You’re Causing Chaos Again

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Shen Yanming caught a glimpse of He Changkong’s darkened expression from the corner of his eye and realized that he had spoken too hastily. But it was too late to backpedal now. He had to keep up the act of being a tough guy.

He noticed that Eyes initially displayed a hint of panic, but after a moment, he managed to conceal those emotions. At least, it wasn’t evident from his face. With an innocent look in his eyes, Eyes asked, “Luan ge, what are you talking about? Did I do something wrong?”

Shen Yanming lightly tapped the envelope against Eyes’s face, making a slight smacking sound. Eyes turned his head away, saying, “Don’t do this, there’s surveillance.”

Shen Yanming chuckled, “Wow, are you threatening me?”

He was truly exuding a bit of a bully vibe.

Eyes stubbornly remained silent with his neck tensed. Shen Yanming continued, “You’ve been at the base for how long? And how long have I been here? I know every path in this base like the back of my hand. Let me tell you, there are no cameras around here. You better prepare for the worst.”

He Changkong: “…You haven’t been here that long either.”

Upon hearing the phrase “prepare for the worst,” Eyes was quite shocked. He instinctively thought he was going to get beaten up in this blind spot of surveillance. “What are you planning?! Banning orders are given for fighting!”

Shen Yanming retorted, “So what if I fought you? I’m not afraid of any bans. I’ll start by breaking your fingers one by one. You won’t even dream of playing games again.”

Eyes: “……!!!”

Shen Yanming’s tone sounded nonchalant, but he was flexing his muscles as he spoke. People had warned Eyes before that it was impossible to predict Luanzi ge’s actions by conventional standards. Being younger, he was starting to feel quite anxious getting confronted like this.

Shen Yanming finished stretching his muscles, then shook the envelope in his hand and pulled out a few sheets of paper, pressing them in front of Eyes. He commanded, “Idiot, I don’t even want to bother fighting you… Take a look at what you’ve been saying online.”

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The printed pages contained forum posts, some from the anonymous user with that username and others from Eyes using his own account to troll.

Eyes quickly scanned the posts. Although he remained relatively composed, his face revealed some discomfort. Still, he tried to maintain his composure and said, “This wasn’t me…”

Shen Yanming raised his voice, “You want to say that again?”

Eyes was startled, “…No.”

“I’ve already got your real name from the admin. It’s you who posted these, and you’re still trying to deny it,” Shen Yanming glanced at He Changkong and nodded, “Cui zui1cui zui: “翠嘴”cuì zuǐ is a slang term used in Chinese internet culture to describe someone who constantly complains, whines, or is negative about everything. It’s often used to mock individuals who are overly critical or pessimistic. The term “cui” (脆) in this context refers to someone being easily offended or sensitive, and “mouth” (嘴) refers to their constant vocalization of complaints. Overall, it’s a playful way of labeling someone who tends to bring a negative vibe to conversations., hold him accountable.”

He Changkong: “…”

Seeing that He Changkong didn’t pick up his cue, Shen Yanming muttered, “Why aren’t you cooperating?” He turned back to Eyes and continued his act, “Do you admit it?”

In fact, the part about obtaining Eyes’ personal information was a bluff. Even forum admins wouldn’t have the authority to provide outsiders with users’ personal details. However, Eyes didn’t understand these details, and with the series of threats that had already cracked his psychological defenses, he was struggling to keep up a tough front. Despite wanting to maintain his composure, he couldn’t bring himself to say much.

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“You’re quite timid, huh? You throw punches online, but in reality, you’re all meek and submissive,” Shen Yanming pursued, “Now, explain why you did these things. I might consider not reporting you for what you’ve done.”

Eyes: “…”

Shen Yanming continued with the intimidation, “Do you understand the consequences? Not only will our team not want you, but other teams won’t either. You’ll be forced to return to school, and what you’ve done will be exposed on public platforms. People everywhere will continue to berate you.”

Eyes was on the verge of a breakdown, “I was wrong, ge. I admit… I posted those things, but I didn’t really want to.”

Originally, only a few close teammates knew about Shen Yanming and He Changkong’s relationship. They were people they absolutely trusted, not prone to spreading rumors. Therefore, when the anonymous forum user confidently claimed that they were in a relationship, everyone found it suspicious.

After all, except for CP fans, most people wouldn’t jump to romantic conclusions just because they saw two guys being close.

With this clarification, Eyes finally admitted to the truth.

It wasn’t a wild guess he made on his own; Lan had told him.

Back when Lan left TMM and joined an overseas team, he initially sat on the bench. But later, due to some changes within the team, he seemed to mention his familiarity with TMM’s tactics and strategies from his time there. He used this to secure himself a chance. On the surface, there was nothing wrong with this approach. Fair competition on the global stage was what mattered.

However, he was far from content.

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After returning from the training camp, Andrew seemed to have said something within the team. This person had truly witnessed Shen Yanming and He Changkong holding hands. However, holding hands wasn’t substantial evidence. While others might have dismissed it, Lan wasn’t like the rest. He immediately sensed something was amiss.

Yet, he was quite cunning. He cited his inability to access domestic forums while overseas as a reason, enlisting Eyes’ help to post on his behalf. Most of those posts were directed by Lan through Eyes.

Listening to all this, Shen Yanming’s reaction was a mix of surprise and incredulity, “Did he put a spell on you? And you actually listened to him? What did he tell you? Did he suggest that if you get rid of Kong ge, you can take his place?”

“It’s not like that… I used to play games with Lan ge before. He didn’t have a dedicated healer on the team, so privately, I acted as his support,” Eyes explained, cautiously glancing at He Changkong, “He also said that once I’m old enough, I can join the team officially. But before I got here, he ran into some issues and left.”

Shen Yanming rubbed his forehead in exasperation, “You knew he ran into issues… You know what happened to him, right?” Admittedly, if someone makes a mistake, they should have the chance to correct it, and it’s not wrong to make friends with such people. But from what Shen Yanming saw, Lan hadn’t truly changed. Moreover, Eyes wasn’t just maintaining contact; he was participating in harmful activities alongside him.

“I know… but he’s not entirely bad,” Eyes lowered his head, “When my grandmother was sick, Lan ge helped a lot and even provided financial assistance. I know what I did was wrong. I initially refused, but Lan ge said he had finally found a team overseas that would accept him, and if he failed this time, he might have no future left. Besides, I also felt I couldn’t be too… ungrateful.”

Shen Yanming was somewhat at a loss on how to evaluate this. How should he put it? Should he praise Lan for having some conscience?

However, these actions couldn’t cancel out the negatives. Most people weren’t wholly evil, but doing a few good deeds doesn’t automatically make up for the bad ones. There’s a balance to maintain.

Shen Yanming grabbed Eyes’ collar and asked, “So, he has no future if he fails, but have you thought about Kong ge’s future? Do you know how ruthless this industry is? A single loss in a major tournament might mean there’s no next time. Can you bear that responsibility if he really fails?”

He Changkong, who had been observing silently, finally spoke up, “If you truly want to repay him, if you care about him, you should have rejected him. What you’re doing is actually harming him.”

Perhaps being young, he hadn’t thought through all of this. Manipulated and used as a pawn, Eyes’ face turned pale when he heard these words, “I’m sorry… I know I was wrong.”

Shen Yanming, still not shedding his tough demeanor, spoke coldly, “Do you really understand? Or are you just pretending? Are you going to bow your head now and then continue being Lan ge’s informant behind our backs?”

Eyes was on the verge of tears, “I… I won’t, really.”

Shen Yanming challenged him, “Why should I believe you?”

After hesitating for a while, Eyes seemed to muster his resolve, “Can I… voluntarily report this to the team manager? But can you not get me dismissed?”

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This attitude was considered sincere enough. Shen Yanming clicked his tongue and released the visibly trembling Eyes, “Whether you get dismissed or not isn’t my call.”

Of course, words alone from Eyes couldn’t be taken as proof. Whether he had truly understood, felt remorse, or was considering his own future, he provided the team manager with his chat records and screen recordings with Lan. He wasn’t lying; it was evident that Lan was directing every move, and some of the messages were even written by Lan and then sent through Eyes.

Taking into account that Eyes wasn’t the mastermind and that he confessed on his own, and his attitude towards admitting his mistake, the final punishment was just a reprimand and a fine. Of course, this fine was something he couldn’t afford at the moment, so he would essentially be working without pay for the team for the next year.

After sending Eyes away, the two of them discussed the matter with the team managers.

For various reasons, He Changkong and the others hadn’t come out to the team managers yet, simply stating that the comments on the forum were just rumors. Regarding Xu Yun’s incident at the hotel, the managers didn’t know the specifics of their conversation; they only knew that there was some dispute.

Lan was currently part of an overseas club, and unless the official organizing committee intervened, the opponent’s club wouldn’t take action. But that wasn’t a big issue, as the evidence was clear, and the opposing club itself wasn’t overly invested in Lan. If they did present the evidence, Lan would likely be benched again or even banned from competitions.

Yet, this course of action seemed rather lackluster.

Before discussing this with the managers, He Changkong had privately told Shen Yanming his conjecture that Lan might have contacted Xu Yun, which would explain why she reacted so quickly. After all, their conflict wasn’t exactly a secret, and even players knew his relationship with his family wasn’t great. Moreover, as a former teammate, Lan was well aware of Xu Yun’s personality.

Lan had always been petty, perhaps thinking that a few of his teammates were responsible for his dismissal. If he found a chance for revenge, he certainly wouldn’t let it slip by.

However, this was merely He Changkong’s speculation.

In any case, with the current situation, letting Lan just disappear like that left Shen Yanming unsatisfied.

So, he said to the team manager, “Let’s keep the evidence for now. He wants to play in the World Championships, right? Let him play. Let him experience using underhanded tactics against opponents. It’s one thing to play openly and another to face desperation after being openly defeated. Afterward, we can reveal all this evidence. Just thinking about it is satisfying.”

But the coach retorted, “Sure, you can do that, but don’t get too full of yourselves… Haven’t the matches that Changkong played last time cooled you down enough?”

He Changkong had actually wanted to take this opportunity to report his previous deliberate underperformance to the higher-ups, accept the penalty, and get it over with. So, as they talked about this, he openly explained the situation, saying that he had pretended to play badly just to lure out the culprits.

Coach Afeng expression was complicated. After a moment of contemplation, he said, “We all know how your mother is. Given the way she can mess with your head, it’s normal for your mindset to be unstable. Winning and losing is part of the competition. Losing a match is just that – losing. We might know you well enough from our time together to know you wouldn’t say something baseless, but if you go report this to the organizing committee, they’ll just think it’s absurd.”

Though the coach didn’t state it explicitly, both of them understood his underlying message. He implied that, in the end, it’s just a loss; there’s no need to claim deliberately losing. No one can be victorious all the time, and forcefully stating that you were acting might make it seem like you can’t accept the reality of losing. It comes across more like being stubborn than being straightforward.

He Changkong said, “…”

And so, this baffling issue was brushed aside like this.

When they returned to their room, Shen Yanming wanted to ask He Changkong how they should deal with his mother. However, the moment they entered the room, He Changkong didn’t give him a chance to ask any questions. Instead, He Changkong seized the opportunity to say, “Do you know what you did wrong just now?”

Shen Yanming was perplexed, “Huh?”

He Changkong continued, “If you don’t remember, let me remind you.”

Shen Yanming chuckled, “Are you learning how to act like a school bully from me? Your expression isn’t fierce enough; let me teach you…”

As he said this, he reached out to touch He Changkong’s face.

He Changkong caught Shen Yanming’s wrist, “You just called someone else ‘little baby’.”

Shen Yanming was momentarily taken aback, then burst into laughter, “…Are you jealous?”

He Changkong, however, didn’t beat around the bush and admitted directly, “Yes.”

Shen Yanming chuckled, “Hahaha.”

He Changkong remarked, “You’ve never called me that.”

Considering He Changkong’s demeanor, calling him “little baby” indeed felt quite awkward. However, Shen Yanming had a spark of inspiration. He tilted his head and tried tentatively, “Big baby?”

He Changkong ignored him.

Shen Yanming decided to use a bit of coquettishness, “Wife… wife wife, I was wrong.”

He Changkong responded coldly, “You had many ‘wife’ before.”

Shen Yanming was caught off guard. He used to be a typical straight guy, and a playboy at that. Although it was all banter, he was, indeed, unable to refute. After rubbing his face, he hesitated for a while and then somewhat embarrassedly said, “Then… husband?”

He Changkong: “…!”

Translator’s Note:

Hello, sorry for the inconvenience, as some of you might notice, I have missed a sentence in the last chapter update right before the tattoo part. Thank you so much for pointing it out in the comment section . I’ve updated the chapter, fixed those mistakes, and added a word explanation too earlier today. For future updates, I’ll make sure to re-check more thoroughly before publishing it. Do look forward to tomorrow’s updates

Thank you for reading! 

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1cui zui: “翠嘴”cuì zuǐ is a slang term used in Chinese internet culture to describe someone who constantly complains, whines, or is negative about everything. It’s often used to mock individuals who are overly critical or pessimistic. The term “cui” (脆) in this context refers to someone being easily offended or sensitive, and “mouth” (嘴) refers to their constant vocalization of complaints. Overall, it’s a playful way of labeling someone who tends to bring a negative vibe to conversations.