Qi Yanan drove Yu Nuo back to school. On the way, she briefed her about TG’s situation. “Our club is just starting up, and the team was only recently formed. We didn’t have sponsors before, but because they performed well in the group stages, we started seeking investments during the playoffs. Now that we’ve secured funding, we’ve hired more people, though we’re still not fully staffed. We’ll continue to improve over time. I’m mainly in charge of team operations, so you can come to me directly if you have any questions.”
Yu Nuo listened attentively and nodded.
At the school, Yu Nuo got out of the car and thanked her.
Back in her dorm room, she was alone. Yu Nuo changed into slippers, pulled out a chair, and sat down to rest.
After processing everything that had just happened, Yu Nuo picked up her phone and found she had been added to two work groups. One was “TG Logistics Group” and the other was “TG-All.”
Qi Yanan sent her a message: [I added you to the groups. Please keep an eye on the messages, as announcements will be made there.]
Yu Nuo: [Okay, got it.]
Yu Nuo browsed through the TG-ALL group, seeing listings for team leader, coach, translator, psychological analyst, data analyst, operations… and further down, those familiar player IDs.
Killer, Ultraman, Van, Thomas…. Conquer.
She looked at it for a while, then closed her phone.
Around six or seven in the evening, after mentally preparing herself for quite some time, Yu Nuo finally called Yu Ge.
As the phone rang, she organized her thoughts while imagining how Yu Ge would react to the news…
“Hello.” He answered, with some background noise.
Yu Nuo quickly said, “Brother, are you busy? If not, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
Yu Nuo’s fingers twined together nervously, “Today… today I interviewed for a nutritionist position with an LPL team.”
There was a pause on the other end, as if he had moved to a quieter place. “Which team?”
“Well…” Yu Nuo struggled internally before saying the name, “TG.”
“What G?”
Her heart tightened, and she stammered: “TG…”
After a long silence, Yu Ge asked, “Are you joking?”
“No, I’m not.” Yu Nuo explained, “It’s complicated. My roommate was supposed to go, but she had something come up suddenly and asked me to help…”
“……”
“Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”
“I didn’t know it was TG before I went.” Yu Nuo quickly said, “But, I’m just an intern right now, just for a few months. If… if it’s not okay, I can later—”
Before she could finish, Yu Ge hung up.
Yu Nuo felt dejected as she lowered her phone.
Yu Ge rarely got angry with her and had never scolded her. When he was upset, he would simply ignore her like this.
Yu Nuo suddenly felt she had been inconsiderate.
Actually, including the time at the internet café, Yu Nuo had only met with the TG people because she didn’t want to disappoint Fu Yidong. Given the current subtle online tension between Yu Ge and TG, Yu Nuo had instinctively wanted to avoid getting too involved with them.
She felt it was awkward and inappropriate.
However, perhaps because Fu Yidong had mentioned them so often, Yu Nuo had unconsciously started paying attention to them.
That time when she went to watch their matches live, seeing them win game after game, Yu Nuo actually felt proud of them from the bottom of her heart.
Hearing them joke around also made her happy.
So when signing the contract earlier, she hadn’t even hesitated much.
Her only worry was Yu Ge.
Thinking of Yu Ge again, Yu Nuo became despondent and couldn’t help sighing.
—
When Liang Xi returned that evening, she insisted on treating Yu Nuo to dinner, saying she had helped a lot.
They went to a barbecue restaurant near the university town. After ordering, Liang Xi belatedly noticed something was off with Yu Nuo’s mood.
She asked, “Nuo Nuo, what’s wrong? Are you unhappy?”
Yu Nuo forced a smile: “No, just feeling a bit unwell.”
Liang Xi exclaimed, “Do you want me to accompany you to buy some medicine later?”
“No need, I have some in the dorm.”
During the meal, Yu Nuo received another call. She answered – it was A Wen.
Yu Nuo called out, “Brother Wen, what’s up?”
“Oh, nothing, just checking on my little sister. What are you doing?”
“I…” Yu Nuo swallowed her food, “I’m eating out with my roommate.”
A Wen: “Did you fight with your brother?”
Yu Nuo: “No…”
A Wen: “I heard you went for an interview at TG, right?”
Yu Nuo felt anxious but gave a sound of agreement.
“That’s great, we’ll be in the same industry now.” A Wen laughed, speaking casually, “How did the interview go?”
“It was okay.”
“Signed the contract?”
Yu Nuo stared at the reflection in her teacup, “Not yet, just signed an internship contract.”
A Wen paused for a moment, then said, “We don’t know anyone at TG, so be careful. But we’re all in the same circle, if anything happens just come to us. Don’t mind your brother. He acts tough but is soft inside. If there’s any problem, just quit. Your brother has money, he’ll pay the breach of contract fee.”
“…..”
Yu Nuo’s eyes instantly turned red. She held back tears, pretending to cough twice, “Okay, I understand. Thanks, Brother Wen.”
“Alright… that’s all then, go enjoy yourself. I need to go train.”
After the call ended, Liang Xi looked over and saw Yu Nuo with her head down. She asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yu Nuo couldn’t control her expression at the moment, and afraid of losing composure, she lowered her head, “Nothing, let’s eat.”
—
The next day was Yu Zhijiang’s eighth birthday.
Yu Nuo originally didn’t plan to go. However, Yu Jiang called twice at noon. She got up and got ready, then took a taxi to the address they sent.
This was Yu Jiang’s new home, where the family was happily gathered. Yu Zhijiang was running around playing. When Yu Nuo entered, there was a noticeable moment of awkwardness.
She gave a stiff greeting.
The elders told Yu Zhijiang to call her sister, but the little boy struggled, saying no repeatedly, and grabbed a slingshot from the coffee table to shoot at Yu Nuo.
The glass marble hit Yu Nuo’s hand, immediately leaving several red marks.
Second aunt snatched the slingshot from his hands and looked apologetically at Yu Nuo, “Boys this age are a bit naughty, are you okay?”
Yu Nuo was very cold, shaking her head, “It’s fine.”
Yu Zhijiang hid behind second aunt, made a face, and stuck his tongue out at her.
Yu Jiang’s expression darkened and he gave him a slap: “Apologize to your sister.”
Yu Zhijiang cried out: “She’s not my sister!!”
Sun Erlan held him back, “Alright, alright, he’s just a child who doesn’t understand, don’t make a fuss about it. It’s your son’s birthday today, why make everyone unhappy?”
Yu Nuo was pulled to the living room by second aunt to chat.
She sat for a while, then stood up, “I’m going to the bathroom.”
After washing her face in the bathroom, Yu Nuo raised her hand to look at where the marble had hit. Her skin was thin, and now there was a broken patch that had swollen into a large red mark.
She shook it off, dried her hands, and pushed open the door to leave.
Passing by the master bedroom, she could faintly hear arguing inside. Yu Nuo stopped in her tracks.
“Every time you call them over, are you deliberately trying to upset me?”
After a moment of silence, Yu Jiang’s impatient voice rang out, “Who are ‘they’? They’re my son and daughter.”
“Does Yu Ge even consider you his father anymore?! Later you should tell Yu Nuo to call her mother and tell that woman to stop coming to our family asking for money.” Sun Erlan’s voice was broken up, “Little Jiang will be starting middle school in a few years, and the family has lots of expenses. Business hasn’t been good these past few years, and you keep giving money to outsiders – how are we supposed to live?”
…
…
Yu Nuo went to stand on the balcony by herself for a while.
This was a newly developed area in the past two years, with good landscaping. Standing on the balcony, you could see a curved lake in the adjacent park. However, Yu Nuo rarely came here and had never stayed in this home.
There was a sound behind her as the balcony door was pulled open. Yu Nuo turned her head to look.
Yu Jiang asked: “What are you doing here?”
“Getting some air.”
Yu Jiang looked her over for a moment, then nodded, “Come inside, we’re about to eat.”
Yu Nuo called out to stop him: “Dad.”
Yu Jiang turned around.
Yu Nuo: “I won’t stay for food, I’ll head back soon.”
Yu Jiang frowned: “You’re already here, why not eat?”
“I have something at school later.”
Yu Jiang pondered, “You’re graduating this year, right?”
“Yes, this year.”
Yu Jiang was silent, unable to say anything else for a while. He looked at Yu Nuo, his furrowed brow relaxing, “I understand. Tell your brother that next month let him…”
“Dad.” Yu Nuo interrupted him, “From now on, if there’s nothing important, I won’t come anymore.”
Yu Jiang’s expression changed slightly, “What?”
Yu Nuo remained silent.
“Do you and your brother still consider me your father?”
Yu Jiang’s face darkened, releasing the anger he had been holding back: “Who paid to raise you two? Without me, you would have starved to death somewhere long ago.”
“I’m graduating now, and will start working to earn money soon.” Yu Nuo paused, “The money you spent raising me and my brother when we were young, I’ll pay you back in the future.”
“…..”
He snorted coldly, “Your grandmother was right, you’re just like your mother, an ungrateful wretch.”
After saying this, he left without regard for Yu Nuo, slamming the door as he went.
—
Yu Nuo left Yu Jiang’s house and walked aimlessly along the road. She sat on a bench for a while, then looked up at the sky.
It was around four or five in the afternoon. Just moments ago it had been clear skies, but now dark clouds had gathered, with distant thunder rumbling on the horizon.
She was just about to return to school when she received a call from Qi Yanan, “Xiao Nuo, could you come over for a bit? There’s something we need to discuss.”
…
…
Yu Nuo composed herself and took a taxi to the TG base.
At this time, the base was very quiet.
In the third floor office, Qi Yanan handed her several documents, “These are the previous medical examination reports for some TG members, please take a look.”
Yu Nuo took them and flipped through them.
Qi Yanan said: “Ultraman is slightly anemic, and Conquer has low blood sugar. They have matches this weekend and can’t have any problems. Please look into this and prepare a diet plan for them to follow these next few days.”
“Oh right.” Qi Yanan pointed to a nearby desk and said, “There’s a printer there, and we’ve prepared a computer for you. That will be your workspace from now on.”
“Okay, can I use it now?” Yu Nuo continued looking through the medical reports, “It might take a few hours, but I’d like to write up their meal plans before I leave today. By the way, are they still sleeping?”
Qi Yanan checked the time, “They should be getting up soon.”
“Will they have time later?” Yu Nuo thought for a moment, “I’d like to ask about their specific dietary habits and personal preferences. It won’t take long, about ten minutes per person should be enough, and won’t interfere with their training.”
Qi Yanan readily agreed: “No problem, I’ll send them to you when they wake up.”
…
…
Having frequently visited the OG base before, Yu Nuo had a general understanding of professional players’ daily routines. Their basic lifestyle wasn’t very healthy, and after playing professionally for a long time, they all tended to develop various health issues.
After researching for a while, Yu Nuo rubbed her temples and rested her head on the desk for a moment.
After a while, there was a knock at the door.
The first person to come was Chen Yuzheng.
Yu Nuo was a bit surprised but quickly sat up straight. After he sat down, she took out her pen, opened her notebook, gathered her thoughts, and asked several routine questions.
As he answered, she took notes.
Yu Nuo noticed his pale complexion and stopped writing, “Are you not feeling well?”
Chen Yuzheng leaned back in his chair, looking listless with drooping eyes, “Headache.”
“Might be because you just woke up.”
Yu Nuo looked down, searched in her bag for a while, and found a piece of candy, placing it on the conference table.
Seeing he didn’t move, she asked uncertainly: “Would you like to eat it?”
Chen Yuzheng stared at the candy, leaned forward, took it from the table, and slowly unwrapped it before putting it in his mouth.
Yu Nuo patiently advised: “For low blood sugar, you can eat foods high in protein. Also eat more sugary fruits regularly.”
Chen Yuzheng mumbled an agreement while sucking on the candy.
Yu Nuo wasn’t sure if he was really listening, “So what do you usually eat?”
“Takeout.”
Yu Nuo nodded.
“What kind of candy is this?” Chen Yuzheng lounged in his chair, propping his head with his hand, “It’s pretty good.”
“Hold on.” Yu Nuo tore off a sticky note, “I’ll write down the name for you.”
As she was writing, she hesitated. After thinking for a moment, she still said, “Let me add your WeChat, it’ll be easier to keep in touch.”
Chen Yuzheng raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
She quickly added: “I’ll need to add everyone else later too, don’t misunderstand.”
“What would I misunderstand?”
Yu Nuo was stunned, left speechless by his response.
Chen Yuzheng lowered his eyes, unlocked his phone, opened WeChat, and tossed it to her.
Yu Nuo: “……”
How could someone be this lazy?
She picked up both phones and fiddled with them for a bit, then handed his back, “Added.”
Yu Nuo had just finished adding a note to his contact when her phone suddenly vibrated.
She returned to the chat interface—
[Other party transferred you 5,000]
Yu Nuo looked up, just starting to say “you”—
“Don’t worry.” Chen Yuzheng interrupted her, narrowing his eyes, “I’m not as broke as you think.”
Yu Nuo instinctively denied, “That’s not…”
Suddenly there was a noise at the door.
Yu Nuo and Chen Yuzheng both turned to look.
Killer had been pushed by someone, stumbling as he steadied himself against the doorframe, cursing under his breath: “Fuck, I told you guys not to push me!”
He looked up to see both people in the room staring at him.
Caught eavesdropping, their eyes met in a three-way stare. Killer felt awkward too, coughed, and scratched his head, “I… uh, I….”
Van poked his head out from behind him, thick-skinned as he said: “Are you two done talking? I’ve been waiting forever, when’s it going to be my turn?”
…
…
Van went in, and Chen Yuzheng walked to the door where someone grabbed him.
Thomas, full of curiosity, peered inside: “What were you two talking about for so long?”
Chen Yuzheng smirked: “Didn’t you hear?”
Thomas said hatefully: “I came later, couldn’t see past them blocking the way. What were you doing in there so long?”
“Paying a debt.”
Thomas clearly misunderstood, staring at him with a strange expression, “You…”
Chen Yuzheng glanced at him sideways, “What?”
“You were so direct about it?”
Chen Yuzheng: “?”
“You actually used money?!”
Chen Yuzheng laughed, “What else would I use, my body?”
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