Manager Ke paused for a moment, believing his hesitation had to do with price adjustments. He hurriedly said with a smile on his face, “Xiao Xue, you don’t know, this price isn’t available to ordinary people now, but I have negotiated for you through many parties. Team Thunder is currently the most well-funded professional team. They want to focus on training you, and they promise to consider giving you a starting position!”

Xue Lan shook his head, still did not accept the contract, and said sternly, “Manager Ke, I don’t want to go to join Team Thunder. I can’t sign this contract.”

“You don’t want to?” Manager Ke was stunned. “In the current professional teams, the only ones that lack the commando position are Thunder and Glory. You haven’t been able to make it to the quarterfinals for several years. You are very talented and should have a better platform.”

Xue Lan looked at Manager Ke silently, and Manager Ke’s voice was soft as if he was seriously planning his career future.

If he hadn’t seen through his facede a long time ago, he would still be kept in the dark.

“I will think carefully about what kind of platform to choose, but as it turned out, the Thunder team isn’t within the scope of my consideration.”

Xue Lan looked at Manager Ke calmly, nodded politely after finishing speaking, turned around, and walked out of the office.

Manager Ke didn’t expect him to react like this, so he hurriedly walked out of the desk to hold Xue Lan back. “In this situation, it is impossible for any team to offer better conditions than Thunder. Don’t make fun of your own future!”

“What condition?” Xue Lan asked as if seeking knowledge, “Is it the condition that Team Thunder gave you?”

Manager Ke’s face froze when he heard the words. “What do you mean?”

“The finals of the training camp are about to come. Why did the Thunder team pay a high price to sign me at this time?” Xue Lan’s eyes were still clear as if he couldn’t see the turbidity of what was going on in front of him. “Is it because they want to focus on training me? Or because they want to destroy me? Or that our team took the opportunity to sign the two medics and snipers that LGW valued?”

Manager Ke’s complexion turned black instantly. “Xue Lan, don’t go too far!”

Xue Lan stared into his eyes without hesitation, but his immature face was filled with firmness. “Manager Ke, even if you show favoritism in the youth training camp, it’s a trivial matter. But whether it’s a career or which one you choose, the team is where the students can move around freely, and other people’s dreams shouldn’t be your tool to make money.”

“A tool for me to make money?” Manager Ke said angrily immediately, “You rejected Team Thunder. Which team do you think would dare to accept you again?!”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Xue Lan didn’t care about him anymore as he said that. He pushed open the door and walked out of the office angrily.

But just as he walked a few paces out of the door, he froze in place.

The light in the corridor flickered on and off, but outside the office door, a person was leaning against the wall.

As if waiting for someone.

Seeing Xue Lan coming out, the man raised his head, and there was a faint smile on his lips that was unruly but softly blurred by the light.

“It seems that some children have learned to protect themselves.”

Just this sentence made Xue Lan’s eyes sour for some reason.

Duan Wenzheng was taken aback, and immediately bypassed him and seemed on the verge of breaking into Manager Ke’s office.

“It’s okay.” Xue Lan immediately grabbed him and walked out. “Let’s go.”

After he finished speaking, he dragged Duan Wenzheng, who was still not at ease, quickly downstairs. Duan Wenzheng staggered behind him as he dragged him, but he seemed to be suffocated in his heart, and he didn’t dare to forcefully hold Xue Lan who wanted to leave.

The two finally got down the stairs, and Duan Wenzheng grabbed Xue Lan and asked seriously, “What’s going on?”

Xue Lan looked at Duan Wenzheng’s gloomy expression, but there was warmth in his heart.

When he left just now, Duan Wenzheng didn’t stop him and he didn’t give him any instructions. Xue Lan didn’t pay attention to these trivial matters at first, but he didn’t expect that Duan Wenzheng would keep the matter about the money to himself and quietly follow him.

Duan Wenzheng was really such a person.

He didn’t seem to care about anything, but everything was as meticulous as silk. As if nothing was taken to heart as if everyone and everything didn’t matter in the slightest. At the same time, what he wanted the most was to play better than everyone.

“It’s just that,” Xue Lan paused, “Manager Ke asked me today to join the Thunder Team, but I was wondering if he had asked other players before, going on to force them to join the team they didn’t want to join. What about tomorrow? What about you and Qi Siyu? What about in the future? Will every player be secretly priced and sold to the team with the highest bid?”

“Wen Yan approached the host association of the training camp, and the association refused to accept the video information provided to people outside the association.” Duan Wenzheng’s fingertips lightly brushed the corners of Xue Lan’s eyes. Seeing that there was no trace of moisture there, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll think of another way.”

Xue Lan’s heart moved when he heard this.

The organizer of the training camp is an association composed of high-level executives from various teams. If so…

Duan Wenzheng couldn’t help but feel distracted by the soft and smooth touch between his fingertips. He was about to say something to comfort the child in front of him but then saw a flash of light in his eyes and he jumped out of his shackles happily.

“I suddenly remembered something else! The finals are coming soon. You should rest early! See you tomorrow!!”

After Xue Lan finished speaking, he ran to the dormitory quickly, leaving Duan Wenzheng standing there blankly.

……

After returning to the room, Xue Lan carefully locked the door. Then he took out his mobile phone and found the number that he hadn’t dialed for a long time.

“I’m very busy right now. If you have anything to say, tell me quickly.” After the phone was picked up, the voice on the other end paused and then repeated, “Including you, there are only four medics in this training camp. Don’t tell me…”

“No!” Xue Lan said with an embarrassed smile. “But I… didn’t participate in the training camp as a medic. I’m playing the assaulter now!”

“…”

“It’s okay! I haven’t told anyone that you are my father, but there may be something I need your help with…”

Xue Lan briefly described the predicament he was encountering now. After a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, there was an impatient huff as if the other party wanted to hang up. Xue Lan hurriedly said again, “Wait a minute —”

He paused, the uncertainty in his voice mixed with a hint of hidden expectation.

“Will you come to watch my match on the day of the final game?”

——————–