Not wanting to anger Jiang Lu, Yu Qingyu didn't linger around the gym anymore and promptly returned home. It wouldn't do him any good to get on Jiang Lu's bad side. After all, Jiang Lu was the team captain, and the person who made the bet. He was indispensable for Yu Qingyu's mission.
Having nothing better to do, Yu Qingyu spent the rest of the day fidgeting around his small apartment, constantly coming up with new strategies to handle the situation, only to reject them a moment later. The system tried to calm him down somehow, but to no effect. Nothing could get through to him, who was only a step away from surrendering himself to panic.
After a whole day of waiting, Yu Qingyu's phone finally rang. He immediately jumped over to pick it up.
"Well? So what the hell is going on with you two?" Jiang Lu demanded to know.
"I really can't explain…" Yu Qingyu sighed. "But, you should remove Ye Chaodan from the team. I know you want him, because he's by far the best player out of us all, but trust me. He will make us lose."
"Huh? And why is that?"
Yu Qingyu poured hot water into the cup, making himself a calming, herbal tea, and sat down by the table. "Listen, that might sound unbelievable, but he truly wants Su Yongkan to win the bet. I can't tell you any details, but I am certain about that."
On the other end of the line, Jiang Lu fell silent, trying to process the information. "That doesn't make any sense."
"That's just because you don't-"
"No, really," Jiang Lu interrupted, annoyed. "He's a professional player, right? Wouldn't it be too shameful for him to lose against amateurs? He's about to make his return, how could he bear do to that?"
"But what if he doesn't want to return?" Yu Qingyu didn't give up. He had a whole day to think about it, so he was somewhat prepared for anything Jiang Lu might ask.
But Jiang Lu just harrumphed in response. "He already signed the contract. So he's returning, for sure."
"He certainly isn't." Yu Qingyu furrowed his brows. Wasn't Fu Zhiren Jiang Lu's best friend? Why didn't he trust him more?
There was no way that Ye Chaodan would ever play basketball professionally again. That is because he would die right after the tournament, when Liu Wei's soul would leave his body. That's what happened to all the people transmigrators took over. They would just pass away.
But Yu Qingyu couldn't tell Jiang Lu any of that. He'd be taken for a madman, for sure.
"Alright, look." Jiang Lu sighed. "I know that you wouldn't lie to me, but… I think you're just being paranoid. I don't know what happened between you two, but Ye Chaodan has been nothing but helpful to the team. He never missed a single training, and always gives his all."
"You, on the other hand…" Not giving Yu Qingyu a chance to speak, Jiang Lu continued his tirade. "Well, you've been training fine, but… You're the source of conflict within the team, that's one thing. Two, remember that plan about spying on Su Yongkan's team? Have you even started working on that? Hmm?"
Yu Qingyu, of course, hasn't. Because it was Liu Wei's idea, he's been hesitant as to whether he should really do it. But it seems he's been left with no other choice. "If I do that, will you finally listen to me?"
"That's…" Jiang Lu paused, reluctant to answer.
But that told Yu Qingyu everything he needed to know. It wouldn't change anything.
Pretending that everything was fine, Jiang Lu cleared his throat and continued. "Well, get it done first. Then we'll talk. I've gotta go now, bye," he quickly ended the call.
Yu Qingyu put his phone back on the table and took a sip of his tea. The conversation didn't go well, but at this point, he was no longer surprised. Ever since Liu Wei appeared in this world, things have only been going downhill for him. He was still filled with anxiety, but slowly, he started getting accustomed to the feeling, or so it seemed.
'520, that plan of spying on Su Yongkan. What would you say Liu Wei's intentions are?'
[There are several possibilities. However, it is unlikely to be of much importance. It is just an amateur basketball match, so any information a spy could potentially obtain shouldn't give your team any significant advantage. Moreover, at the time Liu Wei made this suggestion, he hadn't figured out Host's identity yet. It might be that he wanted to send a spy to check whether Host could be a member of the opposing team.]
'Huh?' Yu Qingyu furrowed his brows, surprised. 'Was that the case?'
Since his memories of the party were unclear, he was unaware of that fact. He previously suspected that Liu Wei intended to use the information to create a 'winning' strategy that was actually meant to put their team at a disadvantage. Or perhaps notify Su Yongkan of the ploy, so that all the information the spy gathered would be incorrect.
Of course, it was possible that Liu Wei had all of those things in mind when we came up with the plan. Unlike Yu Qingyu, who only knew that there was a supposedly random transmigrator somewhere nearby, Liu Wei had a clear target in mind from the start.
Letting out a long sigh, Yu Qingyu shook his head. 'Nevermind. Try as I may, I cannot figure him out…'
He reached out for his phone again. 'The guy that I was supposed to ask to act as the spy, who is it?'
[Qin Yuan. He works in the same department as Jiang Lu and Su Yongkan. Host plans to go along with the plan?]
'Mn. I don't think it will do much, but maybe I can at least placate Jiang Lu a bit with it,' Yu Qingyu explained, typing a short message, inviting Qin Yuan to grab a bite with him next week.
Even if Jiang Lu won't let him back on the team, there must be other things he can do. It was too early to give up. He'd be stuck in this world for three more months anyway, so what else was he going to do with all this time?