Lin Yan scratched his head. He turned on the speakerphone, opened the bathroom door, and looked at his face in the mirror.
Since he had inherited his parents' good looks, Lin Yan had to look at himself in the mirror every morning. It was convenient for him to wake up from his sleepy state.
Looking at the teenager in the mirror, Lin Yan pinched his cheeks in satisfaction. His face was fair and clean, and his jawline was perfect.
"… Study hard, do you hear me?"
His father on the other end of the phone ended his daily nagging. "I'll be back in Shanghai in a couple of days. Let's talk then."
Lin Yan's mouth was full of toothpaste foam. He hurriedly answered and hung up the phone.
Chubby sent him a WeChat message, asking him to meet at three o 'clock in the afternoon. The location was a McDonald's in downtown Suzhou. Shanghai was not far from Suzhou, and it would take less than an hour to get there by high-speed rail.
But this also showed Chubby's sincerity.
Lin Yan opened his closet and found a white sweater. His black pants made his legs look slender. He put on a hat, which no one liked. He put on his headphones and left the room.
He was usually alone in the nearly 200-square-meter house. His mother had died early, and his father was a senior employee of a listed Internet company. He often went on business trips and made a lot of money, but his relationship with his son was very dull.
Lin Yan did not want to follow his father's plan for him step by step. He felt that there was a rebellious passion hidden in his bones. He was not interested in studying, and the livestream two months ago was a spur of the moment rebellion.
To his surprise, his father actually agreed to it.
It was two o 'clock when he arrived at the meeting place. Lin Yan ordered a double cheeseburger set. He finished it in a few bites, leaned back in his chair, and drank coke while looking at the street outside the window.
Just after half past two, a large man squeezed through the door of the fast food restaurant.
Lin Ran recognized Chubby Toottoot at a glance. He had to admit that a person of this size walking on the street would attract more attention than his handsome and eye-catching self.
As soon as he stood up, Chubby noticed the ridiculously handsome Lin Yan in the corner. He walked up to Lin Yan and stretched out his chubby hand, his round eyes looking Lin Yan up and down.
After sitting down, Chubby went straight to the point.
"Have you thought about the question I asked you this morning?"
Chubby placed his briefcase on the table and asked, "What's your future career plan?"
"You want to be a streamer?"
"Or do you want to be a student and find a job after graduation?"
Lin Yan was silent for a while.
"Are you doing well in school?"
Chubby asked a heart-wrenching question. When he was young, these questions had hurt his young heart countless times.
"It's quite ordinary." Lin Yan always said whatever he wanted to say.
Chubby perked up. "As an experienced person, I'd like to say a few words to you."
"If you want to study normally, it's very likely that you'll find a job that you won't be satisfied with after graduation. Then, you'll get a modest salary, and your life won't necessarily be happy …"
Lin Yan nodded. He agreed with this statement.
"With your talent, it's a pity to be a streamer. Also, on the way to Suzhou today, I roughly understood that your results as a streamer are quite average. In other words, the effect of your program is not good."
Lin Yan also admitted that he hadn't found a way to interact well with the bullet screen. He was afraid that his sharp words would hurt the audience.
"Look at the current streamers on the platform. They're either former professional players or entertainment streamers with good live streaming effects. Which one do you think you belong to?"
Chubby was frank and honest, telling Lin Yan the pros and cons one by one.
"So, in my opinion, playing professionally is a very suitable path for you. If you succeed and come back as a streamer, you'll gain a lot of audience. Then, you'll gain both fame and fortune."
"Sounds good." Lin Yan felt that he had made a move. He pondered for two seconds and raised his head to look into Chubby's round eyes. "But are you sure I can make a name for myself professionally?"
"I can't be 100% sure," Chubby replied. "I won't lie to you. The path of e-sports has always been both dangerous and rewarding. You can waste your youth in this industry and be mediocre, or you can become famous overnight."
"Many people have fallen in the City Hero Tournament, the LSPL Secondary League, and the LPL League. They were also talented players with high scores, but there's a big difference between playing professionally and playing ranked matches. It's not as simple as you think."
"But I'm sure you're different from them." Chubby looked straight into Lin Yan's eyes and leaned forward slightly. "You're a genius."
Lin Yan was a little surprised by this evaluation. Although he was sure that he had a unique talent in League of Legends, and his classmates who played the game often said that he was a genius, this sentence from Chubby had a different meaning.
After all, the fatty sitting across from him could be considered one of the best retired LPL players.
"If you put in enough effort, your talent is enough to support you in the LPL League."
"This time, I'm not just here for you," Chubby admitted frankly. "This morning, I got the contact information of a lot of young players with high scores. I'll go door to door and visit those who are interested in playing professionally."
"I've also asked someone to arrange for a spot in the LSPL League. I'll probably buy a team with poor results and change the name."
This wasn't a secret. Chubby wanted to show Lin Yan his ability to execute. It hadn't even been a day since he made up his mind to set up a team, and he had acted quickly.
Lin Yan was well aware of all this.
Chubby glanced at Lin Yan's handsome face and said in a deep voice, "Yesterday, you asked me why I wanted to set up an Alliance team …"
"Maybe it's because my professional career wasn't very successful," Chubby continued. "After playing professionally for a few years, my best result was only in the top eight of the S League. Although I've won a lot of championships in the domestic league, it's still a little lacking."
"Before I called you this morning, I thought about it carefully for an hour. I had a lot of regrets when I was a player. Sometimes, when I lost a game, I would go to bed at night and wonder if I did something wrong. If I didn't make a mistake, would the final result have been different?"
Chubby smiled bitterly. "In the end, it's hard to reconcile, but it's not impossible to make it the future goal of my professional team boss."
"I want to win the first league championship, the first international championship. I want the club's name to be engraved in the history of League of Legends."
When he said this, the man's eyes lit up. It was like an unfulfilled dream of his youth.
"I'll go back and talk to my father." Lin Yan didn't immediately express his opinion. "If I make a decision, I'll contact you."
Chubby was waiting for this sentence. He excitedly reached out his hand and shook Lin Yan's hand.
This was another piece of good news for him after leaving Shanghai. It was his first time working in an esports club after retirement. Chubby was a little scared.
Chubby didn't stay in Suzhou for long. According to him, he still had to go to Weihai, where a young genius was waiting for him.