Chapter 27
The massacre of the team was just a minor incident and didn't have much impact on everyone. After finishing their lunch in the cafeteria and taking a break, Jiang Shuiyun and the others held a meeting in the small conference room next to their room.
Xi Ronggang just received the list of participants for this invitational tournament, so it was a good time to discuss the tactics to deal with it.
"Neither the Windbreaker Team nor the Wave Chaser Team came?" Viper asked, somewhat puzzled, after looking around.
"Their schedule conflicted, so they couldn't come this time. But it's okay, there are still quite a few strong opponents this time. Jiaoyang, Teacher Jiang, you don't know much about these teams yet, so could you introduce them to us?"
Xi Rong patted the sun beside him, saying, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. This is the most basic understanding."
The meeting lasted about two hours. A total of eighteen teams attended. Only two or three teams, including the Slaughter Team, posed a threat to the Miracle Team. The others were not particularly difficult to deal with.
After discussing it, Jiang Shuiyun had a better idea of what to do. "How about Jiaoyang and Brother Xi go for the lottery tonight?"
“That’s not a problem, but there’s something I need to remind Teacher Jiang,” Xi Rong agreed. “Starting from tonight’s draw, we’ll have people filming us and releasing some footage to build hype for tomorrow’s competition. It’s Teacher Jiang’s first competition, so he needs to be mentally prepared for this.”
Jiang Shuiyun wasn't someone who didn't do her homework, so of course she knew about this. "Don't worry, I know about this, but I need to ask Jinbai's opinion."
"That's for sure. Jinbai isn't a contestant, so we can ask them to stay away and not film."
That's basically how things went. The meeting ended, and everyone went back to rest and relax, recharge, and prepare for tomorrow's competition.
Jiang Shuiyun went back and asked Yi Jinbai, and after confirming that he wouldn't be appearing on camera, she asked Xi Rong to inform the organizers.
"Is this referring to you?"
Jiang Shuiyun was looking at the file Shen Yunyi had sent when Yi Jinbai came over with his phone and showed her a message with some concern—an article posted by a marketing account.
[A Brief Discussion on the Background of Jiang Bai, the New Captain of the Miracle Team]
Jiang Shuiyun glanced at it and saw that most of it was rumors, saying that the new captain got the position through back channels, had a bad relationship with the old team members, and that the Miracle Team was being treated unfairly, blah blah blah a bunch of unpleasant things.
"It's alright, don't worry about it. The invitational tournament roster has just been released, so it's normal for people to start making a fuss. It'll all be broadcast live, and the audience will be able to judge for themselves what's really going on."
As Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai were talking, they heard a knock on the door. Looking at the time, they realized that the organizers had arrived.
Jiang Shuiyun asked Yi Jinbai to step aside to avoid being in the shot, and then went to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, a camera was shoved right in front of Jiang Shuiyun, giving her no time to react.
"Is this Captain Jiang Bai? Can we do a brief pre-match interview?"
A reporter holding a microphone and wearing a press pass came up to Jiang Shuiyun and asked her a question. After glancing at the press passes of the group, Jiang Shuiyun stepped aside and said, "Please come in."
Jiang Shuiyun and the reporter sat down on chairs in the living room. Everyone set up the cameras and other equipment, and the person holding the camera at the beginning filmed the environment of the room.
With a barely perceptible frown, Jiang Shuiyun sent a message to Xi Rong, asking what was going on. They had agreed not to take pictures of Yi Jinbai, so why was this person taking pictures of him everywhere without permission? If Yi Jinbai hadn't gone to the bedroom beforehand, wouldn't he have been caught red-handed?
"That's the bedroom, it's not convenient to take pictures there, thank you."
Seeing that the person was about to open the bedroom door, Jiang Shuiyun spoke up to stop him.
"Captain Jiang Bai, we always film the contestants' living conditions."
The reporter looked at Jiang Shuiyun with some embarrassment, as if Jiang Shuiyun was the one not cooperating with their work.
"Then you can schedule another time to come, and let us know in advance. How about you come back in half an hour?"
Jiang Shuiyun was equally unyielding.
"Isn't this a bit of a waste of time? We've already said we'd come for the interview and given them our greetings."
The reporter persisted, determined to open the bedroom door.
"Really? I remember you said the draw would be in the evening, but it's only four in the afternoon. Is it already evening?"
As the river and clouds rose from the teacup, dealing with such a person made her somewhat impatient.
"Alright, let's start the interviews."
Seeing that Jiang Shuiyun was really not backing down, the reporter's tone became somewhat unfriendly. He raised his hand and looked at the cameraman, "Camera, get ready to start."
"Captain Jiang Bai, what is your relationship with the Miracle Team?"
"very good."
"So how did you become the captain of the Miracle Team? Would you mind telling us?"
"Applying for a job."
"Um... Team Miracle was a legendary team back in the day. Do you feel a lot of pressure being the captain of Team Miracle?"
"Not big."
What are your thoughts on the Miracle Team's decline since Captain Shen Dao left?
"It's only human nature."
"Between Captain Divine Blade and Captain Divine Blade, who do you think is more suitable to be the captain of the Miracle Team?"
"Anything is fine."
"I heard you brought your partner to the competition. May I ask where your partner is?"
"No comment except for matters related to gaming competitions."
What are your predictions for Miracle Team's ranking in this competition?
"Let it be."
Do you think the Miracle team can achieve a good ranking in this competition?
"Let it be."
...
The interview turned into a rapid-fire Q&A session with Jiang Shuiyun, and the key point was that most of her answers were nonsense, which made the reporter's fake smile almost impossible to maintain.
"Okay, that concludes the interview. Captain Jiang Bai, could you say a few words of blessing to the camera?"
"I wish this competition a complete success."
Jiang Shuiyun's expression remained unchanged throughout. After finishing speaking, she stood up and saw the group out without any hesitation.
Just as they reached the door, Xi Rong rushed over. He hadn't expected the interview to end so quickly. Xi Rong and Jiang Shuiyun saw the people off, then closed the door. Xi Rong hurriedly asked Jiang Shuiyun, "Are you alright?"
"It wasn't pleasant. I already said Jin Bai wouldn't appear on camera, but they not only filmed everywhere without permission, but also asked about Jin Bai. What does that mean?"
Jiang Shuiyun didn't hide anything from Xi Rong and told him about it directly, leaving it up to him to figure out how to resolve the situation.
Xi Rong frowned in displeasure. "How could they do things like this? I didn't even know about this interview. They didn't even consult me, their agent. It's fine if it's unpleasant, but their behavior clearly shows they want to use the Miracle Team for publicity. They think the Miracle Team is still the same team they can manipulate at will, someone they can use as a gimmick to generate buzz."
"It's good that you know. By the way, when is the draw?"
Jiang Shuiyun knew that Xi Rong had a way to deal with this situation, so she wasn't worried and asked about the lottery.
"Don't even mention it, that's why I'm late," Xi Rong said angrily, hands on his hips. "We were supposed to start the draw at 6 p.m., but they suddenly notified me to draw the lots, which is why I'm a little late. The lots have already been drawn, and they're not bad. The opponents are fairly average, so there shouldn't be any problems."
Jiang Shuiyun nodded, and Xi Rong continued.
"Tomorrow's schedule is the round of 18 to 9, the round of 9 to 5, and the revival challenge. The day after tomorrow is the round of 5 to 3, the final, and the challenge match. There is also a last-minute celebrity match, in which the organizers have invited five celebrities who like to play Star Wars. The champion team will be split into two teams, each with a celebrity, to play. It's like an entertainment match, which will also help boost the popularity of the competition."
The tournament schedule was announced during the draw just now. Those who frequently participate in previous tournaments are already familiar with it, but Xi Rong still explained it to Jiang Shuiyun. As for the later All-Star game, although it's not mandatory, it's a standard procedure and is all at the organizer's discretion, which is perfectly reasonable.
On someone else's turf, whatever the organizer says goes.
"Is there anything else?"
Jiang Shuiyun was aware of all of this.
"It's nothing. Jinbai will be in the stands with me during the match tomorrow, so don't worry."
Xi Rong had already made all the arrangements and was just waiting for the competition to begin.
After dinner, the filming officially began. Jiang Shuiyun first asked Yi Jinbai to wait in the room next door where the poisonous snake lived. Then, the group of them gathered together to shoot some footage.
After filming for about an hour, the group was almost numb. They gave each other high-fives and said "good luck" before it finally ended.
Everyone was exhausted and went back to their rooms. Jiang Shuiyun also brought Yi Jinbai back, made the bed again, and the two took turns washing up. Finally, they went to bed before ten o'clock.
Exhausted from a long day, Jiang Shuiyun lay on her back on the bed, with Yi Jinbai's soft breathing beside her.
It was the first time Jiang Shuiyun had shared a bed with someone, and she felt a little nervous. She covered herself with the blanket neatly, folded her hands over her stomach, and tried to concentrate on sleeping, but her gaze couldn't help but drift towards Yi Jinbai.
Only the faint moonlight filtering through the window illuminated the room. Jiang Shuiyun could barely make out the shape of the quilt, its slight, orderly undulations, and Yi Jinbai's peaceful sleeping face.
Jiang Shuiyun withdrew her gaze, closed her eyes, and slowly took deep breaths to regulate her racing heart. Following her long-standing habit, she quickly fell asleep.
Unbeknownst to Jiang Shuiyun, shortly after she fell asleep, Yi Jinbai, whose breathing had been steady, opened his eyes. By the moonlight, he turned his head to look at Jiang Shuiyun's overly standard sleeping posture and her barely discernible facial features. Many thoughts raced through his mind. After what seemed like an eternity, his eyelids finally closed wearily, and he truly fell asleep.
Neither of them lied. When they woke up the next morning, the two of them were exactly as they had been when they went to bed the night before, without having moved an inch. The two cushions in the middle were simply unnecessary.
Jiang Shuiyun got up first to wash up, put the cushion back on the single sofa, and waited for Yi Jinbai to finish washing up before preparing to go out.
Standing at the entrance, Jiang Shuiyun had already changed into her team uniform. The pure black color scheme and gold embroidery complemented each other perfectly, and the red team logo added a finishing touch, making her look quite good and highlighting her tall and sharp figure.
Yi Jinbai walked over, and Jiang Shuiyun put the hat on Yi Jinbai's head and then handed him a mask, saying, "There might be someone deliberately taking pictures of you today, so this is just to prevent it from happening."
After adjusting his hat, Yi Jinbai put on a mask, completely obscuring his already small face. Only when he tilted his head back could Jiang Shuiyun see his clear, bright eyes.
Let's go.
Yi Jinbai felt his face burning under Jiang Shuiyun's gaze, so he lowered his head and took Jiang Shuiyun's sleeve to walk outside.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 03:31:17 and 23:01:58 on May 10, 2022!
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Zhen Mulin and Shan'er Baobao (1 each);
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: LXY :) 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 28
After breakfast, we headed to the competition venue. The welcoming crowd of fans could be seen from afar, and the huge cheers rose in waves.
However, the excitement was all for others. Xi Rong directed the driver to stop in the side passage, and everyone got out of the car and entered the competition venue without being noticed by any fans.