TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 43

Xia Tong studied Lin Mingfei intently. Even though Lin Mingfei took the coffee and drank it all in one go without saying much, Xia Tong still felt like he hadn’t cheered him up.

In fact… Lin Mingfei seemed even more upset.

“Big bro, big bro, what’s wrong?” Xia Tong followed him like a tail, chattering nonstop.

“Nothing…” Lin Mingfei sighed.

“You’re obviously upset about something!”

“I’m not…”

“You liar!” Xia Tong darted in front of him, spreading his arms to block the way, pouting in protest.

Lin Mingfei stopped, glancing down at him.

The two stared at each other for a moment, both unreasonably stubborn. Then Xia Tong grew bolder. He stood on tiptoe, reached out his pale, slender finger, and gently poked at the corner of Lin Mingfei’s lips.

“Big bro, look, you’re not even smiling! Whimper!”

“……”

Seriously? Can’t this little troublemaker let me sulk for a bit? He knows full well I’d do pretty much anything he asks.

Lin Mingfei sighed, tugging at the corner of his mouth in response to the gesture Xia Tong made, his lips curling into a forced smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “See? I’m smiling now.”

“But it’s such an ugly smile!” Xia Tong’s little face scrunched up in disapproval.

Lin Mingfei: “……”

This is pushing it!

The little beast of frustration within him, struck down earlier, was slowly rousing, gnashing its teeth as it stirred. This small prey was getting a bit too bold.

Without warning, Lin Mingfei reached out and grabbed the little Omega’s cheeks.

“Don’t think you can get away with everything just because you’re cute, Xia Xiaotong!” he gritted out through clenched teeth.

Xia Tong: “Mmph!”

Ah… that familiar soft and squishy texture again.

Lin Mingfei had to admit, squeezing Xia Tong’s cheeks was an incredible stress reliever. Watching his delicate eyebrows furrow slightly and his eyes fill with an aggrieved innocence—it deeply satisfied some hidden Alpha instinct for domination.

Xia Tong, however, didn’t resist. He simply stood still, letting Lin Mingfei knead his cheeks into all sorts of shapes, all while fixing Lin Mingfei with a thoughtful gaze, as if pondering something.

“Ah…” Xia Tong’s brows lifted slightly, a peculiar glint flashing in his eyes. He mumbled, “I’ve been wondering, are you upset with me because of Shi Ya—”

“Stop right there!” Lin Mingfei interrupted, caught off guard as his thoughts were laid bare. He felt a sudden pang of guilt. “I didn’t say that!”

“Then…” Xia Tong blinked his long lashes. “Then after the rain, I can—”

“No.”

“Why not—”

“You…” Lin Mingfei took a deep breath to steady himself, reorganizing his thoughts. He worked to suppress his personal emotions and speak rationally. “Right now, our top priority is earning the league’s approval to compete, isn’t it? Timer is our teammate, and what we need most right now is unity and cooperation. If you don’t communicate with him, how are we supposed to play as a team?”

“You’re absolutely right,” Xia Tong nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. “But if you’re upset, what am I supposed to do? I have to cheer you up somehow, right?”

I have to cheer you up… right?

Lin Mingfei froze. Once again, Xia Tong had completely disarmed him.

Honestly, how could anyone stay mad at a sweet, earnest Omega who looked you in the eye and sincerely declared, “I have to cheer you up”?

Lin Mingfei couldn’t. His anger evaporated. On the contrary, he felt a twinge of guilt for being so melodramatic that an Omega felt the need to comfort him.

“Just do your thing. Don’t let my feelings stop you from living your life as usual,” Lin Mingfei sighed softly, a genuine smile breaking through. “Otherwise, how would I be any better than someone like Zheng Linchuan?”

“He doesn’t compare to you at all!” Xia Tong stretched his little neck, his tone firm. “Zero, I won’t let you compare yourself to him! If you do, I’ll get mad!”

“Alright, alright, I won’t compare,” Lin Mingfei chuckled, his smile widening. “If you really want to cheer me up… just let me pinch your cheeks some more.” His expression turned mischievous.

“Sure! Pinch away!” Xia Tong grinned, his eyes narrowing into crescents. “You can pinch wherever you like! As long as it makes you happy!”

Lin Mingfei: “……!”

Does he even realize what he’s saying?!

Judging by his expression, he didn’t.

And yet, those innocent words still managed to send Lin Mingfei’s Alpha instincts into a spiral, his thoughts running wild.

To make matters worse, Xia Tong added, “I can sing for you too!”

“……!”

Lin Mingfei instantly recalled the haunting experience of Xia Tong’s rendition of Sparrow School.

“I’ll pass on that, thanks,” he said, regaining his composure and turning his head resolutely away.

–

After lunch, Team P gathered for a follow-up meeting in the conference room.

Standing beside the projector, arms crossed, Lin Mingfei began, “Thanks to Manager He’s efforts, the league registration office has agreed to let us bring our unprecedented Omega player Xia Tong back into the competition. But the condition is that we must arrange a scrimmage with a team that participated in the last King’s Tomb League and secure a victory to prove that Team P meets the basic qualifications.”

“Hey, stop saying it’s thanks to me, okay? It’s giving me goosebumps,” He Youjin shuddered. “So, the real question is: are you guys ready for a scrimmage? And which team are you planning to challenge?”

“I doubt the Sabertooths will be in any rush to spar with us again,” Zhou Yanjun leaned back in his chair, his tone smug. “After the way our little guy humiliated them last time, they’ve got enough shame to deal with.”

“Fire, stop jinxing us!” He Youjin threw a pen cap at him, irritated.

“That last monster steal was partly luck, though,” Bo Yu said softly.

“Agreed!” Xia Tong nodded vigorously. “I still get chills thinking about it! If they’d focused on last-hitting me, it would’ve been game over.”

Shi Ya gave a blunt evaluation. “Xia Tong has talent but is far from meeting the standards of a professional player. For instance, his physical condition is too weak, and his offensive and defensive capabilities are below average.”

Zhou Yanjun: “And he still can’t kite!”

Bo Yu: “His agility is lacking.”

The thoroughly critiqued little Omega instantly turned into a teary-eyed mess: “Waaahhh…”

Lin Mingfei couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s fine. There’s still some time before the official league begins. We need to come up with a solid plan to help transform Xia Tong so he can quickly adapt to the professional environment.”

He Youjin shrugged and added, “But based on Fang Haoyang’s style, I’m guessing he’ll make our scrimmage a public spectacle, maybe even stream it live. If we lose, he wouldn’t even need to reject our application personally—the public opinion alone would crush us.”

Lin Mingfei raised an eyebrow, unconcerned. “If that happens, I’ll just keep pestering you to submit the application to the league again.”

He Youjin: “???? What?!”

He Youjin: “Wow, you really don’t care about your dignity, do you?”

Lin Mingfei replied without shame, “What’s the use of dignity anyway?”

That conversation sounded oddly familiar.

He Youjin sighed, exasperated. “Fine, we’re back to this again. I should’ve known better than to ask.”

Shi Ya chuckled lightly. “Don’t worry, Manager He. That’s just the worst-case scenario. Let’s have some faith in ourselves.”

Zhou Yanjun pumped his fist. “I still don’t think we’ll lose to any team!”

Bo Yu chimed in, “Choosing the right opponent is crucial.”

Xia Tong eagerly raised both hands. “I agree, I agree!”

He Youjin sighed. “…Did all of you take lessons in giving useless motivational speeches? Should I just schedule a scrimmage with Saber-Tooth Tiger?”

Xia Tong immediately shook his head like a rattle. “No, no!”

He Youjin: “What about KUQ?”

Lin Mingfei crossed his arms and smirked. “No need to seize every opportunity for revenge. Old Zhao definitely won’t agree to let them bring substitutes for a match with us.”

He Youjin threw up his hands in frustration. “So this is out, and that’s out. Should we all just go home then? Come on, people, get your heads in the game. Right now, our P-Team is not exactly in demand.”

Shi Ya suggested calmly, “How about a team ranked between the top eight and top four? It feels safer and won’t make us look like we’re dodging a challenge.”

“Perfect. That’s what I needed to hear.” He Youjin clapped his hands and stood up. “I’ll handle it.”

—

After He Youjin left, the P-Team members were fired up and ready to take on a challenge.

“I wonder which team Manager He will get for us!” Xia Tong sat on the couch, knees together, nervously rubbing his hands. “What if it’s Shadow Team?”

Shadow Team was the runner-up in last season’s King’s Tomb League. In the championship match, they were completely outplayed by Saber-Tooth Tiger’s Dylan, losing their shot at the trophy. However, their regular-season performance had been undeniably strong, and Xia Tong had rewatched some of their highlight reels repeatedly.

“Ha! What’s there to be afraid of with that Shadow Team? Back when we won the championship, they were struggling to avoid relegation!” Zhou Yanjun boasted, waving his chubby hand dismissively.

“What if it’s Rainbow Team, one of the top four?” Xia Tong mused. “They beat KUQ three times in a row!”

“Pfft, running into KUQ says more about their own level. That’s just embarrassing,” Zhou Yanjun retorted with an exaggerated eye roll.

“Well then—”

“Ugh, Xia Xia, you’re overthinking it!” Zhou Yanjun patted his big belly, making a loud “thud.” “Let me tell you, any team that agrees to scrim with us should count their blessings—”

Before he could finish, the doorbell rang, and He Youjin pushed open the base’s door.

“I’m back…” He Youjin’s voice was listless.

“Whoa, did you run into a spirit-draining demon on the way?” Zhou Yanjun turned to see He Youjin’s grim expression and nearly bit his tongue.

Ignoring him, He Youjin floated to the couch and sank into it.

Sitting next to him for barely two seconds, Xia Tong jumped up as if scalded by the dark aura radiating from He Youjin. He stammered, “I-I’ll go get Zero!”

Soon, the entire team gathered. He Youjin slowly pulled a document from his bag like he was preparing to settle his affairs and handed it over, trembling.

Lin Mingfei accepted the training match invitation and opened it as several heads crowded around to read it.

“Gourd Team…?”

Zhou Yanjun: “??? What kind of team is that?”

Bo Yu: “…Is this even a professional team?”

Shi Ya hesitated. “Um… I’ve never heard of them either.”

Xia Tong tiptoed to peek over the others’ shoulders and suddenly raised his thin arm, exclaiming, “I know! I know this team!”

“You do?” Everyone turned to him in surprise.

“Yeah! I watched the entire King’s Tomb League last season!” Xia Tong said enthusiastically. “This team played against Hydra in the preliminaries!”

The preliminaries were the first elimination round of the league, akin to an open qualifier where all teams that passed the eligibility check could compete, regardless of skill level.

Still unable to recall them, Zhou Yanjun asked, “So, did they win or lose?”

“They lost!” Xia Tong declared brightly.

Everyone: “…”

They lost in the preliminaries.

This team… didn’t even make it to the main league.

“Just hearing their name makes me suspect they paid to qualify,” Zhou Yanjun muttered. “A joke team?”

He Youjin snapped, “Hey! They’re called the Gourd Team!”

Zhou Yanjun shrugged. “Still sounds dumb.”

He Youjin couldn’t take it anymore and roared furiously, “How dare you all have the nerve to complain! The truth is, they don’t even want to give us the time of day to play a scrim!”

“This can’t be possible!” Zhou Yanjun was stunned.

“Why not?” He Youjin fumed. “Shadow Team already scheduled with Trace Team. KUQ is negotiating with Rainbow Team. And as for Sabretooth, they were last year’s champions! Do you even know what ‘red-hot’ means? They’re picking scrim partners like it’s a royal selection because so many teams want to practice against them to learn their strategies.”

“Then why won’t they play us? We’re strong too!” Zhou Yanjun argued.

Lin Mingfei calmly said, “Their time is precious. Why waste it scrimming with a team that doesn’t even have registration qualifications? Wouldn’t it be better spent grinding dungeons and upgrading their gear?”

Zhou Yanjun: “??? Captain, whose side are you on?”

Lin Mingfei shrugged. “I’m just trying to understand their reasoning.”

He Youjin clutched his head in despair. “Ahhhh, what did I do in my past life to deserve this? Managing this withering Polaris team in this lifetime! Do you even know? I contacted eleven team clubs this afternoon! The ones who didn’t answer my calls—I had to track them down in person! My step count has already passed twenty thousand today, and what do I have to show for it? Absolutely nothing! What kind of hellish suffering is this…” His voice broke as he fished out a tissue from his pocket to blow his nose, tears almost welling up.

Across from him, the group of hardened veterans wore complex expressions but showed no sympathy. Only Xia Tong looked at He Youjin with deep pity. The little Omega’s eyes were rimmed red, his lips quivering. He sidled closer to pat He Youjin’s shoulder. “Manager He, don’t be like this… I know you’re bitter and it’s been hard on you. You’ve sacrificed so much for us… But don’t cry, okay? If you cry, I’ll feel so sad, and if I’m sad, I’ll cry with you… wuwu!” As he spoke, his heart broke further for He Youjin, and his tears started streaming down.

“Who’s crying?!” He Youjin suddenly lifted his head, his face stoic though his nose was red like a carrot. His voice was thick with nasal congestion as he indignantly declared, “The wind’s making my eyes water! Damn it, Nine-Headed Bird’s stupid club is so far outside the third ring road it’s practically in the countryside! The wind there almost blew my head off!”

Xia Tong: “…”

The little Omega’s sobbing stopped abruptly. He froze like a statue, one crystalline tear slipping down his cheek as his face flushed with embarrassment. Slowly, he withdrew his hand from He Youjin’s shoulder and took small steps to hide behind Lin Mingfei, humbled and out of sight.

He Youjin, oblivious to the shift, continued his tirade. “What’s the point of setting up base there? Are they planning to retire and become farmers? Are their brains fried or what?”

Bo Yu: “…I feel personally attacked.”

“Tsk, I see it now,” He Youjin sneered. “In all of Polaris, only little Xia Tong has a conscience. At least he knows how to care about me. The rest of you Alphas? Cold-hearted wolves, all of you! Where’s Xia Tong? Where’d he go? Xia Tong! Come here so Manager He can pat your little head while you’re still a proper and innocent kid, untainted by these Alphas—”

“That ‘proper and innocent kid’ feels betrayed by you,” Lin Mingfei remarked, patting the slender arm wrapped around his waist. He gave He Youjin a meaningful smile. “Old He, I don’t think he wants to see you anymore.”

–

Author’s Note: Xia Tong: So embarrassing QAQ

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