Chapter 50

       

The next morning, Tang Can knocked at the door to room 301. The one to open the door was unexpectedly Chi Shuo. Tang Can looked at the captain, whose expression was very serious and grave, with some surprise. "Captain Chi, what are you doing up so early?"

"Woke up from a nightmare," Chi Shuo answered mildly.

It couldn't really be called a nightmare. It was just that his dreams had replayed the moment of him marking Ye Shaoyang in excruciating detail, making it so that he woke up and had to… spend another half hour taking a cold shower.

Back when he had been a youth who'd just differentiated, Chi Shuo had also had some hazy dreams. These years, he'd focused wholly on competing professionally, so his dreams had all been about playing in official games. It had been a long time since he had the sort of dream that would make people blush while their hearts raced. Maybe the events of last night had been too much of a shock to the system, so those events had appeared in his dreams as well?

While the two of them chatted, Ye Shaoyang came out of the bedroom. He'd changed into a casual, white outfit that day, which made him look very confident and relaxed. His smile was as dazzling as ever.

"Good morning, Tang Can-jie. Captain Chi, you're up this early too?"

Chi Shuo hesitantly answered, "…mm."

Ye Shaoyang's body wasn't actually giving off a distinct scent of pheromones. Chi Shuo surreptitiously snuck a glance at his nape, where a patch had indeed been affixed.

Most omegas used pheromone suppressing patches in order to keep the scent of their pheromones from leaking out. Ye Shaoyang in particular had to do more than hide the scent of his own pheromones; he had to hide the scent of Chi Shuo's as well.

Chi Shuo had marked him, after all. Ye Shaoyang's body had been infused with Chi Shuo's scent. It would be very easy for other people to discover that something was up if Ye Shaoyang didn't use a patch.

Ye Shaoyang seemed to sense exactly where Chi Shuo was looking. He smiled at Chi Shuo and used his eyes to say, Don't worry, I've put on a patch.

Chi Shuo took in the sight of that smile, then guiltily averted his gaze. The roots of his ears were starting to redden faintly again.

Tang Can didn't catch the silent exchange that occurred between their eyes. She was busy giving their driver a call. "Liu-shifu, I'll be down right away. Wait for me in the parking lot…"

To Ye Shaoyang, she added, "Little Ye, let's go. I've made an appointment at the exam center for you. We'll go right now."

Chi Shuo followed along as well. He said with a straight face, "I don't have anything to do anyway, so I'll go with him."

Tang Can didn't pry into that. She simply led the two of them down to the car.

The team's van was very spacious. Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shuo sat together in the back row. Ye Shaoyang could see that Chi Shuo was still very tense, so he took the initiative to send Chi Shuo a message on WeChat.

[Captain Chi, don't worry. I put on a patch. No one will know what we did last night.]

Chi Shuo responded with an awkward ellipsis.

He was an alpha, and he was being consoled by an omega? The one who had been marked was clearly Ye Shaoyang, right? Why did it seem like Chi Shuo was the one who'd been taken advantage of?!

Chi Shuo genuinely couldn't figure out how Ye Shaoyang could possibly be so bold. He decided to simply not think about the matter, instead changing the subject. "Ahem, Tang Can-jie. The medical exams are in the morning. Will he be able to finish signing his contracts in the afternoon?"

"Relax," Tang Can said. "I've made all the arrangements. The club has already stamped the contract with their official seal of approval. Little Ye just needs to head over to the legal department to sign."

She turned back to look at Ye Shaoyang and continued, "The medical exams are very simple, shouldn't take more than an hour. We'll take you to get your bank card on the way back. The club will pay your salary to that card."

Ye Shaoyang nodded. "Thanks for your hard work, Tang Can-jie."

Since Tang Can had made an appointment with a doctor at the exam center, Ye Shaoyang didn't need to wait in line after they arrived. He had his blood drawn first, and then he was taken in for a heart scan and imaging of his liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, and so on. Finally, he had a meeting with a pheromone specialist.

Tang Can looked at his test results with some surprise. "You're an omega?"

Ye Shaoyang was wearing a jacket with a high collar that day, so Tang Can hadn't noticed the pheromone suppressing patch at the nape of his neck.

Hadn't she heard from Coach Lin that Xiao Bai was an alpha? Had they gotten it wrong?

"That's right, I differentiated last night," Ye Shaoyang said. "Things were a bit hectic, so I didn't reach out to you, Tang Can-jie. Captain Chi took me to the hospital. Suppressants are very convenient, I have everything under control now."

Tang Can looked at Ye Shaoyang with a complex feeling in her heart.

Differentiating as an omega on your first day with the team… you're really the first of your kind.

She mulled it over deeply for a moment, then paced to the side to report this matter to the bosses. A while later, she came back and warmly told Ye Shaoyang, "The higher-ups say to take very good care of you now that our team has an omega. If you feel uncomfortable at all, find me right away. We have a team medic who can help treat lots of common illnesses."

"Mm," Ye Shaoyang said. "I don't feel unwell right now. I feel pretty good."

Maybe it was because he and Chi Shuo had very compatible pheromones. Since being marked, Ye Shaoyang truly hadn't felt unwell. On the contrary, his body felt pretty relaxed. He was practically radiating a comfortable sort of delight from every pore.

Ye Shaoyang cast a grateful look in Chi Shuo's direction, as though to thank him for his help last night. Chi Shuo coughed lightly and turned his head away, avoiding Ye Shaoyang's gaze.

The medical exams went by very quickly. Besides the surprise of Ye Shaoyang having differentiated as an omega, there were no problems. Ye Shaoyang was extremely healthy.

After they finished up at the hospital, Tang Can immediately brought Ye Shaoyang over to a bank to apply for his bank card. Then they returned to the club to get Ye Shaoyang's contract signed. Once he was formally input into their system as a new member of the team, his admissions paperwork could be considered complete.

Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shuo both let out a subtle breath of relief. They'd really worried that something unexpected would happen all of a sudden. Now, the contract was signed. Ye Shaoyang was officially a member of Team Tianhuan.

That afternoon, Coach Lin Feng returned to the base. The first thing he did was run up to room 301 to meet Ye Shaoyang. Tang Can had already informed him about Ye Shaoyang differentiating last night, and Lin Feng was no less shocked than Chi Shuo had been.

How had a perfectly good alpha teammate turned into an omega all of a sudden? And on the day of his admission to the team?

This was really a test of a person's strength of heart.

Lin Feng extended his warmest greetings to Ye Shaoyang, then immediately asked, "Little Ye, since you've become an omega, about your living situation… do you need any adjustments?"

Chi Shuo earnestly said, "I don't think so. 301 is a bigger suite. Each bedroom has its own bathroom. Although I'm living with Shaoyang, we won't affect each other. We each have our own room. Most of the other units in the dormitory share a bathroom. It's not convenient for him, an omega, to share a bathroom with anyone else."

Lin Feng gave this some thought. On this floor, the units on the sides were two-bed, two-bath suites. All the others were two-bed, one-bath. Chi Shuo just so happened to be living in one of the bigger suites.

The coach looked towards Ye Shaoyang and asked, "Little Ye, do you mind living with an alpha?"

"Not at all," Ye Shaoyang said.

From his perspective, they were all men. It didn't really make a difference who he lived with. Living with Captain Chi made it more convenient for him to be marked. Plus, he had already put Xiao Bai's litter box in place. He didn't want to move now.

Lin Feng had complete faith in Chi Shuo's character. He pulled Ye Shaoyang to one side and quietly reassured, "Little Ye, our Captain Chi's brain only thinks about the game. Even if you're an omega, he won't do anything to you. In his eyes, you're just a teammate, so you don't have to worry about anything."

Ye Shaoyang nodded happily. "Mm, Captain Chi is just a teammate in my eyes too."

Lin Feng let out a breath of relief. "That's good, then. You guys just keep your distance and don't get too intimate. If a lot of gossip about a sex scandal gets out, it'll have a negative impact on you guys as well."

Ye Shaoyang was very clear on that point. He'd seen cases of players who were shut out of the league after getting involved in sex scandals with fans before. He was a professional, and he wouldn't allow personal feelings to interfere with the competition. Furthermore, he and Chi Shuo really were just purely teammates. The mark was also their little secret.

The two of them exchanged a look, and Chi Shuo quietly promised, "Don't worry, coach. It won't affect the game."

Ye Shaoyang also said, "That's right, we have a sense of propriety. We'll each sleep in our own room at night. We won't disturb each other."

Coach Lin relaxed and patted both of them on the shoulder. "That's good. Little Ye, you get ready. The team will be hosting a welcome party for you tonight. We'll formally introduce you to everyone else."

That night, Tianhuan all gathered at a nearby restaurant where they'd reserved several tables. Duck, chicken, fish—all sorts of dishes had been served up. It was obvious that the team truly valued Ye Shaoyang.

Ming Sheng was personally in attendance as well. He was there to welcome Ye Shaoyang to the team, on behalf of all the higher-ups.

He lifted a glass of red wine and warmly met Ye Shaoyang's gaze. "I heard you differentiated as an omega? Although it's unexpected, Tianhuan has never had an omega player before. With you joining, perhaps you'll really bring Tianhuan a stroke of good luck. Welcome to Tianhuan officially, Shaoyang."

Ye Shaoyang smiled and said, "Thank you, God Ming. Next season we'll work hard and do our best to turn that good luck into a championship cup!"

Ming Sheng really liked Ye Shaoyang's confidence and openness. He clinked his glass against Ye Shaoyang's and said, "Since you just differentiated, don't drink too much. Sticking to soft drinks would be best."

Saying that, he looked towards Chi Shuo and added, "Take Little Ye around to meet everyone else."

Chi Shuo first led Ye Shaoyang over to a table where the other members of the starting lineup were gathered. "This is Qin Yizhu, Tianhuan's starting top laner. Qu Jiang, our newly transferred support. And this is Cheng Xing, my apprentice and our marksman starting next season."

He glanced at Ye Shaoyang, then continued with a very formal introduction. "Ye Shaoyang, the streamer Xiao Bai from Whale Streaming, will be debuting as our starting mid laner."

An omega starting mid laner. The one and only in the league.

Everyone who heard the news felt a bit complex about it.

Cheng Xing's feelings were the most complex of all, because he finally remembered who the streamer Xiao Bai was.

Xiao Bai… wasn't that the complete noob he'd killed six times in a row when he had been training up an alt account? And his impression of Xiao Bai was only so deep because of the fierce rebuttal Xiao Bai had spoken to him—

Starry Lights: [Everywhere I go, you follow. You're always there to give me a free kill. Do you have a little crush on me?]

Xiao Bai: [No. Daddy is thinking about how to kill you next time.]

Thinking of that made Cheng Xing feel so mortified that he could have dug himself a hole in the ground.

Upon looking up and finding a smile that wasn't quite a smile on Ye Shaoyang's glowing face, the youth blushed fiercely and quickly ducked his head again.

Ye Shaoyang took the initiative to extend a hand. "Hello, Starry Lights."

Cheng Xing was speechless.

Fuck! This 'daddy' had come straight to Tianhuan to find him? Was he out for revenge?!

Cheng Xing blanched. He hunched his shoulders and stammered, "H… hello."

Chi Shuo sensed that something wasn't right. He furrowed his brow slightly and asked, "What, you two know each other?"

"When I was still a complete newbie in the game, I was killed six times in a row by Little Xing," Ye Shaoyang said.

Cheng Xing remained silent.

Ye Shaoyang praised, "Little Xing is pretty strong in the game."

Chi Shuo's sharp gaze fell upon Cheng Xing, who practically could have disappeared through a crack in the floor.

"What… what a coincidence, hahaha," Cheng Xing stammered. "I never thought that noo… that Xiao Bai would actually join my team."

"It was probably destiny?" Ye Shaoyang suggested.

In the game he played on the day he transmigrated to this world, he'd run into Chi Shuo's apprentice, who killed him six times in a row. Then he joined Tianhuan. What could this be, if not destiny?

Ye Shaoyang smiled faintly and patted Cheng Xing on the shoulder. "I'm a few years older than you. You can call me Yang-ge."

Cheng Xing was about to cry. He got the feeling that he was going to have some very difficult days ahead of him.

Chi Shuo ignored his apprentice, who was going through a great deal of psychological turmoil, and continued to introduce Ye Shaoyang to everyone else.

Qin Yizhu was a closed book; he didn't really like to talk much. Plus, he was an alpha, and Ye Shaoyang was an omega. So Qin Yizhu wore a very grave expression, like he was meeting with his boss, when he clinked his glass against Ye Shaoyang's and said, "Welcome."

Ye Shaoyang looked towards Qu Jiang next. Originally, he'd worried that Qu Jiang would have a problem with him since he'd stolen away Qu Jiang's position. He hadn't imagined that today, after officially becoming a member of the team, he would receive an extremely warm welcome from Qu Jiang.

Qu Jiang had the aura of a friendly, neighborly gege as he said, "Shaoyang, welcome to Tianhuan. If you need help with anything in the future, just say the word. No need to be shy with me."

Ye Shaoyang clinked glasses with him as well. "Thank you."

Besides the starting lineup, Tianhuan had a second-string team as well.

Although the second-string team didn't stand in the spotlight, there were many times when the starting lineup's victories couldn't be separated from the efforts of the second-string team. When the starting lineup devised new tactics that they couldn't expose to the world, the second-string team trained with them. Sometimes, the second-string team would have to learn how to play team comps that other teams ran, so that the starting lineup could figure out ways to dismantle those strategies.

The spotlights of the big stage rarely fell upon these substitute players, but these young players had all joined Tianhuan with the same dreams in their hearts.

Chi Shuo introduced, "Yan Bin, captain of the second-string team."

Ye Shaoyang politely greeted, "Hello, Captain Yan."

Yan Bin stood up and smiled innocently. "Hello, Yang-ge. Haha, please take care of me."

Chi Shuo continued, "The second-string mid laner, Xie Xiaotian. Top laner, A-Kai. Jungler, Hao Ran. Marksman, Ling Rong."

Ye Shaoyang tipped his glass against each of theirs in turn.

Once Ye Shaoyang turned away, the youths of the second-string team instantly started to whisper and gossip amongst themselves.

"He's so handsome!"

"Our Tianhuan actually has an omega player now."

"Where did the coaches find an omega mid laner? Speaking of which, how's his gaming ability anyway?"

"Xiaotian, how about you go 1v1 him and test him out?"

All the players started to egg on the second-string mid laner Xie Xiaotian.

"Go on, what are you afraid of!"

"You're not scared because he's an omega, right?"

"I think omega players should be pretty nice and docile. Maybe he's like Qu Jiang? He might not be able to beat you in a 1v1."

Xie Xiaotian rubbed his hands together and eagerly ventured, "Then I… I'll go try it?"

After the meal, everyone returned to the base together.

Coach Lin said, "Formal training will begin tomorrow. You guys can all play ranked on your own tonight."

There were several training rooms on the second floor. Ye Shaoyang followed Chi Shuo to the biggest one. The training room was extremely large, with two rows of seats and over twenty top-of-the-line desktop computers.

Chi Shuo took his own seat and pointed to the station to his right. "You can sit here."

During official games, the jungler and mid laner also sat next to each other. It would be good for them to get used to these positions.

Ye Shaoyang took a seat next to Chi Shuo. He'd just turned on the computer when he heard a bright voice from behind him.

"Yang-ge, can I play a round of 1v1 against you?"

Ye Shaoyang turned around and met a pair of bright, twinkling eyes.

The youth's face held an eager, excited expression. Clearly, he wanted to test out the skills of the new player who'd just joined their team.

And this new player was even an omega.

The vast majority of kids at that age liked to prove themselves by playing 1v1. If Ye Shaoyang chickened out, it would give off the impression that the new omega wasn't all that—he was just a pretty face.

Ye Shaoyang gently quirked up the corners of his lips. He looked over with warmth in his eyes and asked, "Are you sure you want to 1v1 me?"

Xie Xiaotian nodded. "Mhm! Let's try a few rounds!"

Chi Shuo remained silent.

The second-string kid had come over so quickly to face certain doom… was it because he thought Ye Shaoyang was an omega, and therefore definitely wouldn't win against him in a 1v1? Ye Shaoyang had just joined the team; it wasn't unexpected that there would be people who weren't satisfied with him joining the starting lineup right away.

Why did he deserve this spot? Lots of players on the second-string team had been playing as substitutes for a year or two already, and none of them had debuted as starting players yet. Ye Shaoyang was just a newbie with no experience in professional games, and he was going to be the starting mid laner next season?

Chi Shuo didn't try to hold Ye Shaoyang back.

Everyone would soon learn that this omega before them wasn't a weak and gentle omega.

…this was a mid lane demon king.