Chapter 63

Chapter 63 – Cold Shoulder

The next night, Xie Shurong once again found the two people to eat and this time he brought a box of plums for Bai Xuan to eat after drinking Chinese medicine, so that it wouldn’t be too bitter.

Bai Xuan ate the sweetness and praised him for being sensible.

After the meal, Xie Shurong ran to wash the dishes. Bai Xuan was bored and went to the kitchen to see him. A’Shu had now mastered the skill of washing dishes and he completed it quickly and cleanly.

Bai Xuan saw A’Shu seriously washing the dishes and couldn’t help asking softly, “A’Shu, what happened with Flying Feathers? Why did you leave Flying Feathers and come to the United States to play? Can you tell me? If it is inconvenient then pretend I didn’t ask.”

Bai Xuan had been thinking about this problem for a long time and finally couldn’t help asking. It wasn’t to gossip. He just thought that since they would be teammates, some understanding between them was necessary. If he couldn’t figure out the relationship between Xie Shurong and the Flying Feathers team, how could they deal with Flying Feathers in the future?

Xie Shurong heard this question and a flash of embarrassment crossed his face.

He picked up a clean rag and wiped his hands before turning around to look at Bai Xuan. “Cough, it is nothing big. I was hot tempered when I was 18 years old and my brother also had a hot temper. We often argued over the team. Many times when we were fighting, I would come to a meeting and say nothing. One time, we were arguing too fiercely and I ran out.”

“…” Bai Xuan hadn’t expected this to be the reason. Xie Shurong had matured a lot so Bai Xuan hadn’t expected the original A’Shu to be an impulsive teenager who argued with his brother every day.

“It was like this.” Bai Xuan smiled and said, “I am asking you this to figure out your relationship with Su Guangmo. In the future, we have to decide whether to place you against Flying Feathers or not. I was worried that what happened between you and Flying Feathers is a knot that can’t be untied.”

“There is no knot. I have a good relationship with my brothers.” Xie Shurong touched his nose and added, “Later when we face the Flying Feathers team, you can send me to play without facing any pressure. You can rest assured on this point.”

“That’s good.” Bai Xuan came up and patted him on the shoulder. “Everyone has done stupid things when they were young. Don’t take it to heart.”

“Yes.” Xie Shurong looked at him and found that Vice-Captain Bai’s comfort was great. His eyes were particularly gentle, like a big brother comforting his younger brother. There wasn’t a single trace of ridicule.

Xie Shurong couldn’t help walking up and hugging Bai Xuan gently. He whispered, “Vice-Captain Bai, please don’t tell other people about this matter?”

“Are you ashamed?” Bai Xuan asked with a smile.

“…” Xie Shurong rubbed his chin along Bai Xuan’s shoulder like a petulant child. “Help me keep it a secret. It isn’t a glorious thing and Cat God will certainly laugh at me if he finds out.”

Bai Xuan, “…”

This guy’s face was really as thick as a city wall. He was so tall yet acted in a spoiled manner so that Bai Xuan’s heart couldn’t help softening.

In fact, Xie Shurong hadn’t said it but it certainly wasn’t easy to play alone in a foreign country in these years. Couldn’t he persist until now because the strong faith in his heart was supporting him? This guy was a very strong person.

Bai Xuan gently patted the petulant A’Shu’s head and said, “Okay, I won’t tell others and will help you keep it a secret.”

Xie Shurong’s eyes brightened as he clung to Bai Xuan. “Vice-Captain Bai is so good.”

Bai Xuan’s eyes moved helplessly as he was held by this guy. He said, “Okay, quickly let me go. How old are you to still act so spoiled?”

Xie Shurong replied with a cheeky expression, “Who told you to be the father of the team?”

Bai Xuan reached out and pushed him away. “Don’t make trouble and pack away the dishes. Then come to the living room to eat fruit.”

Xie Shurong watched Bai Xuan’s retreating back and his mind became confused.

He hadn’t thought too much when hugging Vice-Captain Bai. He just thought that Bai Xuan’s appearance was very gentle, making him want to be close.

But once he held on, he didn’t want to let go.

The feeling of his arms being filled was too good, especially when the person in his arms was so soft and fragrant. His body gave off the clean shower gel smell… he had obviously just showered today.

Xie Shurong suppressed the urge to think of other things. He took a deep breath to control his mind and turned to the living room.

***

The super milk dad Bai Xuan cut a plate of fruit. He was really careful, cutting the apple and watermelon into pieces. Toothpicks were inserted and it was small enough to swallow in one gulp.

Xie Shurong sat down on the sofa and Li Cangyu was also attracted to the food.

Once the three of them sat together to eat, Li Cangyu asked, “A’Shu, when does the second round of the regular season in the US start?”

“It’s going to start tomorrow.”

“Then won’t you be busy? If you are busy, you don’t have to spend as much time in online games. The matches are more important.”

Xie Shurong smiled and said, “I’m not busy. I’m not in the starting lineup of the second regular season so I don’t have to follow them everywhere when playing the game.”

Bai Xuan couldn’t help feeling surprised when hearing this. “What? Your captain won’t let you play?”

“There are many masters in the team and the lineup has rotated.” Xie Shurong’s expression was very calm. “The genius newcomer Agnus, who debuted last season, is also a terran swordsman. He is still young but he is very talented. The captain is paying a lot of attention to him and wants to give him more opportunities to appear.”

Bai Xuan and Li Cangyu looked at each other, silent for a moment.

It was a normal tactical adjustment for the captain to let newcomers appear. For example, Ling Xuefeng let Qin Mo play in the arena to train this young boy. However, letting the newcomer play all the matches and completely replacing an old player, this wasn’t a simple tactical adjustment. It was obviously to place A’Shu on the bench.

Li Cangyu slightly frowned. He guessed that Xie Shurong wasn’t as happy as expected in the ICE team and might’ve been pushed aside by his teammates.

It was difficult for foreign players to truly integrate into a team. The differences in language, culture and living habits were huge problems. Moreover, the ICE team had many masters and A’Shu wasn’t irreplaceable. The ICE captain’s choice was also correct. A’Shu would soon leave the team after his contract expired. It was natural to give more opportunities to the newcomers that the team were training.

There was nothing wrong with this reasoning but it was quite chilling in terms of feelings.

Didn’t Xie Shurong join during ICE’s toughest period when they were lacking a swordsman in the front row? Xie Shurong ran all the way to the United States, worked with his strange teammates and took the ICE team into the ranks of the first-class giants. Now that his contract was about to expire, he was being subjected to such a cold reception. It could only be said that the ICE captain was rational and almost cruel.

This was the opposite of Li Cangyu. Li Cangyu would rather move with his good brothers and take the hardest road then give up the trust of his friends. He couldn’t say who was right or wrong. He could only say that everyone paid attention to different things.

Bai Xuan couldn’t help feeling slightly distressed when he saw Xie Shurong’s smiling face. He patted A’Shu’s hand and said, “A’Shu, don’t mind it too much. Once your contract expires, we will go back to China and start over. In the past few years, you have been playing with the ICE team. You did your best so there is no need to feel sorry for them.”

Bai Xuan’s voice was very gentle, making Xie Shurong feel warm. He couldn’t help holding Bai Xuan’s hand tightly.

Today, Xie Shurong had seen everything very thoroughly.

When he first arrived in the United States, he was a less mature teenager. It was really difficult time when he was isolated by his teammates. Many times, his teammates joked in English but he couldn’t understand because of the cultural differences. He just awkwardly sat next to them.

Later, he held the English-Chinese dictionary and carefully memorized the words. His English level increased by leaps and bounds and the language barrier was gradually overcome. At the same time, he was recognized by the captain for his outstanding personal ability.

At that time, ICE was a lesser-known team in the American Miracle League. They couldn’t get the trophy and were eliminated every time they entered the playoffs. After Xie Shurong joined, he played the fast moving swordsman and brought up the front row of the team. Together with the debut of the genius blood kin summoner Jack Josh, the ICE team’s performance improved and they won the championship that year.

The ICE team started developing faster and faster, recruiting players from various teams. Many talents players came and the ICE team consistently ranked among the top teams in the US Miracle League. They were the favourite to win this season.

As Bai Xuan said, Xie Shurong was foreign player but he shouldn’t feel sorry for the ICE team. He got the club’s paycheck doing what he should and doing his best for every game. This was the attitude that a professional player should have.

Emotionally speaking, this type of foreign player didn’t have much sense of belonging.

To tell the truth, Xie Shurong only played in the ICE Club because he couldn’t quit his terran swordsman and to make money to support himself. This was like a company employee working for money.

That’s why Xie Shurong didn’t care too much when the captain placed him on the bench. The ICE team’s results, whether good or bad, had little relationship with him.

Still, Bai Xuan’s comfort made Xie Shurong feel very warm. This feeling was like being comforted by his family after being wronged. His whole body was warm.

Vice-Captain Bai wasn’t the same as the vice-captain of many teams. As the most trusted right arm of Li Cangyu, he could always carefully discover the psychological problems of his teammates, gently comforting them and offering a solution so that each member could readjust their emotions. This stable mentality made him the super nanny of the entire team and made people feel particularly comfortable.

Xie Shurong smiled at Bai Xuan’s worried eyes and whispered, “Don’t worry, I am no longer a child and my spirit isn’t that fragile. My contract is about to expire and it was clear that I wouldn’t renew the contract. The captain doesn’t want me taking up the resources of the team. There is nothing wrong with that. However, since he did this, I won’t have any nostalgia when leaving the ICE team.”

This calm appearance made Li Cangyu lose his worry.

After so many years of being alone, Xie Shurong’s mind became extremely tough. This bit of cold shoulder wasn’t a big deal for him. If he was still the teenager of the Flying Feathers team, he might directly argue with the captain. However, now he could accept it calmly because he was already a responsible man.

Li Cangyu gently patted Xie Shurong’s shoulder and said, “A’Shu, you will be lazy in the ICE team for two months. Once we return to China at the end of the year, our team will be formally established. You will be our main force in the future.”

The meaning of Li Cangyu’s sentence was obvious. Xie Shurong nodded seriously and said, “Don’t worry Captain, I won’t act lazy once I return home.”

The three people smiled at each other.

In fact, it was simple to have a good impression of a team. The key was to look at the people leading.

Li Cangyu was a very loyal person, decisive and courageous. Combined with Bai Xuan’s gentleness, Xie Shurong believed that his future team would be a warm and harmonious family.