After Mix finished off three of their opponents, the circumstances of the match became even clearer.

Both middle and bottom lanes thrived and clinched the win at the end.

The third match ended; Mix and Bug’s score was 2 to 1.

Yet as the fourth match began, there was a shift in the balance.

Beginning from when Xiao counter-jungled at the start, other than staying in the jungle, all Boom had been doing was harass Xiao. There were many times where Xiao almost could not escape from Boom’s clutches.

Subsequently, such situations became more apparent. Xiao’s hand speed and handling evidently could not keep up, and he delivered a kill three consecutive times, directly becoming the ATM which the opponent would gank on.

Soymilk noticed something as well. “This one isn’t right. Brother Xiao had already jumped out of the surroundings, right? Why was he intercepted by Boom midway?”

Sugarpack responded, “Yeah, I don’t understand the match anymore. At the very least, Brother Xiao and Boom are able to maintain their chances at fifty-fifty in the jungle. Did he make a mistake this time around?”

“Actually, it’s not just this once. It was the same when he was leaving Bug’s jungle earlier. Boom originally couldn’t catch up with Brother Xiao, but after that, Brother Xiao’s walk became crooked.”

“You shouldn’t be called Soymilk, you should be called Jinx.”

…

Ji Zhiyao could see very clearly from below the stage. Every time Xiao’s champion died, Xiao would forcefully fling his wrist, and it was very evident that his hand injury had relapsed.

Until finally, they lost the fourth match.

Ji Zhiyao felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. Especially a minute later, when he saw Mix battleteam’s lineup was changed to “mid-laner Xiaofei, jungler Heng,” he suddenly stood up and hurriedly left the viewing deck.

…

Backstage, waiting room.

Xiao’s wrist was becoming increasingly swollen at a rate that could be seen by the naked eye. It had been trembling non-stop since he left the stage. Even after spraying on the stabilizing spray that was specially prescribed for his use, there was no improvement in his hand.

Yuan Wei stood beside Xiao, and the manager who was never serious looked extremely solemn at this point.

“Still okay?” Yuan Wei twisted open a bottle of water and handed it over while asking in a low voice.

Xiao received the bottle with his non-injured hand. In between, his lips even trembled because his wrist that was being massaged by the physiotherapist hurt too much. He took in a deep breath and smiled bitterly. His voice was a little hoarse. “I don’t think I can hang on. Wei, I might have to do the surgery.”

After Xiao said those words, the waiting room turned deathly silent, and even they physiotherapist who should be describing the state of Xiao’s injury had shut up, not daring to speak even a word.

Yuan Wei suddenly stood upright, pacing around the room in frustration. It was also now that he realized he was totally unlike how collected he was when he suggested to Mo Huaifeng to find a jungler reserve more than a month ago. He was extremely troubled in his heart.

Three years ago, when Mix was first formed, he was already their manager.

He witnessed them growing from youths unfamiliar with the affairs of the world into responsible young men; witnessed them training from one daylight to the other daylight to raise their international ranking; witnessed them play every single training tournament, performance tournament, national qualifier, and even standing on the international league stage a year ago and leaving regretfully at the end.

Back then, their eyes were bright, and they personally vowed to return to the international stage three years later.

Yet now, he heard one of them say that he could not persevere on anymore.

Just a big boy in his early twenties, how could it be that he had to one day temporarily bid this stage farewell and even probably… never return?