TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 96

This was Xia Tong’s first time singing in front of a crowd.

Before, he had only dared to sing to Debon while taking a shower. Debon never reacted at all—quiet like it had crashed. Xia Tong had often wondered whether the little robot had been damaged by the hot steam in the bathroom.

If it really broke, Zheng Linchuan probably wouldn’t take Debon to a repair shop. Then Xia Tong would lose Debon entirely—and Debon was his only friend.

So for the sake of preserving Debon’s lifespan, Xia Tong eventually stopped bringing the robot into the bathroom.

Later, he met Lin Mingfei.

Because he felt especially close to him and desperately wanted to get closer to the alpha, he gradually gathered the courage to sing in front of him.

But Lin Mingfei’s reaction was the complete opposite of Debon’s.

His reaction was huge.

Xia Tong couldn’t even tell whether Lin Mingfei was angry or just shocked.

Either way, it always ended the same—

with Lin Mingfei covering his mouth to stop him from singing.

There’s a legendary type of tone-deaf singer: even though they sing completely off-key, they don’t realize it at all. In fact, they don’t feel there’s any difference between their singing and the original song. So they sing happily, while everyone around them internally falls apart listening.

Xia Tong belonged exactly to that type.

Debon never had the chance to say anything, and Lin Mingfei couldn’t bear to tell him the truth. Because of that, Xia Tong’s enthusiasm for singing never diminished. He even thought it was one of his special talents, and enthusiastically used it to socialize with the guys from Sabertooth.

When singing solo in the YY channel, Xia Tong was actually very nervous. He didn’t dare glance at the public chat even once. He stared at the lyrics the entire time, afraid he might forget the words and make a mistake that would leave a bad impression on the Sabertooth players.

After finally finishing the song from beginning to end, he let out a huge sigh of relief and switched back to the channel page.

Then he looked again—

And realized that not a single one of the three Sabertooth members remained in the channel.

“Huh? Where did they all go?” Xia Tong was utterly confused. He hurriedly asked the only witness, Lin Mingfei. “Did they not like my singing? So they left before I finished?”

“No,” Lin Mingfei said calmly, not even blinking while lying through his teeth. “They left after listening to the whole thing. They liked it so much they didn’t even dare type in the chat, afraid they might affect your mood while singing.”

“Actually I still find it kind of strange,” Xia Tong said. “Why does the song say you’re their dad? What’s the benefit of being Sabertooth’s dad?”

“Every esports player secretly has a ‘being the dad’ dream,” Lin Mingfei bullshitted. “Their goal is to become the father of all their opponents. If a player doesn’t want to be someone’s dad, then he’s not a qualified player. Do you understand?”

“…Emmm, not really.”

“Let me give you an example. Look at me,” Lin Mingfei said lazily, raising a finger and swaying it slightly. “I’ve always approached competitions with the mindset of ‘teaching my sons.’ That’s why I’m so strong now.”

“Oh…”

Lin Mingfei’s example was surprisingly convincing. With that comparison, Xia Tong nodded thoughtfully.

“I get it now. So from now on I should treat Goblin like my son, and when we play matches I’ll teach him how to behave. Is that what you mean?”

“You’ve understood it perfectly,” Lin Mingfei said with a smile.

“But you still didn’t explain why they all left without saying anything!” Xia Tong stubbornly returned to the original question.

Lin Mingfei pretended to ponder.

“Actually, this song mainly expresses the earnest guidance and deep hopes that elders have for the younger generation. They probably got a little too immersed and realized they shouldn’t waste their time or life. So they rushed off to train harder.”

He paused, then added solemnly:

“Your singing broke through their confusion. It made them turn over a new leaf and become better people.”

“Wow!!” Xia Tong clenched his fist excitedly, completely believing the alpha’s nonsense. “So my singing has such meaningful impact! Then I’ll definitely learn more songs and sing more in the future so everyone can be filled with positive energy every day!”

After spinning the story on both sides like that, Lin Mingfei figured Goblin probably wouldn’t have the guts to flirt with their omega anymore. And even if he did, Xia Tong would probably treat him with the loving perspective of a father.

Thinking this through, Lin Mingfei finally felt his heart settle back into place. He let out a long sigh of relief.

Outside, snow was drifting down slowly.

Xia Tong happily hummed an unknown little tune as he went to take a bath, clearly in a great mood.

Meanwhile, Lin Mingfei lounged lazily on the sofa and scrolled through his phone. When he opened Weibo, he saw that Goblin—who couldn’t hold back his temper—was already yelling online.

Sabertooth-Goblin:

“I cannot coexist under the same sky as Polaris!!”

The words sounded full of hatred and grievance, but the attached picture was a shocked cat meme that looked hurt—dramatic with a hint of shy embarrassment.

Sabertooth fans in the comments, who were normally ready to start attacking at any moment, were now completely confused.

Comments:

“? What’s going on?”

“New here. Do we follow procedure and start mocking Polaris now or what?”

“Goblin, haven’t you always been enemies with Polaris?”

“Did Sabertooth ever share the same pants with Polaris before??”

“Bro, are you sure this isn’t just you acting cute? [doge]”

“Are you guys real fans or fake fans? Stop making gross jokes.”

“Exactly. Polaris is Sabertooth’s biggest enemy right now!”

“I heard there was a scrim earlier. Anyone know the result?”

“My friend works at the Sabertooth club. He asked around—Sabertooth won.”

“Oh, that explains it. Polaris must be salty and did something shady afterward.”

“Is that omega on their team really that good?”

“Good my ass. It’s obviously just a persona they’re pushing. Didn’t they still lose when scrimming against our main team?”

“I seriously suspect the matches they won before were because their opponents threw the games.”

“Does an omega who’s both cute and good at games really exist? Believe it or not, I don’t.”

…

Sabertooth fans imagined all kinds of scenarios and concluded that their beloved Goblin must have suffered some huge grievance at Polaris. They were gearing up to storm Polaris’s official account—

When suddenly they saw Goblin repost his own post and tag Polaris_Blink.

Sabertooth_Goblin:

@Polaris_Blink If you don’t immediately learn another song and sing it for us, I’m not planning to forgive you! Our little boat of friendship has officially capsized!

// Sabertooth_Goblin: I cannot coexist under the same sky as Polaris!!

The Sabertooth fans who had been furious just minutes earlier:

“????”

This was not what they expected.

Then:

Polaris_Zero:

“You’re dreaming. Friendship boat? Capsize it then. I approve.”

// Sabertooth_Goblin: If you don’t learn another song and sing it for us, I won’t forgive you! Our little boat of friendship has capsized!

// Sabertooth_Goblin: I cannot coexist under the same sky as Polaris!!

Right after that, the two of them actually started chatting back and forth through reposts.

Sabertooth_goblin:

“I’m talking to Blink. Why are you butting in?”

// Polaris_zero:

Polaris_zero:

“Why should our team’s wizard sing for you?”

// Sabertooth_goblin:

Sabertooth_goblin:

“Your wizard promised to sing for us!”

// Polaris_zero:

Polaris_zero:

“Didn’t he already sing? Didn’t your whole team even record it? What, dementia?”

// Sabertooth_goblin:

Sabertooth_goblin:

“That counts as a song??? That was clearly your scheme!! You were insulting us!”

// Polaris_zero:

Polaris_zero:

“Why doesn’t ‘a kind father and dutiful sons’ count as a song? Oh right—Blink is busy training and doesn’t have time for you. Please stop harassing him all the time, and don’t let your team’s lazy atmosphere contaminate the upright soil of our team.”

// Sabertooth_goblin:

Sabertooth_goblin:

@polaris_blink @polaris_blink @polaris_blink @polaris_blink

Sabertooth_yoyo:

“Bro… can we stop embarrassing ourselves?” [facepalm]

// Sabertooth_goblin

Sabertooth_molan:

“After listening to the recording I only want to ask one question: if the singing was that bad, why are you still so obsessed with it? If you don’t want your ears anymore, donate them to someone who needs them. Thank god I wasn’t there.”

// Sabertooth_yoyo: “Bro can we stop embarrassing ourselves?”

// Sabertooth_goblin

Sabertooth_robinwang:

“Why are you all reposting this…? Couldn’t you discuss something this embarrassing in private chat?”

// Sabertooth_molan: “After listening to the recording…”

// Sabertooth_yoyo: “Bro can we stop embarrassing ourselves?”

// Sabertooth_goblin

---

Comment section

“??????”

“Did the entire Sabertooth team take fake medicine?? Why does everyone look kind of dumb?”

“Aren’t they supposed to be enemies with Polaris? What the hell is this??”

“@Sabertooth_Goblin you little brat, are you courting Blink right now??? Didn’t you say you looked down on omega wizards? Weren’t you the one saying you’d teach Blink a lesson??”

“That’s a lot of information! Did Blink open a mini concert or something?”

“HAHAHAHA looks like the concert wasn’t very successful.”

“Why does Zero from Team P look like a mother hen protecting her chick? Do Blink and Goblin have something going on??”

“How did you get Blink and Goblin having something out of this? This is obviously Goblin one-sidedly sucking up, okay?”

“Blink’s charm is really something… even attracting players from other teams.”

“Taking my cute and charming baby away! Not available for dating!!”

“My sweet Tong deserves to shine alone! Keep those stinky alphas from other teams away from him!!”

“Hehehe Sabertooth fans look stupid now, huh? Always rushing to attack—turns out the teams are basically brothers!”

“They’re obviously good friends in private! Stop stirring up drama. The holographic esports scene is a mess because of people like you.”

“Reject turning esports fandom into idol fandom!! Protect the esports circle’s prosperity, democracy, harmony, and justice!”

---

Xia Tong happily soaked in a bubble bath for half an hour, completely unaware that he had suddenly and inexplicably become the symbol of “reject idol-style fandom in esports”, and even the bridge of friendship between Sabertooth and Polaris.

Sabertooth and Polaris suddenly seemed to reconcile their grudges and turned into a pair of “brother teams that talk tough but actually get along.”

Although a few extreme fans on both sides felt dissatisfied and frustrated, most players of King’s Tomb were delighted to see it. Because of that, no one noticed that among the entire Sabertooth roster, Dylan had never participated in the discussion at all.

At that very moment, Dylan was in Zhao Xin’s office, confronting Ping Shuai.

A few hours earlier, Dylan had gone through tremendous effort—risking even being exposed as having rebellious intentions within the team—to launch an attack against Goblin. But in the end, he still failed.

His other three teammates had apparently lost their minds and chose to stand with Goblin. During the match review, they desperately shared the blame and took responsibility for mistakes. As a result, Dylan—the one trying to shift the blame—ended up looking extremely malicious and completely out of place with the team.

In the end, Zhao Xin couldn’t resist the combined stance of the four players. Besides, Sabertooth had won the scrim, so after giving Goblin a stern lecture, the matter was dropped.

The other four Sabertooth players all looked visibly relieved. In the end, none of them even bothered acknowledging Dylan. They simply slung their arms around each other’s shoulders and left the meeting room together.

Dylan was shocked—and furious.

He had paid such a heavy price and gone so far that there was no turning back. He had been abandoned and isolated by the entire team, yet still failed to drive Goblin out.

Which meant…

His negotiation with Ping Shuai had collapsed.

Panic surged through Dylan. Compared to worrying about the opinions of his four teammates, dealing with Ping Shuai—the dog that didn’t bark but bit painfully—was the real urgent problem.

Sure enough, before Dylan had even warmed the seat on the sofa, Zhao Xin summoned him to the office with a dark expression.

Ping Shuai was there too.

Dylan glanced at him. The words “mutual destruction” were practically written across Ping Shuai’s face. His complexion was pale and greenish, his expression sinister and vicious.

Dylan immediately knew the situation was bad.

He forced himself to calm down, repeatedly telling himself in his mind:

Ping Shuai is nothing. Just a chess piece Zhao Xin bought at a high price for tactical purposes. I’ve been with Sabertooth for years. Even if I have no major achievements, I’ve still worked hard. A mistake with three skills doesn’t mean anything. It certainly can’t shake my position in Sabertooth.

In front of Zhao Xin, Dylan and Ping Shuai argued fiercely, presenting their cases and countering each other. Zhao Xin’s expression grew darker and darker, and his breathing became heavier.

For Dylan, that half hour felt longer than a century.

His heart pounded like a drum, so violently that even his teeth were trembling.

Because he was afraid.

Fortunately for him, when comparing Dylan and Ping Shuai, Zhao Xin still made the rational choice to believe Dylan.

Although he issued a warning, Dylan ultimately walked away unharmed.

Ping Shuai, however, had violated multiple clauses of his contract due to his malicious actions and was forcibly terminated.

Forced termination meant the high signing bonus Ping Shuai had originally received would all be used as penalty compensation. He would not receive a single cent.

At the same time, he regained his free agent status and was no longer a contracted player of the Sabertooth club.

“Losing the lady and the army as well.”

Dylan let out a long breath and curled his lips into a smile. The thrill of revenge mixed with the relief of surviving the ordeal made his mind feel like a pot of boiling water. He smiled viciously and provocatively, stabbing at Ping Shuai with an undisguised glare.

Ping Shuai’s hand trembled. After a long moment, it slowly clenched into a fist at his side.

The two of them left Zhao Xin’s office one after the other.

Ping Shuai walked ahead. But instead of leaving immediately, he stopped in the hallway as if waiting for Dylan.

When Dylan approached from behind, he frowned and tried to walk past him with obvious disgust. Suddenly, Ping Shuai turned around.

“What do you want? A good dog doesn’t block the road,” Dylan sneered. “I suggest you hurry back and pack your luggage. Tickets are hard to get this time of year. If you keep dragging your feet, you might not even make it home and end up sleeping on the streets.”

“Whether I end up on the streets is none of your concern,” Ping Shuai said calmly.

“Sorry, I was just being polite,” Dylan scoffed. “You think I care about you? Seeing you like this makes me happier than anything.”

“You think someone like you can stay successful forever?” Ping Shuai shot back coldly. “Your true colors will come out eventually. Compared to Zero, you’ll always just be trash.”

“If I’m trash, what does that make you? You’re worse than trash,” Dylan said viciously. “Now you know how to flatter Zero? When he came looking for you before, weren’t you all arrogant and aloof?

Oh right… thinking about it, you must regret it a lot. If you had gone back to Polaris with him back then, it wouldn’t be that Blink guy playing there now. An omega on Polaris can already achieve a win rate like that—if you’d gone and let the four of them carry you a bit, you might still have had a place in this scene.

How did it end up like this instead? All your efforts wasted. Ping Shuai, tell me—do you regret it now? Really regret it?”

With every word Dylan spoke, Ping Shuai’s expression grew darker.

“But now that I think about it,” Dylan continued pleasantly, smiling as if he were enjoying himself, “when you stepped on your former Polaris teammates before, didn’t you look just as ugly? Didn’t Zero beat you up back then too?”

He smiled leisurely, every word like a knife.

“You deserved it.”

Ping Shuai suddenly clenched his teeth. Without warning, he raised his arm. Dylan thought he was about to hit him and instinctively lifted his arm to block—

But instead, Ping Shuai suddenly opened his arms and, wearing a bright smile, hugged him tightly.

Dylan froze completely. He had no idea what Ping Shuai was doing and felt goosebumps all over his body.

Ping Shuai slapped his back twice as if they were close friends, acting extremely affectionate—yet the words he spoke were entirely different.

“With you, it’s really the pot calling the kettle black,” he said quietly. “Your days on the team won’t be easy either, God Dylan.”

After saying that, he let go of Dylan, winked toward the space behind Dylan, and walked away.

Dylan stood there in a daze. Suddenly sensing something, he turned around sharply.

At the corner of the hallway stood Goblin, Yoyo, and Molan.

The three of them stared at him like swords ready to pierce through him. Their expressions were complicated—shock, anger, and contempt.

A chill ran up Dylan’s back.

Before this, he had never cared what his four teammates thought, how they felt, or how they saw him. He had always looked down on everyone with absolute superiority.

But now, he felt the terrifying sense of everyone pushing the wall when it’s about to collapse.

He swallowed and instinctively tried to explain.

“No, that’s not it. Things aren’t what you think. My relationship with Ping is terrible—really terrible. Just now that was—”

Veins bulged on Goblin’s forehead as he forced out a few words.

“Yes. You should leave with him.”

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