9 p.m., at SVG e-sports club, Apex’s, branch training base.
Li Zhongchen turned on his livestream and was playing a ranked match. Because he had been staring at the computer screen for an extended period of time, his eyes were becoming slightly dry and irritated.
[ Shit, this guy looks like he’s even better than professional players. They’re not even in the top 500 in the Apex national server, whose alternate account is this? ]
[ Where did this passerby with low intelligence come from that can’t even tell from this game play that it’s Echo’s = = ]
[ Ah? Didn’t Echo already stop playing Apex long ago? ]
At this time, half of the enemy’s head popped out from the cliff. Expressionless, Li Zhongchen’s hand operations were smooth as flowing water. His gun fired and struck the head, and the damage value was explosive. It was rough and brutal.
Within the game, his character put away his gun, faint smoke rising from the muzzle.
A big display showed on the world interface: Champion!
[ 666666 ]
[ Brother E is so stable! Too amazing!! ]
[ Ahhhhhh Hubby you’re the strongest!!! ]
But in reality, Li Zhongchen had a sense of burnout. “I’ll stop here for now, it’s time for supper.”
He had been intending to turn off the live broadcast, but the barrage continued their excited discussion–
[ Didn’t Echo stop playing Apex because he lost to God Qiao? ]
[ Sure enough, once God Qiao is mentioned, Echo became the younger brother that is getting off the broadcast hahahahahahahaha ]
[ ??? Are you sick? Do you know barrage etiquette? ]
[ Qiao your mother Qiao, is he your dad? Do you have to run around like that? ]
[ Echo only stopped playing professionally, but never said he would not touch Apex. Eat your words and admit his innocence on the public chat! ]
Li Zhongchen raised a brow, seemingly unaffected by it.
He supported his chin with a hand, his eyes deep and cold as he thought to himself: My ex-boyfriend had just finished up in the American server league. He’s handsome with amazing results. Bringing a busy person like that to play is giving me too much face.
Coincidentally at this time, a low quality advertisement popped up on his computer screen.
[ Isn’t getting back together lovely? For the person who is your match made in heaven, have you worked hard? Gold medal marriage and emotional counselor, currently accepting online consultation including emotional recovery, marriage recovery, and strengthening feelings… ]
“……” Li Zhongchen complained internally. Was this something that had been pre-arranged?
Apex was a battle royale type game at its peak of popularity.
It was unlike PUBG and Overwatch that were familiar to the general public. The former was known for eating chicken and depended on picking up equipment from your surroundings; the latter you had to pick your champion, and the skill interface was fixed.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Apex was more like a combination of these two games.
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At this time, Li Zhongchen had already left his seat and was headed to the first floor. He inserted both his hands into the pockets of his jacket, looking awe inspiring. He was once again up to no good just because of a commercial.
The Apex Rookies’ match at the end of the month was approaching as scheduled.
As a commercial competition, Li Zhongchen was tasked to choose a disciple for the sole purpose of raising the heat of team SVG. After all, it carried with it the name of the famous Echo, an aura that made others envious.
Designed based on American sci-fi dramas, the entire location emitted a fluorescent blue light. The creator of the massive two story Apex branch center himself entered. Possessing a tall figure with long legs, Li Zhongchen brought with him an aura wherever his feet tread.
Now, he had to meet Yao Tong first. Once, he was his teammate. Now, he was the captain of the first team.
Yao Tong waited at the first floor. “Wow, how rare. Your little fans didn’t make a fuss, stopping you from turning off the broadcast?”
Li Zhongchen: “What is there to fuss about? I am but a buddhist-like, outdated anchor.”
“Brother Zhong, if you talk like this, what kind of outdated person can muck through life like you do? Even rookies are waiting to be chosen by you.”
Li Zhongchen joked along with him. “All the good seedlings have already been chosen by you guys. Is this considered a choice for me? Isn’t it more like picking up scraps?”
But it was the truth. Yao Tong smiled and put his arm around Li Zhongchen’s shoulder. Since he had gotten some benefits, it was natural for him to play docile.
Team SVG was once again praised to the high heavens by the fans: The top all-male team in the national server.
Although this praise was a little biased, it was not to the point of exaggeration. There were no other reasons. Li Zhongchen and Yao Tong’s looks and figures were not necessarily inferior to the fresh meat of the entertainment circle.
Especially Li Zhongchen, the top assault player in the national server that commanded the winds and clouds. With his strongly defined features and a cold and indifferent disposition, it was not unreasonable that he would garner so many girlfriend fans.
To be this handsome and possess a great figure, it could only be said that the genes given to him by his parents were too good.
21:35, a meeting was held in the conference room on the first floor.
While the newcomers were conducting technical skill operation analyses, the two of them showed up uninvited. Only the rookies seated at the back row turned around at the sound of movement, exclaiming quietly in shock. “I-Is it really Echo and Same?”
“Having been in SVG so long, this is my first time meeting Echo! Isn’t he only leading one team of newcomers?”
Fortunately when Li Zhongchen looked up, he induced an intangible sense of awe, causing the young ones to not dare talk amongst each other, as the technical skill analysis was still ongoing.
But not long after, Li Zhongchen’s expression turned gloomy. “What kind of nonsense are they talking about?!”
Yao Tong: “…It is a little too much.”
Li Zhongchen: “I’m not choosing anymore, do as you all will.”
“??” Yao Tong was speechless. “Is there anyone that’s as fickle as you?! Lao Wang said you promised. The person you’re choosing is your future disciple, can you be a little conscientious? Don’t turn around and scold me after.”
“……I haven’t scolded anyone for a mother fucking long time.”
They argued back and forth that way. The storm broke out, but they had to suppress their voices, afraid of distracting the young ones’ meeting. But it was definitely boring. What could they reap from listening to the analysis of a bunch of little chicks?
Bored, Yao Tong became nosy. “Earlier on, your live stream barrage exploded because of Xiao Qiao?”
Li Zhongchen: “Don’t mention him to me.”
“Didn’t you already let go of it a long time ago? It’s not like Qiao Yi is the only good looking one in this world. Even if we got down to it, isn’t it just about having a little less abdominal muscles?”
Li Zhongchen lifted his chin slightly. “If you continue to talk nonsense, I’m going to pick this little sister.”
Yao Tong shifted his gaze away blankly, only to see a young lady with twin tails. She appeared a little silly, pale, sweet, and naive. She was busy switching camera views, and even selected wrongly.
“…What is this?” the corners of Yao Tong’s lips twitched. “She doesn’t look very smart.”
The girl finally completed her adjustments, looking a little nervous. “Next is Zheng Xiaokui’s analysis time, everyone please pay attention to this segment of the livestream! This is my male god!”
Li Zhongchen’s sight turned sharp. The moment his eyes lowered and his tail bristled, a murderous aura would rush out in an unnatural manner.
But his body suddenly became stiff and his pupils contracted. This was all because of the appearance of the game anchor that appeared in the game recording. It was a face that he could not be more familiar with. To this face, he harbored a bone-deep denial–
It was clearly a face that was as exquisite as a jade sculpture.
He had a slender bone structure with clear lines, a teardrop mole at the corner of his eye. There was a sense of detachment that he seemed accustomed with, and his entire person emitted a cold and detached disposition that warned strangers to stay away.
But Li Zhongchen had once pressed this person down under him, bullying the other party until he had cried pitifully. All this was only shown to him alone.
Yao Tong was immediately stunned. He turned to glance over at Li Zhongchen, internally panicking.
“Everyone knows that my male god is Brother Xiao Qiao, so I won’t be introducing more! Hehe, my life’s dream is to one day have a Master like God Qiao! This is a video of his livestream when he got on his alternate account last month. He did not play his favourite healer role. That’s right, it’s my favourite Yan Mei. Of course, even when playing casually, it’s as amazing as an idol!”
The little sister continued to chatter on.
“About Bangalore, we always call her ‘Yan Mei’, because she is the only hero that can release smog, a classic choice for assaulters. God Qiao equipped a VK47…”
“……Ah, he released the fog and slid up the chain to snipe the enemy in the swamp. The enemy is out of ammo, a ruthless and accurate hit. A diversion and an attack, anyone who plays assault should have such acute reaction abilities! What’s more, my male god mains healers!”
The video continued to play. That God Qiao’s crisp and clean voice echoed throughout the entire conference room. The once black hair was now dyed gold, it was an appearance that Li Zhongchen had never seen before.
Qiao Yi originally looked similar to a mix-blood, but now he really looked the part, Li Zhongchen thought to himself.
The lonely chill in the surroundings was as though the air around them had solidified.
The atmosphere in the conference room had dropped to zero. Many of the young ones present shifted as though they were sitting on pin cushions and could not help but glance over at Li Zhongchen, surveying him.
Li Zhongchen was displeased by the gazes he received from all directions.
But Yao Tong, who had been next to him, took a glance at the situation around them before putting an arm around his shoulders and led him outside, not forgetting to leave behind parting words. “We’ll stop looking, you guys continue.”
The little sister blindly yelled out a response traitorously: “Oh, Byebye, senior! Take care, come again next time!”
Li Zhongchen rolled his eyes internally, slamming the door shut with a bang.
Because of his actions, the entire conference room immediately turned into a mess. The heated discussions were like turbulent waves, even with the wall and door separating them, their voices could be heard in the hallways, directly entering Li Zhongchen’s ears. It was difficult for him to block them out even if he wanted to.
“Xiao Kui, don’t you know who was the one who came in here earlier?!”
“I don’t know……ah, I remember now! The one with the dyed hair is Brother Yao, didn’t he come and visit us along with the coach when we first entered?”
“Then don’t you know the person next to him?”
“That, I don’t know.”
“That is God Zhong! It’s Echo, Li Zhongchen!”
“Zheng Xiaokui, you’re finished. You actually dared mention Joe in front of Echo!!!”
“……E……Echo? What?! I’m doomed, will I be chased out of the base in the middle of the night? I’m faceblind and also far sighted! And besides, how is it possible that he would show up here wu wu wu QAQ!”
Further away, the atmosphere became completely different.
Although Li Zhongchen did not make a sound, the bone-chilling oppression in the air continued to emanate. He could feel that Yao Tong did not dare to come close to himself. He inevitably chuckled with anger. “I have decided on a person.”
“???” Yao Tong’s head immediately shot up. “Decided on who? The last person for the Newcomers’ completion? Who?”
Li Zhongchen: “Zheng Xiaokui? That’s her name, am I right?”
Yao Tong: “You’re serious?! She came in with the newest batch, her standard isn’t considered top-notch. I’ve seen her replays, this young lady is good at sniping, long distance kills is her strength, and she can play the main force at the rear. But if you are truly wanting to develop in the direction of an assault team, she might not be the best choice.”
But Li Zhongchen analyzed: “As the assault in charge at the front, the main output of the team also needs to have keen intuition and accurate shooting rates. Naturally, she also has the potential to become a good assaulter.”
Since he was dead set on his decision, Yao Tong certainly would not interfere anymore.
Li Zhongchen was thinking about how he should explain making the best choice out of the limited resources he has. Among all the lackluster skills, he could only pick someone of this standard. Unexpectedly, there were two newcomers around the corner of the elevator with their backs facing them. Their heads were buried in their phones, their voices interrupting his train of thoughts—-
“Is it really God Qiao that returned to the national server?!”
“It’s written here. Look at the registration page, it’s 100% true! Joe signed up with MW to lead the newcomers for the match. They even just signed up.”
Li Zhongchen’s footsteps unexpectedly paused.
His face immediately turned white, glancing over at Yao Tong. His Adam’s Apple quivered. “……What did they say?”
“……” Yao Tong’s expression was not too good either. “Haa, they said that your ex-boyfriend is back with a rhythm of foul wind and bloody rain.”
The author has something to say: The author has started writing, please give your support and bookmark ya~ The CP is Li Zhongchen x Qiao Yi, the cute little sister is only a future assistant~ Baby Zhong is the Gong, there’s no need to doubt!
TL note: The ML’s name is Qiao Yi (乔昳). Because the author alternates between the use of Qiao (乔) and Joe in the original text, I will be using ‘Qiao’ when author uses the Chinese character to mention him and ‘Joe’ when the English name is used in order to differentiate them. But Qiao, Qiao Yi, and Joe are referring to the same person.
seems interesting..
thanks for the chapter
thanks for the chapter <3
Thanks for the chapter
Camping here 🏕️
Thanks for the chapter. 3>
Oho? So much tea already! I wonder what happened between these two? Why did they break up?🤔
Ty for the chapter!💜💜💜