Let the Rejected Win One

Xu Cheng’s dismissal notice contained three lines. Unstable form. Disobedient. No commercial value. Lin Zhou pushed hot water toward her. “What was the real reason?” “The coach ordered me to enter an old server after midnight and surrender whenever I matched certain players.” Xu Cheng’s fingers were red with cold. “I won once. He said I had wasted Zhou Duo’s quota.” The spreadsheet listed twenty-seven contracted players. Beside each name were fields for reflex, spatial sense, foresight, and a column marked supplier accounts. Xu Cheng’s spatial sense carried an S grade, crossed out in red with the note: Refused transfer. Remove. Zhou Duo had twelve supplier accounts. The last was grayed out—Xu Cheng.