VivaSync

Episode 16

The next day at VNG, XK arrives with his belongings.  As Shu Wen shows him to the dorm, they witness Qi Yue ordering Tong Wu to go buy food for him and Sheng Yu and then yelling at him to hurry up.  Shu Wen tells XK that it looks like he has a tough battle ahead of him, but he’s not daunted and reminds her that she signed him so he would battle.  Plus, he adds, this isn’t exactly unfamiliar territory given that they’ve crossed paths through competitions before so he has an inkling as to Qi Yue’s personality.  Shu Wen nods okay and then offers him the use of bedroom number 2, which has been empty ever since PX’s departure.  XK, however, asks if there any shared rooms.  She thinks about it and then tells him that Lu Sheng’s room has an empty bed, but his personality is a bit unsociable and eccentric.  It sounds perfect to XK, however, as he tells her that’s fine and he can get to know him.  Shu Wen smiles and offers to show him in, but he tells her he can go in by himself.

XK enters his new room and looks around as he strolls over to Lu Sheng, who hadn’t even acknowledged his existence.  He introduces himself and says they’ll be roommates from now on and Lu Sheng just says okay before putting on his headset to continue working on his computer.  

Meanwhile, in XK’s old room at Legends, PX is going around cleaning and wiping things down.  He opens the drawer the bedside table and finds a brown notebook.  Just as he’s turning it over in his hand wondering what it is, YX walks past the open door and recognizes what PX has in his hands.  He walks in asking what PX’s doing and PX tells him he’s Legends’ new team leader and that from now on, this will be his bedroom.  XY responds that he won’t allow PX to live there and then asks why PX’s holding his Kong Ge’s notebook.  PX asks if XK didn’t leave it there on purpose so he’d see it, which causes YX to try and take the book back except he’s shorter so all PX has to do is hold it over his head to keep it out of YX’s reach.  The others come running in and ask what’s going on.  YX tells them that PX stole XK’s notebook, and when he rushes at PX again, the other have to drag him back and tell him to quit making a fuss.  PX suggests a match to settle their differences and YX accepts the offer while commenting that he’s not afraid.  He then asks what they’re going to compete over and PX leaves the choice up to him.  YX turns around and tells the others that they heard him; he’s left the choice to him.  He then tells PX the room is too small, so he’ll wait for him in the living room. 

Out in the living room, YX walks around a small table before taking a seat and tells the others that he has no other purpose than to let them be witnesses in case someone’s not happy when they lose in a bit.  As he takes a seat, Lu Feng reminds him that when all is said and done, PX’s still their team leader and warns him not to do anything bad.  YX shakes him off and reminds that it was PX who said he’d leave things to him.  He adds that all he wants to do is find something that’ll have everyone entertained and make them happy.  PX tells him he can do whatever he wants.  That’s how PX ends up suggesting that they compete over who can make the other person laugh first.  While YX’s still yammering on about the game and asking what the others think, PX just sits stone faced in front of him and says, “Let’s start.”  [Seriously, of all games, why would you choose this one to play with PX?  He’s notorious for not having a funny bone!]  Suffice to say, no matter how many faces YX makes, even though his other teammates can’t stop laughing, PX doesn’t move an inch.  He even leans over at one point to ask the others if this is funny.  When it’s his turn, PX surprises everyone by bringing forth his best effort.  Which is how he ends up squatting on the small table at one point which causes YX to erupt into laughter.  PX announces he’s the winner and takes back the notebook.    

Back at VNG, Shu Wen is waiting with the team for them to have their first meeting with XK.  When Qi Yu finally arrives, she asks him where Li Gan is and he tells her that his master said his stomach was hurting and wouldn’t be attending.  SHu Wen starts the meeting and announces that XK has officially joined their team.  When the others clap, Qi Yue shoots them a look which causes them to immediately subside.  XK doesn’t let it bother him and instead greets the others by asking them to please take care of him (a common greeting in China when starting a new job, joining a new class at school., etc.).  Shu Wen continues by telling the others that XK’s not just a new teammate, he’s also their new team leader.  Qi Yu reacts immediately by asking if she shouldn’t have discussed such an important matter with his master first, but Shu Wen (who has nerves of steel, and which I greatly admire) reminds Qi Yue that she’s their coach so her decision is VNG’s decision.  XK cuts in to try and help smooth things over by telling Shu Wen it’s a good thing that his appointment is being questioned; as it means everyone cares about the team while at the same time motivating him to prove himself after having been put into the role from out of nowhere.  Qi Yu bolts up from his chair to tell XK to stop talking pretty; and asserts that  he’s the one who’s better suited to be the team leader.  Shu Wen stands up as well in an effort to block him, but Qi Yu challenges XK to a game instead.  XK accepts the challenge and says they can form a team, while he’ll lead a substitute team.  Qi Yu accepts this as well and says he’ll call XK “team leader” if he loses and asks what XK will do if he loses.  XK says he’ll withdraw from the team, which causes Shu Wen to look up sharply.  Qi Yue points out XK said it himself; therefore, nobody can disagree, and so Shu Wen has no choice but to go along with it as well.  After Qi Yue leads the others out of the room with his trash talking, XK tells Shu Wen not to worry. 

Inside the training room, Qi Yue tells his teammates how they they’re going to play and what strategies they’ll use (“four protect one” – it’s all the VNG team knows how to use). Sheng Yue tells him not to worry as they’ll do as he commands.  Qi Yue then takes his seat and comments on the fact that they’ll be competing against a “hand klutz” and four substitute players.  It’s clear he thinks this is the most ridiculous match ever and that he’ll have no problem winning.   Over on the other side, one of the substitute players asks how they’re going to play and observes that since they’re playing against Qi Yue, they’re no way they’ll be able to win.  XK responds, however, that Qi Yue will undoubtedly use the “four protect one” strategy so they’ll use the “dual core” strategy.  The others ask that what is and XK gives them a quick and short rundown of what that means and how they should play.  As they prepare to begin, he tells them to relax and just listen to his commands. 

Shu Wen is inside her office watching the game when Li Gan enters.  She asks him if his stomach wasn’t feeling well, and he tells her it’s feeling a bit better.  He asks if what she’s watching is QY and XK PK-ing and she says yes, because Qi Yue couldn’t accept [XK being named their team leader].  She then explains that that XK is leading a team of substitute players.  As Li Gan watches the game, he comments on how XK has left the middle area open and this is very dangerous, but Shu Wen disagrees and says that’s not necessarily the case.  She then explains to Li Gan what XK is doing (which is exactly what XK had explained to the substitute players they would be doing), and says it’s not the least bit harmful.  She then goes on to comment on Qi Yue’s strategies which she states, in essence, are not as creative as XK’s. 

The camera cuts back to the two teams playing against each other with Qi Yue and XK each calling out commands to their respective teams, after a few back and forth scenes, we see it’s Qi Yue who’s growing more and more animated.  Back in Shu Wen’s office, she turns off the screen when the game hasn’t even concluded because she’s seen enough to know who will emerge the victor.  She points out that Qi Yue never even managed to get his team to make any plays because all he did was rely on their “four protect one” strategy, and Li Gan tells her, “It looks like you were right.”  She responds, “I hope you’ll understand.  Everything I do is for the sake of VNG.”  She then takes out XK’s contract and asks Li Gan to take a look.  He reacts in surprise when he sees XK’s annual salary is only one dollar and Shu Wen shares with him what XK had said about wanting to work with VNG in order to advance.  When she adds that she has faith XK won’t let them down, Li Gan can only go along with it and tells her that he’ll go and finish processing the transfer paperwork.

The game continues and, as Shu Wen predicted, XK and his substitute team wins.  Qi Yue is, suffice to say, not a happy camper as he unleashes his anger by blaming others for the loss.  He’s poking at Sheng Yue asking him what his brain contains when Li Gan walks in.  When he sees Li Gan, the sore loser asks to be allowed to play another match because he can’t accept what just happened.  Li Gan merely responds by asking if there’s any end to his nonsense and when Qi Yue starts up again, Li Gan tells him to shut up.  XK walks in and Shu Wen tells him he won beautifully.  She then walks over to the other members and basically tells them to let it go.  She points out that one match doesn’t necessarily say anything, but what she does hope is that they can see the strategies, especially when strategies are so important to their competitions.  She then calls out Qi Yue specifically and says, “You should know this time where it was exactly that you lost.”  She then asks if there’s anyone else who can’t accept [the results] and when she gets no response, she announces (once more) that XK is their team leader and that they need to follow his commands and his strategies in their training.   She then turns the stage over to XK who starts to tell them that they all played really well just now and it was only their strategy aspect that was problematic.  That’s as far as he gets though because Qi Yue storms out of the room and Li Gan has to chase after him saying that he’ll try to persuade him.  [Can you imagine what it must be like to be his roommate?  I bet Sheng Yue has to listen to his angry complaints all the time.  I’d rather move in with Tong Wu.] 

Li Gan catches up to Qi Yue outside and orders him to stand still.  Qi Yue turns around and tells his master that he doesn’t want to play anymore as he just can’t accept it.  He says that when PX was there and they wanted him to play “four protect one,” he was willing to do so.  But now they want him to call XK “team leader” and that’s not happening.  Qi Yue asks if XK would be able to beat him in a one-on-one match, and Li Gan tells him that the game they played just now proves that even though his individual ability may be strong, XK is more suitable to be the team leader.  He reminds Qi Yue that iConquer is a team sport.  When Qi Yue hears that, he complains that he can’t believe even his master is helping that “hand klutz” to speak.  Li Gan tells him to shut up and says that if one loses, they should just accept it.  He warns Qi Yue against letting his ambition and pride get too far ahead of him, and scolds him, “You’re my disciple and one of VNG’s founding members.  You should be broad-minded and have a sense of responsibility!”  He then comforts Qi Yue and says, “I hope you’ll set aside those distracting thoughts and focus on the game.  Don’t let the fact that you were in a position of authority for a short while ruin your future.  The days ahead of you are still long.  If you want to prove that you’re stronger than JXK, then prove it to him through the competitions.  Do you understand?!” 

Qi Yue is walking somewhere and then we see Qiao Xin in the distance.  They meet halfway and she asks him why he’s there.  As she can tell he’s not in a good mood, she asks him what’s wrong and who’s been mistreating him.  He asks who else it could be: JXK.  Qiao Xin says she heard XK stole his team leader position away from him and Qi Yue pretty much blames it on Shu Wen protecting XK to get the position.  Qiao Xin is as offended by this idea that XK could just come from out of nowhere to be VNG’s team leader and it turns out that’s because she’s Qi Yue’s girlfriend.  When he asks her to keep him company (to help cheer him up), she pushes his hand aside and tells him they have to keep up their appearances.  He responds by asking if she’s going to go meet with PX again and then objects to her going to look for another man when her “handsome” boyfriend is standing right in front of her.  Qiao Xin asks if he really believes all those online rumors and reminds him that it’s all because of that dual match.  It’s through this moment (and Qi Yue’s explanation that follows) that we finally learn, back then, Qi Yue had stolen PX’s ID to play with Qiao Xin against QY and XK and after that match everyone started assuming PX was Qiao Xin’s boyfriend.  (This would explain why during that game, XK had said it didn’t seem like PX was playing.)  After they discuss the dual match, Qiao Xin tries to placate Qi Yue by promising to spend the next day with him, just the two of them, and explains that she really can’t be with him today because she has to go meet with one of the sponsors of the “Tomorrow’s Star” competition.  Qi Yue asks if she’s planning on participating in the competition and she says yes, she starts to take out his phone saying he knows people at GDV and will give them a call.  She tells him there’s no need for that as she already found a connection.  [I swear, these two are such a sleazy pair.]  Her phone rings and we see the incoming caller is A Can, although she quickly hides the phone from Qi Yue and then takes her leave.

QY reports to Dream Journey for her first day on the job and Summer explains how the shift schedule works.  He then tells her he’ll find someone who can show her around the place to better understand how everything works and calls on PX, who looks like he’d rather be doing anything other taking QY around.  He tells his cousin that he’s busy and Summer asks him what he could be busy with.  When PX insists he’s really busy, Summer drags him aside and says he’s trying to create an opportunity for him. When PX asks him what he’s talking about, Summer says he already asked and QY and XK are not a couple.  PX asks him how he knows that and Summer says he heard it personally from XK.  PX smiles when he hears that and says he gets it now, and then he asks Summer what he meant by “opportunity.”   Summer gives up and asks PX if he just has water in his head.  He then tells PX to just listen to him and leads him back QY.  When he tries to leave them alone together again, PX asks why he has to be the person who takes her around.  Summer sighs and finally says, “Because I’m the boss and you’re the employee so you have to listen to me.”  Matter settled.  PX finally takes QY around but he sounds so unenthusiastic about it, she suggests maybe they should just forget about it and she can figure things out for herself.

YY walks out of her office with a coworker and, after the coworker leaves first, YX surprises her from the side.  She asks him if he’s crazy and he responds by saying that he should treat her to a meal if he scared her.  YY sees right through him though and guesses that he’s really there to seek her assistance with something.  She invites him to speak and although YX tries to deny at first that he was issuing her a dinner invitation because he needed something from her, he finally admits that he did come looking for her for a specific purpose and tells her he’d like her to investigate Zhao Yang.  When YY hears this, she admits there’s nothing good about Zhao Yang, but on the other hand it’s not like she and YX are familiar with each other either so she doesn’t know why she should help him.  When she tries to leave, YX drags her back and tries to appeal to her sense of professional pride and responsibility.  He tells her this is a wonderful opportunity, one he wouldn’t give to anyone else, and that if she investigates the matter and brings the truth to light, he bets she’ll receive a lot of accolades.  YY, however, takes a page from her Buddhist boss and points out that she just works at a small magazine outlet so she doesn’t feel a sense of responsibility to get to the bottom of this truth.  She again tries to leave, but YX hangs onto her and they go another round of bickering, and that’s when YY finally gives up and agrees to help.  YX says that’s great and suggests they go to dinner (his treat) where they can talk things over while they eat, but a thought suddenly occurs to YY.  She asks him kind of a relationship she has with that Shu Wen from VNG and YX responds, “Of course I’m familiar with Shu Wen. She’s my former sister-in-law.”  When YY hears this she explodes and calls XK a bastard while hitting YX and runs off.  Poor YX is left calling after her asking what this has to do with his Kong Ge, and confused as to their current situation.  He doesn’t even know if they’re still going to dinner although I’d guess not.

Two customers at Dream Journey poke at each other saying, “She’s coming, she’s coming,” right before we see QY deliver two cups of coffee to their table.  They then start laughing at her, recognizing her to be QY, and ask why she’s there working as a server.  They also say they’ve heard about her rumors with JXK and are curious as to whether those rumors are true.  She tells them it’s none of their concern and tries to leave, but they pull her back.  They then start teasing her about the rumors between XK and Shu Wen and ask if she’s been left out in the cold.  One of them grabs her notebook out of her apron pocket (it’s the notebook XK gave her), which falls to the ground when she tries to grab it back.  When she bends over to retrieve it, they step on it.  PX arrives at that moment and kicks them out of the Internet café.  After they leave, he picks up the notebook for her and when he opens the cover he sees it’s, “JXK’s.”  She takes it back while thanking him and he tells her that in future, if she has any problems, she can come directly to him for help.  He adds that so long as he’s around no one will be able to mistreat her. 

At home that night, YY slams down an orange and bursts out, “Former sister-in-law!”  She then tells QY about how she heard from YX that Shu Wen was his former sister-in-law.  Since XK is his “Kong Ge,” that can only mean one thing.  She also guesses that his going to VNG means that they’re getting back together.  She calls him a big faker.  QY, on the other hand, asks if she would not ask YK about these sorts of things in the future, but YY justifies herself by saying it’s because she’s afraid of QY being played for a fool.  QY tells her she’s overthinking things though as she doesn’t even have the time to think about those sorts of matters.  Instead, she’s thinking about the fact that she had to sell her house to repay her debt, the upcoming “Tomorrow’s Star” competition, and being a server at Dream Journey.  She reassures YY that she’s very clear on what she needs to be doing each day and knows that in order to become a professional commentator, this may be her only chance so she’s putting in all her efforts and isn’t going to waste her time.  YY says that’s fine then, but asks QY to not meet with him again and instead focus on preparing for her competition.  QY tells her not to worry and then they call it a day while they both head off to bed.

XK walks around his new dorm room and notices that Lu Sheng seems to have an interest in basketball.  He’s holding Lu Sheng’s deflated basketball in his hand when Lu Sheng walks in without any sort of acknowledgment.  XK tries to strike up a conversation by asking him if he likes basketball but Lu Sheng says he doesn’t play anymore.  When XK offers to fix the deflated basketball, Lu Sheng grabs it from him and throws it into the trashcan telling him not to bother as he’d meant to throw it away.  XK then says he has a question he’d wanted to discuss with Lu Sheng, and when Lu Sheng gives him the go ahead, he tells him that he’s taken a look at his data and noticed that he’s played every position before and also played each of them well.  He asks Lu Sheng if his current position suits him.  Lu Sheng asks what he means by this, and asks if XK’s trying to suggest that his skill levels aren’t good enough for his current position and whether he’s trying to suggest that he’s dragging the team down.  He then tells XK to take a good look at his data and tell him when he’s ever had a problem in one of his games.  This is not at all what XK meant though and he tells Lu Sheng perhaps he didn’t explain himself well.  As he tries to clarify his original meaning, Lu Sheng gets up and climbs onto his bed, clearly not interested in what XK has to say, but XK doesn’t give up.  He tells Lu Sheng that in every position he’s played and in every move he’s made, he’s always steady.  Therefore, if they look at it from a different direction, that means he has a lot of untapped potential that he can still develop.  Lu Sheng replies that he can understand why XK would feel motivated to shake things up upon arrival at VNG but that’s not his style.  He’s blunt and likes to get straight to the point, so he asks XK not to waste any more of his time and efforts on him and tells him to take care of himself instead.  XK tells him he was just trying to have a casual conversation after having looked at his data, and not trying to change him as a person, but Lu Sheng cuts him off and says this is their rest time and asks if he can go to sleep instead.  XK apologizes and after Lu Sheng climbs into bed and turns the other way, he adds, “Good-night.”  [This team… they are really making XK hard for that one dollar!!]

The next morning at the VNG cafeteria, XK watches as Tong Wu set the table for two people with hamburgers, soup (?), and some sort of crepe type roll.  XK interrupts to ask if he’s planning on eating all that food by himself and Tong Wu tells him it’s for Qi Yue and Sheng Yue.  As if on cue, the other two arrive and when they sit down they sit down Sheng Yue complains that it’s the same three items again.  Qi Yue tells him to be more creative next time and tells him to buy pork buns and other stuff instead.  XK watches Tong Wu automatically agree without any emotion.  When they notice him watching, Qi Yue calls out a greeting and XK returns it by lifting his orange juice in acknowledgment.  Qi Yue then starts immediately trash talking again by asking XK how he’s going to have energy to play against him later if he’s not eating breakfast.  He tells Sheng Yue that tomorrow’s hot headline will be about how he knocked down the “hand klutz” XK.  Shu Wen arrives then and comments on Qi Yue and Sheng Yue’s abundant breakfast before walking over to XK and inviting him out for a chat.  After they leave, Qi Yue wonders what they could have to talk about so early in the morning.  It causes him to lose his appetite and he stalks off. 

As Shu Wen and XK take a walk outside, she counsels him that he just came to their team and he needs to give them time to get used to him.  As for Qi Yue, she explains that he’s too brash and sometimes too direct speaking.  XK’s not bothered by this though; he gets it.  He’s comments that Qi Yue is one of the founding members of their team, ambitious and prideful, and he suspects Qi Yue had a hard time accepting things when PX was around too.  As for Sheng Yue, XK says he’s a little bit of a slippery one.  He seems to be on the same page as Qi Yue, but that may not actually be the case all the time.  Shu Wen then asks for his opinion on the other members.  Lu Sheng’s game stats, he tells her, are comprehensive but he seems to have this disillusioned aura about him which results in him seeking to remain steady instead of striving for progress.  As for Tong Wu, he’s the youngest and his courage is also the smallest.  XK finishes by reassuring Shu Wen that when you put them all together, they’re actually a pretty tough team.  Shu Wen is impressed that after only a few days, XK was able to accurately figure out each of their personalities and characteristics.  He tells her that that the next season is about to begin and time is tight, but he’s already familiarized himself with their game stats and all that’s left to do is work with them to come up with a plan.  Shu Wen warns that he’s probably going to have to put in a little bit more effort in order to make sure his ideas are executed properly, but also reassures that she’ll be the first to help if he runs into any problems.  XK thanks her but tells her he knows what to do.  He says it might be risky, but he asks her to be reassured, and says that no matter what he does to let him persevere to the end.  She tells him that given that she invited him to their team, she will of course give him full support. 

It turns out while Shu Wen and XK were talking, Li Gan and Qi Yue were watching them from inside.  Qi Yue denounces XK as a pretty boy and says that with the way Shu Wen trusts him, XK must’ve used some sort of method to put a spell on her.  Li Gan asks if he really believes all the fabricated stories in the media, and Qi Yue counters by asking if Li Gan really isn’t worried that there might be something between Shu Wen and Qi Yue.  [Of course he’s not worried about XK.  Li Gan knows Xk’s not his competition; it’s somebody else.  DUH.]  Li Gan tells QY that’s enough and says there’s nobody who understands Shu Wen better than him.  [I think Sun Ge would disagree with you, but continue on.]  When QY asks him why he’s suffering in silence, that finally irritates Li Gan enough to tell Qi Yue to stop concerning himself with his (Li Gan’s) personal business and focus instead on training and the upcoming competitions. Thoroughly chastened, Qi Yue says he’s going back to practice and then runs off.

PX is working at Dream Journey when Qiao Xin walks in.  She greets him enthusiastically and asks how come he never returned the messages she sent him.  He responds clearly and directly, “I have no time,” but Qiao Xin can be a bit of a barnacle and lets his surly reply roll off by saying she knows he’s busy, which is why she came to find him.  She asks if he’s eaten yet, but he tells her not to get in the way of his work.  She then tells him that she actually came to Dream Journey for her studies, as she came to listen to Luo Tian give his game replay commentary.  He asks is she isn’t already a show host and wonders what the replay has to do with her.  Qiao Xin tells him, however, that it absolutely has everything to do with her because she plans on entering the “Tomorrow’s Star” competition and transition from being a show host to a commentator.  [Hm, sounds kind of like someone else we know, doesn’t it?]  She also tells him that in the future, they’ll be able to see each other during competitions too.  PX’s only response is to ask, “You’re going to be a commentator too?” to which she says, “That’s right!” and then after he walks away, asks, “Is there someone else?”  She’s still wondering who else there could be other than her when she notices QY running around seeing to the needs of various customers.  She asks, “QY?”  and then we next see her sitting at a computer while she calls out for a server’s assistance.  QY calls back that she’s on her way and then she runs over to find Qiao Xin.  [Ugh, I share your pain, my friend.]  QY asks Qiao Xin what she’d like to order and when Qiao Xin says she’s feeling a little thirsty and asks her to make some recommendations, she hands her a menu instead.  Qiao Xin refuses to accept the menu, making the excuse that the letters are to small, and asks QY to read it to her.  After QY tells her some of the options, she asks if there’s coffee.  QY tells her they have cappuccino, which Qiao Xin agrees to, but then she starts expounding on all her preferences, like: the water can’t be too hot or too cold, and she’s on a diet so she doesn’t want milk or sugar.  QY tells her without milk she might as well be drinking an Americano, and Qiao Xin responds, “But what I ordered was cappuccino.”  QY then tells her, “So sorry, but we don’t know how to a cappuccino without milk!”  As she storms off, Qiao Xin stands up and asks what kind of a server has an attitude like hers.  PX then walks over, so she starts complaining to him too, but he just puts down a cup of coffee and says, “Today we only have one kind of coffee; latte.  It’s free.”   

After PX returns to the counter where QY is hiding out, she thanks him for his help in resolving that matter.  He, however, answers that she’s overthinking things as he wasn’t helping her.  Rather, it was simply the fact that they have few employees to begin with so he was just helping out so their customers wouldn’t have to wait so long.  He then leans over and tells her, “Remember, just do your own things well.”  She tells him she will and then at that moment, some people walk in asking where the game replay event will be taking place and she steps aside to show them the direction.  When she finishes with that, another customer calls out for help because there’s a problem with his computer and so she goes running over.  Summer walks out of his office and when he sees PX staring after her, he walks over with a knowing smile/laugh and asks if it’s hard having to make a choice.  PX says he doesn’t know what he’s talking about and Summer slaps at him saying he should at least make a choice in order for him to know how to help him.  When PX he doesn’t need Summer’s help and thinks he must be bored, Summer interprets this to mean that PX wants both of them.  He praises PX for being as impressive as he was back in the day and asks if PX would like him to share some of his opinions, but PX says, “No. I. Don’t.”  Summer is not to be put off though and merely says that he’s a good kid, adding that his little cousin has grown up and now knows how to think things over for himself.  He asks if PX would like him to share some pointers as one who’s experienced the same in the past.  PX asks if he has a lot of free time or something and points out they’re short-handed at the moment.  He suggests his cousin step in to help, but Summer asks if he looks like he has a free time.  He tells PX that he’s currently in a terrible state trying to help him out with his romantic life.  Fortunately for PX, Luo Tian arrives at that moment.  He greets Luo Tian with a level of enthusiasm that I’ve never seen from PX before and then runs away.  LOL. 

Luo Tian asks Summer what he’s doing to PX, and Summer says PX’s just being shy and going through puberty.  Luo Tian guesses Summer must be gossiping about people’s personal lives again, but Summer objects to this characterization.  He asks how this can be considered gossiping when he’s just trying to be an older brother.  He asks if he shouldn’t be showing some responsibility, and Lou Tian can only laugh.  Summer then asks for the time and when looks at Luo Tian’s watch and sees the time, he says it’s about time and suggests they go in [for the game replay event].  Luo Tian notices the signs advertising the upcoming event and comments on how big it is, and Summer tells him spent a lot of effort on it.  He then tells Luo Tian to follow him as a lot of people are waiting for him.

The crowd cheers for “Teacher Luo” as he enters the room and Summer kicks off the event by introducing the room to Luo Tian, whom he describes as the most famous commentator of the pro e-sports circle.  When he asks if everyone recognizes him (Luo Tian), the room answers back that they do.  Summer then explains that this is Luo Tian’s first time doing this, but from now one, he’ll visit Dream Journey ever week to go over game replays.  Just as they’re about to begin, Qiao Xin stands up and introduces herself to Luo Tian.  She tells him that she really, really, really admires him (which has QY sneering in the background) while Summer chuckles and hands over equipment to Luo Tian and tells him, “I also admire you.”  [LOL.  I adore Summer.] 

Luo Tian begins his lecture and the game he wants to explain to them today is the final match of the insider’s competition.  That’s the one where Legends lost to VNG and, as a result, XK got squeezed out of Legends.  Since we know how that game ended, I won’t go into the details of Luo Tian’s narration except to observe that at one point he makes the point that it was actually Legends’ strategies that were more impressive than VNG’s (but of course we know what happened and why that failed).  As Luo Tian lectures, QY stands off to the side and takes notes.  PX comes over and tells her that jotting down notes like a crazy person is a useless endeavor.  She asks him what would be more useful, and he tells her to just ask Luo Tian directly.  He says that with an expert right in front of her, asking him directly would be ten times more useful than her taking notes.  She replies he has a point and PX sighs, “And you still want to be a commentator with that brain of yours.” 

After QY and PX finish their side conversation, Luo Tian makes a few more comments and then pauses the screen asking the audience if they can see something.  Qiao Xin raises her hand and says she has a question.  When Luo Tian comments on her enthusiasm, she stands and says it’s because she wants to be a commentator like him so she plans on studying hard just like him.  He says that’s great and then asks her what she sees on the video screen.  She tells the room that after JXK entered [she doesn’t say entered what, the Chinese language doesn’t like to use subjects sometimes.  It just assumes you know what they’re talking about. I’m guessing he entered either a final battle or some area of the game map in order to engage in a battle], he was able to deliver and after he died, he couldn’t match with his teammates and that’s why they suffered a setback.  Luo Tian motions for her to sit back and down and asks if there’s anyone else who sees things different.  QY raises her hand and says, in her opinion, the reason for the setback resided with the team and had nothing to do with JXK.  She points out it was his teammate who didn’t provide good support, which then resulted in them not having good control over VNG’s actions and their ultimate loss.  Luo Tian tells her she’s correct and the real reason for the loss resided with Huo Yao, as he messed up during the game’s critical moment.  Luo Tian continues lecturing and as the camera pans on PX, we see from his expression that he is just realizing that there is something greater going on in the background.  He thinks to himself, “It wasn’t just a simple mistake,” and hurries out of the room just as Luo Tian is finishing up his game replay lecture. 

When the lecture ends, Qiao Xin asks if she can take a picture with him and then others join in while the remaining audience members file out of the room.  Soon everyone has departed and only QY remains.  She tells him that Summer had said he would be waiting at the bar for him and when they arrive at the bar only to find Summer not there, she offers to show him to their break room to wait, but he tells her he’ll just wait at the bar.  As he sits down, he pulls out his phone and QY stands to the side awkwardly unsure what to do next.  She offers to fix him a drink, but he tells her there’s no need and adds that she should go about her business and just let him know when Summer’s back.  Holding onto her notebook and unwilling to give up, she finally takes a deep breath and falls into a deep bow while holding out her notebook and calling out his name, “Teacher Luo.”  He leans back in surprise and asks if she wants an autograph, and she responds that he’s her idol, so she not only wants his autograph but she also has a lot of questions concerning being a sports commentator.  With her arms still extended, she tells him that’s her notebook.  Luo Tian then takes a good look at her and asks if they haven’t met previously.  He then flashes back to that day they’d crossed paths at GDV, and tells her, “I remember now.”  With her head still bent over, QY apologize for that day saying it wasn’t on purpose.  Luo Tian just stands up and sighs (obviously biased against her from his unfavorable first impression) and says, “How would you like me to believe that you have the confidence to stand on a commentator’s stage when you’re a person who doesn’t even dare to lift her head?”  He then walks away from her.

Summer’s in his office on the phone when Luo Tian walks in.  He rushes to finish his call and then take a seat while calling out his friend’s name.  Luo Tian pours himself a cup of water and observes to Summer, “Your employees at Dream Journey all seem to have dreams.”  Summer laughs and says, “You’ve figured it out,” and then he admits that he purposely arranged it that way because he didn’t want him to think that he was trying to walk through back doors.  Luo Tian asks if this wasn’t called walking through a back door and then suggests that QY must have used some sort of trick on Summer in order for him to be motivated into helping her find a way to approach him (Luo Tian).  Summer replies that it wasn’t tricks, but her hard work that moved him.  He explains how in order to come to Dream Journey to study, she spent a month battling her way to be the number one spot of her game server and noted that she came every day and was the first to arrive and the last to leave.  He referred to her as a rare type, but Luo Tian can’t believe this was enough to sway Summer into helping her.  He tells Summer that he’s seen tons of amateurs show hosts like her.  On their face, they pretend to be hard working but in the end they still rely on their looks and talents.  He then tells Summer that his circle doesn’t want this kind of “flower vase.”  Rather than taking offense, Summer merely slaps his knee and says he understands where his friend is coming from but points out, all he did was create an opportunity for her.  Whether she would be able to do anything with that opportunity would still depend on how hard she was willing to work.  Having said that, he adds that in his opinion, QY is definitely not as Luo Tian described.  Luo Tian asks if he can be certain about that, and when he makes a noise of assent, he says, “Summer, I haven’t seen you set your store by someone like this in a long time.”  Summer reassures him that he really does just admire her.  He points out she’s good-looking and clearly would have no problem relying on her looks, but she’d rather rely on her skills and talents instead, which is not something they commonly see.  He also points out that Luo Tian is always saying they need people, but Luo Tian just looks at him and says, “Be honest.”  That’s when Summer smiles and joins Luo Tian on the couch, and says, “It’s PX!  You know, PX, he seems to be interested in her.”  Luo Tian replies, “You should’ve just said so!  So it was because of a future sister-in-law.”  Summer says he doesn’t know about, as it’s too early to talk like that, but in any event, he admires the girl too.  Luo Tian responds by reminding Summer that he has high standards and it’s not just anybody who’s worthy of his notice, and Summer starts trying to placate his friend by pouring him tea and saying he knows.  He then tries to convince Luo Tian that he’s the type who can carry anyone because he’s that talented. 

Meanwhile, QY is standing outside of Dream Journey on the phone with YY.  She asks YY’s opinion on how she should handle Luo Tian, and YY tells her it’s only when they’re thick-skinned that they can achieve great things.  As a result of YY’s advice, when she sees Summer walking Luo Tian out, she calls after Luo Tian and apologizes for her poor performance earlier.  She then tells him that she’s sincere about wanting to be a professional commentator and although he may find her reckless right now, she promises to persevere in her pursuits, so… when she trails off, he asks her, “So what?”  She looks at Summer and then says, “So I want to acknowledge you as my master.”  [In other words, she’s asking him to take her on as his disciple, although she’s not really giving him a say in the matter as she’s not asking so much as telling him.]  Summer looks impressed while Luo Tian looks lightly taken aback.  He crosses his arms and asks, “A title is something anyone can call [as in calling out a name], and determination is something anyone can deliver, so tell me what’s so special about you?”  When she hesitates and can’t seem to find the words to answer, he pats Summer on the arm and says, “Okay then, if there’s nothing further, I’ll leave first.”  

After Luo Tian leaves, Summer turns back to QY and pats her on the shoulder in comfort.  He tells her it’s no big deal and that Luo Tian’s always been this strict with everybody.  He then adds that Luo Tian’s never accepted a disciple before and says she has a lot of guts.  QY asks if this means she doesn’t have a chance anymore and Summer tells her that it’s not that she doesn’t have a chance anymore, but rather he thinks what Luo Tian was trying to say is that she shouldn’t act with empty words, but should instead put forth real effort to prove what sets her apart from others.  She asks if that’s really the case, and Summer insists that it is by pointing out he’s known Luo Tian for a long time and he’s always been like this.  QY then asks, “Then that means I still have a chance?”  And Summer says, “You do, but opportunities are something you have to strive for personally.”  He then offers her a tip and tells her that Luo Tian is going to be the chief examiner for the “Tomorrow’s Star” competition.  He tells her since she’ll be participating in the competition, she should work hard for Luo Tian to see.  QY asks, “Then that means he’ll be at the competition too?” and Summer responds, “Don’t say you heard it from me.”  She thanks him (while calling him “boss”) and promises to work hard.  Summer tells her that’s enough and that, in the future, she’s not allowed to call him “boss” and should call him, “Summer Ge” (Brother Summer). 

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