GEGBWFS 31

How crazy can esports fans get?

Back when God Abandon died, that was the first time they went wild—cursing the heavens, the earth, and the team. Yet since it was an accident that nobody ever wanted to see happen, grief outweighed anger, and many people were so heartbroken they left the scene altogether.

When these people learned that God Abandon’s death could be traced all the way back to a vile kidnapping incident, their sense of justice and fury made them want to tear the Ye family apart with their bare hands.

If his older brother hadn’t been kidnapped, their parents wouldn’t have had that accident. God Abandon wouldn’t have grown up in poverty, malnourished. His grandfather wouldn’t have worked himself to death. God Abandon wouldn’t have been left homeless, dying all alone at the base.

And the true culprit was still squeezing the life out of his brother.

At this moment, what Mother Ye probably regrets the most is appearing on camera to accuse others of being deceived out of money, which triggered an irreparable explosion of the truth.

Countless times, she had been congratulated by neighbors, praised by teachers, and envied by other parents because of Ye Xianyun’s excellence. Although she didn’t love her eldest son, who could resist vanity? When she went out, people would recognize her and say, “Your son Xianyun is amazing.” When Ye Leyun caused trouble, the school leaders still remembered his older brother and showed leniency when seeing Mother Ye.

The stolen vanity shattered bit by bit, turning into sharp arrows, attacking back with a force a thousand times stronger, overwhelming, and relentless.

The Ye family had no choice but to ask Ye Leyun to take leave and move out overnight. They were surrounded by people, with everyone discussing loudly, “Does this count as fleeing to avoid punishment? Should we call the police?”

Ye Leyun had always believed that being an older brother meant being like Ye Xianyun. He had never once considered what it meant to be a younger brother.

The teachers and classmates knew in their hearts that Ye Leyun was “innocent,” but Ye Leyun still kept hearing whispers behind his back.

“Ye Xianyun’s little brother is God Abandon! God Abandon!”

“Senior Xianyun is so outstanding, no wonder his younger brother is also amazing!”

“Did you guys hear the recording? Ye Leyun’s Mom tried to trick his brother into buying her a house but she didn’t tell Ye Leyun. He thought he was supposed to buy a house for his brother, so he even called to question her.”

“That’s how a fake brother is! A real brother would always look out for his older brother and even leave the inheritance to him.”

“He’s taking over like a crow in a magpie’s nest.”

There weren’t many boys in the entire school who didn’t know about God Abandon. The influence of a campus idol from that generation shouldn’t be underestimated.

Ye Leyun listened to his classmates’ discussions, holding back his frustration and wanting to call Ye Xianyun. After all, his brother was still his brother and he hadn’t done anything wrong.

But he never managed to get through and his WeChat had been blocked. Yet, even his more distant cousin was still able to contact Ye Xianyun.

This fact felt like a hundred slaps across Ye Leyun’s face.

It turned out that Ye Xianyun’s kindness toward him was only because of the fabricated blood relation created by Mother Ye through illegal means, not because he deserved it as a person.

Once that connection was gone, he was no longer worthy. He was even less than his cousin.

Family bonds also require mutual effort.

Ye Xianyun understood better than anyone. He had been betrayed, and because of that, he could empathize deeply.

Once his younger brother had some savings, he made a will, leaving all of his inheritance to Ye Xianyun without hesitation. As an older brother, how should he repay such deep familial love?

Yes, repay. Ye Xianyun believed that he would have the chance to repay it. Heaven would surely give him that opportunity.

He had a suspicion.

Why did the clear-cut and outspoken streamer, Lulu, suddenly fall into an eerie silence? When Hui-ge admitted his mistake to the captain, Zhong Lu was the first to react, and he was the most emotional. Ye Xianyun had seen the tears in his eyes at that moment—an emotion that wasn’t typical of an idol fan. This conflicting behavior didn’t match the silence that came later.

And then there was the natural chemistry and trust among the WN teammates, the 50 million agreement that the educator completely forgot about before the divorce, the sudden loss of cooking skills, and the shocking transition from education to esports… After experiencing such an absurd reversal of his own past, Ye Xianyun couldn’t help but speculate another absurd possibility.

—Zhong Lu might actually be Zhong Lu.

He had observed for a long time. When a teammate made a mistake, Zhong Lu’s reaction in the video was identical to that of those around him. Zhong Lu could even predict the mistakes before they happened. Could anyone really remember such details so clearly unless they had personally experienced it?

From God Abandon’s death to Zhong Lu’s sudden change in behavior, something must have happened in between. Ye Xianyun was certain of it and this certainty was the only thing that had kept him from completely breaking down these past few days, allowing him to handle things with some degree of rationality.

He had to stay rational. His younger brother was waiting for him.

After the DNA results came out, Zhong Lu hadn’t said a word. This was because Zhong Lu had a deep blood feud with the Ye family, but he still maintained restraint and didn’t suggest any decisions to Ye Xianyun. He restrained himself, but he did not forgive. If Ye Xianyun showed even the slightest favoritism toward the Ye family, Zhong Lu would sever ties with him, never to forgive him again.

Ye Xianyun knew very well that, if he showed even the slightest softness, he wouldn’t be worthy to stand in front of his younger brother. He had to blindly and coldly ask, “Is it you?”

The public opinion online was boiling over. The crowd didn’t want to see the traffickers enjoy another moment of freedom. Human trafficking was an issue where the police first suspected and then notified Ye Xianyun, so it was better to handle this swiftly and efficiently. The higher-ups were keen to establish a model case for the year’s anti-trafficking efforts. Almost the next day, a public statement was released, confirming the parent-child relationship between Ye Xianyun and the parents from the Zhong family. Based on the clues provided by Ye Xianyun, the relevant suspects had already been detained.

Mother Ye and her brother were both in a panic, unable to bear the weight of both the law and public opinion. It quickly turned into a chaotic situation, with everyone turning against each other.

Uncle Ye had been seen holding a child at the train station, and the description of the facial features matched perfectly. There was no way to deny it. He angrily claimed that it was Mother Ye who had found him, a man who had traveled all over the country, because Mother Ye had been worried about divorce due to her inability to have children. She had wanted to adopt a child, which was why he had acted on a whim in a secondhand store. Later, Mother Ye even gave him 500 yuan for his travel expenses.

Mother Ye denied it, claiming she didn’t know where the child came from and had carefully raised Ye Xianyun. She had spent sleepless nights for years, and while there might have been no credit, there was certainly hardship.

These words were refuted by Aunt Ye, who proved that Ye Xianyun had been well-behaved and easy to raise since he was young. After Mother Ye gave birth to Ye Leyun, she refused to return the child. Ye Xianyun, even at a young age, could cook and take care of his younger brother. Mother Ye refused to let go of this “tool” and, together with Uncle Ye, fabricated lies about “difficult childbirth” and “hard to raise” to emotionally manipulate and trap Ye Xianyun.

The more both sides tore at each other, the more their internal filth made the onlookers feel disgusted.

“Whether it was kidnapping or trafficking will be decided by the judge. The criminal actions indirectly caused the deaths of the kidnapped children’s parents, so a heavier sentence will be imposed.”

The lawyer handling Zhong Lu’s inheritance had already been paid by Zhong Lu in advance, covering the legal fees for the next 15 years to support his older brother’s legal rights protection process.

Ye Xianyun quickly received the court documents, and he had also submitted his application to change his name and household registration.

From now on, he should be called “Zhong Yun.”

…

On the internet, clips reminiscing about the glory of God Abandon exploded in production, instantly overshadowing the past two months of jokes and controversies surrounding the Abandon account. It had been a year, and when people repeatedly watched the 19-year-old champion who once struck fear into the hearts of Europe, America, Japan, and Korea, countless emotions surged.

The image of God Abandon was continuously elevated. From being a “bad example of a daily routine” in the mouths of parents, it became the material for countless middle school students’ essays, with themes like “suffering forging brilliance.”

Fans even began to understand WN’s decline in performance—it was truly heartbreaking, the kind of pain that comes from losing a pillar and a close friend.

The once-glorious, god-like figure of God Abandon, now in the master bedroom, was pacing in a fit of rage.

Why is it so hard to rebuild a team?

The club owner saw that the God Abandon brand had suddenly become a legend, bringing WN along for the ride. Its commercial value exceeded expectations, and now they were reluctant to let go, raising the price drastically.

All the players had terminated their contracts. What value did keeping an empty shell of WN have?

When Zuo Yin terminated his contract, everything had been discussed calmly. Yet when it came to Zong Zhenghui and Xiao Xi, they started making outrageous demands.

They were relying on their personal savings to hold out, unable to push back directly. The four of them discussed and decided to wait until the hype around God Abandon died down a bit before negotiating.

Zhong Lu was facing trouble of his own. Huo Zhehan wouldn’t let him play esports!

Yet for Zhong Lu, the worst case was simply going into debt to play esports. If he could create one legend, he believed he could create a second miracle.

A late-divorce, debt-ridden esports player who won the world championship and shocked the globe—this kind of inspirational story was the kind where Huo Zhehan could just wait to be the villain.

He hadn’t spoken to Huo Zhehan for a day. Of course, they didn’t usually communicate much.

As if to spite Huo Zhehan, Zhong Lu logged into the Duoyou livestream with anger, changed the title, and for the first time since the previous network lag incident, publicly responded directly:

1. Playing professionally, this account’s not for that anymore.
2. The health-supplement seller won’t allow it.

No cross-dressing, no playing esports, no logging in—let’s see how the netizens interpret this.

At this time, many of Lulu’s fans were watching God Abandon clips on Duoyou livestream. Their first reaction was, “What the hell, is my God Abandon meal replacement going to play professionally? Will I be able to see Lulu on the competition stage in the future?”

【With all due respect, the person selling health supplements are controlling too much.】

【Poor Lulu, the family’s financial power must be in the hands of the health supplement seller, right?】

【Men shouldn’t keep their salary if they don’t hand it over.】

【I earn 3,000 a month, I can give it to my wife.】

【No cross-dressing, or no logging in?】

【If you’re not allowed to watch cross-dressing, fine, but not letting him log in? Is the possessiveness too strong?】

【Support Lulu kicking his husband to play professionally!】

Look, even the experienced viewers didn’t expect it—it’s not about being banned from playing esports.

Zhong Lu liked the first comment.

While Huo Zhehan was at work, he got a fait accompli kind of provocation, which gave him a bit of a headache. Using the Yong Bu Fang Qi account, he sent a message: [Side job turns into main job—you owe me one.]

Zhong Lu stared at the new message. Owe? Owe what? Owe one cross-dressing session? That was even scarier than owing fifty million.

He immediately wiped the account clean. If he didn’t see it, then he didn’t owe anything.

The things that are entirely fictional, have they been written into the agreement?!

Huo Zhehan stopped his work and had to face the issue of an educator pursuing a career in gaming.

He believed that it’s better to guide than to block, so he didn’t force Huo Yu to quit gaming and even supported Zhong Lu in finding a side job… but he never expected it to go this far.

Does he look like someone who can break a contract without consequences? If you ask anyone in the industry, they would all shake their heads.

Yet, Zhong Lu dares to do it, and Huo Zhehan can’t do anything about it. He can only resort to threatening with the agreement, maintaining an attitude of complete opposition.

Huo Zhehan lacks effective means in the long term, but he doesn’t intend to back down in the short term.

He couldn’t let Zhong Lu think that he could do whatever he wanted. If indulged, the end result would be even the clause “no infidelity during the contract period” being trampled underfoot. Any signs of things going wrong had to be nipped in the bud.

He could very well resort to underhanded tactics, such as commissioning a third-party team to buy out Zuo Yin’s contract, thus permanently separating the two.

But Huo Zhehan didn’t do that; he didn’t want to make things too tense, especially since… The educator had a very short temper.

He just hoped the other party would soften their tone, not say “I’m going to do it anyway.”

If he threw a little temper tantrum, made a promise, like that useless “guarantee letter” from last time, what else could Huo Zhehan oppose? Wasn’t he easy to talk to?

Thinking of himself as someone who could be easily persuaded, President Huo sought out validation. He turned to his only married and with-children friend in the industry, Mr. Lu, to ask for advice on managing family affairs.

Huo Zhehan: “How do you manage a family?”

Lu Qin: “Well, you’ve come to the wrong person for that.”

Huo Zhehan: “Never mind, you don’t exactly look like the head of a household either.”

Lu Qin: “Right, right, your wife probably hired you. You’re the head of the household.”

“…” Huo Zhehan changed the subject. “How do you discipline your son?”

Lu Qin: “It’s all about analyzing the specific problem.”

Huo Zhehan described the problem. “What if your son, Zun Zun, is addicted to gaming, heavily addicted to the internet, and even threatens to pursue eSports? What would you do?”

Lu Qin: “Well, I’d go see what’s so captivating about those games.”

“I’ve been there for him since he was little—playing crazy games, fishing, catching earthworms, driving excavators, spraying water trucks… If he’s still drawn to games, then maybe it means I should enter the gaming industry myself.”

Huo Zhehan paused for a moment. Many articles analyze the psychological factors behind internet addiction, and he had read quite a few before consulting an educator. For instance, children might lack parental companionship, face setbacks in real life, or try to attract their parents’ attention.

Huo Yu indeed lacked parental companionship. During his early childhood, Huo Zhehan had just taken over the company and was so busy that he barely had time to spare. His mother’s energy couldn’t keep up, and she wasn’t able to accompany him like Lu Qin did with his son. Later, when the company situation improved a bit, Huo Zhehan tried his best to take time off to travel with Huo Yu, focus on his studies, and be there for him during sickness or when he had to register for school. No matter where he was in the world for a meeting, he would always rush back.

Yet it still wasn’t enough. Huo Yu wanted to pursue esports, and when he faced difficulties in the game, he wouldn’t tell him.

Before all of this happened, Huo Zhehan had a vague sense that it might be time to find a stepmother who could focus on raising Huo Yu until he went to college.

The “stepmother” could either be a gentle and nurturing educator, offering the child a warm, spring-like home, or could be someone like Zhong Lu, who would blend into Huo Yu’s world, laughing and scolding together.

Huo Zhehan wasn’t picky, so even though Zhong Lu’s resume seemed a bit inflated, he didn’t really mind, as long as it could help Huo Yu.

The cause of Huo Yu’s internet addiction seemed to have some clear patterns. But what about Zhong Lu? Was it the same for him?

Maybe it was time to spend more time with him too?

Lu Qin sharply responded, “You’re already consulting an educator and still asking me how to discipline your son? Come on, I was thinking about sending Zun Zun to your place for the educator’s influence.”

Huo Zhehan honestly admitted, “No use. The educator wants to switch to esports, and I can’t do anything about it.”

Lu Qin: “So what if he wants to play esports? It doesn’t produce any tangible products. Just because someone works in finance, does that make them noble? Let it go, man. Your wife is what’s important.”

This was already the second person advising him to let it go.

Lu Qin: “Forget it. Your wife was hired, so you can just replace him.”

Huo Zhehan gritted his teeth. “…So if he was hired, that means he’s not really a wife?”

Huo Zhehan held his breath, waiting for Lu Qin’s insight.

Lu Qin cut straight to the point. “Quit faking it. You’ve got a rival in love in the esports scene, don’t you?”

“I don’t have a rival.” The other’s tone carried a mocking hint of regret.

Huo Zhehan hung up the phone with a feeling of frustration, deciding to give the educator two more days.

He had said, “Turning a side job into a main job, you owe me one,” which clearly left room for negotiation, right?

President Huo was at work, while Vice President Lu was at home, accompanying his wife.

Once the dust had settled, Zhong Yun’s mood noticeably improved. Lu Ziming, feeling that the noise from the rental apartment was hindering things, finally brought his wife back home.

Today, he noticed that he was always holding his phone, as if he were troubled, trying to figure out how to start a conversation.

“A-Yun?” Could it be that he was holding back, rehearsing breakup lines?

Zhong Yun glanced at Lu Ziming and pouted, “No, it’s just that I’ve been too busy. I haven’t contacted Zhong Lu, and he hasn’t contacted me either. I’m afraid things might get distant.”

He had this kind of timidness, like the unease of returning home after a long time, not knowing how to face Zhong Lu.

Was Zhong Lu really his younger brother? Did he approve of how he handled the Ye family? Was he willing to take the risk of acknowledging him? And if they went from friends to real brothers, how was he supposed to greet him?

Everything was uncertain, making him feel fear and anxiety.

Lu Ziming comforted him. “Maybe he’s just been unhappy lately and doesn’t feel like talking. I heard he wants to go into esports, but President Huo won’t allow it.”

Zhong Yun’s brows furrowed. “Are you serious?”

“Mm.”

Right then, Zhong Yun immediately found a way to reconnect.

He typed: [Do you still want a divorce? I can give you 60 million.]

Lu Ziming watched in shock as his wife typed those words, nearly biting his tongue in surprise. A-Yun was offering to use the inheritance to help the CEO’s wife get a divorce? Who was going crazy here?

“Do you want to think it over again? This is your brother’s inheritance,” Lu Ziming advised sincerely.

It wasn’t that he cared about the money, he would be fine if it was all donated but if it was used to help Zhong Lu get a divorce… President Huo definitely wouldn’t approve.

Lu Ziming could already foresee the uncomfortable future, caught between a boss and a wife at odds.

Zhong Yun explained seriously, “I’m using the money my brother earned from esports to support the dreams of every young gamer. Is there a problem with that?”

“…”

No problem.

It sounded as noble as an old teacher using their meager salary to support impoverished students in the mountains.

Lu Ziming couldn’t refute it, so he could only give the CEO a heads-up.

[Lu Ziming: Fifty million or your wife, think carefully.]

Then he received a swift four-character reply from President Huo.

[Huo Zhehan: Come to work.]