. “Yes, I understand!”

This newcomer was somewhat proud, slightly narcissistic and often boastful. Li Cangyu decided to use this match to test Zhuo Hang’s true standards.