A Broken Mirror Reunited In An E-Sports Ch 64

His words cannot be refuted by anyone. He stands there, even if not on the stage, but his whole being seems to be shining brightly.

The entire audience screamed.

The audience in the back rows couldn’t see him, nor could they see the person behind the voice, so they could only stand up, applaud, and scream with all their might.

For how many years has the audience eagerly anticipated a return to the world championship stage? Until today, no domestic team has openly and confidently declared the four words “world champions.”

Are they afraid?

Or is it that in the current domestic esports environment, no one dares to boldly proclaim it anymore?

When Rong Yi speaks, Shu Pian’s eyes shine brightly. His gaze scans all the members of VIT, filled with excitement and exhilaration that cannot be expressed in words.

Before the host could ask a question, after the applause and cheers subsided, Shu Pian voluntarily took the microphone and said, “I’m going with Rong’s team and Brother Yin. I’ve liked Yin and Easy for many years!”

Every newcomer who has played in the national league has dreamed of choosing which team to join. VIT is the dream that all players in this year’s national tournament have been repeatedly reminded of.

Money is certainly important.

But competitive gaming is born from dreams, and dreams are meant to be pursued by the youth. Vigor and fame are not as important.

Shu Pian repeated it again, making a decisive statement, “I’m coming.”

“Good.”

Xiao Yin held up a sign in the audience, signaling to the director, “Let’s raise the offer to three million.”

The director’s team couldn’t believe it. “He has already agreed to sign, verbally committed. Why would you raise the price on your own at this moment?”

“I’m sure of it,” Xiao Yin’s voice sounded casual.

“The boss is awesome!”

“So carefree, he’s really wealthy!”

“Make sure not to raise the price before knowing the other party’s intentions. On the contrary, if they express interest, raise it to match the offers from other teams. You’re on our side, and we won’t let you down.”

This is a two-way choice. It also reflects Yin’s cold and carefree attitude as the owner of VIT when selecting people.

“Damn… This is really… If you don’t catch my eye, I won’t even bother looking at you!”

There was a lively discussion on the stage, creating a heated atmosphere.

Shu Pian successfully secured the contract with VIT and directly obtained the qualification to join VIT’s team.

Hui Mao, Ci She, and Wu Dao Gu have become active, all urging Shu Pian to take a seat.

Shu Pian is young, at the age of a college student. Although a bit reserved, he quickly gets along with them.

“Do you still want to sign?”

On the other side, Xiao Yin held Rong Yi’s hand and asked softly.

In addition to Shu Pian, there are several other individuals who possess considerable strength and are definite targets.

Rong Yi leaned back and crossed his legs.

“We can make an offer and see.”

Xiao Yin said, “RS will definitely follow.”

“If someone else follows us, then we won’t want them.” Rong Yi’s selection criteria for the remaining few people are very clear.

They need students to train and guide, just like RS did in the past.

He still has about three to four years before retiring. After retirement, he can transition to coaching, but it takes time to train newcomers, and even more time for them to adapt.

Therefore, they are optional.

Geniuses are hard to find, and Rong Yi wants to find geniuses, just like he did with Xiao Yin in the past.

However, geniuses don’t necessarily end up in his team; there are various playstyles available.

As expected, VIT made several offers, and whenever they selected someone, RS would raise the price.

Once RS raised the price, VIT would withdraw from the competition.

On the other side, the general manager of RS kept a close eye on Rong Yi and Xiao Yin, even trying to deduce their conversation from their expressions.

Whenever Rong Yi focused on a particular player on the field, they would also look at the scoreboard.

“There’s nothing else; he’s too amazing.”

Internet users gradually began to notice that something was wrong.

[“Is VIT collaborating with RS in signing players? Why is it that for every bid VIT makes, RS follows with a higher one, but then VIT doesn’t continue?”]

[“Even if the world were to end, VIT and RS would never collaborate. Now VIT is openly challenging RS, and although they may not be at odds, they certainly have a deep-rooted enmity.”]

[“They are following Rong’s team’s selection strategy.”] Someone observant pointed out, [“VIT might not sign them, but they definitely want to get their hands on them.”]

[“They can’t afford not to. Now all five players on RS’s team were the ones Easy selected initially.”]

[“Easy’s talent scouting abilities are unrivaled! I remember when Brother Yin was still in RO, it was Easy who spotted him first.”]

[“So, they couldn’t secure the team, but they managed to secure the players. Hilarious.”]

VIT made offers for two players, but both were snatched away by RS with higher bids. As a result, VIT stopped pursuing any further.

“We shouldn’t continue pursuing.”

“If we don’t sign them, RS will sign them, and that would be detrimental to them.”

He was well aware of RS’s nature.

When it comes to capital, no one considers a professional player’s future development. No one thinks about their career; instead, they say, “Professional e-sports is ruthless.”

How many domestic winter and summer champions have been dismantled and bought as the face of a team, but the upper management only thinks about gaining more fans, securing more sponsorships, and selling more merchandise.

Champions, bridge players, exceptional players… How many people have been delayed year after year and ultimately fade away in frustration?

VIT stopped making offers.

In this signing event for the All-Star Show, the top three players were signed by many teams, but VIT only managed to secure Shu Pian. RS signed the most players, a total of five, with some positions overlapping.

Rong Yi was aware that this also meant that some players would spend at least one season being benched by RS and eventually face the possibility of being transferred.

But he couldn’t control everything.

The All-Star event concluded successfully, and the final stage was the red carpet signing and fan interaction.

Rong Yi naturally couldn’t participate.

As usual, he left early and went to the garage to wait for the others to complete the procedures.

The garage was dimly lit, and Rong Yi sat in the passenger seat, looking down at his phone.

Many people tried to find him after the event, but they couldn’t, so they resorted to tagging him frantically on social media.

[“Where is Rong Yi? Where did Rong Yi go? We want to see you, Rong Yi…”]

[“Please, let us have one last glimpse of you!”]

Rong Yi looked at the explosion of private messages and mentions, casually smiled, and then glanced out the window.

Their car was quite close to the entrance, an internal staff passage. Despite several walls separating them, he could still hear the clamor outside and the cheers of fans. It was a grand scene.

Fans and spectators spontaneously turned on the flashlights on their phones, swaying and waving them in the night sky, creating a dazzling display.

Suddenly, Rong Yi felt an unnerving pang, a familiar feeling in his heart.

He looked through the car window towards the side and saw a faint flash of light near a load-bearing pillar in the garage.

Rong Yi was familiar with it; it was the reflection of a camera lens.

Since he couldn’t drive, that peculiar feeling persisted. It seemed like the person across from him had noticed that he had seen them and became even more audacious1, showing a tendency to cross the protective railing and approach him.

The person on the other side held a telephoto lens pointing in his direction.

Rong Yi’s heartbeat started to accelerate, and his breathing became uneasy. He lowered his head, adjusted his hat, and opened his phone. He looked confused for a moment and then messaged Xiao Yin.

“Somebody is secretly taking pictures of me.”

After sending the message, he realized something.

At this time, Xiao Yin should be engaged in the interactive activities and wouldn’t be able to see his text message, let alone respond to it.

Should he call Xiao Yin?

He was an adult now, and it sounded unpleasant for a 22-year-old to be so afraid of cameras. But being rational was one thing, and overcoming the feeling of fear was another.

In a short span of time, cold sweat began to form on Rong Yi’s fingertips, and he started trembling slightly.

But what he didn’t expect was that Xiao Yin not only saw the message but immediately called back, saying, “You’re in the garage? Wait for me for twenty seconds. I’ll be right there.”

Rong Yi answered the call, his voice trembling because the person on the opposite side was getting closer, almost reaching the windshield, shamelessly taking pictures. Rong Yi’s first reaction was to open the car door and get out, then lower his voice and reprimand, “Who are you? Why are you taking pictures of me?”

The person across from him looked like a journalist and, instead of explaining or apologizing, their eyes sparkled with excitement. “Excuse me, are you Easy? Can I interview you?”

Rong Yi’s fingertips tightened.

Different from others.

When an ordinary person is afraid, they become scared and run away.

Camera phobia is his Achilles’ heel, but no one has ever been able to exploit it because he doesn’t allow himself to have any weaknesses.

Whenever someone thinks he’s gentle and controllable, they can only feel the sting of his iron fist.

He said in a low voice, “Get lost!”

The person across from him was getting closer, so Xiao Yin calmly opened the car door and took off the headrest, gripping it heavily in his hand.

A cold glint flashed in his beautiful peach blossom eyes as he said, “Want to keep taking pictures?”

The sharp headrest was held tightly in his hand, and the person across from him seemed completely caught off guard by his reaction. They instinctively took a step back, and then the camera in his hand was thrown to the ground.

A professional lens worth over 30,000 yuan.

Xiao Yin appeared from behind, immediately restraining the person by crossing his hands and firmly pressing them against the hood of the car!

He arrived very quickly, with disheveled hair, as if he had run over. However, his expression and voice remained calm. “A-Yi, is something wrong?”

Xiao Yin threw the headrest back into the car, and at this moment, Rong Yi finally felt the strong aftereffects of his phobia.

His legs went weak.

Xiao Yin squatted down, struggling a bit to stand up, but his voice remained steady.

“It’s nothing.”

He said, “I’m fine.”

Xiao Yin tightly controlled the other person with his restraining hold, leaving no room for conversation. By this time, other staff members had rushed over.

“What’s going on?”

“What happened?”

Various voices mixed together, along with some bystanders who didn’t know what had happened, curiously starting to take photos.

Xiao Yin was the first to notice the flashing lights. He stood up directly, took off his coat, and covered Rong Yi’s entire body with it, then scooped him up and protected him in a corner.

Flashes of light flickered incessantly.

They were definitely captured.

But Xiao Yin didn’t care about that.

Being photographed was Rong Yi’s problem, but making appearances was never his concern.

Xiao Yin opened the back car door and reached in through the gap in the fabric, gripping Rong Yi’s cold hand. Then, he made a gesture to the staff members.

The staff members immediately began to clear the area.

“Sorry for the sudden situation, please move aside.”

“Sorry, please step back, thank you. Please don’t use your phone cameras. We have someone being chased and secretly photographed, please understand.”

The crowd that had gathered consisted mostly of fans and onlookers. Hearing what the staff members said, they probably understood the situation. They obediently refrained from taking any more photos.

His voice was deep, gentle, and completely commanding.

“Don’t be afraid, my dear.”

Rong Yi was enveloped in Xiao Yin’s coat, unable to see anything, but this physical barrier gave him a strong sense of security.

In addition to that, there was the sense of security that Xiao Yin himself provided.

He took a deep breath and allowed himself to be led and escorted by Xiao Yin, sitting in the backseat. He lowered his head and gently held Xiao Yin’s hand.

“I’m really fine. Don’t worry.”

“Yeah, I’m not worried.” Xiao Yin’s voice carried a hint of tension. He shifted slightly, probably looking at the journalist who was surrounded.

“Check his press card, find out which media he works for. And call the police.”

Xiao Yin’s voice moved a little farther away from him, but his hand still firmly held onto Rong Yi’s fingertips.

Rong Yi faintly heard Xiao Yin’s assistant, Xiao Tang’s voice.

It was whispered very low, but he could still hear it.

“XX Entertainment. They’ve always wanted to get a front-facing shot of Captain Rong. Today, Captain Rong made a public statement, and everyone inside knows what he looks like. They were waiting here, planning to get an exclusive.”

“Now their exclusivity is gone.” Xiao Tang continued in a hushed voice, “They’ve hit a brick wall.”