Chapter 6
At the time when Yu Ming was walking back to the stage, Tong Yao was looking for the restroom in a hurry.
The Spring finals were a best of three. After every round, there was a fifteen minute intermission.
Tong Yao got up after the first round -- -- the girl who was distributing the banners sitting next to her asked while pulling her legs back to let her pass, "Going to the bathroom?"
"Yeah." Tong Yao joked, "I have a weak bladder."
The girls in front of her all turned their heads and giggled…...Tong Yao blushed and rushed to get away…...she got out of the arena, took a breath of fresh air, and started searching around for the restroom sign-- --
However, she found her ex-boyfriend before the bathroom.
It looked like her ex had been standing at the door for some time now. When Tong Yao walked out, he was surrounded by fangirls who were trying to get him to pose with them and sign autographs. The players had their own bathroom in their rest area. Those fangirls weren't expecting to see their Yang god out and about during an intermission...
Looking at the way he was surrounded by a sea of fans...
Tsk, tsk.
It looked as if it was a flower in full bloom.
Feeling a mix of emotions, Tong Yao took out her phone to text Jinyang on WeChat: [My friend, I saw Yang god. He's surrounded by fangirls, trapped in a sea of happiness.]
Jinyang replied instantly: [So have you decided?]
Tong Yao: [Walk past him with a poker face and look straight ahead. The problem is how should I walk to show my pride and presence? How about in goosesteps?]
"-- --Tong Yao!"
Tong Yao's finger froze on top of the send key, she raised her head slowly to see dozens of pairs of eyes looking at her from a short distance away-- --
In the middle of those pairs of eyes was Jian Yang's pitiful eyes.
However, the look didn't arouse any empathy in Tong Yao. She cursed silently, "Damn," then put down her cell phone and stiffly curved up her lip. "What a coincidence. Why are you here?"
She sounded like she had just met someone unimportant on the street.
Jian Yang frowned slightly but relaxed his eyebrows the next moment. He pushed his way out of the fans and muttering, "excuse me," "my friend," "no more autographs," "I'll pose with you later"...then under the gaze of all the fangirls, he stood right in front of Tong Yao. He uneasily paused a second before asking, "Why are you in Shanghai? Didn't school already start over there?"
"I'm taking a year off."
"A year off? What happened to you? Why did you take off from school-- --" This time, Jian Yang didn't release his knitted eyebrows. He paused and then opened his mouth wide, "Are you sick?"
This kid was as silly as in the past.
"You're the one who's sick." Tong Yao rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"Playing games."
"..."
Tong Yao showed an expression of understanding.
Jian Yang blinked then realized what she was actually asking. He quickly replied, "I just saw you, on the big screen. I thought that maybe I could see you when you went to the bathroom..."
"You're just waiting here like an idiot? What if I have a strong bladder? Couldn't you call me if you're looking for me? Are you living in the prehistoric age?"
"..."
As Jian Yang looked on embarrassedly, Tong Yao realized that she had blocked all lines of communication with him, including the telephone, WeChat, and even email, which would be automatically deleted after 7 days in the trash box...
Now it was her turn to feel embarrassed for accusing him for not calling her while she was the one who blocked him…...Tong Yao grinned sheepishly and spoke with a nicer tone, "What are you looking for me for?"
"I just, I just want to ask how you're doing lately?"
Jian Yang seemed nervous. He rubbed his hands against each other and his uniform was wrinkled in some places-- --the spirited esports star on the stage during the opening ceremony had dissolved into a normal, nervous young man…...Tong Yao's gave him a "you're kidding me" look, he hurriedly continued, "Really, I haven't stopped caring for you after that! I want to know how you're doing, but Chen Jinyang won't let me ask. I asked Ai Jia, but she would scold him too if he said anything. Ai, I don't known how have you've been since that day-- --"
"How have I been? I'm very happy. It's too boring to fall in love, I would be much happier playing games if I had the time."
Tong Yao turned her eyes to look beyond Jian Yang's shoulder. Those fangirls behind him were trying to eavesdrop on their conversation…...Tong Yao thought about the big news that was about to come, she really didn't have the time to create some gossip with her ex at this time. She patted Jian Yang's shoulder and simply and cruelly concluded, "It's all in the past. Don't you keep thinking about it…...All you need to know is that we both live happily after."
"...."
Jian Yang raised his eyebrows as if he hadn't expected that Tong Yao would put it that way-- --
Right at that moment, there was a commotion coming from inside the arena!
Everyone, including Tong Yao and Jian Yang, turned to look and saw ZGDX's mid, Yu Ming, walk by himself out of the rest area. The instance he walked out, the lights inside the arena darkened. The spotlight shone on the only person on the stage, Yu Ming...
"..."
Tong Yao's stomach jerked a bit. She knew what was coming-- --
Just as she had anticipated, Yu Ming stood on the stage, microphone in hand, and began telling a long story.
He talked about how he had first come across with this game, how he was stopped by his parents, and how in the end he made the decision to play professionally…...In the beginning, his family didn't approve of his profession. He even got the silent treatment from his parents for a long time. He had stayed in Shanghai by himself, struggling for an unrealistic dream in the eyes of others.
At that time, esports in China was just sprouting and League of Legends had just gotten popular. There was a huge gap between the professional players back then compared to now. He survived with on just a 3,000RMB monthly salary at the time in the big city and persistently strived for his dream-- --
Until he earned his first League championship with ZGDX.
Until he watched old teammates retire, change clubs, and had welcomed new teammates.
Until his family finally understood and supported him. Nowadays, whenever ZGDX was in any competition, his parents, who didn't understand games at all, would put on their glasses to watch the game in front of a computer.
Yu Ming's career was a representation of the birth of esports in China from non-existence to a solid profession. He had witnessed a lot-- --
"I always dreamed that one day, my teammates and I will be the champion in the World finals. Then we can hold the trophy and tell all the people who have supported us all along, those who have paid attention to the LoL Chinese regional competitions: We have done it."
Facing the quiet audience, Yu Ming bowed deeply-- --
"I'm sorry, I have failed to realize my promise. In the end, we have never fulfilled that dream…...And now, I realize that I have reached the point where I have to put down my own dream and make way for new blood."
Yu Ming straightened up, with reddish eyes, and continued with a low voice as if he was trying hard not to choke-- --
"We used to be very close to that dream trophy. But now, we still haven't been able to reach it…...I hope one day, when LPL finally brings that trophy back to China, I'll still be here and you all will still be here..."
"However, it's time for me to say goodbye for now."
"I, Yu Ming, the mid of ZGDX, will be officially retiring after the Spring finals."
After saying so, Yu Ming, tightly grasping the mic, bowed deeply again to the silent audience.
-- --It was such a rare scene: hundreds of thousands people gathered in one place, yet no one spoke a peep...
It seemed that the fans, no matter which team they were rooting for, hadn't fully realized what had just happened. They stared sillily at the player on the stage whom they knew so well with mouths agape. Some of them probably didn't like him, had no particularly feeling towards him, or even had sneered at him on the internet, yet at this moment, they acted as if they couldn't understand the Chinese language all of a sudden. They couldn't comprehend what this person was talking about...
Why was Yu Ming leaving?
This guy couldn't be retiring?
How could the ID "Ming" from ZGDX disappear from the competition stage?
...
Until someone sitting in the front row abruptly raised high a placard with the name "Yu Ming" spelled on it with LED lights-- --
It was a silent movement.
Immediately afterwards, there was a female voice that sounded as if it came through gritted teeth, "Go! Ming god, go!"
The shout broke the silence and woke up the stupefied audience!
"-- --Ming god! Ming god! Ming god!"
One man.
"-- --Ming god! Go for it!"
Two people.
"-- --Ming god! We'll always support you!"
Three people...
"We'll win S6 (The sixth World Tournament). That trophy will belong to LPL one day!"
"Go team ZGDX!"
"Go Ming god! Go team ZGDX! Go LPL!"
The sporadic shouts finally filled the whole arena. Each shout louder than the other as if they wanted to blow open the roof of the arena...The audience waved cards, banners, and those who didn't have anything in hand simply clapped loudly-- --
…...This was probably the best retirement ceremony for a professional player?
There was no flowers, no grandiose ceremony; it was simply a man holding the mic, standing on the stage, and calmly saying goodbye to everyone.
"..."
Her cell phone vibrated, Tong Yao looked back to her phone and saw a simple text from her team manger, Rui Ge: [Posting on Weibo.]
Tong Yao put her phone away and raised her head. As expected, there were many ZGDX fans outside the arena with red eyes. The men lowered their head without words, the women could cry out without concern for their own image...
"Ming god is retiring." Jian Yang scratched his head without disguising his surprise. "Then there aren't many old generation players left…...I heard the news that Ming god may be retiring, but they haven't said which mid is going to switch to ZGDX? Are they recruiting someone from Korea?"
"ZGDX is always all Chinese." Tong Yao glanced at him and reminded him.
"Oh, that's true. But there aren't many top mid in China. Where are they going to find one to replace him-- --"
"Me."
"..." Jian Yang stopped scratching his head and turned to look at Tong Yao. He slightly frowned and asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Didn't you ask me why I'm taking a year off of school?" Tong Yao bent over a little bit and put her hands into her pants pockets. "Because I'm coming to Shanghai to play professionally."
Jian Yang gave a nervous laugh. "What? Stop kidding, Tong Yao. How is it possible for a girl-- --"
"Possible or not, you'll soon find out."
"......................................"
Jian Yang was dumbfounded.
The crowd behind him who happened to overhear the explosive news were also too shock to react.
Tong Yao just checked the time on her cell phone and told Jian Yang, "The next round is about to begin. Go back now and don't play so lousy like the last round. The way you played just now was really hard to look at..."
She started to walk back to the arena, then as if she had just remembered something, she turned her head to face the guy who was still in shock. She waved her hand and said calmly, "Yeah, almost forgot, see you at the Summer competition."