This Second Brother Isn't Worth Saving!

There was none of the elaborate opening ceremony that came with an official match for an in-house scrimmage.

The coach merely gave both sides a few brief instructions.

Having just taken the field, both teams were still cautiously testing each other, with no intense clashes yet.

Like a professional commentator, Li Yang took advantage of this dead time to briefly introduce the players on both sides.

He knew very well that the team members themselves were an important part of an investor's evaluation.

Out of the corner of his eye, he had been watching the investors' expressions the entire time.

The couple was clearly uninterested in everyone else. Only when Yan Ci was introduced did they ask a few more questions.

The man in the suit looked extremely impatient. Li Yang saw him pull out an iPad to work online, his brows tightly furrowed as though things were not going smoothly.

Only the young master who had summoned him over, whose tone had been rather rude and who looked thoroughly spoiled, would focus intently on a player for a while no matter whom Li Yang mentioned.

Li Yang could see clearly that aside from the young master, who seemed thoroughly engrossed, the rest of the family knew little about esports.

He guessed they were not particularly important investors, more likely just indulging the young master's whim.

*

Little did Li Yang know how hard the Yan family was trying to hold it together under his probing gaze.

[Wow, this is an Ultimate Hopeless Romantic. His girlfriend spent his money supporting her little boy toy, and that boy toy even knows Li Yang.]

[Isn't this that so-called famous time-management master in the industry? I remember this got exposed after the female lead entered showbiz. It was really just a shield they dragged out to suppress the female lead's scandals.]

[Still, he wasn't exactly innocent either. Second Brother's team base was obviously managed very strictly, yet he still managed to date eight girlfriends at once. What kind of modern-day Octopus was that?]

[Wow, this was the taciturn, aloof, handsome guy the original novel specifically described—]

The Yan family pricked up their ears. Had Yan Ci finally found someone reliable?

Yan Xianjue dragged out his words dramatically:

[Tsk, tsk. Who would have thought he slept with fans in private and even stole things from fan club leaders?]

[The most outrageous part was that the fan club leader exposed it himself, then sweetly said, "Good thing he stole from me."]

Mother Yan clenched her hands tightly. Fortunately, she did not have a daughter who chased celebrities like that.

Otherwise, she really would not have been able to stop herself from slapping her.

Then they heard Yan Xianjue sigh, [That was some serious spoiling!]

[Sis, I don't want to work hard anymore either!]

Yan Yi'an smacked him hard across the back.

The pain nearly made Yan Xianjue jump straight into the air.

"Big Brother, what are you doing?!"

Yan Yi'an revealed a dangerous smile. "Watch the match properly."

Yan Xianjue: "???"

Yan Xianjue wore the expression of a confused Black man meme.

Why didn't he take a look at what he himself was doing? He was the one reviewing documents on an iPad—what right did he have to tell Yan Xianjue to watch the match properly?

He turned to call for his mother.

For once, Mother Yan did not speak up for him. "Listen to your big brother."

Yan Xianjue failed to gain the support of the person at the very top of the household food chain.

He no longer even had the mood to tilt his head and ask his father. He wilted completely.

All he could do was mutter inwardly, [I'm obviously the only one seriously watching the match.]

*

Yan Ci charged headfirst into the enemy base in a posture utterly unbefitting his skill level.

His teammates' startled voices came through his headset. "Captain?" The player who had been moving with Yan Ci sounded uncertain.

"Uh... is this a new tactic? Should I follow?" he asked cautiously.

Yan Ci gritted his teeth and squeezed out an explanation. "My mouse slipped."

Li Yang did not miss that mistake.

"Captain Yan might have been trying to feint just now, using a fake move to bait out their skills."

Yan Xianjue did not believe him. His tone was sincere. "Wasn't that just a hand-slip mistake?"

He looked at Li Yang suspiciously. "Is your skill level not good enough?"

Could he not tell the difference between a feint and a genuine mistake?

Yan Xianjue had previously thought that although Li Yang's character was questionable, he must still have some ability if Second Brother had signed him.

But now, it seemed his ability was questionable too. He could not even recognize such an obvious mistake.

[What exactly did Second Brother see in him? I remember Li Yang was signed to strengthen the roster for the new season, right?]

Yan Yi'an glanced coolly at Li Yang, then looked pityingly at the little fool being reeled in.

Of course. The harder and more awkwardly Li Yang tried to cover for Yan Ci, the worse Yan Xianjue's impression of Yan Ci would become.

*

Faced with Yan Xianjue's doubts, Li Yang explained unhurriedly, "Captain Yan has the strongest individual ability on our team. It's entirely possible for him to make tactical adjustments on the spot during a match."

"This could be Captain Yan trying out a new tactic."

This time, even Yan Xianjue could hear that something was off.

Translated, did that not mean Yan Ci relied on his status as the owner, failed to cooperate with his teammates, and often came up with sudden ideas during matches without caring whether his teammates lived or died?

[Good lord, just... good lord!]

[He was talking trash about my second brother in front of my dad, my mom, my big brother, and me?]

Yan Xianjue vaguely felt that something was wrong.

Was this guy really here to commentate?

Within the team, he was openly badmouthing the team captain and owner to investors.

Did he not want to keep working here anymore?

Oh, right. He was an undercover agent. He was doing it for money.

Then it made sense.

Yan Xianjue finally understood.

Li Yang was trying to reel him in!

[This guy really has no bottom line at all?!]

[Brother, what's the point of trying to hook me?! With that effort, go find yourself a rich older woman!]

Yan Xianjue screamed inwardly with all his heart.

Yan Ci was so affected by his yelling that he lost control for a moment and crushed the mouse in his hand.

The players wearing headsets did not hear the crack of the mouse breaking.

They only saw the character representing their captain standing motionless on the screen.

"My mouse broke. Leave me alone for now," Yan Ci said succinctly.

He then swiftly grabbed a spare mouse from beside him and replaced it.

*

Li Yang explained to Yan Xianjue, "To prevent unexpected situations like this, we usually prepare spare peripherals in advance."

Yan Xianjue feigned ignorance. "Do you prepare them too?"

Li Yang nodded. In that short time, he had already shifted to the spot closest to Yan Xianjue.

Li Yang had observed that everyone in this family was exceptionally good-looking. A child raised in such an environment would inevitably care about appearances.

He had a thorough understanding of his own looks and was very good at using them to his advantage.

In the entire team, he believed Yan Ci was his only rival.

But Yan Ci himself was also a rich young master. He could not possibly lower himself to cater to such a spoiled child.

Yan Ci's sour expression just now had already revealed as much.

Li Yang had been ordering Yan Ci around just now, yet even with a cold face, Yan Ci had not directly started cursing at him as he normally would.

It was clear that Yan Xianjue came from an influential family, so even Yan Ci could not go too far.

Li Yang felt he could not possibly find a better target.

As long as he got close enough to the young master, even if his actions were eventually exposed, Yan Ci would not be able to do much to him out of consideration for Yan Xianjue.

His little schemes clicked away busily, and his tone toward Yan Xianjue softened even further.

[Oh my god, help! Save me, save me!]

Yan Xianjue screamed frantically in his heart.

When he read the novel, he had known Li Yang would do anything for money.

He had not expected that to include seducing high school boys into spending money on him!

[I've sacrificed far too much for Second Brother!]

[Maybe I should just let him go scam Second Brother instead. This second brother isn't worth saving anyway.]