TCWSITD – Chapter 34.3

Chapter 34.3 – He Will Leave OT

Training was progressing smoothly. One day, Lin Jiang, accompanied by Ryan, went to visit the hospital.

Doctor Cen praised him for taking good care of himself and casually asked, “Where’s the other guy? Why didn’t he come?”

Lin Jiang was equally helpless. Once Shen Ju decided not to listen, nothing could change his mind—not even nine oxen could drag him over.

Back at the base, Lin Jiang called Shen Ju up to the rooftop for a serious talk.

No matter what Lin Jiang said, Shen Ju never argued back—except when the topic turned to training intensity. At that point, he would immediately lift his head and say, “I think it’s fine.”

Lin Jiang stared at him.

Shen Ju stared back.

Both were showing that stubborn, disobedient attitude.

In the end, Lin Jiang gave in. “I won’t interfere with your training, but you must make time to go to the hospital tomorrow.”

Shen Ju hesitated for a moment but quickly nodded when he caught Lin Jiang’s stern gaze.

Lin Jiang’s expression softened, and he gently ruffled Shen Ju’s hair, “Good boy, I’ll be with you tomorrow.”

Shen Ju nodded obediently.

Once again, he became an obedient puppy.

Unfortunately, the next day, Lin Jiang received a notice for reshoots of a promotional video.

“Just me alone?”

“Yes, they said you’re being sent as the team’s representative.”

The reshoot was strange. Lin Jiang asked the captains of other teams, and they had all received the same notice.

Apparently, this reshoot was for the opening sequence, so only one person from each playoff team was invited, same for all the other teams.

Lin Jiang arrived on time, smoothly greeting all the familiar faces, and then spotted Alike who was in the middle of filming.

Suddenly, a strange feeling of bad luck crept over him.

After KUG’s loss last time, Alike kept a low profile for a bit. This time when Lin Jiang saw him, the usual arrogance was nowhere to be found.

Lin Jiang got along well with people in the circle and chatted for a bit. Someone mentioned Alike: “He didn’t want to come this time, but I heard KUG’s boss insisted, so he obediently showed up.”

The owner, He Gu, insisted?

That made it even stranger.

His family didn’t approve of him founding KUG, and many things were communicated indirectly, creating a bizarre balance. For him to be this blatant was rare.

But after seeing Alike, Lin Jiang somewhat understood—it was probably to try and restore Alike’s reputation a bit?

Once Alike finished filming, it was Lin Jiang’s turn.

As they passed each other, Alike glared at him fiercely, then, as if wary of something, glanced behind him before quickly looking away.

Lin Jiang didn’t pay him any mind and stepped onto the set.

The movements were all choreographed; he just had to follow the director’s cues.

During the shoot, he noticed an unusual number of security guards around, moving about sporadically, the atmosphere oddly tense.

Once the shoot wrapped, the players weren’t allowed to hang around—they were promptly ushered out by staff.

After the first scene, they moved to a larger set for the second.

Following the crew, Lin Jiang’s eyes adjusted to the dim lighting and the noisy crowd.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he passed by a corner, Lin Jiang finally understood why Alike had been so well-behaved.

Because He Gu had been sitting there the whole time, watching them film.

Lin Jiang instantly felt a chill run down his spine.

A neat freak afraid of noise, living in a glass house, actually coming down here to sit in a dirty, chaotic studio?

He must be insane.

Surrounded by equipment, that path was the only way through.

Lin Jiang had no choice but to push through shamelessly, “Excuse me, please.”

He Gu shifted and let him pass.

At the second location, bright lights flooded the space, swallowing up everything in the shadows.

Knowing someone was watching, but not why or what they were looking for, made the filming process feel oddly tense.

Many people in the venue didn’t recognize He Gu and joked with Lin Jiang, “They say your girlfriend is gorgeous. I don’t believe it unless you show me a photo.”

“Haha, I’ve been lucky enough to catch a glimpse—she’s a real beauty, but I didn’t get a clear look. Lin Jiang guards her like a treasure…”

Another buddy chimed in, “Cut it out, guys. You’re gonna make Brother Yu sad.”

All eyes turned to Yu Ming. He’d lost a drinking game before and was forced to confess to Lin Jiang, which gradually became an inside joke among the group.

Yu Ming elbowed the person who was speaking and looked awkwardly at Lin Jiang.“They’re just messing around. Don’t take it seriously.”

Lin Jiang smiled. “It’s fine. They’re just joking around.”

Yu Ming exhaled in relief.

That night he’d lost the game, he had chosen Truth.

Alcohol buzzing in his head, he’d looked at Lin Jiang’s quiet profile beside him and suddenly found the courage to place a hand on his shoulder and confess.

He still remembered the surprise in Lin Jiang’s eyes.

He instinctively pressed down on Yu Ming’s hand, worried he might actually leap forward.

And right then someone burst out laughing, “Yu Ming, you idiot! Lin Jiang’s got a girlfriend! He’s straight!”

At that moment, Yu Ming’s face burned red. He really wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

As everyone mocked him and the situation spiraled out of control, Lin Jiang pressed his hand down and said calmly, “He picked Dare, why are you all freaking out?”

With practiced ease, he casually tossed the “Truth” card back into the deck. No one doubted Lin Jiang’s words, and to this day, everyone still thinks it was just a misunderstanding.

Thinking back, Yu Ming couldn’t help but glance again at Lin Jiang.

He was genuinely grateful. And he’d never quite been able to forget him.

Over the years, Lin Jiang had only grown more captivating. Under the studio lights, every movement he made carried that effortlessly clean, graceful charm that was uniquely his.

Even after two years apart, seeing him still made Yu Ming’s heart race.

Yu Ming clutched his wildly beating heart.

From the shadows, it felt like someone was watching him. He turned—and saw a man in a tailored black suit, a luxury watch peeking from beneath the cuff. One glance, and it was clear that this was someone powerful, not someone you could afford to cross.

He averted his gaze. When Lin Jiang finished shooting, Yu Ming approached. “It’s been a while. Want to catch up sometime?”

The others chimed in enthusiastically, “Yeah, let’s all catch up sometime.”

Lin Jiang wanted to decline. Yu Ming’s eagerness suggested lingering feelings. Just as Lin Jiang was about to politely decline, a movement caught his eye.

The man in the corner stood up.

Lin Jiang instantly changed course. “Sure, sounds good.”

The man sat back down, adopting an even more domineering posture.

His expression was hidden by the dark, but the tension was unmistakable—something oppressive now filled the air of the studio.

When the shoot wrapped and Lin Jiang gathered his things to leave, he’d just reached the downstairs lobby when a staff member stopped him: “Sorry, can you head back up for a quick reshoot?”

Everyone else didn’t need reshoots, why only him?

Lin Jiang had already suspected there was something fishy about these reshoots, and now he was even more convinced.

He Gu was still sitting in the corner watching him.

Lin Jiang truly couldn’t understand what his problem was. After finishing the shoot and packing up to leave, the photographer awkwardly approached him again. “Th-there are still a few shots we need to retake.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the person in the corner, then looked at Lin Jiang with an apologetic expression.

Lin Jiang finally saw through the situation.

He nodded politely. “I need to use the restroom.”

He walked out calmly—and didn’t come back. Left his things behind and went straight for the exit.

Then he messaged the person in charge: [Not feeling well, heading out early. I’ll have my team lead pick up my stuff later…]

He typed away until he reached the ground floor and realized—

The only exit was locked.

All this, just to have a chat?

Such a grand display. This was indeed the same relentless He Gu he knew.

When he made his way back upstairs, He Gu was already standing there, waiting.

Dressed head-to-toe in a sleek black suit, he exuded authority with every breath.

He simply looked at Lin Jiang in silence, and said a single word—

“Talk.”

He had already asserted his authority as the one in control.

The backpack Lin Jiang had left behind was brought out by a bodyguard. The staff pretended not to notice, quietly leaving one after another.

Lin Jiang stared at He Gu for a long time, then looked at the bodyguards behind him and realized he stood no chance.

Power really was something else. If He Gu wanted to talk, then talk they would.

Five minutes later, he was in the backseat of He Gu’s car.

He Gu raised the partition, isolating their conversation.

Lin Jiang deliberately taunted him, “What could possibly be so important that Young Master He has sought me out four times now? How humbling.”

The backseat of the luxury car was spacious, complete with a built-in minibar. He Gu leisurely opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass for Lin Jiang.

“I’m not drinking, thanks.”

He Gu didn’t press him, setting the bottle down and sitting upright across from him. “This route takes you home. I only need fifteen minutes of your time.”

Lin Jiang nodded, signaling he was listening.

He realized He Gu had an uncanny ability to bring out his rebellious side.

He Gu opened a folder and placed a stack of documents on the table.

“I fired everyone who acted without my approval. The contracts that displeased you have all been personally revised by me. I won’t deny signing Alike, but my intention was never to suggest he was better than you or that he would take your starting position. Of course, if you dislike him, I can find a way to terminate his contract.”

A brand-new contract sat quietly between them, radiating quiet authority.

Lin Jiang believed He Gu had indeed revised it and offered favorable terms, but it was clear He Gu still didn’t understand what truly mattered to him.

He tossed the contract back. “Got it. Still not interested.”

The negotiation had failed, but He Gu remained unfazed.

He took a sip of wine slowly and continued, “I know you want a triple crown, but OT can’t give you that. This is a professional assessment I commissioned—OT is at best third in the LPL, and they’d likely only make it to the quarterfinals in Worlds. Even if you join another team, you’d need time to adjust. You don’t have many years left for trial and error. KUG was molded by you. No team suits you better than them.”

Lin Jiang skimmed the data indifferently. “I know.”

He Gu studied him, feeling uncertain for the first time in Lin Jiang’s presence.

Lowering his gaze, he slowly removed his gold-rimmed glasses, set them aside and then loosened his cuffs. “Lin Jiang, you’re being emotional.”

Lin Jiang felt that He Gu was the least qualified person to say those words.

He smiled indifferently, the light overhead refracting coldly in his pupils. “If I hadn’t let emotions lead back then, there wouldn’t even be a KUG today.”

Back when KUG was facing a hostile takeover—with stocks being sold off en masse and its market value nearly crashing past the critical point—not a single person in the industry dared to lend a hand due to the pressure from He Gu’s family.

It was Lin Jiang’s emotional recklessness that pulled off an almost impossible gamble for him. It was Lin Jiang who fiercely led KUG to seize two championships and rise to the top.

He Gu knew.

He knew all of it.

He just wanted to downplay Lin Jiang’s role. Because that might help him wake up sooner from this unrealistic dream.

But the result was—

He couldn’t wake up.

Not at all.

He Gu’s hands clenched tightly, veins starkly visible on his wrists.

Suppressing his emotions, he lowered his stance and asked, “What will it take… for you to come back?”
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