Esports world champion, debuted as the center of a talent show

Lin Shi led Jiang Zhiyu straight upstairs from the underground parking garage to the public relations department.

The public relations manager's eyes lit up when he saw the two of them: "You've finally arrived."

"What's the situation right now?" Lin Shi frowned as he leaned over to look at the real-time public opinion monitoring interface on the computer screen.

"The current focus of the public debate is still on Soul's likes and the timing of his comments, which is the most difficult part to handle. Fans are now united in their demand that River himself respond, so we'd like to ask for your thoughts."

Jiang Zhiyu walked to the window and looked at the crowd gathered in the square below. The number of people did not seem to be decreasing; on the contrary, it seemed to be increasing.

Behind him, the conversation between the public relations manager and Lin Shi could be heard clearly.

Lin Shi asked in a deep voice, "Have you contacted Soul? What's his attitude?"

"Soul is completely refusing to communicate with anyone. They won't answer the phone or reply to messages." The public relations manager said with a helpless tone, and then sighed heavily.

"Is he not in the training room or dormitory?"

"We went to look for them, but they weren't there. They said they took leave at the last minute before the training match started today."

"Keep in touch, you must find him—"

"May I give him a call?"

Jiang Zhiyu did not turn around, his voice kept very low.

The public relations manager hesitated for a moment: "Of course, but he's not answering anyone's calls right now..."

"It's nothing," Jiang Zhiyu turned to look at him, his profile glowing orange in the sunset. "Can I borrow your phone for a second? I'll try it out."

"it is good."

The public relations manager immediately turned around, picked up the phone on the table, and handed it over.

Jiang Zhiyu didn't immediately dial Soul's number. Instead, he first edited and sent a message: "[Soul Bro, this is Jiang.]"

He stared quietly at the chat interface, waited silently for two minutes, and then slowly pressed the dial button.

beep - beep -

The busy signal seemed to last an exceptionally long time.

A few seconds later, the call was connected.

The public relations manager looked up at Jiang Zhiyu in shock, but then realized that the other party was River, and looked down at the phone that had been answered.

There was silence on the other end of the phone, only the sound of soft breathing.

Jiang Zhiyu broke the silence first: "Brother Soul—"

"I know what you're trying to say," the other person interrupted him, their words clearly indicating their avoidance of the topic.

"..."

"Jiang, I'm not young anymore. I don't have much time to waste. I have to think about myself. This is a reality that none of us can escape."

"..."

"That's all, I'm hanging up."

"So you contacted Entertainment Express privately and tacitly allowed them to spread rumors and slander your teammates, all for your own sake?"

Jiang Zhiyu suddenly spoke. He closed his eyes and gripped his phone tightly in his hand.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Soul tried to argue.

"Vax is just a rookie making his ZPL debut, and you're ruining his career by doing this."

"I told you I don't know what you're talking about!" His voice became somewhat shrill.

"You usually use the private chat function on social media platforms to contact each other."

There was an instant silence on the other end, a long pause before someone spoke, their voice trembling slightly: "How did you know?"

"That blogger is your friend, and the source of his information is you... You told me this yourself two years ago." Jiang Zhiyu paused, "You forgot, just like you forgot what you promised me."

The public relations manager looked up in shock, his pupils dilating.

Lin Shi frowned, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

If what Jiang Zhiyu said is true, the severity of this matter goes beyond just "stirring up trouble."

"You should know that the club is already drafting a lawyer's letter, preparing to hold them accountable," Lin Shi said, patting Jiang Zhiyu on the shoulder.

Soul took a deep breath, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke: "I understand. How do you want me to cooperate?"

The group meticulously reviewed the entire contents of the apology statement and the public relations response. Soul remained in low spirits and spoke in a dejected tone throughout.

Finally, Jiang Zhiyu said what he had been holding back: "Vax is someone I brought into RXG. I will protect him, just like you did for me when I first joined RXG."

The public relations manager, holding his phone, turned and walked into the conference room to handle the follow-up matters.

Jiang Zhiyu leaned against the window, watching the darkening sky and the gradually brightening streetlights, remaining silent for a long time.

He had always known that since Jing Chi left, he had become a stubborn and childish patient.

A patient who stubbornly believes he can hold up the sky every day.

He gave a self-deprecating smile, a dull ache throbbing in his temple.

As I looked down, I caught a glimpse of blue in my peripheral vision.

It was a different shade of blue from the lake blue, but it was just as bright in the twilight.

The blue sky enveloped the crowd in the square, and he saw the word "River" shining brightly in the crowd, like stars surrounded by a cluster of stars.

In a daze, he suddenly remembered the blue lake he saw on the stage during the first performance.

"Can I become a river, a lake, or a sea?" he murmured to himself.

"What?" Lin Shi didn't hear clearly and walked closer to ask.

Jiang Zhiyu shook his head and remained silent.

"Shall I take you back?" Lin Shi didn't ask any further questions, but simply stood behind him and patted the dust off his clothes that had gotten on him at the film studio.

Jiang Zhiyu didn't answer, but pointed to the fans who were still downstairs and asked instead, "Are they waiting for me?"

Lin Shi followed his finger and looked down, seeing many River support items. Amidst these rampant rumors, fans were expressing their support for him in their own ways.

A staff member standing nearby couldn't help but reply, "Your fans are very loyal. Usually, it's best to just let things cool down. They'll leave on their own later."

"But they're waiting for me." Jiang Zhiyu's tone was very soft, as if he were confirming something.

Then, he turned to look at Lin Shi, his eyes shining: "Can I go down? As a River?"

The time spent in the draft changed his perceptions a lot, making him realize the value of fans' genuine affection, something that "River," who used to be focused on playing professionally, had never experienced before.

So he wanted to respond to his fans' love earnestly and sincerely as a River.

Lin Shi hesitated upon hearing this, worried that the emotionally charged crowd might lose control and harm him.

But looking into Jiang Zhiyu's bright and clear eyes, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to refuse.

"I'll get security to accompany you downstairs, but don't get too close."

When the fans downstairs saw the figure they had been longing for appear at the gate of the RXG club, they were almost all stunned and stood frozen in place.

Jiang Zhiyu, wearing a mask, stood under the large sign of "RXG Esports Club" and waved to the crowd.

The fans instantly stirred, and a few quick-thinking individuals abruptly pulled back their hands, rolling up the banner that contained uncivil language.

"Am I seeing things? That's R-God?"

"Am I dreaming? Pinch me—ouch! That hurts! It's real!"

"Oh my god, it's only been a little over a month since I last saw him, but it feels like I haven't seen him for years."