Capítulo 29: 1-16

As expected, sending Qin Yuan to spy on Su Yongkan didn't change much. Even after Yu Qingyu delivered the report to Jiang Lu, he still wasn't allowed to rejoin the team.

Said report wasn't all that valuable in the first place. As it turned out, Qin Yuan knew next to nothing about basketball. He managed to observe Su Yongkan's team during one of their trainings, but all of his findings were rather… inadequate. There was more about the players' personalities than their abilities, or the team's strategies.

However, that actually made Yu Qingyu feel relieved. If there was practically no information, there couldn't be any misinformation either!

Not that he lacked things to worry about. Although unable to attend the trainings, he kept in touch with all of the team members, save for Liu Wei, who continued to ignore his calls and messages. And the things he heard didn't bode well for his mission.

Over the course of the last two months, ever since he's been kicked out, tension within the team spiked way past comfortable levels. Without Yu Qingyu to keep him somewhat in check and calm him down when needed, Jiang Lu started spiraling out of control. His usual pesky behavior got gradually worse, until he snapped at his teammates over every single, even the tiniest mistake. To make matters worse, Ye Chaodan, or rather Liu Wei, also gave up on pretending to be nice. His dark and cold demeanor, combined with Jiang Lu's irascibility, made the atmosphere simply unbearable.

One by one, Wang Yun, Tang Zixin, and Xiao Guan, started skipping the trainings, until they stopped coming altogether.

Of course Jiang Lu, unwilling to admit his incapability to deal with the situation, hasn't said a word to Yu Qingyu. He kept on pretending that the team was doing well, only berating Yu Qingyu over his inability to smooth things over with Liu Wei.

Thankfully, Yu Qingyu knew the truth from the other teammates. Desperately trying to cling to the still remaining hope of completing the mission, he begged Wang Yun, Tang Zixin, and Xiao Guan not to leave, until they eventually agreed to at least participate in the tournament.

The future of the team looked really bleak. They had Jiang Lu, the only person who actually cared about the winning, three members who didn't really want to be there, and their best player, Ye Chaodan, was taken over by the transmigrator who, most likely, would do anything to sabotage the match!

And yet, even when Yu Qingyu confronted Jiang Lu with the situation, Jiang Lu didn't allow him back on the team nevertheless. He continued to cling to Liu Wei's tights, still seeing him as his ticket to victory.

Sitting on a couch in Jiang Lu's house, Yu Qingyu let out a sigh and pinched his brows. It seemed that nothing he said could get through to his friend. With less than a month to go, he needed to come up with a new strategy, desperately trying to salvage the mission.

"How many players have you registered for the tournament?" he asked, glancing at Jiang Lu, who, although looking tired and way more irritable than usual, still refused to admit anything or ask for help.

Jiang Lu pretended to be completely absorbed in the movie they were watching, as he answered in the most neutral tone he could muster, "Five, of course. Me, Ye Chaodan, Wang Yun, Tang Zixin, and Xiao Guan…"

"You won't add me even as a reserve?"

"I can't." Jiang Lu let out an angry sigh, shaking his head. "And who's fault is that? You had so much time, and yet you still haven't managed to apologize to Ye Chaodan… He seems to hate you so much, that if I'd dare ask you even to stand by and bring us water and towels, that would be enough to make him quit!"

Yu Qingyu nodded his head. Yes, Liu Wei would definitely want to keep him as far away from the match as possible… "But what if it's someone else?" he asked, not giving up.

"Huh?" Jiang Lu finally took his eyes away from the screen, sparing Yu Qingyu a surprised glance. "Do you have someone in mind?"

The corners of Yu Qingyu's mouth rose, as the man gave his friend a slightly proud smile. "More than just have in mind, actually. I've already asked him, and he agreed! Do you remember Wang Yun's younger brother? He's a basketball coach now!"

Granted, there is a difference between a basketball coach and a talented professional player. Normally, Wang Yun's brother would be no match for Ye Chaodan, but since it's Liu Wei we're talking about… Well, he'd still be no match, since Liu Wei seemed to have inherited his predecessor's skills just like Yu Qingyu did, but. Even an average person taken out of the street might be better than him, with his attitude toward the match!

"Hmm…" Jiang Lu rubbed his chin, thinking about what he'd just heard. "I guess that should be fine? As long as Ye Chaodan doesn't know that you were the one to request it, then there's no need to reject the offer. Although I still think you're just being paranoid, having a reserve could never go wrong!"

Yu Qingyu took a deep breath, his whole body relaxing. He could finally rest easy, knowing that at least they would be able to kick Liu Wei out of the team. Because once the match starts, Jiang Lu will definitely be able to see that Yu Qingyu has been right all this time.

He already consulted it with the system. Although his mission stated 'help Jiang Lu and lead the team to victory,' it would be completed as long as the match was won, even if Yu Qingyu didn't participate. The only drawback would be not receiving as many points, but even one is better than a loss, right?

"Great," he answered with a smile. "Let's grab a bite together next weekend, so I can introduce you two. We can also invite the rest of the teammates… Aside from Liu… Ye Chaodan."

Jiang Lu just nodded absentmindedly, not even noticing Yu Qingyu's slip of the tongue. But even if he did, he probably wouldn't think much of it anyway.