c47

ALL-ROUND MID LANER Chapter 47

At half past six in the afternoon, the car arrived at Tianhuan's base.

Tianhuan wasn't a renowned team for nothing. They had outright bought a detached, three-story building. The environment around the base was very nice. Not too far away, there was a small, shaded path through the woods where people could jog and exercise. A bit farther down, there was a park. Truth be told, if the building hadn't been marked with a sign which read 'Tianhuan Esports Club', Ye Shaoyang might have mistaken it for a retirement home.

Ahem, this type of place was just far too suitable for cutting yourself off from the rest of the world and relaxing in total peace and tranquility.

Of course, constructing an esports base in such a tranquil area had its merits.

Because there weren't many places of entertainment in the area, players couldn't go out and play around all the time. This location provided them with the perfect opportunity to focus on their training, and training in isolation was the most effective way to produce results.

Ye Shaoyang paused at the doors to the headquarters for a moment. He saw that Chi Shuo had already taken his luggage out from the trunk of the car.

Holding the cat carrier in his other hand, Chi Shuo said, "Let's go in first and put your things away before anything else."

Tang Can smiled warmly and said, "Little Ye, Tianhuan's finance and legal departments have already gotten off work for the day. You came out to the capital all the way from Star City today, so you must be tired. Rest well tonight first, and I'll take you to finish up the rest of your paperwork tomorrow! Every department has already finished preparing their materials for you, so the rest of the procedures will go by very quickly."

Ye Shaoyang happily agreed, "Thank you, Tang Can-jie."

Tang Can cautioned, "Also, remember not to break your fast tomorrow morning. I'll take you to the hospital for a checkup at around eight in the morning. The club doesn't require many medical exams. Just some blood tests, a chest ultrasound, and so on. The main purpose is just to check for major illnesses. After all, players with heart conditions can't possibly compete professionally."

Ye Shaoyang nodded with understanding. "Got it."

Although esports wasn't a field which required huge amounts of movement, players with serious heart conditions truly weren't suitable for this career. If they just so happened to have an episode and faint during a live game, that would be troublesome to say the least.

It was a good thing this body of Ye Shaoyang's was pretty healthy. He probably wouldn't run into any problems during his medical exam.

Tang Can led the way into the building. Chi Shuo followed, carrying Ye Shaoyang's luggage. Ye Shaoyang followed the two of them, climbing all the way up to the dorms on the third floor. The club building didn't have any elevators. The lack of elevators was most likely deliberate, because the players were too prone to staying indoors all day. Climbing the stairs every day could be considered a form of exercise. Three floors wasn't too much to climb, after all.

Currently, it was just when dinner was being served at Tianhuan.

The players were all eating in the cafeteria. No one noticed Chi Shuo bringing in a new person.

Tang Can stopped by a corner in the hall, at a door marked 301. She said, "This is Captain Chi's room. Little Ye, you'll be living here from now on. If you have any questions, you can go straight to Captain Chi, or you can come find me. Oh, that's right. Let me give you my number."

Ye Shaoyang took down the lead coordinator's contact information and added her as a friend on WeChat as well.

After that, Chi Shuo said, "Tang Can-jie, you go ahead and get back to your own work. He doesn't have a lot of luggage. I can help him unpack."

Tang Can smiled slightly towards Ye Shaoyang and said, "Then I'll get going first. Little Ye, rest well tonight. I'll call you tomorrow morning."

Ye Shaoyang nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Tang Can-jie."

Tang Can turned and went back downstairs. Ye Shaoyang was left with a pretty good impression of her; she was a very straightforward, to-the-point jiejie. Lead coordinator was actually a very challenging role, especially when the team needed to travel. Making dinner reservations, booking hotel rooms, and making travel arrangements all fell upon Tang Can; she had to worry about the players' safety as well. A good coordinator would take care of all these things, ensuring the players wouldn't have anything to worry about.

Chi Shuo placed his hand on the fingerprint scanner and said, "Because players are always forgetting their keys, the dorms have been equipped with fingerprint scanners. Let's record your fingerprint first."

He used the sensor and got the light at the door to turn green, then gestured for Ye Shaoyang to put his own finger on the scanner. Ye Shaoyang obliged, letting the device record his print.

Afterwards, Chi Shuo said, "Try it and see if it works?"

Ye Shaoyang used his print to unlock the door. A warm and gentle mechanical voice greeted, "Master, welcome home."

When the door opened, Ye Shaoyang saw that the rooms were spacious and brightly lit. The hardwood floors were a warm tone, and the living room was pretty big. There was a couch in there, and an 80-centimeter or so television hung on the wall, where they could watch streams of games.

A few cardboard boxes were piled up next to the couch. One of them had a little kitty logo on it. These were clearly the basic necessities and food that Ye Shaoyang had bought online for Xiao Bai.

Venturing deeper into the dorm, Ye Shaoyang found the kitchen, dining room, and two doors to the two bedrooms.

Chi Shuo opened the door on the left and said, "Your room is on this side."

He brought the suitcase inside and opened a closet on one side of the room along the way. "The closet has already been emptied out, and the whole room has been disinfected. You can use everything without worrying. All the bedding has been freshly purchased. 301 is one of the bigger dorms, so each bedroom comes with its own bathroom."

It was better that way. The two of them wouldn't disrupt each other when they got up to go through their morning routines.

Ye Shaoyang wandered through the room, then stopped by the window.

Through the window, he could see the park downstairs. It was autumn now, and the leaves of the trees in the park were starting to yellow. When a gust of wind blew past, those yellowing leaves would start to fall, blanketing the ground in a swath of gold.

Autumn in the capital provided completely different sights from autumn in Star City. The sights here were more like the ones Ye Shaoyang remembered from his past life, when he'd lived more to the north. The windows in Tianhuan's dorm rooms just so happened to face the park, so residents could see all the changes of each season; it was a very nice view.

Furthermore, in addition to the bed and closet in the bedroom, there was also a desk that was equipped with a computer. After returning to their rooms from training, players could continue to play ranked if they didn't want to go to sleep. The dorms were set up in a very thoughtful way.

Ye Shaoyang turned to look back at Chi Shuo. He earnestly said, "Thank you, Captain Chi. The team's environment is great, and the dorm has been cleaned up very nicely. Thank you all for the hard work."

"It's the least we could do," Chi Shuo said.

Xiao Bai curiously looked left and right from inside the carrier, letting out a 'meow meow' noise. Ye Shaoyang turned and opened the door of the carrier. Xiao Bai cautiously stretched out one paw, as though fearing there would be some sort of danger here, before cautiously stretching out one more.

The cat slowly climbed out of the carrier, pricking up its ears and starting to get used to these new surroundings.

After sniffing Ye Shaoyang and confirming that this was its master, Xiao Bai crept over to Chi Shuo's feet and sniffed around at him as well. Upon realizing this was a stranger, Xiao Bai rubbed its head against Chi Shuo's legs a bit.

Chi Shuo, being nuzzled, was speechless.

This was a cat who was friendly from the start, who didn't feel any fear of strangers?

Ye Shaoyang smiled and said, "Cats like to rub up against everything when they come to a new place. They like to leave their scent everywhere. Xiao Bai is just patrolling its territory. Captain Chi, you don't need to worry, just let Xiao Bei get used to everything."

"Mm." Chi Shuo leaned down and lightly rubbed at Xiao Bai's soft and furry head. "Go on, then."

Xiao Bai happily pranced out of the bedroom, going to get familiar with the living room.

Ye Shaoyang followed the cat out into the living room. He swiftly opened the packages that had been delivered and took out the litter box to fill it up. While he set everything up, he asked, "Captain Chi, should I put the litter box in my room? My Xiao Bai is very well behaved, it never goes to the toilet in random places. I have to make sure it knows where the new litter box will be."

"Anywhere is fine," Chi Shuo said. "I'm not that fussy. You can put it wherever it's convenient for you."

Ye Shaoyang quickly put the litter box into place, then brought Xiao Bai over to make sure it got used to the new litter box. Immediately afterwards, he unpacked the new food bowl and fed Xiao Bai a can of food. As soon as the familiar scent of food rose up, Xiao Bai instantly skittered over to start eating.

Chi Shuo watched as Xiao Bai scarfed down the meal and remembered that it was dinnertime for people too. "That's right, let me take you to eat first. For today, we'll just make do at the cafeteria. After you formally sign the contract tomorrow, we'll organize a welcoming party tomorrow night to officially introduce you to everyone."

"Okay," Ye Shaoyang said. "I'm alright with eating anything."

By the time Chi Shuo led Ye Shaoyang into the cafeteria, it was already seven at night.

The other players had already finished eating and returned to their training rooms, so the cafeteria was completely deserted.

Since Tang Can had notified the kitchen staff in advance, they knew to save some food for Chi Shuo and Ye Shaoyang. So when Chi Shuo led Ye Shaoyang into the cafeteria, they could immediately go up to the order window and pick up two sets of meals.

Ye Shaoyang looked all around himself. The cafeteria was really big. One wall was entirely formed by floor-to-ceiling windows. From there, it was easy to see the sprawling green lawn outside. Every single inch of Tianhuan's base really gave off an aura of wealth and status.

The meals the cafeteria had saved for them were rich and flavorful—two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup.

"Are you okay with this sort of food?" Chi Shuo asked concernedly.

Ye Shaoyang polished off a piece of braised ribs and said, "It's delicious. Did you guys hire a cook specifically for the cafeteria?"

"Mm. The team hired a professional chef, and there's a new menu every week. If there's anything you don't eat, you can tell the chef."

The food there was good, and the living conditions were good. The captain also treated Ye Shaoyang very well. Choosing Tianhuan hadn't been a mistake after all. With those thoughts in mind, Ye Shaoyang swiftly finished off his meal.

"I'll take you around on a walk?" Chi Shuo suggested.

"Mm," Ye Shaoyang agreed. "It'll be a good chance to get familiar with the surroundings."

Chi Shuo led him around on a stroll around the ground floor. Besides the cafeteria, the ground floor was also home to the gym, coffee bar, and snack area. Also, at the center of the ground floor, there was an extremely eye-catching trophy display area—this was the pride of Tianhuan.

Lots of trophies were on display inside the glass case. All sorts of trophies and awards that the second-string team had won in minor league tournaments were displayed on the bottom shelf. The middle shelf was taken up by trophies Tianhuan's starting lineup had won throughout the years, including their tournament championship cups from S1, S3, and S6.

The top shelf was empty.

Ye Shaoyang lifted his head and looked up at the empty space behind the glass. "That's the space reserved for the world championship cup?"

Chi Shuo lifted his head as well. He looked at the empty shelf and said in a low voice, "That's right. From its inception, Tianhuan has always had its sights set on the world championships. It's too bad. Ten years have passed, and we haven't won a single one. I hope one day, we'll be able to fill up that space."

Ye Shaoyang curved up the corners of his lips. "We definitely will."

Chi Shuo looked back at him. It was strange. Ye Shaoyang clearly hadn't ever played in a professional game before, but the confidence in his eyes was something many newbies didn't possess. Chi Shuo always got the feeling that Ye Shaoyang wasn't like a newbie at all. Whether it was the way he acted, the way he spoke, or his understanding of esports… plus that outstanding game sense of his… it all made Chi Shuo feel like this wasn't Ye Shaoyang's first time coming into contact with a top-tier team. It seemed like Ye Shaoyang was very familiar with this world?

Chi Shuo hesitantly pulled his gaze away and asked, "Should we take a lap around the second floor?"

"Not right now," Ye Shaoyang said. "It would be awkward if we ran into other teammates now. I'll head back to the dorm and play with my cat."

Chi Shuo followed him back to room 301.

Xiao Bai had already finished exploring the dormitory. After surveying its new territory, it found the most comfortable spot to relax—on the couch in the living room. When Chi Shuo and Ye Shaoyang opened the door to the dorm, Xiao Bai was currently settled comfortably on the couch, licking its fur.

Ye Shaoyang adoringly petted Xiao Bai's head and said, "My Xiao Bai is pretty brave. Even in an unfamiliar place, Xiao Bai isn't afraid. I was afraid it would be unsettled, but it seems to be settling in just fine. It already laid claim to the couch so quickly."

Chi Shuo looked at the little thing that was currently taking up a spot at the very center of the couch. This cat wasn't afraid of strangers, and it was sweet and well-behaved. It didn't scratch the furniture or make a mess. The other members of Team Tianhuan would probably like it a lot, right?

The two people sat down on the couch to play with the cat. Chi Shuo saw that the time was getting late, so he said, "You get some rest first. You'll have a medical exam pretty early in the morning. You should sleep early tonight."

Ye Shaoyang had gotten on a plane at three that afternoon, and he'd spent a lot of time getting Xiao Bai's cat carrier processed before that. He really was quite tired, so he said good night to Chi Shuo and returned to his room to wash up and sleep.

When he walked into the bathroom, intending to change his clothes, a wave of dizziness suddenly caused his vision to blur. Some strange sensation seemed to rise up from deep within his body, like a budding sprout finally breaking through a heavy layer of dirt under which it had long been buried.

Ye Shaoyang hurriedly threw out a hand to hold on to the sink. He used his other hand to lightly massage his temples. The dizziness passed quickly, and his vision cleared up. He could see his reflection in the mirror again.

But it felt like a flame had been sparked to life inside him. That flame unfurled and spread through his veins. Very quickly, his whole body felt overheated. Sweat quickly seeped through his clothes, causing the fabric to stick tightly to his skin. With both his hands braced against the cool surface of the sink, the difference in his body's temperature became all the more obvious.

The face of the person in the mirror was starting to become tinged with red. Ye Shaoyang's eyes grew damp, and his vision became blurry again. Ye Shaoyang closed his eyes and took deep breaths. He could feel that his pulse was growing faster and faster. His heart was beating wildly, like it was about to leap out from his chest.

Could he really have a heart condition?

No, this strange heat… he couldn't be differentiating, could he?

Ye Shaoyang thought of the important notes he'd jotted down in his cell phone a long time ago.

Little Rui had said that omegas would feel hot all over when they differentiated. In serious cases, they would even faint. If Ye Shaoyang encountered a situation like that, he was to immediately put a pheromone suppressing patch on the nape of his neck, then rush to the hospital!

After remembering that important advice, Ye Shaoyang hurriedly rummaged through his pockets and found a pheromone suppressing patch. He stuck it to the nape of his neck. He could only blindly guess at where exactly it was supposed to go. He figured the center of his nape would do, as it would give him the most coverage there.

Immediately afterwards, he supported himself with one hand against the wall and stumbled back out of his bedroom to knock on Chi Shuo's door.

"Chi… Captain Chi… can you take me to the hospital?"

Chi Shuo had just been planning on turning on his computer to play a few rounds of ranked matches. When he heard that voice, he instantly got up and went to open the bedroom door.

The face of the young man standing outside was faintly flushed, and his eyes seemed to be tinged with moisture. He looked up at Chi Shuo, flashing a forced smile as he said in a quiet, trembling voice, "I seem to be differentiating."

Chi Shuo was beyond confused.

A very faint, pleasant aroma seemed to waft over in the air. It was unclear what that scent was, but it definitely wasn't the scent of body wash.

Chi Shuo was rooted in place like a statue.

After a long while, he finally found his voice again and asked, "What did you say?"

Ye Shaoyang repeated, "Take me to the hospital. I seem to be differentiating."

Chi Shuo was silent.

You what?

You're differentiating?

Aren't you an alpha? What are you differentiating into now?!

Author's Notes:

Captain Chi immediately loses his cool, hahaha~