I Heard  that You are Dissatisfied (e-Sport)

Chapter 8 - Waste Mid-Laner

The mid laner's words caused huge waves in the domestic e-sports circle.

Although their team didn't open an official Weibo account in China, it didn't prevent netizens from bombarding it. Even the official Weibo account of "TLD: Legendary Lands" was not spared.

        [What about the official? Grass, your father has been bullied, are you still not talking? Such a team, still not punished? ]

        [Just won a world championship, so let's go, it really is a frog in the bottom of a well, the demeanor of a small country in a tiny place]

        [When your father won the championship, you were still wearing crotch pants at home]

At this time, no matter which team's fans they are, they are united as never before, and they are unanimous to the outside world.

Lin Ao's live broadcast room was also very lively.

        [Isn't the stupid anchor usually good at swearing? Why don’t you talk today]

        [Don't be cowardly, you are cowardly, how can I slander you in the future?]

　     [Silly? Still scared? ]

Lin Ao frowned, and smiled mockingly: "I'm afraid you're a hammer, just such a fool? A waste mid-laner, not relying on his family's jungler and top laner, he was hammered by a6's mid-laner in the finals."

In the past, the black people in the live broadcast room would definitely scold Lin Ao, "You are so good, then you go hit me", "You have a bad mouth", but today everyone is "swearing well", "please, please, curse a little more" ".

Lin Ao stared at the squinting team mid-laner, and continued to mock, "You look like a human being, but you can't speak human language."

Since Lin Ao started broadcasting, although he has ridiculed countless times, he has never cursed. This time he really couldn't help it and cursed two or three times.

Then, in the next moment, his live streaming room froze, and a notification appeared: "Due to a violation of the Aowu community rules, your account is suspended for two months. Please remember to be a civilized and harmonious Aowu resident, and the Big Meow is waiting for your return, Aowu~"

Lin Ao: "..."

As the saying goes, walk by the river, your mouth can't help but chatter; sooner or later, you'll encounter trouble.

Lin Ao looked at the suspension message repeatedly, and finally rolled his eyes and cursed the cartoon cat, Big Meow.

However, Lin Ao suddenly calmed down after receiving such a letter in the live broadcast room.

He got up and walked to the window, and opened a crack in the window. The cold air mixed with the smell of damp crept in quietly.

After a while, his phone rang, and it turned out to be Glasses.

At this time, only the Glasses can find him.

As soon as the phone was connected, Lin Ao rushed to talk: "I know what you want to say, but I don't regret it. I can't bear it. Idiots have to scold and I don't want to open a trumpet to scold on the Internet. I just want to be honest and scold him in the live broadcast."

It was the first time for Glasses to hear Lin Ao filled with righteous indignation, and he couldn't help but sigh. "But what's the use of scolding him? Think about it. He's abroad, and can't see you scolding him. And two months later, do you know how much traffic and money you will lose if you are suspended for two months? The current audience is so ruthless, if they haven't seen you for two months, can they still remember who you are..."

Glasses talked a lot, but Lin Ao grasped the key point "What's the use of scolding him", this sentence was like the cold wind outside the window, suddenly waking Lin Ao up.

His dark eyes instantly brightened, as if he had found his direction in life.

Lin Ao murmured softly: "You are right. I should hit him."

"After today's incident..." Glasses was still babbling, but after hearing Lin Ao's words, he was stunned and said in shock, "Isn't it? What do you want? Fighting is illegal."

"I mean beat him in the game."

"Oh." Glasses breathed a sigh of relief, "That's okay. With your skills, if you want to go to the Atlantis country to score points, you should be able to go there soon, and then you can meet him, and you can fight him."

"That idiot thinks I should cross the mountains and oceans to play on the Grand West country's server and defeat him?" Lin Ao said disdainfully, "He's not worthy."

Raising his eyes, Lin Ao looked at the deep night outside the window, and beneath his soft eyelashes, there was a determined gaze. "I want to go pro. I want to be in 'TLD: Legendary Land,' on the world's largest gaming stage, and let him know who's the boss."

"What? What? What?" Glasses was dumbfounded upon hearing that Lin Ao wanted to go pro. After a while, he finally reacted and sniffed, "Have you thought this through?"

"Yeah," Lin Ao replied.

"Great! When the time comes, your sister-in-law and I will cheer for you!" Glasses enthusiastically responded.

After ending the call, Lin Ao opened his email and found Lu Lian's WeChat ID. He coldly sent a friend request, which was quickly accepted.

Lying on the bed, Lin Ao hesitated as he typed and deleted multiple times in the chat box before finally asking the question he wanted to ask the most.

        Lin Ao: "What do you think about what happened today?"

On the other end of the phone, Lu Lian: "......"

He had been watching Lin Ao's typing status for a long time. He thought Lin Ao had agreed, hence adding him as a friend. However, as he saw the seemingly never-ending typing status, he thought Lin Ao might be composing eloquent words to scold this "fake" him.

But it turned out to be something else; Lin Ao wanted to talk about life.

        Lu Lian: "If championships could be won with just words, it definitely wouldn't be him."

        Lin Ao: "......"

He felt that Lu Lian had some hidden meaning in his words. Was he indirectly criticizing him?

Lin Ao first rolled his eyes, but after half a second, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Lu Lian managed to completely dispel his previous frustration.

Although he didn't respond, Lu Lian regained the initiative in the chat.

        Lu Lian: "Have you considered it?"

        Lin Ao: "Many teams have invited me; why do you think I would accept your offer?"

        Lu Lian: "I believe in your intuition in this matter."

        Lin Ao: "......"

As it turned out, Lu Lian was right.

After he had the idea of going pro, the first team he thought of wasn't those established and famous teams that offered him olive branches, but this relatively unknown Lu Lian. He hadn't even seen the other person, but inexplicably, he had a hunch.

This person was right for him.

And they were right for each other.

Lin Ao stood up, paced around the small room a few times, then sat back on the bed, crossed his legs, and took a deep breath.

        Lin Ao: "Hey."

        Lin Ao: "Do you need an amazing player? Someone who can play any position."

Through the phone screen, Lu Lian seemed to see Lin Ao's head held high, his proud and arrogant appearance.

***

Lin Ao never expected that Lu Lian was actually from the Lu Family's company.

The Lu family's entertainment industry had a presence all over the country, and even the "TLD: Legendary Land" competitions had received sponsorship from their family.

The meeting place Lu Lian arranged was in a high-end residential area in Longcheng. The area had a river and a park nearby, and on the right side was a sports center. If one walked a bit further, they would reach Longcheng's famous commercial center.

Following the building number Lu Lian gave him, Lin Ao found a villa even bigger than his own home.

He stood outside the garden and pressed the doorbell. There was no movement inside. He stretched his neck and looked inside through the fence, then pressed the doorbell a few more times.

"Lin Ao?"

A cold and steady voice, polite but with a hint of distance, reached his ears like the November wind brushing past.

Lin Ao looked to the side and saw a tall and upright man wearing a fitted woolen coat. It highlighted his tall and slender figure, handsome facial features, and light-colored eyes that resembled amber submerged in water.

This "fake" Lu Lian was a bit different from what Lin Ao had imagined. He thought the other person might be a carefree and casual rich second-generation.

While Lin Ao was sizing up Lu Lian, Lu Lian was also observing him.

The real-life Lin Ao appeared more beautiful than he did in the live stream. He looked more delicate, and in the era of filters flying everywhere, Lin Ao managed to hold the scene with a hundred percent natural look.

Lin Ao was dressed quite lightly, with a plain blue-gray jacket and thin black trousers. His long and fair neck was exposed, and if he lifted his foot, his ankle would be visible, as if he wasn't afraid of the cold.

It was indeed a dressing style only someone at his age would dare to attempt.

"I'm Lu Lian, nice to meet you. Let's go inside," Lu Lian introduced himself and then opened the gate, gesturing for Lin Ao to go in first.

While waiting for Lu Lian to open the door, he stood under the steps and observed Lu Lian's back.

Broad shoulders, strong waist, and really tall.

Lin Ao was envious but he didn't stand on ceremony and immediately stepped inside.

As Lu Lian opened the gate, he noticed Lin Ao's small action. He silently smiled, finding the real Lin Ao more interesting and vivid than the one in the live stream.

"Please sit," Lu Lian said, and as Lin Ao sat down, he sank into the overly soft sofa, as if it wanted to swallow him.

Lin Ao, like a wary little animal, immediately lifted his butt that had already sat down and then carefully sat back down.

Lu Lian noticed his small movements and laughed soundlessly. He felt that the real Lin Ao was even more fun and animated than the one on the live stream. He poured a glass of water for Lin Ao, and said straight to the point: "Mid laner, the annual salary is 10 million, and the contract is for two years. If you are interested, we can continue to discuss it."

Lin Ao looked at Lu Lian in surprise.

"Not satisfied with the annual salary?"

In the e-sports circle, the annual salary of professional players varies greatly. The annual salary of newcomers is about hundreds of thousands, the annual salary of ordinary first-line professional players is about 5 million, and the annual salary of top professional players is between 5 million and 10 million. For top professional players, the annual salary is even higher.

For a rookie like Lin Ao who has no track record, it is not surprising that Lu Lian drives hundreds of thousands.

Lin Ao never expected that Lu Lian would set the price so high.

He is not a city man, and what he thinks in his heart seems to be clearly written on his face. Lu Lian guessed his doubts, and smiled: "You are worth it."

Lu Lian laughed, feeling like the snow was falling between the pines, the spring water in the forest was clean, and there was a certain charm that only mature men could have.

For boys of Lin Ao's age, this kind of charm is a bit of a unique attraction, so Lin Ao was taken aback for a while, then hummed softly, and said awkwardly, "Of course!"

Lu Lian suppressed a smile.

"Let's look at the details of the contract. You don't have to rush to sign. You can discuss it with your family first if you want," Lu Lian considered Lin Ao's young age and genuinely cherished talents, so he gave enough tolerance and space.

"No need," Lin Ao replied indifferently, devoid of the liveliness from before. His tone was blunt, "I can decide for myself. My family... They won't bother unless I'm dead."

The thorny, hard, and self-defeating words made Lu Lian stunned for a moment, and ripples appeared in his peaceful heart.

He saw Lin Ao flipping through the contract casually, and when Lin Ao was about to write his name, Lu Lian's finger covered the signature line.

Lu Lian had long, distinct fingers with a healthy wheat-colored skin tone, forming a sharp contrast with Lin Ao's milky-white hand.

Lin Ao looked at Lu Lian with confusion, wondering why he was blocking the signature line.

"You only spent 25 seconds reading the contract; I'm sure you haven't looked carefully," Lu Lian said calmly.

Lin Ao looked at him with an expression that said, "I'm not dumb" and replied, "I looked at the salary and the contract duration. As long as you're not trying to trick me, it's fine."

Lu Lian ignored him and forcibly flipped the contract back to the first page, saying, "Read it carefully from the beginning, pay attention to the details."

Lin Ao: "......"

Lin Ao looked at the contract, then at Lu Lian, and then back at the contract. Finally, he stubbornly asked, "Are you crazy?"

Lu Lian raised an eyebrow, about to say something, but then saw Lin Ao muttering and lowering his head to read the contract.

Lu Lian: "......"

So, he reads, but only after scolding first?

Lu Lian suddenly remembered the cat his father kept. It had a bad temper and would meow and scold people if it didn't get good food or toys. However, it would scold while also rubbing against people, making it hard to be harsh with it.

Lu Lian looked at Lin Ao, his head lowered, revealing the fullness of the back of his head. His black hair obediently lay on the back of his neck, creating a clear boundary between the black strands and his fair skin. His fluffy and soft hair looked like it would be enjoyable to touch.

Suddenly, Lin Ao lifted his head, and under his bangs were a pair of black pupils, gazing at Lu Lian.

"So many words," Lin Ao said impatiently, "can't the contract be written in plain language?"

"What part don't you understand?" Lu Lian stood up and sat down next to Lin Ao.

Getting close, Lin Ao could smell a faint scent of perfume from Lu Lian and even feel the warmth of another body getting closer...

Lin Ao rarely got this close to people, and a hint of discomfort flickered across his face, but he didn't mind Lu Lian's presence.

"Where is it?" Facing Lu Lian's patience, Lin Ao's temper softened a bit, and he could only point to the last line of the second page.

With the close guidance of Lu Lian, Lin Ao finally read the entire contract word for word.

In that moment of finishing the contract, Lin Ao felt a sense of confusion, as if he was asking himself, "Who am I? Where am I?"

He even doubted if he had come here to play professionally or to study.

Later, when Lin Ao was about to sign the contract, he remembered something and asked, "Will our team have a fixed streaming room?"

"Yes, it will be Aowu," Lu Lian explained, "After the new year, the Lu family's video company will invest in Auwo Live, so we don't need to change."

So, they were not only working in the Lu's company but also streaming under the Lu's banner.

Lin Ao recalled the discussion about the Lu Corporation among the elderly in the nursing home that day and asked a random, irrelevant question, "Is our year-end bonus going to be high?"