DCTMOAS Chapter 11
by SuxxiAfter swimming with Yu Siting just once, Chu Cheng’s arms ached for two full days before he recovered.
Because of that, Zhou Jin mocked him for a long time.
“Working eight to five is already human suffering. Add in supervising morning and evening self-study, and it’s both a test of willpower and stamina. What kind of tough guy do you think it takes to teach senior year students every year?”
“So you’re saying Yu Siting only applied to teach first years last year because he couldn’t handle it?” Chu Cheng, ashamed and annoyed, started a round of verbal tug-of-war.
Zhou Jin couldn’t be bothered to argue, just snorted. “Whatever makes you happy.”
Chu Cheng gave him the same look of disdain—because this guy seemed to forget exactly who had pushed him into spending a small fortune on that swimming membership in the first place.
September flew by in a blur, and the first month of the new school term was drawing to an end. There were only a few days left in the current Honor of Kings ranked season.
Thanks to Chuan-ge’s regular updates, Chu Cheng knew all about his account’s ranking fluctuations, though he maintained a calm demeanor and occasionally asked his students about it just to test the waters.
Finally, one afternoon after school, Bai Xiaolong came knocking at the Chinese department’s office.
“Mr. Chu, I’ve finished ranking up your account.”
Chu Cheng looked up from the pile of exercise books, glancing at his student.
According to Chuan-ge, in order to help Chu Cheng’s account return to its original rank, Bai Xiaolong had made all kinds of adjustments during his livestreams—studying tutorial videos, calculating skill damage, practicing combo techniques, even trying to form a pro team… As expected, the boy looked noticeably more worn out now.
“Ranked matches this time around were pretty tough. Thanks for your hard work.” Chu Cheng offered a smile that met expectations. “Are you continuing for the new season?”
Bai Xiaolong shook his head without hesitation. “I don’t plan on taking any more.”
“Why?” Chu Cheng looked puzzled and innocent. “Is this just against me?”
“No, not just you. I’m not taking anyone’s orders.” Bai Xiaolong had his hands behind his back, looking downcast. “I’m too exhausted. I want a break.”
Seeing his spirit much weaker than before, Chu Cheng took the opportunity to tease, “Whether you want to be a professional game streamer or an esports player, you shouldn’t have these kinds of slumps.”
Bai Xiaolong corrected him helplessly, “Mr. Chu, do you still remember I’m just a student?”
“But isn’t that just a matter of time? Otherwise, I wouldn’t have asked you to boost my rank.” Chu Cheng still had the upper hand in the conversation. “But if this is how you’re reacting now, then maybe you’re not as serious about your dreams as I thought.”
Bai Xiaolong grew anxious at that: “Of course I’m serious! Any difficulty—I’ll definitely overcome it in the future!”
Chu Cheng didn’t respond—he just let out a dry laugh.
That light, cold sound made Bai Xiaolong uneasy. Embarrassed, he asked, “You don’t believe me?”
Chu Cheng replied calmly, “How old are you this year?”
“Seventeen.”
“You’re not that young anymore,” Chu Cheng said. “I have a friend with some talent in this area too. He was scouted by a professional esports club at fifteen, and later recruited into another youth training team in high school as a seed player. But now, he’s a Ph.D. in literature from a top university. Do you know what kind of effort it takes to make that kind of transition?”
Bai Xiaolong mumbled, “I know I’m not cut out for studying.”
“But I heard you used to do pretty well in school. Just a few poor exam scores and you’ve already decided you’re not good at it?” Chu Cheng looked straight at him, speaking clearly and firmly, “Then let me tell you responsibly—gaming requires even more natural talent.”
“When you kept failing your ranked matches, why didn’t you ever think maybe you weren’t cut out for that either? You never even considered handing over the account to someone else. Even if it meant stepping out of your comfort zone to learn new strategies and techniques from scratch, you pushed through with sheer stubbornness.”
Bai Xiaolong hurried to defend himself, “Reaching 40 stars was always easy for me. This time it was because of the current meta—I was using the wrong method.”
“Then haven’t you ever done well in class before? Didn’t it occur to you that going from junior to senior high school is also a change in ‘version,’ and requires different learning strategies?”
Chu Cheng’s back-to-back questions came too suddenly, too bluntly. Bai Xiaolong was stunned into silence.
“T-That’s because…”
“Because you don’t have the courage to try, and you don’t have the perseverance to keep going,” Chu Cheng interrupted, finishing the sentence for him.
His face remained as youthful and handsome as ever, but the aura around him had changed completely—an invisible pressure that couldn’t be explained: “Xiaolong, if you’re afraid, then just admit you’re afraid. There’s no need to make excuses like ‘I’m just not cut out for this’ to deceive your parents—or yourself.”
“I’m not!” Bai Xiaolong shouted, only to realize he had no other arguments left aside from that emotional outburst. He tried to steady himself, but his voice was shaky as he said, “Mr. Chu, you’re even harsher than my big brother.”
“I’m just stating the facts,” Chu Cheng said, his tone softening slightly afterward.
“There’s always someone better, always a higher mountain. If you truly understand esports, love it, and are willing to dedicate yourself like a candle burning for others, then I have nothing more to say. But you need to realize—any sense of accomplishment or belonging you find in mobile games will fade over time. Without enough dedication and effort, one day you’ll realize that the thing you once took pride in… still isn’t something you were ever really cut out for.”
“As for how to give that effort—I hope you’ll take a moment to think about what you truly need. You’ve just chosen your academic track in Year 11. Who the ‘meta favorite’ is this time around hasn’t been decided yet. Are you really not even willing to give yourself that one chance?”
Bai Xiaolong remained silent.
“If you’ve already decided to run away, then nothing I say will matter.” Chu Cheng didn’t want to nag. He ended the conversation with a sigh, opened up WeChat Pay, and said, “Let’s settle the bill. Scan the code.”
“I didn’t play well. I’m done.”
Bai Xiaolong’s eyelashes trembled slightly as he muttered the words, then pushed the door open and left, visibly dejected.
When will he finally understand that time is the most precious thing, and that perseverance actually means something?
Chu Cheng watched the student’s retreating back and suddenly realized—he had become the kind of person who earnestly repeated all those truths he never cared about when he was young.
A moment later, he looked down at his pitiful WeChat balance, raising an eyebrow with mixed feelings.
Well, at least he saved some money. Otherwise, you could say this game loss was on public funds.
It was already well past school hours, and the lights in the classrooms across the hallway had long gone out. Chu Cheng packed his things at a leisurely pace and walked out of the teaching building.
He took out his phone and logged into the game account that had suffered endless ups and downs over the past two weeks.
His match history—truly miserable.
As Chu Cheng was feeling heartache over it, he suddenly noticed the private message list. Ever since he logged in, it had been flooded with taunts from unfamiliar usernames.
He took a quick screenshot and sent it to Xu Chuan via WeChat.
[I told you guys to snipe with some dignity. Why are they mocking me now?]
Xu Chuan replied, sounding a bit wronged:
[That’s not from anyone I brought in.]
[Judging by the usernames, they’re probably streamers on the platform. Your student’s been on a losing streak during his livestreams lately—he’s lost a few hundred followers. It’s normal for people to flame him now.]
That was a possibility Chu Cheng hadn’t considered.
He rubbed his forehead for a moment, then sent back two words:
[Log in.]
Xu Chuan was surprised.
[Now?]
Chu Cheng fiddled with the account that had sacrificed itself in the name of education—bled, and suffered.
[The stats are so ugly I can’t sleep.]
That night, Zhou Jin came home late.
He thought his roommate—his junior—would already be asleep, so he moved quietly. But when he looked up, he saw the guy sitting cross-legged on the living room couch, phone in hand.
He was full of energy, with voice chat blasting from the speakers.
“I told you not to pick blindly. We’ve got three supporters now, for god’s sake!”
“Bullshit! My Da Qiao is a damage-dealing beast.”
“Are you guys GG or MM?”
“…”
Chu Cheng, chewing on a piece of beef jerky, blended in perfectly with the chaos.
“Chill, we’re all on the same side. Why you so jumpy? Is the enemy jungler too scared to engage, or is their network lagging at 460, or maybe low battery alert? Ease off the jungle for a sec, let him wave-clear. Once he’s farmed up, come solo me.”
“Can’t give even a sliver! What tier is their mid anyway? Had the balls to take the same blue buff route as me.”
Xu Chuan’s signature mocking tone was unmistakable.
This group of people was bold and arrogant—really made you want to yank out their internet cables.
Zhou Jin smiled helplessly and quietly shut the door after entering his room.
After a night of serious sleep deprivation, Chu Cheng walked into the second-year teaching building, yawning.
“Good morning, teacher.”
“Morning~”
He trudged up the stairs, replying to greetings along the way. At the door of Class 7, he ran into Bai Xiaolong.
Chu Cheng felt that he had already said all that needed to be said and didn’t want to repeat himself. But the student approached him first and greeted him earnestly.
“Good morning, Mr. Chu.”
Chu Cheng nodded in acknowledgment, his usual gentle smile on his face as he saw the path blocked. “Something on your mind?”
The student hesitated slightly. “Yeah, I wanted to ask you something. From the start, you had me play solo on purpose, didn’t you?”
“What are you talking about?” Chu Cheng feigned confusion.
But the student exposed him anyway: “Don’t pretend. I saw the video on Bilibili. A small streamer on the same platform as me got completely wrecked by some hidden expert using support heroes. That Yang Yuhuan account was yours, right? And the ones playing Da Qiao and Jiang Ziya looked really familiar too. Did your ‘blind’ ranked partner suddenly regain his vision?”
Chu Cheng could only give a perfunctory response: “Ah, him? Pretty good, huh?”
“To save a lost youth, you’d even sacrifice your beloved account. That’s real dedication.” The student’s complicated expression gradually turned to one of relief. “But no matter who it was, it felt good to get some payback.”
In the end, all the trouble the student had gone through stemmed from Chu Cheng’s involvement. Chu Cheng gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Don’t overthink it. None of that really matters.”
As the student stepped into the classroom, he suddenly paused and turned around with a hopeful look. “Mr. Chu, if you’re free, can I play games with you sometime?”
Chu Cheng remained noncommittal. “School rules say teachers aren’t allowed to play with students.”
“You don’t strike me as someone who follows the rules.” The student waved a newly bought workbook in his hand and continued to probe, “What about during the holidays—just for fun?”
Chu Cheng smiled, his features bright and relaxed, and gave him a thumbs-up.
Bai Xiaolong walked into the classroom, visibly happy.
Chu Cheng turned to head for the office, but barely took two steps before nearly bumping into someone around the corner. He looked up at the cool scent of cedar and saw Yu Siting leaning casually against the window.
Chu Cheng glanced back at the spot he had just come from. At that distance, the man could easily have overheard his entire conversation with Bai Xiaolong.
As expected, the other spoke first, his tone serious but with a hint of mockery: “Fishing for evidence, are we?”
No matter when they met, he always looked full of energy—his black hair neatly styled, clothes refined and sharp. Even his way of speaking always managed to make others feel inexplicably subdued.
“Spending money to line up ranked matches with your students, and having the nerve to scan and pay out in public—you’ve clearly never been burned by society.”
“How do you know that?” Chu Cheng blurted out, but under Yu Siting’s oppressive gaze, he lowered his voice. “It shouldn’t be a big problem, right…?”
Yu Siting’s stance was casual, but his words came out with a certain unmistakable authority. “Once you step outside the school gates, a lot of things change. When you do things, you should learn to have structure and foresight.”
Though it sounded like criticism, his words actually came from a place of concern.
Chu Cheng knew he was in the wrong and accepted the advice humbly. “I’ll be more careful in the future.”
“You look kinda out of it. Too much stress? Not sleeping enough?” Yu Siting lowered his head, observing the weariness between Chu Cheng’s brows. Thinking his own harsh words were to blame, he softened slightly. “If you run into any difficult work issues, you can come to me.”
“Nothing,” Chu Cheng naturally wouldn’t admit he had stayed up all night out of excitement, so he smiled dismissively.
Yu Siting nodded. Though only half convinced, he didn’t press further.
With his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his trench coat, he walked toward the classroom. As he passed the assistant homeroom teacher, he added in his pleasant Beijing accent, “If there’s something too embarrassing to say, you can always write an anonymous letter.”
Chu Cheng: “……”
So we just reconciled for two and a half days, and now you’re starting up again?
Author’s note:
Chu Cheng (writing in a little notebook): On X month, X day — Big Bro scolded me once, and made sarcastic remarks N+1 times.