Chapter 52: Bonds and Promises, Icon Seeks Counsel

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At the EDG base, the team captain took off his headset.
He flipped through the match records—an unbroken winning streak on one page.
Most of the MVP titles belonged to Chen Yan.
What was even more unbelievable was that he himself had also earned MVPs; he wasn’t just riding on others' coattails.
“So it wasn’t that I had lost my touch, but that I never found the right partner.”
“Now that I have Xiao Yan as my teammate, my strength has returned.”
The captain firmly believed that Chen Yan was his true answer.
Between them was a bond.
He gazed again at the match records on the screen, savoring the moment, then suddenly sprang to his feet.
“No, I have to ask Abu about the contract situation.”
“I can’t let my golden partner slip away.”
“Abu is so inefficient, really slow at handling things.”
Muttering to himself, the captain sought out Abu and immediately asked about the contract.
Abu was taken aback.
It had only been a few days; changing contracts wasn’t so simple.
EDG wasn’t a one-man show; the higher-ups needed to evaluate Chen Yan’s worth. Besides, with the upcoming Spring Finals, things were hectic.
“The contract… hasn’t been arranged yet. What’s the matter?”
“Do you know? Other clubs have already come knocking. If we don’t finalize the contract soon, Xiao Yan will be snatched away by another team.”
“They’re that fast?!”
Abu was surprised and realized the gravity of the situation.
But there were so many factors to consider in the contract.
Creating an agreement that satisfied both parties was no easy task.
“What’s Xiao Yan’s stance?”
“He hasn’t budged yet. But as long as the pickaxe swings well, no corner is safe from being undermined…”
The captain was anxious, and his tension rubbed off on Abu.
They then delved into a detailed discussion about Chen Yan’s contract.
“Wait!”
“Your point is… Xiao Yan’s contract demands that the more money, the better, but paying money doesn’t automatically mean he will play for EDG. Playing matches requires separate compensation.”
“And participation cannot be forced, plus the streaming contract isn’t even with EDG, right?”
The captain thought for a moment, uncertain: “That’s roughly it. He said so much, I didn’t catch it all…”
“Heh.”
Abu chuckled, his face darker than a pot bottom.
“Do you think this is reasonable?”
These demands were outrageous.
Abu had been in this industry for a long time but had never seen such ridiculous requests.
Not just never seen—he’d never even heard of them.
The captain was silent.
Of course, he knew how unreasonable Chen Yan’s demands were.
But their winning streak and bond were undeniable.
He sensed that Chen Yan might be the key to realizing his dream.

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However, Abu refused firmly, stating such a contract was impossible.
“No room for negotiation?”
“Even if I agreed, the other executives wouldn’t, unless the boss personally intervened.”
Abu’s meaning was clear: the captain might have a chance if he went to the boss, Ai De Zhu, given their relationship.
“I’ve already lost so much to Boss Zhu with repeated failures, how could I face him again to beg?”
With that, the captain sighed and dropped the subject of the contract.
…
On Chen Yan’s side, he received a message from the captain right after finishing his livestream.
“Sigh~ The contract talks didn’t go well.”
Between the lines, one could feel the captain’s disappointment.
Chen Yan offered a few comforting words.
This outcome was expected, and he had only mentioned it casually.
He wasn’t overly invested in his professional career for now; his main goal was to leverage the pro scene to boost his streaming career.
In simple terms, use professional play to gain fame and popularity, then monetize through streaming.
“As long as the money is right, I can still play.”
“What about next year?” the captain asked.
If Chen Yan wanted to compete, he’d have to sign with a team.
Though Chen Yan could currently play for EDG, once the contract came into effect, would he still be with EDG?
Chen Yan replied, “Who can say what the future holds?”
The captain didn’t respond for a long time.
After an unknown period, Chen Yan’s phone lit up again with a message.
Captain: “How can we renew with EDG? I’m not forcing you, just want to give EDG priority.”
Chen Yan was surprised by the captain’s persistence.
“How about this: if you can reach number one on the Korean server once, I’ll consider it. How’s that?”
Was this a high bar? For a casual king like Chen Yan, not at all.
But for the current captain, number one on the Korean server was a distant, unattainable dream.
Though jungler was a better position for ranking up than others, that was for an aggressive jungler; the captain was a passive one.
Most importantly, he was no longer the dominant leader he once was.
Now, the captain struggled even to reach high Master rank, let alone King tier, much less the top spot in Korea.
Chen Yan expected the captain to haggle or negotiate, but surprisingly, the captain simply replied “Okay,” and then went silent.
“Could it be a red exclamation mark already?”
Chen Yan tentatively sent a red envelope.
It was immediately accepted.
“Damn! Give me back every penny!”
…
After chatting with the captain, Chen Yan didn’t take it seriously. For him, economic growth was the core; everything else was secondary.
At that moment, an unexpected message arrived on WeChat.
Leng Cai: “Are you there?”

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Chen Yan ignored him.
Red envelope transfer received, please check.
Chen Yan clicked it and saw an 888 red envelope.
Chen Yan: “Here.”
Leng Cai: “Damn! Don’t send a red envelope, and you don’t reply on WeChat? Are you even human?”
It was clear Leng Cai was quite annoyed.
Chen Yan: “If you have something to say, say it. 888 doesn’t cover being scolded.”
“…”
Leng Cai: “You’re pretty good at analysis, right? Tell me, can we win tomorrow’s match?”
So that was the question.
Chen Yan understood—WE was one of the top three teams, and their recent performance hinted at being the best among them.
Leng Cai must be feeling the pressure.
However…
“Send another 888.”
Damn! A vampire!
Leng Cai grit his teeth and sent another.
Chen Yan accepted immediately.
Then he typed back: “We won’t win.”
“?”
Leng Cai: “That’s it?”
Chen Yan: “That’s it.”
Leng Cai: “Return both 888s to me quickly, I won’t ask anymore.”
Chen Yan: “Fair and square, no refunds.”
Just kidding—once the money’s in the pocket, it’s not coming back.
iCOn was furious, sending a long, profanity-laced message.
Chen Yan: “How about this: send another 888, and I’ll point you toward a clear path.”
At the OMG base, iCOn’s eyes narrowed at Chen Yan’s message.
He’d been under great pressure lately.
The match against WE was about to start, and everyone had high expectations for him, but he himself was uncertain.
WE’s presence was overwhelmingly intimidating.
iCOn wanted to vent but sadly realized Chen Yan was the best person to turn to.
And though he verbally resisted Chen Yan’s strength, deep down he acknowledged it.
After all, XiaOhU was chaotic, but not just anyone could just waltz in and mess around.
“Lying about me having a son without proof.”
After saying that, iCOn sent another 888 to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan accepted instantly, then typed back: “Isn’t your son me? Yan’er.”
iCOn suddenly had a bad feeling and hurriedly sent a message.
Your message was rejected by the recipient and failed to send.
“No!”