******
The next day, pulling her luggage after her, Xiao Yun arrives at PG’s clubhouse early in the morning.
Perhaps it’s because they knew she’s coming. PG’s members all woke up early. As a matter of fact, even Qin Fei got up and is currently on the sofa…… sleeping.
Xiao Yun stares at the man sprawled on the sofa without the slightest presentable image. The edges of her lips tighten tersely. She turns a blind eye to him, asking Jing Yu, who’s by his side: “Where’s the Coach?”
“I don’t know. He still hasn’t arrived.” Jing Yu answers in a small voice, sipping on a bowl of bean curd cradled in his hands.
Today’s breakfast was bought by Ye Hong. Ever since Jing Yu arrived, PG’s original style of each individual heading out to settle their own breakfasts has undergone a massive change. These days, everyone takes turns to buy breakfast. Today just so happens to be Ye Hong’s turn.
“Xiao Jie, have you eaten?” Ye Hong, who is sitting opposite Qin Fei and Jing Yu, asks Xiao Yun smilingly.
Without waiting for Xiao Yun to reply, Han Leng abruptly raises his voice: “If you still haven’t eaten, then let’s eat together ah! We bought too much today anyways!”
Luo Yiming, upon hearing this line from the side, can’t help but roll his eyes. He whispers softly: “Said it as if you’re the one who bought it.”
Meanwhile, Xiao Yun answers indifferently: “I’ve eaten. You guys eat ba. I’ll go put my luggage first.”
Saying this, she pulls her luggage towards her room – Hers is the same as Fang Luofan’s, on the first floor.
Nobody notices that while she is leaving, she glances thoughtfully at Jing Yu, her eyes full of probing inquiries.
When Fang Luofan arrives, Qin Fei is still sleeping… This causes Fang Luofan to agonize over it: “The match’s going to begin and he’s still sleeping? Who’s going to wake him?”
Luo Yiming eyes Han Leng. Han Leng eyes Ye Hong. Ye Hong eyes Jing Yu… then withdraws his gaze and eyes Han Leng.
Fang Luofan: “…Can you guys be a bit more spontaneous?”
Ye Hong: “Coach, you’re up! We believe you can do it!”
Fang Luofan: “No. I’m terrified.”
Being a person who was once punched by Qin Fei, these three words of his are completely justified.
Ye Hong holds back his smile to the point where it hurts. He’s just about to say something when all of a sudden, he hears a cautious voice: “Why don’t I try?”
In a split second, everyone’s gazes are collected upon Jing Yu who has just spoken. Those eyes look as though they have seen a warrior.
Luo Yiming: “Goldfish! You must think carefully!”
Ye Hong: “That’s right, Goldfish. Don’t blame your Gēge for not reminding you. The danger level of this task is at least five stars!”
Han Leng: “Goldfish, don’t be rash! The match hasn’t even begun! PG can’t do without you!”
This is all just too… Jing Yu is caught between crying and laughing: “Okay, that’s enough from you guys.”
Saying this, he reaches out a hand to gently shake Qin Fei’s shoulder.
Almost at the same time when he makes contact, PG’s members collectively back away from the sofa. In one breath, they’ve backed up over several metres.
Jing Yu: “……” Is that really necessary?
He ignores them. Seeing as if he still hasn’t woken Qin Fei up, he can only rise from the sofa, walk over to Qin Fei’s front, grab both his shoulders with both hands and violently shake: “Fei Ge! The match’s about to begin! Wake up now!”
No sooner had the words fallen, Qin Fei scrunches his brows with a grown and a palm swings down in Jing Yu’s direction.
Jing Yu calmly catches his wrist: “Fei Ge! Fei Ge! Fei Ge—”
Qin Fei hadn’t been sleeping very deeply on the couch right from the start. His consciousness returns right as Jing Yu calls out to him repeatedly. Yet, he purposely keeps his eyes shut, raising another arm to hook around Jing Yu’s waist.
The strength he uses is fairly large. The totally unprepared Jing Yu is pulled to the extent where he staggers forward. His knees instantly come between Qin Fei’s legs.
After a short pause, Jing Yu’s face reddens. He coughs lightly and pulls away from Qin Fei, but he still allows his own waist to be held: “Fei Ge, the match’s about to start. Wake up quickly.”
Qin Fei can’t feign ignorance anymore. As he puts down that arm, he calmly blinks open both eyes.
Unexpectedly, right at this moment, the distance between him and Jing Yu is a lot closer than he’d imagined. They’re close enough for him to clearly count Jing Yu’s eyelashes.
Qin Fei pauses, then can’t help but quirk his lips, smiling: “Until when do you plan to hold me?”
“Ah…” Jing Yu only realizes he’s still holding Qin Fei’s hand then. Hastily backing up a few steps, he rubs his nose a bit meekly, “That… It’s Coach who called me to wake you. It has nothing to do with me.”
Fang Luofan: “?-?-?”
Qin Fei snickers: “I know.”
Saying this, he rubs his still somewhat drowsy eyes. He sits up on the sofa, making a yawn.
Jing Yu internally sighs in relief – So long as he explains clearly and he’s not hated by Qin Fei, that’s enough for him.
He spins around towards the others, planning to ask what time the match begins. Unexpectedly, three pairs of shooketh eyes meet his.
Luo Yiming: “Goldfish, you’re…”
Ye Hong: “Really such a…”
Han Leng: “Warrior ah!”
Jing Yu: “……”
Even Fang Luofan’s eyes flash with some astonishment. However, more of it is directed towards Qin Fei rather than Jing Yu – What’s happening today? It’s enough for Qin Fei to not lash out, but he’s not even going to rage? Moreover, he’s not even going to raise his voice?
He quickly remembers his own dignity as the Coach and lightly coughs once, bringing them back to the original topic: “Qin Fei, since you’re awake, let me brief you about today’s competition…”
The Preliminaries begin at 10 in the morning, all the way till 10 at night.
Unlike the Invitational Playoffs, it won’t be livestreamed continuously. Afterall, there are far too many teams signing up for PGL. At any one time, there will be many pairs of teams crossing swords, battling to win a match.
Instead, during these Preliminaries, the game officials will give the priority of livestreaming to teams that are likely to enter the ranks of the Top 8. If at any point of time there is no team with such potential, then the livestreamed teams will be selected randomly.
As for whether there is live commentary, it all depends on the live commentators themselves.
The Preliminary matches are all Bo1. In other words, every team will only have one chance in every match. Victory is decided within one round. The winner advances, the loser is eliminated.
Even if it’s a team from the Top 8, they also wouldn’t dare to guarantee that they won’t mess up in this string of matches. Hence, this is equally as much of a trial to a Top 8 team. As a matter of fact, the pressure which a Top 8 team faces can even exceed that of a newbie team.
“In any case, you can’t keep holding on to the fact that you were once a Top 8 and let your guard down. Afterall, no one can guarantee there wouldn’t be a black horse in this tournament.” Fang Luofan sternly reminds, “Remember this. No matter who your opponent is, always give it your all!”
Pausing here, he goes on to speak, his tone slightly more relaxed: “On separate note, for this PGL, the game officials have invited me to live commentate as before, so I won’t be able to stick with you guys throughout. Thankfully, the manager will be around. If there’re any problems, you guys can relay them to her. I will keep in contact with her at all times.”
The members of PG naturally don’t have any objections. Especially Han Leng. He wants nothing more than to see Xiao Yun every day.
The Preliminaries will also take place over a week. In total, there are four live commentators. Fang Luofan is in charge of the second, fourth, and sixth day’s commentary.
Today is Monday, so Fang Luofan stays in PG’s clubhouse without heading anywhere. However, he also doesn’t stay in the training room to offer the five players any guidance. Instead, he flips open the laptop in the Conference Room, looking at the livestream on the day itself.
Originally, he still intended to see if there’s any black horses in this season. Yet, unexpectedly, the very first match chosen to be livestreamed is precisely the one PG is in!
【Good morning, everyone. I am Halfling, your commentator for the day.】Seated on the left side is a youth still retaining some baby fat.
【I am Candy.】On the right is a lively and cute girl with straight bangs.
Halfling: 【We are now looking at the first match of the Preliminaries. That is, PG and Blink’s match. PG is a team which I believe everyone has heard of. Although this team is newly established, they fought their way into the Top 8 in the 3rd PGL. This is a team not to be underestimated.】
Candy: 【Certainly. Because of that, I’m quite looking forward to PG’s performance this season.】
Halfling: 【About half a month back, PG switched to a new jungler. The original jungler, Qin Fei, that is Sleep, is now the solo-laner. With regards to this matter, Candy, do you have any thoughts on it?】
Candy: 【I think ah… Fei Ge’s abilities are something which everyone has witnessed before. His personal style is highly pronounced. Indeed, he’s very suited for playing solo-laner ne.】
Halfling: 【Oh? And what kind of style is that?】
Candy: 【Kill all who stand against him luo**!】
(**luo 啰 : like, ‘What else but—‘ ; a sound inserted at the end to indicate this is extremely obvious to the speaker)
Halfling: 【Haha, you’re not wrong about him. Actually, I quite admire such an assertive player myself.】
Candy: 【Alright, let’s take a look now at the other team, Blink. Does this mean ‘to sparkle as bright as lights’? This is a new team ne. Let’s wish they’ll be like their name, shining brightly in this season!】
Halfling: 【At the moment we can clearly see, both sides have entered the Ban stage. PG gets the first-mover advantage. They ban Camael. I reckon this OP marksman probably will not be let out this season.】
Candy: 【That’s right, I agree. Woah! Blink swiftly bans Satan. This should be considered a nod of acknowledgement to Qin Fei’s abilities.】
Halfling: 【On PG’s side, they’re also not hesitating. This time, they ban Black Serpent. Is it because they don’t know Blink too well, that’s why they can only ban an OP demon? Nonetheless, PG has the first-mover advantage. Personally, I’m of the mind it’ll be better to leave the OP demons for the Pick session.】
Candy: 【I think PG should be intending to aim for the solo-laner. That’s why they can only give up on OP mid-laners. This time, Blink hesitates for a long time… I’ve only just said that, but okay, they’ve banned Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Looks like Blink has quite the understanding of PG. They sure know who to target.】
Halfling: 【PG bans Dark Cupid… Huan? I remember PG’s marksman, ONE’s best demon is Dark Cupid ah. How could they ban it? Do they have some kind of strategy?】
— Not at all.
Luo Yiming didn’t wait for Jing Yu’s directions and personally banned his own lifeline, Dark Cupid. Even thereafter, he still coolly added the line: “I know you will ban this one next. I will help you. You don’t need to thank me too much.”
Ye Hong wants to cry and laugh, feeling as if Luo Yiming has really transcended heavenly desires and reached Enlightenment.
However, it’s precisely this unexpected move which causes Blink to lull, incapable of deciding their last ban late into the game.
Seconds and minutes tick by. Just as the timer is ready to finish, Blink finally forks out their last ban position – Scarlet Fury!
All ease on Ye Hong’s face instantly vanishes without a trace, replaced by a face full of black lines: “Luo Yiming, I’m gonna kill you!”
Jing Yu who is by their side only turns his gaze heavenward – His teammates are fooling around on a daily basis, he already can’t be bothered to scold them…
******
Mara: Maralynx here! I’m the new proofie and editor. I probs suck but ok, I haven’t said anything until now because I didn’t know what. I know now. I’m to blame for the usage of the ‘shooketh eyes’
Tamago: Eyy~~! But I just loved ‘shooketh’!
******
If you like what I do, please kindly donate to WHO COVID-19 Solidary Response Fund!
Every penny counts and will go towards fighting the current pandemic. Let’s show that we care even when we are far apart and quarantined.
For every USD$6 worth of donations accrued, I will add 1 chapter to the Cour, and release the extra chapter on the day itself (with a cap of +5 chapters).
You may also choose a charity org (local or not) of your liking that is currently helping out with the corona pandemic.
Please don’t forget to forward any confirmation email / screenshot of the confirmation page to [email protected], and drop a comment to let me know you donated!
Current Donations: $5/6 (+2)
******
The next day, pulling her luggage after her, Xiao Yun arrives at PG’s clubhouse early in the morning.
Perhaps it’s because they knew she’s coming. PG’s members all woke up early. As a matter of fact, even Qin Fei got up and is currently on the sofa…… sleeping.
Xiao Yun stares at the man sprawled on the sofa without the slightest presentable image. The edges of her lips tighten tersely. She turns a blind eye to him, asking Jing Yu, who’s by his side: “Where’s the Coach?”
“I don’t know. He still hasn’t arrived.” Jing Yu answers in a small voice, sipping on a bowl of bean curd cradled in his hands.
Today’s breakfast was bought by Ye Hong. Ever since Jing Yu arrived, PG’s original style of each individual heading out to settle their own breakfasts has undergone a massive change. These days, everyone takes turns to buy breakfast. Today just so happens to be Ye Hong’s turn.
“Xiao Jie, have you eaten?” Ye Hong, who is sitting opposite Qin Fei and Jing Yu, asks Xiao Yun smilingly.
Without waiting for Xiao Yun to reply, Han Leng abruptly raises his voice: “If you still haven’t eaten, then let’s eat together ah! We bought too much today anyways!”
Luo Yiming, upon hearing this line from the side, can’t help but roll his eyes. He whispers softly: “Said it as if you’re the one who bought it.”
Meanwhile, Xiao Yun answers indifferently: “I’ve eaten. You guys eat ba. I’ll go put my luggage first.”
Saying this, she pulls her luggage towards her room – Hers is the same as Fang Luofan’s, on the first floor.
Nobody notices that while she is leaving, she glances thoughtfully at Jing Yu, her eyes full of probing inquiries.
When Fang Luofan arrives, Qin Fei is still sleeping… This causes Fang Luofan to agonize over it: “The match’s going to begin and he’s still sleeping? Who’s going to wake him?”
Luo Yiming eyes Han Leng. Han Leng eyes Ye Hong. Ye Hong eyes Jing Yu… then withdraws his gaze and eyes Han Leng.
Fang Luofan: “…Can you guys be a bit more spontaneous?”
Ye Hong: “Coach, you’re up! We believe you can do it!”
Fang Luofan: “No. I’m terrified.”
Being a person who was once punched by Qin Fei, these three words of his are completely justified.
Ye Hong holds back his smile to the point where it hurts. He’s just about to say something when all of a sudden, he hears a cautious voice: “Why don’t I try?”
In a split second, everyone’s gazes are collected upon Jing Yu who has just spoken. Those eyes look as though they have seen a warrior.
Luo Yiming: “Goldfish! You must think carefully!”
Ye Hong: “That’s right, Goldfish. Don’t blame your Gēge for not reminding you. The danger level of this task is at least five stars!”
Han Leng: “Goldfish, don’t be rash! The match hasn’t even begun! PG can’t do without you!”
This is all just too… Jing Yu is caught between crying and laughing: “Okay, that’s enough from you guys.”
Saying this, he reaches out a hand to gently shake Qin Fei’s shoulder.
Almost at the same time when he makes contact, PG’s members collectively back away from the sofa. In one breath, they’ve backed up over several metres.
Jing Yu: “……” Is that really necessary?
He ignores them. Seeing as if he still hasn’t woken Qin Fei up, he can only rise from the sofa, walk over to Qin Fei’s front, grab both his shoulders with both hands and violently shake: “Fei Ge! The match’s about to begin! Wake up now!”
No sooner had the words fallen, Qin Fei scrunches his brows with a grown and a palm swings down in Jing Yu’s direction.
Jing Yu calmly catches his wrist: “Fei Ge! Fei Ge! Fei Ge—”
Qin Fei hadn’t been sleeping very deeply on the couch right from the start. His consciousness returns right as Jing Yu calls out to him repeatedly. Yet, he purposely keeps his eyes shut, raising another arm to hook around Jing Yu’s waist.
The strength he uses is fairly large. The totally unprepared Jing Yu is pulled to the extent where he staggers forward. His knees instantly come between Qin Fei’s legs.
After a short pause, Jing Yu’s face reddens. He coughs lightly and pulls away from Qin Fei, but he still allows his own waist to be held: “Fei Ge, the match’s about to start. Wake up quickly.”
Qin Fei can’t feign ignorance anymore. As he puts down that arm, he calmly blinks open both eyes.
Unexpectedly, right at this moment, the distance between him and Jing Yu is a lot closer than he’d imagined. They’re close enough for him to clearly count Jing Yu’s eyelashes.
Qin Fei pauses, then can’t help but quirk his lips, smiling: “Until when do you plan to hold me?”
“Ah…” Jing Yu only realizes he’s still holding Qin Fei’s hand then. Hastily backing up a few steps, he rubs his nose a bit meekly, “That… It’s Coach who called me to wake you. It has nothing to do with me.”
Fang Luofan: “?-?-?”
Qin Fei snickers: “I know.”
Saying this, he rubs his still somewhat drowsy eyes. He sits up on the sofa, making a yawn.
Jing Yu internally sighs in relief – So long as he explains clearly and he’s not hated by Qin Fei, that’s enough for him.
He spins around towards the others, planning to ask what time the match begins. Unexpectedly, three pairs of shooketh eyes meet his.
Luo Yiming: “Goldfish, you’re…”
Ye Hong: “Really such a…”
Han Leng: “Warrior ah!”
Jing Yu: “……”
Even Fang Luofan’s eyes flash with some astonishment. However, more of it is directed towards Qin Fei rather than Jing Yu – What’s happening today? It’s enough for Qin Fei to not lash out, but he’s not even going to rage? Moreover, he’s not even going to raise his voice?
He quickly remembers his own dignity as the Coach and lightly coughs once, bringing them back to the original topic: “Qin Fei, since you’re awake, let me brief you about today’s competition…”
The Preliminaries begin at 10 in the morning, all the way till 10 at night.
Unlike the Invitational Playoffs, it won’t be livestreamed continuously. Afterall, there are far too many teams signing up for PGL. At any one time, there will be many pairs of teams crossing swords, battling to win a match.
Instead, during these Preliminaries, the game officials will give the priority of livestreaming to teams that are likely to enter the ranks of the Top 8. If at any point of time there is no team with such potential, then the livestreamed teams will be selected randomly.
As for whether there is live commentary, it all depends on the live commentators themselves.
The Preliminary matches are all Bo1. In other words, every team will only have one chance in every match. Victory is decided within one round. The winner advances, the loser is eliminated.
Even if it’s a team from the Top 8, they also wouldn’t dare to guarantee that they won’t mess up in this string of matches. Hence, this is equally as much of a trial to a Top 8 team. As a matter of fact, the pressure which a Top 8 team faces can even exceed that of a newbie team.
“In any case, you can’t keep holding on to the fact that you were once a Top 8 and let your guard down. Afterall, no one can guarantee there wouldn’t be a black horse in this tournament.” Fang Luofan sternly reminds, “Remember this. No matter who your opponent is, always give it your all!”
Pausing here, he goes on to speak, his tone slightly more relaxed: “On separate note, for this PGL, the game officials have invited me to live commentate as before, so I won’t be able to stick with you guys throughout. Thankfully, the manager will be around. If there’re any problems, you guys can relay them to her. I will keep in contact with her at all times.”
The members of PG naturally don’t have any objections. Especially Han Leng. He wants nothing more than to see Xiao Yun every day.
The Preliminaries will also take place over a week. In total, there are four live commentators. Fang Luofan is in charge of the second, fourth, and sixth day’s commentary.
Today is Monday, so Fang Luofan stays in PG’s clubhouse without heading anywhere. However, he also doesn’t stay in the training room to offer the five players any guidance. Instead, he flips open the laptop in the Conference Room, looking at the livestream on the day itself.
Originally, he still intended to see if there’s any black horses in this season. Yet, unexpectedly, the very first match chosen to be livestreamed is precisely the one PG is in!
【Good morning, everyone. I am Halfling, your commentator for the day.】Seated on the left side is a youth still retaining some baby fat.
【I am Candy.】On the right is a lively and cute girl with straight bangs.
Halfling: 【We are now looking at the first match of the Preliminaries. That is, PG and Blink’s match. PG is a team which I believe everyone has heard of. Although this team is newly established, they fought their way into the Top 8 in the 3rd PGL. This is a team not to be underestimated.】
Candy: 【Certainly. Because of that, I’m quite looking forward to PG’s performance this season.】
Halfling: 【About half a month back, PG switched to a new jungler. The original jungler, Qin Fei, that is Sleep, is now the solo-laner. With regards to this matter, Candy, do you have any thoughts on it?】
Candy: 【I think ah… Fei Ge’s abilities are something which everyone has witnessed before. His personal style is highly pronounced. Indeed, he’s very suited for playing solo-laner ne.】
Halfling: 【Oh? And what kind of style is that?】
Candy: 【Kill all who stand against him luo**!】
(**luo 啰 : like, ‘What else but—‘ ; a sound inserted at the end to indicate this is extremely obvious to the speaker)
Halfling: 【Haha, you’re not wrong about him. Actually, I quite admire such an assertive player myself.】
Candy: 【Alright, let’s take a look now at the other team, Blink. Does this mean ‘to sparkle as bright as lights’? This is a new team ne. Let’s wish they’ll be like their name, shining brightly in this season!】
Halfling: 【At the moment we can clearly see, both sides have entered the Ban stage. PG gets the first-mover advantage. They ban Camael. I reckon this OP marksman probably will not be let out this season.】
Candy: 【That’s right, I agree. Woah! Blink swiftly bans Satan. This should be considered a nod of acknowledgement to Qin Fei’s abilities.】
Halfling: 【On PG’s side, they’re also not hesitating. This time, they ban Black Serpent. Is it because they don’t know Blink too well, that’s why they can only ban an OP demon? Nonetheless, PG has the first-mover advantage. Personally, I’m of the mind it’ll be better to leave the OP demons for the Pick session.】
Candy: 【I think PG should be intending to aim for the solo-laner. That’s why they can only give up on OP mid-laners. This time, Blink hesitates for a long time… I’ve only just said that, but okay, they’ve banned Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Looks like Blink has quite the understanding of PG. They sure know who to target.】
Halfling: 【PG bans Dark Cupid… Huan? I remember PG’s marksman, ONE’s best demon is Dark Cupid ah. How could they ban it? Do they have some kind of strategy?】
— Not at all.
Luo Yiming didn’t wait for Jing Yu’s directions and personally banned his own lifeline, Dark Cupid. Even thereafter, he still coolly added the line: “I know you will ban this one next. I will help you. You don’t need to thank me too much.”
Ye Hong wants to cry and laugh, feeling as if Luo Yiming has really transcended heavenly desires and reached Enlightenment.
However, it’s precisely this unexpected move which causes Blink to lull, incapable of deciding their last ban late into the game.
Seconds and minutes tick by. Just as the timer is ready to finish, Blink finally forks out their last ban position – Scarlet Fury!
All ease on Ye Hong’s face instantly vanishes without a trace, replaced by a face full of black lines: “Luo Yiming, I’m gonna kill you!”
Jing Yu who is by their side only turns his gaze heavenward – His teammates are fooling around on a daily basis, he already can’t be bothered to scold them…
******
Mara: Maralynx here! I’m the new proofie and editor. I probs suck but ok, I haven’t said anything until now because I didn’t know what. I know now. I’m to blame for the usage of the ‘shooketh eyes’
Tamago: Eyy~~! But I just loved ‘shooketh’!
******
If you like what I do, please kindly donate to WHO COVID-19 Solidary Response Fund!
Every penny counts and will go towards fighting the current pandemic. Let’s show that we care even when we are far apart and quarantined.
For every USD$6 worth of donations accrued, I will add 1 chapter to the Cour, and release the extra chapter on the day itself (with a cap of +5 chapters).
You may also choose a charity org (local or not) of your liking that is currently helping out with the corona pandemic.
Please don’t forget to forward any confirmation email / screenshot of the confirmation page to [email protected], and drop a comment to let me know you donated!
Current Donations: $5/6 (+2)
