Chapter 82 – Who The Hell Are You?

When the players from both teams walked out of the battle room, they were instantly buried in the overwhelming applause. Such cheers were not only for the winning Black Rose team but also for the Scattered Clouds team, which showed excellent strength in the game. Although they did not win in the end, they were also worthy of the enthusiastic encouragement of the fans.

And so, in the first game of the playoffs, the Black Rose team took the lead by defeating the Scattered Clouds and winning the first round.

A group of players from other teams in the front-row seats also witnessed the entire game from beginning to end. Amidst the clamor in the audience, their inner turmoil could not be quelled for a long time.

The Black Rose team was very strong, even stronger than before.

That was the feeling that arose in everyone’s heart.

In this round, regardless of whether it was the individual match or the team match, even though Scattered Clouds team’s performance was indeed a bit out of sorts, it wasn’t bad at all. However, Black Rose was clearly better, regardless of whether it was the level of operational techniques or from the tactical point of view.

Scattered Clouds team’s faux pas could be attributed to Wen Shuqing, who has been away from the game for a long time, but this excuse could not deny Black Rose‘s strength.

Yan Duzhou quietly looked at the players shaking hands and saluting each other on the stage, and finally, his eyes landed on that familiar yet unfamiliar back. There was a fighting intent hidden in his eyes.

He knew very well that his retirement was not far away.

As a veteran player who has been in the league almost since domestic games began to develop, it was very gratifying to be able to meet again, on the final battlefield, an opponent good enough to get his mood pumping.

Next to him, Song Lan kept his head down from beginning to end, writing furiously in the notebook he carried with him. From time to time, he would cross out what he had just written and bite the tip of his pen, lost in thought.

Yan Duzhou glanced at his notes and asked aloud, “What do you make of it?”

Song Lan was silent for a moment and replied: “The pattern is too confusing.”

Such an answer was kinda vague, but Yan Duzhou seemed relieved, turned to look at the stage, and nodded solemnly: “There is some progress, but we still need to work hard.”

…

Compared to the turbulent atmosphere outside the arena, the few members of the Scattered Clouds on the stage seemed much calmer.

Wen Shuqing’s eyes passed over You Jing and landed on Lin Xiao. His gentle smile revealed a hint of approval: “Captain You has dug up an extraordinary character.”

You Jing responded: “Thank you.”

Zhang Fengyu pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose: “It won’t be so easy to win next time.”

Shen Changyu smiled and said, “We can only meet in the semi-finals next time, right?”

Behind Wen Shuqing’s wheelchair, Tao Yaofei said, “Why, you don’t think we can make it to the semi-finals?”

This accusation sounded quite provocative… Shen Changyu wiped his cold sweat and hurriedly replied, “No, no, no, I don’t mean that at all.”

Lin Xiao listened to their banter in amusement, and when he raised his head, he saw Yan Lingjiang uncharacteristically quietly, saying nothing, just looking at him motionlessly.

Under such gaze, he felt a little flustered for no reason, so he walked over and asked: “Wild Goose, what’s wrong? You can’t be such a sore loser, can you?”

However, Yan Lingjiang didn’t respond to him, and his stare seemed even weirder. His lips trembled slightly as if he wanted to say something, but he hesitated and held himself back. In the end, he gritted his teeth as if he had made up his mind, grabbed Lin Xiao’s wrist, and dragged him outside: “I have something to ask you.”

Lin Xiao instinctively tried to withdraw his hand but found that the grip on his wrist was so tight that he couldn’t break free.

Looking at the figure in front of him and feeling the cold touch of the palm on his wrist, the shallow playful smile in his eyes gradually faded away, leaving only a vague feeling of discomfort as a premonition crept into his heart.

Although they hadn’t spoken yet, he had a vague intuition that he might not be able to hide some things.

One should know that Lin Xiao has always had an almost indifferent attitude towards his identity. After all, normal people would tend not to think too much of such a strange and bizarre incident. Even if he were to explain this to each person one by one, I’m afraid most people would just think of him as a lunatic. So, how many people knew, and how many found out about it, to him, it was just letting nature take its course.

As for Shen Changyu and Yan Duzhou, one was the closest comrade-in-arms, and the other was the opponent who understood him best. Naturally, there was not too much pressure.

However, Yan Lingjiang was different.

Until that incident, they were two people who had absolutely nothing to do with each other. However, due to a strange combination of circumstances, he took over this body and replaced this man’s childhood best friend. In a way, it really was a little too much to tell him those cruel facts.

Facing Yan Lingjiang, Lin Xiao felt guilty even if he denied it.

However, there was nothing he could do.

After all, he was Old Ghost in the past, and no matter what, he could not become the real “Lin Xiao” who belonged to his memory.

…

Somewhere in the venue, a secluded corridor was engulfed in an oppressive silence.

Yan Lingjiang didn’t speak, and Lin Xiao could only stand there silently, leaning against the wall and enduring the scrutinizing gaze.

Finally, with a faint sigh, he fumbled for a cigarette in his pockets, put it in his mouth, lit it, and took a puff.

Glancing up at Yan Ling Jiang, who looked like a resentful wife, he hesitated and asked, “You smoking?”

In fact, he knew that he did not smoke, but he was just saying a few words to fill the silence. Who would have expected Yan Lingjiang to grab his cigarette pack without saying a word, take one, lit it quickly, and take a deep drag.

Lin Xiao was so dumbfounded that he almost forgot his own cigarette. Finally, when the other guy choked and huddled in the corner almost coughing out his lungs, he sighed helplessly, walked over, grabbed the half-smoked cigarette butt, and directly threw it in the garbage can: “I was just asking casually. Are you really smoking it?”

Yan Lingjiang couldn’t stop coughing for a while. He finally took a breath, raised his head, looked at him directly, and asked in a hoarse voice: “Who are you?”

The cigarette butt in Lin Xiao’s mouth was askew, and he somehow couldn’t find his words under this blunt questioning.

Now that he asked this question, it was clear he was suspecting something, and there was absolutely no point in going in circle and playing games.

But… who was he?

The question was too metaphysical! So profound that, even he himself didn’t know how he should answer it.

Maybe it was because of choking or other reasons, but Yan Lingjiang’s eyes looked a little red when he looked at him, and those watery eyes made the intense emotions even more obvious.

Lin Xiao took a deep breath and said slowly: “Let me tell you a story. It’s not very long, but it’s a little…well, a little complicated.”

He had actually told this story to two other people, but adding the two together, the pressure was much less than with the one in front of him.

Not only the story was complicated, but emotions were too!

With every sentence he spoke, Lin Xiao paid attention to Yan Lingjiang’s expression. However, his head was getting lower and lower, and eventually, the hanging hair completely covered his face and no expression was visible.

He had no choice but to tell the whole story, and after that, the surroundings fell into an eerie silence again. He felt a little uneasy in a strange way. It felt like asking for forgiveness after doing something bad, not knowing what kind of answer would come.

Lin Xiao was not an impatient person. After he finished speaking, he continued to blow smoke rings, waiting for the other man’s reaction.

However, after a long time, there was still no response. Yan Lingjiang leaned against the wall with his head hung low as if he had fallen asleep in this position.

But falling asleep? It was totally impossible. No matter how bad his storytelling was, it would not have a hypnotic effect in this situation.

Lin Xiao frowned after noticing the slightly heaving shoulders and finally walked over and pulled Yan Lingjiang up: “I say, can you give me some feedback… uh…”

His words stopped when he saw the expression on his face clearly.

Yan Lingjiang was still holding back the tears in his eyes with a twisted expression, and his eyes turned completely red. However, he still bit his lip tightly and stared at him fiercely: “Impossible! I don’t believe a word you said, Lin Xiao!”

“…” Since you don’t believe a word of it, don’t look as if you’re about to die. This feeling of guilt was almost overwhelming, and Lin Xiao was getting a headache: “I know you won’t be able to accept it for now, but… this is really the truth.”

Yan Lingjiang looked at him fiercely, and his scarlet eyes seemed to bore into him completely: ”Truth? What bullshit truth! You said you’re not Lin Xiao, then who the hell are you?!”

In the end, they still reached the same point.

“Maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe not, but I am indeed ‘Lin Xiao’. However, I am the ‘Lin Xiao’ from five years ago, the Old Ghost ‘Lin Xiao’.” Some things had to be digested and accepted at one’s own pace. Lin Xiao didn’t know what kind of mood he was in now, but he could only cruelly repeat the facts: “As for why such unnatural things happened, I don’t know either. Now that the situation has become like this, I can only say that no matter what you want to do, I respect your decision. You can call the police, you can give me a good beating… Oh, shit!”

Before he finished speaking, he saw something swiftly coming toward him, and before he had time to see what it was, he was knocked to the ground by a ruthless punch.

Yan Lingjiang looked energetic and fit, and he obviously used to go to the fitness club. The three elements of such a fast, accurate, and hard punch made Lin Xiao suddenly see stars shining in his eyes: “You can really pack a punch!”

However, no one responded to him. In the spinning world, only a blurry outline was seen running away as if using all his strength to escape the scene. Within seconds, there was no sign of him anymore.

Sitting on the ground, Lin Xiao looked at the empty corridor and sighed again with a gloomy expression.

The manner of this rejection made him feel very guilty.

He had already been beaten, but he didn’t know if he would spread the news after he calmed down, or if he would accept his suggestion to call the police?

Sometimes, even he felt that his mouth was indeed quite reckless…