Bai Yu was not as particular as Chen Shi’an. Sharing a bed with Lu Sheng did not seem like a big deal to him.
What he did mind, however, was how Lu Sheng kept pushing his luck. Even after swearing multiple times that he would not try anything, Bai Yu still refused him. “No.”
The streetlights outside went off quickly. Lu Sheng leaned against Bai Yu’s window, cigarette in hand, showing no intention of leaving. From the looks of it, unless Bai Yu told him to get lost, he might really spend the night sleeping outside his door.
Bai Yu ignored him and took his clothes into the bathroom to shower.
By the time he was done, Lu Sheng was still standing in the same spot. His gaze drifted toward Bai Yu now and then, as if lost in thought.
Bai Yu did not acknowledge him. He walked around the room at his own pace. If Lu Sheng wanted to look, then he could look all he wanted. Bai Yu was not going to hide. When he was finally ready to sleep, he got up and walked toward the window.
Lu Sheng quickly put out his cigarette, looking up just in time to see Bai Yu, freshly showered, standing before him with a cool, crisp scent. His slightly raised eyes pulled at something deep in Lu Sheng’s chest, instantly stirring his imagination.
He thought Bai Yu was about to whisper something private to him and leaned in, only for Bai Yu to lift a graceful hand and lightly slap him across the face. Then he shut the window without leaving even a sliver open.
The slap was light, nothing compared to the one that afternoon.
It felt more like Bai Yu had simply brushed his hand across his cheek. But when his fingers passed by, it was as though every drop of blood in Lu Sheng’s body surged downward, only to be abruptly halted by the closing window.
Lu Sheng took a sharp breath from the cigarette that had already been extinguished. He still could not calm down and ended up letting out a low curse under his breath.
How the hell was he supposed to sleep after that?
That night, Lu Sheng tossed and turned in bed, completely unable to settle down.
On the other hand, Bai Yu slept soundly. It had been a long time since he had slept so well, as if a heavy weight had finally been lifted off his chest.
By the time he opened his eyes, daylight was already pouring in.
He had overslept. Bai Yu got up quickly.
There were several messages on his phone. He replied to them one by one, until he reached the last one from Lu Sheng: I dreamed about you last night.
It was as if something knocked him in the head. Bai Yu replied: What did you dream?
The moment he sent it, he regretted it and reached to retract the message. But before he could, the chat already showed “typing,” and then Lu Sheng replied: I dreamed that you couldn’t sleep at night, came to find me, smelled so nice, and I held you between my legs, sleeping happily until the next morning. Then I woke up and realized I was hugging a pillow. Got excited for nothing.
Bai Yu stared at the screen: "......."
He really would send anything.
Silently, he opened his conversation with Song Bo: Remember to collect everyone's phones later. We’re starting full-closure training.
Song Bo, still as energetic as ever, replied: Got it!
Bai Yu took a deep breath and patted his own face. His personal emotions were now sorted out. From here on, he would give his full focus to the playoffs.
After changing into fresh clothes, he made his way to the training room. One by one, the others began arriving at the base. Compared to the cold quietness of the day before, the place was now bustling with noise and chatter.
Qi Yi was the first to arrive. Before sunrise, he had already arranged for his uncle to have someone drive him over, hauling a heavy suitcase loaded with gear.
He had tried to be discreet, but Bai Yu still noticed something was off.
This guy had actually moved his personal gaming setup into the dorm and built himself a cozy little corner. He stayed holed up there all morning playing games, with the doors and windows tightly shut.
Bai Yu knocked on his window and warned him, “You’re not allowed to bring this stuff into the team dorms. Pack it up in a box and leave it in my room.”
Qi Yi had thought no one would notice. Getting caught by Bai Yu left him looking pitiful.
He pleaded, promising it would not interfere with training. In the end, they compromised. He would get it back during the half-day breaks each week. The rest of the time, it had to be locked away in Bai Yu’s room.
Next came Fang Zhixu. He arrived earlier than the time Bai Yu had set. Smiling sweetly, he greeted Bai Yu, then rolled his suitcase into his room to unpack. Afterward, he grabbed a quick bite and jumped straight into training, eager to perform well in front of Bai Yu. Unfortunately, his computer malfunctioned.
Bai Yu spent quite some time fiddling with it before finally replacing the faulty hard drive with Xu Bo’s backup to fix the problem.
Then came Chen Shi’an, arriving right on time.
He wore a crisp white shirt and light-colored trousers. Even his suitcase looked spotless. Standing outside greeting everyone, he looked more like he was on vacation.
Bai Yu was rolling up his sleeves and wiping down his desk. When he saw Chen Shi’an’s outfit, he could not resist teasing him, “Wearing something so clean, does that mean you’re not planning to do any work?”
Chen Shi’an still smiled gently. “Was hoping I might get lucky enough for the captain to wipe it down for me?”
Bai Yu was not having it. Fairness came before all else. If he wiped Chen Shi’an’s desk, he would have to do the same for Lu Sheng, and then Qi Yi, Fang Zhixu, and so on. At that rate, he would be wiping desks until dinner.
So he flatly refused. “Do it yourself.”
Chen Shi’an did not mind. He smiled, went upstairs to unpack, and then came back down to join the cleaning crew. It had only been two days, but his machine had already collected dust.
Once the cleaning was done, Xu Bo finally arrived at the base, leisurely as ever.
With his hands in his pockets, he walked around surveying the area, looking more like a supervisor than Bai Yu himself. He was the last to arrive and somehow had the nerve to complain that Fang Zhixu had borrowed his hard drive without permission.
Bai Yu cracked his knuckles. “Xu Yibo, I think you’ve gone wild after two days off.”
Xu Bo could tell things were heading south and quickly made his escape.
He ran out so fast he collided with Lu Sheng just as the latter was entering. The crash knocked Lu Sheng’s keyboard right out of his hands.
It hit the floor and a few keys broke off.
The room fell silent. Everyone expected a storm to break out.
But to their surprise, Lu Sheng remained calm. Not a trace of anger showed on his face. He bent down, picked up the keyboard, and walked straight over to Bai Yu. “Captain, I need a new keyboard.”
Bai Yu glanced at him. “Use a spare for now.”
Lu Sheng simply carried the replacement back to his seat.
Xu Bo and the others exchanged confused looks. Something was definitely off, but they could not say exactly what.
Chen Shi’an observed Bai Yu thoughtfully. When Bai Yu noticed his gaze and looked back, Chen Shi’an opened his mouth to say something, but Bai Yu had already looked away.
Something was off.
Both Bai Yu and Lu Sheng were acting strange today.
After tidying up his desk, Chen Shi’an used a wet wipe to clean his hands. Fang Zhixu, who also seemed to have picked up on something unusual, leaned over and quietly asked, “Did something happen?”
Chen Shi’an wore a warm smile again. “No idea. Maybe it’s because a new coach is coming.”
Fang Zhixu looked surprised. “A new coach?”
The room had grown noisy again. On the first day back to work, there were already plenty of tasks to get through, and it was clear not everyone had adjusted.
Bai Yu was all over the place. With Zhou Xunwen absent, he had to manage not only the training department but also everything else. He was so busy that he barely had time to breathe. As a result, training had to be put on hold.
Everyone in the training room was waiting for instructions. Most were using the time to rest everyone except Lu Sheng, whose keyboard continued tapping steadily.
After learning about the new coach, Fang Zhixu confirmed the news with Song Bo, but he did not manage to learn much else. The few of them were left whispering among themselves.
“Is the new coach coming in to replace Song Bo?”
“Doesn’t seem like it. If Song Bo is still doing the BP, it’s not really a new coach, more like a trainer.”
“A trainer? That sounds terrifying.”
“It’s actually normal for every team to have one. But if they went out of their way to hire someone specifically, it probably means they’re planning targeted training.”
“Wait… they’re not targeting me, are they? Qi Yi, what do you think?”
“Me? I’m fine with whatever.”
“Well, either way, having a new coach join the team never means anything good...”
Hearing that, Chen Shi’an smiled faintly. “Maybe you’re right. But since Bai Yu has already made the decision, there’s no point in resisting.”
Just then, Bai Yu received a phone call.
Whatever was said on the other end prompted him to head out immediately. From the look on his face, he intended to greet the person himself. Clearly, this was someone he held in high regard.
Xu Bo found it odd. “What kind of coach needs that much attention? Bai Yu didn’t even greet me like that when I joined the team.”
There was still a calm, unhurried smile on his face, as if he had known about this all along. When he noticed Fang Zhixu’s gaze, the smile deepened noticeably, as though he was quietly enjoying the scene that was about to unfold.
Fang Zhixu's first thought: this was probably going to end badly.
Meanwhile, Bai Yu stepped outside to receive Lin Kun. His arrival had been kept completely confidential. He was bundled up tightly, and even the staff were unaware of his presence. Bai Yu led him straight to the conference room on the fourth floor. Not even the person responsible for serving water was called. Once inside, he shut the door behind them, ensuring total privacy for their conversation.
He gestured for Lin Kun to take a seat, then went downstairs to retrieve the necessary documents for the contract signing. He also assigned someone to keep watch at the stairwell.
Once everything was in place, Bai Yu sat down across from Lin Kun. "Shall we begin?"
Lin Kun gave a slight nod and reached up to remove his mask. His deep gaze settled on Bai Yu as he spoke in a slightly hoarse voice. "Let’s start."
Before inviting Lin Kun to join as coach, Bai Yu had already spoken with him extensively online. Only after confirming they were aligned on all major points did he formally invite him to come sign the contract in person.
Bai Yu had gone through every section of the agreement with care. He now placed the contract in front of Lin Kun and explained each clause thoroughly. The two had been teammates for many years, so they understood each other well and knew exactly what the other wanted. As a result, the negotiation went smoothly, with no significant issues.
Lin Kun only skimmed through the document before signing his name.
While he was signing, Bai Yu held his breath. Once it was done, he could not help but ask, “No objections?”
Lin Kun signed without hesitation and set down the pen. “This is your team. All strategic directions should be decided by you. I’m just someone here to do the job.”
His words brought Bai Yu genuine relief.
Ever since their major falling-out years ago over conflicting philosophies, Bai Yu had held lingering concerns. He deeply admired Lin Kun and recognized his talent, but Lin Kun’s influence had always loomed large. Even now, Bai Yu could not help but feel a degree of self-doubt in his presence. There was always a subtle sense of unease, a subconscious fear that Lin Kun was beyond constraint, and that any suggestion he made might lead to a clash in values.
Fortunately, that would no longer be an issue.
After double-checking the contract and finding no problems, Bai Yu stood and extended his hand solemnly. “Welcome to the team.”
Still seated, Lin Kun reached out and shook his hand. His fingers were long and firm, his grip commanding, but it only lasted a moment before he let go. “I’m looking forward to working with you.”