The Man They Threw Away

even after enemy vision exposed him. He refused to obey in game eighteen. So he went from starter, to substitute, to the wrong side of the door. "Chenzhou." Pei Heng followed him outside beneath an umbrella. His voice was smooth enough for a press conference. "I nearly forgot. Your noncompete still has six months left. You may stream, but you cannot sign with another team. At your age, after six months…" He left the sentence unfinished and glanced toward the championship photograph. Chenzhou pulled the copy of the humiliating confidentiality agreement from his suitcase and tore it in half. "Next time we meet," he said, "it'll be in your jungle." Pei Heng's smile faded. "Professional competition isn't won by talking tough."