Working Together for a Lifetime (5)
Chapter 391 – Working Together for a Lifetime (5)
The days spent in the Maldivers were the most leisurely days for Li Cangyu since he was young. Every night, he would be intimate with Ling Xuefeng and then fall asleep when exhausted. Once he woke up in the morning, there was a nutritious breakfast waiting for him. At noon, there was the fish that Ling Xuefeng cooked. They were steamed, braised, sweet and sour and all types of other recipes that made him full. In the afternoon, he would go to the beach with Ling Xuefeng to enjoy the sun and listen to music…
These days were so happy that Li Cangyu was reluctant to leave.
However, the holiday period would soon be ending and they had to return home to start preparing for the new season.
That night, Ling Xuefeng was packing up when he got a text message. [Captain Ling, are you in the Maldives? Will you be flying home tomorrow?] The sender was the vice-captain of the Wind Colour team, Yan Ruiwen.
Ling Xuefeng replied doubtfully: [How do you know?]
Yan Ruiwen: [Weibo exposed a photo of you on holiday with Cat God in the Maldives. The fans are going crazy and many journalists are sniffing around the airport. If it is convenient then I suggest you change things around.]
Ling Xuefeng opened Weibo and sure enough, a photo was being crazily spread on the home page.
The photo contained newlyweds. The man was wearing a light blue suit and the woman wore a dress in the same colour. They were a prefect match but the thing that stole attention was the two men not far fro them. One was sitting up with a soft smile on his handsome face while the other was lying down, head naturally resting on the other person. His eyes were closed with a lazy expression.
It was a photo of Ling Xuefeng and Li Cangyu basking in the sun on the beach.
The original owner posted this as a wedding photo on Weibo. He didn’t expect that he inadvertently photographed two great gods of the e-sports circle. In one day, the photo was forwarded tens of thousands of times, scaring the original owner into deleting it.
However, the photo had been saved by the reporters of the major e-sports websites. The news of Ling Xuefeng and Li Cangyu’s holiday in the Maldives swept through the Miracle League and shocked countless people.
Both of them were high-ranking veterans in the Miracle League. The active professional players in the Miracle League weren’t willing to forward the post in this unclear situation but many people say it and silently paid attention. Yan Ruiwen was among them. He noticed the situation was getting out of control and immediately sent a text message to Ling Xuefeng.
Ling Xuefeng pointed to the photo on Weibo and asked Li Cangyu, "What are your thoughts?"
Li Cangyu carefully examined the two people who served at the backdrop of the photo and smiled. "The photo is good and the scenery is beautiful. The people are very handsome."
He was open to it and didn’t seem worried about exposure.
Ling Xuefeng smiled slightly. "Aren’t you worried about our relationship being exposed?"
Li Cangyu replied honestly, "What is there to be worried about? I already told you that I would give you a name. This is just earlier than I thought."
"Do you want to admit it directly?" Ling Xuefeng was a bit surprised.
"Yes, otherwise the
"What about you?" Ling Xuefeng asked, "Will you continue playing with Canglan?"
Li Cangyu smiled and suggested, "We don’t we write our thoughts on our phones and see if we have a connection?"
"Good."
The pair picked up their phones and sent a message to each other’s WeChat.
There was a prompt about the message arriving and when they opened it, there was one word.
-Retirement.
At this moment, Li Cangyu let go of the worries of his heart. He also felt warmth towards Ling Xuefeng who knew him best.
He joined the Miracle league at the age of 18 and became an e-sports player. He tasted the heartache of his team disbanding, the frustrations of trying to reach the playoffs, the hardships of reorganization and ultimately, becoming the world champion.
For him, his career had come to a successful conclusion.
Moreover, he wasn’t young. His dream had been realized and he no longer felt regrets about his favourite e-sports. Retiring at this time was obviously the best choice.
Ling Xuefeng had also been in the Miracle League for seven years, leading the Wind Colour team to become a first-tier giant. In addition, he gained his cherished person and now was the time to abdicate.
The two people glanced at each other and tacitly smiled.
Li Cangyu opened his mouth, "My idea is don’t worry about retiring immediately. Wait until half of the next season has passed and the team’s successors are selected. Once the two teams are stable, we will leave. What do you think?"
"Yes, that’s best." Ling Xuefeng nodded. "What are you going to say to Canglan? The team has just been set up and now the captain is leaving. The players might psychologically find it hard to accept. In addition, there are so many youngsters. Are you willing to leave them alone?"
"They have probably already guessed the result." Li Cangyu sighed. "I have limited energy and I’m actually very tired from supporting the team for so many years. Retiring just means I’m not playing the game. I won’t leave the Dragon Song Club and will still guide them in daily training. I think… they should be able to understand."
This approach as quite reasonable. It was like how Song Yang of Flying Feathers acted like a cough while Su Guangmo, Yu Pingsheng and Xie Shurong grew up. Once Flying Feathers won the championship, he was relieved enough to leave.
Li Cangyu naturally couldn’t just drop the Canglan team. Zhuo Hang, Xiao Han, Xiaojiang and Xiao Gu still weren’t capable of being alone. It was necessary for him to stay in the club and help them grow.
"It is a good choice to stay as a coach." Ling Xuefeng wrapped an arm around Li Cangyu’s shoulder and whispered, "But if you retired, Xiao Bai won’t continue to play, right?"
"I wouldn’t let him continue even if he wanted to." Li Cangyu frowned with slight distress. "In the beginning, he had a serious stomach issue and originally wanted to retire. It was due to me that he stayed. Now that we are successful, I want him to have a good rest and recuperate well."
"…You really care about him." Ling Xuefeng spoke lightly.
"Are you jealous?" Li Cangyu took Ling Xuefeng’s hand and spoke in his ear. "Don’t think too much. Xiao Bai is a relative while you are my lover."
"I know." Ling Xuefeng smiled. "Once Bai Xuan retires, who will be the captain of Canglan? Is there already a candidate in your heart?"
"I can only give it to Ah Shu first." Li Cangyu touched his chin for a moment. "Xie Shurong is usually not serious but he is very reliable when playing the game. He is young and in his peak state. There is no problem playing for another two or three years. I can feel reassured handing Canglan to him."
"That’s true." Ling Xuefeng paused before adding, "I hope that Liu Chuan can pick some good seedlings from the training camp. You retiring with Bai Xuan will deal too much damage to the overall lineup. You have to replenish your reserve force as soon as possible."
"Well, a team always has to go through this and I think Liu Chuan is also ready for it." Li Cangyu smiled and continued, "He has always been looking at the long-term. When he signed the contract with me, it was only for one year."
"You only signed for a year?" Ling Xuefeng was a bit surprised.
This showed that Li Cangyu was only ready to play for a year. If he didn’t win the championship then he could only retire with regret.
He gave himself one last chance and fortunately, he grasped the opportunity.
Ling Xuefeng saw his bright eyes and couldn’t help smiling. "It seems that you have long planned everything."
"Yes, the only variable is you." Li Cangyu laughed. "My plan didn’t include turning Ling Xuefeng into my wife."
He was used to calling out ‘wife’ and Ling Xuefeng indulged him without correcting it. He asked, "You came back to play the game, only to end up with me. Was it unexpected?"
"Yes, it was very unexpected." Li Cangyu nodded. "However, it is an unexpected joy."
The two people smiled as warm happiness surged in their hearts.
It was a real unexpected joy to be with this person.