Yu Wenzhou really had no problem with staying behind and welcoming his successor. He had been the first to see Han Lifeng's talent and suggest him to the management. Afterwards he helped to train the young boy into his successor. Personality wise Han Lifeng reminded him of Lu Hanwen and a bit of Huang Shaotian. It was amusing and nice to see such a youth be so enthusiastic about Glory. Han Lifeng's individual power was already nothing to scoff at, but his teamwork was even better, when he concentrated. His greatest weakness was his inexperience and sometime too impulsive actions. Although he was a great team player he sometimes forgot that he and his comrades were just humans who made mistakes and could not read minds. With enough training this problem should be solved.
Sadly, Han Lifeng's parents were hardly pleasant. Xu Jingxi and Li Yuan should have been the ones to stay with the management for the contract signing, but both had rejected, since they didn't want to waste their time again. Yu Wenzhou, on the other hand, had little problem with it. In the morning he had finished a few matters that he actually wanted to solve before going to the Blue Rain club building. There he had signed his retirement contract and then went to the conference room to welcome Han Lifeng. Of course his parents had to make things difficult again and were late. It was obvious that Han Lifeng wanted to be somewhere else. He barely looked up and played with the hem of his shirt. Yu Wenzhou tried to lessen Han Lifeng's nervousness, yet there was just so much he could do with a smile.
The contract signing took a lot of time, because Han Lifeng's parents still had something to say against the contract. It was obvious how much self-control the manager needed. If it weren't for Han Lifeng's huge talent and Yu Wenzhou's recommendation the management would probably have let go of the young player.
Yu Wenzhou felt bad for not making it to his meeting with Huang Shaotian. They had planned to go to their dinner together. However, there was nothing he could do.
"Han Lifeng, now that you are officially a part of team Blue Rain, let me give you your key to your room. With the key you can enter almost every level of the club building. If you want, Yu Wenzhou can show you around."
"Thank you very much, but since it is already so late and I have training tomorrow, I would prefer to go to bed soon," Han Lifeng said politely and bowed down.
His nervousness was finally gone. He was now a member of Blue Rain. Ever since he had started playing Glory, he had always dreamed of this day. Finally his dream had come true. It felt a bit strange to know that because of him, Yu Wenzhou retired or better said, because Yu Wenzhou retired he was able to get on the team. Yu Wenzhou and Huang Shaotian had been his idols for so long. How great would it have been if he could have played alongside them? Unfortunately, Huang Shaotian had retired some time ago and Han Lifeng knew that Yu Wenzhou retired today. The retirement was not officially announced yet, but it had never been a secret that it would happen today.
"Then how about I show you to your new room," Yu Wenzhou suggested with a soft smile on his face.
"That would be nice, senior. Thank you."
Due to Han Lifeng being part of the training camp he already knew most of the Blue Rain club building layout.
"The key you just got is very important. With it you can get to the sleeping quarters on the upper levels. See, when you place the card on the white pad, you can now press these buttons and get to the different floors."
The key was a card with Han Lifeng's picture and name. Every member of Blue Rain had such a card. With the cards they could be identified and unauthorized people could not enter important levels.
"Every room has a name tag next to the door, so if you don't know your room just take a look at the tags. Oh, there is also a games room and a living room. The bedrooms are usually big and comfortable enough, however so far our team also likes to spend the evenings in the living room or the games room. Of course, you don't have to."
Over the years the team building had really grown. For a second Yu Wenzhou remembered his time in the training camp, how he watched all of the matches during the first three years from the audience seats, how he met Zhang Xinjie, Xiao Shiqin and Wang Jiexi there. How many notebooks had he filled with his thoughts and theories on the ongoing matches? Hadn't Huang Shaotian doodled in some of them? Ah, those were great times. Well, the time between then and his retirement today had also been splendid. From now he would start another time and he was sure it would also be a good one. Hopefully.
"Here, this will be your room from now on. It is a bit empty, but as soon as you live in it for some time, it will become more personal and when you lack some furnishings, just say it."
"Thank you for everything, senior Yu. I wish we could have been on stage together. However, now that things are the way they are, I promise that I will do my best to do the name of Swoksaar justice."
"Don't worry about such things. We all are convinced that you will be the best player for Swoksaar."
In the few minutes Yu Wenzhou had shown Han Lifeng to his room, Han Lifeng's parents had not said a word, but in his eyes he could see how they were not satisfied. They probably thought their son would be treated like some god. For the godly treatment, however, he needed to prove himself on the digital battlefield on his own. And the bedrooms of the Blue Rain building weren't bad. Every room had a small bedroom, a living room and a bathroom. So, the term "bedroom" was not quite right for the players' living space; apartment was a better one.
"I will take my leave now. The club will hold a welcome party for you tomorrow."
Yu Wenzhou bid his farewell and went down. He had to give his key to the reception desk and get to their little party.
Of course, he already knew that it wouldn't be that easy. Many employees knew him and most of them wanted to bid him farewell too. Thus after almost every step someone stopped him to have a little chat. A part of him felt bad for keeping the conversations short, but he really wanted to get out of the building now. It had been a long day and a strange feeling arose in him with very step.
On the main floor one could find the reception desk and the guild rooms. Consequently, many guild members could be seen on the main floor. Many were fans of him and some had even interacted with him before. Although no one in Blue Rain looked down on the guild members, only the guild leader Liang Yichun had come to the team members, specifically Yu Wenzhou, to ask for help. Well, it was more accurate to say "the former guild leader Liang Yichun". A month ago he had stepped down from his position due to personal reasons. Now Xu Boyuan was the guild leader. Xu Boyuan was not the youngest anymore, but he had more passion and love for Blue Rain than any of the younger guild members. He was also very good at guiding new players and was a great team player. Under his command many dungeons were conquered in a better and more efficient time and way. It was just unfortunate that Xu Boyuan himself was not too interested in the position of guild leader. He was in a similar position as Fang Shijing back in the old days. Just the bridge between the old and the new.
"Senior Yu!"
Surprised, Yu Wenzhou turned around. His usual smile in place. So many have already called him that today. Liang Yichun and Xu Boyuan made their way towards him. Both of them look tired. As far as Yu Wenzhou knew the guild leader worked the night shift, so shouldn't both look less tired?
"Liang Yichun. Xu Boyuan. What are you two doing it here? Isn't your shift later?"
Since Liang Yichun had been the guild leader for many years, he also had often interacted with the pro team of Blue Rain. Yu Wenzhou had a positive impression of the other man.
"Something unexpected happened so we came over earlier. It is also quite convenient that we now can say goodbye," Liang Yichun answered.
"I am also happy to see the two of you before leaving. You two have contributed a lot to the team. Without your leadership the guild would not have flourished so greatly and therewith supply the team with all the necessary materials for the equipment."
"That's nothing to thank us for. It is the job that we have chosen, because Blue Rain is important to us."
Xu Boyuan had been a fan of Blue Rain ever since he heard of the professional Glory alliance. He had started out as a normal member in Blue Brook, which is the in-game guild of the club Blue Rain. With time he had worked himself into a core member, guild leader in the tenth server and ultimately to the overall guild leader. Being a part of a guild, especially in a higher position, wasn't always easy and fun. Ye Xiu had bullied the guilds during his one and a half year in retirement. His greatest victim had been Xu Boyuan. Due to this Xu Boyuan had given up on his position of tenth server guild leader and assumed a lower position in the Heavenly Domain. Many guild members had been worried about him, because he also seemed to be in low spirits, which was unusual for Xu Boyuan. Luckily, he had gotten out of this phase. In the end, maybe this little time out had been best for Xu Boyuan. When working in the same field for so long, people losing themselves happened often. Things became monotonous and at some point one would wonder, why one was doing this. Xu Boyuan had lost sight of what was important to him, what he wanted to do. His little break gave him time to think and readjust himself. He had found joy in playing Glory again. This time he would not lose it again!
"Will you two go home now?" Yu Wenzhou asked.
Although he wanted to meet up with his friends, he hadn't had a good conversation with the guild members in a long time. Yu Wenzhou planned to take some time away from Glory, however after that time he wanted to return to Blue Rain and support it in another way. So, in the future there was probably enough time to talk with those two, yet he felt it was better to do it now. Who knew what was in the future. Maybe they would have moved one, when he returned. Liang Yichun was already preparing for his departure.
"Yes, we were on our way home. Well, we were on our way to get our jackets and then wanted to grab something to eat," Liang Yichun answered.
"Oh, you wanted to get something to eat? Why not come with me? I am on my way to dinner with the other Blue Rain members and former members. I am sure, Lu Hanwen would be very happy to meet you again, Xu Boyuan. Little Lu often talks about you after helping out the guild. I guess, to him you are something like a big brother. Ah, I should thank you for taking such good care of him."
Ever since the first day Lu Hanwen had helped out in the guild, Xu Boyuan had taken care of him. Although there wasn't much he could do to help the other one, since Lu Hanwen was far more talented and skilled than Xu Boyuan, the latter one had still seen it as his duty to look after the younger one. Even nowadays he would act as if Lu Hanwen was still a child.
"Little Lu? Uh, I haven't seen him for some time."
"Then you should come to our dinner."
"Um… I… I don't want to impose on you guys."
"You don't. The dinner should actually be between the current and former Blue Rain team members. However, two of our players… well, now three, have declined the offer, so we still have some seats left. And as I just said, little Lu would probably be happy to have you there as well."
"Just go, Boyuan. This may be the last time for you to take part in such a dinner. The two of us can go and have dinner at another time," Liang Yichun softly encouraged Xu Boyuan, who was still hesitating.
It wasn't like he didn't want to go, it was just that he really didn't want to be a bother. His relationship with Lu Hanwen may be relatively deep, but to the rest of the team was distant.
"Well, then I guess that I have to go, when both of you want me to go."
Without another word Xu Boyuan turned around to get his jacket.
"He will be a good guild leader."
"Yes, he will. He just needs a bit more confidence."
"More confidence?"
"Yeah, back then, when I sent him to the tenth sever, he had a dispute with another Blue Brook member. Poplar Beach was the better individual fighter, but Xu Boyuan had the better skills for team work. In a guild being a good individual fighter is great, but as a leader, it is more important to be a team player. Of course, one can also be both. However, in case of Poplar Beach and Xu Boyuan it was not so. Luckily, the matter was solved by God Ye by defeating Poplar Beach. Sadly, the matter with Poplar Beach had indeed scratched Xu Boyuan's confidence. God Ye's bullying hadn't made it any better."
"No wonder. Handling senior Ye is hard even for pro players. How is a normal player supposed to handle him?"
Yu Wenzhou thought back to his early years in the pro league. When he debuted in season four, he thought he was prepared for what was coming at him. In the years before he had studied Ye Xiu a lot. Wei Chen had been no stranger to trash talk and Huang Shaotian would trash talk 24/7 if not supervised. Yet, Ye Xiu's trash talk was different. It was on point. It was a stab right into one's wounds. Huang Shaotian's trash talk was more like a waterfall. It was not what he said that got to one, it was the mass of what he said that ticked one off. The same applied more or less for Wei Chen. He was not stabbing one straight into the bleeding wound, it was the way he bothered one that got one. Honestly, Wei Chen's trash talk also was kind of childish. Such behavior could annoy the living hell out of some.
When Yu Wenzhou met Ye Xiu for the first time on stage, he had to learn how trash talk could hurt and distract. It was then that he understood what power good trash talk could have. In season six trash talk even got Blue Rain the championship. What terrifying power.
"It is a good thing that Xu Boyuan recovered. Without him I would have a problem with finding a good successor. Most of the potential successors are still too green. They need a few more years in the guild to really be capable of handling such an important position."
As guild leader one had to satisfy the needs and demands of the club as well as the fan's. A guild leader had to report to the management and take the blame, when things weren't going well. Every action in the game had to be taken under consideration of the club's benefits. Fooling around was not possible and emotions had to be controlled at all times. Not everyone could do such a thing.
At first it may sound nice to make one's hobby into a job, but it was not that easy. How many have given up quickly, because they lost interest? Too many.
"Liang Yichun, you should not worry about Blue Rain anymore. You have done all you could for the team and the guild. Now it is time to let go. I know that it is hard, but all things have to come to an end sooner or later."
Although Liang Yichun had not said a word about his feelings and fears, Yu Wenzhou could see it in the other one's eyes, because he himself was the same. After being a part of something for so long and putting everything into it, it was hard to let go. The decision to leave was made by Liang Yichun without anyone forcing him, yet it only made the decision a bit easier. Not easy, but easier.
Before Liang Yichun could reply with something, Xu Boyuan returned with his jacket. He had also gotten Liang Yichun's. Since he didn't know what had been said until now, Xu Boyuan felt a bit awkward, like he had interrupted some deep and meaningful conversation. There was something in Liang Yichun's eyes.
"Let's go, Xu Boyuan. The others are waiting for us."
Smoothly Yu Wenzhou took over the speaking part and got away from Liang Yichun. Maybe the other one wanted to say something, but he knew it would not be the truth, just a few humble words. For such a matter humble words were not appropriated.
Xu Boyuan put on his jacket, said goodbye to his old friend and colleague, then left the Blue Rain club building with Yu Wenzhou.
For the way to the restaurant they decided to take a cab. A horrible decision, because after less than five minutes on the way they got stuck in a traffic jam. A car accident. In all their misfortune, they were lucky that the driver was able to take a turn in the next street and use another route. Though, through this route it would take a bit longer to their destination.
Yu Wenzhou took that chance to talk to Xu Boyuan.
"You don't seem to be happy."
"Um… That's because I am not. I know that Liang Yichun recommended me as next guild leader, because he believes in my skills. However, I am aware that there are people, who are more qualified than I. They probably have not been chosen because they are still too young and need to learn a bit more about leading people and a guild. I don't know how to feel about all this."
The years had passed by so quickly. Shortly after he had found Glory, he had found out about the professional alliance and immediately fell in love with Blue Rain. He was not able to pinpoint what he liked so much about the team. To say that it was because of Huang Shaotian was not totally wrong, yet not completely right either. Without his teammates Huang Shaotian would not be able to shine so brightly.
"At the dinner Fang Shijing may be able to help you with your feelings. After our first captain Wei Chen retired, it was him who had to take over. Not an easy task. The second season didn't go well for us, so our fans were dissatisfied and wanted better results. Huang Shaotian and I had decided to debut in season four after witnessing the finals of season two. Senior Fang Shijing knew that he was only the captain for a short about of time. Maybe a year. Maybe two. He was also already relatively old. Everyone knew that he was just a temporary captain. I don't know what he had felt or thought, but from what I could see, he had done all he could do, to support me and Huang Shaotian. I can only imagine how exhausting it must have been for him to give a good performance and train me and Huang Shaotian at the same time. In the end, I think he did a good job."
His memories of the past made him feel warm. He could clearly remember the chaos Wei Chen's retirement had created. How Fang Shijing was suddenly burdened with managing the team and the two up and coming core players. Fang Shijing was good at all the classes, so playing the Warlock Swoksaar was not hard for him, yet it also was not easy. To be able to play all classes he had to give up on how deeply he knew and could utilize them. Yu Wenzhou could still remember the heated words of their fans. Understandable to some extent.
Silence started to surround them. Xu Boyuan didn't know what to say; there was nothing for him to say. He had never met Fang Shijing before, thus had only heard stories of him, which were rare. Since Wei Chen had been the first captain, discoverer of Huang Shaotian and Yu Wenzhou and was extreme in his retirement, there was so much more to talk and theorize about him.
How many times had someone mentioned Fang Shijing? Once? Twice? Definitely not more than twice. Would he end up like this as well? Did it even matter? So what if people may forget him, everyone would be forgotten someday. Even the greatest of all gods.
"Thank you very much for your kind words, senior. Please let me also say a few."
Why did every word feel like it were the last he could say to Yu Wenzhou? The other one was just retiring and not dying. As far as he knew Yu Wenzhou had the intention to return to Blue Rain after some time of rest, so they would have another chance to meet and talk. And honestly, Xu Boyuan barely knew Yu Wenzhou. Guild members had the chance to interact with the team members when they strolled through the building or ate in the cafeteria. To Xu Boyuan's misfortune he always had the night shift, which meant he worked during a time when the pro players were asleep. Consequently his interaction with Blue Rain team members was limited to club activities like the Christmas party. During such an event he was not the only one who wanted to talk with the team members, so he often stood at the side.
The reason he still felt so invested in Yu Wenzhou, was the simple fact that to him Blue Rain was Huang Shaotian and Yu Wenzhou.
Xu Boyuan hadn't taken Huang Shaotian's retirement well.
"Most of the time people and the media will talk about pro players like God Ye or Zhou Zekai. People who have an amazing fighting style, who stand in the spotlight. I understand why DPS players are more eye-catching and popular, however they are not the only ones that influence us. From the very start there were discussions how people with a low APM could not become pro players. Most were of the opinion that this was true, but some argued against it. When you showed up on the stage the voice of those, who argued against the APM, grow louder. Maybe differently than players like Zhou Zekai or Wang Jiexi, you did not increase the amount of players or of a specific class, but you gave hope to people that didn't have high APM. This hope went even further with time. It is a bit sad that the media does not talk about it, but when you look into the forums you will see how often it is brought up again and again. Your name is also mentioned often. Although it had not been said directly, I think that players like team Thunderclap's new captain Yang Hao and team 301 Degrees' new assassin were motivated to try their luck because of you. In the guild we also have a few more core players, who don't have high APM, thus rely more on tactics and teamwork. Blue Brook has profited from this a lot. The change was subtle and slow, but it happened. I just wanted to tell you this."
To some it may be obvious that an All Star and God player like Yu Wenzhou influenced the normal player base, yet the media paid more attention to changes like back when Ye Xiu returned to the stage and caused many old players to also return to Glory. Or how Zhou Zekai increased the amount of sharpshooters to an unhealthy number. Such changes could be seen and measured. What Yu Wenzhou did was way more subtle and hard to measure, yet not any less important.